I became the tyrant's only belief.

Chapter 439 is strange in every way.

King Xiao turned green with anger and declined, citing his deep affection for his queen. Lord Zhuang, however, said he only wanted a one-night stand. King Xiao refused, and the two sides were at an impasse. Prince Li stepped in to smooth things over and barely managed to let the matter drop.

That night, the group stayed at the city lord's mansion.

Lord Zhuang knocked on Prince Xiao's door in the middle of the night, wanting to get close to him. After being coldly rejected by Prince Xiao, Lord Zhuang became angry and left in a huff.

The following day, King Xiao and his entourage left Guiyun City, but encountered bandits ten miles away. In the chaos, Chu Shangming was kidnapped.

Prince Li discovered that the bandits were connected to the city lord's mansion and ordered his men to question them.

Not only did Lord Zhuang readily admit that she was the one who abducted the people, but she also invited King Xiao and his entourage to her wedding banquet with Chu Shangming, which would take Chu Shangming as her twelfth male concubine, half a month later.

King Xiao sent someone to negotiate, but Lord Zhuang declared that if she wanted him to release Chu Shangming, then King Xiao himself would have to go in exchange.

King Li was so angry that he cursed loudly on the spot, and King Xiao was so angry that his old illness flared up. Not only did he have an unbearable headache, but his legs also hurt as if a thousand ants were gnawing at his heart, making it impossible for him to travel.

The group had no choice but to stay temporarily at a Buddhist temple outside the city, and make further plans once King Xiao recovered.

During this time, Ren Qingxia, relying on his martial arts skills, tried to sneak into the city lord's mansion to rescue Chu Shangming, but was unfortunately captured.

Pei Yunjian was extremely worried and wanted to find out some information in Guiyun City. However, he was accused of plotting against the city lord and was taken to the city lord's mansion by the patrolling soldiers. He never came out again.

Yan Chengtong waited anxiously outside the city, thinking of going into the city to see what was going on. However, as soon as he entered the city, he was recognized as Pei Yunjian's accomplice and was taken to the city lord's mansion by the patrolling soldiers. He never came out again.

The next day, Lord Zhuang sent three invitations to King Xiao, making it a wedding banquet that celebrated four joyous occasions.

King Xiao nearly died of anger; his headache worsened, and he couldn't even get out of bed.

Because Prince Xiao was too sick to hold a pen, he entrusted the task of sending messages to Prince Li. The message that Xiao Jingfan received was written by Prince Li himself.

Chu Liuzheng repeatedly examined the small scroll of paper, making sure he hadn't missed a single word, before looking up at the cold-faced emperor. "Your Majesty, don't you find this a bit strange?"

"Hmm." Xiao Jingfan put the chess piece back into the chess box. "What do you find strange?"

“Everything about it is strange.” Chu Liuzheng pointed to the scroll with his fingertip. “Given His Highness Prince Xiao’s temperament, even if he were angry, he would never let something like this cause his old illness to relapse, to the point that he couldn’t even get out of bed.”

Xiao Jingfan: "He certainly doesn't resemble my third brother."

Chu Liuzheng: "Rumor has it that Lord Zhuang has long admired Prince Li and fell in love with him at first sight. So why did he suddenly express his love to Prince Xiao? He even used eighteen love poems. Isn't this deliberately trying to embarrass Prince Li? This is not how one should treat their beloved."

“Perhaps she has fallen for someone else,” Xiao Jingfan said. “Besides, Prince Li has always been cold to her, so it’s not impossible that she intends to take revenge.”

“Well, that is indeed possible, but don’t you think the possibility is too small?” Chu Liuzheng said. “Everyone knows that Prince Xiao and his wife are deeply in love, and he only has his wife in his heart. No matter how beautiful this Lord Zhuang is, Prince Xiao would not be easily moved.”

"Lord Zhuang is, after all, the lord of a city. Why didn't he first test Prince Xiao's attitude before making such a potentially embarrassing move as proposing love at the banquet?" If he is rejected in public, won't he become a laughing stock in the future?

“What you say makes sense.” Xiao Jingfan nodded slightly, signaling Chu Liuzheng to continue.

Chu Liuzheng said, "Knocking on the door in the middle of the night is also very strange. Since His Highness Prince Xiao has already refused at the banquet, why would City Lord Zhuang go again in the middle of the night?"

