Chapter 71 Li Pan grabbed the Crown Prince and threw a punch...
Eunuch Cao looked up in shock, almost unable to control his expression.
This...this...Since Your Highness likes her, shouldn't you carefully consider your words and only say the most pleasant ones? How could you say such harsh things? Not to mention that these words are unbecoming of a crown prince, even a normal person who understands etiquette wouldn't say such things. Won't Lady Hou be angry if she heard this?
Lou Xueying looked at the Crown Prince with equal shock.
His tone was so sarcastic and unnatural, it was completely unlike his usual mannerisms, it was as if... as if...
Fear gripped her heart, and she blurted out, "How does Your Highness know that I and the Marquis have no children?"
Before he could finish speaking, the Crown Prince's expression suddenly hardened.
Eunuch Cao turned to Lou Xueying with a blank expression, then couldn't help but glance at her stomach.
Huh? Could she be pregnant? They've only been married a few months, and she's already pregnant?
Lou Xueying bit her lip and lowered her head, saying, "If Your Highness has nothing else to say, you should go back and rest. If others see Your Highness talking to me, it might cause misunderstandings."
The Crown Prince took a deep breath and said, "My wife and I just happened to meet and exchanged a few words. How could we be misunderstood? As my wife just said, the innocent will clear themselves." He paused for a moment, then added, "I was being presumptuous just now, and I hope my wife will forgive me. What I meant was that I heard that Marquis Wu'an took my wife horseback riding today. Women are delicate and easily injured, so we need to be extra careful."
Lou Xueying, hearing his concern for her, became even more convinced that he harbored ulterior motives towards her. Growing increasingly frightened, she steeled herself, closed her eyes, and decisively extinguished his hopes: "Your Highness, the Marquis did take me horseback riding today, but only for a short distance. To be honest, Your Highness, I am pregnant. The Marquis originally intended to stay home to care for me, but His Majesty insisted that the Marquis attend the autumn hunt, so he had no choice but to bring me. Today's horseback riding was something I saw others riding and was tempted to do, so I begged the Marquis to let me ride. The Marquis only took me a short distance before refusing to ride any further. I am waiting for you here because I don't want to be alone in my empty room. Waiting here at least allows me to see you sooner, which puts my mind at ease. Please rest assured, Your Highness, although the Marquis may appear rough, he is actually very meticulous and will not let me get hurt."
Let's not worry about where her pregnancy came from or how she'll cover it up later. At least for now, we must act decisively and make the Crown Prince give up completely.
After she finished speaking, the surroundings seemed to freeze, and the air was deathly silent.
She stared at the ground beneath her feet and said, "It's getting late, Your Highness, please return."
The prince stood still, the night wind blowing his robes, making them rustle. The lanterns on the eaves swayed left and right, casting dappled light and shadow, sometimes bright and sometimes dim. The shadow at his feet also lengthened and shortened, widened and narrowed, like a wild beast struggling to break free of its cage.
In the chaotic light and shadow, the lines of his jaw were stretched taut, tighter than ever before. His hands, hidden behind his back and concealed in his sleeves, had his nails digging deeply into his palms once more. Only through this pain could he barely maintain his almost shattered mask and the proper demeanor he should have maintained.
"Is the lady pregnant?" His tone suddenly became very soft, so faint that it was almost inaudible. "I heard that the lady and the marquis have been inseparable these past two days, having a great time, which is not something a pregnant woman should be doing."
Lou Xueying looked at him in surprise and doubt.
His gaze was extremely complex, and it was impossible to pinpoint the exact emotion he was looking at. It was like a dark whirlpool that seemed intent on swallowing her whole.
She shuddered violently and gritted her teeth, saying, "What a pregnant woman should and shouldn't do is very clear to both me and the Marquis, so Your Highness need not trouble yourself. Forgive my bluntness, but it is probably inappropriate for Your Highness to discuss such matters of women's affairs with me so late at night, isn't it?"
The prince trembled almost imperceptibly.
If her gaze towards him at the Shuishi Bridge that day was filled with panic and fear, then at this moment, her gaze towards him was filled with vigilance and resistance, and a hint of, almost imperceptible, disgust.
And the tone of her voice clearly indicated that she was genuinely angry.
He didn't want her to see him that way. He didn't want to always be seen as that repulsive person in her eyes. He wanted to be kinder to her, to let her feel his approachability, his composure, his goodwill, and his reliability. He wanted her to know that he was different in this life than in the last.
