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Prince Ping and Yi Fei suddenly turned around, only to see Shangguan Yichen slowly approaching them. Caught off guard, they both quickly collected their expressions. Prince Ping said sternly, "General Shanggong has been away for several months suppressing the rebellion in the southern border. I was deeply worried. Now that he has returned with victory news, I am very relieved."
Shangguan Yichen bowed politely and said, "Thank you, Uncle Wang, for your concern. I have always known Uncle Wang's kindness. So when I saw Yifei in Nansai that day, I thought it was Uncle Wang who sent Yifei to support me. I was very touched."
Prince Ping saw the evidence clearly and then turned to look at Yifei. Yifei felt uneasy and avoided Prince Ping's gaze.
Yifei did not tell King Ping about the Nansai incident, probably because he was afraid of being punished by King Ping for messing up the matter.
Prince Ping's face instantly changed to a smile as he said, "My nephew, are you dazzled? Yifei has been in Linjun the entire time. How could he be thousands of miles away, at the Nansai border?"
Shangguan Yichen smiled, his hands behind his back, and stared at Prince Ping, but he said nothing. Being stared at made Prince Ping feel even more guilty, his palms soaked with sweat, his smile froze, the corners of his mouth twitched, and he rubbed his chin nervously.
Yifei lowered his head and said nothing, his eyes rolling around at the ground.
After staring intently for a long while, Shangguan Yichen suddenly chuckled. Prince Ping's throat tightened and his mouth was dry, so he also laughed dryly. Shangguan Yichen crossed his arms and turned his gaze to Yifei. He looked at him intently again and smiled, "Did you see me, Yifei?"
Yifei was suddenly asked, and he raised his head as if he was exploded. His panicked eyes met Shangguan Yichen's. Although he was smiling, the way he looked at Yifei was oppressive, which made Yifei feel even more flustered. He quickly looked away and looked around, stammering: "I have never been to Nansai. The mountains there are high and the roads are long. It is located in a remote place. Why would I go there if I have nothing to do! I think you are blurry-eyed and you may have seen the wrong person. Don't talk nonsense here!"
Prince Ping followed up Yi Fei's words with a laugh, then continued, "Yes, my dear nephew, I also heard that you won the battle of Nansai beautifully, but it was a hard-fought battle. You must have been fighting outside and were tired, so you made a mistake for a moment. It's normal. Besides, there are many people in this world who look alike. What do you think?"
"How do you explain the young prince's ordering his followers to kidnap me, threatening the virtuous king to commit suicide, and forcing me to fall off a cliff?"
Yifei and King Ping turned around in surprise, and Zhong Yujing had already walked down the stairs and walked to their side.
Yi Fei's face was filled with astonishment. He stared at Zhong Yujing, looking her up and down. Then he turned to look at Shangguan Yichen. Finally, he understood and nodded angrily, "Okay, okay!" Pointing at Zhong Yujing, he said, "So that little soldier was you!"
King Ping was puzzled and went to see Yifei, but he felt that something was wrong. He didn't know the inside story and looked a little flustered.
Zhong Yujing suddenly smiled, looked at Yifei, and said with a cunning smile: "Young Prince, if you say so, you are admitting that you have been to Nansai. The man that day was you without a doubt!" His tone suddenly became heavier, and he was intimidating without being angry. He frightened Yifei and Prince Heping on the spot, and Zheng was speechless for a moment.
At this moment, Eunuch He finally asked the two plague gods who were stubbornly trying to get in at the door to leave the hall. The traffic jam was unblocked, and all the officials strode out of the hall, talking and laughing, and went out of the palace.
Yi Fei looked at the officials filing out, then gave a sinister smile and said to Zhong Yujing and Shangguan Yichen, "Even if I admit it, so what! Words are not enough. What proof do you have that I've been to Nansai?"
Zhong Yujing and Shangguan Yichen both glared at Yifei. Yifei suddenly burst into laughter and said to Shangguan Yichen, "Aren't you invincible?" Finally, he looked at them provocatively, grabbed Prince Ping, and left the hall angrily without looking back.
