050
"Ahe!"
The man in the courtyard looked to be only seventeen or eighteen years old, probably around the same age as the Fourth Princess.
As far as Song Ling knew, this adopted son had already been sent back to Yangzhou by Marquis Wu'an more than half a year ago.
Not long ago, Yangzhou was plagued by famine and plague, and the people suffered greatly as the King of Qi raised an army.
Judging from the man's dark circles under his eyes and his gaunt face, he must have suffered a lot.
When the man saw Zhou Zihe come out, he rushed forward like a hungry wolf pouncing on its prey. If it weren't for the guards stopping him, who knows what rude things he might have done.
"Chen Qige, you have overstepped your bounds." Zhou Zihe casually ignored him, took her seat at the head of the table, and looked down at the people below with a hint of disdain, her former cautious demeanor in the palace completely gone.
"Logically, you should call me Mother now. But thinking about it, you are no longer the Marquis's adopted son, but you are still a member of the Chen family. So... you should call me Aunt."
Chen Qige shook his head in disbelief, his lips moving slightly: "How did you become such an aggressive person?"
The fourth princess in his memory wasn't like this at all...
"We're still engaged..."
The engagement barely lasted a year? Zhou Zihe suddenly remembered this and smiled nonchalantly: "Chen Qizhe, it's your own fault for not seizing the opportunity. Didn't you say you'd rather elope with your cousin than become a prince consort?"
"Now you come here to flaunt your baseless feelings, there are no outsiders here, what are you pretending for?"
Song Ling and the eldest princess hid behind a screen not far away, right in Chen Qizhe's blind spot, quietly watching everything.
"The Marquis originally intended to let you go, but it seems you don't appreciate it."
Zhou Ziyan smiled sarcastically. Of course she knew that this man must have run back to the Marquis's mansion because he had nowhere else to turn, but she had not forgotten how he had wronged her in the past.
People are just despicable.
What we hold in our hands is often unseen and unappreciated; it's only when we lose it that we start to cherish it.
Chen Qige believed that Zhou Zihe was deeply in love with him, after all, their marriage agreement a year ago was personally agreed to by her and requested by the Marquis of Wu'an from His Majesty.
But he was ultimately blinded by his own limited perspective.
Could a little princess who survived unscathed amidst the demons and monsters of the harem be of a naive and easily bullied nature?
Zhou Zihe couldn't help but recall her past scheming, and a smile crept onto her lips.
Her marriage to Chen Qizhe was indeed a calculated move, but Chen Qizhe overestimated himself, because from the very beginning, her target was... Marquis Wu'an.
Neither his person nor his heart.
"Take him away and lock him up." Zhou Zihe's eyes turned cold, and she waved her hand: "Let the Marquis deal with him personally when he returns."
"Zihe! Zhou Zihe!"
But the shouts were stuck in his throat... and soon the courtyard returned to silence.
"Gentlemen, did you enjoy the show?"
She smiled gently and looked towards the screen, her demeanor becoming much gentler, a far cry from her previous decisive and efficient manner.
"This is another one who's pretending to be weak to actually do something big," Song Ling thought to herself. "This is getting more and more interesting."
The late emperor's sons were one interesting case, and these princesses were another.
"Fourth Sister, your words are a bit too formal," the eldest princess said, smiling apologetically as she stepped forward. "Imperial Sister, you're just showing concern for Fourth Princess, aren't you?"
Zhou Zihe: "Then this Miss Song..."
Song Ling then stepped forward and mysteriously handed her something from her sleeve.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
