Chapter 150: The Turtle Pretends to be Foolish

  The intense backlash of the crimson energy was extremely powerful, and Xia Ya fell to the ground on his back, sprawling in all directions. He felt as if all the strength had been drained from his body, and a wave of fatigue washed over him, leaving him feeling utterly exhausted both physically and mentally. This state made him wish he could fall asleep for three days and three nights.

  Looking at the young general lying on the ground, Daphne was at a loss for a moment, hesitated for a while, stretched out her hand, and gently patted Xia Ya's face twice with her slender palm, but didn't dare to pat too hard. At this moment, she felt like a deer caught in the headlights, both frightened and shocked, and seeing the blood on Xia Ya's mouth, she felt even more grateful.

  She subconsciously looked around, but there was no one in sight. Her servant had gone to look for the horse, but she didn't know where he had run off to. Thinking of this, Daphne's eyes welled up with tears and she couldn't help but call out a few times. But all that echoed back from the forest were the rustling sounds of leaves, with no sign of anyone responding.

  As Xia Ya's movements became smaller and her breathing heavier, Daphne looked at the broken armor on Xia Ya's chest. The arrow's viciousness made even a weak woman like her who didn't understand martial arts feel shocked in her heart. She thought back to when she was on horseback, seeing that black light shoot towards her, her heart had already risen to her throat. At that time, her whole body was stiff, the suffocating pressure making her unable to struggle or dodge, and she couldn't even cry out... But afterwards, this young military officer who had belittled himself, actually blocked in front of her, using his chest to block the incoming arrow!

  At that time, this person sat in front of the horse, with his broad and sturdy back against his own embrace, hard but giving a sense of solidity.

  Daphne's mind was in a mess, looking at the unconscious Xia Ya, she bit her mouth corner hard, an idea in her heart: He saved me, he saved me! I must repay him!

  Thinking of this, Daphne got up and didn't care about the severe pain in her ankle. She struggled to run towards the lake, every step making her ankle ache with a piercing pain that made her forehead sweat profusely and tears flow out. When she reached the riverbank, she scooped up a handful of clear water, but it immediately leaked from between her fingers.

  Daphne bit her teeth, a flush of shyness flashed across her face, but then she steeled herself and ripped off a strip from the hem of her skirt. She soaked it in the lake water before returning to kneel beside Xia Ya, gently squeezing out the water onto his face.

  Xia Ya was in a daze, when suddenly the cold water splashed on him, and he immediately came to his senses. With great effort, he opened his eyes to see the face of the woman in front of him - her face was covered with blood, tears, and sweat, making her look quite comical. Xia Ya cracked a smile, and the cold water made his head slightly clearer. He struggled with all his might, and beside him, Dafenny saw this and didn't care about their differences as man and woman anymore. She went forward and grasped Xia Ya's shoulders, almost embracing him, trying to lift him up. Unfortunately, she was too weak, and Xia Ya's sturdy body was too heavy. After two attempts at lifting him, not only did she fail to pick him up, but Dafenny also let out a cry of surprise as her hands slipped, and she fell heavily into Xia Ya's arms. Her head hit his chin, and immediately there was a loud thud, and a red mark appeared on her forehead.

  "Idiot!" Xia Ya, although weak, was suddenly invigorated by the cold water and shouted: "You woman, what are you doing to me! Wasting time! Hurry up and think of a way to get someone here! I'm unable to move now, if another assassin comes, I'll really be buried with you!"

  Daphne's face turned red, her eyes flashed with panic, and her voice was trembling: "I... I shouted, but no one came... My servant doesn't know where he went either..."

  Xia Ya hummed, and in an instant, countless thoughts flashed through his mind: The assassin who just appeared was obviously after this woman, and this woman's identity must be extraordinary! And... coincidentally, the servant by her side ran away when the assassin arrived, was it really that coincidental? Hmph...

