son, don't mess around

"Miss, have you heard?"

It was evening again, in the inner courtyard of the Zhao residence.

Xiaoyue walked briskly into the courtyard, came to her mistress's side, and excitedly told her about the interesting things that had happened in the capital over the past two days.

"Miss, do you remember Hu Yao? I heard she was assassinated last night and her whereabouts are still unknown..."

Xiaoyue spoke excitedly, her eyebrows dancing with delight.

Inside the courtyard, under the eaves.

Zhao Xi leaned against the railing, feeling utterly bored.

The weather in late autumn finally turned cold. She wore a long, thick dress with a white mink coat draped over her shoulders, and her demeanor was captivating.

Especially her delicate, fair face, which has shed its former immaturity and gained a more mature and charming look.

Xiaoyue wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that her young mistress had changed a lot. It wasn't so much a change in appearance, but rather a shift in her demeanor.

Is this the rumored path of change that comes with becoming a woman?

Xiaoyue sighed inwardly.

With the sudden drop in temperature these past two days, Miss Zhao, who usually prefers to go barefoot, wore embroidered shoes today, wrapped in a pair of silk stockings, vaguely revealing a section of her snow-white calves.

That makes it even more tempting!
At this moment, listening to Xiaoyue's excited chatter and hearing her mention Hu Yao, Zhao Xi slightly raised her eyes, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes: "Assassination?"

"what happened?"

Xiaoyue then told her mistress the news she had heard from outside.

News of the assassination attempt on the eldest daughter of the Hu family quickly spread throughout the capital. It was said that not only the Secret Observatory was alarmed, but even the Emperor in the palace was alerted, and he ordered a thorough investigation into the matter.

To this day, the whereabouts of the eldest daughter of the Hu family remain unknown, her fate uncertain, causing a great uproar in the capital. Who on earth dares to so brazenly lay a hand on the eldest daughter of a prestigious family!

Of course, if that were all, Xiaoyue wouldn't be so concerned about this matter, much less excited, and even... her mood would become very pleasant.

The more important reason, of course, is that Xiaoyue has no good feelings towards Hu Yao!

They even had conflicts and grudges.

Xiaoyue was well aware that the eldest daughter of the Hu family had always been at odds with her young mistress. To be precise, it was the eldest daughter of the Hu family who harbored hostility towards her young mistress.

As for their young mistress, she didn't even bother to acknowledge the other party.

The young lady has rarely gone out in the past six months and has basically never shown her face in public. But that can't stop the Hu family's young lady from belittling her.

Xiaoyue didn't have much interaction with Hu Yao; she had only met her twice before when she was with her mistress. At that time, Xiaoyue sensed that Hu Yao harbored deep hostility towards her mistress.

Later, I heard that Hu Yao was openly and subtly putting down my young lady in various public occasions in the capital. Although she didn't say it outright, the meaning was very clear.

Hu Yao used the opportunity of belittling her mistress to elevate her own status. Meanwhile, during the past six months when her mistress had kept a low profile, Xiaoyue had heard that Hu Yao was being praised outside as the number one talented woman in the capital.

This infuriated Xiaoyue. Her young mistress had such a good temper, and this girl was taking advantage of her kindness.

Every time Xiaoyue angrily told her mistress about these things, Zhao Xi seemed quite indifferent. To be precise, she didn't care at all.

The gap between the Hu family and the Zhao family is huge, and they are not comparable at all. As the daughter of Prime Minister Zhao, Zhao Xi naturally wouldn't take these rumors to heart.

She knew of Hu Yao's existence, but didn't take it seriously!

But Xiaoyue was different. She had always kept Hu Yao in her heart. Now, after learning that Hu Yao had been assassinated and was missing, Xiaoyue felt that heaven had eyes and she felt a great sense of satisfaction.

She wasn't a young lady, and she didn't have the same magnanimity. Whoever bullied a young lady, she would curse them!

"Whereabouts unknown?"

After listening to Xiaoyue's words, Zhao Xi seemed to be deep in thought.

She did remember Hu Yao; she had seen her at several gatherings in Beijing, but they had never crossed paths.

Zhao Xi could naturally sense the hostility Hu Yao was showing her, but she didn't take it to heart. As the daughter of Prime Minister Zhao, Zhao Xi had seen this kind of thing many times since she was a child.

Especially in the past few years when she made a name for herself in Beijing, she had met countless people of all kinds, and Hu Yao was just an insignificant one among them.

I've heard that the Hu family has a very large business empire and is a typical business family. Such a family might be able to establish a considerable influence in other places, but in a place like the capital, they can only be considered barely respectable.

