The seductive princess is no longer being pursued; the aloof prime minister is facing a crematorium.

Chapter 234 Three Questions
She didn't really take her words, "If you're unhappy in the future, I can comfort you in the same way," to heart.

Pei Du has too few worries.

Or rather, Pei Du is a man with very few emotions.

Very few people or things could make him so "unhappy".

So Jiang Jinshuang didn't take those words seriously.

Until now.

At this moment.

Pei Du grabbed her waist with one hand and pinned her against the green wall.

He lowered his head and rested it on her shoulder, his breathing heavy and long.

This is different from the way she used to rely on him.

She was only thinking of taking advantage of him, so when she rested her head on his shoulder, she tried to grope him with her free hands.

However, Pei Du noticed this later, so he used one hand to hold both of her hands aside, preventing her from moving around.

Now, Pei Du's right hand gripped her waist tightly, as if he wanted to press her into his very bones.

It was driven by an undisguised desire for aggression.

His head rested against her shoulder, his long eyelashes brushing against her neck, causing a slight tickle.

"Pei Du."

Jiang Jinshuang called his name in a hoarse voice.

The man remained silent.

He raised his head slightly, his cold gaze falling on the red mark on her neck.

It was the height of summer, and Jiang Jinshuang was dressed in light clothing, with a gauze dress covering her body. Even with the slightest movement, one could see the girl's fair and slender neck hidden beneath the gauze.

However, her neck was now covered in red marks.

—It annoyed him.

Jiang Jinshuang was not used to such intimate actions.

—Compared to sharing a bed, this ambiguous, ambiguous relationship between lovers is what makes her feel even more uncomfortable.

She frowned slightly, about to say something more.

The next second, a cool kiss landed on her neck, as lightly and respectfully as a dragonfly skimming the water.

All sounds are silent.

In an instant, Jiang Jinshuang felt as if she had been suddenly thrown into cold water, instinctively dodging and shrugging.

The kiss was so light, so light, that by the time Jiang Jinshuang realized what was happening, Pei Du's lips had already left hers.

Even before leaving, he gently bit her neck.

Two very faint teeth marks appeared on her fair neck.

This action angered Jiang Jinshuang.

She suddenly turned around, pushed him back, grabbed the hand around his waist, and spun him around, pinning him against the wall.

His tall stature allowed Jiang Jinshuang to brace one arm under his neck and grab his wrist with the other.

The positions are interchanged.

Jiang Jinshuang frowned at him, a fierce glint in her eyes: "Pei Du, are you a dog?"

Jiang Jinshuang's arm was against his chest, and the man raised his chin slightly, his gaze still fixed on her.

"Your Highness seems to really like dogs?"

For some reason, he asked that question.

Jiang Jinshuang frowned, released him heavily with both hands, took a few steps back, and distanced herself from him.

"Pei Du, I don't understand."

Jiang Jinshuang looked at him with suspicion, as if trying to see through him to understand his thoughts.

"I have asked you twice if you are in love with me."

The first time you answered, 'I am not a plant or tree'; the second time you said, 'The hem of your skirt is dirty'.

After a pause, Jiang Jinshuang frowned and said seriously, "But Pei Du, the question I asked clearly only has two answers."

Yes or no.

There are only these two answers.

But he has never answered this question directly.

In Jiang Jinshuang's mind, Pei Du was not someone who liked to use escapism to shirk responsibility.

Jiang Jinshuang was just curious; she just wanted an answer. Neither of those answers was the answer.

Since it wasn't an answer, Jiang Jinshuang assumed his response was "no."

This is normal; after all, she wouldn't be so smug and arrogant as to assume that Pei Du likes her.

“Pei Du, I don’t quite understand,” Jiang Jinshuang paused, then pondered, “it’s just an answer.”

When it comes to relationships, Jiang Jinshuang can be considered oblivious.

But even she felt that Pei Du was contradictory.

She felt he wanted revenge on her, but she had engaged in many ambiguous relationships with him.

She also felt that he might like her, but he didn't answer either time she asked him.

What is this?

“Pei Du, I think it’s easy to say.”

Jiang Jinshuang said frankly, "Just as I once liked you, I can also honestly tell you that I did love you before, loved you hopelessly, and was entangled with you endlessly."

Those were her past feelings, and she never thought of denying or avoiding them.

What is Pei Du thinking?

Jiang Jinshuang didn't understand.

She never understood him.

"Is this answer important to Your Highness?"

The man lowered his eyes and asked her in a hoarse voice.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jinshuang thought about it seriously for a moment, then honestly shook her head: "It's not important."

This is not important to her.

She was just a little curious.

It's like being curious about what a magnificent sight it was when Pei Du, the top scholar in the imperial examination, rode through the streets in his horse three years ago.

She was also somewhat curious whether Pei Du had ever felt even the slightest bit of attraction towards her.

What did those three years mean to him?

Jiang Jinshuang was a little disappointed that she didn't get an answer.

—But it was just curiosity and regret.

This answer will not have the slightest impact on Jiang Jinshuang's plans or her subsequent strategies.

For example, it's like she was walking down a main road and saw a beautiful little flower she'd never seen before by the roadside.

She saw it, and if she could smell it, that would be even better. But if she missed it, she wouldn't deliberately stop and turn around to pick that flower.

Nothing necessary.

In Jiang Jinshuang's emotional life, romantic love is the least important emotion.

If she had felt this way three years ago, she might have hesitated.

After all, Jiang Jinshuang genuinely loved Pei Du three years ago, and she was willing to lower her standards for him.

But now, Jiang Jinshuang has placed matters of the heart far behind her romantic relationships.

Those things are no longer important.

She has so many important things to do; romantic love is just the least important one.

That was just some of her curiosity and regret.

Other than that, it doesn't matter.

Pei Du didn't seem surprised by Jiang Jinshuang's answer.

He nodded slightly, his gaze dark and silent: "Your Highness has always been more cold-hearted than I am."

People say that Pei Du was cold-hearted, indifferent to joy and sorrow.

But if we're being honest, she was far more ruthless than him.

"So, Pei Du, what's your answer?" Jiang Jinshuang asked him.

It was just curiosity, curiosity about my own three years.

Pei Du looked down at her, his gaze falling on the teeth marks on her neck.

"Three days later, at the Qixi Festival banquet, the gates of Chang'an will be opened wide and the curfew will be lifted, allowing many tourists to enter the city for sightseeing."

See, he's changed the subject again.

Jiang Jinshuang raised an eyebrow, no longer caring, and simply followed his words, "So, what does Lord Pei want to say?"

Pei Du said in a clear voice, "The personal guards of the Prince of Changping will probably take the opportunity to leave the city."