Chapter 256: The Freedom He Could Offer

Chapter 256: The Freedom He Could Grant

Spring light wove itself like silk. Xiao Lingchuan stood by the study window, his gaze drifting past the courtyard’s blooming peach trees to settle on the distant sky—his eyes so deep they seemed to swallow all light.

The coldness had not yet fully left his expression when he suddenly turned his head and murmured a few quiet instructions to Ling Feng, who stood nearby.

Soon after, Ling Feng departed on his errand, and Xiao Lingchuan’s gaze softened once more—as if the earlier aura of menace had been nothing but illusion.

He stepped out of the study and walked straight toward Jiang Shuning’s courtyard.

Jiang Shuning sat by the window, a book in hand—yet unable to read a single word.

Her thoughts had long since drifted far away, circling endlessly around Cui Zhilan’s proposal and her own desperate yearning for freedom.

“Shuning.” A low, familiar voice broke through her reverie.

She looked up—and there stood Xiao Lingchuan at the doorway, the hem of his ink-black robe stirred gently by the breeze, lending him the ethereal grace of a figure from an ancient painting—though his eyes remained unfathomably deep.

“Your Highness.” She rose quickly and bowed her head in greeting, her heart fluttering just slightly.

She always sensed something hidden in Xiao Lingchuan’s eyes—something elusive, like thick fog veiling an unknown danger.

“The spring light is especially beautiful today,” he said casually, as if it were merely an afterthought. “I’d like to take you outside the city for an outing.”

His tone was light—but his gaze held hers firmly, leaving no room for refusal.

Jiang Shuning was taken aback. *An outing?*

Of course she wanted to go out—cooped up in this residence day after day, she felt as though she were suffocating.

Yet recalling her status as a fugitive, she hesitated: “If someone recognizes me along the way, it will bring trouble upon Your Highness.”

At this, a faint, enigmatic smile curled at the corner of Xiao Lingchuan’s lips.

“With your veiled hat, who could possibly recognize you? Or do you truly believe that, with me beside you, anyone would dare demand you lift your veil—just to satisfy their curiosity?”

Jiang Shuning opened her mouth to protest further—but Ling Wu, standing nearby, spoke first, pleading earnestly: “Your Highness the Princess, please go out! This servant has been shut up in the residence day after day—growing moldy!”

Jiang Shuning remembered Ling Wu’s spirited nature, her past as a wandering martial artist in the jianghu—and how pitiful it was for her to be confined here now. At last, she nodded: “Then I shall trouble Your Highness.”

In the past, while still residing in the Minister’s household, she had often ridden out for spring outings. The sensation of spring breeze against her skin was something she deeply missed.

But now, returning to such outings, her status had changed—and so too had her state of mind.

The group left the residence. Outside the city, the outing site bustled with noise: families of commoners and nobles alike strolled across the grassland, dressed in fine silks.

Xiao Lingchuan insisted on sharing a single horse with Jiang Shuning—placing her in front, while Ling Feng and Ling Wu each rode behind them.

His arms wrapped snugly around her waist; his breath came close, carrying a faint, clean scent of pine—like an invisible net drawing her in.

He was naturally strikingly handsome, and even dressed as an ordinary noble scion, he stood out unmistakably—drawing admiring glances.

Though Jiang Shuning wore a veiled hat, she could still feel probing eyes all around her—prickling her skin like needles, making her restless.

“Your Highness!” she whispered, a trace of annoyance and embarrassment coloring her voice. “Please don’t hold me so tightly—people are watching!”

“Shuning, even with your veiled hat, you’re still shy?” Xiao Lingchuan chuckled softly. He lifted the edge of her veil and slipped his head beneath it—his warm breath brushing her ear, his expression so intimate it made her heart race. “Now, no one can see us at all.”

Jiang Shuning stiffened, her cheeks burning.

She clenched her teeth and whispered helplessly, “…Your Highness, this will only invite greater misunderstanding.”

The customs of Daye were not so liberal—and the crowd had never witnessed such boldness before. Their stares grew bolder still, unashamedly fixed upon the pair.

