Chapter 43-Part 2

Thinking of this, she lay flat against the door and said in a tearful voice, “Your Highness, whatever I have done that displeases you, please point it out. Scold me or punish me, but ignoring me like this is more painful than being cut with a knife!”

After a few sobs, the iron-hearted Crown Prince inside seemed to soften a bit. For some reason, he called her in with a cold voice.

As soon as Jiang Xiurun entered the room, the warm air hit her, making her sneeze again.

She stepped up to the mat, where the Crown Prince sat cross-legged, and stole a glance at Feng Liwu’s expression.

The Crown Prince was wearing his usual casual attire, reading as usual. However, the scroll in his hand was one she had organized and shelved a few days ago while serving him…

She didn’t dare speak much and stood close by, awaiting his instructions.

Today, Feng Liwu clearly didn’t feel like talking much.

He coldly asked, “Do you know what you did wrong?”

Jiang Xiurun swallowed nervously and said, “I shouldn’t have made the decision on my own to dress up and take Yao’s place in the dance. Although I practiced the military dance with the soldiers in my homeland, my actions were indeed presumptuous. Luckily, I am small and young, and with the beaded veil covering my Adam’s apple, the Emperor did not discover it. Otherwise, it would have implicated Your Highness…”

She spoke tentatively, trying to gauge the Crown Prince’s reaction while subtly explaining why she could disguise herself so convincingly.

To dispel his doubts today, she even wore a low-collared dress, allowing her Adam’s apple to be faintly visible.

Feng Liwu slowly lifted his gaze, looking at Jiang Xiurun, who was still speaking cautiously with her head half-lowered. His grip on the bamboo slip tightened, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged…

As Jiang Xiurun continued speaking and saw the Crown Prince remaining silent, her confidence wavered. She raised her head slightly, trying to discern Feng Liwu’s expression in the candlelight.

Unbeknownst to her, when she raised her head just so, her eyes carried a seductive charm, reminiscent of her graceful dance at the banquet yesterday.

When she finally lifted her head, their eyes met. Feng Liwu’s gaze was cold, looking down at her from above.

Unable to look away in time, Jiang Xiurun could only maintain her subservient and flattering gaze.

But such eye contact was truly awkward. Jiang Xiurun, parched from her explanations, couldn’t help but slowly bite her lower lip…

Feng Liwu’s eyes narrowed slightly, and the dark pupils gleamed in the candlelight… After a while, he said coldly, “If you were truly anxious and uneasy, would you have eaten two red bean cakes?”

Jiang Xiurun, seeing the Crown Prince relent slightly, breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out his displeasure was because she had prioritized eating over immediately seeking his forgiveness.

With her heart greatly eased, she sincerely apologized to Feng Liwu once more.

Seeing the Crown Prince soften, she attentively placed a cushion behind him for greater comfort and used a jade roller to massage his knees, relieving his fatigue.

However, Feng Liwu found the jade roller too hard and instructed Jiang Xiurun to use her hands instead.

Naturally, Jiang Xiurun complied, massaging his legs and easing the tension in his head.

After a long while, Feng Liwu coldly said, “Enough. You’re dismissed.”

Believing she had passed this ordeal, Jiang Xiurun respectfully retreated.

What she didn’t know was that as she left, Feng Liwu’s face, hidden in the flickering candlelight, became sinister and grim.

Just now—he had almost strangled this deceitful and flattering person!

Feng Liwu took a deep breath and pulled out a piece of silk cloth from his sleeve.

This cloth was an urgent report he received at the banquet yesterday.

When Jiang Xiurun escaped, he had sent several spies to the State of Bo to trace her whereabouts.

One of the spies, who had infiltrated the emperor of Bo’s court, rushed back to Luo’an City only yesterday, immediately reporting to the Crown Prince.

In the flickering candlelight, the words on the silk cloth were unusually clear: “The emperor of Bo has no son named Jiang Herun, only a daughter named Jiang Xiurun, aged seventeen, stunningly beautiful, skilled in song and dance, gentle in nature, and sent to Great Qi as a hostage with her brother half a year ago…”

The words on the silk cloth, read dozens of times since yesterday, were almost memorized by Feng Liwu.

Each line, like a branding iron, seared his eyes and heart. Discovering the truth filled him with fury. Rushing back to the hall, he saw “him” gracefully dancing, long hair flowing like a blooming red lotus in the air.

That figure and dance mocked him, suggesting he was blind!

The reality was that, in his nearly nineteen years of life, the one person he trusted wholeheartedly was a complete fraud!

He hadn’t slept a wink last night, while the little liar had eaten and slept peacefully!

Feng Liwu extended his long fingers, placing the silk cloth near the flame, letting it burn to ashes. He had a chilling smile on his lips.

Since his tutor enjoyed playing games, he would accompany this young master Jiang in a game of his own!