"Father is just too cautious, so he wavers! In the current situation, the Second Prince will surely gain power. With him pleading for me, the Emperor will definitely agree!
This marriage was forced upon me. Why should I bow and scrape to that crazy woman?
I almost lost my life in her hands, yet Father actually stopped the Second Prince?"
Qi Luo gently stroked his chest, her voice as soft as water. "Perhaps the lord has deeper considerations, so the young master will have to bear with it for the time being."
Qin Ziqi grew even angrier. "What could be more important than my marriage? I'm his own son. Shouldn't he care most about me?"
Qi Luo silently withdrew her hand and stopped talking.
Her goal had been achieved.
Now she just had to sit back and watch the show.
Qin Ziqi was already infatuated with Qi Luo. He had lusted after her for a long time, and now that she was being so docile and charming, he couldn't wait any longer. He put his arm around her shoulder and was about to kiss her.
"Young master, you can't!"
"Why not? You're mine now. Aren't you willing to serve me?"
Qin Ziqi grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms.
Qi Luo seemed frightened. She knelt on the ground weakly, her eyes filled with tears.
"Although the young master's mother was guilty and executed, she was still his birth mother. You should observe mourning for her for a few days, so as not to give others something to talk about."
Just mentioning Lady Yang annoyed Qin Ziqi.
That stupid woman went crazy in the name of loving him. Not only did she end up dead, but she also damaged the reputation of the Duke of Rongxiang's Mansion!
He was lucky not to be implicated by her. Did she deserve him to observe mourning for her?
"She deserved to die. A criminal like her can't be buried in our Qin family's ancestral tomb. I have nothing to do with her anymore. It doesn't matter whether I observe mourning or not!"
Qi Luo saw the hatred and impatience in his eyes.
He was so cold - hearted towards his own mother.
A brute, without a shred of humanity.
Qin Ziqi impatiently reached for his belt.
"Young master, Lü Yi is outside!"
Qi Luo nervously lowered her voice. "She wasn't given to you by the Emperor. The Crown Prince secretly replaced the person and sent her to spy on us. If the Crown Prince finds out about this, he will surely impeach you for not observing filial piety. The position of the young master is hard - won. You'd better be patient for now."
No wonder he felt that Lü Yi had a murderous aura and wasn't as gentle as an ordinary woman.
At this moment, Qin Ziqi completely believed that Qi Luo was truly devoted to him.
If the charge of unfilial piety was placed on him, he might really lose his position as the young master!
"The Crown Prince is hateful. He cornered Father in the court, and now he wants to plant a spy beside me!"
Qin Ziqi had the urge to kill.
If Lü Yi wasn't eliminated, wouldn't he have to wait for three years before he could touch Qi Luo?
"Don't worry, young master. I have a way to deal with her. You just need to be patient for a few days, and I'll surely help you get rid of this thorn."
Qin Ziqi had no choice but to stop.
Qi Luo tucked in the corners of the quilt for him, becoming even more gentle and considerate.
"Young master, rest well. It's important to recover from your injury."
He only felt a sweet fragrance wafting from Qi Luo's sleeve, and soon he fell into a deep sleep.
Qi Luo's eyes gradually turned cold.
When she walked out of the bedroom, Lü Yi, who had been standing guard, finally relaxed her shoulders.
"How are you going to deal with me, Miss Qi Luo?"
She was a secret guard and a cold - blooded killer, but her personality was not at all dull.
She could even tease people.
Qi Luo liked her very much.
The two walked to a quiet place, and Qi Luo looked at her with a smile.
"Sister Lü Yi, since your identity has already been 'exposed', I'll have to trouble you to diligently ruin the young master's good deeds from now on."
Lü Yi liked doing this kind of thing.
She didn't even need to act. She could just be the bad guy directly.
...
The next day, Qin Feng returned to the Duke of Rongxiang's Mansion after court.
The Emperor's health was getting weaker. He didn't even attend court today. All state affairs were handed over to the Crown Prince.
Qin Feng was extremely anxious.
If the Crown Prince held all the power before the Emperor's death, even if the Second Prince had the support of the Gao family's 50,000 troops, he might not be able to overthrow the Crown Prince's claim to the throne.
He was struggling with the decision of whether to let the Second Prince plead with the Emperor to annul the marriage between Princess Lingyang and Qin Ziqi.
Not long after he entered his study, Qin Ziqi came.
"Why aren't you resting properly? Why did you come here?"
Qin Ziqi was full of resentment towards his father now. He thought his father's concern was half - hearted.
"Father, why did you stop the Second Prince from pleading? Do you want me to continue to fawn on that crazy woman after I recover from my injury?"
Qin Feng frowned so tightly that he could have pinched three flies.
"Where did you hear such nonsense? When did I stop the Second Prince? Is this how you talk to your father?"
Qin Ziqi used to be very afraid of his father. He was always submissive and respectful in front of him.
But since he was named the young master, he had become more confident.
He thought he was capable enough to replace his father one day, and he didn't even observe the basic filial piety anymore.
Qin Feng angrily blamed Lady Yang again for teaching Qin Ziqi and Qin Xuanyan wrongly.
"If Father didn't stop the Second Prince, then why hasn't there been an imperial edict to annul the marriage?"
Qin Feng was so angry that he laughed. How could he have such a stupid son?
"You're being too naive. The marriage was personally bestowed by the Emperor. Do you think he'll take it back just because you got a minor injury? Where's the imperial dignity? Do you think the Second Prince has much influence with the Emperor?"
"So you're just going to watch me suffer, Father? Why can't you plead with the Emperor to annul my marriage to that crazy woman?"
"A minor injury. Is that suffering? The Emperor even bestowed two concubines to comfort you. If you're so eager to get an imperial edict now, aren't you slapping the Emperor in the face? You're already the young master. The honor and disgrace of the entire Qin family rest on your shoulders. You can't be so selfish and always put yourself first!"
Hatred welled up in Qin Ziqi's eyes.
Qi Luo was right.
Father only cared about his own interests and didn't care about his own son.
Since his father wouldn't plead and wouldn't let the Second Prince plead, fine. He would plead himself.
The next day, in the court.
The Emperor was seriously ill and needed rest, so he still couldn't attend court.
The Crown Prince presided over the court.
He took out a memorial and opened it in front of all the officials.
"Qin Ziqi, the young master of the Duke of Rongxiang's Mansion, has submitted a memorial, requesting to annul his marriage to Princess Lingyang. What do you all think?"
The princess's marriage was both a family matter and a national matter, so it was reasonable to discuss it in the court.
But this news was too shocking. All the officials closed their mouths and didn't dare to say a word.
Was Qin Ziqi really stupid or crazy?
Couldn't he see the situation in the court?
The Emperor was so ill that he couldn't even attend court. The Crown Prince's ascension to the throne was just around the corner.
Annulling the engagement with Princess Lingyang at this critical moment was like declaring to the world that he was going to oppose the Crown Prince!
Qin Feng was so angry that his face turned green.
Stupid pig! He actually submitted a memorial without telling him!
Lu Siming's face was even uglier. He was almost grinding his back teeth.
He had promised to plead for Qin Ziqi, but the Emperor was seriously ill, and this wasn't a good time.
He didn't really expect his plea to make the Emperor change his mind.
He just wanted to gain a reputation for kindness and build a positive image of caring about his sister and valuing family ties.
This way, he could win over Qin Feng and oppose the Crown Prince, stepping on the Crown Prince's toes.
But this stupid Qin Ziqi had messed up all his plans!