Liu Xinrong smiled thoughtfully. As the daughter of the Grand Elder, how could she be without any cunning?
"Miss is indeed very thoughtful," Huan Cui said with admiration.
Liu Xinrong leaned back in her chair with a smug look on her face, imagining herself as a princess in the future, and even as the prince became the demon lord, she would be the queen.
By that time...
Ha ha……
Huan Cui felt a chill run down her spine when she saw the strange smile that her young mistress suddenly revealed. What was her mistress up to now?
At the same moment, a calm and unhurried voice, devoid of much emotion, replied from within the bamboo forest: "The Demon Lord and the others are carefully selecting beauties to present to Your Majesty."
An Yi knelt respectfully and recounted the news he had received from the royal palace.
The moment the Demon Lord made a move, they had already received all the information. It could be said that they had control over every move in the palace.
"Does the Lord still want to keep those people?" An Yi was a little worried. Last time Qing Li broke in, it was because the people presented by the Demon Lord secretly let Qing Li in. How could the Lord allow such a thing to happen again?
After An Yi finished speaking, he did not receive any response from the Venerable Lord. He felt somewhat uneasy. Could it be that the matter of the Demon Lord had completely angered the Venerable Lord?
"It's summer..." A gentle voice, as clear as a mountain spring, slowly rang out, but what did these three words have to do with what he had just reported?
An Yi knelt on the ground, puzzled, not daring to look up at the Lord's expression. He could only make wild guesses in his mind, wondering what the Lord was planning.
Are there fewer dead branches on the mountain?
"Ah?" Even the usually composed An Yi couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, responding in a trembling voice, "This subordinate is terrified and does not understand the Lord's meaning. Please enlighten me, Lord."
"An Yi, send someone to the mountains to get some firewood, so that some people won't have to work so hard chopping wood." The sudden teasing voice made An Yi breathe a sigh of relief, and he respectfully greeted the person who came, "Steward."
"Aren't you going yet?" Peng Zhen walked over, casually sat down on a chair next to him, and ordered An Yi.
An Yi was slightly taken aback, wondering what it had to do with him that someone was chopping wood. He looked up in confusion and met Peng Zhen's half-smiling eyes. Then, recalling the Demon Lord's abnormal behavior that day, he immediately understood.
He knew in his heart that An Yi still hadn't made a move, and the Venerable Lord hadn't yet given instructions on what to do about the Demon Lord's situation.
"Why should Your Excellency worry about those matters? An Yi, you should hurry up and attend to more important matters," Peng Zhen said with a smile, leaving An Yi stunned.
The matter of the Demon Lord is not worth mentioning; in the Lord's heart, chopping wood is more important.
An Yi felt a little dizzy, and groggily bowed and got up to carry out the Lord's orders.
The Lord has been acting very strangely lately. Could it be that the Lord is planning something big?
!
Chapter Seven: A Small Gathering at the Prince's Mansion
"My Lord, that woman is quite special." Peng Zhen joked with a smile. He had followed the Lord for nearly a thousand years, but he had never seen the Lord care so much about anyone.
"Peng Zhen..." A gentle, spring-like voice called his name, making Peng Zhen immediately become serious. Could it be that the Lord wanted to ask about the outcome of that matter?
Just as he was about to reply, he heard a chill in the March breeze: "You're very free?"
Startled, Peng Zhen immediately dropped his playful expression and sat up straight: "Your Excellency, that matter is..."
A gentle breeze swept through the hall as Peng Zhen's respectful and serious voice meticulously reported the results of his investigation.
Ironically, the person who should have been listening most attentively was lazily nestled in the soft couch, his eyes half-closed, seemingly half-asleep but not really paying attention as he listened to Peng Zhen's words absentmindedly.
My thoughts have drifted away without me realizing it. It's almost noon, so going back now shouldn't be too sunny, and carrying a basket of firewood shouldn't be too tiring.
Thinking this in a daze, she completely forgot that Peng Zhen was still beside her, and let her mind relax and slowly drift off to sleep.
Hearing the even, faint breathing, Peng Zhen stopped talking, sighed softly, looked at the gentle man sleeping on the soft couch, and shook his head helplessly.
This matter concerns the Lord's own affairs, yet he hasn't taken it to heart at all.
He was reporting respectfully, but he didn't miss the Lord's sleepy gaze glancing out the window. He had also heard An Yi mention the things that had caused the Lord to act strangely.
He was extremely curious about that woman. What kind of woman could make the Lord lose his composure like that?
"Aunt Qin, Aunt Qin, I'm done!" Liu Lanyan excitedly grabbed the bamboo basket full of firewood and ran to Qin Xiu.
"Oh dear, my lady." Qin Xiu caught Liu Lanyan as she rushed over, afraid that she would fall and get hurt if she ran too fast. "I told you, I'll just chop the wood, and you can sit over there, Miss."
The reason she let her mistress come out with her was because there wasn't a single good person in the manor. If they bullied her, it would be safer for her to have her mistress by her side.
"Aunt Qin, look, I've finished." Liu Lanyan smiled and pulled the large bamboo basket in front of Qin Xiu, which was filled with firewood.
"Miss, how did you get here so fast?" Qin Xiu stared in surprise at the bamboo basket slowly filling with firewood. Wasn't Miss supposed to be without demonic power?
“There were a lot of dry branches over there, so I broke off some.” Liu Lanyan smiled and tugged at Qin Xiu’s arm. “Aunt Qin, we have firewood to cook now.”
