The Ninth Princess could not bear the shame of it, and raged to no purpose at all.

Heye seized the moment. "Princess, he had to have a death wish. He dared take liberties with the princess, and dared put his hand there. This must be reported to His Majesty."

The Ninth Princess nodded hard, and then asked, "Heye, does the gold pin look good on me?"

Heye: "???"

"It does!"

The Ninth Princess thought about it. "Never mind. Since he gave me the gold pin, I won't complain to my imperial father after all."

"It wouldn't do any good anyway. My imperial father favors him so much... the most he would get is a scolding."

"And saying a thing like that out loud would be too shaming to bear."

In fact, being kissed by Ning Chen just then had actually been pretty nice.

Heye was dumbfounded. That was the end of it?

She dropped to her knees with a thud, her voice thick with sobs. "Princess, save this servant... This servant doesn't want to marry Butcher Zhang."

"What Butcher Zhang?"

"Princess, Marquis Ning said that once he and the princess are married he will marry this servant off to Butcher Zhang."

"What? Did that happen?"

Ning Chen's kiss had left her so light-headed that she had not heard a word of what Ning Chen said to frighten Heye.

Heye: "..."

"Princess, this Butcher Zhang never washes and never brushes his teeth, and Marquis Ning says he likes to eat human flesh, and likes young women like this servant best of all... Princess, save my life. This servant doesn't want to be eaten."

The Ninth Princess snorted with laughter. "Are you simple? Ning Chen was frightening you."

Heye sniffed, still frightened. "The marquis said it very seriously."

"You really are stupid. He says it and you believe it? Do you remember the Empress's brother? Ning Chen killed him for bullying the common people... If this Butcher Zhang really ate human flesh, Ning Chen would have killed him long ago."

"He was only frightening you... And anyway, you belong to this princess.…