But for some reason, when he actually met her, he completely forgot all his prepared remarks and couldn't help but ramble on, which still angered her.
No, no, this can't be done.
When he learned that she was alone here tonight, a thought arose in his mind and kept urging him to go and see her.
She was a woman confined to the inner quarters, and he was the Crown Prince. Apart from this autumn hunt, the two rarely had the opportunity to meet. During this autumn hunt, she was almost always with Marquis Wu'an, and he had no chance to approach her alone.
This might be his only chance now. Even though he knows that this move is extremely inappropriate and will have endless consequences, when he recalls the intimate scenes between her and Marquis Wu'an time and time again, his blood seems to burn. He can find no other cure except to see her.
So he came.
It was a tempting trap, and he came anyway, even though he knew there were problems with it.
At first, he genuinely only wanted to chat with her, to lower her guard, and to make her feel that the Crown Prince in this life was still the same Crown Prince who had never shed blood, even an innocent person who had been wrongly accused, hoping to gain her sympathy and pity. Furthermore, he wanted to ask her if she truly wanted to go to the Northwest and never see anything from the capital again.
But all of this fell apart after it was discovered that she was going to bear children for Marquis Wu'an.
He said something wrong, which made her impression of him even worse.
The Crown Prince closed his eyes briefly, suppressing the bulging veins on the back of his hand, and tried to keep his voice steady: "I apologize, it was indeed I who overstepped my bounds. I was confused in the dead of night, please forgive me, Madam."
Lou Xueying said coldly, "Then, Your Highness, please take your time. Please forgive me, as I am pregnant and unable to see you off."
Before he could even say he was leaving, she had already issued his order to leave without any hesitation.
He clenched his teeth, repeatedly telling himself that he couldn't make another mistake. She had already become suspicious of him. If he left now, there might still be hope, but if he stayed any longer, he would definitely lose control. If she found out that he was actually reborn, she would never forgive him again.
Eunuch Cao, standing to the side, was sweating profusely. He spoke in a trembling voice, "Your Highness, it's late... Even if His Majesty has finished his discussion with Marquis Wu'an, he probably needs to rest now. Why don't we come again tomorrow..."
It seemed like a reminder that Emperor Jinghui didn't have the energy to see him, but in reality, it was a reminder that Marquis Wu'an might return at any time.
The prince swallowed hard, but finally turned around and walked out step by step.
Eunuch Cao quickly lowered the bamboo curtain and followed.
Lou Xueying hurriedly walked to the curtain, and through the narrow gap, squinted and saw that the Crown Prince and Eunuch Cao had indeed left. She breathed a long sigh of relief.
A thin layer of sweat had appeared on her body without her noticing, and a faint breeze blew in through the bamboo curtain, making her feel even cooler.
Lou Xueying couldn't help but hug her own arm.
How much time has passed... When will they finally finish? When will Li Pan come to pick her up? She doesn't want to stay a moment longer.
-
This was not the first time that Eunuch Cao had come to Qishan Imperial Garden, but it was the first time he had felt that the road back to his palace was so long.
The prince walked slowly, his eyes lowered, each step feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds. Night patrolmen brushed past him, greeting him and bowing, but he seemed oblivious.
Eunuch Cao accompanied him, not daring to utter a sound.
The prince suddenly stopped.
Eunuch Cao suddenly held his breath.
The Crown Prince asked, "Cao Tian, do you think she might be pregnant?"
Eunuch Cao: "..."
Heaven have mercy, he was just a eunuch and had never served the concubines in the harem, so how could he tell whether a woman was pregnant or not!
Seeing that he remained silent, the Crown Prince continued to speak to himself, "Could she be lying on purpose, trying to make me give up?"
Eunuch Cao: "..."
Eunuch Cao didn't understand. If His Highness the Crown Prince had time to ask the Lady of Wu'an for her opinion, shouldn't he have explained to her first what was going on between the two of them? He now felt that the Lady of Wu'an was also very suspicious. Normally, a noblewoman would be at a loss or pretend to be stupid when she heard the Crown Prince's inappropriate words. But although the Lady of Wu'an was also somewhat flustered, her hostility came even faster, as if... as if she already knew that the Crown Prince had ulterior motives towards her.
