Jiang Yue's body stiffened. In fact, Zhou Ji hadn't called her that for a long time. Only at the very beginning would he occasionally use a coaxing tone to coax her like a child. But even then, you could tell from his casual tone that he didn't take it seriously at all.
Unlike right now.
Gently, yet with utmost seriousness.
It sounded like a sigh, but a barely perceptible tremor could be heard.
A sudden surge of anger rose in Jiang Yue's heart. Her face turned cold, and even her eyebrows and eyes revealed a rare chill. Her voice was also a few decibels higher than usual, as if she couldn't wait to interrupt him: "You are not allowed to call me princess."
She forbade him to call her that, and didn't want him to call her that either.
Zhou Ji is not qualified.
Her eyes were red as she stared at him intently.
Staring intently at the face before him, and the expression on that face, his features were well-proportioned and exquisite, and his lowered eyes held a more aloof and detached air than before, as if he were detached from the world.
Such an expression.
That familiar expression.
Jiang Yue had seen him before, but if she didn't think about it carefully, she could hardly remember.
Why couldn't he just keep lying to her? Why did he have to let her know, to make her grit her teeth and fiercely expose him like this? Did he think she was so magnanimous that she wouldn't even care about life or death?
Even if the answer wasn't explicitly stated.
Even though Zhou Ji didn't say it himself, he was Zhou Fuwei.
However, the moment their eyes met, they both knew what was going on.
Jiang Yue's body trembled slightly, her eyes still red. She slightly raised her chin, not wanting him to see her vulnerable side, and asked, "When did you think of that?"
Zhou Fuwei paused for a moment: "Not long."
Jiang Yue stared at his features, noticing the burning blood in his eyes. He seemed to be suffering as well, his calm exterior masking intense pain.
It burned so badly that my limbs and bones ached.
She wanted to laugh, but even after tugging at the corners of her mouth, she couldn't manage a proper smile. Tears welled up in her eyes and suddenly fell, each one like a pearl. She raised her hand to wipe away the tears on her face, her eyes reddening. She began to seek clarification for the questions that had once remained unanswered.
Did you poison him?
The sunlight made the man's face appear increasingly white, almost transparent, with little to no color showing.
The question, aside from its cold tone, was not at all aggressive.
But to Zhou Ji, it was like a sharp blade piercing his heart, unexpectedly stabbing into his flesh.
The man pursed his thin lips slightly: "No."
It's definitely not him.
Jiang Yue chuckled, nodded to herself, and said softly, "Yes, it wasn't you."
She gave another sarcastic laugh: "Your loyal subordinate."
The tears welling up in her eyes broke his heart.
It was clearly the person I least wanted to hurt.
Instead, it caused her immense suffering.
Her scalding tears felt like they were hitting his skin, burning his internal organs, causing blood to flow like a river.
Jiang Yue then asked, "Did you order him to poison me with poison?"
Zhou Ji stood frozen in place, his face grim: "No."
Jiang Yue looked at him with a hint of sarcasm. She knew he wouldn't stoop to lying to her. Since he intended for her to discover his identity, he probably wouldn't care if she knew more, so there was no need for him to lie to her about this.
He did not give the order.
But it's impossible that they were unaware of it.
However, she tacitly approved of her subordinates using her life to claim credit.
Jiang Yue felt so suffocated that she could hardly breathe.
She felt a lot of pain.
I used to think it was nothing.
Being murdered is only somewhat shameful.
She lost; she became Zhou Fuwei's defeated opponent.
But when this person became the one she liked, it was truly like being pierced to the bone, so painful that she felt like all her strength was being drained.
Jiang Yue looked up and met his dark eyes, but didn't ask anything more.
"If I can't tolerate you, and you want to kill me, then we're even."
"The victor is king, the loser is villain; I concede defeat."
"Let's leave it at that between us."
Jiang Yue turned around, but before she could leave, he grabbed her hand tightly and asked, "What's wrong with this?"
The man hugged her from behind, his arms encircling her body with an irresistible force. His voice was deep and magnetic, with a hint of fragile hoarseness, as calm as a still lake. He asked, "Don't you want me anymore?"
Jiang Yue stood frozen in place, closed her eyes, and felt almost swallowed up by his presence. She didn't want to say anything.
The man's pale, handsome face was almost expressionless as he continued, "Don't you hate me?"
Jiang Yue could only manage to maintain her composure after hearing those words.
Being open-minded, magnanimous, and self-justifying all mean nothing.
She turned around, pushed him away forcefully, a calm hatred churning in her dark eyes. Tears welled up in her reddened eyes the moment she opened her mouth, and the words seemed to be forced out from the depths of her throat: "Yes!"
Her tears fell like pearls from a broken string.
She didn't know why she was so sad or in so much pain. Before, when she was innocent and detached from worldly affairs, she was carefree, heartless, and without resentment.
She stared at him, her teeth clenched as if filled with boundless hatred, each word dripping with resentment: "I hate you."
"I just hate you."
Zhou Ji met her eyes. Her bright, doe-like eyes always shone with a radiant light, innocent and sincere. But at this moment, the genuine hatred in her eyes pierced his heart like shards of glass.
There is too much resentment.
Too much resentment.
He thought his heart was as hard as stone, so even if he saw the hatred in her eyes, it didn't matter.
Zhou Ji raised his hand and slowly wiped away the tear tracks on her face with his fingertips. His fingertips were hot, as if melting the tears: "I have never met Princess Mingyi and do not know who she is."
"I've only heard that she's always been arrogant and doesn't want to talk to anyone."
"On several occasions, I waited for several hours in the side hall of the Imperial Study. Finally, a young eunuch rushed over and said that Princess Yi was not feeling well. I was not allowed to go back until it got dark."
"I could tell that Princess Mingyi must really dislike me."
"But it's okay, I don't like her either."
The tone was straightforward, as if it were someone else's story.
"I came to the capital because I have other things to do."
“I don’t even know her name. Finding someone is like looking for a needle in a haystack. She told me she was a little palace maid serving a noble lady in the capital.”
"I didn't expect her to be lying to me, or that it was just a casual remark to brush me off."
"But I didn't care. I thought I would eventually find her given time."
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