Indeed, during the competition, she was determined to make that wretched woman lose all face. Once Prince Chen saw the woman he doted on embarrass herself, he would naturally not spoil her as he did now. Without Prince Chen’s protection, that wretched woman would be nothing, and she was a princess of a country, by then she could deal with that woman however she wished.
With this in mind, Qi Qiuxin no longer threw her temper or broke things, and immediately ran excitedly to find her brother Qi Zonghao.
Qi Zonghao looked at his sister in surprise, "What did you say?"
"Tomorrow morning, Second Imperial Brother must go to Emperor Dongchu and insist that the wretch... Princess Chen participate in the competition," Qi Qiuxin said excitedly.
"Nonsense!" Qi Zonghao’s handsome face darkened as he scolded sternly, "Each country decides its own contestants for the competition, other nations have no right to interfere. What basis do we have to demand Dong Chu to change their participant?"
Qi Qiuxin declared stubbornly, "I don’t care, Princess Chen must participate!"
When it came to his only sister, Qi Zonghao generally fulfilled all her requests, but this matter was of great importance, and he could not agree to it.
Seeing her brother sit down at the table, Qi Qiuxin took a seat beside him, clinging to his arm and cooing, "Second Brother, Princess Chen comes from a peasant family and knows nothing. She will definitely lose all face. Then Prince Chen will disdain her, and I can marry him rightfully."
Pressing his lips tightly together, Qi Zonghao remained silent.
"I must marry Prince Chen. Second Imperial Brother, help me, please?"
"Long Xuanmo is our greatest enemy; Imperial Brother cannot help you."
Qi Zonghao had a headache. Ever since he heard his countrymen spread tales of Long Xuanmo’s war exploits, and learned of his unmatched intelligence and good looks, his sister, without having met him, had already set her heart on Prince Chen, convinced that only a woman of her beauty and talent was worthy of him.
Last year, when she heard Prince Chen wed a peasant girl as his princess, she threw a tantrum in the palace. Had it not been for his and the empress dowager’s utmost efforts to stop her, she would have already run to Dong Chu to eliminate Princess Chen.
Qi Qiuxin stubbornly cried out, "I don’t care, only I am fit to be Prince Chen’s princess!"
Previously, it was just hearing about Prince Chen’s heroics that made her fancy him, a young girl’s infatuation. But today, after seeing Prince Chen in the flesh, her heart was truly moved, further solidifying her resolve to marry him. A hero of Prince Chen’s exceptional grace belonged only to her, Qi Qiuxin—they were a match made in heaven.
"Prince Chen is cold and heartless; it’s obvious that in his eyes and heart, there is only Princess Chen. Even if you marry him, you’ll find it hard to gain his affection. Imperial Brother cannot let you be harmed," Qi Zonghao advised gently.
She hadn’t thought much of that, but Qi Zonghao’s words just reminded Qi Qiuxin of Prince Chen’s tenderness towards that woman, filling her heart with jealousy, "As long as I marry Prince Chen, with my beauty and tactics, I’m sure he’ll soon fall in love with me. Then he will only have eyes for me. Once I become Princess Chen, with Prince Chen as my husband, not only will he stop opposing Second Imperial Brother, but he will also do everything possible to support you."
"Do you really want to make it difficult for Imperial Brother?" Qi Zonghao’s face darkened.
Qi Qiuxin spoke nonchalantly, "What’s so difficult about it? I’m just marrying Prince Chen. My loyalty still lies with Xiliang Country."
"If Xiliang and Dong Chu go to war, as Princess Xiliang and Princess Chen, how will you choose?" Qi Zonghao aspired to dominate the world, making war between Xiliang and Dong Chu inevitable.
Qi Qiuxin had never considered this question. After pondering for a moment, she made her choice, "When the time comes, I’ll poison Prince Chen and then take him back to Xiliang, imprisoning him in my Princess Mansion. Second Imperial Brother, seizing Dong Chu will then be a piece of cake. But you must promise me not to harm him."
Knowing his sister was speaking from her heart, Qi Zonghao had always doted on her since childhood, never considering using her for his own gains. However, her words gave him an idea.
