Chapter 112

The Ninth Prince's "villain" was placed by Consort Shu, who added fuel to the fire of his death.

The past life is the past life. Si Yanmo held Zhou Yanqing's hand tightly. In this life, she would never let the husband who hurt her get away with it.

Seeing this, Zhou Yanqing squeezed her hand to reassure her, "No matter what he does, I will never become like him."

Si Yanmo smiled knowingly and took his hand, leading him towards the side hall. "That's right, if you dare to become like that, I might as well poison you to death."

"Is Madam so heartless?"

"I had no choice but to rid the people of this scourge."

Zhou Yanqing took her hand and kissed the back of it. "If I die, will Madam be sad?"

"Of course... I won't!" Si Yanmo teased him on purpose. She didn't know when it started, but she found the puppy's flustered appearance quite amusing.

Zhou Yanqing saw through his thoughts and, sure enough, put on a fierce expression, "Then I'll haunt you even as a ghost!"

The two of them chatted back and forth until they reached the side hall, where they pretended to rest for a while before returning to the banquet.

The Southern Emperor returned earlier than them and, unusually, invited the two to sit close by.

It seems like it's all settled. Si Yanmo thought to herself.

However, sitting close to each other also has its disadvantages. Directly opposite them was the Fifth Princess Zhou Xiru, whom they hadn't seen for a long time.

It's been so long since I've seen her, and she seems to have lost some weight. I guess she was hurt by what Si Yanmo said.

Seeing that the two still didn't have a friendly look on their faces, Si Yanmo wasn't annoyed. It wasn't worth wasting her energy on such wicked and foolish people. After all, there were even smarter ones waiting nearby…

Zhou Changning walked over unnoticed and offered a toast to the Southern Emperor and Empress. The two accepted with smiles, and the Empress chatted casually, saying, "Changning, you'll be sixteen by today, right? It's time to choose a husband. So, do you have someone you like?"

She glanced shyly and timidly in Zhou Yanqing's direction, as if on purpose, and everyone saw it clearly.

At this New Year's Eve family banquet, there were not only concubines and princes from various palaces, but also the Southern Emperor's brothers and sisters. Most of them knew about Zhou Yanqing's background.

If you only consider their identities, their marriage could be considered a beautiful story, but if you look at their relationship, it is truly against human ethics.

The Southern Emperor also noticed this scene and waved his hand, "No rush, what kind of husband can't Changning choose?"

Zhou Changning, however, was relentless and insisted on a resolution at this point. He knelt down and performed a deep bow, saying, "To be honest, Father and Mother, I have someone I love, he..."

Before she could finish speaking, a loud crash came from the side; Zhou Junsong's wine glass had shattered.

He coughed several times in succession and said weakly, "I'm sorry."

The Southern Emperor knew that he was unwell and did not blame him. He waved for someone to add a new cup for him and then called for musicians to come up and perform.

Zhou Changning had no choice but to step down.

Si Yanmo understood and gave Zhou Junsong a grateful look. He simply put his arm around Si Yunyun, indicating that it was "your sister's idea."

The dinner party finally came to a peaceful end.

That night, Zhou Yanqing and Si Yanmo were left to stay in Consort Qin's palace. The three of them exchanged only a few words before returning to their respective rooms.

Zhou Yanqing felt somewhat disappointed, as he rarely had the opportunity to stay overnight here, usually only once a year.

In previous years, Consort Qin would often talk to him at length, a rare instance of her showing concern for him. But now, Consort Qin didn't initiate conversation, and he didn't know what to say. He even knew that the person he should be most wary of now was actually his own mother.

Seeing that he was in a bad mood, Si Yanmo imitated his usual behavior and started a new topic, pretending to be jealous, "Your Highness, shouldn't you explain to me why the Ninth Princess looked at you when she talked about her sweetheart?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanqing looked up, reached out to gesture for her to sit in his lap, and gently coaxed her, "She must be crazy. Didn't I say that she and I are siblings? She knows that."

Si Yanmo smiled and shook her head, "I think you just don't know."

Zhou Yanqing frowned at her expression. "What do you mean?"

"You didn't know she was Consort Zhen's adopted daughter?"

He was stunned, looking incredulous. "Are you serious? You saw it?"

“Yes,” Si Yanmo chuckled. It seemed he really didn’t know and probably always treated her like a younger sister.

In fact, Zhou Changning is the daughter of Consort Zhen's brother.

Consort Zhen's brother led troops into battle and won merit against foreign enemies, but unfortunately he died young. His wife also died of depression, leaving behind only this daughter.

Consort Zhen always cared deeply for her brother. Coincidentally, her own child died shortly after birth, so she secretly switched the baby with Zhou Changning, making him her own child.

"The Southern Emperor will likely find out about this tomorrow. To confuse the royal bloodline is a capital offense," Si Yanmo said, her face showing reluctance.

Although Zhou Changning could be considered her rival in love, she was, after all, just a young girl whose life had only just begun.

Zhou Yanqing was also somewhat anxious. After all, Zhou Changning had been his younger sister for so many years, and she hadn't made any major mistakes. Once the matter was exposed, she and Consort Zhen would probably not be able to escape.

Do you have any ideas?

