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

He said yes.

Jiang Jinshuang expressed her doubts.

The moon shines brightly for a thousand miles, its radiance like flowing water.

The surrounding palace lanterns dimmed, making the starry sky and snowflakes in the sky appear even more brilliant.

Jiang Jinshuang's clothes under her wide robe were quite undignified.

The smoky blue silk, like water satin, shimmered under the moonlight, resembling the vast Milky Way.

He took two more steps toward the sleeping quarters.

Jiang Jinshuang climbed two stone steps, but then turned back to look at Pei Du behind her.

The man draped his wide robe over her body, accentuating her waistline.

Broad shoulders and narrow waist, elegant and graceful.

The cold moonlight draped over him, casting a blanket of snow-white light upon his head.

He stood quietly at a distance, showing no intention of following her inside.

Jiang Jinshuang stood on the steps, finally becoming half a head taller than him.

She raised her chin, looking down at him with disdain: "Lord Pei, you don't mean to suffocate me in this bedchamber, do you?"

The tone revealed undisguised suspicion.

After their unpleasant encounter last time, he admitted that he wouldn't just "let it go," and who knows what kind of revenge he might come up with.

—Although Jiang Jinshuang believed that Pei Du would not use such low-level methods.

But it's always good to be cautious, isn't it?
The moon sets behind the paulownia tree branches, and the wind rustles through the leaves.

Pei Du only slightly raised his eyes, and his gaze was level with hers.

Jiang Jinshuang met Pei Du's eyes and was momentarily stunned.

His eyes seemed to hold nothing, yet they also seemed to encompass everything.

Jiang Jinshuang couldn't even describe the way he looked at her.

—It's like a calm lake surface, but what kind of storm is brewing beneath the surface is unknown to Jiang Jinshuang.

She glanced back at him indifferently.

for a long time.

The man's long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and his thin lips parted slightly: "Your Highness, please come with me."

As he spoke, Pei Du stepped forward a few stone steps, walked ahead of Jiang Jinshuang, and arrived at the gate of the sleeping quarters.

The bedroom was not locked. Pei Du pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Jiang Jinshuang then followed Pei Du inside.

When she entered the bedchamber, Pei Du had already lit candles in the room.

The room was suddenly illuminated, and Jiang Jinshuang saw the sleeping quarters illuminated by candlelight.

—She hasn't been here for seven or eight years.

Since moving to the princess's residence, the palace here has been abandoned, and Jiang Jinshuang rarely passes by it even when she goes to the palace.

I had thought this place would be very dilapidated, but to my surprise, even after eight years, the furnishings and layout were exactly the same as when I left.

Even the various trinkets she thought she would have lost long ago before her coming-of-age ceremony were carefully placed on the display shelves, looking brand new.

There wasn't a speck of dust on the bookshelves, the desks, or even the bed, as if it had been kept clean for a long time.

Jiang Jinshuang looked around curiously: "Has Lord Pei cleaned this place?"

At this moment, Pei Du was standing straight in front of the wardrobe, opened it, and took out a well-fitting garment.

Hearing her words, the man lowered his eyes slightly and closed the wardrobe without making a sound: "No, there are maids here who clean and sweep regularly."

Jiang Jinshuang had no suspicions.

Looking at Pei Du, she noticed the dress in his hand.

This dress is a trendy style this year, and even the fabric and decorations are the most unique and rare in Wan Jin.

Jiang Jinshuang blinked and looked at him with a smile: "Were these clothes also put into the wardrobe by the maid on time?"

"Your humble servant was ordered to repair this place, and these clothes were also provided by the officials."

Jiang Jinshuang raised an eyebrow: "Does Your Majesty intend to renovate this place and make it available for the other concubines to live in?"

Otherwise, why would this wardrobe contain women's clothes?
"Wei Chen doesn't know."

Pei Du's tone was clear and calm.

He handed the clothes to Jiang Jinshuang and pointed behind the screen in the inner room: "Your Highness, please go and change."

Jiang Jinshuang nodded, picked up the clothes, and slowly walked behind the screen. The screen depicted a landscape of clouds and mist, with hazy green peaks stretching endlessly, their ridges hidden in the soft, flowing clouds, showing only their steepness, not their towering height.

Moonlight streamed through the window lattice and onto the screen.

The clouds and mist on the screen seemed to flow, hazy and majestic, stretching endlessly.

The screen is placed by the window.

When Jiang Jinshuang stood behind the screen, if you looked closely, you could see the graceful silhouette of the young girl by the moonlight.

Yet it was exquisitely concealed by the flowing clouds and mountain mists, its beauty completely hidden.

Jiang Jinshuang first used a hairpin to gather up her long, loose hair.

He then took off Pei Du's wide robe and draped it over the top of the screen.

Next came a smoky blue dress, a short skirt with a broken ribbon, and then a white and gold bodice.

She took off her bodice and glanced inside.

As she expected, with the help of lamplight and moonlight.

—The bellyband broke along with the ribbon during the fight.

Jiang Jinshuang narrowed her eyes, gave a cold laugh, and seemed displeased.

If it weren't for her attire today, the Marquis of Wanhu wouldn't have been able to get close to her at all.

In the outer room, Pei Du stood with his back to the wall, staring at the flickering candlelight in the distance, lost in thought.

The candlelight flickered, and the man's exquisite and three-dimensional features were divided into warm and cool tones by the moonlight and candlelight.

The candlelight cast his shadow on the ground, and as the flame flickered, the shadow seemed to be torn apart, swept away, and struggled.

—It looked like it was about to be swallowed and torn apart.

Hearing her low, cold laugh, the man's long eyelashes trembled slightly before he finally came to his senses.

He still had his back to her, his voice clear and cold: "What's wrong?"

Separated by a screen.

Jiang Jinshuang clenched the bodice in her hand.

Because she was unhappy, Jiang Jinshuang wanted to vent her bad mood on Pei Du.

The man with his back to her remained oblivious, his posture upright and tall, like a celestial being in a clear breeze and under a bright moon.

Jiang Jinshuang smiled.

She used force and threw the bodice straight at the man's feet.

The candlelight flickered.

Pei Du frowned slightly, looking at a piece of clothing that had fallen at his feet.

He didn't think of anything else, assuming it was just a handkerchief or scarf.

He bent down and picked it up.

Before he could even see clearly, he first smelled a disturbing, cold fragrance.

Almost instantly.

Pei Du's pupils contracted slightly. In the candlelight, he didn't even know how much force to use to hold the thing in his hand. His fingers paused slightly, and his fingertips turned white, but he didn't dare to exert any force when he gripped the object.

It's much lighter and softer than a handkerchief.

His handsome eyebrows were slightly lowered, and the man pursed his lips. His long eyelashes concealed the color of his eyes, making his expression unreadable.

Pei Du was facing a candlelight.

Therefore, from Jiang Jinshuang's angle, she could only see the man's back, flickering in and out of the candlelight.

The shadow cast on the ground rose and fell, like a beast on the verge of losing its mind, ready to break free of its cage at any moment.

Jiang Jinshuang admitted it.

She did it on purpose.

She loved seeing the calm and composed expression on Pei Du's face crack and crumble, whether it was anger, panic, or embarrassment.

—They're all much more interesting than his perpetually cold face.

Unfortunately, none of the expected emotions appeared.

The man stood tall and elegant, his back to her, his posture upright, aloof and noble.

"What does Your Highness want to say?"

He spoke in a slightly somber tone, with a hint of unspoken emotion in his voice. (End of Chapter)