A plainly dressed young lady emerged from behind the screen, tears in her eyes, bowing down to Tie Ci, so choked with emotion she couldn’t speak.

She had never imagined that during her selection process, such a conspiracy had taken place. Even less had she expected that someone as insignificant as herself, stepping into a trap destined for failure, would have someone as noble as the Crown Princess willing to stoop down and extend a hand, overruling objections to give her a chance.

She somewhat didn’t understand why someone in the shadows would target such an unremarkable woman as herself.

She was so grateful her eyes reddened, yet she hated her own clumsy tongue for being unable to express even one ten-thousandth of the surging emotions in her heart.

She could only silently vow in her heart to willingly die ten thousand deaths for His Highness.

The people in the room smiled as they watched Tie Ci help Jian Xi up, not taking advantage of the moment to curry favor or claim credit, even secretly glaring at Rong Pu.

She didn’t like staging such demonstrations of grace.

Everyone smiled.

The Crown Princess was indeed such a person of outstanding charm.

The night was deep, so the gathering dispersed. Tomorrow Tie Ci would leave the academy and return to the capital.

When Rong Pu escorted the guests out, he gave Tie Ci a meaningful look. The two walked at the back, and Rong Pu said softly to Tie Ci: “About this woman Jian Xi, I actually later suspected someone was staging this whole affair. But why would they specifically target a mere woman?”

“Perhaps because a woman’s identity makes it easier to arrange her by my side.”

“Exactly. This must be the most important reason.” Rong Pu said. “So this means someone wants to plant a person by your side and couldn’t let Jian Xi take that position, so they had to eliminate her first. You must be careful.”

Tie Ci nodded.

“But I always felt there was something more to this, so I sent people to investigate Jian Xi’s background from childhood to now, and discovered some interesting things… This girl may have some talents that few know about, perhaps even she herself doesn’t know, which Your Highness might find useful in the future.” Rong Pu handed Tie Ci a scroll.

Tie Ci accepted it and said: “So you deliberately arranged for her to be behind the screen, not hesitating to let her know she was once targeted by you, just so I could show her grace? Aren’t you afraid that when she rises to prominence later, she’ll hold a grudge against you?”

Rong Pu laughed: “What should I fear? Don’t I still have you? As long as Your Highness continues to trust me, no matter how successful she becomes, what can she do to me?”

Warmth surged in Tie Ci’s heart.

No matter how much tea fragrance Chacha exuded, his heart that cared only for her good and disregarded everything else was beyond doubt.

Looking at the faint dark circles under his eyes, she even felt she had no way to repay him.

Rong Pu seemed to guess her thoughts and smiled gently: “If Your Highness truly wants to repay me, then divorce Murong Yi.”

Tie Ci: “…”

Murong Yi, who was a step ahead, suddenly stopped.

Afraid of a homicide occurring, Tie Ci quickly looked up at the sky and said hastily: “Oh no, it’s about to rain and we didn’t bring umbrellas. Hurry, let’s go, let’s go.”

To push Murong Yi forward, she used her head against his waist and exerted all her strength, sending Murong Yi sliding far ahead with a “whoosh.”

Behind them came another “whoosh” sound – it was Rong Pu looking up at the clear, star-filled night sky.

With his refined lips and elegant nose, his smile was as pale as the melting moonlight at this moment.

Tie Ci didn’t dare look more and quickly ran away with her head still pushing Murong Yi.

Murong Yi simply stopped walking, enjoying being pushed forward by the Crown Princess’s head like a cart, letting himself be shoved forward while his boots nearly sparked against the ground.

At the same time, a cold smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

Push me away and think you can protect that demon lotus?

New grudges and old hatreds might as well be settled together.

Murong Yi was pushed swiftly past a flower wall, his hand lightning-fast touching the wall, which immediately collapsed halfway.

Holding half the wall in his hand, without looking back, he hurled it backward.

Tie Ci heard the wind and looked back in alarm, only to see a wall flying over her head.

Then she saw that Rong Pu hadn’t immediately fled. Meeting her gaze, he magically produced an umbrella and calmly held it over his head.

The next instant came a thunderous crash.

Half the wall of bricks smashed into the lintel above Rong Pu’s head, bringing down the plaque of Lintian Tower and half the doorway in a thunderous collapse, with debris flying and dust rising.

The flying debris and dust slid down along the umbrella’s edge, piling into a circular heap of rubble around him. Completely unharmed, Rong Pu stood gracefully upright under the umbrella, pure and refined, his fragrance growing stronger in the distance.

Tie Ci: “…”

Thank goodness for Da Qian’s imperial law allowing three palaces and six courtyards but only one national father.

Otherwise, Ruixiang Palace would definitely be littered with corpses, and she would definitely die young.

…

Jian Xi stood to the side, completely dumbfounded.

What had happened? Who was she? Where was she now?

Were all those volumes of “Chronicles of Compassionate Heart” one through nine that she had read real?

In the stories, the Crown Princess was dignified, magnanimous, gentle, and noble. In the stories, Dean Rong was intelligent, modest, peaceful, and tolerant, most disdainful of those who sowed discord. In the stories, although Young Master Murong was unconventional, he was also clear about gratitude and resentment, loved life, and even raised several stray cats.

