If she wanted to go out, everyone would say, "The Prince has ordered that unless the Prince himself commands it, the Princess is absolutely not allowed to leave this place."
Even to step out of her own courtyard required much pleading and persuasion, begging a young servant to run and seek instructions from Xiao Wangye. Only after receiving his nod of approval was it permitted.
However, Ye Qingcheng comforted herself, thinking that she wasn't being supervised by Xiao Wangye for the first time; she should have gotten used to it by now. Although this time it was exceptionally strict, she could bear it.
On the afternoon of the third day after returning to the Prince's mansion, the sunlight was bright. Ye Qingcheng sat in the courtyard and saw Xiao Wangye approaching her from a distance.
"Your Highness, you know I get bored easily, so you've come to keep me company, haven't you?"
She greeted him with a radiant smile.
But Xiao Wangye remained silent, his face expressionless, simply looking at her.
Ye Qingcheng sensed something was amiss and cautiously asked, "Your Highness, is there something wrong? I've been very well-behaved these past few days, I haven't gone out."
"Qingcheng, are you a cat demon?"
He finally spoke, though his voice was somewhat hoarse and devoid of warmth.
She smiled, "Your Highness, what joke are you playing? How could I possibly be a cat demon?"
"But you are very special," he said.
"Being special doesn't mean I'm a cat demon."
Xiao Wangye fell silent for a moment, then suddenly extended his right hand, grabbed Ye Qingcheng by the neck, and forcefully pressed her against a nearby pillar.
He stared at her and said coldly, "You'd better hand over your tail to this King quickly, or this King will kill you right now!"
As he spoke, he genuinely tightened his grip on her neck.
Ye Qingcheng struggled to breathe, her small face turning bright red.
She shook her head vigorously and said, "Your Highness, I truly am not a cat demon, nor do I have a tail. Why, why do you want a cat demon's tail?"
"Naturally, to ascend the throne. Isn't such a thing obvious?" he sneered coldly.
"But even if you obtained the cat demon's tail, it wouldn't necessarily allow Your Highness to ascend the throne," Ye Qingcheng struggled.
"How will you know if you don't try?"
Ye Qingcheng's vision blurred. She raised her leg with all her might and kicked Xiao Wangye between the legs.
Xiao Wangye cried out in pain, his grip loosening slightly. Ye Qingcheng immediately pushed him away, turned, and fled, while desperately shouting Bi Xi's name in her heart.
She was truly terrified. This Xiao Wangye was nothing like the one she had known before.
He was too frightening; he had genuinely intended to take her life just now.
The courtyard was small, and Xiao Wangye quickly caught up from behind. Ye Qingcheng's heart pounded with panic. She finally ran back to where she had been sitting before. kuAiδugg
She was completely out of strength. She sat down, glaring hatefully at Xiao Wangye, who was approaching her step by step.
He looked like an Asura from hell.
"Miss, Miss!"
A familiar and reassuring voice sounded in her ear. Ye Qingcheng, her soul not yet settled, opened her eyes.
It turned out to be a dream, an illusion. Yet, it felt as if it had truly happened.
She was lying on a stone table, her collar fallen back, pressing slightly against her throat. This was why the pain felt so direct when Xiao Wangye had choked her.
The courtyard was empty; the maids and servants had all vanished, as if something momentous was about to happen.
And Bi Xi was crouching before her, calling out to her.
"Bi Xi, why are you here?"
"I was sunbathing in the mansion and heard you call my name. I could feel how frightened you were. Did something happen?" Bi Xi asked, looking at her.
Hearing him say that, Ye Qingcheng understood. It was empathy; there were rarely such instances between her and Bi Xi. It seemed she had been genuinely terrified just now.
Ye Qingcheng shook her head, "I had a dream, it's nothing."
"A nightmare?" Bi Xi asked.
"Yes, it was a nightmare, so to speak," she smiled bitterly. "I dreamed that Xiao Wangye wanted to kill me to get my tail. But I'm not a cat demon, where would I get a tail?"
"But Miss, do you know? Everyone in the capital city now believes you are a cat demon."
Bi Xi's expression was very anxious.
Ye Qingcheng froze for a moment. "What did you say?"
He sighed and said, "I thought you already knew, Miss. Lately, almost everyone in the capital has been saying that the Princess of the Regent's Mansion is a demoness, and they seem to be preparing to attack you en masse, to... to kill you."
She was greatly taken aback.
"Miss, why don't you come with me?" Bi Xi suggested.
"But..."
She was thinking of Xiao Wangye.
If Bi Xi were to take her away, even with many guards watching nearby, they absolutely wouldn't be able to stop them. But if she left, what about Xiao Wangye? He would worry about her, wouldn't he?
"No 'buts', Miss. The situation is unusual now; this is not the time for all those messy things," Bi Xi said, frowning.
Ye Qingcheng bit her lip.
Bi Xi didn't say any more to her, gently placing his cat's paw on the back of her hand.
A light bloomed, then transformed into specks of light, and finally disappeared. In the courtyard, Ye Qingcheng and Bi Xi were no longer visible.
The guards in the shadows rubbed their eyes, momentarily unable to comprehend.
How did they disappear so quickly?
The guards were just about to find Xiao Wangye to report to him when the commotion arrived even faster.
Outside the gates of the Regent's Mansion, a crowd of people had gathered for the first time. They were from all over the capital, all shouting words like "Expel the demoness."
Uncle Zhang stood at the mansion's entrance, trying desperately to calm everyone down, but it was in vain.
"Hand over the demoness Ye Qingcheng from your mansion!"
"With such a demoness in the capital, we cannot have peace!"
After an unknown duration of shouting, someone ran excitedly from the alleyway, shouting loudly as they ran, "Caught! Caught!"
The crowd could guess what was happening and became excited.
"Caught what? Is it that cat demon?" someone asked.
"Naturally, it's that cat demon. It's at the East Street market, tied securely to a frame, it can't escape. Come, let's all go see," the person who brought the news said.
The crowd, in a noisy clamor, left the gates of the Regent's Mansion and headed towards East Street.
After the crowd dispersed, the Regent's Mansion temporarily regained its tranquility. The mansion gates slowly opened, and Xiao Wangye, dressed in plain blue, emerged with a stern expression. Having just heard the guards' report about Ye Qingcheng's disappearance, his mood was extremely foul.
"Your Highness, it seems the cat demon has been caught..."
Uncle Zhang said cautiously to Xiao Wangye.
Xiao Wangye's face was grim, "I know."
Seeing his demeanor, Uncle Zhang didn't say anything further.
"Why are you all still standing there? The person disappeared right under your noses. Do you still need this King to remind you before you go find her?"