Face/Off

Seeing Yang An completely lose his composure, Princess Anle covered her petite belly, tears welling up in her eyes as she giggled uncontrollably.

Yang An's temper flared. Being targeted by Lin Yeping meant certain death, and now, after submitting to this wretched woman, he was poisoned and doomed either way. So no matter what, he was screwed!?

Then why bother pretending to be submissive!!!

Lin Yeping hadn’t gone far yet.

Yang An had no proof that this wretched woman had killed Lin Hao, right?

Fine! He’d turn himself into the evidence—expose everything! He’d drag her down with him! If they wouldn’t let his family live, then everyone could die together!!!

Furious, Yang An stormed out!

"Are you angry?" Qin Guo'er tugged at his sleeve, refusing to let him leave.

"A lowly commoner like me wouldn’t dare be angry with the princess!" Yang An shook off Qin Guo'er’s hand.

Unfazed, Qin Guo'er stood up and stepped in front of him.

Her delicate, fair hands smoothed out the wrinkles in Yang An’s disheveled clothes. "Be good. If you make me happy, I won’t withhold the antidote."

Yang An wasn’t listening.

"Alright, alright, how about I give you another reward?" Qin Guo'er swayed the hem of his robe playfully.

Heavens!

What was this!?

Was the princess actually… flirting with him?!

Lan and the other seven palace maids rubbed their eyes, wondering if they were hallucinating.

Mentioning a "reward" only made things worse.

Yang An’s face burned hotter as he recalled the lipstick incident earlier. He snapped, "I can’t afford the princess’s gifts!"

"How dare you speak to Her Highness like that!?" Lan scolded.

"This is just how I am—what of it!?"

"Go on! Kill me if you have the guts!!!" Provoked by their threats, Yang An completely lost his temper and roared.

Lan was left speechless.

Fuming, her hand gripped her sword hilt, ready to draw.

But Qin Guo'er merely waved her off with a smile. "It’s fine, it’s fine." She took Yang An’s wrist and said, "This time, I mean it. I’ll really give you a gift. Aren’t you afraid Lin Yeping and the others will come after you and your family?"

"How about I send someone to protect them?"

Sending guards for his sister and brother-in-law…

This…

Yang An’s livid expression softened slightly.

"Well? Do you want it or not~?" Qin Guo'er tugged his sleeve again.

He wanted to refuse out of pride.

But Yang An was terrified his sister and brother-in-law might suffer because of him. The Lin and Cui families were far beyond his ability to oppose, and now, with the Five-Day Gut-Wrenching Gu inside him, his life was entirely in this wretched woman’s hands.

If he walked away empty-handed, wouldn’t he be the biggest fool alive!?

"Then… thank you, Princess." Yang An muttered stiffly.

Qin Guo'er beamed. "So you’re not angry anymore?"

After a pause, Yang An nodded.

In an instant—

Qin Guo'er’s face turned icy, as if flipping a switch.

She kicked Yang An square in the rear, sending him stumbling. Princess Anle’s voice was frosty. "Now it’s my turn to be angry. You’re the first person who’s ever dared to glare at me. You wretched dog, you’ve got some nerve."

Yang An: !!!

So she was just toying with him!?

This wretched woman was truly insane!

A capricious, unreasonable lunatic!

"Goodbye!" A man could be killed but not humiliated. Yang An turned to leave in outrage—only for Dong'er and Qiu'er to materialize before him, swords drawn.

But Qin Guo'er, now fully aware of his weakness, didn’t bother stopping him.

She folded her arms and said lazily, "Let him go. Saves me the trouble of assigning guards for his family. Lin Yeping isn’t an easy opponent—this works out nicely."

Yang An: ……

His legs froze mid-step, his fatal weakness exposed.

Seeing this, Princess Anle grew even more amused.

Seated on her luxurious divan, she began taunting, "Oh? Why has our brave Scholar Yang stopped? Did you forget something here? Lan, don’t just stand there—help our courageous scholar look for it."

Yang An: ……

He swore he wanted to leave.

