Behind the Scenes
Xie Sili and Jun Qiyu woke up in the carriage. The bumpy road told them that the kidnapping was planned and purposeful.
The two exchanged a glance, but neither made a move immediately. Instead, they lay motionless on the ground, and could faintly hear voices outside.
"Why would I do this if it weren't for the money?" one of them complained. "One is His Highness the Prince of Yan, and the other is the Prime Minister's daughter. Neither of them is easy to mess with."
"Hey, money makes the world go round," another gruff voice rang out.
"Think of your wife, bedridden with illness, and your infant child." His words carried a hint of comfort.
"Brother, what should we do if we get caught?" The young man's voice was filled with worry and helplessness. "I had already retired from crime, I really shouldn't have..."
"Alright, stop overthinking." A gruff voice sternly interrupted him.
"It's not like we haven't done it before, what are you worried about!" His words were tinged with helplessness. "If I hadn't heard that you urgently needed money, why would I have thought of you first?"
"In our line of work, who truly retires?" The rough voice carried a hint of mockery.
"You wouldn't believe it, but I thought I could finally retire from this life, but who knew I'd be forced to go back to it."
"Brother, what exactly happened?" the young voice called out again. "What happened between my sister-in-law and nephew?"
a long time.
A silence hung in the air around them.
Not getting an answer from the man, the young man changed the subject again, "Brother, why did you arrest His Highness the Prince of Yan and the Prime Minister's eldest daughter again?"
"How do you know they are His Highness the Prince of Yan and the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's family?"
"I really wanted to quit my life of crime. I married a woman who loved me, and she gave me a lovely son. Life was wonderful and happy..."
The man paused slightly, "Six months ago, I went out to earn money. When I came back, I found that my wife and child were dead. My wife had been raped to death, and my child had been violently thrown to the ground and killed."
His voice was low and hoarse. "At that time, I swore that whoever killed my wife and children, I would avenge them. It's just a pity that no one knew."
"Maybe people like us shouldn't live ordinary lives," he said, then gave a self-deprecating laugh.
"His Highness the Prince of Yan is the number one playboy in Chang'an; who doesn't know him?"
As for the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's family, all that was known before was that she was Xie Siyao;
But I never expected that the Prime Minister's residence would have another legitimate daughter. The man's voice was tinged with interest.
"What exactly is the person behind this doing?" the young voice rang out again. "And why are these two connected?"
"His Highness the Prince of Yan wants to marry Xie Siyao. What parent would want their child to marry someone like him? Who in all of Chang'an doesn't know the name of His Highness the Prince of Yan?"
The two people inside the carriage heard their entire conversation clearly.
Xie Sili glanced at Jun Qiyu and saw him lower his head somewhat awkwardly.
Do you know who's behind this?
Xie Sili sneered, "What do you think? They're doing this because they're afraid I'll change my mind. It's disgusting."
“Xie Zhun has always been disgusting,” Jun Qiyu echoed without hesitation. “What should we do? Should we kill the people outside?”
"Why?" Xie Sili raised an eyebrow at Jun Qiyu. "If that's the result they want, then so be it. It's just a matter of playing along." She secretly curled the corners of her lips.
"Xie Siyao has such good parents, but unfortunately I lost my mother at a young age and grew up with my grandparents. If my mother were still alive, she would naturally not want her daughter to marry a playboy."
Xie Sili glanced at Jun Qiyu, deliberately emphasizing the word "spoiled brat".
"Should I also show off my 'playboy' charm?" Jun Qiyu raised an eyebrow and smiled.
“Okay.” Xie Sili replied cooperatively, “Of course, it would be best if this matter were known to everyone, which would also confirm its authenticity and thus achieve the purpose of this kidnapping.”
"make a deal."
As night fell, Jun Qiyu, following his previous plan, knocked the two people in the carriage unconscious, and then the two continued on foot.
They lit a fire for light by the river not far away, and Xie Sili caught a lot of fish in the river with his superb skills.
