Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 96 Change
What kind of distinguished guests should we be careful of?

Mrs. Cui didn't say it clearly, and Xue Sui didn't ask any more questions.

During these days, the Third Madam had been handling all the affairs of the mansion in an orderly and handy manner. Xue Sui carefully looked over the birthday gift list and menu, and also looked at the arrangements for the banquet, and could not find any fault with them, so he praised the Third Madam highly.

The third lady was delighted and gave Xue Sui another generous gift.

Xue Sui thanked her again and again, took the gift with a smile, and went to visit Xue Ji.

The sun is shining brightly outside.

Xiao Zhao held up a plain paper umbrella, carefully shielding Xue Sui from the sunlight, while Ruyi held a palm-leaf fan, trying to dispel some of the heat.

The surroundings were quiet except for the chirping of cicadas.

The three of them walked slowly along the bluestone path shaded by big trees, and suddenly they saw a young man standing in a pavilion in the distance.

He was dressed in gorgeous clothes and a tall crown, and his figure was tall and handsome.

His every move and gesture revealed his noble temperament, and one could tell at first glance that he was not the son of an ordinary family.

It has to be said that all of Emperor Chongzhao's five sons were good-looking.

If we must rank them...

Crown Prince Li Zhao was handsome but cruel and ruthless.

Prince Duan Li Huan was handsome but ambitious.

Prince Chun Li Chen is imposing, but young and frivolous...

The Prince of Wei, Li Yan, who was standing before him, could also be described as a very elegant man...

But that style of doing things is really not commendable.

Even without Mrs. Cui's instructions, Xue Sui had no intention of chatting with the King of Wei.

She gave Xiao Zhao and Ruyi a subtle wink, intending to bypass the fragrant crape myrtle bushes and quietly leave through another path.

But King Wei Li Yan walked straight towards her.

The person spoke even though he was still far away.

"Miss Xue Liu..."

Xue Sui stopped and turned to look.

Li Yan noticed the coldness in her eyes, and bowed slightly as if he had just remembered the etiquette.

"Mrs. Xue, where are you going?"

Whether from the perspective of gender differences or the relationship between Xue Sui and Li Huan, Li Yan's words and actions seemed a bit frivolous, and his questions were inappropriate.

Xue Sui's mouth corners slightly raised, his tone cold.

"There are many things to do when I return to my mother's house. Your Highness, Prince Wei, do you want me to report them one by one?"

These words sound respectful and polite, but in fact, every word is full of thorns.

The King of Wei was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"You are indeed eloquent, worthy of being the woman who made Pingle look so miserable."

Xue Sui bowed and said, "Your Highness, every word you said sounds like an accusation. Xue Liu cannot bear it."

Li Yan looked around and the smile on his face became more ambiguous.

"There's no one else here, why does Mrs. Xue have to pretend? The Spring Flower Banquet, the Emperor's birthday, everything is related to you, can you really stay out of it? I heard that the Emperor still doesn't dare to touch you, is it true?"

Xue Sui raised his eyebrows slightly: "I have always been respectful to Your Highness."

Li Yan said: "I am also very interested in Mrs. Xue."

Xue Sui looked at me coldly: "I respect your noble status, but you insult my reputation. If you continue to pester me, I will report it to Prince Duan. Your Highness knows that I am unlucky, so you know that there is no benefit in provoking me. Please respect yourself!"

Li Yan felt a chill in his heart when he saw her stern expression and resolute tone.

Rumor has it that this Miss Xue Liu was born in a humble family and had a very bad fate. She was bullied in the palace in the past, and even after arriving at Prince Duan's mansion, she was not favored by Prince Duan.

She was just an unfavored concubine, so there was no need to be too concerned. When Li Yan saw that she was pretty, he spoke without restraint.

Unexpectedly, Xue Sui refuted and threatened mercilessly.

He had to restrain himself a little and apologized with a low smile.

"Mrs. Xue, please don't be angry. I didn't treat you as an outsider, so I spoke casually. I'm sorry for offending you. I'll apologize to you now."

