C33

"Third Prince, please prepare some things for me."

Li Fengyi looked towards Shangguan Qian, nodding as he instructed the eunuchs waiting at the side to prepare. Although he could not say that he liked Shangguan Qian, but he did not want her to lose face in front of the empress and the other princes. No matter what, she would be the third imperial concubine in the future.

"Qian'Er, can you do it?" He probed, "If it doesn't work, then forget it."

Shangguan Qian directly ignored Li Fengyi's worry, striding over to the table that had been set up in the center, with Xuan paper on it.

She picked up the brush and looked at the Xuan paper, her expression extremely casual.

Everyone was looking at her in bewilderment. Of course, most of them were taking pleasure in her misfortune, and all of them wanted to see Shangguan Qian make a fool of himself.

Li Qingying walked to her side and teased, "Princess, are you planning on painting?"

"None of your business." Shangguan Qian shot him a faint glance, before casually making a line. From the professional point of view, Shangguan Qian did not know how to draw.

At most, she would just randomly draw on the xuan paper. Li Qingying, who stood to the side, looked at her drawing with ridicule and laughed out loud.

"Does the Princess of Great Rue only know how to do this kind of painting?"

"Yes." Shangguan Qian had given him an indifferent look, and together with Cui Zhu, they both picked up the Xuan paper, revealing a painting that had been dyed a pale black.

A burst of laughter followed. The princes laughed, and even Li Qingying, who stood beside them, could not help but mock them.

"Shangguan Qian, is this your painting? Are you sure it's a painting? "

Li Fengyi who sat below the stage saw this tragic painting and his face turned ashen. Since when had he lost so much face?

This Shangguan Qian was really giving him face! The explosive laughter of the crowd was like an invisible slap to his face.

"Li Qingying, wait and see."

Shangguan Qian'er said with a confident tone, a hint of pride in her tone, "Empress, today is the reward party, so I shall send you a lotus flower then, and wish the empress eternal youth."

After she finished speaking, the crowd noticed that the painting in her hands seemed to be changing under the rays of the sun. The initially messy painting actually slowly died down.

The entire painting also started to brighten up. Everyone stopped laughing and focused on the painting in her hands.

"This painting …" Li Qingying was also stunned. His expression changed from the mocking smile from before to surprise.

As the water lessened, a flower bud gradually appeared on the rice paper under the sunlight. Soon after, the lotus flower bloomed, eventually turning into an extremely beautiful lotus flower.

The whole process seemed to be watching how the lotus blossomed, so real that everyone was immersed in Shangguan Qian's painting.

"Wonderful, truly wonderful." Ouyang Jin clapped his hands with a hint of admiration on his face. He never thought that this little girl would actually have such wisdom and use such methods to paint.

Everyone recovered from the shock after hearing the Imperial Advisor's words. The empress nodded in agreement. "The Princess' paintings are indeed wondrous."

"Empress, you're too kind. These are all small fries that don't deserve to be treated well. Don't make everyone laugh." Shangguan Qian passed the painting to a young eunuch at the side.

"Shangguan Qian, how did you make this painting?" Teach me! " Li Qing Ying said with an expression of interest.

"Eighth brother, if you keep pestering the princess like this, the third prince is going to get jealous." The Crown Prince reminded him with a smile.

"I'm just curious."

Shangguan Qian gave him a bland look, then turned and walked down the stage, just in time to meet Sun Yuechan. There was a dull look in her eyes, but his expression was exceptionally unnatural as he let out a hollow laugh.

"Princess is indeed powerful. Yue Jiao is lamenting her inferiority."

"They are all just small fries, difficult to deal with. They can't be considered powerful or weak at all." Shangguan Qian did not plan on walking too close to her, turning to walk towards Li Fengyi.

Li Fengyi was also shocked, and the way he looked at her also changed a little. He really did not expect Shangguan Qian to be so talented.

"Princess!" Cui Zhu whispered behind her.

"Eh?"

"Shen Ruqi has disappeared!"

Only then did Shangguan Qian notice that Shen Ruoqi, who had always been behind him, had actually disappeared. She instantly furrowed his brow. Although she didn't want to care about him, if he did, she would be blamed for it.

"Third Prince, do you know where Shen Ruoqi went?"

Li Fengyi lightly shook his head, "I'm not sure."

His face was cold, as if he didn't know Shen Ruoqi at all. Shangguan Qian really did not dare to think that this man was so ruthless.

No matter what, Shen Ruoqi had been with him for a while, but now she actually just ignored him.

"I'll go find her."

The palace was a complicated place, how could they find Shen Ruoqi? Shangguan Qian's brow furrowed as he walked out of the pavilion.

The pavilion was connected to a forest, and this was the only way out of it. However, this path was very deserted. Very few people went there, and everyone came to the pavilion by boat.

The surrounding pond was filled with peach blossoms, and the scene was especially beautiful.

Right at this moment, a woman's shrill scream rang out. Shangguan Qian stopped in his tracks, his brow furrowed, and an ominous feeling welled up from the bottom of his heart.

"Princess, let's go back." Cui Zhu said softly, her small face had a look of caution.

The lotus flowers were everywhere in the lotus pond, and the path was winding and rugged. One could not see the end of the road, much less what had just happened.

"Plop ~ ~ ~"

The sound of falling into water came, and Shangguan Qian's nerves tensed up, his hands clenched into fists. She was not a kind person, and he did not have any curiosity.

"Cui Zhu, let's hurry …"

He hadn't even finished the word "go" when a numbing pain came from the back of his neck. His vision went black and he fainted.

