“Brother, Su Yuting is very clever, and she is the only legitimate daughter of the Duke of Wen’s family. It will not be easy to send her to the Southern Frontier for a political marriage!” Qin Ruoyan, who had been silent all along, spoke up after Su Yuting disappeared outside the courtyard.
She witnessed the contest between Shen Lixue and Su Yuting firsthand. Su Yuting's every move was natural and just right, without arousing any suspicion. She didn't know how Shen Lixue could tell that something was wrong.
What amazed her even more was that Shen Lixue, knowing full well that this was a trap, could still play the instrument in public as if nothing was wrong, enduring until the very last moment, and then launching a head-on attack on Su Yuting. Tsk tsk, the women of Qingyan are all so clever.
"When that mysterious surprise was announced in front of everyone, Su Yuting was already branded as the concubine of the Crown Prince of Southern Xinjiang. She couldn't escape it!"
A cruel light flashed in Qin Junhao's eyes. Although Su Yuting was not as good as Shen Lixue, she was ruthless and vicious enough. If he really couldn't get Shen Lixue, getting her wouldn't be too bad.
"Su Yuting is ruthless. Aren't you afraid she'll plot against you in secret?" Qin Ruoyan had witnessed Su Yuting's ruthless methods of killing without shedding blood. This kind of woman was not to be trifled with.
Qin Junhao sneered, "Have you forgotten the capabilities of us Southern Border people? If she dares to send anyone, I will make sure they never return!"
Wenguo Gongfu
"Yuting, what exactly happened?" As soon as Su Yuting entered the door, the Duchess of Wenguo rushed to greet her. She had just woken up from her afternoon nap and heard the servants gossiping: "How did you become the concubine of the Crown Prince of Southern Xinjiang?"
"Don't even mention it, it's all Shen Lixue's fault!" Su Yuting recounted the events at Jiaowei Qin Workshop with a gloomy face: "That despicable Qin Junhao demanded that I bring Shen Lixue to see her within three days, or else he would come to our mansion to propose marriage!"
Southern Xinjiang is full of jungles, and everywhere there is poisonous gas and miasma. Su Yuting doesn't like that gloomy environment. Besides, Qin Junhao is of ordinary appearance, has a bad temper, and is ruthless and heartless. Any man that the Qingyan royal family can find at random is better than him. She would never marry him.
Lady Wen frowned: "You are the only legitimate daughter of the Wen family and the Crown Princess chosen by the Emperor. If the Emperor intervenes, you can sever ties with Qin Junhao at any time. However, in doing so, you will be branded as promiscuous and will never be able to marry into the royal family again!"
Su Yuting was taken aback: "Then what should we do?" The Eastern royal family is the most noble family in Qingyan. As the only legitimate daughter of the Duke of Wen's family, it would not be a disservice for her to marry into the royal family. Moreover, the person she likes has the surname Dongfang, and her long-held wish has always been to marry him.
"Do your best to resolve this matter and try not to alarm the Emperor. If you really can't resolve it, then ask the Emperor to intervene!" A sharp glint flashed in the eyes of the Duchess of Wen.
Her daughter is the sole heir of the Duke of Wen's mansion, representing the entire Duke of Wen's mansion. She is the object of desire for the young noblemen of Qingyan. Marrying into the royal family would elevate the Duke of Wen's mansion to a higher level. How could she marry into the Southern Frontier, which is thousands of miles away and brings no benefit to the Duke of Wen's mansion?
"I know what to do!" Su Yuting nodded, a sharp glint flashing in her beautiful eyes.
"From what you've said, Shen Lixue is not easy to deal with. You must be careful and cautious, and do not make any more mistakes!" Lady Wen, the Duchess of Wen, solemnly instructed, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. She looked very much like Lin Qingzhu, but she was much smarter and much more difficult to deal with. If Lin Qingzhu had been half as smart as her back then, she would not have ended up like this today!
"Don't worry, I won't use those roundabout methods again!" Shen Lixue is very smart and eloquent. Roundabout tactics have no effect on her. To deal with her, you have to be ruthless and strike decisively.
"You're almost of marriageable age. After you've settled things with the Crown Prince of Southern Xinjiang, have your father go to the palace to discuss your marriage with him. Dragging things out won't do you any good. Only by arranging the marriage in time can you quell the rumors!" The Duchess of Wenguo gently sipped her tea, the rising steam concealing the expression in her eyes.
Su Yuting's smile froze: "Mother, I don't like the Crown Prince!"
"The Crown Prince is the future ruler. If you marry him as his principal wife, you will be the future Empress. After he ascends the throne, he will be surrounded by many beautiful women. It's a good thing that you have no feelings for him," said the Duchess of Wen, her eyes calm and composed.
"Mother, I have someone I like, and I want to marry him!" Seeing that the Duchess of Wen did not understand her meaning, Su Yuting explained it more clearly.
Lady Wen frowned deeply, her sharp gaze suddenly turning to Su Yuting: "Dongfang Heng is a prince, his status is incomparable to the emperor's. Why did you marry him?"
"I love him!" For the first time in her life, Su Yuting contradicted the Duchess of Wen: "Mother, our Wen family is already prosperous enough, why do you want me to marry the Crown Prince and become the Empress?"
