My stepsister tried to steal the prince's hand in marriage, but little did she know I had been

Chapter 185 Meeting

She never wanted to experience being confined again; she was determined to firmly secure her position.

A sharp glint flashed in Consort Zhang's eyes. Finally, she slowly lowered her head and stroked the wine cup in her hand.

The Empress had been keeping an eye on Consort Zhang's movements. Seeing that Consort Zhang was sitting obediently beside her, she breathed a sigh of relief and smiled as she echoed the Emperor, "Jinghan and Shuyao are deeply in love and very affectionate. I see this and am very happy."

Xie Jinghan used to be cold and aloof, like a mannequin.

As the one who raised Xie Jinghan, the Empress treated him like her own child.

No mother wants her child to have a bad life. She raised Xie Jinghan and watched him grow from a little baby into the person he is now. In the beginning, all she wanted was for Xie Jinghan to grow up safely.

Seeing Xie Jinghan's current achievements, she wanted even more.

She wanted to see Xie Jinghan settle down, start a family, have children, and live a happy and fulfilling life like everyone else in the world.

She once thought she had no hope, simply because Xie Jinghan's disgust for women was too deep.

Fortunately, Wen Shuyao's appearance saved everything, and Xie Jinghan finally gained popularity.

She had finally seen a glimmer of hope, and naturally she wouldn't allow anyone to ruin this relationship.

Thinking of this, the Empress gave a wink to the green-clad woman beside her.

Green-clad nodded quickly. She had been keeping a close eye on Consort Zhang and would never give her any opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

Once the annual gala ends today, Consort Zhang will be confined to her quarters again.

Below, Wen Shuyao seemed completely oblivious. She secretly broke free from Xie Jinghan's hand and whispered, "Thank you for the reminder, Your Highness."

Xie Jinghan's eyes darkened when he saw that she was clearly distancing herself from him.

But after a moment, he suppressed those thoughts in his mind.

"We are husband and wife, one as one, why be so polite?" Xie Jinghan said, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Wen Shuyao's heart skipped a beat at his actions, and she couldn't help but glance at Xie Jinghan with suspicion in her heart.

She always felt that Xie Jinghan's actions were somewhat strange.

"Your Highness, is there anything I can do for you?" Wen Shuyao not only did not avoid him, but instead came forward, standing very close to Xie Jinghan.

Ever since she learned of Xie Jinghan's feelings, Wen Shuyao has intentionally kept her distance from him.

This was the first time Wen Shuyao had taken the initiative to get close to him. Xie Jinghan's heart trembled slightly, and a faint smile appeared on his face, which usually didn't show much change in expression.

“There is indeed something that Your Highness needs to do,” Xie Jinghan said in a low, hoarse voice.

He gazed at Wen Shuyao's red lips, which were so close to his own, and sighed softly. He glanced at the guests around him and thought to himself that now was not a good time.

Wen Shuyao's eyes flickered slightly: "What is it?"

"Yelü Dan will come looking for you," Xie Jinghan said in a low voice. "It seems that the Princess will need to facilitate cooperation with her."

Upon hearing this, Wen Shuyao looked up in surprise: "You trust me to do this?"

A smile flickered in Xie Jinghan's eyes, and his voice was extremely gentle: "Of course, apart from the Princess Consort, no one else has the ability to persuade her."

Xie Jinghan's eyes were full of determination; he truly believed that Wen Shuyao could facilitate this collaboration.

After a moment, Wen Shuyao slowly nodded: "Okay."

There are no permanent enemies in this world, only permanent interests.

As long as it aligns with Yelü Dan's interests, no matter how unpleasant things were before, Yelü Dan will definitely agree to this cooperation.

What she had to do was lay out all the conditions.

Once this thought crossed her mind, Wen Shuyao felt much less stressed.

She whispered, "Your Highness, I'm a little weak from the alcohol."

As she spoke, she looked at Granny Qi and said, "Granny Qi, help me out to sober up."

Granny Qi had been serving the two of them the whole time. Hearing Wen Shuyao's words, she stared in shock.

If she remembered correctly, Wen Shuyao had just been drinking tea!

But since Wen Shuyao had spoken, she hesitated for only a moment before helping Wen Shuyao up: "Why don't we go to Qingliang Palace? It's next to Taiye Pond and is a good place to sober up."

Xie Jinghan nodded: "The magpie will go along too."

Wen Shuyao's departure did not attract much attention.

The Empress asked one more question and learned that Wen Shuyao was unable to hold her liquor, so she stopped paying attention.

She knew how skilled Granny Qi was, and with Granny Qi around and the Imperial Guards patrolling everywhere in the palace, there wouldn't be any major problems.

But Yelü Dan, who had been keeping an eye on Wen Shuyao, felt that now was a good opportunity.

Without thinking much about it, she got up and left.

Huyan Tu's eyes widened, and he quickly followed, "Princess, are you going to see Princess Jing? What role can she play?"

"What do you know?" Yelü Dan glanced coldly at Huyan Tu. "Uncle, you've worked with me for so many years, don't you know? Don't underestimate any woman, this Princess Jing is no simple woman."

Huyan Tu slapped his forehead, annoyed, and said, "I didn't say anything about you..."

"Alright." Yelü Dan waved his hand. "You wait here. I'm going to take a walk around."

“But…” Huyan Tu’s face was full of worry, “If Prince Xin really wants to attack you at this time, wouldn’t you be in great danger? Perhaps it would be better if I accompanied you.”

“If you also leave the banquet, it will only attract the attention of the Dali people,” Yelü Dan said, frowning. “I can protect myself in the palace on my own.”

Having said that, Yelü Dan waved his hand and left on his own before Huyan Tu could speak again.

Even though Huyan Tu was filled with worry, Yelü Dan had already given the order, and even though he was Yelü Dan's maternal uncle, he dared not disobey. He could only watch helplessly as Yelü Dan's figure disappeared before his eyes.

The Qingliang Palace is located by the Taiye Pond. It is late autumn now, and a cool breeze blows in from time to time. Even if someone is drunk, let alone someone who is not drunk, they would probably sober up immediately if they came here.

Wen Shuyao sat by the pavilion, with Granny Qi and Magpie standing guard on either side.

Seeing that Wen Shuyao looked like she was waiting for someone, Granny Qi paid special attention to the people appearing around her.

However, Granny Qi never expected that Wen Shuyao was waiting for the person in front of her—Princess Yelü Dan of the Northern Di!

The moment Granny Qi saw Yelü Dan, she widened her eyes in shock. She looked Yelü Dan up and down before turning her gaze to Wen Shuyao.

"princess……"

"The princess has indeed arrived."

Wen Shuyao stood up and looked down at Yelü Dan from the pavilion.

Hearing Wen Shuyao's tone, Yelü Dan tensed up: "You knew I was coming?"

As Yelü Dan spoke, he glanced around, but apart from the three people in front of him, there was no one else in sight.

But she remained vigilant, pondering whether she should leave.