Chapter 186 Acknowledgement
Zhong Min's expression was extremely solemn, and Xiao Mingzheng felt a strange unease. He didn't know how long it had been since he had seen her like this. It seemed that what she was asking was definitely not simple.
He nodded and didn't say anything else. He just told her with an extremely sure look that no matter what it was, as long as he knew it, he would tell her the truth and would never lie to her.
Seeing this, Zhong Min no longer hesitated and asked directly, "I just want to ask you, have you ever done anything to Ruyi?"
She didn't say it clearly at the beginning. For someone like Xiao Mingzheng, many things only require a little explanation. If it was him, he would definitely know it in his heart. If not, there was nothing else to ask.
As soon as she said that, Zhong Min stared at Xiao Mingzheng's face, as if she wanted to take in every detail of his expression, even the slightest one, without missing a single detail. This matter was too important to her, so she really couldn't help but care about it.
At the same time, when Xiao Mingzheng heard Zhong Min's words, he was stunned. Although there was no obvious abnormality on his face, it was obvious that he was already thinking.
Xiao Mingzheng had never expected Zhong Min to bring this up so suddenly. It was as if something had stirred a thousand waves within him, leaving him unable to calm down. He knew Zhong Min's character well. Without absolute certainty and a complete understanding of the situation, she wouldn't have asked him so directly. He just hadn't expected her to know this so soon.
Seeing that Xiao Mingzheng didn't say anything for a long time, Zhong Min didn't urge him. She just continued to stare and wait, but her heart was sinking bit by bit.
After a long time, Xiao Mingzheng finally stopped being silent. He raised his eyes to look at Zhong Min, whom he had unconsciously avoided before, and nodded quietly.
Zhong Min felt an inexplicable pain in her heart, and her hands loosened involuntarily, subconsciously pulling herself out of Xiao Mingzheng's grasp. Seeing this, Xiao Mingzheng called out to her anxiously, "Min'er... I..."
He just didn't know how to start again. In front of Zhong Min, he couldn't make any more explanations, but the uneasiness in his heart made him want to say something urgently.
Zhong Min subconsciously took a few deep breaths. At this point, she was starting to doubt it. She was afraid there might be some misunderstanding, afraid that such a simple question from her and Xiao Mingzheng's simple answer could easily lead to some kind of misunderstanding. So, she felt that it would be best to clarify everything first, to explain everything clearly, and then make a final judgment.
"You mean, you really injected poison into Ruyi's body?" She spoke again, trying to keep her voice calm.
Xiao Mingzheng hesitated for a moment, but still did not deny it and nodded silently again.
"The poison is actually aimed at me, and Ruyi is just a carrier, right?" Zhong Min felt that her voice was a little floating. She hoped so much not to see Xiao Mingzheng nod.
However, Xiao Mingzheng still nodded.
For a moment, she couldn't help but shrink to the side, subconsciously putting some distance between herself and Xiao Mingzheng. At this moment, she felt indescribably uncomfortable, much more uncomfortable than when she heard Ning Zhiyuan say these things and her own wild thoughts.
She felt heartbroken. Now, she finally experienced the feeling of heartache. She originally thought that the person in front of her was the most trustworthy person in the world, but she didn't expect that this was not the case at all.
"So, what Ning Zhiyuan said was true!" She became increasingly angry and shook off Xiao Mingzheng's hand that was trying to comfort her. She said woodenly, "I'm so stupid. I saw the obvious changes in Ruyi after the poison was removed, but I still refused to believe it. Xiao Mingzheng, why, why!"
Seeing the anger on Zhong Min's face and hearing the "why"s that were more uncomfortable than the last, Xiao Mingzheng was really panicked. For the first time in his life, he didn't know how to deal with it.
Seeing Zhong Min like this, he felt deeply distressed. He had only acted on impulse, as his relationship with Zhong Min wasn't as close as it was now. He was naturally suspicious and always had a plan for his future. Besides, given his usual behavior, this kind of thing was nothing.
That kind of poison would not have any adverse effects on the human body as long as no curse was cast. It was precisely because everything was within his control that he made such a decision through Ruyi for Zhong Min, whom he could not fully control at that time.
