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

Cen Yu suppressed his emotions and spoke softly.

"I thought a lot after we parted that day. Maybe you have some misunderstandings about me."

"Misunderstand?"

"Yes, misunderstanding."

"Mr. Cen, you are the one who misunderstood."

Gu Nianzhi's expression was calm and without any ripples.

She turned to look at Cen Yu: "In fact, you and I are just casual friends. If we are compatible, we will be together. If we are not compatible, we will be apart. There is no need to explain."

"Am I so insignificant in your eyes?"

Gu Nianzhi did not answer, but continued talking.

"You and I are strangers. Even if there is any misunderstanding, I don't want to know the whole story. Just keep your distance."

Cen Yu's mystery made Gu Nianzhi feel extremely insecure and panic.

She tried her best to distance herself from Cen Yu.

"Actually, I'm willing to tell you everything about me as long as you ask."

"No need, Master Cen. Some things are hard to be left in ignorance. I'm afraid if I know too much, I'll be the next person to be killed."

Gu Nianzhi turned around and wanted to leave.

"Miss Gu."

She was very surprised that Cen Yu knew that she was a woman dressed as a man. Gu Nianzhi couldn't help but stop and listen to what Cen Yu had to say.

"You are definitely not a stranger to me. I feel relieved to see you today."

"Don't worry, Master Cen."

Gu Nianzhi continued to move forward.

Cen Yu's voice came from behind.

"We'll see each other soon."

When she came out of the inner room and walked into the garden, Concubine De was waiting for her.

"You must be wondering why I know Cen Yu?"

Gu Nianzhi looked at Concubine De and answered with her eyes.

"I saw with my own eyes that his legs were crippled." Defei's eyes drifted to the side, as if she was lost in memories.

Gu Nianzhi was indeed curious about this matter, but her intuition told her that the less she knew about Cen Yu, the safer she would be, so she immediately said, "Your Majesty, I am not interested in Master Cen's affairs."

Concubine De looked at Gu Nianzhi with a puzzled look.

"Don't you have a close relationship with him?"

"We are just strangers who met by chance."

Gu Nian replied in a serious tone.

This answer made Defei feel uncomfortable asking any further.

At the door of the inner room, Cen Yu held onto the door frame, his chest heaving. This woman, whom he was willing to take huge risks to go to the palace to see, actually treated him as a stranger.

Gu Nianzhi said goodbye and walked out of the palace with a heavy heart.

Sima Yao was walking towards him in a hurry.

"My mother asked you to enter the palace. Is there something important?"

"It's just catching up on the past."

Gu Nianzhi looked at Sima Yao, and the scene of yesterday emerged in his mind, and his cheeks became hot.

"I am going back to my residence now. Where are you going, Third Prince?"

"I originally wanted to go to my mother's place to see why she wanted to see you. Now that I have nothing else to do, I plan to go see Huaiyuan and ask about the progress of the bombing case. Do you want to come with me?"

Gu Nianzhi thought about it for a moment.

Ever since Shu Huaiyuan imprisoned her, cracks had appeared in her friendship with Shu Huaiyuan. She knew very well that Shu Huaiyuan had indeed made a rational decision after weighing the pros and cons, but she ultimately felt stabbed in the back and hurt.

If it were in the past, she would definitely go and take a look, but today is different.

"I still won't go."

"Well, go back home and have some rest."

"Wait a minute..." Gu Nianzhi became alert at the sudden return of Concubine De and the strange relationship between Concubine De and Cen Yu. She wanted to remind Sima Yao, but hesitated when the words came to her lips.

After all, Concubine De is Sima Yao's biological mother. Even a tiger would not eat its own cubs. No matter what she has experienced and what changes she has undergone over the years, at least she would not do anything that would be detrimental to Sima Yao.

Thinking of this, Gu Nianzhi decided to keep silent about what he knew.

"What? Is there anything else?"

"Nothing. It's just that the palace has been in turmoil lately, and I want to remind you, the Third Prince, to be careful."

"Yes, of course. Don't worry."

Sima Yao's lips curled up slightly. Gu Nianzhi's instructions gave him an inexplicable sense of happiness.

---

After Gu Nianzhi left, Concubine De dismissed everyone and stayed alone with Cen Yu.

"It seems that Miss Gu doesn't appreciate your kindness."

"She is not an ordinary woman, so naturally she is a little special."

Cen Yu sat on the couch, and Concubine De served him tea and water.

"Master, you seem to be very special to this Miss Gu. What did you talk about when you ventured into the palace?"

"She had some misunderstandings about me, but she didn't want to listen to my explanation."

Cen Yu sighed and was about to drink from his teacup when a palace servant came from outside the door to announce, "The Emperor has arrived..."

Cen Yu quickly stood up and hid behind the screen.

Concubine De stood up to welcome the emperor. As soon as the emperor entered the inner room, he caught a glimpse of two sets of tea sets.

Before the emperor could ask, Concubine De immediately explained, "The counselor in Yao'er's mansion is an old friend of mine. I just had a chat with him and he just left."

"What? I can't hear you clearly."

Defei raised her voice and repeated it.

The emperor nodded.

"It must be Mr. Gu, the strategist who made great contributions last time. He is very smart."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Defei replied in a loud voice.

"I have not been able to sleep well these past few days, and I always feel like there is a layer of gauze between me and the voices I hear. It is very uncomfortable. The court keeps receiving memorials, and each one is very upsetting, so I came to your place to get some fresh air."

De Fei took the emperor's hand and said, "If your majesty doesn't mind, let me show you."

Defei took the patient's pulse for a long time before letting go.

"Your Majesty, you can't sleep well because you are too worried, and your ears can't hear clearly, which is probably caused by the noise of the explosion."

"All these doctors are helpless. Do you have any idea?"

Concubine De was in a bit of a dilemma.

"I have traveled among the common people over the years and have found some methods that can alleviate the emperor's symptoms, but..."

"But it doesn't matter."

"But the most effective method is acupuncture on the acupuncture points on the head. I think the imperial doctors strictly abide by the ancestral rules and dare not use needles on the head of the True Dragon Emperor, so they dare not mention it."

Indeed, there are numerous acupuncture points on the head, and the effect will be very different if there is a slight deviation. Even if the emperor gave the order, none of the imperial doctors dared to perform the operation, so they all kept silent. It was better to be scolded by the emperor than to be sentenced to death if they made a mistake.

"What a bunch of good-for-nothings. I am in so much pain, but there is no way to relieve it." The emperor rubbed his head, his painful expression evident in his words.

"If Your Majesty trusts me, I am willing to help you relieve your pain."

"bring it on."

The emperor lay on the couch with his clothes on. Concubine De lit some incense, took out the long and thin acupuncture needles, burned them one by one over the candlelight and then cooled them down.

While she was making preparations, the Emperor looked at the ceiling and talked to himself.

"De Fei, you once said that you would never return to the palace. I have sent people to invite you back to the palace many times, but you ignored me. Why did you return without invitation this time?"