While saying he was apologizing, Li Yan bowed his hands and lowered his head, but his eyes secretly raised and fell on Xue Sui's jade-like cheek.

Such beauty, yet my royal brother doesn't know how to cherish it?

My brother really doesn't want it, it's better to give it to yourself...

Li Yan was in a beautiful mood and couldn't help but smile with his eyes curved.

"To be honest, she looks just like the beautiful lady in my dream. Her every move, every frown and every smile are just what I like..."

Xue Sui remained calm, as if he was unaware of Li Yan's frivolous words, and said calmly:
"If I get the chance, I will definitely reincarnate."

Li Yan was startled and burst into laughter, "Mrs. Xue is really funny."

Xue Sui: "Your Majesty is truly shameless!"

Just at this moment, a loud shout came from the side.

"Xue Liu, what are you doing? Why are you pestering His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei?"

Xue Sui didn't need to look back to recognize that it was Xue Yue'e's voice.

That unique sharp tone was as harsh as the crowing of a rooster at night.

I don't know why the Ninth Lady was so angry. She walked out of the flowers quickly, bowed to the King of Wei, and then looked at Xue Sui with a defensive look on her face.

"Your Highness the Prince of Wei is a distinguished guest of my father and mother, so how can you be allowed to bother me? Didn't you tell my grandmother that you had something to do? Why don't you go now? What are you doing standing here?"

Xue Sui raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at King Wei with a smile.

Li Yan was slightly embarrassed, turned sideways, put his hands behind his back, and smiled charmingly: "I just saw the beautiful scenery in the garden, and I got lost while walking. I happened to meet Mrs. Xue, so I went up to ask for directions. Thank you, Miss Nine, for taking me to see the Minister."

Xue Yue'e glared at Xue Sui warningly, and when she turned around to face King Wei, she instantly put on the gentle, demure, and well-educated demeanor of a girl from the boudoir.

"Your Highness, this way please, follow me."

Xue Sui watched them leave silently, then turned around with a smile.

However, Li Yan, after walking for a while, turned back and looked at her with a meaningful smile on his face.
-
Xue Sui stayed in Xue Ji's room for a whole hour.

Xue Ji was in much better spirits than the last time she saw him. She held Xue Sui's hand and said many words of complaint and self-pity.

Xue Sui remained silent most of the time, occasionally comforting her with a few words. When she left, she left the gift from the Third Lady to Xue Ji, and told the maids to take good care of her mother before leaving.

When she went to visit Xue Qingzhi and Fu, Li Yan was no longer there. Xue Qingzhi, as usual, gave her some advice on how to be careful with what she said and how to be a woman.

Fu kept her lips tightly shut, saying nothing, her mouth pursed like a clam shell.

She had been sick and angry recently and seldom went out for social activities. But today she came out to accompany Xue Qingzhi to entertain guests. It seemed that Li Yan's arrival was unusual.

This question was answered on the way back to Prince Duan's Palace.

Jinshu told her with a smile.

"Guess what, the old master and the old lady have started to think about marrying the ninth girl in the mansion to the King of Wei as his second wife."

The King of Wei's queen had passed away more than a year ago, and he had never remarried.

Although there were many legitimate and illegitimate sons in the Prince of Wei's Mansion, as well as many concubines, wives, maids, and servants, the Prince of Wei was still a popular husband in the capital city. Some people even praised him for his deep love and loyalty to his deceased wife. Many famous families were willing to send their daughters to the Prince of Wei's Mansion to be his second wife.

Unexpectedly, the Xue family also had this idea.

Xiao Zhao and Ruyi complained to Jinshu, saying that the Ninth Miss had a bad temper and was a bad person, and that the master was crazy to use his daughter to find a marriage partner. No matter how worthless Li Yan was, he was still a prince, and he would marry a legitimate daughter as his second wife, so how could it be Xue Yue'e's turn?

Xue Sui sat aside, smiling but saying nothing.

She had a feeling that the days ahead would be busy.
-
The fact that Xue Sui was ridiculed for not being favored also reached Li Huan's ears.

