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

Chapter 183 Not an outsider

Yelü Dan left the Prince Xin's residence. She was quite skilled and managed to avoid all the patrolling imperial guards, returning safely and peacefully to the post station.

She had complete confidence in her skills and never expected that everything she did had been seen by Si Qing.

When Si Qing discovered that Yelü Dan had been in contact with Prince Xin, he personally followed Yelü Dan.

He was very interested in Yelü Dan's whereabouts, and even more interested in their conversation.

Risking discovery, he hid in a tree in the Prince Xin's mansion, and under the cover of night, he could hear the conversation between the two clearly.

This matter was of great importance, and he rushed back to the Prince Jing's residence almost as soon as he confirmed that Yelü Dan had returned to the post station.

"Where is the prince?"

He asked the people around him anxiously.

"The prince is with the princess."

Upon hearing this, Si Qing froze.

The prince is with the princess... so what should we do with the information he received today?

His mind went blank, but soon he forced himself to rush to the main courtyard.

Inside the main courtyard, the laughter of Granny Qi could be heard.

"Your Highness, please have a sip of soup. This was made by the Princess herself."

"Your Highness, please sit down. This old servant will take care of everything!"

Granny Qi smiled so much that her eyes narrowed. She watched Wen Shuyao and Xie Jinghan eat with a smile on her face.

But when she caught sight of Si Qing standing at the door with a solemn expression, her smile faded.

Si Qing's appearance at this time can't be anything good!

Despite Qi Mama's unpleasant expression, Si Qing walked in with small steps and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, when I was following the Northern Di Princess today, I overheard her conversation with Prince Xin."

After he finished speaking, he shut his mouth.

Such an important matter should be discussed in the study.

As Si Qing thought this, he noticed that Xie Jinghan's expression remained unchanged, and he showed no intention of getting up. His cold gaze met Si Qing's.

For a moment, Si Qing's mind went blank.

"Your Highness..." Si Qing murmured, "This news..."

"The Princess Consort is not an outsider," Xie Jinghan said calmly. "Let's talk about it here."

Si Qing felt a wave of dizziness and cautiously glanced at Wen Shuyao.

Wen Shuyao felt it was inappropriate to stay there, so she wanted to take her leave, but as soon as she put down her chopsticks, Xie Jinghan grabbed her hand.

Xie Jinghan's rough, large hands gripped her wrist tightly, rendering her unable to move.

"This is a matter for the Prince's Mansion." Xie Jinghan's tone was calm, but it did not allow Wen Shuyao to refuse. "You are the mistress of the Prince's Mansion, so you should naturally know the inside story."

"Speak." He glanced coldly at Si Qing.

Si Qing snapped out of his daze and quickly said, "It was Prince Xin who reached an agreement with the Northern Di princess."

"Prince Xin will give the Northern Di princess a map of border defenses and 200,000 taels of silver. In exchange, the Northern Di princess will help him by leading troops to invade the border. Once the border is in turmoil, you and General Chu can go to the border together. At that time, there will be no one in the court, and he can take the opportunity to seize the throne."

"I also heard the Northern Di princess say..." Si Qing lowered his voice, "...that she wants to seize the throne!"

When this matter was mentioned, Si Qing's eyes revealed admiration.

Wen Shuyao looked up in surprise: "She is indeed amazing."

She had heard of the Northern Di princess's reputation.

Her ambition in a place like the Northern Barbarians speaks volumes about her intelligence.

However, Yelü Dan probably didn't realize that she knew too little about Prince Xin. Prince Xin was ruthless and would never cooperate with her.

“If I were King Xin, I wouldn’t have gone to so much trouble to send her back to Bei Di,” Wen Shuyao said in a low voice. “I would have left her life in Da Li, found a scapegoat, and sent the news back to Bei Di.”

“At that time, the Northern Di King will definitely send troops for his daughter,” Wen Shuyao analyzed. “In this way, he can achieve his goal of causing turmoil on the border without paying such a high price. It’s a win-win situation.”

Wen Shuyao's crystal-clear eyes darted around and quickly met Xie Jinghan's gaze.

The two looked at each other and saw the same thoughts in each other's eyes.

"Actually, winning over the Northern Di princess would be a good idea."

Wen Shuyao carefully considered her thoughts before speaking them aloud, and as expected, she saw Xie Jinghan's approving gaze.

She gained confidence and continued, "When the border is in turmoil, you and your grandfather will leave the capital together, and Prince Xin will surely take action."

"But he doesn't know that this is a plan we had already discussed with the Northern Di princess, just to lure the snake out of its hole." Wen Shuyao continued slowly, "At that time, his ambition will be exposed, and we will be able to take the opportunity to get rid of him."

Prince Xin couldn't wait much longer; cooperating with the Northern Di was his only way out.

The power he secretly cultivated was considerable, but compared to the Imperial Guard, it was still like a mantis trying to stop an arm.

Only by getting military generals like Xie Jinghan and General Chu to leave the capital could he have a sliver of a chance.

Si Qing nodded repeatedly, almost clapping his hands in approval.

The last shred of reason remaining in his mind made him turn his gaze toward Xie Jinghan.

Fortunately, Xie Jinghan nodded slightly and said two words: "Not bad."

……

For three consecutive days, the area around the post station was packed with people.

By this time, the post stations had long become places for ordinary people in the capital to watch plays after meals. No matter where the opera troupe was, you could no longer see the young men from noble families fighting, reciting poems, or boldly expressing their love.

Hearing the commotion downstairs, Yelü Dan's face turned extremely ugly. She felt like a monkey on a stage, being played with by these Dali people.

"Princess, please calm down!" Huyan Tu had become much wiser these past few days. Seeing Yelü Dan's unpleasant expression, he quickly comforted her, "Prince Xin will send a message today. It's not too late to make a decision after we read the message."

Upon hearing this, Yelü Dan calmed himself down and nodded with a cold face.

Just then, the second son of the Marquis of Zhenyuan downstairs loudly professed his love.

She felt a throbbing pain in her temples, which was extremely uncomfortable.

"Why hasn't Prince Xin sent a message yet?" she shouted at Huyan Tu.

Huyan Tu hurriedly said, "This subordinate will go and check immediately..."

Just as he was speaking, there was a knock on the door.

Immediately afterwards, a letter was slipped through the crack in the door.

Huyan Tu immediately tried to capture the messenger, but when he opened the door, the room was empty, with no one in sight, only the unconscious Northern Di guards.

For a moment, the hairs on Huyan Tu's back stood on end: "This Prince Xin is even more powerful than we imagined."

Yelü Dan held the letter that had been delivered to him, his face extremely grim: "He has been lying low in Dali for decades and was still able to contact me, which shows that he knows Dali and the Northern Di very well."

“Such a person… if he were an enemy…” Yelü Dan murmured to himself for a few moments before finally saying, “Fortunately, we are not enemies.”