"One year." Nangong Yu pondered for a moment, "By the end of next year, this son will definitely be married."
The Emperor smiled, "You said that yourself, it wasn't me forcing you."
Nangong Yu glanced at the Emperor with disdain, his expression quite aggrieved. The Emperor was delighted again, his resentment from losing the chess match vanished instantly. "It's getting late, I should return to the palace. You go around and see which girl is suitable to be a consort. If you can't choose, I'll have you marry that Li Zhaoyao!"
Nangong Yu remained silent. After the Emperor left, his figure flickered and disappeared without a trace.
Xiao Man accompanied Nangong Qin to change. Nangong Qin was changing inside, and Xiao Man waited outside. "Xiao Man, you are not allowed to go to see Mo Han gege alone behind my back."
"Princess, why would I go to see him alone? We just met by chance." Xiao Man explained weakly. Wen Mohan was indeed excellent, refined like jade, a gentle scholar. To tell the truth, she was also moved by such a man. When she was young, her ideal husband was like this. But after experiencing seven sufferings and reliving her life, her heart was filled only with hatred, and she had no mood for love.
"You don't like Mo Han gege?"
"Princess, Princess Wen is a gentleman, the dream lover of countless women in this imperial capital. Can you stop them from liking Young Master Wen?"
"This..." Nangong Qin was speechless. "In any case, you are not allowed to snatch him from me."
"Don't worry, I won't snatch him from the Princess," Xiao Man said perfunctorily. "Princess, do you know? Men dislike capricious, arrogant, and overbearing women the most. And I belong to this kind of disliked type. A girl like you, with beautiful looks, a gentle temperament, and a playful and cute demeanor, is the most likable."
"Then why do you say Mo Han gege is avoiding me?"
"He's not avoiding you, he's avoiding the damned rules." Xiao Man toyed with the teacup in her hand. "You are a Princess, and he is the only male heir of the Prime Minister's mansion. He can never marry a princess, so he can only stay away from you."
"Mo Han gege is avoiding me because I am a Princess?" Nangong Qin's voice came, "Then if I'm not a Princess..."
Suddenly, a muffled groan came from inside. Xiao Man's heart tensed. "Princess, Princess?"
Xiao Man got up and walked into the inner room, pushing the door open with one hand. She saw Nangong Qin lying on the ground not far away. Her heart sank, but she didn't rush in. Her gaze swept every corner of the room, confirming no one had ambushed them, before she walked towards Nangong Qin and crouched down to check on her.
Unexpectedly, the person lying on the ground turned over and threw a handful of powder towards Xiao Man. Xiao Man's eyes stung, and she couldn't open them for a moment. The person lying on the ground was not Nangong Qin, but another unfamiliar woman.
After succeeding, the woman lunged at Xiao Man with a knife. Xiao Man's eyes hurt terribly, and she instinctively dodged the attack. She stumbled back, hitting the corner of a table. She gasped in pain. She had been careless. Knowing that countless eyes were watching her, she still fell for it.
"Take your life."
Xiao Man felt the killing intent approaching and dodged to the left. To her surprise, her foot slipped, and she fell downwards, letting out a surprised cry. The sound of mechanisms closing echoed from above. Xiao Man landed on the ground in a mess.
Xiao Man landed and immediately guarded her surroundings. Her eyes were poisoned, and she couldn't see for a while. She didn't know where she had fallen. She immediately drew her dagger and held it in front of her chest, ready to deal with any enemy attack.
However, after waiting for a long time, there was no movement. Xiao Man couldn't help but feel confused. She reached out and felt around, only to discover that she was in a secret room. She couldn't help but wonder, what did Nangong Cheng want to do?
After waiting for a moment, Xiao Man smelled a faint floral fragrance. She quickly covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve. No matter what the smell was, its appearance at this moment could never be a good thing!
Heavy panting echoed in the quiet secret room. Xiao Man felt her hair stand on end. Leaning against the wall, she pointed her dagger forward. "Who is it?"
However, no one answered Xiao Man. She only heard the man's panting becoming heavier. He was not far from Xiao Man. Xiao Man's mind raced. Ruining someone's chastity, such an old trick. No matter who it was, if they dared to touch her today, she would make them unable to have children.
The person in the corner woke up, feeling weak all over, his head heavy and his feet light. He clearly remembered drinking too much and resting in the side hall. How did he end up in this strange place? He didn't know why, but he felt a burning heat all over his body. He couldn't help but loosen his collar, support himself by the wall, and came out from behind. He saw Xiao Man holding a dagger, pointing in his direction!
"Xiao Man, why are you here?" It turned out that the other person in this secret room was Xue Guojiu's beloved son, Xue Kun!
Xiao Man frowned slightly upon hearing Xue Kun's voice. "Xue Kun, what is this place?"
"How would I know? I clearly remember drinking too much and resting in the side room. When I woke up, I was here." Xue Kun sat down on the ground and loosened his collar a bit more. "Why are you here?"
"I was ambushed."
"Ambushed?" Xue Kun quickly said, "I didn't ambush you, you can't blame me for this."
Xiao Man groped along the wall, trying to move away from Xue Kun. She could tell from Xue Kun's heavy breathing that his condition was not good. Her eyes couldn't see, and if Xue Kun pounced on her, she might accidentally kill him!
If she killed Xue Kun, with Xue Guojiu's temperament, wouldn't he fight her to the death? At that time, the Crown Prince's faction would completely turn against the Protector General's mansion. This was not what she wanted to see.
"Xiao Man, what happened to your eyes?" Xue Kun finally noticed something was wrong. Xiao Man seemed unable to see. He couldn't help but get up and reach for the luminous pearl for light, intending to get closer to see. As he got closer, he felt his heart pound. There were two blood streaks on Xiao Man's face. He waved his hand in front of Xiao Man, but Xiao Man was oblivious.
Xiao Man sensed Xue Kun's approach and immediately pushed her dagger forward. "Stay away from me, or don't blame me for being impolite."
"Your eyes... eyes..."
"I can't see temporarily."
Upon hearing this, Xue Kun quickly fumbled in his embrace. After a moment, he found a handkerchief and was about to hand it to Xiao Man. Xiao Man thought Xue Kun had ill intentions and almost stabbed him. Xue Kun backed away in fright. "I'm just giving you a handkerchief. There's blood, blood on your face."
Xiao Man didn't move, maintaining her dagger-forward stance. "Don't come closer. Whether I hurt you or you hurt me, the Protector General's mansion and the Crown Prince's faction will inevitably become enemies. If you don't want to die by my hand, then stay put."