Even the crown prince is getting a marriage of convenience? Why are you in such a hurry to stop bein

King Jing trembled and fell silent, only silently gulping down cup after cup of wine.

What he didn't notice was that a strange light suddenly flashed in the eyes of the young man beside him.

Xiao Lie toyed with the wine glass, finding it amusing.

It's not scarcity that's the problem, but inequality. It seems the emperor's biased stance has already sown the seeds of disaster. If the emperor truly harbors murderous intent towards the northern border and the Xiao family in the future, Prince Jing might actually be able to put him to good use.

Thinking of this, a smile appeared on the young man's lips. He patted Prince Jing's shoulder and comforted him.

"Your Highness, right and wrong are clear to everyone. If the emperor's heart is biased, it will eventually come back to haunt him."

Prince Jing's eyes suddenly lit up. "Your Highness, what do you mean?"

Xiao Lie shook his head and laughed, "Hey, let's not talk about it, let's just drink."

Upon receiving such a seemingly ambiguous remark, Prince Jing was instantly energized, as if he had been injected with adrenaline. He even put his arm around Xiao Lie's shoulder, adopting a friendly and buddy-like demeanor.

"Your Highness, it is my blessing to have met such a close friend as you. If you ever encounter any trouble in the future, you may come to me, and I will certainly take care of it for you."

"I only wish that my brother and I can be loyal to each other and never betray one another."

Xiao Lie didn't speak, but smiled and toasted Prince Jing with a cup of wine, which made Prince Jing even happier, vowing to drink all night and not return until he was drunk.

……

"hiss……"

Xiao Lie rubbed his forehead, took the hangover soup that Sixteen brought him, and after drinking a bowl, his stomach finally felt a little better.

Sixteen rubbed his forehead, feeling genuinely puzzled, and couldn't help but ask.

"Your Highness, before we came, Commander Xiao warned us that forming cliques and factions is the most taboo thing in the capital, and we were told to keep a low profile and not to violate this taboo. But now you've said those things to Prince Jing, aren't you putting yourself in danger again?"

Sixteen is a bit simple-minded, but he's not stupid.

The Xiao family commands hundreds of thousands of troops, which has already made the emperor wary. Now, they are getting close to Prince Jing and risk being involved in the struggle for the throne. How can the emperor be at ease?

Xiao Lie closed his eyes and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Do you think His Majesty won't be wary if our Xiao family does nothing?"

"Do you think that if I hadn't said those things, the emperor wouldn't have become suspicious of my relationship with Prince Jing?"

Xiao Lie sighed, "We've used Prince Jing as a scapegoat too many times before, and now, because of the Spring Festival, we have to get closer to Prince Jing again. His Majesty has probably been suspicious for a long time."

"What should we do then?"

Xiao Lie's eyes flashed, and he felt that Sixteen had given him some serious pointers.

Although his conflict with Prince Kang arose from a woman, the situation has now developed to the point where he is showing signs of participating in the struggle for the throne. If he wants to reduce the emperor's suspicions, he can only downgrade the situation and bring back Lin Wan'er as a pawn.

As night deepened, the lights in Qiutong Courtyard flickered, and Liu Yun'er, wringing her handkerchief, muttered curses towards the west.

"What prince? I think he's even more formidable than the most beautiful courtesan in the brothel."

"A slut who's been defiled by other men, yet she still manages to seduce the prince, making him spend every night at her place..."

This made Liu Yun'er, who was alone in her empty room, feel extremely disappointed.

She enjoyed a period of glory after entering the manor. If Lin Wan'er hadn't revealed her past in the brothel and planted a thorn in the young master's heart, how could her courtyard have become so desolate?

Although the servants didn't dare to cut her allowance, they gradually became disrespectful after noticing the quietness of Qiutong Courtyard. If this continued, how could she maintain her position?

Before she could figure out a way to win back the prince's heart, she heard that Lin Wan'er, the culprit who had caused her all this, had regained favor. How could she feel at ease?

"That bitch, that bitch, one day I'll make sure she suffers a terrible death."

The servants in the courtyard all lowered their heads and held their breath, as if they hadn't heard anything.

What Liu Yun'er didn't know was that the enchanting and romantic West Garden she had imagined was now a completely different scene.

Lin Wan'er, clutching her blanket, sat in the corner, glaring angrily at Xiao Lie and cursing.

"Xiao Lie, you heartless beast."

Xiao Lie rested one hand behind his head and raised the index finger of the other hand to his lips, gently touching it as he gave a soft reminder.

"Be careful, walls have ears. If you're not afraid of causing more trouble, then keep shouting."

Lin Wan'er choked, her face flushed red, and she glared at Xiao Lie with a mixture of shame and anger. Still not satisfied, she was about to kick the young man under the covers, but Xiao Lie swiftly grabbed her ankle, preventing her from breaking free.

Lin Wan'er's eyes widened, her anger rising. "You...you let go!"

Xiao Lie suddenly exerted force, pulling her by the leg and dragging her to his side. Then, he grabbed her waist and forced her down. Seeing the woman struggling like a fish in a frying pan, Xiao Lie frowned, leaned in, and covered her mouth.

The disheveled bedding, the slightly swaying wooden bed, and the woman's indistinct moan—all of this created a suspicious illusion, allowing anyone outside the door to see everything clearly.

She stared for a moment, then vanished silently like a gust of wind.

Upon noticing the suspicious figure leave, Xiao Lie felt relieved and released his grip, turning around to lie down beside her. However, Lin Wan'er acted as if she had suffered a great humiliation, kicking and cursing him.

"Xiao Lie, how can you be so shameless?"

When Xiao Lie leaned in, her heart nearly stopped. She thought the man had finally succumbed to his animalistic instincts and was about to tear off his mask to do something to her, but to her surprise, he only pressed down for a moment, then suddenly let go as if bored.

This infuriated Lin Wan'er and made her feel incredibly humiliated. At the same time, she also felt a slight sense of loss.

Could it be that Xiao Lie dislikes him?

She nudged Xiao Lie quietly, and said awkwardly, "What...what exactly did you mean just now?"

Xiao Lie glanced at her impatiently, as if he were looking at an idiot.

"What else could it mean? It's acting. Jinzhu from the West Garden just arrived, so naturally I have to put on a good show."

Intelligence transmitted through informants is more authentic and reliable.

Upon hearing this answer, Lin Wan'er paused, feeling even more disappointed, and at the same time, she couldn't help but feel ashamed and annoyed by her own disappointment.

She feigned disgust, turned her head away, and said coldly, "So how long are you going to stay here?"

Xiao Lie glanced at her with a smile, "I'm not going to do anything to you. What, are you worried I'll ruin your reputation?"

"Don't worry, your reputation has already reached a point where it can't possibly decline any further."

"you……"

Lin Wan'er was furious and threw the pillow at him hard.

"How long are you going to keep this act going, and what exactly are you trying to achieve?"

Lin Wan'er knew that Xiao Lie's sudden visit to her courtyard and his several days of staying there, coupled with his act of showing such favor, must have been part of a scheme.

She gritted her teeth, somewhat suspicious, "You haven't prepared another trap for me to fall into, have you?"

"How is this possible?"