The Northern Mansion, deep into the night.
Chu Yuqin's gaze narrowed slightly, curiosity flickering in her eyes. Who would dare to trespass into the inner courtyard of the Northern King's Mansion at such an hour?
The last person who attempted to assassinate Lu Chen had vanished without a trace his body never found. And yet, someone now dared to infiltrate the heavily guarded Northern Palace, making subtle moves in the shadows?
Silently, Chu Yuqin slipped into the courtyard where Bai Qingqing resided. Concealing herself behind the rockery, she observed quietly, intent on finding out what this uninvited shadow was up to.
The figure she watched moved swiftly pushing open the door to Bai Qingqing's room without hesitation and slipping inside like a phantom.
The lantern's glow was too faint for Chu Yuqin to make out the person's appearance clearly.
Still, one question echoed in her mind: Why Bai Qingqing's room?
Did this person intend to harm her?
Though Bai Qingqing was a woman, she was no ordinary maid. From their brief interaction earlier, Chu Yuqin had sensed her inner strength most likely at the ninth-grade level, perhaps even stronger. Far from an easy target.
Was the assassin courting death by choosing her?
Moreover, Bai Qingqing had just arrived at the palace today. Why would anyone target her so soon? Unless was it a mistake? Was the intruder originally intending to enter Lu Chen's room and simply confused it with Bai Qingqing's?
As these questions tangled in her mind, a faint flicker lit up the room.
A candle had been lit.
But strangely, there were no sounds of a struggle.
Chu Yuqin's brows furrowed. What was going on inside?
Why hadn't Bai Qingqing attacked the intruder?
Could it be were the two… acquainted?
No. It wasn't that the person and Bai Qingqing were in the same group, but rather… Bai Qingqing herself might be involved.
Her abrupt return after so many years, coupled with her insistence on staying, had seemed suspicious from the start.
Chu Yuqin had always been extremely cautious about Lu Chen's safety. Even when Wang Qingci visited him to "cultivate feelings," she remained ever watchful.
Now, she crept silently toward the room, determined to discover the truth.
***
Inside the room—
Lu Chen lit the candle and turned toward Bai Qingqing, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed, meditating.
Her eyes opened slowly, confused by the unexpected visit.
"What brings Your Highness here so late?" she asked calmly.
Lu Chen smiled. "What, can't I visit without a reason?"
He stepped forward casually, sitting on the edge of the bed without hesitation, as if he hadn't just entered the private quarters of an unmarried woman in the dead of night.
His sudden closeness made Bai Qingqing's heart clench involuntarily. A strange and inexplicable feeling stirred within her.
"Xiaobai," Lu Chen began, "do you remember how I used to hold you and tell you stories when you were little?"
Her confusion deepened. The Northern King had entered her room in the middle of the night… to reminisce about childhood?
"I remember," she replied blankly.
Lu Chen reached out, gently taking her hand. "Then you should also remember what I said back then that when you grew up, you would become my woman."
In that moment, Bai Qingqing finally understood his intent.
Back when she served as a bed-warming maid in the palace, the Northern King had never been a restrained man. Recent intelligence from the Shadow Guard also mentioned his notorious appetite for women.
So now, he had come into her room in the middle of the night alone. What else could his intentions be?
Still, Bai Qingqing didn't resist. She remained still, like a statue, showing no signs of panic or outrage.
Expressionless, she said, "I am the prince's maidservant. If the prince desires my body, he may take it at any time."
Her cold and detached demeanor only stirred Lu Chen further. The indifference in her eyes awakened a deeper desire in him—he wanted to see her lose composure, to beg for mercy. He craved that moment of conquest.
But he didn't move immediately.
Bai Qingqing had only recently regained her emotions. Having grown up attached to Lu Chen, she was used to his touch. She hadn't yet learned how to resist such advances.
That's why Lu Chen chose not to rush things. He would expose her identity make her realize that he already knew who she truly was.
And once her mask was removed, he doubted she would remain so calm.
Lu Chen slowly placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her down onto the bed, his body resting against her soft frame. He gazed into her eyes, and she, silently, returned his gaze.
Still, she did not resist.
Then, he pinned her arms above her head, securing both wrists in one hand. Leaning close, he whispered, "Deputy Commander Bai… is it worth sacrificing your innocence to fulfill the mission given by my father?"
Bai Qingqing's pupils shrank.
He knew.
He knew her identity.
Her breathing hitched. Nervousness crept in. Her emotions had returnednnow she could feel panic, uncertainty, vulnerability. No longer was she the cold, emotionless weapon of the past.
How had Lu Chen uncovered her identity so quickly?
She had just arrived in the Northern Army territory. And the intelligence from the Shadow Guard had claimed that the Northern King was nothing more than a hedonistic, useless prince. Even based on her childhood memories of him, he had always been lustful and unremarkable.
But now…
One sentence, and he had laid her identity bare.
She was shaken but only for a moment. As deputy commander of the Shadow Guard, she had weathered countless storms. Quickly, she composed herself.
In a cool voice, she replied, "Your Highness, I don't understand what you're talking about."
Lu Chen, undeterred, let his hand slide into her robes as he whispered with a smile, "Seems like you've matured a lot over the years, Xiaobai."
His breath brushed against her ear, and Bai Qingqing's heart fluttered again.
An unfamiliar heat surged through her body an unfamiliar sensation that made her limbs feel weak.
She was caught off guard. She had just begun to awaken her emotions, and now she was experiencing a new kind of physical reaction she had never known.
She twisted slightly, attempting to free herself from under him.
But Lu Chen had already secured her body firmly beneath his.
He could feel her subtle resistance. It only confirmed that his words had hit the mark. He leaned closer again, murmuring, "Xiaobai, my father sent you to the Northern Army to determine if the people from Xuanyue Palace are still near me, didn't he?"
That last whisper shattered the last trace of Bai Qingqing's calm.
He even knew her mission.
Trouble. Real trouble.
She hadn't expected her cover and task to be completely exposed so soon—barely a day after arriving at the Northern King's Mansion.
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