Chapter 5: She begins to plan…
"Your Highness, although the Prince already has a wife, his heart belongs only to you!"
Qingying continued to fan the flames, urging her to visit Xie Xuansong, "His Highness has never been so badly injured before. If the Crown Princess sees him, she will surely be heartbroken! I feel extremely distressed just seeing him..."
As she spoke, she noticed that Shen Ruoli's eyes were gradually turning cold and sharp, so she stopped talking.
Qingying looked at her cautiously, "Crown Princess, what's wrong?"
"Qingying, you should go back and serve the prince."
"Your Highness, has this servant done something wrong?"
Qingying immediately knelt down.
"It's precisely because you care about the Prince that I can't bear to do it. If you take care of him personally, the Prince will surely recover much faster!"
Shen Ruoli smiled faintly, "You know that His Highness the Crown Prince is now suspicious of me. If I were to go see the Prince at this time, wouldn't I be putting myself in even more trouble?"
"I almost lost my life yesterday and was injured. I'm in so much pain right now that I can't get out of bed."
"But……"
Qingying was stunned.
"Besides, you just said that if I saw the Prince, I would be heartbroken! So I choose not to see him."
Shen Ruoli waved her hand. "Go out."
"Princess!"
Qingying was unwilling to give up and wanted to say something more, but when she saw Shen Ruoli's eyes were like knives, she suddenly felt a chill down her spine and had no choice but to get up and slink away.
Shen Ruoli withdrew her gaze, and a murderous intent gradually welled up in her eyes!
For Xie Xuanyin's sake, for Runyue's sake, and for her own sake, Qingying must die!
"Princess."
Runyue came in carrying the brocade box, glanced back at the empty doorway, and asked, "What's wrong with Qingying? She looked strange when she went out just now, and she's been acting strangely these past few days too."
What is that?
Shen Ruoli did not answer but asked a question in return.
"Your Highness, Chun, the Empress's maidservant, just came by! She said these were all bestowed upon you by Her Majesty."
In the leap month, a brocade box was presented.
Shen Ruoli frowned.
Because she had once admired Xie Xuansong, her mother-in-law, Empress Sun, disliked her intensely. In her previous life, Empress Sun had made things difficult for her at every turn and secretly caused her many troubles.
Why would they actually give her something today?
Shen Ruoli opened the brocade box and saw that it contained a dazzling array of pearl hairpins and jewelry.
It looks luxurious, but it's extremely perfunctory.
Shen Ruoli smiled self-deprecatingly.
Empress Sun must have known about yesterday's events and was afraid that if the news got out, it would cause trouble for Xie Xuanyin, so she gave her gifts to keep her quiet!
Otherwise, Granny Chun wouldn't have just delivered the things and left, without even seeing the Crown Princess!
"Your Highness, the Empress has bestowed gifts upon you. It must be because of what happened yesterday. Would Your Highness like to go to the palace to express your gratitude?"
Shen Ruoli was plotting how to eliminate Qingying without alerting her.
Upon hearing the name of Empress Sun, she already had a plan in mind.
"Of course I should go to the palace to express my gratitude, but not today."
After a pause, Shen Ruoli asked again, "What did you just say happened to Qingying?"
In her previous life, the leap month keenly sensed that something was wrong with Qingying and secretly reminded her several times.
However, because of her slowness, the leap month was harmed by Qingying!
“This servant feels that Qingying has been acting strangely lately! Especially in the last two days, she has been nowhere to be seen! When asked where she has gone, she gives vague answers, as if she has something on her mind.”
Runyue said in a low voice, "Your Highness, I always feel that Qingying is too preoccupied."
"Um."
Shen Ruoli gestured for her to continue.
"Your Highness, why don't we return her to the Prince of Chu?"
"Return it to the King of Chu? No, I have other plans."
Shen Ruoli smiled and said, "Her master is the Prince of Chu, not me. Now that I have severed ties with Xie Xuansong, keeping her around will only be a disaster!"
