Qin Muyun knew about the Emperor's intention to betroth Qi Yanzhou to Ye Chutang and Qi Yanzhou's subsequent refusal.
His sword-shaped eyebrows knitted slightly, and a gloomy look clouded his handsome face.
"Why does the Emperor insist on tying you and Miss Ye together?"
Qi Yanzhou swirled the teacup in his hand, and the green tea inside rippled like blue waves.
"I think the Emperor is about to take action against Prince Chen's Mansion."
Did the Emperor finally lose his patience after seeing that he hadn't died even after being poisoned by the fire poison?
Upon hearing this, Qin Muyun immediately understood.
"The day of your wedding will be the day when the Emperor wipes out Prince Chen's Mansion. But why does it have to be Miss Ye?"
Qi Yanzhou put down the teacup. "Because Ye Jingchuan is extremely loyal to the Emperor."
Other people might leave themselves an escape route, as dealing with Prince Chen's Mansion would come at a great cost.
The Ye family has no foundation in the capital and can only rely on the Emperor.
"But Miss Ye..."
Just as Qin Muyun was about to say that Ye Chutang would never help the Ye family do evil, he seemed to think of something, and his face suddenly changed.
"The Emperor wants to control Miss Ye. She's in danger!"
Due to his excitement, his voice was a bit loud, attracting the attention of those around him.
"Master Qin, who is in danger?"
Qin Muyun composed himself and said with a smile, "There might be water ghosts in the lotus pond. It's dangerous."
While chatting with Qi Yanzhou, he was also eavesdropping on the conversations around him.
The officials were talking about the relief funds, and the sons of noble families were discussing the matter of the lotus pond.
The news was brought by Qin Zhenglin and Song Rong.
When the two were changing clothes in the side room, they heard Madam Liu's shrill screams like a slaughtered pig.
Then they learned from the imperial physician that Madam Liu's left foot had inexplicably turned into a mess of mud, and Princess Anping's ankle also showed signs of being entangled by something.
However, the lotus pond was very deep, and it was impossible for someone to be entangled by water plants unless they had reached the bottom.
Everyone was discussing the matter animatedly, with all sorts of speculations that became more and more mysterious.
But no one dared to mention the words "water ghost".
It wasn't until Qin Muyun broke the unspoken truth in everyone's hearts.
"How can there be ghosts in broad daylight? Master Qin, don't talk nonsense!"
"Prince An is a royal relative with the protection of the dragon's aura. Ghosts can't enter the prince's mansion."
"Madam Liu tripped Miss Ye with her left foot, and her left foot became useless. This is retribution."
"Princess Anping's ankle was probably entangled by the lotus roots in the pond."
Qin Muyun didn't bother to pay attention to these hypocritical people.
He was well aware that there were no water ghosts in the lotus pond, only a highly skilled martial artist!
This person originally intended to target Ye Chutang, but it wasn't her who fell into the water twice.
Princess Anping and Madam Liu were innocent victims.
This person could break tendons and shatter bones, and their martial arts skills were probably no less than Qi Yanzhou's.
Ye Chutang was in great danger now!
Thinking of this, Qin Muyun looked at Qi Yanzhou, who was sitting there with a gloomy face and silent. He leaned his head over.
"We have to inform Miss Ye quickly. The Emperor is going to take action against her."
Qi Yanzhou looked at Qin Muyun, who was clearly anxious.
"With her intelligence, she probably guessed it long ago. Otherwise, she wouldn't have forced Prince An and Ye Jingchuan so hard."
"That's true. Since Prince An's first plan failed, he must have a backup plan. I wonder what will happen next?"
"We'll cross the bridge when we come to it."
Qin Muyun lowered his voice even more. "I'm worried that Prince An will resort to force. Miss Ye can't fight against so many people alone."
After saying that, he curiously asked Qi Yanzhou.
"Ziqian, Miss Ye is excellent in every way. Why don't you want to marry her?"
Qi Yanzhou dipped his fingertip in the tea and wrote on the table: "She doesn't want to."
Before Qin Muyun could fully read it, Qi Yanzhou wiped away the words.
