It didn’t make much for a wise person to understand the Emperor’s feelings about Ao Chenyi. Ning Xueyan heard, way back when she was in the Lord Protector’s Manor, that the Emperor was in poor health, a stark contrast to Ao Chenyi’s youthful vigor. This was plenty of reason for him, especially when Ao Mingyu and Ao Mingwan weren’t worthy opponents for Ao Chenyi.

These factors made it very likely for the Emperor to use this opportunity to attack Ao Chenyi.

The rebellion of the Feudal Prince of Annan would soon plunge the nation into chaos, allowing him to take advantage of the crisis for personal gain. If an incident were to break out during this time, it would be easier for him to deal with Ao Chenyi than in peaceful times.

“It’s all right. He can’t do anything to me.” Ao Chenyi patted Ning Xueyan’s head. He could see the panic in her eyes. With a languid laugh, he added, “He still doesn’t know about Annan’s rebellion, but I already do. While he’s focused on the women’s quarters, I have already moved a few of my chess pieces.”

Women’s quarters? Ning Xueyan’s eyes brightened. Ignoring the hand that had been patting her hair, she raised her head. Her long lashes fluttered like the wings of a butterfly, and underneath them, her beautiful and limpid eyes seemed shrouded in mist. She looked so adorable and lovely, yet her words struck the crux of the problem.

“Honored Consort Xia?”

Staring at her sincere face, as harmless as a young creature, and the cunning mirth behind her limpid eyes, Ao Chenyi was taken aback. Soon, he couldn’t help laughing. He rubbed her hair with strength until it was a mess. His kitten was too cute for words. How could there be so many expressions on her face?

“You’re right. Honored Consort Xia, a woman who foolishly believes herself to be infallible.” His reply was direct, but his smile was meaningful. “You can also call her Hua Yueying.”

This answer didn’t surprise Ning Xueyan. She had been working up to this conclusion the past few days because any other explanation for Hua Qiuying’s palace entry didn’t make sense. The incidents at the palace and Honored Consort Xia’s mysterious background, too. It went without saying that the Emperor couldn’t afford to let people know that he, as a monarch, stole the wife of his subordinate and younger brother.

The scandal would ruin his reputation. That was the real reason why Honored Consort Xia had stayed so mysterious all these years!

“The Hua family has always been ambitious. They married their eldest daughter to a widowed influential officer of the previous dynasty, but unfortunately, their luck was poor. They hadn’t married for long before the previous dynasty fell. His husband abandoned her as they fled, leaving her to die in the chaos,” Ao Chenyi explained carelessly. He picked up a strand of stray hair falling over her face and twirled it around his slender finger, looking idle.

“Chief Hua’s second daughter entered the palace at twelve years old to serve the Empress. She was given the lowest rank among all consort candidates but before she could seduce the Emperor of the previous dynasty, the nation fell. Then, the Lord Peace’s Manor and Hua Manor cooked up a scheme. The Empress Dowager took the lead in convincing my father to arrange my marriage with Hua Yueying.”

Ning Xueyan was stunned. She rested her face on his hand and looked at him quietly. So, this was the truth behind the so-called engagement between Ao Chenyi and the imperial concubine of the previous dynasty. This incident was enough to show how capable Chief Hua was. He was able to live well in both dynasties and was even able to marry his daughter, who had already entered the palace, off to Ao Chenyi.

No wonder people say that the Hua ladies would never marry an ordinary person. There was also the saying that the Hua ladies were noble.

“My father doted and trusted me even more after he ascended the throne, which made Hua Manor all that more eager to fawn over me. Hua Yueying kept visiting my manor under a variety of excuses, even bringing her then-young sister Hua Qiuying. I didn’t like her, but because it was my father’s intention, I allowed them to visit.”

Ning Xueyan blinked. She didn’t expect Hua Yueying to be so shameless as to visit Prince Yi’s Manor before their wedding. The Hua family, unlike an upstart family like the Lord Protector’s Manor, was an aristocratic clan spanning a hundred years. She recalled Hua Qiuying’s manners and appearance. It didn’t seem like she would do such a thing, and yet she did.

Hua Yueying even used a variety of excuses to enter Prince Yi’s Manor! The new dynasty had just been established at that time. Never mind her status as Ao Chenyi’s fiancee. She was the woman of the Emperor of the previous dynasty and shouldn’t be out and about. Yet, she used a bunch of excuses to visit Prince Yi’s Manor in such a high-profile way. Perhaps, she wasn’t too clever of a person!

Ning Xueyan looked at Ao Chenyi’s devastatingly handsome, taking in the mockery in his beautiful eyes. Realization dawned on her. She pulled at his sleeve in annoyance. Had Second Young Lady Hua truly fallen in love with him?

This was entirely possible if Ao Chenyi didn’t keep his face cold all year round, forcing the temperature around him to drop. Never mind that he had the late Emperor’s favor and might very well be the next Emperor. Few women would be able to refuse him because of his face alone.

That would explain why Hua Yueying did what she did.

