Chapter 181: Don’t ask what you shouldn’t know
After returning, Jiang Lan continued to think about the expedition, thinking that Prince Rui wanted to use military achievements to establish his authority and prepare for becoming the crown prince in the future, but as long as Prince Rui left, she would have a greater chance of meeting the emperor.
His Majesty would never depose the Crown Prince without reason. There must be something strange about this.
Although she decided to stay and find out the reason, plans always cannot keep up with changes.
Before dinner, a carriage stopped on the palace road outside Fanghua Palace, and then Jiang Lan was brought out by two guards.
When she walked up to the carriage, the person in the carriage lifted the curtain, revealing the face of King Rui.
"Come up." King Rui ordered.
Jiang Lan asked cautiously, "Where are you going?"
Prince Rui signaled, and two guards grabbed Jiang Lan's arms and forced her onto the carriage.
"Let's go." Prince Rui gave an order, and the guards of the palace drove away in a carriage.
Jiang Lan sat farthest away from him, keeping alert.
"Where exactly are you taking me, Your Highness?"
"You'll know when you get there."
After saying this, King Rui closed his eyes and didn't speak anymore.
Jiang Lan pulled aside the carriage curtain and looked out. The carriage was heading out of the palace. She wondered if they were going to lock her up in another place.
If she was really imprisoned in another place, her plan would fail.
"Your Highness, are you so afraid of me meeting His Majesty?" she asked tentatively.
Prince Rui half-opened one eye, his eyes condensed into a dark light in the bottom of his eyes. He glanced at her and said with a curled lip: "You don't need to test me. Don't ask if you shouldn't know."
"May I ask, Your Highness, what is something you shouldn't know?" Jiang Lan asked.
"Just like now, I'm tired. If you're smart, you should come over and massage my shoulders and legs, or just shut up." King Rui closed his eyes again to rest.
Bah, you still want her to massage your shoulders and legs, what a dream!
......
After leaving the palace, the carriage headed towards the prince's palace. When the carriage stopped, Jiang Lan pulled aside the curtain and took a look at the gate. She saw the three big words "Rui Wangfu" written on the plaque. Her nerves immediately tensed up and she didn't dare to relax at all.
"What are you afraid of? Can I eat you?" King Rui said jokingly.
Jiang Lan got off the carriage cautiously. When Prince Rui pulled open the curtain and got out, she immediately jumped to the side, her alertness like a conditioned reflex.
Seeing her being so wary of him, a sinister shadow appeared in Prince Rui's eyes and he looked a little unhappy.
"Are you not following me?" He stopped and turned his gaze to the side, with a sinister look covering half of his face, and his tone was very firm.
Two guards approached, and Jiang Lan followed them. A wise man would not suffer a loss in front of him, and she would not gain any advantage by confronting them head-on.
After entering the mansion, Prince Rui ordered the housekeeper to prepare dinner, but Jiang Lan said she was not hungry.
"If you're not hungry, I won't eat?"
“…”
She was a little embarrassed, as if she was being too sentimental.
After that, she stopped talking and silently memorized the route she had taken, turning a few corners and passing through a few doors.
Prince Rui tilted his gaze back and casually asked, "How is the scenery in this palace?"
Jiang Lan replied perfunctorily: "Not bad."
"Speak nicely and don't be ungrateful." Prince Rui said in a threatening tone.
“…”
ill!
Jiang Lan took a deep breath silently and praised hypocritically: "It looks good, it looks really good."
"How does it compare to the Marquis' Mansion?" Prince Rui asked again.
Jiang Lan absentmindedly replied, "How can a marquis's mansion compare to a prince's mansion?"
King Rui chuckled and said, "I'm glad to know."
After entering the yard, Jiang Lan refused to go into the house, so King Rui asked her to rest first. Jiang Lan suspected that he had impure motives and must have bad intentions, so she would rather stand in the yard, so King Rui let her go.
Afterwards, the butler had dinner brought in. Prince Rui ate in the room, occasionally glancing out the door, his eyes pausing on the slender figure.
When he glanced out the door again, the figure had disappeared.
Jiang Lan stood in the corner looking at the sky. The housekeeper came over and said to her, "Your Highness has something to tell you. Come with me." She felt that this housekeeper was a bit like Yue Xie, the chief eunuch of the Purple Moon Palace. Both gave people a sinister feeling and there was no room for bargaining.
