Chapter 21: The Game Gets More and More Exciting

“Wow, bad guy, bad guy, this bottle is so beautiful. Can I give it to Ning’er?” His smile was as radiant and innocent as a child’s.

Yun Qiange curved her lips slightly. That was the Azure Dragon Patterned Dew Bottle, worth a fortune. This boy certainly had a good eye. She indulged him softly, “Hmm, I’ll give it to you.”

She looked at him, a gentle light shimmering in her eyes. When would his soul be as clear as his smile? She understood his hatred better than anyone else; she knew his disguise better than anyone, because in her past life, she...

“Wow, bad guy, bad guy, this teapot is so exquisite. Can I give it to Ning’er?”

“Hmm, I’ll give it to you,” she replied.

“Wow, bad guy, bad guy, this painting is so beautiful. Can I give it to Ning’er?”

“Give, give, give, all of it,” she said, propping herself up on the couch and watching his smiling face, musing thoughtfully.

If he could be happy every day, would the darkness and hatred in his heart slowly evaporate like water under the sun? Would he then avoid the path she once took?

*Bang!* A prison guard, about to serve tea to the princess, slammed the cup heavily on the table. The tea spilled everywhere, unable to withstand the force. The guard glared furiously at Shangguan Ning, as if he wanted to tear her apart alive. Yun Qiange coughed awkwardly and gave a meaningful glance to Xiangcao, who was disguised as a guard, silently signaling: Dear Xiangcao, it’s nothing, nothing at all, just a few old antiques, don’t worry, don’t worry.

Xiangcao turned her head away without looking, grabbed a cloth, and scrubbed the table with such force it seemed she might peel off the wood’s surface.

Give, give, give—everything must be given. The princess was not unaware of the origins of these items. Such priceless antiques and paintings would require countless nights of sketching costume designs just to earn back their value!

Yun Qiange cleared her throat dryly again. “Well, you choose then. Continue.”

The man raised his eyebrows. Yun Qiange, you asked for this. If I don’t take everything here and torment you, I’ll make you bleed even more.

He curled his lips, but this smile was different from before. His slender peach-shaped eyes shimmered like flowing waves, carrying an inexplicable wickedness. His crimson garment further accentuated his jade-like skin, exuding a devilish charm, as if he were a demon ready to drag you to hell at any moment. Even Yun Qiange noticed a hint of strangeness in his smile, her heart skipped a beat. Was he scheming something again?

Sure enough, the next moment came his joyful voice: “I want this one, this one, this one, and that one too…”

Yun Qiange’s eyebrows twitched. This man actually pointed to every item in the prison except for her bed and the table and chairs.

After a while, Shangguan Ning chatted casually with Yun Qiange. Once she learned the information she sought, she summoned Huoyue and two guards to start moving the spoils.

Along the way, Huoyue proudly held a large pile of famous paintings and calligraphy. “The young master is incredible—he tricked the princess out of so many things. Any one of these would be worth a fortune on the market.”

Watching the guards walking ahead in the distance, Shangguan Ning whispered, “The princess said she’ll find a way out. Though we couldn’t figure out how, it seems she’s different from before. We can’t be careless. Send someone immediately to clean the scene thoroughly. No one must discover anything.”

After leaving the prison and loading the spoils onto the carriage, Shangguan Ning looked up at the clear blue sky, cloudless and vast, like his heart had found a brief moment of calm to mask the gloom. His mood seemed quite good. Yes, it must be because the princess had grown smarter—the game was becoming more and more interesting.