Jian Xi wasn’t unaware of the legends about this young master – he had eliminated almost all his brothers, enough to form a small squad, and had even damaged his father’s lineage, forcing his father to reluctantly make him heir.

Jian Xi and all the young ladies who slept with pirated copies of Chronicles of Compassionate Heart scoffed at this.

How vicious could a beautiful man who raised stray cats be?

What bad intentions could a beauty have?

In the stories, Dean Rong treated His Highness with special regard yet maintained proper ministerial boundaries. In the stories, Young Master Murong never minded others’ presence, displaying the magnanimous demeanor of a national father. In the stories, the Crown Princess was considerate to her lover and caring toward her confidant. The three got along harmoniously, studying, serving in the military, overcoming difficulties, and fighting together – they were close friends with deep bonds who could entrust their lives to each other.

Jian Xi’s gaze blankly swept across the murderous Murong Yi, Tie Ci awkwardly smiling while frantically pushing Murong Yi, and Rong Pu calmly walking out of ruins holding a small flower umbrella.

…So stories were all lies.

…

On the way back, Murong Yi took a turn on the path leading to the men’s quarters and headed directly toward the women’s quarters’ small building.

Tie Ci didn’t dare argue with him at this moment and could only tacitly allow him to enter.

Murong Yi swaggered into her room. He knew Dan Shuang wasn’t there tonight because, stimulated by him, Mu Si had invited Dan Shuang to stroll through Lovers’ Grove tonight.

Chi Xue guarded the door. Seeing Murong Yi approach, she smiled and stepped aside, saying she was going to prepare hot water, then never returned.

Murong Yi looked at Chi Xue’s retreating figure with satisfaction and praised: “Good maid. I almost can’t bear to match that fool Zhao San with her.”

“You talk as if you’ve already become Chi Xue’s male master,” Tie Ci muttered. “Did you ask for my consent?”

Murong Yi plopped down on her bed and looked at her sideways: “Does Your Highness have any other dissatisfactions with me? Or does Your Highness particularly cherish someone else? Speak up – I’ll kill them all tonight.”

Tie Ci: “…Dear, it’s not necessary, really not necessary.”

“How is it not necessary?” Murong Yi rolled up his sleeves and began counting on his fingers with her.

“Never mind other things, but that bastard Rong Pu plays some self-pity trick and sells some favor, and you can’t wait to give him your heart. Have you forgotten how that bastard deceived you initially?”

“Knowing your identity but not telling me, knowing my identity but not telling you.”

“Countless times inducing me to scold you in front of your face to deepen your hatred toward me.”

“At the academy, in Yongping, taking advantage of my ignorance of the truth, countless times inducing me to scold myself.”

“Actively promoting our engagement cancellation, even using his grandfather for this purpose.”

“Even after the engagement was cancelled, he didn’t explain the truth to us, watching me treat guests, watching me make a fool of myself. During that time, that bastard probably laughed until his belly was pregnant, right?”

“Chronicles of Compassionate Heart is even more detestable – currying favor with your teachers, stealing screen time, forcibly going from second male lead to first male lead, erasing the true existence of me, the real male protagonist!”

“But…” Tie Ci mumbled, “Chronicles of Compassionate Heart is female-centered, isn’t it? Don’t steal my screen time…”

Murong Yi’s gaze slanted over ominously, and Tie Ci’s voice grew quieter and quieter until she automatically shut up.

Oh no, he was about to go crazy.

“The most, most, most, most excessive thing is…” The lamplight was dim, and under the lamp the crazy beautiful man was even more sinister, his whole body radiating cold air. Obviously these past days of youthful campus life had no positive effect on the great demon king; on the contrary, meeting his nemesis and the stimulation had further aggravated his symptoms.

Tie Ci instinctively focused her attention and said softly: “…What is it?”

“Is that you actually can’t draw clear boundaries with him and constantly look at this unparalleled great white lotus with the sickening kindly eyes of ‘this is my dish, my worthy minister,’ seriously hurting my soul, so I’ve decided that if you don’t compensate with your body tonight, tomorrow I’ll definitely tear up that umbrella of his that’s as disgusting as he is and throw it into Qingyang Mountain, strip him naked and throw him into Fragrant Lake, and smash all the swans in Fragrant Lake onto his stupid head.”

Having said this, he pounced down, trapping Tie Ci between his arms and legs.

Tie Ci, who nearly couldn’t catch her breath from that long sentence, stubbornly found the key words in this guilty long statement while raising her arm to block the slowly approaching shadow: “…Compensate with your body?”

He must have grown a third ear – all the strange words that slipped from her mouth intentionally or unintentionally, he heard them all, understood them accurately on his own, and could even apply them flexibly.

This couldn’t help but be said to be a talent unique to him.

“Right. This matter can’t be resolved without settling it this way tonight.” Murong Yi was rarely so righteous and determined to seize this rare opportunity. “Alright, stop babbling. I’ll undress first as a gesture of respect.”