In truth, Beitang Xing was not trying to force Lu Hou'er now. He had genuinely become interested.
If she had merely been an ordinary woman, even one with a bit of status, Lu Hou'er should not have so openly refused. His current reaction instead underscored the masked woman's extraordinary nature.
Lu Hou'er was also rather curious. Beitang Xing had been born a Prince, his status incomparably noble. What kind of woman had he not seen? Why had he set his sights on Tan Cai'er?
Moreover, Tan Cai'er still wore a veil. Though one could tell she was a beauty, that alone should not have been enough to make a Prince like Beitang Xing utterly infatuated, unable to accept anyone but her, right?
Could there be something else hidden within this that he had overlooked?
Still, whatever he thought in his heart, he had to give the other man an explanation. He could only answer honestly,
"Twelfth Prince, since you have put it that way, I will not hide it from you.
"The woman you speak of is Tan Cai'er, the granddaughter of Governor of Yanzhou and Great General Tan Changming. Her standing in Yanzhou is simply too high. Before I pledged allegiance to Dragon King Meng, I made my living under the Tan Family. Asking me to make a move against Tan Cai'er—is that not asking me to die?"
After a pause, seeing that Beitang Xing still wore an indifferent expression, he added,
"On the other hand, Dragon King Meng intends to marry Tan Cai'er as his principal wife. This is already virtually certain. If I help you do such a thing and it gets exposed, I will surely die!"
In truth, this latter point was the key. Lu Hou'er might not fear the Tan Family now, but he certainly