The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 181 - 180

Chapter 180

Soon after, a well-dressed individual from Ma Feng Restaurant entered, bowing respectfully to the seated guests. This person, dressed more elegantly than the waiter beside him, was likely the restaurant manager.

"I deeply apologize for the inconvenience caused by our mistake. It was our error in managing the reservations that led to such a significant issue. I hope none of you hold any grievances,"

He said, bowing low. When he straightened, he turned to the Fifth Prince seated on the right. "We would like to offer another private room as compensation for your group. I hope this is acceptable to you."

Before the Fifth Prince could respond, the Crown Prince interjected, "It’s alright. We are all close enough. Sharing a meal together shouldn’t be a big problem. Don’t you agree, Fifth Brother?"

The Fifth Prince glanced at the Crown Prince, then reluctantly replied in agreement. Although he wished to decline, he couldn’t publicly oppose the Crown Prince in front of so many people. The manager, seeing this, excused himself, saying he would expedite the kitchen in preparing and serving the meal.

The Crown Prince’s invitation for the Fifth Prince’s group to join them was undoubtedly motivated by the presence of De Qianqing, whose influential family, the De family, he intended to bind to his future plans by making her his primary consort.

In the Crown Prince’s mind, marrying her as his primary consort would bring the De family’s power under his control. Even if De Chaikun favored the Fifth Prince, he couldn’t ignore his sister and family.

If everything went according to plan, the Crown Prince’s power would increase, making it impossible for the Fifth Prince to rival him!

As the dishes and fine wines were brought to the table, the Crown Prince seized the opportunity to befriend De Qianqing by offering her food and discussing poetry, extending the same courtesies to Qian Minmin, the Royal Tutor’s daughter, and the Seventh Princess to avoid suspicion.

However, the atmosphere became tense once again, as everyone in the room was aware of the Crown Prince’s intentions, especially De Qianqing, who felt uncomfortable. She couldn’t refuse the Crown Prince’s kindness, so she lowered her head and let him have his way while occasionally casting glances at the Fifth Prince.

Meanwhile, in a private room on the third floor of Ma Feng Restaurant, which had never been opened to the public, sat a man and a woman. Before them was a Weiqi board, halfway through a game.

These two were Lu Jiu and Mu Yingying!

After traveling from Qingzhou to Daliang, two years had passed. Mu Yingying was now seventeen, and Lu Jiu was twenty-six. His facial scars had healed, and he no longer needed the silver mask. Both had grown significantly. Mu Yingying had fully blossomed into a stunning beauty, her body maturing gracefully.

As for Lu Jiu, with his elegance and dignified demeanor, his handsome face exuded a regal charm that captivated women. However, he always maintained a cold expression, except when he was with Mu Yingying. Only then did a gentle smile wear on the corner of his mouth, and a gentle and warm display on his eyes.

Previously, Mu Yingying had spent considerable time settling in and gathering information about the Daliang royal court. Today, she had begun to take action against those who had murdered her mother. Despite the long road ahead, she was willing to endure if it meant her plans would ultimately succeed in one fell swoop.

As the two were engrossed in their intense game of Weiqi, a man dressed in black entered to report the situation outside.

"Miss, the Crown Prince and the Fifth Prince’s groups are now dining together as planned."

"Good. Proceed with the next step," Mu Yingying replied, placing a white piece on the board.

"Yes, Miss," the man in black acknowledged before retreating.

Once they were alone again, Mu Yingying asked, still focused on the game, "How are things with the rebels?"

"Everything is in order. As long as everything goes according to plan, they are ready to proceed to the next stage immediately."

Lu Jiu placed a black piece to block her advance. "In fact, you could leave this matter to me, Miss. You deserve some rest."

"No, let’s finish this quickly so we can return home. Besides, handling it myself is more fun than just watching."

