"Your Highness, please don't hold it against the Imperial Concubine."
"That's right, Your Highness. Could you really bring yourself to bully a helpless young woman?"
Plenty of people tried to stop Qian Renxue, urging her to stay calm.
Ye Yunxi chuckled to herself. Smiling brightly, she withdrew her spirit, lounged at ease, and let the entire room's attention settle on her, paying no heed to the murderous look in Qian Renxue's eyes.
"Everyone, rest assured. The Imperial Concubine was only joking with you. I'm not the sort of Crown Prince who resorts to violence."
Suppressing her anger, Qian Renxue forced out an explanation, grabbed Ye Yunxi by the wrist, and dragged her out of Moonlight Pavilion.
The dance was over, so there was no reason to stay.
Fuming, Qian Renxue pulled Ye Yunxi into the carriage.
"The Imperial Concubine certainly knows how to win people over. Don't forget, you belong to me. You're the Imperial Concubine, not some woman out there flirting with everyone. You let all those men stare at you, and you don't even consider how I feel?"
Qian Renxue gritted her teeth, furious as she watched Ye Yunxi's smug expression.
"Your Highness, everything that happened was because of you! I didn't want to come to the dance, but you dragged me here. I didn't want to speak, but you made me. I didn't want to dance, but you made me dance. Who can you blame?"
Ye Yunxi let every thought on her mind spill out, looking utterly helpless.
"How did I never realize you were so good at talking back?"
Qian Renxue clenched her fists, but in the end, she could only swallow her frustration.
"There's plenty Your Highness still hasn't realized. You'd better let me go, or you'll regret it one day."
Ye Yunxi's captivating eyes flickered as she smiled to herself.
Qian Renxue ignored her. Let her go? That was impossible.
Once I've dealt with the other prince and Emperor Xue Ye, I'll become the ruler of Heaven Dou. Then we'll see how you plan to run.
The carriage rolled away from Moonlight Pavilion.
The Shrek Academy group also came out of Moonlight Pavilion. Watching the carriage disappear into the distance, each of them had different thoughts.
Dai Mubai was perplexed. He came from a noble family, after all, so why had the Crown Prince brushed him off like that?
And yet he had taken a liking to Tang San.
Ma Hongjun and Oscar each had their own thoughts.
Xiao Wu was the only one who was truly furious. She was Tang San's childhood sweetheart, yet he was so devoted to an Imperial Concubine. Even though he explained himself afterward, she was still angry.
Besides, that woman already belonged to someone else.
Could Tang San really be planning to steal another man's woman?
Watching the carriage disappear, Yu Xiaogang thought to himself, That woman is even more stunning than Bibi Dong, and yet this Grandmaster didn't get a single word of praise from her.
"Everyone, go back ahead of me. I need to discuss something with my father. I'll return to Shrek Academy later."
Ning Rongrong said this without going back to Shrek Academy with them. Instead, she went over to Ning Fengzhi.
After Ning Rongrong left, the other six returned to Shrek Academy.
At the Crown Prince's Mansion
When Qian Renxue returned, she pinned Ye Yunfei against the wall.
"Imperial Concubine, know your place and behave from now on. Even if you want to go out and have fun, I won't stop you. But what you did tonight really displeased me."
"Your Highness, if you think I was in the wrong, then I have nothing to say. Kill me or punish me however you like."
Ye Yunxi closed her eyes, looking completely indifferent.
The more she acted that way, the angrier Qian Renxue became.
What did she want? All she wanted was an explanation, an apology.
But Ye Yunxi was a special case. She simply refused to bow her head and admit fault.
"Fine. You win."
Qian Renxue let go and sank helplessly onto the edge of the bed. She really had no idea what to do with Ye Yunxi.
Seeing that Qian Renxue had given up, Ye Yunxi smiled. She stepped onto the bed, came up behind Qian Renxue, and pulled her into her arms.
"What's troubling Your Highness? Why not tell me?"
"What would a little enchantress like you know?"
"Wouldn't I know if you told me?"
Ye Yunxi smiled.
"I'm preparing to ascend the throne. There are potential threats everywhere. Once I become emperor, you'll be empress. Don't you want that?"
Qian Renxue took the initiative, pulling Ye Yunxi into her arms and wrapping an arm around her waist as she gazed at her breathtaking face.
"Your Highness, I don't care much about that. But after dealing with all the other princes, don't you feel that something still isn't right?"
At those words,
Qian Renxue froze, staring at Ye Yunxi in disbelief. How did she know so much?
Was she guessing? No, she had to know something.
Looking at Ye Yunxi's calm face, devoid of any hint, and her naturally alluring features,
Qian Renxue had learned not to treat her like an ordinary girl. Perhaps she really did know something about the situation.
"Since the Imperial Concubine knows all this, tell me how I should deal with the others."
"What do I get if I tell you?" Ye Yunxi pouted.
"If your advice is sound, I'll give you a week off. How about that? But you'll have to stay near Heaven Dou City."
Qian Renxue smiled and pinched her cheek.
"Fine. Since Your Highness put it that way, I'll tell you what I think."
That's exactly what I was waiting for you to say.
"You seem to have dealt with all the other princes, but you left out Xue Beng."
"Xue Beng? He's just a dissolute prince. How could he be a threat?"
A trace of confusion crossed Qian Renxue's face. Xue Beng was nothing but a spoiled wastrel. How could he threaten her?
"Your Highness, you can't judge things by appearances. Sometimes, acting like a wastrel is a way to protect yourself."
Ye Yunxi continued:
"Xue Beng isn't a wastrel at all. He and Prince Xue made this plan together. Think about it: so many princes have died in the palace. How could Xue Beng not put on the act of a spoiled wastrel?"
"Your Highness, don't you know the saying? Better to kill a thousand by mistake than let a single one slip through."
The moment she finished speaking, Qian Renxue seemed to realize something.
Ye Yunxi's words made sense.
Xue Beng had hidden behind his arrogant, spoiled-wastrel act, making everyone think he was useless.
And Xue Beng was certain she wouldn't go after a useless man.
It was like the little princess, Xue Ke. As a woman, she couldn't inherit the throne, so Qian Renxue would never target her.
Ye Yunxi watched as Qian Renxue began to understand.
"Your Highness sees it now, right?"
"That's what doesn't sit right. Besides, Prince Xue Xing and Xue Beng have joined forces. They're a potential threat too, especially since they must have powerful people around them."
That reminded Qian Renxue of Dugu Bo.
"Right. He has Dugu Bo at his side."
"Go ahead and make your move. Dugu Bo and his granddaughter, Dugu Yan, are no longer a threat."
"What do you mean?" Qian Renxue couldn't make sense of Ye Yunxi's words.
She knew what sort of man Dugu Bo was. How could he not be a potential threat?
He hadn't even accepted the Spirit Hall's offer to recruit him back then.
"Your Highness, go ahead and make your move. If I say it's fine, then it's fine. I'm not the one fretting over everything like you are."