I am the champion of palace intrigue, and even the proud prince bows his head in submission.

Chapter 228 Xu Liuer Packs Up Jewelry

After this thought popped into her head, Xu Liuer's mind suddenly became incredibly calm.

The surrounding chatter suddenly became as light as smoke, weightless.

Now, she has something truly important that she cares about.

The banquet was bustling with noise, but Xu Liuer's heart was as calm as a still pond, and her entire demeanor changed accordingly.

Xie Zhongzhi turned his head and glanced at her. Seeing her indifferent expression, his heart tightened for no reason.

It feels like something between the two of them has disappeared...

But this panic lasted only a moment and was quickly suppressed.

His top priority is to win over General Li! That's the only thing that truly matters!

Xie Zhongzhi's gaze towards Xu Liuer immediately turned into a warning, and he said in a low voice, "Hurry up and apologize to General Li?"

Xu Liuer clenched her fingers, slowly stepped forward, and lowered her head. "General Li, I was impolite and offended you just now. Please forgive me."

General Li looked at her calmly and said, "Madam Xie, you flatter me."

Afterwards, Xie Zhongzhi and General Li went to discuss matters, leaving Xu Liuer alone at the banquet.

The atmosphere at the banquet had returned to some of its former liveliness, but many eyes in the crowd were still subtly fixed on Xu Liuer.

Some sighed, others sneered, and whispers rose and fell.

"I heard before that Xu Liuer was brought back from the border by Young Master Xie, and I thought the two of them had a very good relationship, but now it seems that they are nothing special..."

"That's perfectly normal. This woman is of average appearance and has no family background. How could she possibly keep Young Master Xie's heart?"

"Poor thing, that slap was so hard, even General Li didn't say anything, but she became the target of everyone's criticism."

Xu Liuer kept her head down, these words kept getting into her ears. She wasn't angry at all; on the contrary, she felt that what they said made a lot of sense.

It's obvious to anyone with eyes that Xie Zhongzhi doesn't love her.

This isn't what true love is like...

I won't disbelieve her, and I certainly won't slap her in public or trample on her dignity.

In Xie Zhongzhi's heart, she was nothing more than a pet, no different from a cat or dog.

Xu Liuer's fingertips turned white little by little, and her heart felt as if it were being crushed by an invisible boulder, making it hard for her to breathe.

She should have understood.

The General's Mansion Secret Chamber.

"Chongzhi, what are you trying to say?"

General Li sat upright in a wooden chair, looking calmly at Xie Zhongzhi in front of him.

Xie Zhongzhi did not answer, but slowly took out a wooden token from his sleeve.

Upon seeing the token, General Li's pupils contracted sharply, and he sat up abruptly.

The engravings on this token—

"You actually..."

Xie Zhongzhi smiled at him and said gently, "So, General Li, would you like to come with us?"

In the secret room, the candlelight flickered, illuminating the faces of the two people, and the shadows shifted between light and darkness.

The carriage left the general's mansion and slowly headed towards the marquis's residence.

Xie Zhongzhi had a gentle expression, with a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips, making it clear that the conversation had gone well.

Xu Liuer ignored her, simply hanging her head and quietly thinking about her escape.

Once that thought popped into my head, it could no longer be suppressed.

However, it's still the same problem.

She doesn't know martial arts, has no money, and no connections.

Where could she go? And how could she possibly save her life...?

Xu Liu'er's mind raced.

Disguising oneself as a man and hiding among the people might be feasible.

As long as one doesn't go to the border, other parts of the Great Jin Dynasty are not in chaos; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the country is prosperous and the people are at peace.

The more Xu Liuer thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, and she quickly came up with a plan.

First and foremost, she needs to raise more money!

Xie Zhongzhi glanced at Xu Liuer's expression and frowned.

Angry indeed.

He was indeed wrong in this matter, but doesn't Xu Liuer bear any responsibility?

If she hadn't been so lacking in decorum, she wouldn't have caused such a mess!

Fortunately, General Li's mood was not affected, and the talks went relatively smoothly in the end.

Thinking of this, Xie Zhongzhi smiled slightly, and his expression softened considerably.

He turned slightly closer to Xu Liuer and said gently, "Liuer, are you angry?"

Xu Liuer ignored him, not even giving him a glance.

Xie Zhongzhi looked at her tense profile and his heart softened. He patiently softened his voice and said softly, "Did that slap just now scare you?"

Xu Liuer still did not respond.

Xie Zhongzhi pursed his lips and reached out to take her hand.

Xu Liuer instinctively struggled, "Let go!"

So disgusting!

Xie Zhongzhi not only didn't let go, but instead gripped it even tighter.

"I'm sorry." He apologized suddenly, his voice very low and gentle, "I shouldn't have hit you, I shouldn't have embarrassed you in front of so many people."

Xu Liuer's eyelashes trembled, but she remained silent.

If it were before, hearing Xie Zhongzhi coax her like this, she probably would have softened.

But I feel no emotion at all right now.

Xie Zhongzhi gently stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. "You know, I didn't mean it... It was just a temporary measure at the time. I can't let General Li get angry."

"Liu'er, if you're still angry, you can hit back right now."

Xie Zhongzhi said casually.

He knew Xu Liuer too well; her personality was as gentle as water, how could she possibly—

"Snapped--"

A slapping sound suddenly rang out in the carriage.

The sudden force caused Xie Zhongzhi's face to turn to one side, and a red mark quickly appeared on his cheek.

The air solidified instantly.

Xu Liuer's hand was still suspended in mid-air, her palm was numb, and her heart was pounding like a drum.

Xie Zhongzhi turned around abruptly, staring at her in astonishment, as if he couldn't believe he had actually been hit.

"You can slap me for the sake of your pride or as a temporary measure, but I can slap you back for the sake of my dignity!"

Xu Liuer's voice trembled, but her tone was more resolute than ever before.

She had never spoken to Xie Zhongzhi like that before, nor had she ever hit him.

His previous forbearance and docility completely crumbled at this moment.

A shadow of gloom flashed in Xie Zhongzhi's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it and chuckled softly.

"Liu'er, you can fan yourself if you want, as long as you calm down."

Xu Liuer didn't speak, and the carriage became eerily quiet for a moment, with only the sound of the wheels rolling over the stone road.

After returning to Zhiyuan Courtyard, Xie Zhongzhi went straight to his study.

Xu Liuer had already slapped him back, and probably calmed down. He had his own things to do.

Only after seeing the study door close did Xu Liuer feel relieved and hurried back to the main room.

She went straight to the dressing table as soon as she entered the room.

Her hands trembled slightly as she quickly sorted out all the valuable jewelry.

Gold hairpins, jade bracelets, jade earrings... all carefully arranged in the box, as if afraid of missing a single item.

Xu Liuer looked at the wooden boxes filled with food in front of her, her chest heaved a few times, and she slowly let out a sigh of relief.

He then summoned his personal maid, Shanping.