Chapter 79: Are You Having Fun Playing Outside?

Nan Xueyin paused.

Sometimes one has to admit that Shu Yu's intuition is quite accurate.

However, without waiting for her to answer yes or no, Shu Yu shook his head first, "No, how could you be an Assassin? That's simply impossible!"

Nan Xueyin raised an eyebrow, "How are you so sure I'm not?"

Shu Yu snorted, "If you really were an Assassin, how could I not know? The Crown Prince intends to keep you in the Eastern Palace; it's impossible he wouldn't have told me about this, yet he hasn't mentioned a single word."

"Must the Crown Prince tell you everything?"

"He definitely would! The Crown Prince and I are best buddies! We've known each other for many years."

Seeing him so adamant, Nan Xueyin truly felt sorrow for his one-sided brotherly affection.

Shu Yu was truly desperate to know the reason, pestering her to ask, "So what is the reason? Tell me, why?"

Nan Xueyin hadn't yet decided how to put it.

Shu Yu assumed she was unwilling to tell him, so he hardened his heart and said, "If you tell me, I'll tell you a secret!"

Nan Xueyin remained uninterested.

Regarding many things, she actually didn't have much interest; if it were before, she might have been able to ask a few probing questions for the sake of the Crown Prince's hidden ailment, but at this moment, she already knew about Xiao Youlan's Face Blindness.

Shu Yu tempted her, "It's a secret about the Crown Prince!"

Seeing him trying so hard, Nan Xueyin finally nodded.

Shu Yu was overjoyed, leaned closer to Nan Xueyin, and cautiously lowered his voice, "Before you came to the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince had a woman."

Nan Xueyin knew he was going to say this.

Her expression didn't change, let alone show surprise.

Shu Yu frowned, speaking even more dramatically, "She even served him in bed, and not just once!"

Nan Xueyin said indifferently, "Her name is Doukou; she was sent to the Eastern Palace by the Emperor to serve the Crown Prince."

Shu Yu was stunned, "You... you actually know?"

Nan Xueyin thought to herself, because I am Doukou, you idiot.

Shu Yu quickly straightened out the logic, "It must be because you heard the discussion between Feihong and me..."

He said with regret, "In that case, this can't really count as a secret."

Nan Xueyin said nonchalantly, "Think of another one."

Shu Yu fell into deep thought.

"It still has to be about the Crown Prince," Nan Xueyin added, "something more exaggerated."

Xiao Youlan often used the fact that he held Wu Zhui's life in his hands to threaten her, and she had long felt utterly disgusted; at this very moment, she needed to grasp a secret about him—even if she couldn't escape, she could at least vent some of her anger.

Shu Yu racked his brains for a long while, and finally, his eyebrows relaxed as he said, "Do you know?"

Nan Xueyin tilted her head to listen.

"The Crown Prince is afraid of bugs, especially cockroaches."

Nan Xueyin raised her eyebrows.

"Unexpected, right? Usually, the Crown Prince is cold and aloof, seemingly fearless, but he's actually afraid of cockroaches. Last year, even though the Crown Prince was already in his twenties, he turned pale at the sight of a cockroach and didn't dare take a single step, insisting we clean up all the cockroaches before he would move."

A wicked arc lifted the corners of Nan Xueyin's mouth.

Afraid of cockroaches, huh.

Then things would be very easy to handle.

"Now it's your turn to speak," Shu Yu looked at her eagerly, "Why can you shoot arrows and use sword techniques?"

Nan Xueyin blurted out nonsense, "I'm naturally gifted."

Shu Yu was stunned for a beat, getting a little angry, "That simple? I don't believe it!"

Nan Xueyin didn't explain either; she drew the Short Blade from his waist and lightly sliced her own finger.

"What are you doing!"

Her movements were too fast; Shu Yu hadn't been able to stop her at all.

