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In the past few days, Xun Qingqing’s relationship with Jun Wuxian had naturally grown closer than before, and even their form of address to each other had changed.

Jun Wuxian could hardly conceal his excitement, "Although there is no evidence, she is indeed not a member of the Shen Family, and she bears a striking resemblance to Xiaojiu, even having the same pet, among many other similarities."

The more Jun Wuxian talked, the more excited he became. It was because of these similarities and coincidences that he initially thought Shen Chuwei might be his sister, which led him to investigate further in the Capital.

However, the investigation results were somewhat surprising: Shen Chuwei was indeed the daughter of the Shen Family, so she was not Xiaojiu. The resemblance was just a coincidence.

Even the twins, Susu and Xiaojiu, resembled each other more when they were children.

Now he blamed himself for not investigating thoroughly enough; the present Shen Chuwei was not actually the daughter of the Shen Family—the original had passed away, and the current Shen Chuwei had taken her place.

Xun Qingqing held Jun Wuxian’s hand and said, "I also hope that the Crown Princess is your sister and not Shen Mingzhu’s."

Jun Wuxian asked with a hint of doubt in his tone, "Why do you say that?"

"The Shen Family doesn’t treat the Crown Princess well.

Sometimes even the servants dare to bully her.

Madam Shen is especially harsh on the Crown Princess, treating her no better than a maid, just putting on an act for appearances.

And then there’s Shen Mingzhu, who uses every Tea Party as an opportunity to embarrass the Crown Princess and make herself look better in contrast.. ."

Xun Qingqing vented her frustrations all at once. What used to be light teasing had now turned into gnashing her teeth in indignation.

Upon hearing this, Jun Wuxian furrowed his brow in distress. Xiaojiu was clever and agile; even as a child, she wasn’t someone who could be bullied easily.

If this was indeed amnesia, then that was still a possibility.

Xiaojiu had always been coddled and adored— who would dare to bully her?

"The Shen Family originally placed all their hopes on Shen Mingzhu to bring honor to the family, but she turned out to be a disappointment, framing the Crown Princess at every turn, and ultimately being deposed.

When the Shen Family realized Shen Mingzhu was no use to them, they started to attempt to use the Crown Princess for their own glory.

Unfortunately, the whole family was up to no good and ended up being stripped of their official titles. "

Xun Qingqing appeared somewhat gleeful as she spoke, believing that they had brought it upon themselves.

Jun Wuxian clenched his fists tightly, his eyes darkening like the depths of the sea, churning with towering rage. "Xiaojiu will not let herself be bullied like that."

Xun Qingqing didn’t know what Xiaojiu’s personality was like, but from what Jun Wuxian had mentioned, she was more astute than Xun Qingqing and not so easily bullied. However, at the beginning, even Xun Qingqing was able to bully Shen Chuwei—

If Jun Wuxian found out about that, would he be angry?

She stole a glance at Jun Wuxian, "Shen Chuwei initially had a somewhat weak and submissive nature, which made her easy to bully, but later on, it’s as if she became a different person."

A flicker of confusion passed through Jun Wuxian’s eyes, "What do you mean by that?"

Xun Qingqing explained, "At first, Shen Chuwei was a bit foolish and easily bullied.

When she first entered the palace, she was always trying to seduce His Highness.

But afterward, she changed; no longer attempting to seduce His Highness and becoming very gluttonous, overall her behavior shifted drastically. "

Jun Wuxian’s forehead furrowed. Xiaojiu was not the type of girl who would do such things, but Qingqing wouldn’t lie to him, so why was there such a large change in Shen Chuwei’s behavior?

Seeing that Jun Wuxian fell silent, Xun Qingqing touched his hand and called out, "Axian?"

Jun Wuxian replied, "I’m fine, just a bit puzzled. When Xiaojiu went missing that year, she was only ten years old, smart, cute, and adorable. She was well-liked by everyone and doted on. With her gluttonous and lazy nature, it’s just not like her to try to attract men."

Listening to Jun Wuxian speak so highly of his sister sentence after sentence, Xun Qingqing suddenly felt envious. He had complimented her numerous times in her presence.

He had never praised her like that, even saying she wasn’t as clever as his sister—

She wondered what Jun Wuxian saw in her...

Noticing something was off with Xun Qingqing, Jun Wuxian asked, "What’s wrong?"

Coming back to her senses, Xun Qingqing shook her head, "It’s nothing."

