Lanqin stared at Indal in disbelief, for what he had just said was utterly astonishing. Did his words imply that someone was plotting to assassinate the Emperor?
"Prince Indal, did you get a good look at those people's faces?" Lanqin asked.
“No, it was very dark at the time, and they all had their backs to the door. I only saw their backs. I was afraid they would discover me, so I had to leave first. This matter is very important. Judging from their conversation, they may be people who can get close to the Emperor,” Indal said.
"Yes, thank you for the reminder, Your Highness. This matter must be reported to the Emperor as soon as possible. Regardless of whether it is true or not, it's always better to be cautious," Lanqin said.
Good heavens! Judging from Indal's account, it seems that someone in the palace wanted to assassinate Emperor Kangxi! This news was so shocking that Lanqin's heart started racing, and she felt an invisible tension.
"careful!"
Just as Lanqin was thinking about the major events that had occurred in the 50th year of Kangxi's reign, Indar suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her into his arms!
Just as Lanqin was about to break free from Indal's embrace in surprise, she heard something fall to the ground behind her head.
"Some gravel has fallen!" Indal quickly said to Lanqin, who was in his arms at the moment.
Lanqin was relieved. It turned out that Indar had been trying to protect her from the falling rocks, and she had thought he...
Just then, footsteps sounded outside, and the dark cave was immediately illuminated. It turned out that the newcomers were carrying torches.
"What are you doing here!" a sharp female voice rang out.
Lanqin immediately broke free from Indal's embrace, but before she could even regain her balance, the Fourth Prince's face appeared before her. It was the Sixteenth Princess who had just spoken, and behind her stood the Fourth Prince!
"See that, Fourth Brother? I wasn't lying to you, was I? These two are actually flirting here. It's such a disgrace to the royal family!" the Sixteenth Princess shouted. She stared at Lanqin as if she were prey, and seeing Lanqin being held in Indal's arms just now, she was burning with jealousy and almost went crazy.
Lanqin looked at the Fourth Prince, completely ignoring the Sixteenth Princess, and said, "Your Highness, it's not what you see. I met with Prince Indal here for other matters."
“Indeed, I have other matters to discuss with the county magistrate here,” Indal immediately stepped forward to explain.
"Then what is it that you must discuss in this dark, sunless cave? Few people come here on ordinary days. What are you plotting by meeting in a place like this?" Sixteen asked sharply.
The Fourth Prince remained silent, staring at Lanqin and listening to her explanation. Yesterday, when the Sixteenth Princess came to tell him that Lanqin and Prince Indal had secretly met in the palace, avoiding public view, the Fourth Prince refused to believe it. He had even severely reprimanded the Sixteenth Princess. But today, the Sixteenth Princess came to tell him that Lanqin would be meeting that Toast Prince in the cave at Shenshi (3-5 PM). He still didn't believe it, but the Sixteenth Princess swore to him that he would definitely regret it if he didn't come to see for himself.
“What can’t be said? My lord, I would never do such a thing,” Lanqin explained, staring into the Fourth Prince’s eyes.
“But I clearly saw you fall into Indal’s arms just now. Am I blind? Fourth Brother, you saw it too, didn’t you?” the Sixteenth Princess said.
“Just now, some loose stones fell from above the county seat. Xiao Wang was afraid she would get hit by them, so he pulled her over,” Indal explained.
"So, your explanation is that it was to prevent the rubble from hurting her? Then you could have pushed her away, why did you pull her, and just happened to pull her into your arms?" The Sixteenth Princess stared at Lanqin mockingly.
Indal had no explanation. When he saw a loose stone above Lanqin's head, he instinctively reached out to pull Lanqin into his arms, avoiding the loose stone.
Sixteen was not wrong. He almost instinctively wanted to protect Lanqin, so instead of pushing her away, he pulled her into his arms.
"Well, you're speechless now. You clearly have feelings for her, just admit it!" said the Sixteenth Princess.
Indal wasn't the type to be eloquent or flattering, and when Sixteen exposed his true feelings, he was speechless. Lanqin was even more at a loss for words, and yet she couldn't reveal the reason she had come to see Indal.
"My lord, I didn't. But I can't explain to you why I met Prince Indal here. It was indeed he who pulled me here just now to save me." Lanqin ignored the Sixteenth Princess's provocation and continued to explain to the Fourth Prince.
"Fourth Brother, you saw with your own eyes that your concubine was in another man's arms. Whether she was unfaithful or not, you can judge for yourself," said the Sixteenth Princess.
"You... what is it that you can tell him but not the master?" Fourth Master said. A cold, sharp glint flashed in his eyes. Lan Qin knew all too well the meaning behind that glint.
He still can't fully trust me! He still doesn't believe me! Lanqin's inner voice kept shouting.
"What I was talking to him about was state affairs, not personal matters." The wounds in Lanqin's heart were slowly reopening. She thought he trusted her and wouldn't question her so easily anymore, but when he appeared in front of her just now, his face was full of suspicion.
"That's utter nonsense. You're having an affair here, yet you're talking about some unspeakable private matter. It's utter rubbish!" The Sixteenth Princess pointed at Lanqin from the side.
Lanqin looked at Fourth Master and saw disbelief and suspicion written all over his icy face. She had no heart to explain anything anymore; she felt that everything she had once believed in was crumbling bit by bit.
"Believe it or not, my lord, I'm going back now." Lanqin didn't want to say anything more, and she walked straight past the Sixteenth Princess.
"Fourth Brother, your concubine is so unchaste, how can you tolerate her?" Sixteen continued to sow discord.
"I will take care of my concubine; you don't need to interfere," Fourth Brother said.
He immediately chased after her and saw Lanqin right in front of him. He quickly walked up to her and put his arm around her shoulder.
"Stop!" Fourth Master roared in a low voice.
Lanqin dared not move any further, but simply turned her back to Fourth Master, remaining silent and still.
"Why did you come to see him alone? Don't you know that men and women should not touch each other?" Fourth Master continued.
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