Yun Shu nodded upon hearing this, but before she could respond, a sharp cry came from outside the tent.
The Prince of Dingnan, enraged, frowned and reprimanded, "What commotion is this! Behave yourselves!"
A flicker of suspicion crossed Yun Shu's face as she glanced outwards. Her eyes met a pair of sharp, cold eyes that sliced through the tent flap, and her heart gave a violent tremor.
Before her, Ye Tinglan slashed the tent curtain with his sword, the chilling aura radiating from him intensely oppressive.
The sudden turn of events caught the Prince of Dingnan off guard. His face froze for a moment before he slammed his hand on the table and rose.
"Ye Tinglan, how dare you show your face here!"
His mind, clouded by fury, was solely bent on killing Ye Tinglan, completely disregarding how he had managed to enter the tent.
Saying this, he grabbed the saber placed beside him and even shielded Yun Shu behind him.
"You dare harm my son to this extent! Today, I will chop you up and feed you to the dogs!"
The Prince of Dingnan, being a military man and a formidable general in his prime, still possessed his former imposing presence despite his age.
The guards, seeing this, moved to intercept, but Ye Tinglan waved them off.
"Prince of Dingnan, listen to me. You've fallen into a trap."
The Prince of Dingnan tightened his grip on the saber, laughing in anger, "It is precisely because I was blind that I fell for your wicked scheme!"
Without further hesitation, he swung his saber towards Ye Tinglan.
Ye Tinglan's eyes darkened. The moment the blade descended, he had already sidestepped.
He then turned towards Yun Shu behind him, his sword flicking up her clothes and pulling her towards him.
His movements were swift. By the time the Prince of Dingnan realized what was happening, Yun Shu was already in his grasp. Enraged, he struck and severed the table before him.
"Scoundrel! Let go of Shu'er!"
His furious roar was a testament to his immense rage.
Ye Tinglan's dark eyes narrowed for a moment, and he tightened his grip on Yun Shu. "I underestimated you."
She had stayed in the prince's mansion for three years, behaved herself, and acted perfectly like a compliant substitute.
Yun Shu's eyes flickered rapidly as she said with difficulty, "It was Your Highness who abandoned me first. I did this only to protect myself."
"Protect yourself?"
Ye Tinglan's voice was icy.
Her delicate neck contorted and deformed under his grip, almost to the point of breaking.
Unaware of the truth, the Prince of Dingnan, hearing this, mistook it for what he had heard earlier. His eyes turned red, and he swung his saber towards Ye Tinglan again.
However, before it could fall, it was abruptly halted in mid-air.
This was because the target of his blade had shifted from Ye Tinglan to Yun Shu.
"You!"
Ye Tinglan had no intention of wasting words. He loosened his grip on Yun Shu and flung her directly in front of the Prince of Dingnan.
"Don't rush into anger. It's not too late to act after you've seen clearly."
The Prince of Dingnan believed this to be a mockery. "Clearly? I can see your true colors now!"
"After only three years, has the Prince of Dingnan forgotten his own daughter?"
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
He intended to defend Yun Shu, but Ye Tinglan's next words made him freeze instantly.
"I say, this person before you is not your daughter. The true Chao'an is elsewhere."
This news struck like a colossal stone into an abyss. It was silent at first, but upon impact, it unleashed a tidal wave, shattering everything.
The Prince of Dingnan faltered, his gaze instinctively drawn to the person before him.