CH 77

Cover Up— This Niece is Indeed a Bad Woman with Deep Schemes (1)

At the foot of Lishan, a group of chariots and horses were heading towards Tangquan Palace.

In the most spacious and luxurious carriage, Crown Prince Xiao Yu was leaning on the thick mattress with his eyes closed.

It was sunny outside, but his face was a little gloomy as if he was upset about something.

There were still five or six days before New Year’s Eve. He planned to stay for a few more days on the way back to Changan from Huazhou and took the opportunity to visit several surrounding generals. As long as he returned to Changan before New Year’s Eve, it would be fine.

Under the arrangement of Xu Rong, he had written several letters. Although they did not have a very clear intention of forming an alliance, at least they did not show resistance or indifference.

This would have been the perfect time.

However, before he could arrive, they had already arrived in Changan. His sixth uncle, Xiao Kezhi, took the lead and summoned several generals back to Changan to report on their duties.

The hope that had just been ignited was shattered like this. Even though he had long heard that the court would call in the generals to report on their duties, and there might be some big changes, he still couldn’t help but wonder if the Emperor already knew his plan and if this was an intentional obstruction.

Once there was a change, these people would no longer be useful to him.

He pondered on his way back to Changan. If the Emperor got rid of too many people, the noble families would protest.

The carriage ran smoothly, and the guard at the front met an inner servant who hurried back to report the letter. After a few words in a low voice, he rode his horse to the side of the carriage and asked, “His Royal Highness, there is news from Tangquan Palace. The Emperor is at the foot of the mountain today at the stables. It seems that Her Highness the Crown Prince’s Consort is not in the palace and came down the mountain with the wife of the Duke of Lu.”

“Well.” Xiao Yu opened his eyes, lifted the curtains to look at the clear sky outside, and said, “Let’s just go to the stables, then.”

Theoretically, as soon as he returned to Changan, he should greet the Emperor. Now that he knew that the Emperor was at the stables, he naturally had to go directly there.

…

In the Imperial tent, the heavy curtains blocked most of the bright sunlight, blocking out the countless prying eyes.

The inside of the tent was sparsely decorated. There was only a simple low platform seat, a table, a few shelves and lampstands. Most people would not believe that this was an Emperor’s tent.

The only place that could be called luxurious was the thick layer of fleece blankets on the ground next to the fire, and a large tiger skin, which he had hunted himself last year.

The tiger skin was well preserved. Not only was it very complete, but its glossy color even allowed people to imagine how fierce and huge this beast was at that time.

Only now, a beauty reclined on the fur.

The beauty had messy hair, blushing cheeks, and confused eyes, probably because she had been stuffed into a heavy cloak for a long time. The movement of her body with her breaths was striking.

The riding outfit that had been tightly wrapped around her body had been loosened for the most part. With the movement of her arms half-supported by her side, it hung on her shaky body, and the vibrant warmth of the colors of the tiger skin made her seem paler than jade.

A dash of warmth was added to the dim tent.

Xiao Kezhi stood aside, looking down at the embarrassed beauty on the ground. His Adam’s apple rolled, and his eyes darkened.

While slowly loosening his shirt, he approached her step by step, stopped beside her, and let his tall and sturdy body cast a heavy shadow on her.

“Your Majesty…” She couldn’t help but want to hide, but his oppressive figure hung above her like a mountain. She scooted back in fear.

Xiao Kezhi admired her appearance until she began to tire, then suddenly and effortlessly grabbed one of her ankles and pulled her back.

“What are you running for? You want to go out and let people see that it is actually my niece in my tent?”

“A’Ning was wrong, begging the Emperor to have mercy and forgive A’Ning!”

She lay on her stomach and tried to struggle against the soft fur, but her feet were so tightly controlled that she couldn’t move, and she lost her strength.

“It’s like this every time. You pretend to be pitiful.” Xiao Kezhi gritted his teeth as if venting his anger, his tone was both resentful and proud, and the blue veins on his forehead jumped, “This time, I will not fall for your tricks.”

Chu Ning turned her head to look at him with embarrassed red eyes.

The two of them didn’t let up as if they were going to stalemate to the end.

Chu Ning’s eyes flashed, and she bit her lip tremblingly. She reached over with a jade foot and continued to make trouble.

“You—” Xiao Kezhi was shocked. His face suddenly froze and he wanted to reprimand her, but the words were stuck in his throat. He could only stare at her with a bit of annoyance, a bit of disbelief, and a bit of suppressed pleasure.

“Your Majesty, A’Ning is not an ignorant girl of fourteen or fifteen years old.” She whispered, smiling proudly at him, looking at his eyes full of charm and demonstration.

Yes, although she was young, she was not an ignorant girl, but a woman who had been married for two years, who was much more familiar with this than he was.