The female anchor turned into the dean of an ancient academy

As night fell, the inner courtyard of the Princess's Residence gradually fell silent, only the occasional chirping of insects shattering the stillness. Xia Chenghao's heart, however, was a turbulent sea. Li Lingxuan's every smile, every gesture, was like invisible threads, tightly entwining his thoughts and leaving him unable to find peace. He had thought he could easily put this woman behind him, but the more he tried to forget, the more clearly her image emerged in his mind, lingering.

"Could it be that I'm truly attracted to her?" Xia Chenghao couldn't help but ask himself, but he quickly dismissed the thought. He was the crown prince of Xixiang State, the future heir apparent. How could he possibly fall for a woman from an enemy nation? His personal feelings were minor, but the future and fate of Xixiang State was paramount.

In order to find out Li Lingxuan's purpose in approaching him, Xia Chenghao decided to take a risk and sneak into her bedroom to find out. He changed into a black nightgown, hid himself under the cover of the night, and sneaked into Li Lingxuan's bedroom quietly like a ghost.

Moonlight streamed through the cracks in the window, illuminating a corner of the room like a silver glow. Li Lingxuan lay on her side on the bed, her long, glossy black hair cascading down the pillow like a waterfall. Her jade-like skin, shimmering in the moonlight, seemed even more translucent. Her breathing was soft and even, as if she were lost in a sweet dream.

Xia Chenghao held his breath, stepped lightly, and slowly approached the bed. His gaze fell on Li Lingxuan's face. A hint of fatigue lingered between her brows, yet it couldn't conceal her stunning beauty. Xia Chenghao's heart couldn't help but ripple. He reached out, wanting to touch Li Lingxuan's cheek and feel the warmth of her skin.

However, just as his fingers were about to touch Li Lingxuan's cheek, his hand suddenly stopped in mid-air. Xia Chenghao suddenly woke up. What was he doing? The purpose of his trip was to investigate Li Lingxuan's secret, not to indulge in...

Xia Chenghao took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He began to carefully search every corner of the room, trying to find some clues. However, Li Lingxuan's room was neatly arranged and there was nothing suspicious.

Just as Xia Chenghao was about to abandon his search and turn away, his peripheral vision strayed to the floor beneath the dressing table. Something seemed off there. He paused, his gaze slowly settling on the floor. He saw that the tiles there were a slightly darker color than elsewhere, as if they'd been soaked in water. The gaps between the tiles were also slightly different, appearing somewhat rough.

Xia Chenghao's mind raced. Could there be some kind of trap here? He crouched down, carefully observing the pattern of the tiles in the dim moonlight, trying to discern any clues. He tapped the tiles lightly a few times, and sure enough, a hollow echo echoed from beneath, confirming his suspicions. Xia Chenghao took a deep breath, held it, and pressed firmly on the darker tile.

With a soft click, the floor tile slowly rose, revealing a dark hole. A damp, musty smell filled the air. Xia Chenghao, overjoyed, quickly reached out and moved the tile, revealing a secret compartment hidden beneath the floorboards.

Inside the secret compartment was an exquisite wooden box, beautifully carved with patterns, clearly worth its weight in gold. Xia Chenghao carefully opened the box and discovered a stack of letters neatly tied together with a red ribbon. He picked up a letter and read it carefully in the moonlight.

He opened the first letter with curiosity. Under the dim candlelight, Li Lingxuan's beautiful handwriting leaped from the page, like peach blossoms blooming on a spring branch, alluring and alluring. Yet, Xia Chenghao felt a chill run from his feet to his head, as if the letter were crawling with venomous snakes, spitting icy poison. In the letter, Li Lingxuan described his daily life in meticulous detail, her tone as intimate as a young girl in love, her love and admiration evident in every word.

"Your Highness's swordsmanship became even more powerful when he was practicing today. Lingxuan was mesmerized watching from the side. I really want to be the sword in Your Highness's hand forever, accompanying You by his side."

