met free Chapter 282 Clues
Chapter 282 Clues
Shen Qingtan glanced at Huichun without showing any emotion, only to see Huichun looking anxious as she quickly walked towards Princess Guangning.
She took Qi Chuyin's hand and lowered her voice so that only Qi Chuyin could hear her.
"Cousin, you stay at the courtyard gate and call out Mo Xiao's name immediately if anything happens."
These were the secret guards assigned to Zhao Yi by Emperor Jing'an.
After instructing Qi Chuyin, Shen Qingtan quickly went to Princess Guangning's side: "Princess, what's wrong?"
She glanced quickly at the window, where a pot of orchids in full bloom sat on the windowsill, and through the begonia-patterned window frame, she could see the neighboring courtyard.
Under the shade of a tree, there was a bench, where a red fox lay lazily asleep, covered with a piece of smooth silk cloth.
Besides that, there was no one else.
Princess Guangning was pale and weak, leaning against Huichun's chest, her hands and feet cold.
"I...I'm fine...I saw a snake crawl by, and I got scared..."
Princess Guangning broke out in a cold sweat when she recalled seeing Prince Yu snap the rabbit's neck.
It reminded her of someone, a person who was both dangerous and terrifying in Northern Qi.
Princess Guangning looked terrified, but her eyes involuntarily glanced at the window, where red spots adorned the snow-white orchid petals.
The red spot reminded her of the rabbit's eyes, and even more so of Prince Yu's chilling cruelty.
She has been invited to the palace today to attend the flower-viewing banquet.
I originally thought that Consort Ling was using the flower appreciation banquet as a pretext to actually meet her, and that she wouldn't invite other officials' wives and concubines.
Unexpectedly, Consort Ling invited the wives and concubines of officials of the third rank and above to the flower-viewing banquet.
She knew her position was awkward.
Northern Qi was a defeated state and had no say in the Zhou Dynasty.
The King of Qi wanted her to marry, but no one was willing to take her as his wife.
When she paid her respects to Consort Ling, many officials' families came to the palace.
They didn't criticize her, but their scrutinizing gazes made her feel uneasy.
Consort Ling seemed to notice her discomfort, so she had a palace maid take her to the back garden to admire the flowers. When the time for the banquet arrived, she would arrange for someone to invite her to the main hall.
She came to the back garden and was immediately attracted by the orchids on the windowsill, so she went closer to the window.
The windowpane was hollow, and she could clearly see a fluffy rabbit in the opposite yard, looking just like a little snowball jumping out of the flowerbed.
It's tiny, only the size of her palm, with fluffy white fur that you can almost imagine how soft it would feel to touch.
She saw the little white rabbit standing on its short legs, its two front paws gripping the chair legs, its tiny nose and mouth pressed against the chair legs, staring longingly at the food on the bench.
It was so cute that she wanted to rub its head, and a feeling of urge arose in her heart to go to the neighbor's yard, get some food, and feed the little rabbit.
Just then, a steady sound of footsteps came from behind.
She looked in the direction of the sound and saw a man with a refined and handsome appearance, his purple casual clothes highlighting his noble demeanor as he walked out from the light and shadow.
He seemed not to notice the little white rabbit as he walked past it.
Suddenly, he stopped, turned his head to look at the little white rabbit, a subtle change in his eyes, and then walked towards the little white rabbit.
He crouched down and reached out his hand to the little white rabbit.
The little rabbit stared at his hand for a while, and when it saw him place a leaf in his palm, it jumped into his hand and slowly nibbled on the leaf with its two little paws.
He was overjoyed, his smile was gentle, and the affection in his eyes was more intense than the sunlight.
He first stroked the rabbit's short legs, then its fluffy body, his movements becoming gentler with each touch. When his fingers reached the rabbit's neck, he tightened his grip and snapped the rabbit's neck.
The little rabbit's limbs were upright, and a small piece of uneaten vegetable leaf fell to the ground.
His smile grew even gentler, but his eyes revealed an indescribable excitement, as if this cruel method gave him immense satisfaction.
Princess Guangning pulled herself out of her reverie, but the smile on Prince Yu's face, though just a memory, still sent chills down her spine, making her tremble uncontrollably.
Such a person, seemingly gentle but cruel at heart, instilled fear in her from the very core of her being.
She feared that after marrying Prince Yu, they would sleep in the same bed and he might snap her neck at any moment.
At this moment, neither Prince Yu nor the little white rabbit were seen in the neighboring yard, and even the vegetable leaves on the ground had been cleaned up.
A red fox was lying on the bench where food used to be placed.
If it weren't for the little white rabbit stepping on a flower stem, she would have suspected she was hallucinating.
She backed down and dared not marry Prince Yu.
Princess Guangning withdrew her gaze, her voice trembling as she said, "Help me to rest."
Hui Chun helped Princess Guangning steady herself and looked at Shen Qingtan beside her: "Princess, would you please come with the princess to the side hall to rest?"
Shen Qingtan didn't respond to Huichun's words for a moment, feeling that Princess Guangning was acting strangely and excessively, unlike someone who had just seen a snake.
Especially after Princess Guangning asked her question, she subconsciously glanced at the window, her fear intensified, and her face turned even paler.
What made her even more suspicious was Huichun's attitude. The side hall of Yanxiang Palace was right next to the main hall. When Huichun heard the snake's reaction, she should have immediately sent people to search for it, so as not to frighten Consort Ling.
Ke Huichun showed no reaction, as if she knew what Princess Guangning had seen.
Clues are everywhere.
Shen Qingtan collected her thoughts and said, "Lead the way."
Before leaving, she looked out the window again and saw the red fox open its eyes a crack and look at her. Its two front paws were on the bench, as if it wanted to get up and walk towards her.
But after a short while, it listlessly lay back down.
Shen Qingtan saw that its eyes were covered with a layer of water, giving it a pitiful look.
She pursed her lips, walking towards the courtyard gate while turning her head to stare at the red fox.
The red fox's watery eyes dimmed, its eyelids drooped, and it lowered its head to lick its fur.
Shen Qingtan tightened her grip on the handkerchief, worried that Huichun would notice something amiss. She couldn't linger too long, so she withdrew her gaze and went to the side hall with Princess Guangning.
After settling Princess Guangning in, Huichun turned around to say a few words to Shen Qingtan.
Suddenly, she frowned and asked, "Princess, where is Miss Qi? Why isn't she with you?"