Chapter 141

“I don’t want to be a concubine.” Yuan Ziying came to her senses and turned to look at Princess Rong. “If the Princess likes being a concubine, why not let the Prince demote you to a concubine and then marry a new wife—”

“Impudent!” Princess Rong raised her hand to point at her, trembling with anger. “Xie Yunjian, is this your fiancée? Such good upbringing, such good manners!”

Xie Yunjian’s expression was also somewhat cold: “I’ve already said that Ziying grew up in the mountains and hasn’t learned the rules of the capital. I ask the Princess not to speak ill of her anymore, or else please bear the consequences yourself.”

“Consequences? What consequences?” Princess Rong sneered, “A wild country girl causing a scene in front of me, and not only does General Xie not apologize, but he also expects me to treat her with respect? What a dream—ah ah ah! What is this?”

Before Princess Rong could finish her words, she suddenly let out a scream, her hands flailing and slapping as if something dirty had possessed her.

Everyone present was startled, taken aback by her bizarre behavior.

“Princess! Princess, what’s wrong with you?” The head maid stepped forward, looking at her anxiously, “Princess…”

“Mother,” Yan Zhixuan hurriedly approached her. “What’s wrong? What’s going on?”

Yuan Ziying clung tightly to Xie Yunjian, her hands gripping his arms as if afraid he would run away. But her gaze fell on Princess Rong, and she maliciously mocked her. “So this is the upbringing of a royal consort. I’ve really learned something today.”

Xie Yunjian raised his hand and tapped her forehead, “Shut up.”

“Ah, ah, ah! Don’t come over, don’t come over!” Princess Rong waved her hands wildly, screaming in fear, “Don’t come over! Don’t come over!”

Prince Rong’s face turned as black as a pot bottom, his eyes almost bursting with fire.

“Mother.” Yan Zhixuan felt embarrassed, “What’s wrong with you?”

“Bug! Lots and lots of bugs! Bugs that can fly!” Princess Rong hid behind her daughter, her hands still frantically swatting at something, “So many, ah! Don’t come over!”

Yuan Ziying’s eyes curved with laughter: “Xie Yunjian, Princess Rong is truly well-mannered. I must learn from her more in the future.”

Prince Rong’s face turned ashen, his gaze heavily fixed on Yuan Ziying. He remembered that Xie Yunjian had come alone to Prince Rong’s residence today without bringing any guards. This little girl also came alone. Just now, when she was evading the maids and attendants, her swift movements and strange actions made it seem like she was not an ordinary person.

Prince Rong finally realized that Miss Yuan was probably someone of significant background.

Thinking of this, Prince Rong turned and ordered, “Zhixuan, take your mother to her room to rest. The rest of you, keep an eye on her. If she continues to shout like this, find a doctor to take a look.”

Yan Zhixuan looked at him in shock, “Father!”

Prince Rong’s expression darkened, “Hurry up.”

Yan Zhixuan gritted her teeth, glared resentfully at Xie Yunjian and Yuan Ziying, and turned to leave with the two maids, supporting her mother.

“Don’t come over! Don’t come over…”

“General Xie,” Prince Rong’s face showed a hint of displeasure, “Today’s incident has been quite unpleasant, but I bear no ill will. Since General Xie has a fiancée, I won’t force you. I will take the liberty to betroth Zhijiao to you as a concubine. What do you think?”

Yan Zhijiao’s expression changed, and she lowered her eyes in silence.

Yuan Ziying frowned: “The daughter of a prince holds a noble status. Even if she is not a princess, her status is still incomparable to that of other women. How could she become a concubine?”

Prince Rong said, “Zhiqiao spent time alone with General Xie, and she can still marry someone else?”

“As long as the Prince can keep the servants in the Prince’s residence in check, no one outside will know about this matter,” Yuan Ziying said sincerely. “General Xie passed out after drinking at the Prince Rong’s residence. If the Emperor finds out about this, he will probably investigate the real reason behind General Xie’s drunkenness.”

Prince Rong’s expression changed slightly, and he looked at her with a blank face.

“Moreover, General Xie was only placed in a side room to rest and had no acquaintance with the young ladies of the Prince’s residence. The Prince’s insistence on this matter might upset General Xie,” Yuan Ziying raised her eyebrows. “Of course, if it only upsets General Xie, it wouldn’t matter. But if the Emperor is also upset, has the Prince thought about how to explain it?”

Prince Rong remained silent for a moment, still not speaking.

“Nonsense!” Yan Jie, standing nearby, was furious. “It was clearly Xie Yunjian who, taking advantage of being drunk, had ill intentions towards my younger sister and ruined her purity. How dare you try to smear us and turn the tables now? Even if you are the most favored general in front of Her Majesty, you have no right to bully us like this!”

