Wei Yinqiu was grabbed by the back of her collar and thrown back onto the bed by Jin Heng.
"Alright, Princess, if you dawdle any longer, you'll be sent to Northern Yue tomorrow. I've heard that all the men there are big and strong, while you have such thin arms and legs..." He clicked his tongue and shook his head, "I wonder how many years you can last."
Wei Yinqiu huddled in the corner, biting her fingers and looking at him pitifully.
"What can I do? I'm at my wit's end. I've begged the Empress Dowager and spread rumors, but it still doesn't change the facts. I heard that the Emperor has even written the edict to make me a princess. I'm like a fish on a chopping board now, at the mercy of others."
"What's the rush? The envoy won't enter the capital until at least after the autumn hunt. There's room for maneuver given time."
"Have you... already thought of a good idea?"
"Otherwise what? Why else would I have called you here? To watch you act drunk and disorderly?"
Wei Yinqiu glared at him, puffing out her cheeks, and said angrily, "This matter should be put behind us!"
Jin Heng smiled and said, "Alright, my dear princess, then the method I'm about to describe will require your cooperation."
"Yes, yes, as long as I'm not forced into a political marriage, anything is negotiable."
Jin Heng then revealed his entire plan.
Since direct resistance is not an option, a more circuitous path must be taken. Prince Xian was a renowned war hero, revered by the people of Donglin, and Wei Yinqiu was his only daughter, naturally holding a special place in their hearts. If we can incite the people to stand up for Prince Xian's orphan and oppose the princess's marriage to a foreign ruler, then if the Emperor wishes to remain a wise and benevolent ruler, he will have no choice but to heed the people's opinions.
In that case, things will take a turn for the better.
Wei Yinqiu found the plan very feasible and nodded repeatedly in praise: "As expected of the top scholar and Grand Tutor of Jin, you are truly too clever!"
Jin Heng shook his head helplessly at her sycophantic manner. "You are a princess, you shouldn't be so flattering to your subjects."
"What's wrong with that? I like you, so I'm happy to praise you."
She straightened her messy, wrinkled clothes, got off the bed, and suddenly leaned close to him.
Jin Heng looked at the small face that suddenly appeared in front of him and subconsciously held his breath.
The two were very close, so close that their noses were only a finger's width apart, and he could even see her individual eyelashes clearly.
"What...what should I do?" he suddenly stammered.
It was rare to see him slightly out of sorts, so Wei Yinqiu gave him a radiant smile and said softly, "Grand Tutor, there's no mirror here. Could you help me fix my hair?"
"Hmm... okay."
She then lowered her head slightly.
Jin Heng took a deep breath to make himself look normal before reaching out to carefully tidy her hair.
Wei Yinqiu's lowered eyes held a hint of a smile.
After a while, Jin Heng said, "It's done."
She looked up and said with a smile, "It will probably take some effort to contact my father's old subordinates. I need to find someone to help me."
Jin Heng roughly knew who she was looking for, so he simply nodded and said, "Leave the rest to me."
"Um."
Wei Yinqiu dared not linger any longer and hurriedly left the courtyard to return to Yongning Residence.
Fortunately, the Empress Dowager was busy choosing a good match for the Seventh Prince and wasn't paying close attention to her movements, so she managed to get away with it.
...
Meanwhile, the autumn hunt is still in full swing.
On the surface, Qingying was chatting with Xie Jiaoying, but in secret she had already sent people to dig the trap for Lu Xingli.
She grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and ate them with great relish.
Xie Jiaoying was tired after talking for a while, so she invited her to go boating on the lake together. There was a naturally formed lake in the hunting grounds, with lush aquatic plants on both sides, making the scenery exceptionally pleasant.
They boarded a small boat that could only accommodate four people besides the boatman, so they each brought a maidservant with them.
A cool breeze was blowing. Qingying had just taken a breath of fresh air and hadn't even had a chance to marvel at the beauty of nature when Yuyue draped a thick cloak over her.
"It's already autumn, young lady, you should take good care of yourself and avoid catching a cold from the lake breeze."
Yu Yue has now perfectly mastered Zhang Mama's nagging.
Qingying knew that she was doing it for her own good, so she didn't say anything more.
Xie Jiaoying said gently, "Sister Liu's body is a bit weaker than others, so we should be careful at all times."
She pursed her lips and nodded.
Knowing that she didn't like others constantly bringing up her illness, Xie Jiaoying quickly changed the subject: "I heard that the Empress Dowager intends to choose a wife for the Seventh Prince, but His Highness the Crown Prince's marriage is still undecided, and he can't overstep his bounds. I'm afraid it will make the Empress Dowager very anxious."
"Oh? The Seventh Prince is only sixteen, not even of age yet. What is the Empress Dowager in such a hurry for?"
Xie Jiaoying lowered her voice and said, "I also heard the news from an informant in the palace that the Emperor has been frequently summoning imperial physicians lately."
This means that the emperor is unwell, no wonder these people are all eager to make a move.
Qingying frowned. "But today, the Emperor doesn't look sick to me."
Although there were rumors a few years ago that the emperor was suffering from a serious illness and might not live much longer, he has remained firmly on the throne for many years and has never missed a single morning court session.
Xie Jiaoying shrugged and said, "Truth and falsehood are intertwined; who can really tell the difference?"
She paused, then smiled and said, "However, His Highness the Crown Prince should indeed get married. I heard that you are among the candidates the Crown Princess is considering."
Qingying looked at her strangely. In fact, although she had never made her relationship with Wei Huaixu public, Xie Jiaoying's abilities and her relationship with Lu Xingli made it easy for her to find some clues. However, she seemed to know nothing about it now.
Was she genuinely unaware, or was she testing her?
Qingying wasn't sure.
He then pretended to be confused, saying, "Really? That's quite an honor."
Xie Jiaoying's expression remained unchanged.
Qingying suddenly felt a little uneasy. Her relationship with Xie Jiaoying was very delicate. They seemed to be very close and could talk about anything, but they also kept some secrets from each other.
The two of them tacitly looked away to admire the scenery, and remained silent for a while.
As it was getting late, a series of bells rang out in the distance, signaling the start of the autumn hunt. Their boat was then rowed back to shore.
The two walked hand in hand to the hunting grounds, and from afar they saw a group of people gathered together, seemingly watching something.
Xie Jiaoying craned her neck curiously, "Did someone hunt something powerful?"
Qingying smiled and said, "Why don't we go and take a look?"
“That makes sense.” Xie Jiaoying then pulled her forward quickly and squeezed into the crowd.
After much effort, I finally managed to squeeze to the front, only to find that the person surrounded in the middle was Lu Xingli.
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