After her mind was read, the spoiled brat became the darling of the whole group.

The next game of chess.

Xie Xing immediately started the game, and the two had only been playing chess for a short while when Xie Xing's offensive put Aruo in a dilemma.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Aruo's face instantly turned bright red.

It's shameful.

He thought he could beat Xie Xing and turn the tide, but he didn't expect to suffer another round of humiliation.

Aruo was about to flip the table.

"Princess, I'm sorry, but I might be a bit better at chess." Xie Xing played with the white pieces in her hand, a smile on her face, then stood up and gracefully bowed to the Chu Emperor on the throne: "Your Majesty, I have won in both chess and painting."

"it is good!"

The Emperor of Chu laughed heartily. He turned his head and gave Xie Ansheng a meaningful look, saying, "Your daughter is truly an outstanding person."

Xie Ansheng had no idea that Xie Xing would give him such a big surprise.

Originally, I thought that the best way out for a country bumpkin like me was to marry a good husband and bring benefits to the family, but I never expected that I would win two rounds in a row at this palace banquet.

Her speech and manner were always sophisticated and insightful, even surpassing that of some daughters of prominent families.

No wonder...

It will attract Prince Jin's attention.

Xie Ansheng reassessed the value of his daughter, and with a smile, he bowed respectfully, saying, "Your Majesty is too kind."

The envoy from the southern kingdom did not look pleased.

It was bad enough that their army lost to Xie's army, but now even their princess was inferior to the daughter they had just found, who was said to have been found in the countryside. Both of them were disgraced, and the envoys from the Southern Kingdom were too ashamed to stay at the palace banquet.

They even tried to sow discord between Xie Xing and Xie Mingzhu.

it's good now.

Whether it was an adopted daughter or a biological daughter, they couldn't compare to her.

After the palace banquet, Xie Xing remained silent for a while, then told Madam Xie that he needed to use the restroom, and came out from the back garden.

Seeing this, Xie Yuhe gave Xie Yuze a look.

Of course, we have to keep up.

Judging from Xie Xing's inner thoughts, he wanted to give Xie Mingzhu and Luo Hanfeng a chance to spend time together.

Given Xie Mingzhu's current status, Xie Yuhe doesn't want either the Crown Prince or Luo Hanfeng to be around.

The best option is to wipe out all the remnants of the previous dynasty before everyone discovers Xie Mingzhu's identity. Without witnesses, there will be no threat.

Only then will Xie Mingzhu be truly free, and the fatal danger to the Xie family will disappear.

……

Where did she go?

Xie Xing searched the back garden but couldn't find Xie Mingzhu, which was a bit strange.

The emperor's harem was not to be roamed freely, especially the daughters of his officials, who were not allowed to leave the inner garden. If they entered the harem, they could be accused of any crime.

"It's just a pavilion or something. Look at her, I wonder where she's going to shed tears and make some male supporting character feel sorry for her." The system said very casually.

Xie Xing: "..."

Since he couldn't find it here, Xie Xing decided to look in the other direction.

"You must be Miss Xie Wu?" A gentle and pleasant voice came from in front of me as I turned around.

Xie Xing paused, looked up, and saw a handsome young man in a moon-white brocade robe standing with his arms crossed, leaning against a tree trunk, watching her with a leisurely air.

Xie Xing was stunned for a moment. She looked to her left and right. The place was somewhat secluded and there were no people around. This person's sudden appearance here clearly meant that he was waiting for her here.

She took a few steps back without making a sound.

Seeing Xie Xing's wary expression, Wen Yan smiled gently and said, "Miss, there's no need to be afraid. My name is Wen Yan."

Gentle words?

Xie Xing suddenly realized that this was the person she had asked Xie Yuhe about on the carriage, the one who was ranked second on the beauty list.

"Is there something you need?" Xie Xing asked, not letting her guard down.

Wen Yan smiled warmly: "At the palace banquet just now, I saw that you have extraordinary skills, Miss. I was curious, so I took the opportunity to get to know you."

"If you don't mind, we can be friends."

Xie Xing blinked and tilted his head, saying, "Your Highness is joking. How can you be a friend like that?"

"This place is remote, and it's already evening. If a lone man and woman are discovered here, people won't think we're making friends."

The little girl's voice was soft and gentle, and she didn't seem dangerous at all.

But the implication in his words was utterly unfriendly.

Wen Yan paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "This young lady is so lovely, I never imagined she was a rose with thorns."

Xie Xing's expression was somewhat complicated: "Your Highness seems to be quite a handsome young man, but I never expected that what you said would be so mature for your age."

Greasy.

Wen Yan, who was always described as elegant, handsome, and dashing, froze with a smile.

He took a deep breath. "Xie Wu, you're a bit too sharp-tongued. Aren't you afraid I'll get angry?"

Xie Xing's eyelashes fluttered. "Is the young master so petty?"

Wen Yan was about to speak when footsteps came from the other end. He thought for a moment, then suddenly jumped in front of Xie Xing, grabbed her waist, and jumped behind the artificial hill, concealing his aura.

The artificial hill where the two were standing had a gap in the middle, which gave a clear view of where Xie Xing and Wen Yan had just stood.

“Mingzhu!” It was the voice of Crown Prince Luo Cheng’an.

Xie Xing's eyes widened. She was about to run out, determined to ruin the time the Crown Prince and Xie Mingzhu spent together.

Before she could even make a move, the hand around her waist tightened slightly, and a warm body pressed against her back. "Shh, Miss Xie, don't move yet. You might just witness a good show."

Wen Yan's voice contained a hint of mockery.

Xie Xing looked up and glared at him: "If you want to watch the show, watch it by yourself. Why are you dragging me along?"

Wen Yan said innocently, "It just so happens that we ran into Miss Xie. If we let Miss Xie go out, it might ruin this good show."

Xie Xing gritted her teeth in anger and said, "Maybe if you let me out, I can put on a great show for you."

"Hmm?" Wen Yan raised an eyebrow, then coldly refused: "No."

"Miss Xie, you should stay here." As he spoke, he tightened his grip, not giving the person in front of him any chance to escape.

Xie Xing felt a lump in his throat.

A faint fragrance wafted from her bosom. Although Wen Yan appeared calm, she was actually somewhat uncomfortable.

He seemed to have never been so close to a woman before.

The girl in his arms was like a kitten, slender and petite, and he could completely envelop and cover her.

Just as he was starting to feel flustered, Xie Xing looked up at him with eyes brighter than the stars. She first glanced at the hand around his waist, then at the distance between them, a hint of suspicion flashing in her almond-shaped eyes: "You wouldn't happen to be a lecherous scoundrel, would you?"

"If you're going to watch the show, why are you standing so close to me?"

Wen Yan: "..."

The romantic feelings in his heart dissipated, and then he smiled and said, "What you say makes sense, young lady. I agree."

As he spoke, he reached out and pressed Xie Xing's acupoints twice.

One is a fixed acupoint, and the other is a silent acupoint.