The cousin is beautiful but ruthless.

Liang Ruoxue quickly adjusted her expression, stood up and bowed to Li Jun and Princess Yongning.

Princess Yongning's expression softened slightly when she saw that it was Liang Ruoxue and Shen Hanyu.

"So it's Miss Liang the Second. Is your injury any better?"

When Princess Yongning asked about it, Liang Ruoxue answered politely and briefly, never taking credit for anything.

Listening to their back-and-forth conversation, Shen Hanyu found an opportunity to leave, giving them some space.

As soon as he stepped out of the main hall, a person walked towards him from a distance.

"Has Young Master Pei planted spies in the Marquis's residence?"

Shen Hanyu was genuinely puzzled, as it seemed she could run into Pei Du anywhere she went.

Pei Du was not annoyed by Shen Hanyu's question. Instead, he replied without batting an eye, "It was a chance encounter. I just wanted to talk to Miss Shen about the Hantai Temple."

Shen Hanyu didn't say anything about Pei Du's change of topic, but asked Pei Du to talk about whether the murderer of the Hantai Temple incident had been found.

"The murderer has not yet been identified. All the items on those thieves' bodies have been erased, making it difficult to determine their identities. However, it can be confirmed that they are not the mountain bandits they claimed to be."

Shen Hanyu frowned, already pondering who could have such a grand gesture.

Unfortunately, even with memories of both past and present lives combined, only a handful of people still harbor doubts.

Seeing that Shen Hanyu was deep in thought, Pei Du did not disturb her.

"I really can't think of anyone I've offended."

Shen Hanyu shook her head slightly, deeply troubled by this.

“I’ve checked on Xiao Ran’s side. It wasn’t her doing the work. She’s really busy right now. Zhou Yurong is also being kept at home by her. The two of them are having a big fight. The others aren’t involved in the Hantai Temple matter either. But if I find anything, I’ll let you know as soon as possible.”

Shen Hanyu thanked him, feeling that she owed Pei Du more and more.

"I couldn't find the bald-headed, blind monk you mentioned. I asked the abbot, and he said there is indeed such a person. He likes to talk nonsense and is not popular with the worshippers. I haven't seen him at Hantai Temple for the past two days. I don't know where he went or if he's still alive."

The matter of the monk was not urgent, so Shen Hanyu did not ask any further questions.

"By the way, the young ladies who previously accused Jiang Chengfeng and Sun Jiaming of their crimes to the Censor have also been properly taken care of."

Shen Hanyu was surprised and scrutinized Pei Du.

"Young Master Pei seems to know a lot about my affairs?"

Pei Du smiled and said, "Since I ran into it by chance, I decided to look it up."

He knew that Shen Hanyu had brought those people here, but he didn't point it out. Xu Ying hadn't found out that this matter had anything to do with Shen Hanyu. Although she had her suspicions, she unfortunately had no evidence.

The two looked at each other. Shen Hanyu knew that Pei Du would not frame her, otherwise it would be really troublesome to stand on the opposite side of Pei Du.

As they got closer, Shen Hanyu could see the dark circles under Pei Du's eyes, and she couldn't help but think of those rumors.

The Duke's mansion is now completely different from what it used to be. After Han Yueru married the Duke, she brought Pei Xingzhi with her.

Although Pei Xingzhi publicly claimed to be the child of Han Yueru's ex-husband, his features bore a striking resemblance to those of the Duke.

Anyone who isn't an idiot can see what kind of relationship these three people have.

With the arrival of Pei Xingzhi and Han Yueru, and Han Yueru taking charge of the household, Pei Du's life became increasingly difficult.

He used to be the most favored son of the Duke's mansion, but now he's going to be punished by the Duke either because of Han Yueru or Pei Xingzhi.

Shen Hanyu and Pei Du walked together and stopped under the tree.

"How have you been lately, Young Master Pei?"

Shen Hanyu suddenly asked a question, and Pei Du subconsciously rubbed the back of his eyes.

He wasn't lying; he frankly admitted, "It's definitely not as good as it used to be."

Shen Hanyu looked up at the clear blue sky.

"Young Master Pei has helped me so many times, so I'll venture to advise you that you should take a good rest. I've seen you several times now, and you look more and more haggard each time."

She noticed Pei Du's exhaustion when he came to rescue her last time at Hantai Temple during the spring rain, and this time, he couldn't hide it either.

She couldn't help but recall Pei Du's fate in his previous life, where he nearly broke ties with the Duke of the Founding Kingdom's mansion and then went to the battlefield where he was pierced by a thousand arrows.

When the tragic news reached Chang'an, the Duke of Kaiguo's mansion was unwilling to hold a proper funeral, and no one was even willing to bring back Pei Du's coffin.

In the end, Xu Zhun stood in front of the Duke of Kaiguo's mansion and cursed for half an hour. He personally went to bring the coffin back from the battlefield so that Pei Du could be laid to rest.

Pei Du's life was completely divided between the first and second halves. She knew that this feeling was not pleasant and could empathize with him to some extent, but she was not someone who had been through it all.

Hearing Shen Hanyu's words, Pei Du chuckled: "Miss Shen is right. I've been having trouble sleeping and having many dreams lately. I always wake up after only a few hours of sleep. I guess it's because I'm thinking about too many things."

Seeing that Pei Du was willing to listen, Shen Hanyu said a few more words and even told him that he could make a sachet and put some calming herbs inside.

In her past life, she also often had trouble sleeping. She consulted a doctor who prescribed this medicine, and she found it very effective.

Pei Du nodded and noted it down. He looked at the commotion in the main hall. He couldn't see how the three people inside were talking, but Liang Ruoxue hadn't come out for so long, so he figured the result must be pretty good.

"In a couple of days, the Duke's mansion will be holding a Spring Festival banquet. It's called a Spring Festival banquet, but in reality, it's my father's way of supporting her. She's not popular with those people, and this banquet is a way to help her integrate into their circle. He will definitely invite you."

Pei Du spoke with an apologetic tone at the end.

"In the end, it was I who dragged you down."

Shen Hanyu had shown her face to Han Yueru because of that incident, and regardless of whether the two were involved afterward, Han Yueru would not let go of this opportunity.

Shen Hanyu understood this principle.

She already knew what kind of person Han Yueru was, so she wasn't surprised.

"Thank you for informing me in advance, Young Master Pei. This way, I can be prepared."

Pei Du nodded, turned around and left first.

Xu Zhun was waiting for him outside. When he saw Pei Du come out with a smile on his face, he couldn't help but tease him.

"Oh, how did it feel to see your sweetheart?"

Xu Zhun knew Pei Du's thoughts long ago. Although Pei Du had never admitted it, it would be really unreasonable for him not to have noticed after so many years of friendship.

Pei Du glanced at him and got into the carriage, and Xu Zhun followed.

"Tell me, people won't like you because you're so quiet and reserved. Plus, you have a bad reputation for being ruthless and heartless. I bet that Miss Shen's impression of you is even worse now."

Pei Du pushed Xu Zhun aside, saying, "You talk too much nonsense."

Xu Zhun chuckled, knowing Pei Du was embarrassed, and said a few words before dropping the subject.

Inside the main hall, Princess Yongning scrutinized Liang Ruoxue.

I had heard that Liang Ruoxue was arrogant, but now that I see her, she doesn't seem to be like that at all. In fact, she's much more pleasing to the eye than Liang Ruoyan.

She glanced at Li Jun, who was talking to Liang Ruoxue.

"Last time I was in a hurry and didn't have time to properly thank Miss Liang. Did Miss Liang use the medicinal herbs that Granny gave you? If you need more, you can ask me for more."