“It’s you, isn’t it?” Princess Caifeng stood in the empty garden and looked coldly at Hu Qianyue, her eyes sinister.
“Your Highness, what are you talking about? I don’t understand!” A hint of a smile appeared on the corner of Hu Qianyue’s mouth, as if she really didn’t know what Princess Caifeng was saying.
“The fragrance of the Cloud Fabric and the pill that was given to Consort Yan, they were all set up by you, right?” Princess Caifeng was not stupid. Even a fool could tell that something was wrong when putting today’s events in context. Consort Yan had a miscarriage, and the Cloud Fabric could very well be the murder weapon.
And the person who had given the Cloud Fabric to others was none other than Princess Caifeng.
“Your Highness, you’re a bit of a wag. That Cloud Fabric was given to you by the Empress, and you have been carefully kept it in the box. How could I have the chance to do something to it? As for that pill, it has nothing to do with me either. Sixth Princess has admitted that it is her palace maid who has evil intentions. It’s none of my business.”
Hu Qianyue was in a good mood now. Although she hasn’t succeeded yet, at least the Sixth Princess couldn’t get a good end.
She had seen clearly from outside the crowd earlier that the Sixth Princess’s face had been disfigured. Ling Mingyan’s sharp nails slid down the corner of her eyes. She wondered if her eye was also damaged. This was truly a pleasant surprise.
“Hu Qianyue, why did you do this? Even if Third brother can’t marry the Sixth Princess, it has nothing to do with you. I heard that as soon as you left, Third brother had started preparing for the wedding ceremony. He was going to marry the Right Prime Minister’s daughter, Xu Ming’er. What you are doing now is to clear the way for Xu Ming’er. I really didn’t know it. I used to think that you were her enemy.”
Princess Caifeng said sarcastically and deliberately accented Xu Ming’er. Sure enough, she saw the jealousy and hatred on Hu Qianyue’s face that she could no longer hold back.
“So what if she can marry my cousin? My cousin won’t like her. It’s just a stopgap the time being.”
The Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands was Hu Qianyue’s weakness. As long as someone mentioned that he was going to marry another woman, she could not control the hatred and anger in her heart. She just wanted to tear that woman into pieces. Her cousin should marry her. Her cousin said that only she had won his heart in this life. Her cousin could no longer like other women.
Princess Caifeng suddenly laughed when she heard that. She waved her hand and gestured for the maidservant beside her to submit a letter. Then, she handed the letter to Hu Qianyue. “Hu Qianyue, I really don’t know if you’re foolish or silly. Can’t you see that Third brother and Mother are just trying to fool you and the Hu family behind you? You won’t be able to go back for the rest of your life. Third brother doesn’t want to take you back to the Southern Barbarian Lands at all. Why are you still fighting for him?”
“What’s this?” Hu Qianyue stared at the letter. Her face suddenly turned pale, and her body trembled unconsciously.
“What is it? Haven’t you been aware of it? Look at the seal on it. It hasn’t been opened yet. After you read it, perhaps you will have a deep understanding of your own situation, so that you can know the next step better.” Princess Caifeng smiled coldly, turned around, and left with her maidservants.
Facing the building, Feng Yuran and Xieyue were sitting by the window. Since so many things had happened here, of course, Feng Yuran would not leave Mo Xuetong here. At this time, she should have arrived at their manor. Through the window, he squinted his pretty long and narrow eyes slightly, revealing a trace of coldness.
“King Xuan, have you really sent this letter directly to Hu Qianyue? Aren’t you afraid of any secret being spread? Or maybe Third brother didn’t give up on Hu Qianyue, and after she read it, she grows so excited that she doesn’t have any other thoughts?” Crown Prince Xieyue raised his eyebrows. There was a hint of elegance on his slightly pale face. He followed Feng Yuran’s gaze and looked at Hu Qianyue, who was standing there dazedly. Then, he smiled slightly.
“I heard that Third Prince’s wedding has been well-prepared in the Southern Barbarian Lands, but he hasn’t come here yet because of General Hu’s obstruction. General Hu is really a reckless general. His daughter has been sent to marry into the Qin Kingdom, but he is still disputing over Third Prince’s marriage with the Empress of the Southern Barbarian Lands. So what if the Empress agrees? She will become Third brother’s second consort.”
A faint smile appeared on Feng Yuran’s pretty face. The bright flowers on his flamboyant purple robe made his face look even more devilish. There was a hint of coldness and viciousness on his thin red lips. He had his own taboo and he would definitely kill the one who violated it.
Xieyue and he had already a.n.a.lyzed the situation of the Southern Barbarian Lands very clearly. They had even gotten the letters that the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands had sent to Feng Yuxuan. The Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands had always wanted to marry Hu Qianyue and Xu Ming’er, so that he could take in the two powerful officials. Unfortunately, the civil official and the military official disagreed with each other. In addition, the two n.o.ble ladies, Xu Ming’er and Hu Qianyue, were enemies. The Third Prince could only marry one and leave the other in the Qin Kingdom.
But he had to prevent the one left behind from joining Xieyue!
Therefore, the Empress and the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands decided to send Hu Qianyue to the Qin Kingdom. Originally, they wanted her to stay in the Qin Kingdom forever. Anyway, she came to the Qin Kingdom with Crown Prince Xieyue, and if Hu Qianyue stayed in this country, the Hu family would blame Crown Prince Xieyue and be more supportive of the Third Prince’s side.
Unfortunately, even though they had planned well, with Hu Qianyue’s stir, it was likely that they would not be able to predict what would happen next.