In that case, how could the Hu family have attracted assassins?
Where did this assassin come from, brazenly attempting to assassinate the eldest daughter of the Hu family, challenging the authority of the imperial court and the Secret Observatory?
Moreover, it was Hu Yao who was assassinated, not anyone else from the Hu family.
This is indeed somewhat unusual.

Zhao Xi sensed that something was amiss, but she didn't figure it out or continue to ponder it. She glanced at the sky; it was dusk, and darkness was approaching.

The courtyard was quiet and somewhat lonely.

Xiaoyue, who had been chatting enthusiastically with her mistress, suddenly noticed that her mistress seemed lost in thought. Realizing something, Xiaoyue moved closer and said with a grin, "Miss, are you thinking about His Highness again?"

"Damn girl!"

Hearing this, Zhao Xi rolled her eyes at her and said irritably, "Are you talking nonsense again?"

"This servant did not."

Xiaoyue said matter-of-factly, "Miss, you must be thinking about His Highness. He didn't come back yesterday, and we don't even know if he'll be back today!"

Xiaoyue remembered that when His Highness left, he said he had to go out to take care of some business and was unsure when he would return.

Judging from this situation, my young lady will be spending her days alone again.

Your Highness is really something. How could you just leave like this at a time like this, leaving Miss all alone?

unacceptable!

Hearing Xiaoyue's mutterings, Zhao Xi naturally glared at her in annoyance. However, she did feel a bit emotional.

That bastard really just left like that?
Although that scoundrel's departure gave Zhao Xi enough time to calm down and think carefully about the relationship between the two of them.

After two days of calming down following that night, Zhao Xi finally accepted the truth with composure after gradually processing what had happened.

She would no longer run away like she did that night. She could even face Lin Jiangnian calmly if he appeared before her.

But that bastard hasn't come back after two days?

Could they have abandoned her here?
As this thought arose, Zhao Xi became even more anxious and uncertain.

After all, she had just slept with him, and he ran away and wouldn't come back... Could it be that he was planning to take advantage of her and run away?

Although she knew that the scoundrel was definitely not that kind of person, Zhao Xi couldn't help but overthink things.

These past two days, she's been thinking about all sorts of random things.

As a very rational person, Zhao Xi found it hard to imagine that this was something she could do.

In the past, Zhao Xi never thought she would become so conflicted. But now, she has actually become the kind of person she used to hate the most.

"Ugh!"

Zhao Xi sighed silently.

Looking up, she saw Xiaoyue standing to the side, looking at her with a happy smile.

"dare you laugh?!"

Zhao Xi immediately rolled up her sleeves, intending to teach this outspoken little maid a lesson. She was outrageous; this brat Xiao Yue had been teasing her every day.

Xiaoyue quickly retreated, pleading, "Miss, please don't! I was wrong, I won't do it again..."

"Stop!"

"Miss, I was wrong, sob sob..."

"..."

After catching Xiaoyue and giving her a good spanking, Zhao Xi vented his anger and then let her go.

Xiaoyue, clutching her bottom, looked utterly wronged, like she'd been bullied by her 'evil master'. "Go cool off somewhere else!"

Zhao Xi waved her hand, shooing her away.

"Oh."

Xiaoyue spoke up, feeling wronged, and left the courtyard, clutching her bottom.

snort!
The young lady is definitely taking her anger out on me on purpose!

It's all His Highness's fault!
The young lady now looks exactly like a wronged woman who has been abandoned. She can't see His Highness, so she takes out her anger on him.

Poor me.

Xiaoyue muttered to herself as she walked out of the courtyard. She had only taken a couple of steps when she bumped into a figure.

"What are you muttering about?"

Startled by the sudden sound, Xiaoyue looked up, her face filled with astonishment: "Your Highness?!"

"You heard you talking bad about me from a long distance?"

Lin Jiangnian crossed his arms, a half-smile playing on his lips.

"No, no..."

Xiaoyue hurriedly waved her hands, looking guilty and pitiful, and said, "This servant wouldn't dare..."

"is it?"

Lin Jiangnian looked at her and asked, "Then why do you look so guilty?"

"me……"

Xiaoyue hadn't expected to bump into the young prince, and she was even more afraid that her mutterings had been overheard. She'd just been spanked by her mistress; would the prince come and spank her too?
As soon as this thought crossed Xiaoyue's face, it turned even redder!

A sliver of anticipation even stirred within me!
Xiaoyue quickly shook her head and waved her hands, saying, "I, I didn't... Your Highness, why are you back?"

