Chapter 11：Conspiracy

But then, a handsome man with sword - shaped eyebrows and star - like eyes emerged from outside the moon - shaped doorway. He was wearing a round - collared robe in dark color embroidered with silver patterns. A three - foot - long sword was tucked into his waist belt. With his hands behind his back and a smile on his face, he cast his gaze towards Pan Yueqing.

It was the First Prince, Qi Simeng!

Pan Yueqing's eyes quivered slightly. When she saw Qi Simeng, her sense of guilt towards her close friend Li Shuran surged like a rushing river. Qi Simeng was handsome and bold by nature. In his early years, he frequented brothels, but in her previous life, after marrying Li Shuran, he was both family - oriented and doting on his wife. The couple was an enviable pair of lovebirds. However, in order to help Qi Sicheng ascend the throne, she plotted against Qi Simeng. After Qi Simeng's death, Li Shuran committed suicide for love.

Yes, she had caused Li Shuran's death for Qi Sicheng's sake.

"Ayue, Ayue!" Li Shuran gently tugged at Pan Yueqing's arm, pulling her out of her reverie, and whispered, "Don't be in a daze. Get up and pay your respects quickly."

"My apologies for being impolite," Qi Simeng waved his hand, excusing the group from the formalities. He bowed to the ladies in the courtyard and smiled, "I was just bored with drinking and took a casual stroll. Then I heard this young lady's remarks. I hope I haven't offended you, ladies."

"What the First Prince said is too polite," Princess Pingning stood up and curtsied charmingly to Qi Simeng. "We're very glad you're here."

However, Qi Simeng didn't seem to have any intention of paying attention to Princess Pingning. Instead, he gave Pan Yueqing a friendly smile and said, "May I ask which family's young lady you are? You have such profound insights."

"This is my second younger sister," Pan Yingqian said with a smile, holding her big white cat in her arms. She gracefully walked down from the winding corridor, curtsied to Qi Simeng, but didn't invite Pan Yueqing to come forward and greet him. Instead, she just smiled and said, "She grew up studying with my third younger sister since childhood, but she rarely goes out."

Hearing Pan Yingqian deliberately emphasizing the words "third younger sister", Jiang Liu, who had been silent beside them, sneered. After Pan Yingqian led Qi Simeng away from the ladies' area, Jiang Liu took a sip of wine and muttered in a low voice, "She really knows how to flatter herself. Did you hear that, Ayue? Even though Pan Miaoqian isn't here, you're still being used as a foil!"

"What does it matter?" Pan Yueqing peeled a grape and stuffed it into Jiang Liu's mouth. "Why are you getting angry? I don't want to be the so - called number one talented woman. If one's virtue doesn't match one's position, one will fall hard. I'm just an ordinary girl."

"You've changed a lot," Li Shuran suddenly said. "In the past, you would always follow them around and even count the money for those who betrayed you." Pan Yueqing's heart skipped a beat. She turned around and saw a look of deep concern on Li Shuran's face. "You can always tell us what exactly happened. We grew up together..."

"Sister Shuran, I'm fine. It's too stuffy here. I'll go for a walk," Pan Yueqing put on a bright smile. Seeing Pan Yingqian come back again, she stood up, nodded slightly to Pan Yingqian, and then motioned for Gu Pan and Wan Er to leave with her.

"Princess Pingning, I come to apologize to you," Pan Yingqian said after seeing Pan Yueqing leave. She secretly signaled to the people around her, then picked up her wine cup and walked towards Princess Pingning. She bowed slightly and smiled sincerely. "My second younger sister has been pampered since childhood and is inexperienced in the ways of the world. If she said anything offensive today, please don't hold it against her."

Although these words seemed like an apology, in fact, they completely negated all of Pan Yueqing's previous remarks!

"Yes, Princess. My second cousin was raised in the Marquis Dingyuan's Mansion when she was a child, so it's normal for her to be naive. Please be magnanimous and don't take it to heart," Liu Ya also stood up and bowed slightly to Princess Pingning.

Upon hearing this, Princess Pingning smiled, but her expression was haughty as she glanced at Li Shuran and the others while speaking politely. After hearing this, Li Shuran also felt it was no longer interesting, so she stood up and took her leave from Pan Yingqian.

Meanwhile, Pan Yueqing was strolling along the inner lake of the Pingnan Bo's Mansion with Gu Pan and Wan Er. The shadows of the trees behind them stirred slightly. Out of the corner of her eye, Pan Yueqing caught a glimpse of a blurry figure. Looking at a small boat on the lake, in which there was a familiar dark - colored round - collared robe, she came up with a plan. She stopped at a pavilion by the lake, and then whispered in a voice that only the three of them could hear, "You two hide in the shadows. There's someone behind us."

"Miss, you shouldn't put yourself in danger," Wan Er frowned and stepped forward to put down the food box, still whispering a word of advice.

"The First Prince is on the boat. If I'm taken away, Gu Pan, follow them. Wan Er, call for help within three breaths," Pan Yueqing said. As she saw the person on the boat seem to turn his gaze towards them, she smiled self - deprecatingly. She never expected that in this life, there would come a time when she had to rely on Qi Simeng.

After Gu Pan and Wan Er hid away, Pan Yueqing sat alone in the pavilion, pouring and sipping tea on her own. This was something she was used to. In the past, when she attended tea - parties, she usually had nothing to talk about with others. She often ran out and waited for about half an hour to an hour before leaving. Pan Yingqian had also calculated this, which was why she spared no effort to invite her here.

"Miss Yue, our old lady invites you over," a maid suddenly appeared behind Pan Yueqing after a while and whispered with her eyes lowered.

Pan Yueqing got up and followed the maid.

The maid led her through many twists and turns to a secluded courtyard and a house that seemed uninhabited. Pan Yueqing deliberately paused and asked the maid, "Why does the old lady live in such a quiet place?"

The maid evaded the question, led Pan Yueqing to a seat in the reception room, and didn't answer her question. Instead, she just smiled and served a cup of tea. "Please wait a moment, miss. The old lady will be here soon. Have some tea first."

Pan Yueqing took the teacup without any suspicion and drank several sips in front of the maid. She smiled and said, "I'm thirsty after walking so long..." Before the smile faded from her face, she fell forward onto the small table in front of her.

"Miss Yue? Miss Yue?" The maid called out several times tentatively. Seeing that Pan Yueqing really didn't respond, she left with a triumphant look on her face. After hearing the door close, Pan Yueqing opened her eyes, picked up a silver candlestick, and crouched behind the door.

After a while, the maid opened the door and beckoned two servants in, intending to carry Pan Yueqing away. But they found the room empty. The maid turned around and told the servants to look for her. However, as soon as the servants stepped out the door, the door creaked shut on its hinges. The maid was terrified and looked back. There was Pan Yueqing, with her hands behind her back, smiling and beckoning to her.

Before the maid could scream, Pan Yueqing knocked her unconscious. Then, she smiled at the two servants who came running at the sound, "Big sister, you're here!"

The servants instinctively looked back. Pan Yueqing's eyes flashed with determination. She raised her hands and struck hard at the back of their necks. The two servants immediately lost consciousness.

"Miss, I found a neatly - made bed in the side room, and someone is coming this way," Gu Pan, who was bold and meticulous, had been hiding in the bushes in the courtyard. "It seems to be Liu Yang."

"I understand," Pan Yueqing dragged the unconscious maid's body and told Gu Pan to tidy the maid up a bit and carry her to the side room Gu Pan mentioned. She patted the maid's face and smiled, "Congratulations. From today on, you'll be the wife of Scholar Liu."