Chapter 495: 252 Palace Examination (two combined into one) Chapter 495: 252 Palace Examination (two combined into one) This situation caught everyone off guard, even the crown princess hesitated momentarily. The moment the bookshelf collapsed, she instinctively stepped forward, trying to dodge the impending disaster.
However, the room was so narrow that taking a few steps forward almost made her bump into Xiao Liulang.
Xiao Liulang heard the noise first, informed of someone’s entrance, then the bookshelf fell and blocked the door. The room had no oil lamp or windows, once the door was closed, the room rapidly plunged into the depths of darkness.
Without seeing the intruder, he simply obeyed the instinct to avoid strangers, stepping backwards and pressing himself almost against the wall.
Xiao Liulang’s aversion to strangers wasn’t recent. Since the time Fen Lin knew him, he found that Xiao was a man with a severe social aversion, but Fen Lin always opportunistically tried to get close despite his unsociability.
The crown princess was somewhat embarrassed by his evasive action. Wouldn’t most men act as heroes in such situations?
Of course, as a lofty crown princess, she would never allow any physical contact with any man outside the palace. Yet, what she allows, and what others do, are different matters.
A delicate fragrance of a woman’s powder lingered in the room, not the cheap powder scent found in the market, but the high-quality incense only used in the court.
Xiao Liulang’s hand paused, still clutching the ink stick.
Although the room was unlit, once your eyes adapted to the darkness, a slender stream of light seeping in from under the door allowed some visibility.
The woman was wearing a pearl-white chiffon dress. Shadows of gold and silver thread adorning the gown, showing faintly in the dim light.
This was an extremely expensive shark gauze, it was said that even with a hundred female fishermen weaving for a month, they couldn’t produce a half-yard piece. Even though this might be an exaggeration, the shark gauze was indeed a rare treasure in the palace.
A palace maid could not afford to wear it, nor could a regular imperial concubine. Normally, the Internal Affairs Department only delivered them to the female rulers of the Harem—either the Empress Dowager or an Empress.
The Empress Dowager was no longer in the palace, and it was impossible for the Empress to leave the palace.
The woman’s figure was graceful, as beautiful as a mermaid breaking through the moonlit water.
It was a young woman.
The room was so quiet that even the breath could be heard distinctly.
Xiao Liulang didn’t speak, nor did he take a step forward with the intention of greeting or making small talk.
After some hesitation, the crown princess was the first one to speak up.
Hearing her voice, Xiao Liulang gripped the ink stick in his hands tighter, but he remained silent nonetheless.
The crown princess wondered, could it really not be Ahen? If it was Ahen, he wouldn’t have failed to recognize her voice…
She paused, trying to approach him, but whether it was intentional or accidental, another row of bookshelf also suddenly fell down, lying conveniently between them.
Unable to ask or cross over, the crown princess was utterly crestfallen.
The bookstore owner noticed the unusual situation, and hastily called for help to pry open the door.
It’s a pity, as the door was blocked, it wasn’t easy to pry open.
The bookstore owner was also worried about his own door and floor, so he did not dare to use too much force, thus delaying the progress of unlocking it.
Meanwhile, the crown prince had been waiting upstairs for a long time without seeing the crown princess return. They had come out together for some alone time, without bringing many entourage, only a coachman and two hidden guards for their protection.
He thought for a moment, and decided to go look for her himself.
The crown princess said she was going to buy sesame cakes, but she was nowhere to be seen around the cake shop.
So he asked the coachman, “Did you see the crown princess?”
The coachman replied, “Young master, the crown princess went to the bookstore.”
The crown prince frowned. What was she doing in the bookstore?
Despite his doubts, the crown prince strode into the bookstore.
Only after entering did he realize that there had been an accident. With a stirring in his heart, he stepped forward, and imposingly asked, “Who is trapped in there?”
Seeing the imposing figure and extravagant attire of the man before him, the bookstore owner respectfully replied, “I didn’t see clearly, but it was a lady…”
“Step aside.” The crown prince commanded in a deep voice.
Everyone was stunned by his aura, and they all stepped aside. The crown prince lightly knocked on the door and asked, “Linlang, are you in there?”
In the darkness, the crown princess turned around, looked at the bookshelf blocking her way, and then looked at the tightly jammed door, replied, “I am in.”
The crown prince pushed the door, but there was no reaction.
The bookstore owner explained, “It’s no use. The bookshelves inside have fallen and blocked the door.”
The crown prince frowned, “Aren’t you going to pry it open?”
“We…we tried, but we couldn’t open it.” The bookstore owner wanted to use an axe, but he was afraid that he might hurt the people inside.