Xiaoyue, quick-witted, immediately changed the subject: "Your Highness, Miss is waiting for you... Miss missed you very much these past two days while you were away!"

"Oh?"

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Lin Jiangnian raised an eyebrow: "She misses me a lot?"

"No, that's right!"

Xiaoyue said with certainty, "In the two days since Your Highness left, Miss has been sitting alone in the courtyard, lost in thought, and occasionally she would secretly giggle... I'm sure Miss is thinking of Your Highness."

"Your Highness, you haven't been back for the past two days, and Miss has been in a bad mood. She even indulged me just now... Your Highness, please go and see Miss quickly?"

Lin Jiangnian hadn't paid much attention at first, but he was somewhat surprised after hearing Xiaoyue's words.

Is Zhao Xi thinking about him?
If Zhao Xi were asked this, given how stubborn that woman is, she would most likely never admit it. But since it came from Xiao Yue, and after hearing Xiao Yue's detailed description, it became more convincing.

"Okay, I'll go check on her."

"Uh-huh."

Xiaoyue was already feeling guilty, so she nodded hurriedly: "Your Highness, please go ahead. Don't worry, this servant will definitely not let anyone disturb you and Miss. Your Highness can rest assured..."

……

The courtyard grew darker as the sky grew even darker.

The world was shrouded in darkness.

In the small courtyard, the late autumn wind howled from time to time. It had rained a couple of days ago, and the ground was not completely dry. Fallen leaves covered the ground, making the courtyard look a little messy and quiet.

Under the eaves, Zhao Xi sighed softly, her clear eyes filled with a hint of dazedness and loss.

Did that heartless man really abandon her?

Hmph, men really are all the same.

When he comes next time, I definitely won't give him a friendly look.

As Zhao Xi pondered this, her expression grew increasingly dejected, and she sighed softly once more.

After dark, the temperature dropped even lower, and the cold wind howled through the night, bringing a chill that the coat on my body couldn't quite keep out.

Zhao Xi slowly got up, stretched, and her exquisite figure was fully revealed under the eaves.

She then turned around and went back to her room.

She entered the room, turned back, and took one last look at the courtyard, which remained pitch black and empty, mirroring her own state of mind—a sense of bewilderment and disorientation.

Zhao Xi looked away and closed the door.

"boom!"

The door closed gently, keeping out the cold wind. However, the room was still a bit chilly, with cold air lingering around.

Just as Zhao Xi was about to turn around and go back to her room, a pair of hot and strong arms suddenly reached out from behind and wrapped around her slender and soft waist.

Immediately afterwards, a familiar and hot body quickly approached, pressed tightly against her, and pulled her into an embrace from behind, her ear filled with a warm and moist breath.

Familiar feeling!
Zhao Xi's delicate body trembled violently, and then she instantly realized what was happening.

A flicker of surprise and joy first flashed in her eyes, and her gaze brightened. But then, remembering that this heartless man had abandoned her for two days, her face filled with indignation.

"Where did this thief come from?!"

Behind her, Lin Jiangnian whispered in Zhao Xi's ear: "You flower thief!"

Zhao Xi's body trembled, then she struggled violently, gritting her teeth and shouting fiercely, "Bah! You audacious scoundrel, why don't you surrender now?!"

"Believe it or not, I'll report you to the authorities and have you thrown in jail?!"

Lin Jiangnian's eyes were full of laughter: "Miss Zhao, are you willing to have me arrested and sent to jail?"

"Pah! Who do you think you are?!"

Zhao Xi was furious and gritted her teeth, saying, "Let the constables of the Capital Prefecture arrest you, you dog thief, castrate you first, and then kill you!"

Wow, that's a bit harsh!

Lin Jiangnian sighed, turned Zhao Xi in his arms around, and looked down at her.

What came into view was a delicate, rosy, and stunningly beautiful face, which was staring at him with gritted teeth, its bright eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions.

Of course, the most obvious thing was that deliberately feigned fierce expression. It seemed menacing, but in reality, it had no power whatsoever.

Seeing this, Lin Jiangnian couldn't help but laugh out loud.

His smile instantly shattered Zhao Xi's composure, and she erupted in anger: "Who told you to laugh?!"

"No laughing, this is serious!"

"You scoundrel, you... mmm..."

Zhao Xi tried her best to act extremely angry and teach this bastard a lesson. But just as she opened her mouth, the bastard in her line of sight suddenly lowered his head and unexpectedly covered her mouth with his.

They stopped her from continuing.

"Um..."

Zhao Xi's eyes widened, and she became even angrier. This bastard only knew how to shut her up?

Can't you use some other moves?!

!! (End of Chapter)