Madam Wang froze for a mont and then shouted loudly at Long Yi’s retreating figure: "Don’t flatter yourself! Who’d want to go with you? You really think you’re so kind of irresistible pretty boy?"
Then, muttering under her breath, she grumbled, "If it weren’t for the Emperor’s orders, who’d want to co out in this freezing weather instead of staying cozy under the blankets! Truly outrageous, making sound like a lovesick fool. And look at yourself—just a servant! As if I’d care one bit."
Afterward, she peeked around, quickly wrapped the sable coat tighter around herself, and hurried back to the courtyard to rest.
As for where the Prince had gone, it wasn’t sothing she could know even if she wanted to. After all, the man was a peerless martial arts master, while she was just an ordinary woman without the skills to traverse rooftops.
The Emperor’s business was one she’d do her best for, just for the sake of her family’s safety.
————
Xuexue returned to the General’s Mansion, took off her nightwear, extinguished the lamp, climbed into bed, and pulled up the blanket. Just as she was about to close her eyes, a familiar fragrance suddenly wafted to her nose.
She opened her eyes wide and, sure enough, found a tall figure quietly standing by her bedside, motionless, gazing silently at her...
Slling that familiar scent, Xuexue knew it was Long Rui.
So, she didn’t move and simply lay there, waiting for him to speak first.
A deep, magnetic voice broke the silence in the room: "Did you just go to the War Prince’s Mansion looking for ?"
Upon hearing his voice, Xuexue felt a montary flutter of her heart and was reminded of those simpler days spent with Big Bull in Mo Family Village. Every night, they practiced martial arts in the courtyard, and during the day, they road together between the fields and the town. The days were plain yet incredibly happy.
But on the surface, Xuexue remained calm and unruffled: "No, I just happened to pass by. Don’t overthink it."
In the darkness, Long Rui furrowed his brows: "Pass by?"
"Mm."
"Where could you possibly be going in the middle of the night? And just happen to pass by the War Prince’s Mansion?"
The War Prince’s Mansion was at the end of Changan Street, a dead-end road. Xuexue’s excuse was utterly unbelievable.
Yet the sharp-tongued Xuexue stubbornly conjured up a thousand reasons: "The General’s Mansion has so many business dealings. There are plenty of places to go. Passing by the War Prince’s Mansion isn’t anything unusual."
Xuexue would never admit that she had visited the War Prince’s Mansion deliberately out of longing for Long Rui.
This woman clearly missed him but would rather die than confess.
Long Rui felt utterly helpless.
He gently sat down by the bedside, ready to chat with Xuexue. Just like in Mo Family Village, where he often waited for Xuexue to fall asleep before going back to his room to rest.
"This isn’t Mo Family Village. Don’t linger too long; it’s better if you leave early," Xuexue issued a thinly veiled dismissal.
"We haven’t talked in so long, and you’re in such a hurry to drive away?" Long Rui’s voice carried a trace of grievance.
Back then, when he wore a mask, Xuexue hadn’t known he was Big Bull, and that was one thing. But now that he had revealed the truth, she was still treating him like this—Long Rui felt hurt.
Xuexue fell silent for a mont before softly saying, "Thank you."
Long Rui paused at her unexpected words: "Thank for what?"
"The Mo family incident."
"It was nothing."
Indeed, Long Rui’s influence in the Capital was formidable. Even the Emperor himself regarded him with caution. A few people from the Mo family were of no consequence.
But Xuexue hesitated and stamred, wanting to bring up the night she had seen those won at the War Prince’s Mansion. She wondered if it had sothing to do with offending the Emperor. Otherwise, soone as powerful as the War Prince wouldn’t need to resort to such asures: "You... about that...?"
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