Lady Wen, the Duchess of Wen, gave a cold laugh: "What's the use of prosperity? You've heard about what happened to the Duke of Wu's mansion fifteen years ago, haven't you? With just one word from the Emperor, the century-old legacy of many prestigious families could be destroyed in an instant."
“Prince An is also a member of the Eastern royal family and has military power…” Su Yuting argued indignantly. Dongfang Heng is the most outstanding young man in the entire Eastern royal family. If he had been born in the palace, he would definitely be the best candidate to become the next emperor.
“Anjun doesn’t like you. Even if you marry him and he develops feelings for you, the Crown Prince will be jealous. Once he becomes emperor, he won’t like the two of you and can easily find a reason to separate you!”
"The Crown Prince no longer likes me!" Su Yuting raised her head slightly and recounted how the Crown Prince refused to help her when she asked for his help, and even went along with it by giving her the title of concubine of the Crown Prince of Southern Xinjiang.
Lady Wen, with her long fingernails lightly tapping the teacup, smiled faintly: "He's just jealous, not that he doesn't like you!"
"Mother!" Su Yuting frowned, wanting to explain further, but the Duchess of Wen waved her hand to interrupt her: "Resolve the matter of the Crown Prince of Southern Xinjiang first, then we can talk about your marriage!"
A maidservant lifted the curtain and came in: "Reporting to Madam, Master is staying at Concubine Bai's Fang Garden tonight!"
"Understood!" Lady Wen replied indifferently, glancing out the window as she noticed that night had quietly fallen.
The maidservant respectfully withdrew, and Su Yuting looked at the Duchess of Wen, speaking with a firm tone, each word distinct and as if making a vow: "Mother, I love Dongfang Heng, and I will marry no one but him in this life!"
After speaking, without waiting for Lady Wen to reply, Su Yuting turned around and strode out without looking back.
The teacup in the hands of the Duchess of Wen Guoguo crashed to the ground with a bang, tea splashing everywhere and the teacup shattering into pieces. Her beautiful eyes burned with anger: What's the use of your love for him? Those self-righteous men don't care about you at all. You've schemed and plotted, but you can't even get him to look at you twice!
In the stillness of the night, a dim candlelight burned quietly on a small table in the inner room of the bamboo garden, illuminating Shen Lixue's beautiful sleeping face, creating an atmosphere of indescribable tranquility.
Suddenly, the burning candle flame flickered violently a few times, and a sharp killing intent filled the air. Shen Lixue abruptly opened her eyes, waved her slender hand, and shot several silver needles toward the window.
A dark shadow flashed outside the window, followed by a low cry of pain and the sounds of fierce fighting. Shen Lixue put on her clothes, got out of bed, and quickly walked to the door.
In the courtyard, three tall, dark figures were fiercely fighting with three bodyguards. Their long swords moved so tightly that they blocked all the bodyguards' sharp sword moves. Their beautiful eyes, visible through their black face masks, flashed with a sharp, cold light.
"Who are you people?" Shen Lixue demanded sharply.
The dark figure snorted coldly, said nothing, and quickly swung his longsword, his movements in unison forcing back the three guards. His sharp sword strikes were aimed straight at Shen Lixue's vitals.
Shen Lixue neither dodged nor evaded, but flicked her slender fingers, and streaks of silver light shot out at the men in black one after another. One of the men in black was hit in the face and fell to the ground dead. The other two men in black dodged quickly and were only wounded. But in the gap between their pauses, the guards caught up and blocked the shadows, and a fierce battle ensued.
The sounds of fighting in the bamboo garden carried far in the quiet night, alarming the guards patrolling nearby. The hurried footsteps grew louder as they approached, and the guards' shouts were almost within reach. In the instant a man in black was distracted, he was killed by a hidden guard. The last man in black, shocked and unwilling, glared fiercely at Shen Lixue, deflected the guards' swords, and with a light step, quickly flew away.
The black-clad assassin leaped into the air and quickly disappeared. Shen Lixue's cold eyes narrowed slightly: Such speed, such superb lightness skill!
The guards rose to give chase, but Shen Lixue waved her hand to stop them: "Don't pursue a desperate enemy!" Of the three assassins who had infiltrated the bamboo garden, two were already dead. The only one left was to go back and report.
The guards bowed to Shen Lixue, dragged the assassins' corpses, and quickly disappeared. In the instant they were gone, the guards stepped into the bamboo garden.
Looking at the courtyard where only Shen Lixue was present, the guards exchanged glances. Shen Lixue casually gave a reason and dismissed the guards, her dark eyes slightly narrowing.
"She's really bold, actually sending people to the Prime Minister's residence to arrest you!" Nangong Xiao appeared on the rooftop, holding a wine cup in one hand and a wine pot in the other, leisurely enjoying his wine.
"They must have fallen out with Qin Junhao and are in a hurry to arrest me to deliver the report!" However, the martial arts skills of these three assassins were truly unfathomable, as they actually fought to a draw with Dongfang Heng's three bodyguards.
"The assassin failed. Do you think Su Yuting will take action herself?" Nangong Xiao's eyes sparkled; he was very interested in this matter.