But with no resources and the Lin and Cui clans looming over him, his only hope was Princess Anle’s protection—for himself and his family.

Otherwise, there was no path to survival.

Sigh!

Yang An exhaled heavily, thinking: ‘I already died once at the Wang Family Bank. If not for this wretched woman saving me, I’d probably be reincarnated by now.’

‘What’s a Five-Day Gut-Wrenching Gu?’

‘She gave me this life—I can just return it to her!’

‘As long as my sister and brother-in-law live safely!’

Resolved, Yang An mustered the same determination Qi Tongwei had when proposing to Liang Lu and declared, "My life belongs to the princess. If the princess doesn’t permit me to leave, I won’t."

Princess Anle gave no reaction.

She twirled a loose strand of hair, pretending not to hear.

Yang An knew she was doing it on purpose.

But he had no choice. Beggars couldn’t be choosers. He bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle. "I apologize, Your Highness. My attitude earlier was unacceptable."

Finally satisfied at seeing the stubborn man yield, Qin Guo'er glanced down at him imperiously. "Explain. What exactly was unacceptable?"

"I shouldn’t have lost my temper with the princess."

"And?"

"I shouldn’t have disobeyed."

"And?"

"I shouldn’t have lied to the princess…"

Qin Guo'er’s expression eased slightly.

She crooked a finger.

Yang An hurried closer.

Then she yanked him by the collar and asked, "Do you know why fire is hot?" Yang An replied, "Because combustion releases energy—"

"No. Because I say it is. If I want it hot, it’s hot."

Yang An: ……

"Do you know why ice is cold? Because I say so."

Yang An: ……

"Do you know why you exist in this world? Because I allow it."

Yang An: ……

"So understand this: Your very existence is by my grace. Only I have the right to lose my temper—not you." Qin Guo'er released his collar, smoothing out the wrinkles. "Since it’s your first offense, I’ll let it slide. But if there’s a next time…"

She leaned in, her breath brushing his ear. "Guess the consequences yourself."

Yang An broke out in a cold sweat.

He stammered, "Th-there won’t be a next time…"

Having thoroughly subdued him, Qin Guo'er brightened and pinched his cheek. "Good boy~"

Yang An didn’t dare move.

Timidly, he asked, "About the protection for my family…?"

"If I promised, I won’t forget."

Qin Guo'er addressed her maids. "Which of you is willing to go with him?" The eight maids paled, stepping back in unison.

Qin Guo'er: ……

Yang An: ……

"Fine. I’ll assign someone at random," Qin Guo'er said.

The maids tensed immediately.

The princess’s gaze first landed on the sisters Dong'er and Qiu'er—their round eyes trembled, on the verge of tears.

Too pretty. Qin Guo'er skipped them.

Next, she considered Chun'er and Xia'er, two sweet-looking girls with dimples.

Their rosy cheeks instantly turned deathly pale.

They looked as if they were about to faint on the spot.

These two were also quite beautiful, so Qin Guo'er skipped over them again.

She could only turn her gaze to Zhu, Mei, and Ju. The three of them shook their heads in unison, their legs giving way as they knelt before Qin Guo'er.

Nearby, Yang An's face darkened.

He strongly suspected these palace maids were doing it on purpose!

Was it really so unbearable? Had they never heard of his famed title—the Jade-Faced Young Lord of Yunzhou?

Qin Guo'er skipped over the three of them as well.

Her eyes then fell on Lan beside her.

Thinking the princess intended to hand her over to Yang An,

Lan clung to Qin Guo'er's leg and pleaded, "Your Highness, you mustn’t! This servant cannot bear to be apart from you for even a single day!"

Glancing at Lan’s ample and rather indecent bosom,

Princess Anle replied indifferently, "Rise. You are my right hand. I never had any intention of sending you away."

Lan was overjoyed at these words.

Standing proudly beside Qin Guo'er, she straightened her back—

Only making her chest appear even more scandalous.

Unable to bear the sight, Qin Guo'er turned away. All eight palace maids were too beautiful to give away, so her gaze finally settled on Manman.

