The Empress strode forward, her bright red nail polish digging tightly into Consort Sun's fair chin, drawing blood with her force: "Your lowly body must be excited right now, right? This is the only fate for a bastard child born of a bastard! You've been fighting me all along, but what have you gained? Your own daughter, once a high and mighty princess, has become a prostitute. Your life and death are entirely in my hands. How can you fight me now! Sun Qu, you've lost, you've lost completely!"
Consort Sun's eyes turned bloodshot, and she suddenly revealed a sinister smile: "Lin Wan, have you always been resentful? Back then, you and Empress Bai entered the palace around the same time, but she entered the palace legitimately and was then made empress, while you took advantage of the emperor while he was drunk to offer yourself to him. If it weren't for the Empress Dowager's intervention, even if Empress Bai were dead, you wouldn't have become empress. Aren't you resentful? Do you want to hear a secret concerning the emperor and Empress Bai?"
The Empress's expression changed, and she said urgently, "You know? How could you possibly know? You had just entered the palace at that time."
Consort Sun's face shone with a dreamy smile like a young girl: "Because the Emperor dotes on me, even though he treated Empress Bai with utmost respect and never did anything to embarrass her, he still loves my body the most. Men can't get anything out of you at that time, and someone like you who doesn't have that kind of thing but pretends to be dignified can't do it at all."
The Empress's eyes flashed with even more murderous intent: "What do you want to say? Tell me quickly."
"You want to hear? Dare to come closer and whisper in my ear?" Consort Sun said with a mocking expression. The Empress squinted at Consort Sun, but in the end, she still leaned closer. A flash of hatred appeared in Consort Sun's eyes, and she suddenly shouted resentfully, "Lin Wan, I'll drag you down with me!" She opened her mouth and bit at the Empress's neck and throat.
However, the Empress had anticipated Consort Sun's move and immediately slapped her across the face: "Sun Qu, you vile woman, you dare to disrespect me even when you're about to die! Ah!" But the next moment, the Empress suddenly cried out in pain. Consort Sun's eyes widened in anger, and her normally perfectly shaped cherry lips were now tightly biting the Empress's finger. With her clenched teeth and ferocious expression, no one doubted Consort Sun's willingness to fight to the death.
"Beat her! Beat her to death! Pry her mouth open! Hurry!" The Empress screamed in agony, her face pale.
Immediately, someone took a wooden board with nails and beat Consort Sun to death. Each blow brought out a trail of blood. Someone else even took a branding iron and pressed it hard against Consort Sun's fair and jade-like skin.
Suddenly, the room was filled with an unpleasant smell of burning and blood.
"ah!"
☆, Chapter 207: The Death of the Imperial Concubine, the Mystery of Her Origins! (Seeking votes for the company's annual meeting)
However, as the torture continued, Consort Sun's eyes became even more bloodshot, and her expression became even more crazed. She grinned ferociously, her teeth seemingly growing into the Empress's hands. Even with the red-hot iron burning her face, Consort Sun's facial muscles twitched violently, but her jaw clenched even tighter.
The Empress felt as if her fingers were no longer her own, as if each knuckle was about to break off. As the saying goes, the ten fingers are connected to the heart; with Consort Sun biting her fiercely, she felt her heart convulsing. The once composed and elegant Empress was gone; her face was contorted with rage as she roared at Consort Sun, "Sun Tixiang, let go! Do you want to die?!" The Empress trembled violently. Seeing that Consort Sun's expression remained unchanged, she softened her tone, saying, "Tixiang, please let go first. You should know that you are in my hands now. If you cooperate, I might spare your life. But if you are uncooperative and become my enemy, even if I wanted to release you, these servants wouldn't let you off easily."
Consort Sun looked at the Empress with a mocking gaze, as if she were looking at an idiot.
Neither the Empress nor Consort Sun were Emperor Mingxian's first wives; the deceased Empress Bai was. Empress Bai was once the most beautiful woman in the Langya Continent, as evidenced by the birth of the stunningly handsome Baili Chen. Born into a family of military generals, Empress Bai possessed the forthrightness and affability of a military family's scion, as well as the gentle elegance of a noble lady. Moreover, she was very kind-hearted and maintained good relationships with all the concubines in the harem. This had always been a source of intense jealousy for the Empress. Although she rose to become Empress through her family's influence, how many of the women in the harem truly trusted her?
