Tearing the Prince's Clothes after Withdrawing Marriage
Chapter 244: In my heart, you are a man who stands tall and upright

Chapter 244: Chapter 244: In my heart, you are a man who stands tall and upright

Chu Feixue stood frozen, shocked by the coldness in Han Zhan’s eyes just now.

He was serious!

He had actually warned her like that for the sake of Chu Qianli!

Her relationship with Huaiyu had always been good!

Watching the tall figure that had caught up with Chu Qianli, the arrogance and willfulness in Chu Feixue’s eyes gradually became calm and chilly.

Han Zhan’s feelings for Chu Qianli seemed to have changed!

After marrying into the Xuan Prince Residence, Chu Qianli underwent a drastic change in temperament, suddenly no longer acting foolishly.

Now, Han Zhan’s feelings for her seemed different from before too.

Should she tell her master about this?

...

"Chu Qianli," Han Zhan quickly caught up with her and blocked her path.

Chu Qianli halted, seemingly truly impatient now.

However, after not seeing her for more than ten days, Han Zhan indeed noticed that she was much better at restraining her temper compared to before.

Even he could see Chu Qianli’s impatience, but Chu Qianli herself was still trying her best to endure it.

She said indifferently, "There’s no need to ask me about Huaiyu. The poison wasn’t from me, and I’m indifferent to her affairs."

"You..."

"Han Zhan, I’m not so idle," she said coldly.

"What do you mean?" Han Zhan stared at her expressionless face.

Chu Qianli pursed her lips before reluctantly saying, "The Emperor threatened me with my grandfather’s life, forcing me to use my supposed prescient abilities to gather intelligence on Heifeng Cliff."

"You actually went to Heifeng Cliff!" Han Zhan’s heart suddenly tightened!

No wonder they had to involve Xuan Prince himself for the rescue!

None who went to Heifeng Cliff had ever come back alive!

This time, if it weren’t for the Xuan Prince’s help, this girl probably wouldn’t have made it back.

Such a young and frail girl, yet the Emperor had sent her on such a perilous mission.

"So, Han Zhan, you should be able to understand how difficult my situation is."

Chu Qianli took a half step back, widening the distance between them.

The distancing, the impatience, but more so the resignation in her demeanor, made Han Zhan feel extremely uncomfortable all of a sudden.

What she was thinking about, what she had to do, were all matters of life and death.

And he and Chu Feixue were... constantly making things difficult.

"I heard it was my maid who poisoned Huaiyu, but in truth, I don’t know much more about it than you do."

"By the time I got there, my maid had already been beaten to death."

A surge of sorrow hit her heart, and her voice became somewhat hoarse.

Yet in front of Han Zhan, she still tried hard to endure it.

"I’m not so stupid as to have my own people go against Huaiyu, ruining my reputation in front of Feng Yexuan."

"Of course, if you think I’m truly that foolish, you can continue to suspect me."

Chu Qianli was too exhausted to explain, simply giving a faint smile.

That smile seemed to be telling him that the foolish ones were these superficial people.

Han Zhan clenched his fist, at a loss for words for a moment.

She really didn’t seem so foolish.

Could there be more to this incident?

However, one thing he was absolutely certain of: "Huaiyu would never poison herself to frame your maid, she is not such a malicious person."

"Whatever you say, that’s what it will be. After all, my maid is dead, and there’s no proof," replied Chu Qianli.

She didn’t even want to glance at him any longer, her whole being radiating an air of indifferent coolness.

It wasn’t that she was angry; rather, when she looked at him, it was as if she was looking at an ignorant child.

I felt somewhat powerless.

"I don’t know what conditions Prince Yexuan offered to compete with His Majesty for Grandfather’s return, but as far as I’m concerned, this matter is far from over."

"I’m not trying to gain your sympathy, I just want to tell you I’m really exhausted. I’m not like Chu Huaiyu and Chu Feixue; they still have the energy to vie for favor at a time like this."

"Huaiyu wouldn’t..."

"Enough, you’re right, it’s just that I don’t want to hear it."

Chu Qianli walked forward with her head down:

"However you think of me, I don’t care anymore, as long as you’re happy."

These words suddenly made Han Zhan feel as if he had swallowed a fly, there were some things he couldn’t hold back.

How had he become one of those people who "spend all day vying for favor" in her eyes?

Yet she wasn’t wrong. In the gamble between the Emperor and Prince Yexuan, she indeed had exhausted herself and was weary of coping.

Engaging in such petty rivalries for a man’s favor at this point would seem rather trivial; it was beneath her.

How had he suddenly started to feel as superficial as Huaiyu and Chu Feixue?

No, how could he think of Huaiyu as superficial?

"Huaiyu is such a kind person, she would never falsely accuse you and your maid, Chu Qianli..."

"Could you please stop talking about this? I’m really not interested."

Chu Qianli didn’t stop walking; instead, she quickened her pace.

"Even if she were a fairy, it would be none of my business~ Han Zhan, whether you like her very much, I don’t care, but I truly don’t want to waste my time on such trivial matters."

"Chu Qianli..."

"The Han Zhan in my heart is a man who stands tall in this world, not someone like you are now, nagging and gossiping like a woman."

Han Zhan stopped in his tracks.

The words stung him unexpectedly.

Was he really such a standout man in her heart before?

Is this how she sees him now?

Watching her slowly receding figure, Han Zhan felt an indescribable sense of loss.

Had his image in her heart truly plummeted so far that it could never return to the past?

And what exactly had he done?

Did he, like Chu Feixue, trouble her with nonsensical arguments when she was already worn out from all the hardships?

How had he fallen to the point of being lumped together with Chu Feixue?

And then there was Huaiyu.

He knew that although Huaiyu said nothing, how ambitious could a woman’s thoughts be?

She probably just wished for Prince Yexuan to pay her a little more attention every day, right?

Then there was Chu Qianli, who had already distanced herself from these trivial disputes between women amidst the vortex of court strife.

And he had become the fool in Chu Qianli’s eyes, the one who endlessly revolves around the petty concerns of women!

Han Zhan felt indefinably uncomfortable within.

The pride of being a man seemed to have been lost in her eyes because of his own actions.

But if he caught up to her, what could he say?

...Leng Ji was indeed waiting outside the Duke Residence.

Chu Qianli didn’t say much upon seeing him.

She got onto the carriage and headed straight back to the Prince Residence.

After the carriage entered the Residence and before reaching Qianyun Pavilion, she asked Leng Ji to stop.

"It’s rare that I can leave Qianyun Pavilion; I want to take a walk outside. I’ll return on my own," she said as she descended from the carriage.

Leng Ji’s heart felt a tinge of bitterness.

He wanted to tell her that since Prince Yexuan had allowed her to go out, perhaps he would never confine her again.

But he wasn’t the Prince, and he didn’t dare give her false hope.

Chu Qianli took a small path back to Qianyun Pavilion. However, she didn’t expect to encounter on the way someone who made all the blood in her body turn cold in an instant!