Shangguan Yichen watched the father and son depart, frowning and saying, "How treacherous! I regret that I have no evidence and cannot report the truth to His Majesty immediately."
Zhong Yujing smiled and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. We still have a chess piece. We can put ourselves in a dangerous position and remove the firewood from under the cauldron."
Shangguan Yichen paused for a moment, then immediately understood, "Yes, that... is truly a brilliant move."
Zhong Yujing smiled and nodded, "Your Majesty, the person you choose will definitely not be wrong."
That night, the heat had been accumulating for days, and the cicadas in the courtyard were chirping incessantly. Even without sunlight, it was still irritating. She lived in a side room in the backyard, and few people from the mansion came here. Aside from her personal maid and a few servants, she had never seen most of the people in the mansion. Yifei didn't want anyone to disturb her or them.
If anyone came, the little concubine had been here once. She was graceful and elegant, gentle and virtuous. It was said that she was the daughter of a minister. She came without a crowd, only with a personal maid. At that time, she was feeding the fish in the courtyard. She liked feeding the fish, and when she had nothing to do on weekdays, she would stay by the pond and stay there all day. Yifei thought she liked raising fish, so he ordered people to build a huge pond in her courtyard, and hired top craftsmen to design and build it. After it was completed, the maid said that the pond in front of the main hall of the mansion was not as beautiful and luxurious as the lady's. But Yifei said that the pond could only be built in the courtyard, and it was still a little small, which was unfair to her. She smiled bitterly in her heart, luxurious? How luxurious can a pond be. Yifei saw that she liked feeding the fish, so he said that koi was good and had a very good meaning, just like when she saw the mandarin ducks crying, Yifei also thought that she liked mandarin ducks, so he said that mandarin ducks were good and had a very good meaning. Yifei didn't know that she liked mandarin ducks because they were her zodiac sign, and she liked feeding fish only because they, like her, were trapped in their fate and could never swim out of that predicament.
The little concubine walked slowly to her side and sat down. "Sister, your pond is truly exquisite. Everyone in the palace says it is the most beautiful view in Prince Ping's palace. Today I finally got to see it, and it really lives up to its reputation."
She hurriedly stood up and saluted.
The young concubine gently lifted her handkerchief and helped her to her feet. "We are sisters, no need to be so polite." After they stood still, the young concubine looked at her unmade face again and smiled, "My sister is indeed beautiful and elegant. No wonder the young prince favors her so much."
She just lowered her head and said nothing.
The young princess took her arm and entered the house. They chatted with each other for a long time, and the topic all revolved around Yifei. "The young prince is a playboy, and everyone knows it. Although he often went to those places with beautiful women, he never treated the family members in the mansion coldly. He was gentle and caring to every sister. Therefore, although there are many sisters in the mansion, they are all harmonious, and jealousy has never happened."
She took a sip of tea and listened silently without saying a word.
"Thanks to you coming into the mansion, the young prince has finally changed his bad habits. We sisters are very pleased. We have always wanted to thank you for helping the young prince get back on the right path, but we were afraid of disturbing you, so I will express our gratitude to you on your behalf." The young princess held her hand, so intimately.
"It's just that my sister has been in the mansion for a long time and can only stay in this side room in the backyard. I really wronged you. Today I came here specially to talk to you, and I have something to discuss with you." The little concubine said slowly, "My courtyard is spacious and near the main hall, which is convenient for entering and exiting. The sisters' residences are all around it, which is convenient for walking. We can move around more often on weekdays and have fun together. Besides, I am the only one in the courtyard, and there are not many servants. It would be lonely for me to live alone. If you don't mind, would you be willing to move in with me? We sisters can relieve each other's boredom and take care of each other?" After the little concubine finished speaking, she looked forward to it, waiting for her response.
However, she was troubled by the sisters and sisters surrounding the little concubine. She lowered her head and pretended to think for a long time. Finally, she slowly said: "I am honored by your kindness, little princess. However, my status is low, and I dare not live in the same room with the little concubine. All matters in the mansion shall be subject to the orders of the little prince. I will wait for the little prince to make the decision after he returns home." After that, she stood up and saluted the little concubine.