Not only that, even Consort Sun, who entered the palace not long after her, was far more glamorous than her. Consort Sun was not as powerful as her, but the Emperor doted on her. He wished he could pluck the moon and stars from her sky if he wanted them. After defeating Empress Bai, Consort Sun appeared. Compared to Empress Bai's peaceful nature, Consort Sun was much more arrogant and domineering, constantly clashing with the Empress. The Empress had dreamed countless times of torturing Consort Sun to death. Today, her wish came true. Would the Empress let Consort Sun go?
The Empress knew perfectly well, and Consort Sun knew even better. The Empress's gentle words concealed a devil with a heart of stone. Consort Sun's force had already drawn blood from the Empress's fingers. Suddenly, a smile appeared on her lips—a smile the Empress recognized—but when combined with the blood constantly flowing from her mouth, it became utterly chilling. The Empress looked at Consort Sun's mouth full of blood—all her own—and felt a pang of pain in her body and soul. Her eyes darkened with a cold glint: "Sun Tixiang, you're ungrateful! You want to be my enemy? You'll regret this!"
The Empress suddenly shouted, "Guards, bring an iron bar and knock all of this wretched woman's teeth out!"
Consort Sun's expression suddenly turned fierce as she glared angrily at the Empress. The Empress, however, looked at Consort Sun coldly. Her other hand, which was not restrained, extended its nails and scratched across Consort Sun's intact skin: "You wretch, today I will ruin your alluring face. Let's see how you will seduce people in the future. I will make sure you die so badly that even a dog won't touch you."
Consort Sun's face turned ashen, and she began grinding her teeth against the Empress's fingers. If it weren't for something in her mouth, Consort Sun's teeth would have been grinding loudly. Consort Sun's eyes were filled with hatred, which gradually darkened as she saw a palace servant holding an iron rod, about to strike her face.
Consort Sun's face was extremely ferocious and terrified, but she went mad again. "Ah!" she screamed, then clenched her teeth and pressed them down hard. The Empress's face suddenly turned deathly pale, and she trembled, unable to speak. Then she cried out in terror, "Shut up! Shut up! Let go of my mouth, you wretch! Let me go!"
"Guards! Guards, beat this wretch to death! Quickly! No! She can't die! Pry her mouth open! Hurry!" The Empress was trembling all over, her teeth clenched tightly in pain. She kept slapping Consort Sun. The usually arrogant Consort Sun had gone mad, refusing to let go even as the Empress beat her!
The others watched with a chill running down their spines. They were not only afraid of the Empress's reprimand, but also of Consort Sun's seemingly insane state. If they were to do something to Consort Sun now, the Empress might not be able to pull her hand away, and there might be some danger. The Empress, unaware of the palace servants' worries, was now extremely angry and thought they didn't want to save her. She roared like a madwoman, "You lowly servants, what do you want to do? Do you want to laugh at me? Now, all of you, smash this lowly woman's teeth! Anyone who dares not to do so will all die!"
The palace servants were startled and rushed over with their large utensils. Consort Sun's eyes held a mixture of pain and despair, but seeing the Empress's still arrogant demeanor and recalling her earlier words, Consort Sun had to admit that she had indeed harbored ulterior motives towards Baili Le. Baili Le's favor with Emperor Mingxian not only helped Baili Jian in his quest for the throne but also helped Consort Sun consolidate her own favor within the harem. Therefore, she had indeed used her daughter in many ways. But that was her child, whom she had carried for ten months and given birth to. How could Consort Sun's affection be entirely feigned? Some of that favor was genuine. Baili Le, the beloved daughter of heaven, had been sent to such a filthy place by that vile Empress. Consort Sun could imagine the unbearable suffering Baili Le must be enduring.
Consort Sun is also to blame this time. No matter how confident she is in the Emperor's favor towards her, she is not foolish enough to think that she will be safe in the end. Even if she is sent to the Cold Palace as a last resort, her fate will definitely not be good. Looking at the Empress's ferocious appearance, Consort Sun has already made up her mind.
The Empress suddenly shuddered. Looking at Consort Sun's eyes, her heart tightened. Then, she opened her mouth but couldn't make a sound. The pain from her hand spread throughout her body. The Empress stretched out her hand in disbelief. Her right middle finger was covered in blood, but the finger itself was gone, and fluid was gushing out. Consort Sun had bitten off the Empress's middle finger alive.
The Empress trembled like a leaf, and at that moment she suddenly cried out in pain, "Ah!" The sound was so loud that it could not be described as pain alone.
