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

News of Prince Jin standing up for Xie Xing and punishing Princess De'an again reached the Xie residence.

Xie Ansheng immediately burst into laughter: "Good! Good!"

"She really is a daughter of the Xie family."

Madam Xie said nothing, but Xie Mingzhu forced a smile and tightened her grip on her hands, which were tucked into her sleeves.

"Where's Xie Xing?" After laughing, Xie Ansheng turned to look at Xie Yuhe.

Xie Yuhe was thinking about something else when he heard this and said, "She went with Prince Jin."

“Father, if Prince Jin truly loves Xie Xing, he will surely ask His Majesty for her hand in marriage. But with the wedding date fast approaching, Prince Jin hasn’t made a single move. I’m afraid…”

Xie Yuhe was thinking about what Xie Yuze had heard from Xie Xing earlier that day.

Xie Ansheng waved his hand: "It's alright, this marriage won't happen."

"In two days, the Southern Barbarians will come to the capital to sue for peace. In order to appease His Majesty, they have specially brought a princess for a marriage alliance."

"There are only a few princes in total. When the time comes, I will recommend the Third Prince to marry the princess and take the opportunity to cancel the engagement."

Xie Ansheng had already planned this out.

Xie Yuhe didn't say anything. He lowered his long eyelashes, and a dark mist filled his dark eyes.

Xie Yuze's words from this morning echoed in Xie Yuhe's mind.

The Emperor will not allow the Prime Minister's daughter to marry him...

Sure enough, when they went to present the betrothal gifts today, Prime Minister Yao, who had initially been somewhat relenting, suddenly changed his mind and said he wanted to keep his daughter for a while longer, forfeit the betrothal gifts, and instead let Yao Qiong go out with them for a stroll that evening.

When Xie Mingzhu returned to the hospital, she was preoccupied with worries.

After taking the medicine, Luo Hanfeng's fever from yesterday had subsided. Seeing Xie Mingzhu's preoccupied look, he couldn't help but ask, "Did something happen?"

Luo Hanfeng's voice drew Xie Mingzhu's attention back.

She snapped out of her reverie, bit her lip, and hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't: "It's my sister..."

“I’m a little worried about my sister. Everyone says that Prince Jin never gets close to women, but he makes an exception for her. Now that people know about this, it’s not good for her reputation.”

Upon hearing this, Luo Hanfeng's eyes turned cold for a moment.

He could see how much Xie Xing liked Jun Lanjin.

He composed himself and tilted his head to look at Xie Mingzhu: "Prince Jin is so outstanding, most women want to be his queen. Could it be that you, Mingzhu, also like him?"

Xie Mingzhu was stunned, then blushed and quickly explained, "Seventh Prince, that's not what I meant."

Luo Hanfeng's clear eyes met Xie Mingzhu's.

Looking into his eyes, Xie Mingzhu's heart skipped a beat. Her fingers, which were curled up in her sleeve, trembled slightly. Then she said, "It was just a bit of a surprise."

"My sister has won the favor of Prince Jin."

Was it an accident, or jealousy...?

Luo Hanfeng's lips curled up slightly. He braced himself on the bed and moved a little closer to Xie Mingzhu. He gently touched Xie Mingzhu's face with his fingertips and lowered his voice, which was captivating: "Mingzhu, you don't need to be envious. You deserve better."

Xie Mingzhu froze, her eyelashes trembling as she stared blankly at Luo Hanfeng.

at the same time.

the other side.

Xie Xingzheng and Jun Lanjin were hiding in a corner of an official's residence.

[Ding, the romance between the male and female leads has progressed to 5%.]

Just then, the system's cold, mechanical voice rang out.

Hearing the noise, Jun Lanjin glanced at her sideways.

The two were extremely close. Jun Lanjin only had to tilt his head slightly, and his chin could brush against Xie Xing's fluffy head. It tickled a little, so he quietly moved away a bit.

[Host, it's really not easy. The male and female leads have been together for so long, and the progress is only this small.] The system responded with a sense of satisfaction.

[Who told him to be such a pervert, coveting his future sister-in-law!] Xie Xing blamed Luo Hanfeng in his heart.

Jun Lanjin raised an eyebrow.

Just then, Xie Xing turned his head and met Jun Lanjin's eyes.

The little face that had just been showing a hint of joy immediately turned serious. With a tense expression, she and Jun Lanjin hid behind the rockery, looked around, and seeing nothing, couldn't help but ask Jun Lanjin, "Your Highness, what are we doing here?"

Jun Lanjin tapped his chin with his slender fingertips and said slowly, "Watch the show."

Going to the theater?

What show are we watching?

Before she could even wonder, a moment later she saw someone approaching. It was a middle-aged man wearing a gray-blue brocade robe, and he seemed to be of high status.

He was holding something wrapped in cloth in his hand, and after waiting for a while, a person dressed in servant-style clothes ran over.

The middle-aged man lowered his voice: "Why are you so late?"

The servant boy kept his head down, so that no one could see his face.

He said calmly, "Prince Jin has many spies; it would be too difficult to steal the layout plan right under his nose."

Xie Xing's eyes widened slightly as he listened.

She turned her head and looked at Jun Lanjin in astonishment.

Is this...is this something she can hear?

If Xie Xing's self-identity is correct, she is just an ordinary young lady from a prominent family with no real power or influence.

Jun Lanjin held up a finger to her lips, signaling her to be quiet.

Xie Xing even slowed his breathing.

Her gaze followed his movements, and subconsciously fell on Jun Lanjin's lips.

Those pale pink, thin lips were glossy and looked like bouncy jelly. Xie Xing stared at them, somewhat lost in thought.

I wonder if it will taste like jelly.

Xie Xing swallowed hard.

Jun Lanjin: ?

This sudden voice drew his attention to Xie Xing, only to find the girl staring at him blankly.

Jun Lanjin frowned, reached out and pinched her chin, forcibly turning her head away.

"Don't stare at me."

He subconsciously felt that the look in those eyes wasn't innocent.

Xie Xing: "..."

She immediately snapped back to reality.

Over there, the middle-aged man handed the layout map to the servant and said, "Be careful, if we get caught, we'll both lose our heads."

The servant nodded, "In two days, the envoys from the Southern Kingdom will arrive in the capital, and I will give them this layout plan."

Xie Xing understood upon hearing this.

Therefore, the State of Chu is now truly beset by internal and external troubles.

Internally, remnants of the previous dynasty coveted the throne, while externally, a traitor secretly gave the strategic plans to the southern barbarians.

Even though Xie Xing didn't know much about the politics of the Chu state, he still knew the importance of a strategic map for a country.

Xie Xing couldn't help but look at Jun Lanjin.

She asked softly, "Your Highness, aren't you going to arrest them?"

"Wait a little longer." Jun Lanjin's low voice was magnetic and extremely pleasant to hear.

Xie Xing blinked, silently whispering to the system in her mind: [He seems so composed, as if he has everything under control. Could the layout map they stole be fake?]

If it were true, would Jun Lanjin be so calm?

"Of course." The system's voice was extremely proud: "That's the most popular villain! The book *Palmtop Treasure* was later adapted into an anime, and fans unanimously wanted the villain to rise to become the protagonist."

When he died, everyone cried and begged him not to die.

Xie Xing exclaimed in surprise: "Really? It's really that popular? Why didn't I know about this book?"

You're a bookworm.

The system's voice then came: "However, this time in the book, it seems Jun Lanjin really miscalculated."