With that, a mischievous smile appeared on her stunningly beautiful face. Despite the cunning in her smile, Lu Jiu couldn’t help but like it. Before he realized it, he had been distracted by that smile, and she had captured all his black pieces on the board...

...

..

.

Meanwhile, in the private room on the second floor, the two groups had finished their lunch. As they sipped tea to aid digestion, the Third Prince initiated the conversation.

"The hunting event is in a few days. I assume everyone will be attending?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, except for De Qianqing, who spoke up regretfully, "I’m afraid I won’t be able to attend, Your Highness."

Hearing this, the Third Prince glanced at the Crown Prince with a meaningful look before asking, "Why not, Young Miss De? It’s the biggest event of the year. How can you miss it?"

"My mother is ill, so I want to stay and take care of her, Your Highness," De Qianqing replied with a faint smile, her beautiful face showing a hint of discomfort.

"Why is it that Young Master De can go, but you cannot, Young Miss De? If care is needed, shouldn’t the son also stay? Surely the Eldest Young Master wouldn’t be unfilial?"

Ben Yanggong couldn’t help but interject, his words dripping with sarcasm aimed at his rival, De Chaikun, causing the atmosphere to tense up once more. De Chaikun was about to retort, but the Seventh Princess, sitting beside him, spoke first. Her voice was icy and filled with arrogance.

"It is Qianqing’s desire as a daughter. While Young Master De is dutiful, he also has responsibilities as the eldest son and the heir of the De family. No matter what, he must attend the event with the Chancellor, unlike some people who seem to have nothing better to do than fawn over others!"

Ben Yanggong secretly curled his lips at her words but chose not to argue further. Despite his irritation and the urge to retaliate, he knew that clashing with the princess didn’t mean he would win. It could even provide the Fifth Prince’s faction with ammunition against the Crown Prince.

"The Eldest Young Miss is truly filial, both beautiful and virtuous. The man who marries her will be very fortunate,"

The Crown Prince praised with a gentle smile, his gaze towards her filled with undisguised desire. His implication was clear—he genuinely wanted her as his consort. Any other woman would have been thrilled by such attention from the Crown Prince, but not De Qianqing.

De Qianqing had no feelings for the Crown Prince. She already had someone else in her heart, making the Crown Prince’s actions and intentions uncomfortable and distressing for her. As always, she responded with silence, lowering her head so much that her chin nearly touched her chest, not daring to even look up and meet anyone’s eyes.

De Chaikun, her brother, frowned with displeasure at the Crown Prince’s overt interest in his sister. He knew it was all about the power associated with the De family.

For a man as ambitious and ruthless as the Crown Prince, De Chaikun was determined not to let his sister fall into his hands!

Just then, the Fifth Prince, who had been silent, spoke in a cold tone. "I agree with Crown Prince Brother. Whoever marries her will indeed be fortunate. But as to who that will be...we’ll have to wait and see."

His final statement was like a direct challenge to the Crown Prince, indicating that the matter of who would marry her was still undecided. The two men locked eyes for a long while, their gazes icy and unyielding, as if sparks were flying between them. The tension in the room escalated significantly.

The Seventh Princess, unable to bear the psychological warfare any longer, excused herself in irritation, with De Chaikun concurring. The group eventually dispersed.

Once outside the restaurant, the Seventh Princess couldn’t help but voice her frustration to her friends, De Qianqing and Qian Minmin.

"Did you see Crown Prince Brother’s gaze today? It was as if he wanted to devour De Qianqing whole! Disgusting!"

She said, her tone filled with disdain for the earlier scene in the restaurant. The more she thought about that person’s face and gaze, the angrier the beautiful Seventh Princess became, causing her to vent her anger with another scolding.

"He’s no gentleman! It’s all a facade. Only fools would fall for his wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing[1] act!"

De Qianqing quickly tried to calm her friend, worried about the repercussions of such statements. "Please lower your voice, Your Highness. If someone hears and twists your words, it could cause you trouble."

