216: Duan Zhengchun: Lu Xiaofeng, you... understand me.

It was at this moment that she became aware of her own condition, and her mind went completely blank.

"Ah..."

After coming to her senses, Li Qingluo let out a piercing scream that seemed to rend the heavens.

"Whoa..."

"Miss, you're awake?" Duan Zhengchun lifted the carriage curtain and looked at Li Qingluo.

"You scoundrel, what did you do to me?" Li Qingluo glared at Duan Zhengchun angrily.

"Miss, do you not remember what happened before?" Duan Zhengchun looked at Li Qingluo with a strange expression.

Hearing Duan Zhengchun's words, Li Qingluo was stunned for a moment, and then some images seemed to surface in her mind.

This impossibly handsome man before her seemed to be the very same handsome man who had saved her.

After that, she had felt a burning heat throughout her body, and then she had lost consciousness.

"The thing those people who kidnapped you threw before leaving was problematic."

"I had no choice. Your condition was critical at the time. If I hadn't helped you detoxify, you would have exploded and died."

"So..." Duan Zhengchun explained somewhat awkwardly.

"You..."

"Miss, rest assured. Since something like this has happened, I will take responsibility for you." Duan Zhengchun hurriedly expressed his intentions.

"After doing such a thing to me, you have no choice but to take responsibility."

"However, I still don't know your name." Li Qingluo looked at Duan Zhengchun, her pretty face flushed with shyness.

"My name is Duan Zhengchun. May I ask for the young lady's name?" Duan Zhengchun didn't hide it either; there was no need to conceal this matter.

Duan Zhengchun? That name sounded familiar. Right, the Prince of Zhennan of Dali was called that.

"You are the Prince of Zhennan of Dali?" Li Qingluo looked at Duan Zhengchun with a shocked expression on her face.

"Oh? You know of me, miss?" Duan Zhengchun looked at Li Qingluo in surprise, not expecting her to know him.

"There probably aren't many people in the Jianghu nowadays who don't know of you. Hundreds of people have died over that heavenly demon zither."

"That incident has long since spread throughout the Jianghu. It would be hard not to know about it." Li Qingluo looked at Duan Zhengchun with shining eyes.

"Well, actually, I was quite helpless myself. Those people insisted on trying to take what was mine."

"I was forced into a corner. However, I didn't kill those people. They fought and killed each other over the item. I didn't lift a finger." Duan Zhengchun shrugged his shoulders with an innocent look.

Li Qingluo looked at him with an expression that clearly said, 'I don't believe a word you're saying.'

"Hah, others might be fools, but I'm not."

"If I couldn't see such an obvious case of 'using a borrowed knife to kill,' I, Li Qingluo, would be utterly disgraced."

"You deliberately released news of the heavenly demon zither precisely to make these people fight over it. When they fought, they were bound to come to blows."

"That way, you could solve the problem of these troublemakers without shedding a drop of blood yourself."

"The facts prove you succeeded, and very successfully at that."

Hearing Li Qingluo's words, a look of astonishment appeared on Duan Zhengchun's face.

Indeed, Li Qingluo was very intelligent. In the original story, if not for her heart being tied to Duan Zhengchun, she should have been the smartest among his several women.

It's just that a woman in love has zero intelligence, a point also demonstrated by Duan Zhengchun's other women.

If not for this reason, they wouldn't have ended up being manipulated by Murong Fu the way they were.

Originally, Li Qingluo looked down on Murong Fu. Under normal circumstances, she would never have listened to his opinions. It was precisely because this matter involved Duan Zhengchun that she chose to believe without hesitation.

In the end, she met a tragic death.

Seeing Duan Zhengchun's surprised expression, Li Qingluo immediately looked quite pleased with herself.

"Well? Am I not very clever?"

"Yes, very clever, much smarter than those guys."

"Even a delicate young lady like you can see through my crude scheme, while those guys couldn't. They deserved to be tricked."

"Alright, you've expended too much energy earlier. Take this dà huán dān and recuperate first."

"We'll talk about everything else once we're back at the Prince's Mansion."

Duan Zhengchun took out a dà huán dān and handed it to Li Qingluo, then turned back to continue driving the carriage.

Li Qingluo looked at the dà huán dān in her hand, her face showing astonishment.

He just casually gave away a dà huán dān like that?

Just how wealthy was this guy? This was a dà huán dān, not some ordinary medicine from the Jianghu.

If news of this moment were to leak into the Jianghu, it would surely stir up another storm of bloodshed, probably no smaller than the turmoil caused by the heavenly demon zither.

The heavenly demon zither was just a weapon; even if you obtained it, others would still try to snatch it.

But the dà huán dān was something that could save lives. Even if you weren't injured, it could enhance your strength.

In terms of practical use, it was even more valuable than the heavenly demon zither.

And he just gave it to her like that? Could it be he truly intended to take responsibility for her?

But, this guy had too many women around him. Should she really agree to be with him?

If she didn't agree... she had already been with him like this.

Moreover, he... he was so strong, and had allowed her to experience the joy of being a woman.

If she left him, she probably wouldn't have such pleasurable experiences anymore.

Forget it, she'd just take it one step at a time. It wouldn't hurt to go and see first. If his other wives were difficult to get along with, she could simply leave.

If they were easy to get along with, living together wouldn't be impossible.

After all, if it weren't for him, she would likely have had her purity ruined by that flower thief right now.

This could be considered her repaying the debt of saving her life!

The carriage soon returned to the Prince's Mansion, and Duan Zhengchun brought it to a steady stop.

"Miss Li, we've arrived. Please alight."

Li Qingluo lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the imposing Prince's Mansion, her face appearing quite calm.

"Your Prince's Mansion is rather... ordinary." Li Qingluo's clear voice carried a hint of surprise.

"It's just a place to live. There's no need for so much fuss."

"As long as one lives happily, it's the same no matter where one resides."

Duan Zhengchun didn't have many requirements in this regard. As long as it wasn't too hot or too cold, it was fine.

Of course, as a prince with so many women around him, he himself didn't mind, but he couldn't let his women suffer, could he?

Duan Zhengchun's answer actually made Li Qingluo think more highly of him.

This guy was different from the rumors.

Perhaps she had really hit the jackpot and met a man she could entrust her life to.

Duan Zhengchun led Li Qingluo back into the Prince's Mansion. Xiao Die had already come forward to greet them first.

"Your Highness, you're back. And who is this?" Xiao Die looked at Li Qingluo with curiosity.

"This is Miss Li Qingluo. I encountered her on the road where villains nearly robbed her of her purity. I happened upon the scene and dealt with it."

"Now, she has no home to return to, so I brought her back to stay at the mansion for the time being."

"First, take her to freshen up, and have someone prepare a meal."

Duan Zhengchun didn't hide anything and directly instructed Xiao Die to handle matters.

"Yes, Your Highness. I'll take Miss Li to freshen up right away..."

Xiao Die nodded with a smile and led Li Qingluo towards the rear courtyard.

Li Qingluo looked at Xiao Die, who was already heavily pregnant, a look of confusion appearing on her face.

She was already heavily pregnant, so why was she still doing this kind of work?

Could it be that this Duan Zhengchun wasn't the honorable gentleman she had initially thought? Otherwise, why would he have a heavily pregnant woman doing such tasks?