It was true that at the very beginning, Qin Junxing's feelings for her might not have been completely pure. But she knew that when he finally decided to marry her, it must have been because of who she was.
He was such a proud man. He would never stoop to using his marriage as a deal. Moreover, now that he had avenged his great enmity, the Marquis of Dingguo's Mansion held no value for him to exploit.
Hearing Xie Fengran's evaluation of Qin Junxing, the Crown Prince's face darkened. Looking a bit hurt, he said, "In your heart, am I really the kind of person who would sacrifice my feelings for the throne?"
"Xie Fengran, when I told the Empress Dowager that I wanted to marry you, it was true that part of the reason was that you were the daughter of the Marquis of Dingguo. But I truly like you. Maybe I can't promise you to be with just one person for a lifetime, but I will give you all my love and care."
A young man's promise was always so sincere and passionate.
For the first time, Xie Fengran looked up and directly into the Crown Prince's eyes. She looked at this man whom she had used but never intended to marry seriously.
When the Crown Prince saw Xie Fengran looking at him, his expression brightened. But then he lowered his eyes, and his heart sank heavily.
She had never looked at him like this before. Every time, she would lower her head and eyes, never looking directly at him as a sign of respect.
But what he had always wanted was not her respect!
"Your Highness, perhaps in the past I deliberately or inadvertently used you to get out of my grandmother's control and go to the girls' academy. I'm here to say sorry to Your Highness. But I never gave Your Highness false hope. I have a clear conscience on this point."
Xie Fengran bowed deeply and said loudly, "This humble girl wishes Your Highness all your wishes come true and a fulfilling rest of your life!"
The Crown Prince closed his eyes. After a while, he said in a deep voice, "Get up!"
"This humble girl takes her leave!"
Xie Fengran didn't look at the Crown Prince again. She turned around and walked out.
When Zhuqing saw Xie Fengran coming out, she quickly stepped forward and helped her into the carriage.
"Miss, why did the Crown Prince invite you to this place? It's so remote and desolate. This is the first time this servant has known there is such a place in the capital."
Zhuqing lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and murmured.
Xie Fengran sighed. She lifted the curtain, took a look, then sat back and said, "He wanted to avoid Qin Junxing."
Actually, the Crown Prince had been doing his duty as the heir apparent diligently and had never done anything unreasonable.
He was not a bad person!
Rejecting someone was never something Xie Fengran was good at. But finally, she felt relieved.
Now she could properly deal with someone's problem!
Thinking of what Qin Junxing had said yesterday, Xie Fengran gritted her teeth slightly.
Don't think that just because he brought out the Princess Dowager, she would forgive him!
"Miss, something's wrong!"
At this time, the coachman let out a scream. "Ah, Miss, run!"
In a moment, there was no sound.
"Uncle Zhang..." Xie Fengran subconsciously wanted to get out and check, but was pushed back by Zhuqing. "Miss, sit still."
Zhuqing rushed out. She found that Uncle Zhang was just knocked out. She lifted him and put him aside, then looked at the people coming.
Near the imperial estate, there was no one in sight. Ordinary people didn't dare to come and disturb, which actually gave the thieves an opportunity.
There were a total of five people, all in black clothes, wrapped up so that only their eyes were showing.
Zhuqing narrowed her eyes and looked at the leader. This man's martial arts were no weaker than hers.
"Who are you? Do you know who's in the carriage?"
"Cut the crap. Grab the person. Alive." With that, they rushed forward.
"Miss, hold on tight." After saying that, Zhuqing took out a whip from her waist and whipped it hard on the carriage. The horse was in pain and rushed out all of a sudden.
The black - clothed men failed to stop it and turned around to chase.
"Your opponent is me."
It turned out that the moment the carriage rushed out, Zhuqing didn't follow it.
The black - clothed men were entangled and could only watch the carriage run further and further away!
On the other side, Xie Fengran rolled to a corner in the carriage. Listening to the sound of fighting getting farther and farther away, she knew that going back would only add to Zhuqing's trouble.
Gritting her teeth, she pulled out the hairpin on her head, climbed out, and stabbed the horse hard again.
The horse, which was about to stop, started galloping again. Xie Fengran was thrown back hard.
Listening to the noise in the front getting louder, she finally felt relieved in her heart.
But this relief didn't last long. The carriage stopped. The curtain was opened, and two people in servant clothes poked their heads in.
Xie Fengran had hit hard and hadn't recovered yet when she heard these two people say, "It's this one. Right?"
"Right, it's her. Knock her out and take her away!"
"Hey, no..."
Before Xie Fengran could finish speaking, she was knocked out and tied up.
The Second Prince's Mansion.
The Second Prince had been busy all night. Just as he was taking a nap at dawn, when he woke up, he heard the eunuch say that his aunt had returned.
He was so scared that he rolled off the bed and was about to go and pay his respects. Then he heard the eunuch continue that his aunt had gone to the Marquis of Dingguo's Mansion to propose marriage.
"Propose marriage? Are you sure you're not wrong?"
"Sure. The Prince has exchanged the betrothal cards with Miss Xie. It was the Grand Princess who personally took the matchmaker there!"
