Chapter 63 The Princess's Birthday Banquet

Shi Qingchen's heart was pounding with excitement. He had never thought about this before, which was why he had missed so many details.

His Yunxi was no ordinary person to begin with. Since he could come to them from a distant other world, why couldn't he be reborn in another way after death?

If it really is Yunxi, then everything makes sense. Thinking this, Shi Qingchen suddenly burst into laughter, but as he laughed, tears streamed down his face again.

He hadn't forgotten the deep-seated hatred in Yunxi's eyes when she looked at him. So Yunxi came back to find him not because of love, but because of hatred. Yunxi wanted to take revenge on him.

However, Shi Qingchen didn't care. As long as Yunxi was alive and could return to his side, what did it matter if Yunxi vented her anger? After all, it was he who had wronged Yunxi.

Moreover, as the saying goes, the deeper the love, the more intense the hate. This perfectly illustrates how deeply Yunxi loves him, just as deeply he loves Yunxi. Otherwise, how could he recognize her no matter what she looked like?

Shi Qingchen's deranged state horrified Liu Shi. She cautiously approached him from behind and softly called out, "Husband, are you alright?"

Liu's call interrupted Shi Qingchen's thoughts. He turned around abruptly, his expression terrifyingly sinister. He suddenly reached out and grabbed Liu's throat, choking her with all his might.

Shi Qingchen's biggest regret was that he betrayed Yunxi by marrying this foolish woman. If it weren't for her, Yunxi wouldn't have suffered so much humiliation before her death.

Moreover, Liu must have been behind Yunxi's death. No wonder Zhao Yunxi said when she met him at the stone bridge that if Yunxi were alive, he would not want to see Liu enjoying a life of luxury.

He doesn't care about this woman now, or whether she has any ability to predict the future. As long as he can win Yunxi back, he doesn't need anyone else.

Liu was first stunned by Shi Qingchen's sudden change in attitude, then he grabbed her throat tightly, and the feeling of suffocation made her eyes roll back and her face turn liver-colored.

The servants and Liu's personal maids inside the room were pacing anxiously, unable to understand why their masters, who had been perfectly fine just moments before, had suddenly started fighting.

Liu was taken aback; the person who had been perfectly fine just moments before would suddenly attack her, and with such intent as to kill her.

She gradually lost the ability to think, instinctively grabbing at the large hand that was choking her throat. She left scratches on Shi Qingchen's hand, but the man seemed oblivious, still gripping her tightly.

Seeing that things were not going well, the servants inside could no longer stand by and watch. Even if it went against their masters' wishes, they could not just watch as the young master killed the young mistress.

The servant boy and Liu's maid rushed forward and forcibly separated the two.

It was only at this moment that Shi Qingchen regained his senses. Behind the Liu family was the Liu clan; he couldn't simply kill her, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to explain himself to Minister Liu.

The moment the hand that had been choking her was released, Liu's legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. After a long while, tears streaming down her face, she asked, "Why did you do this to me, my husband?"

Shi Qingchen looked at the pitiful Liu Shi, a cruel smile curving his lips. He slowly and deliberately instructed, "I heard that Mother has been unwell recently. Go and attend to her now."

Upon hearing that she was going to her stepmother's place again, memories of being tormented by her before immediately flashed through Liu's mind. She and her husband had recently done quite a few things to offend their stepmother.

If Shi Qingchen were to hand her over to the Wen family again, wouldn't she be in an even worse situation than before?

Liu crawled to Shi Qingchen's feet, sobbing, clutching the hem of his robe, pleading, "Husband, please don't send me to Mother's courtyard... Waaah..."

If I have done anything wrong, I will definitely correct it. Please, my husband, don't be angry. I really can't bear this torment... *sobs*

Shi Qingchen slowly leaned down, his large, iron-like hand gripping Liu's chin, forcing her to tilt her head back. She said in a sinister tone:

"Go and take care of your ailing mother. When you come back tonight, your husband will pamper you."

Now, whenever Shi Qingchen sees Liu, he is reminded of how she drugged and seduced him. If it weren't for her appearance, he would still be keeping his chastity for Yunxi.

It was because of this shameless scoundrel that he was tainted. If Yunxi knew this, how could she possibly accept him again without any resentment?

Since Lady Liu enjoys seducing men, then I must grant her wish. Shi Qingchen will let this slut taste the flavor of a man.

Shi Qingchen's murderous gaze sent chills down Liu's spine. She recalled how he had just tried to kill her, pinching her mercilessly.

Suddenly, Liu broke free of the hand on her chin and scrambled towards Wen's courtyard. At that moment, in Liu's heart, the torment from her stepmother was far less terrifying than that of Qingchen.

After Liu left, Shi Qingchen took out a Qi and Blood Pill from his sleeve and took one. Then he began to dress and groom himself in front of the bronze mirror. He wanted to be in the best possible condition to see Yunxi.

Half an hour later

Shi Qingchen arrived at the gate of the Prince Yong's residence, respectfully presented his visiting card, and then waited anxiously for a reply.

Before long, the servant returned and said, "Miss Zhao said she doesn't want to see you. She also said that she has nothing to say to you and that you should not come to the mansion to bother her in the future."

Shi Qingchen found the outcome both unexpected and unsurprising. Given Yunxi's personality, even if she loved him deeply, she certainly wouldn't give him a kind look until she calmed down.

But it's alright, Shi Qingchen smiled indulgently, he would definitely coax her back.

From that day on, Shi Qingchen spent all his time, except for the morning court session, waiting for people at the gate of the Prince's mansion. He even ate his meals in his carriage.

He had heard that Yunxi often went out of the manor to check on the goods in the shop. But after waiting for several days, he still hadn't seen her.

Yunxi was currently in the manor, diligently taking care of Gu Nanxiao. After all, the princess's birthday was approaching, and he had to be present to organize the birthday banquet.

Gu Nanxiao had long heard that Shi Qingchen came to the gate of the mansion to wait for Yunxi every day, but when he saw Yunxi taking care of him single-mindedly all day long, he felt that Shi Qingchen was not a threat.

Five days later, Gu Nanxiao, despite his severe injuries, tidied himself up and appeared before everyone early in the morning with Yunxi to preside over the princess's birthday banquet.

Yunxi had made thorough preparations beforehand and had deployed a large number of secret guards to prevent anyone from tampering with the birthday banquet she had arranged.

From morning onwards, guests arrived at the Prince Yong's mansion in an endless stream, as the opportunity to establish a relationship with the Commander of the Imperial Guard was something that could only be sought after.

The gifts prepared by everyone were either expensive or rare, and they all seemed to have been made with great care.

Gu Nanxiao was very polite to the officials and their families who came to celebrate his birthday. After all, many of them were there because of him, and he would give them a credit.

The men's and women's seats were set up in one place, separated by a gauze curtain, so that guests on both sides could only hear each other's voices but not see each other.

The design was ingenious and immediately caught the eye. The officials' wives all praised it in their hearts and planned to arrange their own banquets in the same way in the future, so that it would be both lively and dignified.

When most of the guests had arrived, the male guests were greeted by two unexpected guests: the Grand Secretary Shi and Shi Qingchen.