Time Travel: Pampered by the Aloof Prince-Chapter 413 Has She Been Discovered?

This aggressive statement had barely settled when those ladies from prominent families, who had been quietly competing with each other, suddenly fell silent. All their gazes turned toward Yin Wanning.

It was only now that they realized their greatest enemy was not each other, but Yin Wanning, who sat beside the Empress.

The Crown Princess Consort, clad in red, whose beauty was beyond description.

In terms of beauty, they could not even come close to her. No matter how glamorous they dressed, they paled in comparison to Yin Wanning’s delicate face.

As for status, not only was she a Princess of Luoyue Country, but she was also the Crown Prince’s wife, brought back with an official marriage.

No matter how fiercely they fought, they could not shake Yin Wanning’s position.

Even if they became concubines, none of them were confident they could compete with such a beauty for the Crown Prince’s affection.

With this in mind, everyone started to harbor resentment towards Yin Wanning, their eyes fiercely fixed on her, as if wishing they could devour her.

Yin Wanning, under the gaze of so many watchful eyes, did not feel even slightly uncomfortable. She merely lifted her eyelids indifferently, and said to the Empress, "My respects to Your Majesty, but I have no such intention. All the ladies here are talented and certainly excellent, yet the selection of consorts should be left to His Highness."

Her words were proper and struck a chord with the Empress, who relaxed her expression and replied, "The Crown Princess Consort’s words are reasonable. My son is currently in the palace; I’ll send for him."

Having said this, she raised her hand to beckon Nanny Zhou forward and instructed, "Go to the Imperial Study Room and ask the Crown Prince to come."

Nanny Zhou responded, and along with a few Palace Maids, headed in the direction of the Imperial Study Room.

Upon hearing they would meet the Crown Prince, all the ladies from prominent families started to flutter with excitement.

At every annual palace banquet, they could only catch a glance from afar, but now they had the chance to see the Crown Prince up close, their faces involuntarily flushed with a shy eagerness.

Qi Yu watched with a series of ’tsk tsk’ sounds. Setting other things aside, Cang Ming indeed had a face that could bewitch anyone.

But having been around her own Prince every day, she had become immune to handsome men.

Moreover, she knew what kind of heart lay beneath that attractive exterior.

So, not only did she not care for Cang Ming, but she also felt annoyed whenever she saw him.

She stealthily glanced at Yin Wanning’s expression and saw that her face remained as calm as still water, without even the slightest ripple, which made Qi Yu feel somewhat relieved.

A person like Cang Ming was not worth the slightest bit of genuine affection.

After a short wait, Cang Ming finally arrived gracefully.

He did not look at those ladies from prominent families whose gazes had been fixed on him. He first greeted the Empress with a bow and then glanced at Yin Wanning.

Yin Wanning took a sip of tea, disregarding his gaze, and simply stated, "Your Highness."

Cang Ming pursed his lips slightly, visibly dissatisfied with her coldness, but had nowhere to vent his frustration. He turned towards the Empress and asked, "What matter has Mother called me here for?"

The corners of the Empress’s eyes crinkled with joy upon seeing him. She pointed to the dozen or so ladies from prominent families and said, "My son, take a look, do you fancy any of them?"

The words put all the ladies on edge, their eyes almost piercing through Cang Ming’s back, full of anticipation as they watched him.

But they were bound to be disappointed, for Cang Ming not only failed to turn and glance at them but also kept his gaze intently on Yin Wanning, asking, "What does the Crown Princess Consort think?"

This immediately shifted everyone’s attention back to Yin Wanning, whose gaze held a mix of jealousy and a hint of envy.

They envied that she could become the Crown Princess Consort and were jealous of the attention she received from Cang Ming.

Only Qi Yu silently shook her head.

Such a familiar scene.

Every time she heard such words, she realized there was a trap dug in front of her, waiting for her to fall in.

It seemed to be a solicitation of her opinion but in reality, it shifted the conflict onto Yin Wanning.

No matter if Cang Ming had done it intentionally or not, this behavior was enough for Qi Yu to cross him out in her mind once more.

Pushing people into a pit of fire, what kind of skill was that?

Qi Yu criticized him for a while, then furrowed her brows, waiting anxiously for Yin Wanning’s response.

Even the Empress’s expression had stiffened a bit.

She had not expected Cang Ming to disregard even her words.

In front of so many people, his eyes held only the newly married Crown Princess Consort. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

Yin Wanning’s eyelashes trembled as she looked at Cang Ming and said indifferently, "My opinion is unimportant, Your Highness. Whatever you like is good."

Upon hearing this, Qi Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, Yin Wanning had not fallen into the trap.

No matter if she had spoken well or ill, she would have offended either Cang Ming or the Empress, finding displeasure on both sides.

But she skillfully deflected the question back to Cang Ming.

On the matter of selecting concubines, her attitude truly wasn’t significant, for she couldn’t stop Cang Ming from marrying a few more concubines, nor could she prevent people from entering the door.

Cang Ming’s gaze darkened slightly, not continuing to look at her but instead said to the Empress, "It all depends on Mother’s decisions."

Having said this, he didn’t look at those ladies from prominent families who’d had their hearts shattered and then rekindled; he simply turned and left the Imperial Garden.

Having regained face, the Empress’s mood brightened again, and she scanned the ladies from prominent families with an air of importance, saying, "Selecting concubines is no small matter. Allow me to discuss it with His Majesty before making a decision. Please trouble yourselves to come to the palace."

Learning that they had a chance to be selected as concubines, the complexions of those ladies from prominent families flushed with excitement, their eyes glinting. They were not concerned with these minor details and could hardly wait to throw themselves at the Empress to curry favor.

The Empress also relished the feeling of being the center of attention, being flattered all morning long, before saying contently to them, "It’s rare for you to enter the palace, so stay and dine with me in the palace today."

Everyone eagerly agreed, except for Yin Wanning, who continued to sip her tea nonchalantly.

Qi Yu had been sitting behind her the whole time, leaning against a stone, idly playing with a twig, before plucking a flower from the twig.

Everyone was crowding around the Empress, strolling and admiring the Imperial Garden, occasionally bursting into peals of laughter and joy.

Qi Yu glanced at Yin Wanning sitting alone and felt a twinge of discomfort.

She flicked a petal with her fingertip, then tossed the flower gently in front of Yin Wanning’s teacup.

Yin Wanning looked at the unexpected flower with a hint of surprise and turned around.

The flower was about a meter away, and, though there was a breeze, it wasn’t strong enough to blow the petals to her.

She stared quietly at the little orange flower for a while, then picked it up and asked Maid Ruoxi for a handkerchief to wrap it, her lips curling into a faint smile.

Ruoxi looked at her actions puzzled but didn’t ask further.

The Crown Princess Consort always acted differently from others, and as a servant, she had no place to question her mistress’s actions.

But then she saw Yin Wanning suddenly turn around, looking at the full branches behind her and whispered a soft "Thank you."

Ruoxi turned her head too, only to see no one there.

Suddenly, a cool breeze blew, and she shivered involuntarily, shuddering with a chill.

Qi Yu, sitting under the tree, had also frozen, her back breaking out in a cold sweat.

Could she have been discovered?

Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m