Chapter 310 Taking her away regardless of the consequences

"Now we can continue what we were doing."

Xiao Xuanyou leaned down and captured her lips, one hand gripping the back of her neck, forcing her to tilt her head back to receive the heat. The burning temperature almost scorched through her clothes, the entanglement filled with an irresistible force, swallowing all her voices.

Jiang Zhi was still immersed in Xiao Xuanyou's words when, by the time she came to her senses, the kiss had already taken on a different meaning.

She stiffened as her earlobe was suddenly touched by the moist warmth.

Xiao Xuanyou's lips had already brushed against her earlobe, and his calloused fingertips caressed the skin behind her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

"No..." Jiang Zhi instinctively pushed him away.

But Xiao Xuanyou clearly knew her body inside and out, and knew how to soothe her to arouse her.

His lips lingered on her earlobe, gently biting or licking, sending a tingling, itchy sensation down Jiang Zhi's spine and throughout her body.

She was torn between resistance and succumbing to depravity, her heart pounding like a drum.

But soon, all of Xiao Xuanyou's movements stopped.

"What's this?"

Just moments ago, her breaths were heavy with passion, but now they were as cold as ice.

His gaze fell on the back of her neck.

The skin, which was originally covered by clothing, was slightly opened due to the confusion and infatuation between the two, revealing a row of teeth marks hidden underneath.

The teeth marks weren't deep; they must have faded considerably over the past few days.

Jiang Zhi's heart sank as she realized what was happening. She reached out to cover herself, but Xiao Xuanyou grabbed her wrist, rendering her unable to move.

"What is this?" he asked again, his eyes blazing with murderous intent. "Who did this?"

His gaze was like a knife, almost burning through her skin.

Jiang Zhi felt a little guilty and lowered her head without saying a word.

Although this matter had nothing to do with Xiao Xuanyou, the memories from his past life still made him somewhat afraid of him.

Xiao Xuanyou snapped out of his daze and sneered, "That's right, who else could it be but that mad dog Lu Yuan? No wonder he sent you here so late that day."

He gritted his teeth, his eyes turning sinister, then thought of something else, "Given his personality, how could he be content to stay in just this one place?"

As Xiao Xuanyou spoke, he reached for her collar, "I want to see how much he left on you?"

Jiang Zhi turned pale with fright, but she was prepared and clutched her clothes tightly. "Your Highness, please have some self-respect!"

"Self-respect? Why don't you tell Lu Yuan to have self-respect?" Xiao Xuanyou's voice was squeezed out from between his teeth. "Knowing that you were going to be sent here, you still deliberately left marks on you. Wasn't that just to sized you up for me to see?"

"If I don't read it, wouldn't I be wasting all his hard work?"

Xiao Xuanyou's eyes were bloodshot.

He had long held a high position and a noble status, and no one had ever dared to be so arrogant in front of him.

Now Lu Yuan actually dares to dance arrogantly in front of him, it's utterly absurd!

When he was with Jiang Zhi, Lu Yuan was probably still wallowing in some quagmire!

Jiang Zhi cried out in distress, her heart filled with panic.

She couldn't even imagine what kind of madness Xiao Xuanyou would go through if he saw the marks all over her body that hadn't faded yet.

"Your Highness, you said you wouldn't force me to do anything I don't want to do anymore!" She looked at him, trying her best to ignore the oppressive aura emanating from him that made her heart race. "Are you going to break your promise?"

"You..." Xiao Xuanyou's anger surged within his chest, with nowhere to vent it, his eyes bloodshot and his body filled with chilling killing intent.

Jiang Zhi swallowed hard, her scalp tingling, and a chill ran through her body.

Seeing her nervous and flustered expression, Xiao Xuanyou breathed heavily, desperately suppressing his urge to kill.

The air in the room was eerily stagnant.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Xiao Xuanyou paused, his voice cold and deep, "What is it?"

Wen Quan's anxious voice came from outside the door, "Your Highness, General Xie requests an audience."