"Okay. Okay." Qin Xiu's eyes were red-rimmed. Looking at Liu Lanyan's innocent smile on her face, which was covered in dust from somewhere, she felt a pang of sadness. "Miss, let's go back, let's go back."
As she spoke, she carried the half-basket of firewood she had chopped on her back and walked back.
It wasn't that she didn't want to use her demonic powers to chop wood, but rather that it would take a very long time to recover after using them.
Therefore, no one will use demonic power lightly unless absolutely necessary.
Fortunately, their demon realm is sealed off, and all demons born within can transform into human form. The only difference is that some demons can cultivate demonic power, while others cannot.
Her young lady happens to be the kind of person who can't cultivate demonic power. She used to be pampered by the master, but now... sigh...
All she could do was her best to protect the young lady.
I hope to find a powerful backer for Miss soon. I wonder if Prince Yu Jinshuo is reliable or not.
Would a prince who is so highly regarded by everyone be arrogant and look down on his young lady?
Now she is in a dilemma. She wants her young lady to marry into the royal family as soon as possible, since that is her only support. Once she marries into the royal family, Liu Jinli and the others will no longer be able to scheme against her.
But with the young lady's current state of mind... is marrying into the royal family a blessing or a curse?
"Come on, Miss, let's go home and have dinner." Qin Xiu carried a bamboo basket and pulled Liu Lanyan towards the Liu residence, secretly planning to find an opportunity to get to know the Third Prince.
Once Qin Xiu and the others had gone far away, An Yi finally appeared under the shade of a tree, gazing helplessly at the direction Liu Lanyan and the others had left.
Why is he here?
Why did you manage to get a pile of firewood here?
An Yi pressed his aching forehead. Oh well, since it was the Lord's order, he would obey.
Having figured this out, he turned around and disappeared into the mountains.
Two days later, several young ladies and gentlemen from prominent families gathered at the Prince's residence. The Prince's cousin, who was on good terms with Liu Xinrong and loved lively gatherings, used this opportunity to enter the Prince's residence and explain the previous incident to the Prince.
"Xinrong, why did you bring her along?" Inside the Prince's mansion, several people were enjoying wine and conversation in the pavilion when Xie Xinxiu looked up and saw Liu Xinrong bringing Liu Lanyan in. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and her face showed displeasure.
"Two days ago, Sister Lanyan accidentally offended the Prince. Today, she has come here specifically to apologize to the Prince." Liu Xinrong smiled politely as she entered the pavilion.
"She's bold enough to offend her cousin, but with her personality, it's hard for her not to offend people." Xie Xinxiu raised her eyebrows, her smile filled with undisguised sarcasm.
"Yes, Lanyan was a bit rash and offended the Prince. That's why I brought her here to apologize to the Prince." Liu Xinrong smiled subtly. At first glance, she seemed like a good older sister who always protected her younger sister, but upon closer inspection, her words were all about criticizing Liu Lanyan.
To become a prince's wife, besides being outstanding in appearance and having a certain family background, being sensible and understanding is also crucial.
"Sister Lanyan, please sit down," Liu Xinrong said, turning to take meticulous care of Liu Lanyan.
When Xie Xinxiu saw Liu Lanyan sitting in the last seat on the outside, she didn't say anything more, but she was very satisfied with Liu Xinrong's arrangement.
"Xinrong, you've come at an inopportune time. My cousin has been summoned to the palace by the Demon Lord for important matters to discuss," Xie Xinxiu said with a smile.
"Something to discuss?" Liu Xinrong turned her gaze to Yu Xinyi, who was drinking heartily beside her. "Your Highness, why are you still here?"
"What's the fun in holding meetings? Nothing beats this place! Fine wine, delicious food, and beautiful women by your side." Yu Xinyi paid no attention to Liu Xinrong's words, seemingly oblivious to the implications in them.
As a dignified prince of the demon realm, when the demon lord had important matters to discuss, he didn't feel anything was amiss even without him by his side.
"Since we're all gathered here today, how can we not have some entertainment?" Xie Xinxiu suggested, raising an eyebrow.
"Good idea."
"I was just feeling bored with just drinking."
Xie Xinxiu's suggestion was immediately echoed by everyone. Who would object to the suggestion from the prince's cousin?
A knowing glint flashed in Yu Xinyi's eyes. It seemed that Xie Xinxiu disliked Liu Lanyan and wanted to embarrass her in public.
However… Yu Xinyi tilted her head back and drank the fine wine in her glass, secretly smiling to herself. How would she face this time?
He was extremely looking forward to it.
!
Chapter 8 Deliberately Making Things Difficult
“Why don’t we play a tune to liven things up?” one of the ladies suggested.
“When it comes to musical instruments, who can compare to Miss Xie?” another young lady immediately praised.
Their words immediately drew a chorus of agreement, with everyone praising Xie Xinxiu's superb piano skills. Towards the end, they even went so far as to say that this music should only exist in heaven, and could only be heard a few times in the human world.
Yu Xinyi poured herself a drink and continued drinking, seemingly oblivious to the flattery she received.
The people of the demon realm now only know how to scheme against each other. Do they think that by sealing off their space, the demon realm can become its own world and live in peace?
"Miss Xie is the prince's cousin, how could she condescend to play for us?"
"Yes, we have misspoke."
A group of young masters and ladies were very familiar with this kind of flattery. They knew how to flatter in a way that hit the mark and made the person being flattered feel comfortable all over.
"What's wrong with that? Let's all have some fun. There's no such rule," Xie Xinxiu said with a smile. "Come on, get my zither."