Qin Wanru had entered the room directly this time.
The guards at the gates must have wondered how she got out in the first place. Nevertheless, since the general and wife only instructed them not to let her out, but did not say not to let her in, so they did not dare to stop her.
Although Second Miss was never the mistress's favored daughter, Qin Wanru had always been the one old grandma doted on, and so no one in the Ningyuan Army General's house dared to be rude to her.
Qin Wanru headed straight to the house where Prince Chen was. She was soon summoned into the house after waiting for a bit outside.
Qin Wanru realized that Prince Chen seemed to have changed into a new of clothes within since the last time she saw him.
He was currently clad in a bright red robe, which no man would have carried with grace. Only Prince Chen would have looked so stunningly handsome in such apparel.
However, she also noticed that his lips were paler and overall, he looked even frailer than before.
Prince Chen's comely appearance even aroused a fit of slight jealousy in Qin Wanru.
Supporting his weight on one arm on the table, Prince Chen averted his eyes to Qin Wanru as she entered the room to size her up. The corners of his lips curled up in a teasing smile. Coupled with his glittery eyes, he appeared to be flirting with her.
At least this was the feeling Qin Wanru getting. However, she knew better to fear for her life than to actually believe that he was flirting with her because he fancied her.
In her opinion, no one would be worthy of such a handsome man. At the very least, she remembered from her previous life that Prince Chen had not even gotten married when she died.
"Have you found it?" asked Chu Liuchen with raised eyebrows and deep, sparkly eyes.
"Please have a look, Prince Chen, to see if this was it!" Qin Wanru took the small rucksack from Qin Yue's hands and offered it respectfully to him.
Xiao Xunzi hurriedly took over the rucksack and opened it, thereafter, presented the content from the rucksack to Chu Liuchen by placing it on the table in front of him.
Chu Liuchen held it with his hand and fiddled with it for a while before he nodded and said, "This is it, I guess I'll let you off for disturbing me with all that commotion!"
"What about the other matter which King Chen talked about?" hinted Qin Wanru gently, pressing her lips together anxiously and continued, "We had ventured out on our own without asking for help from anyone else."
She was trying to remind him of the advantage he promised her, although actually, she needed his help.
"Not bad! I could see you actually managed to get out of the house on your own!" said Chu Liuchen, squinting. His pale face told her that was feeling fatigued and he leaned back lazily.
"Are you tired, Master?" Xiao Xuanzi stuttered as he saw Chu Liuchen's exhausted look.
"Indeed I am!" Chu Liuchen nodded. He closed his eyes as the smile on his face faded and then totally disappeared.
Qin Wanru began to blush from rage. She could not believe that he actually forgot about his promise to her.
He was obviously trying to go back on his words. How could a Duke, no, a crown prince go back on his words?
"Let me help you inside, Master, so you may take a rest," Xiao Xuanzi said to his master cautiously.
"That's ... good!" said Chu Liuchen as he touched his head with his palm and slurred his words.
"Then... " Xiao Xuanzi was about to say something when Qin Wanru intercepted and said, "King Chen had promised to rewards me many advantages if I managed to bring you the glass lamp without anyone's help." Qin Wanru's patience was wearing thin.
Qin Wanru could hardly believe that this young prince was so shameless as to pretend exhaustion openly. He was obviously trying to fool her.
"It there such a thing as you claimed?" asked Chu Liuchen, peeping through his half-closed eyes.
"Yes indeed!" exclaimed Qin Wanru as she gritted her teeth. She would not give up pushing him as she truly needed his help. Otherwise, she would not risk her life to press him.
Although she was filled with fear inside her heart, she had to keep reminding herself that she was only a girl, a child, and it was forgivable for her to not behave sensibly.
"I never heard about anything like that," Xiao Xuanzi said in response.
The two were men were apparently ganging up against her in this matter. However, Xiao Xuanzi did look a little embarrassed when he heard the clarity and determination in her voice.
He was especially awkward when he bore false witness in the presence of the real witness.
"You two can argue over this, while I'm going to take a rest," Chu Liuchen said, looking weary on his face. He threw a side-way glance at Qin Wanru and squinted his eyes cunningly and continued, "Are you trying to ask me for a favor?"
"Nothing really," Qin Wanru replied. There was no point she insisted that he kept to his word when Prince Chen refused even to admit that he had ever made any promises! Qin Wanru suddenly came to her sense, that this was Prince Chen after all! She could only put away for angry expression and bowed her head in resignation.
She was a master at disguising after all. In her previous life, she was extremely hard on herself. She was ruthless, able to endure much hardship and smart, in that she knew when to act decisively and when to restrain herself. She was a hundred time better than those girls from the rich families who threw themselves at him.
However, he thought he could perhaps make some provision in his plans for her!
