The pampered heiress holds the script and leads her cannon fodder family to a counterattack.

The Emperor looked at the Crown Prince, secretly plotting his next move.

Such exceptional fortune-telling abilities could change the fate of a nation. Only by marrying her off to the crown prince could he feel at ease.

The Crown Prince remained silent for a moment, considering that he and Yan Yuelan were now engaged, and the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat had not yet broken off relations and was still maintaining a facade of harmony. Neither the Emperor nor the Crown Prince had ever revealed that they knew the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat was the Prince of War's man.

Qin Wanying's abilities are a blessing to Emperor Yao, and marrying her naturally means he cannot treat her lightly.

He needs to find a way to cancel Yan Yuelan's engagement first, and then marry Qin Wanying.

Seeing that he seemed lost in thought and remained silent, the Emperor spoke up, "What, you don't want to marry Qin Wanying? If you don't want to marry her, let Ninth Prince marry her. After all, Ninth Prince is also a member of our royal family."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince felt very uncomfortable and hurriedly said, "That won't do. Ninth Brother is still young. As the elder brother, I should marry first."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor began to chuckle softly.

The crown prince was taken aback when he saw his father smiling.

"Father, please stop teasing me."

"Your subject is thinking that since I am currently engaged to Yan Yuelan, I should first break off this engagement."

“You’re right. But right now, we can’t alert them or arouse the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat’s suspicion.”

"Your subject will secretly send people to keep an eye on Yan Yuelan, and will take the opportunity to annul the engagement."

The Crown Prince's eyes turned cold when he thought that Yan Yuelan had already hooked up with Xiao Dongqian behind his back.

The Crown Prince had actually sent people to secretly keep an eye on Yan Yuelan long ago.

Fearing that the engagement would be called off too late, the Marquis of Dingbei betrothed his daughter to someone else.

Fortunately, Qin Wanying is only fifteen years old this year, and she has just returned home. Marquis Dingbei is reluctant to marry her off immediately.

However, even so, we cannot be careless.

After the Hundred Flowers Banquet, the Crown Prince hurriedly sent people to keep an eye on Yan Yuelan.

He didn't know why he was in such a hurry.

He couldn't tell whether it was because Qin Wanying possessed extraordinary abilities that concerned the fate of the Great Yao Kingdom, which made the Crown Prince want to marry her, or because he had genuinely fallen in love with Qin Wanying.

However, he had already decided in his heart that he would only marry one wife.

This was something he had secretly decided when he was very young.

He grew up in the palace and witnessed the intrigue and treachery within the harem.

Actually, he had an older brother, but he died in the womb before he was born, thanks to the power struggles in the harem.

His mother, also suffering from depression in the palace, died at a young age.

Ninth Brother's mother was also killed by Consort Xian.

The emperor was also deeply affected, working hard on court affairs and also worrying about the affairs of the harem.

He knew that his father had not lived a happy life.

Therefore, he hoped to marry only one wife, one love for life, that would be enough.

-----------------

The next day, at the restaurant.

Le Xiuyuan was sitting alone in the restaurant, enjoying his wine.

He pondered the thoughts he had heard Qin Wanying express yesterday.

Qin Wanying thought to herself that she liked Yan Yuelan.

Yan Yuelan will later rebel.

Because he refused to cooperate with her, she ordered him to be cut in half at the waist after the War King ascended the throne.

Thinking about this, I felt a chill run down my spine.

The scene had already flashed through his mind: he was lying on the execution platform, his body cut in two, and Yan Yuelan was standing in front of him, her beautiful face showing him a cruel and bloodthirsty smile.

He had indeed been in love with Yan Yuelan, but after hearing Qin Wanying's heartfelt words, he felt terrified, as if Yan Yuelan were a bloodthirsty demon who would devour him completely.

Combined with last night's dream, it felt even more terrifying.

It seems I should stay away from her from now on.

As he was pondering this, a woman sat down opposite him.

Upon seeing the woman's face clearly, Le Xiuyuan felt his heart skip a beat.

This woman was none other than Yan Yuelan.

Yan Yuelan was as beautiful as before, a beauty that was glamorous and stunning.

If it weren't for her outstanding appearance, he wouldn't have fallen in love with her at first sight.

In the past, when Le Xiuyuan sat in this restaurant, he would fantasize that one day Yan Yuelan would suddenly sit across from him.

Now that Yan Yuelan was actually sitting across from him, he felt only fear, as if he had seen a ghost.

Why is Yan Yuelan sitting across from him?

That's terrifying! Don't come any closer!

However, having been in officialdom for several years, he doesn't easily show his emotions on his face.

"Are you perhaps Miss Yan Yuelan, daughter of the Minister of Rites?" Yue Xiuyuan asked with refined manners.

"Young Master Yue has a good eye; it is indeed me," Yan Yuelan replied.

"Miss, what brings you here?" Le Xiuyuan asked directly.

He really wanted to shorten the conversation.

"Do I have to have something important to do before I can sit here?" Yan Yuelan smiled gently.

In the past, Le Xiuyuan would have thought that smile was absolutely stunning and he would have been completely captivated by it.

But now, perhaps due to shattered illusions, he felt that Yan Yuelan's smile was somewhat deliberate.

It was as if she had deliberately struck a beautiful pose, wanting to captivate people.

"I had the pleasure of meeting Young Master Le at the banquet before. Today, I happened to be in this restaurant, and I thought it would be impolite not to greet him," Yan Yuelan continued.

"That would be my honor," Le Xiuyuan replied politely.

He didn't want to continue the conversation, so his answer was very brief, and he definitely wouldn't start a new topic.

Yan Yuelan looked at Le Xiuyuan and felt that this person was different from what she had imagined.

He used to loiter around their house and even peek at her from afar; she believed these weren't just her imagination.

Few men in this world can resist her beauty.

With Bo Qingfeng eliminated, the Dali Temple no longer has any of its people in its upper echelons.

This Le Xiuyuan seems to be interested in me, and it's a good opportunity to develop him into someone I can have.

However, this person didn't seem to have any desire to have much contact with me.

"Waiter, bring me a pot of wine," Yan Yuelan ordered the waiter. She had no choice but to resort to her ultimate move.

"Since we've met again by chance, why not have a few drinks together?"

"I never drink alcohol, please forgive me, young lady," Yue Xiuyuan said politely.

Yan Yuelan was slightly taken aback, her expression somewhat embarrassed, and a hint of anger in her eyes.

No man could ever refuse her.

What's going on with Yue Xiuyuan?

Thinking of her plan, Yan Yuelan suppressed her anger and forced a smile.

“If Young Master Le refuses to drink, then let’s substitute tea for wine. I’ll drink it.” Yan Yuelan said with great pride.

If it were before, he would probably have thought Yan Yuelan was genuine and unpretentious.

Now, his goodwill was gone, and he even felt that Yan Yuelan was a bit promiscuous, drinking with people outside so casually.

Le Xiuyuan was helpless. After all, the woman in front of him was the daughter of the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and he couldn't afford to offend her directly. He was thinking about how to get out of the situation.

When the waiter brought the wine, Yan Yuelan immediately toasted Le Xiuyuan and drank several cups.

Le Xiuyuan responded with tea instead of wine.