"Sister Six, where are you running to? Are you feeling guilty?"
"So, I've hit the nail on the head, haven't I? You really did confess your love to Young Master Murong and got rejected. Hahaha, who would have thought that the noble Princess Yuanyang, the apple of Father Emperor's eye, would ever suffer such a setback.
This is truly interesting, even more interesting than the plays in the theater troupe!
Sister Six, Sister Six!"
Li Xinyue had endured it all the way. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, she raised her hand and slapped Li Xinrong hard.
Slap - it was quick, accurate, and merciless!
Li Xinrong covered half of her face with her hand and knelt on the ground. She stared at Li Xinyue with tear - filled eyes.
"I'm the legitimate princess! How dare you!"
However, when she looked around, she realized that they were standing behind a large ship.
The ship was taller than the city wall, blocking them completely. No one had noticed what had happened.
Realizing that she had suffered in silence, Li Xinrong's eyes burned with anger.
"Li Xinyue, you did this on purpose! You deliberately led me here and then hit me! You venomous woman!"
Li Xinrong got up angrily and tried to strike back, but Li Xinyue dodged by tilting her head and then grabbed her slender wrist.
Li Xinrong grimaced in pain.
Li Xinyue raised her eyebrows in satisfaction. It wasn't too late for her to realize it!
The Great Yan Dynasty had initiated the imperial examination to select talents.
The Qionglin Banquet and the Flower Banquet were combined and held on a ship.
She guessed that Father Emperor intended to marry the princesses into the families of common scholars and use them to break the power of the aristocratic families.
Regardless of the possibility, she was old enough to get married. Instead of waiting for Father Emperor or the Queen to arrange a marriage for her, she might as well find a good husband for herself.
But as soon as she got on the ship, she met Murong Xiu and Li Xinrong. Li Xinrong had been taunting her all the way. It was really commendable that she had managed to hold back her anger until now.
The spring breeze blew across her face, and her hair fluttered in the wind. Her bright and unruly eyes sparkled like the rippling lake. Gathering her thoughts, she turned to look at Li Xinrong, smiling like the gentle spring breeze in February, yet with a hint of coldness.
"Where did you hear that, Sister Fourteen? Did Murong Xiu tell you himself?
He told you even this. You two..." She deliberately paused, leaving the words unspoken.
Li Xinrong's face flushed red. But she was reluctant to let Murong Xiu's reputation be damaged. "A man as unparalleled as Young Master Murong would never say such things. But there must be some truth behind the rumors! Don't even think about denying it!"
"There's no such thing. What should I admit? Since you think there is, why don't you go and call Murong Xiu here? We can confront each other face - to - face.
I'm not afraid of a confrontation. Are you brave enough to call him?"
Li Xinrong was speechless for a moment. After a while, she stammered back, "Then why did you run? Why did you get off the ship as soon as you got on? Isn't it because you saw Murong Xiu on the ship and didn't know how to face him, so you ran away?"
"I get seasick. Is it a crime for me to go ashore and take a rest?"
Li Xinrong fell silent.
Li Xinyue showed a victorious smile, but her heart was touched by a painful memory. Her flying eyebrows trembled slightly, and her thoughts involuntarily drifted back to three months ago.
"Your Highness is as precious as gold. I'm not worthy of you." Murong Xiu bowed with cupped hands and then straightened up. He looked at her calmly, showing his determination.
She was slightly surprised. Two unnatural blushes appeared on her shy but pretended - calm face. Her gaze towards the distance became even more bright and unruly.
That was her last bit of stubbornness.
Her eyes turned back. She looked at him proudly, with a smile on her lips. "I was just joking. You are indeed not worthy of me."
Then she turned around and left. But she heard a voice from behind, "Maybe only a celestial being can be worthy of Your Highness."
She was stunned. She turned around and looked at this elegant and calm young master of the Great Yan Dynasty in disbelief.
He looked back at her indifferently, still unwavering in his heart.
She felt even more embarrassed.
It was rumored that Murong Xiu was gentle and modest, always leaving a way out for others when speaking and doing things. Why was she the exception? What did he mean!
Li Xinyue frowned slightly. When her peripheral vision caught sight of Murong Xiu, the smile on her lips became even more bright and unruly, like a plum blossom suddenly blooming in the cold winter.
"I, a noble princess, deserve a celestial being! As for you, the number - one young master of the Great Yan Dynasty, you may have to be beautiful alone. After all, a common woman doesn't have the courage to pursue the man the princess has her eyes on. Let's wait and see!"
"If I can't get married, you won't be able to marry either!"
Murong Xiu was stunned.
She turned around proudly. After she walked out of the door, the smile on her face gradually faded, and her back became more and more desolate.
After that, she went out to get drunk. In her drunken state, she did something extremely absurd.
That was the real reason she buried deep in her heart and wished she could forget.
She pinched the palm of her hand to steady her mind. Then she came back to her senses, gave Li Xinrong a cold look, and was about to turn around and get on the ship.
But just as she turned around, a figure unexpectedly caught her peripheral vision.
Sitting alone in the shadow where the forest on the shore and the ship overlapped, he was holding an old book in his hand. His figure was tall and straight, and he looked imposing. But his bright eyes were as cold as the winter in December.
Li Xinyue's heart skipped a beat. She looked at him in disbelief several times.
Then she exploded!
The memory buried deep in her heart completely resurfaced. Her soul seemed to have returned to three months ago.
"Murong Xiu! You'd better explain to this princess clearly. What on earth did I do to offend you? Why did you say such embarrassing things to me!"
She staggered drunkenly in the corridor of the inn, following someone's footsteps. When the person turned around to enter the room, she pressed him against the door panel and grabbed his collar tightly with her delicate hand.
"Burp~"
The words of accusation on the tip of her tongue were forgotten when she hiccupped.
Instead, she felt strange about the touch on her hand.
"Murong Xiu, what slimming pills did you take? Why have you become so thin in such a short time? It's as if you've become a different person. And you're so hot, like a big stove."
The man, "..."
"But it's so warm. Why are you so warm!" She rubbed her cheek against the man's face.
"Ugh~"
The man dodged in a hurry. But he couldn't just leave her alone, so he supported her.
As a result, Li Xinyue turned around and vomited all over him. Then she fell into his arms, and both of them were covered in something disgusting.
The man's face turned green.
But Li Xinyue was so drunk that she was completely unconscious. She didn't notice the man glaring at her with gritted teeth and then sighing helplessly. He raised his hand and gently patted the back of her head, trying to make her get up.
But Li Xinyue was dead drunk.
The man was stiff for a while. Finally, he had to pick her up horizontally. Then he asked the innkeeper's wife for help to change their clothes and clean the room.
But after drinking some sobering soup, Li Xinyue woke up half - dreamily. She started groping the man all over.
The man tried to push her away, but she clung to him tightly. Her fair legs not only dazzled his eyes but also disturbed his heart.
When she woke up the next day, Li Xinyue realized how absurd she had been last night.
Even more absurdly, she found some suspicious bite marks on the man's neck and body.
Instantly, she was wide awake. She didn't dare to think further. She threw a silver note and fled in a hurry.
She thought the matter would end there. But who would have thought that three months later, this man was standing in front of her again.
Moreover, judging from his eyes and expression, he had clearly been here for a long time. He might even have witnessed the whole conversation between her and Li Xinrong.
"Hey! Isn't this the number - one scholar? What are you doing here?"