Chapter 39 Which hand did he hold? Chop it off!
Qingying was taken back to the Chu Prince's Mansion by Song Xuerou.
Seeing the complicated look in Shen Ruoli's eyes, Runyue assumed that her mood was affected by Song Xuerou's appearance, so she stepped forward to comfort her, "Your Highness, you and Princess Chu are now worlds apart, you don't need to let her upset you."
"Just as you said, the King of Chu is a piece of trash! And this Queen Consort of Chu is no better!"
Runyue clenched her fists. "If it weren't for her relentless pursuit of you, Miss, would she, a concubine's daughter from the Prime Minister's mansion, have been worthy of being by your side? Would she have even been able to get in touch with the Prince of Chu?"
As she spoke, Leap Month's fists clenched even tighter!
"This Princess Consort of Chu is clearly a wolf in sheep's clothing! Knowing that Miss has feelings for the Prince of Chu, she deliberately approached him and eventually snatched him away from Miss! She even pretended to be pitiful and sought sympathy everywhere!"
Having served her for over ten years, she naturally knew how Song Xuerou climbed up to Shen Ruoli, and through Shen Ruoli, she gained a foothold in the Prime Minister's residence and rose to the position of Princess Consort of Chu!
Therefore, when Runyue saw Song Xuerou at that time, she wished she could knock her down with a punch!
"Miss, they are a perfect match of scumbags, they don't deserve your sadness!"
"sad?"
Shen Ruoli laughed, "Do you see where I'm sad? I'm just thinking about whether Qingying will die at Song Xuerou's hands."
Just as the intercalary month said, Song Xuerou is no simple woman.
She was clearly just an illegitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's family, with two legitimate older sisters above her, so she had no chance of getting ahead in the Prime Minister's family!
Shen Ruoli and she were only a few years old when they first met.
It was my grandfather's seventieth birthday.
Empress Dowager Shen was my grandfather's youngest sister, more than ten years younger than him. My grandfather always doted on her, and even raised her as his own daughter for a time, so they had a deep sibling bond.
My grandfather had no intention of holding a birthday banquet, but Empress Dowager Shen spoke up, so the banquet was naturally prepared in a lively and extraordinary manner.
On that day, Empress Dowager Shen, the Emperor and Empress, and others all arrived at the Duke's Mansion. Almost all the prominent families in the capital came out to celebrate the grandfather's birthday.
As the legitimate daughter of the Duke's mansion and the darling of Empress Dowager Shen, Shen Ruoli was naturally the center of attention.
Wherever she went, she was always accompanied by princes and princesses, and followed by noble young men and women.
Shen Ruoli wouldn't even glance at a concubine's daughter like Song Xuerou!
But on that very day, she seized the opportunity and was "pushed" into the water by her eldest sister in front of Shen Ruoli!
Shen Ruoli did not want to meddle in other people's business, but since it was her grandfather's birthday, she had no choice but to order people to rescue Song Xuerou and comfort her. She also sent people to take the troublemaking Miss Song back to the Prime Minister's residence.
Since then, Miss Song has been ostracized by almost all the young masters and ladies of the aristocratic families in the capital—everyone knows that she is not worthy of Miss Shen's favor and has been sent back to the Prime Minister's residence.
She never stepped out of the Prime Minister's residence again.
Song Xuerou, on the other hand, knelt down to thank Shen Ruoli pitifully after changing her clothes, and then would occasionally approach Shen Ruoli under the pretext of giving her purses, handkerchiefs and other items.
The girl was naive and, seeing Song Xuerou's pitiful state, tacitly allowed her to stay by her side.
In the following ten years, Song Xuerou's status in the Prime Minister's mansion surpassed that of her two elder sisters.
Now that she has become the Princess Consort of Chu, she is naturally the backbone of the Song family.
"In the leap month, I thought I had saved a poor little thing. But I never expected it to be a vicious and ruthless scorpion!"
Shen Ruoli collected her thoughts. "Did you know that scorpions prefer to sting people in dark, damp places where they can't be seen?"
In her previous life, she met such a tragic end, while Song Xuerou gracefully disappeared into the shadows.
In this life, she will personally tear away this woman's disguise!
"This servant understands."
Leap Moon nodded, "Therefore, from now on, we must be extra careful of Princess Chu!"
Shen Ruoli responded and then instructed Runyue to send people to keep a close eye on the Chu Prince's residence.
"Don't let her actually kill him. After all, Qingying is still somewhat useful to me!"
"Yes, Crown Princess."
The intercalary month immediately went to give instructions on this matter.
She had barely left when Xie Xuanyin returned.
At that moment, Shen Ruoli had just lain down to read when she noticed that the light was blocked by a tall shadow.
She looked up and was immediately surprised, "How come Your Highness walks without making a sound? Is he a cat in disguise?"
"Why are you so surprised to see me? Have you done something wrong and are afraid that I will find out?"
Xie Xuanyin countered with a question.
He snatched the book from Shen Ruoli's hands, glanced at the cover, and placed it on the table without any interest. "I thought you weren't interested in these military strategies! Are you planning to learn them to use against me?"
Looking at the closed copy of "The Thirty-Six Stratagems" on the table, Shen Ruoli choked—Xie Xuanyin had actually guessed correctly!
She really intended to learn it to deal with him!
No, it's for saving lives!
"Why is Your Highness back so early today? It's not even dark yet! Could it be that Your Highness was slacking off?"
She got up. "This book is too profound, I can't understand it! Could Your Highness please explain it to me?"
Shen Ruoli straightened his clothes, his face sincere, looking like he was "humbly seeking guidance".
"Oh? Someone as smart as you actually has things they don't understand?"
Xie Xuanyin sat down and, unusually, patiently spoke to her.
Shen Ruoli immediately flipped open the book and found the page she had just read. "Your Highness, look, it says here about the 'beauty trap': 'If the army is strong, attack its general; if the general is wise, attack his emotions. If the general is weak and the army is demoralized, its strength will naturally decline. Use this to defend against invaders and protect yourselves!'"
She held the book up to Xie Xuanyin, saying, "This 'Beauty Trap' is clearly the thirty-first of the Thirty-Six Stratagems! Yet it's ranked first among the strategies for defeat!"
"Your Highness, what kind of logic is this? And what exactly is this 'honey trap'?"
Xie Xuanyin: "..."
Is this woman genuinely unaware or pretending?
He desperately wanted to tell her that in his previous life, he had fallen for her and been tricked by her "honey trap," which led to his tragic end.
If Shen Ruoli doesn't understand what a "beauty trap" is, then no one in the world understands it better!
Right now, this woman is looking at him with an innocent expression, asking him what a "honey trap" is.
That's absolutely ridiculous!
"Are you genuinely confused, or are you just pretending?"
Xie Xuanyin's eyes gradually began to look dangerous.
Shen Ruoli blinked innocently, her eyes still bright and clear, as if she truly didn't understand. "Your Highness, I sincerely seek your guidance!"
That's what she said, but her hands started to wander, wrapping around Xie Xuanyin's neck. "Your Highness is well-read and exceptionally wise! Please enlighten me, Your Highness!"
Shen Ruoli remained expressionless and shamelessly sat in Xie Xuanyin's lap.
Her bodice was half-undone, revealing glimpses of her fair neck and light green undergarment...
Xie Xuanyin's eyes darkened, and even his voice became subtly hoarse, "Shen Ruoli! You're getting bolder and bolder!"
He grabbed her restless hand and held it tightly in his palm. "Which hand did he hold? Chop it off right now!"
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