Chapter 1168 - Chapter 1168 The One Controls the Perilous Situation
His voice should be gentle and elegant, like the distant clouds in the sky, though it gave people an unapproachable sense of alienation. But this time, it inexplicably made people feel cold and gloomy.
His voice sounded bloodcurdling!
Princess Yuyan reacted faster. She immediately stepped aside and turned around — Chu Liuchen was standing at the door with his hands clasped behind his back.
He was in a dark purple brocade robe embroidered with lake ripples. Under his tied-up hair, his beautiful eyes were full of terrifying coldness. Princess Yuyan subconsciously retreated two steps with only one glance, feeling her heart palpitating with fear. “Too bad! How could Chu Liuchen run across such a thing?”
She secretly regretted it. When she heard Chu Liuchen had entered the mansion, she deliberately sent someone to invite him. Moreover, she told the servants not to stop Chu Liuchen nor to report his arrival when he came in. They just needed to show him the way. That way, Chu Liuchen could see how Shao Wanru ruined her reputation.
She had brought so many people here today for the same purpose: she needed more people to see Shao Wanru’s hideous manner. When this scandal was blown up, no one could suppress it. She must utterly destroy Shao Wanru’s reputation.
It had been a dead certainty that their plan would succeed. They just needed to stand by and wait for Zhang Qilan to implement the plan. Unexpectedly, something went wrong now. They discovered nothing unusual in Shao Wanru’s room and were caught on the spot by Chu Liuchen.
“Tell me, who did you expect to find in Princess Chen’s room? Princess Yuyan and Infanta Yuan’an, you took so much trouble and brought many people here. Don’t you know your manner is intolerably aggressive?” There was no trace of a smile on Chu Liuchen’s handsome face. Slowly, he stepped into the room and walked past them.
Shao Wanru smiled, knowing she just needed to wait and see. Chu Liuchen came at the right time.
Infanta Yuan’an felt uneasy and wanted to go back. After all, she was right behind the bed curtain. Her situation was much weirder than Princess Yuyan’s, for she had gone deeper at the back of the bed to see it more clearly. Her posture had explained everything.
“I… I wanted to see if something else was dropped behind the bed. Just now, Princess Chen asked the servant girl to pick up… pick up the hairpin from behind the bed.” Infanta Yuan’an argued with difficulty.
She stepped back, carefully trying to turn around.
“Helping my wife?” Chu Liuchen stared at Infanta Yuan’an coldly. His eyes, as deep as an abyss, were devoid of warmth. Infanta Yuan’an was frightened. She remembered Chu Liuchen had broken her second brother’s hand without saying anything. “Will he break my hand too?”
Thinking of this, she felt a dull pain in her arm.
“Someone, go and invite Prince Zhou over!” Chu Liuchen ordered coldly. Xiao Xuanzi, who was at the door, answered and hurried out. With a smile, he said to Chu Liuzhou, who was leisurely enjoying the scenery in the yard, “His Highness, my master invites you in.”
The few princes happened to be together before entering this courtyard. Chu Liuyue came here after hearing Yujie’s words, and Chu Liuchen came over with the message sent by Princess Yuyan’s servant. When Chu Liuzhou saw them coming, he asked to go with them.
Upon entering the yard, Chu Liuyue went to Zhang Qilan’s wing room, and Chu Liuchen went to the main room. It was inconvenient for Chu Liuzhou to go in, so he was idling about the yard and listening to what was happening inside.
The room in the middle was the noisiest. There seemed to be a lot of people inside. He still didn’t know that Infanta Yuan’an was inside.
“Who is inside?” Hearing Xiao Xuanzi’s words, he looked into the room curiously and asked.
“Infanta Yuan’an is also here!” Xiao Xuanzi smiled and said.
“Okay!” Chu Liuzhou replied casually, walking toward the room. Since Chu Liuchen didn’t avoid him and Yuan’an was also there, it was okay for him to go in and have a look.
The layers of gauze curtain in the inner room had been let down, keeping Shao Wanru’s figure on the bed out of everyone’s sight. When the two servant girls dropped the gauze curtain, Infanta Yuan’an wanted to take this chance and step back. However, as she looked up, she saw Chu Liuchen’s vicious eyes falling on her face. She froze there as if under a cobra’s fatal gaze, not daring to move an inch.
Her back was covered with sweat, and her throat felt dry and constricted. She turned to look at Princess Yuyan for help.
Princess Yuyan gave a little cough, revealing a delicate and sweet smile. “Since Prince Chen is here, let’s talk outside. We can’t let Prince Zhou come in!”
As she spoke, she looked at Shao Wanru, who was sitting on the bed. Even if the gauze curtain fell, it was still inappropriate for Prince Zhou to come in.
“Since I am here, I am not afraid of gossip. I can just kill those long-tongued ones!” Chu Liuchen rolled his deep eyes and said slowly.
“It’s… not proper…” Princess Yuyan said with sweat on her forehead, “A lot of people are here, all of whom are my trusted subordinates from the Xu State. Infanta Yuan’an’s servants are from the Great Elder Princess’s Mansion…”
“So what? Do you think Uncle the Emperor will blame me for killing them?” Chu Liuchen touched on the matter lightly. It seemed he was not talking about the lives of so many people here but the weather.
