Chapter 124: The Appearance of Qi Shengsheng

"Qi Shengsheng, I warn you! Do not push your luck! Do not think that just because you are a woman, I will not lay a hand on you!"

Inside the room, Yan Heru could hear that Nan Ye was struggling to suppress his fury. Yet, the woman confronting him seemed entirely indifferent to his attitude, nor did she appear the least bit afraid of him.

Driven by curiosity, Yan Heru cracked the door open and caught sight of a very lovely girl. Dressed in a green gown with her long hair braided into several plaits that draped loosely over her shoulders, she looked lively and adorable. However, at this moment, this seemingly sweet girl was brandishing a whip.

"What is it? Nan Ye, I have warned you many times! You are not allowed to have any other women by your side! Only me! And now, you have grown quite bold, haven't you? Keeping someone in an inn, and even posting so many guards to protect her—you must really be fond of her!" The girl in green glared at Nan Ye.

Inside the room, Yan Heru felt a mix of amusement and frustration. How could she be mistaken for a woman the Fourth Prince was fond of? Furthermore, those people outside were not protecting her; they were guarding her to prevent her from escaping. She had never felt so speechless in her life. How could she be so misunderstood?

Still, this woman might just be her chance to escape. Yan Heru continued to hide behind the door, eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Qi Shengsheng, I have never said that I like you, and I have made it very clear that I will not marry you! And another thing: the person inside is not 'my' person, so do not go around making baseless claims." Nan Ye was still holding back his anger.

Hearing Nan Ye defend the person inside the room only made Qi Shengsheng more furious. "I am going to see for myself what kind of beauty you are hiding in there!"

With that, the girl in green charged forward. Seeing this, Yan Heru immediately stepped back, fearing the intruder would collide with her. Nan Ye had intended to block the girl, but he failed, and the girl in green burst into the room. As she rushed in, Yan Heru was backing away, and the two found themselves face-to-face.

The encounter left the atmosphere suddenly awkward and stagnant for a second.

"Uh..." The girl in green didn't know what to say upon seeing Yan Heru.

Ultimately, it was Yan Heru who broke the silence. "Um... hello there. My name is Yan Heru..."

As soon as the words left her lips, she felt intensely embarrassed. Why had she said such a thing?

However, the girl in green did not find it awkward at all; instead, the remark seemed to break the tension of the standoff. Recovering, she turned furious once more and raised her whip, ready to strike. Yan Heru had never expected the girl to attack without a word. She tried to dodge, but it was too late; fortunately, Nan Ye stepped in and caught the whip.

"Can you stop being so unreasonable? I have already made myself perfectly clear to you!" Nan Ye’s patience was wearing thin.

Even so, the girl in green was not deterred. She looked up and met his gaze directly. "So what? I have also made myself clear to you: I will never allow another woman to be by your side."

"She is not that."

"Then tell me, who is she? Don't tell me she is your niece." Qi Shengsheng laughed dismissively after saying this. But Nan Ye remained solemn and did not deny it.

This caused the smiling Qi Shengsheng to slowly calm down. She looked from Yan Heru to Nan Ye, then asked tentatively, "You aren't acting this way because I guessed right, are you? She... she is your niece?!"

Qi Shengsheng could not believe it. But Nan Ye nodded.

Qi Shengsheng immediately bristled. "Do not try to trick me with all sorts of excuses! Do you think I don't know who you are? Since when do you have a niece?"

Nan Ye’s face darkened. "I cannot tell you the details, but I can state clearly that she is indeed my niece. If you continue to cause a scene here, you will be the one to suffer for it."

Nan Ye’s words unsettled Qi Shengsheng. Finally, she shot a hateful glare at Yan Heru and said to Nan Ye, "I don't care if this is true or false, I will let you off this time! Nan Ye, do not let me catch you dallying with other women again."

Qi Shengsheng huffed and left. Watching her retreating figure, Yan Heru clearly felt Nan Ye, standing beside her, let out a long sigh of relief.

Yan Heru couldn't help but chuckle, drawing a sidelong glance from Nan Ye. She quickly asked, "Don't misunderstand, I just think the relationship between the two of you is quite strange. That girl back there must really like you."

"That is my own affair. I hope you will forget what just happened," Nan Ye said, his tone heavy with warning.

Yan Heru would not be cowed by such a simple threat. She shrugged, turned, and sat on the bed, looking at him. "But I am very curious about your relationship now. And I am certain that if I do not cooperate with you, you might find yourself in quite a bit of trouble. I hope you will tell me what I want to know; that will make it much easier for me to help you achieve your goals."

Her words successfully silenced Nan Ye. Previously, he had not been so transparent, and Yan Heru had been unsure of her own importance in his plans. However, after the morning's commotion and seeing Nan Ye’s desperate need to hide her identity, she knew exactly how much weight she held. Although she had been abducted, she was no longer at a disadvantage. On the contrary, she now held the upper hand.

Nan Ye, being an intelligent man, realized that after that spectacle, Yan Heru would surely have guessed the stakes. After a moment of stalemate, he compromised. "Yan Heru, if I tell you the truth about our relationship, will you agree to go to the palace with me?"

Yan Heru nodded, then added, "Although I would prefer you to let me go, I know that is impossible. Therefore, I also want to know why you are so insistent on taking me into the palace of Nanyang Kingdom, and why you must see the Emperor."