Wu Jingshan and Wen Boyuan exchanged a glance, only to see Hu Xiaotian already walking in. Snow had just begun falling again outside. After entering, Hu Xiaotian brushed the snow off his clothes, then stamped his feet to shake the ice and snow from his shoes onto the floor. Once he had finished, he heaved a long sigh. "I tried persuading her for ages, but the princess still insists on going to see the lanterns. What are we to do?"
Wu Jingshan and Wen Boyuan watched him in silence. Go on, you bastard, keep acting. You stirred all this up yourself, and now you're playing innocent in front of us. Who the hell do you think you're fooling?
Seeing neither man speak, Hu Xiaotian knew they must have pinned the matter on him. He took a step toward Wen Boyuan. "General Wen, didn't you say you had men guarding the princess's courtyard and keeping unauthorized people out? Then how did the princess learn about the lantern fair?"
"Uh..." Wen Boyuan had always known Hu Xiaotian was shameless, but he had never imagined the man could sink so low as to turn around and blame him. He snorted coldly. "Didn't you just visit her yourself, Eunuch Hu?"
"So you suspect me, General Wen?" Hu Xiaotian said. "I swear to heaven, if I, Hu Xiaotian, brought up the lantern fair to the princess of my own accord, may thunder strike me down and a thousand arrows pierce my heart." He truly had not been the one to tell her about the fair. In fact, even if he had, he would still have dared swear it. This fellow had never feared such things.
Hearing him swear such a vicious oath, Wen Boyuan could not help wavering. Could the princess's request to see the