Suzhen’s scalp tingled. She had a strong impulse to snatch her hair back from this person’s hands and pull the blanket over her head to continue sleeping.

But she seemed to see a sign behind him reading “Leniency for confession, severity for resistance” in eight large characters.

But how could she possibly mention Li Zhaoting? She didn’t know if he had actually heard or not. If he had heard, why not ask directly, “Why did you call Li Zhaoting’s name?”

If he didn’t know—well, she could only gamble that he didn’t know.

She also didn’t know if she had babbled anything she shouldn’t have about the Feng family.

Poor her little heart, wounded by Princess Zhennan’s dagger, still had to toss and turn with worry—

She decided to fearlessly kick the ball back to him, only asking in return: “Your Majesty, since it was dream talk, how would your subject know what I said? If Your Majesty knows, please tell your subject.”

“You were calling my name.”

Her emperor, Lian Yu, answered quite calmly.

Suzhen really wanted to spray blood in his face.

This shameless lying had reached such heights—in this world, besides Feng Meiren, she truly hadn’t seen a second person like this.

Naturally, she couldn’t let this pass, following his lead with a low sigh: “Your subject’s feelings, hidden and concealed repeatedly, have still been discovered by Your Majesty.”

After she spoke, seeing a trace of mockery flash in Lian Yu’s eyes, he also laughed quietly: “So you’ve had feelings for me all along.”

His gaze alarmed her, his words panicked her. She instinctively retreated, banging hard against the headboard with a solid thud.

Lian Yu smiled coldly but said nothing, reaching out to touch her head.

Suzhen was in pain, and with her chest still aching terribly, she became sensible for once. Her heart pounded violently as she dared not move or resist his kindness—if he became displeased, he could take her head at any time.

It wasn’t that pretending nothing happened would make him go along with her wishes.

“Why did you disguise yourself as a man to take the imperial examinations? Who exactly are you? This is unprecedented since the founding of the dynasty. Do you have a death wish?”

Without warning, he withdrew his hand and looked at her, finally speaking unhurriedly, his gaze thin and cold with killing intent.

This attitude wasn’t harsh but was definitely not joking, making Suzhen’s whole body tremble slightly.

Her teeth chattered as she thought this was bad. This question truly couldn’t be answered. She must have been unconscious for several days, and during these days, he must have sent people to investigate Li Huaisu’s identity. This identity had probably been investigated before and after he appointed her to office, but likely nothing was found then—after all, it must have been carefully arranged by Father to help her hide from the world. Lu County had her complete life history.

But Li Huaisu was male while she was female, making that identity completely false.

He must have investigated everyone in her household.

Wu Qing and the others truly didn’t know her origins, so nothing could be found. Leng Xue had always been the type who would do whatever he pleased when happy and wouldn’t speak even if beaten to death when displeased. Moreover, knowing that revealing her identity would mean certain death for her, he naturally wouldn’t speak.

Now it depended on how she answered.

But what could she say? Besides Feng Suzhen, she had no other female identity to respond with.

No place had any record of her life.

But if she couldn’t produce an identity, would Lian Yu believe she harbored no ill intentions?

What should she do?

There was absolutely no way to use wit or force at this point. What to do?

“Your subject…” She smiled bitterly, so anxious that her wound split open. She slowly covered her chest, her hand becoming slightly damp. Looking down, she saw blood seeping through the tightly wrapped inner layers to her outer garment…

She secretly glanced at Lian Yu. At the bed’s edge, his gaze was dark and fierce, difficult to read, his brow showing only cold indifference, unmoved.

The pain was quite severe now, but her heart felt somewhat comforted—good, she didn’t need to answer for now.

However, having been somewhat pampered since childhood, she gradually couldn’t bear the pain. Sweat slowly soaked her forehead. She furrowed her brow tightly, looking pleadingly at Lian Yu, wanting him to do something—give her medicine or provide more treatment.

But she saw him still sitting coldly, only his gaze a few degrees darker. Lian Yu was indeed a cold, indifferent man—he just sometimes liked to smile.

She suddenly thought with a difficult moan, pressing her wound tightly… bending over in pain, couldn’t help smiling bitterly again, wondering if she could just die like this if she didn’t tell him an answer that satisfied him. Die on this bed, when she suddenly heard Lian Yu speak.

“Five years ago, your approach and kindness to me were also deliberate, weren’t they? You knew my identity from the beginning.”

Five years ago… Suzhen looked up in alarm, seeing Lian Yu’s tall body suddenly lean forward slightly, staring at her intently, some fierce emotion deeply suppressed in his pupils.

As if with one unsatisfactory answer from her, she would certainly die. Her heart shook greatly, but she couldn’t think of how she had seen him five years ago.

She didn’t want to die…

Five years ago—being kind to him…

He had kissed her.

He said to be with him.

She had committed the crime of deceiving the emperor, yet awakening not in a prison cell…

It wasn’t someone else—he was personally interrogating her.

She shivered—at this point, she could only take this gamble, even though she knew he might just think she was amusing to play with and couldn’t possibly like her much. But if playing was possible, that was fine too—

Enduring severe pain, she moved her body despite all her trembling and fear, gently resting her head on his knee, saying hoarsely in a low voice: “My identity is false, but my feelings for you are real. When I first saw you five years ago, I was only fourteen, but I already liked you somewhat.”

“I didn’t know you were… the Crown Prince then. I only learned that day in the Golden Phoenix Hall. I came to the capital for the examinations because I refused to accept that only men could be officials while women could not… I dared not tell you my identity because I feared you would kill my family members, because I now know I’ve committed the crime of deceiving the emperor, unless I’m certain you won’t harm them.”

She curled up on his knee. For a long while, she saw no movement from him. Her lungs became agitated and she suddenly coughed violently, but was then completely lifted up and held tightly in his arms.