Completely absorbed in eating,

Manman was stuffing her mouth with crispy cakes, utterly oblivious to the situation.

When Qin Guo'er looked at her,

Manman hesitated for a moment, her mouth full of crumbs, then turned her head away with an air of heroic sacrifice and extended the half-eaten sesame cake in her hand.

Qin Guo'er smiled. "Manman, it’s you then."

"You’re no longer a child and can’t remain a little maid forever. From now on, you’ll follow Yang An and serve as his attendant."

"Protect him and his family when necessary."

Manman froze as if struck by lightning.

The crispy cake suddenly lost its flavor. But just as her little face began to crumple, Qin Guo'er added, "Don’t worry. Even if you’re no longer by my side, I won’t let you go hungry. If you agree, your rations will be doubled."

The cake instantly tasted delicious again.

Manman nodded vigorously. Qin Guo'er seemed to remember something and called Manman over, whispering a couple of instructions in her ear.

Once Manman memorized them,

She clamped the cake between her teeth, trotted over on her short legs,

Thump thump thump.

And stopped in front of Yang An, tilting her head up to stare at him with wide eyes.

Yang An looked down at the tiny figure before him—barely reaching his waist, no older than eleven or twelve—and felt his face twitch.

Is this damned woman mocking me?!

How is this little runt supposed to protect anyone?!

If trouble comes, I’ll probably end up having to protect her instead!

As if reading his thoughts,

Qin Guo'er said, "Don’t worry. Manman is quite capable."

Yang An had serious doubts about the word "capable." Every single one of the eight palace maids present seemed more formidable than this tiny bean sprout. He strongly demanded that the damned princess assign him someone more competent—

Lan would be perfect. Or even the twin sisters.

But the moment he voiced this request,

Princess Anle smiled—a cold, unsettling smile—and, as if transformed into a different person, icily dismissed him: "You have your attendant. Now get out."

Yang An was speechless.

What the hell? Why the sudden mood swing?!

He couldn’t begin to fathom what went on in Princess Anle’s mind, but he wasn’t keen on staying anyway.

Worried about his sister and brother-in-law at home,

He realized it was nearly noon. He didn’t know how they’d react upon discovering his absence—would they be frantic with concern?

Glancing at Manman, who was still munching away,

He resigned himself. Fine, a tiny bean sprout is better than nothing. In a pinch, I can always toss her out as a distraction.

Leading her out of the grand hall,

Yang An stepped into the courtyard of the estate. The snowfall was tapering off, the sky less gloomy than yesterday. The sun would soon break through.

Taking a deep breath of the crisp, cold air,

He was about to stride away when—

He suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Manman, still nibbling on her cake, didn’t notice and bumped her forehead into Yang An’s lower back.

Her pastry nearly tumbled to the ground.

Frowning at him in annoyance,

She watched as Yang An hesitated, patting his waist, then turned and marched back into the hall.

Princess Anle, sulking over her lost appetite, was resting her chin on her hand, pondering how best to punish Yang An next—

When the sound of returning footsteps reached her.

She looked up to see Yang An standing there again and asked coldly, "What do you want?"

Yang An didn’t answer.

Spotting the gleaming dagger lying on the fur rug, he picked it up and slid it back into his belt.

Qin Guo'er blinked in surprise.

"You came back just for this dagger?"

Obviously.

What else would I be here for?

A blade that could slice through metal was too precious to leave behind.

Afraid the damned princess might reclaim it, Yang An said, "Though this dagger was something Your Highness discarded, to me, it is a treasured gift. Carrying it with me at all times will be like having Your Highness by my side."

The storm clouds in Qin Guo'er’s heart instantly scattered.

Her eyes sparkled like stars as she scolded playfully, "You scoundrel! Full of sweet lies—not a word of it is true!"

"Don’t you dare say such things again!"

Yang An hastily agreed and prepared to leave once more.

But Qin Guo'er called out, "Wait. Lan, fetch him a pouch of gold leaves. And that 'Thousand-Face Mask' from the treasury—it’s just a child’s toy—give that to him as well."