She changed her clothes and came out of the private room, having transformed from Ayan back into Liu Shushu.
Wei Huaichong waited in the room for a while, then heard a knock on the door. A guard announced from outside, "Miss Liu has arrived."
“Let her in,” he said.
The door opened, and a woman in a blue dress walked in gracefully.
Wei Huaichong sat in the chair, one hand supporting his chin, his beautiful fox-like eyes slightly narrowed as he stared in her direction.
Liu Yu was renowned for his good looks in the capital in his early years, and naturally, his children were all exceptionally handsome.
"Do you think General Liu would be so angry if I married her that he would vomit three liters of blood?"
After all, although Liu Yu had never openly declared that he was taking sides, he had always secretly sided with the Crown Prince.
The man beside him curled his lips slightly, "What can you do even if you're angry? As long as it's a marriage alliance, he'll have to stand by your side no matter what."
As they were talking, Liu Shushu had already taken her seat opposite them.
"Serve the tea." Wei Huaichong ordered, then sat up straight. "Miss Liu is half an hour earlier than agreed."
Liu Shushu remained calm. "My daughter happened to be nearby. She saw your carriage at the gate and came in. I hope I didn't delay Your Highness's business?"
"No, I only have an audience with you today."
"I wonder what brings Your Highness here to see me?"
"No rush." Wei Huaichong picked up his teacup, took a sip, and smiled gently. "Try this tea first. It's Longshan Snow Bud, which I brought specially."
She glanced discreetly at the teacup in front of Wei Huaichong, suppressed her suspicions, and also picked up the teacup and took a sip.
"Your maid must have already told you that Prince Xuan was assassinated last night and is in imminent danger."
She nodded.
"It was my doing," he said frankly and nonchalantly.
Liu Shushu couldn't help but raise her eyebrows.
Wei Huaixu had previously told her that Chu Lingyu, the soon-to-be Princess Consort of Xuan, had a past relationship with Wei Huaichong. The two were childhood sweethearts and deeply in love, but due to their different social statuses, they were forcibly separated by an imperial decree of marriage.
It's unbelievable that someone as cunning as Wei Huaichong would go to such lengths for the woman he loves...
“Fourth Brother poses no threat to me anymore, but the Crown Prince is different.” He stared straight at Liu Shushu.
A chill ran down her spine. Sure enough, Wei Huaichong's outspokenness meant nothing good.
She asked, puzzled, "Does His Highness Prince An think I can help?"
"Of course, I have always thought highly of you, Miss Liu."
"Your Highness is too kind to me. I am just an ordinary woman."
Wei Huaichong smiled, "Miss Liu is too modest, but I like you just the way you are."
Liu Shushu frowned. "What exactly are you trying to say?"
"Oh dear, please calm down, Miss Liu." Wei Huaichong poured her another cup of tea.
Under his smiling gaze, she had no choice but to take another sip.
He then slowly said, "I know what you want. You approached me only to test me for the sake of the Crown Prince. You serve him wholeheartedly, but he only has eyes for that mistress. It's not worth it for you. You might as well follow me. The position of Empress will surely be yours in the future."
"Your Highness's hospitality is too kind; I'm afraid my daughter is not worthy of it."
"Don't rush to refuse me. Let me give you a heads-up. Recently, the Crown Prince has been sending people in and out of Quzhou. You might as well investigate what he's doing, so that he won't abandon you first when he succeeds in taking the throne."
Wei Huaichong's smile was meaningful. "Miss Liu, the capital is a dangerous place. You are new here and should understand that in the face of absolute power, even a life-saving favor is insignificant."
Liu Shushu frowned and remained silent, but the seed of doubt had already been planted in her heart.
As she left Prince An's room and prepared to return to another private room, she discovered that the maid who was supposed to be guarding the door was nowhere to be found.
She sensed that something must have happened, and after much hesitation, she finally decided to go see Liu Chengfeng as Liu Shushu.
She paused at the door for a moment, mentally preparing her speech before pushing the door open, only to be startled by the scene inside and freeze in place.
Inside the room, besides Liu Chengfeng, there was Liu Qingying, her maid, and a woman with a birthmark on her face.
Liu Chengfeng and Liu Qingying sat down, the maid had fainted, and the woman knelt on the ground with her head down. Just now, before coming here, she had taken the maid to the Liu family, and had Liu Yan disguise herself as the maid to accompany her.
At that moment, she realized that her lie had been exposed. It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head, freezing her from head to toe, making her so stiff that she couldn't take a step.
"Second sister is back." Qingying smiled, her beautiful face so stunning it hurt the eyes.
Liu Chengfeng stared coldly at her, a hint of resolute hatred in his eyes, and gritted his teeth as he said, "You still know how to come back!"
Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest, and her mind was a complete mess.
She mechanically took a step forward, then slowly walked up to them and knelt down with a thud.
Both of them were taken aback by her actions.
"What are you doing?" Liu Chengfeng frowned.
Qingying gave Yuyue a look, and Yuyue immediately went out and closed the door properly.
Liu Shushu burst into tears instantly, tilting her head slightly to look at Liu Chengfeng, looking pitiful. "I know my brother won't forgive me. I didn't mean to make excuses. I just hope my brother can believe me one more time. This situation is not what I intended."
"This wasn't your intention?" Liu Chengfeng's clenched fist trembled slightly as he gritted his teeth. "Are you lying to me or were you forced into this?"
Liu Shushu shook her head, choking back tears as she said, "At first, I didn't mean to lie to you. Back then, I wasn't Liu Shushu, the legitimate daughter of the General's Mansion, but Meng Shushu, an orphan with no parents. My adoptive father had offended many people in the martial arts world, and after his death, I was constantly being hunted down. So I didn't dare to easily reveal my identity to strangers."
“Fine, I’ll believe you didn’t mean it at first. But what about later? After you returned to the General’s Mansion, why did you still disguise yourself as A-Yan to deceive my feelings…” He choked up a bit, closed his eyes, and then spoke again with difficulty: “Do you think it’s interesting to watch me being played like a fool by you?”
"No, that's not it..." Liu Shushu shook her head anxiously, her pearly tears falling, one of which splashed onto Liu Chengfeng's hand, making his brow twitch.
At this moment, Liu Yan, who had been silent all along, suddenly kowtowed twice to them and said, "Gentlemen, young master, young lady, it was all me. I begged Shushu to help me. If you want to blame someone, blame me. Shushu was just trying to be kind and had no other choice."
Qingying scoffed and said sarcastically, "Since when lying has become a sign of kindness? Does she not have a mouth? She's met with my brother so many times in private, hasn't she ever had a proper opportunity to explain herself?"
Liu Chengfeng clenched his fists even tighter, staring intently at Liu Shushu as if he wanted to kill her.
Qingying was overjoyed and could hardly hide the smile in her eyes. She quickly took a sip of tea to calm herself down.
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