Consort Sun stared coldly at the Empress, her mouth still holding the bloody finger she had bitten off of the Empress. She grinned, a truly horrifying sight. But her next action was even more incomprehensible: she began biting at the bloody finger, blood gushing from her mouth. Consort Sun's voice was chillingly ghostly: "What a delicious taste! I've long wondered what it would be like to eat your flesh and drink your blood. Today I finally get to experience it. Lin Wan, how do you feel? It's quite pleasant, isn't it? You've always been on top of me, but can you imagine now? You have no power to resist. I'm constantly gnawing at your flesh, bit by bit, piece by piece, bite by bite, until only rotten bones remain. Lin Wan, you will die a horrible death!"
"Shut up! Shut up! You vile woman, you vile woman! Guards, beat her! Pull out all her teeth and her tongue! I'm going to torture you to death, Sun Dixiang! I want to see who dies a horrible death, who will die first!" The Empress was furious. Today, she had originally wanted to torture Consort Sun before she died to vent her anger, but who knew that this vile woman would dare to bite back at her in the end? She really bit back! She bit off one of her fingers.
In ancient times, especially in imperial families, there was a saying that a disabled person could not be emperor. This meant that princes with disabilities were not qualified to sit on the throne, and the same applied to women in the harem. A disabled person was not qualified to serve the emperor in the harem; it was considered bad luck. Now that the empress had lost a finger, at best it was an unintentional mistake, but at worst, it made her position as empress precarious. Of course, the empress had ways to resolve this trouble, but it was a troublesome matter, and not so easy to resolve. All of this was caused by Consort Sun, and at this moment she wished she could drink Consort Sun's blood and eat her flesh!
Consort Sun sneered: "Lin Wan, you've been Empress all these years, how many despicable things have you done? I don't need to tell you, do I? Heh, I swear you'll die a thousand times worse than me. I'll be waiting for you down there! I'll be waiting for you down there!"
"Ah!" The next moment, Consort Sun's eyes widened, her body convulsing instinctively in pain. Those people, wielding large pliers and iron bars, struck her body, face, and mouth. In no time, Consort Sun was covered in blood. Her limbs trembled uncontrollably, her eyes wide open. But in her dying moments, those terrifying, wide-open eyes stared straight at the Empress, as if it were the curse of her last words: "You will die a thousand times worse than me. I'll be waiting for you down there. I'll be waiting for you down there!" The Empress's heart pounded involuntarily, and she was instinctively terrified.
"Quickly, throw her out! No, no!" The Empress felt a sudden, inexplicable fear as she looked at Consort Sun's dead body. "Bring all those testimonies here, make her sign them, throw her into the mass grave and let the wild beasts eat her, then find someone of similar build and disfigure them to kill her, do it now!" The Empress didn't want to stay in this room for another second. She felt a tightness in her chest. After giving the order, she pushed open the door and rushed out.
The Queen felt a little better after stepping outside and breathing in the fresh air.
"Hehehe!"
"Ah! Your Majesty, you've arrived!"
"Your Majesty, I've prepared a delicious meal, please come quickly..."
"Hehehe..."
Just then, the Empress suddenly heard a chilling, eerie laugh, followed by someone calling for the Emperor. She turned pale with fright. She had just killed Consort Sun; if the Emperor were to come and see this, even she, the Empress, would likely face his wrath. She searched for the Emperor's figure, but couldn't find him for a long time. The Empress's expression changed drastically. Had the Emperor come and gone? This realization made her even more uncertain.
"Hehehe, Your Majesty, you're so wicked..."
"Oh dear, you're taking my clothes off again, hehehe..."
The unsettling sound from before rang out again. The Empress looked in the direction of the sound, but her gaze finally settled on the courtyard outside the Cold Palace not far away. Upon closer listening, she immediately realized that the eerie 'heh-heh' sound was indeed coming from there. How could she forget that the Cold Palace was home to some madmen? What she had just heard was merely the ravings of a madwoman. The Empress felt even more uncomfortable. She was already extremely annoyed by Consort Sun's antics, and now these madwomen from the Cold Palace were actually able to frighten her? She, the dignified mistress of the palace, dared these madwomen to frighten her!
The Empress walked heavily toward the Cold Palace. The Cold Palace was just an enclosed palace. Originally, it was a cool place suitable for escaping the summer heat, but later, as more and more concubines were imprisoned here, it was long forgotten. The walls of the Cold Palace were raised to prevent the concubines inside from escaping. The surroundings were gray and dilapidated, with the walls tinged with an old yellow. The red gate was now locked with a chain and a lock.
