"Third brother, do you think there are any flaws in this matter?" Inside the palace, the Demon Lord asked Yu Jinshuo beside him.
Yu Jinshuo nodded: "Everything is perfect, except..."
"Third brother, do you think there's anything wrong with this?" The Demon Lord leaned forward slightly and asked anxiously. This was a major matter concerning his position as Demon Lord. If he made any mistakes and displeased that person, the consequences would be beyond his ability to bear.
Yu Jinshuo hesitated for a moment before asking hesitantly, "Why...why did he come in person?"
I haven't been able to figure it out since I heard the news.
Isn't that person someone who doesn't like to go out and about?
Why did they have to come to the palace to personally receive the sacrificial offerings?
"Well...who knows?" The Demon Lord smiled bitterly and slumped back in his chair. "That person's temper is unpredictable; who knows what he's thinking?"
What the Demon Lord feared most was that person still harbored resentment about Qing Li's matter, fearing that he would be enraged.
"In any case, the banquet three days from now must be prepared in a grand manner, and this matter will be left to my third brother to handle." The Demon Lord sighed softly, somewhat resigned to his fate.
"Yes," Yu Jinshuo replied, bowing.
For the past three days, the scions of all the major families in the city have been nervously preparing. In fact, they had heard of that person's name many times before. Someone even the Demon Lord feared, they dared not even think about.
I heard that he was bloodthirsty and that anyone who offended him died a gruesome death. Even people who were used to torture would be horrified by his methods of torturing people.
It is said that he has an unpredictable temperament; one second he may be chatting and laughing with someone, and the next second he may kill the other person without blinking an eye.
In short, there were too many legends about that person, which made the young masters of various noble families who were going to attend the royal banquet uneasy, fearing that they might accidentally arouse that person's interest at the banquet and be tormented to the point of wishing they were dead.
People outside were worried, and Qin Xiu was worried too. In three days, she had no chance at all.
Forget about mentioning the previous engagement to the prince, we can't even meet him, we can't even find a trace of him.
As dusk approached, Huan Cui brought several maids carrying trays, which were then lined up in Liu Lan Yan's room.
"What are you trying to do?" Qin Xiu hurriedly stepped in front of Liu Lanyan, protecting her behind her like a ruffled hen.
Seeing Qin Xiu's actions, Huan Cui couldn't help but laugh: "I say, Qin Xiu, you don't need to be so nervous."
Seeing Qin Xiu's nervous reaction made Huan Cui feel inexplicably comfortable.
"Miss, you're worried she won't have nice clothes and will embarrass the Liu family at the banquet. So, we've bestowed some nice things upon her to dress her up." Huan Cui waved her hand, and the maids behind her put down all the items.
"My young lady is also going to the banquet?" Qin Xiu's heart tightened, and she exclaimed in disbelief.
She genuinely didn't want Liu Lanyan to attend any banquet at the palace. Everyone knew that the important guest at this banquet was that person; the other scions of noble families had no way to avoid it, and her young lady wasn't usually a particularly favored person, so she probably wouldn't receive an invitation.
This is probably Liu Xinrong's doing again.
“Of course, the Lord said that all the scions of the major families must participate. Isn’t Liu Lanyan a scion of a major family?” Huan Cui repeated Liu Xinrong’s words, and seeing Qin Xiu’s expression of wanting to resist but being powerless, she secretly laughed.
This troublesome girl, I'll make sure she steals the spotlight at the banquet this time.
"This..." Qin Xiu was left speechless by Huan Cui's words.
Go, Liu Xinrong definitely has a scheme up her sleeve.
If I don't go, wouldn't that be equivalent to automatically giving up my status as a young lady?
Just as Qin Xiu was in a dilemma, Liu Lanyan excitedly exclaimed, "Are we going to a banquet? Will there be lots of delicious food?"
"Yes, there's so much delicious food, we can't possibly eat it all." Huan Cui smiled maliciously, wondering if Liu Lanyan would eat too much and die.
