I am the champion of palace intrigue, and even the proud prince bows his head in submission.

Chapter 206 Gao Xian's heart trembled involuntarily.

The carriage drove out of the Marquis's residence and slowly came to a stop at the foot of the mountain.

The group disembarked from the carriage and began hiking up the mountain.

The mountain road was winding and tortuous, but the trees on both sides were shady and the wildflowers were in full bloom, so I didn't feel tired.

Xie Jue was overjoyed, skipping and hopping along in front, with Xie Jingchun following behind, his long sword occasionally sweeping across the roadside weeds.

A flash of sword light, and the weeds vanished in an instant. Xie Jingchun's eyes lit up, and he was having a great time.

Xie Yanli and Qin Jiuwei followed behind hand in hand, at a leisurely pace.

"Madam, please be careful, this is a mountain road," Xie Yanli repeatedly reminded her.

Even though he was holding Qin Jiuwei's hand, he was still worried.

After all, in his opinion, Qin Jiuwei usually stayed at home, and it would be difficult for her to adapt to climbing mountains suddenly.

Xie Yanli pondered the matter, growing increasingly uneasy.

Finally, he looked at Qin Jiuwei seriously and said, "Madam, how about I carry you on my back?"

Xie Jing: Father, you really...

Why don't he go and play with his older brother and younger brother instead?

Qin Jiuwei couldn't help but chuckle. Xie Yanli was treating her like a fragile porcelain doll.

But she had done a lot of work at the Qin family before.

Li treated her harshly, forbidding anyone else to wash her clothes.

All the clothes in her courtyard were washed by Xiaohe and Granny Song. She felt sorry for them and always helped them out.

Her body wasn't as delicate as he had imagined.

Qin Jiuwei squeezed his hand and smiled at him, "I'm fine, don't worry."

The magnificent temple stands amidst the green mountains, with red walls and golden tiles, solemn and dignified.

People come and go at the foot of the steps in front of the temple, and the incense is burning brightly.

Qin Jiuwei looked at the temple in front of her, her brows twitching slightly.

This was the first time she had ever seen Kaiyuan Temple. In this life, she had truly seen many sights she had never seen in her previous life.

"What's wrong?" Xie Yanli asked when he saw her lost in thought.

"Hahaha, even Mother was amazed by Kaiyuan Temple," Xie Jue grinned.

"You're so smart." Qin Jiu smiled and poked his little nose.

Xie Jue laughed even harder.

Just then, a somewhat hoarse voice came from behind them.

"Inkstone Gift?"

Qin Jiuwei turned around, and a man wearing an exquisite mask came into view.

The mask partially covered his face, revealing only his sculpted chin and sharp, deep-set phoenix eyes. His clothes were simple, but they could not conceal the extraordinary aura he exuded.

Qin Jiuwei's smile froze instantly.

It turned out to be... Gao Xian.

It's been a while since I've seen him.

The more comfortable and successful she is now, the less she wants to see Gao Xian.

The moment she saw him, scenes from her past life—being schemed against, forced to kneel, and forced to drink poison—instantly flashed through her mind.

All of this filled her with disgust.

As a result, her dislike for Gao Xian grew stronger.

How did Gao Xian treat her in her past life? How does Xie Yanli treat her now?

The difference is like night and day.

Qin Jiu glanced at Gao Xian, then turned her head away.

I get annoyed just seeing him.

Xie Yanli recognized Gao Xian's identity at this moment, and bowed slightly to him, preparing to pay his respects, but was stopped by Gao Xian.

"I'm traveling incognito today, so there's no need for formalities."

Immediately afterwards, Gao Xian's gaze involuntarily shifted to Qin Jiuwei, who was standing to the side.

She was wearing a light pink brocade dress with scattered flowers, the hem of which was embroidered with lifelike peonies. Over it was a light white gauze dress with cloud patterns that was as thin as a cicada's wing, which added to her ethereal beauty.

Her face was veiled, revealing only her fair forehead and a pair of beautiful peach blossom eyes, which were sparkling with tears.

She wore a pair of pearl earrings, the round pearls swaying gently with her movements.

Gao Xian's heart couldn't help but tremble.

She seems even more beautiful now than I have been looking at her since I last saw her…

Bright and beautiful, extremely captivating.

But you can't...

Although Qingkui did something wrong, it doesn't mean she should give in to her own desires.

Maintaining the status quo is his best option.

Xie Jue stood behind Qin Jiuwei and looked at Gao Xian with great curiosity.

I wanted to speak, but in the end I kept my mouth shut.

Although his parents didn't say it, he could tell that the person in front of him was no ordinary person.

He decided it was best not to speak, lest he cause trouble for his parents.

But he couldn't help but secretly raise his eyes to look.

Xie Jue thought he was acting quietly, but Gao Xian had seen everything.

"Why do you keep looking at me?" Gao Xian raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but ask when Xie Jue stole a glance at him for the fifty-third time.

Xie Jue met his gaze, not afraid of him at all. With her big, round eyes wide open, she asked in a childish voice, "Why are you wearing a mask? Are you playing a game?"

This is the first time I've ever met such a strange person.

Gao Xian was amused by him and replied gently, "You must be Xie Jue, right?"

"Yes, that's me." Xie Jue nodded obediently.

He looked up at him with his little face, "You still haven't told me why you wear a mask?"

Gao Xian laughed even harder and teased him on purpose: "If I wear this mask, I can become a martial arts master, so I'm going to wear it."

Xie Jue frowned upon hearing this, somewhat disbelieving.

But seeing how serious he was, I began to waver.

He immediately turned to look at Qin Jiuwei, shaking their clasped hands, "Really? Mother."

Qin Jiuwei's lips twitched slightly; how was she supposed to answer that?

She pursed her lips and said ambiguously, "Well, you could say that."

Gao Xian also wanted to follow Xie Jue's gaze and take another look at Qin Jiuwei.

But in the end, I resisted the urge to look.

He snapped out of his reverie, looked at Xie Yanli, and smiled, "Yanli, your youngest son is quite an interesting one."

He casually remarked, "I wonder when I'll be able to have a child."

Xie Yanli casually said, "Young Master, you are in good health, so you should have it soon."

“You’re right,” Gao Xian smiled.

But as he was laughing, he suddenly remembered something, and his smile faltered.

He had doted on Qingkui exclusively for three years, but in those three years, Qingkui had never gotten pregnant.

Thinking about it now, it does seem a bit strange.

He's in his prime now and isn't in a rush to have children.

But this has been going on for so long... which is definitely not right.