It is Xie Qi.

Xiao Xuanyou said coldly, "Tell him to wait in the study."

"yes."

Wen Quan quickly withdrew.

Xiao Xuanyou finally let go of Jiang Zhi's hand and stopped forcing her.

He covered her clothes for her, wiped away the tears that had welled up in her eyes from her excitement with his fingertips, and sighed heavily, "Don't worry, I said I wouldn't force you, and I won't go back on my word."

He was patient, waiting for her to gradually experience the bliss of power and eventually fall into his arms.

Jiang Zhi breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Xiao Xuanyou didn't insist anymore.

Inside the study.

"The Crown Prince's letter wasn't very clear. What exactly is Zhizhi doing here with you?"

Xie Qi, clad in full armor, sat at the lower end of the table. The armor plates reflected the light so brightly that it was hard to open one's eyes. He had a straight nose and thin lips, and his aura of military prowess still carried a hint of arrogance.

Xiao Xuanyou told him about the plan he and Jiang Zhi had discussed.

Xie Qi was genuinely astonished to hear that Xiao Yunheng was very likely the son of Emperor Xuanzhao and the half-brother of Xiao Xuanyou.

"What does the Crown Prince need me to do?" He leaned back lazily in his chair, showing none of the authority of a city commander.

Xiao Xuanyou frowned, but didn't care about his rudeness. He just said coldly, "Come and perform a play with me and the Princess of Qinghe County."

"Oh? I've seen plenty of plays, but this is my first time performing one," Xie Qi raised an eyebrow. "How will it be performed, and where is the stage?"

"If you knew that I was disregarding Princess Qinghe's wishes and forcibly keeping her in the Eastern Palace, what would you do?" Xiao Xuanyou asked him.

"Naturally, we took her away without hesitation," Xie Qi replied without a second thought.

If Xiao Xuanyou hadn't deliberately misled him into thinking that Jiang Zhi had been kidnapped by Xiao Chengjin, he would have rescued her directly from the East Palace long ago, and none of this would have happened.

Xiao Xuanyou took a sip of tea with a half-smile, "Then go ahead and do it."

"The important thing is to bring the person back safely in the end."

Xie Qi finally understood what Xiao Xuanyou was planning to do.

Didn't Xiao Yunheng want them to fight over Zhizhi and her brother?

Now is an excellent opportunity.

This made him believe that the Crown Prince had turned against him and that he had lost his most powerful ally.

Only then could Xiao Yunheng lower his guard and fall into their trap.

＊

That night, Jiang Zhi had nothing to do in Qingfang Palace, so she thought of embroidering a sachet for Lu Yuan, so that he would stop bringing up the sachet that she had given him, which Shen Ci'an did not want.

The maid lit the lamp, and a bandage frame was placed on the table. She sat by the window, holding a fine needle in her slender hand, her wrist turning lightly.

Just as I was completely absorbed, a soft laugh came from outside the window.

Jiang Zhi looked up through the window.

But then a tall figure was seen sitting diagonally on the branch of an old locust tree outside the courtyard wall.

He was dressed in a dark, close-fitting outfit, damp with night dew. He leaned against a tree trunk, elbows resting on his knees, and looked at her with a smile in his eyes. His voice was clear and bright, "Zhizhi, it's been a long time. Did you miss me?"

It was Xie Qi.

Jiang Zhi was startled, a sharp pain shooting through her hand as she accidentally pricked herself with a needle. She couldn't help but hiss.

"What's wrong?"

Xie Qi, who had been leisurely sitting in the tree, immediately leaped down upon seeing this, jumped into the window, and took her hand to examine it under the lamp.

On the slender, white fingertips, tiny specks of bright red are just beginning to appear.

"It's nothing, I just accidentally pricked myself with a needle, I..."

Before Jiang Zhi could finish speaking, she felt a soft, damp sensation on her fingertips.

Xie Qi took her injured fingertip into his mouth and slowly sucked on it.