The moon was bright and the stars were sparse, and all was silent. Aunt Lin, disguised once again, slipped out of the mansion under the cover of night.
Xiao Man followed leisurely behind. She was curious to see when Aunt Lin would start suspecting her, or if, in Aunt Lin's eyes, she was already a dead person, not worth her time.
Xiao Man followed for a while, watching Aunt Lin enter the back door of the Cen mansion. Just as she was about to sneak in to eavesdrop, a figure shot towards her like a swallow in the darkness. Xiao Man's eyelids twitched, sensing trouble. In the blink of an eye, the person was in front of her.
"Quick, run! They're chasing us!" With that, the person grabbed Xiao Man and they fled wildly. When Xiao Man saw who it was that was dragging her along, she gasped. Why had this unlucky child found her again! Had he gotten into trouble with someone formidable this time?
No, she couldn't be seen with this brat!
Feeling the whistling sound of something cutting through the air behind them, Xiao Man did not hesitate and kicked Yu Qianmo.
Yu Qianmo was sent flying. As he flew, he shouted, "Run separately, we'll meet at our usual spot!"
Meet your sister! You scoundrel!
Xiao Man cursed inwardly. This unlucky idiot had come to implicate her again. They shouldn't have any grudges, so why was he doing this to her?
Xiao Man was deep in thought. What did she care, it was better to run first, otherwise she was afraid she'd be mistaken for Yu Qianmo's accomplice and killed!
But before she could move, a cold and sharp sword was placed at her throat. Xiao Man shivered and quickly raised her hands, "Sir, I... I don't know that person."
"Xiao Man?" a deep, magnetic voice rang out. Xiao Man turned her head and felt an urge to kill Yu Qianmo. You useless fool, who else could you provoke but the Prince of Qin? What kind of deep-seated hatred do you have for me that you'd make me offend the Prince of Qin!
"Your Highness, Prince of Qin."
"Take her back to the mansion."
Xiao Man felt utterly wronged, but Nangong Yu didn't give her a chance to explain. He simply pressed her acupoints and took her back to the Prince of Qin's mansion.
The Prince of Qin's mansion was brightly lit, with guards patrolling in an orderly fashion. It was evident that Yu Qianmo's intrusion had put the mansion on high alert, with defenses becoming even more stringent.
Nangong Yu, with his head bowed, quietly reviewed official documents. Xiao Man stood before the desk, "Your Highness, Prince of Qin, I truly do not know that person."
"Mm," Nangong Yu merely gave a perfunctory hum and said no more.
Xiao Man felt like crying but had no tears. Yu Qianmo, you damned wretch! What exactly did you do to provoke the Prince of Qin into pursuing you? Just you wait, once I'm free, I'll skin you, dismember you, and deep-fry you!
"Your Highness, it's late, this humble woman should return home."
"Hand it over," Nangong Yu said, his eyes still cast down, his hands moving without pause. "Otherwise, you won't be leaving the Prince of Qin's mansion."
"What did Your Highness lose?" Xiao Man prayed it wasn't anything important. If it could be solved with money, even better.
"Military orders."
Xiao Man wilted instantly, like a frost-bitten eggplant, and mentally cursed Yu Qianmo's entire ancestry.
"Your Highness, Prince of Qin, what use would this humble woman have for your military orders?" Xiao Man patiently explained, "That thief who stole Your Highness's military orders must have intended to shift the blame. You mustn't fall for it."
"I only want the military orders," Nangong Yu raised his head and said slowly. "Tell me, what is your relationship with that fugitive?"
Xiao Man was almost in tears. She braced her hands on the desk, leaning forward.
"Your Highness, please be enlightened. This humble woman truly does not know that fugitive."
"Then how do you explain your presence outside in the middle of the night?"
"I..."
Could Xiao Man explain that she had once been poisoned by the "Fire Charm" poison, and had gone to the Lan Xiao Pavilion to find someone to detoxify her? She suspected that the male escort who had supposedly assaulted her was Cen Yu, and after the incident, Cen Yu wanted to kill her to silence her. Was she going to beg for peace?
Of course not!
"Can't say?"
"I... I was just enjoying the nice night... going for a walk..."
The brush in the Prince of Qin's hand instantly snapped in two. His icy gaze shot at Xiao Man, startling her into swallowing the rest of her words. "This humble woman is truly wronged."
"Wronged? Could that fugitive have said to run separately and arranged to meet you at a specific place?" Nangong Yu discarded the broken brush and picked up another one, continuing to review his documents. "Confess early, and I'll let you go early. Otherwise, I'll have to ask the Protector General why he sent his daughter to steal my military orders."
"Your Highness, Prince of Qin, this has nothing to do with my father, nor with me. I truly don't know why that fugitive would frame me. He must be trying to sow discord between the Prince of Qin's mansion and the Protector General's mansion, to pit us against each other so he can reap the benefits." Xiao Man leaned forward, her hands on the desk, speaking with utmost sincerity.
Nangong Yu looked up, meeting Xiao Man's dark and innocent eyes. Her beautiful face, her fair neck, her jade-like skin. As Xiao Man leaned forward, a cleavage extended into her robes, and her fair, delicate chest rose and fell with her rapid breaths, shimmering alluringly in the candlelight.
A deep glint flickered in Nangong Yu's eyes, and he subtly averted his gaze.
"The loss of military orders is a grave offense. Whether it was you or not, until the military orders are recovered, you cannot leave my sight."
"But if I don't go home, and my grandmother finds out, I'm dead."
"Then do you wish for me to tie you up and deliver you to the Protector General's mansion to be handed over to Old Madam Xiao?" Nangong Yu leaned back, meeting Xiao Man's gaze, though his eyes kept drifting to Xiao Man's petal-like red lips.
Xiao Man straightened up and said frankly, "I do not wish for that."
"Since you don't wish for it, then stay here in the Prince of Qin's mansion obediently. Once the military orders are found, I will let you go."
"That thief has such good lightness skill. What if he's never caught?"
Nangong Yu looked at Xiao Man. "Then I will have to make you account for it."
Cold sweat beaded on Xiao Man's forehead, and she once again cursed Yu Qianmo's entire ancestry.
She never had any good fortune when dealing with this brat. Although she had tricked Yu Qianmo several times when she was still Dugu Man, Yu Qianmo had also tricked her quite a bit. What's more, she had already died once, why couldn't Yu Qianmo let her go?
Xiao Man stood boredly before the Prince of Qin's desk. The Prince of Qin, unsettled by Xiao Man's presence, said, "Go sit over there."
Xiao Man was helpless. When one is under another's roof, one must bow their head. Even if her father were here, she couldn't explain herself today. Although she was trapped in the Prince of Qin's mansion, at least she had Yingxue and the others, so it shouldn't be too difficult to maintain the facade.
She hoped the Prince of Qin would catch Yu Qianmo soon. But she couldn't tell the Prince of Qin about Yu Qianmo's matters, otherwise, even if she didn't steal it, it would seem like she did.