The prince loves me like his life, but I force him to rebel

Gu Nianzhi lowered her head, somewhat afraid to look Sima Yao in the eye, and her voice became exceptionally soft.

"A secret? Why don't you tell me now?"

Sima Yao's curiosity was instantly aroused, and he couldn't wait to know what the secret was.

He approached Gu Nianzhi, his eyes full of inquiry and expectation.

Gu Nianzhi quickly shook her head and said in a panic, "It's a long story, I can't finish it in a short time. I will wait for you to come back. Go quickly and come back soon."

There was a hint of determination in her eyes, as if she was determined to tell all the secrets after Sima Yao returned.

Looking at Gu Nianzhi in front of him, Sima Yao smiled slightly, his eyes full of doting.

He slowly approached Gu Nianzhi, kissed him gently on the cheek, and then said softly: "Then wait for me."

"Yeah." Gu Nianzhi nodded gently.

Sima Yao turned and walked out of the tent, his figure gradually disappearing into the distance.

Gu Nianzhi stood there for a long time without moving. She kept thinking about the scene just now. Sima Yao's kiss seemed to still remain on her cheek, making her face still hot.

After Sima Yao left the tent, Gu Nianzhi slowly came back to her senses. She looked down at the corner of her clothes and realized that she was so nervous that she kept kneading the corner of her clothes, so that the corner of her clothes became wrinkled.

She let go of his hand, took a deep breath, and tried to calm herself down.

Gu Nianzhi paced back and forth in the tent, wondering how to confess to Sima Yao her secret of being a woman disguised as a man.

She didn't know how Sima Yao would react after knowing this, whether he would blame her or change his feelings towards her. All kinds of worries and doubts were intertwined in his heart, making her feel a little uneasy.

Suddenly, there was a slight and rhythmic sound of footsteps at the door, followed by a soldier's slightly low voice. "Mr. Gu, dinner is ready, can you come in?" Gu Nianzhi responded with a steady voice, "Come in."

Then, there was a slight rustling sound outside the door, and the door curtain was gently lifted. A tall soldier walked in steadily with his head lowered, carrying a food tray.

The soldier kept his head down the whole time, keeping silent. He just quietly placed the food on the table one by one, and then stood quietly by with his hands hanging down.

Gu Nianzhi calmly picked up her chopsticks and began to enjoy her dinner. After taking a few bites, she suddenly realized that the soldier didn't seem to have any intention of leaving.

Gu Nianzhi paused for a moment, then said, "I still need to eat for a while, you go back and rest first, and come back to collect it later."

However, the soldier seemed not to have heard anything. He neither responded nor moved.

Gu Nianzhi couldn't help but feel a little confused. She frowned slightly and looked up at the soldier's face. After she looked carefully, she felt panic-stricken.

"You, you...why are you here?"

Gu Nianzhi's voice was trembling. She was so panicked that she almost choked on the food in her mouth and started coughing violently.

Upon seeing this, the man hurried forward and patted her back gently. After a few seconds, Gu Nianzhi finally calmed down and her rapid breathing gradually stabilized.

Gu Nianzhi's eyes widened, his face full of astonishment and disbelief. His voice was trembling and puzzled, "You are not... Why are you here disguised as a soldier? What is going on?"

The man still had a faint smile on his face, but there seemed to be some elusive meaning in that smile. He whispered, "Does seeing me scare you so much?"

"Cen Yu, why are you here? Where is the soldier who delivered the food? What did you do to him?"

Gu Nianzhi's face was full of astonishment and vigilance, and her eyes were alert. While questioning anxiously, she moved lightly and slowly towards the entrance of the tent.

Every subtle movement of Gu Nianzhi could not escape Cen Yu's eagle-like sharp eyes.

Cen Yu's tall figure suddenly flashed, and he rushed forward as fast as the wind, pulling Gu Nianzhi tightly over.

His movements were extremely skillful and without any delay. In an instant, he trapped Gu Nianzhi in his strong arms.

A strong hand immediately covered Gu Nianzhi's mouth, so that the scream that was about to come out of her mouth was abruptly suppressed in her throat, and she could not make a sound.

