How did they get here?
Did they hear everything Xie Jin just said?
Her face turned ashen, her entire face flushing scarlet. Although she had always been arrogant and disrespected everyone except her imperial father, it didn't mean she wasn't afraid of losing face!
And to lose face in front of the man she fancied!
"Xie Jin, how dare you spout nonsense! Who gave you the courage to slander me?" Princess Shengyue stiffened and turned around, furiously pointing at Xie Jin.
Xie Jin clutched his nose. "Princess Shengyue has bad breath, and I'm not allowed to say it? I'm being kind. Now that you know you have bad breath, you can find a doctor to treat it. Won't it be cured then?"
He wasn't sure if it was psychological, but he felt like Princess Shengyue really did have bad breath.
Yun Shu and Zhan Tianye had been standing outside the door for a while, hearing every word Xie Jin said.
It had to be said, Xie Jin's sharp tongue could kill people. He could make someone pass out from anger without drawing a single sword or blade!
No wonder Zhan Tianye had said to let Xie Jin enter the palace first. Once Xie Jin was in, he could stir up trouble.
Well, he was truly wise!
Zhan Tianye saw the admiration in Yun Shu's eyes, and his heart skipped a beat. He couldn't quite bear such a look.
"You're lying!" Princess Shengyue's face was flushed red, her lungs about to explode with anger.
Aaaaaah!
No one had ever dared to humiliate her like this!
This was a fatal humiliation!
Xie Jin, covering his nose, raised an eyebrow. "I never lie."
After speaking, he earnestly said to Zhan Tianhong, "Your Majesty, the matter of the princess's marriage alliance must be handled with extreme caution. I heard that Prince Ye has already recommended Prince Ning? In my opinion, if Prince Ning doesn't mind Princess Shengyue's bad breath, then indeed, based on their appearance and status, they are a match made in heaven. As for Prince Ye, he is most suited for Miss Yun the second. Moreover, Prince Ye cannot tolerate bad breath."
"Shut up! Stop your nonsense!" Princess Shengyue raised her hand to strike Xie Jin.
Zhan Tianyu looked at Xie Jin, then at Zhan Tianye standing at the door, and immediately understood. They were doing this on purpose, working together to push Princess Shengyue towards him.
Xie Jin retreated a few steps, nimble as ever. "Princess Shengyue, this is Yongning Kingdom. You dare to strike the heir of Yongning Kingdom? Is your Xixia Kingdom too arrogant? A mere princess who wants to form a marriage alliance, and you don't even respect our Dongning Kingdom? I suspect you're not here to form an alliance, but to slap the face of our Yongning Kingdom!"
This was a killing blow.
These words instantly jolted Princess Shengyue awake.
Princess Shengyue's eyes widened.
She suddenly realized something.
Her back stiffened, and she saw Zhan Tianhong's face darken. Although he was young, his expression at that moment was almost identical to her imperial father's when he was angry.
Yet, she still felt that as a princess of Xixia, they wouldn't dare do anything to her!
"You are framing me! Also, what is your status? A mere heir of a marquis's estate dares to interfere in the marriage alliance between two countries? The one I fancy is Prince Ye! I will never marry anyone else!" Princess Shengyue reiterated her stance.
Zhan Tianyu's temples throbbed. He felt his patience with Princess Shengyue was nearing its limit!
This would ruin everything!
It was different from the information he had received earlier. The previous intelligence indicated that Princess Shengyue was the most beautiful woman in Xixia, comparable to Yun Shu.
To his surprise, she didn't even have half the sense of Jiang Luoxi!
To prevent everything from being ruined, he felt it was time to take action.
"Heir Xie, the marriage alliance is a major matter, not something you can decide with a few words. I have no intention of forming a marriage alliance with Princess Shengyue. Princess Shengyue fancies Prince Ye," Zhan Tianyu said calmly.
Zhan Tianye strode over, seemingly bringing a chilling wind that brought a hint of coldness to the entire hall.
"There is no room for negotiation regarding the marriage alliance. I dislike people with bad breath," Zhan Tianye stated sternly, without any mercy.
The disdain was obvious.
Princess Shengyue felt as though her face was being slapped repeatedly.
It stung.
She took a deep breath and defended herself, "Prince Ye, are you blinded by Yun Shu? Did Yun Shu spread rumors about me to you? Look with your own eyes, I went to the Yun Mansion today to discuss matters with Yun Shu, but Yun Shu actually dared to attack me! Prince Ye..."
Before she could finish speaking, she saw a cold glint in Zhan Tianye's eyes.
His gaze startled her immensely.
"Without my permission, you dared to disturb her?" Zhan Tianye questioned coldly.
Yun Shu looked at Zhan Tianye defending her with every word, and her eyes suddenly sparkled.
Princess Shengyue looked at Zhan Tianye imperiously. "Prince Ye, have you lost your mind over her? Why are you still protecting her like this? I have never been so humiliated!"
"Enough," Zhan Tianhong's voice was a sharp command.
He looked at Princess Shengyue. "The marriage alliance is not urgent. This time, Princess Shengyue can consider it a trip to Yongning Kingdom to admire the scenery. However, as a Xixia national, Princess Shengyue must not harm anyone while in Dongning Kingdom."
"What?" Princess Shengyue thought she was hallucinating.
She was being threatened!
Zhan Tianyu was also somewhat incredulous.
It seemed that Zhan Tianhong and Zhan Tianye were not truly estranged. They were still protecting Zhan Tianye at this juncture and had no intention of marrying Princess Shengyue to him.
His gaze deepened. He had been planning for years and couldn't wait any longer. It would be in the next few days.
Princess Shengyue suddenly turned to Yun Shu. "You are a temptress! Yun Shu, do you know what Prince Ye will give up because of you? Did you have Heir Xie come before the Emperor and Prince Ye to slander me?"
No, she couldn't be threatened like this!
Seeing Princess Shengyue shifting the blame back to her, Yun Shu said with a half-smile, "Princess Shengyue, what do you think Prince Ye will gain by marrying you?"
Upon hearing this, Princess Shengyue's eyes lit up. "I am a princess of Xixia. Marrying Prince Ye will save both countries trouble! Prince Ye marrying me will earn him the favor of my imperial father, and then..."
"Princess Shengyue!" Zhan Tianyu suddenly raised his voice to stop her.
If she continued, it would truly ruin everything!
"Why is Prince Ning so eager to stop Princess Shengyue? I'm very curious what Princess Shengyue meant by 'then'," Yun Shu said with a light laugh.
"Do you want me to work for Xixia? And then overthrow my Yongning Kingdom?" Zhan Tianye cut to the chase.
Zhan Tianhong was enraged. "Audacious!"
"So, this is Xixia's conspiracy!" Xie Jin sighed.
Zhan Tianyu felt darkness engulfing his vision.
Princess Shengyue suddenly awoke. "You, you dare to set a trap for me, making me say..."
"Princess!" Qian Jin realized something was wrong and quickly intervened.