He stared at Qi Yanzhou in shock. "You also proposed to Miss Ye?"
Qi Yanzhou raised his eyebrows. "Also? You proposed to her?"
Qin Muyun suddenly felt a stinging pain on his tongue, as if it had been scalded.
He coughed lightly and awkwardly nodded.
"Yes, I was rejected by Miss Ye. She said she wants to be with one person for her whole life and likes heroes like you who are open-minded and dedicated to the country and the people."
Qi Yanzhou: "..."
It sounded like a brush-off to him.
Seeing that Qi Yanzhou remained silent, Qin Muyun nudged his shoulder.
"Ziqian, when did you propose to Miss Ye? Why didn't you tell me? If I had known, I definitely wouldn't have gone to Miss Ye to express my feelings."
He didn't want any rift to occur between brothers over a woman.
Qi Yanzhou explained, "It doesn't really count as a proposal. I just explained to Miss Ye the reason for rejecting the imperial marriage, and she clearly stated that she wouldn't marry me."
Qin Muyun: "..."
"Why did you reject the imperial marriage? And why doesn't Miss Ye want to marry you?"
Judging from what Ziqian said, he was willing to marry Miss Ye, and she just happened to like his type.
No matter how you looked at it, the two of them were a perfect match.
Moreover, if he had agreed to the Emperor's betrothal back then, Miss Ye wouldn't be in danger today.
Qi Yanzhou recalled Ye Chutang's words, and an indescribable emotion welled up in his eyes.
"I rejected the marriage because I didn't want to force her with imperial power and leave her with no choice. And she rejected me because she doesn't like power struggles and doesn't want to share her husband with other women."
He had no interest in having multiple wives and concubines and only wanted to be devoted to one person.
However, his status and position destined that the number of women in his inner courtyard couldn't be controlled.
And power struggles were inevitable for Prince Chen's Mansion.
Qin Muyun sighed regretfully.
"A woman like Miss Ye, who is free-spirited, really shouldn't be confined to the inner courtyard. Only someone like Song Jingning is suitable for her."
After saying that, he nudged Qi Yanzhou's shoulder again and winked playfully.
"So, do you also like Miss Ye?"
Qi Yanzhou didn't answer Qin Muyun and changed the subject.
"Huaixuan, Miss Ye and I are already in this situation. As an outsider, you should keep a close eye on Ye Jingchuan, Prince An, and the heir apparent."
Qin Muyun nodded. "I will."
He took out three copper coins from his bosom, took a few deep breaths, and then divined for Ye Chutang again.
It was a very inauspicious omen.
"Ziqian, something bad is going to happen to Miss Ye."
Hearing this, Qi Yanzhou's heart suddenly tightened.
"Huaixuan, divine for me too."
Today, he was also a target of the Emperor's scheme and was intertwined with Ye Chutang's fate.
"Okay, wait a moment."
Seeing Qin Muyun's solemn expression and restless state of mind, Qi Yanzhou patted his shoulder.
"Relax. The Emperor won't kill me unless it's absolutely necessary. What he wants is to uproot Prince Chen's Mansion!"
Qin Muyun nodded and started to divine.
"It's a very inauspicious omen, and there will be bloodshed."
After saying that, he advised, "Ziqian, you should leave Prince An's Mansion quickly."
Qi Yanzhou shook his head. "I can't leave Miss Ye alone to face this."
"Leave together with her!"
"Huaixuan, first tell me, is there a way to resolve this omen?"
Qin Muyun pursed his lips, looking dejected.
"Although there is no solution for now, the omen is not set in stone. Maybe there will be a turning point if we stall for time."
"We're already in this game. We can't avoid trouble forever. I'm not leaving."
Seeing that Qi Yanzhou was determined, Qin Muyun didn't try to persuade him anymore.
"Alright, if you can't fight, just run."
Qi Yanzhou was amused. "Don't worry. I've never lost a race against the King of Hell!"
Just as he finished speaking, Prince An announced that the lunch was ready and invited everyone to move to the front courtyard for the meal.
