Chapter 259

Whether the people were willing to believe it or not, it had already become a fact to them that “Lin Mu” was actually Chu Xiang in disguise. Moreover, all the evidence discovered proved this very fact. Due to this sudden turn of events, Lee Bohan ended up getting into a quarrel with Chu Xiang and forbid her from leaving the palace again.

“Now that everyone knows that you’re my royal concubine and not simply a mere subordinate of mine. Do you know what this implies? You’re now going to be on everyone’s radar — a target that all our enemies will be waiting for an opportunity to pounce on. You’ll face the same danger as me whenever you go out. Don’t you understand?”

Chu Xiang stared at him calmly and waited for a moment before asking, “Are you actually worried about me? Or are you simply afraid of the consequences of having me around you?”

Lee Bohan replied in a startled manner, “What do you mean? Me, afraid of you? Don’t you believe me when I said that I’m worried about your safety?”

Chu Xiang shook her head. “I do believe that you’re worried about me, but ask yourself honestly. When you realized in your mind that I was a lot more capable than you initially imagined, did your heart not waver even the slightest bit in fear of the consequences? You need not deny this fact. For if you don’t feel this way, I believe that you don’t have what it takes to become emperor.”

Naturally, Lee Bohan did indeed have such a feeling of fear lingering around his heart. In fact, his first reaction after witnessing Chu Xiang’s true abilities was a mix of fear and shock. However, since he was also in love with Chu Xiang, he never really had any thoughts about doing anything to her. He only ever hoped for things to not get too out of control. But when he looked at Chu Xiang’s clear eyes, he could not utter even a single word, simply just speechless.

Chu Xiang had seen through his facade completely. As something standing in such a position, he could not wholeheartedly place his trust on just a single person either. Once again, their contradicting ideas had caused him to feel a deep sense of helplessness.

As the silence in the room extended, the two of them gradually began drifting further away from one another without either of them realizing. Clearly facing one another with their own respective ideals, they could no longer return back to the innocent times when they first met. They could no longer return to the intimate moments they shared before the start of the civil war.

Taking everything up till this day into account, were they not just mutually using each other from the very beginning? But what about his feelings for her? Even he could help but find such feelings ridiculous. In spite of that, his mind — compared to Chu Xiang — nevertheless felt trapped by those exact emotions. In this situation, however, he was the bringer of his own sorrows.

In the midst of this heavy silence, Lee Bohan moved out of the room which they had shared together for the past five years. Still, he was not willing to let Chu Xiang roam freely outside. At this point, even he himself felt unsure about how he should face her.

Despite this setback, Chu Xiang had long since prepared herself for this turn of events and set her mind on acting as Concubine Qin in the Royal Palace of Qin. Meanwhile, after everyone learned that she was Lin Mu, their attitude towards her had also taken a complete turn — from that of loathing into reverence. Without anyone trying to stir up any problems with her any longer, she lived her days in comfort. But as expected, she also sent out a message to her people, ordering them to stop supporting Lee Bohan.

Throughout these years, Chu Xiang had always taken the lead to provide the Army of Qin with all kinds of military supplies. Although there may have been other merchants supporting the military, without Chu Xiang’s support, an obvious shortfall in the funding of their supplies naturally emerged as a major problem. Thus, Lee Bohan’s advisors hastily went to him to discuss the situation.

Previously, each and every one of these advisors had been disgusted with Chu Xiang as they truly believed that she intended to bewitch their leader. In fact, several of them were even trying to figure out a way to remove her from her position. Only after hearing the news about how Lin Mu was actually Chu Xiang and how she would no longer support Lee Bohan did they realize her true importance. As such, they rushed over to inquire more about the contradictions between the husband and wife, urging Lee Bohan to reconcile with Chu Xiang.

In a fit of frustration, Lee Bohan quickly headed over to the residence to look for Chu Xiang. However, he couldn’t tell whether he was mad at Chu Xiang for causing such a big mess or for not giving him some time to make his decision. Upon seeing her, he could not help but ask, “Is this how trust you have in me? Were you afraid that I would lock you up in here?”

Chu Xiang spread out her arms and responded with an indifferent expression, “Seeing how I can’t take even half a step out of the palace, didn’t you already lock me up in here? Other than living in luxury and having servants to wait upon me, how is this any different from living in the doghouse?”

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