My elder sister is so noble, this time it's my turn to strike back

He opened his eyes wide and looked at Liu Qingqing in disbelief, as if he was meeting her for the first time.

"What did you say?"

She was going to enter the palace? And participate in the selection?

For the Guo and Zhou families?

He had previously redeemed her freedom and arranged an identity for her, which was almost like cutting out his heart and holding it in front of her.

But I didn't expect that the reason she gave to leave me was so ridiculous?

Although Guo Yian is deeply in love with Liu Qingqing, it doesn't mean he is stupid.

This reason seemed to be a righteous one, a selfless one, but he knew that it was not what Liu Qingqing really meant. Perhaps from the very beginning, what she wanted was never him, Guo Yian, but to enter the palace as a concubine.

But he himself had been foolishly keeping the gentleman's agreement and had never overstepped the boundaries in the slightest.

At this moment, the feeling of being deceived and exploited brewed and fermented in his heart, and soon turned into overwhelming anger.

Suddenly, Guo Yian stretched out his hand like lightning and grabbed Liu Qingqing's delicate neck.

"what……"

Liu Qingqing was startled by this sudden change and instinctively struggled to protest, but found that Guo Yian's arm was like a solid wall and could not be shaken at all.

Guo Yian was also overwhelmed by anger at this moment. His gaze was like a sharp sword, fixed on Liu Qingqing in front of him, watching her struggle and twist under his hands, her breathing gradually becoming weaker and weaker.

He knew that if he exerted a little more force with his hands, he could immediately break the fragile neck.

But when I really wanted to do it, there was still one last string in my heart pulling me back.

This lasted for about ten breaths, and Liu Qingqing's face had turned blue and purple and she had difficulty breathing.

Before closing his eyes, a crystal tear rolled out from the corner of his eye and just slid to the base of Guo Yian's palm.

The rough big hand suddenly loosened as if it was burned.

When he loosened his grip, he realized that Liu Qingqing had already closed her eyes and passed out. As he loosened his grip, her body slid limply to the ground.

Guo Yian still had a bit of rationality left in him, and he caught Liu Qingqing firmly a second before she hit the ground, preventing her from falling to the ground.

……

When Liu Qingqing woke up again, almost a cup of tea had passed.

"Cough...cough..."

Liu Qingqing stood up, covering her throat, and found that she was still in the back garden, and her throat was also very painful.

He glanced again and soon found Guo Yian standing on the steps. He had his hands behind his back and was looking at him with cold eyes.

Liu Qingqing was startled and instinctively shrank back two inches, with fear in her eyes.

It was really because I had just escaped the hands of death, so this was completely an instinct.

Seeing this, Guo Yian showed a hint of sarcasm on his face.

"The actor is truly heartless. He was indeed thinking of this general before."

"Now that there's nothing to worry about, get out of here!"

After saying this, he seemed unwilling to even glance at Liu Qingqing again, and turned to go up the stairs, his eyes gazing at the clear blue waters of the lake in the distance.

From his words and actions, it seemed as if he had completely let go of Liu Qingqing.

Liu Qingqing opened her mouth, as if she couldn't believe that Guo Yian was so decisive towards her.

But she didn't think she was wrong. Most men in the world are unfaithful. Hasn't it been like this since ancient times?

Fortunately, she did not jump into it headfirst and really agreed to marry this man, otherwise, who knows what kind of miserable life would be waiting for her.

Therefore, although Liu Qingqing was unwilling, she only hesitated for a moment, and finally chose to say nothing. She forced herself to stand up and walked out of the yard with difficulty.

One day, she will make those who bullied and humiliated her pay the price.

……

On the other side, was Prime Minister Guo’s study.

When his trusted subordinate opened the door and reported everything he had seen and heard in the back garden, a look of understanding flashed in Minister Guo's old eyes.

He stroked his beard and said, "An'er, this experience has been a period of growth and experience for him. I believe that he will be able to sharpen his eyes and discern women with ulterior motives in the future."

The confidant nodded in agreement, and then asked, "But Lord Prime Minister, aren't you worried that the eldest son really strangled that woman to death?"

Minister Guo laughed and said, "She was just a prostitute. If she dies, she dies. There's no need to be sad about it."

Upon hearing this, the confidant was startled and looked up, saying, "Prime Minister, so you have always known the identity of this woman? Then you also..."

And he has been indulging the eldest son in admiring that prostitute. Isn't this bringing discredit to the Guo family?

"Humph!"

Minister Guo snorted coldly and said, "I've been through this myself, so how could I not know what he's thinking? At a time like this, parents often force their children to separate, only to drive them further apart and drive them into resistance."

Fortunately, Liu Qingqing is also smart. She knows that her identity does not allow her to enter the prime minister's residence, so she took the initiative to express her willingness to enter the palace for the selection and become an assistant to the queen and the prince.

It was precisely because of this that Prime Minister Guo agreed to spare her life and promised not to interfere in the matter.

If this woman really has the ability to gain a foothold in the harem and help the queen gain some favor in the palace, it would not be a bad thing.

"But, Prime Minister, should we tell Madam about this?" asked the confidant.

Minister Guo paused and replied, "That's not necessary. If Madam knew of this woman's lowly status, it would probably cause trouble. Let's leave it at that for now."

"Also, tell my wife that I have something to discuss with her and ask her to come over."

Upon hearing this, the confidant suppressed his thoughts and quickly bowed and took his leave.

That afternoon, Liu went to the palace on the pretext of meeting Empress Guo. It was unknown what they discussed in secret.

It is said that after Liu left, Empress Guo seemed to have returned to her previous arrogant self and no longer smashed cups and bowls and got angry at the palace maids all day long.

That's right, ever since the Crown Prince's defeat at the last welcoming banquet for the Chu envoys, the Queen's temper has become somewhat capricious. She would lose her temper in the palace from time to time, and punish the palace servants around her if she was not satisfied with anything.

All the servants serving in Fengxiang Palace were worried and miserable.

Now that the queen has returned to her former self, the palace people can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

When Qingye brought the news back to the Jiaofang Palace, Wan Rongyue was discussing matters concerning the Ge family with Qiu Ning.

In accordance with the previous promise made by Ge Wanjin, the head of the Ge family, half of the Ge family's property has been taken over and now becomes the Wan family's property.

However, the Wan family did not have so many people and confidants to manage these industries before. Therefore, Wan Rongyue found Qiu Ning and wanted to work out a way to run these industries in a way that would not only conceal their tracks but also deal a heavy blow to the Guo family in the business world without making a sound.

Before the two could come up with a plan, Qingye walked in and reported, "Your Majesty, the people we just stationed in Fengxiang Palace reported that Madam Guo, the Prime Minister, came into the palace this afternoon. I don't know what they had a secret conversation about, but since then, the Empress has stopped being so irritable and seems to have returned to her former self."

"I'm worried that the Queen and the others might be planning something bad again."