His Highness is furious

"Miss Helian, you should take the flowers. Sending cherry blossoms is not a trivial matter," Empress Murong said to Baili Jiajue with a discussing tone, "Fortunately, Weiwei, this child understands the significance. She knows that you have never participated in the flower viewing party and are unaware of the meaning behind these white cherry blossoms." She turned to Helian Weiwei with a smile, "Hmm, Vivi?"

"Yes," Helian Weiwei stepped forward, gazing at Baili Jiajue and spoke confidently, "Third Highness, you should give this flower to someone else."

She had no intentions of marrying him whatsoever.

As for him, he could marry whomever he pleased.

She had heard that the Emperor had repeatedly urged the third prince to marry, but he had never shown interest in any woman.

That's why the Emperor decided to have him choose a concubine at the flower viewing party.

Looking at the situation now, it seemed that the third prince was simply avoiding confrontation with the Emperor.

Perhaps he had put forth a condition to the Emperor, and no one knew what that condition was.

In any case, he only chose a concubine to deal with the Emperor.

Women held no significance in his eyes.

At most, they could help him get out of his current predicament.

The reason he chose her was probably to challenge the Emperor.

She believed that he wouldn't have given her the flowers if she wasn't considered "wasteful" and "ugly." It wouldn't have had the desired effect of making the Emperor unhappy.

He must be regretting it now.

Helian Weiwei sneered inwardly and looked at Baili Jiajue with a smile. She was pleased to see him make another choice. Many ladies from noble families dreamt of marrying him, especially Helian Jiao'er...

"Don't want this flower?" Baili Jiajue's thin lips curled into a seemingly smiling arc, his demeanor cold like the winter wind, bone-chilling.

The shadow behind him froze.

He knew that his master was angry.

When His Highness was angry, he would laugh, and that laughter was icy cold, making people shudder.

It had been a long time since he had heard his master speak in this tone.

But this time, his master was truly angry!

The consequences of His Highness's anger...

The shadow couldn't believe it. His Highness was never gentle in his methods, sometimes even cruel.

He was indifferent, but that didn't mean he had no temper!

Miss Helian had truly touched his master's sore spot...

"What value does something hold if you don't want it?" Baili Jiajue continued, and in front of everyone's eyes, his fingers moved. Accompanied by his cold, penetrating voice, he crushed the white cherry blossom in his palm, reducing it to pieces.

The surrounding voices immediately fell silent, and the queen looked at his cold and freezing side profile, a chuckle escaping her heart. She couldn't fathom his thoughts at this moment. When she dealt with his birth mother in the past, the queen didn't feel such immense pressure. But every time she saw him, fear gripped her.

Helian Weiwei frowned as she looked at him, the corners of her eyes slightly raised. What did he mean by this?

Baili Jiajue was still clad in his ancient black robe, except for the black jade wrench held between his fingertips, there were no additional accessories. The color of the night made him even colder and more elegant.

Amidst the silence, his long, dark curls cascaded down to his waist, perfectly framing his cold, moonlit facial features. The coldness emanating from him made people tremble.

Helian Weiwei tried to avert her gaze, but he was quicker. He suddenly grabbed her arm, his slender fingers pinching her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes.

They were as cold as a frigid spring, deep and tranquil, like an unfathomable ancient well. Once one gazed into them, they would be entrapped.

It was as if he hadn't expected such a reaction.

For a moment, a pulsating sound resonated throughout the hall.

Helian Jiao'er's already pale face seemed to drain of all color in an instant. She tightly clutched the white handkerchief in her hand, and her bitten lips appeared almost bloodstained.

Even the queen's eyes widened in disbelief.

But Baili Jiajue remained indifferent, as if no one else was present.

The two locked gazes.

In that moment, it felt as if time had halted.

In the silence.

Helian Weiwei suddenly had an illusion, feeling as if there were only two people left in the world—her and him.

Her heart began to pound uncontrollably. What was this man trying to do exactly?

"Do you not wish to be a concubine of the palace?" Baili Jiajue's words left Helian Weiwei stunned. She replied politely, "I dare not."

"Dare not..." He laughed softly. The strength in his hand was not light, causing an icy chill to run down her spine.

Helian Weiwei couldn't comprehend why he was repeating his words.

She heard him whisper into her ear, "What else in this world do you dare not do?"

She simply didn't want anything to do with him.

Even that lie was dispelled.

What an immature lamb!

Helian Weiwei narrowed her eyes, always avoiding provoking this man because her master once warned her not to provoke him.

But she hadn't provoked anyone; she had merely gone along with the motions and ended up being chosen by him.

Now, his expression at this moment made Helian Weiwei's body involuntarily stiffen. After spending a few days together, she had seen his lofty nobility, like that of a god, and his lazy charm when drunk. However, she never imagined that this man could be so terrifying when angry.

Perhaps, this was his true nature.

It was just that he usually concealed it too well, causing everyone to mistakenly think that the Third Highness was a saintly individual who felt neither joy nor anger.

However, she felt his anger today, like an icy rain that could freeze a person from head to toe. It could even coagulate the blood in one's veins.

"You made the choice to speak against the palace... Three slaps," he said, looking down at Helian Weiwei. Those cold eyes carried an undeniable dominance, and his cold sentence held her fate in his hands. "Palace discipline!"

Baili Jiajue opened his hand slightly, and the crushed white cherry blossoms fell one after another, causing everyone to shiver.

Helian Weiwei was also furious, her anger filling her eyes. Had she said anything?

She had merely declined his proposal.

Did she not even have the chance to refuse?

When Helian Jiao'er heard this, a hint of schadenfreude emerged on the corners of her mouth. But she was just a malicious woman, and the one humiliated was still there with His Highness. Wasn't she seeking her own demise? Oh, she deserved it!

She wanted to witness how this little slut would escape this time!