Chapter 5: Chapter 438: The Noble Consort's Quibbling and Framing

Hearing the dispute among the people on the city tower, Wu Hao felt an extraordinary sense of satisfaction. Before the battle had even begun, they were already falling into internal strife!

On second thought, why shouldn't he add fuel to the fire and cause them to diverge and develop friction?

At this thought, Wu Hao burst into laughter, and everyone's gaze instantly fell upon him once more.

"First Prince, I think you are too pitiable. You don't even know how your own father died..."

Wu Hao looked up at the city tower. Helian Mingshuo had clearly become suspicious and was frowning; this only made Wu Hao feel more jubilant.

Ye Jinxi's heart leapt into her throat. She looked at Wu Hao below the tower. If these words had come from her, Helian Mingshuo certainly wouldn't believe them, but if these words were borrowed from Wu Hao's mouth, the people of Great Qin would surely believe them!

Thus, she muttered in her heart: *Speak! Hurry up and say it!*

However, just as Wu Hao reached this point, a woman's sharp reprimand rang out, cutting his words off abruptly!

"Wu Hao! What benefit do you gain from doing this?!"

The Noble Consort stood upright in the prisoner carriage, all alone. Her face was somewhat pale and flustered, but the noble bearing she had possessed since birth was undiminished. Now, inside this cold, iron-cast carriage, she appeared even more pitiable and heart-wrenching.

At this moment, she was like a proud phoenix; she stood in stark contrast to the surrounding prisoner carriage, giving off a sense of breathtaking beauty.

This was the scene Wu Hao saw when he turned his head, and his heart trembled instantly. Back then, he was merely a small disciple of the Wind Bell Sword Sect in the Kingdom of Tianqi. When he was being punished by his senior brother, he had encountered such a beautiful and noble woman. He knew she was the high and mighty princess of Tianqi. He had practiced hard, hoping that one day he would be qualified to stand by her side, even if only as a guard.

He never expected that by the time he was chosen by the Sect Master of the Wind Bell Sword Sect to be an inner disciple, she had already arrived in Great Qin following a wedding carriage. By the time he had worked hard to become the State Preceptor, she was already the Noble Consort of the Emperor of Great Qin.

He had countless beauties by his side and thought he had forgotten her, even being ruthless enough to press her into a prisoner carriage to threaten Helian Mingshuo. But seeing her now, standing in the carriage, her elegance unchanged and her beauty peerless, just as when his younger self had met the little girl she once was...

Wu Hao took a deep breath. The stifling pain in his chest made it feel as though he couldn't breathe. Only now did he realize that he had never actually forgotten that girl. Otherwise, why had he never stepped foot into Great Qin all these years? Otherwise, why had he not placed the shackles she should have been wearing on her when he pressed her into the carriage? Otherwise, why would his heart ache so much upon seeing her now?!

Standing in the carriage, the Noble Consort had scolded Wu Hao out of desperation, but the moment the words left her mouth, she regretted it. Who was Wu Hao?

Although she had always been in Great Qin, she was well aware of many things regarding Tianqi. Wu Hao was an extremely proud person; perhaps because he had once been trampled underfoot, his personality had become even more unpredictable once he attained power.

The Noble Consort's heart suddenly raced. Her scolding him would likely only provoke him, causing him to spill everything!

But...

After waiting for a long time, Wu Hao did not speak.

The Noble Consort was puzzled, but also slightly relieved. She hurriedly looked up at Helian Mingshuo on the city wall. "Shuo'er! Do not listen to their one-sided words! Chuchu, you rescued me from the palace; how could I possibly—and where would I have the time—to harm you?!"

Standing on the city tower, Ye Jinxi looked down at the emotionally expressive Noble Consort and couldn't help but admire her. If she were an uninformed bystander, she would certainly be moved by the Noble Consort.

Just as the thought flashed through Ye Jinxi's mind, the Noble Consort turned her words toward her. "Miss Ye! I have no grievance or enmity with you. Why must you frame me? What benefit is there in framing me?! I heard that the Crown Prince of the Xiongnu Kingdom once sought you out privately. I wonder, between the two of you..."

Ye Jinxi raised an eyebrow. Was she trying to counter-accuse her of helping the Xiongnu Crown Prince and thus spreading rumors to cause chaos in Great Qin?

Unfortunately...

Helian Mingshuo might believe those words somewhat, but for Helian Chuchu, that was a case of being "too clever for one's own good"!

"Miss Ye! What is the meaning of this? I require an explanation from you!" Helian Mingshuo said, looking at Ye Jinxi with a serious expression.

Helian Chuchu frowned slightly.

"An explanation?!" Ye Jinxi sneered. "Do I have to give an explanation to the First Prince every time I see someone?"

Seeing this, the Noble Consort was instantly overjoyed. She was merely guessing based on certain pieces of information, and her words had no basis whatsoever, but saying them at this moment would greatly arouse suspicion regarding Ye Jinxi's motives!

Then Helian Mingshuo and Helian Chuchu would stop suspecting her!

"Ye Jinxi! The people of the Immortal Pavilion are naturally brave enough to face their actions. If you speak out, at most there will be some punishment; it won't cost you your life. But since you are so ungrateful, are you not afraid of shaming the Immortal Pavilion and its Sect Master?!"

In the distance, Yuan Bao frowned. He reached out a chubby little hand, pointed a finger at the Noble Consort in the carriage below, looked up at Bu Feichen's handsome profile, and said in a crisp voice, "Daddy! She's a bad person! She's bullying Mommy!"

