Sean Hayes's Concerns
Su Li's home.
After being exhausted by Xiao Zetiang, Su Li wrapped herself in a quilt and fell into a deep sleep.
Xiao Zetiang looked at her peaceful sleeping face, gently kissed her, pressed her sleep acupoint to help her sleep more soundly, then dressed and got out of bed. He left the room silently, his figure vanishing like a ghost on the rooftop in an instant.
In the woods behind Haizi Village.
Xiao Zetiang stood with his hands behind his back; Lingdang and Xiao Yun knelt on one knee side by side behind him.
"...Today, Prince Ling's appearance was indeed sudden, but he didn't say much to the Madam, nor did they meet again," Lingdang reported nervously. She was tasked with closely protecting Su Li's safety but had allowed Prince Ling to run into Su Li, making her fear Xiao Zetiang's blame for dereliction of duty.
Xiao Zetiang only hummed in response, his tone revealing no emotion, which made Lingdang even more unable to read his thoughts.
"What did Prince Ling do with the corpse we prepared?" Xiao Zetiang asked.
Xiao Yun immediately replied, "Prince Ling already believes that the corpse is General you. He has transported it back to the capital in a coffin."
"Transported back to the capital... then he should be leaving soon," Xiao Zetiang looked up at the pitch-black night. Based on his understanding of Prince Ling, this man is proud and arrogant, unwilling to be subordinate, coveting the throne, discontent with the Crown Prince, and eager to compete for supremacy with him.
Now that Xiao Zetiang has 'died' and given up Princess Mingyu, he thinks Prince Ling should return to the capital immediately.
But Prince Ling's encounter with Su Li today made Xiao Zetiang feel a vague unease.
After pondering for a long time, Xiao Zetiang concluded that Prince Ling probably just happened to run into his A Li and it wouldn't affect the bigger picture. He estimated that Prince Ling would leave for the capital within a day or two. Then Xiao Zetiang would secretly stir the waters to help Prince Ling secure the marriage with Princess Tong of Chu.
"Keep an eye on Prince Ling. Report immediately if anything unusual happens. Lingdang, you must protect the Madam more diligently. If there is another mistake, come see me with your head!" Xiao Zetiang ordered.
"Yes, General!"
"Yes, Master!"
Lingdang and Xiao Yun lowered their heads, and when they looked up again, Xiao Zetiang had already disappeared.
"Phew..." Lingdang stood up, feeling her legs a bit weak, exhaling deeply, thinking to herself, being a personal bodyguard for the lady is not an easy job!
Xiao Yun also had a faintly troubled expression. Lingdang, curious, approached and asked, "Commander Yun, what's with that expression? Who upset you?"
"Hmph!" Xiao Yun snorted lightly, "Who dares to upset me..."
"Tsk, if you won't tell me, then I'm off!" Lingdang waved her finger as she turned to leave, but was stopped after a few steps by Xiao Yun.
Xiao Yun wore a constipated expression, full of hesitation, completely unlike his usual decisive demeanor, which made Lingdang even more curious.
After holding it in for a while, Xiao Yun finally asked in a small voice, seeming reluctant to speak: "Lingdang, may I ask, what do little girls like?"
"Huh?" Lingdang's curiosity seemed to detect something unusual.
"I mean, what do girls around seven or eight years old like?" Xiao Yun felt awkward but still asked Lingdang, "A couple of days ago, I went back to the organization to see Luoluo. She seemed very angry with me, crying nonstop, saying I didn't keep my word and abandoned her. But I explained to her that I didn't abandon her — after all, I got her into the organization. I was just too busy to see her. I finally had time to visit, but she just cried so fiercely. Lingdang, what do you think is going on in that little girl's heart? Should I buy her something to cheer her up?"