The Empress watched coldly, about to order the door to be opened so she could teach that frightening mad concubine a lesson, when she suddenly heard some rustling sounds. She was puzzled.
"Crash! Bang!"
Just then, the door was suddenly pushed open from the inside. Although it was chained, it wasn't tightly locked. With this push, a head squeezed out from inside. This person had black and white hair hanging down on both sides of their face, and the skin on their face was like pine bark. Their eyes had a hazy, crazed look. They looked at the Empress, grinned, and their yellow teeth were stained with black ash in some places. As they opened their mouth, saliva dripped down. Although only their head was showing, there was no fabric around their neck and collar. Anyone with a brain would know that this person was naked, or at least not wearing a nightgown. The rings of black bruises on their neck made it unclear whether they had been beaten or caused by something else.
"Hehehe, Your Majesty...you've come..." The ghostly figure suddenly grinned, his expression resembling that of a young girl in love. However, given his ugly appearance, he was not at all endearing; instead, he exuded a chilling terror!
"Get inside!" The Empress was so frightened that her heart pounded, and her trembling senses jumped out of her chest.
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty, please hurry back with me to apply the medicine." The Empress had just rushed out while the other palace servants were still dealing with the aftermath of Consort Sun's death. Only then did someone have a moment to spare and ran out to look for the Empress. They found her facing the half-open cold palace door, pointing her trembling finger in a daze. The palace servants found this very strange. Could it be that the Empress had fallen ill due to the shock caused by Consort Sun?
"Someone..." The Empress only managed to utter one sentence before fainting. She had already experienced a great deal of shock today, and she was so frightened that she fainted.
Lan Ni, the Empress's most trusted maid, was startled by the sight. She quickly came over and hugged the Empress, then ordered the other palace servants, "Go and summon the imperial physician. You few, handle this matter and do as the Empress instructs. Be careful and cautious, lest something goes wrong. You all have parents to care for, so be vigilant."
"Yes, Sister Lanni."
The next day, the Empress took the evidence of Consort Sun's crimes, which she had personally interrogated and had signed, to the Emperor. Upon seeing the serious crimes Consort Sun had committed, even Emperor Mingxian, who still had some lingering affection for her, completely abandoned the matter and simply ordered the Empress to deal with her as well. Thus, the most favored concubine in the palace died!
With the death of Consort Sun, Consort Liu died along with her unborn child. Although Consort Yun survived, she still suffered a miscarriage. The only survivor, Fenyan, was promoted to the rank of Consort by Emperor Mingxian to show his pity, and was given the name Consort Yan. No one doubted how high Fenyan's future would be. If she were to give birth to a prince during this pregnancy, she would probably become the second Consort Sun.
The palace is full of snobs. Before, when Fenyan was under Consort Sun's control, the other concubines tried their best to suppress her. Now, they all come to curry favor with her. Even if they don't really mean it, they still have to put on a good show.
Even the Empress Dowager and the Empress bestowed many tonics upon her and gave her a long talk to calm her down and tell her not to take the previous incidents involving Liu Wanyi and Yunfei to heart. Such care was probably something even Consort Sun had not shown back then. The Empress Dowager and the Empress even showed great friendliness towards Fenyan, which made the concubines in the harem somewhat puzzled. If it was about suppressing her, shouldn't the Empress be the first to do it? Had the Empress changed her nature?
How is that possible!
As soon as Ouyang Yue returned to the Chen Prince's mansion, the mansion became lively. The reason was simple: Baili Chen was extremely excited upon returning home. He immediately proposed that the monthly wages of all servants in the Chen Prince's mansion be doubled this month. Then he summoned Tian Shi from the storeroom to organize some items suitable for pregnant women. If it wasn't enough, he would buy more by the cartload. He ordered all sharp-edged items and anything that might be harmful to pregnant women to be put away. He acted as if he were somewhat mad, causing chaos in the Chen Prince's mansion.
Since Ouyang Yue was pregnant, many people came to congratulate her after hearing the news. However, most of them were turned away by Baili Chen. Only a few close friends or those who could not be avoided were introduced to Ouyang Yue. Even so, Baili Chen limited the time for each person to see her, so as not to tire Ouyang Yue out too much, which left everyone speechless.
Sure enough, Baili Chen had only been there a short while before Baili Gan, the heir of the Prince of De, and Baili Nan, the princess of the Prince of De, started to shoo them away: "As you can see, Yue'er is in pretty good health now, but she's always getting tired. She can't keep you any longer. Goodbye."
