Qin Hongmian flew into a rage. "Of course Wanqing is my daughter. How could I possibly refuse to save her?"
"Good." Li Qinglu nodded. "I think the Princess Consort and Miss Mu look somewhat alike. In the dark of night, it would be difficult to tell them apart. Why not have the Princess Consort take Miss Mu's place tonight?"
"What!" Qin Hongmian's face instantly flushed crimson. As a woman, how could she not feel humiliated and enraged by such a request?
As though she had expected this reaction all along, Li Qinglu continued, "Miss Mu is not only an untouched maiden, but also the Empress personally appointed by His Majesty. If Helian Tieshu violates her tonight, not only will all of Western Xia be shamed and its imperial family be unable to face anyone in the future, but her entire life will be ruined. She will spend the rest of her days in misery."
Seeing the thoughtful look on Qin Hongmian's face, Li Qinglu smiled faintly and continued, "But you are different, Princess Consort. You have already been married before. What difference does one more time or one less make? By sacrificing one night, you can save Miss Mu's lifelong happiness. What would you choose?"
"One more time or one less makes no difference?" Qin Hongmian laughed in fury. "What kind of nonsense is that? Do you know that, for a woman, chastity is the most important thing?"
"Stop pretending to be some chaste and virtuous martyr in front of me." Li Qinglu sneered. "Back then, you secretly conceived a child with Prince of Zhennan Duan Zhengchun, then married King Tiandu of Western Xia while carrying another man's child. Later, the late emperor favored you time and again. Who knows how many men have touched you in your lifetime, and