Yuan Ziying frowned, her expression displeased. This is blatant slander, isn’t it?

“Father, my sister’s reputation should not be tarnished by anyone.” Yan Jie turned to look at Prince Rong, his face filled with righteous indignation. “If General Xie doesn’t give us an explanation, we will go to Her Majesty and demand justice! I just want to know, does Her Majesty favor family or justice?”

If he thinks mentioning Her Majesty will scare Yuan Ziying, he is mistaken.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ziying instead clapped her hands in praise: “This method is indeed good. I also want to know what Prince Rong was thinking by only inviting Xie Yunjian, an outsider, to today’s birthday banquet.”

“Not only did he invite just one outsider, but he also got him drunk.”

“Getting him drunk isn’t enough; he even gave him the opportunity to have improper intentions towards your daughter.”

“So Xie Yunjian is that formidable? Even when drunk, he is so strong that not even the entire Prince’s mansion’s guards can defeat him? Could it be that he can single-handedly take on thousands of troops?”

“This is truly amazing.”

“If there are strong enemies at the border again, we won’t need to send the army over. Just sending Xie Yunjian alone would be enough to overturn the enemy army and leave them in disarray.”

Yuan Ziying spoke with great enthusiasm, her eyes filled with admiration as she looked at Xie Yunjian: “Husband, are you really that amazing? Can you become the world’s number one war god in the future? The kind that comes and goes without a trace, appearing and disappearing like a ghost, flying through the sky and burrowing through the earth? Then I would be the war god’s wife…”

“Enough.” Xie Yunjian raised his hand and tapped her forehead, “The more you say, the more nonsensical it gets.”

Yuan Ziying snorted coldly, “But Prince Rong thinks you’re quite impressive! So many guards in the royal residence couldn’t match you, and you actually dared to take advantage of his daughter right under his nose.”

Prince Rong’s face darkened as if shrouded in frost. He clenched his fists tightly, unable to comprehend how Yuan Ziying, this uncouth village girl, could speak so rudely and without manners.

If it weren’t for Xie Yunjian being present…

No, before Xie Yunjian came out earlier, he should have had the guards drag her away and deal with her quietly.

Chapter 142

The current situation was becoming increasingly untenable for Prince Rong. He silently watched Xie Yunjian and Yuan Ziying, unwilling to let them go just like that, but he clearly knew that continuing to hold out would bring no benefit to Prince Rong’s residence. He had been low-key and patient in front of Emperor Wu Lie for so many years; there was no reason for him to lose his composure just because the new Emperor had just ascended the throne.

But he had indeed endured long enough. As tensions rose, the front courtyard steward hurriedly reported, “Your Highness, Prince An has come with a congratulatory gift, saying he has come to celebrate your birthday.”

Prince Rong’s spirit jolted, and he turned to give the order, “Let him in.”

“Yes,” the steward turned and left.

Xie Yunjian, with a calm expression, cupped his fist towards Prince Rong, “Since Your Highness has a guest, I will take my leave. If I have offended you in any way earlier, please forgive me.”

After saying this, he took Yuan Ziying’s hand and walked towards the exit.

“Stop!” Yan Jie said coldly, “General Xie didn’t give any explanation and just left like this?”

Xie Yunjian paused, slowly turned his head, and looked at Yan Jie, “If the Young Master really wants an explanation, why don’t we go to Her Majesty right now and explain the matter? As long as Her Majesty agrees to let me marry the daughter of the Prince of Rong’s residence, I, Xie Yunjian, guarantee a grand wedding with no second thoughts.”

Yan Jie sneered, “You are a general of the Qingluan Army. Her Majesty will naturally favor you—”

“Enough.” Prince Rong said coldly, “Let General Xie go.”

“Father!” Yan Jie was clearly unwilling.

Prince Rong didn’t speak again. Although his expression showed displeasure, he obviously didn’t want to continue pressing the issue—or rather, he didn’t dare to continue pushing.

Xie Yunjian nodded, took Yuan Ziying, and walked away. Passing through the front courtyard, they ran into Prince An, who was entering the residence.

“General Xie is also here?” Prince An looked at him in surprise, not missing Yuan Ziying beside him. His eyes flickered slightly. “Why is Miss Yuan with General Xie?”

Xie Yunjian did not answer his question; he only said lightly, “I have matters to attend to, so I will take my leave.”

Yan Ling smiled gently, turned around, and stared at their retreating figures, his eyes dark and motionless for a long time.

“That woman disrupted this plan.” Prince Rong walked out from the inner courtyard, his voice calm, “Xie Yunjian is not to be feared, but that girl beside him is a bit unusual.”

Yan Ling came to his senses and turned to look at Prince Rong: “Did that woman cause a scene in the Prince’s residence just now?”

