Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 52: Prince Duan's Private Conversation
Li Huan said little. He stood in front of the court, silent and serious.

Xue Sui didn't look at him specifically, but he could sense the cold light in those black eyes.

Recently, Prince Duan has been accompanying Princess Duan back to her parents' home more often.

But neither Li Huan nor Li Zhao were the kind of people who would go to the temple for no reason.

She had some vague guesses and smiled slightly.

Xue Yuechen was even more anxious than her.

It’s not Li Huan’s character to stay and watch the fun.

Could it be for Xue Liu?

The time had come again when she felt uncomfortable about whether to move forward or backward. She was both looking forward to it and afraid. The smile on her face faded slightly, and she walked slowly towards Xue Sui, gently holding Xue Sui's hand, and then looked at Xue Lan and started to scold him.

"Brother Lan, you are too shameless. How can you speak obscenely in front of His Highness?"

Under normal circumstances, Xue Lan should be able to understand the meaning of her words.

The lady who was personally appointed as the concubine by the imperial concubine is still the prince's person even if she has not married into the family.

"In front of His Highness," some words are inappropriate to say.

However, Xue Lan was slapped twice by Xue Sui, and he lost face and was confused.

The young man, who was so angry that he was full of energy, didn't care about his appearance. He widened his eyes in disbelief.

"Eldest sister, she was the one who beat me, and I was the one who got beaten. How dare you speak for this bitch? I am your biological brother, who the hell is she?!"

"Shut up!" Xue Yue's face darkened and she wished she could slap him again.

"Sixth sister is the wife of Prince Duan. How can you, as her brother, insult her at will? If you don't restrain yourself, I will report to father and punish you to kneel in the ancestral hall for three days!"

"Sister!"

"Go back!" Xue Yuechen stared at him and raised his voice, "My sister-in-law is pregnant, you don't love your wife, you are diligent in your official duties, but you are teasing cats and dogs everywhere, you have no sense of propriety, if you continue to act recklessly like this, don't blame me for not considering the relationship between brother and sister!"

The big stick was pressing down, and Xue Lan's face turned red as if dripping with blood. He was so angry that his teeth were itching. But Prince Duan was by his side and his elder sister was protecting Xue Liu, so he could do nothing. He could only say "OK" in a sarcastic tone, pointed at Xue Sui's face, bowed to Prince Duan and Xue Yuechen, and left with Gu Jie and others.

The garden became quiet.

The spring scenery suddenly became a little chilly.

Xue Yuechen hugged Xue Sui and looked him up and down.

"Nothing hurt, right?"

Xue Sui smiled slightly, "It's okay."

Xue Yuechen breathed a sigh of relief, "Alan has an impatient temper and has been spoiled by his mother. He doesn't behave like a brother. I will talk to father about him later. You should be at ease and don't take it personally. You won't be upset for nothing."

Xue Sui curled his lips slightly, "I think he is the one who is feeling depressed."

Xue Yuechen looked at her, and felt a little embarrassed when she thought about all the embarrassing things that had happened in the Xue family recently, which were all seen by Li Huan, and the lucky star who had embarrassed her.

"Let's go, let's go and pay our respects to our grandmother. Today is our fourth sister's third birthday, so it should be a happy day..."

Xue Yuechen tried to ease the tense atmosphere. Xue Sui smiled at her tacitly. Just as she was about to take a step, she suddenly heard a voice in her ears.

"Miss Xue Liu."

Xue Sui looked over and met Li Huan's sharp black eyes.

He stood under a crabapple tree, his black hair tied up in a crown, his sleeves fluttering in the wind. A gust of wind made his posture stand out more straight. His face was stern, and the sharpness of a superior revealed in his eyes, making people inexplicably nervous.

He stared at Xue Sui without moving, and the people around him didn't dare to move either.

Xue Yuechen paused slightly, then smiled brightly.

"Your Highness, my sixth sister has a rather strong temper..."

She thought Li Huan wanted to bring up the old matter again because he saw Xue Liu beating someone and refused to let her into the palace. Unexpectedly, Li Huan did not look at her, but stared at Xue Sui.

"Miss Xue Liu, can you please spare me a moment to talk?"

