9. The grip on my arm was quite strong.
◎But she and Duke Jin have already secretly pledged their love?◎
boom!
These words were like cold water splashed into boiling oil. The crowd erupted in an uproar, and all eyes turned to Hua Yao.
Some were surprised, some were inquisitive, and some were just watching the show.
Pianzhu frowned, and could only worry about the girl in silence.
Hua Yao stood frozen in place, feeling as if the blood in her body had frozen.
His eyes seemed to see through everything...
If someone were very familiar with her, they might see that her behavior contradicts that of the Second Miss Hua.
If even Pianzhu couldn't see it, how could Cui Xun, who had no dealings with her, possibly see it?
When she first met him at Linyun Tower, she knew he was not someone to be trifled with. She had initially thought he was just a man of deep thoughts and hidden schemes, but she never expected him to be so troublesome.
Hua Yao frowned slightly, her face displaying a perfectly balanced expression of shame and confusion at being unjustly accused.
"Your words, Duke... are truly absurd. My daughter merely found them strange and asked a question; how did they become entangled in such a horrifying matter?"
Cui Xun took in her fleeting stiffness and the composure she was putting on.
He wasn't angered by her retort, but the fake smile on his lips deepened a little.
"The way Miss Hua looks now, as if she's been wronged, is quite different from how fiercely she pointed at me and cursed me as a 'bastard' before."
Someone in the crowd was shocked. "What? This Miss Hua dares to scold the Duke?"
Hua Yao knew things were going badly. Cui Xun's words weren't meant to compete with her, but rather to entangle the Prime Minister's residence with him.
She lowered her eyes, her mind racing...
A brilliant idea has been hatched.
"Is the Duke referring to that day at Linyun Tower, when I saw you forcibly stop a woman, and then I stopped you and scolded you?"
Hua Yao bowed to him, "That was truly a misunderstanding. I have always stayed in my chambers and have never met the Duke. Therefore, I have made a grave mistake. I will definitely come to apologize in person in the future. I hope the Duke will forgive me."
As soon as he finished speaking, gasps of surprise rose and fell from the crowd.
Forcefully stop a woman? Duke Jin?
This fiend spends his days fighting and killing, and there isn't even a female mosquito around him. How could he possibly stop a young lady like this? This is even more terrifying than when Miss Hua scolded him.
"No, that can't be!" someone stammered. "When has this Duke ever had a woman by his side?"
“Yes, I’ve never seen one before…” someone echoed.
Hua Yao listened to the whispers around her. How could Cui Xun be so self-disciplined and virtuous?
Despite the pressure, she smiled slightly and said, "I suppose... the Duke was handling a case that day, and perhaps I was mistaken." She bowed again and said, "It was my prejudice that led me to make unfounded assumptions about the nature of men. I hope the Duke will not take offense."
Cui Xun chuckled softly. There was a hint of playful pleasure in his laughter, followed by a touch of cold sarcasm.
"Oh?" He drew out the last syllable, his deep eyes filled with a menacing pressure. "The nature of men in the world? Then, Second Miss, why don't you tell me, what is the nature of men in the world?"
Just then, everyone saw a man appear beside Cui Xun and lean down to report to him in a low voice.
The wicked smile on his face faded, leaving only a deep, cold abyss. He stood up and turned away decisively.
The dark robes parted sharply with each movement, and Qin Yan followed closely behind.
--
At the third quarter of the hour of Xu (7:45 PM), the candlelight flickered slightly.
Hua Yao placed the book on the table and went into the inner room to bathe.
Hot water washed over my chest, and a faint pink plum blossom mark below my left collarbone was faintly visible in the steam.
She lightly traced the surface of the water with her fingertips, her thoughts already drifting far away.
Lingzhou? She absolutely had to go to Lingzhou, but what reason could she give?
Just as I was pondering this, a soft sound came from outside the window.
Hua Yao froze, her ears tightened, and she instinctively shrank back into the water.
A clothes rack stood beside the bathtub, with a plain-colored undergarment draped over it. She stretched out her arm, her fingertips just touching the fabric, when the window creaked open and a masked figure jumped in.