  "Don't panic!" Xia Ya, having gone through many life-and-death struggles, calmed down and said in a low voice: "This is the Royal Garden, those assassins can't possibly infiltrate such a place on a large scale. It's likely that there's only one assassin... I hope so! You don't have to panic, go look at my horse, there's a horn hanging from the saddle, take it down and blow it loudly, there are patrolling Imperial Guards in the garden, hearing the horn will bring people over!"

  Daphne did as she was told, scrambling to her feet and running over to the horse, where she indeed spotted a cow horn hanging from the saddle, which she quickly retrieved and brought back to Shaya.

  "Look what I'm doing, blow it!" Xia Ya was somewhat exasperated and scolded with a glare: "What are you standing there for!"

  Daphne had never been spoken to in such a harsh tone by anyone, not even her husband Prince Garcia, with whom she had an awkward relationship. Yet, Garcia always maintained etiquette and never uttered a heavy word. At this moment, being ordered around by this young officer didn't evoke any resentment within her; instead, she felt he had saved her life, and everyone was in a precarious situation, making his attitude not so unusual after all.

  She put the horn to her mouth, hesitated for a moment, and then pressed it against her lips with those two soft, red, and tender lips. She puffed out her cheeks and blew hard, but instead of the expected loud and clear sound, there was only a "pfft" sound of air leaking out. This sound, if listened carefully, seemed to have a few hints of resemblance to some kind of unrefined noise that ordinary people would make...

  Daphne was stunned, she was dazed for a moment, and then puffed out her cheeks to blow. Alas, no matter how hard she blew, her heart racing and eyes blurring, all that came out were a few faint hissing sounds.

  Next to Xia Ya, her eyes widened in surprise, staring at the woman who puffed out her cheeks and blew the horn with all her might. The turtle was stunned for a moment, but finally couldn't help it, despite being weak all over, she couldn't help but convulse on the ground, if she could move, she would have hugged her stomach and laughed wildly, even so, the muscles on her face were twisted into a knot, laughing to the point of almost losing her breath.

  Daphne's face turned red with shame - she had also received a strict education from childhood, including court etiquette, flower arrangement, music and other skills, all of which she was proficient in. However... although she had studied music, the instruments she knew how to play were the harp and piano, elegant instruments, but this military bugle, how could she possibly know how to blow it?

  Just looking at Xia Ya laughing as if she was about to cramp up, her face was even redder and almost bleeding, hanging her head and handing the horn to Xia Ya: "I... I..."

  "I'll do it." Xia Ya groaned twice, he was internally injured and couldn't help but laugh wildly, his chest had a faint tearing pain. Daphne saw that Xia Ya's hands were weak, so she put the horn to his mouth, letting him take a bite... Suddenly at this moment, a strange glint flashed in Daphne's eyes, and her hand shook slightly.

  This horn was blown by himself for half a day, and some of his own saliva remained on it. Now, however, it's being held in this guy's mouth... somehow, it feels slightly off.

  Xia Ya didn't think much and put his mouth on the bugle's mouthpiece, took a deep breath, and blew hard.

  "Waaaah!!!!!!"

  The sound of the horn suddenly rang out, and several birds flying at the edge of the forest were startled, accompanied by the sound of the horn, which was transmitted far away.

  They both let out a sigh of relief, Xia Ya tilted her head and fell to the ground panting. Daphne looked at Xia Ya, hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Hmm... thanks just now, if it wasn't for you, I would have been killed."

  Xia Ya snorted and said lazily, "It's just a coincidence that I happened to run into him. Can't just stand by and do nothing."

  Daphne looked at Xia Ya, feeling that this guy was rude and had never been seen before, even though he was an officer in the Imperial Guard - but she had also seen many officers in the Imperial Guard, all of whom were strict in their sword training, restrained and polite, nothing like this guy's sloppy appearance. However, at this moment, this big and careless guy actually made Daphne look more pleasing to the eye than those stiff and serious Imperial Guard officers she usually saw.

