Zhixia's whip quickly flew into the air, and the sharp whip flowers swept away the leaves on the ground.
At this moment, the figure under the tree was also forced to move aside, and Chu Qingluan just happened to see the angular profile revealed in the moonlight - who else could it be but Pei Yuan?
"General Pei?" Zhixia said in perfect shock.
"Why are you here so late?"
"Oh, I almost thought it was some blind thief."
She glanced at the deep footprints on the ground with a meaningful look, "General Pei was standing there for a long time when he was 'passing by'."
Pei Yuan was caught in the act, looking quite embarrassed, his bronze skin couldn't even cover his flushed face.
"I... was just passing by here."
When Zhixia heard this answer, she was quite angry at him for not fighting back.
How come the general who was so decisive and ruthless on the battlefield acts like a fool now?
Even if you have to find a reason, you should find a decent one, right?
What good man would pass by the princess's mansion in the middle of the night and stand there like a wife-watching rock?
Zhixia rolled her eyes in her heart at first, then her eyes moved and she suddenly covered her stomach and wailed.
"Ouch! Princess, I seem to have eaten something wrong last night and I have a stomachache..."
From an angle that Chu Qingluan couldn't see, she winked at Pei Yuan and said:
"General Pei, please accompany the princess for a while. I will be back soon."
Without waiting for Chu Qingluan to react, Zhixia ran away without a trace. Before leaving, she even 'accidentally' let the wind blow out the lantern. Under the moonlight, only the two of them were left standing opposite each other.
Pei Yuan was at a loss when facing Chu Qingluan, and even his breathing slowed down. The night breeze blew by, carrying the fragrance of locust flowers and the faint plum fragrance from Chu Qingluan.
Seeing this, how could Chu Qingluan not understand?
She stared at Pei Yuan intently, feeling complicated.
At this moment, Pei Yuan was also struggling in his heart.
God knows, long before this, he had fantasized countless times about watching the princess coming out from inside.
But when she really came out, I didn't know how to face her, and I couldn't even say a decent word.
He felt extremely useless.
"Princess, I suddenly remembered that I have something to do in the military camp, so I'll leave first." After saying that, he turned around and was about to leave. His steps were so untidy that he almost tripped over himself.
"Stop!" Chu Qingluan's voice came neither loud nor soft, but it made Pei Yuan freeze in place instantly.
"Turn around."
She ordered again.
Pei Yuan turned around mechanically, his heart almost bursting out of his chest.
He stared at the toes of his boots, not daring to look up.
The general who remained calm in the face of thousands of troops on the battlefield now even had difficulty breathing.
"Pei Yuan, look at me!"
Pei Yuan's body stiffened and his nervous breathing almost stopped.
He slowly raised his head, and under the moonlight, Chu Qingluan finally saw his face clearly.
The pair of eyes that used to be as sharp as an eagle were now bloodshot, with dark circles under the eyes and stubble on the jaw. He looked haggard, as if he hadn't slept for several days and nights.
But his eyes were burning, as if he was suppressing thousands of words, and they were like a flood that would burst the dam at the slightest touch.
"you--"
Chu Qingluan's heart trembled, and her fingers tightened subconsciously.
She took a step forward and stood in front of Pei Yuan. Although she was half a head shorter than him, her aura was unquestionable.
"Are you planning to be a door god outside the princess's mansion for one night?"
Pei Yuan's body froze, and he turned his face away in embarrassment, "Your Highness, I... am just passing by."
Chu Qingluan chuckled and looked up at him: "You passed by and stood outside my palace for two hours?"
Pei Yuan lowered his head and said nothing.
After a long while, he seemed to finally muster up the courage to ask, "Why did Your Highness indulge Xie Yunqi?"
As soon as he said it, he regretted it. This questioning tone made him look like a jealous husband.
"Pei Yuan." Chu Qingluan suddenly called him, her eyes calm: "Who are you to ask me?"
This sentence was like a knife, piercing his most vulnerable part precisely.
Pei Yuan's face turned pale instantly!
Yes, what was his identity? A subject? An old subordinate? Or... a coward who dared not even speak his mind?
"I have overstepped my authority, Your Highness, please punish me!"
The next second, Pei Yuan knelt on the ground. The sound seemed to be squeezed out from his chest, and his neck was stretched out in sharp lines.
Chu Qingluan locked her eyes on him, "You haven't answered my question yet."
"minister……"
His Adam's apple rolled violently, the veins on his arms bulged, and he was forbearing and restrained.
"Pei Yuan, look at me!" she ordered.
The next second, she stretched out her jade hand, gently lifted his chin with her fingertips, and forced him to look up and meet her gaze.
Pei Yuan was not aware of it for a moment, and the dark tide surging in his eyes suddenly froze when he met her calm gaze.
After years of forbearance and restraint, it seemed as if only the last straw would be enough to break through the fragile shackles.
"Are you pleased with me?"
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