Prince Chen had high prestige in the military and was greatly favored by Emperor Dongchu. If Qi Zonghao could firmly control Prince Chen, he would certainly benefit greatly, perhaps even annexing Dong Chu without a fight.
"You won’t regret it?" Qi Zonghao looked at his sister.
Qi Qiuxin firmly replied, "No regrets!"
"Good, your Imperial Brother will surely help you," Qi Zonghao reminded. "But you must also be careful not to provoke Prince Chen and Princess Chen before then."
Seeing Qi Zonghao’s serious expression, even though Qi Qiuxin very much wanted to see Prince Chen every moment, she obediently nodded her head.
Chen Prince Mansion.
Long Xuanmo, Yang Mengchen, and Grand Prince sat quietly in the study, all with somber expressions.
"It’s unthinkable that Prince Duan actually colluded with the dregs of the previous dynasty, it’s utterly treasonous!" Grand Prince said, his righteous face tinged with anger and sorrow.
Long Xuanmo snorted coldly, "He doesn’t have the ability; it’s actually Duke Wu Mansion that’s truly colluding with the dregs of the previous dynasty."
It wasn’t that Long Xuanmo looked down on Prince Duan, it’s just that Prince Duan had grand aspirations without the talent or the resolve, thinking that Duke Wu Mansion sincerely supported him as Emperor, not realizing they were using Prince Duan as a mere puppet.
"Could it be that Duke Wu Mansion is delusional enough to believe they can share the realm with the dregs of the previous dynasty?" Grand Prince couldn’t contain his anger and was also quite puzzled. Duke Wu Mansion had received great favor from the Emperor; did they really intend to support Prince Duan’s ascension to the throne, thus monopolizing the government?
Yang Mengchen shook his head, "In my opinion, Duke Wu Mansion is more likely using Prince Duan and the dregs of the previous dynasty to ultimately achieve their goal of changing the dynasty."
Long Xuanmo and Grand Prince both looked at Yang Mengchen in astonishment.
"When Prince Duan attempted to assassinate Wende and me, the Emperor punished Prince Duan to reflect behind closed doors. Although Duke Wu surrendered partial control of the Infantry Battalion to exchange for Prince Duan’s freedom, the elite of the Infantry Battalion remained in Duke Wu’s hands," Yang Mengchen spoke calmly. "According to our secret investigation, not long ago Duke Wu had the Princely Heir secretly purchase a batch of fire guns from Qi Zonghao, which clearly indicates that Duke Wu Mansion has no small plans."
Exchanging glances, Long Xuanmo and Grand Prince both had a stern look; Duke Wu Mansion truly deserved to die!
"If I’ve guessed correctly, they will create chaos during the festivities. The real rebellion should choose the Emperor’s birthday as the time," suggested Yang Mengchen.
Long Xuanmo and Grand Prince both deeply agreed.
Hai Tang knocked and entered the room, glanced at Yang Mengchen, who nodded, and then said in a low voice, "We have received a message from the post station. Qi Qiuxin is pestering Qi Zonghao to enter the palace tomorrow, insisting that Princess Chen participate in the competition, planning to use the opportunity to ruin Princess Chen’s reputation in front of people from the five nations. Then she can marry the Prince. Qi Zonghao has agreed."
Yang Mengchen glanced sideways at Long Xuanmo, her eyes conveying an indistinct intent.
The look on Long Xuanmo’s face was dark and forbidding, his deep eyes brimming with icy, bloodthirsty malice, his whole body emitting a chilling aura that intimidated the soul.
And Grand Prince shook his head in pity—not for Long Xuanmo, but for Qi Qiuxin, a woman truly unaware of the precariousness of her life.
"Since they so earnestly hope for my participation, I naturally cannot disappoint them," Yang Mengchen said with a light smile. "Imperial Uncle, Wende, remember to back me up tomorrow when Father Emperor asks us to enter the palace."
Seeing the smile on Yang Mengchen’s face, Hai Tang lowered her head, silently thinking that the Qi family siblings were in for a bad time. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel-com
Long Xuanmo was utterly devoted to his wife, naturally agreeing to whatever she said.
Although he didn’t know about Jiujiu’s scholarship, Grand Prince fully supported Jiujiu’s desire to play. As for winning or losing, it didn’t matter to him at all.
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