"Why should I care!? So what if they hear or not? My father adores me, the Seventh Princess, the most. I’m not afraid of those gossipmongers!"

The Seventh Princess spoke nonchalantly, her demeanor extremely arrogant. Ever since she was young, she had been the most beloved of the Emperor. Naturally, being so favored, the Emperor would never allow such matters to cause his beloved little princess to feel slighted or upset, which turned her into a haughty woman with a truly wicked nature, stubborn and spoiled.

"I didn’t say anything wrong,"

She insisted, her words reflecting her genuine feelings. What she said was all the things she had seen and felt, so she didn’t need to care about anything. Qian Minmin, agreeing with her sentiment, added her support.

"The Crown Prince is indeed a pretender, just as the Seventh Princess said. Even though the Crown Prince knows that Qianqing and the Fifth Prince have feelings for each other, like a fated match from three lifetimes, he still tries to take her away,"

Qian Minmin criticized the Crown Prince harshly. She continued, "A man who tries to steal a woman destined for another is not a good man at all..."

Hearing this, De Qianqing’s cheeks turned a deep shade of red, reaching her fair ears. She wanted to argue but found herself speechless. She couldn’t deny Qian Minmin’s words because she and the Fifth Prince indeed had feelings for each other, as if the three lifetimes fate itself had brought them together.

Seeing their friend’s embarrassment, the Seventh Princess mischievously decided to tease De Qianqing.

"Yes, the only woman who can be my sister-in-law is De Qianqing! I won’t let anyone take her away. Even the Crown Prince would have to step over my dead body first."

Then, the Seventh Princess realized something important, "This won’t do. I need to go talk to Mother about arranging the betrothal! If we delay, the crafty Crown Prince might get ahead of us!"

"Exactly, we should ask the Ministry of Rites to find the earliest auspicious date," Qian Minmin agreed.

Seeing her two friends so in sync, De Qianqing had no choice but to hide her blush by looking down at the intricate embroidery on her handkerchief. She didn’t try to stop them at all, her heart in agreement with theirs. If she could be betrothed to the Fifth Prince soon, it would indeed be wonderful...

...

..

Guogong Manor

"It’s Hai hour. Beware of fire during this dry season,"

An old man’s warning cry for fire, accompanied by the rhythmic beating of a small gong. He was doing his duty, warning households to be cautious of fires during the dry season. But this warning was not needed for a wealthy and well-guarded manor like Guogong Manor, which had nightly security measures in place every night. Soldiers and patrols routinely monitored for intruders, with checks every two hours.

However, tonight, those safety measures would prove futile.

"Hai hour...ugh, is it already...?"

The only son of the Guogong Manor mumbled weakly; his eyes still closed. This might not have been unusual if this was a common sleep-talking that anyone could experience when entering the realm of dream. But for Ben Yanggong, this might be the last sleep-talking of his life as a worldly human who had never done good for others to remember.

That’s because from now on, his murmurs were destined to be heard by the souls in the afterlife...

"Ah ugh!"

The wind blew, and the moon shone brightly. The effects of something began to manifest after a long wait. As Ben Yanggong lay in bed, his body started showing symptoms resembling a fever—sweat pouring down mysteriously, despite the cool and restful night.

But it was still amazing, because no matter how tranquil and relaxing atmosphere of the manor, or how ideal it was for a nightly stroll, it only seemed to make the person in bed, Ben Yanggong thrashed even more violently. It was as if this was no ordinary fever.

"H...hot...you all...ugh...stay...stay away...argh!"

Ben Yanggong, the boastful man, mumbled deliriously and thrashed about more violently. In his fevered dream, he saw tall figures dressed in white and black, relentlessly chasing him. The figure in white held a pale-colored peacock feather fan, while the one in black carried a plaque with bright red ink inscriptions. Of course, this was the final dream of a man teetering between life and death.

[1] A wolf in sheep’s clothing means a person or thing that appears friendly or harmless but is really hostile.

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