Xiu had her reason to feel worried.
Although the Dongfang Family was still loyal to the Emperor, even if Xiaoyu succeeded the throne, it would probably be difficult for him, who had a weak foundation, to ward off the joint attack of the other aristocratic families.
The Dongfang Family’s gratitude to the Emperor could be defeated by the cruel reality.
If they supported Xiaoyu, the whole family might be reproached.
Furthermore, judging from Xiaoyu’s current strength, it would take him a lot of effort to get the throne.
Therefore, the Dongfang Family had their plan.
Dongfang Xu was one of the members who fully supported Xiaoyu, and they intended to put the Dongfang Family on the balance of striving for the throne by uniting with the Emperor by marrying Xiu to Xiaoyu.
However, plenty of members disagreed with this plan.
So the marriage between Xiu and Xiaoyu did not get many members’ approval and had not been settled.
After hearing Xiu’s helpless narration, Lin Mengya got a rough idea of why Xiaoyu took such a strong stand against his marriage with Xiu.
“In fact, It’s not all the Ninth Prince’s fault. My father once told me that the Lieyun Empire would be united sooner or later. Both the aristocratic families and the tribes are as transient as a fleeting cloud. The fiercer the competition among them is now, the more miserable situation they will end up in. Given the wisdom and tactics of His Majesty, unifying the Lieyun Empire is within his reach. My uncle fully supported the Ninth Prince in order to find a way out for the Dongfang Family,” Xiu said.
Despite Xiu’s dim eyes, Lin Mengya could still see a trace of indifference and sarcasm on her face.
In the past, she only knew that Xiu was a girl who was innocent and kind but very smart.
Now, she found Xiu extraordinary and mature in speech.
Lin Mengya became even more curious of what kind of family could nurture such a smart and cunning girl.
She said, “I’ve only heard about your uncle, but I’ve never heard about your father. Judging from your words, your father has extraordinary vision indeed. If there’s a chance, I would like to pay him a visit. May I?”
Perhaps the other aristocratic families considered the Dongfang Family dispensable, after all, the Dongfang Family focused on business.
In the competition for power, the Dongfang Family neither enjoyed high prestige like the Xin Family nor had accumulated strength as great as that of the other aristocratic families.
This was probably the reason why the Dongfang Family was so eager to pick a new powerful backer.
Nevertheless, Lin Mengya knew better than anyone else that the Dongfang brothers were different from others.
The Lieyun Empire was an extremely exclusive country that almost locked its doors against the world.
However, they were among the very few people allowed to do business abroad freely and had the strength to be one of the giants on the trade route.
Perhaps the Emperor supported them in secret, but their accumulated strength, tactics and connections might be more important.
If Xiaoyu intended to lead the Lieyun Empire to a higher level, he was bound to draw the Dongfang Family, which was farsighted and capable with a strong network, over to his side and put it in an important position.
Fortunately, she had a good relationship with Xiu and Dongfang Xu, which would probably save her a lot of time achieving this goal.
“My father… is not at home. I heard from my uncle that my father has traveled around since I was born, so I have just met my father a few times up to now. Speaking of this, it has been three years since I met him last time. But if my father comes back, you’d better not meet him, Sister Lin. My father is a little weird, but I will try my best to make it happen. Rest assured,” Xiu said.
Despite the dim light in the room, Lin Mengya could still see the serious look on her face.
She was touched and involuntarily sighed to herself, thinking the simpler one was, the more likely she was to be stubborn.
Although Xiu had a close relationship with her, Xiu considered and did everything for Xiaoyu at all times.
The two of them were destined to be a couple. She wondered what on earth Xiu had owed Xiaoyu in her last life so that Xiu not only sacrificed her eyes for Xiaoyu but also had her mind occupied with his business.
However, their relationship was not up to Lin Mengya.
Their relationship was different from that of Lin Nansheng and Shangguan Hui.
If Xiaoyu couldn’t marry a girl he liked in the future, Xiu would probably be his first choice.
Love was truly unintelligible.
The two of them had another intimate conversation and did not fall asleep unknowingly until dawn broke.
Lin Mengya had always been a light sleeper. Therefore, when Xiu moved a little, she opened her sore eyes and asked, “Xiu, what time is it?”
She rubbed her sore head and recalled what had happened last night instantly.
Oh yes, she and Xiaoyu had agreed to meet in front of the palace gate.
She didn’t show up all night. Xiaoyu probably got frantic.
“It’s still early. Sister Lin, you can get more sleep. I’ve sent someone to inform the Ninth Prince, and I believe that he will be here soon. I remember back when we were in Prince Yu’s Mansion, you usually had some soft porridge after waking up every morning. I’ve told the kitchen to prepare it. Sister Lin, you can have it a moment later,” Xiu said.
In the sunlight, she gave an extremely charming and bright smile.
