Chapter 25 : To Offer Myself in Gratitude

“Your Highness, isn’t this… Xue…” the maid said, but she didn’t finish her sentence.

“Silence,” King Xuan commanded, his voice cold.

The maid immediately stopped speaking and quickly retreated towards the courtyard gate.

“Your Highness, the gate is locked,” the maid whispered.

King Xuan did not respond. He had already slowly approached the wall where Xue Qingyin was clinging.

He looked up and softly asked, “Are you going to jump down?”

Xue Qingyin replied eagerly, “Yes, yes, hurry up!”

While speaking, she struggled to climb up.

But her arms were too weak, and it was an achievement just to cling to the wall, let alone use the strength to get on top and jump down.

Moments later, her face turned red from the effort.

Her fingers clinging to the wall had gone pale.

King Xuan’s gaze flickered, and he said, “Dai Huang, come over.”

The maid quickly turned and ran back.

King Xuan stepped on her shoulder and effortlessly climbed up the wall.

Xue Qingyin hadn’t reacted before he grabbed the back of her collar, his fingers tightening, the veins on the back of his hand clearly visible.

He then pulled her upwards.

Xue Qingyin was confused for a moment.

By the time she realized what happened, she was already on top of the wall.

She sighed heavily and said, “Thank you, Your Highness.”

Then she looked down at the maid standing under the wall and whispered, “Did I… jump?”

The maid hastily responded, “No, no, don’t jump yet… I…” She quickly glanced at King Xuan’s expression before continuing, “I’m afraid I can’t catch you.”

Xue Qingyin furrowed her brows and asked, “Then… could we find a ladder?”

King Xuan suddenly dismounted the wall, turned around, and opened his arms to her, saying indifferently, “Wasn’t it you who wanted me to catch you?”

Xue Qingyin licked her lips, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

“I saw that Your Highness had already climbed over the wall, so I didn’t want to trouble you any further. What if I accidentally break Your Highness’s arm… I wouldn’t be able to make up for that.”

Upon hearing this, King Xuan glanced coldly at the maid.

The maid shuddered and impulsively asked, “What if I broke my arm instead?”

Xue Qingyin thought for a moment, then smiled and said, “I could repay you with my body.”

Although she said this, her tone hinted more at mocking than gratitude.

The maid broke out in a cold sweat.

He quickly waved his hands, “No, no, I don’t deserve to be repaid by Miss Xue.”

King Xuan’s voice grew colder as he interrupted, “If you don’t come down, I will leave.”

“Alright, alright!” Xue Qingyin finally gave up her position on the wall, tilting her body forward and falling without hesitation into King Xuan’s waiting arms.

King Xuan caught her steadily.

She leaned against his arm and said, “…It’s a bit hard.”

“Quite muscular, huh?”

She had taken advantage and was now pretending to complain.

King Xuan looked down at her, but surprisingly, he didn’t seem angry.

Instead, he found her lively and vibrant, like a bright splash of color on paper—vivid and full of life, impossible to ignore.

The maid asked quietly, “Has His Highness’s arm… broken?”

King Xuan released his grip.

Xue Qingyin regained her balance on the ground, stepping away from him.

But then she suddenly remembered something.

Wait!

Wasn’t she trying to see if she could marry King Xuan?

What a perfect opportunity!

She quickly reached out and pinched King Xuan’s arm, testing it from top to bottom.

“…It’s fine, not broken,” Xue Qingyin sighed in relief.

King Xuan tensed, his gaze cold as he asked, “What are you doing?”

Xue Qingyin rolled her eyes inwardly. Looks like he really isn’t interested in women.

She hurriedly said, “Please find a way to open the gate. Someone is still trapped inside.”

King Xuan recalled how, when he had pulled Xue Qingyin over earlier, he had vaguely seen her standing on someone’s body.

He couldn’t help but be surprised. How had she managed to escape to such an extent?

That person had actually let her step on him to climb over the wall?

King Xuan’s voice was indifferent, “He’s a thief. Why not just leave him there to die?”

Xue Qingyin paused, sensing the murderous intent in his words.

She looked up at him and whispered, “The real culprit is the person behind this, but these are just innocent people caught in the middle. It would be wrong to let him die.”

King Xuan then turned to the maid, “Draw your sword and break the door.”

The maid obeyed.

There was a loud “click” and the door lock fell, easily opening the door.

The maid entered and found a man sitting on the ground, looking terrified.

She quickly came out and whispered to King Xuan, “Your Highness, it’s the son of Duke Zhao.”

“Zhao Xufeng?”

“Yes, that’s him!”

Xue Qingyin overheard and thought to herself, so this was the full name of the man from Han.

“Let Jinque deal with him,” King Xuan said, his tone indifferent.

“Yes.”

King Xuan turned and said, “It’s better that he doesn’t see me…”

Xue Qingyin wondered why King Xuan would prefer not to meet him. Did they have some kind of enmity?

“I’ll escort Miss Xue back to the mansion,” King Xuan said, signaling that it was no longer appropriate for her to stay there.

Xue Qingyin felt confused. Wasn’t this all directed at her? But it seemed like it was aimed at the Princess’s mansion too?

Or perhaps, from the very beginning, Empress Wan Gui was planning to kill two birds with one stone?

Xue Qingyin couldn’t figure out the twists and turns and simply followed King Xuan out.

“Mother! Mother!”

She could faintly hear a grown man crying in the courtyard. His cries were like the wailing of a ghost.

But Xue Qingyin couldn’t help glancing back.

King Xuan noticed and asked, “Did he offend you?”

Xue Qingyin shook her head, “He was obedient. I suspect he might have been drugged; he kept saying he felt unwell.”

King Xuan furrowed his brow.

“I told him to fetch water from the well and splash himself with it,” Xue Qingyin added.

King Xuan relaxed his brow.

When did Zhao Xufeng learn to understand words?

“You should have someone bring him some ginger soup later,” she suggested.

“…Alright.”

They walked halfway when they met Princess Jinque hurrying toward them.

Upon seeing them, Jinque let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, King Xuan.”

Princess Jinque was King Xuan’s sister, but they didn’t seem close at all.

Their interactions were cold, lacking warmth, unlike the affectionate greeting from the Fourth Princess.

King Xuan spoke to her in the same cold tone as he would with anyone else. “There’s someone inside. If you can’t handle him, he might cause trouble with your enemies.”

Who could be an enemy to Princess Jinque?

It seemed that Zhao Xufeng’s background was not simple!

Wait…

Could it be that this was the foolish son of Duke Zhao that his mother mentioned?

Xue Qingyin’s heart skipped a beat.