Upon hearing this, Leap Month breathed a long sigh of relief!
She clenched her hands excitedly, "Your Highness, you've really figured it out! I thought your unusual behavior these past two days was all part of your schemes for the Prince of Chu!"
"Didn't Xie Xuansong say that His Highness executed several court officials on the spot during yesterday's morning court session?"
Shen Ruoli got back to the point, "Your Highness has always been steady and rational, those people definitely deserve to be killed! However, the Empress Dowager's birthday is approaching, so to avoid being disturbed by such bloodshed... Pass down the message that I will go to Tianzhao Mountain to offer incense and pray for blessings early tomorrow morning."
She lowered her eyes, concealing the tears welling up within them.
The purpose of this trip to Tianzhao Mountain is twofold: first, to offer incense and pray for blessings, and second, to comfort the spirits of the deceased.
Her child had just been born and hadn't even had a chance to see the world before being killed by Xie Xuansong!
She wanted to appeal to Guanyin Bodhisattva, begging Guanyin to have mercy on her child, to reunite her and her child as soon as possible, and to make Xie Xuansong suffer a terrible death!
When she looked up again, Shen Ruoli's smile was cold. "Tianzhao Mountain is far from the capital. Mountain bandits roam freely, and the imperial court has failed to eliminate them despite several attempts to suppress them."
"Qingying was loyal to her master and died at the hands of bandits while protecting me. It is only natural that she did so!"
...
Dusk was falling, and the moon's shadow was sparse.
In the past, when Xie Xuanyin returned, Shen Ruoli would politely refuse him entry by saying that she had already retired for the night.
Therefore, even after getting married, Xie Xuanyin still stayed at Changyang Palace as before.
But tonight, the Crown Prince's residence is brightly lit!
"master."
Feng Qing lowered his voice, "Is the Crown Princess waiting for you to return?"
Whether she was waiting for him or not, looking at the bright lights, Xie Xuanyin, whose gaze had just been cold and sharp, seemed to have a softer light in his eyes.
He didn't seem to want to be mean to her tonight.
However, this is only for tonight!
Xie Xuanyin lowered his eyes, turned around, and prepared to leave.
Just then, Shen Ruoli suddenly appeared at the door. "Eh? Your Highness is back?"
She hurried out to greet him, her face beaming with joy. "Perfect timing! I just had Runyue reheat the food, it's still warm! Your Highness, please dine with me!"
As she spoke, she instinctively and habitually grabbed Xie Xuanyin's arm.
The man froze, his feet involuntarily following her into the house, but he awkwardly said, "Chen Ruoli, do you really want to poison me?"
"Your Highness, please don't say that word! It's unlucky!"
Shen Ruoli glanced at him tentatively, "If anything happens to Your Highness, I will not live on alone!"
Xie Xuanyin's pupils dilated in shock!
She then withdrew her hand, laughing coldly, "Shen Ruoli, your words have been as sweet as honey these past two days. What's your purpose? Just say it!"
Sure enough, this man's paranoia is getting worse and worse!
Having learned from the lessons of the previous life, one should learn from one's mistakes!
Shen Ruoli knew that Xie Xuanyin would not easily believe her anymore.
But it doesn't matter, she will prove with her actions that she will always stand firmly by his side!
"Your Highness is wise!"
She pulled Xie Xuanyin to sit down, and while serving him food, she explained, "Tomorrow I want to go to Tianzhao Mountain to pray for the Empress Dowager, but the journey is long, and I've heard that bandits roam that area..."
"I am a weak woman and I am afraid, so Your Highness, could you lend me Feng Qing for one day?"
"Chen Ruoli".
Xie Xuanyin slowly put down his chopsticks, his eyes sharp as knives, slowly torturing her. "Aren't you going to Tianzhao Mountain to pray for blessings in two days?"
That same day in his previous life almost cost him his life!
Upon hearing this, Shen Ruoli's eyelashes trembled. "How did Your Highness know that I originally planned to go to Tianzhao Mountain to pray for blessings in two days?"
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