Chapter 234: Chapter 234

The poison Nangong Jue was affected by not only backfired on his body when he forcefully used his inner strength, causing a reverse flow of qi and blood with a danger of severed meridians, but also suppressed his inner strength.

Even if he disregarded the backlash, his inner strength could only be exerted slightly, almost indistinguishable from a commoner who couldn’t wield martial arts.

And this limited power was utterly insufficient to deter the almost delirious Lin Yanran, incapable of stopping her approach.

Nangong Jue was embraced by her.

Lin Yanran intertwined him tightly like an octopus, gazing absently at his handsome face, "Crown Prince, do you like me? Will you marry me to be the Crown Princess Consort?"

Nangong Jue’s expression was sullen, his eyes blood-red, pupils a captivating crimson, "I command you to get lost."

Lin Yanran paid no mind to the coldness in his tone, her arms tightly wrapped around him, "Crown Prince, I’m not leaving. I want to marry you, be the Crown Princess Consort, and someday, the empress ruling the world."

Nangong Jue looked at her coldly, a sarcastic smile briefly flashed in his eyes.

At this moment, her delirious state brought forth her truest thoughts.

Nangong Jue impatiently pried her hands away and pushed her to the ground.

But Lin Yanran quickly climbed up again, entwining him like vines.

A trace of spite and jealousy appeared on her graceful face, "Why did the Crown Prince push me away? Are you still thinking of that little slut Lin Wanyue?"

Nangong Jue’s gaze darkened, yet he heard Lin Yanran laugh playfully, her tone somewhat smug and a little mad.

"What if you do? She’s already married to someone else! Does the Crown Prince intend to commit adultery with a minister’s wife, seize her? Will the emperor consent? Will the laws consent? Aren’t you afraid of being condemned by historians, leaving behind infamy for all time?"

Nangong Jue seized her throat, his eyes brimming with rage, "What did you say?"

"Cough... Let... go..."

Lin Yanran grasped his hand, trying to push him away, her face flushed red from lack of oxygen.

Nangong Jue, however, showed no intention of letting go.

Just as Lin Yanran was about to be strangled to death, a silver needle whistled through the air, piercing the tiger’s mouth of Nangong Jue’s right hand.

Nangong Jue’s right hand went numb, instantly losing strength.

With life just barely spared, Lin Yanran clutched her throat and spitefully said, "You indeed still hanker after her! You actually want to kill me for her?"

"She’s just a forlorn flower and cursed lone star! She’s not worthy at all! Only I, only I deserve to be the Crown Princess Consort!"

"Last time, she was lucky, narrowly escaping disaster, but next time, she won’t be so fortunate!"

Nangong Jue abruptly looked at her, his gaze deep and cold, void of any human emotion.

Lin Yanran shivered under his gaze, feeling chilled and frightened inside, yet her body felt unusually hot, as though roasted over a flame, as waves of heat surged, her mouth parched, even her mind seemed muddled from being scorched.

A wisp of white smoke wafted in through the window, diffusing within the hall.

Lin Yanran began tearing at her clothes, shouting ’So hot’.

Nangong Jue closed his eyes, his fists clenched, sweat beads like rain dampening his dark hair.

Suddenly, a pair of hands reached his chest, urgently tugging at his clothes.

Nangong Jue grasped the hand, abruptly opening his eyes to find a woman’s graceful, alluring figure before him.

Like snow and jade, a splendid view, unveiled and invading his sight, stimulating his already stretched nerves.

Lin Yanran, hands held captive, lunged forward, winding herself on him like a beautiful serpent, her red lips moving to his face.

Outside the window, below the sill, a person in black held a slender tube, puffing white smoke into it.

"This Crown Prince, his restraint rivals his deep cunning!"

"But, if I try hard enough, there’s no willpower I can’t undermine!"

After a brief reflection, the person in black resumed puffing white smoke with renewed effort.

Until a blush-inducing sound echoed, the person in black withdrew the tube with satisfaction, then fished out a dog’s tail grass from their bosom, holding it in their mouth, leisurely sitting down under the window to admire the moon.

"Indeed, persistence pays off, heaven helps those who work hard, ah, the moon is so round tonight!"

Having admired the moon for a while, a shadow arrived and kicked him on the foot, "Once this is done, the next steps can be prepared."

The person in black glared at him discontentedly, "Isn’t daytime still far off? Can’t I enjoy watching Immortal Chang’e?"

These words earned the shadow’s dispassionate disdain, "Immortal? You, a bachelor eavesdropping here, aren’t afraid of developing some ailment?"

The person in black sprang up like a carp, so excited that they dropped the dog’s tail grass from their mouth, "Are you polite? Huh? Calling who flawed, huh?" The source of this content ɪs 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⁂𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⁂𝘯𝘦𝘵

The shadow kicked him directly, "Yes yes yes, you’re flawless, now hurry up."

Before dawn, the doors of the Capital Governor’s office were knocked open; the residents of the city reported the whereabouts of the wanted great thief to the authority.

The Capital Governor was woken from his sleep by his secretary, yawning with bleary eyes, full of woes, "What’s happening so early? Are we causing havoc? Wait for the sun to rise to catch him, yes?"

Seeing him speak then lie back down, the secretary gritted his teeth, "Master, lately several officials’ residences in the capital have been robbed, including the Imperial Uncle, the Prime Minister, Mr. Xu, Grandmaster Zhang, Prince An, they’re all keeping an eye on you!"

As soon as the Capital Governor heard these names, he visualized their faces, and half his drowsiness was gone.

"The thief is extremely cunning, we’ve been offering rewards citywide and distributing wanted posters door-to-door for days, yet couldn’t locate them, so many eyes from above are watching you!"

"Now we finally discovered their whereabouts, if we miss the opportunity due to your sleep..."

The Capital Governor kicked off his blanket, leaped from his bed, "Gather everyone, immediately join me to catch the thief!"

The secretary responded, smiling as he hurried off, swiftly assembling all available manpower in the office, embarking on a grand journey toward a distant villa in the city’s suburbs.

"Quick quick quick, everyone run faster, this time we must capture the thief and bring them to justice!"

The Capital Governor rode a small donkey at the forefront, occasionally raising his hand to boost morale.

When dawn broke, they arrived at the villa, tranquil yet exceedingly remote.

The Capital Governor tilted his head at the secretary, who nodded confidently.

"That’s right, thirty miles south of the city, facing east, with a bamboo grove to the left, a creek to the right, it’s here."

The Capital Governor sat upright, patting the donkey beneath him, "Everyone, follow me to charge!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Capital Governor led the charge with his donkey, the government officials following closely behind, advancing into the villa like an autumn wind sweeping across.

Along the way, every building, every artificial hill, every patch of grass was thoroughly searched, not even the lake was spared from being prodded with forks by the officials.

Although it was a carpet search, they were professional, swift yet organized, soon reaching the final building.

The Capital Governor stroked his moustache, "They should be here."

The secretary thought: Isn’t that obvious? We’ve searched the entire villa, this is the last spot. If not here, then at your house?

The Capital Governor waved his big hand: "Come, surround the courtyard, not even a mosquito should escape!"

"The rest, break down the door for me!"

The door was solid, and it took the officials three tries before they could break it down.