But unfortunately, she was blind; she could only identify people by their voices. She immediately nodded and agreed. “Mm. I’ll remember.”
Li Heng raised his brows at that, clearly in an excellent mood.
Liu Xuan, however, was in a terrible mood. A Cheng Yaojin had come charging in halfway, and this bastard clearly did not believe she was truly blind. He was obviously here to ruin things!
She silently ground her teeth, then spoke in a low voice. “I feel that Husband has changed somewhat. In the past, you were terrified I might suffer even the slightest injury, yet today you threw a stone at me…”
Li Heng’s heart did not skip, nor did his breathing falter. He said softly, “It is your husband’s fault. But in the capital, your husband has always had the image of a frivolous wastrel. With you constantly on my mind, I wanted to openly and properly make your acquaintance sooner, so I used this method. I have wronged you, my wife.”
Good, good, good!
So this was how he wanted to play?
Wasn’t there shared sensation?
She refused to believe she couldn’t draw out the real one!
Liu Xuan suddenly reached out and pinched the soft flesh at his waist. Leaning close to his ear, her breath as fragrant as orchids, she said aggrievedly, “Husband, don’t do this again in the future. Xuan’er hurts so much…”
Li Heng had not expected her to suddenly do this. Caught off guard, she pinched him squarely, and her warm breath brushed against the sensitive shell of his ear. His body’s reaction was far more honest than he had imagined.
Li Heng’s body instantly went rigid. He narrowed his eyes and turned to look at her.
But Liu Xuan had already withdrawn her hand. As if nothing at all had happened, she stood obediently at the side and even asked in a somewhat puzzled low voice, “Why has Husband stopped walking? Someone might notice something strange in a moment.”
Looking at her bewildered expression, Li Heng lifted his foot and continued forward. “It is your husband’s fault. But there is one matter I am somewhat curious about. May I ask my wife to clear up my confusion?”
“Husband, please speak.”
Li Heng looked at her and said, enunciating each word in a low voice, “For those who are blind, their other four senses are especially sharp. That arrow wrapped around the pebble was not fast. Why did my wife fail to notice it?”
Liu Xuan “looked” at him, her beautiful little face full of innocence. “Has Husband forgotten? I’m hard of hearing.”
Li Heng: …
Still unwilling to give up, he said, “Then why was it that earlier, when I was clearly speaking right in front of you, you bowed in the wrong direction?”
Liu Xuan pouted and said coquettishly, “Earlier, I didn’t know the one who hit me was Husband. I only thought that person had deliberately struck me with a stone, yet still wanted me to bow to him. How could there be anyone so unreasonable!”
Li Heng: …
Fine!
In the end, he had underestimated her!
But no matter. They had a long future ahead of them!
The Crown Prince’s Estate
Li Ying, who was handling government affairs, suddenly stiffened. A drop of ink fell from the tip of his brush and soaked into the memorial.
He came back to himself, set the brush aside, and said in a low voice, “Qing Lei.”
A man silently emerged from the shadows and bowed. “This subordinate is here.”
“Go investigate where Li Heng is, and whom he has met!”
“Yes!”
Liu Xuan had thought that the probing at the gate was the purpose of Li Heng’s trip, but unexpectedly, he truly intended to accompany her to meet Marquis Yongyu and his wife.
The steward clearly had not expected it either. Seeing that he was about to enter the room with her, he hurriedly reached out to stop him. But Li Heng seemed not to see him at all and directly led Liu Xuan through the door.
Marquis Yongyu and the Marchioness were seated in the upper seats drinking tea. Seeing that the person who entered was him, they were just about to set down their cups and rise when they caught sight of Liu Xuan being led in by his hand.
At his age and with his status, what kind of beauty had he not seen? Yet the instant Marquis Yongyu saw Liu Xuan, he still froze.
Her skin was like congealed cream, her hips full and her waist slender. Her features were gorgeous and dazzling, yet her bearing was otherworldly. Though her eyes were blind, they shimmered with watery light. Not only did it fail to diminish her beauty, it instead added a touch of frailty and transcendence, softening the aggressiveness brought by her overly striking appearance.
