Mercenary Princess - Chapter 70
With a cold glance, Rongyue turned her face away and remained silent.
"Are you angry?" Tuoba Chen was utterly bewildered by Rong Yue's gloomy face. "Sigh, I'm telling you, I didn't see wrong. You clearly held up two fingers just now! You made this request yourself, so how come the one who's angry and dissatisfied is..." Suddenly realizing something, his voice rose in surprise, "Could it be two hundred taels?!"
She rolled her eyes at him, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement. Two hundred taels, so what! Look at all those buildings in his mansion; any one of them would cost tens or even hundreds of thousands! She only wants two hundred taels a month—is that too much? Judging from his astonished expression, it's as if she's asking for an astronomical sum! Damn it, the richer people are, the stingier they are! That's incredibly true!
"Tsk tsk, I admire you, I admire you! You can even offer such a price for a mistress, I must say, mistress, you really have guts! I am completely impressed today!" Tuoba Chen clasped his hands in a fist salute to Rong Yue, looking utterly inferior.
"Fine, if you won't give it to me, so be it. Does she even care about his few measly coins?" With a sullen face, Rongyue ignored the pretentious Tuoba Chen beside her and quickened her pace, striding forward...
"Hey, mistress! You're wrong, this way, this way!"
...
I never knew there was a country that allowed princes to bring their attendants to the morning court.
In the Zichen Hall, Rongyue stood seemingly respectfully beside the Second Prince Tuoba Chen's chair, her gaze fixed straight ahead, her posture upright, her eyes fixed on her toes. His Highness, his fiery gaze made her back break out in a cold sweat, her chest pounding like a thunderclap. Rongyue silently made the sign of the cross, praying incessantly that the morning court session would end quickly…
"Minister Liu has always been knowledgeable and insightful, able to analyze and reason things out. In your opinion, how should this case of cheating in the imperial examinations be handled?" On the throne, the elderly emperor, now in his seventies, stroked his white beard, his sharp eyes fixed on the civil official standing in the center of the line of officials on the left, holding a ceremonial tablet.
After a long silence, the civil official who had been called upon did not step forward to answer, and the old emperor's deeply wrinkled face began to darken. The court fell into a deathly silence, as if a storm was brewing.
"Lord Liu, the Emperor is calling you! Step forward quickly..." The person behind him tugged at the civil official's robes and reminded him anxiously in a low voice.
The civil official finally snapped out of his reverie. Realizing the gravity of the situation, he quickly stepped outwards with his right leg, reaching the center of the hall, where he knelt and begged for forgiveness: "Your subject has been disrespectful and deserves death!"
"The matters discussed in the imperial court concern the vital affairs of the people and the very foundation of the nation. How can you be so distracted and inattentive! Liu Zhiyi, do you know your crime?!"
"Your subject acknowledges his guilt." Just as the old emperor had just mentioned, this civil official was none other than Liu Zhiyi, who had fled to the Southern Kingdom years ago, and was now a high-ranking official in the Southern Kingdom's court, serving as a censor.
Seeing Liu Zhiyi bowing his head in repentance before His Highness, the old emperor breathed a sigh of relief, the deep lines on his face smoothing out slightly: "Forget it, considering the many contributions you have made to the Southern Kingdom and that this is your first offense, I will not hold your mistake against you. However, this is only once. If there is a next time, I will certainly not let you off lightly!"
"Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for your mercy in not punishing me..."
"Alright, get up!"
"Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty!"
Getting up from the ground, Liu Zhiyi, with an elegant demeanor, stood cautiously with his hands clasped in front of him.
"Minister Liu, tell me, how should we deal with the cheating cases in the imperial examinations in the Lingnan region?"
"I believe..."
...
After court, Rongyue followed closely behind Tuoba Chen, wishing she could sprout wings and fly away immediately! What a coincidence! What a stroke of luck! These two phrases were practically tailor-made for her! What incredible luck! Sigh, she also blamed herself; why hadn't she found out the exact location of her father's escape? How foolish! It seemed she couldn't stay in Ziye or even Nancha Kingdom any longer. Of the thirty-six stratagems, retreat was the best!