He could control everything, except Zhong Min. He lost his temper when he heard her repeatedly mention leaving. He had no other thoughts, he just didn't want her to leave him. And at the beginning, he hadn't really thought of relying on this to control her. He simply wanted to make her stay willingly through his own efforts, bit by bit. He wouldn't really use this last resort unless it was absolutely necessary.
But now, she knew everything. No matter what the reason, these were ironclad facts. Seeing her so angry and sad, he suddenly realized how wrong his decision was. For someone like Zhong Min, suffering and hardship were nothing at all. What really made her unacceptable was deception.
But he happened to commit the taboo that she could not tolerate the most. Even if it did not really cause any consequences, it was all the same to her.
"I'm sorry!" He couldn't make any excuses for himself, he just hoped to get her forgiveness, just this once. From then on, he would never lie to her again, and nothing like this would make her sad would happen again.
"What a nice 'I'm sorry'! It's really rare to hear these three words from the prince's mouth!" Zhong Min said sarcastically, then stood up, took a few steps back with an indifferent look on his face, widening the distance between them.
That look, as if from a stranger, made Xiao Mingzheng's heart ache. He stood up, but didn't dare to approach rashly. His face was full of determination: "Min'er, I know that nothing I say now will make any difference. I was wrong this time. You took out your anger on me. I promise that this will never happen again, never again."
"You're wrong? Do you really think you did something wrong? If I didn't know about this, if I hadn't told you, would you have admitted it so straightforwardly?" Zhong Min couldn't hold back the anger in her heart and questioned Xiao Mingzheng, "No way, I'm afraid if I don't say it myself, you will never mention this matter in your life. When the day comes that I don't listen, I don't know how I will be foolishly controlled by you. Xiao Mingzheng, how long are you going to lie to me? If there really comes a day when you have to use poison to control me, will you dare to do it? If not, why did you poison me like this in the first place!"
It turned out that he had never truly believed in her. In his heart, perhaps he could never fully trust anyone except himself. Perhaps he was right. As a king, he was not supposed to have true trust and love. Everything was her fault. She had overestimated herself and oversimplified everything.
Zhong Min's words, like a huge rock, hit Xiao Mingzheng's heart hard. He couldn't refute it, couldn't say a word in his own defense. Zhong Min was right. From that day until just now, he had been thinking this way. If one day Zhong Min really wanted to leave, he would definitely do everything he could to make her stay. And these methods naturally included the poison.
Seeing Xiao Shizheng speechless, Zhong Min felt indescribably upset. For a moment, the feeling of being deceived was magnified infinitely in her heart. She couldn't ignore it, couldn't just let it go as if nothing had happened. She was wrong from the beginning. She shouldn't have been attracted to such a person, let alone had a romantic relationship with him.
You can't mess with people who play politics, but she foolishly believed that the one she encountered was completely different from the others, and that this kind of circle was not suitable for her. Her thinking was too simple, too simplistic, and she was still a little naive. Even if he really could give up his entire forest for her, according to other rules of the game, they were simply not the same type of people.
Many times, perhaps he had no choice, but no matter what, it was not an excuse for her to pretend that nothing was wrong. Now he was just a king, and when he became the emperor one day, he would have many more things he had to do, but she still could not give up and stick to herself.
The story of Cinderella and the prince did sound beautiful, but it was just a fairy tale. Behind the beautiful exterior, there were countless rules hidden that she couldn't stand. He was a prince, but she didn't want to be Cinderella because she knew that would be too tiring and exhausting.
"Things in the capital are now on the right track. Mo Yan, Mo Ming, and Zi Yan are now able to handle things on their own. I've basically fulfilled everything I promised the prince." Suddenly, she felt a lot calmer. The decision she had thought was difficult came out of her mouth with extraordinary clarity: "Originally, I was just someone who shouldn't have been there. Now, it's time to leave."
She took one last look at him, knowing it was time to leave. The grudges and utilitarian disputes here had nothing to do with her, and she didn't want to get involved anymore. Now that her mind had calmed down, she wanted to leave this place, leave these people who were involved in the right and wrong, find the original Zhong Min, and live the life she wanted to live.
"I'm leaving, take care, Your Highness!" She turned her eyes away from him and walked out.
Xiao Mingzheng rushed over, grabbed Zhong Min's arm and asked, "Min'er, where are you going?"
PS: Thank you Yunyun and Xiaoyu for the reward~~~~
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