...
"Cousin Suyun, didn't you say you knew where Cousin Yutong was? Why is it so quiet here?"
Jing Lu followed Cheng Suyun to an empty side hall. Apart from a few dim lights inside, there was no other trace of anyone else.
He asked in disappointment.
Cheng Suyun took out the bundle she had brought to the palace, and took out the cloak from it. Her usually arrogant face was now full of tenderness.
"Do you still remember this cloak? I haven't thrown it away; I was planning to return it to the Third Prince myself."
"Oh, just give it to me," Jing Lu said, his unease never fading after he and Cheng Suyun entered the room alone.
When Cheng Suyun handed him the cloak, Jing Lu reached out to take it, but as soon as he touched a corner of it, Cheng Suyun quickly took it back.
Jing Lu stared at Cheng Suyun with a puzzled look, feeling quite awkward.
"Cousin Suyun, I need to go find Cousin Yutong, in case she faints..."
"Third Prince, when I summoned you, did you show no joy at all, and were you only thinking about Zheng Yutong?"
Jing Lu kept mentioning Zheng Yutong, but Cheng Suyun frowned and interrupted him. She stepped forward, forcing Jing Lu to retreat step by step until she blocked him against the closed door.
The two were very close. Jing Lu seemed to be frightened by Cheng Suyun's behavior and words, but he felt guilty and avoided her gaze while being frightened, and tried his best to deny it.
"I...I didn't. I only have Yutong in my heart. Cousin Su...Suyun, please let me go find Yutong."
"Third Prince, if you don't care about me, what are you feeling guilty about? What are you stuttering about? You don't even dare to look me in the eye?"
Cheng Suyun was amused by Jing Lu's guilty conscience. As if encouraged, she moved even closer to Jing Lu, even resting her head on his chest and expressing her deepest feelings.
"Third Prince, wasn't it your idea that Su Yun was able to come out today?"
"My family wants me to get married, but I don't like that sickly man at all. I even feel like dying."
“No…you shouldn’t seek death so easily, it’s not worth it,” Jing Lu hurriedly advised upon hearing the word “death.”
As he said this, Cheng Suyun had already hugged Jing Lu, saying helplessly.
"Of course I know it's not worth it, but I have no choice. I can't disobey my parents' orders. Third Prince, can you help me?"
"How...how can I help?" Jing Lu asked, perplexed.
Cheng Suyun touched Jing Lu's belt. Her movements were slow and gentle, and Jing Lu, in the extremely tense atmosphere, didn't notice at all.
Cheng Suyun asked sweetly, "Does the Third Prince like me? Not even a little bit? If you say you don't, I'll ignore you immediately?"
“I like Yutong,” Jinglu swallowed hard as he answered, trying to resist the temptation. The next moment, he saw tears glistening in Cheng Suyun’s eyes, and he stammered in a panic.
"I...I also like...I like Cousin Suyun a little bit, but I can't let Yutong down, so please don't ask me anymore."
Cheng Suyun was satisfied with what she heard. As for where Zheng Yutong was right now, she didn't care whether Jing Lu had treated her well or not. Finishing her own business was the only way to resolve her biggest worry.
"If you like me, then marry me, okay? I also like the Third Prince, no less than Zheng Yutong. She just deliberately abandoned you and ran away; nothing happened to her."
"Impossible! How could Yu Tong lie to me? I'm going to find her!" Jing Lu exclaimed in shock. He turned around to pry open the door and leave, but as soon as he moved, the clothes around his waist came loose and fell down.
Jing Lu suddenly felt dizzy and his whole body felt like it was on fire. Cheng Suyun held him tightly.
"Third Prince, if you leave, I will really marry someone else. You like Zheng Yutong and you like me, doesn't that mean we are the same? Why are you so cruel to me?"
“I…I’m sorry, I can’t let Yutong be sad,” Jing Lu said vehemently, then pushed Cheng Suyun away with trembling hands and squatted down to pick up his clothes.
Cheng Suyun wasn't about to let him get away so easily. She kicked off his clothes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and showered him with kisses: "Don't go. I'll tell you, tonight, do you love me the most, or do you love Zheng Yutong the most?"
Jing Lu seemed unable to resist Cheng Suyun's persistent pleading, and his hands fell down as she continued to kiss him.
His voice carried a barely perceptible sneer and contempt.
"Suyun, I will grant your wish."
Cheng Suyun used tricks just to prove her marital status with Jing Lu tonight. She was so engrossed in Jing Lu's response that she didn't notice anything unusual in his words.
...
"Where is he? Where is the person I told you to chase?"
Jing Shuo kept staring in the direction Zhao Nianfu had left, but he had drunk too much earlier, and the night was rather dark. By the time he could concentrate, she was already out of sight.
The eunuch beside Jing Shuo pushed the wheelchair. Normally, it was fine for him to walk around, but this was someone his master was chasing after in a fit of rage.
There were three eunuchs in total. They had to be careful of Jing Shuo's safety in the wheelchair to prevent him from falling to the ground, so they didn't keep a close eye on Zhao Nianfu.
Just as Jing Shuo was pounding on the armrest of his wheelchair and raging, two other eunuchs went to look for him.
Just before Jing Shuo completely lost his temper, someone caught a glimpse of Zhao Nianfu's blurry shadow flashing past in front of him.
"Second Prince, where is it? Where is it?"
Jing Shuo didn't even bother to look closely. He had been subjected to strange looks all night, and all he felt was burning anger.
Upon hearing that he had seen Zhao Nianfu again, he ordered his men to continue the pursuit without a second thought.
They moved more quietly, their eyes wide as they followed the blurry figure.
But the more the eunuchs chased after her, the more suspicious they became. "Just now, Miss Zhao was followed by a maid, but where did the maid go?"
"How could the Zhao family girl be so bold as to sneak into a pitch-black room?"
"It's lit! It's lit! Miss Zhao has lit the candles."
Several eunuchs sensed something was amiss. How could the Zhao family's daughter have come all this way through so many twists and turns? They instinctively looked around and hurriedly returned to point it out to Jing Shuo in a low voice.
"Second Prince, Miss Zhao doesn't seem to be doing a good deed!"
The fact that Zhao Nianfu did not do good deeds is a great thing for Jing Shuo. He wants to see how the Zhao family will still look down on him after he has caught Zhao Nianfu's smuggling.
"Then we should go and see. I want to see what this unmarried girl dares to do in the palace."
"Walk!"
Jing Shuo's anger had completely consumed his reason; he just wanted an outlet for his rage.
The eunuchs were initially worried that the second prince would cause trouble, but now that it seemed that the Zhao family girl might be in the wrong, they felt more confident and pushed Jing Shuo toward the door of the small house with candlelight.
After a servant pretended to knock lightly a few times, the figure inside, reflected in the candlelight, came to open the door.
The sound of the bolt falling mingled with the soft, joyful voice of a woman inside.
"Your Highness, you've arrived!"
Jing Shuo leisurely touched the armrest of his wheelchair, looking at the person inside the door. After seeing clearly, his arrogant eyebrows shot up, slightly surprised.
"It's you, Your Highness? Which Your Highness are you referring to?"
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