Chapter 47: Kneel down before me now!
Prince Duan couldn't help but take two steps back and said quickly, "That's not my intention! I just want to tell her about your dirty and shameful thoughts!"
"Who knows what you said to Mingyi? She didn't even wait for me to finish my words. She attacked me the moment she saw me."
"Just wait, when Mingyi knows your true face, I'll see how you can smile again!"
Xie Yan's face darkened, and his lacquer-like pupils stared coldly at Xie Huaiye.
When Prince Duan saw that Xie Yan didn't say anything, he thought he had found Xie Yan's weakness.
He raised his chin, his nose pointed upwards, and said, "Hand over the antidote immediately, then kneel down and kowtow to me and admit your mistake. I will consider keeping it a secret for you for a while."
"Otherwise..." He snorted heavily, "Just wait for Mingyi to disgust you to death!"
Xie Yan's slender jade-like fingers tapped the teacup lightly and nodded, "Okay."
Prince Duan thought he agreed and said proudly, "Then kneel down before me!"
Unexpectedly, Xie Yan stood up and walked straight towards Prince Duan.
Prince Duan's expression changed drastically, and he shouted, "Protect me!"
A quarter of an hour later, all the masters brought by Prince Duan were lying on the ground, and the private room was in a mess.
Xie Yan slowly straightened his sleeves and walked towards Prince Duan step by step.
Prince Duan leaned against the wall and said, "Even if you kill me, you won't survive!"
He thought of the information the guards had gathered before he came here, and said anxiously, "If I die, you must die too! I heard that Su Muyan is also interested in the princess. If you die, Ruan Yunsheng will soon marry into the Su family! Are you willing to let her go?"
Xie Yan narrowed his eyes, a smile curved up at the corners of his lips, but the smile did not reach his eyes.
"Second brother, what are you talking about? How unlucky! I just want to ask you to come with me to the palace to meet my father."
Prince Duan swallowed nervously, "What do you want to see Father for?"
Xie Yan said calmly, "Since Second Brother intends to rip us apart and tell the princess what I was thinking, then I have no choice but to let Father and the court officials know who it was who bravely risked their lives to penetrate the demonic cult, capture the leader of the Blood Demon Cult, and perform such a great deed that he was praised by the people."
Prince Duan's expression instantly turned extremely ugly.
Xie Yan suddenly chuckled, his tone ending in a cold, blade-like tone: "Let me think about this. In those two years, I helped Second Brother do more than just this one thing."
"Oh, right. Six years ago, the Yin Kingdom sent envoys to Shengjing. Among them was a warrior of immense strength who wanted to challenge the Sheng Kingdom's soldiers. My second brother stood up in front of the entire court and vowed to use his power as a prince to crush the envoy's aggression. He was truly impressive."
He flicked the nonexistent dust off his hem with his fingers. "But in the arena, who was it that bore your name, donned the black iron mask, and snapped that warrior's neck with three strikes, earning the applause of all the civil and military officials? Second Brother, you haven't forgotten, have you?"
With every word Xie Yan uttered, Prince Duan's expression grew uglier.
All the achievements that had made him famous in the court over the past few years had now become thorns piercing his flesh.
He stepped on Xie Yan's back and showed off in front of the civil and military officials. Hearing the praise of "the second prince is brave and unparalleled", even his father looked at him with more kindness.
It was not until Ruan Yunsheng fell into the icy lake that the handle he once held in his palm completely disappeared.
Since then, he could no longer call upon Xie Yan.
I still remember the autumn hunting two years ago. The moment the tiger pounced, he fell off the horse in a miserable state and became a laughing stock.
My father’s sigh that “we no longer have the vigor we once had” feels like a heavy blow to me now.
Only he knew that all the achievements that made him so glorious were only due to Xie Yan's backing.
Rather than letting Ruan Yunsheng dislike Xie Yan, he was more afraid that once the truth was revealed, the bright future he had worked so hard to build would be shattered in his father's shock and anger.
Prince Duan forced an ugly, stiff smile. "You and I are brothers, we should be of the same blood and support each other. Why do we have to be so clear about the differences? Besides, these are all trivial matters, and the emperor may not like to hear them."
"What's past is past. I will pretend I know nothing about it and will never mention it in front of the princess!"
Xie Yan lowered his eyes, "That's good."
Prince Duan lowered his voice and said, "But you must give me the antidote!"
A moment later, Prince Duan took the "antidote" he had been longing for and left Taoranzhai with a group of defeated soldiers.
Xie Yan stood in front of the window, a hint of sarcasm in his eyes.
*
The underground black market, also known as the ghost market.
It is said that all kinds of shady deals are done there, and countless masters are lurking there. They are either for wealth, revenge, or secrets. It is full of mystery and danger.
Ruan Yunsheng had only heard of this place from storytellers before and wanted Chuwu to take her there, but Chuwu disagreed no matter what, telling her that the black market was not only dangerous, but also dirty and smelly, and not as interesting as Xingshi Tower.
Ruan Yunsheng was not afraid of danger, but she was very afraid of dirt and stench, so she gave up.
But tonight, when she thought about going to that mysterious place, she couldn't help but feel excited.
After nightfall, Ruan Yunsheng took off her fancy skirt and hairpins and changed into a plain, dark-patterned, narrow-sleeved, waist-hugging long skirt that was convenient for movement. She tied a ribbon of the same color around her waist, which looked very neat.
Her black hair was tied into a ponytail, and she wore no jewelry or makeup, but her bright peach blossom eyes were still astonishingly bright. Even though she was dressed simply, it could not conceal the brightness between her eyebrows, which instead added a bit of neat heroic spirit.
She didn't like to have anyone serving her in the room before she went to bed, so the maids all slept in the side room. If she had any instructions, she would ring the golden bell beside the bed.
Ruan Yunsheng changed his clothes and walked to the back door easily.
Without Xie Yan, the old-fashioned guy, blocking her way, it was much easier for her to leave the house than before.
But when he opened the back door, Ruan Yunsheng's face instantly fell.
Xie Yan had arrived at some point and was waiting outside the door.
He also wore a low-key black robe tonight, and probably because he was afraid of the cold, he had a cloak on his shoulders.
Seeing Ruan Yunsheng coming out, Xie Yanqi's eyes couldn't help but brighten up, with a hint of smile hidden in his eyes.
This was the first time Shengsheng went out alone with "Xie Yan".
Although Shengsheng simply didn't trust him and wanted to personally find out the clues about the 'Sun and Moon Shining Jade Disk', Xie Yan was still very excited about the two of them making an appointment to go out together.
Xie Yan whispered, "Princess, can we go now?"
Ruan Yunsheng hummed softly, "Let's go."
Xie Yan did not block her tonight, but he came to pick her up.
It's so boring that I finally get to go out with my archenemy.
The carriage stopped at the intersection. After Ruan Yunsheng and Xie Yan got on the carriage, Han Ying sat outside as the coachman, driving the carriage towards the outskirts of Beijing.
Ruan Yunsheng was full of curiosity about the outside, so he lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked out.
Xie Yan handed her a small, exquisite gilded hand warmer and said gently, "The black market is cold, so don't catch a cold, Princess. When we get there, remember to follow me closely and don't wander around."
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