chapter 46

Xia Chao sternly asked, “So the Ghost King’s intention is to break the engagement?”

“I am not breaking the engagement. I am still marrying someone from your family. I sincerely hope that my cousin can find a husband but that husband will not be me,” Xiao Ruo finished replying and glanced at Bai Rong as though to show her his determination to marry her and no one else.

Bai Rong stared back at him in a foolish manner with glittering eyes.

Amidst the silence, Dugu Ji let out a laugh. “Interesting.”

“Nonsense!” Xiao Fen smacked the table while Dugu Ji seemed like he was enjoying a joke. If Xiao Ruo really abandoned a main wife’s daughter and instead married a concubine’s daughter, this would damage his reputation. If it was anyone else, Xiao Fen would have let it go but who was Xiao Ruo? Xiao Ruo was the prince he valued the most! Marrying a concubine’s daughter… Wouldn’t that mean that she might even be the empress one day?

“Your majesty,” Fengguang stood up and bowed. “Your subject’s daughter is not feeling well. Please excuse me.”

It would be difficult for any lady to hear their fiance renege on their engagement. Xiao Fen calmed down and said, “Since Fengguang is unwell, please follow a palace maid to go rest. The imperial garden flowers are not bad this season. Fengguang can go admire the scenery to relax.”

“Thank you, your majesty.”

Fengguang followed a palace maid out of the hall. Wang Ci and Xia Chao shared a glance and they knew they were on the same page. Xiao Ruo wanted to renege on the engagement. He didn’t have any personal losses while Fengguang’s reputation was taking a big hit. How could they let it be so simple?

Fengguang wasn’t interested in how Xia Chao and Wang Ci were going to target Xiao Ruo so she also didn’t know about the debates that were happening in the banquet hall. At the moment, she was just following along the path, a bit unfocused. Thus, she didn’t notice that the palace maid behind her was acting strange and suddenly, she felt a pain in the back of her neck and she fell forward, passing out. Right before she hit the ground, the palace maid steadily caught her.

The night was sultry as the carriage travelled along the road.

Fengguang slowly opened her eyes and found herself in a luxurious horse carriage. She was also sitting on a man’s lap in his arms. Her eyes were hazy and she was unable to react immediately. Anyone who woke up in front of such a handsome man would also be in a daze.

The man stroked her head in a gentlemanly manner. “Did sleeping make you stupid?”

“You!” She recovered and her first reaction was to get off his lap but she failed. Her two hands pressed against his chest and she struggled to create some distance between them. “Xuean… No, it should be Emperor Dugu.”

“That address sounds too distant and formal.” He expressed his dissatisfaction then suddenly smiled. “I want to hear you call me Ah Ji.”

“… Why am I here? Where are you taking me?”

“You’re mine so naturally you have to stay by my side. Other than Guangliu, where else would I take you? I heard from Luo Mei that you saw through her disguise with one glance before so why are you so slow this time?”

She was getting angry when she heard the first half but then heard the second half and thought back to the palace maid who brought her to the imperial garden… At the time because she was too deep in her thoughts so she hadn’t paid attention to the maid. So the maid was Luo Mei.

“You… What is your intention in capturing me?’

He shook his head and continued, “I had given orders to Luo Mei on informing you about the national banquet and to have you attend. If you had stayed until the end then I wouldn’t have used this rushed strategy in fear of you running away.”

She thought of when they had first met and felt anger in her heart. “You’re the emperor of Guangliu and you’ve come here for peace. Even Emperor Xiao can’t do anything to you if you were to leave the imperial city. Do you still need me as your hostage?”

Dugu Ji felt helpless as he patted her on the head. “It seems this little girl is deeply misunderstanding me.”