“She… likes you, doesn’t she?” she said, saying what was on her mind. She buried her head in his chest after she popped out the question, feeling her face burn from embarrassment. Did she really say that? Even she could hear the jealousy in her voice. Yet, she was just curious about the answer.

She could hear his cold but pleasant voice and feel the shaking in his abdomen. She didn’t have to look up to know that he was laughing joyfully. He wrapped his hands around her slender waist, enveloping her in a gentle hug. “It’s all right. The only one I like is Yan’er.”

Her face turned even redder, to the point that she felt that her temperature wouldn’t be coming down any time soon. She didn’t dare to raise her head but said coquettishly, “Then, how did she ‘die of illness’ later on?”

It went without saying that after understanding the context, she knew that Hua Yueying’s ‘death by illness’ was just a reason, a reason to obscure the truth from the masses. The only factor that could have driven the Hua family to do so was benefit, in the same way that they had shamelessly placed Hua Yueying in the palace. Everything was for their benefit.

As she expected, Ao Chenyi’s reply solved the mystery for her.

“They blamed the murder of the three Annan women on me, imprisoning me and putting all the criminal charges on me. My father wasn’t around, and death seemed imminent for me. The Hua family used Hua Yueying to get on his side, but she was still my princess-to-be at that time. They couldn’t be too blatant about it. Besides, my father was still alive. So they made up a story that Hua Yueying died of illness.”

Ao Chenyi solved the mystery for her in a lazy manner. He spoke carelessly as if he was narrating someone else’s story. When she quietly raised her head from his chest, he even gave her tender cheek a naughty pinch.

“Hua Yueying then followed the Emperor into the palace and became the mysterious Honored Consort Xia. She doesn’t meet anyone on most days and never attends any banquets just to prevent people from recognizing her as Hua Yueying, who should be dead from illness. Chief Hua and Honored Consort Xia would really do anything for wealth and honor,” Ning Xueyan said.

She blinked, slapping Ao Chenyi’s hand away. But, confusion soon set in her eyes. “What does she want to do now? Does she want to meet you and tell you how much she regrets it and wants to get back with you?”

When she was in the palace, she had the feeling that Honored Consort Xia was trying very hard to approach Ao Chenyi. Honored Consort Xia tried to meet her every time she entered the palace, saying that they were fated. That was, of course, an excuse. Honored Consort Xia deliberately summoned her at the banquet celebrating Prince Xiang and Prince Fu. The mess with Hua Qiuying must be her idea as well.

And the maid who invited Ao Chenyi must have done so because Honored Consort Xia wanted to meet him. Why was she so sure that Ao Chenyi was willing to get back with her? That he didn’t look down on her? Would she put on a show and insist that it was the Emperor who forced her?

“The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Hua Yueying and her family think that they can have whatever they want and treat others like fools. A thrice-married woman thinks she’s a treasure.” Ao Chenyi let out a languid laugh, a trace of coldness appearing in his beautiful, half-closed eyes.

Ning Xueyan had finished gathering her thoughts by now. Hua Yueying was indeed a thrice-married woman who wanted to get back together with Ao Chenyi. She must have heard that Ao Chenyi insisted on staying a bachelor for her, staying “faithful” for many years. That was why she was so confident that as long as she met him and made herself out to be a pitiful person coerced by the Emperor, he would understand her predicament, forgive her, and bring her back to his manor again.

It wouldn’t be too hard to cook up a story of how she ended up reviving and getting lost among the people, especially when Ao Chenyi was so powerful. It was obvious which the better choice was: the rightful Princess Yi or the Emperor’s favorite consort who could only hide behind the scenes, unable to meet anyone.

Hua Yueying and her family, people who always understood what could give them the best advantages, knew which the superior position was.

Hua Yueying had a shameful identity. It didn’t matter if a shameful imperial consort could give birth to a son. The fact that she couldn’t get pregnant after so many years also proved another thing. It was very likely that the Emperor didn’t want her to give birth to his heirs. It didn’t make sense that a favored consort didn’t get pregnant otherwise.

This factor alone would have been enough to sway Hua Yueying. The old and frail Emperor would never match up to a bewitchingly handsome man like Ao Chenyi. No matter how one looked at it, Hua Yueying had nothing to lose by getting back together with Ao Chenyi, especially when Ao Chenyi seemed to be full of love for her.

Hua Qiuying, on the other hand, was just a chess piece for Hua Yueying to get in touch with Ao Chenyi. Of course, Hua Qiuying didn’t know this. She was still dreaming about marrying Prince Yi earlier, not realizing that her sister was treating her like a tool. Otherwise, Honored Consort Xia wouldn’t send her maid over just as Hua Qiuying was seducing Ao Chenyi.

The people outside hadn’t entered the room at the time. That meant that, according to Honored Consort Xia’s plan, no one would see Ao Chenyi and Hua Qiuying together. Her maid would just happen to “rescue” Ao Chenyi at that moment.

No one would see Ao Chenyi, as Hua Qiuying expected. And Honored Consort Xia would once again appear before him as his “benefactor”…