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

Upon hearing this, the old woman couldn't help but say, "Madam, I heard from the young master that no one was found at the bottom of the cliff, so there might still be hope that they are alive."

Madam Xie loosened her grip on the bedsheet. Hearing that there was still hope for survival, she breathed a sigh of relief and sneered, "It would be better if he died, so I wouldn't be so upset."

Madam Xie couldn't accept that the girl who was inferior to Mingzhu in every way was her biological daughter, but blood ties still bound her together, and when she heard the news of Xie Xing's death, Madam Xie's heart still skipped a beat.

She slowly lay down again, rubbing her forehead, and waved her hand, saying, "Go and inquire again, send people to look for them."

The old woman lowered her head and replied, "Yes."

Then he withdrew.

Not long after the old woman left, Xie Mingzhu came in.

"mother!"

Xie Mingzhu walked in and, seeing Madam Xie's pale face, looked worried: "Mother, how are you feeling?"

“Mingzhu was terrified when that accident happened.”

Xie Mingzhu sat down by Madam Xie's bedside, leaned over, and nestled in Madam Xie's arms: "Mother, I almost couldn't come back to see you."

Madam Xie looked at Xie Mingzhu with eyes full of affection. She gently placed her hand on the top of Xie Mingzhu's head and said with some lingering fear, "Luckily, my Mingzhu is alright, otherwise I would have cried my eyes out."

Xie Mingzhu raised her head, her autumn eyes already brimming with tears: "Mother, since I came back, my three brothers haven't spoken to me. Are they blaming me?"

Madam Xie asked in confusion, "Why would I blame you?"

Xie Mingzhu bit her lip and said in a tearful voice, "It's all my fault. If it weren't for saving me, my sister wouldn't have fallen off the cliff."

As she spoke, she gave a bitter smile: "If only my younger sister had been the one my second brother saved yesterday instead of me."

"Bah bah bah!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Madam Xie's expression changed slightly, and she immediately covered Xie Mingzhu's mouth.

"Mingzhu, don't say such unlucky things. That is Xie Xing's good fortune."

"Only you, your mother hopes you will be safe and sound, and live a life of great wealth and honor in the future."

When Xie Mingzhu was three years old, a highly accomplished monk predicted that Mingzhu was destined to be the mother of a nation, a person of supreme honor second only to the emperor.

Only a daughter with such a promising future deserves to be her daughter.

Does it matter whether she is my biological daughter or not?

If Xie Xing hadn't appeared, given Xie Mingzhu's relationship with the Crown Prince, she would have become the Crown Princess very soon.

Unexpectedly, such a change occurred.

Xie Mingzhu looked at Madam Xie with emotion: "Mother, I will always be your daughter."

Over here, Xie Mingzhu and her mother are putting on a show of maternal love and filial piety.

Meanwhile, Xie Xing, Jun Lanjin, and Luo Hanfeng encountered an accident on their way to the capital.

They were assassinated.

Moreover, it was an assassination attempt carried out by guards dressed in official robes.

Jun Lanjin holds a high position and wields great power, and has dirt on many people. Naturally, many people want him dead. Moreover, this time, they made no attempt to conceal their intentions, as if they were determined to kill Jun Lanjin here.

As for Xie Xing and an unfavored prince, killing them would be a simple matter.

The group was forced into a wooded area on the outskirts of town.

Jun Lanjin's chief bodyguard whistled and fought his way through the enemy lines to protect Jun Lanjin.

The enemy outnumbered them, with over a hundred horses alone. On their side, there was a wounded soldier who had just recovered from poisoning, Luo Hanfeng who was eager for the enemy to suffer, and the remaining two bodyguards. No matter how skilled they were, it was impossible for two people to fight against a hundred riders.

In the chaos, Xie Xing's hand was grabbed by Luo Hanfeng and separated from Jun Lanjin and the others.

With their lives hanging in the balance, Xie Xing didn't notice that Luo Hanfeng was pulling her in the opposite direction from Jun Lanjin. By the time she realized it, they had already hidden in a rice paddy in a village.

A gentle evening breeze rustled through the rice paddies overhead.

Xie Xing waited for a while but didn't see Jun Lanjin and the others. Then she suddenly realized that she had been tricked.

She immediately turned her head, and her gaze met Luo Hanfeng's in the darkness.

Luo Hanfeng smiled, crossed his arms, and looked at Xie Xing: "What's wrong? Panicked because you can't see your prince?"

Normally, Xie Xing should be angry.

But, on a dark and windy night, murder and arson are common occurrences.

Even if they were in the rice paddies of the village, if Luo Hanfeng were to kill her there, it would be incredibly easy and unlikely to be discovered.

One should be arrogant when necessary and timid when appropriate.

A cool breeze swept by, making Xie Xing's neck feel chilly.

There was a feeling that she was about to be beheaded.

She swallowed the anger that was about to rise in her head, blinked her innocent almond-shaped eyes, laughed twice, and then asked, "Actually... should I go find the prince myself?"

[Woooooo! 】

【Help! 】

Xie Xing used both his hands and feet to try and climb out of the rice paddy.

However, Luo Hanfeng had no intention of letting her go.

He stretched out his long arm, hooked the little girl's collar, and easily lifted her to his side.

Meeting Xie Xing's slightly bewildered, bright eyes, Luo Hanfeng smiled with pleasure: "Those people are all targeting your prince. If we separate from him, we can save ourselves a lot of trouble."

"Thank you, Fifth Miss."

He pronounced "Thank you, Fifth Miss" word by word, his voice carrying a unique clarity that was slightly deep and pleasant to the ear, yet it also sent chills down one's spine.

Xie Xing bit her lip, her eyes brimming with tears.

She grabbed her collar with both hands and looked at Luo Hanfeng with accusatory eyes: "You did this on purpose, didn't you!"

After several encounters between the two, she had long since seen through the boy's false exterior and understood his true nature.

Xie Xing didn't understand why. She had clearly done the same thing as the villainous female supporting character in the original plot, only not as outrageous. Why would he target her?

Shouldn't you look at her with that disgusted look, and then torture her little by little until you kill her?

Xie Xing genuinely didn't understand, and even looked at Luo Hanfeng with a somewhat bewildered expression.

Seeing the little girl looking up with a bewildered expression, Luo Hanfeng's eyes darkened slightly, and he loosened his grip on her collar a little.

Xie Xing fell awkwardly into the rice paddy.

Luo Hanfeng smiled softly, tilted his head, lowered his eyes, and looked down at Xie Xing.

"on purpose?"

"It was indeed intentional. After all, I had only recently told Miss Xie that I liked you, and you were already laughing and talking to other men in front of me."

"I get sad too."

The full moon hung in the sky, its cool light shining on his dark hair, creating layers of shimmering light. Under the moonlight, his features were clearly defined by shadows, and his long eyelashes drooped down, obscuring the light in his eyes. His voice was low, drifting gently through the air, and when it reached Xie Xing's ears, it carried a hint of pitifulness.

Xie Xing's face turned red.

Luo Hanfeng's words almost made her CPU burn out.

After a long while, she seemed to finally realize something, and then, like a young wife about to be teased, she hugged herself tightly: "How dare you! How insolent!"

"I'm your future sister-in-law!"

The girl's soft, yet shocked voice echoed in the night breeze.

Luo Hanfeng: "..."