Chapter 394: Prince Su wants Luò'er to become a wise inner aide!

He spoke in a low, deep voice; only she could hear his unique tenderness.

Li Qingluo thought of all the little things he had done for her along the way, and her eyes reddened slightly.

Unable to restrain herself, Li Qingluo reached out and lightly hooked Duan Rongshi's sleeve.

She raised her head to look at him: "Your Highness, from now on let me protect you."

Duan Rongshi smiled faintly: "Protect this prince from what?"

Li Qingluo pondered.

"Your Highness, what do you want me to do?"

Duan Rongshi slightly bent down, leaned to her ear, and said: "I want Luò'er to become my wise inner aide, alright?"

Li Qingluo blushed and nodded: "Alright."

"Although there are still many things I don't know."

"I don't know how to manage the inner household, I'm not good at socializing, nor am I versed in poetry, books, rites, and etiquette... but I am willing to learn."

"I will definitely not make Your Highness lose face..."

Duan Rongshi listened, yet his brows furrowed slightly.

"Why do I want you to learn these, this prince?"

"Forcing you to become like those cookie-cutter ladies from Jinling City?"

"If you can do everything, what difference would there be between you and other ladies?"

"What this prince fancies is the real you."

"Whether you know these things or not, what's the harm?"

"Knowing these things is your own means; if you don't learn them, this prince will do it himself."

"Moreover, this prince's consort is not merely a title; she is the person this prince cherishes."

If he wanted to marry, he could have taken, years ago, the most outstanding ladies from the prominent families of Jinling City.

Why would he wait until today?

He kept postponing, simply because he previously found those ladies annoying.

He also did not want outsiders intruding into his prince's manor, nor did he want to deal with the complicated relations of those prominent families.

In the dark, even he himself did not know what he was waiting for.

If it weren't for her, perhaps he would spend his life as a lonely widower.

Clearly bored, he continued living his former days.

Once he discovers the cause of his mother's death, avenges her, perhaps he will leave this chaotic court and retire to the mountains to spend the rest of his life.

But he waited for her, the one and only.

"Luò'er, as this prince's wise inner aide, you are to help him kill and investigate cases; you need not spend all day hidden in the inner quarters, your brilliance obscured."

"Understand?"

Li Qingluo felt a faint ripple in her heart.

Could this be the greatest surprise of her rebirth in this life?

Meeting such a lover unlike any ordinary one.

Compared to all the lovers she has heard of in the world, he is utterly different.

He sounds like a yaksha ghost, but the one who truly enters his heart will become the person he cradles in his palm.

Li Qingluo only felt she was somewhat unworthy.

She felt inferior from the bottom of her heart.

Meeting his deep, dark eyes, she smiled with reddened eyes: "Alright."

"Then I will be myself, accompanying Your Highness through the dangers ahead, to level those injustices fate has dealt us."

"If one day he grows tired of his own dull, mediocre self, or if Duan Rongshi shifts his affection elsewhere..."

She would at most leave and go her own way.

But for now, she wants to try bravely walking toward him.

And regard him as the deepest part of her heart.

As for the future, we'll talk about it later.

Anyway, she has already rushed toward him without reservation.

Thinking thus, Li Qingluo actively reached out and lightly took Duan Rongshi's hand.

Their ten fingers interlocked, they gazed at each other and smiled.

"Just like this, this prince is already very delighted."

"Let's go, this prince has come to fetch you to see the liveliest spectacle you most want to see."

Although he has received an imperial decree to enter the palace to give thanks.

But that is three days from now.

Now, Li Qingluo must hurry and go with Duan Rongshi to the rear hills of Green Pine.

She had known since early morning that Zuliya too had finally succumbed to poison.

Waiting for news from Free Abode, saying that Li Qingluo had gone with Duan Rongshi, only then did Old Lady Pei learn of it.

She was so angry she threw the spatula in her hand.

"She ran off without even eating."

"Truly, a grown daughter cannot be kept!"

"It's a shame she still wanted to personally make two dishes to entertain Prince Su tonight."

What the hell are you eating now?

Pei Lao Furen waved her hand and left the kitchen, feeling very forlorn.

Zhang Mama followed up and said: "Old Lady, the young lady must have something urgent to attend to if she's going out now."

I heard they also took Dong Siyuan away.

It wasn't just the two of them leaving on their own.

Pei Lao Furen realized something: "Dong Siyuan? Could it be related to the poison outbreak on Luo'er's body?"

Blue Pine Back Mountain, Cliff Pass.

Zuliya was still howling and roaring.

But she no longer resembled a living person.

Her whole body had a bluish tint to the skin, her eyes were rolled back, and several veins spread across her face.

Li Qingluo looked at Sha San and asked: "How long has it been?"

Sha San glanced at Duan Rongshi before answering: "It was after two quarters past the hai hour last night."

Li Qingluo understood from Sha San's gaze: "Your Highness, did you come last night?"

Duan Rongshi didn't hide it from her: "Last night I captured Zong Zheng Wuheng."

Li Qingluo was quite surprised.

Besides being surprised that Zong Zheng Wuheng hadn't been killed by her own arrow, she was also surprised that Duan Rongshi had come to Blue Pine Mountain last night.

He not only went to see her last night, but also made a round trip to Blue Pine Mountain to capture someone?

He even showed up in her room early this morning.

How can his body hold up if he keeps going like this?

The worry in her eyes stirred Duan Rongshi's heart slightly.

I'm fine.

