Feng Jinrui glared at Chu Qianli, unwilling to accept it. "Demoness, I'm giving you a chance. Speak for yourself!"
Even though seeing was believing, he still didn't want to believe it.
The demoness had previously devoted all her efforts to saving his imperial brother!
He didn't understand why his father had issued a secret decree forbidding anyone from mentioning the three days his imperial brother spent at the Duke's mansion.
But he knew in his heart that without the demoness, his imperial brother wouldn't have recovered.
The demoness was very good to his imperial brother.
Why was it now that the demoness was with another man in the blink of an eye?
Could there be a misunderstanding?
"Second Prince..." Qing Ming still wanted to persuade him.
Feng Jinrui glared at him and said angrily, "Shut up! You're not allowed to speak!"
He looked at Chu Qianli, trying hard to suppress his anger.
He also tried his best to make his voice sound gentler, not so frightening. "As long as you say it, I'll believe you!"
He had said it!
If his imperial brother liked the demoness, he would also try to like her!
If his imperial brother wanted to protect her, he would also protect her along with his imperial brother!
As long as she said it, he would believe it!
Chu Qianli felt a tremor in her heart.
This pure trust was something she had only felt from Feng Jinrui since she came to this era.
This silly, guileless, and uncalculating big boy.
Her fingertips tightened slightly.
But when she opened her eyes to look at Feng Jinrui again, all the emotions in her eyes were completely withdrawn.
She said indifferently, "The fact is, I don't like your imperial brother at all."
"You're lying!" Feng Jinrui's eyes immediately became moist!
The demoness speaking like this made it seem as if the demoness was really going to leave their Xuan Prince's mansion!
Did she really not want to go back?
"Are they forcing you? Tell me!"
"No!" What good would it do to tell him?
The Emperor did not allow her to be with Feng Yexuan. If she insisted on staying by Feng Yexuan's side, it would harm her grandfather.
Most importantly, she herself did not want to return to the Xuan Prince's mansion.
The current situation was the best choice.
She still had her own things to do.
After her grandfather recovered, she would leave this place.
She wanted to develop her own career; men could not be stumbling blocks in her path.
"Go back. Don't stay here and annoy me." Chu Qianli deliberately made herself appear even colder.
Feng Jinrui was both angry and disappointed. His heart felt as if something was tearing at it, causing him pain.
"Second Prince, what else do you want to say to this woman?"
Qing Ming naturally couldn't stand seeing his Second Prince being so humiliated.
He strode forward and said angrily, "Chu Qianli, I hope you remember what you said today and never return to the Xuan Prince's mansion!"
As long as she returned, the Prince would become abnormal, and the Prince would easily be bewitched by her again!
This woman was no good; she must not be allowed to continue to harm the Prince!
Unexpectedly, Chu Qianli glanced at him and actually smiled, "You dog, what right do you have to say such things to me? Who do you think you are?"
"You!" Qing Ming's face immediately turned a mottled shade of blue, purple, red, and white upon hearing this.
"You're just a guard. Who gave you the audacity to be presumptuous in my Duke's mansion?"
Chu Qianli snorted coldly, "Scram!"
"You!"
Chu Qianli ignored him and picked up her teacup, leisurely drinking her tea.
Despite his immense anger, Qing Ming knew that she was right!
He was just a guard, and she, after all, was a young lady of the Duke's mansion!
Qing Ming pulled the crestfallen Feng Jinrui, and they finally left.
The room, which had been noisy, suddenly became empty.
Han Zhan looked at Chu Qianli, who had closed her eyes to rest, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say.
Chu Qianli was still adjusting her breathing.
The wound on her shoulder blade still ached fiercely, and this pain would likely not subside for a long time.
She endured the pain with all her might, even forgetting about Han Zhan.
It was Han Zhan's voice that pulled her consciousness back. "Why didn't you let me explain?"
Chu Qianli slowly opened her eyes and realized Han Zhan was still there.
She said hoarsely, "Why haven't you left yet?"
Han Zhan wanted to get angry, but her complexion was truly not good.
He also finally remembered that she had a wound on her shoulder and that he had made her vomit blood today.
In an instant, guilt and a feeling called heartache struck him simultaneously.
But how could he be willing to admit that he felt heartache for this woman?
It was definitely an illusion.
He deliberately put on a stern face. "I just want to clarify, why did you bully Huaiyu?"
Chu Qianli couldn't be bothered to deal with him. She used her uninjured arm to support herself and slowly stood up from the chair.
"Where are you going?" Seeing her fragile and miserable state, Han Zhan instinctively wanted to help her.
But her cold and hard attitude completely extinguished his unnecessary concern. "What does that have to do with you?"
"Do you have to interact with people with such an attitude? No wonder even the people from the Xuan Prince's mansion are unwilling to believe you!"
Chu Qianli ignored him and walked step by step towards her bed.
She was really tired.
In this Duke's mansion, apart from her grandfather and Steward Han, no one truly cared about her.
When she was tired, she didn't even have a thoughtful little maid by her side!
Did she not feel sad in her heart?
No, in fact, sometimes she did feel lonely and disappointed.
But over the years, she had become accustomed to it.
"I didn't bully Chu Huaiyu." She didn't want to argue with him now.
She had no strength.
"You said I sent people to disfigure her. You must not have any evidence, and you're just listening to their one-sided words, aren't you?"
"I..." Han Zhan was taken aback.
Evidence? When he saw Chu Huaiyu's pitiful appearance at the time, how could he have thought so much?
"They saw that person enter your Li Garden! If it wasn't the guard you hired, who else could it be?"
"Have you seen anyone I hired come to my Li Garden all day?"
Chu Qianli sat on the bed, looking at him indifferently. "The people I hired are either guarding the storeroom or guarding the Duke. Where would my courtyard have guards?"
"This..." Han Zhan was speechless again.
Since he entered, he had indeed not seen any guards in Li Garden.
"Then... you could also let that person leave secretly!" This way, it would be done without anyone knowing, right?
"If I wanted him to leave secretly, why would I deliberately let your people see him come to my courtyard?"
Chu Qianli leaned against the head of the bed, glancing at him sideways. The smile on her lips was once again the kind that made one's scalp tingle.
Her ambiguous smile made Han Zhan suddenly feel very uneasy.
"Young Master Han, now use your pig's head to think about it. Did I really send someone to disfigure Chu Huaiyu, or was someone deliberately framing me?"
"Huaiyu is definitely not that kind of person!" Han Zhan said immediately.
Chu Qianli smiled again. "Earlier, even if you explained, do you think they would believe it?"
Han Zhan's heart suddenly tightened.
They wouldn't believe it! That guard named Qing Ming would absolutely not believe it! This was a case of prejudice!
So, what was the use of explaining?
Then, if he insisted that Chu Qianli was the one who did it, what was the use of her explaining?