  "Hmm... please tell me your name." Daphne thought for a moment: "I owe you one for saving my life. Are you an officer in the Imperial Guard? Which general do you serve under?"

  Xia Ya smiled and waved his hand: "I'm not a member of the Imperial Guard."

  Isn't it the Imperial Forest Army?

  Is he the noble guest invited to the hunt today? But looking at his appearance, wearing a neat military armor when meeting, where is it like those nobles who attended the meeting, each dressed up like a peacock spreading its screen? Moreover... The empire's nobles attach great importance to demeanor and elegance, this guy is rough and unrefined, all over his body, where does he look like a noble?

  Xia Yazhi noticed the woman's strange gaze, and Tu Bao felt somewhat displeased in his heart: "Hey, you woman, what does this gaze of yours mean? Don't I look like a noble who was invited? Let me tell you, I am a genuine baron, and in the future, I will be promoted to viscount and even duke."

  Daphne listened and couldn't help but giggle, her smile, despite the dirt on her face, was radiant, and the sparkle in her eyes was like a blooming spring flower. Even Xia Ya, a foolish person, couldn't help but stare at this woman... Was she beautiful or ugly? If you say she's ugly, why did that one smile just now make him think she looked so good?

  Daphne had been looked at by men with this kind of gaze countless times since she was a child, and now seeing Xia Ya's eyes reveal a stunned expression, she didn't mind, holding back her laughter said: "Alright, in the future when you become the Duke, can you tell me your name?"

  She couldn't help but laugh: Marquis? Her own father was the Imperial Duke, so she naturally knew what it took to be a marquis. In the thousand years since the empire's founding, how many marquises had been created? This young man didn't know his place, spouting big words without realizing that standing in front of him was a genuine daughter of a duke.

  "What about me? My name is Xia Ya, Baron Xia Ya, hmm, you can call me that." Xia Ya let out a sigh and rolled his eyes: "And what about you? Miss, I just saved your life, won't you tell me your name?"

  "I... Daphne hesitated for a moment, her original doubts, but turned to throw them away, looking at this young officer, said in a low voice: "You really can't recognize me?"

  Xia Yahahaha smiled: "Are you very famous?"

  Daphne sighed and looked at this ignorant guy, for a moment she didn't know how to tactfully explain it to him.

  This guy claims to be a noble, but Daphne has never seen such an ignorant "noble" in her life... He doesn't even understand the basic etiquette of nobles. And in the imperial capital, even if some nobles haven't seen each other before, who doesn't know the rules of the annual royal garden party hunt?

  Apart from the royal family, no one else is allowed to bring their wife! Just this one rule, even if you don't recognize yourself, as soon as you see yourself, your identity will be exposed. But this guy, he actually seems to be completely ignorant, how can someone with the qualifications to be invited to the hunting meeting be so clueless?

  Even if they don't understand the rules, ordinary noble sons in the imperial capital would recognize at a glance that this guy's attire is adorned with a gold emblem on his swan-velvet cloak - an emblem of royalty! How could he not know?!

  Daphne sighed and said in a low voice: "Okay, I'll tell you, I am..."

  As she said this, she suddenly closed her mouth and a strange expression appeared on her face.

  "What are you?" Xia Ya frowned: "Hey, don't be like this, stuttering, what kind of person are you?"

  Daphne hesitated at this moment, all the people she had met in her life were polite and courteous when they saw her, those young and handsome nobles didn't know how many they had seen, but in front of her, they all tried their best to show a gentle and elegant demeanor, every move was dull and uninteresting. But this guy, although his words were rough, he had a kind of natural simplicity that was likable...

  "Alright, Xia Ya has another " innocent and lovely" evaluation...... Dodo and others continue to hit the wall"

  If he were to reveal his true identity, wouldn't he also change his demeanor immediately, just like those fake nobles I've seen before, and put on that hypocritical tone that annoys me?

  "My name is Daphne." As she said this, Daphne glanced at Xia Ya and saw that there was no reaction on his face, so she felt relieved in her heart.

