Seeing Xin Zizhao remaining silent, Wei Shuxuan guessed what was on his mind. She smiled and said, "Yongheng is still so young. How could I possibly like him? Besides, although he does bear a slight resemblance to you, I've never regarded him as you. When I was traveling outside, I always treated him like a younger brother!"
"You may think so, but he doesn't."
"What do you mean by that? Are you saying that Yongheng actually has feelings for me?" Wei Shuxuan looked at Xin Zizhao in confusion.
"Isn't he?" Xin Zizhao looked at Wei Shuxuan with a dissatisfied expression.
"Of course not. You're really overthinking things. How could Yongheng possibly like me? Since I saved him twice before, he naturally depends on me. Maybe he sees me as his deceased mother."
Actually, Wei Shuxuan had long noticed Si Ma Yongheng's feelings for her. However, before he had truly fallen for her, she had already reminded him that she was a married woman and would never develop any feelings for him other than kinship or friendship. Moreover, she could tell that Si Ma Yongheng was a very intelligent boy. He deserved better feelings and shouldn't waste his emotions on an old aunt like her.
"Really?" Xin Zizhao wasn't very convinced by Wei Shuxuan's words because he could see the young boy's emotions from Si Ma Yongheng's eyes.
"Of course it's true. Don't you trust me?" Wei Shuxuan showed a pitiful expression. "I'm your lawfully wedded wife, yet you don't believe me!"
Seeing Wei Shuxuan's expression, Xin Zizhao had no choice but to say, "Alright, alright. I believe you. Forget it. I don't want to discuss this issue with you anymore."
Wei Shuxuan thought to herself that she didn't want to discuss this either. It was Xin Zizhao who brought it up.
The atmosphere in the carriage suddenly cooled down. Xin Zizhao was closing his eyes to rest. Wei Shuxuan pouted and glanced at Xin Zizhao by the candlelight in the carriage.
"If you have something to say to me, just ask directly."
"......It's about the matter of you going out of the palace with me. When exactly can you go out with me?" Wei Shuxuan's words carried a bit of complaint.
"Soon. Recently, there have been some strange events reported from the border. After I handle them and entrust the government affairs to Prime Minister Dan, we can set off."
"So how many days is that?" Wei Shuxuan looked at him unhappily.
"It's hard to say. Is that the only thing you want to ask?"
"Then who do you plan to take with us when we go out of the palace?"
".....I plan to take Zi'an and Xin Shang and a few other secret guards with us. You'll definitely take Wei Wei with you. As for whether to take anyone else, I'm still considering. Do you have any suggestions?"
"Just now, Godfather told me that he wants to go with us. Will you let him come?"
"I'll consider this issue, but I can't give you an exact answer for now."
Hearing Xin Zizhao's answer, Wei Shuxuan was a bit surprised. "You're not going to agree to let Godfather go with us, are you? Zi'an strongly opposes it."
"Do you think General Long An will give up if I don't agree?"
Wei Shuxuan thought for a while. According to Ge Long'an's personality, even if Xin Zizhao said no, Ge Long'an would definitely find all kinds of ways to go with them. She helplessly rubbed her forehead. "You're right. Godfather isn't the kind of person who would easily give up."
After Wei Shuxuan and Xin Zizhao left General Long An's mansion, Si Ma Yongheng found Ge Zi'an. Ge Zi'an thought it was quite rare to see Si Ma Yongheng take the initiative to look for him since the young boy didn't like him much.
"Yongheng, it's really rare to see you come to me on your own initiative."
Seeing the smile on Ge Zi'an's face, Si Ma Yongheng was a bit angry, but he had to ask for his help. "I wouldn't have come if I didn't have something to ask."
"Are you here because of Xuan'er?" Ge Zi'an hit the nail on the head.
".....Not entirely. I just heard in the hall that you're going to the border. I want to go with you too."
Seeing the determination in Si Ma Yongheng's eyes, Ge Zi'an sighed. "You want to go too, but do you have a proper identity and reason? You're not from the palace, and you don't hold any official position in the Yu Long Kingdom. How can I take you with me?"
"I know. I'd like to ask you to take me as your attendant."
"It's not that I don't want to agree to you. Xuan'er told me to take good care of you, and I will. But I can't agree to this. After all, it was Xuan'er and His Majesty who proposed this trip. If you want to ask, you can only ask Xuan'er or His Majesty."
Hearing Ge Zi'an's words, Si Ma Yongheng couldn't help but show a disappointed expression. Ge Zi'an had to comfort him. "If you can get Xuan'er to agree to your request, it'll be easier to get His Majesty's approval. Can you tell me why you want to go to the border?"
"I have the right not to say."
After saying that, Si Ma Yongheng left Ge Zi'an's room. Ge Zi'an watched his back as he left. This young boy's personality was really a bit like their new emperor.
However, the just-closed door was opened again. Si Ma Yongheng's figure appeared behind the door. Ge Zi'an was a bit confused. Why did Yongheng come back?
"Um... when will Sister Xuan come again?" Si Ma Yongheng asked in a low voice.
"I don't know. If you have something to look for her, I can help you make an appointment with her."
"Can't I go into the palace to find Sister Xuan?" Si Ma Yongheng asked Ge Zi'an anxiously.
"No. I don't dare to take people from outside the palace into the palace privately. If something happens, it'll be me and Xuan'er who will be blamed. You don't want to harm your Sister Xuan, do you?"
Si Ma Yongheng shook his head. "Then I won't go in. Please help me make an appointment with Sister Xuan."
"I understand. It's already late at night. Go back and rest quickly."
In the imperial study, Xin Zizhao was discussing some issues about the border with Dan Linghai.
"Prime Minister, I'm going to the Kele Town on the border recently to investigate these strange events. I'll trouble you to take care of the affairs of the court. If you encounter any problems you can't decide on, you can send me a message by carrier pigeon."
"Your subject understands. Your Majesty has really been working hard."