"Shall we talk?"
Feng Yexuan looked at the girl sitting on the bed.
She had been sitting there for a long time.
Ever since she returned from Concubine Jin's chambers, she had remained seated.
It seemed she wanted to rest, but with Feng Yexuan by her side, she was unwilling to lie down.
It was said that people could only be unrestrained, free, and completely relaxed in front of those they trusted the most.
Yet, when he was in the room, she couldn't relax and rest. Did this mean she didn't consider him someone she trusted?
Feng Yexuan's heart ached with bitterness.
He finally walked up to her and sat down in front of her.
Chu Qianli tried to turn her face away, but his hand landed on her cheek, gently turning it back.
"Your Highness, I don't think we have anything more to say."
Feng Yexuan's heart turned cold.
If her face and eyes held resentment or anger, he might not have felt so distressed.
What was terrifying was her current calmness, her gaze towards him filled with an indescribable indifference.
No anger, no blame, no grievance, not even a trace of unwillingness.
It was this very indifference that made him feel more helpless.
"Li'er..."
"Your Highness, I have avenged my child, but not Qian'er's."
"She brought it upon herself." Such a matter of a servant poisoning someone was not allowed in any manor.
It was punishable by death.
Even if she wasn't killed during the resistance, she would have been beaten to death. Born into a Duke's mansion, didn't she understand this?
"What if I insist she was framed?" But she said it very calmly.
It was as if she had no intention of arguing with him.
Was it because she knew arguing with him was meaningless?
"There are witnesses and evidence. Chu Huaiyu was on the brink of death. Liu Jin would not favor anyone. Chu Huaiyu was indeed almost killed."
Tonight was also the night he had spoken the most.
She should know that he was never one to explain himself.
But tonight, his heart was filled with deep guilt.
Although Feng Yexuan remained expressionless, his gaze towards her no longer held any coldness.
"I understand your feelings, but you cannot be unreasonable."
Chu Qianli looked at him.
In fact, she could also feel his helplessness.
Chu Huaiyu had almost died, and she believed that Liu Jin would not lie or favor Chu Huaiyu.
Moreover, she could see that Liu Jin harbored some disdain for those who feigned illness like Chu Huaiyu.
She did not doubt Liu Jin.
This was also her own question. If the sole intention was to frame Qian'er, there was no need to risk Chu Huaiyu's life.
What had happened that night?
Besides Chu Huaiyu, Xiao Ya, and Qian'er, was there a fourth person involved that night?
Who could it be?
"Your Highness, do you now feel that what you did to me before was too much and you wish to make amends?"
"I will not let you leave. Other than that, whatever you wish for, I will find a way to grant."
Feng Yexuan saw through her thoughts at a glance.
But how could he agree to that?
Chu Qianli glared at him, her emotions finally surfacing: "At this point, it is impossible for us to go back to how we were!"
"Li'er, be fair. Even in the past, you never truly wanted to be with me!"
He wasn't unaware that this woman's sole focus was on leaving.
When had she ever genuinely considered spending her life with him?
Chu Qianli bit her lip and glared at him.
However, she could never refute his words.
Feng Yexuan said helplessly, "Why? Am I not good enough, or..."
"You are not good enough. You are arrogant, condescending, and will never yield."
"Li'er, are you not the same?"
Suddenly, neither of them could utter another word.
Chu Qianli looked at him, and Feng Yexuan looked back at her. They were speechless.
Yes, was she not the same?
When had she ever yielded to him?
All her yielding was merely due to circumstances, or because she was powerless to resist.
The room was silent, and for a long time, no one spoke.
After an unknown period, Chu Qianli said softly, "We are simply not suited for each other."
"But we are already husband and wife..."
"Just an expendable concubine!" A concubine, not a wife! She knew this very clearly!
"I will tomorrow..."
"Your Highness." Chu Qianli looked at him earnestly this time, and said with sincerity, "When the misunderstanding occurred, you demoted me to a concubine. When the misunderstanding was cleared, you restored my status as Crown Princess. What about the future?"
"In the future, there will be countless misunderstandings, countless suspicions, countless frames, countless schemes. When will you demote me to a concubine again, or even a worse status?"
Chu Qianli sneered, "Just because you are the high and mighty Prince, can you dictate everything about others? Oh, right, I seem to have forgotten, you are about to hold a selection for consorts."
"The Emperor's decree, do you dare to disobey?"
He remained silent.
The matter of selecting consorts could not be explained, and at present, there was no way to prevent it.
It wasn't that he dared not disobey the decree, but rather, he couldn't gamble with her life.
She wouldn't understand the terror of the Emperor's royal guards.
Those individuals, in order to carry out their missions, would not hesitate to give their lives.
He couldn't possibly be by her side twelve hours a day, at all times.
Those people could fly through the heavens and burrow through the earth, being everywhere. Even a master like him might not be able to remain constantly vigilant and protect himself.
Let alone her, a frail woman?
"Give me some time, and I will definitely find a way."
"I will be safe if I leave Your Highness."
"You dare not dream of it!" Feng Yexuan suddenly stood up.
He wasn't angry, but he felt deeply uneasy.
Her gaze towards him truly lacked the occasional hint of infatuation from before.
Had she completely lost all feelings for him?
Feng Yexuan closed his eyes forcefully, took a deep breath, and suddenly moved away from the bedside.
"Rest well. Tomorrow, I will come to see you again."
He walked towards the door. After a few steps, he stopped again.
Turning back, he raised his hand.
"Ah!" Chu Qianli felt a sudden weight and a sharp pain on her shoulder.
When she looked up, she could only see his stiff back.
In the empty room, his voice, filled with deep loneliness, lingered: "I will not let you leave. You will forever belong only to me!"
He left, and the door was closed gently, not too forcefully.
This time, he had controlled his temper well.
But it was only due to guilt.
Guilt, with the passage of time, would fade like water.
Chu Qianli sneered. She moved her arm, but suddenly felt something.
With a strong flick, with a "snap," the palm strike landed on a chair nearby. The chair shook violently, almost tipping over.
Feng Yexuan had just released her pressure points!
Chu Qianli felt a surge of surprise. She looked at her hands, her gaze slowly becoming firm.
Concubine Jin was now isolated and abandoned. The revenge for her child was temporarily avenged.
But there was still Qian'er...
She closed her eyes tightly, her palms slowly clenching.
Chu Huaiyu must be hiding something.
She absolutely could not let her escape justice!
Qian'er's revenge must be exacted!
Chu Qianli casually blew out the nearby candle, preparing to go to bed. Suddenly, from directly above her head, she sensed a subtle movement.
A master!
She sat up abruptly, her fingers tightening, several silver needles held in her grasp.
At this time, Feng Yexuan and his men would not be coming from the roof.
It wasn't someone from the Prince's manor!
To be able to move so freely within the Xuan Prince's manor, who could it be?