  "My...my father is a noble." Daphne continued in an affectedly calm tone, "You probably wouldn't know anyway.

  "Hmm... That's right... Xia Ya nodded lazily: "These nobles in the Imperial City, I didn't know them before yesterday, but now, although I've seen a group of them, I only remember two or three names from the many that were reported to me yesterday. Hmm... One was called something Moriak, who seemed to be some kind of earl..."

  "Ah, yes, it's indeed Count Moriyak, the Minister of Military Logistics of the Imperial Army Department, Count Moriyak, who is a relative of Your Majesty." Daphne blurted out instinctively.

  Xia Ya's eyes lit up: "Not bad, not bad, this is the one. Hmm, this guy has a brain full of fat, Minister of Logistics after all... looks like he's made quite a profit."

  As she spoke, she glanced sideways at Daphne: "You seem to know the identities of these people very well, unlike me, who doesn't understand anything."

  Daphne didn't want to say more on this topic, looking at Xia Ya: "And you? Baron Xia Ya... did you just arrive in the Imperial Capital?"

  Daphne paused for a moment, thinking carefully for a while, and muttered to herself: "Xia Yalai Ming... this name seems somewhat familiar... Ah! It's you!!"

  She suddenly widened her bright eyes and stared at Xia Ya in surprise.

  Xia Yahahaha smiled, somewhat proudly puffed out his chest: "Looks like you also know my name, haha! It seems that I'm now so famous. Hmm, not bad, with this look of yours, it seems that you also know who I am, and probably have heard the rumors about me beheading Odin's prince and wounding Hestin."

  Cody's face was strange.

  She knew Xia Ya, but it wasn't because of those achievements in the military report, but because...

  She remembered that just the other day, she had seen her husband, Crown Prince Garcia, suddenly fly into a rage after receiving a secret report in his study. That day, Garcia seemed to have gone mad, smashing everything in the study to pieces and finally gritting his teeth and saying something that seemed to mention the name "Xia Yareng".

  Later, Daphne discreetly inquired and found out that during this war, her husband had sent Bonfret to the front line with a "one... one... one... one... one" look. As a result, Bonfret was somehow killed, and it is said that the cause of death was related to Xialai Rong.

  Although Daphne came from a prestigious family, her life was not as glamorous as it seemed. On the surface, she was the crown prince's fiancée, but in reality, Prince Garcia of the imperial capital's noble circle had a reputation for being gay, and even the deaf had heard about his preference for men over women. Daphne had heard rumors about this before marrying him, but as a woman from her background, she had no say in her own marriage. The union between the Minas family and the royal family was based on political considerations. Moreover, it was not uncommon for nobles to have same-sex preferences, and many wealthy families in the imperial capital kept handsome young men as companions.

  After marrying Daphne, she finally realized that her husband was a thorough "rabbit"! He was only good at being masculine, but had no interest in women whatsoever. In fact, he wouldn't even let any woman touch him casually on a daily basis. Later on, it gradually became known that this prince had driven away all the female attendants around him since he was ten years old and replaced them with young and handsome boys to serve as his attendants.

  She had been married to the crown prince for several years, and the two were not even like a real couple, let alone having dinner together, which could be counted on one hand. At first, she had some illusions in her heart, after all, a girl who got married hoped to get her husband's love and care. Although Garcia had some bad habits, his character and behavior were also top-notch. Daphne was still quite optimistic at the beginning, hoping that her beauty could move the crown prince's heart, but as a result, the crown prince didn't even want to touch her finger after several attempts! Not to mention sleeping together, they hadn't even held hands a few times!

  Girls under the sky, regardless of their status and age, always have romantic fantasies about love. Daphne is no exception. Before she came of age, she often imagined that her future lover would be a handsome and extraordinary person. But unexpectedly, she married a complete rabbit! As the crown princess for these few years, it's been all in name only. In this position, no matter how much grievance and bitterness she has, she can only occasionally cry secretly under the covers at midnight, and dare not reveal a word to outsiders.

