“Wanche is my trusted confidant and won’t reveal our affairs.” Speaking further, he said: “As for why I came… naturally to see you. Who knows if you’d start overthinking again.” Li Jiancheng’s words warmed Xin’an’s heart, and she adjusted his collar for him: “You’ve explained everything so clearly to me—how could I overthink again?” Speaking of this, she remembered something: “By the way, wasn’t there talk of troops attacking Chunming Gate? How did it go? Did we hold it?”

Li Jiancheng picked a perfectly bloomed pink peony and placed it in her black hair styled in a Lingyun bun, saying with a half-smile: “Do you have so little confidence in me?”

Xin’an touched the delicate flower by her temple and smiled charmingly: “Since you’re saying this, I suppose everything’s fine?”

“You do understand me well.” Li Jiancheng intimately caressed her cheek: “The attackers were Wang Shichong’s troops. They had sent spies into the city beforehand, then used fireworks as signals, trying to coordinate from inside and outside to break into Chang’an City. Fortunately, we discovered it in time and didn’t let them succeed in entering the city, though many soldiers still died. They’ve withdrawn now.”

“That’s good then.” After a pause, Xin’an asked hesitantly: “Have you spoken to the Tang King about my situation? How does he plan to deal with me?”

“I haven’t spoken to him yet, but this attack by Wang Shichong has given me an idea.” He then explained his plan in detail. Xin’an frowned: “You want me to tell the Tang King that I conspired with that person called Duan Li to murder His Majesty, create chaos, and harm the Second Young Master?”

“Exactly. This way, everything becomes reasonable.” At Li Jiancheng’s words, Xin’an hesitated: “It sounds good, but… will the Tang King believe it?”

“I already mentioned this ‘speculation’ to father earlier. From his expression, he didn’t seem suspicious, so it should work.” After receiving Li Jiancheng’s words, Xin’an nodded: “I understand. I’ll do as you say and won’t let the Tang King suspect you in the slightest.”

Relief flashed in Li Jiancheng’s eyes as he leaned close to her ear and said ambiguously: “With you helping me like this, how should I repay you?”

The warm breath against her cheek made Xin’an’s body go soft. She extended her slender jade finger and poked his nose: “I don’t want anything else—I just want you!”

Li Jiancheng smiled deeply, his voice even more alluring than before: “Even if you didn’t say it, you already have me firmly in your grasp—I can’t escape!”

These sweet words delighted Xin’an immensely, though she pretended to pout: “You only know how to say nice things to coax people. I don’t know if it’s true or false.”

“Everything I say comes from the heart. Otherwise…” He took Xin’an’s hand and placed it on his chest: “Ask it yourself.”

Xin’an laughed with a “puchi” and withdrew her hand: “Here you are, a Crown Prince, and you’re so improper.”

After more such playful banter, Li Jiancheng said: “I shouldn’t stay here long. After I return, I’ll arrange everything. Don’t worry.”

“Mm.” After another tender moment, Li Jiancheng and Xue Wanche left the greenhouse. Xin’an also left, and upon returning to the main hall and seeing Lu Li still kneeling on the ground, her anger had not yet subsided. She had previously been afraid of Lu Li speaking out, so she had tried every means to hide things, never expecting this wretched girl to still gossip in front of Li Yuan and ruin her plans.

Seeing her enter, Lu Li immediately pleaded: “Princess, this servant knows her mistake. This servant swears she will never do it again.”

Xin’an raised an eyebrow: “There’s a next time?”

Realizing she had misspoken, Lu Li quickly corrected herself: “No, there won’t be a next time.”

Xin’an bent down and lifted her chin, saying with a half-smile: “This Princess has been harmed so badly by you—how could there be a next time? Lu Li, you truly disappoint me!”

“This servant knows her mistake. This servant didn’t mean to. Please…” “Ah!” Her words turned into a cry of pain halfway through. Xin’an’s sharp nails had actually dug into Lu Li’s cheek, and blood immediately flowed down her fingernails.

“Princess, spare my life! Princess, spare my life!” Lu Li didn’t dare struggle and could only desperately plead.

Xin’an said with an undiminished smile: “This time, I really don’t know what will happen to me, but one thing I’m very clear about—you will definitely die before me!”

Lu Li shook her head in terror, pleading repeatedly: “No! Princess, please don’t! This servant… this servant will never dare again.”

“Too late!” Xin’an pressed harder with her fingers, her nails digging deeper into Lu Li’s flesh as blood flowed freely. Just as the latter trembled all over from pain, Xin’an suddenly withdrew her hand and moved it to her neck, saying coldly: “I’ve heard there’s a blood vessel here connected to the heart. Once it’s severed, even immortals can’t save you. But I’ve never tried it before. How about… I use you to test it today?”

Lu Li’s face turned deathly pale as she said tremblingly: “No, Princess, please spare this servant. This servant… this servant…” She was terrified to death but didn’t know what else to say.

Just when Lu Li thought she was doomed, Xin’an suddenly released her grip, took a handkerchief to wipe the blood from her fingers, and said coldly: “Never mind. It’s still early—I’ll play with you a bit longer.” With that, she threw down the handkerchief and went into the inner hall, leaving Lu Li alone covering her wound and trembling on the ground. Though the other palace servants sympathized, they were merely servants after all. As long as Xin’an wasn’t deposed, she remained their mistress.

Lu Li tremblingly released her hand to see her palm covered in crimson blood, with warm liquid continuously flowing from her cheek. Though this wound wouldn’t kill her, she knew that Xin’an had already decided to kill her. The reason she wasn’t acting now was because she hadn’t finished tormenting her yet. Once the Tang King summoned her, her death would come.

She still had family—she didn’t want to die. But now she was trapped in Shuangyue Palace, completely unable to escape Xin’an’s grasp. What could she do? How could she leave this place, or even leave the Great Xing Palace?

Lu Li nervously thought of solutions, and in thinking, she actually remembered some things. Before His Majesty’s incident, the same eunuch had come several times to request an audience with the Princess, claiming to be from the Palace Administration Bureau. Each time he came, he kept his head down, and after several visits, she hadn’t even clearly seen what he looked like. Most strangely, every time he came, the Princess would send them all away, leaving no one behind.

Additionally, she had once inadvertently seen the shadows of two people embracing reflected on the window of the Princess’s bedchamber. Because it disappeared quickly, she thought she had seen wrong, but now thinking about it, perhaps… besides murdering His Majesty and framing others, the Princess was also secretly having an affair.

If she told all this to the Tang King, it might save her life. After all, she truly hadn’t done anything wrong. It’s just… how could she notify the Tang King now, especially when the Princess could take her life at any moment?