Receiving no response for a long time, the Crown Prince finally raised his eyes and glanced at Eunuch Cao. After noticing the complicated look on his face, he paused and said, "Never mind, I forgot. You don't understand her now."
Eunuch Cao: "..."
What do you mean he doesn't understand Lady Wu'an now? Neither he in the past nor he in the future would understand her!
"Your Highness..." Eunuch Cao swallowed hard, asking with concern, "You and this Lady of Wu'an... could it be..."
"Quiet," the Crown Prince said.
Eunuch Cao immediately shut his mouth.
The prince stood there, the palace lanterns by the wall casting a long, dark shadow beneath him.
He took a deep breath and clenched his fist.
Is he really leaving like this? Tonight is her last night at the Imperial Garden. Tomorrow, she will return to the Marquis's residence with the Marquis of Wu'an. The Marquis of Wu'an is using filial piety to blackmail the old man. If the old man isn't firm in his stance, the Marquis of Wu'an might very well succeed. At that time, he and she will truly be separated forever.
Then what's the point of all he's done since his rebirth and the years he's endured?
What's more, she might even be pregnant with the Marquis of Wu'an's child! Is he really going to just stand by and watch his family live happily ever after in the Northwest, surrounded by their many children and grandchildren?
No, you can't! Absolutely not!
If he continues to endure this, she will completely disappear from his sight! What good will it do if he does his best as the Crown Prince in this life?
She's about to have a child with the Marquis of Wu'an! How can she possibly have a child with the Marquis of Wu'an!
The crown prince suddenly let out a heavy shout and slammed his fist against the hard palace wall!
Eunuch Cao exclaimed in shock, "Your Highness!"
"Halt!" The Crown Prince looked at him coldly. "I have other matters to attend to. You are not allowed to follow me."
Having said that, he turned around and walked faster and faster until he was practically running, and soon disappeared from Cao Gonggong's sight.
Eunuch Cao was panicked. Judging from the direction His Highness was heading, he was going back to find the Lady of Wu'an Marquis! What on earth was he trying to do?
But the crown prince had forbidden him, so he didn't dare to actually follow. He could only pace around in circles like an ant on a hot pan, anxious and helpless.
-
Lou Xueying stayed in the pavilion, pacing back and forth to keep warm.
Just now, a night patrol team passed by, and she mustered up her courage to ask, only to be told that they did not know whether the emperor's meeting had ended or not.
Lou Xueying was both disappointed and uneasy. She twisted her hands, wondering how they could be discussing for so long. Could it be that Emperor Jinghui really intended to finalize all the details in one night?
Just as she was feeling annoyed, she suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps outside. Overjoyed, she thought it was Li Pan coming back to pick her up, and immediately lifted the bamboo curtain.
But instead of Li Pan, the person who appeared before her was the Crown Prince, who had come alone.
Her smile froze on her face.
After a brief silence, she abruptly pulled down the bamboo curtain, but he was faster. He rushed forward and grabbed her wrist.
The bamboo curtain trembled slightly in her hands, and he stared at her, calling out, "Shushu!"
In an instant, all the surrounding sounds seemed to be abruptly cut off by an invisible hand, except for those two words, which exploded in her ears like thunder.
Her blood seemed to freeze, turning into sharp icicles that pierced deep into her bone marrow. Her scalp tingled, her vision gradually darkened, and the ground shook violently beneath her feet. She was dizzy, staggering, and backing away. The rolled-up bamboo curtain slipped from her hands, fell back down with a swish, and blocked out the outside light.
He still held her wrist, and as she retreated, he moved closer step by step.
She shook her head frantically, her mouth open, but no sound came out.
"Shushu," he called again.
Lou Xueying pressed herself against the wall, with nowhere to escape.
She stared at him in disbelief, her eyes quickly filling with tears.
"Susu, listen to me!" the Crown Prince said urgently. "I'm sorry, it's all my fault! I've come to apologize to you! I hurt you and wronged you. Since you left, I've been filled with remorse every moment. I think every day, if I hadn't been blinded by hatred and jealousy, if I had put myself in your shoes more, would things have turned out differently... Susu, I truly know I was wrong, I really regret it. I don't ask for your immediate forgiveness, I only beg you, please stop avoiding me like this..."
The Crown Prince spoke at length, but Lou Xueying didn't hear a single word.
She simply slumped weakly against the wall, tears streaming down her chin.
How could such an absurd thing happen in this world? She wished she was just dreaming, but no matter how much she pinched herself, she couldn't wake up from this terrifying nightmare.