The displeasure Bu Feichen had felt due to the Noble Consort's words instantly dissipated. He looked down at Yuan Bao and couldn't help but smile. At this moment, Yuan Bao looked exactly like a child who had been bullied and had run to complain to his parents. In his ears, Yuan Bao's words sounded like, "Daddy, she's bullying me! Daddy, hit her for me!"

Bu Feichen reached out to stroke Yuan Bao's soft hair, his heart softening along with it. He finally understood why Xi'er liked stroking Yuan Bao's head so much.

He reached out and picked Yuan Bao up. His black robes still fluttered in the wind, but in a flash, he vanished.

Meanwhile, on the city tower.

*Pfft...*

The Noble Consort's righteous indignation made Ye Jinxi unable to help but laugh out loud.

"Ling'er, did you hear something?" Ye Jinxi laughed while looking down at Deng Ling'er in her arms.

Deng Ling'er blinked. She wasn't Yuan Bao and didn't share the same level of tacit understanding with Ye Jinxi, so she could only say crisply, "Auntie Ye, what sound did you hear?"

Ye Jinxi laughed heartily. "I heard someone talking about the Immortal Pavilion, and about the Sect Master?"

Deng Ling'er understood instantly and cooperated perfectly, saying, "Auntie Ye, the Immortal Pavilion is a place revered by the people of Great Qin. The Sect Master is the most revered person in Great Qin. Anyone who dares speak against the Immortal Pavilion and the Sect Master is acting against Great Qin!"

"Ling'er is so smart! Things that Ling'er understands, some people just don't!" Ye Jinxi gave Deng Ling'er a loud kiss on her small face, her face beaming with smiles.

Then, her expression suddenly changed. She turned to look at the Noble Consort below the tower and shouted in a cold, sharp voice, "You know of the Immortal Pavilion too? Setting aside whether I have done wrong or not, even if I have, it is not your place to punish me! Unless, you hold the Immortal Pavilion in no regard!"

*Boom!*

This heavy accusation felt like a bolt from the blue to the Noble Consort!

To Great Qin, the Immortal Pavilion was like the status of the Great God Temple to Tianqi; it was absolutely beyond question!

The Noble Consort was furious. She opened her mouth but did not speak. The Great Qin soldiers on the tower were all staring at her. If she said anything more, even if Helian Mingshuo wanted to save her, the whole of Great Qin would not agree!

Just then, Wu Hao suddenly spoke with a cold sneer

"Ye Jinxi, you only care about doing as you please, but you won't let others speak? I have heard that when the Xiongnu Kingdom launched a fierce attack on the Great Qin Imperial Palace, a woman in white descended from the sky and abducted the Xiongnu Crown Prince, Wen. I suspect that woman simply took a fancy to him!"

In an instant.

All the generals on the city tower turned their gazes toward the woman in white beside them. Wasn't the woman in white who came to the rescue back then Ye Jinxi?

She had abducted the Xiongnu Crown Prince instead of killing him on the spot; could it really be that...

At this moment, Ye Jinxi narrowed her eyes slightly. Wu Hao had just been trying to expose the Noble Consort, but now he was eager to speak on her behalf...

A thought occurred to her and she understood. Wu Hao still needed to use the Noble Consort to threaten Helian Mingshuo. If he revealed what the Noble Consort had done, setting aside whether Great Qin would tolerate her, Helian Mingshuo likely wouldn't save her either. That was why he was working so hard to cover for her!

Wu Hao ignored the reactions of the people on the tower. Seeing the Noble Consort in the carriage staring at him from the corner of his eye, he felt a sudden, inexplicable surge of excitement. Finally, one day, she could focus her gaze entirely on him!

This thought made him even more smug, and he continued, "There is nothing strange about it. Although the Xiongnu Kingdom is weak, it is said that their Crown Prince is extremely handsome. It's possible she kidnapped him for that reason..."

Being held in Ye Jinxi's arms, Deng Ling'er had long noticed the undisguised gazes of the people around her. Now, hearing this person below saying things that seemed to insult Ye Jinxi, she couldn't help but feel angry. Since Brother Yuan Bao wasn't here, she had to take good care of Auntie Ye for him. No one was allowed to bully Auntie Ye!

Thinking of this, the anger in Deng Ling'er's heart grew even stronger. Her large, watery eyes stared at Wu Hao, her small mouth pressed tight, and she shouted at the top of her lungs, "You're lying! Uncle Bu is much more handsome than the Xiongnu Crown Prince! How could Auntie Ye like him! You're not allowed to bully Auntie Ye!"

*Huh?!*

Wu Hao had been talking for a long time without successfully baiting Ye Jinxi. He wanted to push her to her limit so that she would jump out herself; that way, everyone would understand who he was talking about.

After all, a woman's chastity and reputation were very important.

But unfortunately, Ye Jinxi stood on the city tower with complete composure, showing no intention of speaking in rebuttal!

Just as he was feeling somewhat helpless and unsure of how to end this, the little girl in Ye Jinxi's arms actually helped him immensely. He couldn't help but feel that Deng Ling'er's huffy little face was much more adorable.

Ye Jinxi felt a wave of helplessness. She hadn't responded to Wu Hao's words for a long time because she didn't want him to continue endlessly. With people like this, the more you pay attention to them, the more energized they become; if you ignore them, they eventually lose interest on their own. After all, as for reputation and such, she didn't care much.

Deng Ling'er, however, had experienced too little, and she took the bait as soon as she was led.

After saying this, Deng Ling'er gripped Ye Jinxi's hand tightly, as if fearing she would get angry because of Wu Hao's words. With a cute little frown, she said crisply, "Auntie Ye! Ling'er won't let anyone bully you!"