Xichang

Liu Ying was not only a noble lady from the royal family, but also the daughter of a general, so she naturally had some courage.

"I'm not afraid of these shady plots in the harem, but...if I really go to support Ye Jiashu, wouldn't that be equivalent to agreeing to this marriage? I haven't made up my mind yet!"

Qin Yousi smiled and joked, "My princess, have you really not thought it through? Oh, I wonder who the whip tassel in your embroidery basket is made for? If it's not for Qilang, why not give it to me? I'm thinking of learning to ride a horse!"

Liu Ying snatched the ear of Su Zi and teased her, saying, "Sixth Lady, you're not married yet, why aren't you ashamed?"

After playing for a while, the two agreed to go to the Huachao Banquet together. Qin Yousi also helped Liu Ying choose an outfit for the banquet, and then went home with Yu Huan.

Yu Huan recalled how Qin Yousi and the princess had always been so open with each other, and pleaded in the carriage, "Sixth Mother, how on earth did you convince the eldest aunt and the princess to trust you and use your medicine? Even if I said it was the Qin family's secret recipe, how could they believe it? I've been thinking about it for half a month and can't figure it out. Just tell me!"

Qin Yousi propped up his head and took a short nap, pretending to be mysterious and saying, "You'll know when the time comes."

Yu Huan was so anxious that she begged, "Good girl, please teach me."

Qin Yousi said, "Whether it's Madam Shi or the Princess, they're all like me, doing this for Qilang's own good. The three of us share the same goal and the same enemy. What can't we discuss? It just requires me to be humble and show my sincerity first."

Yu Huan said distressedly: "Sixth Miss, you are so kind. You don't care about anything for Qilang."

Qin Yousi smiled indifferently.

The young woman was thin-skinned and took every word and every look extremely seriously, but for someone like Qin Yousi who had experienced life and death, purpose and results were everything.

Besides… “It’s not for Qilang, it’s for myself.”

The Ye family has been a family of three generations and has a large house in the capital where land is very expensive.

On the day of the Flower Festival Banquet, Mrs. Gu asked the gardener to decorate the house inside and out. There were spring flowers everywhere, and the place was lively and festive.

Princess Pingtung went to Yu's house to pick up Qin Yousi. When the two arrived at Ye's house, most of the tables in the flower hall were already occupied.

Mrs. Gu had never seen Liu Ying, nor did she know Sang Youzhi, but when she saw the woman in a blue dress surrounded by maids wearing a veil, she guessed that she was the Princess of Pingtung.

She took the initiative to step forward to greet the guest and said, "I always heard that the princess doesn't like to go out. She is willing to come, probably because of Qilang's face!"

"It's not for him at all. I heard that Madam Gu is very good at growing flowers. I naturally can't miss your Flower Festival Banquet." Liu Ying said politely.

Mrs. Gu's eyes couldn't help but fall on Qin Yousi who was accompanying Liu Ying. She saw that her clothes and jewelry were not expensive, but her appearance was stunning and her demeanor was slightly proud.

She doesn't look like a noble lady, but she isn't a maid in the Prince's Mansion either.

Could it be that the princess knew that she was not good-looking, so she specifically looked for a beautiful woman to be her concubine in order to win the man's heart?

Mrs. Gu felt that she had guessed the truth. Given her status, she would not take the initiative to talk to a concubine, so she just invited Liu Ying to sit down.

He then said, "The guests who came today are all young women. I was afraid that the princess would feel bored, so I found some playmates of the right age for you. There are some younger members of my Gu family, and some girls from my old acquaintances."

She turned to look at the maid beside her and said, "Go ahead and check. Why hasn't the girl from the Sang family arrived yet? Qilang should have gone to pick her up, right?"

After Mrs. Gu finished speaking, she glanced at Liu Ying without leaving a trace. She was sure that Liu Ying already knew about Sang Liuniang and the marriage contract.

Unexpectedly, she saw that Liu Ying's eyebrows were curved above the veil, as if she was smiling?

A beautiful woman at the side said, "No need to go, I'm already here. The Madam and the Princess have been talking, and I haven't had the chance to meet the Madam yet. I am Sang Liuniang."

The teacup in Mrs. Gu's hand was shaking, and she barely managed to keep it steady.

"Ah, I'm shortsighted. You and the princess... know each other?" Mrs. Gu asked angrily.

Liu Ying took over and said, "Yes, Liu Niang is my good sister."

Mrs. Gu felt as if she had been slapped in the face. It seemed that the delicious meal she had prepared for Ye Jiashu today was ruined.

She glared at the maid beside her, as if blaming the others for not finding out about this relationship, and then said to Liu Ying, "That's wonderful. To be honest, I invited the princess and Miss Sang here today because I didn't want to see you two good ladies misunderstanding my Ye family because of the Yu family's stupid behavior. Since you two are good friends, it couldn't be better. It seems our Qilang is truly blessed!"

Her words were full of thorns, making people feel very unpleasant.

At this time, word came from the front that the wife of the Prince of Xichang had arrived.

Upon hearing the news, Madam Gu immediately stood up and said, "Please sit down first. I will go and greet the distinguished guests."

The word "Xichang" was like a poisonous arrow entering his throat and thunder shaking his ears. The moment he heard it, Qin Yousi's eyes turned cold and hatred instantly surged in his heart.

The Marquis of Xichang was none other than General Duan Weiming, the General who had accused her father of treason and executed him!

All the tragedies of the Qin family started from here!

Duan Weiming's claim that her father committed treason was sheer nonsense, and no one in the Qin family believed it.

