Late night.
It was destined to be a sleepless night in the residence of the First Prince of Yan Kingdom. Firstly, the back garden where a lot of servants lived was burnt down in a fire.
When Bai Yihao entered the residence, a few horses entered quietly from the back door, under the cover of the night sky.
The dark clouds over the sky covered the bright moon, making the sky pitch black, where no stars could be seen. The tall and black walls reflect dim light from the moon.
A brisk carriage came to the front door of the manor under the night sky.
The coachman stepped forward and knocked on the door with the knocker.
The gatekeeper was still awake from the commotion just now. Hence, he was annoyed at the sudden uninvited guest since he had to come out and open the door himself. As he opened the door, he saw that the coachman was dressed elegantly, with a classy aura surrounding him. He then knew that this was no ordinary guest, and hurried forth to invite them.
“Excuse me, this is?”
The coachman came forth and whispered into the ear of the gatekeeper. As he spoke, a woman wrapped in a dark coat with a golden cloudy silk neckline alighted from the carriage. Her exposed face was that of extreme beauty. The gatekeeper immediately understood the situation and bowed, “Please, miss. My master is waiting for you inside!”
“Where is your master?” The woman’s face was full of annoyance as she entered the manor. The coachman was left outside as the gatekeeper closed the door. His master had left but he reminded him to take care of the woman from the brothel properly if she came, and to bring her to his room immediately.
As the First Prince of Yan Kingdom, he could not visit the brothel of the Qin Kingdom so openly.
Hence, the question by the coachman on Sir Bai’s whereabouts made the gatekeeper understand the entire situation!
He rushed in front, leading the way while flattering the woman. “It’s been long, Miss. Sir has been waiting for you for a long while.”
“Waiting for me?” Fifth Princess smirked as she was sure that he was waiting for that little bitch Mo Xuetong. It was indeed of no surprise that her cousin agreed to bring her over when she asked like how Mo Xuetong would, and he even let the gatekeeper lead her to him.
The gate of the courtyard was wide open, and the two guards left quickly when they saw that the gatekeeper brought a woman in.
“Miss, Sir is right inside.” The gatekeeper pointed at a door.
Fifth Princess waved her hand and the gatekeeper left obediently.
Pushing the door open, she realized that the room was unlit, and one could not tell the items inside. In front of the window, a man sat by the table and even his white shirt seemed darker in the night.
Fifth Princess looked at the upright figure proudly as she was sure that she would be marrying her cousin after tonight. The bitch Mo Xuetong would never dare to be arrogant in front of her again after she got married to her cousin, and her dream marriage would be crushed! She would love to have the bitch marrying the First Prince of Yan Kingdom, or becoming a concubine for Cousin Ling. She would be tortured every day as if in hell!
Her triumph made her took off her coat and hang it on the hanger beside her. She walked forth slowly, thinking about nothing as she sat red-faced in the arms of the man.
The man immediately hugged her, with his hands on her slender waist and his kiss on her face. He was strong with masculine aura, yet gentle.
Fifth Princess’s body softened as she laid down like a pile of water on the man’s arms. Her hands were around the man’s neck as she felt electricity traveling across her body, as he touched her with his large strong hands. In her lust, she thought about her cousin’s unusually passionate behavior today. Could it be because of Mo Xuetong? Did they really have sex! Inside her heart, she criticized Mo Xuetong for being sluttish as she believed that Mo Xuetong had slept with a man at such a young age. Moreover, the man was someone who she liked.
After this incident, she must tell Mother about this incident, and Mother would definitely punish Mo Xuetong harshly.
As she cursed on the shameless nature of Mo Xuetong, she breathed heavier and heavier.
Suddenly, the door was knocked open and an arrow came flying through the night. The man carrying her was still sensible and evaded the arrow as he tilted his head. The shiny arrowhead seemed to be aiming for Fifth Princess, and thus she shrieked out of fear. Fortunately, the arrow flashed across her eyes and was nailed to a wooden post.
“Hurry, there’s an assassination!” Someone shouted and a huge group of people came rushing in before Fifth Princess could react. Some had lit up the lights in the room, making it as bright as daytime.
A handsome, elegant and graceful man dressed in all white walked in casually. His clothes were tinted with snow, which accentuated his elegance and beauty. He was all calm and composed.
“Cousin…” Fifth Princess was all pale as she stared at Bai Yihao with widened eyes. She suddenly had an epiphany as she turned around to slap the man who was hugging her, shouting, “Why is it you?”
“Why not me? Who did Your Highness think it was?” Bai Yihao’s hand retracted from Fifth Princess’ body as he tidied his clothing, staring at the partially undressed Fifth Princess with interested eyes.
Indeed, if not for his quick reaction of returning to his manor from the backdoor, Bai Yihao would have been having sex with Fifth Princess now. He then flicked his brows at Bai Yihao arrogantly. He had won this round, and Fifth Princess would have to marry him now.
