Chapter 32 Something Big Has Happened: "Don't you know my feelings at all?!"

"Help me! Help me! Young Master Liu is going to kill me!"

Lu Jun cut the ropes binding his hands and feet, and Li Xi, barefoot on the ground, stumbled and rushed out of the west courtyard.

Her legs went weak, and she bit her lip hard, choking on thick blood and foam, but she dared not slow down, fearing that if she slowed down even a step, the servants would catch up with her and take her back.

"Help, help me..."

She fled out of the dark alley, staggered around the street corner, and when she caught sight of conspicuous official robes, she rushed over as if grasping at a straw, grabbing the sleeves of Cao Mingyu and Wang Mingke, the leaders: "My lords, save me! Someone wants to kill me!"

Cao Mingyu frowned, his expression authoritative without being angry: "Under the Emperor's nose, who dares to be so bold?"

Tears streamed down Li Xi's face, her voice trembling: "Liu family's second son, Liu Ruyu! He imprisoned me... He can gouge out people's eyes, right now..."

Her stomach churned, and she felt like she was going to vomit.

"lady!"

Those traveling with her were taken aback, exchanging bewildered glances. Wang, who had rushed over, overheard these words, her fingertips trembling like autumn leaves. She couldn't catch her breath, her eyelids rolled back, and she lay sprawled on her back.

Wang Mingke's eyes sharpened, and he exchanged a glance with Cao Mingyu, whose face was grave. He then hurriedly headed in the direction Li Xi had pointed.

A teahouse at the end of the alley, with a private room by the window.

Holding a round black chess piece between her fingertips, Xue Rongyue lazily withdrew her gaze from the chaotic courtyard not far away and gently placed the black piece on the chessboard.

"Your Highness, it's your turn." The bright sunlight cast dappled shadows on her face as she looked at Qin Jin, who was playing chess, her clear almond-shaped eyes filled with scrutiny and suspicion.

Qin Jin seems a bit strange today.

What exactly is she thinking?

The thought of deliberately avoiding Xue Rongyue's gaze lingered in Qin Jin's mind.

He reached for the white chess pieces, but his mind was unsettled, and he accidentally knocked over the chess basket. The sound of the jade pieces clashing together was particularly crisp in the quiet pavilion.

Suddenly snapping back to his senses, he felt the intense gaze directed at him, and his breathing became erratic for a moment. Before he could make a move, he suddenly heard Xue Rongyue chuckle softly in front of him.

Yingying smiled, resting her chin on her hand, seemingly probing: "It seems that Your Highness is not at peace today."

"She loves me, but due to her nature, she is too shy to express it."

The delicate scent of pear blossoms brushed past his nose, and his prominent Adam's apple bobbed up and down. Qin Jin couldn't help but recall Guang Sheng's words from that night. He hastily looked away, not lingering on Xue Rongyue for even a moment longer.

Placing the white piece face down on the board, Qin Jin maintained a calm expression: "Is Lu Jun one of your men?"

The noise below continued. When Liu Ruyu, who had taken Luoshi Powder, was escorted out of the woodshed by the Guards, his black hair was disheveled and his expression was crazy. Suddenly, he bowed and knelt in front of the open space, looking like a madman.

The guards moved two bookshelves out of the woodshed. The dazzling array of books on them was terrifying. Many scholars and Confucianists vomited while leaning against the wall. Even through several doors, Wang Mingke's angry rebuke could be heard. Wang Shi held Liu Ruyu and wailed incessantly, fainting and waking up repeatedly.

Xue Rongyue smiled with satisfaction and placed a chess piece down: "To be precise, it's someone I bribed."

The world is bustling with people all for profit. As long as enough money is spent, why worry about not being able to buy people to serve you?

Luo Zhen had a very tough time lately. He had to collect solid evidence that Liu Ruyu had violated the law by running a brothel and an underground gambling den. He also bribed Liu Ruyu's trusted servant to learn that Liu Ruyu not only used the banned drug Luoshi San, but also had a peculiar fondness for human eyes.

