She was picked up by him and thrown back onto the couch.
Ye Luan watched Xiao Chi Zhan, who was looking down at her with a teasing gaze. She pulled the quilt over to cover herself, rubbed her aching neck, and spoke softly.
"I was young and ignorant and offended the Prince. This subject deeply regrets it and hopes the Prince can give me a chance to atone. Three months, please give me three months. As long as I can make the Prince happy, I beg the Prince to spare my life then."
She had figured it out. Xiao Chi Zhan would not let her go. She was no match for him. He was treating her like an amusing pet, and once he got bored, she would be doomed.
To save her life, she could only stall.
Within these three months, she would find every opportunity to kill him with her own hands.
Xiao Chi Zhan laughed wildly, "What if you make me unhappy?"
"I will submit to whatever the Prince decrees."
"Interesting." He paused, then sneered.
Ye Luan gripped the quilt, remaining silent.
"Don't worry, one day, this Prince will make you willingly die."
Ye Luan inwardly scorned him, but continued outwardly, "If the Prince agrees, please release my maid."
Fu Dai was Ye Luan's personal maid and was very loyal.
After she was captured, Fu Dai had followed. Before the original host was beaten to death, she couldn't hold on and was dragged away. Her fate, whether alive or dead, was unknown.
Xiao Chi Zhan patted her face with his saber, his seductive red eyes radiating captivating handsomeness.
He said coldly, "You haven't made me happy yet, and you're already making demands?"
Ye Luan let him hit her, staring at him steadily.
"Do you know? This Prince truly wants to skin you and see how hard your bones are."
"Your Highness's words are as valuable as gold; you must keep your promise."
He had said it himself, that he would give her three months, until she was willing.
Willingly, my foot.
Impossible in this lifetime.
She wasn't crazy enough to want to die.
Xiao Chi Zhan stared at her intently with his red eyes, his smile deepening. "Guards."
A voice came from outside the door.
"What are the Prince's orders?"
"Is Miss Ye's maid still alive?"
Long Yi, standing outside the door, was stunned for a moment before replying, "She has already been thrown into the wolf den."
Why would the Prince care about the life or death of a mere maid? All previous corpses were thrown into the wolf den.
Inside the room.
Ye Luan was greatly alarmed. Fu Dai was the only one in that manor who had been sincere towards the original host.
Was she dead?
"Save her."
Seeing her so concerned about someone, a surge of anger welled up in Xiao Chi Zhan's heart. He grabbed her chin, his red eyes fierce.
"Do you want to take a trip to the corpse burial cave yourself?"
Ye Luan pursed her lips and said.
"She is merely a lowly slave, with no past grudges or present enmity with the Prince. I beg the Prince to spare her life."
"You yourself have just survived, and you are still pleading for others," Xiao Chi Zhan glanced at her indifferently.
Ye Luan's eyes curved slightly, and she exhaled fragrantly, "Thank you, Your Highness, for your great mercy."
Heh.
"Indeed, a mere maid has no past or present enmity with this Prince. She has fallen into this state entirely due to Miss Ye's actions."
Ye Luan pursed her lips, "At that time, this subject was young and ignorant. I hope Your Highness will overlook my past transgressions and spare her."
Xiao Chi Zhan sneered, gave her a deep look, and then spoke to the outside.
"Long Yi, get her out and save her."
The command from the room made Long Yi pause.
Since when had his master become so compassionate?
"Yes."
Ye Luan breathed a sigh of relief as she heard the footsteps outside leaving.
"Your Highness, doesn't the blood all over you make you uncomfortable?"
Xiao Chi Zhan held her chin, rubbing it slowly, "Do you want to apply medicine?"
"Your Highness wouldn't want me to be left with scars, would you."
"That's true, having a woman covered in scars by your side would be quite unappetizing."
He tossed a porcelain bottle over.
"This medicine will not leave scars," Xiao Chi Zhan said, then touched her waist and squinted with a smile, "Ye Luan, why did I not notice how alluring you were before?"
Ye Luan stiffened all over. Could it be that he had taken a liking to her?
She pursed her lips, not responding to him, and said plainly, "Your Highness, please leave. Have the嬷嬷 come to help me apply the medicine."
Xiao Chi Zhan looked at her coldly, "Don't be so affected. Apply it yourself."
"I can't reach my back."
Xiao Chi Zhan sneered, "Then keep the scars."
Ye Luan directly threw the medicine back at him, "You apply it."
This imperious demeanor made Xiao Chi Zhan laugh outright.
"You truly know how to seize an opportunity."
'Thank you for your praise, Your Highness.'
Xiao Chi Zhan glanced at her with interest. Her fair skin under the red quilt seemed to ignite desire, with the firelight flickering.
He sat by the edge of the couch and roughly applied the medicine to her.
Sensing his increasingly heated gaze, Ye Luan immediately rolled up the quilt and asked him to leave.
Xiao Chi Zhan leaned against the bedside, gazing at her face, and smiled softly, "Ye Luan, do you know what happened to the last person who deceived me?"
Ye Luan instantly understood. He was warning her.
"Your Highness, you don't intend to kill me now, do you? Don't forget, you promised to give me three months."
"Hmm, you might not know my nature," Xiao Chi Zhan said, smiling at her, "This Prince has never been a man of his word."
Shameless rogue.
And he thought it was something to be proud of?
"In the third year of Qing Yuan, a young servant tricked me out of two taels of silver. Later, he died with his stomach full of snakes and insects. The sight was truly tragic."
Ye Luan felt like vomiting.
"In the eighth month of the fourth year of Qing Yuan, my elder brother tricked me into the imperial prison, and I was almost beaten to death. Later, he died miserably under the tortures of the imperial prison, swallowing gold to end his life."
"In the eighth year of Qing Yuan, a woman slandered me, accusing me of insulting her. Later, she was brutally killed by more than a dozen men."
"In the ninth year of Qing Yuan—"
Ye Luan listened with growing trepidation, a prickling dread spreading across her back.
She knew Xiao Chi Zhan was trying to make a point.
'Ye Luan, are you afraid?'
His sinister and terrifying voice pulled Ye Luan back from her thoughts.
A slight curve appeared on her lips. "Those people deliberately framed Your Highness, and they deserved to die. But I was only trying to protect myself."
"Hahaha, such sharp-tongued eloquence."
Xiao Chi Zhan laughed a few times, then frowned and looked at her. "For three months, do you intend to follow this Prince without status or title?"
'Can this subject not follow Your Highness?' Ye Luan, sensing his murderous intent, added, "This subject will come whenever summoned."
Xiao Chi Zhan sneered and gripped her chin, forcing her to raise her face. "As my concubine, if you serve me happily for three months, I will spare your life."
Ye Luan lowered her gaze, remaining silent.
He actually wanted her to be his concubine.
No.
She had to find a compromise to protect herself.
Xiao Chi Zhan narrowed his eyes unhappily, pinching her chin and forcing her to raise her head. "What? Does being my concubine offend you?"
If she stayed in the Prince's mansion, she would be too unsafe. He could kill her at any time, and her personal freedom would be restricted.
As for the people in the Minister's mansion, they would be delighted to use her to please Xiao Chi Zhan; they were unreliable.
Ye Luan's mind raced.
After a moment.
She said with chilling clarity, "There is no need for me to be a concubine. This subject knows she is unworthy. This subject is willing to be Your Highness's servant."
This Xiao Chi Zhan might have his sights set on her. If she became his concubine, everything would be reasonable, and she would be furious.
If she were his servant, he wouldn't dare harm a servant, right? As for her reputation, she didn't care. Once she killed Xiao Chi Zhan and fled, who would recognize her.