Through the thin gauze of her veil, Jiang Shuning saw their astonished or snickering expressions—and wished, desperately, that the ground would open and swallow her whole.

She murmured softly in protest: “Your Highness, please stop. Even more people are staring now.”

“Since the Princess is so shy, then I’ll take you somewhere less crowded!”

Before his words had fully faded, he spurred the horse forward—and with a sharp neigh, the steed dashed swiftly through the crowd.

Caught completely off guard, Jiang Shuning cried out in surprise, her body instinctively leaning back—straight into Xiao Lingchuan’s firm chest.

His arms tightened further, as if trying to press her into his very flesh and blood.

Wind rushed past her ears; the crowd receded into silence. The vista widened—the intoxicating green of the grassland stretched endlessly before her.

Jiang Shuning’s panic slowly dissolved in the fresh air—and she couldn’t help but laugh aloud, like a caged bird briefly spreading its wings for a fleeting flight.

Feeling her exhilaration and joy, Xiao Lingchuan glanced down at her slightly upturned lips—and some of the darkness in his eyes seemed to lift.

He held her tighter, his voice low and tender: “Shuning… if you wish, I can grant you this kind of freedom, too.”

But at those words, Jiang Shuning’s smile froze on her face.

*Freedom?*

Going out without being allowed to show her face—forced to be accompanied by him at every moment—could that truly be called freedom?

Her heart felt pierced—aching bitterly, making it hard to breathe.

—

In a pavilion not far away, Jiang Yaozhen’s gaze burned like poisoned needles, locked onto the flawless couple riding across the grassland.

She recognized the handsome man on horseback instantly—Xiao Lingchuan. And the woman in the veiled hat? No guesswork was needed. It was her elder sister, Jiang Shuning.

Her nails dug deep into her palms—the sharp sting failing to suppress the surging tide of jealousy within her.

Why should it be like this?

As Princess Rui, she had been forced into frugality ever since her husband’s imprisonment—constantly reading others’ expressions, relying on the Wang clan—her husband’s maternal family—to curry favor, just for a moment’s breathing space.

Yet Jiang Shuning—a notorious murderer—was free to ride openly on this very spring day!

Intense humiliation and resentment consumed her reason.

A thought took root. Her gaze shifted—and settled precisely on the bored young man beside her.

Wang Mo—the legitimate son of the Wang clan’s second household, barely seventeen years old, possessing the most naive and impulsive nature.

A vicious scheme crystallized swiftly in her mind.

Jiang Yaozhen let out a soft, feigned gasp of surprise, covering her lips with a round fan—and whispered to Wang Mo: “Second Young Master Wang, look quickly! Isn’t that your brother-in-law, Prince Jing?”

Wang Mo immediately followed her gaze—and his eyes lit up: “Hey—it really *is* my brother-in-law! Hmm… and the woman in the veiled hat beside him is…”

“Do you even need to ask?” Jiang Yaozhen covered her mouth with a light, deliberate laugh—her voice dripping with calculated temptation and envy. “It’s naturally your sister, Wang Bishan. I’ve heard she’s now the most favored secondary consort in Prince Jing’s residence.”

Look at how intimate they are. It seems the prince specially accompanied your sister out for a stroll. As her younger brother, shouldn't you go pay your respects? That way, you can add to your sister's honor in the prince's eyes.

Wang Mo, unable to resist such flattery, immediately beamed with pride upon hearing that his sister was so favored. Without a second thought, he eagerly ran off in the direction of Xiao Lingchuan.

Watching Wang Mo's eagerly retreating figure, a cold, triumphant smile slowly curled at the corner of Jiang Yaozhen's lips.

She knew the inner workings of the Wang family all too well: the main branch of the Zhenguo General's mansion was extremely astute; they couldn't bear to send their own daughter, so they pushed Wang Bishan from the second branch into Prince Jing's residence.

The hopes of the entire second branch rested on Wang Bishan alone, forcing her to use any means necessary to secure favor and contend for position.

Let this impulsive Wang Mo see for himself which "fair lady" Prince Jing Xiao Lingchuan truly treasures and spends time with.

The show is about to begin!