These words stunned him, then he smiled and said, "I only sell my art, not my body."
I blushed shamefully, "Who cares..."
His eyes narrowed as he smiled. "Stubborn to the end."
Seeing his smile, I finally remembered I had something to ask him, "By the way, who was that woman from before?"
"You mean Xiao Yuan?"
Xiao Yuan? They've already started calling each other so affectionately?
"Princess Yaoxing of the Celestial Clan Kingdom, Tianchen's younger sister."
"Why are you associating with them again?"
"They came to me of their own accord because they were afraid that Xiao Lianjue would turn his back on them after the deed was done, and they would use me as a shield."
"No way, even if he ascends the throne, can Xiao Lianjue really destroy a Celestial Clan Kingdom?"
“If he didn’t have the ability, why would Tianchen come to me? Don’t forget that he has the Yeting Mansion and the Juyi Manor.”
"He comes to you, can't you refuse? Why do you insist on getting involved and making yourself so tired? What if he turns around and bites you in the end?"
"It all depends on whether he has the ability to take a bite."
I curled my lip. "Hmph, they've already sent their own sister here. Don't tell me you don't know what they're up to."
"I'm not interested in girls who haven't fully developed yet." As he spoke, he reached his hand under the hem of his shirt.
"What are you doing?!"
"Can't a father even touch his own daughter?"
It pinched my waist, wandered around for a while, and finally stopped on my lower abdomen. Its fingers wouldn't stay still and even started drawing circles.
Also, who told you it was a daughter? It might be a boy!
Chapter 112
The full moon hung high in the sky, casting a silvery glow across the ground. The moonlight made the person in red appear ghostly. It was August, not the fifteenth of July, wasn't it? I moved to the corner of the wall and looked from a slightly darker angle. When I saw half of the person's face, I immediately breathed a sigh of relief, but then felt annoyed. It was clearly a person, yet they dressed so conspicuously in the middle of the night. They didn't even need to attract ghosts; they could just look at themselves in a bronze mirror.
But thinking about it later, even if it were a ghost, it would be better than that person.
"I knew you would understand."
I shrank back in fright, and didn't even dare to breathe. How could he have noticed me from so far away?
"The key isn't in the silk gauze, but in the lining of the treasure bag." The man in red turned around and slowly walked towards them from the moonlight. "It's not the night of the fifteenth, nor the second watch, and it's not even at the north gate."
When I was little, I would play with my older brother's sandbag whenever I had nothing to do, so how could I not know what was inside?
Seeing him getting closer and closer, I decided not to hide anymore, as it wasn't comfortable to cower in the corner.
Where is my older brother?
"Follow me and you will see it."
"From any perspective, I have no reason to go with you."
The situation is not good. I should have turned around and left the moment I saw him clearly, but the letter in the treasure bag is indeed in my elder brother's handwriting.
“Of course there are.” He smiled, pursing his lips. “Although you think you don’t trust anyone anymore, deep down you still tend to side with your family. Even if you have doubts, at least you won’t ignore them with your usual attitude.”
Don't start talking like you know me so well; we're not even that close.
"So, what are you trying to prove? You went to such lengths to lure me out, am I really that worth your time?"
"Before I met you, I thought you were very useful, but now I wouldn't think so. You are a double-edged sword; if used well, you are naturally good, but if you are not careful, one wrong step could lead to utter ruin. I have been playing this game cautiously for years, cutting off all escape routes to tell myself that I can only win and not lose, but unexpectedly, Nangong Ling appeared halfway and bit off the imperial city into which I had invested most of my efforts. How can I not settle this score? Taking only Juyizhuang is already too lenient for him." He stood with his hands behind his back, raising his head to look at the distant moon. "However, it is ultimately heaven's help. Fortunately, I took notice of your Rong family early on, otherwise I would have been forced back to my original state and had to wait for an opportunity. But the current situation is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I will never have another chance like this in my lifetime."
“My older brother is not the kind of person who would willingly be used by others.”
"He regarded me as his sovereign, and he did things for me willingly. How could there be any talk of using me? Even Nangong Ling was someone he arranged to be used by me. But I underestimated him. And then you happened to be involved. After that, many unexpected twists and turns occurred... Rong Cheng probably never dreamed that you would turn against your own brother for his sake. This matter kept him so depressed that he didn't leave his room for half a month."
That doesn't make sense. People in the martial arts world have always been wary of associating with the imperial court, let alone the Rong family, who were at the forefront of the political storm at the time.
"It must have been your sweet talk that tricked my brother into going there."
Unexpectedly, he laughed even more heartily after hearing this, "Thank you for the compliment. You should know better than me how good my eloquence is to fool your older brother."
This guy's skin is thicker than a city wall. I was just thinking about how to make a run for it when I looked up and saw a pair of dark brown eyes only a fist's distance away from me.
"Be good and come with me, I don't want to hurt you."
He had barely finished speaking when I felt a blur before my eyes and something hit the back of my neck. Before the pain could even register, I lost consciousness.
Not only is he shameless, but he's also a person who doesn't keep his word!