She thought for a moment and followed the housekeeper. On the way, she quietly took out a hairpin from her head and hid it in her sleeve, preparing for the worst, preferring to die in glory rather than live in disgrace.
When she reached the door, Jiang Lan hesitated for a moment, took a deep breath and walked in. As soon as she came in, her eyes met the sinister eyes of King Rui. After that, she felt that his gaze was always on her, like staring at prey, which made her feel very uncomfortable, like a pervert.
"What does Your Highness want to tell me?" She stopped five or six steps away from the table, at least ten feet away from Prince Rui opposite. She had only moved three or four steps since entering the door.
Prince Rui estimated the distance between them, a strange look flashed across his face, and he said in a commanding tone, "Why are you standing so far away? Come here."
"Your Highness, please speak. I can hear you clearly." Jiang Lan said.
"Come here." King Rui ordered again with a stronger tone, "Don't let me say it a third time."
Jiang Lan gritted her teeth and took two steps forward. King Rui looked at her slow pace and a hint of anger appeared on his face. He put the wine glass in his hand back on the table with a clang, and all the wine in the glass splashed out.
Sensing that he was about to go crazy, Jiang Lan gritted her teeth and moved forward a few more steps to the edge of the table.
"Sit down." The irritability on King Rui's face disappeared, but his tone was still commanding.
Jiang Lan sat down opposite him, her hand under the table tucked into her sleeve, holding the hairpin.
"This king will go to war tomorrow."
Prince Rui paused, as if waiting for Jiang Lan to react. Seeing that she remained indifferent, he ordered directly, "You go with me."
Jiang Lan looked slightly surprised, but soon calmed down and said, "Your Highness, why would you take me with you on the expedition? I can't fight, and I'd be a burden if I went."
"You're quite self-aware." King Rui curled his lips. "However, it's certainly useful for me to bring you along. Didn't I say before that you're a bargaining chip in my hand?"
Jiang Lan gripped the hairpin tightly and asked calmly, "Then what does Your Highness intend to exchange me for?"
Prince Rui looked at her calm face, which was covered with a soft glow by the flickering candlelight. He was slightly distracted, as if he saw a familiar shadow. His eyes dimmed and he looked away. He picked up the wine jug, poured a glass of wine and drank it all. Then he poured another glass and drank two glasses in a row.
Jiang Lan had a bad feeling and leaned half of her body toward the door, ready to run at any time.
When his sight swept to the opposite side again, the candlelight flickered slightly in his deep pupils and became a little blurry. In a trance, he saw a pair of familiar eyebrows and eyes, and couldn't help but call out "Wan'er".
Jiang Lan saw something was wrong with his eyes and had a bad feeling. She stood up to run, but just as she turned around, a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She gripped the hairpin tightly and slashed forward. Prince Rui hissed and glanced down at the back of his bloody hand. His eyes darkened and his face was filled with a sinister and violent look.
The hairpin fell to the ground with a clang.
Jiang Lan was thrown heavily onto the bed, with her hands pressed firmly above her head. The blood on the back of her hands flowed down her white arms, leaving a hideous mark on them.
"Is Your Highness doing this to the Princess?" She could only take a gamble now, betting that the Wan'er he was talking about was the Princess.
Meeting her cold, questioning gaze, Prince Rui was slightly stunned, and the hand on her head loosened a little.
Seeing his reaction, Jiang Lan knew that she had made the right bet.
The next moment, he pressed her hands even tighter and sneered, "Isn't it good to be my woman? You should be thankful that you are somewhat like her, otherwise I would have killed you long ago."
"Then please kill me, Your Highness. Even if I die, I will never be someone else's substitute." Jiang Lan gritted her teeth and said in a tough tone, "Your Highness, either I am the only one in your heart, or you have forgotten the princess."
"You want me to forget Wan'er?" King Rui's eyes turned cold, with a sinister murderous look in them. "You are looking for death!" He suddenly grabbed Jiang Lan's neck with his other hand.
"I will never be anyone's substitute." Jiang Lan stared into his eyes coldly, determined to die.
Prince Rui suddenly withdrew his hand, stood up, turned his back to the bed, and coldly spat out one word, "Get lost."
Jiang Lan left immediately without staying for even a second.
After running out, she rushed out of the yard, but was caught by two guards before she reached the door.
"Lock her up in the woodshed for me," King Rui said coldly as he appeared at the door. Turning around, he gave another order, "Keep her under guard."
Jiang Lan just cursed at his back, and the next moment she was dragged away by two guards.
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