The entire Qin family, young and old, are in the capital. If they really wanted to commit treason, how could they not be prepared at all?

Besides, his father was not a commander-in-chief leading troops to fight. He was only temporarily appointed as the military medical commander of the Western Expedition Army and accompanied the army to support the battle.

But Duan Weiming didn't even escort her father back to Beijing for trial, but killed him directly on the battlefield!

What is even more unbelievable is that after the report was sent back to the capital, the Ministry of Justice sealed it and the emperor also stamped it with the imperial seal, as if nothing had been tried and they just convicted him of treason. It was simply ridiculous!

At that time, Qin Yousi hated himself so much that he rushed into the Marquis of Xichang's Mansion and killed Old Man Duan to avenge his father!

She was feeling jealous when someone suddenly held her hand.

Liu Ying looked at her worriedly and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong with you?"

Qin Yousi calmed down and responded in a low voice: "My mother's family has some conflicts with the Xichang Marquis Mansion."

Liu Ying recalled the past events of the Marquis of Xichang and the Duke of Ji's Mansion, nodded in understanding, and said, "If this Crown Prince's wife targets you, we are not afraid of her."

Qin Yousi looked at her gratefully, and at the same time looked towards the entrance of the flower hall curiously. He didn't know who the current wife of the Prince of Xichang was. After all, that position was once reserved for her.

Madam Gu waited in front of the gate of Ye Mansion for a while before the carriage from Marquis Xichang's Mansion arrived.

Mrs. Gu stepped forward with a smile on her face and offered her hand to support the Crown Prince's wife Yan Rong, who was younger than her.

"Madam, we at the Ye Mansion are truly honored to have you here today."

Yan Rong didn't take her hand, but instead adjusted her sleeves to avoid her. "Mrs. Gu, you're so polite. I'm sorry to trouble you to come and greet me personally. My mother wanted to come today, but the temperature dropped a couple of days ago, and she's been feeling a little unwell, so she asked me to come. She also kept thinking about asking you for two pots of beautiful flowers."

Madam Gu said with a smile, "I have just planted a few pots of purple lilies. I will ask the Crown Prince's wife to take a look at them later. If she likes them, I will take them back and present them to the Marquis' wife to amuse her."

Yan Rong was used to the flattery of people around her and was not surprised by Mrs. Gu's attitude.

In recent years, the Xichang Marquisate has flourished, the Marquis has repeatedly achieved meritorious service, and the Crown Prince has held a key position in the imperial court. Word has spread within the inner court that if Xichang Marquis receives another opportunity, the Emperor intends to elevate his title to the rank of First-Rank Duke!

With this kind of development, who wouldn't be respectful to her?

So when she walked into the flower hall, the ladies and girls attending the banquet all stood up politely and greeted her, as if she was the host of the banquet.

Only the two girls sitting in the corner of the upper seats did not move.

Yan Rong looked over, trying to see whose daughter was so arrogant, but when she saw her, she almost lost her balance.

"Madam!" The personal maid quickly helped her up, but found that her lady's hands were extremely cold, and she was shaking and sweating.

"Madam, are you feeling unwell?" the maid asked anxiously.

Yan Rong finally let out a long breath, turned her back abruptly, and sat down on the table, saying, "Nothing, I just felt a bit dizzy after the cold wind."

Madam Gu hurriedly said, "Pour the tea quickly!"

Qin Yousi looked at the lively scene in the flower hall with cold eyes, and couldn't suppress the sarcastic smile on his face.

Yanrong, ah Yanrong, how could it be you?

Before the Qin family encountered trouble, the Xichang Marquisate spent three full years trying to arrange a marriage for Qin Yousi.

At that time, Qin Yousi's father was particularly optimistic about the character and talents of Duan Zheng, the prince of Xichang Marquisate. He felt that this boy had a bright future and that only he was worthy of his precious daughter.

Qin Yousi went to school with his brothers and was very familiar with the situation of the young men in the capital. Duan Zheng was indeed a good person. He never followed Baili Hongyuan and the others to fool around and have fun. He was as modest as a jade gentleman, which was a perfect description for him.

Although she had no romantic feelings for Duan Zheng, she was not disgusted by it and could not find any fault with the marriage, so she followed her family's arrangements and got married.

Everyone in the capital said that this marriage was a perfect match, with the man being talented and the woman being beautiful, and a match made in heaven. Only two people were dissatisfied.

One is Baili Hongyuan, who speaks ill of Duan Zheng in front of the Qin brothers every day, always saying that the Qin family will suffer.

But no one took his words seriously at the time, thinking that he was always arguing with Qin Yousi and was used to contradicting him.

The second person who opposed it was Qin Yousi’s close friend Yan Rong.

Qin Yousi still remembered Yan Rong's engagement day, holding her hand and crying, saying, "Everyone says you two are a perfect match, but I only care about your happiness, my sister. Duan Zheng appears gentle and kind to the outside world, but he is cold-blooded and ruthless, with an extremely strong desire for control. I heard that several of his maids died at his hands. When a girl in his singing studio wrote a song for him, he immediately closed the studio and sold the singer, showing no mercy. If you offend him in the future, how can you expect to get away with it?"

At that time, Qin Yousi smiled and said, "It's good for him to be like this. At least he doesn't have to worry about any beautiful women."

Later, Yan Rong said many bad things about Duan Zheng, saying that he would restrict her freedom, not allow her to make friends, and that there were too many rules in the mansion, etc., which made Qin Yousi a little afraid of marriage.

Now it seems that what her best friend said back then was not for her own good.