Rong Ting didn't even blink as he watched his secret guard stab the man with the sword. Then he turned around, holding Jiang Rao, who had her head tucked in his arms, and got into the carriage.

The man who blocked the road was subdued by the secret guards brought by Rong Ting.

The road was cleared, and Wu Que drove the carriage towards Jinling City.

…

Inside the carriage.

As soon as Jiang Rao touched the stool, her whole body shivered.

She held the purse tightly in her hand. Rong Ting squatted down, pried open her fingers one by one, opened the purse and saw what was inside. The white powder... was a sleeping pill.

He had noticed that she had an extra purse and a dagger on her body not long after she returned to Beijing. He knew that she did it to protect herself, but he never thought that he was the reason.

He knew that it was not a good thing for her to be associated with him, and she knew it too.

She knew it in her heart, but she married him instead.

Rong Ting's breathing became heavier, sounding like a sigh.

He threw his purse aside and took Jiang Rao's hand in his own.

Her palms were always warm, but this time they were colder than his.

Rong Ting rubbed her hands and blew hot air into them.

Jiang Rao's hands gradually warmed up. She lowered her head and her gaze fell on Rong Ting's face.

Although his clothes were stained with blood and dust, his face was clean. Even in the dark of night, his handsome appearance could not be obscured.

On the other hand, she was dirty from head to toe.

Jiang Rao looked at the mud and dust on her fingers and felt a little disgusted. She pulled her hand back but was immediately pulled back by Rong Ting.

"A little, dirty..." Jiang Rao stammered, and gradually became silent.

She watched Rong Ting pull her hand towards him and put it inside his collar.

His palms were cold, but his arms were warm, so warm that Jiang Rao's tears welled up and her eyes became blurry again.

"It's my fault for coming too late." He spoke in an arbitrary and domineering tone, but his expression also contained a hint of admitting his fault, which made him sound not overbearing.

Jiang Rao originally had no resentment in her heart, but after being coaxed by him, all her grievances came out. She was originally just sobbing quietly, but now her tears suddenly flowed out like they were free.

…

Sui'an Courtyard.

After Jiang Rao washed her body and face, she came out of the inner room. The dust on her face and head was washed away, and her skin became as clear and clean as before, but her eyes were drooped, and she looked listless as if she was sick and had no spirit.

She was afraid of what she had just experienced, and she returned to the bathroom

Thinking about how his life was hanging by a thread just now, his legs and feet were shaking.

If Rong Ting hadn't discovered it early, she wouldn't know where she is now.

Jiang Rao walked out of the inner room with wet hair. Rong Ting took the towel from the maid's hand to wipe the water off Jiang Rao, walked to Jiang Rao, held her in his arms, and wiped her hair.

Jiang Rao sat in his arms, with her head lowered as he wiped her hair.

She looked very small, both in person and in her shadow, with her hands on her knees, dignified, well-behaved, quiet and obedient.

But I had a lot of questions in my mind.

Why did those thieves who blocked the road come? He should have been in the palace, so why did he know about her attack so quickly?

Also, who are those people in green, and why did they appear there so quickly...

Those men in green appeared too early and looked like they had been following her all along.

While she was glad that he arrived in time, she was also worried about those green-clothed men with powerful martial arts skills.

She was so afraid of him at first, not only because of the terrible methods he used in her dreams, but also because of... his desire for control.

In the first few dreams, she was detained by his side and served by him, and suffered all kinds of difficulties. At first, she could not be too close to him, nor too far away from him. Later, as time went on, she was transferred to serve him personally. But no matter what time it was, there was always someone watching her and not letting her escape. Those people followed her almost every step of the way, reporting her every move to her, which almost drove her crazy!

Those men in blue were obviously following his orders.

Jiang Rao wanted to ask, but was a little afraid to do so.

Rong Ting could tell that she was worried just by looking at her back.

She looked petite to begin with, and now her shoulders were hunched as if she wanted to curl herself up into a ball, which made people feel very pitiful.

