Chapter 241
Being ignored is a terrible feeling, especially for someone as arrogant and conceited as her. The stark contrast between the two of them only exacerbates her resentment.
Qi Roufu always needed something to vent her anger on. Suddenly, her gaze was drawn to the bright flowers covering the ground, and a look of indignation appeared on her face. Just as she was about to make a move, someone not far away saw through her thoughts.
"If you dare touch any of the flowers here, get out of here right now."
His tone was casual, yet he easily restrained her desire to cause trouble.
Qi Roufu frowned and bit her lower lip. She didn't know why she suddenly stopped after hearing what she said.
Deep down, she knew she needed someone's help and that she was in the wrong; those who came to her door always felt inferior.
She just didn't want to admit it.
Tao Tao put down the flowerpot, walked to the servant carrying the basin, washed her hands, took the handkerchief from Rong'er and wiped them, and then said, "Granny Wu, serve tea."
She looked at Qi Roufu with a smile and said, "Princess, let's sit down and talk."
She was so indifferent just a moment ago, but now she's all smiles. Her mood changed so quickly.
hypocritical!
A hint of disdain flashed in Qi Roufu's eyes as he looked at her. He composed himself, walked gracefully to the opposite side, and sat down.
After serving tea and snacks, Tao Tao dismissed everyone, but she kept Leng Qiao by her side.
Qi Roufu glanced at the woman not far away, but quickly looked away and looked down at the few flower petals in the teacup.
Tao Tao noticed her questioning gaze and explained, "This is flower tea, made from the flowers in this yard and some tea leaves."
"Judging from your attitude just now, you didn't seem to cherish these flowers at all?"
She picked up the teacup, and a delicate fragrance wafted towards her. After taking a sip, her eyes suddenly lit up.
"I value it a lot. Isn't making it into something edible and drinkable enough?"
Qi Roufu's lips twitched speechlessly. "You should know why I've come to see you."
"I have no idea."
"You hinted that I should come here from the palace. Did you already know that my brother would send me to marry a foreign ruler?" She didn't believe her words at all.
A marriage alliance?
Tao Tao was quite surprised and asked, "You're going to be married off to a foreign land? I didn't know about that."
But who came up with this idea? It's so insidious. More than ten years of marriage alliance was already enough to drive Qi Roufu crazy. She finally came back, and not long after, they want to use her as a tool to build bridges between the two countries.
This is just too tragic.
But does the Celestial Empire need marriage alliances now?
So she asked again, "Where are we going to marry?"
After saying that, Qi Roufu's face instantly darkened, his hand unconsciously clenched the teacup, and he said through gritted teeth, "It's that bitch! That bitch Consort Liu is whispering in the Emperor's ear!"
"You've come to me to help you deal with Consort Liu? Or to help you escape a marriage alliance?"
She chuckled softly, "You think too highly of me. I can't do any of these things."
Qi Roufu suddenly grabbed her arm, which was resting on the table, his eyes gleaming. "You have to help me! You must have a way. You, a person from humble beginnings, went from being the adopted daughter of a prince to the crown princess. I don't believe it's all just a coincidence."
"I know you hate the Empress just like me. If you can help me, I'll help you deal with her."
Her identity isn't too difficult to find out; as long as you dig deep enough, you'll definitely find it.
Tao Tao was taken aback, then laughed. "I am the Crown Princess. If the Crown Prince loses the Empress, it's like losing his right and left arms. How could I possibly do that?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Roufu sneered, "You can't fool me. You deliberately mentioned the Empress in front of me to test me, didn't you? Now that I've done what you wanted, what? You're going to refuse me now?"
Tao Tao didn't speak, but lowered her eyes and looked at the rose petals floating in the teacup.
The Empress tried to kill her several times, so how could she give up? Even if she was Qi Heng's mother, so what? She was herself, and Qi Heng was Qi Heng.
When the Empress was still a commoner and thought that killing an innocent person was insignificant, she could never have imagined that she would one day rise to this position.
What's even more ironic is that the person who wanted to kill her several times didn't even remember what she looked like.
They probably thought she was already dead. She never intended to deal with the Empress, because she was too weak at the time and was busy making a living. How could she have the energy to think about anything else?
Ultimately, it was Duan Gan who gave her this delusion, which made her think about how to climb the ranks.
She kept this thought to herself very well, but when she saw the eldest princess, she suddenly realized that the eldest princess might be able to help her with this.
But this marriage alliance was truly unexpected; she had no idea about it.
Tao Tao looked up at her and said, "I'll help you, but you have to tell me everything truthfully, otherwise I don't know what to do."
"What could possibly be wrong with me? It's all laid bare, isn't it? It's just that slut who deliberately whispered in my brother's ear, otherwise he wouldn't have thought of sending me off to be married off!"
"Where are Lin Wange and Li Miaomiao?"
"Wh-what?"
Her sudden shift of the blame to unrelated people left Qi Roufu momentarily stunned.
"Lin Wange was kidnapped by bandits on her way to the temple with her mother to pray for blessings. After a night, she was thrown down the mountain in tattered clothes and forced to hang herself amidst rumors and gossip."
"The day after Lin Wange's accident, Li Miaomiao went boating on the lake and accidentally fell in. She was rescued by the Third Prince Qi Huan. Because she had intimate relations with a man in public, she had no choice but to marry into the Chang Prince's mansion in order to clear her name."
Tao Tao's tone wasn't accusatory; she was simply stating a fact.
Qi Roufu frowned and said, "So what? You've already explained why they had the accident. What does it have to do with me?"
Her lips moved, but she didn't say anything. She blinked and thought to herself, "She's already said all that, so why is Qi Roufu still being so stubborn? That's right, the fewer people who know about this kind of thing, the better."
But if she genuinely wanted to cooperate, she should have said so. She doesn't seem like the type to be so timid.
Tao Tao pondered for a moment and asked, "Judging from your tone, you think your brother treated you quite well. Then why did he listen to the Empress's suggestion and send you to a marriage alliance back then?"
“I’ve checked. Among the princesses from that time, there was another princess. Although she passed away ten years ago, if it were fifteen years ago, before anyone was married, why did His Majesty choose you, his younger sister, when he had to choose between the two of you?”
After speaking, Qi Roufu fell completely silent, his face gradually turning grim.
Seeing this, Tao Tao's amber eyes darted around, and she wondered to herself, could there really be some hidden story?
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