The twins blinked at An Hao in surprise and then Bi Lu asked, "Are you certain?"

An Hao nodded, "I couldn't forget it. It was her and her personal maid. I even found out she went missing for two weeks around that time."

"Two weeks? That's really not enough time..." Bi Lu commented knitting his brows.

But before he could question the authenticity of his claim, An Hao defended, "I know it doesn't add up, but thinking that I simply dreamt about her and her maid, so vividly too, also doesn't make sense..." An Hao finished with a frowning at Lei Xing's back, then his eyes went to Xiao Ting's and he sighed.

Bi Lo, who was scrutinizing An Hao then snorted and said, "Well, I think it makes sense."

"What?" An Hao instantly turned to him, expecting a reasonable explanation of this situation. But his hope was dashed as soon as Bi Lo opened his mouth.

"You apparently got the wrong sister." Bi Lo said, trying to hold back his laughter, "You simply dreamt up your perfect girl. Think about it, the younger one will look just like the older one in a few years. You showed up a few years too early is all or...A few months too late, but don't even think about it." He finished narrowing his eyes at An Hao in warning. Lei Xing already had enough drama around her, and An Hao jumping into the fray would be simply seeking death.

An Hao glared at him but rather than contradict his absurd claims, he just pointed out the hole in his theory, "What about the maid?"

"Your back-up plan maybe? How should I know? It's your fantasy." Bi Lo said and when he met An Hao and Bi Lu's glares, he shrugged, leaned on the wall and trained his eyes on Lei Xing and the festive scene.

Bi Lu then turned to An Hao and seriously said, "Okay, say she was the one you saw. Why is it bothering you then? She saved her brother...It is a brave and commendable act."

An Hao knit his brows and admitted, "True...But as you pointed out, two weeks is barely enough time for her to have made it to the Nanjing army camp then and back, not to mention she had to find him. It's suspicious..."

"So you're thinking she had connections that paved her way." Bi Lu said with a frown. If that were the case, it might be troubling. But the Lei family is the most loyal family in the country and have been at the forefront of every war since the expansion of the empire began. It did not make sense for their daughter who was born and raised in the far capital to have had any connections beyond the capital, much less with an enemy country.

An Hao nodded, he felt vindicated hearing Bi Lu say that. It was not him being biased, it was a genuine concern. But before he could engage Bi Lu in a brainstorming session, Bi Lo offhandedly commented, "Or she got lucky" and An Hao froze then turned to him, questioningly and repeated, "Lucky."

Bi Lo turned to see the other two looking at him with confused expressions and then he let out a breath, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. You two think too much...It's difficult to make the journey there and back in two weeks, but not impossible. One only needs the funds and the drive. Ah, I know how this story played out!" Bi Lu exclaimed, then he leaned closer to them and explained, "Okay, so say she heard from a report to her father that General Lei was missing and somehow got into her young mind that she needed to go find her brother...Which she did, so point for her.

"...But anyway, the smart and most natural thing to do would have been to head towards his last known location...Luckily for them, they then stumbled upon her brother's unconscious form as they passed through. In this case, they would definitely have had enough time to drag him back to the camp and get back to the capital in two weeks..."

Bi Lu knit his brows in thought and then nodded, "That is possible, it makes sense then..."

"Naturally." Bi Lo smugly responded, "There is no way a young city-bred Miss like her would have had any such connections her family did not have...So An Hao, the question here should be, are you planning on accusing the Lei family of being disloyal?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course not." An Hao swiftly responded with a frown. Even if the Emperor treated him well and trusted him with a lot, he did not need to be told that the Lei family was untouchable, more so at the moment with Lei Xing in the mix. And he never honestly questioned Lei Yong or his father's loyalty to the Emperor.

"Now that you mention it, if the family did have any such connections, General Lei simply had to introduce himself and he would have been fine. Her presence would not have been necessary..." Bi Lu thoughtfully said, "Perhaps she really just made a lucky find..."

An Hao knit his brows, the "lucky" scenario made sense except for one thing, "Then why would they knock me out? They c-" He blurted out and then immediately realized his blunder and stared at the twins wide-eyed as his face reddened.

Bi Lu blinked at him in surprise and Bi Lo snorted and then chuckled, "Ahh, that completely explains it.? No wonder he's so set on proving this conspiracy. He was never one to settle for a loss. He wants revenge~"

Bi Lu frowned, "An Hao, even if you developed a grudge against the Noble consort in the past, you are not allowed to touch her. The Emperor will not take it lightly and neither will we." Bi Lu seriously warned. Bi Lo stopped laughing and seriously nodded as well, showing solidarity. No matter Lei Xing's transgressions their job was to guard her and guard her they shall, even from their own.

An Hao narrowed his eyes at them and then sighed. Since he had already said it, he might as well continue, "I just meant that if she had nothing to hide, then why did they knock me out."

