"If she wants to enter the palace, I can help her build connections there so that the Eighth Princess and others won't bother her anymore. If she doesn't want to enter the palace, I can also find a way to prevent the emperor from venting his anger on the Wei family."
Qi Rong's dark eyes fixed steadily on Wei Chengyang as he asked,
"Which one do you want?"
Or rather, the only two options he could offer at the moment were these.
As a long - time friend of Qi Rong, how could Wei Chengyang fail to understand the hidden meaning in Qi Rong's words?
But for the sake of his sister, Wei Chengyang gritted his teeth and said,
"I want Your Highness to keep Xueming in the Prince Xian's Mansion."
Qi Rong's eyes darkened, and his face turned grim.
"What do you mean by this? I advise you to think twice before you speak."
Wei Xueming hung her head, her body stiff, and her face tense as she couldn't utter a word.
Under Qi Rong's sharp gaze, Wei Chengyang forced himself to say,
"I would like to ask Your Highness to take Xueming as a concubine. This is also Xueming's own wish. I hope Your Highness will grant it!"
It was no secret that Wei Xueming was in love with Qi Rong.
That was why she would rather be Qi Rong's concubine than enter the palace as a royal consort.
Qi Rong's dark eyes were cold as he looked at the equally nervous siblings. His cold lips parted slightly as he said,
"What if I don't want to grant it?"
Wei Xueming was shocked. She suddenly stood up, looked up at Qi Rong resentfully, and loudly demanded,
"You can take her as a concubine. Why can't you take me?"
She knew she was no longer qualified to be his princess consort, so she didn't dare to hope for it.
She just wanted to be his concubine and stay by his side all the time.
Was such a humble request too much for him to accept?
"Xueming!"
Wei Chengyang stopped his sister, not wanting her to anger Qi Rong at this moment, as it would do no good.
Qi Rong naturally knew who "her" in Wei Xueming's words referred to. His eyes were cold as he said calmly,
"Because you are you, and she is she."
So, there was simply no comparison between the two of them.
Moreover, he already knew that the reason Wei Xueming was taken into the palace by the Eighth Princess and suffered this misfortune was that she had once tried to use the Eighth Princess to deal with Yun Xi.
She deserved what she got.
If it weren't for her, Yun Xi wouldn't have gotten married in such a hurry!
He had already given Wei Chengyang face by not settling this score with Wei Xueming.
Qi Rong's coldness made Wei Xueming shiver, but she still didn't want to give up.
"What's so good about her? Why do you just turn a blind eye to me?"
Qi Rong coldly retorted,
"What makes you better than her?"
"I..."
Wei Xueming was speechless. Her thin face turned pale and then red. In the past, she might have proudly claimed to be the number one talented woman in the capital!
Because whether it was poetry, literature, dance, or musical instruments, she outshone everyone.
But since Yun Xi had shown her brilliance at that palace banquet, she had become the laughingstock of everyone.
She had lost all her former glory.
"But I truly love you! You can't be unaware of this!"
The only thing she could be proud of now was her true love for Qi Rong.
She didn't believe that Yun Xi could compare to her!
Apart from her, Brother Rong would never find someone who loved him so much!
Wei Xueming wanted to touch Qi Rong's heart with her true feelings, but Qi Rong scoffed.
"There are many people who are sincere to me. Should I take them all into the mansion?"
Qi Rong's words made Wei Xueming feel extremely embarrassed. Unable to hold back, she kept asking,
"Since you like her so much, why is she only your concubine? This proves that you don't like her enough!"
Facing Wei Xueming's hysteria, Qi Rong sneered,
"At least, I like her."
Hearing the implication in Qi Rong's words, Wei Xueming suddenly slumped to the ground. Her face was as white as paper, and she couldn't believe Qi Rong's cruelty.
"No! You must be disgusted with me, right? You're disgusted that I've been defiled, so you don't want me!"
Wei Xueming couldn't stop shaking her head. The next moment, she suddenly took out a dagger from her sleeve and pressed it against her neck. Her voice was mournful as she said,
"Brother Rong, I don't believe you have no feelings for me at all."
Wei Xueming wanted to force Qi Rong to soften his heart, but unexpectedly, she got even more contempt from him.
"You can die, but don't dirty the mansion."
Qi Rong's indifference and coldness completely shocked Wei Xueming.
She instantly lost all hope of living. She raised the dagger and stabbed it at her chest, but was blocked by Wei Chengyang, who snatched the dagger from her hand.
"Xueming! Don't do anything stupid! You promised me!"
Looking at her brother's red - rimmed eyes and his worried face, Wei Xueming cried and threw herself into his arms.
"Brother, please help me. I can't live without him!"
Even though she knew Brother Rong was heartless to her, she still couldn't leave him!
If she couldn't stay by Brother Rong's side in this life, she would rather be dead!
Seeing the despair in his sister's eyes, Wei Chengyang hugged her tightly, heartbroken, and kept comforting her.
"Okay, be good. Brother will help you. Go and wait for me outside the door. Don't run around."
Wei Xueming sniffled and looked at her brother suspiciously, then at Qi Rong, who had been gloomy all the time.
She placed her last bit of hope on her brother and finally nodded and walked out.
"What do you want to do?"
Qi Rong stared coldly at Wei Chengyang, who suddenly knelt in front of him. Anger flared in his eyes.
"You should know that for things that violate my principles, I won't change my mind, no matter who it is!"
It was said that a man's knees were as precious as gold. Wei Chengyang, a man of seven feet, knelt in front of his friend Qi Rong for his sister's selfish desire. His heart was filled with more than just sadness.
He knew that this kneel might even ruin the friendship between him and Qi Rong.
But even so, he had no other choice.
"I know Your Highness doesn't like Xueming, and I don't dare to expect you to take her as a concubine. I only beg Your Highness to keep her in the mansion, even if it's just as a maid to serve you... Please, give Xueming a way out!"
Wei Chengyang buried his head deeply on the ground, his tone solemn and pleading.
Qi Rong narrowed his eyes slightly. A layer of ice seemed to float in his eyes as he said without mercy,
"Whether she lives or not is up to her. It has nothing to do with me!"
"Also, the Prince Xian's Mansion doesn't lack maids. If you came here just to humiliate yourself, then you don't need to come anymore in the future. I don't have a friend like you!"
Wei Chengyang's face turned pale, and his body on the ground trembled slightly.
However, thinking of his sister, Wei Chengyang clenched his fists and still knelt on the ground. He continued,
"Please, Your Highness, grant my request!"
"Do you want to force me to order you to leave?"
Qi Rong slapped the table and suddenly stood up from the chair. The table was shattered under his anger!
Wei Xueming, who was eavesdropping by the window, shivered at the loud noise. With a look of despair on her face, she walked into the courtyard of the mansion.
Just as the disheartened Wei Xueming had just walked out of the far door, she bumped into Wushuang head - on.
"Ouch! Who's this blind thing? You don't even look where you're going. Are you in such a hurry to go to the next life?!"
Wushuang scolded angrily, her words extremely mean.