Li Ji’s gaze swept past the sachet, landing on the face of the woman from the Ruan family.
His gaze was so blatant, almost aggressive, that her heart began to pound. A nervous flutter rose in her chest, and her cheeks flushed a deeper and deeper red.
She shyly lowered her head.
But Li Ji said, "Lift your head. Look at ."
The woman from the Ruan family had no choice but to summon her courage and reveal her large, glistening eyes.
She gazed at Prince Zhao with a look that was both shy and full of anticipation.
Li Ji looked into her eyes and clearly heard her true thoughts.
’I went to great lengths to get the incense powder in this sachet. As long as Prince Zhao wears it, he’ll gradually lose his mind and never be able to leave !’
Li Ji extended his right hand, his knuckles well-defined.
His fingertips hooked the red cord at the end of the sachet, lifting it up.
Just when everyone thought he would accept the sachet, he pulled it open and emptied the incense powder inside into a teacup.
A cup of the finest Longjing tea was ruined, just like that.
Yet Li Ji didn’t feel the slightest bit of regret. In fact, he found it rather amusing.
The woman from the Ruan family was completely baffled by his inexplicable action.
She couldn’t help but ask, "Prince, what are you doing?"
Li Ji took out a silk handkerchief and leisurely wiped his fingers. His gaze swept over the uneasy face of the woman from the Ruan family as his thin lips curved into a smile filled with mockery.
"Do you truly adore ?"
The woman from the Ruan family didn’t understand his intention, but she nodded anyway. "Of course. I will only ever adore you, Your Highness, for the rest of my life."
Li Ji picked up the teacup, held it out to her, and said with a smile.
"If that’s the case, then drink this tea."
The woman from the Ruan family froze instantly. The blush drained from her face, leaving it deathly pale.
She stared at the teacup with terror, as if it weren’t a cup of tea but a man-eating beast.
She couldn’t help but shrink back, her voice trembling.
"There’s incense powder in the tea. It can’t be drunk."
But Li Ji said, "It’s just so incense powder to help calm the nerves. It won’t hurt you if you drink it. And even if it did make you sick, I would summon a physician for you. What are you afraid of?"
The woman from the Ruan family knew better than anyone what she was afraid of.
But she didn’t dare say it.
She could only shake her head, refusing again and again.
"No, I can’t drink it. I beg you, Your Highness, please don’t make this difficult for ."
As she spoke, her eyes reddened. Two crystalline tears slid down her cheeks, adding a delicate beauty to her features.
The smile vanished from Li Ji’s face, leaving only ice and hostility in his eyes.
"You refuse even a small request like this, which proves you don’t care for at all. And yet you dared to claim you adore ? Are you deliberately taking for a fool?"
Though the situation was tense, Hua Manman couldn’t help a silent, internal jab—
’Why did he have to ask if she was "taking him for a fool"?’
’It sounded like he was insulting himself.’
Luckily, Li Ji didn’t look back at her just then, so he missed his chance to hear her thoughts.
Otherwise, he would have surely splashed the tea in his hand on her head to sober up that whimsical little mind of hers.
The woman from the Ruan family hastily fell to her knees, tearfully pleading her case.
"I didn’t, I wouldn’t dare! Every word I’ve said to you, Your Highness, cos from the heart. I beg you to see the truth!"
Li Ji casually placed the teacup on a nearby table and leaned back.
He had no patience to waste any more words on her and said coldly.
"Soone, force-feed her this tea."
User Comments
0 comments from readers