"Okay, okay, I want to go, Aunt Qin, I want to go." Liu Lanyan tugged at Qin Xiu's sleeve, shaking it incessantly, and pleaded.
"Qin Xiu, you'd better hurry up and help Liu Lanyan get ready, lest we be late," Huan Cui said haughtily before turning and leaving.
Qin Xiu looked at the dresses and makeup, gritted her teeth secretly, and thought, "Fine, I'll take the risk this time. I'm bound to run into the prince at the banquet."
If she were to encounter him, she would not let the opportunity slip by and would demand that the prince fulfill his promise and marry her.
Having figured this out, Qin Xiu coaxed Liu Lanyan into helping her with her hair and makeup.
Knowing there would be delicious food at the banquet, Liu Lanyan was very cooperative.
The small room fell silent for a moment, and no one knew what was brewing in that silence.
Liu Lanyan let Qin Xiu fuss over her face, her closed eyes concealing all her emotions. Was it a banquet?
Liu Xinrong has probably prepared a lot of tricks, so we must not disappoint her. Things without challenges are very boring.
!
Chapter Fourteen: Whose Trap?
"Why, why won't you let me go with you?" Qin Xiu was held back by two servants, glaring angrily at Huan Cui.
How could she possibly let her young lady go to the palace banquet alone?
"Qin Xiu, this is Miss's order. Besides, with Miss by Liu Lanyan's side, what are you worried about?" Huan Cui raised her chin and looked at Qin Xiu with disdain.
She was worried because Liu Xinrong was by the young lady's side.
"No, I'm going with you." Qin Xiu struggled twice but couldn't break free from the servant's restraints. Her gaze turned cold, and a powerful aura immediately erupted from her body.
Demonic power!
Huan Cui quickly took two steps back to the side; she didn't want to confront Qin Xiu head-on.
"Qin Xiu, think it through. With your reckless nature, you ran into the palace. Do you want to save Liu Lanyan or harm her? Your demonic power is impressive, but don't forget, you are not invincible!"
Huan Cui's threat caused Qin Xiu to abruptly stop her demonic power from erupting, and she stared at Huan Cui with hesitation and worry.
Huan Cui chuckled and continued, "Now that Liu Lanyan has arrived at the palace, she can be considered a representative of the Liu family. Even for the sake of the Liu family, Master won't let her act recklessly, will he?"
Qin Xiu breathed heavily, staring intently at Huan Cui. The resentment in her eyes slowly subsided, and her imposing aura receded like the tide.
With the pressure on her heart dissipating, Huan Cui's tense nerves finally relaxed, and she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This Qin Xiu is truly a madwoman.
"You'd better stay here quietly and don't cause her any trouble," Huan Cui said, then turned and left without paying any attention to the stunned Qin Xiu.
With everyone gone, the already desolate side courtyard became even more bleak. Qin Xiu covered her face with her hands, slowly squatted down, and painful sobs squeezed out from between her teeth: "Master, Madam... what should Qin Xiu do?"
Qin Xiu was worried about Liu Lanyan, and Liu Lanyan inside the carriage was also frequently looking out.
"Lanyan, what are you looking at?" Dressed in her finest attire, Liu Xinrong made no attempt to hide the triumphant smile on her lips as she enjoyed watching Liu Lanyan's nervousness and helplessness.
Liu Lanyan twisted the hem of her clothes, pursed her lips, and murmured, "Aunt Qin, Aunt Qin..."
“We’re going to the royal palace, Qin Xiu can’t go there.” Liu Xinrong’s smug smile was completely at odds with the comfort she was offering.
"Lanyan, do you really like Qin Xiu?" Liu Xinrong's eyes darted around, and she smiled maliciously, beginning to lure Liu Lanyan into her trap.
"Yes, Aunt Qin is the best." Liu Lanyan nodded heavily and said with certainty.
"But Qin Xiu is unhappy, you know that?" Liu Xinrong deliberately put on a sad expression and sighed as she spoke. Unsurprisingly, she saw Liu Lanyan lean forward nervously and hurriedly ask, "Aunt Qin, is Aunt Qin unhappy?"
