The Sickly Regent Prince Who Was Abandoned as a Substitute Bride

Upon entering the room, Qiu Tian'er immediately saw Granny Qiu, who was being held alive and tied to a pillar.

Qiu Tian'er rushed over, hugged Granny Qiu tightly, and cried bitterly, "Mother, Mother..."

"Young Miss, please, spare my mother..." Qiu Tian'er knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly as she begged for mercy.

However, Dongfang Wan'er remained unmoved, simply watching everything coldly.

“She’s not dead yet…” Dongfang Wan’er suddenly spoke, her voice tinged with coldness.

Then, she turned to look at the guard beside her.

The guard understood immediately, picked up a basin of cold water, and splashed it on Granny Qiu without hesitation.

"puff……"

The icy water made Granny Qiu shudder violently, and she slowly opened her eyes.

When Qiu Mama saw Dongfang Wan'er in front of her, a trace of despair flashed in her eyes.

"Young Miss, I won't say anything..."

"Granny Qiu, you should really consider who's talking and how you'd phrase it..."

The guards brought Qiu Tian'er to Granny Qiu...

"Tian'er...Tian'er, what are you doing here...Ah, Miss, please let Tian'er go..." Granny Qiu saw what was in front of her and struggled to break free of the ropes.

Dongfang Wan'er didn't say anything, and simply sat down opposite the two of them.

"Mother, you've said everything you needed to say..." Qiu Tian'er advised.

And told Granny Qiu that Dongfang Wan'er had killed A'da and saved her!

After hearing this, Granny Qiu closed her eyes, then opened them again…

"Young Miss, it doesn't matter whether my worthless life lives or dies. Thank you for letting Tian'er get rid of that scumbag... Thank you!"

"Granny Qiu, you know what I want to hear..."

Granny Qiu trembled and finally spoke, "It is... Second Madam."

Dongfang Wan'er knew immediately; she had known it was her all along. But she didn't show it on her face and continued to press, "Why would she instruct you to poison my mother?"

Granny Qiu stammered, "Second Madam...she wants the eldest young lady to lose her status as the legitimate daughter so that her own daughter can become the legitimate daughter."

A flash of anger crossed Dongfang Wan'er's eyes; she hadn't expected Liu Qiqi to be so ruthless. "I understand. Don't worry, I won't take Qiu Tian'er's life..."

“However, you can’t stay here from now on. I will send you to the estate, and you can come back when I need you…” Dongfang Wan’er stood up and looked down at them.

Qiu Tian'er and Granny Qiu exchanged a glance and nodded helplessly.

"Take them away." Dongfang Wan'er waved her hand, and the guards took Qiu Tian'er and Granny Qiu away.

"Yes…"

After the two left, Dongfang Wan'er turned to the guards beside her and instructed, "Send someone to protect them secretly, and make sure they are not harmed."

The guards responded and withdrew.

Dongfang Wan'er frowned, thinking to herself: Second Aunt, Liu Qiqi... I never expected her to be so ruthless. To ensure her daughter became the legitimate daughter, she didn't hesitate to poison and murder the Madam. I swear I will not rest until I avenge this!

Dongfang Wan'er returned to her room. "Liu Qiqi," she said, "it will only take a month for your affair to be discovered."

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Three days later, the talent competition finally officially began...

The fact that the Emperor and Empress personally presided over this talent competition demonstrates its importance. After all, this was one of the most important events of the year in the Yuan Dynasty. Firstly, it served to select outstanding talented women; secondly, it was a means to choose consorts for the princes.

The talent competition was a lively affair, with crowds thronging the venue. People not only came to watch the competition but also participated in the betting.

"I heard that the eldest daughter of the Marquis's family also participated in the talent competition!" someone whispered.

"Yeah, yeah, with that face, she'd be competing in a talent contest, hahaha!" another person chimed in with a laugh.

"I bet a hundred taels she definitely won't even make it past the preliminaries..." someone said confidently.

"Come on, come on, place your bets! Dongfang Wan'er is 1 to 100! Come on, come on!" someone shouted, urging everyone to place their bets.

"Hehe, I'm betting, I'm betting, I bet she won't make it past the preliminaries..." Others followed suit.

"The Talented Women's Competition officially begins..." With a eunuch's loud shout, the preliminary rounds of the Talented Women's Competition officially commenced...

The emperor and empress sat on their high thrones, gazing down at the talented women below.

The talented women entered gracefully one by one, dressed in gorgeous clothes and exuding outstanding temperament.

Among them, Oriental Pearl was dressed like a lady from a prominent family, dignified and elegant. Her appearance immediately attracted the attention of many men present.

Oriental Pearl naturally noticed the men's intense gazes, but she outwardly maintained a nonchalant demeanor. In reality, she was secretly delighted, brimming with confidence in her beauty.

All the talented women had arrived, except for Dongfang Wan'er. Time was ticking away, and the competition was about to begin.

"Is the eldest daughter of the Marquis's mansion afraid? Is she too scared to show her face...?"

"I think so too. Sigh, it's really easy to make money today..."

Just as everyone was speculating and wondering whether Dongfang Wan'er would attend, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from afar.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw an extremely luxurious carriage slowly approaching.

As the carriage drew closer, people realized that it was actually the Regent's carriage!

As the carriage came to a stop, a fair, jade-like hand gently lifted the curtain, and a woman with a graceful figure stepped down from the carriage.

This woman was none other than Dongfang Wan'er.

At this moment, she was wearing a white gauze dress, with a white jade hairpin in her hair, pinning up a strand of her black hair, while the rest of her black hair cascaded down to her waist like a waterfall.

A belt was tied around her waist, perfectly showcasing her slender figure.

What's most striking is the veil she's wearing on her face.

Although their faces are obscured, they exude a mysterious and unpredictable aura, making people want to explore them further.

"Wow~ Is this the eldest daughter of the Marquis's mansion? She's absolutely stunning!"

"Yes, yes, her temperament is just too good, she's like a fairy descended from heaven!"

"But...why does she always wear a veil? Is she really that ugly?"

"No way, if she's ugly, why would she bother showing her face in public? There must be some unspeakable reason!"

"Yes, yes, maybe it's because she's too beautiful and afraid of attracting bad people, so she wears a veil!"

The crowd discussed amongst themselves, some thinking Dongfang Wan'er was very beautiful, others thinking she was ugly, but regardless, Dongfang Wan'er successfully attracted everyone's attention.

"Tch, what a show of mystery. She thinks she can hide her ugly face by wearing a veil..." Li Sisi couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy when she saw Dongfang Wan'er attract so much attention as soon as she appeared.

"Sisi, watch your words..." Li Yanran frowned slightly upon hearing Li Sisi's words and said with displeasure.