Baili Gan was so angry his nose almost twisted: "Cousin, are you going too far? We just arrived, we haven't even had a chance to sit down, we haven't even had a couple of sips of tea, and you're already kicking us out after accepting our gifts? How can you do this?"
Baili Chen frowned as he looked at Baili Gan: "What 'buttocks'? That's so vulgar. Don't say such vulgar things. If my son learns them in the future, I will hold you responsible."
Baili Gan's face darkened: "It would be terrible if your son learned to be such a stingy miser like you." Then he looked at Ouyang Yue with dissatisfaction and said, "Cousin-in-law, you saw it too. What kind of behavior is my cousin doing? He will set a bad example for the children. He is clearly kicking away the ladder after crossing the river. You have to have a good talk with him."
Ouyang Yue looked calmly at Baili Ligan and couldn't help but sigh, which surprised Baili Ligan. He said, "Why are you sighing, cousin-in-law? If you think your cousin is bad, you can tell me and I'll talk to him."
Ouyang Yue looked at Baili Ligan with a glint in her eyes, "I didn't expect that after being reprimanded by Uncle De, you still couldn't forget my prince. I know you're staying a little longer because you want to spend more time with my prince, but you have to consider me too. I finally got pregnant. If you're so heartless as to take my prince away, what will I say to my unborn child if he can't see his father after birth? Tell me, how am I supposed to explain it to him? That your father isn't unloving but is just possessed by a vixen, and a male vixen at that? I wonder what my child will think."
Baili Gan's lips twitched. Ouyang Yue spoke softly and weakly, but she was more venomous than when she cursed, making you feel very frustrated. Baili Gan couldn't help but frown and say, "Cousin-in-law, don't you know that my relationship with my cousin is very pure? It's brotherly love. You make it sound like I'm some kind of pervert."
Ouyang Yue's eyes were deep and mysterious as she looked at Baili Gan and said those words. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, as if to say, "You're so clever! That's exactly what I meant." This left Baili Gan speechless.
Baili Gan slammed his fist on the table in anger: "They say birds of a feather flock together, and you two are exactly the same. I, your dear cousin, was going to congratulate you, but it seems I can forget about that now. Hurry up and bring the gifts. I'm not going to put up with this anymore. I'm going back."
Baili Chen utterly despised him: "You still want to take the congratulatory gift that was delivered to your door? How stingy and miserly! And you call yourself the Prince of De? Don't ever call yourself that when you go out, or I'm afraid your uncle will faint from anger. You're getting worse as you get older..."
Baili Gan huffed and puffed, glaring at Baili Chen and Ouyang Yue. He grabbed Baili Nan and tried to run away, saying, "You two wait! You've angered me like this once or twice. I'll get my revenge sooner or later." But he found that he couldn't pull Baili Nan up. Baili Nan just stared quietly at the opposite side. Baili Gan was stunned. Baili Nan had already said, "Brother, if you want to go back, you should go back first. I want to stay and chat with my sister-in-law."
Baili Gan looked at Leng Caiwen sitting opposite him, his face darkened for a moment, then he quietly sat down to drink tea. He didn't make a fuss about leaving, nor did he continue to tease Baili Chen and Ouyang Yue. He was perfectly safe.
However, the atmosphere in the hall was somewhat tense. Leng Caiwen stood up and said to Ouyang Yue, "Cousin, I'm going to check on the kitchen. Your meals can't be taken lightly right now." After saying that, he left. Baili Nan was stunned for a moment, then hesitated and said, "Cousin, I feel a bit tight in my chest. I'd like to go for a walk."
Ouyang Yue said, "Are you feeling unwell? Let's summon the imperial physician to take a look."
"It's nothing, I just feel a little breathless. I'll go for a walk and I'll be fine," Baili Nan quickly refused.
Ouyang Yue glanced at her thoughtfully and said, "Then call someone if anything happens."
"I understand." Baili Nan nodded, and then left with his maid.
As soon as Baili Nan left, Baili Gan sighed, "What's wrong with Leng Caiwen? How did he bewitch Nan'er like this?"
Ouyang Yue laughed: "Cousin, my cousin is the top of the three talents in the capital. He has both good looks and talent. It's normal for him to be liked by people."
