When Shang Xin Lei returned to her room, she saw that Third Brother Shang Qia had already been waiting for a long time. Though they were siblings, it was already late, so Shang Qia had not entered the room. Instead, he insisted on standing outside in the courtyard, letting the cold wind blow over him.
After Shang Xin Lei dismissed the maids and servants, Shang Qia immediately complained, "Why didn't you go welcome Father? Father was assassinated. No matter what, you should at least have shown some concern, shouldn't you?"
"I don't have a Healing Token. What would have been the point of going there just to join the crowd? Besides, Father agreed with what I did." Shang Xin Lei brushed the fallen leaves off a stone bench and sat down. "He hates that kind of superficial courtesy the most."
"The Emperor says he hates flattery, and loyal ministers say they hate fawning. But in every dynasty, haven't there been foolish rulers who listened to slander and treacherous officials who tried to guess the Sacred Will?" Shang Qia shook his head. "Father is human too. What father would be unhappy because his daughter was concerned about him? Besides, there are so many other people in the residence besides Father. Public opinion is frightening. Do you really want people to secretly say that you're unfilial? How long has it been since you went to pay your respects to Madam Gu and the Third Madam?"
"I'm not listening, I'm not listening." Shang Xin Lei covered her ears. "I just don't want to go, Third Brother."
"Do you still think you're a child? What use is acting spoiled?" Shang Qia said that, but his tone had clearly softened. "Forget about that. How is your friend?"
"She's fine. She eats a lot." Shang Xin