Such a peerless creature—no wonder the Crown Prince, who had always been pure-hearted and indifferent to desire, had fallen headfirst for her. He had not hesitated to offend the Prime Minister and the Empress just to arrange an identity for this woman and bring her to his side.
Crash!
The crisp sound of a teacup falling to the floor pulled Marquis Yongyu back from his thoughts. He turned to look beside him and saw his wife, Lady Yin, staring straight at Liu Xuan as if her soul had left her body.
Marquis Yongyu frowned slightly and reminded her in a low voice, “Madam…”
Lady Yin abruptly came back to herself. She looked at him in some panic, then quickly composed herself. After steadying her mind, she smiled and said, “Forgive me. Seeing Xuan’er made me a little emotional for a moment. I was discourteous.”
“You should be more careful.”
Marquis Yongyu called servants in to clean up, then looked at Li Heng and said, “Young Duke, why have you come together with Xuan’er?”
Li Heng raised a brow and said, “I heard Marquis Yongyu and his wife had found their daughter who had been lost for many years, so this heir specially came to join in the excitement. But looking at things now, why is there not the slightest joy of having found your daughter?”
He glanced at Lady Yin, who was still scrutinizing Liu Xuan, and said meaningfully, “Are you certain… you have found your daughter?”
Marquis Yongyu’s expression stiffened. “What does Young Duke mean by that? Everyone has a different temperament. Not everyone sobs and wails upon recovering a daughter.”
“Don’t be nervous, Marquis. I was merely joking.”
Li Heng released Liu Xuan’s sleeve and instead took hold of her hand. Ignoring her slight struggle, he interlaced his fingers with hers.
This action immediately left Marquis Yongyu and Lady Yin dumbstruck.
Marquis Yongyu looked at Liu Xuan, whose expression remained normal, then at Li Heng. “Young Duke, this is…”
Liu Xuan was about to explode with anger. She could already guess what this bastard wanted to do!
But unfortunately, he had just impersonated Li Ying, while she was a delicate woman who trusted her husband wholeheartedly. Not only could she not refuse, she even had to pretend to be shy and obedient!
Sure enough, as though afraid Marquis Yongyu and Lady Yin could not see clearly enough, Li Heng lifted their joined hands and said solemnly, “In truth, it was I who begged my cousin to ask you two for help and give Xuan’er an identity.”
His current identity was the legitimate son of the imperial uncle, and the cousin he spoke of was naturally the Crown Prince, Li Ying.
Marquis Yongyu and Lady Yin were instantly so astonished they could not speak. “This…”
Li Heng turned to look at Liu Xuan, his expression tender. “Some days ago, the reason I was outside the city was because of her. I fell in love with her at first sight. Concealing my identity, I bowed with her to Heaven and Earth. In this life, I will marry no one but her. But her status is too low, so I begged my cousin to arrange an identity for her, so I may openly and properly welcome her as my wife.”
Liu Xuan lowered her head “shyly,” rolling her eyes so hard she nearly sent them to the heavens!
This man truly had no shame at all!
Li Ying had been in Liu Family Village, while he had taken Li Ying’s place at the Crown Prince’s Estate. Then Xiao Heng, this identity, had to disappear from the capital. The best reason was that he had gone somewhere to have fun and stay for a while. In any case, he had always been set up as a romantic, unruly man who loved freedom, so it would not arouse suspicion.
Thus, everyone knew that Xiao Heng had not been in the capital some days ago, while Li Ying had never left!
In that case, whether in terms of timing or in terms of someone who could do something like privately pledging himself to a woman for life, he was the one who was reasonable and fitting!
Marquis Yongyu and Lady Yin looked at each other and fell silent.
Because when the Crown Prince had come, he had spoken very clearly. He and a woman had become husband and wife in truth. But unfortunately, that woman’s status was too low, and she had some physical inconvenience, so she had to be given an identity before she could be brought into the Crown Prince’s Estate.
And now, the Young Duke was intimately holding this woman’s hand and telling them that it was he who had become husband and wife in truth with this woman?
Who exactly were they supposed to believe?!