Chapter 57-Part 1

Jiang Xiurun didn’t notice the strange look in the Crown Prince’s eyes.

Today, she had come to confess her guilt, ready for any outcome, but she never expected that she would be standing in front of Feng Liwu, dressed in a bright red wedding gown.

Frustrated, she kept thinking of ways to change the Crown Prince’s mind while nervously tugging at the waist of her gown.

“It’s a bit loose…” she muttered.

Feng Liwu, still staring at her chest, suddenly said, “That day when you were dancing, did you really stuff your clothes with steamed buns?”

Jiang Xiurun was stunned, and after a moment of thought, she understood what the Crown Prince meant.

She admitted to herself that she couldn’t keep up with the Crown Prince’s quick and unpredictable thoughts.

Kneeling down again, she softly said, “Your Highness, you know of my unruly nature. I am not fit to be a virtuous woman. If I were to pretend to be my sister, it would be just a title with no substance. I might unintentionally break the rules of the Crown Prince’s residence and tarnish your reputation…”

Feng Liwu nodded, finding her words reasonable.

He took a brush from the desk and motioned for Jiang Xiurun to grind the ink for him.

Then he took a piece of silk from a box and began writing.

While grinding the ink, Jiang Xiurun craned her neck to see what he was writing….Damn it, the Crown Prince of the Great Qi hadn’t even married her yet, and he was already setting rules!!

The first rule was that when she was dressed as a man, she had to keep her distance from other men and avoid any physical contact.

As for the second rule, she didn’t even bother reading further.

She didn’t dare say the Crown Prince was being too strict, so she cautiously reminded him, “Your Highness, this is only a temporary arrangement. There’s no need to be so serious. A year from now, you can use the excuse of Princess Yao having no children to send her away, and by then, you won’t need to be so cautious…”

Before she could finish speaking, the Crown Prince’s expression darkened.

He drawled, “Are you questioning my virility, Tutor?”

Jiang Xiurun thought to herself, “In your past life, you had no heirs and left nothing behind. How should I know what you’re capable of?”

But with her neck currently on the chopping block, this wasn’t the time to speak harshly.

She became even more submissive, saying, “Xiurun disguised herself like this because she didn’t want to be one of the palace concubines. Your Highness is virtuous and talented, admired by women all over the world. By then, you will have many women of different types surrounding you. Who would dare question your virility?”

Her tone was gentle, but her meaning was firm.

She subtly hinted that she only wanted to be in a fake marriage with the Crown Prince and had no desire to become his actual wife.

How could Feng Liwu not understand?

The eldest princess of the Bo state was euphemistically telling him that she did not want to really marry him.

His body stiffened, and his expression turned unpleasant.

Growing up in the cold palace had made Feng Liwu believe that if he gained supreme power, he could have everything—wealth, delicacies, and loyalty.

As for women, they were just attachments to power, insignificant and unimportant.

After all, as the Crown Prince of a powerful nation and the future Emperor of Great Qi, if he wanted a woman, wouldn’t she obediently submit and wait for his favor?

Especially when this lonely princess from a weak country was completely at his mercy, her life and death decided by him.

He thought she would be grateful and fawning as usual.

But this cat had the nerve to be ungrateful, subtly expressing her disdain.

She was like a pet that scratched its master when he wasn’t paying attention.

The princesses of stronger nations, Tian Ying and Cao Xi, wouldn’t dare to speak so boldly, insisting on being the main consort.

Feng Liwu admitted she had aroused feelings in him that he had never experienced before.

But no matter how much she caught his eye, she was still just a woman.

Though he was willing to spend time teasing her and providing her with shelter, that didn’t mean he would lose himself in infatuation and fall at the feet of a temptress.

Since she wasn’t willing to stay by his side peacefully, he wouldn’t be soft-hearted anymore.

He would just wait for the right moment and then throw her out of the residence to fend for herself.

With this thought, he coldly stood up and walked away.

Jiang Xiurun naturally wanted to follow closely behind, but after kneeling for so long to grind the ink, her legs were weak.

Moreover, she was wearing high wooden clogs to match her dress.

In her haste, she slipped and fell down the steps, spraining her ankle and hurting her back.

The pain was so intense she couldn’t straighten up.

Feng Liwu had been walking briskly but turned around when he heard the noise. He saw the princess of the Bo state, her hair disheveled, her red dress fluttering, lying at the foot of the stairs, unable to get up.

He frowned and quickly walked back, crouching down to help her up.

Seeing her face pale with pain, he reached out to lift her.

But when he touched her, Jiang Xiurun felt a sharp pain, and she realized she hadn’t changed back into her male disguise.

Biting her hand to stifle her cries, she didn’t want to alert the guards and risk revealing her secret.