The Crown Princess had gone to see Xiao Jinyan, and it had been over two months now, right? With such a long time gone by without returning, could something have happened?

The more Jun Wuxian thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. He wouldn’t be able to rest easy without confirming this matter in person.

"I want to go find her."

Xun Qingqing offered her unconditional support, "Okay, I’ll go with you."

Jun Wuxian cast his eyes downward at Xun Qingqing. Considering that the General Residence was aware he had presented the betrothal gifts, leaving at this moment might cause others to speculate wildly.

Whether he took Xun Qingqing with him or not, it would stir up gossip.

After a long moment of hesitation, he said, "I’ll send the betrothal gifts first, then we can go find Xiao Jiu together, and also see a doctor about your face."

Xun Qingqing certainly knew what he meant by sending the betrothal gifts. With the three letters and six betrothal gifts, they were fiancés, just short of setting a date to get married.

Her face flushed with embarrassment, she nodded slightly, "Okay."

Jun Wuxian cocked his head to the side and saw Xun Qingqing’s blushing face, and he chuckled, "Having the title of a fiancé makes it a bit more convenient to take you with me."

Xun Qingqing nodded, "I know."

Jun Wuxian leisurely watched her shy demeanor, "How come I never realized you were so easily embarrassed before?"

Xun Qingqing lifted her reddened face to look at Jun Wuxian, thinking that in the past he was always dressed in black, from head to toe, even his exposed eyes were black. Initially, she was nothing but frightened, how could she have felt embarrassed?

She had always thought that the man in black was someone undistinguished, with an agenda to enter the palace. Sometimes, she felt he wasn’t so bad, like that time when she caught the plague, if it hadn’t been for him, she would’ve been done for.

It wasn’t until she saw Jun Wuxian’s face that she was astounded.

"This is just a normal reaction, it would be odd if I weren’t shy, right?"

Jun Wuxian touched his chin, his gaze resting on Xun Qingqing, "You like me, it wouldn’t just be because of my face, would it?"

Xun Qingqing wouldn’t admit she really was that superficial, "Of course not, I’m not so shallow."

Jun Wuxian watched her with a smirk, "Is that so?"

Xun Qingqing said, "Of course, if one were to like someone just by their face, there are many with handsome features, you can’t possibly like them all, can you?"

Jun Wuxian asked teasingly, "Wasn’t it because of Xiao Jinyan’s face that you liked him initially?"

Xun Qingqing’s eyes widened, "Who told you that?"

Which damn blabbermouth told Jun Wuxian these old Sesame rotten millet stories?

Jun Wuxian’s expression suddenly turned serious, "Answer me, yes or no."

Jun Wuxian had always appeared laid-back and flamboyant in front of Xun Qingqing, never showing such a look. She shrank back, slightly scared, "Back then I was pretty superficial, seeing Xiao Jinyan’s face made me confidently enter the palace..."

Noticing that Jun Wuxian’s gaze darkened even further, her voice softened along with it, "But then I didn’t like him anymore.

I only like you, which is different from back then.

I don’t feel sad or distressed when I can’t see Xiao Jinyan, but without seeing you, I lose all appetite and just want to be with you. "

Xun Qingqing finished speaking, then felt so mortified she could die.

Holding back a laugh, Jun Wuxian said, "In light of your sincere honesty, I won’t hold the past against you."

Xun Qingqing let out a silent sigh of relief; she almost thought Jun Wuxian would get angry and ignore her.

Meanwhile, on the road to Nanzhao Country, they had been traveling for dozens of days without a break, constantly changing between riding horses and a horse carriage.

Xiao Jinyan gripped the reins tightly, having ridden for most of the day. He glanced down at Shen Chuwei in his arms. It would have been fine if he hadn’t looked, but upon seeing her asleep, swaying from side to side, and nearly falling off if he hadn’t noticed in time, he felt a twinge of concern.

With one arm around her and the other holding the reins, worried about Shen Chuwei’s delicate constitution not being able to endure the journey, he ordered Qin Xiao to buy a horse carriage at the next stop.

When they stopped at an inn, Qin Xiao went to purchase the carriage while Xiao Jinyan carried Shen Chuwei inside, followed closely by Wu Tan.

As soon as Shen Chuwei smelled the aroma of the food, she immediately woke up.

Xiao Jinyan asked with concern, "Did you not sleep well last night? You seem so tired during the day?"

He had refrained from touching her these past couple of nights, fearful that she would not bear the discomfort of the jostling journey well.