The Demon Prince

Qin Zhenyue's face darkened: "Let him in!"

The servants in the mansion shrank back in fright and ran off to deliver the message.

Li Shunhua stood to the side, her brows furrowed: "That Xiao Xingyue is really ruthless. He even dared to offend my grandfather. He's finished now..."

A short while later, Chen Manfu was brought in, clutching a stack of bills tightly in his arms.

When he saw Qin Zhenyue's expression, his legs felt weak, but he still gritted his teeth and took a step forward.

"General, our young master says he can't stand any hardship. Those veterans you sent, you didn't train them well, they actually dared to give him attitude. But fortunately, the young master remembers the grievances they suffered at your hands, so he increased their salaries on your behalf, doubling their salaries for the previous three years! Here is the bill, please sign it."

Chen Manfu recited what Xiao Xingyue had asked him to say quickly, as if reciting a memorized script.

But as soon as he said that, Qin Zhenyue's eye twitched violently.

He strode over, exuding a menacing aura, and snatched the bill from Chen Manfu's hands.

Chen Manfu trembled all over, crying out in his heart: "Your Highness! If this old servant dies here, I will haunt you even as a ghost!"

Li Shunhua also came over, and when she glanced at the numbers on the bill, her face darkened:

"Why should we pay for Xiao Xingyue's unauthorized salary increases?"

Qin Zhenyue stared at the bill, first stunned, then suddenly burst into laughter:

"Good! Good for you, Xiao Xingyue! You use my money to build your own reputation! In the end, I'll be branded as a miser who cheats veterans, while he turns around and becomes a benevolent prince who cares for his subordinates!"

Li Shunhua's face turned red with anger:

"Grandpa, this is too much! I'm going to confront him right now!"

She turned to leave, but Qin Zhenyue sighed, "Forget it, Xiao Xingyue is in the right in this matter."

Qin Zhenyue folded the bill, stuffed it fiercely into his sleeve, and glared at Chen Manfu: "I admit defeat. Go to the storeroom and get the money. If you dare take even a tael more than you owe, I'll break your legs!"

Li Shunhua was stunned for a moment. Before she could come to her senses, Chen Manfu next to her jumped up and immediately rushed out.

"Alright!"

A figure flashed by, running faster than a rabbit.

Qin Zhenyue was so angry his nose almost twisted, but after a long while, he chuckled and sighed:

"I thought the Xiao family had fallen from grace, but I never expected this kid to be even more shameless and brazen than his father was!"

Li Shunhua: "..."

She couldn't tell whether her grandfather was praising her or scolding her.

"Shunhua, a month from now, you must help me get revenge and break off the engagement on the spot! Slap that brat in the face!" Qin Zhenyue slowly exhaled, looking slightly tired. "Alright, you practice well. Your grandfather is going back to the inner room to rest."

After saying that, he turned and left, his back view still quite steady.

"Fortunately, my grandfather was calm and composed, and he wasn't angered by Xiao Xingyue."

Li Shunhua felt a pang of emotion, but out of filial piety, she followed after him, wanting to show her concern for Qin Zhenyue.

As a result, Qin Zhenyue had just returned to his room when he shouted, "Ah! I'm so angry!"

Li Shunhua was dumbfounded and quietly pushed open the crack in the door to the inner room.

The light inside wasn't bright, but she still managed to see it.

Grandpa stood in front of the sandbag, punching it again and again, shouting as he did so:

"Xiao Junlin! I, Qin Zhenyue, could never defeat you in my entire life! Now that you're dead! And I still can't defeat your son! Aaaaah!"

Thump, thump, thump, the sandbags were howling, accompanied by small pearls constantly falling from Qin Zhenyue's eyes.

Li Shunhua stood outside the door, completely stunned. She quickly retreated from the courtyard, afraid that her grandfather would find her.

"Grandpa deliberately hid inside because he didn't want me to see his vulnerable side, but..."

Li Shunhua's heart tightened... If her grandfather knew that she was being threatened by Xiao Xingyue, he would probably have to vote for Xiao Xingyue... Wouldn't he be furious on the spot?

"No, I need to have a serious talk with Seventh Sister! We can't keep being threatened by Xiao Xingyue!"

……

The Seventh Princess's Residence.

As soon as Li Shunhua entered the room, before she could even speak, she saw Li Miaoqing rushing out of the inner room, carrying a small wooden box and looking very excited.

"Seventh Sister, I have something to tell you. Xiao Xingyue even bullied my grandfather..."

Before Li Shunhua could finish speaking, Li Miaoqing excitedly interrupted her, "Eighth Sister! You've come at the perfect time! I've figured out how to deal with Xiao Xingyue!"

Li Shunhua exclaimed in surprise, "Really?"

Li Miaoqing lifted the wooden box, revealing a black pill inside, its surface gleaming with a faint light.

"This is a pill to disperse internal energy!"

Li Shunhua's expression changed: "Dissipated power?"

"Excellent! It can remove Xiao Xingyue's Sacred Dragon Technique!" Li Miaoqing said lightly, "Once he takes it, he won't be able to practice it anymore, and it'll be as if he never practiced the Sacred Dragon Technique at all!"

After her initial joy, Li Shunhua became worried, "What about his other martial arts skills?"

Li Miaoqing blinked: "They're gone too! Who cares!"

"Seventh Sister...isn't this too cruel?" Li Shunhua was stunned.