  So, Daphne was extremely familiar with that "Bonfret"...! This person's name, heard from before, was always linked to her husband! The two were inseparable, and Bonfret's entry and exit from the imperial palace were without any restrictions. In fact, in the palace, many times he seemed to have a "hostess" attitude!

  She, the legitimate crown princess, naturally suffered great humiliation. She had also gone home several times to cry to her father, Duke Minas, but although the old duke loved this daughter very much, he consistently refused to agree to a divorce.

  Although she understood her father's difficulties, as a girl, after all, she didn't understand so much about national affairs. Occasionally, when she thought about it, she felt deeply sorrowful in her heart. Must the great affairs of these men's country necessarily sacrifice the happiness of this weak woman's entire life?

  Although she deeply resented Prince Garcia in her heart, after all, she didn't dare to reveal even a hint of resentment. Instead, she felt infinite disgust towards Bonfrere, who was being arrogant and condescending in front of her.

  At this moment, looking at Xia Ya, Daphne's eyes showed a few more kind intentions and sighed: "It was you... Ah, I should have thought of it earlier. Hmm... I heard that Bonfret was killed because of you, right?"

  "Hey! Miss Daphne, you can't just go around saying things like that! Bonfret was killed by Hastings in a duel at the Wildfire Town Garrison, hundreds of people saw it with their own eyes! And it has nothing to do with me! Don't try to pin this on me!" He lowered his voice and smiled wryly, "The Crown Prince probably still hates me for that incident, so don't go spreading rumors."

  Daphne chuckled and looked at Xia Ya's flustered expression, remembering that the person she hated most in her life had died at this person's hands. Her gratitude deepened by three points, and she smiled: "Alright, I won't say anything then. But... thank you, Cheng!"

  "Thank me? Thank me for just saving you? Haven't you thanked me already?"

  Daphne's eyes curved into a smile as she said, "Don't ask, just thank you."

  Xia Ya had never been so intimate with a member of the opposite sex before, poor insect notwithstanding.

  At his age, he still has a youthful heart and naturally has some instinctual desire for intimacy with the opposite sex. However, his aesthetic standards were previously in disarray. It wasn't until after that romantic encounter that he gradually began to recover and have somewhat normal desires again. But how could over a decade of habits change overnight?

  But Daphne was stunningly beautiful, born with an absolute beauty that surpassed the imperial capital. Especially those eyes, which were indescribably bright and charming. Even Xia Ya couldn't help but admit it, and didn't dare to distinguish between beauty and ugliness. This woman's eyes were so good-looking that they couldn't be ignored. This kind of transcendent beauty instantly attracted the primal instincts of the young men from the countryside.

  He didn't have many other thoughts, he just instinctively felt that talking to such a pleasant and lovely young woman made him feel comfortable and at ease.

  The two of them chatted casually for a while, but Xia Ya was extremely exhausted. Although he had been splashed with cold water, his spirit gradually weakened, and his eyelids grew heavier. His voice became lower and lower, and eventually, even when Dafenny said three to five sentences, he didn't respond with a single sentence. Gradually, his consciousness blurred, but in his heart, he remembered that he was not safe yet, so he forced himself to stay awake, not daring to let himself fall asleep.

  At last, after an unknown length of time, a sound of horse hooves came from the forest, the sound was neat and solemn, and there were also bugle sounds coming over, it was obvious that the Imperial Forest Army who patrolled the forest had arrived. Xia Ya's heart relaxed, and the propping up breath immediately loosened, exhaled, and finally closed her eyes, falling asleep drowsily.

  Daphne stood up, waving her hand loudly towards the forest and shouting for help. A team of imperial forest cavalrymen ran out of the woods, seeing Daphne from a distance. The leading officer naturally recognized the crown princess, and he immediately led his men to dismount and rushed over quickly.

