"Your Highness, Your Highness, please let me explain!" Su Yuting wrapped herself in a brocade quilt and was about to chase after them when Shen Lixue gently reminded her, "Sister Su, please put your clothes on before you try to persuade them. This is not elegant!"
Su Yuting was taken aback, then her angry gaze shot towards Shen Lixue, and she gritted her teeth: "Was it you?"
Shen Lixue pretended not to know and said, "I don't understand what Sister Su means. I just want to say that if you don't persuade His Highness the Crown Prince, he will leave the courtyard!"
"Your Highness, Your Highness!" Time was of the essence, and Su Yuting didn't have time to put on her undergarment. She grabbed an outer garment from the side, hurriedly put it on, glared at Shen Lixue hatefully, and hurriedly chased after her. She didn't care about Dongfang Hong's opinion, but she didn't want this matter to spread. Otherwise, her reputation would be ruined, and how could she marry Dongfang Heng?
Shen Lixue ordered Qiuhe to call Xiaosi to help Shen Caiyun get dressed, while she stood at the door, watching the commotion in the courtyard.
"Your Highness!" The moment Dongfang Hong stepped out of the courtyard, Su Yuting hurriedly caught up with him, rolled up the sleeves of her outer robe, and stretched out her jade-like arm in front of him, revealing a dark cinnabar mark on her fair skin: "I am still a virgin!"
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow. It seemed that Qin Junhao was indeed seriously injured, and only one of the two beauties could enjoy his attention.
Dongfang Hong stopped in his tracks, but didn't look at Su Yuting. He said coldly, "Whether Miss Su is a virgin or not is none of my business!" No matter how beautiful or wonderful a woman is, he wouldn't want her if she slept with other men so easily.
"I was set up; there's something wrong with the incense in the room!" No one saw Su Yuting apply the incense, so she planned to shift the blame onto someone else to gain Dongfang Hong's approval and prevent the matter from spreading: "If Your Highness doesn't believe me, you can order someone to check!"
"Miss Su, is there anyone you suspect?" Dongfang Hong stood still, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
“The suspicious person is both far away and right before our eyes!” Su Yuting’s cold gaze passed through Dongfang Hong and looked at Shen Lixue.
Shen Lixue frowned deeply: "Sister Su suspects me?"
"Shen Lixue, we're not going to do things in secret. I'm asking you, did you set up this whole thing?" Su Yuting glared at Shen Lixue with hatred, gritting her teeth.
She set up the scheme to tie Qin Junhao and Shen Caiyun together so she could escape, but unexpectedly, Shen Lixue discovered her plan and turned the tables on her, tying her to Qin Junhao's side as well.
"Sister Su, I've been with Crown Prince Hong, Prince Zhan, and Crown Prince Ye all afternoon. How could I have had time to set a trap for you!" Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow, a strange smile flashing in her beautiful eyes. In fact, this trap was indeed set by her.
She bribed the two maids, one in scarlet and one in green, who were by Shen Caiyun's side, to put on a show and lure Su Yuting to Shen Caiyun. Shen Caiyun wanted status and position, and Su Yuting also wanted to find a substitute. She knew that the two would definitely hit it off.
"Stop making excuses. What are you doing at the inn for no reason?" And what a coincidence that you came to the inn on the very day she set up the trap.
"We've been planning to visit Prince Ye for two days now. If you don't believe me, Sister Su, you can ask the guards outside his courtyard!" After overhearing Su Yuting and Shen Caiyun's conversation at Yun Garden, Shen Lixue began to make arrangements. The agreement made two days ago was to facilitate today's plan.
"You dare say you didn't tamper with the incense in the incense burner?" Su Yuting glared at Shen Lixue, gritting her teeth.
"I only arrived here afterward, how could I have done anything wrong?" Shen Lixue asked coldly.
A guard quickly stepped forward and said respectfully, "Your Highness, there is indeed aphrodisiac in the incense burner, but..." The guard glanced at Su Yuting, then hesitated.
Dongfang Hong's gaze sharpened: "But what?"
"After examining the incense burner, the imperial physician accidentally stepped on Miss Su's clothes and found traces of aphrodisiac in her pocket..." The guard's voice grew softer as he looked at Dongfang Hong's gloomy and terrifying face.
"It wasn't me, it really wasn't me!" Su Yuting cried out urgently. "Someone put aphrodisiac in the incense burner and blocked all the windows and doors. I couldn't get out, which is why I was drugged and almost got into trouble. However, when I resisted, I smashed the door. Your Highness, please send someone to check..."
"No need to check. When I came, the door was perfectly fine. It was I who kicked it down!" Dongfang Hong stared coldly at Su Yuting: "I originally thought you were a pure and kind girl, but I never expected that you could know a person's face but not their heart. You did such a shameful thing, and not only did you not admit it, you also made all sorts of excuses. I misjudged you!"
At this moment, Dongfang Hong's gaze towards Su Yuting was no longer one of admiration and affection, but rather one of intense coldness and disgust: "Since you like the Crown Prince of Southern Xinjiang, I will grant your wish!"
After saying this, Dongfang Hong pushed Su Yuting away and strode out without looking back.
