The Gilded Cage - Chapter 152

Question – Prince, You Think Too Highly of Yourself. (1)

Chu Ning stood in the gazebo, looking at him with complicated eyes, and didn’t say anything for a long time.

Even though he knew what kind of person he was and had expected his unbearable questioning behavior, when she actually faced him, she still found it extremely absurd.

“I don’t know what the treachery His Royal Highness is referring to. Didn’t His Highness ask me to give up the position of Crown Prince’s Consort? Now that I have left and the Crown Prince has married another, I am afraid that he has no right to interfere with my affairs.”

Xiao Yu stood where he was, and when he heard this, his face became even paler. His body even swayed against the wind.

He had long been aware of the change in the identity of the two of them, and even just now in the Taiji Hall, countless voices have reminded him of this.

But it was one thing to be reminded by others, and another more straightforward and cruel feeling to hear it out of her own mouth.

What made him feel the worst was that what she said was not wrong at all, it was indeed he who asked her to give up the position of consort.

Right now, he was in a state of disarray—he didn’t want to face all this at all. He struggled for a moment, and suddenly, like grabbing a straw in the water, said angrily, “In the final analysis, A’Ning, you still blame me. I abandoned you and married someone else, right? A’Ning, I told you that there are reasons for doing all this, you——can’t you be considerate of me? In the past two years, haven’t I treated you well?”

When mentioning the life of the past two years, Chu Ning felt bewildered.

How was her life in those two years? Luxurious clothes, fragrant perfumes, delectable delicacies.

But she never had a happy day.

“The prince should ask himself. Have you really treated me well these two years? How sincere were you?” Her eyes were in a trance for a moment, and then she walked slowly to the side of the stairs, separated from him by a distance of ten feet, and lowered her eyes. Looking at him, she said softly, “You did give me a good life, but didn’t you take advantage of my identity to set up an illusion of humility, benevolence, and daring to take responsibility in front of outsiders? Those courtiers who followed you, except Minister Xu, who were by your side, how many of them know the real you?”

Xiao Yu’s whole body froze, as if he had been poked at a sore point. His lips trembled weakly, as if he wanted to say something, but he didn’t know how to say it.

But Chu Ning didn’t stop.

“I did think that His Highness treated me well, but after a long time, I became more and more unwilling to deceive myself—you treated me as a tool in your hands, manipulated and fiddled with at will. When did you take my thoughts into consideration? You didn’t allow me to have emotions that you didn’t expect. On such days, I almost forgot myself. Now, how did you endure it? You always say that everything you do is for the future, and you will have my share in the future, but my share will still be used as a tool by you. It’s like a plaything, what use do I have for it?”

This was the first time she spoke out what was in her heart unabashedly in front of Xiao Yu. After she finished speaking, it was as if she let out a breath of foul air, and her mind became much clearer.

On the other hand, Xiao Yu seemed to have been severely injured, his face turned blue and white, his lips opened and closed, and after a long while he said softly, “You——you think so, so you have to be with my uncle to take revenge on me? A’Ning, such a method is really not suitable for you. ”

Until this time, he was still looking for other reasons for the current situation, and kept avoiding the wrong things he did.

Chu Ning shook her head calmly, “I followed His Majesty not to take revenge on you, but because His Majesty really treats me sincerely.”

“Sincerely?” Xiao Yu seemed to have heard some absurd and unbelievable words, “Where did he get his sincerity? In the past few months, have his absurd things been rare? Why do you think he treats you more sincerely than me? You—”

Speaking of this, an extremely terrifying thought suddenly appeared in his mind, “What did you say to him?”

What did she do and what did she say to win Xiao Kezhi’s favor?

“Is it related to me?” His heart tightened, he couldn’t help stepping up the steps in two or three steps. He grabbed her wrist tightly and asked sharply, “You told him my arrangement, didn’t you?”

The sudden pain in her wrist made Chu Ning wince, and she said softly, “Let go Prince, you think too highly of yourself!”

What he did, without her taking the initiative to reveal it, Xiao Kezhi had expected it a long time ago, and everything was under the control of others, but he had never been aware of his situation.

She had an urge to tell everything she knew right now, and even ask him directly how he could still pretend to be her benefactor after killing her father and staying with her as if nothing had happened.

But she thought about it and endured it. It was better to wait for Xiao Kezhi to deal with the rest of the matter before clarifying the situation.

She had a premonition that although Xiao Kezhi was always deviant before and seemed not to care about the secular etiquette, he had a sense of propriety in his heart and knew that he could not do whatever he wanted while sitting in the emperor’s position. He would follow the rules in all political affairs.

Especially when dealing with the prince, his own nephew, he would not fall into the shoes of others, he must deal with it in a fair manner and catch the crime squarely.

She took a deep breath, endured the pain, and looked at him coldly, “Or do you think others are as selfish as you?”

Xiao Yu’s complexion was slightly distorted, and there was a stern look in his eyes. Not only did he not let go of the hand that was holding her, but his grip became tighter, and his feet approached step by step, forcing her to back away.

“Speak clearly, what is going on between you and him?”

Under his approach, Chu Ning retreated step by step into the gazebo, and slowly leaned against the edge of the stone table, becoming unable to retreat.

“Lady!” Seeing this, Cuihe felt anxious and wanted to come forward to help her.

Chu Ning was about to stop her and tell her to go outside to find someone but suddenly heard footsteps coming from outside the gazebo, followed by a low growling, getting closer and closer, like a dangerous beast.