"Ah, dead, there's a dead man here!"

A sharp cry rang out, Shangguan Qian opened his eyes in a daze, the pain in the back of his neck was intense, what had just happened?

But at this time, the messy footsteps were getting closer and closer. The one in the lead was a woman wearing luxurious clothing. Her beauty was gorgeous, followed by the eighth prince and Li Fengyi.

"Princess? "Why are you here?" The woman's voice was very shrill, and as she spoke, the hairpin on her head emitted a melodious' ding 'sound as it collided with each other.

However, her expression was very strange. Her eyes were inexplicably sharp, as if she wanted to see through her.

"I don't know either." Shangguan Qian'er rubbed the back of her neck. She had just been knocked unconscious here!

"Qian'Er, are you alright?" Li Fengyi stepped forward and pulled her up, his tone calm, "What happened just now? "Why did you kill him?"

Murder?

Her eyes were wide open as she looked at Li Fengyi in disbelief. Her face was filled with doubt, "What murder?"

"Your servant clearly saw that the princess stabbed the green pearl to death with a knife and then threw her into the lotus pond." A palace maid wearing a pink dress testified.

Shangguan Qian was even more confused. What was going on? When did she kill?

"Where's Cui Zhu? Where did my maid Cui Zhu go? " The one Shangguan Qian was concerned about was Cui Zhu, when she woke up he did not see Cui Zhu, where did she go?

"How did my maids offend the princess? and you were actually viciously murdered by the princess? " The leading well-dressed woman cried as she questioned.

"Hua Fei, perhaps it was just a misunderstanding. I believe that it wasn't done by the princess." Li Fengyi said with a serious expression.

On the other hand, Li Qingying walked slowly to Shangguan Qian's side, smiling as he asked, "I didn't know that the princess has such a hobby."

"You all insisted that I killed someone. Where is the evidence? I was also knocked out here, and my maid has gone missing! " Shangguan Qian said solemnly.

She frowned, her expression extremely unsightly. Just now, she must have met with something that shouldn't have happened, so she was framed.

However, she was completely confused. Wasn't this blame a little too much?

"This servant saw it with her own eyes. How could I be wrong?" The pink-robed palace maid insisted that she had done it.

Shangguan Qian really had the feeling of being at a loss of what to say. After all, not many people were familiar with her, and there were not many who could testify for her.

At this moment, the guards picked up the corpse from the pond. There was a dagger stabbed into her chest, and she looked grim.

"What else do you have to say?" The little palace maid once again confirmed her words.

Shangguan Qian'er gave a cold sneer, wasn't this accusation a little too ridiculous? He was able to say that she killed someone on his own?

"Hua Fei …"

Li Fengyi knitted his brows, his face ashen, "I can guarantee that the princess isn't that kind of person, perhaps it's just a misunderstanding."

"What misunderstanding? Third Prince said that there was some misunderstanding? " Hua Fei's brows twitched as she asked softly.

Suddenly, a person squeezed in next to Hua Fei and whispered, "Big sister, I also believe that it wasn't done by the princess. She doesn't look like a bad person."

Shangguan Qian couldn't help raising his head to look at Sun Yuetao. He didn't expect his to speak up for him. And this Hua Fei is her elder sister?

"Yue Jiao, the human heart is treacherous. How do you know that this princess is as kind as she looks?"

"Haha, Hua Fei is right. Maybe this princess doesn't know her place." Li Qing Ying added insult to injury.

Shangguan Qian Bei looked at them deeply for a moment, before finally looking at the pink dressed palace maid, walking over slowly.

Her gaze was unnatural, even a little fearful. However, it was quickly concealed.

"You said you saw me kill someone?"

"Yes, I saw you kill people with a knife!" The pink-clothed palace maid insisted.

Shangguan Qian curled his lips in mockery, stretching out her hands, "If I really did kill someone, my hands would definitely be covered in blood, right?" My hands are clean. "

"Perhaps... Maybe you dried it. "

"What do I use to wipe it? Are there any traces of blood on me? " Shangguan Qian took a step closer and continued asking, "And you still say I pushed her." into the pond. "

"Yes …" "Yes." The little palace maid could not bear the pressure and even her voice was trembling.

"If you put this fence around my waist, I will have to use a lot of strength to push her down. How much strength does a woman have? But you, why did you frame me? Was the one who knocked me out you? "

Shangguan Qian's string of questions rendered the young palace maid speechless. She didn't know how to respond as she looked at Hua Fei in panic.

Hua Fei ruthlessly slapped her, and said in a low voice, "What do you know? Say it! "

"This servant, this servant only saw someone kill the green pearl, but this servant didn't see clearly who it was …"

"Didn't see it clearly? "Just now, you said with absolute certainty that I was the one who killed them." Shangguan Qian asked.

"I …"

"Capture him!" The torture! " Hua Fei said angrily.

"Heh, although this is my first time in the Great Yan Dynasty, I have been framed like this. I hope that Hua Fei can give me an explanation."

Hua Fei's expression turned ugly. After a while, she replied, "I will naturally give the princess an explanation so that she won't suffer any grievances."

"That would be for the best, it's just my maid …"

"Another corpse has been found over here!"

The guards' shouts caused Shangguan Qian's heart to leap into his throat, and his expression changed as he ran towards the guards.

In the lotus pond, the one stuck in the mud was precisely Cui Zhu. Shangguan Qian felt his legs go soft, could it be that Cui Zhu still could not escape this calamity?