novelraw Chapter 762 - 741 Bite Marks
Chapter 762 - 741 Bite Marks
Fang Chuning froze for a moment, then narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice, "Back when I traveled with you to Ningzhou, I did not know you were the Sannan Princess. My father never instructed me to monitor you. It was only when we were in West State that I learned your true identity."
After hastily explaining, he realized the excuse Xie Jue had fabricated, but the act still had to continue. His original intention was to reveal the truth to his father, while also expressing his own heart, even if it meant having his legs broken by his father. He was willing to risk it all, as he had grown into an adult and no longer wanted to live bound by parental expectations. He also knew how turbulent the fallout would be once the truth was exposed—not just with his father and mother, but with Xie Xun, whose reproach he could not endure either. The rumors from society would be overwhelming.
But even so, he was determined to fight against all odds, hoping to find a fragment of solace or a bit of recognition amid the storm of betrayal and estrangement. If his family was unable to accept him, Ting Feng certainly wouldn’t risk remaining entangled with him.
Yet Ting Feng, risking the chance of being exposed, recklessly barged into the study to stop him—a clear indication that he didn’t want Fang Chuning to clarify everything with his father. Fang Chuning, already mired in a swamp, found himself in unbearable pain no matter how he chose.
Marshal Fang, uncertain of the excuse Xie Jue had conjured, replied faintly, "I’ve been stationed in Jiangnan for many years, always worried about the instability at the border. Your identity was disclosed to me personally by the Marquis. Sending Tunan to Ningzhou was solely because Jiangnan’s borders were steady; his growth in Ningzhou was unrelated to your identity. We’ve never mentioned your identity to anyone."
"If that’s the case, then how does Han Ziqi know?" Xie Jue was perplexed. "My father and my aunt had only confided this matter with you, even keeping my brothers in the dark. I never knew I was the child of the Sannan Princess. After we fled the Capital City, my cousin approached me in Jiaozhou and revealed my identity—was that not due to you informing him?"
"Indeed," Marshal Fang admitted. "Back when you and your brothers left the Capital, I discussed with Lin Helin ways to persuade you to surrender, regardless of the cost. Therefore, I disclosed this matter to him. Even if I hadn’t told Lin Helin, King of Sannan would have learned it. He had known years ago that the princess had fallen into the Capital and borne children. The Marquis protected you and promised that the princess would never return to the imperial family, advising King of Sannan to not worry needlessly. After you and your brothers departed the Capital and the Marquis Mansion collapsed, King of Sannan immediately sought to approach you to reveal your identity, aiming to cooperate with you from within to plot for the territory of Beining. It is precisely for these reasons that I, after consulting Lin Helin, allowed him to head north to Jiaozhou for negotiations. This matter had nothing to do with Tunan." Marshal Fang, always meticulous in his judgments, knew of the close bond between Fang Chuning and Xie Jue, which is why he withheld this information from Fang Chuning.
Truth be told, when Fang Chuning deliberately allowed Xie Jue and Xie Xun to escape that year, Marshal Fang had already suspected that if his son knew the truth, it was uncertain which side he would support. Thus, he chose not to probe his son’s stance.
Marshal Fang said, "It’s been years since this matter passed, and you’ve long known about your identity. Even if you receive messages from Sannan spies now, what drives you to barge into my study in the middle of the night? Prince Yan, do I seem so easily deceived?"
Marshal Fang’s intimidating appearance and stern face exuded tremendous authority—an average person could not withstand his pressure. But Xie Jue, calm and composed, replied, "I’ve trusted Tunan like I have trusted Xie Xun for years. Once misjudged him out of confusion, I rushed to question him. It was my fault."
Xie Jue firmly adhered to his stance, redirecting attention to his concerns about his relationship with Fang Chuning. Even if questioned further by Marshal Fang, he stayed resolute.
