Qi Anran's face flushed a pale pink, and she looked timidly in Li Mingjue's direction, "Princess is too kind with her praise. How could Anran possibly be worthy of the Prince?"
Qi Yu sneered silently. Beautiful and kind-hearted?
It seems that Princess Jiahe has poor judgment despite her young age.
Unworthy?
It appears that Qi Anran does have some self-awareness; indeed, she is unworthy.
Noble Consort An had long held a hatred for Qi Yu; if it weren't for her meddling, Li Mingjue would have died long ago.
She gripped her teacup a bit more forcefully, her eyes lacing with poison as she looked at Qi Yu, but her face smiled as she said, "Consort De, I think Anran is indeed commendable. How about arranging a marriage for her with Mingjue? It would be a joyous affair."
Consort De blocked the suggestion without a ripple: "How could you say such a thing? Anran is the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister Residence and marrying her to the Prince Qiu Residence as a concubine would be a grave injustice, wouldn't it?"
The expressions of Noble Consort An and Qi Anran both stiffened simultaneously; Consort De's words were polite, but her stance was decisively firm.
Moreover, she had made it clear that even if Qi Anran married into the Prince Qiu Residence, she could only be a concubine, a status even lower than Qi Yu's.
For a legitimate daughter to be overshadowed by a concubine was a humiliation of the highest order.
Qi Anran glared fiercely at Qi Yu.
Why should this fool have all this!
First, it was Prince Qiu, and now even Consort De was protecting her.
Initially, the one who was engaged to Prince Qiu was her, and now Qi Yu was reaping the benefits.
Li Huaixi, however, hadn't thought so far ahead; hearing Consort De opposing the marriage, she immediately, dissatisfied, pointed at Qi Yu and said, "But she is a fool, how could she be worthy of marrying my imperial brother!"
"Enough, Li Huaixi. If you can't learn to respect my Princess, then don't set foot in the Prince Qiu Residence ever again," said Li Mingjue as he stood up and positioned himself in front of Qi Yu, shielding her from those ill-intentioned gazes.
From beginning to end, Li Mingjue hadn't given Qi Anran even a glance, his attention always on the person beside him. Seeing her gently rubbing the bottom of the cup with her fingertips, a foreboding feeling surfaced in his heart.
Just as he was puzzled, Qi Yu suddenly stood up and threw the teacup in her hand onto Qi Anran.
Watching the teacup shatter on the floor, she playfully clapped her hands, "So fun, so fun!"
Taken by surprise and hit, scalded by the tea, Qi Anran couldn't help crying out in pain.
"You fool, throwing a teacup at someone is not a game!" Li Huaixi pointed at Qi Yu angrily.
Qi Yu cocked her head, looking perplexed at her, but the words she spoke sent shivers down everyone's spines.
"But, Sister has always played with me like this."
Qi Anran felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her, stunned in place, disbelievingly staring at Qi Yu.
How dare this fool slander her in front of Prince Qiu and Consort De!
Li Mingjue's expression grew colder: is this how the people of Prime Minister Residence treat Qi Yu?
"Yuyu must be mistaken, Sister has never played with you like that," Qi Anran forced a smiling face while inwardly seething with hatred toward Qi Yu as she explained.
Qi Yu sneered inwardly, 'You've done far worse to the original host, this is nothing.'
Looking at Qi Anran's hypocritical face, she suddenly screamed and trembled as she sought refuge in Li Mingjue's embrace.
"Don't come near, Sister, Yuyu knows she was wrong, please don't hit me!"
Qi Yu buried her entire face into Li Mingjue's broad shoulder, appearing to everyone as if she was terribly frightened of Qi Anran.
"I didn't..." Qi Anran protested, pale-faced, but no one came forward to speak on her behalf.
Even Li Huaixi looked at her with some hesitation.
Did Qi Anran really hit Qi Yu? But she had clearly told her that Qi Yu had snatched away her imperial brother.
Li Mingjue glanced coldly at Qi Anran and reached out to pat Qi Yu's back, comforting her in a low voice, "It's alright, I'm here for you, no one can hurt you."
Qi Yu shuddered slightly, actually on the verge of laughter, she could only try her best to suppress it and not let her laughter spill out.
She had not expected Li Mingjue to be so cooperative, not only hugging her but also backing her up.
Qi Anran bit her lip, her hands clenched into fists.
The Prince Qi was rightfully hers, yet Qi Yu had the audacity to shamelessly cling to him.
She must severely deal with that wretch!
The Noble Consort tactfully spoke up, trying to smooth things over, "Since the Princess Consort has been frightened today, I won't detain you for a meal together."
The three from Noble Consort Anran's side could only swallow their anger, finding excuses to leave first.
"Huaixi, were you also deceived by that fool?" Qi Anran pulled Li Huaixi aside, looking at her with red-rimmed eyes.
Li Huaixi softened for a moment. In her eyes, Qi Anran always appeared as a gentle and charming lady. How could she do such a thing? It must be Qi Yu who's lying!
She shook her head, her gaze firm as she looked at Qi Anran, "Sister Anran, of course I believe you. I will never allow that fool to become my imperial brother's Princess Consort!"
Qi Anran smiled gently, a hint of sorrow flashing in her eyes, "But both Prince Qi and the Noble Consort are very pleased with her, maybe we should just forget about it."
Li Huaixi snorted coldly, "My imperial brother must have been deceived by that fool. I must expose her true face!"
"But..." Qi Anran still hesitated.
Li Huaixi interrupted her impatiently, "You're just too kind-hearted; that's why you're bullied by that fool. Just wait until my birthday next month, and see how I'm going to make a fool out of her!"
Upon hearing this, a sinister glint flashed in Qi Anran's eyes.
The Princess's birthday was always organized by the Empress herself, and all the ladies of the capital city would attend.
Being humiliated in front of so many people, what a delightful thought.
Qi Yu, just you wait!
Meanwhile, Noble Consort Anran, feeling aggrieved, was certainly not willing to let things rest. After reprimanding her servants in her own palace, she went to whisper in Li Tianze's ear.
In the Imperial Study Room, the Noble Consort cried with tears streaming down her face, "Your Majesty, the Prince Qi's Consort has committed such blatant disobedience. You must stand up for your concubine!"
Li Tianze rubbed his temples, "She's just a junior; you should be more tolerant."
Mentioning Qi Yu only made him feel irritated, her ugly face lingering in his mind.
Just thinking about such an unsightly monster standing beside Prince Qi made him uncomfortable.
His royal son was tall and handsome, a rare beauty in the whole of Dazhao. How could he end up with such an ugly Princess Consort?
He dismissed the Noble Consort with a few words and sent for Qi Wei from the Prime Minister Residence.
To dare bestow such a treasure upon Prince Qi, he really wanted to hear what excuses the old fox Qi Wei had.
After lunch, the eunuch from the Emperor's side came with a decree, requesting the Prince Qi to bring the Prince Qi's Consort to the Imperial Study Room.
Qi Yu, who had just filled her belly, had no desire to move a muscle. She looked at Li Mingjue with eyes brimming with resistance.
"Don't even think about it," Li Mingjue said as he took her hand, decisively killing her will to lie low in its cradle.