With a whoosh, an outer robe was flung over, tightly wrapping Chu Huaiyu's nearly exposed body.
The young ladies from the Duke's mansion, along with Qin Liuyan, had been lost in the music.
Now, seeing the situation, Qin Liuyan's face instantly turned ashen with fear, and she stumbled out.
"Huaiyu!" she cried, hugging Chu Huaiyu, both anxious and angry, "How, how could this happen?"
Qing Ming also fully regained his senses.
Just now, he had actually watched Miss Huaiyu undress to the music.
It was as if Miss Huaiyu was undressing for him!
He clearly possessed profound internal energy, yet he hadn't expected that his fantasy of Chu Huaiyu throwing herself into his arms would cause him to fall prey to the music!
Once Qing Ming sobered up, he was so enraged he wanted to kill. "Your Highness, Yu Linglong used her zither to bewitch souls!"
Chu Huaiyu trembled with fear. Seeing Feng Yexuan and Qing Ming approaching her, she suddenly pushed Qin Liuyan away forcefully.
She ran towards Feng Yexuan, crying, "Your Highness, I don't know... I didn't mean to expose myself, I really don't know what happened!"
"Your Highness, please don't be angry, don't... sob..."
Chu Huaiyu wept heartbrokenly, and Qing Ming felt a pang of pain watching her.
"Miss Huaiyu, it's not your fault. Yu Linglong used her zither to bewitch souls and controlled your actions."
Qing Ming glanced at Feng Yexuan.
The Prince's face was ashen, but this anger was clearly not directed at Chu Huaiyu.
It was at Yu Linglong.
However, Yu Linglong had already fainted. No matter how angry the Prince was, he couldn't go and whip her corpse.
"The Prince is not angry," Qing Ming could only comfort Chu Huaiyu first. "Look, the outer robe on you is the Prince's!"
Seeing Chu Huaiyu crying so miserably, Qing Ming's heart broke.
As long as she stopped crying, he would do anything for her.
Chu Huaiyu looked down at the robe wrapped around her, her heart warming, and she instinctively wanted to lean closer to Feng Yexuan.
But the Prince exuded an aura of extreme coldness that kept people at a distance, and she didn't dare to act rashly.
Yet, in her heart, she felt truly distressed and remained terrified and uneasy.
"Your Highness, please don't... be angry..."
Perhaps it was due to her shock and confusion, but as soon as Chu Huaiyu said this, her vision suddenly darkened, and she slumped down.
Feng Yexuan casually reached out to steady her.
Chu Huaiyu naturally leaned into his embrace.
But for some reason, the force with which the Prince steadied her seemed... slightly off.
She accidentally fell into Qing Ming's arms.
Qing Ming was taken aback, but Miss Huaiyu was so weak, he couldn't not support her.
He could only hold her, feeling both surprised and delighted, in the least ambiguous manner possible.
He looked at Feng Yexuan, "Your Highness, Miss Huaiyu is... about to faint."
Feng Yexuan's expression was like ice.
He glanced back at the Empress, his voice exceptionally indifferent. "Mother, your son has matters to attend to. I bid you farewell!"
He turned and left.
Qing Ming immediately supported Chu Huaiyu and followed him, leaving.
This... this meant he was taking Chu Huaiyu back to his Xuan Prince's mansion!
Qin Liuyan, after a moment of stunned silence, was immediately overjoyed!
The Prince is wise!
Unexpectedly, Huaiyu had turned misfortune into fortune, directly entering the Xuan Prince's mansion!
This was truly wonderful!
The scene instantly fell silent.
Chu Qianli watched their retreating figures. Although she didn't feel anything for that man, for some reason, her body inexplicably ached.
She didn't know where it hurt, it just felt as if a nerve had been tugged, causing a sharp pain.
Perhaps it was the injury on her shoulder that had been accidentally bumped again.
Feng Yexuan left with Chu Huaiyu.
The young ladies' hopes were completely dashed.
After an unknown period of time, the Empress's heavy cough was heard.
Everyone's thoughts were pulled back by her.
The Empress was very angry!
The selection banquet, originally intended to humiliate Prince Xuan, had instead caused her to lose face!
Judging by the way the young ladies looked at him when Feng Yexuan left, it was clear.
These young ladies were all focused on Prince Xuan.
Were they so disdainful of her son, Prince He?
The Empress was furious, and finally, her gaze fell upon Chu Qianli.
Feng Yexuan had left, and Yu Linglong had been escorted away.
Someone had to bear the brunt of this anger!
That person was Chu Qianli!
The Empress angrily declared, "You are the concubine abandoned by Prince Xuan! How dare a discarded woman come to the selection banquet held by this palace for Prince He? What are your intentions?"
Chu Qianli found it both laughable and exasperating.
This Empress, having taken her anger out on someone else when she had no outlet, was now taking it out on her.
This blame was truly inexplicable.
Just as she was about to explain with a cold expression, Feng Wuya, who was beside her, said faintly, "Mother has misunderstood. Little Li'er came with me."
He stood up, looked at Chu Qianli, and smiled, "Since Mother is unhappy, then, Little Li'er, come back with me."
He turned and left, as潇洒 as Prince Xuan.
Anyone could see that even if the Empress had spoken to retain him, this gentleman would likely not have stayed.
The legendary carefree Prince, indifferent to court affairs and devoid of desire, cared for no one.
Who would have thought it was true.
He didn't even care about the Empress!
Although Chu Qianli didn't want to get involved with royalty, the逍遥 Prince offered her a convenient way out.
Immediately, she also stood up, bowed to the Empress, "Farewell!"
She quickly caught up with Feng Wuya and also left!
The Empress, left behind, was so angry she almost overturned the table.
However, Prince He, sitting beside the Empress, had been calmly drinking his wine from beginning to end.
Compared to the Empress's irritability, he appeared much more profound and steady.
Discarded woman?
Mother called Chu Qianli the Fourth Prince's discarded woman, but he didn't think so.
Earlier at the banquet, most people's attention was on Chu Huaiyu, but he, Feng Qihe, had kept his focus on two people.
One was Chu Qianli, who smiled carelessly while watching Chu Huaiyu dance.
The other was a man who had been staring at Chu Qianli with an extremely cold, yet also extremely complex gaze.
His Fourth Prince, Feng Yexuan.
Such a gaze... Hmph, this discarded woman was more than just a discarded woman.
His Fourth Prince's feelings for Chu Qianli, though hidden from others, could not be hidden from him.
It seemed his Fourth Prince had indeed found a weakness.
This weakness was Chu Qianli...
Chu Qianli had only followed Feng Wuya away from the banquet. As soon as she entered the imperial garden, she bid Feng Wuya farewell.
"You are injured. Do you truly not need an imperial physician to examine you?" Feng Wuya asked.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I am fine. I will apply some medicine when I get back."
Chu Qianli bowed to him and turned to leave.
This girl, how unwilling was she to deal with him?
Feng Wuya watched her walk away before leaving.
Chu Qianli left the palace through the back gate and was heading towards her carriage.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she stepped out, a dark shadow flashed before her eyes.
Before she could react, the person had already landed behind her in the blink of an eye.
A sharp pain in the back of her collar!
Her acupoint had been sealed!