Feng Ran bit her lip, her hands clenched tightly. She closed her eyes, her expression resigned, as if prepared to die. Her understanding gaze, however, utterly enraged Xuanyuan Heng.
She remained silent, eyes closed, simply standing there without uttering a word.
Her calm demeanor was somehow heartbreaking.
Deep down, Feng Ran had accepted her fate. Her destiny was already sealed, and there was no escaping it.
Feng Ran wondered in the depths of her heart how Xuanyuan Heng would treat her. Would he take her life directly, or would he imprison her?
Imprisoned?
In truth, wasn't the current situation no different from being imprisoned?
Feng Ran waited for Xuanyuan Heng to punish her.
She knew clearly that she would be severely hurt this time.
She had defied Xuanyuan Heng.
In Xuanyuan Heng's presence, no one in this world dared to defy him.
However, the pain she anticipated never fell upon her. Instead, she was met with Xuanyuan Heng inserting a hairpin into her dark hair.
She felt Xuanyuan Heng's icy hand touch her face. Her whole body trembled, filled with extreme fear.
Then, she froze completely.
She had never imagined that Xuanyuan Heng would actually put a hairpin in her hair. This was something she dared not even dream of.
She reached out to pull the hairpin out, but Xuanyuan Heng's voice made her halt all movement, her hand frozen mid-air.
"Leave it in," a clear, cold voice resonated. Feng Ran dared not move an inch further, becoming exceptionally obedient.
Silence descended, so profound that even the slightest breath could be heard.
Xuanyuan Heng raised his hand again, his gaze falling upon her. Unsure of what he was doing, he finally withdrew his hand after a long while, seemingly satisfied.
Xuanyuan Heng retracted his hand and glanced at Feng Ran, who watched him with all her guard up. A cold sneer curved his lips, but under Feng Ran's alert and wary gaze, he simply left.
Feng Ran stared with disbelieving eyes at the person before her. For a moment, she even doubted if she had seen incorrectly or was hallucinating.
As she pondered the reason behind all this, Xuanyuan Heng spoke with icy detachment, "Prepare yourself. This King will take you somewhere shortly."
"Remember to dress yourself properly. Do not do anything that would shame this King."
Xuanyuan Heng left without a backward glance.
Feng Ran was utterly bewildered, looking at the person before her. She felt as if she didn't know him.
She even wondered if the person who had just spoken to her was truly Xuanyuan Heng.
...
When Xuanyuan Heng arrived, his expression turned extremely grim upon seeing Feng Ran's attire and appearance. He even suspected if the person before him had done this deliberately.
Was she intentionally trying to make him lose face?
"Take it off." Feng Ran stared at the man in front of her, bewildered. Was this man insane?
As she stood there, mortified, Xuanyuan Heng waved his hand, signaling for the clothes to be taken away. Xuanyuan Heng stated coldly, "This King forgot. You are no longer the eldest daughter of the Feng family. Naturally, your clothing can only be that of coarse fabric."
"This King has prepared new clothes for you. Hurry and change."
"..." Feng Ran looked at the person before her, unable to comprehend why he was doing these things, or for what purpose.
"It's not necessary. My clothes are at Chunmanyuan. I can change when I return to Chunmanyuan," Feng Ran said calmly. Although Xuanyuan Heng had told her to stay in the Xuanyuan mansion, she thought perhaps he had just said it casually.
In her heart, she still held onto the hope of returning to Chunmanyuan.
Suddenly, Xuanyuan Heng's eyes turned ice-cold and bloodthirsty. He said grimly, "Feng Ran, did this King's words slip your mind? Or do you think this King is joking with you?"
Then, Xuanyuan Heng stated coldly, "This King is going to the palace, and you will accompany this King."
Upon hearing this, Feng Ran's face turned extremely unsightly. She felt as if she had been paralyzed, unable to utter a single word. She wanted to escape from here immediately.
The Imperial Palace.
No, she didn't want to go. No matter where she went, she would only be humiliated more miserably.
So, all his actions were merely to torment and shame her.
"What? You don't want to go?" Xuanyuan Heng retorted coldly.
Feng Ran turned her head, her eyes filled with a glimmer of hope as she looked at the man before her. She thought there must be a turning point.
Feng Ran recalled past events, and a sense of revulsion washed over her.
She looked at Xuanyuan Heng and said coldly, "Regent, you are the high and mighty Regent, the Regent of immense power. Bringing me to a palace banquet might bring you ill repute."
"Your Highness, I cannot obey your command and enter the palace with you." Feng Ran, drawing strength from somewhere, snatched the clothes from the maid's hands and threw them away.
Xuanyuan Heng looked at Feng Ran coldly, but he did not get angry. Instead, he said icily, "Put them on. This King will give you half an hour. If you are not ready by then, this King does not mind taking matters into his own hands." he said coldly.
Feng Ran froze, rooted to the spot. She took a deep breath and, finally, resignedly, picked up the clothes.
At this moment, her eyes were filled with hatred and helplessness.
She hated herself for being unable to do anything, and felt helpless, knowing she could only resign herself. She could only be a person to be slaughtered, with no chance to resist.
...
Outside the palace gates.
A luxurious carriage stopped. Xuanyuan Heng disembarked. Upon seeing him, the guards immediately approached. Xuanyuan Heng said nothing to their obsequiousness, as such attention was quite normal for him.
Many people wished to curry favor with him.
A guard stepped forward, seeming to want to help with the carriage curtain and assist the person inside to alight. At this moment, a cold gaze from Xuanyuan Heng stopped the guard in his tracks. He dared not say anything further.
In fact, he was trembling all over. The guard thought that his life might be ruined here today.
However, this time Xuanyuan Heng did not act. He walked directly to the carriage, intending to help the person alight.
Xuanyuan Heng pulled back the carriage curtain, but Feng Ran did not show any intention of dismounting.
Her whole body trembled, fearing that perhaps, by appearing here today, she would not be able to leave unscathed.
Xuanyuan Heng did not force Feng Ran to get down, simply standing by quietly.
Naturally, as Xuanyuan Heng did not move, the people around him dared not move either.
However, they were extremely curious about the person in the carriage. They wondered who it was that dared to treat the Regent in such a manner. After all, no one in the world dared to treat the Regent this way.
What surprised them even more was that the Regent did not show any anger.
It seemed that this person held some position in the Regent's heart.