“I heard that General Hu asked Third brother to take Hu Qianyue back in person a while ago, but he always refused. Later, after the marriage was bestowed on him and the Sixth Princess, and he was asked to welcome the Sixth Princess in person. Third brother also deliberately delayed, because he was not willing to take advantage of this opportunity to bring Hu Qianyue back. Hu Qianyue and the Hu family’s efforts to delay were in vain.”
Crown Prince Xieyue looked away leisurely. He picked up the teapot on the table and poured a cup of tea for Feng Yuran and himself respectively.
“Congratulations, Your Highness. Now that the Hu family and the Third Prince have broken off, Your Highness will be able to realize your ambitions. The Southern Barbarian Lands will be yours in the future. Your Highness, when are you leaving?” Feng Yuran smiled lazily and picked up his cup, saying to Crown Prince Xieyue meaningfully. It had been decided that the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands would come to greet the Sixth Princess personally. It would be a matter of time.
Since the Third Prince would welcome the Sixth Princess in person, Crown Prince Xieyue did not need to stay here any longer. The wedding was supposed to be held in one month, so the Third Prince would not delay too much.
“It will be soon. It should only be in a few days. When I’m ready, I will definitely say goodbye to Your Highness.” Crown Prince Xieyue nodded with a smile. Now, everything was ready, and he only needed to wait for Hu Qianyue’s action. He would hand everything over to Princess Caifeng. As for the marriage here, the Third Prince would deal with it after he came.
“Alright, when the time comes, I will definitely bid you farewell.” Feng Yuran leaned back and nodded at Crown Prince with a smile. He touched the ring on his thumb with his slender finger. Originally, it was a token of Xieyue’s grat.i.tude to thank Mo Xuetong for saving his life. Then, for some reason, it became a token of his alliance with Feng Yuran.
As he looked at the thumb ring, Crown Prince Xieyue’s eyes unconsciously darkened a little, as if he had seen the slender back of the woman hidden in the bottom of his heart. But then, he saw Feng Yuran’s gaze that held a half smile, he became sober-minded again, and a faint smile appeared on his pale lip corners.
“Alright, I will definitely have a good drink with Your Highness when the time comes. However, my Third brother will need Your Highness to take care of him when he arrives in the Qin Kingdom.”
“Don’t worry, Crown Prince Xieyue. Leave this matter to me. You just need to fulfill your potential in the Southern Barbarian Lands.” Feng Yuran stood up in a meaningful manner. He flicked his long purple sleeves and a devilish smile appeared on his handsome face. The beautiful flowers on his robe were not as pretty as him.
“Then, it’s a deal. In the future, the Qin Kingdom and the Southern Barbarian Lands will have a good relationship with each other.” Crown Prince Xieyue laughed and stood up straightforwardly. He and Feng Yuran raised their hands and clapped three times. Then, they picked up the teacup, drank the tea in place of wine, and drained their cups.
Everything had been planned. They had already known the thoughts of some people in the palace. All they needed to do was wait for the right time…
There were no others in Hu Qianyue’s residence, and all the other people were kicked out by her. Just now, she wrote a letter and asked her henchman to take it away secretly, along with her token. When she came to the Qin Kingdom, to prevent accidents, her father also left her a special token. Whenever the token existed, she was still alive. Whenever she was not alive…
The paper on the table was twisted into a ball. Without looking at the familiar handwriting on it, she knew who wrote it. The handwriting was very similar to hers, because they grew up together and practiced calligraphy together. She liked his handwriting and thus practiced it as well. If the two’s words were put together, no one would be able to tell who wrote them if they weren’t familiar with them.
With a smile at the corner of her mouth, drops of tears fell down on the few lines of words on it. Her vision became blurry, but she could still see it clearly.
“… please ask King Chu to find a way to get Hu Qianyue into King Yan’s Manor as soon as possible. I don’t want to see her pestering me again when I arrive in the Qin Kingdom…”
How ridiculous her insistence was! No wonder Princess Caifeng would smile so mockingly at her when she left. She was really stupid. How could she not be stupid? The man whom she had been longing for was trying to send her into another man’s arms and wanted her to become another man’s concubine. How could she accept such a low status of a concubine? Furthermore, she had to see him get married pa.s.sionately?
Her heart ached as if a big hole had been torn out of it. She could not see herself clearly. She was so proud that she could not tolerate such a thing, and was even more unwilling to be a p.a.w.n of that man. She voluntarily came to the Qin Kingdom, so she also hoped that she could leave with dignity and integrity.
The letter was sealed. Hu Qianyue had seen the contents of the letter before and knew that Feng Yuxuan had something to do with the Third Prince. Hu Qianyue was very convinced of the authenticity of the letter. Furthermore, there was a specific mark of the Third Prince on the corner of the letter. As long as the letter was opened, it would be destroyed.
She had created this mark for the Third Prince. At that time, he could not help but hug her, praising that she was smart and promising that he would love her all his life. How ironic it was! The words were still ringing in her ears, but he had changed his mind. He was no longer the cousin who protected her wholeheartedly!
He was the Third Prince, the Third Prince of the Southern Barbarian Lands. Therefore, he only cared about the throne…
Hu Qianyue tore off the envelope in her hand and walked slowly to the front hall. Then she untied the white silk belt around her waist and threw it onto the tall beam of the room. She would not be a concubine. How could she be a concubine? Since she had been abandoned, she was even more unwilling to sacrifice her own body for that man. As she was already dead inside, what was the use of keeping her alive…