“Bai Yichen! Why you? Why you!” Fifth Princess was raging, her two eyes furiously fixated on Bai Yichen as if she had wanted to eat him. Trembling, she caressed her clothes and tried her best to tie her buttons but to no avail. She felt her body burning yet freezing at the same time.
Bai Yihao’s calm and composed eyes were staring at her. His glance was like a hot iron, sizzling.
“Interesting, Your Highness. Shouldn’t I be the one here? The manor is mine, the garden is mine, and the house is mine too! Who else would be here? Don’t worry, Fifth Princess. I will take full responsibility of our doings here. I will go to the Qin Emperor and ask for our marriage, and will never damage the Fifth Princess’ name.” Bai Yichen smiled confidently as he was delighted to have finally won Bai Yihao once.
That was not just a single victory against Bai Yihao, but an understanding that Bai Yihao was not someone that could not be defeated. A single victory sets the precedence for further victories. With the help of the Fifth Princess, the situation would be increasingly in his favor. Before long, he would be the Emperor of Yan kingdom.
“Sir Bai, this is…” A tall man with a square face entered the room following Bai Yihao. He surveyed the room and gasped, not knowing what to say, only to look at Bai Yihao with a doubtful glance.
He was Xie Qing, the Assistant General of the Golden Elite Forces. He came with Bai Yihao today as his manor was set on fire. Even though Bai Yihao was merely a hostage, he was the Crown Prince of Yan Kingdom. It would be a huge diplomatic error if he got injured, and even war might be started between the two kingdoms.
Immediately, Emperor Zongwen sent out his Golden Elite Forces to Bai Yihao’s residence so as to put out the fire. He met Bai Yihao, who had just escaped from his house. Hearing that he wished to go to First Prince’s residence, Xie Qing immediately offered to protect him and send him over. As an imperial guard, he had to be always careful and cautious.
He acted with tact. Following Bai Yihao into the manor, he rested awhile, planning to return if nothing happened, sending Bai Yihao out. As he passed by the garden, he heard an arrow shot and calls of assassination. Thus, he rushed in with his men and Bai Yihao immediately.
As he came in, she saw Fifth Princess sitting in the arms of the First Prince of Yan Kingdom. Fifth Princess’s clothes had been disheveled, signaling an affair between the two. Xie Qing did not know how to deal with this situation. Furthermore, the group of Golden Elite Forces behind him saw the same situation.
He dared not conceal the fact that Fifth Princess was hugging together with the First Prince of Yan Kingdom, as he would be charged with deliberate concealment from Emperor once such a matter was discovered. As part of the Golden Elite Forces, he should not hide anything from the Emperor.
Furthermore, the matter was more interesting than just that. Fifth Princess seemed to have recognized the wrong person. If he pretended to not know the matter, he might just disappear one day. The elimination of key personnel to shut them up was not uncommon in the palace. With the cruel nature of Fifth Princess, killing him would be as easy as crushing an ant.
This made Xie Qing clear as he turned to the two, asking them harshly, “What is happening? Why is Fifth Princess hugging the First Prince of Yan Kingdom?”
Bai Yihao did not move, staring blanking at Fifth Princess. One could not tell any emotion from his eyes. He merely lowered his head coldly as a simmer of gloom flashed across his face. He did not answer Xie Qing, choosing to instead turn around and leave. He was dragging his steps as if he was extremely disappointed.
He looked lonely and depressed under the night sky.
Fifth Princess was hurtful and could not care much about Bai Yichen. She screamed in sorrow, “Cousin!”
She was about to chase after him.
“Wait, Fifth Princess.” Xie Qing could not let her leave now and reached out to stop her.
“Leave me alone.” Fifth Princess slapped hard on Xie Qing’s face as she threatened, “If you dare to stop me again, I would ask Mother to kill you!”
Xie Qing was appalled by the chiding of the Fifth Princess and was alarmed at the possibility. However, he remembered his mission and was determined to not be assassinated. Mustering up his courage, he said, “Fifth Princess, I dared not hide such a matter from the Emperor. Please follow me to see his majesty, and he will make the decisions.”
“You did not see anything so better shut your mouth, or…” Fifth Princess threatened further.
If they sent her to the Emperor, she would definitely be chosen to marry Bai Yichen.
She was raised in the palace since she was a child, and was always the center of attention as the only daughter of the queen. She had support from the powerful Ding General Manor and no one dared disobey her. Only she could punish others and no one dared to disobey her. Hence, her words were harsh and certain.
However, Xie Qing was determined to not settle this matter here. However, her threats, coupled with the devious rumors of the princess, some of which stated that she would beat her servants to death or disabilities if they displeased her, made him even more certain of his stance of not letting her go.
“How did Fifth Princess enter the manor? Why did you enter the manor?” Bai Yichen had kept silent all this while, putting more pressure on Xie Qing. Xie Qing let all loose now.
“Outrageous! How dare you ask for my whereabouts.” Fifth Princess chided as she turned around to scold Bai Yichen, “First Prince of Yan Kingdom, let me ask you! Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be out of the manor?”
