Help! The innocent prince always tries to seduce me clumsily

Xuan Changji, who was following behind him, paused and responded.

"Yes."

Chu Shitong continued to ask: "Are you a descendant of the royal family of the previous dynasty?"

Xuan Changji was silent for a moment, then said, "No."

"Then why is your last name Xuan?"

Xuan was the royal family's surname of the previous dynasty. Before the previous emperor changed the country's name to Beiqing, this place was originally called Tianxuan Kingdom. The royal family of the previous dynasty believed that their status was second only to heaven and earth, so they changed their surname to the word "Xuan" after "Heaven and Earth" in the first sentence of Thousand Character Classic "Heaven and Earth are dark, yellow, the universe is vast and wild."

Xuan Changji explained: "Nu is from Nanzhao, and the surname Xuan is not uncommon in Nanzhao."

"I see."

I heard that in the previous dynasty, the king was corrupt, and in order to make friends with neighboring countries, he frequently sent princesses to marry. The whole country once fell to the point where giving birth to a princess was more noble than giving birth to a prince, because princesses could be sent out to marry and stabilize the dynasty.

Chu Shitong found it ridiculous when he first heard it. If the safety of a country depends on women, then how can men rule this vast country?

Dozens of princesses were sent there, some of them were even less than ten years old.

Naturally, they would not receive any good treatment after being sent there. If the country was weak, no one would look at them with respect. It was said that some princesses would even be sent to brothels to be humiliated as prostitutes.

It was common for princesses to run away during or after the marriage, which led to many princesses being stranded in the countryside. The children they gave birth to or adopted were basically given their mother's surname, and the surname Xuan was thus retained in other countries.

"You may have guessed who I am?"

Xuan Changji did not answer.

Chu Shitong said: "I am the seventh prince of Beiqing, Chu Shitong."

Xuan Changji raised his eyes and looked at Chu Shitong with eyes that were calm, yet deep and somewhat scary.

Chu Shitong continued, "I see that you seem to be in your twenties, and you should be quite smart. If you are willing to follow me and serve me wholeheartedly, I will treat you well and will not send your indenture to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to become a government slave. Your indenture will be returned to you after ten years, and I will have nothing to do with where you want to go. If you only want to be an ordinary slave, that's fine too. I will keep you under my command, and the rest of your life will be no different from that of an ordinary slave."

Chu Shitong stopped and asked slowly, "What do you think?"

Xuan Changji knelt on the ground and said with every word being powerful: "I am willing to do my best for my master."

Chu Shitong smiled and said, "Get up."

The smile was kind and gentle, but she felt in her heart that this man was not as simple as he looked. Now she couldn't find her subordinates from her previous life, so she could only choose to trust Xuan Changji for the time being.

I didn't know how I got there, but I somehow ended up on the street where Zhou's mansion was.

I happened to see the Zhou Mansion's horse-drawn carriages carrying goods leaving the city. They must be leaving Beijing.

Chu Shitong stood on the street and watched with the onlookers.

She quietly asked the people around her.

"Do you know what happened in the Zhou Mansion today?"

Someone nearby said, "No? I didn't hear anything today."

Chu Shitong narrowed his eyes slightly. This shouldn’t be the case.

It is obvious that Zhao Heng is impulsive and not very smart. When he couldn't find Ying'er, he should have rushed to Zhou Mansion and had a big fight with Zhou Hengchuan first. Why is everything peaceful in Zhou Mansion?

Ying'er was no longer in Huaxilou, because he had secretly gone to Huaxilou yesterday afternoon and taken Ying'er away. Logically, Ying'er should have been sent out of the capital in the carriage he had bribed.

Could it be that Ying'er woke up halfway and came back?

No, even though Ying'er would be an illegal resident after escaping like this, at least she would not be forced by the madam of Hua Xilou to sell her body and perform arts anymore. After the failed auction last time, the madam of Hua Xilou felt that Ying'er's reputation had been ruined, so she kept forcing her to receive customers. She would never come back no matter what.

Did she come back to find Zhao Heng?

Coming back to find Zhao Heng was not actually a good idea, because Zhao Heng was the prince, and she was not even worthy of being his concubine. However, with Zhao Heng's love, she could still be rich and powerful for a while, but after a long time, Zhao Heng got tired of her, and her life became difficult.

Chu Shitong didn’t quite understand, so he didn’t think about it anymore and turned around and walked towards the palace.

Xuan Changji followed behind and suddenly stopped to look in the direction of the carriage, just in time to meet a pair of eyes behind the curtain of the carriage, staring at Chu Shitong from afar with hatred.

……

Just returned to East Fifth Institute.

As Bishui came forward, she was stunned when she saw Xuan Changji behind Chu Shitong.

"Your Highness, who is he?"

