This Highness Is Back

A middle - aged man was seen approaching from afar. Instead of sitting with the officials and young gentlemen, he sat at a specially arranged seat far away. This man was around forty years old, with a dark, thin, and hideous face. He was wearing a long, rich - colored robe in the shade of pine resin, and his clothing was extremely luxurious. However, he had only one leg.

This was the Prince of Yu, the younger brother of the current emperor. The Prince of Yu was the emperor's full - blooded brother. When he was young, he had saved the emperor's life from an assassin, but in the process, his left leg was injured and had to be amputated, turning him into a lame man. Since then, the Prince of Yu's personality had changed drastically. He became cruel, fierce, and extremely eccentric. He even filled his house with concubines. Although outsiders didn't know the full details, the royal family was well - aware that the Prince of Yu had some really dirty and perverted habits. Countless women had lost their lives at his hands.

The Princess of Yu had died seven years ago, and the circumstances were rather suspicious. But the emperor and the empress dowager protected the Prince of Yu, so the princess's family could only swallow their bitterness. Recently, news had spread from the Prince of Yu's mansion that the prince intended to take a new concubine.

Suddenly, everyone in Dingjing City was filled with speculation. The Prince of Yu held a high position and was favored by the emperor and the empress dowager. When choosing a princess, the family had to be of equal status. Among the noble families, those who truly loved their daughters naturally didn't want to send them into such a den of wolves. But there were also those who regarded their daughters as mere bargaining chips, and they couldn't wait to exchange their daughters for wealth and glory, even if it meant sacrificing their lives.

Look at the previous Princess of Yu's family. Although they lost a daughter, under the emperor's compensatory care, their family became more prosperous, didn't they?

Ye Lily's gaze swept over the Prince of Yu and then landed on Ren Wanyun in the ladies' area.

Sure enough, Ren Wanyun's face lit up, and she said to Madam Yi beside her, "The emperor really treats the Prince of Yu extremely well."

Both of them were experienced in the intrigues of the inner courtyard. Madam Yi almost immediately guessed what Ren Wanyun was up to. Although she felt a bit contemptuous of Ren Wanyun for being so ruthless, since her husband and Ye Gui were on the same side, she naturally had to support Ren Wanyun. So she smiled and said, "Indeed. Although he's a bit older, he must be very caring."

Chen Ruoqiu, on the side, lowered her head and slowly ate the pastries, but the smile on her lips was rather strange. Caring? No one would want their daughter to marry a lame widower. Even if he was extremely powerful and caring, it was like pushing one's daughter into a burning pit. Thinking of this, she turned her head and looked at Ye Lily.

Ye Lily was patiently holding the chess pieces, placing them step by step according to the chessboard, as if she didn't have a single thought for anyone else. Chen Ruoqiu suddenly felt a bit uneasy. Ever since Ye Lily woke up after falling into the water, she seemed like a completely different person. Could it be that the true nature of Ye Xin's blood had finally awakened? The Ye Xin family all had fiery tempers. If Ye Lily found out about Ren Wanyun's plan, would she accept it meekly?

Just as she was thinking, Ye Lily seemed to sense her gaze and looked up at her. That glance was so cold that in the golden autumn of October, it instantly made Chen Ruoqiu's heart freeze like an ice cube.

Ye Lily lowered her head and looked at the chessboard in front of her.

In her previous life, she had made a complete fool of herself at the Golden Chrysanthemum Banquet. After returning to the mansion, Ren Wanyun had mentioned the Prince of Yu's marriage to the old lady of the Ye family. Ren Wanyun had said, "Lily's behavior these days is really lacking. She has no redeeming qualities and has even embarrassed the Ye family. Which noble family would be willing to marry a girl like Lily? But now, there's this great opportunity with the Prince of Yu's mansion. If Lily marries in, she'll be a princess. With the care of the emperor and the empress dowager, she'll be very fortunate. Although he's lame and a bit old, Lily doesn't have any outstanding features either. So it's not a bad deal for her."

What she said sounded so proper, but in fact, it was extremely vicious. It was later that Ye Lily had bribed a maid in Rongjing Hall with a large sum of money to find out these words. The old lady of the Ye family had always hated the eldest branch of the Ye family to the core. Ye Xin was the son of the original wife, and when the old master of the Ye family was alive, he was very fond of Ye Xin, which made the step - mother, the old lady, jealous. After finally waiting for the old master to pass away, Ye Xin had military achievements and was untouchable. Since she couldn't touch Ye Xin, she could still target Ye Lily. And for a woman, nothing was more painful than a bad marriage.

The old lady of the Ye family and Ren Wanyun hit it off immediately and were about to send someone to the Prince of Yu's mansion to propose the matter. Ye Lily was both angry and scared. At that time, she was infatuated with Xu Hao. In a fit of desperation, she took a bundle that night and went to the Prince Ding's mansion, begging to be taken in. She even deliberately spread the news, not caring about her reputation, thinking that since her reputation was already ruined, it would be better to become Xu Hao's concubine than to marry into the Prince of Yu's mansion.

This had made the old lady of the Ye family furious. Although Xu Hao was annoyed in his heart, he didn't treat her too badly on the surface. Perhaps he also saw the value of the Ye family's military power to him. Although he wasn't very affectionate towards Ye Lily, he didn't object either. Later, when Ye Xin returned to the capital at the end of the year, what greeted him was the fact that his daughter had eloped and become someone's concubine. He was shocked and angry, but Ye Lily went on a hunger strike to protest. In the end, Ye Xin had no choice but to sacrifice all his military achievements to get her the title of Princess Ding.

But no one could have imagined that that was the beginning of a real nightmare.

Ye Lily closed her eyes. All the mistakes in her previous life seemed to start from today, and today was destined to be a turning point in her this life. Those who owed her, now, it's time for them to start repaying their debts!

"Hey, what's the fun in playing alone?" A voice suddenly sounded in her ear. Feng Anning had somehow walked up to her, with a slightly awkward look on her face. She sat down opposite Ye Lily and said, "How about playing a game of chess with me? But do you even know how to play chess?"

Feng Anning lowered her head to look at the chessboard. It was just a casual question at first, but after taking a look, she became interested. After observing for a while, she still couldn't figure out the pattern. So she asked, "What kind of chess - playing method is this? I've never seen it before."

"This isn't chess - playing," Ye Lily smiled. "This is like waging a war."

"What?"

"You can't see it now," Ye Lily said calmly. "This kind of chess can only be seen when capturing the pieces at the end." Just like a net, tightly and perfectly covering everything, not letting anyone escape.

Feng Anning shivered. "What are you talking about? It's kind of creepy." She looked at the men's area and suddenly her eyes lit up. She gave Ye Lily a mischievous look and said, "Look, Prince Ding has arrived."

In the men's area, Prince Ding, Xu Hao, was wearing a robe embroidered with gold and in the color of pine - blue, with green boots and a jade crown. He looked extremely handsome. He was already good - looking, with a rather cold and aloof bearing, yet his actions were amiable, and he didn't seem to have the airs of a high - and - mighty prince. As he walked along, he could cause exclamations from the ladies' area.

Ye Lily lowered her head, her fingers clenching into fists so tightly that they dug into her palms.

Ten years of companionship, whole - hearted support, all she got in return was a white silk ribbon and a blood debt for her entire family. Even her two children lost their lives because of it.

This man seemed so kind on the outside, but his heart was as venomous as a snake. He seemed so just on the surface, but in fact, he was extremely heartless.

In her previous life, this man had granted her a whole body for burial. In this life, she would make sure this man died without even a whole corpse!

Xu Hao, this Highness is back!