“What?” Xie Jin Yan's words stunned Yu Qingwu.

She stared at Xie Jin Yan in shock for a good while before she came back to her senses.

After pondering for a moment, as if she had thought of something, she lowered her voice and asked suspiciously, "Your Highness, how could A-Yue do such a thing?"

"Could it be that the cook said something to her?"

The last sentence was spoken in an increasingly softer voice.

She glanced anxiously at the Crown Prince before her. After all, the laws of Great Wei stated that women should not participate in politics. Even though Xie Jin Yan treated her quite well, he was still a member of the royal family, and the future emperor.

It was one thing for him to bring it up, but quite another for her to ask.

At this moment, Yu Qingwu already regretted pressing him about it.

She quietly sized up the expressionless man before her.

His profile was stern and wicked. After a pause, a smile floated onto his face, and he said meaningfully, "Shijie, why be so cautious? Now that you've asked, why are you afraid to hear the answer?"

Why be afraid to hear the answer?

Why wouldn't she be afraid?

After all, she was no longer just his Shijie. She used to be able to do whatever she wanted and comment on everything. But now, that was no longer possible.

The position of Crown Princess had brought her many conveniences in her revenge, but it was also an invisible shackle. No matter where she was, she had to be measured in her actions. She could throw tantrums at Xie Jin Yan out of jealousy, but matters of state were a different matter altogether.

Pressing her lips together, Yu Qingwu suppressed the emotions in her heart and replied to him with feigned naturalness, "Your Highness is overthinking. This concubine merely feels that this matter is of great importance, and who knows if there are ears on the other side of the wall? Therefore, I must be cautious and careful, and I dare not raise my voice too loudly."

Her reply was proper and impeccable.

Xie Jin Yan, however, felt uncomfortable. He was silent for a moment, then chuckled as he looked at her. "Shijie, doesn't it feel tiring to be so calculating in everything you do?"

"Were you like this when you were with Xiao Fengyun?"

Why did he suddenly bring up Senior Brother Xiao?

Was this fellow thinking about Qin Yiliu's so-called prophecy again?

Yu Qingwu's expression paused slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. She glared at him with a slightly annoyed expression. "Why are you bringing up Senior Brother Xiao for no reason? If you really believe Qin Yiliu's nonsense, you might as well just kill me now and relieve yourself of your worries."

Seeing her get angry, half of the gloom on Xie Jin Yan's face dissipated.

He spread his hands and said, "Isn't it better this way? Why are you always so pretentious and proper? You're not tired, but I am."

"..." Was this person being deliberately difficult?

Yu Qingwu was speechless.

Her beautiful eyes flashed with anger as she rolled her eyes at him and retorted in annoyance, "Is Your Highness being deliberately difficult? Do you just enjoy being scolded and beaten by others?"

"I'm not that twisted. I only like being scolded and beaten by you, Shijie."

"..."

This fellow was truly shameless...

Yu Qingwu blushed and glared at him awkwardly, stumbling as she brought the topic back around. "Alright, Your Highness, stop talking about useless things. Let's get down to business. What exactly is going on with A-Yue?"

Seeing that Yu Qingwu was no longer as constrained as she had been, Xie Jin Yan straightened his body. The playful and dissolute smile on his face gradually faded as he said, "To tell you the truth, this matter is also my fault. I was a little too close to her to use her, and she developed a delusion, dreaming of becoming my Crown Princess. But A-Yue's status is low, and she hasn't donated military funds like you, Shijie. Nor does she have a powerful master backing her like you, Shijie. Nor has she offered advice at the border, earning the respect of the soldiers in Southern Border like you, Shijie..."

Xie Jin Yan frowned, pausing slightly as he said this.

He looked at Yu Qingwu with a somewhat unnatural expression...

Hearing this, Qingwu's face also paled slightly.

She knew what Xie Jin Yan was concerned about. It had been five years since she had fought in the military at the border.

At that time, she had not yet fallen into the icy lake, nor had she lost her martial arts skills. In other words, if it hadn't been for that incident, she could have established her own power through military achievements and avenged the Shen family, without having to fall into Xie Jin Yan's cage and become a canary dependent on him.

She did not deny that she still couldn't let go of this matter.

But people always had to move forward. Besides, her Shifu had been training her to be someone else's concubine from the very beginning. Even if she hadn't had her martial arts skills crippled, she would have inevitably ended up in a cage, perhaps even for some old man who was hideously ugly.

Compared to a more tragic fate, ending up with Xie Jin Yan was not so bad.

Moreover, she was now in the position of Crown Princess. If she went further in the future, perhaps she could even reach the position of Empress, making it easier to kill her enemies with her own hands.

With a thousand thoughts in her mind, Yu Qingwu hooked her red lips and met Xie Jin Yan's gaze with an expression of understanding, smiling faintly, "Your Highness doesn't need to be concerned. Just continue."

Hearing this, Xie Jin Yan's tense heart finally relaxed. He sighed and continued, "A-Yue used to be very arrogant because of my protection, thinking she had the ability to rule the world. But after spending some time in the capital, she was treated coldly by the Empress Dowager and gradually understood her own situation, realizing that she had neither achievements nor a family background, so how could she possibly be worthy of this position?"

"Therefore, she listened to the biased words of that cook and agreed to provide the cook with information about Great Wei. The cook would then use the You family to help her forge a good background. Then, the You family would come forward and ask Father Emperor for a marriage edict, so that she could rightfully enter the Crown Prince's residence..."

Xie Jin Yan sighed. As he spoke, his expression became gloomy and complicated. He said in a deep voice, "I used to think A-Yue was just a little naive, but now it seems she is incredibly stupid and has no bottom line. But it's a good thing she's stupid enough that she didn't send out any useful information."

Wasn't that so?

If A-Yue wasn't stupid enough, given Xie Jin Yan's indulgence and trust in her, she would probably have been sold until she lost her life.

Just now, listening to Xie Jin Yan speak, Qingwu's heart was tense. She was afraid that A-Yue would actually send out some information that was detrimental to the Wei Dynasty, which would not know how many Wei people would be harmed.

After listening to Xie Jin Yan's words, Yu Qingwu was silent for a long time.

She then said in a low voice, "Your Highness, this A-Yue must be sent away. Even though she is stupid, the person behind her is very cunning. If he instructs A-Yue to do something else, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"Then does A-Wu have any ideas?"

As soon as Qingwu finished speaking, the man beside her asked softly. His clear, dark eyes were full of anticipation as he said, "After all, A-Yue's father was kind to me and died unjustly. A-Yue is his only daughter, and she hasn't caused any serious consequences yet, so..."

"So, Your Highness still wants to save her life, ensure she is well-clothed and well-fed. Therefore, she cannot be charged with treason. The best way is to banish her from the capital under the guise of being guilty of infighting in the harem." Yu Qingwu interrupted him, chuckling. "Your Highness has said so much, isn't it just to get this concubine to take action? Why beat around the bush?"