“Causing a huge commotion.” Prince Rong went with him to the study, “She’s a bit different from ordinary women, claiming to be from the mountains but not specifying which mountain. She seems a bit strange.”

Prince An was intrigued. The mountains?

Thinking of how Miao Qiyuan said before his death that he was going to Qingmang Mountain, could it be that Yuan Ziying also happened to be from the mountains?

Yan Ling came to his senses and composed himself: “What are your plans next, Imperial Uncle?”

“The marriage proposal failed, and the one in the palace should have some thoughts.” Prince Rong frowned, “But for now, her throne is still unstable, so she shouldn’t do anything to me.”

Yan Ling nodded: “Imperial Uncle doesn’t need to worry. Let’s keep a low profile for now.”

…

After leaving the Prince’s residence gate, Xie Yunjian immediately got into the carriage and headed towards the palace with Yuan Ziying.

The carriage was unnaturally quiet.

Yuan Ziying secretly looked at him: “You weren’t plotted against?”

Xie Yunjian glanced at her expressionlessly: “How did you know I came to Prince Rong’s residence?”

Yuan Ziying said: “I overheard people discussing on the street, saying that the princess of Prince Rong’s residence took a liking to you… I thought you arranged for someone to deliberately leak the news to me, wanting me to come to your rescue.”

Xie Yunjian frowned: “You’re really theatrical.”

“Then what exactly is going on?” Yuan Ziying glared at him, “You have been poisoned by me so many times before, so you shouldn’t be ambushed. But no matter Prince Rong’s intentions, you shouldn’t get too close to his daughter. Men and women should keep their distance. Even if you are playing along, this method seems foolish.”

Xie Yunjian: “…”

Yuan Ziying frowned, “Why aren’t you speaking?”

After a moment of silence, Xie Yunjian pondered how to explain to her: “Prince Rong plans to force a marriage, so I played along and agreed to his request. This way, I can get closer to Prince Rong’s residence in the future.”

Yuan Ziying frowned, “But you’re getting too close to Prince Rong’s residence. Aren’t you worried it will arouse the Emperor’s suspicion?”

“That’s exactly what I want,” Xie Yunjian said calmly. “The more the Emperor suspects, the more trust Prince Rong will have in me in the future.”

Yuan Ziying’s expression was subtle, and for a moment, she didn’t know what to say.

“The Emperor won’t really suspect me,” Xie Yunjian, worried she might misunderstand, took the initiative to explain. “The Emperor has had years of tacit understanding with us and will surely guess my intentions—”

“I got it!” Yuan Ziying’s expression brightened. “Is it that Prince Rong is not the mastermind, but someone behind him is instigating him to marry you to win over the military generals? And you want to find out who that person is, so you’re playing along?”

After a moment of silence, Xie Yunjian slowly nodded, “Yes.”

Although she guessed correctly, saying the plan out loud somehow made it feel less profound.

“Why go through so much trouble?” Yuan Ziying curled her lips, looking at him with some disdain. “What if Prince Rong doesn’t play along and really uses some special drug on you, forcing you to sleep with his daughter? How would you deal with that?”

Xie Yunjian replied calmly, “Instead of reflecting on how you messed up my plan, you’re pointing out my mistakes?”

Yuan Ziying snorted coldly, “If you really need it, I can concoct a drug that would make Prince Rong reveal the mastermind behind him as a way to make amends.”

“No need.”

“You still haven’t told me what to do if it really comes to that.”

Xie Yunjian frowned, “After all those times you tried to sabotage me, even if I didn’t become immune to all poisons, it wouldn’t be so easy to get me.”

“What if you really do get caught?”

Xie Yunjian was exasperated by her relentless questioning and replied flatly, “Then I’ll just marry her. It wouldn’t be a loss either way.”

As soon as he said that, the carriage fell silent.

Yuan Ziying’s expression darkened as she stared at Xie Yunjian’s face, unable to resist the urge to fidget.

Xie Yunjian sensed the danger and instinctively clenched his fists, watching her warily.

“……Forget it.” Yuan Ziying suddenly leaned against the side, looking deflated. “Do whatever you want.”

Xie Yunjian’s gaze fell on her downcast face, his heart momentarily pausing. Almost instinctively, he explained, “I won’t let anything happen. Even if I were drugged, I would definitely escape the Prince’s residence quickly and find a way to help you…”

“Find a way for me?” Yuan Ziying raised an eyebrow, “Are we going to cook the rice after it’s been soaked?”

Xie Yunjian looked at her expressionlessly, “What are you thinking? I need you to concoct the antidote.”

Yuan Ziying paused, then coldly snorted, “By the time I concoct the antidote, you might already be dead from the poison. Might as well just cook the rice after it’s been soaked.”

Xie Yunjian: “……”