"Well..." Qin Junhao looked up and saw Shen Lixue, who had orchestrated his lovemaking with Ye Qianmei.
Her gaze fell upon Dongfang Heng beside her, and she slightly tensed. If she told the truth, Dongfang Heng would definitely guess the truth, and then she would have no place in Qingyan...
"It was Shen Lixue. She had the guards arrest me and imprison me in Weiyang Palace, where Qin Junhao violated me..." Ye Qianmei wrapped herself tightly in her tattered clothes, pointed at Shen Lixue, and cried her heart out, accusing her with all her might: her chastity, which she had guarded for more than ten years, had been ruined like this, despicable and shameless bitch.
Shen Lixue looked coldly at Ye Qianmei: "Princess Ye, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. Why would I frame you for no reason? Besides, you and Crown Prince Qin are both living people. Even if I lock you up together, you can still keep your integrity."
You bastard, you're pretending to be innocent!
Ye Qianmei's gaze at Chen Lixue was so angry it was almost spitting fire: "Qin Junhao was drugged and forced himself on me like crazy. How can I possibly remain chaste?"
"Really?" Shen Lixue frowned, feigning ignorance. "Weiyang Palace is very clean. There are no aphrodisiacs or similar substances being burned. How did Crown Prince Qin get drugged?"
"He is..." Ye Qianmei's angry accusations stopped abruptly. Shen Lixue was trying to trick her into revealing information. "You bitch, you're so clever!" Her eyes flashed, and she cried out, "How would I know how Qin Junhao was drugged? Shen Lixue, you've ruined my innocence! I'll fight you to the death!"
As she spoke, Ye Qianmei, dressed in tattered clothes, her beautiful eyes blazing with fury, was about to pounce on Shen Lixue, but she was held back tightly by the guards. Her angry roar echoed throughout the Weiyang Palace: "Shen Lixue, I will kill you."
Shen Lixue rubbed her forehead. Ye Qianmei was determined to drag her down with her, but she wouldn't let Ye Qianmei have her way. She turned to Qin Junhao and said, "Crown Prince Qin should know how he was drugged with aphrodisiacs, right?"
Ye Qianmei's small face instantly turned deathly pale. When she delivered the note to Qin Junhao, she secretly slipped a potent aphrodisiac into his drink under the cover of her fluttering clothes. If Qin Junhao were to expose her, intelligent people would be able to indirectly guess the truth. Not only would she not garner sympathy, but she would also be condemned by thousands and scorned by tens of thousands.
Qin Junhao looked at Shen Lixue, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned, a warm smile on his face, his eyes cold as ice in the twelfth lunar month, as if to say: "If you dare to push the blame onto me, I will expose your shameful deeds to the public and make sure you have no place in Qingyan anymore."
"I don't know what happened. I was walking through the palace when I suddenly felt unwell. So I randomly entered a palace. There was no one there. I felt terrible. Just then, a woman pushed open the door and walked in. I was out of my mind and, driven by her, I had a thing with that woman in a daze..."
Weiyang Palace is the residence of Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue. If Qin Junhao comes here for no reason, others will think he has ill intentions and wants to ruin the Princess Consort of Qingyan. That would be incredibly audacious and a direct declaration of war against the Dongfang royal family. He is still in Qingyan, so saying that would do him no good at all.
It would be better to be vague and admit to the crime of forcibly taking Ye Qianmei as his wife. She was Zhan Wang's fiancée, an orphan who had been abandoned and had no parents. The emperor did not value her and his punishment would not be too severe.
Ye Qianmei's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, instantly relaxed. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Qin Junhao did not implicate her. However, he also had no way to testify against Shen Lixue.
"Is Crown Prince Qin truly sincere towards Princess Ye?" The Emperor looked at Qin Junhao and asked coldly.
"This was the only time Princess Ye and I had a romantic encounter. We hadn't had much contact before, so there's no question of sincerity or lack thereof." Qin Junhao frowned, wondering what the emperor was up to.
"The Crown Prince of Qin forcibly took her virginity; he should give her a reasonable explanation," the emperor subtly reminded her.
Qin Junhao suddenly realized that Ye Qianmei was no longer his wife and could no longer marry Dongfang Zhan. He needed to break the marriage contract between them: "I will give Princess Ye a title."
"Very well then." The emperor glanced at Ye Qianmei, his tightly furrowed brows relaxing.
Ye Qianmei was the descendant of a disgraced official from Xiliang. The emperor did not want her to become the principal wife of the Prince of Zhan, but the imperial decree had already been issued and could not be revoked, which made him very depressed.
Ye Qianmei was forcibly taken by Qin Junhao and lost her virginity, which is the best opportunity to break off their engagement!
"I will not marry Qin Junhao, not even if it kills me." Ye Qianmei thought of the scars all over her body, her eyes filled with terror. He was like a wild beast, showing no tenderness whatsoever. Her body was almost torn apart by him. How could she find happiness marrying such a crude man?
The emperor's majestic gaze suddenly turned to Ye Qianmei: "Princess Ye is already the Crown Prince's woman. Does she still wish to marry another man?"
"I...I..." Ye Qianmei was speechless for a moment. Dongfang Zhan was the King of Qingyan, and he needed to be matched with someone of noble birth. She was a used and discarded woman, and she was no longer worthy of Dongfang Zhan. The emperor would never allow her to marry Dongfang Zhan again.
