After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

Lu Zhiyuan was chatting animatedly with her second aunt, unaware that a young man was quietly watching her from outside the door. By the time she realized what was happening, the young man had already left.

A Luo followed behind the boy with his head down, not understanding why his young master had come to Ronghua Palace and why he wasn't going in.

The young master was a hostage from Southern Chu, and his every move was controlled by the royal family of Northern Liang. When Consort Jin was alive, he could not even leave the Jinxiu Palace. Only when it was quiet at night and no one was around could he leave his room and stand in the courtyard to look at the moonlight.

After Consort Jin committed suicide, all the palace maids who followed her in Jinxiu Palace were also punished. Now, Jinxiu Palace is as deserted as Ronghua Palace, with only the two of them remaining.

They were still living in the side hall. Unlike before, they were no longer restricted by Consort Jin and could come and go freely. The Empress had also sent them all the necessities to make the winter less difficult for her and her young master.

Xiao Yebai wore a crescent-colored brocade robe, his hair loose and draped over his shoulders. Years of harsh treatment had made him thinner than the average youth, and his skin paler. He disliked speaking and showing his emotions; his face was devoid of any joy or sorrow. Even when beaten and reprimanded by Consort Jin, his face remained expressionless.

If A'Luo hadn't seen what her young master looked like when he was even younger, she would have doubted whether her young master was human, lacking emotions and desires, unable to feel sadness and pain, and unaware of what joy was.

Walking with my head down, I suddenly bumped into a wall. Looking up, I saw the young master's eyes.

His pupils weren't black; in particular, when sunlight shone on them, a distinct blue hue could be seen. Black tinged with blue, like the most precious gemstone in Southern Chu. If his mother hadn't been a princess from Northern Liang sent to Southern Chu for a political marriage, his eyes alone would have been enough to make him the crown prince of Southern Chu and allow him to sit on the throne.

"Your Highness, please forgive me, Aro did not mean it."

"What are you thinking about?" Xiao Yebai asked, his voice devoid of any emotion.

“A Luo was wondering why the young master didn’t go to Ronghua Palace.” Xiao Yebai disliked deception, and as his only maid, A Luo knew very well, so she answered without any concealment: “The young master must have left the palace to see that Miss Lu.”

“She has guests, and I’ve already met them.” Xiao Yebai turned around. “She’s a little different from what I imagined.”

A Luo followed behind with her head down, the image of Lu Zhiyuan appearing in her mind: "Miss Lu is indeed different. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be alive today!"

"You're saying she started that fire herself?" Xiao Yebai turned around and glanced at A Luo.

"It was Miss Lu who set it off herself. She snatched A Luo's tinderbox and threw it over the wall right in front of A Luo. After grabbing A Luo, she shouted for help, attracting Consort Jin and all the palace servants. A Luo thought she was going to die, but Miss Lu gave A Luo medicine and extricated her from the incident. If it weren't for Miss Lu, A Luo and His Highness would definitely have been punished by Consort Jin."

Xiao Yebai knew about Lu Zhiyuan's affair with the Fang family, and also knew that she had been harassed by the maidservants at the instigation of Consort Jin when she first entered the palace. He had heard some of her stories and knew that she wouldn't sit idly by, but he didn't expect her counterattack to come so quickly.

Consort Jin was foolish. If she were even slightly smarter, she wouldn't have made things difficult for Lu Zhiyuan in the morning and then ordered arson that very evening. Even if Lu Zhiyuan hadn't captured A'Luo, he could have guessed that the fire was related to Jinxiu Palace. What he couldn't understand was why Lu Zhiyuan would let A'Luo go and speak up for him, the hostage from Southern Chu. She could have remained silent, could have watched him, the hostage from Southern Chu, perish along with Jinxiu Palace.

For the Xie family?

His death could indeed be a reason for Southern Chu to send troops, but was it really because Southern Chu had no reason not to send troops? No, they were simply no match for Xie Yuandao, who was guarding the border. It was said that Lu Zhiyuan's mother, the only female general of Northern Liang, had also gone to the border. With father and daughter united, their strength could break metal; Southern Chu's decision to send troops at this time was tantamount to courting disaster.

What he could understand even in the deep palace, the Xie family couldn't understand, Lu Zhiyuan couldn't understand, and the Emperor and Empress of Beiliang couldn't understand.

What exactly is Lu Zhiyuan thinking?

“A Luo doesn’t think Miss Lu is that complicated.” A Luo said tentatively, “Miss Lu is only eight years old and grew up in a villa in the suburbs. She may not have the scheming nature of those noble ladies. She saved A Luo, perhaps unintentionally, or perhaps without thinking too much about it. She was just targeting those who deliberately hurt her.”

“She’s not as simple as you think.” Xiao Yebai lowered his eyelids. “If she were truly as naive as A Luo said, she wouldn’t have been invited into the palace by the Emperor. She and I are both hostages. I am a hostage from Southern Chu, and she is a hostage from the Xie family.”

Aro bit his lip but did not answer.

Perhaps His Highness's guess is correct. She is just a rather dim-witted palace maid, unable to understand as many things as His Highness does. All she needs to know is that she and His Highness are safe, and she just needs to obediently stay by His Highness's side.

Lu Zhiyuan went to see her second aunt off. On her way back, she passed by Jinxiu Palace and came across Xiao Yebai standing in the courtyard. She was stunned.

That face was exactly the same as the one she remembered.

Surviving the assassin training camp is no easy feat. Besides the rigorous training, there's a relentless promotion system: from 1,000 to 500, from 500 to 300, from 300 to 100, from 100 to 50, and the remaining 50 must fight each other to the death. They go from partners to enemies, and from enemies to life-or-death struggles. In their group, she was the best among the girls, and he was a survivor among the boys.

They went on missions together and agreed to live to retirement, but he died protecting her.

Ye Bai and Xiao Yebai, two identical faces, the same age as when they first met. Her eyes welled up, her lips curved into a smile, and she couldn't help but raise her hand and shout "Hi!" at him.

Xiao Yebai gave her a deep look, then turned and left.

Tears streamed down her face. As she wiped them away, she came to her senses. That person wasn't Ye Bai, but Xiao Yebai, the hostage prince of Southern Chu. The Ye Bai she remembered was lively and enthusiastic, his eyes brimming with sunshine. Even the most brutal training in the camp hadn't completely extinguished that light in his eyes.

The boy in the courtyard had deep, dark eyes, like a cold, lifeless pool.

After slightly composing himself, he followed up: "Hey, don't you have any manners? I saved your life, after all. Even if you don't say thank you, you should at least say hello."

Xiao Yebai ignored her and continued walking forward.

"Xiao Yebai, the hostage prince of Southern Chu, you stop right there!" Perhaps because she was in this body, Lu Zhiyuan acted somewhat childishly. She took three steps in two, rushing in front of Xiao Yebai, hands on her hips, looking at him. "Go on, let's see where you can go now!"

Xiao Yebai frowned slightly, his eyes still devoid of any emotion: "What do you want to do?"

Lu Zhiyuan grabbed his hand: "I'll treat you because you look like an old friend of mine."