Hearing the noise outside, Qiao Xiuyu frowned and said to Eleven, "Why is she so persistent?"
Eleven also looked distressed, as if he had a headache: "Young Master, we are, after all, in the territory of Southern Chen. We can't fight the Third Princess, and we can't avoid her either. How about we go back to Northern Zhou after spring?"
Qiao Xiuyu sighed, "How can we just go back whenever we want? Third Brother is still fighting openly and secretly with the other imperial brothers. If I go back now, am I planning to hold Third Brother back?"
The third son of the Crown Prince of Northern Zhou was Qiao Xiuyu's elder brother. The two had a good relationship since childhood. Qiao Xiuyu's trip to Southern Chen as a hostage was also the result of the Crown Prince's manipulation. In addition to lowering the vigilance of the Southern Chen royal family, it was also to drag Qiao Xiuyu, who was not suitable for political intrigue, into the vortex.
No matter how stupid Qiao Xiuyu was, he knew that this was for his own good. If he returned to Bei Zhou for a girl who was pestering him, not only would he waste his third brother's good intentions, but he would also make his third brother distracted by taking care of him. Would he still be human?
Eleven knew the pros and cons, but was still troubled: "This can't go on... Hey, young master, why don't we leave Shengjing and go to the surrounding areas to hide for a while, and then come back after the Third Princess gets married?"
Qiao Xiuyu pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "That's a good idea. After all, the Third Princess is getting married next February, it's only a matter of two or three months. It won't hurt for us to leave."
He paused, then smiled and said, "By then, Princess Heyang should have returned from Shu Prefecture as well."
Eleven curled his lip: "Young master, you can't stop talking about Princess Heyang these days. You should just marry her and bring her back to Northern Zhou!"
Qiao Xiuyu smiled and said, "I...can't marry her right now."
Eleven stared wide-eyed, as if Qiao Xiuyu had said something ridiculous; Qiao Xiuyu smiled and sighed: "Heyang is like a gust of wind. If you try to catch her, she will immediately drift far away from you; if you stand still, she will urge you to move forward... You can't expect to catch up with the wind. You can only hope that the wind will stay for you."
Eleven was confused, but he roughly understood what Qiao Xiuyu meant, and comforted him, "Young master, don't worry, one day Princess Heyang will agree."
Outside, Lu Shuangyi was still arguing with the guards: "I want to see your young master, that's giving him face! If you dare to stop me, I'll have my father kill you all!"
Upon hearing this, the leader of the guards said sternly, "Princess, we are soldiers of Northern Zhou. You have no right to kill us."
Lu Shuangyi's face flushed red, completely unaware of the resentment in Hongye's eyes, whom she had just kicked to the ground.
Hongye slowly got up from the ground, as if she had made up her mind. When she looked at Lu Shuangyi again, her eyes were cold and numb.
At this moment, Qiao Xiuyu walked out of the hall. His usually affectionate peach blossom eyes were now icy cold as he looked at Lu Shuangyi. He stood behind the guards, expressionless: "The Third Princess has quite the grand air."
Lu Shuangyi's eyes lit up when she saw Qiao Xiuyu, but then she remembered the humiliation she had just suffered and hurriedly said, "Qiao Zhuo, you must kill these ignorant and insolent servants! They dared to block my way, they are committing insubordination and their crimes are unforgivable!"
Qiao Xiuyu glanced at her coldly: "These guards are all subjects of my Northern Zhou. Why should they listen to you? Third Princess, I suppose I didn't make myself clear to you last time. I not only dislike women like you, I also despise and hate you. If you continue to pester me, I will have no choice but to go to see Emperor Chen. Surely Emperor Chen wouldn't risk the trade between Northern Zhou and Southern Chen for your sake?"
Lu Shuangyi stared blankly at Qiao Xiuyu, calming down after his harsh words, and asked, "Why don't you like me? No one in the entire Southern Chen dislikes me. Father Emperor said that I am his most beloved child."
Qiao Xiuyu: "..."
He almost laughed out of anger: "Third Princess, ask yourself honestly, if you weren't a princess, if you weren't of royal blood, would you really be likable with this kind of behavior?"
After leaving those words, he returned to his bedchamber. He had only taken a few steps when he stopped, turned back, and said, "Furthermore, if the princess dares to threaten me again, I won't hesitate to return everything to you."
Lu Shuangyi didn't miss the hint of murderous intent in Qiao Xiuyu's tone. She froze on the spot, and cold sweat broke out on her back.
Qiao Zhuo... What Qiao Zhuo said is true.
He not only disliked himself, but also loathed himself; he was not at all the "playing hard to get" that his mother had described.
He... was truly intent on killing.
As Lu Shuangyi watched Qiao Xiuyu's departing figure, she was still immersed in doubt and fear, completely unaware that Hongye, standing behind her, had a strange smile on her lips.
...
The palace banquet continued. Empress Li looked at the various beauties below, already somewhat numb. She even thought indifferently, "Let them in, bring as many as you can into the palace. The more the better. After all, I am the Empress, and no one can shake that."
However, Emperor Chen did not notice the beauty below him at this moment. He looked at Consort Zhao with concern and said, "My dear consort, are you feeling unwell? You seem very tired."
Consort Zhao remained cold, showing no interest in Emperor Chen's concern, and simply said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty, but I am fine."
Empress Li's eyes instantly turned terrifying, as if she could devour someone, and she stared intently at Consort Zhao.
Consort Zhao caught a glimpse of Empress Li's expression and found it amusing—in fact, she did laugh.
"Why did you suddenly smile, my beloved consort?" Emperor Chen seemed unconcerned about Consort Zhao's disrespect and coldness, and instead smiled and said, "If there is something that makes you happy, tell me so that I can share in the joy."
Consort Zhao chuckled inwardly. She called him "my beloved consort" so smoothly, completely oblivious to the fact that she should have been the Empress—or even further back, she should have been a general who died on the battlefield.
But she still looked languid, propping her chin up with one hand and drawing out the last syllable: "Your Majesty, I remember my dream last night—in the dream there was a very tall building, and Your Majesty and I sat on the roof watching fireworks. It was so interesting."
Emperor Chen's eyes lit up, and he immediately suggested, "This dream is truly interesting. How about after spring arrives, I build a tall building for my beloved concubine? Would you like to name it Langyu Tower?"
Consort Zhao smiled, making her scar look even more menacing, but Emperor Chen seemed not to notice the scar at all, and was just enthusiastically planning: "...When it's painted red, I remember that my beloved consort likes a darker red the most. I'll also have someone put a luminous pearl on the roof. I guarantee my beloved consort will love it."
Consort Zhao looked at Emperor Chen's face, her heart turning cold.
She was once a spirited and ambitious woman with her own beliefs—she wanted to protect the people of Southern Chen, protect the land of Southern Chen, and protect her beloved.
However, former subordinates betrayed them, and former lovers changed their minds. Despite their immense guilt and their best efforts to make amends, they were all betrayed.
But what's lost can never be regained.
Li Langhuan, who once rode a horse and leaned against a slanting bridge, is long dead.
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