Chapter 5 Going with the Flow
Back in the side courtyard, Liu Lanyan collapsed onto the bed. She really disliked the noisy environment; the chaos was incredibly annoying.
"Miss, Miss..." Just as she lay down, the door was flung open, causing Liu Lanyan to sob and shrink into the corner, clutching the blanket.
She was so tired.
"Miss." Qin Xiu ignored Liu Lanyan's resistance. She only knew that her mistress had been taken to the front by Liu Jinli's men, who said they were going to interrogate her.
If she hadn't been stopped, she certainly wouldn't have let the young lady pass by on her own.
Now that Miss is back, what happened? Was she punished by Liu Jinli?
"Aunt Qin, I'm so sleepy." Liu Lanyan hugged the blanket and said softly and coquettishly.
"Miss, he didn't make things difficult for you, did he?" Qin Xiu asked indignantly, wondering what Liu Jinli was up to by calling her mistress over.
Difficult situation?
Liu Lanyan looked confused and shook her head: "No."
Qin Xiu saw that Liu Lanyan was indeed unharmed and there was nothing wrong with her, and after carefully examining her, she was relieved.
"Miss, what exactly happened?" Qin Xiu was still puzzled. What had gotten into Liu Jinli that made him call her over?
"I don't know, it seems she had a fight with the prince." Liu Lanyan frowned slightly, looking quite puzzled.
"Your Highness?" Upon hearing the name "Your Highness," Qin Xiu immediately knew who it was: the Demon Lord's third brother, the one with the highest popularity who might succeed him as Demon Lord.
It seems Liu Jinli is trying to seduce the young lady again, hoping to arrange a marriage between her and the prince.
“Miss, no matter what, remember this: you are the Princess Consort, the Prince’s legal wife before marriage.” Qin Xiu said through gritted teeth. Once her mistress marries into the Prince’s mansion, Liu Jinli will no longer be able to bully her.
"Oh," Liu Lanyan responded, yawning.
Seeing Liu Lanyan's nonchalant demeanor, Qin Xiu felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. Did Miss even understand what the Princess meant?
If the master hadn't died in battle that day, how could the young lady have suffered such a shock? Otherwise, how could she have become so dull and foolish?
Unfortunately, Liu Jinli, despite enjoying all the benefits, still doesn't like the young lady. The young lady's life is so miserable.
"Miss, Qin Xiu will never let anyone bully you." Qin Xiu hugged Liu Lanyan tightly, protecting the person she cherished most.
"Yes, I won't let anyone bully Qin Xiu either." Liu Lanyan nodded, mumbling sleepily in Qin Xiu's arms.
Qin Xiu looked at Liu Lanyan, who was half-asleep, with amusement and said with a smile, "Okay, Miss, protect Qin Xiu."
Gently patting the little one in her arms, Qin Xiu's eyes were full of affection. This was the young lady she had watched grow up, and she would never allow anyone to bully her.
The secluded side courtyard was desolate and quiet, while in the backyard, a fierce wind and rain raged.
"Where is that bitch?" Liu Xinrong roared angrily, causing the maid to tremble. "Miss..."
"What 'Miss'? She doesn't even deserve to be called 'Miss'!" Liu Xinrong slapped the maid across the face, leaving a red and swollen mark. The maid was so frightened that she knelt down with a thud, begging for mercy, "She went back to the side courtyard."
"After causing such a huge mess, you still dare to act like nothing happened? Arrest her here!" Liu Xinrong roared, her anger simmering in her chest, almost making her explode.
"You may all leave now." Liu Jinli waved his hand, signaling all the maids and servants to leave.
"Father, what are you doing?" Liu Xinrong looked at her father with dissatisfaction. Was he going to let that girl go?
“Your Highness heard everything I said. Even if you were to punish her now, it would be without justification.” Liu Jinli waved his hand, suppressing Liu Xinrong’s anger. “Xinrong, you can’t touch Liu Lanyan right now.”