Si Yanmo took his hand and turned her head towards the door. "Let's go then, let's go save them."

So suddenly?

There was no time to think about it. Zhou Yanqing followed him all the way to Consort Zhen's residence, where they happened to see Steward Yu, who had come to deliver the ancestral offerings to the Southern Emperor.

Si Yanmo stepped forward and struck up a conversation with him, "Manager Yu, it's been a long time."

When Yu Siguan saw her and then Zhou Yanqing behind him, he was taken aback, but he quickly put on a smile and asked, "Your Highness, Your Highness, what brings you here?"

Zhou Yanqing wanted to answer him, but unfortunately he had no idea what Si Yanmo was up to.

Si Yanmo responded readily, "It's because Consort Qin said she wanted to send Consort Zhen a beauty-enhancing balm, and my husband and I just happened to be unable to sleep, so we came over ourselves."

Yu Siguan frowned, not agreeing with the answer, but having worked in the palace for many years, he knew better than to ask what he shouldn't ask and say what he shouldn't say.

Just as he was about to go in to deliver the talisman, the sound of a screen falling to the ground suddenly came from inside the palace, along with what sounded like an argument.

This left the three of them somewhat at a loss. To be precise, it was Yu Siguan and Zhou Yanqing, while Si Yanmo, of course, knew what was going to happen, but she just pretended to be flustered.

"They're arguing, aren't they?" She peered inside, making a gesture as if she were about to go in. "If Consort Zhen and her daughter are arguing, I should go in and take a look."

She ignored Yu Siguan and instead pressed down on Zhou Yanqing, saying, "You shouldn't go in!"

Zhou Yanqing was completely baffled and could only nod, watching her rush inside. He and Manager Yu could only exchange awkward glances and smiles.

As soon as Si Yanmo entered the room, Zhou Changning was indeed arguing with Consort Zhen.

"Are you crazy? Everyone knows you're siblings, and besides, the King of Qin already has a wife! Are you going to become someone's concubine?" Consort Zhen roared at Zhou Changning, and the next second she saw Si Yanmo walk in.

The air froze instantly.

Si Yanmo didn't care much. She already knew the general content of their argument based on their destinies, so she wouldn't be surprised if something else was said inside.

She calmly told the two of them, "Master Yu has been waiting outside the palace for quite some time. You two would better not let him hear anything he shouldn't hear."

Consort Zhen and Zhou Changning's faces turned pale instantly, and cold sweat broke out on their backs.

The two hurriedly straightened their clothes.

When Consort Zhen looked up at Si Yanmo again, she thanked her and went out to greet her, accepting the talisman as if nothing had happened.

When she was about to say something more to Si Yanmo, Si Yanmo simply took Zhou Yanqing's arm and said, "Your Highness, there's no need for thanks. I think the princess has already heard me say that I will not share my husband with anyone. I hope Your Highness will discipline your daughter well."

Consort Zhen's smile froze. "I understand."

After the little incident, the two were finally able to return to their room to rest. She leaned against Zhou Yanqing, saying, "This has been the most tiring New Year's Eve I've ever had."

Hearing her say that, Zhou Yanqing felt a little guilty. If it weren't for his status, they could have spent a proper New Year's Eve with their parents. Now, they had to be on guard at every turn.

"sorry."

"Why are you apologizing? It's not your fault." Si Yanmo rubbed his face. "It was my insistence on helping Tan Muhe. Otherwise, we could have spent New Year's Eve on our own. We could have spent it with my parents, and they would have given us money to ward off evil spirits!"

Seeing his playful expression, the man couldn't help but ask curiously, "So how did you spend New Year's Eve when you were a child?"

"Hmm..." Si Yanmo thought for a moment, "In the morning, I'll put up new peach wood charms with Father, then go to the market with Sister to buy groceries, and we can even sneak some candy. In the afternoon, I'll help Mother prepare the New Year's Eve dinner, and in the evening, we'll set off fireworks together. Most importantly, we'll wait for Father's money to ward off evil spirits!"

As she spoke, her radiant expression made it seem as if an ordinary New Year's Eve was the happiest of all, filling him with longing and making him smile along with her.

He had never had a peaceful New Year's Eve. When Qin Zixiu was around, he would also be traveling to the Southern Capital to attend the Lantern Festival banquet. Although he hadn't gone then, he found Qin territory desolate and lonely.

He would only go to Lin Niang's place a few times, and Lin Niang would make him flower cakes and give him money to ward off evil spirits.

At that time, he felt that New Year's Eve was no different from any other day, and even more deserted than usual.

Everyone else would be at home with their families, but he couldn't even see his mother.

“Then let’s go to your parents’ house for New Year’s Eve, okay? I’ll go with you.” He tightened his grip on Si Yanmo’s hand, as if wanting to feel the reassuring New Year’s Eve she spoke of.

Si Yanmo noticed his dejection but didn't point it out. She simply replied, "Okay, we can invite Sano and the others too, so our whole family can celebrate New Year's Eve together!"

"good!"

Outside, fireworks exploded once again, and the time froze at midnight, signifying the arrival of the new year.

In the new year, he will have Ah Mo by his side, many friends, and a new home.

When the Lunar New Year's Eve arrived again that year, he thought... everything would be different, right?