It turns out that the Crown Prince's strange behavior was not because he fell in love with her at first sight, but because he had also been reborn.
Why, why is this happening! Wasn't it enough that she was reborn once? Did she have to be reborn a second and a third?
Why were they the ones who were reborn?!
"You lied to me..." she said, trembling. "You lied to me..."
"I didn't mean to lie to you, Susu!" The Crown Prince hugged her tightly, panting. "I know you hate me, so for so many days after my rebirth, I haven't dared to see you. I didn't know how to face you. I wanted to prove to you first, to make you believe that I've changed in this life, that I'm different from the one in the previous one. But before I could do anything, you're leaving..."
"Let go of me!" Lou Xueying struggled violently. "If you don't let go, I'll call for help!"
"Calm down! Let me finish speaking, okay!" The Crown Prince quickly covered her mouth and whispered into her ear, "Susu, I beg you, don't go to the Northwest, just stay in the capital, okay? I swear I will treat you well for the rest of my life. As long as you stay in the capital, you can hit me or scold me as you please. Just stay, I beg you!"
Lou Xueying's tears dripped onto the back of his hand, burning him so much that he couldn't help but shudder.
Unable to speak, she could only let out low, angry moans. She tried to kick him, but he held her down with both legs. She tried to push him away, but her wrists were too thin, and he could restrain both of them with one hand.
She struggled in vain, her hair disheveled, and a gold hairpin clattered to the ground. She saw it and tried to grab it, but he noticed and lifted her arm above his head, slamming it against the wall.
"Do you want to kill me, Susu?" His eyes were red, and the light and shadows that leaked through the gaps in the bamboo curtain flickered across his face, making his expression seem like a mix of crying and laughing, like a ghost.
Lou Xueying finally gave up struggling, lowered her eyes, and let the tears flow freely.
"Please give me another chance, Susu," the Crown Prince said softly. "My request is simple: just stay in the capital. Believe me, I've truly changed this time."
After he finished speaking, he quietly observed Lou Xueying for a while. Seeing that she seemed to have calmed down, he tentatively loosened his grip a little and asked, "Susu, are you not even willing to give me a chance to repent?"
Lou Xueying raised her eyes, looked at him, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Have you repented?"
“I did!” he quickly replied. “Admittedly, I was a bit presumptuous tonight, but if I hadn’t been, I’m afraid I would never have had the chance to say these things to you again!”
"Then let me ask you, who gave Marquis Wu'an the aphrodisiac last night?" she stared at him and asked, enunciating each word clearly.
The prince's eyes flickered, and he said, "What aphrodisiac? What are you talking about?"
Lou Xueying's eyelashes were wet with tears, and she sneered, "Don't play dumb with me. I originally thought that what happened last night was done by your father, and I was wondering when he had become so despicable. But if it was you... then it makes sense."
"What do you mean?" The crown prince's expression suddenly changed. "Are you saying that old man is noble, and I'm despicable?!"
"He wasn't noble, but at least he was upright! Although he forcibly took me into the palace, it was an imperial decree issued openly and aboveboard! He accepted all the criticism from the officials! Even when he wanted to separate me from Marquis Wu'an in this life, he told me that he granted the marriage, he would grant the divorce, and he would bear the infamy!" Lou Xueying gasped for breath. "And you, aren't you despicable? You murdered the emperor, yet you pretended that he died of illness! He dared to openly take away your Crown Princess, so do you dare to openly inherit his position as Imperial Concubine? You don't dare! You say you regret it, then I ask you, after I die, will you announce to the world who I am? Or will I forever remain just an unnamed corpse in the deep palace!"
"You actually spoke up for him?" The crown prince looked at her in disbelief. "All this tragedy originated from him, and you still speak up for him!"
"Tragedy? What right do you have to call it a tragedy? I'm the only one suffering! Don't blame everyone else for your mistakes! Did he force you to imprison me? Did he force you to kill me? He's long dead! You did all of this yourself!" Lou Xueying said shrilly. "You suffered injustice, so your revenge is justified, but what about me? I suffered injustice too, but have I taken revenge on anyone? Is this fair to me?"
The prince was stunned. He had never heard her speak so much in one go before.
Lou Xueying: "Liang Ji, you still haven't answered me. Was the aphrodisiac in the Marquis of Wu'an's body last night your doing?"