Chu Shitong was not polite and said simply, "Let him do your work from now on."

Bishui stood there in a daze, as if she hadn't come to her senses.

Chu Shitong ordered Bishui to take Xuan Changji to take a bath and change into clean clothes. Then he walked into the small kitchen and cooked two dishes for himself.

When the dishes were brought into the room, Bishui and Xuan Changji were already waiting.

Bishui stepped forward and took the plate from Chu Shitong, saying, "Let me do it, servant."

Chu Shitong gave it to her and glanced at Xuan Changji who was not far away.

After taking a shower and changing into clean clothes, Xuan Changji looked like a decent human being.

Xuan Changji stood there obediently, not moving.

After Bishui put the food on the table, Chu Shitong pointed at the food on the table and said, "Bishui, have a taste."

Bishui immediately knelt down and said, "How can that be possible? This is your highness's dinner, I dare not."

Chu Shitong threw her a pair of chopsticks.

"If the prince tells you to eat, you should eat."

Bishui picked up the chopsticks, hesitated for a moment, and looked at Chu Shitong eagerly.

Chu Shitong did not see any guilt or panic in her eyes, but rather some confusion and timidity.

She took a piece of food with chopsticks and put it into her mouth. After chewing it twice, she said seriously, "Your Highness is a great cook. I have never eaten such delicious food. The imperial chefs in the palace are definitely not as delicious as your Highness's."

"..."

Chu Shitong suddenly began to reflect and wondered if he had wronged Bishui in his previous life.

She's obviously a fool.

A normal person would subconsciously suspect whether he had put something in the food. But this idiot thought he wanted her to praise him?

The praise was so firm, stiff and clumsy.

"Clear water."

Chu Shitong asked, "Has anyone else touched the food we brought to the academy today?"

Bishui thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness, no one else has touched it. I have been keeping an eye on the food box, so there will be absolutely no problem."

Chu Shitong: “…”

Xuan Changji asked, "But is there something wrong with the food?"

Chu Shitong nodded and said, "Today's meal was fed to the dog by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I heard that the dog died after school."

Bishui's face turned pale instantly, and he immediately put down his chopsticks and knelt down.

"Your Highness! This matter has nothing to do with Bishui!"

Chu Shitong asked slowly, "You were the one who was watching the food the whole time, and you said it was okay, so whose fault is it?"

Bishui hurriedly explained, "I was watching over the food the whole time, no one else touched it!"

Xuan Changji glanced at Bishui who was kneeling on the ground and said, "Your Highness, this matter needs to be investigated. We cannot rule out the possibility that someone else poisoned the vegetables. The vegetables may have been poisoned after or when they were bought."

Chu Shitong said, "There are only these people in the East Fifth Office. They come to the palace at night. They are either from the office or from outside who broke into the palace in the dark. However, this possibility is not high. The palace is guarded, so it is not easy to get in."

"Why not call everyone in and check them one by one?"

"No." Chu Shitong said, "If they want to harm me, if they fail this time, they will surely do it again. It would be bad if we alert them this time."

Xuan Changji asked: "According to what Your Highness said, how should we deal with this matter?"

"Don't disturb others. Let's not talk about this matter for now. However, I will have you two test my food for poison in the future."

Bishui said: "I can! I am willing to test the poison for Your Highness!"

Xuan Changji also said: "I have no objection."

"Then it's settled."

After dinner, although Chu Shitong told Bishui to hand over all the current tasks to Xuan Changji, Bishui still stayed beside Chu Shitong.

Chu Shitong was writing the article that the teacher had asked him to write today in the study, while Xuan Changji and Bishui were waiting beside him.

The brush fell, Chu Shitong picked up the article and took a look at it, then said, "Bishui, how long have you been serving this prince?"

Bishui said: "Your Highness, it has been eight years. As soon as I entered the palace, Concubine Yun pointed me to Your Highness."

"So you were sent by my mother to monitor me?"

Chu Shitong spoke calmly, as if it was a very ordinary sentence, but the content was as shocking as thunder.

Bishui was suddenly startled, "Your Highness, you misunderstood! Bishui was not sent by the Queen!"

"Then why do you always advise me to listen to my mother?"

Bishui looked embarrassed, "If Your Highness doesn't listen to Her Majesty, Her Majesty will get angry. If Her Majesty gets angry, Your Highness will be in trouble."

"Then why do you seem to have something to say but remain silent these days?"

"That's because I saw that day..."

Bishui explained subconsciously, but halfway through she came to her senses and shut her mouth.

Chu Shitong raised his eyes and saw a pair of eyes as light as glass that looked like golden tourmaline under the light.

Bishui glanced secretly at Xuan Changji.

Chu Shitong waved his hand and sent Xuan Changji away.