"What Father means is..." Liu Xinrong suppressed her anger and waited for Liu Jinli to continue.
"Your elder brother and sister will be back soon. Let's wait until they return before discussing anything else," Liu Jinli sneered. "Even if His Highness thinks about it carefully, he knows who the culprit is today. Do you think His Highness would marry such a person into the Prince's household?"
Liu Jinli's words instantly dispelled the anger that had been burning in Liu Xinrong's heart.
Yes, the more Liu Lanyan "performed," the deeper the impression she left on the prince.
"Father, will the Prince arrange a marriage between us?" Liu Xinrong asked worriedly.
The Third Prince holds a high position and great power in the demon realm, and countless people want to enter his palace.
Liu Xinrong was very confident in her appearance, but she was also aware that the prince was not the kind of person who only cared about appearance.
"Your Highness has seen countless beauties. Although my daughter is quite beautiful, I'm afraid she won't catch Your Highness's eye."
Liu Jinli didn't share Liu Xinrong's concerns. He said to his daughter, "The marriage agreement made with the Prince was with the Grand Elder's daughter."
Liu Xinrong stared blankly at her father, while Liu Jinli smiled happily at his daughter.
After blinking a few times, Liu Xinrong immediately understood what her father meant, and smiled, saying, "Daughter understands."
The one who is engaged is the eldest elder's daughter. Now, the eldest elder's daughter can be called Liu Lanyan, or she can be called Liu Xinrong.
Moreover, the current Grand Elder is her father, Liu Jinli. Besides her looks, what's more important is that she has the Grand Elder's background as a backer.
After Liu Xinrong's outburst, the prince will definitely have a very deep impression of her. Then, all he needs to do is go with the flow...
Liu Xinrong and Liu Jinli exchanged a knowing smile, a smile that was anything but cunning.
Although they suffered a setback this time, it gave them a chance to get closer to the Third Prince, which was quite worthwhile.
The Liu residence quickly fell silent. The incident that had enraged the prince was merely a minor episode that was swiftly resolved.
Inside the main city of the demon realm, in a luxurious mansion, there were no strict guards, only a serene atmosphere. This silence added a touch of death to the luxury, making it seem somewhat artificial, as if it were just a pretense.
The courtyard was dimly lit, with only the necessary lighting.
Inside the inner courtyard, a lamp illuminated the study, where a man was writing calligraphy with an air of elegance.
His flowing brushstrokes, the lightly tossed hair, and his untamed spirit are like a raptor ready to pounce. Even when he is quiet, one can sense the hidden danger within him.
"Master." Suddenly, under the lamplight, a figure slowly materialized and knelt down to pay respects.
"Is there any movement from Liu Jinli's side?" The person behind the desk continued to move without affecting his writing at all.
"It's quiet, nothing's happened," the visitor replied immediately.
The person behind the desk suddenly paused, leaving a stain of ink on the rice paper. After a moment, he immediately said, "A detailed account of Liu Lanyan's past within a single day."
"Yes." The person kneeling on the ground quickly turned into a faint shadow and disappeared.
Once the faint shadow disappeared, the man put the brush aside, looked up, and revealed a playful smile. In the candlelight, his handsome face was that of the decadent prince who was not favored by the world.
At this moment, he was no longer the decadent and lazy man he usually was. He was like a lurking cheetah, beautiful and dangerous, with excitement shining in his eyes: "Liu Lanyan, it seems that I am not the only one acting in the main city. Your acting skills are much better than mine."
!
Chapter Six is not worth mentioning.
The next morning, as the sunlight just began to peek through the window into the outer room and fall on the floor, a faint shadow appeared in the inner room and knelt down, saying, "Master."
"Hmm." A hand emerged from behind the layers of bed curtains, and Dan Ying quickly and respectfully placed a small booklet in that palm.
Holding the booklet, she slowly withdrew her hand back under the bed curtains. After a while, a burst of excited laughter suddenly came from inside: "Good, good indeed, Liu Lanyan!"