Xue Sui agreed, without any extra expression.

Xue Yuechen was surprised and nervous.

Li Huan was always polite. Even if Xue Sui was his wife, she had not married yet, so she was still a chaste young lady. How could she be alone? She couldn't tell what she felt. She just felt mixed emotions, like chewing coptis. She wanted to find an excuse to refuse, but she knew Li Huan's temper and would not tolerate negotiation. She wanted to go with the flow, but she felt like a silver needle was piercing her heart, and it hurt every time she breathed.

She truly loves Li Huan.

She felt uncomfortable because Li Huan was with another woman.

She felt even worse when it came to her sister.

For a moment, Xue Yuechen felt her heart sinking, falling little by little, as if it was about to sink to the bottom of the valley and suffocate her.

Li Huan glanced at her and suddenly said softly, "Business."

The big stone in Xue Yuechen's heart fell down and then hung up again.

"Sixth sister, you go ahead."

Li Huan did not go into the house, but walked towards the Fengyu Pavilion in the garden.

The pavilion is ventilated on all sides and can be seen by anyone with eyes.

Xue Yuechen stood far away, feeling depressed.

Xue Sui did not expect that Li Huan would talk to her alone, but since she had to go to Prince Duan's Mansion, it was only a matter of time before she would meet Li Huan. She was surprised, but not panicked.

Li Huan didn't look at her carefully in that quick glance that day.

This time he was the first to enter the Fengyu Pavilion. With his hands behind his back, he could slowly watch the slim woman walking towards him. Her figure was graceful and light, and her steps were neither fast nor slow, but steady and powerful.

People who walk like this are usually calm and confident inside.

The first time they met alone, the people who could be so calm in front of him could be counted on one hand.

Xue Sui walked into the Fengyu Pavilion and bowed.

"His Royal Highness Duan Wang."

Li Huan looked at this calm face and thought of the day when he was next to him talking about the appearance of the Nine Treasures Cake. He remembered that it was slightly different from today.

In comparison, today is more cool and reserved.

But he did not feel restrained just because he was a prince.

Li Heng said: "A lot of things have happened in Xue Mansion recently."

Xue Sui looked at him and waited patiently for him to speak.

Before Li Huan spoke, the corners of his lips slightly raised, and he looked smiling and gentle, but his eyes were sharp and full of scrutiny. He could not be described as kind and friendly, and the coldness in his bones emanated from him.

"The deceased who pretended to be Mr. Xue San was a street thug from Wan'an County, Jingzhao Prefecture. He had no grudge against the Xue family."

"The Madam's purse fell into the hands of such a villain. He is suspected of murder for no apparent reason."

"Master Xue San was kidnapped by the fierce bandits from Laojun Mountain. He did not get the ransom and was killed by Master Xue San. The village was destroyed and many people died."

"The second young lady Xue attempted suicide at the celebration banquet of the third master Xue. It is said that she survived because of the rescue of the sixth young lady. Later that day, the second uncle Yao, who attacked the second young lady Xue, slipped and fell into a cesspool in Zuixian Pavilion. He managed to save his life with great difficulty, but his fate was worse than death..."

"The fourth Miss Xue stole the marriage of the sixth Miss and secretly got pregnant with the fifth man Gu. On the day of the wedding, her dowry was stolen and the wedding hall was filled with jokes, becoming the talk of the town..."

As he spoke, he observed Xue Sui.

"Of course, Gu Wulang also got slapped by Miss Xue Liu. Just now."

After saying that, seeing that Xue Sui acted as if he didn't hear it, with no movement in his brows, he couldn't help but smile.

"Sixth Miss, there have been many incidents in the Xue Mansion recently. What do you think?"

Xue Sui burst out laughing.

She glanced at Xue Yue, who was anxious in the garden, and said calmly:

"I thought the prince had interrogated Taoist Lingxu that day and had an answer to this question. Unexpectedly, the prince actually believed the Taoist's lies and also believed that I was the Seven Evil Stars and brought bad luck to the mansion?"

"Sixth Miss is definitely not a disaster star."

Li Huan looked at Xue Sui, was silent for a moment, and then smiled.

"You must be the murderer."