Chu Junyi bit his lip. There were emotions swirling in his slightly lowered eyes. The entanglement and excitement in his chest were like a volcanic eruption. His heart was beating beyond its limits time and time again, and the wind blowing on him fanned the flames of passion.
His ears turned slightly red. "I..."
Li Xinyue pricked up her ears to listen.
Chu Junyi looked up. His side - vision swept over the corpses. He paused for a moment and then remembered another important matter. If it hadn't been for the critical situation just now when there was no time to explain, he would have said it earlier.
So, with a scowl on his face, he scolded loudly, "Risking your life for such people. Are you out of your mind? Where are the guards of the Princess Mansion?
When are they going to protect you if not now? When you're buried?"
Li Xinyue was shocked. Her gaze shifted from the fluttering ribbon on the side of his face. She was so agitated that she almost swore!
She had done all the mental preparation. Her face had flushed, her heart had started to race, and the atmosphere had been built up to this point. And this was what she got to hear?
Who on earth was out of their mind!
However, the atmosphere did become more normal, and the tension faded.
She shifted her gaze. She looked at the corpses and then in the direction where the young marquis had gone.
This guy wouldn't mess things up on such a trivial matter, would he?
Chu Junyi saw that she didn't seem to be listening at all. It was as if disrespect was written all over her face.
He got even angrier!
He must have been crazy to almost say that to her. Fortunately, he didn't. Otherwise, it would have been a waste of his feelings.
Moreover, he had said before he came that he would never do it unless he went blind!
So, he mustn't go back on his words!
Therefore, while waiting for the young marquis and the people from the Supreme Court of Justice to arrive, Chu Junyi and Li Xinyue quarreled like two kids on the street.
In the end, Li Xinyue shouted, "What do you know! Do you think a princess can live a life of luxury and wealth until old age?
Do you think only people from poor families have a hard life? The intrigue among the upper - class aristocrats is beyond your imagination!"
She took a deep breath in excitement. She wanted to explain things to him in detail, but then she thought, "Forget it. It's useless to talk to you!"
Chu Junyi's face turned green. He hated it most when people talked halfway. If you had the guts, don't say anything at all!
Li Xinyue calmed down. Seeing a tiny wound on his face, she felt guilty and said, "You're injured. How about I bandage it for you?"
"I don't need your kindness!"
"Fine then!" Li Xinyue said with a cold face and turned around to leave.
Chu Junyi watched her walking away without looking back. The anger in his heart flared up.
"Come back!"
Why did he let her go? He got injured because of her. Shouldn't she be responsible?
Half an hour later...
Li Xinyue stood in front of the shabby rental house, stunned.
The anger in her heart was caught off - guard by the dense mold spots and the traces of the removed stove in front of her.
She didn't know what kind of expression to put on. Seeing Chu Junyi, who seemed used to it, calmly taking out the ointment from the bookshelf, she asked with a complicated mood, "I remember you used to stay in an inn. Why did you change?
And I gave you 500 taels. Isn't that enough for you to buy a small mansion?
This doesn't seem to be a bedroom." It clearly looked like a kitchen.
It was obvious that the greedy landlord had converted the abandoned kitchen into a bedroom to make more money.
Just thinking about living here made her scalp tingle and gave her goosebumps.
Chu Junyi glanced at the person hesitating at the door and then turned back. He unscrewed the lid of the copper jar with the ointment and said, "The inn is too expensive. I have to live simply. Besides, one should not show off one's wealth. I'm from a poor family. If I were to spend lavishly right from the start, what would others think?"
Li Xinyue twitched her lips. "But you don't have to treat yourself so badly, do you?"
"Badly? This kind of life is very common among ordinary people. See, there's a bed over there. An old man who does physical labor lives there. He doesn't think it's bad."
Li Xinyue had nothing to say.
"Then since that's the case, give my money back!"
Chu Junyi paused in his actions. The corner of his mouth curled up. "I earned it by my own ability. Why should I give it back? Unless you give back my innocence!"
Li Xinyue said, "… What do you mean? You seem so proud! Didn't you think I was humiliating you before? Why have you changed in just a few days!
Are you just after my money!"
That wouldn't do. She had already apologized. He shouldn't take her money anymore.
Since he took her money, it meant he had accepted the deal of money for favors.
But what was this guy up to now? Was he trying to blackmail her?
Li Xinyue was so angry that she rushed in, determined to grab the money.
Chu Junyi dodged to the side.
Li Xinyue tried to grab it again.
Chu Junyi dodged again.
In the quiet night, the dim candlelight shone on their figures, casting shadows on the wall as they fought and tugged with each other.
Chu Junyi looked down at Li Xinyue, who was jumping up and down because she wasn't tall enough. She looked just like an angry cat, arching its back and showing its claws as it pounced on its owner.
Looking at her like this, she seemed quite cute!
Li Xinyue suddenly didn't want to do such a stupid thing anymore. Because she found that the more she jumped around, the happier the other person seemed. So she stopped jumping.
She had an idea. She made a feint first to lure the enemy and then swept his legs to counter - attack.
Chu Junyi staggered and fell backward. Taking advantage of the situation, he grabbed her sleeve.
Li Xinyue was also pulled down. Her heart skipped a beat. Before she could react, she fell on top of Chu Junyi. Chu Junyi's back hit the table, and he let out a pained groan.
Li Xinyue trembled slightly and came to her senses.
Both of them were stunned. The charming scene of that night resurfaced in their minds.
Li Xinyue seemed to remember that before she passed out, she had also pressed him on the table like this. She had grabbed his two hands with one hand and done something with the other.
I have to say that the firm and resilient touch was really good. She seemed to be a bit reluctant to let go?
Thinking of this, her old face flushed. She couldn't help but take a peek into his collar.
She sighed in her heart.
If he were from an ordinary aristocratic family, with his looks and figure, she would definitely marry him.
But he was from a poor family. The emperor already intended to use people from poor families to break the power of the noble families. Marrying him would be too risky.
So, after much consideration, Xia Chengjie was the only candidate.
The Changping Marquis Mansion was far in the northwest. His grandmother was Princess Dongping, the younger sister of Emperor Renzong.
After Princess Dongping and the old marquis passed away, the marquis mansion declined, but the title still remained.
So, such a marquis mansion could stay out of the complicated political struggles in the court and still enjoy prosperity and wealth forever.
In her current situation, he was indeed the best choice.
Li Xinyue nodded thoughtfully.
Chu Junyi could already see from her eyes that her mind was wandering. For some reason, he felt angry again. He pushed her away.
Li Xinyue thought this guy was being unreasonable.
At the same time, the young Marquis Xia had already led the people from the Supreme Court of Justice towards the gambling house. On the way, Lu'er had also escaped and joined the young Marquis Xia.
Lu'er said that it was the young marquis and the princess who had distracted the people in the gambling house that he had a chance to escape.
Lu'er thought that in this unfamiliar land of the capital city, the princess had come to rescue his master, which meant that the princess might have feelings for his master.
His master should consider marrying the princess.
The young Marquis Xia was so scared that his hair stood on end. "Marry her? You haven't seen the way this woman kills. It's as easy as cutting vegetables. If I marry her, my future days will be filled with domestic violence. How could you bear to see me being tortured!"