"Well, actually I'm open to negotiations. Tell me what good things I can do for you!"
Qin Wanru, who initially thought there was no hope, perked up and her eyes came to life when she heard his words.
"Can I request that the prince help me get hold of an item?" Qin Wanru said softly, testing the water. She was certain that he had brought with him many men on this trip, given his status. Although there were only a few men here with them, Qin Wanru these were but some of the many men who showed themselves openly. There was bound to be many other men who were secretly watching over the prince. "What item is that?" said Chu Liuchen, smiling slightly with grace. It looked as if he was not the devil who provoked Qin Wanru to the point of gnashing her teeth. "A seal." Even Qin Wanru did not fully understand the use and purpose of this seal. What she knew was that Qin Yuru had used this seal to obtain favor from the Old Ladyship of Xing Kingdom, and was subsequently taken into the royal family to be taken care of as an adopted daughter for a period of time. For this reason, Qin Yuru had used her status to trample Qin Wanru underfoot and even thei
Qin Wanru walked to the table, picked up the brush, pondered for a moment then put the brush to the paper and began to paint. When she finished painting, she put down the brush and cautiously brought the painting to Chu Liuchen and said, "Please have a look, Prince Chen. This is the pattern I talked about." "This is indeed the correct pattern!" said Chu Liuchen when he set his eyes on the painting and raised his eyebrows. Qin Wanru felt a sudden bitterness in her heart as she remembered how in her previous life, she was so fearful of facing people when she entered the capital city, that she had to resort to painting to get by. For this reason, her painting skills improved leaps and bounds every day. However, her masterly painting skill did not get her anywhere. In fact, it was precisely her painting skill that led her to her tragic death, being cut in half at her waist. At that moment of death, she felt that even the sky appeared twisted. Wh
A few men looking to be ruffians forced their way into the room where Qin Yuru and Qi Tianyi were. Qin Yuru's personal maid and Qi Tianyi's sidekick who were not fast to react were cramped behind the door and cried out in pain. The commotion had attracted much attention from outside and people started crowding into the room to see what was happening. When the people who entered the room locked eyes with those inside the room, they were both stunned. Qin Yuru seemed to have awakened from a dream. She pushed Qi Tianyu away in a hurry and turned away from the eyes of all the people. "Where are these people from? Throw them out immediately!" bellowed Qi Tianyu, dismayed. He meant these words for the ruffians who barged in. "Isn't ... this the First Young Master of the Qi Family? How does he still find the mood to secretly meet with a girl?" someone exclaimed in surprise. Qi Tianyu was well-known among the people of Ji
Qin Wanru's lips had always been bright-red in color and it was precisely why her grandmother had given her the nickname Zhuozhuo, which means 'burning'! A part of memory was gone, but she could vaguely make out that it was because of her bright-red lips which resulted in her being charged with a crime. People treated her with contempt because of them and the circumstance she was under turned for the worst. Nevertheless, she was unable to remember the concrete details. All she could remember was that all the people around were scornful. "Why? Could it be some secret recipe that you can't reveal to me?" Chu Liuchen teased as he saw her face drained of colors and he reached out his hand to pinch her cheek. He was a little too rough and Qin Wanru was tearing up from the pain. While keeping her eyes on him, she lifted her hand to grab his hand that was pinching her. The pain had made her forget about the painful memory deep in her mind.
