Only then did Liu Ru quiet down. Fear gripped her in hindsight, and she regretted having left things to chance instead of disposing of those two escapees as well. Otherwise, she would not be living in terror now.
"Thank you for saving me, Your Highness. I knew I mattered most to you." Liu Ru nestled into Prince Changping's arms, looking utterly blissful.
While the two of them basked in their affection, their son was having a far harder time. For pushing Liu Ru over, Xiao Jiping had been punished with kneeling in the ancestral hall for a full day and night.
Xiao Jiping had just limped out of the ancestral hall when he spotted Xiao Ruixuan.
At the sight of Xiao Ruixuan, Xiao Jiping, who had believed he had done nothing wrong, suddenly realized he had made a terrible mistake.
By rights, Xiao Ruixuan should have been the most anxious about his mother's pregnancy. Given how much Prince Changping doted on Liu Ru, sooner or later he would strip Xiao Ruixuan of his position as heir.
From what he knew of Xiao Ruixuan, there was no way Xiao Ruixuan would take that without fighting back. So why had he gotten involved?
Unfortunately, he had realized this too late—but perhaps not entirely too late.
Xiao Jiping's eyes darted as an idea struck him. He limped over to Xiao Ruixuan and stretched out a hand to stop him. "Don't rush off yet. I have something to tell you. You know my mother is pregnant. We don't know whether it's a boy or a girl, but with how much Father dotes on her, I'm afraid your days ahead won't be easy!"
Xiao Ruixuan had only gone out to use the privy. He had not expected someone to block his way like this.
He