Chapter 117 Qing Yi's Secret Trick
The Empress and Xue Ruoxi were overjoyed. The Emperor of Chu's words meant that he approved of the marriage, and their goal had been achieved. The Empress winked at Xue Ruoxi, who understood. She stepped forward and bowed gracefully, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace. Thank you, Young Prince. I will wait for you to return to the capital."
"Ms. Xue, you should find another famous teacher. Qingyu is only interested in martial arts, and music is just for entertainment." Ye Qingyu refused with a firm attitude.
"Hey, Qingyu, since Miss Ruoxi is interested in you, why should you be so humble? There is no need to rush." The Emperor of Chu seemed to be trying to smooth things over, but in fact he was giving orders to Ye Qingyu.
"Ruoxi, go and toast the young prince." The queen suggested, and the palace maid quickly poured a glass of wine and handed it to Miss Xue.
Miss Xue blushed. With the Emperor and the Empress making the decision, it seemed that her lifelong event had been decided. The young prince of the Northwest could not refuse either. She only had to wait for the Emperor to issue an order to grant the marriage.
"Young Prince, please." The wine glass was handed to Ye Qingyu, and Miss Xue's voice was as soft as a mosquito.
Ye Qingyu was in a dilemma. If she didn't accept the offer, it was the Emperor and Empress's wish. Furthermore, rejecting Miss Xue in person would be a disgrace to the Empress and the Xue family. If she accepted the offer, what was the point? How could she possibly agree to this?
He hesitated for a moment, and then heard a cry of "Ah!" and Miss Xue dropped the wine glass to the ground.
"What's wrong?" Seeing this, everyone couldn't help but look at Miss Xue, their eyes full of confusion.
Xue Ruoxi smashed the wine glass in front of the emperor, realizing she had lost her composure. She quickly knelt down and apologized, "Your Majesty, please spare me. I felt like a bug bit my wrist just now, and I didn't hold the wine glass steady. I disturbed your presence, and I hope you will forgive me."
The Emperor of Chu frowned, feeling somewhat displeased. It was the Empress who spoke up to smooth things over: "This Imperial Garden is in bloom, but there are also mosquitoes. It's inevitable that there will be some negligence."
"Get up!" the King of Chu said, "Qingyu, go and do your work. You don't have to stay here with me."
"Yes." Ye Qingyu responded and retreated. He felt relieved and his steps became lighter.
Someone unfamiliar with martial arts wouldn't have noticed the clues. However, Ye Qingyu's keen eyesight meant she wouldn't have missed the moment—a hidden weapon, as thin as a hair, grazed Xue Ruoxi's wrist with incredible precision. The timing and the sense of proportion were perfectly calculated, not injuring her at all but cleverly causing her to loosen her grip. The wine glass fell to the ground, shattering.
Ye Qingyu's gaze was fixed on the hidden weapon, while Qingfeng caught Qingyi's subtle movements. He thought to himself, this kid really won't just sit back and watch what's happening.
At the same time, another person also understood the situation: Chen Yan. He stood tall and straight behind the Emperor of Chu, his gaze fixed on Ye Qingyu and Qing Yi behind him. Qing Yi's movements were covert, but as a master of the Imperial Palace, Chen Yan's martial arts skills were even better, so how could he not notice?
Chen Yan saw Qing Yi's wrist twitch slightly, and he was already on guard. He closely watched Qing Yi's every move, fearing that this was a ploy to lure the tiger away from the mountain, with the goal of assassinating the emperor. Regardless, protecting the emperor and staying by his side was his most important task at the moment.
The hidden weapon didn't strike the Emperor of Chu, but instead grazed Miss Xue's wrist before landing in the nearby bushes. Chen Yan understood that Qing Yi was trying to help the young prince of the Northwest. But this boy was incredibly bold, daring to use a hidden trick in front of the Emperor. Did he really think he, the commander of the guards, was just a figurehead?
However, Chen Yan couldn't speak out and reveal the truth at this moment. Whether the marriage was granted or not, whether it was an alliance or not, was a matter for the imperial family; he didn't need to wade into this muddy water. Moreover, revealing it would offend the young prince of the northwest. The young prince had just saved the emperor, which was also his life. If Zhao Quan had succeeded in assassinating the emperor that day, he, the commander of the imperial guards, would have had to die to atone for his crime, and he feared that even his own family would be in danger.
After bidding farewell to the King of Chu and the Queen, Ye Qingyu went to Luohua Palace.
The three of them remained silent along the way. Ye Qingyu secretly wondered why the Emperor of Chu had changed his mind. He had clearly promised him not to marry Miss Xue, but now he seemed intent on bringing them together.
Qing Yi had a gloomy look on his face, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Qingfeng wouldn't speak easily. He felt he should leave at the right time. The atmosphere between the two of them was a little off. But since his master didn't say anything, he had no choice but to follow silently and watch. He believed his master could appease Qingyi.
Arriving at Luohua Palace, Ye Qingyu asked Qingyi and Qingfeng to wait in the palace while she went to the study to find something. Qingyi was feeling depressed and sat in the corridor outside the palace, drinking to drown his sorrows while watching the palace servants clean the courtyard.
"Sir Shen." Seeing that it was the guard commander Shen Yan, the young eunuch hurriedly saluted respectfully.
"Is the young prince here?" Chen Yan walked into the courtyard.
"The young prince is in the study. Lord Shen, please wait a moment. I will go and inform him right away." The young eunuch replied hurriedly.
"No need, I'm looking for him." Chen Yan saw Qing Yi drinking at the door of the hall, and Qing Feng wiping his sword.
"Lord Shen." Qingfeng saw Chen Yan coming and quickly stood up and saluted.
"Qingfeng, no need to be so polite. I'm here to return something." Chen Yan smiled and took out a handkerchief from his arms.
"What is this?" Qingfeng looked confused.
"Here, give it to him." Chen Yan shook his handkerchief, and a very thin needle fell on the table in front of Qing Yi.
Seeing this, Qing Yi smiled calmly and said, "Thank you." Then he picked up the needle and put it into the hidden weapon holder. This action was undoubtedly a generous admission that he was the one who threw the hidden weapon.
"Is this thing poisonous?" Chen Yan asked, not seeming to mind Qing Yi's attitude.
"It's not poisonous, just a little anesthetic." Qing Yi told the truth, then asked the palace maid to bring a wine glass, filled it with wine, and handed it to Chen Yan.
"You need to be careful when using hidden weapons. Don't use them carelessly in a place like this," Chen Yan said with a hint of meaning. If he told the Emperor of Chu the truth today, he would surely be enraged. Since he kept it to himself, he was simply repaying the favor of the young prince of the northwest.
"Hehe, I know, I know. I'm really just showing off my skills in front of Lord Shen." Qing Yi knew when to stop and flattered Chen Yan with a smile.
Seeing that Qing Yi understood what he meant, Chen Yan drank the wine in front of him in one gulp. At this moment, Ye Qingyu came out of the study and was surprised to see Chen Yan drinking with Qing Yi.
"Young Prince." Chen Yan stood up and saluted.
"Master Shen, what are you doing?" Ye Qingyu asked.
"The emperor went to the queen's palace. I have nothing to do. I happened to pass by and came over to ask for a glass of wine." Chen Yan said with a smile.
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