pdf-ebookys Chapter 811 Staying in the capital, waiting for an opportunity to retaliate
Chapter 811 Staying in the capital, waiting for an opportunity to retaliate
Princess Lingyu gazed at the distant gate of the Qiao family, her eyes blazing with fury.
She ended up in such a miserable state, and even caused Dongfu Kingdom to lose ten years' worth of national treasury. She didn't know what kind of treatment she would face when she returned. On the contrary, Qiao Lian'er received two more fiefdoms. The great victory in Donghai made her famous once again.
This contrast made her feel incredibly frustrated and helpless.
"Lingyu, what else do you want to do?" Princess Hefeng frowned.
“You have disobeyed your father’s wishes. He asked you to bring back a favored prince to give Dongfu Kingdom more initiative, but you have caused all this mess. With this compensation and the loss of the navy, it is unknown when Dongfu Kingdom will be able to recover.”
"You'd better behave yourself."
"Sister, you don't know how frustrated I feel. You can see that I've never lost before, from childhood to adulthood."
A complex expression flickered in Princess Hefeng's eyes.
She was only one year older than Princess Lingyu, but Princess Lingyu was more intelligent and quick-witted. Not only was she proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but she also knew how to create exquisite objects from a young age.
As a result, Lingyu stole all the limelight, while she became Lingyu's foil, like a red flower and green leaves.
She's a person with pride, how could she not care at all?
Seeing Lingyu lose so badly to Princess Daze, she was secretly pleased.
Just imagining Lingyu returning to Dongfu Kingdom, where her glory days would be over, and she would face much ridicule and disdain, with her father also neglecting her, she couldn't have been more excited—
She couldn't wait to see that scene.
The woman who was once revered as a goddess has fallen from grace. Her parents no longer love her, and the admiring gazes of men have vanished. This day is one she never dared to dream of, unlike the high and mighty Ling Yu she once looked up to.
And that Qiao Lian'er defeated Ling Yu so easily. If she could make Qiao Lian'er stumble, then she would not only win against Qiao Lian'er, but also against Ling Yu.
“Lingyu, from childhood to adulthood, no one has ever defeated you. Not to mention women, there are quite a few men who have been defeated by you. So I think this time, perhaps you are just unlucky.” He Feng changed his impatient attitude from before and comforted Lingyu.
“It’s true that I was just unlucky.” Ling Yu sneered: “Take this naval battle for example. I suspect that the Great Swamp Kingdom had already improved its cannons, but it just hadn’t brought them out yet. It was waiting for the Eastern Fu Kingdom to mobilize its forces on a large scale so that it could defeat them in one fell swoop. In order to make it look plausible, they attributed the credit to Qiao Lian’er, which made her get a great deal.”
"Otherwise, how could the outdated cannons be upgraded so much in just a few days? Sister, do you think that's something a human could do?"
"Qiao Lian'er was able to bring out such a good thing, so why didn't she bring it out earlier or later? Why did she have to bring it out right when Dongfu Kingdom's thousand warships were mobilized? It's not normal."
Princess Hefeng seemed to be deep in thought.
“But Lingyu, the trouble you’ve caused isn’t just this one thing, is it? Although the fact that Dongfu Kingdom dispatched warships is the main reason for the compensation.”
"Sister, are you talking about Qiao Zhizhi?" Lingyu smiled.
"Qiao Lian'er was by her side at the time, and must have tried to plug her ears, otherwise she would have died from postpartum hemorrhage, resulting in the deaths of three lives."
As Lingyu spoke, she noticed that Hefeng's expression was a little strange and immediately understood what she meant.
"It's because I raised a bunch of traitors who couldn't withstand the torture and confessed to me. What kind of skill is this, Qiao Lian'er?"
“I don’t think I’ve lost. If I go back to Dongfu like this, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”
She has committed a serious offense this time, and it's likely that she will never be able to set foot on this land again.
So while she's still here, she's going to vent her anger.
“But the Emperor of Daze Kingdom has ordered us to leave the city before dusk today. The city gates will be recorded, and all the passes we pass through will be registered to ensure that we return to Dongfu Kingdom within the allotted time,” He Feng said with difficulty.
Lingyu glanced at the group of maids following behind Princess Hefeng: "That's easy to handle, but we'll have to be more discreet in the future."
She selected two maids who resembled her and Princess Hefeng, had them wear specially made human skin masks, disguise themselves, and leave the capital.
Seeing that the city gates were open, Lingyu's lips curled up into a smile.
"Sister, we can go all out now."
In the Qiao family's back garden, atop the waterside pavilions and terraces.
In front of Qiao Lian'er were stacks of documents, all of which were related information about Queyuan Prefecture and Jinglang Prefecture.
Reading these things can be tedious and boring, but after a thorough and careful understanding, relevant policies and measures can be formulated and implemented, and then it's just a matter of waiting for the results.
It is now the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the north, the leaves have turned yellow and the branches are covered with a golden hue, which is thickly spread on the ground. When the wind blows, the leaves dance and fall into the lake and on the eaves of the pavilions.
For Qiao Lian'er, this was a pleasant white noise that allowed her to better focus and immerse herself in the music.
When she realized her back was aching and stretched, she discovered that someone was sitting opposite her.
Pei Ershou also picked up a book, his expression very quiet.
Perhaps she trusted him too much, or perhaps she often kept him in her space and got used to his presence, so when he came to her side, it was like a flower blooming or a leaf falling, without arousing her any alarm.
"I've brought you some news." Pei Er put down the book, which was a compilation of local chronicles of Jinglang Prefecture.
“When Lingyu and Hefeng left the city gate, I paid special attention. They didn’t actually leave; they just had their maids impersonate them.”
"I think Lingyu is resentful and wants to take revenge on you, so she doesn't want to leave."
"What about Princess Hefeng? She thinks the same way." Qiao Lian'er became a little interested.
"They are sisters born of the same mother, so it's not necessarily true that she would help her own sister."
Qiao Lian'er tapped her fingers slowly on the table: "Logically speaking, after learning such a big lesson, Princess Hefeng should have persuaded her sister to return to the country. Instead, she secretly stayed here with her. Doesn't she know the consequences of delaying her return? Not only will it be difficult to explain to Dongfu Kingdom, but Daze Kingdom will also not let them off the hook."
"I don't know much yet, I'll keep people watching them."
“I believe their staying in the capital is mostly related to you.” Pei Shijiu’s expression turned cold.
He would never allow even the slightest danger to be near her.
Qiao Lian'er believed that no amount of surveillance could compare to her going there in person.
She was getting tired of looking at all these documents and files, so she put them all into her personal space.
Based on the address provided by Pei Shijiu, she found the two women's lodging. The Lingyu sisters had rented a small courtyard in a secluded alley in the suburbs to hide their identities.