"Follow me." Cen Yu's voice was low and powerful, as if carrying unquestionable majesty.

However, Gu Nianzhi struggled violently, twisting her body and trying to break free from Cen Yu's restraints.

She clearly expressed her reluctance through body language, and her heart was full of resistance and doubt.

Cen Yu's brows furrowed slightly, and a hint of anxiety and helplessness flashed in his eyes.

"You must come with me, otherwise you will die here with Sima Yao."

There was a hint of urgency and solemnity in Cen Yu's tone.

When Gu Nianzhi heard this, his body suddenly stiffened, and a trace of panic and confusion flashed in his eyes.

She stopped struggling and looked straight at Cen Yu, as if trying to find the answer from his face.

Die here with Sima Yao?

What does it mean?

Could it be that Sima Yao is about to encounter some danger?

Gu Nianzhi desperately used her sharp nails to grab Cen Yu's hand that was covering her mouth. The nails seemed to dig into the skin on the back of Cen Yu's hand with a desperate determination.

Cen Yu had never anticipated this sudden crazy action. He felt a sharp pain in his hand. Looking down, he found that there were bright red bloodstains on the back of his hand. The bloodstains were shocking, as if telling of Gu Nianzhi's inner fear and struggle at the moment.

When Cen Yu's hand relaxed a little because of the pain, Gu Nianzhi turned around quickly like an agile cat.

Her movements were smooth and fluid, without any delay. In this tense atmosphere, each of her movements seemed particularly clear.

She rushed to the table in a few steps and picked up a sharp dagger on the table without hesitation.

The dagger flashed coldly in the dim light, as if carrying a deadly threat.

Gu Nianzhi held the dagger tightly and pointed it directly at Cen Yu in front of him.

Her breathing was rapid and disordered, her chest heaving violently, and her eyes revealed a light of fear and determination. "Don't come over."

Gu Nianzhi's voice trembled slightly, and in that trembling there was both nervousness and a hint of calmness that he was trying hard to maintain.

Her hand was tightly gripping the hilt of the dagger, and her knuckles were turning white from the force she was holding.

Cen Yu looked at the dagger in Gu Nianzhi's hand, with a hint of surprise in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, as if thinking about something. "Don't shout, I won't come over." Cen

Yu's voice was low and magnetic, and his expression looked relaxed, as if he was not worried that Gu Nianzhi could hurt him with the dagger in his hand.

His eyes were fixed on Gu Nianzhi, as if he wanted to see through her eyes and see into her heart.

"You just said Sima Yao would die?"

Gu Nianzhi's voice was filled with anxiety and uneasiness. Her brows were tightly knitted together, and her eyes were full of doubt and worry. Her mind kept echoing what Cen Yu had just said, and an indescribable fear surged in her heart.

How could Sima Yao, the person she loved so deeply, die? She didn't want to believe it was true, and she had to get a definite answer from Cen Yu.

"He won't live more than three days." Cen Yu's voice was calm and indifferent, as if he was stating a very ordinary fact.

There was no expression on his face, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking at the moment.

His words were like a heavy hammer, hitting Gu Nianzhi's heart hard.

"What do you mean?"

Gu Nianzhi's heart skipped a beat, as if she had missed a beat. Her face turned pale instantly, and her body shook involuntarily.

"That's what I meant." Cen Yu's answer was concise and straightforward, without any unnecessary explanation. There was a mysterious light in his eyes that made it hard to understand.

Gu Nianzhi stared at Cen Yu blankly. She tried to find a flaw or a hint of comfort on his face, but she saw nothing.

Cen Yu didn't look like he was lying to her. His expression was too calm and too confident.

Gu Nianzhi frowned tightly, her heart full of contradictions and struggles. She didn't know whether she should believe Cen Yu's words. On the one hand, she felt that Cen Yu had no need to lie to her, after all, they had some friendship before; on the other hand, she didn't want to believe that Sima Yao would die so easily. Sima Yao was so powerful and so capable, how could he die in just three days? Gu Nianzhi's heart was full of doubts and confusion.

