The guards quickly retreated far away.
It is improper to listen to what is improper, and improper to see what is improper!
Outside, rumors were still circulating about the disharmony between their princess and Prince Xuan, and that Prince Xuan already had other women by his side.
From what they could see, the princess and the prince were clearly getting along very well.
It was just the gossips spreading rumors!
...After an unknown amount of time, Chu Qianli finally "got her wish" and sat quietly at the table, preparing to copy the treasure map.
Prince Xuan had already put on his clothes and even ordered breakfast and clear tea to be sent over.
Now, half an hour had passed since her scream.
As soon as she spread out the white paper, she saw Feng Ye Xuan's approaching figure out of the corner of her eye.
Chu Qianli blushed and said unhappily, "Don't come over!"
"If I don't come over, how will the treasure map be revealed?" Feng Ye Xuan's steps did not stop.
This woman, it turned out, got muddled-headed when she was shy.
He had thought she was always so rational and wise, but he didn't realize she also had moments of panic and unease.
Walking to Chu Qianli's side, Feng Ye Xuan reached out his hand.
"Don't touch me!" Chu Qianli was almost scared to death by him.
She was indeed a bit flustered today, which was not like her at all.
Having grown accustomed to confronting him, she could maintain the coldest and most indifferent attitude when facing him, but she didn't know how to face his tenderness.
"Still not used to it?" Feng Ye Xuan suddenly leaned in, his long fingers brushing across her cheek, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"I'm not..."
"Actually, I'm not used to it either, but I really like it this way."
The unfamiliarity stemmed from the fact that for most of their acquaintance, they had been in adversarial relationships.
Even though they both had feelings for each other, they frequently clashed for different purposes and for different people.
He suddenly bent down and scooped her up.
"Feng Ye Xuan..."
"You go ahead with your work, I just want to quietly accompany you."
Feng Ye Xuan sat down on the chair and placed Chu Qianli on his lap.
Then, he extended his already injured hand and, with a forceful pull, tore open the wound on the back of his hand that had healed the previous night.
"Don't... don't do this." Chu Qianli wanted to stop him, but it was too late.
Looking at the blood flowing from the wound, her heart ached.
This scoundrel, why did he always hurt himself like this?
Did he really feel no pain at all?
"I'm going to sleep for a bit. You do as you please. If it's not enough, figure it out yourself, or even cut yourself."
With that said, Feng Ye Xuan lowered his head, burying himself in the crook of her neck, and actually closed his eyes to sleep.
Chu Qianli pushed him twice, but he didn't budge. Seeing the blood already on the table, she felt heartbroken and ignored him.
Taking out the Heaven and Earth Lock, she quickly gathered the blood on the table and smeared it onto the lock.
After that, she began copying the patterns on the Heaven and Earth Lock while smearing blood.
Once the blood dried, the patterns would disappear, and she would have to reapply it.
Fortunately, the Heaven and Earth Lock was not very large, otherwise, even his abundant blood would not withstand such waste.
The man buried in the back of her neck was truly asleep, his breathing even, with occasional light snores.
At this moment, with the man sleeping beside her and the Heaven and Earth Lock in her hand, Chu Qianli suddenly felt as if she had conquered the world.
If only life could be smooth and peaceful from now on, how wonderful that would be.