"Put me down."
Not long after they left the banquet, Yun Xi struggled to get out of Qi Rong's arms.
But Qi Rong seemed to turn a deaf ear. With a solemn face, he stared straight ahead and continued striding forward.
"I said put me down!"
Yun Xi was annoyed. She cupped Qi Rong's face with both hands and turned it towards her angry visage.
"Why are you still angry?"
Seeing Yun Xi all riled up, Qi Rong raised his eyebrows and asked knowingly.
"How could I not be angry? Why did you tell everyone that we're engaged?!"
It was okay when he acted recklessly in front of the crowd on the street before, but this was the imperial palace, and they were facing the emperor, the Son of Heaven!
"Deceiving the emperor is a capital offense!"
Yun Xi was truly furious. Unable to hold back any longer, she pounded hard on Qi Rong's chest twice, only to hurt her own hands.
But the man remained calm, as if she was just tickling him!
Yun Xi was on the verge of tears. Qi Rong, with a solemn face, spoke in a calm tone:
"Do you prefer to enter the palace and become his concubine rather than marry me?"
Since the Lantern Festival, he thought he had made his feelings for her clear enough. But unexpectedly, she still repelled their relationship so much, which made him angry.
In a cold and sarcastic tone, he deliberately taunted Yun Xi:
"If you resent me for ruining your bright future and hindering your path to glory and wealth, I'll go to Qi Hong right now to clarify things for you. Whether it's beheading or dismembering, I'll take all the blame!"
Hearing Qi Rong dare to call the emperor by his name in the palace, Yun Xi's pupils constricted. She quickly covered his mouth and cautiously glanced around.
Seeing no one else around, she let out a sigh of relief. Then, frowning, she rolled her eyes at him and said:
"Of course not!"
The emperor was old enough to be her father. She didn't care about that so - called glory and wealth!
Qi Rong clearly knew she didn't think that way, but he still said such disgusting things. She suspected he deliberately wanted to pick a fight!
Thinking of his words about taking all the blame, Yun Xi got even angrier.
Grasping his ears with both hands and pulling them back, she said aggrievedly:
"If I wasn't afraid you'd be killed just now, why would I stick my finger down my throat and make myself vomit?!"
She was so afraid that Qi Rong would be killed just now, even more afraid than if she were to be chosen to enter the palace!
So she tried to make a fool of herself in front of everyone, hoping the emperor would lose interest in her.
"By yourself?"
Qi Rong's expression softened a bit. His dark eyes fixed on Yun Xi's little face.
He thought she reacted that way because she was scared, but he didn't expect she did it to save him.
"If you don't believe me, look for yourself!"
Yun Xi glared at him and opened her mouth to show him the cut on the roof of her mouth that she got in her hurry.
It still ached faintly.
Looking at the shallow wound, Qi Rong suddenly froze. The gloom that had hung over him for days seemed to disappear in an instant. A hint of pity welled up in his eyes.
Just as he was about to say something, thinking of his elder brother's former secret guard, Nightingale, a shrill voice came from behind:
"You bad guy! Let Yun Xi go quickly! She's going to be my sister - in - law in the future!"
The coldness on Qi Rong's face had just melted away, but after hearing Zhen Bao's words, it instantly froze again. Ice flashed in his eyes, and a chill emanated from his body.
Yun Xi couldn't help shivering. Then, covering her face, she groaned:
Zhen Bao, you really know how to hit a sore spot! The fur she had just managed to smooth out was all ruffled again!
"Who's sister - in - law did you say she is?"
Qi Rong's tone was extremely cold. Yun Xi felt like she was walking on thin ice. She wanted to get out of his arms, but Qi Rong held her tightly like a rock, his arms like iron clamps.
Yun Xi smiled bitterly in her heart, but put on a smile on her face. She gently patted his shoulder:
"It's a misunderstanding. There's no such thing."
Yun Xi coaxed him nicely because she knew exactly what kind of a jealous man he was.
The Zhen family had already hurt two of their brothers. She didn't want to hurt two more. She would feel too ashamed to face Lady Zhen in the future!
But as soon as she finished speaking, Zhen Bao immediately undermined her:
"How could there not be! Yun Xi, have you forgotten? I just told you a few days ago that my third brother is going to propose marriage to you at the prime minister's mansion!
Her third brother had secretly bribed her with a lot of nice things, asking her to speak well of him in front of Yun Xi.
So now that her third brother was injured at home, she felt it was her duty to protect Yun Xi from this bad guy who might steal her away!
"Someone is going to propose marriage to you at the prime minister's mansion?"
Qi Rong narrowed his eyes. His expression was half - smile, half - sneer, exuding a hint of danger.
Under Qi Rong's smile, Yun Xi felt her scalp tingle. She couldn't help but think of the Tiger Grandma story Yu Zhu told her when she was a child.
He was more terrifying when he smiled like this than when he didn't!
"No, I've already said it's a misunderstanding!"
She quickly waved her hands and looked at Zhen Si and Zhen Wu behind Zhen Bao for help.
The twin brothers of the Zhen family also knew how ruthless Qi Rong was. Just now, this man had openly defied the emperor. He was definitely not someone they could afford to provoke!
The two immediately understood and stepped forward to pull their sister, but unexpectedly, Zhen Bao broke free from them.
Even though she was very afraid of Qi Rong in her heart, she still put her hands on her hips and bluffed:
"My mother said that as soon as Yun Xi and my third brother fall in love with each other, our Zhen family will immediately go to the prime minister's mansion to propose marriage!"
Zhen Bao thought this was a make - or - break moment and must not compromise with the bad guy! Otherwise, she might lose her lifelong friend!
"Fall in love with each other?"
Qi Rong was so angry that he laughed. His eyes fixed directly on Yun Xi's guilty face. He gently lifted her delicate chin with his long finger:
"Haven't you told her that we're already in love with each other?"
Yun Xi was stunned. She felt a bit nervous under his gaze. But Qi Rong's eyes were burning with a malicious smile. He whispered in her ear:
"Or do you want me to tell them what happened after the Lantern Festival, or even what happened on the mountain? My lady."
Hearing this, Yun Xi's face suddenly turned red. How could this man be so despicable?!
Zhen Bao was so innocent. If she knew that she had been molested by this scoundrel many times and had pretended to be his wife for several days in the same bed, Yun Xi didn't know how disappointed she would be!
Once it got out, she would surely be tied to this scoundrel for the rest of her life!
"Yun Xi, he's lying, right? You can't possibly like him!"
Zhen Bao was not convinced. She rushed forward and tried to pull Yun Xi's arm.
"Don't be afraid. My brothers are here. They won't let him bully you!"
As Zhen Bao said this, her two brothers immediately glanced at each other, looking helpless. None of them dared to step forward and fight against Qi Rong.
Looking back at her two useless brothers, Zhen Bao roared:
"Are you still men? I'll tell mother to punish you when we get back!"
Seeing that a fight was about to break out, Yun Xi closed her eyes. Finally, she gave up her inner resistance and admitted:
"We are in love!"
Yun Xi was on the verge of tears. She almost gritted her silver teeth and decided to join forces with this scoundrel for the time being!