"Of course she's unhappy," Liu Xinrong sighed, regretfully. "Didn't you see her sighing all the time?"
Liu Lanyan frowned and thought for a moment, then nodded hesitantly: "Aunt Qin... Aunt Qin is unhappy... She always sighs secretly behind my back..."
"I don't know why either." Liu Lanyan thought for a long time but couldn't figure out why Qin Xiu was like this. She could only frown and look very troubled.
"Lanyan, do you want to know why Qin Xiu is so sad? Do you want to prevent her from being sad again?" Liu Xinrong tried her best to put on a gentle smile, tempting Liu Lanyan.
"Why is Aunt Qin sad? How can she stop being sad?" Upon hearing that Liu Xinrong had a solution, Liu Lanyan immediately grabbed her sleeve tightly and asked loudly.
"Let go!" Liu Xinrong waved her hand forcefully, shoving Liu Lanyan aside. Her sleeves were all crumpled by this silly girl. How annoying!
"Tell me what happened." Liu Lanyan didn't seem to care about Liu Xinrong's actions; she just kept asking about the questions that mattered to her.
Liu Xinrong's face was filled with naked disgust, and her voice was stern and resentful: "Isn't it all because of you? Because you have no demonic power, because you have no way to cultivate? That's why your dear Aunt Qin sighs every day and cries every night."
"I..." Liu Xinrong's words clearly provoked Liu Lanyan, who shrank to a corner of the carriage and murmured softly, "But...but...I don't know how to cultivate..."
"Aunt Qin said that this is not my fault." Liu Lanyan pursed her lips and mumbled hesitantly.
"Yes, I can't blame you, but... Sister Lanyan, do you want to cultivate?" Liu Xinrong was like a hunter who had set a trap, waiting for the little beast she had her eye on to step into the trap step by step, and she would just sit back and wait for the results.
"Can I cultivate?" A hint of surprise appeared in Liu Lanyan's eyes.
"Of course you can," Liu Xinrong replied affirmatively.
“But… Aunt Qin said it’s not possible…” Liu Lanyan still lacked confidence in herself.
"That's the normal situation, but, Sister Lanyan, if you had an inner core, you could cultivate, right?" Liu Xinrong finally maliciously threw out the biggest bait, "Think about it, if you had an inner core and could cultivate, wouldn't Qin Xiu be happy? You want Qin Xiu to be happy too, don't you?"
"Yes, of course I want to." Liu Lanyan nodded quickly and said hurriedly, but then she looked troubled. "Where can I find an inner core?"
"Have you forgotten what we went there for?" Liu Xinrong wasn't in a hurry to tell Liu Lanyan the answer, letting her ask herself. The more anxious she was, the more agitated she became. When she got really anxious, she wouldn't care about the consequences.
"Go to the palace, attend the banquet, and eat good food." Liu Lanyan emphasized the last sentence the most, showing that in her heart, eating good food was more important than anything else.
"Sister Lanyan, do you know who's been invited to this banquet?" Liu Xinrong wasn't surprised at all by Liu Lanyan's answer; it would be a miracle if she knew.
Liu Lanyan shook her head in confusion.
“It’s the Lord…” Liu Xinrong mentioned the figure that everyone was so wary of.
"Lord?" Liu Lanyan tilted her head, looking at Liu Xinrong with a puzzled expression.
"Yes, if you go to the Lord and get his inner core, you can cultivate demonic power." Liu Xinrong's lips curled into a wicked smile as she continued speaking slowly and sinisterly, "He is the strongest person in the demon realm. If you get his inner core, you can cultivate demonic power. Qin Xiu will definitely be happy if you can cultivate demonic power, don't you think, Sister Lanyan?"
“Yes.” Liu Lanyan nodded, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"So, don't miss this opportunity." Liu Xinrong added the final bait, watching as the little beast jumped completely into her trap.
Liu Lanyan nodded emphatically, her confident expression making Liu Xinrong burst into laughter. She was just waiting to see the show.
!