Sigh… That was close!

    Nara held her breath as she hid behind a stone lion sculpture not far from the same bush, grateful that the man had interrupted and provided her with a chance to escape. She tried to stay as silent as her life depended on it, crawling on her knees, ducking here and there. Lost, she hurriedly sent a signal for help again, unaware of her surroundings.

    Crack!

    Suddenly, there was a sound of someone stepping on a twig. The footsteps of the approaching figure were silent, light, even though the ground was littered with branches and leaves. He walked quietly but intentionally stepped on a twig beside her ear to alert her. Even though she was now aware, it was too late to escape.

    This person was a master hunter...

    Nara felt a towering shadow looming over her, casting a gloomy silhouette like a solid iron sculpture. The scorching sun was less intimidating than the fierce eyes that now gazed at the back of her neck and her delicate shoulders. Nara lowered her gaze to the ground, catching a glimpse of the dark fabric of his clothes and the four-clawed dragon emblem on the gold pouch hanging from his belt. Instinctively, she knew that this tall figure was no ordinary man.

    The menacing looks in his eyes were so intense that Nara could not move her feet.

    Who said... someone like Nara was ever scared!?

    With a swish of her sarong, Nara attempted to flee, faster than mercury, boasting of being a three-time runaway champion from kindergarten to third grade. Not so easy to catch, Ha!

    However, the strong man merely extended his foot to trip her, and the fleet-footed girl fell face-first with a thud!

    Lying there, embarrassed and in pain, it seemed he could guess her thoughts and stooped down offering a hand, which Nara angrily slapped away. He withdrew his hand and stood back up, waiting to see what this strange woman would do next. Though he stood motionless, his piercing gaze was enough to remind Nara that escape was futile if she was within his reach!

    "Aren't you going to help me up at all!" Typical of women throughout the ages—snappy; what a wicked man, a woman's refusal surely meant she wanted it after all! Nara cursed, wanting to stand but could not due to the pain.

    "Who are you, and where do you come from?" His voice was soft yet authoritative, a simple question, yet difficult to answer under his interrogation. "What are you doing in my mother's palace?"

    Nara chose not to answer. Her best strategy was to avoid any extensive interaction with the people of this era. She struggled to her feet, determined to flee, but he was quicker, securing the hem of her garment. Though Nara lost her balance, she managed to spin and deliver a smooth, natural kick.

    Clearly, she was skilled... He was of the Manchu of Ai Xin Jue Luo clan, accustomed to one-on-one combat from his ancestors. Her unusual technique intrigued him. The tall man stood watching, interested to see her next move.

    But Nara, wearing a tight sarong, could not lift her leg high, managing only to hesitantly place her foot back on the ground before swinging a punch towards his throat. Just a tip of her fist away from contact, he easily brushed it aside as if swatting an annoying fly.

    Damn! She missed it again.

    "Fierce... You decide quickly but not quickly enough,"

    Nara ground her teeth, feeling everything was going wrong. At that moment, she caught his gaze, and he hers, like a predator assessing its prey. This high-born man, glorious as if molded from the fierce sun, his copper skin faintly smelling of aromatic incense, captivated her, rendering her speechless. His perfect god-like physique made other princes seem mere toads.

    His eyes were unsmiling. So what?... Nara was not in the mood to fall for a dangerous beauty like him. Handsome but not tasty, she thought dismissively and looked past him, as a squad of at least ten guards approached.

    "Let me go right now, Uncle!" Nara yanked on her sabai, but he held it effortlessly.

    "Why should I let you go?"

    He was more aggravating than she thought. As she struggled to pull her sabai back, as long as he did not let go, Nara could not do anything. His piercing eyes continued to stare at her like Erlang, a god ready to strike down lightning, prompting her to pull with all her might until the sabai tore from the young man's grip. Nara gasped and immediately pointed a finger at him. "Damn it, Uncle! Do you even know how much this fabric costs?!"

    "I'm afraid I don't know."

    "Arrest her! Arrest her!"

    The guards arrived with their sharp spears. Nara bared her black teeth and hissed, startling them momentarily, but as soldiers, they were undeterred and surged forward like mad dogs. The young man raised his hand once, and they all stopped strictly waiting for orders.

    "Explain why you are dressed like this in the royal palace!" Yinzhen spoke with a calm, terrifying voice. His strong hand grabbed her messy hair, and before he could stop himself, his fingers delved into its soft, fragrant depths, causing him to despise himself for not withdrawing from her delicate form. "Only low-class courtesan dress provocatively like you."

    "Hey! Cut it out, Uncle. Suddenly looking for a fight, huh? You should know that this is a high-class lady's dress from the royal court, worth tens of millions. We spent decades researching and meticulously crafting each step of its creation. If you can't appreciate it, don't criticize it blindly. And you're going to compensate for tearing my sabai!"

    For the first time, Yinzhen felt immense anger, enough to make his eyes twitch, but Nara was equally furious. Did he even realize she could be fined nearly a million for damaging the research materials?

    "Where do you come from then?" he growled. "Explain!"

    The immense pressure emanated from the handsome figure.

    His dark eyes burned, and the heat from his hand gripping the sabai nearly seared her skin. Externally, he was a high-ranking noble, his demeanor majestic as if illuminated by a brilliant light, but Nara pouted and firmly believed that beneath his stern depth hid a ferocity. If he dared to rip a woman's clothes, he surely could kick dogs, slap children, and steal from the elderly without blinking.

