Hearing the palace maid's words, Qu Qingxi narrowed her eyes slightly. Xu Yanyan sent someone to deliver a message to her, which meant that Zhou Wenli was about to make a move.
Looking towards Xu Yanyan's seat, sure enough, Xu Yanyan was not there; only her maid, Zhiyuan, was standing in that spot.
So Qu Qingxi pretended to be a little drunk, called Qingdai and walked outside, and no one else suspected anything.
After leaving the main hall, Qu Qingxi quickened her pace and headed towards Yunshu Hall.
Yunshu Palace was not far away, and Qu Qingxi and Qingdai arrived quickly. The surroundings were quiet, and there were no palace maids or eunuchs to be seen. Qu Qingxi stepped forward and pushed open the door of Yunshu Palace.
However, the room was brightly lit but empty. He Liufeng was not there, nor was Xu Yanyan.
Qu Qingxi frowned slightly. Nobody here?
Xu Yanyan shouldn't be lying to herself, so why is there no one here?
Qu Qingxi refused to believe it and ran back inside. She searched the place thoroughly and confirmed that there was really no one there before turning to leave. Suddenly, she heard footsteps outside.
Qu Qingxi quickly determined that it was not He Liufeng's footsteps. Qu Qingxi then turned to Qingdai and said, "Qingdai, take this pill and quickly find the people in the palace who are in charge of the Prince. Tell them to look for the Prince's whereabouts. If they find Princess Anping, and she is feeling unwell, give her this pill."
Qingdai took the pills and put them away, nodding solemnly. Although she didn't know why the princess wanted her to do this, the princess must have known what was going to happen.
Qu Qingxi had just finished arranging things for Qingdai when the gates of Yunshu Palace were opened from the outside, and Zhou Wenli led his men in.
Zhou Wenli was slightly taken aback when he saw Qu Qingxi inside.
"I was unaware that the Princess was resting here. I am truly sorry." Zhou Wenli looked apologetically at Qu Qingxi.
"It's alright, we're about to leave too. Please, Fifth Prince, make yourself at home." Qu Qingxi smiled and nodded slightly to Zhou Wenli.
"Qingdai, let's go." Qu Qingxi said calmly, turning to leave, but Zhou Wenli called out to her.
"Your Highness, please wait."
Qu Qingxi knew Zhou Wenli was up to no good. This man had clearly been following her, yet he pretended not to know she was there. It seemed Xu Yanyan had also been tricked by Zhou Wenli.
It seems that He Liufeng and Xu Yanyan have been taken to another place.
Qu Qingxi found it strange that things turned out differently after time was reversed.
It's understandable that Ren Nuanyun, with her memories intact, didn't make any moves. But what's going on with Zhou Wenli? Last time, Xu Yanyan didn't send him any messages.
He Liufeng and Xu Yanyan were summoned to Yunshu Palace.
Why have so many things changed now? Is it because Ren Nuanyun didn't take action, leading to a butterfly effect? Qu Qingxi frowned slightly, pondering everything.
"Fifth Prince, is there anything else?" Qu Qingxi turned around and looked at Zhou Wenli with a hint of doubt.
“Since we are so destined to meet, why don’t we sit down and have a chat?” Zhou Wenli gestured for her to sit down and smiled gently at Qu Qingxi.
However, this warm smile made Qu Qingxi extremely uncomfortable.
Moreover, she is the Princess Consort of Nanqing, a married woman, while the Fifth Prince is a prince of the Zhou Dynasty. They have no relation whatsoever, and it is completely against the rules for them to be in the same room.
Zhou Wenli is difficult to deal with, but the most important thing now is to find He Liufeng and Xu Yanyan.
Qu Qingxi then turned to Qingdai and said, "Qingdai, go and fetch my cloak. I suddenly feel a little cold."
"Your Highness." Qingdai looked at Qu Qingxi with concern, clearly unwilling to go. The princess had only taken her with her when she came out. If she left, wouldn't the princess and Zhou Wenli be left alone here?
Qingdai wanted to say something more, but Qu Qingxi gave her a wink. Helpless, Qingdai had no choice but to leave reluctantly. "Yes, Your Highness."
Watching Qingdai's figure disappear, Qu Qingxi withdrew her gaze and looked at Zhou Wenli.
"Fifth Prince is joking. I am already married, and there is nothing more for me to say to you."
"So that's why." Zhou Wenli smiled and looked down, then walked up to Qu Qingxi and suddenly closed the door of Yunshu Palace.
Qu Qingxi narrowed her eyes slightly and subconsciously took two steps back.
After Qingdai left, only Zhou Wenli and his men remained in the room, and Qu Qingxi couldn't help but become wary.
Although I thought Zhou Wenli probably wouldn't do anything, who knows if he might suddenly have a meltdown.
"Fifth Prince, what are you doing?" Qu Qingxi suppressed her smile, staring intently at Zhou Wenli, deliberately feigning fear.
“Miss Qu, don’t be nervous. This is the palace. What can I do?” Zhou Wenli sat down to the side. “I just noticed that Miss Qu was dressed lightly and it was quite cold outside, so I closed the door.”
"Thank you for your understanding, Fifth Prince. However, this occasion is indeed inappropriate. His Highness is still waiting for me, so please excuse me." Qu Qingxi stood up and was about to leave.
However, Zhou Wenli's men quickly blocked Qu Qingxi's path.
"Fifth Prince, what exactly do you want to do?" Qu Qingxi was clearly flustered.
Seeing the wary Qu Qingxi, Zhou Wenli looked up and smiled, his expression suddenly becoming serious. "Miss Qu, would you be willing to come with me to the Zhou Kingdom?"
Seeing the doubt on Qu Qingxi's face, Zhou Wenli stared into Qu Qingxi's eyes and slowly said, "What I mean is, I want you to come back with me and become my prince's consort. Don't worry, although you have been married before, I will not look down on you. As long as you are obedient, I will give you whatever you want, including the position of empress in the future."
First comes psychological manipulation, then they make empty promises to themselves?
Qu Qingxi sneered inwardly. Zhou Wenli was quite adept at manipulating people, but unfortunately for him, she wasn't the naive girl who would be fooled by him.
"What is the Fifth Prince saying? I, Qu Qingxi, will only ever love the Prince. I have no other intentions. As for the Fifth Prince's good intentions, I'd better give them to someone else."
"Are you really unwilling?" Zhou Wenli didn't expect to be rejected. After all, he had status, good looks, and position, and he didn't care that Qu Qingxi had already married another man. How could she still be unwilling?
“I don’t want to, but I’m very curious why the Fifth Prince suddenly has such an idea. I remember that I’ve only met the Fifth Prince a handful of times.” Qu Qingxi stared at the person in front of her. Could it be that Zhou Wenli forced Xu Yanyan to see He Liufeng today in order to make her give up and then take her to Zhou Kingdom?
“We haven’t met many times, but my feelings for Miss Qu are genuine. I think Miss Qu is a resilient woman, and I admire her greatly. I don’t know when it started, but I fell in love with Miss Qu.” Zhou Wenli touched his chest, looking very affectionate.
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