Li Miaoqing snorted coldly:

"Ruthless? He dares to threaten us with the Sacred Dragon Technique; he'll have to pay the price!"

But she softened as she spoke, "Sigh, at worst I'll prescribe some other medicine for him later to help him recover his strength, but he can forget about keeping the Sacred Dragon Technique!"

After she finished speaking, she stared at Li Shunhua and asked, "By the way, what brings you here?"

Li Shunhua remembered the important matter: "My grandfather was almost driven to his death by him! Seventh Sister! The grand plan to teach Xiao Xingyue a lesson depends on you!"

Li Miaoqing smiled confidently, "Leave it to me! I'll go myself. Just wait for good news!"

……

The King's Palace of Zhenwang.

Chen Manfu was beaming with excitement as he directed his servants to move several large boxes inside.

The box was heavy, and several strong men carried it until their faces turned red and their necks bulged.

Zhao Yuanbao lifted a corner of the lid, the cold gleam of the silver ingot dazzling him. He swallowed hard. "Young Master, this is enough to pay your salary for a long time. Isn't this asking for too much?"

Xiao Xingyue said calmly, "Consider the extra money Qin Zhenyue is giving to his grandson-in-law as pocket money."

Zhao Yuanbao's lips twitched. How could he say that when the Eighth Princess hadn't even agreed to marry him yet?

He closed the ledger and scratched his head: "By the way, Your Highness, the Ninth Princess asked me to tell you that she went to Consort Shu's palace first, and asked you not to throw her things out."

Xiao Xingyue raised an eyebrow and smiled. "What's she doing in the palace?"

"They say that this year's poetry and painting festival is coming soon, and the Hanlin Academy and the Great Xia Poets Association will be there, even the top three in the imperial examinations will be present... Consort Shu wants to make it a grand affair, but she doesn't know the specifics."

Xiao Xingyue disagreed, after all, these high-ranking officials and dignitaries naturally had many social activities.

Just then, the gatekeeper came to report: "Your Highness, the Seventh Princess has arrived."

"Li Wangshu isn't home, what's she doing here? It's like a weasel paying respects to a chicken," Xiao Xingyue said with a sneer after a moment of doubt. "She's either up to no good! You guys go out and keep watch, let her come into the inner courtyard to find me."

……

Li Miaoqing wore a light blue dress with a white veil over it, looking elegant and otherworldly.

As soon as I entered, I saw Xiao Xingyue drinking tea.

She smiled slightly and first curtsied to Xiao Xingyue: "What happened last night was all due to my momentary lapse of judgment, which almost caused the young master to be injured. I feel uneasy and have come to apologize."

Her voice was gentle as she spoke words of remorse.

Xiao Xingyue almost choked on his tea with laughter.

This woman deliberately chose to come when Li Wangshu wasn't around... Based on his 37 past relationships, this woman definitely has a scheme in mind!

Xiao Xingyue remained expressionless. "Seventh Princess, you're too kind. Please, make yourself at home."

A hint of disdain flashed in Li Miaoqing's eyes. Who would want to treat this as their own home?

She quickly forced a smile, sat down in front of Xiao Xingyue, and took out a pill from the medicine pouch at her waist. "Words cannot express my apology, so I specially refined a pill."

Li Miaoqing handed the pill to Xiao Xingyue and explained, "This pill is called the Hidden Dragon Pill. It is a conditioning medicine exclusively for the Holy Dragon Technique. Once you take it, the Holy Dragon Technique will operate more stably, and you can also avoid the hidden dangers when non-family members practice royal family techniques."

Xiao Xingyue examined the so-called Hidden Dragon Pill: "Hidden Dragon Pill, very good, very good. Seventh Princess, you're very kind. I'll take it now."

A hint of a smile lingered in Li Miaoqing's eyes.

What a fool!

So easily fooled!

I even memorized sixteen lines to try and fool you!

Now all the lines are left!

Eat it! If you eat it, your Holy Dragon Skill will be ruined!

You dare threaten me with that incident to get my vote? I'll make sure you don't get a single vote!

She watched Xiao Xingyue put the pills into his mouth, and the more she watched, the more satisfied she became.

At this moment, the pill was less than an inch from Xiao Junlin's mouth, and Li Miaoqing's heart was almost at ease.

But at that moment, Xiao Xingyue suddenly raised his hand and pointed behind her:

"Look! A UFO!"

What butterfly? Li Miaoqing subconsciously turned around, but she was stunned. There was no butterfly behind her, only an empty courtyard wall.

She was puzzled, and just as she turned around, she said, "Xiao... um!"

Something was suddenly stuffed into my mouth.

Li Miaoqing made two muffled sounds, but before she could spit it out, Xiao Xingyue forcefully covered her mouth with one hand, forcing her to swallow everything in her mouth!

As the pill melted upon entering her mouth, a wave of heat instantly swept over her entire body, and Li Miaoqing's eyes widened abruptly... The Hidden Dragon Pill! She had swallowed the Hidden Dragon Pill!

Li Miaoqing's face turned deathly pale. She tried to get up and run away, but her body went limp, and she slumped onto the table, crying out, "What...what are you doing?!"

Xiao Xingyue's gaze slowly turned cold as he observed her clearly odd behavior. "How does your Hidden Dragon Pill taste?"

He grabbed Li Miaoqing's delicate chin and said, "Seventh Princess, why do you like to trap yourself like this?"

Li Miaoqing's body grew increasingly limp. "This is the dissipation of my inner power... Please help... help me..."