Surprise flashed across her eyes for the first time tonight.
Because Xi Wenzhe had never ignored her before.
Not completely like this.
Meanwhile, Xi Wenzhe continued walking beside Xi Jianyu with cold focus in his eyes.
At this moment, the only thing inside his mind was Su Yueqing’s earlier words.
"The Crown Princess should die tonight."
Those words kept repeating heavily inside his head.
Nothing else mattered right now.
The moment Xi Jianyu and Xi Wenzhe left the dining hall, the atmosphere inside the room became strangely stiff again.
Nobody spoke immediately.
The sound of hurried footsteps outside slowly faded into the distance while servants quickly moved around outside preparing horses and guards for the sudden departure.
Everyone seated inside the dining hall already understood where the two men had gone.
The palace.
If Su Yueqing’s thoughts were true, then something terrible was already happening there.
And if the Crown Princess truly died tonight...
Then the Xi family would inevitably be dragged into the imperial storm afterward.
The entire hall remained tense.
Only Su Yueqing looked completely lost.
She watched the father and son disappear through the entrance with slight confusion hidden in her eyes.
Inside her mind, however—
[Why are they suddenly leaving again?]
[They just came back.]
[These ancient officials seriously work harder than modern office employees.]
Her gaze lazily shifted toward the doorway.
[At least let the man eat first before sending him into political suffering again.]
Nobody reacted outwardly this time, but several people silently exchanged glances again.
Even now, hearing her casual thoughts still felt surreal.
Meanwhile, near the entrance of the hall, Li Mei remained standing quietly where Xi Wenzhe had just walked past her.
A faint trace of surprise lingered on her delicate face.
She had expected him to at least look at her.
Even one glance would have been enough.
But Xi Wenzhe had walked past her completely without noticing her presence at all.
It was as though his entire attention had already been occupied by something far more important.
Li Mei slowly lowered her eyes.
Her fingers tightened slightly around her sleeves before relaxing again.
That small movement did not escape Zhao Rui’s sharp eyes.
Neither did it escape Lin Meiyun.
The Duchess calmly lowered her teacup while silently observing everything happening inside the hall.
Meanwhile, Su Yueqing had already completely lost interest in the matter.
Inside her mind—
[Poor girl.]
[Your future tragic love story is currently being interrupted by politics and possible royal death.]
[Timing really is important in life.]
Xi Qianqian almost choked on air.
Gu Yue immediately grabbed her sleeve under the table.
"Control your expression," she whispered quietly.
Xi Qianqian looked tortured.
"How am I supposed to control anything at this point?"
Before anyone could speak again, small footsteps suddenly sounded from beside Lin Meiyun.
Little Xi Anran carefully climbed down from her chair before slowly walking toward Su Yueqing.