Ye Luan had always felt that Xiao Chizhan's train of thought was unlike that of normal people. She even suspected he was a bit slow.
Yet, his intelligence was exceptionally high, and his schemes and methods were terrifyingly appalling. At times, he was impervious to both hard and soft approaches; no matter what she said, it was useless.
She took a deep breath and continued to try and persuade him.
"I feel so uncomfortable, like I'm your caged pet."
Xiao Chizhan did not understand. "Pet? I am going to marry you. You will be my lawfully wedded Princess."
Princess?
Ye Luan felt like laughing.
What had he said before? Why should she accept it just because he wanted to marry her now, to bestow his favor upon her?
What if he grew tired of her later and wanted to take a concubine? He held immense power; she wouldn't even be able to divorce him.
However, she dared not voice these thoughts.
"Is this how you treat your Princess?"
Hearing the wronged tone in her voice, Xiao Chizhan’s gaze slowly lowered to look at her.
Her bright young face was filled with melancholy and sorrow. Her fair hands twisted his robes, looking both wronged and pitiful.
The corners of his lips couldn't help but curl slightly. "It would be a shame not to put on a show in the palace."
His voice was extremely low, so low that Ye Luan didn't hear it. She continued her complaint.
"I already told you I won't run away. Don't you trust me? Isn't trust the most important thing between two people?"
Xiao Chizhan reached out to stroke her dark hair, saying indifferently, "You really don't want to wear it?"
"Who would want to wear it?"
He heard her mumbling and raised an eyebrow. "I do."
Ah.
Ye Luan was mesmerized. She looked up at him in surprise.
He smiled faintly, stroking her. "If Luan Luan is willing to lock me up, it means she loves me dearly."
What the heck.
What kind of logic was this?
The smile on her lips froze.
"I am willing to be locked up by you for a lifetime."
He's crazy!
"However, if you don't want to wear it, then forget it." After speaking, he leaned down and looked at her intently, with a hint of a warning. "Don't think about running. This mansion is full of hidden guards."
Hearing him relent, Ye Luan's heart leaped with joy. She hugged his neck and smiled, "I won't run."
"Mm." He smiled with satisfaction. "Kiss me."
Ye Luan blinked. Seeing his eyes darken, she quickly leaned in and kissed him.
The moment her red lips met his, he took control, kissing her fiercely. His well-defined hand went up and lifted her skirt, reaching inside to caress her.
"So tender."
***
After dinner, Xiao Chizhan left the mansion to attend to some business. Ye Luan sat in the courtyard with Xueqiu, admiring the flowers, feeling incredibly bored.
She could sense that the hidden guards around the small courtyard had significantly decreased.
But she couldn't leave the Prince's mansion without permission. So, she sat bored in the courtyard, looking around.
"Miss, the embroiderers have come to take your measurements."
Dong Shuang led a group of embroiderers through the arched gate.
Ye Luan placed Xueqiu on the steps of the flowerbed and stood up.
"Take measurements for what?"
Dong Shuang respectfully replied, "The wedding dress for the Princess Consort needs to be prepared six months in advance. We need to take your measurements again."
Wedding dress?!
A strange emotion welled up in her heart.
"Miss Ye?"
Ye Luan snapped back to reality. "Yes, go ahead and measure."
She stood numbly in the room, letting them take her measurements. After they had all left, she refocused, her brows furrowing slightly.
"Miss, are you really going to send us away?"
The door was pushed open, and Fu Dai and Granny Fang entered.
Seeing them, Ye Luan walked to the round table, poured a cup of tea, and took a gentle sip. "Yes. If you stay here, something will happen to you sooner or later."
She would never return to the capital with Xiao Chizhan and be imprisoned by him for life.
If the two of them stayed, they would only become weapons for Xiao Chizhan to threaten her. She had to send them away.
Granny Fang sighed. "Miss, you still want to leave His Highness?"
Ye Luan nodded and said softly, "You will be in danger if you follow me. I will find a way to persuade His Highness to let you return to the capital. Find a place to live out your days peacefully."
"If I have the chance to return in the future, I will look for you."
The two of them knew very well that they were a burden to their young lady. If not for them, their young lady might not have been so easily captured the last time they tried to escape.
Fu Dai said anxiously, "But Miss, His Highness won't let you go. What if he pursues you relentlessly?"
Hearing this, Ye Luan raised an eyebrow and said indifferently, "What if I die? Will he chase a ghost?"
"Ah--"
"That's enough. Don't worry about it. I have my own plans."
The moonlight was bright, casting a cool, silvery glow on the glazed tiles, making them gleam with a faint light.
In the corridor.
Xiao Chizhan, dressed in a snow-white robe and a white fox fur coat, strode over.
He had just returned to the study in front of the Weiruixuan residence and saw Tantai Ye lounging on a soft couch, drinking wine with his legs crossed.
"Found out?"
Tantai Ye tossed his wine cup and sat up, speaking, "He's at the Juhua Tower."
"The one from the black market?"
"Mm. It's estimated that the boss behind that pleasure house is him."
Xiao Chizhan took off his cloak, his crimson eyes so cold they could freeze.
"His reach is quite long."
The incense smoke in the large censer slowly diffused, adding a faint fragrance to the wine-scented room.
Tantai Ye laughed wildly. "Do you want to take it down?"
He waved his hand. "No need. The arms he purchased are being intercepted at Mohe. He absolutely cannot be allowed to take them out of Daliang."
"Understood." After a pause, Tantai Ye remembered matters in the imperial court and asked, "When are you returning to the capital? Liu Rongruo sent a letter. The Crown Prince's faction has been supporting quite a few of their own while you're away."
Xiao Chizhan kicked over a wine pot on the ground and lazily reclined on the other end of the soft couch.
He picked up an unopened bottle of wine from the low table in the middle, bit off the cork with force, and began to drink. His sexy Adam's apple bobbed up and down, exuding a dangerous allure.
His crimson eyes held a mocking sneer.
"Useless trash. They can't stir up any waves. Let Liu Rongruo oversee them."
He continued, "Li Yu can be brought out now. Let him attend court."
"The Eighth Prince has been living in the cold palace for so long. If he's brought out so quickly, he'll be feared. Let the Third Prince and the Crown Prince fight it out first."
Xiao Chizhan drank his wine in large gulps, his voice terrifyingly cold. "I detest Li Qian's actions. This is a warning to him."
Crown Prince Li Qian and Third Prince Li Chengming had been locked in a struggle for years, both suppressed by the Dingbei Prince Xiao Chizhan. They were secretly winning over allies.
Tantai Ye raised an eyebrow. "It is indeed time. The old emperor is probably nearing his end."
As the two were speaking, Long Tian walked in.
Xiao Chizhan lay there lazily, propping his head with one hand and holding a wine pot with the other. Seeing him, he said indifferently, "Found out?"
"Yes." Long Tian presented the medicine and respectfully said, "According to the doctor, this item contains components that are cooling in nature, such as Carthamus tinctorius and Curcuma zedoary, both of which are ingredients in contraceptives."
The moment he finished speaking, a deathly silence spread throughout the room, a terrifying stillness.
The wine pot smashed to the ground.
The man stood up with a dark expression, his demeanor terrifyingly cold. "You're saying this is a contraceptive?"
Long Tian knelt on the ground. "Yes."
Chilling fear permeated the air.
The man grabbed the pill from his hand and crushed it fiercely, his voice bloodthirsty. "Good. Very good."