“Zhou Wenli asked me to bring you here. He wants to see you, but don’t worry, he won’t hurt you.” Xu Yanyan turned her head and glanced at the pine and cypress trees beside her, which were still green. She spoke in a low voice. The pine and cypress trees were still green, even though they were covered with snow.
Qu Qingxi nodded slightly, indicating that she understood. She also knew that Xu Yanyan must have brought her here specifically for some reason.
Qu Qingxi thought Xu Yanyan was going to say something to her, but it turned out that Zhou Wenli wanted to see her.
As they turned the corner, a figure appeared in front of them.
The man was wearing a black cloak, had outstanding looks, and a tall and straight figure. He was looking at them. This man was Zhou Wenli.
Although Qu Qingxi already knew about Zhou Wenli, she still looked surprised and paused for a moment.
"Fifth Prince?" Qu Qingxi asked in surprise, glancing at Zhou Wenli before turning to Xu Yanyan with a hint of accusation in her voice, "Princess Anping, what do you mean by this?"
"Your Highness, the Fifth Prince needs to speak with you, which is why I said those things earlier," Xu Yanyan said, lowering her head as if she felt guilty.
"I am not acquainted with His Highness the Fifth Prince. Moreover, I am already married, and it is really not appropriate for me to meet men outside the family." Qu Qingxi's face was already very unpleasant. After saying this, she turned to leave, but Zhou Wenli spoke up.
"Your Highness, please wait. I have something very important to discuss with you today."
Qu Qingxi didn't speak or stop, but continued walking forward, only to stop because of Zhou Wenli's next words.
"Doesn't Your Highness want to know why, even though you are also the Prime Minister's daughter, Qu Lianhai doesn't love you at all?" After Zhou Wenli finished speaking, he saw that Qu Qingxi had indeed stopped, and a triumphant smile flashed in his eyes.
"What do you mean by this?" Qu Qingxi's expression changed, and she turned to look at Zhou Wenli.
Zhou Wenli ignored Xu Yanyan standing to the side and continued, "Because you are not Qu Lianhai's biological daughter at all."
Qu Qingxi froze, stunned. She wasn't Qu Lianhai's biological daughter. What did that mean?
Xu Yanyan was also shocked when she heard the news. She looked at Zhou Wenli in surprise, but Zhou Wenli's eyes told her that he was not lying.
"What nonsense are you talking about? How could I not be my father's biological son?" Qu Qingxi's face immediately turned red with anger. "Please, Fifth Prince, do not slander my mother."
If Zhou Wenli says she is not Qu Lianhai's biological daughter, doesn't that imply that the original owner's mother was immoral?
“I’m telling the truth. I’m not slandering your mother. Otherwise, think about it, why would a father not love his daughter and let others bully her?” Zhou Wenli said seriously, trying to persuade her.
"I..." Qu Qingxi fell into deep thought. Was this really true? The original owner of this body was not Qu Lianhai's biological daughter?
If that's the case, then it makes sense why Qu Lianhai would abandon himself in the Prime Minister's residence and only focus on doting on Qu Qingran.
Seeing Qu Qingxi lower her head in thought, Zhou Wenli spoke up unhurriedly, "You've started to have doubts too, haven't you? Besides, I also know that your mother was already pregnant before she married Qu Lianhai."
"Impossible, I was clearly born prematurely." Qu Qingxi's face turned pale, and her voice trembled slightly.
Seeing Qu Qingxi still stubbornly refusing to admit it, Zhou Wenli lowered his head and chuckled softly, "Your mother gave birth to you, but before you even grew up, she suddenly passed away due to illness. Don't you have any doubts?"
"Why was Qu Qingran's mother able to steal all of the Prime Minister's favor the moment she entered the family? Why does everyone else have a maternal grandparent family, but you don't?"
As Zhou Wenli's questions piled up, Qu Qingxi's face grew paler and paler, and her posture became increasingly unsteady.
Qu Qingxi clearly believed Zhou Wenli's words.
"What exactly do you know?" Qu Qingxi stared at Zhou Wenli with wide eyes. How could Zhou Wenli, a person from the Zhou Kingdom, know so much about her background?
“I know a lot more, and of course it’s all true, because I have no reason to lie to Miss Qu, do I?” Zhou Wenli raised an eyebrow and smiled.
"Who is my biological father? How did my mother die?" Qu Qingxi stared intently at Zhou Wenli, as if trying to bore a hole through him.
"Miss Qu, it's very simple to know this, but you have to agree to two conditions."
Upon hearing this, Qu Qingxi hesitated. Zhou Wenli quickly spoke up again, "Miss Qu, please rest assured, my request will absolutely not harm you."
"Then tell me your conditions first. What if I can't meet them? Wouldn't it be a waste of my effort?" Qu Qingxi closed her eyes tightly, but still couldn't help but speak. She wanted to know the truth, all the truth about her background.
However, Qu Qingxi remained wary and first asked about the conditions.
"Don't worry, my request is very simple, and you can definitely do it. My first condition is that you sneak into He Liufeng's study and retrieve a secret letter." Zhou Wenli said, seeing that Qu Qingxi was worried about something.
“I know you have many doubts and question whether what I said today is true or false. You don’t need to rush to agree. You can go back and think it over carefully. Come and find me when you’ve made up your mind,” Zhou Wenli thoughtfully suggested.
"It's probably inconvenient for me, a princess consort, to go to the place where the Fifth Prince lives." Qu Qingxi's face was pale, and she looked very unwell.
"It's alright. When you've thought it through, just tell Princess Anping, and I'll arrange a meeting." After saying that, Zhou Wenli glanced at Xu Yanyan again, then turned and left.
Qu Qingxi remained where she was, without saying a word.
Only after Zhou Wenli's figure disappeared did Xu Yanyan softly ask, "Are you alright?"
"It's nothing." Qu Qingxi's face was pale, and she couldn't even manage a smile.
The two turned back and looked at the frozen lake for a while before heading towards the banquet hall.
Having seen enough of the scenery outside, everyone in the banquet hall was getting a little bored, constantly wondering what might happen between Qu Qingxi and Xu Yanyan.
In their contest, who will ultimately prevail?
However, they didn't have to wait long before they saw Qu Qingxi and Xu Yanyan walking over from that direction. Qu Qingxi's face looked terrible, while Xu Yanyan's face looked normal.
So, Xu Yanyan won the contest between them?
Everyone was filled with doubts, but upon reflection, they felt it was understandable. After all, the Prince of Nanqing and Xu Yanyan had a deep affection for each other in their youth, so naturally they would know some things that others shouldn't know.
It must be something Xu Yanyan said that made Qu Qingxi's expression so unpleasant.
After thinking it through, everyone looked at Xu Yanyan differently. They never expected Xu Yanyan to be so cunning.
Qu Qingxi and Xu Yanyan had no idea what the people present were thinking. The two of them found a place to sit down.
Qingdai also noticed that Qu Qingxi's expression was not good. She looked at Qu Qingxi with concern, wanting to ask her something, but it was not very convenient here.
Yongchang also noticed Qu Qingxi's unusual behavior, but considering the inappropriate occasion, he had no choice but to swallow his worries.
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