The concubine was charming and alluring, and the ruthless prince coaxed her day and night.

Chapter 4: Seeking Repayment

After Granny Wang left, Lianxin stepped forward and said, "Master, please give me the clothes, and I will put them away for you."

Xu Jiaojiao noticed Lianxin's longing for the dress.

She thrust the skirt forward, but just as Lianxin was about to catch it, she pulled her hand back.

"Hey..." Lianxin looked up impatiently as the skirt was about to be in her hands.

Their eyes met, and under Lianxin's anxious and annoyed gaze, Xu Jiaojiao smiled slightly and said, "No, I'll just put these clothes away myself."

After saying that, Xu Jiaojiao turned around and went back to the main house, leaving Lianxin alone in the courtyard, stomping her feet in anger.

Pooh!

She's just a concubine brought up by a maid; she hasn't even seen the prince yet. What's she so proud of?

Everyone in the Prince Chen's mansion knows that the Prince Chen has always looked down on the women in his harem!

Xu Jiaojiao, just be smug!

If you don't win Prince Chen's favor at the welcome-home banquet, see how the Princess Consort punishes you!

The next day.

The instructors from the dance and music workshop arrived at Shi Nuan Pavilion early in the morning.

After exchanging a few polite words, Xu Jiaojiao followed the instructor to learn dance in the courtyard.

The warm spring sun shone on her, casting a soft glow on Xu Jiaojiao's already beautiful face, making her shine like a dazzling pearl, captivating the attention of Lianye, who was serving her under the corridor.

Master Xu is so beautiful…

Her slender waist, barely a hand's breadth away, swayed with an irresistible charm and allure. Even as a woman, she felt her bones melt at the sight, let alone Prince Chen, a man.

Lianye believed that her mistress was so beautiful that she would surely win the favor of Prince Chen.

Lianxin, who was also serving in the corridor, scoffed, "Twisting like that, she's such a vixen. I don't know how the princess could have taken a liking to her!"

If she were here, she definitely wouldn't be as promiscuous as Xu Jiaojiao!

Admiring the beauty, the lotus leaf cautioned, "Lotus heart, be careful with your words."

Lianxin, however, remained completely unconcerned.

In her eyes, Xu Jiaojiao had no chance of being favored by Prince Chen, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't change that outcome.

In the past, every concubine had tried every means to gain the emperor's favor, but she had never seen any of them succeed.

Xu Jiaojiao is the same.

But she was unwilling to give up; she didn't want to waste her life in this lifeless West Courtyard with Xu Jiaojiao.

If she finds an opportunity in the future, she must find a way to leave this place!

Watching the two dancing in the courtyard, Lianxin felt increasingly uncomfortable. She turned around angrily and went back into the house, slamming the door shut to vent her dissatisfaction.

The loud noise made Xu Jiaojiao and the teacher stop in their tracks.

The instructor asked, somewhat puzzled, "What's wrong with this maid?"

Xu Jiaojiao looked at the gate, her eyes slightly narrowed.

With just one glance, she withdrew her gaze without any expression.

Concealing the gloom in her eyes, she straightened her steps: "I don't know, maybe I'm in a bad mood. Teacher, look at my steps, isn't there something wrong with them?"

Seeing that she didn't want to delve into it, the instructor naturally didn't interfere, and the two continued practicing.

Lianye looked at the wooden door and shook her head helplessly.

After slamming the door, Lianxin saw that Xu Jiaojiao had no reaction, so she became completely unrestrained.

She neither served her master nor cleaned the courtyard. Whenever she had free time, she would run out of the courtyard and go to the steward of the Prince's mansion, constantly begging him to transfer her back to the East Courtyard.

Over the past two days, Xu Jiaojiao has mastered most of the dance.

That night.

Xu Jiaojiao thought it was time to try on the Liuxian dress.

She carefully took the dress out of the closet.

Under the flickering candlelight, the precious jade beads on the dancer's costume reflected a dazzling, colorful halo, shimmering and radiant.

She had just put on her dance costume when she heard someone burst in through the half-open window.

Looking back, the familiar black iron mask made her throat tighten, and she was completely dumbfounded.

What's going on?

