A White Horse Enters the Reed Flowers

When Zhu Qinghuan was abducted by bandits, Xiao Yunlan, the bodyguard who was supposed to protect her, was nowhere to be found.

She endured three days and nights of torment in the bandits’ lair: beatings, cold water, and hunger. Through it all, she fought desperately to protect her virtue.

When she returned to the general’s residence, covered in wounds, she witnessed a sight that made her blood run cold.

Her bodyguard, Xiao Yunlan, sat in a grand armchair wearing the ornate robes of the crown prince. Before him knelt rows of guards in black armor.

“Your Highness, the matter has been taken care of,” the lead guard reported with a fist salute. “As you ordered, those men gave Miss Zhu quite a beating. They used every method they could, stopping just short of the final step.”

Xiao Yunlan casually rubbed his jade thumb ring and parted his thin lips. “Mm.”

It was a simple sound, yet it sent Zhu Qinghuan plunging into an icy abyss.

The crown prince?

Xiao Yunlan was the crown prince?

Those bandits… had he sent them?

She bit her lower lip hard. The taste of blood spread through her mouth. Her nails dug deep into her palms, but she couldn’t feel the pain.

Why?