Chapter 19: Mutual Probing

He did not continue the previous topic.

A moment of silence filled the hall; no one spoke.

The atmosphere was so heavy it felt suffocating.

"I’ve heard your archery is quite impressive. Who taught you?" After several beats, he asked again.

She lowered her head in silence, pretending not to hear, her expression clearly showing displeasure.

Seeing her like this, he was not the least bit annoyed; instead, he felt like laughing secretly.

This little girl had quite the temper!

Right in front of the Crown Prince himself, she dared to throw a tantrum without any reserve, showing no respect at all.

Quite courageous.

Considering her youth, he chose not to argue.

"I heard you single-handedly killed ten wolves and must be rewarded. Miss Lin, what would you like?"

"Gold or silver," she answered eagerly, her eyes sparkling brilliantly.

"Weren’t you going to keep quiet?"

"Silver is more important. That must be made clear."

"How is it that you, in the Lin family, would be short of silver?"

"Very short, extremely short."

"They only keep squeezing the silver from me, seizing the fruits of my labor. That’s why I’m so desperately short of silver! If I could be rewarded with some more silver, that would be the best!"

"Are the Lin family not good to you?" he probed.

"No, very bad! The Lin family are despicable and shameless, with no moral bottom line. Sooner or later, I will part ways with them!" Her petite face was filled with indignation.

Seizing the opportunity to disparage the Lin family before the second most powerful man in the Qin dynasty, Lin Pianran was determined to make them infamous and regret ever existing.

"So you earn so much silver for them to spend, yet you yourself are poor to the point of jingling coins. Truly noble of you!"

"Before, I was young and easily deceived, repaying the so-called upbringing debt, as pathetic as it was."

"But that won’t happen again."

"From now on, I will make the Lin family return what they took a hundredfold!"

Her expression was resolute, brimming with a killing intent.

"Do you need my help?"

"No! No! I can handle it myself!"

No need to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

In her previous life, once when gravely ill, she had been sent by the Princess of Jing to live at a manor for over a year.

During an assassination attempt, she was saved by Huo Yuchen, giving them a brief chance to interact.

At that time, she was critically ill, close to death.

Not only did Huo Yuchen order the assassin killed, but he also had the imperial physician treat her, saving her from the jaws of death.

Huo Yuchen’s own position was precarious then; the imperial consort’s favor was waning, and his hair was already silvered, his youthful vigor and radiance gone.

Yet, he still extended a helping hand to the weak.

In Lin Pianran’s heart, Huo Yuchen was perfect, kind, and her benefactor.

She vowed to repay him, refusing to let him suffer the same fate as before.

This was why she dared to reveal her true feelings before him today, speaking boldly, even a little shamelessly.

She was testing him, seeking to understand him more deeply.

A stronger smile spread across Huo Yuchen’s face. He eagerly anticipated this little girl to reveal her sharp claws, imagining her as an ant able to shake an elephant.

It seemed the Lin family was in for quite a commotion.

He looked forward to watching this girl’s performance, seeing her bring chaos and turmoil to the Lin household.

"I heard in a few days you’ll compete with the Princess at the archery range?"

"Yes! Besides the Princess, there’s Feng Pan, Wei Xueyan, and Xue Yunci, and there’s even a prize!"

"I'll add to the stakes too. Whoever claims first place will receive a generous reward from me!"

"I will strive to seize the top honor!"

"Then I shall await the good news eagerly!"

Huo Yuchen summoned his personal guard, Jing Feng. "Fetch five thousand taels of silver notes as my reward to Miss Lin for saving the day."

Hearing the mention of silver, Lin Pianran was elated, her earlier mood vanishing completely.

She praised him repeatedly, "Your Highness is truly beautiful in both appearance and heart, understanding my hardships and decisively easing my urgent needs!"

Normally, a man like him would scowl at being called “beautiful,” as excessive beauty was no pride, especially for a crown prince.

But seeing the innocent expression of the young girl, knowing she meant no harm, he suppressed his displeasure.

She was still a child, so he wouldn’t hold it against her.

Looking at this bright and lively young woman before him, his mood shifted from dark to clear.

He thought to himself: so easy to please!

He had found the key to dealing with Lin Pianran — to lure her with worldly treasures like gold and silver.

Leaving the palace, Lin Pianran happily cradled the box of silver notes, concealing it in her sleeve before storing it safely in her space.

Back in her chamber, she ate a simple supper.

Summoning her two personal maids, she patiently instructed them, “Tonight, we must be vigilant. No one will stay in my chamber; we’ll squeeze together in one room.”

“Someone might try to ambush us tonight, so don’t take off your clothes. Sleep dressed, always ready to face an enemy!”

“Also, take turns keeping watch. I’ll rest a while first; there’s still work to do later.”

After some discussion, the maids agreed: Huan Xue would watch the first half of the night, Tian Zhu the latter.

Lin Pianran slipped into Huan Xue’s bed and soon fell asleep.

Around midnight, she heard Huan Xue softly call out, “Miss, a guard has quietly entered your chamber.”

She opened her eyes, instantly more alert.

“Miss, just as you suspected, the guard is masked and carrying a sizable sack. He sneaked into your room; we don’t know his intentions,” said Tian Zhu excitedly, clearly already awake.

Hearing their words, Lin Pianran slipped from the covers, splashed water on her face, fully waking.

She tiptoed with the two maids toward the empty chamber.

The guard was sneaking out, glancing around cautiously.

He left the courtyard and slipped away.

Lin Pianran had the maids follow him to see which “little mouse” had been sent.

She herself opened the chamber door, retrieved a flashlight from her space, and peered inside.

A chill ran down her spine.

Her bed and the surrounding area were crawling with dense clusters of snakes, all manner of colors and patterns, many she had never seen before.

There were dozens in all.

Clearly, her adversaries had also prepared thoroughly.