Qin Wanru stood outside the room instead of entering it. To the maids who came up to her, she waved as an indication not to greet her, but to keep quiet. "What happened last night? Why was Yuru still out and about at that hour, and worse, to meet Qi Tianyu? How is she to save her reputation as a decent young lady?" the angry voice of Old Grandma could be heard from within the room. Following that, there was the sound of something being broken into pieces, which Qin Wanru suspected that Old Grandma must have smashed her teapot out of rage! "Mother, Yuru went out yesterday to purchase those Chinese medicines I needed. She wore the curtained hat because she was afraid people might recognize her. She didn't expect to bump into Qi Tianyu on her way and he demanded her for an explanation, which was why Yuru followed Qi Tianyu to the restaurant. Yuru didn't set up her meeting with Qi Tianyu!" Inside Old Grandma's room, Mrs. Qin was kn
"The girl was good-hearted but had bitter fate!" Speaking of Shui Ruolan, the Old Grandma sighed again and turned pale. "Grandmother, did you talk to Aunt Shui?" Qin Wanru asked cautiously. "Your Aunt Shui... After all, she could not get over it in her heart!" The Old Grandma shook her head. She did not know how to explain it because of lacking for evidence. "Grandmother, I'll go and expostulate with Aunt Shui!" Qin Wanru said. "You?" The Old Grandma looked at the little granddaughter in front of her, who was still a little child. She was not convinced by her appearance. "Yes, grandmother, let me try! I like Aunt Shui." Qin Wanru took the old lady's hand and shook it a few times. Her face became gloomy suddenly. She said on purpose, "It seems that my mother doesn't like me... I also want someone to love me!" She bit her red lips in an aggrieved way. The sad expression on her small tender face made pe
Seeing that she used such a dignified expression and statement to say such a thing, Shui Ruolan was shocked. She stretched out to reach Qin Wanru's hand, took her to the stool nearby and sat down, she also sat down in the opposite side of Qin Wanru. "Who wants to hurt you and your aunt?" "Has Aunt Shui stopped to manage things outside and asked Qionghua not to report what happened outside to you ever since she committed to the family temple in the past few days?" Qin Wanru asked. "She wanted to have some quiet time for a few days!" Shui Ruolan's eyes started to wander. "Aunt Shui should know about what happened between my big sister and Qi Tianyu. My sister wants to play up to the Duke Yong in the city, so my mother instigated Nanny Fang to tell me that I am the one that Qi Tianyu wants to marry, and asked me to agree. She also told me to hide it from Qi Tianyu, so he could be surprised when he lifted the curtain on my head whe
"It was not a very interesting thing. We were just young at that time." Qin Huaiyong said it bitterly, and found it was harder and harder to swallow the delicate snack in his mouth. "Were you just as young as me right now? And innocent?" Qin Wanru became more and more curious, "Father, can you talk about what happened between you and Aunt Shui when you were young, what did you play at the time?" "It's been so long, I can't remember it!" Qin Huaiyong didn't really want to say something happened back then. Thinking about what happened in the past few days, he just felt guilty and sad. "Just say something, father, I want to hear it. Next time when I visit Aunt Shui, I could tell her about these things. Maybe she would be happy then. I heard that she has been in a bad mood recently, and moved to the family temple to live alone there!" Qin Wanru said it sadly. Seeing the little daughter's cute face, even though Qin Huaiyong had kept
"Not yet. My leg just cramped up." Shao Wanru reached out to touch her calf, but her belly was too big to reach it.The Emperor reached out his strong hand and massaged her calf. The young and handsome Emperor breathed a sigh of relief. "Thankfully, you are not going to deliver the baby!"As soon as he said this, Chu Liuchen realized he had said something wrong. He hurriedly explained, "I didn't mean that. It's good that you are not delivering the baby now."After saying that, he realized that something was wrong again and laughed.Shao Wanru laughed so hard that she couldn't speak. Since when did Chu Liuchen, who was as scheming and gloomy as a demon king, could not even speak clearly?"You're still laughing. Did I say anything wrong?" Chu Liuchen glared at her. However, with an elegant smile on his face, he didn't look domineering at all.Shao Wanru continued laughing happily. After a while, she s
Everything in the past had a cause, but this cause was concealed in many mists, so it appeared unreal.After reading the letter in her hand, Shao Wanru put it down with a trace of a smile across the corners of her eyes. She had been relieved of some things. Once she hoped that Qin Huaiyong would treat her like Qin Yuru.This was what she hoped for most in her last life. After all, at that time, she had always thought that she was Qin Huaiyong's biological daughter, and she had no idea that her identity had been seized by Qin Yuru. Right now, Shao Wanru didn't want to mention it again. After the rebirth, she found out the truth and could not be reluctant to get close to Qin Huaiyong anymore.The memories of her last life were fading away, and they become blurred in her eyes.Putting down the memorial in her hand, Shao Wanru smiled with an elegant and calm look in her eyes. "Madam, please pass my gratitude to Ningyuan Army Gen