    "I'm from Thailand."

    "Thai?"

    "No, not yet. Back then it was just... uh... Ayutthaya! You know Uncle, Ayutthaya?"

    "Ah... Yu... ya..." He scowled at her. Nara had to dredge up her history lessons to reply desperately or she'd be in for a head-kicking.

    According to ancient Chinese records, the area now known as Thailand once consisted of two kingdoms: the Xian Kingdom, which could be Siam or Sukhothai, and the Luwo Kingdom, likely Ayutthaya to the south. The Xian Kingdom often faced food shortages and had to import rice from the Luwo Kingdom until the two kingdoms merged. The Chinese royal court then collectively called the new kingdom formed from this merger…

    "Xian Luo!!"

    "Xian Luo?" Yinzhen pondered the name of the kingdom for a moment before nodding. He recalled it because he had seen paintings in the archives, where ambassadors had ordered portraits of people from each kingdom that interacted with the Qing Dynasty to be recorded. Xian Luo people indeed dressed like this. His gaze softened slightly as he contemplated why this young woman from a distant land appeared in the Forbidden Palace without anyone knowing.

    Nara exhaled loudly in relief. Even after finishing her studies and boxing up the textbooks, she was still unexpectedly quizzed without any points. What a drag!

    He touched the smooth, finely woven sabai that clung to her body. The fabric flowed with her movements, creating a captivating visual. Nara stood still, letting him hold the end of the sabai, but it was he who gritted his teeth, the towering figure glaring at Nara to extract an answer. However, her large deer-like eyes showed no fear of him, and she even squinted back.

    "Keep staring and I might end up pregnant, Uncle."

    Yinzhen recoiled as if he had encountered something spicy.

    Nara decided to twist the red gem, which was used for brainwashing, intending to aim it at this emotionless man. He sensed something odd and managed to dodge the strange beam of light, which narrowly missed him and instead hit Yinxiang, who was walking straight towards them. The guards around were also dazzled by the light.

    "What have you done to him?" The young man roared as he grasped her thin neck firmly, his hand hot and ready to strangle her if his brother suffered even the slightest harm. "Answer!"

    "I didn't do anything really, why don't you ask him, Uncle?"

    Nara pouted and defiantly met his eyes, sweet as if to mock him. She flashed a grin, showing her dark teeth to provoke him further. The young man then glared at Nara accusingly before turning his worried gaze back to Yinxiang, who seemed unharmed and was walking steadily with a changed expression.

    "Fourth Brother, why are you holding her like that?"

    "??" The tall man was confused but still held her thin neck firmly as if a hawk clutching a rabbit. "Thirteenth, you know her?"

    "She is Miss Saraphi, daughter of Phraya Wichit. Her residence is at Wat Yai curve, don’t you remember, Fourth brother?"

    "Phraya Wichit? Wat Yai? What are you talking about?"

    "I don’t know, fourth brother. It just popped into my head, but for sure, she is Miss Saraphi." Yinxiang blinked puzzledly, and while Yinzhen was confused, Nara choked, quickly pressed the red gem, and re-entered the data. But what should she enter?!

    "Uh... He means I am a very important official's daughter, brought into the palace and stopped to visit... uh... just visiting, that's it."

    Nara bluffed shamelessly, unwilling to yield. Now that she had one of the newcomers on her side, why should she admit anything easily? However, Nara underestimated this man. Yinzhen had been tasked by Emperor Kangxi personally to clean up the corruption among the officials, investigation and pursuit were his specialties. The corners of his lips twitched slightly as he twisted his wrist to pull her slim figure to confront Prince Yinxiang.

    "He knows you. And you, do you know his name?"

    She would die, would she not? Nara did not prepare for this. She hesitated and glanced at Thirteenth Prince for hints. He could not keep up with his older brother, so he inadvertently revealed the name without thinking, “Miss Saraphi, don’t you remember me? I am Yinxiang.”

    'Oh, right, right, haha, Yinxiang... Oh my... I was just about to answer, got a bit startled just now. Hello hello, have you eaten yet?'

    ”Hmp!!'

    Yinzhen narrowed his eyes and looked at her coldly, causing Nara’s spine to freeze as she waved her hands to the Thirteenth Prince.

    Traditionally, one would not address someone directly by name except for one’s parents or intimate acquaintances. Otherwise, people were referred to by their titles to avoid rudeness. If one really could not remember a title, you could simply refer to royal males as prince. Such a simple custom and she did not even know it; Yingzhen realized immediately that this dark-toothed girl was lying. She was so slick—if he could not catch her or keep up, do not expect her to admit anything easily.

    ”Entering the Forbidden Palace must be recorded with permission. Who granted the permission? Who accompanied you, and when did you enter? Just a quick check will reveal all.'

    “Why bother, really, it’s a waste of time. Yinxiang already told you who I am. If you really want to check, go bring the gatekeeper and his chief to confirm,” Nara shrugged nonchalantly, appearing completely unbothered as long as she had her red gem. Yinzhen then signaled his subordinate to verify.

    What a tenacious person!! Nara pursed her lips, her hand tense, ready to use the red gem on him once more. But he anticipated this, seized her wrist, removed the gem bracelet, and then gestured for the guards to come.

    ”Tie her up and take her back to Yan Qi Palace.”

    ”What... why?”

    ”To face interrogation before the emperor!”