They've come to silence me?

……

Prince Chen's Mansion, West Courtyard, Yunxiu Pavilion.

Under the cover of night, Yingyi, a ghostly figure, quietly slipped into the courtyard.

Upon entering the main house, two men, both wearing black iron masks, immediately bowed respectfully: "Greetings, Lord Shadow!"

Yingyi looked around anxiously, "Where's Master? Hasn't he come?"

Both of them shook their heads in unison.

"Damn it!" Ying cursed under her breath, then quickly disappeared from the house, leaving the two people inside staring at each other in bewilderment.

……

Stone Warm Pavilion.

Prince Zhao Yunzheng stared at the charming woman, her eyes sparkling in the dim candlelight, and was slightly taken aback.

is her?

Why is she here?

In an instant, Zhao Yunzheng realized that he had entered the wrong courtyard.

Xu Jiaojiao stared at the man warily: "You..."

Before he could finish speaking, the man collapsed to the ground with a thud.

As he fell, he grabbed onto a nearby flower stand, which also knocked the stand over, making a jarring sound as the vase shattered.

? ? ? ? ?

Xu Jiaojiao was stunned.

what's the situation?

She took two steps forward and carefully examined the man on the ground by the candlelight.

The man closed his eyes tightly in pain, his brow furrowed slightly, and the paleness of the half of his face visible beneath the mask was clearly visible.

This person is injured!

Xu Jiaojiao lowered her gaze and, sure enough, saw a wet patch on the man's abdomen.

Judging from the blood-stained clothes, the man was seriously injured.

Xu Jiaojiao's lips twitched.

How dedicated! Even though he's injured like this, he still hasn't forgotten to kill her to silence her.

Outside, Lianye, who happened to be passing by, heard the commotion inside and tentatively asked, "Master? What happened?"

There was such a big person in the room that Xu Jiaojiao couldn't move him away in a short time. She couldn't let Lianye come in and see him, otherwise she wouldn't be able to explain herself no matter how hard she tried.

She composed herself and calmly replied, "I accidentally knocked over the vase, but it's nothing serious. You may leave now, and you can come back to clean it up tomorrow!"

Lianye agreed and turned to leave.

As the footsteps faded into the distance, she turned to look at the man on the ground.

The man was unconscious at the moment, and she could easily take his life.

But Xu Jiaojiao didn't intend to do that.

She encountered two people behind the artificial hill that day, but now only one has come. Since the other party wants to kill her to silence her, if this one fails, the other will naturally make another move.

By then, she might not be so lucky as to run into another half-dead person.

After a moment's thought, Xu Jiaojiao decided to save the man, hoping to repay his kindness and save her own life!

She gently kicked the man on the ground with her toe to confirm that he was indeed unconscious and not faking it to launch a sneak attack, before squatting down to check his pulse.

Xu Jiaojiao breathed a sigh of relief as her pulse was still strong.

She mustered all her strength and dragged the man onto the bed.

The man was in so much pain that even while unconscious, he broke out in a thin sweat.

Seeing the man's messy hair plastered to his face, and his brow furrowed in a frown, Xu Jiaojiao silently apologized and then undid the man's clothes.

The man had a great physique, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a lean, muscular build, with clearly visible eight-pack abs.

However, the scars on the man's body stunned Xu Jiaojiao, who was secretly shocked.

Besides the wound on his stomach, the man had countless other scars on his body, new, old, deep, and shallow, so many that Xu Jiaojiao shuddered.

Is being an assassin always this difficult?

Xu Jiaojiao looked at the man with sympathy, and then began to treat his wounds.

The room was sparsely furnished, with very few usable items. Xu Jiaojiao even cut up her own undergarments to barely bandage the man's wound and stop the bleeding.

As long as the man's wound doesn't get infected, he's considered to have survived.

The night is getting dark.

After washing her hands, Xu Jiaojiao looked thoughtfully at the man on the bed.

She didn't know what the man's face looked like under the mask, so she had to take a look to avoid mistaking him for someone else when she needed to ask for a favor in the future!

By the dim candlelight in the room, Xu Jiaojiao stepped forward and reached out to touch the man's black iron mask...