The crown prince's face gradually darkened: "You've already decided it was me, do I have any room for explanation?"
"Aren't you the one who can't stand being wronged? Why are you suddenly unable to defend yourself?" Lou Xueying said. "It doesn't matter if you don't admit it, since Marquis Wu'an was not seriously injured in the end, we have no way to investigate. But if it really was you who did it, I should thank you for giving Marquis Wu'an and me an unforgettable night."
The prince's breathing suddenly became heavier.
Lou Xueying's lips curled into a mocking smile, adding fuel to the fire: "You know, Marquis Wu'an is a warrior, exceptionally brave, and last night he tossed and turned for most of the night without resting—"
She suddenly saw him raise his hand, and instinctively turned her head away and closed her eyes, but after waiting for a long time, the slap never came down.
His hand stopped at her cheek, slowly clenched into a fist, and slammed it against the wall next to her face.
"Shh." His chest heaved violently, his voice hoarse. "Don't tell these lies just to provoke me."
Lou Xueying: "Stop deceiving yourself. What lie did I tell you? Or do you think that Marquis Wu'an and I just lie in bed all day doing nothing?"
"Shh!" He tried his best to suppress his anger and said in a low voice, "The Marquis of Wu'an stayed for too short a time. That aphrodisiac incense won't last that long."
Lou Xueying sneered, "Finally admitting it?" She paused, then continued, "So it seems that last night it was the Marquis's own valor that was the problem. I misunderstood; it turns out it had nothing to do with aphrodisiacs..."
Before she could finish speaking, there was a loud thud as her forehead slammed against the wall. Her ears rang, and her cheek burned with pain.
He finally couldn't hold back and slapped her.
But even he was stunned for a moment after slapping her, then hurriedly reached out to stroke her face: "I'm sorry, Susu, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."
Lou Xueying wasn't angry; she just chuckled softly, "That's the real you."
The prince swallowed hard and gritted his teeth.
He was indeed provoked; his body reacted before his brain did, and by the time he realized it, he had already attacked her.
It's over, it's all over.
He grabbed her wrist and forced her to slap herself in the face, but she struggled free, pulled her hand back, and said coldly, "I don't want to touch you."
"Shushu!" He grabbed her hand again, kissing her fingers repeatedly. "I was wrong just now. I just love you too much and can't bear to see you doing those things with other men..."
"What's there to be upset about?" Lou Xueying sneered. "You already knew I was shameless, promiscuous, and a lowly slut, didn't you? You're not my first man, nor my only man, so why are you in such a hurry?"
The prince choked up.
"Don't make that gesture, it scares me. You might as well scold me a couple of times, then I'll get used to it."
A moment of silence.
Lou Xueying looked at the Crown Prince, and the fear and the resulting uncontrollable backlash in her heart gradually subsided.
Having been given a second chance at life, she might not have improved, but he wasn't much better off either.
"There's a question that's been bothering me for a long time," Lou Xueying said. "I can't figure it out, so I thought I'd ask you about it today."
Crown Prince: "...What?"
Lou Xueying: "Do you really like me that much? You murdered your father and seized power, was it to get me or to take revenge on him? Although we have known each other for a long time, we haven't spent much time together. Is your affection for me really so deep that you need to chase after me from the past life to this life?"
Crown Prince: "Susu, I don't just like you, I love you. I've never been attracted to any other woman, I just loved you in the wrong way..."
“No.” Lou Xueying said slowly, each word distinct, “You don’t love me. You only love the version of yourself that effortlessly possesses everything. You were born the crown prince, never experiencing hardship. You fell for me, and I happened to reciprocate, so you effortlessly gained a blissful life. But one day, this blissful life shattered. You discovered that your status as crown prince was useless before your father, and you found that your women would abandon you for others. So you couldn’t accept it, and you wanted to take it all back. Only by taking it all back could you prove your own worth and not need to depend on your father.”
The crown prince gritted his teeth and looked at her.
Lou Xueying: "I am not your lover, but your trophy, a trophy that can witness your transformation, nothing more. The more I disobey, the more you want to conquer me, and then you are moved by your own deep affection, even though I have become so bad, you are still so good to me—is that right?"
"I..." The Crown Prince closed his eyes, trying his best to calm himself down. "Susu, let's both be rational and not say anything in anger, okay?"
