Chapter 094: Devotion, Part Two

Inside the Princess’s Residence, Wen Lu waited by the gatehouse. As soon as the footman brought Jiang Pingzhi over, she immediately led the way to the backyard to meet Li Xuner.

The consort husband of the Princess of Qingyang had passed away early, when Li Xuner was just over six years old. With the strict royal customs and the domineering nature of the Princess of Qingyang, the late consort had no other concubines. For nearly a decade, the princess’s residence had only the Princess herself and Li Xuner as its main occupants.

Normally, without a male head of the household, it would be improper to casually bring a man into the backyard. Yet, in this residence, all the servants seemed to completely ignore Jiang Pingzhi; when they encountered him, they pretended not to see, simply lowering their heads to avoid him.

Jiang Pingzhi felt somewhat uneasy as he walked along. Wen Lu led him to the courtyard where Li Xuner lived. By then, all the servants had been sent away early in the morning, and the place was eerily quiet.

Jiang Pingzhi glanced around. Wen Lu said, “Second Young Master Jiang, please.”

With that, she quickened her pace to open the door. “Princess, your guest has arrived.”

Jiang Pingzhi took a deep breath, quickly composing himself, and stepped inside. “Princess…”

Just as he was about to greet her with a bow, a rouge box was suddenly hurled at his feet, smashing open and splattering rosy powder onto his black boots and the hem of his robe.

Startled, Jiang Pingzhi barely managed to look up in time to see Li Xuner storm out from the inner room, her face full of fury.

Seeing her fierce demeanor, Jiang Pingzhi immediately grew alert.

“How dare you show your face here?” Li Xuner rushed up and slapped at his face.

Jiang Pingzhi instinctively raised his hand to block and grabbed her wrist.

Though a scholar, Jiang Pingzhi was still a man, and his reflexes and strength far surpassed hers.

Li Xuner was already enraged. When her slap was intercepted, she grew even more furious and swung her other hand.

Jiang Pingzhi, used to gentle ladies who were either refined or demure, had never met such a fierce and aggressive woman. Caught off guard, he suddenly felt a sharp, stinging pain at his neck.

He gasped and quickly released her wrist, clutching his neck.

Three scratch marks appeared there, shallow but bleeding.

Seeing the blood on his fingers, Jiang Pingzhi was stunned, looking back at Li Xuner with brows knotted in disbelief.

Li Xuner showed no remorse, only a fierce glare and a cold sneer. “What are you looking at? Do you need me to remind you what you’ve done? What your Jiang family has done? Jiang Pingzhi, if you can’t give me a satisfactory explanation today, you’ll regret it!”

Though rude, Li Xuner’s anger was understandable—the matter of Jiang Pingzhi’s parents going to the Lin family to propose marriage was something no one could tolerate. Knowing he was in the wrong, Jiang Pingzhi clenched his teeth, swallowing back the anger he felt from nearly being slapped the moment he entered.

“Princess, I just heard about this myselfI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.