Seeing Si Qin’s appearance, Qin Yining had a clear understanding in her heart.

Initially, she found Si Qin’s behavior very strange. As she had just said, there was quite a contrast between Si Qin’s attitude toward people in the desert and after meeting the Khan. She couldn’t control how he treated others, but Si Qin clearly had no special treatment for her at first—why was he now putting on an act of being deeply attracted?

She wouldn’t be naive enough to think there could be any chance for gradual affection to develop between them.

Therefore, Qin Yining felt there must be some trickery involved.

For Si Qin to become the most convincing authority figure in Tatar aside from A’na Ri, his character could never be as simple and loyal as he appeared.

Moreover, the other two men of equal standing with Si Qin—one was her husband, the other was Ji Zeyu. Qin Yining knew all too well what kind of men those two were. She absolutely would not believe Si Qin’s performance today.

Having just arrived in this place, she definitely needed to be extremely vigilant to prevent herself from falling into a trap.

Though Qin Yining thought of many things, it was actually just an instant.

Si Qin also instantly restrained the coldness in his eyes, as if the person with obvious killing intent just now was not him.

“The Princess Consort truly knows how to joke. It seems Prince Zhongshun usually dotes on the Princess Consort very much.”

Qin Yining smiled without speaking.

Si Qin continued: “You need not be nervous. Since I know your position in Prince Zhongshun’s eyes is not ordinary, whatever conditions we negotiate with him, he will agree to, and will certainly spare your life. You naturally won’t be in mortal danger.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Yining couldn’t help but laugh.

“So I should thank the Prince Consort for the grace of not killing me.”

Upon hearing this, Si Qin was not angered, and even found that when Qin Yining spoke this sentence, her bright eyes were enchantingly beautiful, making one unable to resist wanting to touch those watery eyes.

Thinking this way, he also acted accordingly. He stepped forward several paces, raised his hand, and slid his finger across Qin Yining’s cheek, but she turned her head to avoid him. In the end, he only touched the agate bead chain hanging from her hat against her cheek.

The chain swayed, and the sound of the agate beads colliding was very crisp.

Si Qin looked down at Qin Yining. From his angle, he could see the undisguised disgust and contempt on her indescribably pretty face.

“You need not be angry with me. If you truly want to be angry, you should be angry at your man for not protecting you well. Letting you come out alone, experiencing so many dangers on the road, even being brought back to Tatar by me.

“You should also know that your injuries were originally very severe. It was I who found someone to treat you, barely allowing you to save your life. Don’t you Great Zhou people all grow up reading the books of sages? Don’t you understand the phrase ‘repay kindness with gratitude’?”

Hearing this, the anger in Qin Yining’s heart surged upward. She suddenly raised her head and glared at Si Qin angrily, saying coldly: “For someone who kidnapped me, I should still be grateful? How do you know I needed you to save my life? I would rather have died on Great Zhou’s soil, leaving my corpse for my husband, than have him search for me tirelessly like a headless fly, constantly suffering, and in the end, have me become a bargaining chip you use to threaten him because I chose to live ignobly!”

When she was angry, her eyes were bright like two ignited flames, making Si Qin’s heart surge with burning heat.

He grabbed Qin Yining’s neck with one hand, forcing her to look up at him. His sinister gaze fixed deadly on her eyes, his voice seeming to squeeze out from between his teeth.

“You’d better not be joking with me. I’m serious about everything I do. If you say this, I can’t help but want to kill you!”

Though Qin Yining was being choked and couldn’t breathe, she still refused to submit. She glared fiercely at Si Qin and said with difficulty: “I’m also serious. If you don’t kill me, I’ll be disappointed!”

Si Qin had never encountered such a woman who wasn’t afraid of death! Perhaps there had been others before, but those women were far from having such brilliant, unforgettable beauty as Qin Yining.

A woman of noble birth, beautiful and intelligent, who also possessed such a fierce temperament.

This made Si Qin envious of Pang Xiao’s romantic fortune. How was it that he didn’t have such good luck to have such a lovable wife?

“What are you doing!”

Just as Qin Yining was being choked until she could barely breathe and was closing her eyes waiting for death, an angry roar suddenly came from the doorway.

A’na Ri rushed in quickly. Standing at the angle of the doorway, seeing the close distance between Si Qin and Qin Yining, she thought they were doing something intimate.

Thus she was so angry her head buzzed, and without caring about anything, she roared and rushed in with the determination to teach Qin Yining a lesson.

Who would have known that when she got closer, she discovered that Si Qin wasn’t doing anything intimate with Qin Yining at all—he was clearly trying to kill someone!

Although A’na Ri didn’t like Si Qin touching other women, her anger subsided by half. She couldn’t help but ask puzzledly: “What’s going on? Weren’t you still planning to use her to negotiate conditions with the Great Zhou prince? If you impulsively kill her now, we’ll have one less bargaining chip.”

Si Qin seemed to only regain his rationality upon hearing A’na Ri’s voice, slowly releasing his grip in anger.

As soon as his hand loosened, Qin Yining’s body couldn’t help but sway, and she collapsed to the ground coughing violently.

Si Qin looked down at Qin Yining with his hands behind his back, saying in a deep voice: “This is for the Khan’s sake—I’m sparing you once. If you dare anger me again next time, it won’t be so easy to resolve!”

After delivering this harsh warning, when he turned back to face A’na Ri, Si Qin once again became as gentle as water. Even when he smiled, his eyes curved into crescents, and his breathing was mixed with honey.

“Khan, I startled you.” Si Qin took A’na Ri’s hand.

A’na Ri looked at Si Qin reproachfully, her voice clearly revealing displeasure: “I wasn’t startled. I was just very angry, thinking this vixen had changed into clean clothes and stolen your soul away.”

Upon hearing this, Si Qin’s face instantly became tense: “Khan, please don’t joke like this in the future. What kind of person I am—doesn’t the Khan know clearly? Having been in love with the Khan for so long, have you ever seen me try to seduce anyone? Not to mention she’s just an ordinary person—my feelings for you wouldn’t change even if several fairies flew down from heaven!”

A’na Ri was deeply moved by Si Qin’s words, tears glistening in her eyes as she obediently nestled against Si Qin’s chest, even rubbing against his chest like a spoiled cat.

Si Qin embraced A’na Ri with both arms, holding her tightly in return. His deep voice carried indulgence and coaxing: “Khan, you are so wonderful. You were born noble, naturally possessing the most excellent bloodline. You are cheerful and beautiful, with a clever mind and keen observational abilities.”