The kneeling figure frowned slightly. He remembered that there was nothing special written in the book. Liu Lanyan's life story and daily behavior were very much in line with the rumors about her.
She's just a simple-minded woman, so why would the master be so interested in her?
"Still no movement from the Liu residence?" The bed curtains were suddenly pulled back, and Yu Xinyi sat up in bed, staring at the person kneeling in front of him with a playful expression.
"There's no movement," Dan Ying answered truthfully, but she was puzzled. Didn't her master already know about this last night?
"Hmm." Yu Xinyi nodded with a mysterious smile, then suddenly changed the subject and asked, "How was it in the palace?"
"The Demon Lord is already considering selecting beauties of all kinds to send to...that person. He will probably discuss it with the Third Prince. Nothing has been decided yet." When that person was mentioned, Dan Ying's voice paused unnaturally, clearly showing that she was extremely wary of that person and dared not talk about it further.
"Continue to investigate." Yu Xinyi waved his hand, and the shadowy figure disappeared as silently as he had appeared.
Yu Xinyi gently stroked the book in his palm with one hand. It contained detailed records of Liu Lanyan's past, as simple as a blank sheet of paper.
It's so clean.
Such a clean past made it impossible for him to connect it with Liu Lanyan, whom he had met last night.
My subordinates have already investigated. Last night's incident was caused by Liu Jinli using vulgar language in a fit of anger. However, what happened afterward seems to have developed too coincidentally.
Especially after Yu Jinshuo left, Liu Jinli and the others did not cause trouble for Liu Lanyan. It is likely that they considered that Liu Lanyan's actions had lost their composure in Yu Jinshuo's eyes, leaving them an opportunity to take advantage of her.
In the eyes of Liu Jinli and his daughter, it seemed as if Liu Lanyan had unintentionally helped them gain an advantage.
Little did they know that all of this was very likely part of Liu Lanyan's plan.
What a cunning Liu Lanyan! She meticulously planned every step of the way, taking revenge on Liu Jinli and his daughter while ensuring they wouldn't cause her any trouble.
How could a foolish woman possess such wisdom?
What's even more ridiculous is that, in Liu Lanyan's scheme, each of them thought they were the real winners, unaware that they had already become pawns on Liu Lanyan's chessboard, unable to resist in the slightest.
"Good, what a foolish woman, Liu Lanyan. She's quite a match for this mad prince." Yu Xinyi's eyes sparkled with excitement, a excitement that seemed to be mixed with something else, twinkling like stars, captivating the mind.
In the pavilion of the Liu family garden, Liu Xinrong ate grapes that her maid had peeled while looking around and casually asked, "Why haven't I seen that girl?"
"Reporting to Miss, the firewood for cooking in the side courtyard is running low, so the two of them, mistress and servant, have gone to gather more," Huan Cui, Liu Xinrong's personal maid, said with a smile.
"Hmph, that's good. It'll save her from being too idle and doing things she shouldn't." A ruthless glint flashed in Liu Xinrong's eyes.
Huan Cui chuckled. Whether there was firewood in the mansion or not was just a matter of a word from them. Yesterday, Liu Lanyan had upset the young lady.
Although I don't know why Miss didn't punish Liu Lanyan, as Miss's personal maid, I should always do such small things for her.
"Miss, would you like to make a trip to the Prince's residence today?" Huan Cui asked softly, knowing full well what her mistress was thinking.
"No, I'll go in a couple of days," Liu Xinrong said slowly, eating the grapes Huancui offered her.
"Miss, why?" Huancui looked at her mistress in confusion. "The Prince is currently in a bad mood. If you go there, wouldn't it be the perfect opportunity?"
Liu Xinrong slowly swallowed the grapes in her mouth and said with a smile, "It's precisely because the prince is unhappy that it would be bad to go now. It would be better to wait until the matter has calmed down a bit before going, so that it can show that I understand the bigger picture."