"Then why did you come to me?"

"People around him will die too, but I don't want you to die."

Cen Yu just stood there quietly. Although he was wearing the uniform of a soldier, his cold eyes seemed to be able to penetrate everything.

His posture was as upright as a pine tree, and his spine was straight, as if it would not bend at all no matter what situation he faced.

The unique temperament and momentum are indeed completely beyond the ordinariness brought by the soldier's costume.

The soldier's uniform on him seemed more like a deliberate disguise, a small mockery of worldly views.

We have to admit that some people are born with a unique temperament, which seems to be a gift from God, making them stand out in the crowd.

This was the case with Cen Yu. As a member of the royal family, his blood seemed to be filled with innate dignity and majesty. His every move exuded an aura that was hard to ignore, an aura that transcended ordinary people.

This kind of aura does not need gorgeous clothes to set off or dazzling jewelry to embellish it. His mere presence is enough to make people around him feel that invisible pressure.

When Cen Yu's eyes met Gu Nianzhi's, a barely perceptible emotion seemed to flash across his eyes.

Gu Nianzhi looked at him, with countless questions and speculations in her mind.

She asked tentatively, "Are you the one who wants Sima Yao to die?"

Her voice seemed a little abrupt in this silent space, and it trembled slightly, as if she was also a little afraid of the answer to this question.

When Cen Yu heard her words, the corners of his mouth slowly rose, revealing a smile that was somewhat contemptuous.

He said softly: "I originally thought that you were very smart, but now it seems that you are just so-so."

His voice was deep and magnetic, as if every word carried a special power.

Gu Nianzhi took a deep breath and spoke again: "Is it the one in the palace?"

There was a hint of uncertainty in her voice, but it was more of a tentative one.

Cen Yu did not answer her question immediately, but smiled slightly and continued to look at Gu Nianzhi with an undisguised gaze.

There seemed to be no malice in his eyes, rather it seemed as if he was appreciating a beautiful work of art.

"I got it?"

Gu Nianzhi asked nervously.

"Yes."

Gu Nianzhi's brain was like a high-speed machine, with thoughts surging in it like a tide.

Her eyes became sharp and focused, and every subtle expression showed that she was concentrating on analyzing the current complex situation.

The Second Prince has just ascended the throne, and with the new emperor in power, there are bound to be many unstable factors in the political situation.

At such a critical moment, he absolutely could not openly eliminate those who were regarded as dissidents, otherwise it would surely cause an uproar and might even shake the throne he had just sat on.

Sima Yao was in Qiangyi at that time, which was undoubtedly an excellent opportunity.

He sent people to assassinate Sima Yao secretly, and then through careful planning, he cleverly put the blame on other countries. In this way, he could get rid of Sima Yao, a potential threat, without anyone noticing, and at the same time he could shift the blame cleanly and avoid putting himself in an unfavorable situation.

From various perspectives, this is indeed a very good deal.

Thinking of this, Gu Nianzhi had to admit that Cen Yu's words did have some credibility.

She began to feel conflicted and struggling in her heart. After all, this matter involved too many things and if she was not careful, she could be doomed.

Just as Gu Nianzhi was deep in thought, Cen Yu's calm and even voice came again: "I am here to save you. So, don't hesitate, follow me."

His words were concise and clear, without excessive embellishment or emphasis, but they revealed an unquestionable firmness.

However, Gu Nianzhi did not respond to Cen Yu's invitation immediately. Her mind was still immersed in thinking about the whole incident, and she needed to find out more details and the truth.

So she asked her own question: "How do you know this?"

Her eyes were fixed on Cen Yu, as if she wanted to find more clues from his expression and answer.

A trace of helplessness appeared on Cen Yu's face. He sighed softly, and that sigh seemed to carry endless sorrow and melancholy. He said slowly: "I came to save you, but your mind seems to be only on him."

There was a barely perceptible hint of loneliness in his eyes, as if he was a little disappointed that Gu Nianzhi was only concerned about the truth of the matter and ignored his feelings.