Shen Hanzhi stood at the doorway as the wind outside swept in with a chilling, murderous air. Two rows of palace guards stood in formation with their swords drawn. There was no way anyone inside could escape.
The situation was critical. The assassin had no time to think and could only press her knife against Liu Yueti’s neck, signaling for Bai Zhen’er to go outside.
Bai Zhen’er nodded repeatedly. Before the guards could begin searching, she called out, “Wait!”
“Your Highness, it’s… it’s me.”
She timidly lifted the curtain and cautiously looked toward the Regent.
Shen Hanzhi clearly hadn’t expected to see her here. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.
“Miss Bai.”
“What are you doing here?”
“The Yue Lao Shrine, of course, is for praying for love and marriage.” Bai Zhen’er put on a bright smile. “Hehe, what a coincidence, Your Highness. Did you come here to pray for a good marriage too?”
She looked around.
“So… so many people came here to pray for love?”
“Then I wish everyone a happy marriage with the person they love! Congratulations, everyone! When you have your wedding banquet, don’t forget to invite me!”
The guards exchanged confused glances, uncertain whether they were supposed to respond with their own congratulations.
“Miss Bai.” Shen Hanzhi’s expression remained cold. “I do not believe in gods or spirits.”
“Sometimes, you have to be a little superstitious.”
Bai Zhen’er gestured toward the statue of Yue Lao with both hands and gazed at him hopefully.
“For example, when the person you love doesn’t feel the same way, and there’s nothing else you can do, all you can do is pray to the gods and hope that one day, they’ll finally develop a little affection for you.”
Her words clearly carried a hidden meaning.
Shen Hanzhi looked away.
“…If they have no feelings for you, it’s better to give up.”
Behind the statue, Liu Yueti was furious. She tugged on the female assassin and pointed outside.
“Did you hear what he just said? Is that even something a human being would say?”
“What’s he acting all high and mighty for?! My best friend is just too nice to him! I really want to smack him a couple of times. How did you not manage to kill him?!”
The female assassin could barely hold her back and hurriedly tried to calm her.
“Calm down. Calm down…”
She pressed the knife against Liu Yueti’s neck.
“Calm down! You’re a hostage!”
Liu Yueti finally settled down. She raised both hands and widened her eyes.
“Sorry. I got a little carried away.”
Outside, Bai Zhen’er wasn’t discouraged at all.
Instead, she asked him, “If it were you, would you give up?”
Shen Hanzhi lowered his eyes and didn’t answer.
Bai Zhen’er took another step forward.
“You wouldn’t.”
“I’ve heard that if the Regent wants something, you’ll do whatever it takes to get it.”
The Regent, whom everyone in the capital avoided like a snake or scorpion, actually took a step backward.
He turned his gaze away.
“I’m different from you.”
“That’s true.”
Bai Zhen’er muttered under her breath, “If I were like you, I’d just kidnap you and take you home. Why would I care whether you were willing or not…”
She secretly glanced at Shen Hanzhi, seemingly considering the best way to kidnap him.
Shen Hanzhi stared at her.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing!”
Bai Zhen’er quickly corrected herself.
“I-I was saying… My heart is as firm as stone. It cannot be turned!”
“I’m not giving up!”
She looked around.
“Don’t do anything reckless inside Yue Lao’s shrine. I just prayed here! What if you offend Yue Lao and my prayers stop working?”
Shen Hanzhi’s gaze fell beside her.
There was a drop of fresh blood on the floor.
Bai Zhen’er startled and quickly stepped on it, smiling at him.
“Your Highness, what are you looking at?”
Shen Hanzhi suddenly asked, “Miss Bai, is there anyone else in this room?”
Bai Zhen’er put on an innocent expression.
“No. There. I mean—ah!”
“Oh?”
Shen Hanzhi smiled faintly.
“Then who is behind the curtain?”
Bai Zhen’er froze.
Just as someone was about to pull the curtain aside, Liu Yueti poked her head out, covering half her face.
“It’s… it’s me!”
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
“This is my cousin, Liu Yueti.”
Bai Zhen’er quickly introduced her.
“She’s timid. You were being too intimidating, so she hid back there.”
“Is that so?”
Shen Hanzhi clearly had no intention of letting the matter go.
“Then who else is there?”
Liu Yueti clicked her tongue.
This damn Regent! My best friend is already being this sweet and cute to you, and you still won’t let it go!
Bai Zhen’er was still desperately making things up.