When I opened my eyes again, before I could figure out where I was, I felt a sharp pain in the back of my neck. This person really went too far!
"She can really sleep. That crazy old woman outside is making such a racket and she still isn't awake?"
"It's always like this; he won't wake up until noon."
Upon hearing the sound behind me, I jumped out of bed, ignoring the soreness in the back of my neck.
"Ah! You're awake."
My older brother still had an upright expression, but when he saw me move the corner of his mouth as if he was smiling, I suddenly felt uncomfortable all over.
When I saw Xiao Lianjue again, I wanted to curse, but before I could even open my mouth, someone beat me to it. I heard a series of curses coming from downstairs, as smooth as someone pouring out beans.
"Isn't this annoying?" Unexpectedly, Xiao Lianjue frowned. "Rong Cheng sent her away. He told me so many times not to bother me when I'm doing things. If I see her causing trouble again, I'll throw her out of the palace."
The eldest brother nodded, turned and left... Is this for real? Back then, even his parents couldn't order him around, so how come he'd be willing to die for a single word from Xiao Lianjue now?
Seeing my surprise, Xiao Lianjue laughed again, "See? This is called doing it willingly."
"Ouch, that hurts." I rubbed the back of my neck and shrank back into the corner of the bed. "Is there anything to eat? I'm starving."
He just stood there, stunned. "Can't you give me a normal reaction?"
"I'm perfectly normal, okay!" She rolled her eyes at him.
"Would a normal person even think about eating in this situation? Hey, don't let me knock your brains out and make you forget you're a hostage!"
"You're the idiot..."
"Lian'er, don't talk nonsense."
They came back quickly, and seeing that serious face, I almost instinctively shut up.
"Looks like Big Brother is still useful." Xiao Lianjue's sly smile always reminds me of a fox.
"Your Highness, you still have to see the Grand Councilors later, don't be late."
"Hmm... I'll get something for your little sister to eat; she said she's hungry."
A look of surprise flashed across my elder brother's eyes. He gave me a meaningful look, nodded, and then followed Xiao Lianjue away.
Isn't it perfectly normal to be hungry? Strange, shouldn't I eat and drink my fill, nourish myself, and then try to escape?
I got into this mess because of my own bad luck, and they even accused me of turning on my brother. I don't know who plotted against me first. Once is fine, but what about this time with the precious sandbag?
The problem with Yunzhi hasn't been resolved yet, and now I've suddenly gone missing. If Xiao Lianjue goes out and says something, I'll be finished! I bet that person won't even let me in the door, let alone see me or talk to me.
Thinking about this made me regret it. I should escape quickly, otherwise the longer I drag it out, the more complicated things will become.
Chapter 113
People say that rivals in love are especially hostile when they meet, and I've met my match today, but unfortunately, my feelings for her are unrequited.
The Eastern Palace is indeed huge. From the window of my room, I can't see the bottom at all. I had to find a way to go to a higher floor to take a look. But as soon as I went out, someone followed me. They didn't restrict my movements. I wonder what that guy surnamed Xiao is up to.
I was about to carefully navigate the area after leaving the courtyard when the spray from the small waterfall next to the artificial hill by the lake blinded me. The thick mist made it difficult to see the path ahead. I thought to myself, "Isn't this lake a bit too big?"
Just then, a dark shadow seemed to sweep through the thick fog, and just to be safe, I took a big step back. Before I could even stand still, several darts came flying through the fog and landed right where I had just been standing.
I patted my chest, thank goodness, otherwise I would have several more holes in my body now.
"This godforsaken place is really dangerous."
"You vixen, come here!"
Standing in the pavilion across from Tinghu Lake was a woman with a "I'm going to argue with you" look on her face. She was tall and slender with delicate features. She might not stand out in a crowd, but she was quite pretty when viewed alone.
Is she crazy? Why does she want me to come over to cause trouble? I walked slowly along the lake, glanced at her once, and then ignored her.
"Don't think that just because you're someone I brought back I won't dare to touch you."
I know you've already done it; the dart I just picked up can serve as evidence.
"What is your connection with the Hundred Days Cult?"
"It's alright."
If I'm not mistaken and my memory serves me right, the bronze flower on the sleeve dart should be the symbol of the Hundred Days Cult. Besides, her answering too quickly only aroused suspicion.
She seemed to have no guile whatsoever. How could someone like that stay by Xiao Lianjue's side? As for the two people behind me, they didn't even try to block the flying darts, nor did they make any move to capture anyone afterward. It was obvious at a glance which was more important: that woman's status in the Eastern Palace or my value.
It's not that I look down on her, it's just that Xiao Lianjue doesn't seem like the type of person who would choose this kind of person.
"You...know about the Hundred Days Cult?"
Actually, I didn't know the details very well; I heard about it from an old gambler. At the time, I was lending money out of debt at a gambling den, specifically to those who were broke but still obsessed with gambling. The advantage of lending money from me was that I didn't charge interest, but the condition was that they had to tell me something I had never heard of before. I wouldn't lend to those who couldn't. At the time, I thought it was fun and novel, but I never expected it would bring me so much profit later.