Those servant girls and palace maids who followed Princess Yuyan and Infanta Yuan’an here all fixed their eyes on the ground, trembling unconsciously. It was because they all felt the murderous intent in Prince Chen’s words.
He was going to kill them. It was not a threat.
Many people regretted it so much that their faces turned ghastly pale. The few trusted palace maids Princess Yuyan brought here from the Xu State were especially regretful, bitterly repenting their folly. They would have persuaded Princess Yuyan not to set up such a trap if they had known that Prince Chen was so outrageous and ferocious.
“What’s going on?” Chu Liuzhou’s voice came from the door. His eyes swept around the room and finally landed on Infanta Yuan’an, who was in the innermost corner. He frowned because he didn’t expect to see such a scene.
Infanta Yuan’an was in a weird position. She stood behind the bed alone. It looked like she squeezed into the back of the gauze curtain, which was disgraceful.
Infanta Yuan’an enjoyed a noble and high position. At this time, it seemed she would squeeze into the back of the bed to do something.
A red flush spread from Infanta Yuan’an’s face to her neck. She didn’t know whether to advance or retreat. Suddenly, she lowered her head and wiped the tears from her red eyes.
Princess Yuyan relaxed immediately. As long as Infanta Yuan’an cried, things would be much easier. After all, Infanta Yuan’an would be Princess Zhou in the future. It would be better for her to cry with such grievances when Prince Zhou was here. Prince Chen could not force her to do anything when she was in tears!
How could Prince Chen make a fuss over such a matter with a heartbroken and helpless woman? He even forced her to cry.
But the next moment, Princess Yuyan’s face went rigid like it had been frozen. Infanta Yuan’an, who had been crying with great grievances, paused for a moment. No one had expected that Chu Liuchen would come straight to Chu Liuzhou. Without showing Chu Liuzhou any respect, he directly exposed this matter.
“Second Elder Brother, you have to give me an explanation. Your future legal wife brought many people to my wife’s room to look for evidence. I wonder what she was looking for, the proof of rebellion or the evidence for framing my wife? Tell me so that I can help you find it.”
Chu Liuzhou’s face immediately changed. Chu Liuchen’s words were insidious and cunning evil. However, Infanta Yuan’an’s position and embarrassed look proved he was telling the truth. He was a little annoyed. He had cooperated with Infanta Yuan’an several times and felt she was a good partner. His mother had found an intelligent woman for him.
He didn’t expect Infanta Yuan’an to get him into serious trouble not long after he praised her.
There were so many people in the room. The atmosphere was hostile and oppressive.
He took a deep breath and suppressed the rising anger in his heart. In the beginning, he insisted on following them because he sensed something was wrong. Whether it was about Chu Liuyue or Chu Liuchen, he just wanted to watch the fun. He didn’t envision that he would be involved instead of being a looker-on with pleasure.
“Infanta Yuan’an, what were you doing in Princess Chen’s inner room?” Chu Liuzhou asked. Although the gauze curtain on the bed was hanging down, he could vaguely see a figure. It should be Princess Chen inside.
“Your Highness, it… it was not about the evidence. I just wanted to help Princess Chen find the things behind the bed…” Infanta Yuan’an cried again and said with grievances.
“Infanta Yuan’an, when did you have such a good relationship with me? You rushed to help my servant girl find things for me. Moreover, you are even willing to search the place behind the bed?” Shao Wanru’s voice, as cold as icicles, came from the bed. She bluntly broke the faked peaceful atmosphere Infanta Yuan’an was trying to present.
“I…” Infanta Yuan’an did not know how to argue and prove her innocence.
Even if Shao Wanru lost something, she could send a servant girl to look for it. She was a noble lady in a high position. It was impossible for her to look for items behind the bed in person, even if she had a good relationship with Shao Wanru. However, too bad for her, Shao Wanru said they were not close friends.
There was dust behind the bed. If she accidentally got some dust on her. She would have to change her clothes and wash up.
When defending herself in haste, Infanta Yuan’an used lame arguments. She had used this excuse. Subconsciously, she used it again to argue against others. When she finished speaking, she found it sounded not reasonable at all. She flushed crimson up to her ears, too stammered to say anything.
“Second Brother, you can deal with me if you don’t like me. Why do you ask Infanta Yuan’an to hurt my wife? My wife has always been in poor health and injured before. If anything happens to her because of anger, Infanta Yuan’an, will you pay with your life or Princess Yuyan’s life?”
Chu Liuchen’s cold eyes swept over the people present and finally fell on Chu Liuzhou. Suddenly, he smiled evilly.
Since he was devastatingly handsome, he looked like a celestial beauty descending to the world. However, when he cracked a malevolent smile, everyone could feel a chilliness from his bones. It seemed like he was something evil crawling up the hell that could cover people in endless loneliness and coldness.
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Princess Yuyan’s face paled a little. Subconsciously, she took another step back for fear of getting too close to Chu Liuchen. It was not empty talk. If something terrible happened to Shao Wanru, Prince Chen might inflict severe punishments on her and Infanta Yuan’an.
Somehow, Princess Yuyan suddenly felt a sharp annoyance with Infanta Yuan’an. She had just arrived here, so she didn’t know the specific situation, but how could Infanta Yuan’an not know it? How could she tackle the current crisis? It suddenly dawned on her that she would not bear the consequence. It was better to shift the blame on Infanta Yuan’an. After all, it was Infanta Yuan’an who proposed this…