Qin Hongmian let out a soft sigh. Back then, she had been just like Wan'er. Unfortunately, she had been alone and helpless then. Duan Zhengchun had no idea how much pressure she had been under, but even if he had known, he would probably have stood by and done nothing.
In her younger days, she had still possessed a measure of innocence. Yet after spending these years among Western Xia's foremost families, constantly exposed to every sort of scheme and intrigue, she had come to understand why Duan Zhengchun had flirted everywhere but never dared take concubines. She had simply never been willing to believe it. The thought left her despondent, though seeing that her daughter had not entrusted herself to the wrong man as she had brought her some comfort.
"But he's the Emperor," Mu Wanqing said worriedly. Although Li Liangzuo had not yet formally ascended the throne, Li Yuanhao and the Crown Prince were dead, Li Qianshun had been imprisoned, and the Imperial Consort had fled after suffering grave injuries, her whereabouts unknown. Everyone already regarded him as Emperor.
"So what if he's the Emperor?" Song Qingshu gestured toward Yelü Nanxian beside him. "The one who used to pester her wasn't just the Crown Prince. The Emperor did too."
"Brother Song~" It was hardly something honorable, and Yelü Nanxian blushed as she reproached him coquettishly.
Qin Hongmian said in surprise, "So the rumors were true." Though news within the palace could be sealed off, all kinds of rumors still spread. Back when she had been Princess of Tiandu, she naturally could have obtained firsthand information. But now that she was confined in Jietan Temple, her news was no longer so reliable. Only after receiving Yelü Nanxian's confirmation did she react with such surprise.
Blushing, Yelü Nanxian quietly explained