Chapter 143: Admiration
Chen Lianlian pretends to walk out of the room but doesn't actually go far. In a flash, she has already hidden herself in the bushes outside the Crown Prince's residence.
Some changes have taken place in Chen Lianlian since her return from Hou Qin.
It's not just her appearance that has become more charming than before, but her cultivation also seems to have improved a lot.
However, these changes went unnoticed by the people inside the room, including Empress Qi, the Crown Prince, and the staff from the Elders Mansion.
Chen Lianlian had just stepped out when she heard an uproar from the room.
Crown Prince Ye Beilian grabbed the Jade Pillow and tossed it out.
"Empress Dowager, didn't you promise your son that you would severely punish that Summoner and those Hunter Soldiers? Is this what you call punishment? I have heard that they are all fine and well, while I alone suffer here, taking those disgusting Magic Potions and my Magic Soul is neither alive nor dead," Ye Beilian grumbled and cursed.
"Beilian, don't be so agitated. Your father the Emperor has his reasons for doing this," Empress Qi kept persuading her beloved son.
With Chen Lianlian previously present, Empress Qi still had reservations and didn't wish to say too much.
Empress Qi then told the Crown Prince about the Purple Gold Mine.
The Purple Gold Mine involved a state secret, and although Chen Lianlian was the Crown Prince Consort-designate, Empress Qi still guarded against her.
"Has father lost his mind?" Crown Prince Ye Beilian was livid upon hearing that he had to give up half of the Purple Gold Vein to the Summoner who caused him to lose all his dignity.
In Crown Prince Ye Beilian's view, the throne of Great Zhou would eventually be his, and those who coveted the Purple Gold Mine were infringing on his property.
"How could your father not know that? This is just a temporary measure, and your father has long devised a strategy..." Inside the room, Empress Qi and her son continued their secret conversation.
After listening to a part of it, Chen Lianlian hears footsteps approaching from afar. On closer inspection, she realizes the newcomer is Ye Beiming.
Ye Beiming, having not been seen for several days, still looked as handsome as ever. Recalling Crown Prince Ye Beilian's cowardly uselessness, Chen Lianlian admired Ye Beiming even more.
"Prince Beiming, please wait! Lian Lian has urgent matters to discuss with you," Chen Lianlian slipped into the nearby flower bushes.
After Empress Qi arrived, she dismissed everyone around to ensure some quiet.
"Is it you?" Ye Beiming was reluctant to have too much contact with Chen Lianlian, as there were spies everywhere within the Crown Prince Mansion.
His visit today was to check on the illness of Crown Prince Ye Beilian.
Seeing the secretive look on Chen Lianlian's face, Ye Beiming paused for a moment but eventually approached her.
He casually cast a Magic Array nearby, so that even if someone approached, they wouldn't be able to hear their conversation.
"Beiming, are you still angry with me?" Chen Lianlian's face looked pitiful, as if on the verge of tears, and she slowly moved closer to Ye Beiming.
"Ms. Chen, please be careful. You are the future Crown Princess Consort. If you seek our childhood friendship, I can only say that all is in the past," Ye Beiming frowned and subtly pulled away, distancing himself from Chen Lianlian.
"I don't believe it. We grew up together, studying, practicing martial arts. You once said you would marry no one but me," Chen Lianlian put on a pitiful act, clasping her chest, her shoulders trembling, appearing very endearing.
"If no one but you, may I ask, would you marry no one but me?" Ye Beiming looked at Chen Lianlian with biting irony.
Ye Beiming thought to himself how blind he had been in the past to have felt so sorrowful over such a woman.
Being a woman, the longer Chen Lianlian stayed with him, the more he disliked her.
The Little Wildcat, on the other hand, was different; her every smile and frown occupied his thoughts constantly.
Remembering Little Wildcat, Ye Beiming's gray eyes brimmed with a touch of tenderness.
Chen Lianlian's face turned pale when questioned, but Ye Beiming's words were a mockery of her flirtatiousness. After he was abolished, she couldn't wait to seduce the Crown Prince.
"You know that it wasn't by my own free will; my grandfather, he..." Chen Lianlian clung to her unyielding hope, stammering.
"Are you saying that your cancellation of our engagement was on Elder Chen's instigation?" Ye Beiming sneered sarcastically.
Surrounded by a splendor of blooming flowers, the two made a handsome couple, complementing each other well.
Chen Lianlian gazed at Ye Beiming with love-struck eyes.
She didn't know why she had fallen for this man she once abandoned, as if under some spell.
"Indeed, you also know my grandfather has always wanted me to marry into the Imperial Palace," Chen Lianlian's affectation only seemed exceedingly false in Ye Beiming's eyes.
"Elder Chen made a wise choice; the Crown Prince is indeed your match," Ye Beiming said, stepping away to leave.
Seeing his indifference in walking away, Chen Lianlian's expression changed, and casting aside all dignity, she grabbed onto Ye Beiming.
"Why? I heard that during your time in the Cold Palace, you pined for me, losing your appetite for food and drink. Why has everything changed now? Is it because of her! That despicable girl named Yun Sheng," Chen Lianlian was far from reconciled.
And it pained her to have lost to that lowly Yun Sheng.
In terms of looks, family background, where was she inferior to that despicable girl?
"Let me reiterate, you and I, ever since you renounced our engagement and threw yourself into the Crown Prince's arms, have nothing to do with each other," Ye Beiming said, ready to leave.
Chen Lianlian felt herself being forcefully pushed away.
Ye Beiming's gaze was as cold and sharp as a knife.
In his eyes, there was only disgust and aversion, utterly unlike the tenderness he showed towards Yun Sheng.
Chen Lianlian felt as though she was in an ice cellar.
"Ms. Chen, I advise you to behave yourself, and stop fantasizing about using any schemes against Yun Sheng. If she gets hurt in the slightest, you can't afford the price," Ye Beiming no longer wanted to speak with Chen Lianlian, flicking his sleeve as he prepared to leave.
"Wait, Ye Beiming, are you really going to be this heartless?" Chen Lianlian was furious with humiliation. As the most beautiful woman in Yujing, she had lowered herself to beg Ye Beiming today, yet he heartlessly rejected her.
With a ripping sound, Chen Lianlian tore open her gown, revealing the garments beneath.
Her skin was white as snow, and hints of her hidden charms peeked through.
Chen Lianlian bit her lip and, with a look filled with love and hate, she stepped closer to Ye Beiming: "Ye Beiming, if you dare walk away, I'll cry out loudly. What do you think will happen to you once the Crown Prince and Empress Qi see you dishonoring me?"
She moved next to Ye Beiming, draping her soft body against his, her voice coquettish.
Ye Beiming's brow furrowed tightly. With his keen hearing, he could already detect footsteps not far away.
If someone were to see Chen Lianlian in such a state, misunderstandings were bound to arise.
Given his current sensitive status, it could provoke major turmoil.
He suddenly smiled, lifting Chen Lianlian's delicate chin with his long fingers.
**Thank you Yuluo for your reward and everyone for your support**