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow. This time, Dongfang Hong guessed wrong. The original door had indeed been kicked down by Su Yuting. The current door was replaced by Dongfang Heng's men. As for the guards who sealed the door and windows, they were also sent by Dongfang Heng.
Su Yuting stared blankly at his departing figure, heartbroken and disappointed: "Everything I said is true, why don't you believe me?" She did use aphrodisiacs to scheme against Qin Junhao and Shen Caiyun, but she was truly tricked into using the aphrodisiac.
“Sister Su, if you were under the influence of an aphrodisiac, it would take… to remove it, right? Sister Su is still a virgin, and you've regained your senses. You don't look like you've been under the influence of an aphrodisiac at all.” Shen Lixue’s voice wasn’t loud, but Dongfang Hong, who hadn’t gone far, could hear it. He didn’t turn around or stop, and strode forward, as if he had completely given up on Su Yuting.
Su Yuting was highly skilled in martial arts and had a keen sense of perception. Shen Lixue was afraid that Su Yuting would notice something was wrong, so she did not directly administer the aphrodisiac.
Instead, they asked Dongfang Heng to help them by having someone tamper with Qin Junhao's incense and add something to Su Yuting's tea. Either of these things would be ordinary and unnoticed if used alone, but when combined, they would cause severe hallucinations.
Su Yuting's hallucinations while in the steamy scene with Qin Junhao and Shen Caiyun were also of this kind.
When Dongfang Hong burst into the room, the incense had almost burned out, and coupled with that earth-shattering roar, Su Yuting naturally regained her senses.
"Shen Lixue, it must be you who's up to this!" Su Yuting suddenly looked up, her sharp gaze like a blade, shooting fiercely at Shen Lixue.
“Sister Su, if you dare to do something, you should dare to take responsibility. Don’t just push things onto others. Do you dare to say that you didn’t put the alluring incense in the incense burner?” Shen Lixue met Su Yuting’s gaze and looked over, her cold eyes flashing with a cold light.
"I..." Su Yuting was about to utter her excuse when she saw that Shen Caiyun had already woken up. She was wearing somewhat tattered clothes, standing at the doorway, supported by Xiao Si. Her exposed neck was covered with hickeys and bruises. Her slender body looked frail and weak. The look in her eyes was cold and vicious, filled with anger and resentment.
"Su Yuting, although I was out of my mind after being drugged, I still overheard some of your conversation with Qin Junhao. You are truly despicable and shameless!"
With her secret exposed, Su Yuting no longer tried to hide it, and snorted lightly: "Didn't you always want to be the Crown Prince's concubine in Southern Xinjiang? I granted your wish and made you a true Crown Prince's concubine. You don't thank me, fine, but you blame me instead?"
"Who wants to become a concubine this way!" Shen Caiyun roared hysterically, her gaze towards Su Yuting like a sharp blade, wanting to tear her to pieces. Qin Junhao had already gotten her and would never care about her again. Let alone becoming a concubine, even if he made her the lowest concubine, she would have no choice but to comply. All of this was Su Yuting's fault. If she was unlucky, Su Yuting would not have an easy time either!
---Aside---
(*^__^*) Hehe... Su Yuting's suffering isn't over yet, we'll continue tomorrow...
Chapter 104: The Prince Wants to Consummate the Marriage
Shen Caiyun looked at Su Yuting and suddenly smiled: "Sister Su has also had intimate relations with Crown Prince Qin, so she can be considered one of Crown Prince Qin's women. If we sisters marry into the Southern Frontier together to serve His Highness the Crown Prince, we won't be lonely!"
"My virginity mark is still intact, and I have nothing to do with Qin Junhao!" Su Yuting's smile was cold. She would avoid that arrogant and shameless scoundrel like the plague, let alone throw herself into his arms.
“Your sister’s affair with Prince Qin was witnessed by both Prince Hong and Prince Zhan. Do you still want to deny it?” Shen Caiyun’s lips curled up in a half-smile. “Besides, when you won the zither competition, the mysterious surprise was written in black and white: you were to marry Prince Qin as his concubine.”
Shen Caiyun is the illegitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's family. She has consummated her marriage with Qin Junhao. For the sake of Qingyan's diplomatic relations with Southern Xinjiang, he will give her a title. Su Yuting no longer needs the position of concubine, so of course she should be returned to her rightful owner.
"Shen Caiyun!" Su Yuting's gaze was sharp as a sword. She climbed up to Qin Junhao and then kicked her aside. She really knew how to kick someone aside after using them. She had underestimated this concubine's daughter from the Prime Minister's mansion.
"Why are you so angry, sister?" Shen Caiyun blinked, her innocent eyes looking utterly naive, which made Su Yuting grit her teeth in anger: "That Ice String Guqin, ten thousand taels of gold is a generous dowry, are you not satisfied, sister? If my dowry were half of yours, I would be more than satisfied!"
She knew Su Yuting disliked Qin Junhao, and precisely because she knew this, she deliberately linked the two together in her words. Since she couldn't do anything to Su Yuting, she would provoke her first, determined not to let her have an easy time.