He paused while wiping her hair and took the initiative to mention, "Your maid has returned."

"She didn't run far, and she had no injuries when she came back."

Jiang Rao raised her head sullenly and looked at him with her face tilted upwards.

Without her saying anything, he could arrange the things she cared about very well.

He seemed to know what she cared about.

She wanted to ask about those men in blue.

But that’s not the question to ask right now.

You don't necessarily have to ask him.

She thought about it again and again, and decided to suppress the matter of the man in green. She cleared her throat and asked, "Are those who blocked the road bandits? If they were someone else..."

"Not a bandit."

It turns out that he is not a bandit.

ginger

Rao didn't feel the slightest bit of joy when she guessed right. Thinking of the scene where her carriage was stopped, she pursed her lips in anger and fear and asked, "Who is that?"

"My seventeenth brother."

Jiang Rao pursed her lips.

The Seventeenth Prince...

This method is really too cruel.

The people he brought wanted more than just her life, they wanted to humiliate her reputation.

Not to mention that she is now married to Rong Ting, even if she is just a person who has nothing to do with the royal family, she does not want the Seventeenth Prince to ascend the throne in the end. If the entire Dazhao is handed over to such a person, even without those family grudges, she is afraid that she will have a bad life in the future.

Although she didn't dream about who would eventually succeed to the throne, at least she was sure that it would not be the Seventeenth Prince.

The Seventeenth Prince's fate was much worse than hers.

"You won't let him go?"

She raised her face again and looked at Rong Ting.

Rong Ting laughed. What on earth did she think of him to think that his kindness was weakness?

Obviously, neither of these has anything to do with him.

"Won't."

He lowered his head to look into her eyes. After crying, the corners of her eyes were moist and red. Her breathing was very light and slow, intermittent, just like the breathing when she started crying just now.

He suddenly regretted it.

It shouldn't be so easy to take that man's life.

The torture should be more severe.

Then Rong Yuan will have to bear the consequences as well.

"Are you afraid?" He calculated in his mind, but his voice was soft and a little hoarse when he listened carefully. There was a hostility floating in his eyes that could not be ignored.

Jiang Rao shook her head.

Although she shook her head, her almond-shaped eyes revealed real fear.

She discussed with Rong Ting, "Can we keep the candles lit tonight?"

She was afraid.

In the darkness of the night, the black-clad man's lustful and wanton gaze glaring at her remained in her mind and could not be shaken off.

Even though she knew that this man could not hurt her, when she thought about it, she could only imagine how suffocating it was when she was forced into a corner by him and had no where to go. When she thought about it, she still felt cold all over.

After being kidnapped as a child, she didn't dare to go out at night for a long time.

She estimated that she would not dare to go out at night for a long time.

After Jiang Rao finished speaking, she added, "If the candles are too bright... I, I can go to the study."

I feel it's excessive.

"You don't have to go anywhere." Rong Ting said calmly.

He wished she would give him more trouble.

She always remembers the kindness others have shown her.

That he

If he gave her enough good things, she would never leave him.

After wiping Jiang Rao's hair, he put the towel aside, took out a few candlesticks from the drawer, lit them and placed them in the middle of the hall, making the whole room exceptionally bright.

Jiang Rao originally wanted to let some light into the room, but she didn't expect he would make such a fuss. She looked at the row of candlesticks in the hall, bit her lip, and felt a little embarrassed. She waited for Rong Ting to come back, and hurriedly made room for the bed inside.

Rong Ting watched Jiang Rao's movements, paused for a moment, and looked at Jiang Rao with an expression as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Jiang Rao looked at him and suddenly realized what was wrong with her action.

She was originally quarreling with him, and at that moment in the morning, she threatened him that if he didn't know the seriousness of the matter again, she would make him sleep in the study.

As a result, at night, not only did she not drive the person to the study, she even made way for him inside.

He seemed to be giving up his seat and inviting him to come up.

