C5 Chapter 5

In a teahouse not far from the city gate, two striking men sat in a private room, taking in everything happening at the entrance below.

One wore black, his presence cold and commanding; the other wore white, easygoing and effortlessly charming. Their temperaments were completely different, yet seated at the same table, they somehow looked perfectly natural together.

“So your fiancée really is... something else. Is she actually into pretty boys like Xiao Jing'an?” The man in white lifted a wine flask and drank straight from it, not bothering with a cup. His manner was carefree and unrestrained, yet never crude—so attractive it was hard to look away.

“She’s not.” The man in black was none other than Bei Tianjiao, the North Duke. By all rights, he should have been stationed in North County, nowhere near the imperial capital. And yet here he was—just in time to witness Chu Jiuge’s scandalous attempt to elope.

“Not into Xiao Jing'an? Or not your fiancée?” the man in white asked with a teasing grin, his gaze drifting now and then toward Chu Jiuge at the gate.

Don’t get the wrong idea. He did enjoy a good spectacle, but he didn’t stick his nose into just anyone’s business. The only reason he kept watching the gate was to see whether the person he was waiting for had arrived.

“You talk too much.” Bei Tianjiao shot him a sideways glance, clearly unwilling to say more.

“I’m just telling the truth. The imperial decree has already been issued. Whether you like it or not, you have to marry her.” The man in white wasn’t intimidated in the slightest and kept poking the tiger.

“My first eight fiancées all died. I wouldn’t mind one more.” Bei Tianjiao was no one’s dumping ground. The royal family cast off a woman and expected to shove her onto him—did they really think the title of North Duchess was so cheap that just any woman could claim it?

“The Yuan and Xiao families never play fair. After offending both of them, there’s no way she’ll live long enough to marry you. What a shame—such a beautiful young woman.” Though the man in white spoke as if he pitied her, there wasn’t a trace of warmth in his eyes.

When he spotted a gray-haired old man in the crowd, the man in white immediately forgot all about Chu Jiuge. He shot to his feet. “Danqing really did come to the capital. Your Grace, your life is saved!”

The moment the words left his mouth, the man in white vanished from the private room like a gust of wind. Bei Tianjiao, however, did not move. His gaze remained fixed on the city gate...

The Wang, Xie, Yuan, and Xiao families were the four great houses of East Forest, their power rivaling the royal family itself. Chu Jiuge had crossed paths with the eldest miss of the Yuan family. Unless the North Duke personally stepped in to protect her, she had no chance of making it out alive.

The great aristocratic houses had never cared much for reason. It was true that Yuen Yunhua had struck first, but Chu Jiuge was unharmed, while Yuen Yunhua was the one left injured and disfigured.

Xiao Jing'an did not waste a single word on Chu Jiuge before giving the order. “Men, take her back.”

As soon as he spoke, three lean men in gray appeared from nowhere and boxed Chu Jiuge in. “Miss Chu, please.”

“What if I don’t go?” From the original owner’s memories, Chu Jiuge knew exactly how overbearing the Wang, Xie, Yuan, and Xiao families were, and she knew even better what happened to anyone who fell into their hands.

Even so, she did not regret fighting back.

Chu Jiuge had never been a pushover, and she was no sitting duck either. If Yuen Yunhua wanted to hit her, was she supposed to just stand there and take it?

Did she look like a fool to them?

“If you don’t want to die right now, come with us. Otherwise, don’t blame us for getting rough.” The three men in gray stepped closer, leaving Chu Jiuge no chance to escape...

“A woman as vicious as you dares claim you admire me? It makes my skin crawl.” Xiao Jing'an showed none of the grace expected of an heir to a great house as he branded Chu Jiuge with the cruelest accusation, intent on ruining her...