CH 118.2

Chapter 118.2 – Wolf Cub in Rabbit’s Clothing

Lu Qipei had an embarrassed look on her face. After thinking about it, she couldn’t hide it from Qi Yang, so she relented and said, “It’s not a big deal, it’s just… when the Crown Prince suddenly discovered Xie Yuan’s background before, I was the one who intentionally revealed it.”

Putting Xie Yuan in front of others was actually not a particularly good choice. After all, Xie Hongyi and Lu Qipei looked very similar back then. People who pay attention to details would’ve seen it, and the Crown Prince was someone who paid attention to details. But pushing Xie Yuan in front of the Crown Prince was also beneficial. Lu Qipei couldn’t personally deal with Xie Yuan, but it would be much easier to use the Crown Prince to deal with him.

It was only later, with the Emperor taking action against Xie Yuan, did the Crown Prince’s role became insignificant. However, the Crown Prince had clearly made some moves before, which made Xie Yuan suspect him first after he got plotted against.

It could be said that both the Emperor and the Crown Prince were Lu Qipei’s ultimate helper in dealing with Xie Yuan. They stood at the front stage, and helped her attract all of Xie Yuan’s attention. Even if she secretly took action behind the scenes, Xie Yuan wouldn’t suspect her, giving her a lot more freedom.

In Lu Qipei’s view, revealing Xie Yuan’s identity and pulling the Crown Prince into the water had more advantages compared to disadvantages.

However, Qi Yang’s expression was very ugly when she heard this. It’s not that she never thought of these benefits, but she also had her own concerns, “Why didn’t you discuss it with me? This is too risky! Royal Brother has a magnanimous and benevolent temperament, but people can always change. If one day he ascends to the throne and grows suspicious of you again, I’m afraid you wouldn’t be able to bear an Emperor’s suspicion.”

When she heard this, Lu Qipei obediently admitted her mistake and reparative measures with Qi Yang. It seemed that she understood her mistakes and was willing to correct it.

But there was something in her heart that Lu Qipei didn’t say to Qi Yang. Yes, the Crown Prince’s health might have seemed to become better this year, and he could still help the sick Emperor with the governmental affairs. But the two famous doctors that helped him recuperate had told her that the Crown Prince had been injured, then greatly affected by the cold. He hadn’t been able to recover in the past few years, and his lifespan had been greatly decreased.

Lu Qipei did not know how many years the Crown Prince would live. But with such a physical condition, even if the Crown Prince ascended the throne, the most likely possibility was that he would rely on them but simultaneously also on guard against them. When the timing was right, if they decisively retreated from the political arena, the Crown Prince would not kill them all.

After many years, the Crown Prince might become the Emperor and become suspicious of them, but who knew if he would survive until then?

It took Lu Qipei a whole morning to confess all the things she had done under Qi Yang’s pressure. However, there were some insignificant things that she herself didn’t care about and already forgot, so she naturally didn’t mention them.

Even so, Qi Yang still had a complicated feeling after listening to them, and really felt that she had misjudged Lu Qipei.

Was this really a soft, sweet, and obedient little rabbit that was easy to bully? She was clearly a little wolf cub in rabbit’s clothing, and if she got angry, she would bite, and this was a bite that would definitely tear off a chunk of your meat!

Of course, this wolf cub would always sweet and obedient in front of Qi Yang, and even pretend to be innocent. “Ah Ning, I’ve said almost everything that needs to be said. If you want to know about these things, I’ll tell you everything from now on.”

Qi Yang calmed down her complicated emotions. She once again got to understand her prince consort even more, and she finally calmed down completely.  When she heard Lu Qipei’s promise, she thought of the note that she had read before and asked, “Xie Yuan killed the Third Princess, and this matter will not end here. What other tricks do you have prepared, tell me.”

Lu Qipei carefully glanced at Qi Yang and saw that there was not much resentment on her face. Knowing that the latter no longer cared about the Third Princess’s tragic death, her heart also became relieved.

Lu Qipei said, “When I had someone pass the news to the Third Princess, I thought of two possibilities. First, she would go to the palace to report to the Rong Emperor. Now that the Rong Emperor and Xie Yuan have drifted apart, and the Rong State didn’t get any advantage from the war, the Rong Emperor can use this to make trouble. The second was that she would go back to the mansion and have a showdown with Xie Yuan. The consequences would be unpredictable, and the worst was that she would be silenced, like what happened now…”

Lu Qipei had prepared a follow-up move for both possibilities. If the Third Princess chose to complain to the Rong Emperor, she would arrange for someone to reveal Xie Yuan’s background, then exaggerate some of his past actions in Rong. The Rong Emperor was suspicious of him, so as long as she wasn’t too eager for a quick success, the Rong Emperor would eventually become more and more dissatisfied with Xie Yuan, and the two would eventually confront each other.

In the end, the Rong State was the Rong Emperor’s home turf. If they really ended up on the opposite side, Xie Yuan could only suffer – this could be considered as a continuation of the Emperor’s previous plan for sowing discord, just expanded even further.

But unexpectedly, the Third Princess, who had remained unknown in the prime minister’s mansion all these years, was actually so fierce that she didn’t’ choose to report to the Emperor. She just went for a direct showdown, and in the end, Xie Yuan no longer cared and directly killed her!

Even so, this result was actually the most favorable one for Lu Qipei.

Lu Qipei lowered her gaze and casually added a piece of charcoal to the brazier, telling Qi Yang, “The Third Princess and her son must not die in vain. Once this matter is brought in front of the Rong Emperor, it will not end easily. The bigger the trouble, the better.”

“Who told him to stay in Rong. There, Xie Yuan is just an outsider!”

Author notes:

Qi Yang (teasing): Little wolf cub, come, say something for me.

Lu Qipei (hesitating): Meow?