Chapter 253
Instead of leaving the city directly, they went to the Tao family's house.
Tao Tao stood by the bed, staring at the sleeping man. Xi Quan, who was sleeping soundly, always felt like someone was watching him, which made him feel uneasy.
As if sensing something, he groggily opened his eyes and vaguely saw someone standing by the bed. He looked closely and realized it was indeed someone.
This startled him greatly, and a rapid, terrified scream escaped his lips.
"It's me."
Upon hearing the familiar voice, Xi Quan widened her eyes and leaned closer to take a look. Instead of feeling relieved when she saw that it was Tao Tao, she looked tense.
"Your Highness, what brings you here so late at night?"
Tao Tao stood in the shadows, the window lattice half-closed, the moonlight shining on her face in a dim light, making it impossible to discern her expression.
"From this day forward, I will be giving you away to a noble person. You will no longer need to return to the Tao family."
A benefactor?
Xi Quan frowned, wondering what her true intentions were. Even though she knew she had ulterior motives, she dared not show it on her face.
"So where should I go tomorrow?"
"Not tomorrow, it's now. Get up quickly."
"Now?!" His eyes widened, and he was stunned for a moment. Seeing the impatience in her eyes, he quickly got up, got out of bed, grabbed his coat from the wooden rack, and put it on.
Tao Tao and Leng Qiao stood at the door. Xi Quan was about to run towards the door when Tao Tao called out to her from behind, "Come back."
"Cover your mouth and don't make a sound."
He turned his head in confusion, but dared not ask, and only nodded, until the person next to her grabbed him by the back of his collar and flew away in a flash.
He was about to cry out in surprise when he suddenly remembered her instructions, forcibly swallowed the scream that was about to escape his throat, and covered his mouth.
Everything around him rushed past, and the cold wind whistled against his body, making him shiver.
Xiquan closed his eyes in fear. After an incense stick's time, the sound of the wind in his ears stopped, and his feet finally touched solid ground.
He slowly opened his eyes, looking around in fear. Suddenly, he saw the four large characters "Princess's Residence" on the plaque above his head. He loosened his grip on his collar, and his legs went weak, almost causing him to lose his balance.
Tao Tao stepped forward and knocked on the door. In the blink of an eye, footsteps came from behind the door. When she opened the door, the person respectfully invited them in.
Qi Roufu stood in the courtyard and saw Tao Tao walk in. He warmly stepped forward and hugged her, saying, "Little Tao, you've finally come."
Tao Tao was a little uncomfortable with her sudden outgoing and familiar manner, and she could hardly breathe with her face pressed against her chest.
Leng Qiao quickly pulled Qi Roufu out of her arms.
Tao Tao's face turned red, she fanned her burning cheeks and glared at her.
Suddenly, Qi Roufu exclaimed in surprise, reached out and brushed aside the long hair on the side of her neck. Seeing the obvious bite marks on her snow-white skin, he was puzzled for a moment, then quickly looked at her with a teasing gaze.
"What's wrong with you? Your sweetheart is quite something."
Tao Tao took a step back, straightening her clothes and hair. "You've done what I asked you to spread, haven't you?"
She turned and sat on the stone bench. "Of course, I naturally had my people do as you said. The Celestial Empire is strong and well-equipped, while His Majesty is old, weak, and cowardly. Faced with barbarians weaker than himself, he actually sent the eldest princess, who has dedicated most of her life to the Celestial Empire, to a marriage alliance."
“The story spreads like wildfire, and the more it's told, the more outrageous it becomes. It will soon reach his ears. You're right. My elder brother is arrogant and conceited. He values his reputation more than anything else and is also afraid of death.”
"Years ago, he sent me to Xia Country because he was afraid of being found out by others and at Qiu Lingyao's urging. He never thought I would be alive today."
"A pair of vicious bastards, I will make them pay the price."
Tao Tao looked at her smug face before she had even won, and said calmly, "Don't be so smug. Relying on public opinion alone is useless. The Third Prince needs to make use of it."
“The Empress will not sit idly by after the Crown Prince is demoted. She will definitely go to the Emperor. Duan Gan was involved in issuing this order, which shows that the Emperor has long been at his mercy. Therefore, the Empress going to the Emperor will not be of any use and will only make him dislike her.”
"Consort Liu held a grudge because your son was slapped by you, and she whispered in the emperor's ear to persuade him to send you to marry a foreign ruler. The emperor actually agreed, which shows that he was easily influenced by the words of others."
"Now you need to make Consort Liu and the Empress fight each other, so that even the Emperor gets tired of them. At this time, you can take advantage of the situation, send the new concubine to his bed, and win his favor."
"As for the Third Prince, the Emperor has always valued him. The position of Crown Prince is vacant and may fall into his hands. At this time, however, it is not allowed for any bad rumors to spread. The matter between you and him is your best leverage."
"You can ask him to say a few words on your behalf at the right time. With someone whispering in your ear, Consort Liu and the Empress will be too busy fighting to pay attention to you, and the marriage alliance can be dropped."
Qi Roufu listened to her talk for a long time, and was so stunned that he could only clap his hands and cheer.
Tao Tao looked at her with a smile, "The Third Prince is young and at the age when he is very interested in matters of the bedchamber. You should have no problem getting him under your control, right?"
Upon hearing this, she smiled charmingly and said, "Of course, no problem."
"But... how can we get Consort Liu and the Empress to fight each other? They've always kept to themselves."
Qiu Lingyao firmly held the position of Empress, and her son was the Crown Prince. Moreover, Consort Liu came from humble origins and had no one to back her up, so she didn't take Consort Liu seriously at all.
Tao Tao scolded playfully, "Are you stupid? You just slapped him and you've already forgotten?"
She suddenly realized, "You mean Consort Liu's son, Qi Huan? What do you do? Kill him and frame the Empress?"
"No, it's not necessary to kill him. Let him suffer a little."
Tao Tao didn't want anyone to die because of her, mainly because she had no grudge against this person. However, she had already tried to persuade him, and if Qi Roufu really wanted to do it, she couldn't stop him.
Qi Roufu wanted to say something more, but seeing her resolute expression, he didn't say it. However, he was startled and had this idea.
Thinking of the new concubine she had mentioned earlier, he added, "You just said you wanted me to find a beauty to enter the palace, right?"
"I've already found the right person."
She looked at her, her eyes widening in confusion, "Who is it?"
Tao Tao didn't speak, but turned her head and called out, "Xi Quan!"
Xi Quan, who was standing outside the courtyard, pushed open the door and came out. Qi Roufu was stunned to see that it was the man who had been with Tao Tao earlier.
She was speechless with surprise. "He...he's a man."
Tao Tao blinked and asked in return, "What's wrong with a man? Doesn't the emperor like this kind of exciting feeling? Look at his delicate skin, the emperor will definitely like it."
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