The Crown Prince, Xiao Yun, and the Prince of Yue arrived.
Everyone rose to greet them.
Led by Wei Yu, they respectfully paid their respects to His Highness the Crown Prince.
Xiao Yun smiled and looked at Wang Qingyao, "Yao Yao."
As he spoke, he walked over and helped her up.
He Rufang, who had been standing on Wang Qingyao's other side, saw Xiao Yun approaching and quickly and shrewdly retreated behind Wang Qingyao.
Wei Yu was the highest-ranking female guest, followed by Wei Qing, Wang Qingyao, and Princess Mu Jin.
Wang Qingyao was already standing at the front, and He Rufang, being next to her, naturally stood near the front as well.
The Crown Prince knew a little about Wei Yu's plan.
Therefore, the Crown Prince subconsciously paid extra attention to Wang Qingyao.
With this attention, he naturally saw He Rufang.
The Crown Prince froze on the spot.
The heavens roared open.
Starlight rained down.
He could no longer see anyone else in his eyes.
"Crown Prince, Crown Prince?" It wasn't until Wei Yu called him several times that he snapped back to attention.
"Ah? Oh, what is it?" he asked absentmindedly.
Wei Yu noticed his gaze, her heart grew cold, and her eyes darkened abruptly.
"What are you looking at, Crown Prince? I called you several times and you didn't hear me," Wei Yu asked, half-jokingly, half-resentfully.
The Crown Prince gave an embarrassed smile, but couldn't help but glance up at He Rufang.
He Rufang noticed the Crown Prince's gaze, nodded in greeting, and did not appear overly flattered by his attention.
This composure and coolness only made the Crown Prince more captivated.
Wei Yu smiled brightly, turning a passive situation into an active one.
"Crown Prince, are you perhaps looking at the cousin of the Princess of Ding'an? This young lady is beautiful, but she is intended for the Prince of Ding'an by the Princess of Ding'an. Surely the Crown Prince wouldn't try to snatch someone from the Prince of Ding'an?" Wei Yu said, thinking herself clever.
The Crown Prince, as the heir apparent, was under the scrutiny of countless eyes.
He would never do something like snatching a woman from another man.
Especially when that man was the Prince of Ding'an.
By revealing He Rufang's identity, Wei Yu intended to extinguish any romantic notions the Crown Prince might have from the outset.
She even thought that Xiao Yun had already taken a liking to He Rufang, and her words were merely adding fuel to the fire.
Xiao Yun should be thanking her.
To her surprise, Xiao Yun immediately retorted with a smile, "Your Highness the Crown Princess misunderstands. Miss He is my grandmother's adopted daughter, and the formal adoption ceremony has yet to take place. Miss He prefers to keep a low profile and does not wish to publicize it before the formal adoption."
The adopted daughter of the Old Dowager?
That would make her the nominal aunt of the Prince of Ding'an.
Everyone was taken aback.
Wei Yu also paused, then sneered, "Then why didn't the Princess of Ding'an mention it earlier?"
Wang Qingyao said with feigned innocence, "Although my cousin comes from an ordinary background, she is indifferent to fame and fortune. She doesn't want to be accused of clinging to power, so she asked me not to mention it before the formal adoption ceremony."
The Crown Prince's gaze towards He Rufang became even more admiring.
He Rufang, vaguely aware of Wang Qingyao's intentions, showed a faint blush on her face.
"It is all my fault for causing Your Highness the Crown Princess to misunderstand," she said, curtsying slightly to Wei Yu, her posture graceful and elegant, her every movement like a celestial dance.
She didn't even cast a glance at the Crown Prince, yet he was mesmerized.
Wei Yu gritted her teeth in secret.
Xiao Yun joked, "It seems the Crown Prince quite fancies Miss He. Perhaps..."
"Ah," Wang Qingyao interrupted at the opportune moment.
Xiao Yun looked at her in confusion. She subtly shook her head.
She thought her actions were discreet, but unaware that she was now "blind," she didn't know the Crown Prince was standing opposite her, and all her movements were falling into his eyes.
The Crown Prince was cunning and suspicious.
In an instant, he thought of many things.
Wang Qingyao had always been at odds with the Wei family, and she had countless grievances with Wei Yu.
Why would she be unwilling to offer such a beauty to him, to spite Wei Yu?
Could it be that she intended to offer Miss He to the Emperor?
This was the most plausible explanation he could come up with.
He immediately seized the opportunity, saying, "I do indeed admire Miss He greatly. However, I wonder if the Princess of Ding'an and the Old Dowager would be willing to part with her?"
Such a blatant declaration of affection caused even the usually composed He Rufang to glance at the Crown Prince. A blush tinged her cool, elegant face, making her appear particularly charming.
The Crown Prince smiled gently at her.
Wei Yu's blood rushed to her head. Bitch!
She shot He Rufang a venomous glare. He Rufang flinched as if in fear.
The Crown Prince immediately glared back at Wei Yu.
Wei Yu's face turned red with anger.
Princess Mu Jin then chimed in with a smile, "Just now, Your Highness the Crown Princess was educating us, saying we should prioritize our husband's preferences. Your Highness the Crown Princess is truly a model of generosity and virtue for us to learn from!"
The others in the hall wanted to laugh but dared not, their heads bowed, struggling to suppress their amusement.
Wei Yu's sharp gaze shot towards Princess Mu Jin, but Princess Mu Jin was no longer the woman she could easily bully.
She met Wei Yu's gaze calmly, a mocking yet pitying smile playing on her lips.
Wei Yu clenched her fists tightly.
Bitch, all of them are bitches!
Wang Qingyao was silent for a moment, "It is Miss He's good fortune that the Crown Prince fancies her. However, this matter is of great importance, and I must return to discuss it with the Old Dowager."
"That is only proper, that is only proper," the Crown Prince's attitude was surprisingly good.
"What is your name? Tell me," the Crown Prince asked He Rufang gently.
He Rufang nodded, "Replying to His Highness the Crown Prince, this humble one's name is He Rufang."
"Ru fang swallows jade dew, adorning flowers drunk in the Jade Pool. A good name, a good name," the Crown Prince praised repeatedly.
He Rufang blushed slightly.
Wei Yu watched coldly, her gaze sweeping over He Rufang's face before landing on Wang Qingyao.
Wang Qingyao must have done this on purpose!
Wei Yu saw through Wang Qingyao in an instant!
She must have deliberately brought He Rufang here to "seduce" the Crown Prince, wanting to humiliate her!
Wei Yu glared at her fiercely, then a malicious smile curved her lips.
Enjoy your moment of triumph, for soon you won't even know how you died!