Lou Xueying: "You think I'm just saying this out of anger? It's so easy for me to admit I'm a slut, why is it so hard for you to admit it?"
The Crown Prince lowered his head: "I admit, I did send someone to administer the aphrodisiac, because I was jealous of Marquis Wu'an. I was jealous that he did nothing wrong, yet he was able to marry you. He's a boorish man, only lusting after your beauty; he's incapable of taking good care of you. I... I was indeed a bit despicable. I wanted you to see his true colors and take the initiative to divorce him..."
Although he believed Li Pan was only attracted to Lou Xueying's beauty, he wasn't foolish enough to think Li Pan was indiscriminate in his affections. To prevent Li Pan from escaping, he even had the door locked. However, he didn't expect Li Pan to be able to kick the locked door open, nor did he foresee that Lou Xueying would arrive before Li Pan even had a chance to get entangled with the woman.
What angered him even more was that the two of them acted as if nothing had happened, and were even able to ride together on a horse and go out for a leisurely time.
Lou Xueying couldn't help but twitch her lips. Was she asking him to admit it? Oh well, never mind.
Lou Xueying: "You caused such a commotion yesterday, do you think your father is a fool?"
“He already knew I had been reborn,” the Crown Prince said coldly.
Lou Xueying's mind raced, and she realized: "So the day he wanted to kill you, it was because he discovered that you had also been reborn?"
The Crown Prince said, "As long as I don't acknowledge it, what can he do to me?"
"So you deliberately misled the officials into believing that he had hysteria?"
"So what? Now that things have come to this, are you still feeling sorry for him? If I'm not a good person, then who is? Just as you said, with such a commotion yesterday, is he a fool?" the Crown Prince said coldly. "How do you know he's not the one waiting for me and Marquis Wu'an to fight so he can reap the benefits? Now that you've divorced Marquis Wu'an, doesn't he have hope again?"
“…Madmen, a bunch of madmen!” She swallowed hard, her throat dry. “You father and son want to fight for the throne, so fight for it yourselves. Don’t drag me and Marquis Wu’an into this. I never want to see either of you again!”
After saying that, she got up from the ground and tried to escape outside.
But she had only taken two steps when the Crown Prince pulled her into his arms.
He hugged her tightly from behind and said, "Susu, I've already told you the truth, so please tell me the truth too, okay?"
Lou Xueying struggled: "Which word of mine isn't true? I just don't want to see either of you again! Every word I said is true, it's just that you don't believe me!"
The prince's hand slowly rested on her lower abdomen.
"Swish..." he said hoarsely, "You're not actually pregnant, are you?"
Lou Xueying froze for a moment, then tried to pry his hand away: "What does this have to do with you! Let go! Liang Ji, you even want to steal a pregnant concubine, what's the difference between you and your father!"
"If you were pregnant, how could you have been running and jumping around with Marquis Wu'an these past few days? How could Marquis Wu'an have taken a pregnant woman all the way to the Northwest? Wasn't he afraid something might happen on the way?" he said quietly. "You can't even keep up a lie. If you really did spend most of last night with him, would your pregnancy be so safe?"
Lou Xueying seemed to realize what he was about to say, and she staggered, her whole body trembling.
"Susu, these kinds of things shouldn't be said lightly." He turned his head, gently nuzzled her neck, and slowly stroked her abdomen with his fingers, saying, "Or perhaps, you actually miss our child very much?"
With a deafening crash, Lou Xueying's carefully constructed defenses crumbled once more. She could barely stand, tears welling in her eyes, and she murmured, "I didn't... I didn't..."
"Shushu!" he emphasized, "Whether you admit it or not, you and I have a child. It's just a pity that child is unfortunate—"
Before the words were finished, there was a whooshing sound as the bamboo curtain was lifted, revealing a sudden burst of light.
The light appeared for only a moment before being immediately obscured by the tall figure in front of him.
He stood against the light, lifting the bamboo curtain, and gazed intently at the two people inside the pavilion.
The crown prince narrowed his eyes and slowly released his grip.
Lou Xueying slid down to the ground, tilted her head back, and stared blankly at the newcomer, feeling as if she had fallen into an ice cave in an instant.
In the deathly silence, almost instinctively, she crawled to his side, tears welling in her eyes, and cried out, "My lord, please let me explain..."
Li Pan simply bypassed her.
He grabbed the prince by the collar and punched him in the face!
-----------------------
Author's note: That's all for today's chapter.
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