The person who arrived was so fast that they were just a blur, creating a gust of wind.
Hua Yao was so shocked that she held her breath. Just as she was about to tear off her clothes, the man had already reached the clothes rack and went with her to grab the inner garment.
His large hand covered her fingertips, the warm touch catching her off guard.
Without pausing, the man grabbed her undergarment with one hand and suddenly pulled her arm with the other, lifting her out of the bathtub with a slight effort. The undergarment, amidst the splashing water, haphazardly wrapped around Hua Yao's body.
After a moment of surprise, Hua Yao looked up. The man had his back to her, his shoulders ramrod straight.
A surge of anger welled up within her, and she raised her hand, striking fiercely at his neck.
The man sensed something, slightly raised his eyelashes, and moved aside to avoid it.
With one hand missing, Hua Yao quickly raised her other hand.
The man turned around and grabbed her slender wrist in mid-air with his large hand.
He easily grabbed her, his palms burning hot. Without giving her any chance to struggle, he skillfully pulled her towards him.
Hua Yao was caught off guard and bumped into a cool embrace. A pleasant scent lingered around her nose, like the green pine tree when the snow melted.
She was still standing in the bathtub, with one of her wrists held by him. He was so tall that she had to tilt her head back.
Knowing she couldn't beat the man, she tentatively raised her other hand and reached for his mask. Seeing that he didn't stop her, she pulled the mask off directly.
When she met his gaze, the man was looking at her with amusement.
Cui Xun!
Hua Yao felt she was being teased. Still holding the mask in her hand, she raised her hand and threw it at him.
Cui Xun stretched out his long arm, his large hand firmly gripping her outstretched wrist. A faint smile played on his lips, his tone helpless, "Again?"
Both of her hands were gripped tightly. Hua Yao struggled, "What right does the Duke of Jin have to break into a woman's boudoir in the middle of the night?"
“In urgent situations, one must act expediently,” he said, looking at her. “Someone has followed me here, so I have no choice but to come and bother you at your residence.”
Hua Yao was furious, and said in a low voice, "If you hadn't run here, would they have chased you all the way here?"
Cui Xun seemed to take a very light breath before saying, "I was chased for several streets and I was completely exhausted, so I had to hide for a while."
"Out of strength?" Hua Yao snorted coldly, her gaze falling on his hand that was still firmly gripping her wrist, the veins on the back of his hand winding upwards and disappearing into his sleeve. "The Duke's grip on my wrist is quite strong."
Upon hearing this, his fingertips paused almost imperceptibly, and just as his gaze was about to turn over, he heard her clear command, "Let go!"
A brief stalemate.
He felt her rapid pulse beneath his fingertips, each beat striking his senses through her thin skin.
Finally, he loosened his grip, decisively withdrawing his strength, and pulled his hands back behind his back.
"Turn around," Hua Yao shouted sharply.
Cui Xun turned around as instructed.
A soft splash came from behind, and Hua Yao stepped out of the bathtub. Then came the faint sound of water-stained footsteps, which quickly swept across the floor and disappeared behind the screen.
The slight rustling of fabric and the subtle sounds of wiping with a handkerchief were amplified in the quiet room, only to quickly fade back into silence.
Cui Xun's eyelashes twitched slightly.
...
Hua Yao was already dressed neatly, with an outer robe on, and her long hair was hastily tied up with a plain hairpin. Her eyes were cold and indifferent.
The two sat across from each other at the table.
Cui Xun's gaze swept over the book "Encountering the Reversal of Fortune" on the table. "These kinds of strange tales and legends are often full of errors circulating in the market. Miss Hua... is she very interested?"
She didn't look at him. "Just flipping through it to pass the time."
"To relieve boredom?" He raised his eyes, his gaze as calm as a deep pool, yet carrying an invisible pressure. "Having heard about the soul-swapping incident of the previous dynasty, Miss Hua is probably planning how to get to Lingzhou."
