Chu Qingluan's eyebrows and eyes twitched, and her heart, which had long been frozen, seemed to be thrown into a red-hot iron, stirring up a boiling mist.
She subconsciously pressed her chest, and felt a strange vibration from there.
But then, she restrained her expression again, making herself look still cold and distant.
"Xie Yunqi, how can I trust you?"
She took a step forward, her eyes like knives: "Do you believe in your identity as the Qilin son of the Xie family? Or is it because you and Chu Lang have been cousins for twenty years? Or maybe..."
She sneered: "Do you believe what you are saying now?"
As she spoke, she turned her wrist, and a small dagger suddenly pressed against the scar on Xie Yunqi's heart, with such force that he groaned.
"Your injuries and this betrayal...are all your own choices."
Her red lips curled up in a sarcastic arc, her eyes were cold; "But now you are claiming love and want me to be responsible for your choice."
"Xie Yunqi, if you want to be a lone minister, go chop down that rotten tree by yourself; if you want to be a noble, then go knock on the door of the imperial study. But don't use 'love' as a pretext to try to kidnap me!"
She has seen too many calculations using "for your own good" as an excuse,
But true love is never a bargaining chip for coercion.
On the side, Zhixia, who was almost moved by Xie Yunqi, suddenly came to her senses after hearing it.
yes!
All of this was chosen by Prime Minister Xie himself, and he never asked the princess whether she wanted to or was willing to do it. Instead, he gave out of self-motivation.
Now, in the name of love, he asks the princess to respond to his actions. If this isn't kidnapping, what is?
Zhixia looked at Chu Qingluan with stars in her eyes, almost bursting into tears.
This is her Highness! No matter how crazy and paranoid you are, I will remain unmoved!
Chu Qingluan's words made Xie Yunqi freeze in place.
He clenched his fists unconsciously, frowned, and veins appeared on the back of his hands.
What she said seemed to be right.
But so what? If he really had to plan, he was just planning how to make her look at him more.
But now it seems that she doesn't seem to understand this truth.
But it doesn’t matter, he has plenty of time and can wait slowly.
Xie Yunqi pulled the corner of his mouth in self-mockery, with bitterness rising in his throat.
"Your Highness, if you want to reject me, why do you need to find such an excuse?"
"I still say the same thing. Whether you like it or not, I will accompany you at the autumn hunting ground. I think Pei Yuan must think so too."
After Xie Yunqi said this, he turned and left the yard.
At this time, Zhixia seemed to be hesitant to speak.
Chu Qingluan raised her hand to rub her aching temple and sighed, "Zhixia, the matter of the garden..."
"Your Highness, I don't want the garden anymore, and I don't want the position of princess either. I just want to stay with you forever." Zhixia suddenly knelt down, her voice choked with sobs.
Zhixia knew Xie Yunqi's character. If she wanted him to give up the garden, the princess would definitely make some sacrifice or fulfill some promise.
She didn't want the princess to owe Prime Minister Xie a favor because of a garden, and she didn't want the princess to be wronged.
Chu Qingluan was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing: "Silly girl, Father has already agreed, and the imperial decree will be issued another day. How can you just say you don't agree to this matter?"
Zhixia bit her lip and whispered, "But, Prime Minister Xie..."
Chu Qingluan reached out and helped her up: "Do you think I'm afraid of him?"
She stood up and stood in front of the window, looking at the dusk gradually sinking in the distance. Her father once warned her that the key to being an emperor is to maintain checks and balances.
So what if Xie Yunqi is crazy? In this world, people never listen to the craziest person.
Gratitude and political scheming should always be clearly distinguished. If we make an exception for him today, more people will seek repayment for the favor tomorrow.
——
At the same time, the Crown Prince ordered people to investigate Yun Yan, the illegitimate son of the Yun family. But the information he got made him confused.
"The bastard of the Yun family is quite interesting."
The trusted eunuch Qiu Yuan also analyzed: "Yes, Your Highness, this bastard of the Yun family was unknown before, but recently he seems to have become a different person. Not only has his knowledge of poetry and lyrics improved by leaps and bounds, he can even handle the difficulties of the Yun family's direct descendants with ease."
"Look at him, he seems like a different person."
Chu Lang raised his eyebrows, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes: "Have you found out? Is there anything fishy?"
"I have sent people to monitor it for half a month, but I really can't find any flaws.
The eldest son of the Yun family deliberately made things difficult for her at the poetry meeting the other day, but he was choked by her words. Madam Yun wanted to punish him according to family rules, but he actually brought out the clause on the rights of bastards in the Chu Law and forced Master Yun to come forward to protect him. "
Chu Lang chuckled: "He is a wonderful person."
He unfolded his folding fan and waved it, then suddenly said, "Go and prepare a generous gift. Tell him that I admire his talent and invite him to Mobao Studio to appreciate his paintings tomorrow."
At this moment, in the side courtyard of the Yun Mansion, Qi Che - or 'Yun Yan', was adjusting the edge of his disguise mask in front of a mirror.
At this moment, the servant hurried in and whispered something to him. In an instant, a playful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
"It's worth it that I've been acting for so long. It looks like the fish is finally taking the bait."
The next day, the weather was fine.
Qi Che came to Mobaozhai as agreed.
When he arrived, Chu Lang was standing at his desk with a pen in his hand, admiring a painting called "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains".
Seeing Qi Che coming, Chu Lang pretended to ask casually: "Mr. Yun, what do you think of this picture?"
Qi Che walked to the table and looked at it carefully.
The painting depicts majestic mountains and rivers, but there is a sharp edge hidden in the strokes of the brush.
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