“When did I hit you?”
“You lunatic, you scoundrel, you just hit me.”
Xiao Chizhan chuckled, “That’s not hitting, that’s foreplay.”
“Pervert.”
Ye Luan pouted, yanking at his clothes aimlessly.
Xiao Chizhan smiled, letting her fuss, gently lifting her chin and coaxing, “Look closely, it’s you pulling at me.”
Ye Luan blinked dazedly, then suddenly reached out, cupped his face, and bit down hard.
Seeing him about to dodge, she directly pinned him down and sealed his lips.
She wanted to kiss and cuddle.
Xiao Chizhan’s eyes darkened, he embraced her waist, turned the tables, and pressed her down.
She came to him willingly, so he couldn’t be blamed!
—
After the storm passed, the sound of roosters crowing could be heard from outside. Rays of morning light pierced through the dim tent, faintly illuminating people’s outlines.
Xiao Chizhan had already woken up and was leaning on the bedside, lost in thought. After a moment, he lowered his gaze to the person still asleep.
She slept soundly, her black silk hair scattered across his pillow, her face fair and delicate, her shoulders and neck slender and smooth. The exposed skin was covered in kiss marks of varying depths.
He glanced at them and leaned down to kiss her gently.
Ye Luan felt an itch on her cheek, whimpered, and impatiently pushed him away, curling up in the blankets and moving to the inner side.
At this moment, Xue Ren’s voice came from outside the door, “Your Highness, the person is in the dungeon.”
Xiao Chizhan rose, lifted the tent curtains, and got off the bed to bathe.
After a simple wash, he dressed and went out.
“Who?”
Xue Ren followed behind and said, “It was the Prince of Huainan who helped the Prince of Su stun Miss Ye and intended to get rid of her. Those assassins were all killed by Xie Beihan’s men. Their investigation also revealed that Princess Xuanle was incited by the Prince of Huainan’s daughter, Princess Yongjia, and also participated by drugging Miss Ye.”
“Only the assassins are dead?”
Xue Ren continued, “The Prince of Su’s family was wiped out last night.” He paused, then added, “Xie Beihan’s men are outside the territory and seem to have found out that Miss Ye is here.”
They didn’t dare to break in and had been guarding all night.
“This subordinate took the liberty to order people to stun the Prince of Huainan, Princess Yongjia, and Princess Xuanle and bring them to the dungeon.”
The Prince of Huainan was a king of a different surname. Years ago, he had won many battles on the battlefield and rendered great service, so he was granted a noble title by the late emperor, inherited by his descendants. He had always been loyal to Xie Beihan and had long wished to send Princess Yongjia to the Eastern Palace.
But then a Miss Shen suddenly appeared, and Xie Beihan even wanted to marry her as the Crown Princess. How could he tolerate that?
How much effort had he spent in the imperial court for the Crown Prince to ascend the throne smoothly? How could he let others reap the benefits? Knowing the Prince of Su’s intentions, he secretly lent a hand.
“Heh, there are quite a few who don’t know their place.”
Xue Ren said, “Xue Shi’s people have dealt with everything cleanly, leaving no loose ends.”
These were all nobles of the imperial court. If they died at their hands, it would surely cause turmoil and potentially lead to conflict between the two countries.
“But Xie Beihan seems to know that the person is with us, and I fear he will use this to cause trouble for Da Liang.”
Xiao Chizhan sneered, “He has long wanted to get rid of the Prince of Huainan, but he didn’t want to act himself. This King will help him.”
Xie Beihan was ruthless. How could he tolerate a subject attempting to challenge him? Those who were too powerful and threatened the ruler could only expect death.
The territory’s dungeon was dark and gloomy.
Instruments of torture, branding irons, cages, and infernos… everywhere was grim.
Inside an iron cage, two young girls were locked, with a ferocious wolf in front of them, staring at them fiercely.
The two were already stiff with fear, clinging tightly to the cold cage door behind them. They heard the sound of a hidden door opening and stiffly turned their heads.
“Your… Your Highness, save me—”
Xiao Chizhan ignored them. He glanced at the Prince of Huainan, who was chained above the infernal flames, and curved his lips coldly.
“Wake him up.”
The pungent, choking water was poured directly onto the bloody wounds, and the man quickly woke up in pain.
The Prince of Huainan looked at the man in front of him in shock, with red eyes and white hair, a demonically handsome face.
The Prince of Dingbei!
Da Liang’s Prince of Dingbei, why was it him?!
“What do you want to do?”
Xiao Chizhan lazily picked up a crackling, fiery branding iron and chuckled, “Can’t you tell?”
As soon as the words fell, the red-hot branding iron was slammed onto his wounds. A piercing scream instantly erupted. The Prince of Huainan seemed to die from the pain, his features contorted.
The chains and shackles clanged, the infernal flames burned hotly, and his skin cracked.
The two women locked in the wooden cage saw this scene and turned deathly pale, yellow liquid trickling down their skirts.
Princess Xuanle, in particular, gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with unconcealable jealousy and resentment as she stared at the man in the black robe.
Was he avenging that harlot?
What was he going to do with them by bringing them here? Was he going to oppose Bei Qi for a mere woman?
Hate!
How she hated him!
Last night, she should have stabbed that slut to death, not letting her escape. Then there wouldn’t be so many troubles.
“If you kill me today, the iron cavalry of my Bei Qi will surely trample Da Liang, and we will not let you have an easy time.”
The Prince of Huainan wailed in pain, his body already bloody and bruised, his bones exposed.
Xiao Chizhan heard his words, smiled faintly, and traced the fiery branding iron inch by inch across the broken body, listening to the pleasant screams. He smiled even more deeply.
“Why—”
Why was the Prince of Dingbei suddenly targeting him, why indeed?!
“Why? This King will let you die with understanding.”
Xiao Chizhan patted his face with the fiery branding iron, “You touched someone you shouldn’t have. The woman this King wouldn’t even let a finger be harmed, was stabbed by you all. Tell me, what should this King do with you?”
Shen Luan, it was because of that woman.
Wasn’t she the Crown Prince’s person?
The Prince of Huainan was startled and forgot his pain. He wanted to explain something but didn’t know where to start. The Prince of Dingbei dared to abduct him, he must have investigated.
“Hmm, how about chopping you up and feeding you to the dogs?”
As he spoke, the Prince of Huainan’s legs spasmed with fright.
“Your Highness, for a woman, it’s really not worth opposing our Bei Qi.”
“Heh, opposing Bei Qi.” Xiao Chizhan laughed. “After you die, your masters in Bei Qi will surely laugh for a long time.”
“You—”
Xiao Chizhan ignored him, threw down the branding iron, and pressed a button on the glass table, activating the mechanism.
Instantly, the glass table broke, the infernal flames soared, and the Prince of Huainan was engulfed in the fiery inferno, a terrifying sight.
Princess Yongjia stared at her father, who emitted not a single sound of pain, her pupils wide with shock. She was frozen in place, unable to utter a word.
“Your Highness, how should these two be dealt with?”
Xiao Chizhan didn’t even look at the two women as he walked out, his voice cold.
“What do you think?”
Xue Ren immediately understood. He looked at the two women locked up with the wolf and took out some powder.
“Feed it to them.”