Chapter 273: Chapter 274: The Deepest Betrayal

Princess Longzhu had been forcibly dragged away.

But Hua Manman was still thinking about what Princess Longzhu had just said.

She had originally thought Prince Zhao had simply been caught in an enemy ambush, leading to the leg injuries that left him crippled.

But judging from Princess Longzhu’s tone and attitude, that ambush was likely no accident.

There must have been some foul play involved.

Li Ji leaned closer, blowing softly on her ear.

"What’s on your mind?"

Hua Manman shied away and asked in a low voice.

"Don’t you want to know the truth about the attack on you?"

Li Ji replied nonchalantly.

"And what if I did? For some things, it’s better not to know the truth."

Hua Manman stared at him, stunned.

"You... you couldn’t have known the truth all along, could you?"

In the past, Li Ji wouldn’t have answered this question.

But now, he had no more reservations.

They were husband and wife, their lives firmly bound together.

He could tell her everything.

After all they had been through, he was confident she wouldn’t betray him.

Li Ji leaned back and spoke slowly.

"It’s more or less what Princess Longzhu said.

At the time, the war had reached a critical moment.

If I could just lure the enemy into a pre-arranged trap, we could eliminate their final reserves.

That would have brought a decisive end to the four-year war.

I had arranged everything beforehand, ensuring nothing would go wrong in the process of luring the enemy deep into our territory.

But still, the unexpected happened.

The enemy set an ambush on a route I had to take. I only had three thousand cavalrymen with me, making a breakout nearly impossible.

I lost more than half of my three thousand cavalrymen in an instant."

Hua Manman was listening with rapt attention.

Even though Prince Zhao’s tone was completely calm and he used no dramatic adjectives, she could still sense the tension of the moment in his plain retelling.

Li Ji continued, "Even though the situation was dire, I still managed to break out of the encirclement with the few dozen men I had left.

However, just as we were on the verge of escaping, an arrow struck me in the back.

The arrowhead was tipped with a potent poison.

I couldn’t stay conscious and fell from my horse.

Immediately after, the enemy activated their catapults.

I managed to dodge a few times, but in the end, I couldn’t escape. My legs were crushed by a boulder."

Hua Manman instinctively grabbed his sleeve, her eyes, full of worry and unease, fixed on him.

Li Ji pulled her into his arms, his tone as light as always.

"Don’t be scared. It’s all in the past."

Hua Manman replayed Prince Zhao’s account in her mind from beginning to end, quickly identifying something that didn’t add up.

"Why was there a poison arrow shot from behind you?"

’Given the Prince’s caution, he would never expose his back to the enemy.’

’The only people he would allow at his back were those he trusted completely.’

’In other words, he was most likely backstabbed by one of his own.’

Li Ji heard her thoughts and chuckled softly.

’His Princess Consort is so clever, she figured out the crucial point right away.’

Li Ji said, "I secretly investigated the origin of that poison arrow afterward. I eventually traced it back to one of my trusted aides, but before I could send someone to question him, he had already died from his severe injuries."

At this, the smile vanished from his face, and his eyes turned ice-cold.

These were his brothers-in-arms, men who had followed him through life and death, men to whom he would have entrusted his life.

And yet, hidden among them was a traitor who wanted to take his life.

A betrayal from someone so close was harder for him to accept than being stabbed with a knife.

Hua Manman sensed the man beside her’s mood turn foul.

After a moment’s hesitation, she leaned in and wrapped her arms around him. She gently patted his back a couple of times, a clear gesture of comfort.

Li Ji relaxed slightly.

He continued.

"That trusted aide had escaped with me from Ghost Wind Castle all the way back to Shangjing.

During our escape, he was nearly killed protecting me.

I trusted him completely. I never suspected him..."

And yet, the deadliest arrow had come from the person he trusted most.

Hua Manman finally understood why Prince Zhao was always so wary of everyone around him, acting as if no one in the entire world was worthy of his trust.

Sometimes, he would even rather kill an innocent person than let a single suspect go free.

It was all because he had experienced the deepest form of betrayal.

Hua Manman asked, "Why did that person betray you?"

Li Ji replied, "That’s what has always puzzled me. I never mistreated him, so why did he betray me?"

Hua Manman thought about it seriously.

"Perhaps he was bought off."

Li Ji asked, "Why would he let himself be bought off? Was it for money? Or power?

Or did he have some other reason he couldn’t talk about?

Whatever the reason, he could have told me directly. I would have done everything in my power to help him.

But he said nothing to me.

He decided that betraying me was the best solution."

As he finished, he let out a self-mocking laugh, his expression filled with a gloom so thick it was almost tangible.

In that instant, Hua Manman felt that the gloomy, repressed Prince Zhao from before had returned.

When she first met him, he was just like this: utterly lifeless, his eyes dark and deep, without a glimmer of light.

She couldn’t help but feel a pang of panic, and she instinctively hugged him tighter.

"He wasn’t worthy of your trust. He’s the one who was unworthy."

Sensing the care from the woman in his arms, the gloom in Li Ji’s eyes gradually faded.

He lowered his head, rested his chin on Hua Manman’s shoulder, and hummed softly in agreement.

"Yes. None of them are worthy."

He paused deliberately here, his voice becoming soft and gentle.

"Only you are worthy."

When Hua Manman turned her face slightly, her gaze met his long, narrow eyes, which were as black as ink.

Perhaps because they were so close, her heart began to race, and her ears felt hot.

The atmosphere between them grew intimate.

It was like molasses, boiled down until it was thick, sweet, and sticky.

Slightly flustered, Hua Manman averted her gaze.

To break the intimate mood, she deliberately changed the subject.

"Judging from Princess Longzhu’s attitude, she must know some of the inside story. You could have pretended to agree with her and used the opportunity to get some useful information out of her."

Li Ji was still leaning on her shoulder, gazing at her profile without blinking.

’She seemed so calm, but her ears had secretly turned red.’

’They looked utterly delicious.’

Li Ji couldn’t help but lick his lips and say with a smile, "I couldn’t agree to her terms, not even as a pretense."

Hua Manman didn’t understand. "Why not?"

Li Ji replied, "Kiss me, and I’ll tell you why."

Hua Manman said, "If you won’t tell me, then forget it."

She knew the scoundrel’s mood had improved, so she raised her hands to push him away.

However, she didn’t have the strength to budge him.

Li Ji chuckled. "If the mountain won’t come to me, then I must go to the mountain."

With that, he leaned in and nibbled on her cute, red earlobe.