Shui Ruolan followed the Nanny who led the way ahead and felt uneasy. Since she came to the capital, she occasionally associated with some Madams from aristocratic families. She would not attend their parties unless it was necessary.On the one hand, she always had a weak character. On the other hand, every time she joined them, some Madams always asked about Madam Di intentionally or unintentionally. They were polite to Shui Ruolan on the surface, but they sneered at her behind her back when talking about her.People in the capital thought that Madam Di was Qin Huaiyong's legal wife. Shui Ruolan was a divorced woman. How could she compare with a decent Madam from an aristocratic family? Her status was much lower than Madam Di's. Of course, there were some people who flattered her. They were two-bit nobodies who wanted to curry favor with Qin Huaiyong.This was the first time Shui Ruolan had entered the Palace since she came to the capit
"Yes, Her Highness fainted. Hurry up... Inform His Highness to go to see her. Mingqiu Nun is also there... Hurry up!" Yujie was so excited that she spoke incoherently."Are you stupid?" Xiao Xuanzi looked at Yujie as if she were a fool."Quick! It's true. Believe me." Yujie was overjoyed and kept urging."His Highness will get angry," Xiao Xuanzi reminded Yujie.Yujie blinked her eyes in confusion. "Go quickly. His Highness will be happy.""His Highness will be angry!" Xiao Xuanzi said loudly. He thought that Yujie was out of her mind. What nonsense she was talking about! Xiao Xuanzi had seen with his own eyes how his master treasured Princess Chen. Princess Chen fainted now, but Yujie said that Prince Chen would be happy. What could he be happy for?Xiao Xuanzi felt a chill on his back. He even thought that he might not be safe. Instead, this silly girl was giggling here.Yujie looked
The swing swayed slowly. Shao Wanru sat on it and slightly narrowed her clear eyes in the sun, enjoying the gentle breeze. After a shower, the sky cleared up. Under the blue sky, she felt quite pleasant.It was the third day since the violent political upheaval in the Palace. Everything had returned to the right path, and the Emperor had woken up. The Fake Dead Medicine was remarkably effective.Chu Qing planned to kill the Emperor and shift the blame onto Chu Liuyue. In the end, he occupied the Palace, but at the last moment, Chu Liuchen changed the ultimate outcome.Chu Qing was not the deceased emperor's son. As the truth was exposed, he became a surviving supporter of the previous dynasty.Consort Dowager Qing had an affair with the prince of the previous dynasty on the run and was pregnant. After that, she met the deceased emperor, who had come to wipe out the rebels. She seduced him and entered the Palace. Not long aft
Chu Liuyue looked at the Emperor indifferently. During this period, the Emperor often vomited blood. He was used to such a scene. He fainted again, but so what?He walked up to pull the Emperor up and said, "Father, you'd better write it carefully so as not to cause me more trouble..."The next moment, his hand paused before the Emperor. Abruptly, Chu Liuyue reached out to feel his breath, and his face changed drastically."Your Majesty... Your Majesty..." Derong was terrified and looked at Chu Liuyue. Likewise, he reached out to feel the Emperor's breath and knelt on the ground in a panic. "His Majesty... passed away!"Chu Liuyue looked sullen and reached out to feel his breath again. He found it hard to believe that the Emperor would die of anger because of him. Although he had said he was not afraid of this result, it became more difficult for him to clear up such a messy situation when the Emperor died. Since he was in t
Lights of every palace in the imperial Palace went out at night. There was a great noise somewhere. When the first scream came, many people put on their clothes and lit the lights again.These women in the Palace looked ghastly pale. They wanted to hide elsewhere but couldn't find shelter in the darkness. They trembled and huddled together, not knowing what had happened. Anyway, it didn't sound like a good thing. How could such a lot of awful noise appear in the Palace? The first idea that came to many people was that a rebellion was happening.In the night, Zhaoyi Di hurriedly followed a eunuch carrying a lantern and went to a palace out of use.Chu Liuyue was sitting in the middle of the hall."Greetings, Your Highness!" Zhaoyi Di said."How is it going?" Chu Liuyue asked."Commandery Prince Cheng has taken some people to the Emperor's resting place!" Zhaoyi Di reported."Good, well d
"From the previous dynasty?" Shao Wanru looked up. Though she was surprised, she didn't show it. She had figured it out. But after confirming it, she was wide awake."Will the Empress Dowager be in danger? I'll go to the Palace every day in the next few days!" Shao Wanru suggested."No, it's too dangerous!" Chu Liuchen shook his head."It doesn't matter. I have helpers by my side and bracelets!" Shao Wanru reached out her hand and cutely shook it. There was a pair of glossy sapphire bracelets on her wrist. At a glance, they were not ordinary.Chu Liuchen said with his face darkening, "No!"Such a close-fitting concealed weapon should be the last resort. As long as he thought Shao Wanru would be in such a dangerous situation, he would not be at ease. "Let Qin Yiyan accompany my Imperial Grandmother!""But someone should accompany and protect Noble Consort Lan. If those people deal with her..." Shao W
"Master, there is something wrong with the sandalwood." Qi Jue pulled an incense stick out of the incense burner at hand.Chu Liuchen took it and frowned. "What's the problem?"Qi Jue replied with a serious look, "There is something added to it. If it is used for a long term, one will be mentally and physically exhausted, then lack strength, and spit out blood. If putting another ingredient into the medicine at this time, it is very likely to cause sudden death."On the bed, the Emperor leaned against Noble Consort Lan with a pale face. Just now, he spat out blood again, and he felt very uncomfortable all over.Noble Consort Lan stroked the Emperor hard while looking toward Chu Liuchen with her red eyes, but she did not speak."What was added?" Chu Liuchen asked sternly. He didn't trust the imperial physicians in the Palace, so he brought Qi Jue to the Palace. After entering the Palace, Qi Jue did not check the