Chapter 247: Turbulence (1/2)

Just when Jun Huang was starting to wonder if Prince Duan would ever talk, he looked up at her and said, “I know your true purpose, Feng Baiyu. You think you've hidden that well, but you made a lot of mistakes.”

Jun Huang widened her eyes, her heart pounding. She didn't know how much he knew. Apprehension rose in her heart. She held her breath as she silently stared at him.

Prince Duan scoffed and continued, “I don't know your true ident.i.ty, but I'm sure that you are someone of higher status. You help Qi Yun not because he could promise you glory and future. You have a history together. Whatever your relations.h.i.+p is, I don't know for sure, but you're not merely his strategist. Otherwise you wouldn't have gone undercover for him.”

Jun Huang's chest felt tight as she listened to Prince Duan's a.n.a.lysis. He'd made a lot of right guesses. She must treat him like the threat he was. What hidden force was there supporting him?

After a long, silent moment, Jun Huang chuckled. Prince Duan frowned at her.

She had recovered her composure when she said, “Many called you a well-mannered but cunning man. Now I know they were telling the truth. Your shrewdness is admirable, but your imagination is indeed wild. I should thank you for labeling me a man of high status.”

She kept an eye on Prince Duan's expression as she spoke. As she predicted, doubt flashed through his eyes after she responded. Prince Duan had only been speculating. He didn't have any concrete evidence.

The fact that he could maintain his status in the court was enough to prove his competence. He wasn't going to let Jun Huang fool him so easily. Their conversation seemed meandering and diplomatic, but underneath the calm illusion was an intense duel of wit.

“Ha, do you think I'll believe you?” Prince Duan demanded.

Jun Huang had figured out what Prince Duan was doing. Her safety was no longer on her mind. She knew it wouldn't be easy for her to escape the moment Prince Duan walked into the room. She stayed silent in face of his questioning.

Although she was frustrated, she recognized her own mistake. There was nothing for her to say.

Prince Duan didn't expect her to be so bold as to ignore him. In anger, he seized her collar and forced her to look at him.

Jun Huang held onto her remaining strand of dignity and sneered, “So easily triggered. I thought Prince Duan was a patient man who didn't know anger. Didn't expect you to lose your calm so quickly. What are you planning, I wonder. Do you think you'll be able to manipulate Northern Qi as you wish?”

“That's none of your business,” snapped Prince Duan. “I'm not going to kill you, for now. You betrayed Qi Chen, but I still have some use for you. You'll be the tool to file away Qi Chen's sharp edges. Once I deem him mature enough, it'll be your doom.”

Prince Duan's face contorted in fury and his tone dripped with menace. Before Jun Huang could make a retort, she was knocked unconscious again.

The one who knocked her out looked down at her, then at Prince Duan. “Is Your Highness going to let him live?”

“He's still useful to us,” said Prince Duan. “No need to kill him just yet. Leave him at Nan Xun's doorstep. Don't do anything unnecessary.”

The man nodded. He still had some doubt, but he wasn't going to question his master. Once Prince Duan left, he bent down and picked Jun Huang up. With the night as his cover, he dropped her at the entrance to Nan Xun's manor.

He was going to just leave, but he thought better of it. He knocked on the door and quickly went into hiding.

Nan Xun had been panicking ever since Jun Huang's sudden disappearance. He'd taken almost everyone out to search for her, leaving only the old housekeeper and the page boy watching the door.

The page boy thought it was Nan Xun when he heard the knock. He rushed to get the door. There was, however, no one but Jun Huang, who lay unconscious on the ground. He hurriedly took her into the manor.

The man in hiding left to report back to Prince Duan.

The housekeeper heard the commotion at the door and walked outside the building. Noticing the person the page boy was holding, he rushed towards him. “What happened?”

“I don't know. I heard someone knock. When I opened the door, Gentleman Feng was right outside. I've checked his breathing. He's just unconscious.”

The housekeeper looked at Jun Huang, then at the darkening sky. He helped the page boy carry Jun Huang to the bedroom. “Go find the prince. I'll stay with him.”