An dark trembled all over and immediately knelt down, "Master, please calm your anger. As long as those people are alive, they are a threat to you. Only the dead are truly safe."
"After this matter is settled, you will go to Ming You Cave to receive your punishment. You may withdraw." Ji Wuran said coldly.
"Your subordinate obeys!" An dark bowed and retreated.
"It is said that Prince Qi governs with a strict hand. Today, I have witnessed it firsthand, and indeed, the reputation is well-deserved."
Ji Wuran's gaze turned icy as he looked at the person who entered by lifting the tent flap.
This person was the young master of the Marquis of Ming Yuan's estate, Zhao Yanluo. Seeing Ji Wuran's stern expression, he curled his lips and clicked his tongue twice, "Oh dear, I'm so sorry, my mouth forgot to guard the door again."
Upon hearing this, Ji Wuran said coldly, "Just now, I thought An dark spoke a very correct sentence."
Zhao Yanluo was somewhat surprised and couldn't help but ask, "Which sentence?"
Ji Wuran's gaze was sharp and fierce, like a vast abyss from which there was no escape. A cold aura permeated the tent, causing Zhao Yanluo to involuntarily take a step back, "Wuran, you..."
"Only the dead are truly safe."
Zhao Yanluo's gaze faltered. He forced a smile, "Wuran, aren't it just you and me here? If there were others, how could I possibly speak like this?"
"If there were others present, do you think you could utter those words?" Ji Wuran said coldly.
Zhao Yanluo twitched his lips. Although he didn't want to admit it, he knew in his heart that Ji Wuran was right. In front of Ji Wuran, he was like a tiny insect that Ji Wuran could crush with a single move.
"Wuran, we have been together for so long. Don't you know what kind of person I am? How could I possibly do something like that?" Zhao Yanluo quickly tried to pledge his loyalty.
Ji Wuran merely glanced at Zhao Yanluo with cold eyes and said indifferently, "You can know a person's face, but not their heart."
Zhao Yanluo was utterly speechless. He scratched his head and said, "Wuran, speaking to me like this hurts my feelings. After all, we were once classmates, and even shared a bed..."
He couldn't finish his sentence because Ji Wuran's gaze, as cold as frost, forced the rest of his words back down his throat.
"Wuran, you..."
"One dies from talking too much." After saying this, Ji Wuran lifted the tent flap and left.
Zhao Yanluo stood there, his gaze somewhat lost.
Xue Xingyue walked out of the military tent and immediately saw the tall, slender figure not far away.
She pondered for a moment before walking forward, "Young Master Ji."
The tall, slender figure slowly turned around. Xue Xingyue saw a handsome face, with sharp brows and starry eyes, perfect and exquisite. She had thought Meng Jiangming's appearance was top-notch, but now, seeing Ji Wuran, she could only feel that Meng Jiangming was ordinary. However, she had never been someone who judged solely by appearance.
Yet, she had to admit that Ji Wuran's appearance was unforgettable.
"So it is Princess Xingyue. This humble subject has failed to greet you properly. I beg the princess to forgive me." Ji Wuran said indifferently.
"Young Master Ji need not be so polite!" Xue Xingyue raised her hand.
"Is Princess Xingyue looking for this subject for something?" Ji Wuran asked calmly.
"Nothing," Xue Xingyue replied.
Ji Wuran did not find Xue Xingyue's words odd in any way. "If the princess does not mind, may I invite the princess to a certain place?"
Xue Xingyue was slightly taken aback. She truly hadn't expected Ji Wuran to invite her.
"Yes." She was not a person who stood on ceremony. Since she was invited, she would naturally go, especially since she didn't dislike this Ji Wuran.
"Princess, please!" Ji Wuran said respectfully.
"Let's ride!" Xue Xingyue leaped onto a horse nearby and then rode away.
Ji Wuran's gaze flickered. His originally calm eyes flashed with a hint of starlight. He also mounted a horse and followed closely behind.
From behind a tree, a person emerged, looking somewhat astonished. Given Ji Wuran's cold and indifferent nature, inviting Princess Xingyue? He found it rather unbelievable.
"Cousin, what are you looking at?"
Meng Jiangming turned around and saw Jiang Xiuyi. For some reason, he felt a surge of annoyance, and his tone became considerably colder, "Can't I come out for some air just because I'm fine?"
Jiang Xiuyi was stunned. Her gaze held a hint of grievance, "Cousin, you know Xiuyi didn't mean it like that. Xiuyi..."
"Enough!" Meng Jiangming interrupted her impatiently and said coldly, "I'm going to mother's place. Don't follow me. If mother finds out you followed secretly, she'll be furious." With that, Meng Jiangming flicked his sleeves and left.
Jiang Xiuyi looked at Meng Jiangming's retreating figure, clenching her sleeves tightly. She knew that her cousin wasn't just coming out for air. Her cousin was looking at Princess Xingyue, and upon seeing Princess Xingyue leave with Young Master Ji, he had become enraged out of humiliation.
Princess Xingyue. She bit her lower lip fiercely.
"Miss Jiang?"
Jiang Xiuyi was startled. She turned around and saw a person dressed in eunuch attire. She asked, "My lord eunuch, are you looking for me?"
The young eunuch nodded, "This servant was sent by Her Ladyship to meet with Miss Jiang."
Jiang Xiuyi was taken aback. She asked cautiously, "Is it Noble Consort An?"
The young eunuch replied, "Miss Jiang is intelligent."
"May I know what Her Ladyship wants Miss to do?"
"Miss Jiang, you only need to place this into the jade teapot."
Jiang Xiuyi looked at the paper packet in the eunuch's hand and couldn't help but ask, "What... is inside?"
The young eunuch's gaze turned cold. "The less Miss Jiang knows, the better."
"I..."
"Miss Jiang, if you do this for Her Ladyship, Her Ladyship will also fulfill your wish."
Jiang Xiuyi was stunned. The young eunuch slipped the paper packet into her embrace and said, "Miss Jiang, I wish you success."
Jiang Xiuyi held the paper packet. Just as she was about to ask how to pour it, she looked up and realized the young eunuch had already disappeared.
She clutched the paper packet, thinking of her cousin's gaze just now. She clenched her jaw tightly and said word by word, "Cousin, I'm doing this all for you."
"Princess, it's just ahead," Ji Wuran's voice appeared behind her.
Xue Xingyue pulled tightly on the reins and looked up in surprise. Even though she had seen the most beautiful scenery in the world, it couldn't compare to the light that fell on the leaves in the afternoon.
The light filtered through layers of leaves and fell into the stream not far away, emitting a shimmering glow. Green mountains stood eternal, clear waters flowed, and there were scattered wildflowers.
For a moment, she felt as if she were in an otherworldly valley.
"Princess, are you satisfied with this place?"
Xue Xingyue turned around. A ray of light fell precisely on Ji Wuran, casting a golden glow upon his already handsome face.
He seemed to have arrived on a path of light. His immeasurably handsome face bore a pair of dazzling eyes, within which the scenery of all things in the world seemed to be shattered.
"Princess," Ji Wuran called out.
Xue Xingyue was startled. She turned her face away, her cheeks feeling slightly hot. She had actually spaced out just now. It could only be blamed on Ji Wuran's extraordinary handsomeness.
Suddenly, she remembered a saying circulating in the capital: Zhao Yanluo on the left, Meng Jiangming on the right, and Ji Wuran in the middle, a dragon among men.