Hu Xiaotian appeared before Huo Shengnan with a pair of red, swollen lips. Naturally, she was utterly taken aback. "Lord Hu, what happened to you?"
Standing behind Hu Xiaotian, Yang Xuan could barely keep from laughing. Hu Xiaotian sighed. "It's a long lust..." His tongue simply would not cooperate. He had meant to say "It's a long story," but it had come out as "lust."
Yang Xuan said, "Lord Hu did something wrong just now, and the princess punished him!"
At this point, Hu Xiaotian could only admit it. Looking the way he did, no one would believe him if he claimed he had not been slapped in the mouth.
Looking at Hu Xiaotian, Huo Shengnan felt both amused and sympathetic. Still, she found it strange. Princess Anping usually seemed so gentle. What had Hu Xiaotian done to offend her so badly that she had struck him this hard? Besides, even when hitting someone, one should spare the face. Why had she singled out such an obvious spot?
Since Hu Xiaotian was having trouble speaking, Huo Shengnan kept things as brief as possible. She was going to Benevolence Garden that evening to keep the Empress Dowager company, so Yang Xuan would be responsible for security here.
Hu Xiaotian merely nodded. Right now, he would say as little as he could.
After meeting Huo Shengnan, Hu Xiaotian returned to the Inner Court, only to find that Xi Yan had shut her door tight and refused to see him at all. He gritted his teeth in frustration. That little minx probably did not intend to give him the antidote. He had thoroughly lost face today.
He returned to his small courtyard in an utterly dismal mood. Zhou Mo was there, instructing Xiong Tianba in martial arts. Both were startled when Hu Xiaotian