Di Ronghua frowned even more deeply. “No.”
“You deliberately spoke coldly to Juye, and deliberately left your fox outside the palace… Are you afraid they’ll become your weaknesses?”
“I said no.”
“You’re worried that one day, if you can leave me, you’ll do so without hesitation, and then I’ll take my anger out on them, isn’t that it?”
“Xiao Hanjin!” Her voice suddenly sharpened. “How many times do I have to say it? I’m not!”
Her expression was extremely unpleasant, her anger barely suppressed as she stared straight at him. “Since I’ve agreed to stay, I won’t leave. Yes, I don’t want to be threatened anymore, and I don’t want others to get hurt because of me. Is that not allowed?”
The man’s pupils contracted slightly.
After a long moment, he said, “I won’t do that again.”
His deep gaze grew even darker, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he spoke hoarsely, “Ronghua, don’t be afraid of me.”
No, it seemed as though it was he who was afraid.
Seeing her speak coldly to Juye, seeing her send away the fox she loved—it was as if she was cutting off all ties, preparing herself for the day she could leave him without any attachments. That was why he couldn’t suppress his panic.
But hearing her say it wasn’t so, hearing her promise that she wouldn’t leave, didn’t make him feel much better.
Did she think he would use everyone around her to threaten her?
So much so that she was willing to sever everything.
Xiao Hanjin reached out and touched her head. “Whatever you like, as long as it’s not another man, I’ll give it to you.”
Di Ronghua’s eyes narrowed slightly.
……
In the following days, despite being extremely busy, Xiao Hanjin did as he said and piled everything she loved in front of her. The furnishings in the Longyin Palace increasingly resembled the Yaohua Palace where she had lived in Xiliang.
He knew her preferences all too well.
But he didn’t force her to accept Juye, nor did he force her to bring the little fox back into the palace. Instead, he simply treated her even better.
Later, Di Ronghua found it pointless and stopped deliberately cold-shouldering Juye, which made Juye overjoyed for several days.
“Princess,” Juye said, now utterly devoted to Di Ronghua. “There’s something I want to tell you.”
“Hmm?” Di Ronghua stopped her leisurely stroll in the imperial garden and turned to look at her.
“It’s about that Miss Liu. Do you remember her?”
Di Ronghua thought for a moment. “Liu Xijiao?”
Juye nodded vigorously, her expression filled with resentment. “That’s her!”
Di Ronghua chuckled. “What about her?”
“She wants to marry the Crown Prince and enter the harem!” Juye grew more indignant as she spoke. “She’s been boasting that as a princess sent for marriage, you’ll at most be an imperial consort, and that the position of empress will definitely go to a noblewoman from our dynasty!”
“Well…” Di Ronghua nodded thoughtfully. “I think what she said makes sense.”
“Princess!” Juye stared at her in shock. “How can you not be worried at all?”
Di Ronghua sighed. “Juye, I don’t care about these things, and you shouldn’t dwell on them either. I can’t give Xiao Hanjin what he wants, and he can’t waste so much time on one woman. A union based on mutual benefit is the best outcome.”
Juye was about to say more when a hearty laugh suddenly rang out from across the garden. “As expected of the princess of Xiliang. You see things clearly.”
Di Ronghua was startled.
She looked up and saw Liu Xijiao, her chin raised arrogantly, standing beside a middle-aged man in official robes.