However, she did not expect that in just a few days, Liu Ruyu would be so audacious as to kidnap people and gouge out their eyes today.

Fortunately, everything turned out alright. With Lu Jun's help, Li Niangzi escaped, and Liu Ruyu's hypocritical face was exposed to everyone.

Any one of these charges could ruin Liu Ruyu and implicate the entire Liu family, allowing her to vent her anger while also legitimately stopping the marriage and getting rid of the Liu family.

They could also take the opportunity to investigate the connection between Liu Ruyu and the man in black.

"However," Xue Rongyue said disdainfully, her gaze fixed on the indignant student below her, "I never expected that even his reputation for talent was fake. Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. He has always been mediocre and unproductive in Chang'an. How could he suddenly have an epiphany and suddenly become famous for his talent?"

Qin Jin's voice was cold: "Even if Liu Ruyu has committed many evils, you ordered Luo Zhen to hand over the evidence to Cao Mingyu. At this point, you will definitely not be able to hide it, and he will definitely suspect you."

With a slight upward twitch of her eyebrows, Xue Rongyue remained silent, her almond-shaped eyes gazing at him with tender affection.

Seeing that she remained silent, her intense gaze fixed on him without fading, Qin Jin felt uneasy and coughed lightly: "Is something wrong?"

Xue Rongyue smiled gently, her voice trailing off: "Is Your Highness concerned... reminding me?"

"I'm just worried that your reckless behavior will drag me down."

Qin Jin frowned, looking somewhat impatient, but he avoided her gaze.

Xue Rongyue chuckled softly.

With his knuckles hovering over the chessboard, the white jade chess piece remained untouched, and a faint look of confusion appeared in Qin Jin's usually arrogant and carefree eyes.

Why is she laughing? What is she laughing at?

Shouldn't she be angry when she hears that?

Is there anything funny about that?

Or is it that he... is reminding her to care about her something that makes her happy?

"That young lady is a proud person by nature. She may be in love with the young master, but she will not say it out loud."

Guang Sheng's words suddenly rang in my ears again, deafeningly loud.

Qin Jin was so shocked that his mind trembled. The white jade chess piece slipped from his fingertips and fell onto the chessboard, shattering the chess game that had been arranged for a long time.

Xue Rongyue immediately felt a pang of heartache: "Oh dear, I'm about to win!"

She couldn't keep up the act any longer and glared at Qin Jin: "What's wrong with you? You've been so distracted, you can't even hold a chess piece properly."

She paused slightly, then tentatively asked, "Is something on your mind?"

Qin Jin lowered his eyes and remained silent, his expression indifferent, except for his ears, which were so red they seemed to be burning.

He suddenly looked up: "Why did you invite me here today?"

Just as dawn broke this morning, Jingnu delivered a note, written in the familiar delicate calligraphy style, containing only a single, concise sentence—

[A few hundred steps west of Zhenjin Study in Dongfang Market, in a private teahouse, the prince is invited to watch a play.]

He initially ignored the note, but for some inexplicable reason, he hesitated for a quarter of an hour before finally going to the appointment. Only when he arrived at the teahouse did he realize he shouldn't have gone, but it was too late.

"Doesn't the Crown Prince also dislike Liu Ruyu?"

Xue Rongyue raised an eyebrow: "Invite the young master to take a look, so he can vent his anger."

What grudge could he possibly have against Liu Ruyu?

Qin Jin's lips tightened into a straight line, and he remained silent.

"Of course, that's only one aspect."

With her snow-white neck slightly tilted forward, Xue Rongyue curled her lips and said, "I suppose Old Man Geng has already come to the Liu residence and rejected this marriage proposal."

His knuckles trembled violently. Qin Jin looked up blankly and saw her looking at him with a half-smile, a sly glint in her eyes.

Why did you specifically tell him this?

The thought surged into his mind like wildfire, leaving him in a state of confusion. Before he could even sort out his thoughts, his already burning ears reacted first, turning an even hotter red, as if they had been boiled in water.