The young concubine said cleverly, "I am indeed rude. Naturally, I would like to ask the young prince to look into this matter so as not to embarrass my sister." She made an excuse to stay for lunch and praised the rich and delicious dishes in the small kitchen in her courtyard. She said that she heard that the young prince specially hired top chefs to cook for her in turn according to her appetite, and praised her for being lucky to be so favored by the young prince.
After the meal, the young princess had learned everything she wanted to know and had said everything she wanted to say. Then, she took her hand again and placed an exquisite wooden box in it. She said affectionately, "This is Dingxiangfang's finest rouge. The perfume maker only makes ten boxes a season, so it's incredibly hard to come by. It's a rare commodity on the market. My sister is already naturally beautiful, and with a little makeup, she'll be even more stunning. The young prince will undoubtedly be even more obsessed with her."
She said again, "Thank you, little princess."
The little princess nodded and said, "I have bothered you for a long time today. I am sure you must be tired. I will go back first and talk to you another day." She walked out of the yard gracefully, fanning herself with a round fan.
The young princess's maidservant stayed for a moment, and after the young princess stepped out of the door, she turned back and said to her arrogantly: "Madam is the first person in this palace who has been favored by the young princess. If you can move into the young princess's courtyard and live with her, your status and treatment in the future will definitely be different from today. Madam, please take care of yourself." After that, she also left with the young princess.
She stood up and looked back at the young princess and her maid, her eyes calm, the corners of her lips raised slightly. She thought, "Let it be." Was she riding the young princess's coattails to rise in status, or was she using her to gain more access to Yifei? She didn't know if the women in the palace were jealous before her arrival, but after her arrival, they were undoubtedly jealous. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. The women must have never been so united, conspiring against her, their common enemy. But the devil was more powerful than the other. The young princess had struck out alone, striking first, aiming to seize the initiative, truly worthy of being the woman who could become the principal wife.
She lowered her head and opened the carved wooden box in her hand. The bright red rouge caught her eyes, like the blood after murder, stinging her eyes. There was an imperceptible smell mixed in the thick spices. What kind of background did she have? Killing people with poison was no problem for her. How could she not know this trick?
In the evening, after leaving court, Yifei came to the backyard as usual. She sat in front of the bronze mirror, applying her makeup. Yifei was surprised, "You never like to dress up, why are you so interested today? Come, I'll help you put it on." He looked into the mirror with her face close to his, and said, "That's right, putting on more makeup will make you look more energetic and happy." Turning to look at her, he said, "But I like you without makeup, too. You look good no matter what."
She smiled and felt happy in her heart. He was always like this, straightforward, frank, sincere, without any disguise or concealment, which often made her let down her guard.
Yi Fei turned around and saw the box of rouge that had been deliberately opened and placed on the table. At first, he was just confused, "You bought rouge?" He smiled and picked it up to smell it. Then his face suddenly changed and he asked angrily, "Where did this come from?"
Seeing this, the little maid trembled and almost cried with fear, and knelt on the ground: "My lord, the little concubine came today and said that the sisters are friends and gave it to Madam."
Yifei's face instantly turned pale, and she threw the rouge box away. The rouge box hit the wall, and the powder powder shattered into powder, spreading bright red all over the floor. She looked confused and timidly asked, "What's wrong?"
Yi Fei turned around and said to the servants, "Spread my words! From today on, no one in the palace is allowed to set foot in this courtyard. Anyone who violates this will be expelled from the palace!"
The servants crawled on the ground, shaking like sieves as they accepted the order and spread Yifei's words throughout the palace.
Later, I heard that the young prince went to the young princess's courtyard and made a big scene. The young princess burst into tears and knelt in front of the young prince to beg for his forgiveness. The young prince pushed her away without looking back and walked out of the young princess's courtyard. From then on, he never set foot in the young princess's courtyard again. Of course, he had not set foot in the courtyard for a long time before that.
From then on, Yaoxian's backyard side room seemed to have become the royal important place of Pingwang Mansion. It did not need guards to guard it, and it was still strictly guarded and safe, and no one dared to approach it.
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