Losing her eyes did not make her less beautiful. Instead, she looked so delicate that people involuntarily felt tender and protective toward her.
“Alright, thank you,” Lin Mengya said.
Meeting an old friend in a foreign land was actually a good thing for her.
Moreover, Xiu was more like a cordial younger sister to her.
“Well, I’ll go out and have a look first,” Xiu said.
Lin Mengya was not sure if it was her illusion that Xiu’s smile seemed to be a little strange.
Perhaps she thought too much. After all, Xiu was different from before.
Moreover, she had always been sensitive.
If Xiu hid something from her, she would definitely be able to tell it.
The Dongfang’s Mansion was deeper and more complicated than Lin Mengya imagined.
Although her courtyard had begun to take shape, it still lacked a little bit of lasting appeal compared with the mansion of an old aristocratic family like the Dongfang Family.
After breakfast, Xiu led Lin Mengya to have a walk around the courtyard of the Dongfang Family.
The tour showed her a secluded courtyard with richly ornamented buildings to which winding paths led.
It was said that she had only visited less than half of the Dongfang’s Mansion after walking for the whole morning.
But Lin Mengya realized one thing: Xiu might be of a different status in the Dongfang Family.
There seemed to be no one other than Xiu, an unmarried girl, living in this courtyard.
Logically speaking, even if only the main branch of the Dongfang Family lived in this mansion, there were supposed to be lots of people.
But now, Lin Mengya did not see any other member of the Dongfang Family after walking around half of the courtyard, which was enough to prove that such a spacious courtyard might be meant for Xiu only!
The Dongfang Family was unbelievably wealthy. Despite their similar family backgrounds, Xiu lived quite a different life from Lin Mengya who even did not have enough food during her childhood!
Getting tired from walking, the two of them sat in a pavilion for a rest.
“Sister Lin, what do you think of my courtyard? Is it splendid?” Xiu, whose white and delicate forehead was covered with crystal-clear beads of sweat, asked with a particular blush on her tender face.
Lin Mengya looked around. Although the courtyard covered a large area, it was very quiet and elegant, decorated exquisitely and gave a sense of well-being and delight.
This was indeed a wonderful place.
“Of course it is. I didn’t expect that your home is as beautiful as a fairyland. You won’t feel bored in such a courtyard, will you?” Lin Mengya picked up the teacup in front of her and said with a smile.
On hearing this, Xiu gave a sweet smile and then stammered, “In that case, Sister Lin, can you stay here with me for a couple of days? Just a couple of days. We meet again after a long separation. I have so many things to talk about with you. Besides, you’re the only one here who can accompany me.”
Staring at the poor girl, Lin Mengya found it hard to refuse.
However, there were many things to tackle in the imperial palace.
Knowing that the Yao Family was about to make trouble, Lin Mengya could not just wait helplessly for the end.
What was more, the Yao Family’s attempt to kidnap her and Xiaoyu last night indicated that the Yao Family had long intended to usurp the throne.
In this case, she should go back to the imperial palace and fight alongside with Xiaoyu and Madame Jingrou.
Nevertheless, she couldn’t bear to refuse Xiu who asked her to stay out of kindness.
As such, she could only deliberate for a long while and tried to avoid saying something that would break Xiu’s heart, “I…”
Before she finished speaking, she was interrupted by a voice. “Sister! Are you okay? Dongfang Xiu, you are so detestable! How dare you hold my sister hostage? Humph, do all the members of your Dongfang Family always like to force me to submit in this underhanded way?”
Xiaoyu’s rebuke surprised Lin Mengya.
She turned around and intended to comfort Xiu, only to see that Xiu, who had blushed just now, looked pitiful with her face turning pale.
Frowning slightly, Lin Mengya gave Xiaoyu a hard look.
However, he rushed over in rage, grasped her hand and stood in front of her to protect her.
“Xiaoyu, I’m fine. Xiu and I are good friends. Besides, she saved me last night. You shouldn’t have talked to her like that!” Lin Mengya said in a severe tone.
She had been unaware of what Xiu had done for Xiaoyu.
Now that she learned it, she would certainly take Xiu’s side.
Although Xiaoyu was innocent in this matter, if Xiu hadn’t fallen for him, she wouldn’t have made such a big sacrifice for him.
Sometimes, being unaware of what Xiu had done for him was not an excuse for him to enjoy the fruit of her sacrifice.
“Don’t be deceived by them! Saved you? In my opinion, she probably intended to make use of you to make me agree to marry her!” Xiaoyu, who had always been composed, said in unusual rage.
As soon as he blurted it out, he regretted it.
After all, Wanyan Yu felt something different about his sister, but when he saw his sister speak up for Xiu, he got furious.
Lin Mengya furrowed her brows, really disappointed in Xiaoyu.
But before she flew into a rage, Xiu gently dragged her sleeve.