Looking back at Rongyue, who was only focused on walking, Tuoba Chen mischievously stopped abruptly. Before Rongyue could react, her small face pressed directly against his back, which, while not rock hard, was still quite firm!
Clutching her nose, which had almost been knocked crooked, Rongyue growled in a muffled voice, "Are you crazy?!"
He pinched Rongyue's cheeks as punishment: "How dare you speak so disrespectfully to this prince, huh?"
"you……"
"Your Highness, Second Prince." A detached and aged voice drifted over at that moment.
Tuoba Chen's displeasure flashed briefly. Releasing his hands from Rong Yue's cheeks, he turned around nonchalantly, a faint smile on his face, hands behind his back, displaying the elegant and noble demeanor of a prince: "Does Your Excellency have something to say?"
With a shrewd old eye, Liu Zhiyi glanced subtly at Rongyue behind Tuoba Chen, then cupped his hands in greeting: "The eighth day of next month will be my sixtieth birthday. I have always admired His Highness the Second Prince. I wonder if His Highness would do me the honor of visiting my residence?"
Upon hearing this, Tuoba Chen frowned in embarrassment: "Unfortunately, I've been extremely busy these past few days and haven't been able to find the time. What do you think..."
“Of course, the prince’s affairs are more important.” Liu Zhiyi quickly cupped his hands again: “It was my rudeness, I hope the second prince will forgive me.”
Tuoba Chen sighed apologetically, "I hope you won't be offended that I can't go to wish you a happy birthday! But rest assured, Your Highness, my birthday gift will be delivered on time."
"Then this humble official will thank Your Highness for your kindness in advance!" After bowing to Tuoba Chen with tears of gratitude, Liu Zhiyi straightened up, looked around, and asked with feigned surprise, "Eh? Your Highness, why didn't I see Sha Ye today?"
He pulled Rongyue out from behind him: "From today onwards, he will be my personal attendant."
Liu Zhiyi looked Rongyue up and down with feigned surprise, then nodded in admiration and exclaimed, "What a handsome young man!"
Handsome? That's blatant lying! Rongyue rolled her eyes at him as she looked up.
The moment his eyes met Rongyue's, a glint of light flashed in his old eyes. Rongyue understood the implication in his gaze; he simply wanted her to find some time to meet with him, reconnect, and discuss the grand plan for restoring the kingdom.
Pretending to be clueless, Rongyue acted as if she were stupid, quickly turning her eyes away to look at the scenery in the distance, seemingly unaware of Liu Zhiyi's threatening gaze.
Liu Zhiyi's old face stiffened again and again. Retracting his gaze, Liu Zhiyi suppressed his anger, forcing a smile to appear as if nothing was amiss: "May I ask this young brother's name?"
With a wide smile, she said, "Greetings, Your Excellency! My name is Jian Xiaosan."
Looking at Rongyue, who was feigning ignorance, Liu Zhiyi couldn't guarantee that if he stayed any longer, he could control his emotions and not lose control.
Turning his gaze back, Liu Zhiyi bowed to Tuoba Chen again: "If there is nothing else, then this humble official will take his leave."
He nodded: "Then may you have a safe journey, Your Excellency."
After thanking him, Liu Zhiyi turned and left. Before leaving, he glanced one last time at Rongyue, whose eyes were turned upwards, feigning indifference…
After Liu Zhiyi left, Tuoba Chen looked at Rongyue with interest: "You don't like him?"
Rongyue raised an eyebrow: "How do you know?"
"Ha, your eyes. There's resistance, indifference, and annoyance in your eyes, and even a hint of... ha, it feels like you two know each other..."
Rongyue's heart skipped a beat. This Tuoba Chen may seem carefree and cynical, but he is actually very shrewd and has a sharp eye! It turns out that he may have seen and noticed every expression and movement she made just now, even Liu Zhiyi's smile... Although she did not reveal any flaws, judging from his tone, he seemed to have begun to suspect her.