  Daphne looked at Xia Ya who was already asleep beside her and let out a sigh.

  "Your Highness!" The cavalry officer in charge knelt down on one knee.

  "Hmm." Daphne was somewhat dazed, and after a moment's pause, she said: "I was in the forest, my servant got separated from me, just now I encountered someone trying to assassinate me... this general happened to pass by and saved me..."

  She said two short sentences, and these imperial guards suddenly changed color!

  The imperial garden is heavily guarded today, yet an assassin managed to sneak in! And they even dared to attempt to assassinate the crown prince's consort!! Fortunately, they were unsuccessful, otherwise, if something went wrong, I'm afraid His Majesty would be furious and those on duty would have to take their own lives to apologize for their mistake.

  "This is Baron Shayare Mourn, a nobleman invited to the hunting party. He may have been injured, so take good care of him." Although Daphne wanted to personally escort Shayare back, after such a big incident, she would likely be summoned by the Emperor and have matters to attend to, leaving no time to personally tend to Shayare. Moreover, having hidden her identity earlier and deceived him, it was somewhat embarrassing for her to face this straightforward young man again.

  Daphne hesitated for a moment, then looked at the Imperial Guard and said in a low voice: "Don't spread this matter! Moreover, Lord Shaya doesn't know who you are, so keep your mouth shut."

  This Imperial Guard has been serving in the palace for a long time, and naturally knows the rights and wrongs of the imperial court. He knew that this matter was not trivial! Who dares to speak recklessly? He solemnly replied, and then whispered instructions to several subordinates beside him.

  Then several Imperial Guards came up, surrounding Daphne, and naturally some Imperial Guard officers offered their horses for the princess to ride. The remaining people carried Shaya back into the forest along the original path.

  Xia Ya woke up to find that it was already dark outside. He turned over and found himself in his own tent, with all his weapons by his side, including the Hu Xiao bow placed beside his bed. His mouth felt bitter, with a hint of medicinal taste, indicating that someone had fed him medicine to nourish his body while he was unconscious.

  He had just gotten up, and outside the tent, Kato and Sharuba rushed in, seeing Xia Ya get up, Sharuba laughed: "Haha! Xia Ya, I knew you were fine! Damn it, we've killed our way out of thousands of troops and horses, what's to fear from a small assassin!"

  Xia Ya frowned and said in a low voice: "How did I get back?"

  "A few Imperial Guards brought you back. Then you fell asleep for several hours, during which the Emperor himself heard that you were injured and sent a doctor to see you, who gave you some medicine."

  "Wow, you're really lucky! Damn it, the three of us were chasing that fox, and Karto and I ran in the wrong direction, so we couldn't find you. Who would have thought that you'd end up being a hero and saving some noblewoman?! Haha! But which family's daughter did you save? Maybe you can even get lucky and bring back a beauty!"

  Upon hearing this, Xia Ya suddenly revealed a strange smile on his face: "Hmph, holding onto the beauty to return? That's not something to think about! To be honest with you, I met the Crown Prince's consort."

  "What?!". Katou's face showed a surprised expression: "The Crown Prince's Bride?!"

  "Hmm!" Xia Ya's expression turned serious: "But I pretended to be stupid, and kept pretending not to know who the other person was... Heh heh, otherwise, this matter would have been troublesome!" He looked up at Kato: "After I was carried back, what did people outside say about this incident?"

  "Outside, it's just said that you saved a lost palace lady in the woods and encountered an Odin spy sneaking into the garden..."

  "Hah!" Xia Ya sneered, saying in a low voice: "Palace female official? Hmph... how would I not know who she is? Hmm... at first I didn't know, but afterwards... after chatting with her for so long, I'm not an idiot, I had already guessed it earlier, heh heh!"

  Sharba opened his mouth, about to say something, but Kartto, who was beside him, was a meticulous person. The smuggler of this military vehicle pulled Sharba and first ran out of the tent to take a look, then came back and put down the curtain before looking at Xiaya: "You said you did it on purpose?"

