Chapter 87: Leverage
“Useless trash!”
Although Hua Shan was angry about Xiao Han being rescued, he was more upset that the defense of Xihe Hall wasn’t strict enough.
That was why someone had found a loophole.
Xiao Ce dared not make a sound after being scolded; he could only keep his head lowered.
He knew this matter was his fault.
He hadn’t guarded strictly enough, resulting in such a major oversight.
He was willing to accept punishment.
“Forget it!”
Seeing Xiao Ce’s expression awaiting punishment, Hua Shan ultimately didn’t blame him.
“Let’s leave this matter here for now,” he said indifferently. “It is his fate. Since someone rescued him, it means his time to die hasn’t come yet.”
“Send people to strengthen the defenses. If something like this happens again, you won’t need to stand before This Sovereign anymore.”
“Yes!”
Xiao Ce responded in a low voice.
After this incident, everyone seemed calm on the surface, but the turbulent undercurrents beneath could not be suppressed.
Especially since Lang Hua’s escape had created such huge trouble for Li Qinghe.
The entire Chaoren Hall had been turned into ruins.
Although the two of them were temporarily residing in Minghua Hall, Li Qinghe simply couldn’t swallow this resentment.
“Princess, please don’t be angry.”
The matter of the fire at Chaoren Hall naturally reached Lin Yue’s ears.
While Lin Yue didn’t monitor Chaoren Hall constantly, he had heard bits and pieces.
Although Li Xuanyue’s fall to her current state had somewhat overturned his previous perception of her, seeing her current situation and appearance, Lin Yue couldn’t bring himself to kick someone when they were down.
“Before long, the Phoenix Sovereign will send people to repair Chaoren Hall,” Lin Yue said consolingly.
Li Qinghe glanced at him sideways. “Why are you here?”
Her tone was rather unpleasant.
She was surprised by Lin Yue’s arrival.
She no longer had the glory of being the Second Princess. Her attire was no different from that of an ordinary maid.
Anyone who saw her would call her wretched.
Appearing before her now—was he here to laugh at her?
Lin Yue didn’t know what Li Qinghe was thinking.
He proactively stepped forward and handed the items he brought to Li Qinghe.
It was a small token of his feelings.
“This subject was worried about the Princess,” Lin Yue said honestly. “With the fire at Chaoren Hall, the Princess likely wasn’t prepared. Inside are the bedding and fox furs the Princess gave me in the past. After accepting them, I kept them in the cupboard. Now, these things should be of help to the Princess.”
Li Qinghe’s body stiffened.
In the past, these items were things Li Qinghe considered unworthy of being presented.
She had given them to Lin Yue as a reward simply because she felt he only deserved such things.
She hadn’t needed to spend any extra thought on him.
Now, seeing Lin Yue personally presenting these things he treated like rare treasures, how could Li Qinghe not feel mocked?
“Take them back.”
She refused without thinking. “Although This Princess is down and out, I haven’t fallen so low as to take back things I’ve given away.”
“This Princess appreciates your kindness, but… don’t bring these things here again in the future.”
Since she had decided to discard Lin Yue as a pawn back then, there was no logic in letting him back on the chessboard.
Moreover, Lin Yue’s current position was even more awkward than hers.
He was neither Li Xuanyue’s consort nor her person; he was like a dispensable nobody in the Phoenix Clan.
Li Qinghe didn’t want to have any further involvement with him.
Lin Yue’s face stiffened. Seeing his kindness rejected by Li Qinghe, he was stuck holding the items out—neither taking them back nor having them accepted.
They just hung there in mid-air.
It wasn’t until Jun Mo appeared that the rigid atmosphere was broken.
“Since she doesn’t want them, give them to this Prince.”
Jun Mo directly ordered the attendant by his side to take the items from Lin Yue’s hands.
Li Qinghe looked at him with great dissatisfaction. “Isn’t the Second Prince taking a nap? How do you have time to come out?”
Jun Mo smiled faintly. “What do you think?”
“I heard someone was giving the Princess… no, giving you things, so this Prince came out specially to take a look.”
“Tsk, tsk. I didn’t expect that even after falling to this state, there are still people thinking about and worrying about you.”
“It really is… not easy, is it!”
For someone like Li Qinghe, whose every action was driven by profit, what was there to be worried about?
Was this man blind?
Li Qinghe’s face alternated between green and red at Jun Mo’s sarcasm.
“What does this have to do with you, Second Prince?”
She retorted, “If the Second Prince has nothing else to do, please go inside and rest, won’t you?”
“Hmph!”
Jun Mo couldn’t be bothered to stand there and bicker with Li Qinghe.
“Fine. You stand outside and keep watch tonight.”
After saying that, without waiting for Li Qinghe to reply, Jun Mo took his people and went inside.
Seeing that the items were delivered, Lin Yue naturally couldn’t stay any longer and had to find an excuse to leave.
“Princess, this subject still has matters to attend to. I won’t disturb you further. Farewell.”
The scene that was supposed to be warm and caring ended abruptly just like that.
Li Qinghe was so angry her face turned iron-green.
Meanwhile, in Fenghe Hall, after Xiao Han was rescued and examined by Divine Physician Liu to confirm he was physically fine, he began his patrols.
This matter naturally did not escape Hua Shan’s eyes and ears.
From the fire at Chaoren Hall to the disappearance of the person in the secret chamber, Hua Shan had already formed a hypothesis and an answer in his heart.
He just hadn’t expected Li Xuanyue to actually have the guts.
Had she grown up?
“Master, should we send someone to invite Princess Xuanyue over for questioning?” Xiao Ce asked hesitantly.
Although he couldn’t quite read the expression on Hua Shan’s face, he could guess that his master’s heart was definitely not at ease right now.
Hua Shan’s cold eyes fixed on Xiao Ce for a few seconds.
“Ask what?”
His voice was cool, carrying a naturally deep resonance, as he countered Xiao Ce.
“Ask her how she knew about the secret chamber? Or ask how she knew Xiao Han was in This Sovereign’s hands?”
Xiao Ce was choked into silence by Hua Shan’s question.
Doing so would be tantamount to a confession without duress, admitting the fact that Xiao Han was in their hands all along.
If so, wouldn’t all the things Hua Shan had previously said to Li Xuanyue be proven false?
“Everyone must pretend not to know about this matter, pretend that nothing happened.”
Hua Shan instructed indifferently, “In the future, simply pay more attention and have people guard everywhere strictly.”
It was precisely because Li Xuanyue grasped this point that she allowed Xiao Han to appear openly before everyone.
Even if Hua Shan sent someone to ask, she would have reasons to question him back.
But given Li Xuanyue’s understanding of Hua Shan, her Father Sovereign wouldn’t be foolish enough to let leverage fall into her hands, giving her a chance to turn the tables on him.
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