Li Xinyue rubbed her scalp and shot him an annoyed sidelong glance. But then she remembered what had just been said and instantly broke into a smile.
"That means Murong Xiu knew I was going to confess my love to him all along, and he still showed up for the date. This proves that he really does like me!"
No wonder he had asked so many questions yesterday. He had sounded so insecure. She had thought those were words she should be saying.
It turned out that he was afraid she didn't love him, so he wanted to confirm her feelings first.
In other words, he had fallen for her.
Li Xinyue's eyes lit up, and she even felt her cold was getting better.
"Li Xinyue!" Chu Junyi was so angry that he tightened his handkerchief. The once smooth and flat handkerchief was now wrinkled by his grip, as if it would fall apart at any moment. The veins on his wrist were bulging as if they were about to burst out of his skin.
"Don't forget what you promised me. You said you'd give me a chance!"
"I did say that, but I never said that just because I gave you a chance, I'd definitely fall in love with you!"
Chu Junyi fell silent, but his whole face darkened.
Li Xinyue swallowed nervously. She looked at him tensely and instinctively tightened the blanket around her.
"Chu Junyi, I... I probably can't keep my promise to you.
You're right. If you don't make a clean break, you'll surely suffer.
So I..."
She raised her eyes and turned to look at him. But what she saw first was his kiss, which suddenly landed on her lips.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively dodged backward.
Chu Junyi threw away the handkerchief in his hand, grabbed the back of her head, and pulled her back, biting down hard.
Li Xinyue let out a pained cry, but then he took over her mouth, and it felt like he was about to swallow her tongue.
Her mind was in a whirl. Her hands under the blanket tightened on the armrests. She gasped for breath, but his kiss only deepened.
"Chu... mm..."
Chu Junyi greedily sucked on her sweetness, as if he wanted to devour her whole.
Li Xinyue felt like there was a fire burning inside her. As the blood flowed, the fire spread throughout her body. Her already feverish body due to the cold became even hotter.
"Chu Junyi!" Taking advantage of his moment of breathing, she finally got a chance to speak, but her words were quickly silenced again.
"Make a clean break with him, not me!"
Li Xinyue's heart was pounding like a drum, and her mind was in a complete mess.
Chu Junyi put his arm around her and pulled her from the armchair onto his lap. The blanket slipped off her body, and she felt a sudden chill.
His big hands wrapped around her waist and slipped into her open inner garment, pinching the peony flower on her bellyband.
Li Xinyue was about to explode. She stiffly turned her head and then quickly turned it back. Her cheeks were flushed red. "Chu Junyi, you're overstepping your bounds! I can have you dragged out and beaten to death right now!"
Chu Junyi let out a chuckle. "Your Highness, why are you still refusing to face your own feelings? If you didn't have feelings for me, you would have slapped me already. How could you let me kiss you?"
Li Xinyue's mind became even more confused.
"It's because..."
"Because of what?"
"Because..."
"Go on." Chu Junyi lowered his eyes and stared at the back of her head. He watched as her long hair, like a waterfall, clung to his front. The strong scent of saponin mixed with the fragrance of flowers filled his nostrils.
"Because you're good-looking, okay?" Li Xinyue decided to throw caution to the wind and answer this question.
As long as she wasn't shy, it wouldn't be her who was embarrassed.
If she didn't answer, she would lose, and she would never be able to hold her head up again.
To make this answer seem more reasonable, Li Xinyue felt it was necessary to explain further.
"It's actually nothing! I'm just a normal woman, not a saint. It's not strange to have such thoughts, right? But this isn't love. True love is..."
"If Your Highness insists on misinterpreting this love as a physical need, then I have nothing more to say. As long as you're happy."
He let go of her.
Li Xinyue felt a sinking feeling in her heart, and she couldn't describe the feeling.
When she came to her senses, he had already left the room. With a leap, he disappeared without a trace.