Bishui then secretly lowered her voice and said with some guilt: "What I have always wanted to say is... when Your Highness went to the Princess's Mansion to send Master Fan off that day, His Highness the Crown Prince suddenly woke up... Later, Your Highness asked the people in Prince Rong's Mansion, but they said that he did not wake up. But I saw it with my own eyes, His Highness the Crown Prince was awake. I wanted to tell him, but Your Highness had already gone in... After I came back, I also wanted to tell Your Highness, but I didn't know how to start..."

This caught Chu Shitong off guard.

So, when I returned to Si Jingli's carriage that day, Si Jingli was actually awake?

Thinking of this guy who inexplicably came to sleep next to him, Chu Shitong's heart seemed to skip a beat.

Did he do it on purpose, or was he awake but not sane?

Bishui asked cautiously: "After all... there are differences between men and women. I dare not tell your Highness about this..."

Chu Shitong suddenly remembered that Bishui was the only person besides Yun Xiangrong who knew that she was a woman.

Chu Shitong has been accustomed to doing things by herself since she was young, so over the years, even if her underwear got dirty during her period, she would not tell Bishui, but would wash it secretly by herself.

She had forgotten about this matter in her previous life, and Bishui had never mentioned it. She thought Bishui didn't know about it, so she sent her away to marry. But now that she thinks about it, Bishui did know about it.

No matter what, he is the person who grew up with me. How could I not know him when we are together day and night?

If I had known in my previous life that Bishui knew about this, she would definitely not have survived. How could I have let her get married?

Perhaps the memory of his previous life was still stuck on the fight for the throne, and Chu Shitong didn't remember much of this childhood memory.

She always thought she was twenty-two years old, but in fact she was only fourteen now. Her childhood, which she had long forgotten, was not too far away from now.

Thinking about it this way, Bishui was indeed innocent in her previous life. Even if she did not live a good life after being married off, she never mentioned this matter to anyone else.

"I have wronged you."

Chu Shitong said: "I was too suspicious and wronged you. I'm sorry."

Bishui was flattered and said, "No, no, I don't feel wronged. I have no father and no mother. I have been growing up with Your Highness for many years. Your Highness is my only relative. I don't feel wronged."

Chu Shitong remained silent, as if everything around him was not as simple as it was in his previous life. It was just that he chose to live a simple life in his previous life. Apart from killing and harming others, how could it not be simple?

Thinking of the Buddha statue he saw in the Princess's Mansion, Chu Shitong suddenly felt that he was reborn, perhaps because God saw that he was confused and allowed him to clear the name of all the people around him who had been wronged.

"Your Highness..." Bishui spoke weakly.

Chu Shitong asked: "What's the matter?"

Bishui hesitated for a long time and said, "Your Highness, can you... stop asking me to do other things? I want to stay with you..."

"Okay." Chu Shitong said, "From now on, you and Xuan Changji will stay by my side. The specific division of labor can be discussed between the two of you."

There was light in Bishui's eyes instantly, "I obey your command!"

Xuan Changji also walked in from outside shortly afterwards.

……

It was as if she was in a fiery hell, surrounded by karmic fire, and the countless people she had killed were clamoring for her to pay with their lives.

They pulled her towards the fire and she ran as fast as she could.

There is endless darkness and I don’t know where to run to.

It was extremely hot around me, I was sweating all over, and the thick smoke made it difficult to breathe.

"Bang!!"

Chu Shitong was awakened by the sound of kicking the door, and the nightmare just now seemed to appear before his eyes again.

The house was ablaze with flames, and for a moment Chu Shitong didn't know whether he was in the hell of a dream or reality.

"Your Highness!!"

Bishui's soft voice became sharp because of her urgency, instantly breaking Chu Shitong's still somewhat confused thoughts. She suddenly realized that this was her dormitory.

Chu Shitong wanted to get up, but because he had inhaled too much smoke, his body was unable to do so. He just managed to get out of bed, but was about to fall to the ground.

Xuan Changji and Bishui rushed in from the flames. Xuan Changji picked up Chu Shitong, Bishui picked up the outer robe on the bed, and the three of them ran to the door together.

In the middle of the night, the shouting woke up the entire palace.

"There's a fire! There's a fire in East Fifth Institute!"

The flames at the East Fifth Institute were raging and thick smoke was billowing.

The Royal Guards, along with the palace maids and eunuchs, came with buckets of water to put out the fire. The fire was very big, and it took nearly two quarters of an hour for them to put out the fire.

By the time His Majesty and the people from the harem arrived, the entire courtyard of East Fifth House had been burned black, and even the words on the plaque could not be seen.

Chu Shitong was sitting under a tree outside the East Fifth Office wearing an outer robe. His dark hair was disheveled and had traces of burns on the ends. There was a piece of dust on his face from somewhere, and he looked extremely pitiful.