Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 200 The Khitan Princess
"Waiting for us to choose sides?" Rong Wanyin suddenly realized. "Finding the imperial seal is a pretext; the real purpose is to get us to choose sides. We're in a dilemma now. If we openly support the Sixth Prince and help him 'find' the imperial seal, he can rightfully become the Crown Prince, and he'll have more supporters in the court. But isn't he afraid that if things drag on, things might change and something unexpected might happen?"

"Because he's too confident. He's the same kind of person as me. He always feels that things won't get out of his control, a foolish confidence..." I don't know if Yan Mingzhang is cursing himself or the Sixth Prince.

"This is the Imperial Study, you cannot go in!" The voice of the dark-faced guard rang out from outside the study.

"What if I insist on going in? What will you do? Kill me?" A sweet voice rang out, a voice that sounded so familiar. "I am a Khitan princess. If you offend me, it will be a war between our two countries. Can you bear the consequences?"

"..." The guard remained silent. Even through the door, it was clear that he had blocked the door completely and showed no intention of moving aside.

"Are you going to move aside or not?!" The Khitan princess was getting angry, and all that could be heard was the sound of a whip cracking in the air.

Yan Mingzhang and Rong Wanyin exchanged a glance and said at the same time, "Yan'er?"

Rong Wanyin was about to open the door to stop the arrogant Khitan princess from hitting someone when she heard the Sixth Prince's voice outside: "Your Highness, what brings you here today..."

"Brother Jing!" the Khitan princess's sweet voice rang out, "I've told you so many times, just call me Yan'er, don't call me Your Highness!"

Rong Wanyin immediately withdrew her outstretched hand and peeked through the crack in the door to watch the commotion. The four guards at the door, seeing the Sixth Prince arrive, breathed a sigh of relief as if they had met their savior, burying their heads low, wishing they could remain silent, deaf, and dumb.

Oh, it really is the Khitan princess Yan'er, and the man with the golden mask and heterochromatic eyes is following behind her. But this time, their roles as master and servant have been reversed. Yan'er is the master, and the man is the servant.

"They really know how to play..." Rong Wanyin shivered and rubbed her goosebump-covered arm back and forth. Although she rolled her eyes countless times in her heart, she still endured the disgust and continued to watch.

Yan Mingzhang lowered his head and smiled faintly, also joining in to watch the excitement.

"Brother Jing, you haven't come to play with me for several days. I'm so bored by myself!" Yan'er grabbed the Sixth Prince's arm and shook it from side to side, acting coquettishly. Anyone would think that she was an innocent, spoiled, and immature girl.

"My dear Yan'er, how about your brother Jing takes you horseback riding at the horse farm in a few days? I heard they've just acquired a few new Akhal-Teke horses. I've been really busy these past few days and haven't had time for you. I'm sorry," the Sixth Prince coaxed softly.

"Hmph, you always say you're busy..." Yan'er was still a little angry and scolded, "This time it's a promise, you can't go back on your word! It's a pinky promise!"

"Alright, alright!" The Sixth Prince affectionately patted Yan'er's head. "You should go back now. It's getting dark, and it's not safe to be outside."

“With Brother Jing here, how could I not be safe!” Yan’er leaned her head on the Sixth Prince’s shoulder, her actions extremely intimate. “By the way, Brother Jing, why hasn’t the Emperor approved our marriage yet? Don’t forget, only if you marry me will we Khitan support you. But recently, I heard that your palace is hiding a beauty. You wouldn’t refuse to marry me, would you? I’m very jealous, you know. If there really is another beauty, I don’t know what I might do.”

The Sixth Prince's smile froze on his face. He chuckled dryly and said, "What are you saying, Yan'er? Your brother Jing's favorite person is you. How could he keep a mistress in a golden house? The person in my mansion is just the daughter of an old subordinate. Her whole family died because of me. I'm keeping her only to win over the old subordinates. Don't worry, I will definitely send her away in the next few days."

Yan'er still looked delicate and sweet, but the words she spoke were exceptionally cold and terrifying: "Since her whole family is dead, why not send her along with them? Wouldn't it be better for the whole family to be reunited?" "..." The Sixth Prince wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. "You can go back now. I'll come find you another day."

"Hmph! You're just fickle!" Yan'er huffed, lightly punching the Sixth Prince twice. "If you dare to lie to me, you'll regret it!"

"How could that be? In Brother Jing's heart, you are number one. I will send away those irrelevant people today, immediately!" The Sixth Prince raised his palm and made a vow, speaking with great conviction.

"Are you serious?" Yan'er tilted her head, then smiled with satisfaction. "Then you go ahead and get busy. I'll wait for you to take me to the horse farm tomorrow."

"Alright!" the Sixth Prince replied with a smile, then turned and walked towards the study.

The moment the Sixth Prince turned around, the smile on his face vanished, replaced by cold indifference and even a hint of disgust in his eyes—a stark contrast to the weak and ingratiating Sixth Prince he had just been.

At the same time, Yan'er's expression changed. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and her hand unconsciously caressed the handle of the riding whip at her waist. Her killing intent was impossible to hide.

Ah, these two were both acting all along, and they did it so well!
"Oh no, he's coming!" Rong Wanyin quickly stood up, but her movements were too fast, and the back of her head hit Yan Mingzhang's nose. Yan Mingzhang felt a sharp pain in his nose, and tears streamed down his face.

"My lord, are you alright?" Rong Wanyin cupped Yan Mingzhang's face in her hands and blew on his nose.

At that moment, the study door was opened. The Sixth Prince, seeing the scene, was stunned and somewhat at a loss, unsure where to look. He quickly covered his eyes with his sleeve and turned away, stammering, "Ah...I'm sorry...I...ah...I don't know..."

Yan Mingzhang and Rong Wanyin knew he must have misunderstood, so they quickly separated. Rong Wanyin waved her hand and said, "Sixth Prince, it's not what you think!"

“I understand, I understand…” The Sixth Prince gave them a meaningful look and gestured for them to continue. “Why don’t you continue? I’ll come back later…”

"Hey..." Rong Wanyin and Yan Mingzhang looked helpless. What's going on here!

"Sixth Prince, wait..." Yan Mingzhang stopped the Sixth Prince, "Sixth Prince, what clues have you come to provide today?"

There are many things that cannot be discussed today, and many situations that are unsolvable. Since there are no solutions, we might as well turn the tables and ask the Sixth Prince what he has to say.

"Oh, it's nothing... I just came here..." The Sixth Prince rubbed his hands awkwardly, "to check on the progress, and see if I've made any discoveries."

Yan Mingzhang feigned distress: "Not for now. I was just worried about what to do if we couldn't find the Imperial Seal by the time the five-day deadline arrived. Would the Sixth Prince spare our lives?"

"This..." The Sixth Prince was at a loss for words.