She turned back to look at the unfolded piece of paper on the table. She suddenly became curious about what he had been drawing.
Li Xinyue walked closer and saw a half - length portrait of herself on the paper.
Every frown and smile was so bright and bold that even she was a little smitten.
So, that night, she couldn't sleep again.
"Make way, make way!"
"Excuse me, excuse me!"
The next day, the case of the Fu family, which had been pending for months, was finally judged, and the criminals were immediately taken to the execution ground.
The streets were crowded with people. Everyone knew that during his tenure as the magistrate of Jiangnan, Fu Tonghuai had embezzled, bribed, oppressed the good, and exploited the people. The downfall of the Fu family had also implicated a large number of high - ranking officials in the capital.
Due to the seriousness of the case and the wide range of involvements, the case had almost been dropped when it was submitted to the capital. It was only with great difficulty that it was reopened, but there was still a lot of pressure. It had taken months for the case to finally come to an end.
The people finally felt relieved, and they angrily threw rotten eggs at the prison cart.
"Pah! Make way, make way!"
"Sister - in - law, please aim better. Don't hurt the innocent!" The jailers escorting the prison cart were in a sorry state.
On the prison cart, Fu Tonghuai looked up at the sky, his heart as dead as ashes.
The plan must have failed.
The jailer hadn't returned, and Yuanyang hadn't come either. It seemed that he couldn't escape this disaster.
"Woo... woo..." In another prison cart, Fu Tonghuai's beautiful concubine was crying her heart out. She had so much grievance and pain to say, but she couldn't because her mouth was gagged.
She just looked at Fu Tonghuai with teary eyes.
Why had she offered herself to the jailer? Why had she been so humble, but still, God wouldn't give her a way out?
Fu Tonghuai was too ashamed to look at her.
The prison cart swayed and finally arrived at the execution ground.
The executioner tilted his head and took a swig of wine, then spat it out on his shiny big knife.
The on - looking crowd was so scared that they covered their faces with their sleeves, already imagining the scene of the head rolling on the ground.
The supervisor of the execution, Chu Junyi, was wearing a brand - new official robe. He unfolded the case file and read out this case that had been pending for months again. Then he waited for the execution time.
In the princess's mansion, Li Xinyue was reclining on the hibiscus couch. She was drinking the medicine while making her final struggle.
Should she save them or not?
If she saved them, she would surely be doomed!
If she didn't save them, she would really lose the only chance to find out the real culprit who had framed her mother!
She had already convinced herself to give up, but once certain thoughts were re - awakened, they were hard to let go of. She was afraid that if she gave up now, she would regret it in the future.
"Your Highness, you've endured for several months. You're almost there. You can't let it all go to waste!"
Hongxiu and Jingbai were guarding the door, afraid that Her Highness might do something stupid like saving the criminals. If that happened, it would be all over.
She and His Majesty had finally reconciled as father and daughter. They couldn't let this dirty Fu family ruin everything again.
"Prin, prin, Princess!" A flustered sound of footsteps came from the front yard. Lian'er was out of breath. She coughed and said, "Guess who the supervisor of the execution is?"
"Chu Junyi!"
Lian'er was stunned. "Your Highness, you haven't even left the mansion, yet you already know!"
Li Xinyue lifted her eyelids and gave the three of them a look that seemed to say "Is it really that hard to guess?"
But when the words "Chu Junyi" came out of her mouth, her heart clearly skipped a beat. His words from last night echoed in her mind one by one.
Li Xinyue steadied her mind and said, "The case of the Fu family involves a wide range of people, including many noble families in the capital.
When the case was being investigated, many people tried to shirk their responsibilities. Now, when it comes to the execution, they're trying to avoid it as much as possible.
The only one with a clean background and no ties is this poor - family scholar who became the top scorer in the imperial examination.
If it's not him who goes to supervise the execution, then who else?
Father surely wouldn't let the only poor - family talent sit idle."
The three of them nodded, finally understanding.