The Prime Minister's Darling novel Chapter 1338

Chapter 1338: 652 during the second watch of the night

Some words should not be overly spoken, it’s essential to just hint at them, commonly known as ’leaving white space’, which allows the other party to imagine and continuously expand the space of thought.

After writing the last sentence, Xiao Hen boarded the carriage and left, leaving only the expressionless Prince Ming standing stone-still in the original spot.

"Your Highness," a guard by his side called out, "Are you alright?"

"What could possibly afflict me?" Prince Ming replied coldly.

Hearing this, the guard understood that he was angry. The guard hesitated for a moment but still voiced his thoughts, "Your Highness, the words of Miss Gu may not be entirely true, they must not be completely trusted."

The guard did not dare to covet the top beauty of the Canglan Ladies’ Academy and was relatively more objective in looking at the issue.

Prince Ming, however, was different. He cast a cold glance at the guard, "Are you implying that she has lied to deceive me?"

The guard said, "This subordinate just thinks it’s better to be cautious."

Prince Ming snorted, "She is but a weak woman from a lesser state, helpless and alone in Shengdu, would she dare to slander the Nangong Family out of nowhere? Moreover, as a young lady, would she go so far to tarnish a man’s reputation to the extent of disregarding her own honor?"

A woman’s honor is more valuable than heaven itself.

Prince Ming’s eyes narrowed dangerously, "Knowing full well that I have intentions for her, Nangong Lin still dares to encroach on what I desire. Very well, indeed very well!"

The guard opened his mouth and then said, "Your Highness, shall I still go and investigate?"

Prince Ming waved his sleeve with a snort, "Can you find anything on Nangong Lin? Longing for the woman I yearn for behind my back, how bold is he to leave any trail? If it weren’t for Miss Gu’s revelation today, how much longer would I have been kept in the dark?"

There were reasons for Prince Ming to believe Xiao Hen’s words. Setting aside her two points, why would the beauty have any reason to falsely accuse Nangong Lin? It brought her no benefit.

By contrast, the likelihood of Nangong Lin pestering her was even greater.

Even he, the proud Prince of the Crown Prince’s mansion, was smitten with the beauty; was Nangong Lin stronger of will or of higher standards to remain unmoved by her?

This line of thinking ultimately led Prince Ming to choose to believe Xiao Hen.

The guard, having followed Prince Ming for so long, clearly understood his temperament: there were things he was truly clever about, but in others, he was merely playing smart.

Hence, he didn’t waste any more words on persuasion, "So... does this subordinate still need to..."

As he spoke, he made a throat-slitting gesture.

Prince Ming’s eyes chilled as he replied with distaste, "Need what? Let him seek his own revenge! How does it concern me?"

The guard saluted, "Understood."

The carriage stopped outside the gates of the Canglan Ladies’ Academy, and the maid gently opened the curtains for Xiao Hen, "Miss Gu, we have arrived."

Xiao Hen, holding the sleeping Xiaojingkong, stepped off the carriage. A trace of playful amusement flickered in her eyes as she handed over the note she had written, "Give this to your young master and thank him for me."

...

Gu Jiao and her party left the inner city.

Gu Jiao looked at Mu Chuan and Mu Qingchen quizzically, "Why are you two also returning to the Academy?"

Mu Chuan shrugged, "I don’t know. I just followed Fourth Brother."

Mu Qingchen paused before saying, "I’ve moved to the Academy."

"Oh." Mu Chuan rubbed his sore neck and, upon realization, suddenly widened his eyes at his fourth brother, "What did you say, Fourth Brother? You’re going to live at the Academy?"

Mu Qingchen replied with a serious expression, "There’s a competition coming up. The time wasted traveling daily could be better spent on training. The folks from Wuyue Academy are right; we can’t win every match this easily. Today’s victory owes much to our uneven opponents. Xu Ping’s skills were greatly diminished. If there had been two royal polo players in one team, our chances of winning would have halved."

"Yes, what Mu Qingchen said is correct," added Wu Fuzi, who was riding alongside the group. He nodded in complete agreement, "There are a lot of competent academies out there. Even without royal polo players, if they coordinate well, they can be formidable. We need to step up our training."

"Is the next polo match still at Lingbo Academy?" Gu Jiao asked.

"Yes, besides the National Master Hall and the Imperial Palace, only Lingbo Academy has a complete polo field."

It was evident just from the arrangement of the stands.

"How many days left?" Gu Jiao asked again.

"Seven days," Wu Fuzi replied. "There are matches for other academies in the next two days. If you have time, you could go watch, but do not neglect training."

"So, are we allowed to neglect our studies?"

Wu Fuzi was taken aback.

That’s not something you say out loud.

You just quietly go about it!

The headmaster in the carriage feigned deafness.

By dusk, the group arrived at the Academy. Wu Fuzi wanted to discuss the day’s matches with everyone, so Gu Jiao had Gu Xiaoshun take Gu Yan back first.

The polo team assembled on the grassland.

The Academy had already dismissed classes, but many students were still gathered around the grassland. Everyone had heard about Tianqiong Academy advancing to the next round of the competition which came as a surprise.

It wouldn’t be truthful to say Tianqiong Academy had never been disappointed by their previous polo matches, yet to say they were completely indifferent would also be inaccurate.

As Gu Jiao and her group rode leisurely into the grassland, they were met with stares from everyone present.

The general reaction was one of astonishment. There were no solemn ceremonies, but that moment of attention made the polo players feel a long-lost sense of glory.