Fang Chuning’s heartbeat raced. Marshal Fang said coolly, "Alright, if that’s the case, I will not press further. Tunan, what was it you wanted to tell me earlier?"
Xie Jue had wagered on the right move. Fang Chuning had indeed not managed to explain the truth to his father. Instead, he knelt, pleading forgiveness, and by then, Xie Jue arrived!
After leaving the Prince Manor, Xie Jue rode hard and fast, fearing that he wouldn’t make it in time to stop him.
Fang Chuning glanced at Xie Jue, who appeared indifferent, his gaze fixed ahead without a word. Fang Chuning’s mind was a turmoil of conflicting emotions. He desperately wanted to speak out, but with Xie Jue so close by, his tangled feelings of love and desire felt more one-sided than ever. Xie Jue had no intention of confessing; otherwise, he wouldn’t have chased him from the Prince Manor all the way to his father’s study. If he were to truly confess, how could he endure the fallout?
What of the divide between him and Ting Feng? How would they reconcile?
"Son has recently acted against father’s and mother’s wishes, causing the two of you displeasure. I’ve come to confess my faults; there is no other matter." Fang Chuning ultimately refrained from disappointing Xie Jue, swallowing all his words. Even though his suppressed emotions felt like magma on the verge of erupting, he fought hard to contain them—for he refused to let Xie Jue down.
"Your disobedience isn’t recent, nor rare. Yet it’s tonight that you play the filial son when Prince Yan storms my study without thought. Speak! What are you hiding from me?" Marshal Fang’s voice thundered.
Fang Chuning’s rebellious streak flared. "Believe it or don’t!"
Marshal Fang, enraged, raised his whip to strike him, but footsteps sounded outside the study. Mrs. Fang’s voice drifted in, spoken with gentle authority: "Tunan, since Ting Feng seeks you for something urgent, you should leave the main courtyard at once!"
Mrs. Fang’s words were like a spring breeze easing the tense atmosphere in the study. Marshal Fang’s rage subsided slightly. Fang Chuning shot his father an uneasy glance before rising to salute. "Son takes his leave!"
Xie Jue also saluted and left alongside Fang Chuning.
Mrs. Fang stood outside the courtyard. The maids and old servants accompanying her lingered outside the Moon Gate. Xie Jue realized his actions tonight had been out of line. "Aunt, Ting Feng was rude tonight. I will come to apologize formally another day."
"You and Tunan grew up together. He always visits the Prince Manor without an invitation—why must you be so distant and formal? If it’s urgent, you two should leave now." Mrs. Fang gently supported Xie Jue with a hand, then suddenly froze slightly, her gaze briefly sweeping across his neck. Xie Jue immediately straightened up, leaving along with Fang Chuning.
Mrs. Fang watched their backs as they walked away, still startled. The moonlight was hazy. Xie Jue, dressed in a flowing moon-white robe, looked ethereal and coldly graceful. Fang Chuning wore his usual close-fitting green robe. The two walked side by side bathed in moonlight, their tall figures radiating an extraordinary beauty. Though without any physical contact, Mrs. Fang felt something amiss she couldn’t explain.
Marshal Fang emerged from the study, noticing his wife still gazing at their retreating backs. Displeased, he remarked, "Tunan, kneeling in the study tonight, clearly committed something serious he planned to confess, only for Ting Feng to arrive and interrupt. Why did you shield him? He’s running wild and uncontrollable—and now someone’s defending him. If it weren’t an irreparable situation, why would he kneel to reveal the truth?"
Mrs. Fang still hadn’t recovered from her shock. Her mind repeatedly flashed to the vivid bite mark on Xie Jue’s neck—his fair complexion made the blood-stained mark even more glaring and noticeable.
"You noticed the bite mark on Ting Feng’s neck..." Mrs. Fang blurted out before pausing, her brows furrowing as the strange unease in her heart grew stronger. Ting Feng’s inner courtyard was secluded, and there was no princess—who could have left that bite mark?