"At this rate, the Crown Prince's predicament will be far more serious than merely having a falling out with the Chancellor's residence."
Upon hearing Lu Huai's chilling words, Jiang Henian showed no sign of worry. Instead, a faint trace of satisfaction rippled through her eyes.
"As a woman of humble status, I naturally am unworthy to stand by the Crown Prince's side. The woman who deserves to match the Crown Prince would surely be a lady of both talent and beauty, one whose family status matches his own."
"Miss Su and the Crown Prince are cousins to begin with. By making this sacrifice, I am allowing their bond to grow even closer. Why would Your Highness accuse me of being heartless?"
If it was a game of playing dumb, anyone could play.
Lu Huai slowly closed in on Jiang Henian. Every step he took made her heart thunder in her chest.
She retreated step by step until her back finally pressed against the wall.
Even though Jiang Henian had nowhere left to retreat, Lu Huai still felt it wasn't enough. He brought his face to within inches of hers.
"Miss Jiang, it seems you're afraid of me getting close to you."
Jiang Henian closed her eyes. It wasn't that she feared Lu Huai's proximity—rather, every time he drew near, it reminded her of the unspeakable connection that existed between them.
"Your Highness, if you have something to say, I will listen with full attention." There was truly no need to stand this close.
"You do look more obedient like this."
Jiang Henian: …
Did he only know the word "obedient" as an adjective?
"Is your grudge with the Crown Prince truly only about this one matter?"
Of course not!
Her relationship with Lu Heng in this lifetime would be one of irreconcilable enmity!
"I thought you merely wanted revenge for being schemed against a few days ago. I never expected that you clearly intend to topple him from the throne of Donggong!"
Jiang Henian's palms were already slick with sweat.
Lu Huai's gaze was far too sharp.
"What does Your Highness mean by that? If I recall correctly, I have already answered this question before."
"Furthermore, what I intend to do is surely what Your Highness wishes to see as well."
Lu Huai hadn't actually registered a single word Jiang Henian had said. Instead, he was fixated on her rosy lips.
Luscious and tempting, sweet and soft.
That was his impression of her lips.
As if possessed by some ghostly impulse, he actually leaned down, wanting to seal those lips that could provoke a man to lose all reason with every open and close.
Jiang Henian was stunned, then panicked.
She glanced around and realized that the alley now held only the two of them—where had all those Shadow Guards gone?
"You…"
Jiang Henian's voice instantly snapped Lu Huai back to full reason.
He straightened up abruptly, even beginning to wonder if his sudden impulse had been caused by residual toxins still lingering in his body from that day.
If not, why would he do something so absurd?
As for Jiang Henian, because of Lu Huai's earlier action, her heart was still pounding wildly.
What exactly had Lu Huai been about to do? Surely he hadn't taken a liking to her?
Jiang Henian immediately dismissed the thought—the speculation was simply too unreasonable.
But regardless, she could no longer afford to provoke someone like Lu Huai.
"Your Highness, since our revenge has been exacted, our cooperation—"
"Who said this counts as revenge?"
Lu Huai cast Jiang Henian a somewhat unreasonable sidelong glance. "You wouldn't be having a sudden change of heart and wanting to back out, would you?"
"I am not!"
"Then see it through to the end! Watch him pay back, bit by bit, for the sins he has committed!"
Noticing that Jiang Henian's expression seemed unnatural, Lu Huai leaned in close to her once more. "Are you wondering whether I'll come to your door with a marriage proposal?"
Jiang Henian's head shot up at his words, only to plunge directly into those brilliant, star-like eyes.
And Lu Huai, perhaps, hadn't expected that Jiang Henian's eyes, even while harboring hatred, could be so pure.
"Master, it's done."
A Shadow Guard suddenly appeared at the mouth of the alley, head lowered, wishing he had no eyes at this very moment.
Only then did Jiang Henian pull herself back from the edge of nearly drowning.
Lu Huai's condition didn't seem much better than Jiang Henian's. At least when she looked up, she once again saw his earlobes turning red.
"Speak."
"When I returned, the Crown Prince and Miss Su had already sealed the deal."
Lu Huai seemed quite satisfied with this outcome. He flicked his finger lightly, and the Shadow Guard vanished in the blink of an eye.
But Jiang Henian, her mind unsettled by Lu Huai's actions, could only think of returning home quickly.
"Since everything has been settled, I shall take my leave."
"Do you think this alone will be enough to stop Lu Huan from setting his sights on you?"
Jiang Henian's footsteps halted immediately.
Lu Huai continued: "Have you considered what Lu Heng's true purpose is in doing all this? If you cannot find the reason, then you will never be free of his entanglement."
"Unless…"
"Unless what?" Jiang Henian looked at Lu Huai and saw a flicker of cunning in his eyes.
"Unless you marry another man, perhaps then he will give up on you."
Their eyes met, but Jiang Henian quickly averted her gaze after the briefest contact.
"Thank you for the reminder, Your Highness. This humble woman…"
"I can marry you. Miss Jiang may take her time to consider it."
Jiang Henian's head shot up, finding Lu Huai increasingly difficult to read.
"To marry me, you would go against the Donggong and even the Zhonggong?"
Jiang Henian refused to believe that Lu Huai was unaware of the Jiang family's situation and the role they could play in the court.
Lu Huai's expression remained indifferent: "I've already made enemies. What's one or two more?"
Even after returning home, Jiang Henian still couldn't understand what Lu Huai was scheming.
A man like him wouldn't be after her looks, surely.
She had initially thought Lu Huai would be a protective umbrella during their collaboration, but now it seemed that assumption had been far too hasty.
Jiang Henian let out a bitter laugh: "A protective umbrella? This is clearly a pirate ship…"
"What did you say, miss?"
Qingju entered and heard her mistress muttering to herself, and couldn't help but feel worried.
"Did everything go smoothly tonight?"
Jiang Henian pulled herself together: "As long as the Crown Prince doesn't suspect me, then tonight went smoothly."
Qingju's heart immediately began to race at her mistress's words.
"Do you think the Crown Prince will suspect you, miss?"
Jiang Henian gave a bitter smile: "Even if there's no evidence to prove these things were my doing, since the Crown Prince managed to secure his position in the Donggong, his reasoning is surely sharper than most."
Qingju's face turned pale with fright: "Then haven't we thoroughly offended the Donggong? What are we going to do!"