Severed ties and living in a dilapidated house? No worries, the poor thing has a space.

Chapter 474 Prince Rui's Secret

So, Jinlu finally mustered up the courage to speak.

"Your Highness..." Jinluo's voice was already choked with barely two words.

Hearing her unusual tone, Prince Rui's heart tightened, and he quickly asked with concern, "What's wrong? Is there something important you want to ask me, A-Luo?"

Jin Luo took a deep breath, trying to calm her disordered breathing, but even so, she still couldn't completely hide the thin layer of moisture in her eyes.

She hesitated for a moment, then finally said softly, "Your Highness, I would like to ask you about that batch of weapons in the northern desert... Are you truly unaware of it?"

Prince Rui was an extremely intelligent man, and in an instant he understood the profound meaning hidden in her words.

He smiled slightly, extended his slender fingers, and gently stroked the corner of Jinluo's eye, saying slowly, "So, Aluo was worried about this matter, which is why she couldn't get a good rest all night?"

Jinlu blinked, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

Crystal-clear tears streamed down her fair and delicate cheeks, like broken hearts.

Seeing this, Prince Rui felt heartbroken. He moved as gently as a breeze across a lake, carefully extending his fingers to gently wipe away the tears that had fallen onto his face.

He held Jinluo's slightly trembling hands tightly, enveloping them in his warm, broad palms.

He slowly leaned down and placed an incredibly tender kiss on Jinluo's smooth, jade-like forehead, as if this kiss could soothe all her pain and worries.

"Don't worry, A-Luo, what you're worried about will never happen. I assure you, those weapons were not made by me, and I know nothing about their whereabouts."

Prince Rui gazed tenderly into Jinluo's eyes, which were red and swollen from crying, his tone firm and sincere.

Hearing Prince Rui's confident words, Jin Luo finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She parted her lips slightly, let out a soft sigh, and forced a smile.

In fact, Prince Rui had always kept a secret in his heart.

Looking back, when he was still an innocent child, he suffered unbridled bullying from the palace servants and eunuchs.

Despite being a prince, he was still young and had lost his mother's protection, so in the eyes of the palace servants he was not considered a master at all.

They would also deliberately choose secluded corners where no one could see them to commit all sorts of shady and evil deeds against him.

Just when Prince Rui was at his most helpless and desperate.

Jinluo and her mother happened to enter the palace and, by chance, witnessed this scene.

At that time, Jinluo stepped forward without hesitation and righteously rebuked and taught a lesson to those arrogant and domineering palace servants.

From that moment on, the image of the figure standing guard in front of him was deeply imprinted in Prince Rui's heart.

However, the only person she truly loved was Zizhao, while he could only silently hide in a corner where no one could see him, secretly watching her every smile and frown.

This bitterness and helplessness is like a secret hidden deep in one's heart, difficult to express.

When his father issued the decree of marriage, his joy was like a surging tide, instantly overwhelming everything.

For a whole day and night, he was too excited to sleep, his mind filled with images of spending time with his beloved.

Now, the woman who haunted his dreams finally lies quietly beside him day and night.

His affection for her was palpable; he was even afraid to touch her, lest he disturb this hard-won happiness.

How could he possibly do something so foolish as to push her further away and make her sad and upset?

As for weapons, even without her involvement, he would never actually do anything to harm Zizhao.

After having breakfast, Su Yu whispered to Fu Ju and explained some matters to him.

He then left the Su family.

Back at the Qin Prince's residence, the six of them sat around the table and began to recount in detail the ins and outs of the weapons incident.

Baili Jiyan frowned slightly and said slowly, "I have been investigating these days. Those people who were brought back earlier and were related to this matter have all been rigorously interrogated, but no more valuable clues have been found."

Upon hearing this, Prince Rui fell into deep thought.

After a moment, he spoke thoughtfully, "If it wasn't done by someone under the Empress Dowager's command, and I wasn't involved, then who else could be the mastermind behind it all?"

The group looked at each other, unable to give a definite answer for a moment.

It could never have been done by the Crown Prince!

The Crown Prince has always been kind-hearted and would never have such a complex mind and schemes, much less go to great lengths to plan these things in such a grand manner.

“If this batch of weapons is hidden by someone with ulterior motives, we won’t be able to find it. We might as well wait until they make a mistake,” Su Yu suggested calmly.

Xiao Jingqi, who had been silent all along, suddenly turned to look at Xiao Lanzhi beside him and asked, "What exactly did you do last night?"

Xiao Lanzhi had two large dark circles under his eyes, which were very noticeable. If he hadn't stayed up all night, he definitely wouldn't have looked like that.

Xiao Lanzhi, who was originally feeling drowsy, forced himself to stay awake and replied, propping his head up with his hand, "I don't know either, I just toss and turn and can't fall asleep."

No sooner had he finished speaking than he seemed to suddenly remember something, abruptly standing up from his chair and shouting, "There must be something wrong with the pastries Miss Lin made yesterday. She must have accidentally put something in the wrong thing, which is why I couldn't sleep all night. I have to go find her and ask her what she put in the pastries."

After saying that, he hurriedly walked towards the door.

Watching Xiao Lanzhi's hurried departure, the others present exchanged bewildered glances, their faces showing strange expressions, clearly not understanding the meaning behind his words.

Xiao Lanzhi moved with lightning speed, his steps becoming faster and faster, as if afraid that they would notice something unusual about him.

Actually, the problem wasn't with the pastry at all.

But last night, he sneaked into the kitchen, intending to find something to eat to satisfy his craving.

As soon as he stepped into the kitchen, he saw Miss Lin standing in front of the stove, intently simmering a pot of soup.

He subconsciously asked, "Miss Lin, what are you doing?"

Miss Lin seemed not to hear, not even raising her head, and continued to busy herself with her work.

Xiao Lanzhi did not leave. Instead, he slowly walked to the side and waited quietly.

Lin Ran finally finished cooking the soup, ladled a bowl of it and handed it to him, gesturing for him to try it.

The soup looked delicious and appealing, but after taking a small sip, Xiao Lanzhi's brows furrowed instantly. The taste was simply unpalatable!