Chapter 224

Chu Xiang muttered in a weak voice, “Water…”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Barely lifting her arm, it dropped back down weakly on the side of her bed. The handkerchief in her hand dropped down on the floor, its crimson stain glaringly apparent to everyone’s eyes.

The tears welled up in Zi Yu’s eyes streamed down her cheeks as she hurried over and grabbed the gourd on the table. “Here… here.” She kneeled down towards the palace eunuch once again. “Please bring us some water. This rainwater is extremely dirty. Master has been drinking rainwater and eating weeds over the past two days. She could very well have gotten sick because of those things, so please bring us some water.”

When the imperial guards swept their gaze towards the palace eunuch, he muttered awkwardly, “It was Concubine Hui’s order.”

Hearing that, the guards understood the situation clearly. Since Concubine Hui wanted Chu Xiang to die, they would naturally choose not to get involved in this matter.

The head of the imperial guards waved his sword. “Have you searched the room thoroughly?”

“Yes, sir. He’s not here.”

Nodding his head, the imperial guard turned around and exclaimed, “Quick, head over to the courtyard. The assassin was injured, so he couldn’t have gone far.”

Zi Yu hurriedly rushed out and chased after them. As the gourd dropped on the floor, she shouted, “Please don’t go! Help my master! I beg of you! Bring me to the imperial physician! You…”

As the door to the main gate closed shut, she continued crying and shouting for who knew how long before she finally quieted down. Hurrying back into the house, she asked in a soft voice, “Master, they left.”

Hearing that, Chu Xiang instantly pulled down the mask covering the face of the man in black as she pushed off the quilt!

Caught off guard, the man in black’s face was now exposed to both Chu Xiang and Zi Yu.

He stood abruptly. “What are you trying to do here?”

“How will I return the favor if I don’t know who you are?”

Throwing the mask away, Chu Xiang squinted at the man’s face.  “You’re not at all an assassin sent by the rebel army. Rather, you’re the mediator of the royal family. The only person whom I’ve yet to see amongst the royal family is the Prince of Qin as he had only returned to the capital in the past few days. You’re Lee Bohan.”

“Qin… The Prince of Qin?!” Zu Yi stared at the man in black in utter shock, not knowing how to react.

The man in black looked back at Chu Xiang with an indifferent expression. “How did you recognize me?”

“That’s because you look rather similar to the emperor. Besides, I reckon the rebel army isn’t faring too well right now. If they had what it takes to infiltrate the imperial palace, the emperor would have long since been killed.”

“You’re quite a smart one. However, by exposing my identity, aren’t you afraid that I might try to silence you? After all, secrets are best kept by dead individuals.” He fiddled with the dagger.

Standing at the side, Zi Yu was already prepared to step in and take the hit for Chu Xiang. With the tension peaking, she was afraid that Lee Bohan might actually attack Chu Xiang.

“You certainly do have the choice to kill me. However, it won’t have any sort of significance. Since I took the risk to save your life today, I would naturally not sell you out. Moreover, your identity as the Prince of Qin presents itself as an even greater opportunity for me. Seeing how the Prince of Qin infiltrated the imperial palace in such attire, I presume that you’re not loyal to him,” she said calmly. “It is said that the Prince of Qin is even more absurd than the emperor, that he’s commonly known as a musclehead who was born with innate extraordinary strength. Furthermore, there were even rumors of his impertinence and daring. As such, the emperor took a liking to him and was bestowed with a large sum of rewards. Now that I’ve seen you today, I can tell that none of those rumors are actually true. Besides, the Prince of Qin appears to be scheming something. If you were to help me get out of here today, I will definitely persuade my father to give you a helping hand. What do you say?”

Lee Bohan frowned. “Are you saying that you want to save your family too?” He then scanned Chu Xiang’s face and laughed. “What a remarkably beautiful expression you have, to actually be able to remain so calm in such a situation. You indeed possess the demeanor of someone from an influential family despite finding yourself in such a miserable situation. You’re without a doubt the daughter of Grand Chancellor Chu, Concubine Xiang.”

Chu Xiang replied, “Now, I’m merely an abandoned concubine. Your Highness, it’s not too much to exchange the lives of my family and mine for your saving grace, is it? Besides, my father, Chu Yiru, is certainly a capable individual. If he were to assist His Highness, your strength will undoubtedly be doubled. Your Highness, what do you say?”

If he wanted to save the Grand Chancellor, he would also have to get Chu Xiang out of the doghouse. How could this possibly be a simple task? If it was as easy as she claimed it to be, he wouldn’t have received an injury and be nearly caught today.

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