Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 300 Clever Trick
Upon returning to the Prince Duan's residence, Xue Yuechen hurriedly went to Tingyu Pavilion.

Princess Ruihe was also there.

She squatted by the low couch, teasing her daughter, Aning, with a rattle drum inlaid with gold and jade.

The rattle drum gleamed with a rich, ethereal light...

She wore a lotus-colored padded jacket trimmed with silver fox fur, and the jade bracelet on her wrist made a soft tinkling sound with each movement...

Despite being a widowed member of the imperial family, she was plump and radiant, with a lively and affectionate air about her that made her very endearing.

"Ah Ning, look at this rattle drum, isn't it fun? Do you like it?"

Li Yuning's voice was sweet and cloying, like honey, which amused the child to wave his little hand and take it.

"When you turn one year old, your aunt will make you an even prettier one. We'll set it with pearls, okay?"

Xue Yuechen stood motionless under the curtain.

Just as he was about to speak, he heard Li Huan walk out of the inner room.

Ordinary words, seemingly carrying the scent of books and ink, yet unusually gentle.

"She's so young, don't spoil her."

Hearing her father's voice, A-Ning turned around and stumbled toward Li Huan...

Ruihe was afraid she would fall, so he quickly reached out and pulled her into his arms, then looked up at Li Huan with his almond-shaped eyes curving upwards.

“I’m Aning’s aunt, I dote on her too much. How could I bear to spoil her? Aning is at the age where she needs to recognize people, so I have to come and try to please her, lest she become distant from me…”

In the midst of their banter, he shoved the rattle drum into A Ning's hand.

The crisp sound made the little girl giggle, drool dripping from the corner of her mouth as she mumbled a few syllables.

"Ah... Mother... Ah... Mother... Mother..."

"Wow! Ah Ning can greet people now!"

Ruihe felt as if he had received a tremendous reward; his tone suddenly rose, full of surprise.

“A-Ning can call people now… Second Brother… Can you hear her? She’s calling for Mother.”

Li Huan bent down and gently wiped away his daughter's drool. The smile lines at the corners of his eyes were unusually deep, and the loving tone in his voice almost melted away the chill in the room.

“A-Ning is smart, just like me.”

He ran his fingertips across the child's soft cheek, his movements as gentle as if he were afraid of breaking a precious treasure.

Li Yuning looked at him tenderly...

The two people stood on either side of the child, talking intimately.

The maids and servants beside them kept their heads down and didn't dare to breathe loudly.

Xue Yuechen suddenly found the scene particularly jarring.

It was as if they were the perfect family, and he was an intruder.

"princess……"

It wasn't until Emerald gently reminded her that Xue Yuechen came back to her senses, coughed lightly, and lifted the curtain to come out.

When Li Huan heard the voice, he looked up, and his gaze softened slightly as it swept over her.

"came back?"

Xue Yuechen concealed the displeasure in her eyes and curtsied.

"I've met the prince."

She turned around and smiled, "Greetings, Princess Ruihe."

Princess Ruihe smiled broadly, released A Ning's hand, curtsied, and moved half an inch closer to Li Huan. The hairpins dangling from her temples were so dazzling that they made one's eyes spin.

"Your Highness is finally back! Aning was just making a fuss about looking for you. I was telling jokes with my second brother to cheer her up."

"Is that so?" Xue Yuechen glanced at her timid daughter indifferently.

“When I go out, Aning never looks for me.”

Li Huan's expression turned cold almost imperceptibly.

Ruihe, however, seemed oblivious, smiling innocently.

"Your Highness, what are you saying? What child doesn't miss their mother? Especially our Aning, she's the most well-behaved and sensible, just looking at her makes one envious... Ah, how wonderful it would be to have a daughter by one's side, even Consort Xiao in the palace is pregnant..."

“Isn’t that right?” Xue Yuechen interrupted her with a smile. “Xiao Xiuyi is pregnant and has been promoted to Consort Li. The Empress Dowager was so alarmed that she had to hold a prayer ceremony. Princess Ruihe didn’t go to the palace to congratulate her, but instead came to Prince Duan’s residence to keep Aning company. Our Aning is truly blessed.”

Ruihe's smile froze slightly.

She and Xiao Qing'er used to be Princess Ping Le's study companions.

The two were as close as sisters and could talk about anything.

Now that Xiao Qing'er has become the noble Consort Li, she lives as a widow in the mansion.

The two were in completely different circumstances...

Xue Yuechen was subtly mocking her.

Ruihe glanced at Li Huan, then stepped forward and affectionately took Xue Yuechen's arm.

“Your Highness, look! These tiger-head shoes and this little woolen hat that I embroidered for Aning are perfect for you.” Xue Yuechen’s throat tightened slightly.

She had sewed many clothes for her children before, but she was hoping for a son, so all the clothes she prepared were decorated with the pattern of a Qilin bringing a son. Later, she had a daughter, and those clothes were put away and she lost interest in them...