"He's really serious!" The Second Prince sat back.
He thought that his cousin just took a fancy to Xie Fengran and wanted to get this girl. After all, he often did such things. He never thought that his cousin was really going to marry her!
He even had someone follow Xie Fengran, planning to find an opportunity to bring the girl to his cousin's bed!
Thinking of this, the Second Prince slapped his forehead. "No. Go and call back the people who were following Xie Fengran!"
The eunuch also remembered. He was the one who had arranged this matter and knew its importance. He rushed out quickly.
But before he could order someone to call them back, he saw the two people he had sent come back with a sack on their backs.
He was stunned for a moment. "I was just about to look for you. You're back already? Did it...?"
"Eunuch Yan, we've caught the person you wanted for you!"
"Right."
These two people put down the sack, looking eager for a reward.
Eunuch Yan was stunned. "What did you say?"
The leader pointed to the sack. "The daughter of the Marquis of Dingguo. We've caught her!"
Eunuch Yan: "..."
Oh no!
Half an hour later, Xie Fengran was sitting in the main hall of the Second Prince's Mansion, drinking tea. The Second Prince, dressed sloppily in a regular robe, said to Xie Fengran flatteringly, "Miss Xie, this is all a misunderstanding. I've already sent the guards out to rescue your maid. Don't worry. We'll definitely rescue her for you."
Xie Fengran put down the teacup and gave the Second Prince a charming smile. "Then I'll thank the Second Prince. Please also inform Qin Junxing. I'll wait for him to take me back."
The Second Prince felt bitter in his mouth. "Miss Xie, this is just a small matter. There's no need to trouble my cousin, right!"
"If I walk out of Your Highness's mansion, do you think this is a small matter?" Xie Fengran raised her eyebrows. "Or have you already thought about how to explain this to Qin Junxing afterwards?"
The Second Prince was aggrieved. Didn't he just want this girl to let it go since he hadn't thought of a good way? He didn't expect this girl to be so unyielding!
"This... Yan Li, go and inform my cousin!"
"Then I'll thank Your Highness!" After Xie Fengran said that, she explained further, "I was chased and killed today. Although I know it wasn't done by Your Highness, I will surely not let the real culprit behind this go. I think Qin Junxing has the same thought as me. So Your Highness had better inform Qin Junxing as soon as possible!"
The Second Prince thought about it. It was indeed the case. He knew he couldn't escape this matter!
So he just accepted his fate and started thinking about how to make his cousin not take it out on him later.
Qin Junxing came very quickly. The Crown Prince and Zhuqing, covered in blood, came with him.
Xie Fengran was so scared that she rushed over quickly. "Zhuqing, are you okay?"
Zhuqing felt warm in her heart. She touched her nose a bit shyly. "Miss, I'm okay. This is all other people's blood!"
When Qin Junxing saw Xie Fengran, the worry in his heart finally disappeared. He let out a sigh of relief. When he saw that her hair was in a mess and there was a red swelling on her forehead, his eyes turned cold. He looked at the Second Prince.
The Second Prince trembled in his heart. He quickly showed his loyalty. "Cousin, this wasn't done by me. Miss Xie was rescued by the servants in my mansion!"
Hearing him say this, Xie Fengran turned back and glanced at him. Just as she met the Second Prince's pleading eyes, she nodded with a bit of amusement. "Right."
"Why is the Crown Prince here...?" Xie Fengran looked at Qin Junxing, not understanding how these two people had met.
Zhuqing came out to explain. "The place where we had an accident was not far from the imperial estate. It was His Highness the Crown Prince who rescued this servant. He just happened to meet the guards from the Second Prince's mansion. So we rushed here. And we met the Prince at the door!"
Xie Fengran understood. She bowed solemnly to the Crown Prince. "Thank you, Your Highness."
The Crown Prince stepped aside to avoid this bow. "Miss, you don't need to be so polite. After all, it was because of me." After saying that, he looked at Qin Junxing. "Cousin, rest assured. I will surely not let the culprit behind this go."
Qin Junxing looked over. He pulled Xie Fengran closer to him and then said, "It's better for Mother to handle this matter. It's not appropriate for you to get involved. You just need to send the people you've captured to His Majesty and tell him the situation truthfully."
A look of sadness flashed in the Crown Prince's eyes. He nodded. "I'll take my leave first!"
Suddenly, there were only three people left in the yard. The Second Prince was waiting for judgment miserably. Unexpectedly, Qin Junxing didn't even look at him. He led Xie Fengran out of the door.
Zhuqing was sensible enough to follow behind the two of them. She had good ears. Listening to their conversation, she was stuffed with a whole belly of sweet nothings.
"You must have been really scared today!"
"Yes, I was so scared. But I didn't expect that my first thought was of you."
"That's because you have me in your heart. Admit it. You like me."
"Your Highness, is there something you haven't explained properly yet?"
"Cough, I'll explain everything after you marry me. Okay?"
"No!"
"Then will you marry me?"
"Will... I guess I will!"
"No, say it again!"
"I will. I will marry you!"