Nanny Qin left after about the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn.

With things already at this point inside, what reason was there for her to stay?

From her experience, the two of them had certainly already come together, and she could go back and report to Consort Rong.

She never imagined that wretched girl Feng Jiu’er would really be so promiscuous — willing to give her body to anyone, as long as there was something to gain from it. How utterly shameless!

She’d thought Jiu’er was truly devoted to the Ninth Prince, but it seemed she only cared about the title of Ninth Princess Consort after all.

Once this news reached Consort Rong, she’d be so pleased her injuries would probably heal on the spot.

After Nanny Qin left, the intimate sounds in the inner hall gradually quieted.

Jiu’er was still catching her breath, looking up at the man pressing down on her. Though she felt a measure of guilt, she was, at this moment, truly relieved.

Zhan Yuheng’s expression wasn’t pleasant. He rose off her and looked down at her clothing. “It really came?”

Jiu’er pressed a hand to her stomach and said nothing.

Zhan Yuheng waved his sleeve, and the brocade cloth covering the night-pearls was swept aside by his palm strength, and the whole room instantly brightened.

Sure enough, a streak of vivid red stained Feng Jiu’er’s robe.

“…I’m sorry.” Though relieved, the words still had to be said on the surface. No matter how this night had gone, Zhan Yuheng had, after all, helped her.

Though he himself had no idea that he’d been deceived.

Seeing the red on her robe, what more could Zhan Yuheng say? Except — “Why did you need me to play along with you?”

Earlier, while she’d been moaning, she had whispered a few words into his ear. Though Zhan Yuheng had been unhappy about it, for the sake of this girl one day being devoted to him completely, he had agreed.

What Jiu’er had said at the time was this: Consort Rong had insisted she serve him before she would agree to grant her the position of Crown Princess. She wanted to be Crown Princess, but tonight truly wasn’t convenient.

Nanny Qin wasn’t a martial artist, and Jiu’er had spoken in a hushed voice using internal energy to carry her words — it didn’t matter that Nanny Qin hadn’t heard.

These words of Jiu’er’s left Zhan Yuheng unsure whether to believe them or not — was she really willing to become his Crown Princess?

And what was going on with his mother, the consort? Why had she insisted Jiu’er serve him, and have Nanny Qin watch over them, before agreeing to this matter?

Whatever was going on between the two women, Zhan Yuheng couldn’t understand it, couldn’t make sense of it.

Still, seeing the bloodstain on Jiu’er’s robe now, at least he believed half of it.

“Since your courses had come, you shouldn’t have gone to bathe just now.” Even though he didn’t understand much about a woman’s body, he knew that much — that one shouldn’t bathe during her courses.

“How was I supposed to know? I just suddenly felt cramps in my stomach, and then… then it came.”

Jiu’er sat up and, to make things seem more convincing, even spoke up on her own. “Your Highness, could you have your maids bring me some… some menstrual cloths?”

…

The bedsheets were changed. Jiu’er sat at the head of the bed while Zhan Yuheng sat on a long bench, staring at her without blinking.

“Can you tell me what really happened tonight?” he asked, his blood having cooled now, reason finally returning to his mind.

In truth, he’d had doubts before, but the joy of having her had been so overwhelming that he’d deliberately suppressed any questions, unwilling to bring them up, unwilling to ruin such a beautiful moment.

Now that the beauty of it clearly could not continue, the doubts in his heart had to be voiced.

“I went back to the academy to see how things stood, but I was attacked by men in black and knocked unconscious from an internal injury.”

These parts were all true, and Feng Jiu’er knew this clearly — if the story had been a complete lie from the start, there was no way Zhan Yuheng would have believed it.

She continued, “When I woke up, I was already in Consort Rong’s chambers, tied up.”

“My mother’s people attacked you?”

“I don’t know. It didn’t seem like it was them — I suspect it was people trying to deal with the Ninth Prince, hoping to use the Nanmeng clan as their blade. But it seems Consort Rong has no intention of harming the Ninth Prince.”

Zhan Yuheng’s expression darkened, not out of anger at Jiu’er, but because he understood all too well the feelings his mother harbored for the Ninth Imperial Uncle.

And it was precisely because he understood that he felt ashamed!

Feng Jiu’er paid no mind to his expression and continued, “Consort Rong gave me a choice — either remain a wanted fugitive, or be with you.”

“So you chose to be with me?” What a heavy blow this was for a man to bear!

But Zhan Yuheng had known Feng Jiu’er for so long, and after everything that had happened between them, he had long since come to understand certain things.

Jiu’er had been refusing him all along — if she hadn’t been threatened, how could she suddenly be willing to accept him?

But being forced into it didn’t seem like something Jiu’er would willingly go along with either. Could there be some other reason behind all this?

“Your Highness doesn’t need to look at me that way. I had no choice. The Ninth Prince has already fallen from power, and even if I went looking for him now, I likely wouldn’t easily find him.”

“And even if I did find him, what then? Am I to follow the Ninth Prince away, flee to the border, never return to the dynasty, never see my own family again?”

She lowered her eyes, refusing to look at him, not letting him read her expression clearly.

Though her face showed nothing at this moment, no matter what, the eyes were always the easiest thing to betray one’s true feelings.

By not letting him look at her, there was less chance of being seen through.

“Crown Prince, if you were me, what would you choose? I’m quite torn myself, honestly!”

Zhan Yuheng’s mood sank. If it were him, what would he choose?

The key question was — “Do you have feelings for the Ninth Imperial Uncle?”

Feng Jiu’er shook her head, then nodded, and finally let out a long sigh. “I don’t know either, but I suppose I don’t dislike him.”

“And what about me?” If not disliking someone meant liking them, then how should they look back on everything between the two of them in the past? Could she truly not remember any of it — or was she simply unwilling to?

“Crown Prince, you and the Ninth Prince…” Jiu’er bit her lip before saying flatly, “I’ve never compared the two of you, but since I recovered from my illness, the Ninth Prince has always treated me well. He’s never once hurt me, and he’s never once doubted me.”

“I…” Zhan Yuheng was momentarily at a loss for words. Doubted her — had he ever done that?

No — even now, he was still doubting how much truth there was in what she was telling him.

“Before, when I was still simple-minded, the Ninth Prince never looked down on me. Even though I was so ugly, he was still willing to be close to me.”

“I’m willing to be close to you too. It’s you who… it’s you who…” But what more could Zhan Yuheng say?

Was it because of something about Feng Jiu’er herself? It didn’t seem to be that.

Clearly, it had always been him — he was the one who had felt Jiu’er was no longer truly Jiu’er, and that was why he had deliberately distanced himself, even going so far as to call off their engagement in the end!