Fang Chuning froze for a moment, then narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice, "Back when I traveled with you to Ningzhou, I did not know you were the Sannan Princess. My father never instructed me to monitor you. It was only when we were in West State that I learned your true identity."
After hastily explaining, he realized the excuse Xie Jue had fabricated, but the act still had to continue. His original intention was to reveal the truth to his father, while also expressing his own heart, even if it meant having his legs broken by his father. He was willing to risk it all, as he had grown into an adult and no longer wanted to live bound by parental expectations. He also knew how turbulent the fallout would be once the truth was exposed—not just with his father and mother, but with Xie Xun, whose reproach he could not endure either. The rumors from society would be overwhelming.