“It’s… it’s…”
Liu Yueti steeled herself and said matter-of-factly,
“My lover.”
The female assassin’s knife trembled.
She pointed at herself in disbelief, only for Liu Yueti to immediately push her hand back down.
The room fell silent for a moment.
“A lover naturally has to stay hidden.”
Liu Yueti smiled brightly.
“Your Highness, why don’t you just pretend you didn’t see him?”
Shen Hanzhi: “…”
He looked at Bai Zhen’er.
“She came here to meet her lover, and she brought you along?”
Bai Zhen’er finally recovered and desperately tried to keep the story going.
“Of course! I was keeping watch!”
Shen Hanzhi almost laughed from sheer disbelief.
“You were keeping watch?”
“That’s right!”
Bai Zhen’er looked extremely serious.
“When sisters kill someone, I dig the pit. When sisters set something on fire, I pour on the oil. When sisters sneak around with their lovers, I keep watch!”
“Loyalty!”
From behind her, Liu Yueti chimed in,
“Loyalty!”
Shen Hanzhi: “…”
“Heh. The Bai family’s upbringing really is…”
“Hey!”
Bai Zhen’er reached out and covered his mouth.
“Don’t say anything about my father!”
Shen Hanzhi swallowed the rest of his sentence.
Bai Zhen’er grinned.
“Hehe.”
He actually listens when I tell him what to do.
Shen Hanzhi couldn’t help feeling annoyed.
Why did I instinctively listen to her?
Bai Zhen’er boldly pushed him toward the door.
“So, there’s no one else here! You’re the Regent, and you’re busy with government affairs. Surely you don’t have time to meddle in other people’s affairs!”
“Go on, go on—”
She pushed Shen Hanzhi outside, then waved at the other guards inside.
“Your Regent has already left. You should all leave too!”
“Hurry, or Yue Lao might become furious and curse you to remain unmarried for the rest of your lives!”
Shen Hanzhi was just about to speak when Bai Zhen’er suddenly pointed at him on tiptoe.
“You too!”
“Beware of Yue Lao’s curse!”
Shen Hanzhi: “…”
He took a deep breath.
“Let’s go.”
The guards withdrew from the shrine in a large group, just as they had arrived.
Shen Hanzhi was about to turn around when Bai Zhen’er suddenly called out,
“Wait!”
She grabbed his hand.
There was blood on it.
“You’re bleeding! Let me bandage it!”
She was about to take out the handkerchief tucked into her clothes, only to realize it wasn’t there.
She had used it to bandage the assassin earlier.
“Here!”
Liu Yueti quickly pulled out her own handkerchief and tossed it over.
“Use mine!”
Bai Zhen’er gave her best friend a thumbs-up, then turned around and carefully wrapped the wound on the Regent’s hand.
“There!”
Bai Zhen’er earnestly reminded him, “Remember, don’t get the wound wet. Don’t overwork yourself, and make sure you get plenty of rest!”
Shen Hanzhi’s eyes flickered.
Bai Zhen’er looked up at him and gave him a gentle smile before closing the door without hesitation.
Shen Hanzhi: “…”
Usually, whenever she claimed to admire him, she would find every excuse to appear in front of him.
Yet today, she was doing everything she could to avoid him.
This Miss Bai…
“My lord.” His guard, Cang Yu, quietly reminded him, “The assassin is clearly still inside…”
“Could Miss Bai be protecting her on Chancellor Bai’s orders?”
“Impossible.”
Shen Hanzhi withdrew his gaze.
“Chancellor Bai treats this daughter, whom he regained after losing her, as the apple of his eye. Even if he wanted to do something, he would keep her out of it. He would never put her in danger.”
Cang Yu frowned.
“Then why is Miss Bai protecting that criminal?”
Shen Hanzhi fell silent for a moment.
An image of Bai Zhen’er’s innocent, carefree face flashed before his eyes, and his expression unconsciously softened slightly.
“…She’s simply a kind-hearted fool.”
Cang Yu nearly stared at his master’s expression in shock.
“Huh?”
“There’s more than one person in the capital who wants me dead.”
Shen Hanzhi turned away indifferently.
“Let her go this time.”
“Oh.”
Cang Yu followed him, then continued asking,
“My lord, are you injured?”
That assassin clearly hadn’t even gotten close to him before the Regent struck her with his sword!
“No.”
Shen Hanzhi glanced at his palm.
“Her blood got on me, that’s all.”
Cang Yu: “…”
Miss Bai just bandaged your hand, and you didn’t say a word about it!