Baili Gan raised an eyebrow and glanced at Ouyang Yue: "They're not a good match. Leng Caiwen has a notorious reputation for womanizing, and he's not ambitious. He probably doesn't even care about Nan'er. How can a woman find a partner like that?" As he spoke, his gaze swept over Ouyang Yue, who remained silent. They didn't continue the conversation.
No sooner had Leng Caiwen left than Baili Nan caught up with her. Baili Nan, slightly out of breath, called out, "Leng Caiwen, stop right there!" But Leng Caiwen continued walking as if nothing had happened. Baili Nan was a little angry and couldn't help but shout, "Leng Caiwen, you stop right there for this princess!"
Leng Caiwen stopped and turned to look at Baili Nan, who had been chasing after her all the way. Her colorful skirt fluttered, her embroidered flowers were like clouds, and her face was flushed and beautiful. However, her expression remained unchanged. She simply greeted her politely, "Greetings, Princess."
Baili Nan strode over, looked at Leng Caiwen's expression, and couldn't help but bite his lip: "Didn't I tell you before that you don't need to be so polite to me? Just call me by my name."
Leng Caiwen, unusually serious, said, "Princess, you mustn't; etiquette cannot be disregarded!"
Baili Nan's face showed a hint of anger. What etiquette is there to disregard? Leng Caiwen is a playboy who doesn't adhere to etiquette. Yet he can be unrestrained with everyone but is very polite and friendly to her, though very distant.
The connection between Baili Nan and Leng Caiwen was indeed just a coincidence. Both of them came from wealthy and noble families. Baili Nan was the daughter of a prince, a princess of a country, and her status was extremely high. She was very proud from a young age. However, they both lived in the capital. Once, when they were young, Baili Nan got tired of the maids following her and secretly ran away. Who knew that she would get lost? Getting lost was not a big deal. She even fell into a stream. Actually, the stream was not deep and could not drown a person, but Baili Nan was so frightened that she did not think about such things and just splashed around. Just then, a handsome young man appeared.
Give me your hand!
With just these words, Baili Nan, who was filled with fear at the time, was calmed down. Baili Nan subconsciously reached out to hold the boy's hand. The boy's hand was very big, at least much bigger than Baili Nan's when she was still young. The boy was also very strong. With just a lift, Baili Nan found herself standing on the shore. Only then did she notice the boy's appearance. He was an extremely handsome young man with expressive peach-blossom eyes.
Every girl has a hero she admires, and at this moment, this boy became Baili Nan's idol. Later, she learned that this person was Leng Caiwen. However, as Leng Caiwen grew up, his reputation became more and more widespread, but it was not a good one; he was known for his womanizing. Baili Nan once went to Leng Caiwen to scold him for not being ambitious, but Leng Caiwen seemed to have forgotten about her at the time, and simply said coldly, "This princess's affairs are none of your concern, and please don't interfere in the future!"
That time, Baili Nan hurled many curses. From then on, she and Leng Caiwen rarely met. Even when Baili Nan felt she should try to see Leng Caiwen, she had no chance. Several years passed like this, and Baili Nan's longing for Leng Caiwen only grew stronger. However, this man greeted everyone with a smile, but was utterly indifferent to her. This deeply hurt Baili Nan, yet she couldn't let go, often suffering in silence. And she was no longer young; she was actually a year older than Ouyang Yue, already sixteen this year. The Prince and Princess of De had been tirelessly searching for a husband for her, and she couldn't wait any longer!
"Leng Caiwen, haven't you avoided me enough all these years?" Baili Nan was slightly angry. Faced with Leng Caiwen's indifference, she could no longer maintain her haughty and reserved demeanor, otherwise Leng Caiwen would have simply turned around and left.
Leng Caiwen looked at Baili Nan calmly: "Princess, why do you say that? I have never thought of it that way."
Baili Nan looked at Leng Caiwen and became even angrier: "Leng Caiwen, you are a smart man, don't you know what I'm thinking? What exactly do you mean?" It was already very difficult for someone as proud as Baili Nan to say such a thing, but Leng Caiwen's expression did not change in the slightest.
"Your Highness is joking. How could Your Highness and I, who have no official rank, possibly have any connection?"
"You! With your talent, it wouldn't be difficult for you to pass the imperial examination and become an official. Why are you so unambitious?" Baili Nan said with exasperation.
“This is my business, Your Highness need not worry about it. I am just an unambitious person, and I am truly apprehensive that Your Highness would trouble you.” Leng Caiwen’s expression remained indifferent. “I’m going to the kitchen to take a look. Please go ahead, Your Highness.”