Xue Rongyue added leisurely, "I am overjoyed, so I came here to invite the Crown Prince to witness this and share my joy."

"nonsense!"

Qin Jin suddenly stood up, his jade pendant clattering against the chessboard, sending the black and white pieces tumbling into a chaotic mess: "What's there for me to share? I don't care about your marriage at all, I've never paid any attention to it!"

Xue Rongyue raised an eyebrow in surprise: "I never said that the young master cared about or paid attention to my marriage. Why is the young master so agitated?"

The heat crept up his neck, and his ears rang. He turned his face away in a panic. Hearing this, he parted his thin lips slightly, but was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say in response.

The noise outside gradually grew louder, and the surrounding people gathered to watch.

Wang was pleading with Cao Mingyu, but with so many crimes committed and so many eyes watching, how could Cao Mingyu leave any room for maneuver? He ordered the Yan Guards to detain Liu Ruyu and take her back to the Weisi for interrogation.

Inside the elegant room, a gilded incense burner was releasing its fragrance, with a wisp of smoke rising gently.

The tense silence was broken by a sudden knock on the door. Guang Sheng quickly pushed the door open and entered, bowing his head as he said, "My lord, someone from the palace has come."

Qin Jin finally found an excuse to leave, his jaw slightly clenched: "I wasn't agitated, you're just overthinking it."

After uttering those words in an unquestionable tone, he strode away.

Staring thoughtfully at his back, Xue Rongyue picked up a crabapple branch from the vase, her fingertips applying gentle pressure, and a thin layer of red sap flowed from beneath her delicate skin.

A spring breeze swept by, and the flower branches in the white jade vase trembled wildly.

A ray of spring color peeks through the paper window, its petals cascading down, while a few butterflies flutter and play around the verdant branches.

Standing tall and straight in front of the book box for a while, Qin Jin clenched his teeth, hesitated for a long time, and finally reached out and took out the book "The Overbearing Young Master's Gentle Pampering" that he had bought a few days ago and opened it.

Qin Daniu and Xue Qiuhua were sworn enemies, and Qin Daniu thought he would be entangled in a lifelong struggle with Xue Qiuhua. But one day, Xue Qiuhua suddenly said to him—

Qin Jin slammed the book shut again.

What is all this about? Isn't it too bizarre? How can the content of this book be so... suggestive?

After standing there for a moment, Qin Jin hesitated before slowly opening the book again.

"Qin Daniu, I'm tired." Xue Qiuhua's expression was indifferent and weary, her eyes filled with unyielding sorrow and pain. Her once proud head was now drooping in frustration, and her voice trembled with sobs. "Do you really not understand my feelings, or are you just pretending to be stupid?"

Xue Qiuhua's expression suddenly became agitated, her almond-shaped eyes, brimming with tears, staring at him resentfully: "Don't you really know my feelings? Can't you really sense them? I've already given you so many hints, and you still don't understand?!"

She pressed closer, and he retreated step by step. His constantly bobbing Adam's apple betrayed his unease. He couldn't explain the throbbing in his heart, a mix of emotions he couldn't even articulate.

With a dry throat, Qin Dani remained silent.

Xue Qiuhua was finally disappointed. Her delicate nose twitched slightly, and she said in a low voice, "It doesn't matter what you think."

Looking at him stubbornly, Xue Qiuhua's tears fell like pearls: "I don't want to love you anymore, I don't want to go to great lengths to get your attention, I'm getting married!"

She said, "I am already engaged to Liu Ruzhuan, the young master of the Liu family. From now on, we are separate individuals, each with our own marriages!"

"..."

A throbbing pain shot through Qin Jin's forehead. He held the book helplessly, his mind blank, unsure of which to be shocked about first.

This familiar story, this familiar name, and damn it, it all matches what Guang Sheng said!

Something terrible has happened!

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Author's Note: Qin Jin: It seems like I've been set up by the author.

I feel sleepy as soon as I turn on my computer. I suspect I've been tricked too. I'll try harder tomorrow.

Next chapter preview:

My arch-nemesis, Xue Rongyue, has fallen in love with me!