Beside the fire, Jun Qiyu looked at Xie Sili, who was grilling fish, and whispered.
"I'm sorry to trouble you to spend the night with me in this deep forest."
“I’m not upset.” Xie Sili turned the grilled fish. “When my master and I used to travel around, we would always spend the night like this.”
Bathed in the glow of the firewood, Xie Sili seemed to radiate light, and in that instant, she appeared to overlap with the figure in his memory.
He raised his hand to rub his temples, and heard her voice, "If you're tired, take a rest. It's not like I'm the only one here."
As she spoke in a gentle voice, Jun Qiyu leaned against the tree trunk and closed his eyes to rest, as if he could feel the gentle light shining on him.
On the other hand, they informed Xie Zhun and Huang Shi immediately after they succeeded.
Upon hearing this, both of them felt that Xie Sili would definitely become Jun Qiyu's wife after this.
She could then marry Jun Qiyu in place of Xie Siyao.
Both are legitimate daughters of the Prime Minister's family, and there is an order of seniority. Xie Sili is the eldest, so this bestowed marriage should naturally fall to her.
"Husband, our Yao'er is finally spared from marrying Prince Yan." Madam Huang smiled at Xie Zhun. "This is all thanks to your brilliant plan, which saved our Yao'er from being mistreated by the prince."
Xie Zhun looked at the confident smile on Madam Huang's face and said, "Yao'er is our daughter, and she is said to have a 'phoenix destiny.' How could I let her marry a man who is obsessed with beauty?"
He looked at Huang Shi with a smile in her eyes, like an old fox who had successfully plotted something.
"His Majesty is in his prime now. Do you think the reason he bestowed this marriage upon Yao'er is also because of the saying that she has a 'phoenix destiny'?" Madam Huang looked at Xie Zhun with slight worry.
Thinking of the meteorite he had seen earlier, Xie Zhun said nonchalantly, "So what?" "His Majesty is in his prime, and the Empress has not borne any children in recent years, so no one can shake her position, can't they?"
Seeing the expression on Huang's face, Xie Zhun whispered something in her ear.
"As long as this matter succeeds, His Highness the Prince of Yan must marry the third prince. What does the third prince's life or death have to do with me?"
When Xie Sili was mentioned, Xie Zhun was filled with disgust, as if this person was not his daughter, but his enemy.
Huang, who had lowered her head, secretly curled the corners of her lips. She glanced at Xie Zhun and whispered.
"Husband, you must not say such things. She is still a daughter of my Prime Minister's family. If something happens to her in the future, won't she rely on her family?"
Xie Zhun snorted coldly, "Thinking about it this way, she and Prince Yan are really a perfect match. One is a sickly person, and the other is a playboy. Maybe she will be angered to death by Prince Yan."
After saying that, he laughed, as if he could already see that future.
Huang glanced at Xie Chun, a slight smile appearing on her face.
Whether it's Xie Sinian, Xie Sinan, or Xie Sili, she will never let Lu's children hinder her children's bright future.
Anyone who stands in the way of her child's future, she will trample that person underfoot and never let them rise again.
"Madam, do you think His Highness the Prince of Yan will marry the third son?" Xie Zhun asked, his gaze falling on Madam Huang.
"I've heard that His Highness the Prince of Yan frequents brothels and is a regular at the major brothels in Chang'an. Would someone like that take a fancy to a sickly man?"
Madam Huang tugged at the hem of her clothes and turned her gaze to Xie Zhun. "Master, don't forget, His Highness the Prince of Yan is most fond of beautiful women."
Although Sister Li was sickly, her face was absolutely unique.
She had to admit that both Lu Shi and Xie Sili had very distinctive faces; they were beauties who would stand out in a crowd. If it weren't for the fact that she had lived in Yuzhou City for so many years...
She was undoubtedly the most beautiful woman in Chang'an.
She is beautiful, but unfortunately, she is all show and no substance. She looks like someone who can't be presented in public, not to mention that she is sickly.
This kind of person is no match for her daughter at all.