Seeing the skin on her snow-white fingertip break and bright red blood beads instantly well up, Shu Yu grabbed the Short Blade tightly, his brow twitching violently—they were almost at the training grounds, if the Crown Prince saw this, would he still have his life!

Nan Xueyin, however, was very calm, continuing to hold up her hand, saying, "Watch."

Shu Yu followed her gaze, his pupils suddenly dilating.

Because the knife wound on her finger was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"You..."

The wound quickly disappeared, leaving only a few residual blood beads; Shu Yu looked at her unblemished finger, then turned to look at her.

Nan Xueyin withdrew her hand and said, "I told you, I'm naturally gifted."

Shu Yu only said after a long while, "No wonder..."

Whether it meant, no wonder you can shoot arrows so accurately and your sword techniques are so good.

Or it meant, no wonder the Crown Prince treats you so specially.

He didn't elaborate further.

The two had arrived at the training grounds, where soldiers were drilling below with bursts of shouting and a grand formation; as for Xiao Youlan, he was surrounded by people and seated in the center of the platform like stars around the moon.

Nan Xueyin stopped halfway, lifted her eyes, and looked over from a distance.

Most of the military generals were older, with burly and tall builds, and because they trained in the army year-round, their skin was dark and they were unkempt.

The handsome and noble Crown Prince appeared particularly striking among the generals.

It was also at this moment that Xiao Youlan suddenly lowered his eyes and looked over.

But Xiao Youlan only looked at her for a moment before turning his face away.

Nan Xueyin suddenly thought, with so many soldiers below and generals above, if she could successfully assassinate the Crown Prince today, she would surely go down in history and be remembered for eternity.

Feihong came over and said, "His Highness says standing is tiring, and he wants Miss Hua Lianying to go up and sit."

Nan Xueyin felt that even if she went up, she would just continue standing.

But since it was the Crown Prince's intention, she could only comply.

Following Feihong onto the platform, Nan Xueyin caught sight of an extra stool that a soldier had added behind Xiao Youlan, and she couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

Was he really going to let her sit?

Subconsciously, she looked at Xiao Youlan, and caught off guard, she met those deep, dark eyes.

"Sit."

Just as the drill came to a pause, Xiao Youlan spoke softly.

Several other generals also looked over, and Nan Xueyin keenly sensed disapproving gazes among them; after all, she was not a person of the military, nor did she have any noble status, so how was she qualified?

Nan Xueyin did not care about any of this at all and sat down on the stool in a generous and composed manner.

"Did you have fun playing outside?" Xiao Youlan asked.

Nan Xueyin gave a hum, "I competed in archery against Xia Lin and won. I competed in swordsmanship against Jiang Jing and also won."

"Oh?"

The burly general to Xiao Youlan's left furrowed his sword-like brows, "You competed in archery against Xia Lin and won?"

He clearly did not believe it.

Nan Xueyin looked over, and Shu Yu laughed from the side, "She really won; they competed twice, and she won both times. Many people were watching at the time! I competed too, and I lost as well. If you don't believe it, General Lu, you can ask them when you go back later; those few lost quite miserably!"

At this moment, Xia Lin suddenly sneezed.

He rubbed his nose, feeling as if someone was cursing him behind his back.

"Young General Huo!"

"Why has the Young General come?"

The surroundings, which had been filled with gloom and despair due to the successive defeats, finally had a bit of life to them now.

Xia Lin looked toward the flamboyant youth dressed in a red round-collared robe and also called out, "Lu Little General!"

The one with the highest prestige in the military and the most trusted by the Emperor was General Lu, and Lu Little General was his only son; as the saying goes, a tiger father has no dog for a son, and the Little General had just turned twenty, not only born with red lips and white teeth and a heroic, dashing appearance, but he was also valiant and skilled in battle, with courage surpassing the three armies.

Lu Yan nodded lazily one by one in response to the greetings, raised his eyebrows, and asked Jiang Jing, "Where did that girl who was competing in swordsmanship with you just now go?"