Qin Junhao is the Crown Prince of Southern Xinjiang. He will leave Qingyan. Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue are of noble status, extremely intelligent, and have extraordinary abilities. Defeating them will not be a matter of a day or two. She must stay in Qingyan and wait for an opportunity to avenge herself, her mother, and her brother: "I am willing to become a nun."
Qin Junhao was instantly enraged. She would rather become a nun than marry him as a concubine. Ye Qianmei was truly stubborn: "Your Majesty, Ye Qianmei is already my woman. She has no further connection with the Qingyan royal family. I hope Your Majesty will not interfere in her marriage and will let the two of us resolve it."
"Very well, I will not interfere in the affairs of you young people." The emperor was more than happy to distance himself from Ye Qianmei's relationship with the Qingyan royal family, and naturally went along with Qin Junhao's wishes: "Princess Ye is, after all, a princess of Xiliang. Crown Prince Qin, you should not wrong her. Her current status is somewhat special. Crown Prince Qin would be better off asking the Southern Frontier Emperor for his opinion before making proper arrangements for her title."
Qin Junhao's expression froze. Was the Azure Flame Emperor indirectly trying to get rid of him?
Shen Lixue smiled. Qin Junhao had audaciously stolen the Azure Flame Cannon. The Azure Flame Emperor had long disliked him but had been unable to find a suitable reason to get rid of him. Ye Qianmei had given the emperor the perfect excuse to expel him.
Qin Junhao and Dongfang Zhan cooperated seamlessly, and their combined power was considerable and should not be underestimated. Shen Lixue plotted to force Qin Junhao to take Ye Qianmei, not only to retaliate in kind but also to sow discord between Dongfang Zhan and Qin Junhao.
Ye Qianmei is Dongfang Zhan's fiancée. Even if he doesn't like her, she belongs to him. He trusts his ally the most. Without even saying hello, she suddenly took the woman who belonged to him. He will feel uncomfortable to some extent. The friendship between the two will definitely be cracked, and they will not be able to cooperate as easily as before.
Unexpectedly, the emperor went even further, directly banishing Qin Junhao. Haha, with Qin Junhao gone, Dongfang Zhan lost a powerful ally in the capital and wouldn't be able to do bad things and harm people so frequently anymore.
"Even though Qianmei didn't become my daughter-in-law, I still regard her as my daughter. Dragging things out for too long is not good for her. Crown Prince Qin, please choose a suitable day to set off back to the Southern Frontier and discuss giving her a proper title."
"Your Majesty, Qianmei is willing to become a nun, truly willing." Ye Qianmei was shocked. She knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly. She did not want to marry Qin Junhao, she would rather die than marry him.
Looking at the bloodstains seeping from the ground, the emperor sighed helplessly, "Qianmei, you are young and in the prime of your life. Becoming a nun and living a life of quiet contemplation is not the life a young girl like you should lead. Trust Prince Qin; he will take care of you for the rest of your life."
"Your Majesty..." Ye Qianmei straightened up, looking at the emperor with tears in her eyes, her eyes full of grievance.
The emperor waved his hand to stop her from speaking and said coldly, "That's settled then. Return to the palace."
"Prepare the carriage for the Hall of Mental Cultivation." The little eunuch was very good at reading people's expressions. He could tell that the emperor did not want to deal with this matter anymore. He hurriedly flicked his whisk, and his high-pitched voice echoed throughout the Weiyang Palace.
"Respectfully seeing off Your Majesty." Amidst the blessings of the crowd, the Emperor strode towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
After the excitement subsided, the crowd dispersed in twos and threes, occasionally glancing back at Ye Qianmei, who was slumped in the Weiyang Palace, their eyes filled with disdain and mockery: "Why did you choose to marry that plain-looking prince from the Southern Frontier instead of the handsome and dashing Prince Qingyan?"
"Let's go back to the manor." Dongfang gently put his arm around Shen Lixue's waist, turned around, and walked slowly forward. His jade-like fingers gently caressed Shen Lixue's slightly pale face: "Are you feeling unwell?"
"It's alright." Shen Lixue shook her head, a faint smile playing on her lips. The one who was in trouble wasn't her, but the three who stood motionless at the entrance of Weiyang Palace.
Dongfang Zhan stood at the door, motionless like a statue.
Qin Junhao stood inside the room, looking nonchalant. He glanced at Ye Qianmei, who was slumped on the floor, her face ashen, raised an eyebrow, and said leisurely:
“Your Highness, I was tricked and forced to marry Ye Qianmei. I know you don’t like her either. Her marriage to me will not affect our friendship. You can have your private conversations. I will find someone to calculate an auspicious day to return to the Southern Frontier.”
The Azure Flame Emperor has already issued an order to leave, so he can no longer stubbornly stay in the capital. However, once he leaves Azure Flame, he cannot return immediately...
Qin Junhao walked out of the palace gate and disappeared. Ye Qianmei gradually regained her senses, and slowly stood up, leaning on the door frame. She looked at Dongfang Zhan pitifully and said, "Your Highness Zhan, it was Shen Lixue who framed me. You must seek justice for me..."
"Slap." A loud slap landed hard on Ye Qianmei's fair face. Her face was turned to the side, and a bright red five-fingered mark instantly appeared. A trickle of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.