Hearing this, Xue Bailiu was so angry that she was on the verge of tears.
Qi Huaijin said calmly, "It's getting late. If you want to go boating on the lake, let's set off."
After saying that, he turned around and left the teahouse.
Seeing this, the other young ladies quickly followed.
Come on, who would be as stupid as Xue Bailiu!
One was the current Crown Prince, and the other was the Third Prince.
If they could gain their favor, they might marry the Crown Prince or the Third Prince. Even if they couldn't be the principal wives, they could at least be concubines!
At the back, Pei Shuling and Bailiu looked at each other.
Pei Shuling said to Bailiu in a low voice, "Let's just let today's matter go. If you don't want to go boating on the lake, you can go back to the Xue Mansion. No one can stop you!"
Hearing this, Bailiu's face darkened.
Pei Shuling had given up on plotting against Yaoyao today, but she couldn't.
She had not only cooperated with Pei Shuling but also with Princess Gaoyang!
If today's plan failed, Princess Gaoyang would never let her go.
Thinking of Princess Gaoyang's gloomy face that day, Bailiu broke out in cold sweat on her back.
"No! I'll go boating on the lake with you!" Bailiu shouted in panic.
Pei Shuling narrowed her eyes as she watched Bailiu's panicked expression. Then she reminded her, "The Crown Prince and the Third Prince are here. Don't cause any trouble for me, or we'll act as if we've never spoken!"
Bailiu lowered her head and murmured, "Okay."
Outside the teahouse, in an unassuming carriage, Ji Hanyan was waiting for news from Bailiu.
When she saw Xue Mingxiao and Shen Qingwan leading Yaoyao into the teahouse, her brows furrowed.
She was worried that these two people would interfere with today's plan. Just as she was about to change the plan, she saw Qi Huaijin and Qi Huaiyi enter the teahouse.
Ji Hanyan was shocked when she learned their identities.
Why did the Crown Prince and the Third Prince suddenly come here?
"Hanyan, why are they all leaving in carriages? Has the gathering ended?"
Just then, the man beside Ji Hanyan looked at Yaoyao and the others getting into the carriages in surprise.
Ji Hanyan frowned and said, "Follow them and see."
After following them at a distance, they found that the gathering place had been changed to a lake.
"What should we do? Should we cancel today's plan?" the man said in a deep voice.
Ji Hanyan retorted impatiently, "Cancel it? You go and tell the princess! If we can't complete the task today, we're both finished!"
Ji Hanyan stared gloomily at Yaoyao and the others boarding the boat and said coldly, "Act according to the situation."
The man nodded.
The weather was fine today, and the lake was as calm as a mirror.
Qi Huaijin stood at the bow of the boat, looking at the beautiful scenery outside. He felt much calmer.
Qi Huaiyi stood beside Qi Huaijin, pouting and saying, "This is so boring."
Hearing his complaint, Qi Huaijin turned to look at him and said calmly, "If you find it boring, then get off. No one's stopping you!"
Suddenly, Qi Huaiyi seemed to think of something and grinned, "Brother Crown Prince, there are so many noble young ladies on this boat. Why don't you ask them to perform some talents?"
Qi Huaijin shot him a sharp look and said in a cold voice, "Do you think these noble young ladies are singers? If this gets to the ears of the clan leaders of these families, Father will never forgive you!"
The smile on Qi Huaiyi's face froze. Then he sighed helplessly and said, "Brother Crown Prince, I'm doing this for your own good. Look at those women. Their eyes are glued to you! I know Mother has been worrying about choosing a Crown Princess for you recently. You can just ask them to show their talents. Then, if you take a fancy to someone, just go back and tell Mother. That way, you can solve this headache."
As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately felt Qi Huaijin's displeasure. The cold look in his eyes made him shiver.
He quickly changed his words.
"Okay, okay. I said the wrong thing. Brother Crown Prince likes Xue Lingrong the most. She..."
"Shut up!" Qi Huaijin scolded word by word. "If I hear you say this again, I'll throw you into the water to sober up your mind."
Qi Huaiyi twitched the corner of his mouth and shut up.
"Crown Prince!" Xue Mingxiao and Shen Qingwan walked over. Xue Mingxiao looked solemn. "Have you seen my younger sister?"
Hearing this, Qi Huaijin frowned and asked, "Wasn't Yaoyao with you?"
Xue Mingxiao said, "After we boarded the boat, Miss Pei pulled her away to chat. Just now, the princess went to look for Yaoyao but couldn't find her. Miss Pei said Yaoyao had gone to relieve herself, but she wasn't in the toilet on the boat."
Qi Huaiyi exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be that Miss Xue has turned into a fish and swam away?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately received a cold look from Qi Huaijin, which scared him into silence.
Qi Huaijin said, "This boat isn't big. Send people to search. Yaoyao should be fine."
At this moment, Yaoyao's mouth was covered, and she was tied up and hidden in a secret compartment on the boat.
She had calculated everything, but she never expected that she would be plotted against just because she went to the toilet!
Yaoyao was protected by several secret guards.
But today, the gathering was suddenly changed to a boat ride, which caught the secret guards protecting Yaoyao off guard. Now, Yaoyao was only protected by a maid who knew martial arts.
Ji Hanyan sent people to swim close to the boat. They happened to see Yaoyao going to the toilet, so they played a dirty trick.
"Crown Prince, Third Prince, there's a sound of fighting over there!"
Hearing the guard's words, everyone immediately ran over.
"It's Yaoyao's maid!" Xue Mingxiao recognized one of the people in the fight and exclaimed.
Qi Huaijin ordered sternly, "Arrest those people!"
Seeing this, the black - clothed man originally wanted to escape, but was caught by the Crown Prince's men. He immediately bit the poison hidden in his teeth and died on the spot.
The maid walked over, covering her injured arm, and said, "Young Master, the young lady was taken away by the assassins. But the maid thinks the young lady hasn't left the boat yet. She should be hidden in a corner of the boat by the assassins."
Hearing the maid's words, Xue Mingxiao clenched his fists. His red - eyed gaze turned to Qi Huaijin.
Qi Huaijin's eyes suddenly darkened. The air pressure around him was extremely low. He said coldly, "Come here! Search the boat for me! Don't miss any corner!"
When Pei Shuling in the cabin heard the news that Yaoyao was in trouble, a glint of joy flashed in her eyes. But soon, she calmed down.
She clearly told Xue Bailiu to cancel today's plan. How did Xue Bailiu manage to let the assassins board the boat and kidnap Xue Lingrong?
Pei Shuling's eyes were full of uncertainty. Just as she was about to find an opportunity to approach Bailiu and ask her about this, Qi Huaijin's attendant led some people in.
"Ladies, I'm sorry. The Crown Prince has just given the order. To ensure your safety, you ladies should stay here for the time being and not leave this place."
As the attendant's voice fell, everyone's faces turned ugly.
Pei Shuling spoke up and asked the attendant, "Sir, could you please dock the boat at the shore? That way, we'll feel more at ease. Now the boat is in the middle of the lake. If more assassins appear, we weak women are powerless to resist and can't even escape."