That day, when Li Huan returned home, he heard from the servant that the princess had punished a few servants who talked too much. His already unhappy face immediately darkened.

It would be unreasonable not to go to Mrs. Xue's yard again.

Li Huan ordered the servant: "Go tell Mrs. Xue that I will have dinner at Tanqiuyuan tonight."

The servant's heart was beating wildly with fear and he quickly lowered his head.

"I will do it now."

During this period, Xue Yuechen took great care of Li Huan.

Although she didn't say it, Li Huan knew in his heart that Xue Liu's contribution was indispensable.

Furthermore, there was no clue about the imperial envoy from Jiulingzhao. That person seemed like a legend. He searched the entire Shangjing City but could not find anyone who had ever dealt with the imperial envoy.

Not only that, they couldn't even find out whether the envoy was a man or a woman.

The Old Mausoleum Swamp is undoubtedly a hidden danger.

But at the same time, it is also a good chess piece for him to compete with the Eastern Palace.

Perhaps, I can get some useful information from Xue Liu.

Li Huan finally made up his mind to have a good meeting with his lady of special status.
-
When the news reached Tan Qiuyuan, everyone's expressions changed instantly.

Jinshu looked nervous and quickly made arrangements for Ruyi.

"Go to Muyue Residence quickly and tell the princess about this."

Ruyi bit her lower lip, her eyes full of worry, and nodded vigorously. Before Jinshu's voice fell, she hurried out.

Xue Sui did not stop him and his expression was very calm.

It seemed as if all this was within her expectations.

The weather was extremely hot, so there was an ice basin in the room. Xiao Zhao fanned herself very fast, but still couldn't dispel the heat.

Jinshu hadn't heard the girl speak for a long time, and couldn't guess what she was thinking. He felt anxious and hot, and his clothes were almost soaked with sweat.

"If there is no way back, are you ready, young lady?"

Xue Sui's eyelids drooped slightly.

After a long moment, he uttered a soft "hmm".

She was unwilling to sleep with me.

She was also confident that she could convince Li Huan not to have sex with her, or use more radical methods to prevent it from happening.

But although the eighteen-year-old has not had much life experience, she has long understood that she is just an ordinary person and things in this world may not always go as planned.

From the day she stepped into Prince Duan's Mansion, she had prepared for the worst.

In her opinion, the fate of this body is not that important.

"I don't know...what is Prince Duan thinking about?"

Jinshu looked at her with mixed feelings, his eyes full of heartache.

Xue Sui, however, had no such worries and had a faint smile on his face.

"When soldiers come, they will block it, and when water comes, earth will cover it."

Her voice was soft, but had a reassuring power.

Xiao Zhao was no longer afraid, "Just follow the young lady's instructions."

Jinshu sighed silently.

"Your Highness Prince Duan is very thoughtful and hard to guess. I am afraid..."

Before she could finish her words, Xue Sui raised his hand to interrupt her.

Xue Sui stood up, walked to the drawer beside the couch, took out a few ready-made sachets and handed them to Jinshu.

"Put it in the closet."

This sachet is filled with benzoin, as well as Chinese jujube seeds, Polygonum multiflorum, Albizzia julibrissin bark, and cypress seeds. It uses the eldest brother's unique formula, which has the effect of calming the mind and promoting sleep, and has no aphrodisiac effect.

Xue Yuechen didn't know the secret and thought it could help her have a child.

But Xue Sui knew that someone who could help Li Huan sleep well was far more precious than those women who could only bring him temporary pleasure.

Long-term insomnia is very painful.

Since Li Huan can sleep well at Xue Yuechen's place, he would naturally be more willing to go to her place.

If you go there more often, you will fall in love with it.

This was planned by her for Xue Yuechen, not for herself.

Jinshu put away the sachet as instructed, and turned around to see Xue Sui sitting in front of the dressing table.

Quietly, looking at the woman in the bronze mirror.

"Xiao Zhao, come and do my makeup."

Xue Sui: No one can stop my revenge plan. Men can only slow down my sword-drawing speed...

Li Zhao: Oh no... Author!! Please let me go for a million bucks!

Author: A panacea?