Her daughter is proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and is also blessed with a "phoenix destiny." Her daughter will surely become the most noble person in the world in the future.
As Xie Zhun listened to Huang Shi's words, Xie Sili's face appeared in his mind again.
It is said that daughters resemble their fathers, but Xie Sili's face looks exactly like that of Madam Lu from back then.
His face shape and features were almost identical to Lu's, especially his fox-like eyes. Xie Sinan, on the other hand, looked more like him.
Thinking of this.
Xie Zhun smiled and said, "What you say is very true, Madam. After all, that face is always unforgettable. I think even His Highness the Prince of Yan would find it hard to resist the charms of a beautiful woman."
No one cared whether Xie Sili lived or died; their goal was to spread rumors to confirm their relationship and make Jun Qiyu focus all his attention on Xie Sili.
That night, some found warmth in their boudoirs, while others were accompanied by a bonfire.
The next day.
When Xie Sili and Jun Qiyu returned to the Prime Minister's residence, they happened to meet Xie Zhun, who was preparing to go to court.
Sensing Xie Zhun's gaze, he heard his voice, tinged with anger, say, "Third brother, last night..."
"Last night I went to admire the moon and stars with my beauty. How come you weren't informed when the Sixth Miss returned?" Jun Qiyu asked Xie Zhun, launching the first attack.
Jun Qiyu didn't give Xie Zhun a chance to speak, his words tinged with mockery, "Prime Minister Xie looks down on me, thinking I'm not good enough for the Sixth Miss. Now, do you also think I'm not good enough for the beauty?"
When Jun Qiyu pointed it out so bluntly, Xie Zhun was too embarrassed to argue and didn't know how to respond.
"Father sent me back to Chang'an because he wanted me to marry His Highness in place of my sister?" Xie Sili asked in a hoarse voice, his gaze falling on Xie Zhun.
Without receiving a reply from Xie Zhun, Xie Sili coughed heavily a few times, repeated himself in a low voice several times, spat out a mouthful of blood, and then fainted.
After this ordeal, Xie Sili fell seriously ill and talked nonsense in his dreams all day long. Mei Lan Zhu Ju had no choice but to cooperate with Xie Sili's acting and persuade Xie Zhun and Huang Shi to invite a doctor to treat their daughter.
Xie Zhun and Huang Shi didn't care about Xie Sili at all because of Jun Qiyu's attitude, leaving her to fend for herself.
It wasn't until Jun Qiyu came to visit that they pretended to ask Xie Sili to get a doctor.
"What, Prime Minister Xie, do you think I'm unworthy of this beauty?" Jun Qiyu looked at Xie Chun and said in a low voice, "Since the Sixth Miss doesn't like me, why should I care about her?"
"Furthermore, this beauty is a rare beauty in this world, so I naturally have to pay more attention to her. Does Prime Minister Xie understand?" Jun Qiyu's voice suddenly turned cold as he looked at Xie Zhun.
"If I am unwilling, do you think Xie Siyao can escape?" His tone carried a hint of threat, which sent a chill down Xie Zhun's spine.
Xie Chun then understood: So what if Jun Qiyu was the number one playboy in Chang'an? So what if the emperor disliked him?
He still has the blood of the emperor flowing in his veins, so how could he let them manipulate him?
If Xie Sili hadn't been so beautiful, Xie Siyao probably wouldn't have been able to escape this marriage with just a word from Jun Qiyu.
"Your Highness is right, Your Highness is right. It was my fault. I will send someone to fetch a doctor to treat the Third Prince right now."
Jun Qiyu watched Xie Zhun's departing figure with a cold smile on his lips, then turned and walked towards the farthest Li Residence.
Xie Zhun walked to the door and saw Huang standing there as well.
Two children, around ten years old, stood before Huang. Their clothes and appearance were no less than those of noble ladies in Chang'an, and they exuded an air of nobility in their every move.
Xie Zhun walked up to Madam Huang, glanced at the two children in front of him, and asked, "Madam, who are these two children?"
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