Chapter 269, Here we go again?
Shen Qingci slowly removed the ordinary human skin mask from her face, revealing a stunningly beautiful face that could make the entire autumn scenery of the city pale in comparison.
She lifted the carriage curtain and gave the enigmatic-looking man outside the window a flawless smile.
"General Huo has misunderstood." Her voice was soft, as if she were just chatting casually. "I was merely ordered by His Majesty to enter the palace to discuss important matters. Who would have thought that I would encounter such a scene as soon as I arrived at the palace gate?"
“After all,” a perfectly timed hint of sorrow and helplessness flashed in her eyes, “I was once Huo Yunzhan’s wife, and I could be considered a victim of those sordid affairs.”
"Now that the Huo family is in trouble, although I feel no sympathy for them, I do not wish to have anything to do with them anymore. In addition, I have just personally killed Huo Yunzhan, and I suppose Old Madam Huo would not want to see me at this time."
“So,” she shrugged, looking completely innocent, “I couldn’t very well go up to you, so I had to stay away for now. It’s not that I wanted to see you make a fool of yourself, General.”
Huo Yunting looked at her impeccable demeanor, a knowing smile flashing in his eyes, but he didn't expose her.
"Very well." He looked at her, his voice calm, yet carrying a subtle, unspoken meaning. "Since I have chosen to return, I have naturally been prepared to deal with these old matters."
"It was bound to happen sooner or later."
"There are already quite a few people watching the show, so it won't make a difference if Her Majesty the Empress joins the audience."
After Huo Yunting finished speaking, he cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Shen Qingci in the carriage, then turned and disappeared into the shadows of the street corner without looking at her again.
Shen Qingci was left alone in the carriage, a meaningful smile slowly curving her lips.
Wanqing finally let out a long sigh of relief. She moved closer to Shen Qingci, lowered her voice, and said with a look of lingering fear and confusion, "Miss, this General Huo is completely different from the Marquis Yongning I met at the Marquis's residence!"
"He... he really isn't someone else impersonating him?"
Shen Qingci slowly shook her head: "Before, because Huo Yunzhan impersonated Huo Yunting, such a big storm was caused. Now, who would dare to impersonate Huo Yunting again?"
"But..." Wanqing was still shaken. "But this General Huo looks...so fierce! We just witnessed such a huge embarrassment from him. Will he really let it go so easily?"
Shen Qingci slowly lowered her eyes, her expression indifferent, but her voice was filled with an all-knowing certainty: "Even if he is unhappy, now... he can only endure it."
“Don’t forget,” a cold glint flashed in her eyes, “whatever his reasons were for choosing to return and pledge allegiance to Chu Jichen in the first place, now, Chu Jichen… is the new emperor.”
"Huo Yunting kidnapped me once, which crossed Chu Jichen's bottom line. If Chu Jichen had not just ascended the throne and the court was not yet stable, and he had not been unwilling to cause any more trouble, he would never have lived to this day."
"If he dares to have any more wicked thoughts about me, then he is really courting death."
"Huo Yunting knows this in his heart. He... dares not."
Upon hearing this, Wanqing finally felt a little relieved.
But then she couldn't help but sigh and mutter to herself, "If I'd known, I wouldn't have come to see this show. How did he manage to recognize me out of nowhere?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingci smiled.
"Look!" Her voice was full of amusement, as if she didn't want things to get out of hand. "We should watch, we have to watch."
"As he himself said, now that he's back, these things will have to be resolved sooner or later. The entire court is watching, so why can't we?"
“Not only will I watch,” her eyes gleamed with a wicked and cunning light, “I will also continue to create some trouble for him and enjoy the show.”
Wanqing's eyes widened instantly: "Again...again?"
Shen Qingci's lips slowly curled up, her smile resembling that of a little fox who had just stolen some fish.
“Now,” she said slowly, “Huo Yunting has more than just one unreasonable mother.”
"He also has a wife... who, in name, is not yet divorced from him."
Shen Qingci's fingers tapped lightly on the low table.
“However,” she changed the subject, her voice becoming serious, “the matter of Liu Wenyuan’s rebellion is not yet settled, and the entire Liu family is guilty. Let’s go to the palace first.”
"Go to the palace and ask His Majesty properly what the situation is with the Liu family."
The carriage entered the palace again, arriving directly outside the Taiji Hall.
As soon as Shen Qingci got out of the car, she saw the familiar figure that had been waiting outside.
Chu Jichen sat upright in his wheelchair, quietly gazing at her from below the high jade steps.
In just one night, the entire Taiji Hall was completely transformed.
During Emperor Yongming's reign, the extremely luxurious and magnificent decorations had long been removed and replaced with more elegant and dignified furnishings, which added a touch of solemnity to the entire hall.
As she approached, Chu Jichen's eyes crinkled into a gentle smile: "I heard that you went to the palace gates early this morning to watch a grand performance?"
Shen Qingci nodded, her voice carrying a hint of pleasure: "I quite enjoyed watching the play."
“But,” a hint of barely perceptible frustration flashed in her eyes, “in the end… Huo Yunting found out.”
Upon hearing this, Chu Jichen chuckled softly.
“Huo Yunting’s martial arts skills are not weak,” he said, looking at her with a voice full of indulgence. “Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to sit in the position of the late emperor’s secret guard commander. It’s not surprising that he discovered it.
Shen Qingci blinked, and asked with some concern, "Is it alright? Will it affect our plans?"
Chu Jichen turned his head and gave her a half-smile: "Don't you want to keep watching the show between him and Liu Ruolan?"
"If it has any impact, you'll give up?"
"How did you know?" Shen Qingci asked subconsciously, then coughed lightly as if she had thought of something, her voice carrying a hint of innocent self-righteousness.
"That depends on the extent of the impact." She looked at him, her clear phoenix eyes filled with utmost seriousness. "If the impact is too great, then I will naturally have no choice but to regretfully give up."
“But if,” a sly glint flashed in her eyes, “the impact isn’t too significant, then… naturally we should try to overcome it?”
Chu Jichen's lips slowly curved into a smile.
He reached out and pulled her to his side, his voice full of doting affection and certainty: "Don't worry, it won't have any impact."
"I had already subtly informed Liu Ruolan of Huo Yunting's return to the capital through someone."
"However," a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes, "the Liu family is now completely surrounded by my men, practically under house arrest. Even if Liu Ruolan finds out, she probably won't have much of a chance to go to Huo Yunting for the time being."
As soon as Chu Jichen finished speaking, Ye Lan's figure hurriedly walked in from outside the hall!
He knelt on one knee, bowed, and reported solemnly, "Your Majesty! Her Majesty the Empress!"
"General Huo... he actually went directly to the Prime Minister's residence just now!"
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