As I said before, he is, after all, the lord of a city. Even if he is lustful, he shouldn't put his face on the ground and let others trample on it.
There are so many men in the world, why must you choose a married man who already has someone else in his heart?

It can't be because something you steal tastes better, right?
Xiao Jingfan: "Perhaps she thought that it would be easier for the Third Prince to be moved in the quiet of the night."

Chu Liuzheng glanced at him, as if to say, "Are you joking?" Xiao Jingfan raised the corner of his lips, "Go on."

[Tsk tsk, you clearly saw it, so why did I have to say it? You're just wasting your breath, aren't you?]

Chu Liuzheng cleared his throat and continued, "The timing of the arrest was also strange. If Lord Zhuang really intended to arrest people, why didn't she arrest them when Prince Xiao and the others were in Guiyun City? Why did she have to wait until they left the city to send people disguised as bandits to arrest them, and even arrested the wrong people? Afterwards, she even admitted that she did it herself. Wasn't that just... cough, unnecessary?"

[That was close! I almost said something completely irrelevant. The tyrant would definitely frown and punish me by making me memorize something else.]

Xiao Jingfan had no choice but to punish her that one time, and the woman remembered it well.

He said, "If it was an accident that Prince Li recognized the bandit, or an accident that he arrested the wrong person, then this is not an unnecessary step."

[Haha, one surprise after another. He's the lord of a city, after all. How could he be so careless in his actions, managing to govern a city so well?]

Chu Liuzheng realized that the emperor was doing it on purpose. She snorted twice and ordered someone to bring in chilled plum juice.

Xiao Jingfan then ordered the chessboard to be removed, reached out and pulled Chu Liuzheng over, pinching her cheek, "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Chu Liuzheng forced a smile: "You know perfectly well what I'm doing. How could I dare to show off my little tricks in front of you?"

"I want to hear what you have to say." Xiao Jingfan admitted it readily, reaching out to take the plum juice, but then pulled back as Chu Liuzheng reached for it. "There's one more thing you haven't mentioned."

Chu Liuzheng: "...Also, although the affairs of Guiyun City are not under the jurisdiction of Dasheng, no matter how prosperous Guiyun City is, it is still just a city. How can it compare to the entire Dasheng Kingdom? Lord Zhuang even sent someone to openly call out to His Highness Prince Xiao, asking His Highness to exchange himself for him. Such arrogance, are you not afraid that you will destroy the entire Guiyun City in your anger?"

Although there was an imperial edict from Emperor Shouchang, that was only in the case that Guiyun City behaved itself and did not cause trouble. If Guiyun City took the initiative to provoke Dasheng, that imperial edict would be worthless.

Xiao Jingfan: "So?"

"So... Lord Zhuang did it on purpose, there must be another reason behind this." Chu Liuzheng finally got the plum juice he wanted from the emperor, took a sip, and immediately felt his mouth water. He secretly praised Mo Xiang's excellent cooking skills.

"Is it good?" Xiao Jingfan leaned closer, and just as Chu Liuzheng was about to feed him a sip, his lips suddenly felt warm, and two thin lips covered his.

Chu Liuzheng: "..."

Although kissing feels good, we just kissed, and it's not springtime!
If this continues, won't the palace servants who serve in the palace develop cervical spondylosis?
As she was lost in thought, her tongue was suddenly bitten. Xiao Jingfan looked up at her with slight displeasure, then picked her up and carried her behind the screen.

【Aww~ My plum juice!!】

*
Feng Jing was urgently summoned to the Wenhua Hall.

"Go to Guiyun City?" Feng Jing looked surprised. "What for?"

Xiao Jingfan said, "Prince Xiao has suddenly fallen ill with a chronic condition and is in unbearable pain. I have sent people to escort you and the two imperial physicians there. We will act according to the circumstances."

Feng Jing sensed something was off in the tone of the voice and immediately asked, "Can I not go?"

Xiao Jingfan looked at him and rattled off a string of medicinal herbs without pausing, all of which were expensive and hard to find, the ones Feng Jing had spent on researching new drugs these days. Then he added, "Doctor Qin will go too."

The flexible and adaptable Doctor Feng: "I'll go!"

(End of this chapter)