As Xia Chenghao read these words, Li Lingxuan's shy look emerged in his mind. At that time, he only thought it was pleasing to the eye, but now when he looked at it again, he found it extremely glaring, as if it were a poisonous thorn, piercing his heart and causing pain.

He took a deep breath and continued reading, but the next paragraph made him feel like he was falling into an icy cave.

"Lingxuan followed Dean Cen's instructions today and showed her affection to His Highness. His Highness seemed a little confused. But rest assured, Your Highness, Lingxuan will work hard and become the apple of His Highness's eye as soon as possible."

Xia Chenghao's breathing quickened as he suddenly remembered how Li Lingxuan had been incredibly enthusiastic towards him that day, even throwing herself at him regardless of their status. At the time, he'd dismissed the incident as just another example of the unruly princess being unreasonable. But now, thinking about it, he felt a chill run down his spine, a wave of anger and humiliation at being deceived welling up in him.

He clenched his fists and continued to read. Each letter was like a sharp knife, cutting into his heart. In the letter, Li Lingxuan described in detail how she approached him step by step, how she exploited his trust, and even how she acted in front of him to gain his sympathy.

What shocked him even more was that every word in Cen Jiexiao's reply to the letter was full of calculations and conspiracies, as if he was just a chess piece at the mercy of others.

"Princess, you've done well. Although Crown Prince Xixiang is intelligent, he's still young and impetuous. If you can capitalize on his heroic spirit, you can make him obey you. Remember, you must make him fall in love with you, become dependent on you, and ultimately, become your sharp sword, loyal to you alone!"

"Prince Xixiang is suspicious by nature, so you must not act hastily. What you need to do is to let him relax his guard, let him fall into your gentle trap step by step, and make him trust you completely..."

Looking at these words filled with conspiracy and calculation, Xia Chenghao felt a surge of anger rushing to his head. He crumpled the letter in his hand into a ball and threw it hard on the ground, gritting his teeth and saying, "What a traitor Li Lingxuan, what a traitor Cen Jiexiao, how dare you plot against me like this!"

He had originally thought that Li Lingxuan was just a spoiled and unruly princess. Although she was a little willful, she was not bad by nature. However, he had never expected that she would be so scheming and even team up with Cen Jiexiao to deceive him! He, the crown prince of the Great Western Xiang Kingdom, had become a pawn in their hands. How could he tolerate this?

The more Xia Chenghao thought about it, the angrier he became. The anger in his heart was like a volcanic eruption, difficult to suppress. He stood up suddenly, trying to find an outlet to vent his anger.

Rage boiled in his chest, threatening to consume his sanity. But he had been forged in the vortex of power struggles, and years of battle had forged a steely will. He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

His mind resurfaced with his father's teachings: "Those who achieve great things are not particular about trivial matters, but must be able to endure what ordinary people cannot endure."

Yes, he couldn't act impulsively now, and he couldn't lose his composure. Since Cen Jiexiao and Li Lingxuan dared to plot against him like this, they must have made thorough preparations. If he acted rashly, he would only fall into their trap.

Xia Chenghao's anger gradually subsided, replaced by an icy chill. A sinister glint flashed in his eyes, and a sneer appeared on his face.

"Want to use me? Humph, you've miscalculated!" Xia Chenghao snorted in his heart, "I want to see what tricks you guys are up to!"

He decided to play along and continue their show to see what they were up to. He wanted to let them know that he, Xia Chenghao, was not so easy to use!

A few days later, Xia Chenghao seemed like a completely different person. His former enthusiasm had vanished, replaced by a coldness and distance. His attitude toward Li Lingxuan took a complete turn. He no longer cared about her well-being or responded to her every request. Instead, he treated her with indifference, maintaining a polite yet distant distance. Li Lingxuan was also caught off guard by Xia Chenghao's sudden change.