"Maybe you scared them, knowing you, I'm sure you came out with your sword drawn ready to attack, right?" BI Lo asked with a raised eyebrow at him and An Hao lowered his head in embarrassment, he really did do that. But if they had simply listened to him, he would probably not have hurt them and simply taken them to the Emperor.

"So naturally they attacked you before you got a chance to attack them. You would have done the same." Bi Lo said as he looked An Hao over, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, never lower your guard around anyone, no matter how harmless they look. You should be happy they didn't kill you."

An Hao frowned, feeling aggrieved and embarrassed.

{...I didn't lower my guard...and they did contemplate killing me...But in the end, they didn't and I guess that's your point -_-)...}

An hao frowned, it made sense but still, "But then how did they get me to my tent? How could they have known-"

"Exactly, they couldn't have known." Bi Lo interjected with his reasoning again, "So they didn't know. Some random soldier could have easily taken you back. There were thousands in the camp. Did you interview every single one of them?"

An Hao pursed his lips. Of course, he did not do that. He definitely could not have opened his mouth to ask the Emperor to line up all the troops for something so foolish. He also could not embarrass himself before the Emperor and tell him about how two little girls had knocked him out. Bi Lo's words made a lot of sense of the entire situation. But An Hao was still somewhat having a hard time accepting this explanation.

Bi Lo then sighed, "I'll be honest, I didn't like her much before but now with this story of yours...She sounds like a brave and loyal person to risk herself like that for her brother. Even though the war was over, there were enemy soldiers scattered around still causing trouble. It was still dangerous even for seasoned soldiers, much less for two little girls. It is commendable, definitely commendable." Bi Lo finished with an approving nod, seeing Lei Xing in a brand new light.

An Hao looked at Bi Lo and then sighed. This was truly confirmation that this investigation was truly a pointless effort and would only result in his embarrassment. If even people who were not close to her only saw her good act, Lei Yong and the Emperor will definitely see no wrong in her actions.

An Hao stared at Lei Xing's back, deep in thought. She was brave so she went to find her brother. She was lucky so she found him. She was scared so he got knocked out. She probably panicked and so they ran off with Lei Yong and dropped him elsewhere. All the while, luckily never being spotted.

An Hao let out a long sigh. She seemed to be a very lucky person. But then on thinking about it, he agreed that she had to be very lucky to have been able to garner his Emperor's affection. His Emperor was definitely not someone that would fall for just anyone.

Bi Lu pat An Hao's shoulder and asked, "Feeling better?"

An Hao knit his brows for a bit but then nodded, albeit a bit reluctantly. Bi Lu also nodded and then said, "Since the Noble consort did not want to take credit for the rescue, let it remain so. There is no need to dig up old matters for no reason....A word of advice An Hao, don't let your ego create difficulties for yourself."

An Hao glanced at him and then looked down with a pout. He honestly never considered this line of reasoning. And he actually felt embarrassed considering how simple and obvious it should have been. He would not say it out loud but after talking things out, it really seemed like he was grasping at straws for something to accuse her of.

Bi Lo then brushed Bi Lu to the side and smiled at An Hao, "Now why don't you tell us about this girl of yours..."

An Hao immediately narrowed his eyes at him and flatly said, "There's nothing to tell..."

"Oh, so you admit she's yours?" Bi Lo asked with a smirk.

An Hao glared at him, "My life is none of your business...and neither is it my father's so don't go rambling useless things to him." He narrowed his eyes at them in warning for them to keep quiet and then he walked away as Bi Lo chuckled behind him.

An Hao went and sat down and then stared down at the box in his hands. He glanced across the guests to Lei Xng's table, but he could not see Xiao Ting's face from where he sat. He pouted and then looked back down at the box.

{...If there's nothing to investigate then...I no longer need to come here anymore...}

An Hao let out a breath, this was for the best. His vacation was coming to an end in two days, so he would naturally no longer have the time to come here as much anyway. He would also not have the free time to make snacks and come sit here to talk. He would be very busy...so this was truly for the best.

The investigation was now over and he would move on from the memory of that night. It was enough that he knew he was not wrong back then.

But more than the thought for his bruised ego, the thought of no longer coming here seemed to be the most interesting thing in his mind at the moment. The more he thought about it, the more upset he felt.

It was becoming an increasingly unhappy thought and he could not even partake in the great food and snacks before him. His mood felt strange and he couldn't help feeling...an odd sense of loss.

An Hao frowned.

{...What loss? I never had anything here to begin with nor did I lose anything...I would have been bored at home anyway so this investigation was good, kept me busy...So didn't lose anything...No loss, life will proceed as normal after today...Normal like...like - It's that stupid Bi Lo's nonsense rubbing off on me! What stupid fantasy dream girl?! All nonsense! >_