Gu Yanyue said coldly, "Duke Qin, do you still have any concerns? Tell me and I'll help you resolve them."
"No...no more." Duke Qin shook his head and said nothing more.
Qin Ruoruo spoke coldly and began to chase him away: "Since there is no more, Duke Qin should return home quickly. The Imperial Censor will come to see me later. If he sees Duke Qin openly disobeying the emperor's order, I'm afraid he will inevitably report Duke Qin several times during the court tomorrow."
Duke Qin was frightened by Qin Ruoruo's intimidation. If the Imperial Censor saw him in Qin Ruoruo's clinic, and Gu Yanyue told him that he had severed ties with Qin Ruoruo, then he might really be confined to the Duke Qin's mansion by Yuwen Ran, and he would never be able to leave. "Then, Your Majesty, I will take my leave first."
Gu Yanyue raised her eyebrows and waved her hand casually, letting Duke Qin go wherever he wanted. In order to prevent Qin Ruoruo from being annoyed by looking at him, she took the initiative to make way for him to leave.
Duke Qin was flattered that Gu Yanyue made way for him. He bowed and backed away, thanking Gu Yanyue all the way: "Thank you, Queen, thank you, Queen, thank you..."
After the Duke of Qin got on the carriage, he did not ask the driver to go directly back to the Duke of Qin's Mansion, but instead asked him to go to Prince Xiang's Mansion first.
When the Duke of Qin arrived, King Xiang didn't want him to come in to see him.
After all, Duke Qin had long been a useless person in his eyes, but he still had an alliance with Duke Qin.
Duke Qin still has his token on him. If Duke Qin reveals it to Yuwen Ran, it will be different from the time with Tuoba Chen. This time there will be both witnesses and evidence, and he will not be able to escape no matter what.
He had no choice but to ask his servants to invite Duke Qin in politely.
"Your Highness, what are you busy with after returning?" Duke Qin asked warmly as he entered Prince Xiang's Mansion.
The servants of Prince Xiang's mansion had received orders from Prince Xiang early in the morning and ignored the questions asked by Duke Qin. They just took him to the main hall and left.
As a minister in the court, Duke Qin had never experienced being ignored by his servants. The kind expression he pretended to have froze on his face for a moment.
Prince Xiang became more cautious about the two matters of Tuoba Chen and Li Yunheng. When Duke Qin arrived at the main hall, he dismissed all the servants and maids, and he was the only one waiting in the main hall for Duke Qin.
"What is the matter that the Duke came to see me during the period when Your Majesty is under house arrest?" King Xiang asked calmly.
The Duke of Qin didn't seem to notice anything was wrong with him, and just kept asking, "What does the King of Xiang think about your majesty beheading my daughter?"
"What do you mean by 'what do you think?'" King Xiang snorted inwardly. As expected, Duke Qin had come to him because of Qin Ranran, but she was just a concubine in his house, not even a side concubine. It wasn't worth his effort to save her, so he played dumb with Duke Qin. "Of course, whatever Your Majesty says, that's what I think. How can we, as ministers, disobey Your Majesty's decree?"
Prince Xiang's words were cleverly delivered. He used Yuwen Ran as a shield, but also served as a warning to Duke Qin. He wanted him to see clearly that Yuwen Ran, not him, was the emperor. He didn't want to be like his concubines and daughters, foolish enough to drag him down with them.
Duke Qin's expression froze even more after hearing what King Xiang said. He raised his head to see what King Xiang's expression was. However, King Xiang just looked at him calmly, without any special emotion on his face, and even his eyes did not change.
His heart skipped a beat, fearing that Qin Ranran had been abandoned by King Xiang.
The next moment, King Xiang advised, "Duke Qin should treat the remaining legitimate daughter well and keep a close eye on her so she doesn't do anything that would get her beheaded. Otherwise, the incense supply to the Duke of Qin's mansion will truly be cut off."
Duke Qin was stunned, feeling a bit angry. He was a duke, and everyone who saw him had to be respectful to him. But today was an unexpected event. He was despised everywhere he went. Subconsciously, he said, "Your Highness, are you not going to care about Ranran? After all, Ranran is your wife who has sworn to heaven and earth. Can Your Highness be so cruel to his own wife? If I help Your Highness ascend to the throne, will it be my turn to be abandoned by Your Highness?"
"presumptuous!"
King Xiang said loudly:
"My principal wife has always been Princess Murong. Could it be that Qin Ranran is so obsessed with the position of principal wife that she dares to tell others that she has sworn allegiance to me, a concubine. Moreover, because of her biological mother's accident, she was demoted to a concubine by Yuwen Ran and cannot even be included in the royal family tree. Duke Qin, tell me, what kind of husband and wife are we? Since Duke Qin views me this way, then the alliance between me and Duke Qin is no longer necessary. Come! Send her away——"
"Alright! If my daughter is doomed this time, I'll pray that the poison your wife inflicted on Prince Xiang will soon take effect, so that he can go underground to accompany my daughter and not let her be too lonely."
King Xiang sneered, "Who are you? How dare you curse me? Duke Qin, please wait and see. Will your daughter die first, or will I? Come! Just kick Duke Qin out! There's no need to send him off politely. Duke Qin, we have a long way to go. Remember to avoid me next time you see me."
Duke Qin flicked his sleeves, dodging the servants who wanted to drag him out, and said coldly: "Your Majesty, there is no need for me to do anything. I will leave on my own, and I will not continue to bother Your Majesty with such an old face. I hope Your Majesty will be kind in the future. After all, God is watching what you do. Don't do too many bad things, or you will suffer the same retribution as me sooner or later."
King Xiang thought what Duke Qin said was a little funny. He would be the emperor in the future, and even the heavens would respect him. How could he possibly suffer retribution?
When Duke Qin was leaving Prince Xiang's mansion, he was kicked in the back of the knee by a servant of Prince Xiang's mansion. He was caught off guard and fell to the ground, falling into the shape of a turtle on all fours.
Far from apologizing, the servants at Prince Xiang's mansion laughed loudly, "What's wrong with Duke Qin? Is he obsessed with gain and loss? He's actually showing such great courtesy to us servants. I'm afraid this is not very appropriate."
Duke Qin was helped to his feet by the driver and was about to go back in anger, but he stopped him and advised: "Duke, this is the gate of Prince Xiang's mansion. If the incident gets out of hand and His Majesty knows that you sneaked out of the Duke's mansion, wouldn't that be more trouble than it's worth?"
What the coachman said made sense. He was currently under the imperial decree that confined Yuwen Ran. The Prince Xiang's Mansion was located on the most prosperous street in the capital, and there were people coming and going in front of the door. If someone discovered it and reported it to Yuwen Ran, then the Duke Qin's Mansion would really be destroyed around him.
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