Li Qingluo: "Your Highness, I don't want to be widowed at a young age."

Duan Rongshi stared blankly.

Behind them, Zhui Yu and Leng Dian broke out in cold sweat on their foreheads.

Sha San also silently startled in his heart.

As expected of a young lady!

You dare say such things?

Duan Rongshi: ……

I…… will try to live long.

Zhui Yu and Leng Dian:!!!

Try…… to live long?

Your Highness, what the young lady said is practically treasonous; aren't you angry at all?

In the past, the girl's head on her neck would probably have been cut off by now.

Your Highness, you have truly changed.

Changed to finally resemble a living person.

Zhui Yu felt relieved.

She wished she could cover her face and cry.

Leng Dian also smiled slightly.

Li Qingluo knew this wasn't the time to say such things, so she just brushed it off.

She looked at Zuliya, and a chill ran through her heart.

If it weren't for Duan Rongshi personally feeding her blood to get through these two poison outbreaks, would she also have turned out like this?

Looking at Zuliya's chest, a patch of black, she must have also spat out a lot of black blood.

Duan Rongshi also wanted to figure out what Zuliya would turn into if it didn't consume human blood.

Facing the wind, waves of fragrance blew toward Zuliya's nostrils.

After being hung for several days, she howled all night again.

Originally already near the end of her resources, she suddenly became frenzied again.

Even a man would be fine.

Besides Li Qingluo, everyone on this cliff smelled of men.

For the poison-afflicted Zuliya, this was nothing short of a cruelty worse than death by a thousand cuts.

She howled repeatedly, and tears of blood actually streamed from her eyes.

Then came mouthful after mouthful of black blood.

Li Qingluo watched this scene, and her face grew increasingly grim.

Duan Rongshi took her hand and said: "You are not her."

She had taken nearly twenty poison pills; you only took one.

Luo'er, don't associate this with yourself.

Li Qingluo nodded: "Okay."

Yet how could she truly not care?

How could Zuliya not be another reflection of herself?

Seeing that the time was about right, Duan Rongshi gave Leng Dian a glance.

Leng Dian called out to Sha San, and the two of them flew forward, each holding an iron chain.

Under Zu Li Ya's continuously raging, wide-open mouth spewing black blood, they wrapped iron chains around Zu Li Ya's mouth.

They made her bite down tightly on the iron chain with her teeth.

Then they untied the ropes binding her hands.

Then they threw her onto the shore.

Sha Shi and Sha Shiyi hurried forward and seized her.

Although Zu Li Ya was still raging mad, she had no strength left and could only be dragged into the stone prison.

Inside the stone prison.

Li Qingluo followed Duan Rongshi as they just entered, and saw Zong Zheng Wu Heng, who was imprisoned on the mouth.

Seeing her appear, Zong Zheng Wu Heng had originally been leisurely leaning on the stone railing, as if he didn't care at all about Zu Li Ya's ordeal.

But the moment he saw Li Qingluo, he involuntarily straightened his body.

Li Qingluo's eyes were full of disgust toward him.

This made Zong Zheng Wu Heng feel greatly surprised and delighted.

"Are you really?"

"Are you Li Qingluo?"

He let out a few 'ha ha' laughs.

"As it turns out, you had long ago captured the impostor, and you could even restore your true appearance; indeed, you have some skill."

Only now did Zong Zheng Wu Heng become certain that the fake young lady he had Qin Ling disguise had already been exposed.

Just a glance from Li Qingluo left him with no doubt.

However, Qin Ling's capture made it unsurprising that they could uncover the truth.

What surprised him was that this woman's true appearance was still so breathtakingly beautiful.

"Your mole is fake."

"Are the two dark circles under your eyes also fake?"

"You deceived me!"

He was full of surprise and delight.

But he still didn't understand why his notorious cousin would abandon Zong Zheng Yu'er and repeatedly protect this woman.

Because, in terms of appearance, Zong Zheng Yu'er is also a beauty of another kind.

But if we talk about preferences, I still like this woman before me, whose brows and eyes carry a hint of heroic spirit.

The liking in his eyes instantly made Duan Rongshi feel murderous.

He walked over and grabbed Zong Zheng Wu Heng's chest lapel in one grasp.

"Zong Zheng Wu Heng, are you really asking for death?"

Li Qingluo coldly crossed her arms: "May I personally kill him?"

If it weren't for this Zong Zheng Wu Heng, I wouldn't have suffered all this inexplicable hardship for no reason.

Even the poison on my body now is because of his order to Qin Ling.

Li Qingluo saw him still alive and well, and only regretted that her archery that night had been poor, failing to shoot him dead.

Seeing that both of them were full of killing intent, Zong Zheng Wu Heng immediately raised his hands to beg for mercy: "Cousin, why such great hostility?"

"I and Miss Li are also old acquaintances; we've even had a little story."

"Cousin, don't you want to know?"

Zong Zheng Wu Heng stared at Li Qingluo, full of malice.

Li Qingluo raised her hand and shot a sleeve-arrow at his shoulder.

Zong Zheng Wu Heng let out a muffled groan, covering his suddenly bloody shoulder.

"Be careful next time; what I hit could be your neck."

If it weren't for Duan Rongshi keeping him alive for his usefulness, Li Qingluo would simply have wanted to finish him off.

Zong Zheng Wu Heng: "Indeed, the most poisonous woman's heart… You really aren't afraid I'll tell him what good things we did together at the Spring Banquet Hall?"