Hua Yao's fingertips twitched slightly, but her expression remained calm. "It seems that Duke Jin enjoys guessing what others are thinking."
“I suspected you when you subdued Xiao Hu at Linyun Tower.”
"So you've come here today to question me?"
"I had no intention of disturbing you today, but I am forced by circumstances."
Hua Yao sneered, "With so much land, why did you have to come to the Prime Minister's residence? Isn't that just making them think that the Prime Minister's residence is already on your side?"
Hua Yao didn't know if Cui Xun had ever considered targeting the Prime Minister's residence before. If he only suspected her and wanted to drag the Prime Minister's residence into this mess, what would she do if the Prime Minister's residence was targeted by villains because of her?
"Father has no intention of getting involved in court intrigues. If the Duke is only putting the Prime Minister's residence in danger because of me, please tell me clearly how my daughter has offended you?"
Seeing her expression, Cui Xun didn't want to push her too far. "I have no intention of involving the Prime Minister's residence in court disputes. It's just that there are some old documents from years ago that passed through your father's hands. If you can persuade him to put the documents that should be put away back in their proper places, I, Cui, will not bother you any further."
"As for the identity of Miss Hua Er..." Seeing that she had no other expression besides worrying about the Prime Minister's residence, he had no choice but to strike at her weak point.
He leaned forward slightly and said, slowly and deliberately, "I can send you back to the world you want to go."
Cui Xun's gaze was fixed on her face, not daring to miss a single change in expression.
She looked up to meet his gaze, neither flinching nor flustered. She stared straight at him, a slight sneer playing on her lips. "I think the one truly interested in this strange affair is the Duke. How can he even utter such absurd words?"
Upon hearing this, Cui Xun sat up straight.
He smiled, but his eyes seemed to devour her. Hua Yao felt that if she said another word, he really would kill her.
He spoke softly and kindly, "If you won't admit it, then you'd better keep your identity well hidden."
After saying that, he got up and walked towards the door. He stopped at the door.
Hua Yao looked over, and whether it was her imagination or not, she felt that his back looked very lifeless.
"The Prime Minister's family's self-preservation, what they're suppressing..." he seemed to be restraining his heart-wrenching pain, his voice trembling, "is the injustice and bloodshed of an innocent person."
Hua Yao's heart skipped a beat, and then she saw Cui Xun open the door with both hands and stride out.
...
A moment later, Pianzhu's exclamation came from outside the door, "Aunt, Aunt, Miss! I just saw Duke Jin!"
She rushed in and saw her daughter with one elbow resting on the table, her knuckles touching her forehead, her whole being enveloped in a lingering sense of melancholy.
"Miss, have you met Duke Jin?" she asked softly. She had prepared hot water for the young lady before taking a bath herself.
After a long while, Hua Yao finally looked up and asked, "Pianzhu, do you know when Father will return?"
Pianzhu was stumped by the question and stammered, "My lord, my lord has been in Luozhou for almost half a year now, and I suppose he will be returning soon."
"Mm," Hua Yao replied softly. It was so late; would it be inappropriate to disturb her grandmother? But right now, she was preoccupied with her own worries and desperately wanted to know the answer.
As I was pondering, I heard several footsteps coming from under the corridor.
Immediately following was the old lady's somewhat annoyed voice, "Yao'er!"
Hua Yao quickly got up and saw the old lady, Aunt Fang, and Hua Ling walk in.
She bowed and said, "Grandmother, Aunt."
The old lady reached out and helped her up, saying, "It's alright, we're all family, no need for such formalities."
The old lady walked directly to the table and sat down, followed by Aunt Fang and Hua Ling.
"Come here," the old lady beckoned to Hua Yao.
Seeing the commotion, Pianzhu figured it was a private matter and she had to leave. She had just taken a step when the old lady called out to her, "Pianzhu, don't go either."
As soon as Hua Yao sat down, the old lady looked up at her, her gaze direct and unambiguous.
“Tell me, when I used to arrange marriages for you, you were unwilling to do this or that. But you had already secretly made a promise with Duke Jin.”
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