  "That's for sure." Xia Ya frowned and said: "This matter is not simple! The Crown Prince's consort was assassinated... Heh heh! This is a huge thing! And when I met her, there wasn't even a single servant or follower by her side. Although it can be said to be a coincidence... But where in the world do so many coincidences happen?! I may not understand other things, but these royal secret matters, we'd best not get involved at all! If we get involved even a bit, it's trouble! At that time, I could only pretend to be a silly young man and continue to play dumb."

  He glanced at the two brothers and said in a low voice, "So, this way, no matter who it is afterwards, I won't be dragged into this trouble! Because I don't know anything, ah! Otherwise, if I knew she was the crown princess, why would I have saved her? More importantly, why did I coincidentally appear there at that time?

  "These things, although I myself have a clear conscience, but when others ask about it, I also can't explain clearly. This kind of imperial family's secret assassination, once you can't explain clearly, then it will be the most troublesome! It's better to pretend to know nothing!"

  Xia Ya's face was solemn: "This kind of thing, the imperial palace will definitely issue an order to seal it off! The crown prince's consort was assassinated, such a big thing, unless they can investigate clearly, otherwise, they will definitely try to suppress it!! Damn it, I thought of this point at the time! What if the emperor is ruthless and kills all the people who know the situation first... Does my life still matter? However, since the emperor sent a doctor to treat my injuries, it seems that he won't silence me. I think the imperial palace will also come to test my words, knock on the door and ask me questions. Hmph... Fortunately, I pretended to be stupid at the time! As long as the crown prince's consort believed that I didn't know who she was, the emperor would believe that I had nothing to do with this matter, even if they tried to silence me, it wouldn't affect me."

  Kato frowned: "Assassinating the crown prince is good... a woman, no matter how noble her status, what's the point of assassinating her? There are dignitaries and nobles everywhere here now, even if it were the emperor himself... putting the target on a woman, what's the purpose..."

  Xia Ya immediately said: "This matter has nothing to do with us! We don't know, and we don't need to think about it. No matter who he is, it's none of our business. This kind of trouble can't be bothered with, not at all! If someone asks, I'll just keep pretending to be stupid. If I really can't pretend anymore, I'll pretend to suddenly realize the truth, and that will do!"

  Kato and Sharuba exchanged a glance, Kato sighed: "Xia Ya, I originally thought you were just a country bumpkin, now it seems that you are simply a fox from the mountains!"

  Xia Ya smiled and said "hehe", but in her heart, she was also a bit nervous.

  This trouble has stuck to me, is it good fortune or bad? I saved the Crown Prince's consort's life, even if I pretend to be foolish, but towards the imperial family, shouldn't they show some gratitude?

  As expected, Xia Ya guessed correctly. Just as he had woken up for a moment, the palace attendants arrived outside, bringing with them an imperial decree.

  "Baron Xia Ya, His Majesty orders you to report immediately."

  The courtier also seemed to be unaware of the situation, smiling lightly on his face: "Baron Shaya is now deeply favored by Your Majesty, and in the future, please take care of Baron-sama..."

  Xia Ya smiled faintly and glanced at Kato in the tent, who immediately pulled out a gold coin and handed it to the court envoy.

  Xia Ya quickly dressed and followed the courtier to the large tent where Emperor Cantos resided.

  Damn it! He killed the emperor's male concubine himself, and then he even molested his wife... Now the hatred is getting bigger and bigger!

  Or is it intentional to lure me in and then capture and kill me with one knife?

  "Hmm... probably not, I shouldn't have pinched her breasts, it's not good for a woman to say such things. Besides, I saved her life, she seems like a kind-hearted person, she won't harm me."

  Ugh... This crown princess, her eyes are really beautiful... Damn it, the crown prince is simply an idiot, having such a charming wife but not cherishing her, instead he likes to play with that rabbit thing... Ugh! How disgusting!