Jiang Rao: “…”

The more she thought about it, the more ashamed she felt.

So embarrassing.

Since she had already lost face once, Jiang Rao might as well throw it all away. She was a little annoyed with herself, patted the quilt beside her, and said in a nonchalant tone, "Come up."

However, this was the only time she was willing to throw the jar into the ground.

When Rong Ting lay down beside her, she wanted to roll into his arms, and began to recall her action of giving up one side of the bed just now.

It's really embarrassing.

The more I thought about her, the angrier I became with myself.

The candle was burning, but it was useless. She didn't really want to close her eyes. She tapped her fingers on the bed, counting when Rong Ting would come and pull her into his arms.

But her fingers were sore from tapping, and she had almost counted to a hundred, but still couldn't wait.

She obviously liked the man who held her in his arms, and she wanted him to hold her tonight, so why did he hold back?

Jiang Rao continued to point her fingers, wanting to move towards him, but she couldn't let go of her pride. She lay straight on the inside of the bed, eyes wide open, looking at the bed, wanting to wait for the person next to her to fall asleep first so she could sneak over.

Only then did she suddenly realize that on normal days, she was usually the first to go to bed.

He woke up first...

Therefore, in most other couples, the man sleeps inside and the woman sleeps outside so that she can serve the man in the morning. But for them, it is completely the opposite.

Suddenly, a hand came across and waved in front of her eyes.

The fingers of that pair of hands were long and slender, with clear lines.

"Are you really not afraid?"

Rong Ting's voice sounded beside her ears.

Jiang Rao tilted her head.

he

The tone of the question was as if the man saw through her shaking her head just now in an attempt to show off.

Even her thoughts were seen through, and she lost face again.

Jiang Rao was feeling a little angry and was just about to be more confident and say that she was no longer afraid.

Rong Ting stretched out his long arm and pulled her and the quilt into his arms.

He leaned his head over and rubbed it against her pillow, and said softly, "But I'm scared."

Jiang Rao's eyes suddenly opened wider.

What is he afraid of?

She was pressed down by his body and the quilt, curled up in the quilt like a silkworm cocoon, and it was difficult for her to move.

Jiang Rao lowered her head with difficulty to look at him. She could only see his long eyelashes and high nose bridge, but not his expression. She spoke slowly, "What are you afraid of?"

Rong Ting was silent for a long time, then he smiled sadly and said, "If anything happens to you, I will be homeless."

Jiang Rao fell silent.

Even though she couldn't see his expression clearly, she felt uncomfortable because of his tone.

There was clearly a smile in his voice, but it sounded particularly uncomfortable.

It was as if he had nothing now that she was gone.

Perhaps because she had dreamt about what he and she were like when they were enemies, Jiang Rao suddenly had a bad feeling in her heart.

If something happened to her, would he become like in his dream?

Even if he saw rivers of blood and even if he was stepping on corpses, he always had a blank expression and showed no mercy.

No sympathy for others, no mercy for oneself.

No one likes him, even he himself doesn't seem to like himself that much. He always looks superior and tired of everything.

Thinking of this possibility, Jiang Rao's blood seemed to freeze. She used a little strength, took her hand out from under the quilt, stretched it out, put it on his back, and slowly hugged him.

"Now that your father treats you well, you... the palace is where you grew up, and it is also your home. This world belongs to the Rong family. No matter where you are, you have a home to return to."

Rong Ting raised the corner of his lips and sneered silently.

A home to return to…

Without her, no matter where I am, it's just four walls and two windows. Only with her did he feel at home.

Seeing that she was willing to come to his arms, he put away his gesture of weakness, put his slender fingers on her back, and patted her gently from time to time, "Go to sleep, you are tired too."

Jiang Rao looked up at him, "What about you?"

Rong Ting smiled. When he smiled, the corners of his deep eyes drooped downwards. There was not a trace of cruelty or ruthlessness in his eyes. He seemed particularly doting. "When you fall asleep, I will fall asleep too."