Unexpectedly, now she has to watch others make clothes and hats for her daughter, and openly come to her door to curry favor with Li Huan.

What's even more infuriating is Li Huan—

He knew Ruihe's feelings perfectly well, and while he used to deliberately avoid her, lately he'd let her get close to him...

Openly and secretly, Li Huan's attitude towards Ruihe was much milder than before, which made Ruihe even more arrogant and fearless.

Xue Yuechen smiled and lightly traced the surface of the shoe with her fingertips.

“Your Highness is very skilled; Aning is fortunate. However, Aning is still too young to trouble Your Highness with such delicate craftsmanship…”

"Of course, Your Highness is too kind."

Ruihe's smile grew even brighter. He glanced at Li Huan, seemingly unintentionally, standing between them like an invisible wall, isolating Xue Yuechen from Li Huan's world.

“Ah Ning is like my own daughter. I love her so much that I'm afraid I haven't loved her enough. I wish I could stay by her side every day. There's no question of her being a bother…”

The two were outwardly friendly but inwardly at odds, maneuvering among themselves.

Li Huan felt a headache coming on and made an excuse to leave.

Snowflakes pattered against the windowpane outside, and Xue Yuechen could hear her heart pounding like a drum, but she could only cover her lips with her handkerchief and cough lightly to calm the rising air in her throat...

Only after Ruihe took his leave did she return to Yingyue Residence, angrily slamming the door shut. She then sat down as if all her strength had been drained, her eyes silently reddening.

"This Li Yuning is really going too far."

"Please calm down, young lady." Emerald quickly offered her hot tea and comforted her, "His Highness was only thinking of the bigger picture and knew his limits. It was just for show..."

"I know."

No matter how incompetent Ruihe was, she was still the widow of the military governor of Longyou. At this critical juncture, with the Prince of Duan's mansion and the Crown Prince's palace putting on a show of defiance, Li Huan, unwilling to give others a pretext, tacitly approved Ruihe's overtures to stabilize the Longyou army, which was also a temporary expedient...

But reason couldn't suppress the lust.

My heart aches as if it's being pricked by needles.

She waved her hand, barely managing to suppress her inappropriate emotions, looked at Emerald, and whispered instructions to her.

"Find two quick-witted men to keep watch at the front. If Princess Ruihe comes to visit Aning again, don't bother to announce it, just stop her directly."

Jadeite looked troubled: "But what about the Prince..."

"My daughter, can't I even make a decision for her?"

Xue Yuechen's eyes sharpened. "If all else fails, just say the child has caught a cold and the imperial physician ordered him to rest to avoid catching any evil influences."

"Yes."

Jade bowed and withdrew.

After her footsteps faded into the distance, Xue Yuechen walked to the bronze mirror.

The figure in the mirror was wrapped in a dark blue soft jacket, with a red gold hairpin tucked behind her ear. She looked elegant and noble, but her face was paler than the snow on the eaves.

Everyone envies her throne as Princess Consort of Duan, but little do they know that beneath that position lies an abyss—

Ahead lies the Xue family's crumbling mess, behind him lies Li Huan's cold indifference and Ruihe's menacing gaze...

If she falls into a trap, she will be doomed.
-
Harem.

Cining Hall.

Xiao Qing'er sat on the soft couch, supporting her waist, with an undisguised gleam in her eyes.

Empress Dowager Chengqing smiled slightly and pushed a bowl of bird's nest soup in front of her.

"This is your first pregnancy, so you must take good care of yourself and avoid overworking yourself."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I understand."

Xiao Qing'er raised her eyes, her gaze filled with just the right amount of dependence. "It's just that lately I've been hearing a lot of gossip outside, which has inevitably disturbed my peace of mind."

The Empress Dowager gently patted the back of her hand, the warmth coming through the handkerchief.

"Your arrival is perfectly timed, a blessing to the Emperor and an auspicious sign for the Great Liang. In this palace, there are always some ill-intentioned people who love to stir up trouble, why bother taking it to heart?"

Xiao Qing'er looked down at her stomach and lowered her voice even further.

"What the Empress Dowager says is true... However, it's one thing for others to be ignored, but that witch from Xiz, who offended me indirectly in the Imperial Garden a while ago, and His Majesty didn't punish her. Now, she's hiding in her room all day burning incense, meditating, and chanting that damned Ulan curse. It's enough to make anyone's hair stand on end and feel terrified..."

The Empress Dowager sighed: "Now that you're pregnant, you should listen to less gossip and not pollute your ears. His Majesty is troubled lately by the Crown Prince's affairs, and the ominous celestial signs have caused unrest in the court and among the people. How can he have the energy to deal with these sordid affairs in the inner palace..."

Xiao Qing'er's heart stirred.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will not stoop to her level. I'm just afraid her foreign curses might offend the dragon descendants..."

Before the words had even finished, a palace maid announced from outside.

"Your Majesty, Princess Wenjia requests an audience."

Empress Dowager Chengqing and Xiao Qing'er exchanged a glance.

The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "Please come in quickly."

(End of this chapter)