After leaving Zhaohua Palace, Yun Xi bowed respectfully to Concubine Yu and thanked her for clearing her name.
Concubine Yu, however, gave a smile. She was in a great mood because she could severely punish Yu Xueming and didn't blame Yun Xi for deliberately instigating trouble in front of her courtyard gate before.
After all, in this deep palace, one either had power or the emperor's favor. Even if one had both, one must also be smart.
Otherwise, it would be difficult to survive in the harem!
Although Concubine Yu was not a magnanimous person, for the future of the Second Prince, as a mother, she would not give up any chance to win over the Prime Minister's Mansion.
By helping Yun Xi get through this crisis this time, she was indirectly doing the Prime Minister's Mansion a favor.
Because of the assassination of the Prime Minister in Longchang before, there had been some unpleasantness between the Prime Minister's Mansion and the Li family, which could be slightly eased!
Yun Xi naturally understood Concubine Yu's thoughts, so she didn't feel sorry for using Concubine Yu.
After leaving the palace gate, Yun Xi saw Jing Yao leaning against the palace wall, waiting for her with his head down. The gloomy young man from a moment ago instantly broke into a smile when he saw Yun Xi. His beautiful peach blossom eyes seemed to be twinkling with starlight.
Looking at such a pure - hearted young man, Yun Xi's mind involuntarily conjured up Qi Rong's cold face. She couldn't help but fantasize:
If there hadn't been the palace coup more than a decade ago, would Qi Rong have been as care - free as Jing Yao, without being so hardened by the cruel reality?
But then she thought about it and shook her head.
The palace was originally a man - eating place. Whether it was the emperor living inside or the noble ladies in the six palaces, as long as they were involved in imperial power, it was difficult for them to have peace of mind.
Take the Queen and Concubine Yu for example. Which one of them wasn't exhausted from worrying about making her son the emperor?
Unless the emperor had no concubines and only married one woman in his life.
But was that possible? Even ordinary men dreamed of having multiple wives and concubines, let alone a king who held all the power!
"Xier, you're finally out!"
Yun Xi was lost in thought when Jing Yao quickly ran up and immediately grabbed her arm. Yun Xi couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air in pain and subconsciously pulled back her arm.
"What's wrong with you?"
Seeing Yun Xi's painful expression, Jing Yao quickly rolled up her sleeve before she could stop him. When he saw the blood - soaked handkerchief on Yun Xi's arm, he immediately frowned tightly.
"Xier, how did you get hurt?!"
Seeing Jing Yao holding her fair wrist without any scruples, Yun Xi blushed in embarrassment. She quickly withdrew her hand, pulled down her sleeve, and said with a smile:
"It's okay. Have you been waiting for a long time?"
This was outside the palace gate, and there were quite a few palace servants coming and going. It wouldn't be good if any rumors spread.
"How could this be okay? You're so seriously injured. You must get treatment as soon as possible!"
Jing Yao held Yun Xi's hand lovingly and was about to lead her onto the carriage when suddenly there came the sound of clattering horseshoes. Then, a long whip was thrown from behind along with a cold and angry shout:
"Let go of your paw!"
Just as Jing Yao was about to turn around to look, Lao Xu had already quickly kicked his young master to the side. Yun Xi was instantly scooped up and sat steadily on the horseback.
Yun Xi hadn't even figured out what was going on when she felt dizzy and fell into a familiar embrace. She heard Jing Yao yelling:
"Why is it you, this despicable villain again? And Lao Xu, why did you kick me? Are you trying to murder your master?!"
Jing Yao got up from the corner, rubbing his butt. He glared angrily at Lao Xu first, then at Qi Rong. His peach blossom eyes were burning with anger!
Scolded by Jing Yao, Lao Xu helplessly scratched his nose:
"Sir, if I hadn't kicked you away just now, your neck might have been twisted into a twist by now."
He considered himself to have good martial arts skills. There were few people in the entire Liudu who were better than him. However, this King Xian's kung fu was unfathomable.
Although his kung fu moves were somewhat similar to his senior brother's, he was sure that this young King Xian was definitely more powerful than his senior brother who had disappeared.
So, in order to save this young master, he, Lao Xu, really had no choice!
"Why are you here?"
The moment she saw Qi Rong clearly, Yun Xi subconsciously frowned slightly. She suddenly remembered what Yu Xueming and Song Yulin had said.
Without thinking, the thought in her mind blurted out:
"Are you going to marry the Fifth Princess of Ke Ke Qin? Has the emperor already issued an edict?"
There was no smoke without fire. Yu Xueming was probably right about one thing. The Fifth Princess of Ke Ke Qin had already asked the emperor and claimed that she wanted to marry Qi Rong!
Once the emperor gave the order, even Qi Rong couldn't resist it, could he?
On the day when Yuan Zhen was hung on the city gate, the Fifth Princess of Ke Ke Qin deliberately caused trouble for her and humiliated her. Maybe from that time on, she had already had the idea of marrying Qi Rong.
Yun Xi had originally told herself not to care, because she felt that her relationship with Qi Rong was not stable.
Maybe after Qi Rong's freshness wore off, she would become a 'discarded wife'. At that time, she couldn't accept such an ending at all. So, she thought that she would use any means to get a divorce from Qi Rong.
By then, no matter how many concubines Qi Rong married into the mansion, she wouldn't be sad.
However, she overestimated herself!
Now, just thinking that Qi Rong might be forced by the emperor to marry the Fifth Princess of Ke Ke Qin into the mansion made her heart ache terribly!
Qi Rong looked down at Yun Xi's pale face. Seeing her biting her lip tightly, Qi Rong reached out to pry open her teeth, curled his index finger, and scraped the tip of her nose, saying:
"What are you thinking blindly? One of you is already giving me a headache. How could I marry another trouble into the house?"
Seeing that Yun Xi still looked solemn, Qi Rong said with a double - entendre and in a definite tone:
"Moreover, no one can force me to do something I don't want to do."
"But..."
"There's no 'but'. I'm here to pick you up. Why didn't you tell me you were going into the palace?"
There was a hint of reproach in Qi Rong's words.
He only found out that Yun Xi had been summoned into the palace by Yu Xueming after asking the guards.
"From now on, if anyone summons you into the palace again, just find an excuse to decline. I'll take care of everything."
This harem was like a deep pool full of hidden dangers. He couldn't allow Yun Xi to make the slightest mistake under his nose!
Qi Rong openly hugged Yun Xi in his arms, but Jing Yao beside them was so jealous that he couldn't help but sneer:
"Xier, a man's words are deceitful lies! You mustn't be deceived by his false sweet talk! If he's so capable, how could he let you get hurt?!"
Jing Yao was so busy scolding Qi Rong that he completely forgot that he was also a man, which made Lao Xu cover his face in embarrassment.
However, after hearing Jing Yao's words, a sudden cold aura emanated from Qi Rong. He stared closely at Yun Xi and asked:
"You're hurt? Who hurt you? Where are you hurt?!"
Qi Rong, who usually cherished words like gold, asked several questions in a row. His eyes were sinister, hiding a strong killing intent!