Chapter 462 - 332: Departure (2)
Doesn’t this prove how much the Princess cares about Young Master Gu, how worried she is about his safety?
Rong Miaoyan said nothing, her eyes dimmed, the brightness in them gradually settling and solidifying into a cold and sharp determination.
Cheng Yu doesn’t understand what she is saying, but Gu Lan and she are well aware.
Even though Gu Lan claims that revealing her identity was her own initiative, that she is using her, she still feels guilt and sorrow.
——Even Cheng Yu, a eunuch deeply hidden in the palace’s Inner Supervision, knows about her close relationship with Gu Lan. How could she have so easily bribed the guards arranged by the Emperor and sneaked in here to meet Gu Lan for so long!
She spent such a long time talking with Gu Lan in the Imperial Court, yet nothing unexpected happened. The patrolling imperial guards outside seemed to have taken a holiday today, never appearing...
Previously, when the imperial guards surrounded the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion, the Emperor immediately removed her from the situation, not allowing her to intervene. How could he not consider that with her relationship with Gu Lan, she would definitely secretly save Gu Lan? She thought she had avoided everyone, unaware that she had been used by the Emperor from the start.
Although Miaoyan doesn’t know what exactly happened between the Emperor and Gu Lan, she realizes she has passively become bait for the Emperor’s trap. Rong Jing anticipated her every action, deliberately leading her to see Gu Lan.
Perhaps the Emperor is also suspicious of something, using her to uncover the truth;
It’s possible that what she and Gu Lan discussed tonight has already reached the Emperor’s ears;
The greatest possibility is that, long before Gu Lan entered the palace, her every move was monitored by the Emperor—her father using Gu Lan to test her loyalty to him, observing her reaction upon meeting Gu Lan from the shadows.
In any case, Rong Miaoyan understood that her chance to see Gu Lan tonight was thanks to the Emperor turning a blind eye, and Gu Lan not stopping it was a calculated move, using her to reveal her identity, effectively conveying a message to Dingyuan Marquis—
She cannot waste the opportunity Gu Lan created.
Miaoyan knows that as long as she and Gu Lan meet, traces of Gu Lan’s identity will surely come to light, but she doesn’t want to wait for Rong Jing to discover it himself; she wants to take the initiative to speak.
Rong Miaoyan takes a deep breath and looks towards Cheng Yu, with sorrow.
She leans against a section of the palace wall, using its sturdiness to keep herself from falling. She raises her hand, and a snowflake melts on her fingertip, its chill making her calmer.
She softly says, "From now on, you don’t need to call me Your Highness."
Cheng Yu’s face turns pale, and he quickly kneels to the ground: "What did I do wrong? Please enlighten Your Highness, but I beg Your Highness not to dismiss me. My life belongs to Your Highness, and I will follow her to life or death!"
"How foolish," Rong Miaoyan sighs.
Her face paler than Cheng Yu’s, she wants to say that she is not of the Imperial Family bloodline and doesn’t deserve to be called Your Highness.
She purses her lips, raises her hand, and caresses Cheng Yu’s handsome face.
"Cheng Yu, we shouldn’t have come here, at least... I shouldn’t have come," she murmurs, "I’m not asking you to call me Your Highness to send you away, but to say you can call me by my name, Miaoyan."
Cheng Yu is taken aback, looking at Rong Miaoyan in disbelief.
The young man’s fair cheek blushes slightly due to her actions.
Her every word falls into Cheng Yu’s ears like a heavenly tune, making him doubt his own hearing.
"Your—Miao... Miaoyan."
Cheng Yu just manages to utter the word "Your" when Miaoyan’s gaze halts him. He bites his lip, struggling hard to change his tone, and pronounces Rong Miaoyan’s name with the utmost gentle sincerity.
The young man bows his head, blushing deeply, completely avoiding looking at Miaoyan’s face.
He offered his heart to the young lady.
The next moment, Miaoyan gently says, "Let’s continue walking."
"Yes." Cheng Yu continues to hold the umbrella, unable to restrain a grin at the corner of his lips, as the heavy snow danced around the hems of his clothes, falling upon his brows, making his forest-like brows and eyes even deeper and more captivating.
However, just as Cheng Yu has seen the distant silhouette of Yonghua Palace, Miaoyan suddenly changes her steps, turning in another direction.
"Your... Miaoyan, aren’t we heading back to Yonghua Palace?" Cheng Yu asks, puzzled.
Rong Miaoyan has already stepped onto another path, gazing upon the silhouette of another grand palace in the dark night, she softly says:
"No, we’re going to Qianyuan Hall to tell the Emperor the true identity of Young Master Gu."
Cheng Yu, whose heart was just filled with joy, suddenly feels a chill, his eyes widening in shock.