Chapter 184: Plunder

To Prince Yuliu's regret, Princess Lingque had already returned to her former appearance.

Bandages were wrapped around her head, and her loose black hair fell casually beside her fair cheeks, lending her a delicate fragility that she hadn't possessed before.

Prince Yuliu suppressed the corners of his mouth to comfort her, "Do not be afraid, younger sister. Your hair will grow back—"

"I came to speak of serious matters with you, Brother. Do not mention anything else," Princess Lingque said solemnly, though a storm was raging in her heart.

No matter who it was, if they mentioned her hair again, she wanted to kill them!

Prince Yuliu was tactful. "Speak, sister."

"I have found a suitable candidate for a Prince Consort," Princess Lingque said, her expressionless face making it seem as though she were discussing something entirely unrelated to herself.

Prince Yuliu was quite surprised. "Who?"

Princess Lingque raised an eyebrow and smiled. "What does Brother think of the Great Zhou's top scholar, Yang Zhe?"

Prince Yuliu froze, then followed with confusion, "His background is quite ordinary, and he is already engaged to Princess Yi'an."

It seemed like there was no profit to be gained.

Princess Lingque curled her lips, a fire burning in her heart, as she said word by word, "It is precisely because he is engaged to Princess Yi'an that he is suitable."

"How so?" Prince Yuliu acted as if he were eager to hear the details, though he secretly suspected Princess Lingque was doing this to get revenge on Princess Yi'an.

Just because a patch of her hair went bald, she wanted to snatch someone else's husband? Tsk tsk, a woman's vengefulness was truly too heavy.

Princess Lingque did not care at all what her brother thought, and stated her reasoning: "You have also heard, Brother, that the Empress Dowager of Great Zhou dotes greatly on Princess Yi'an. The top scholar Yang Zhe was personally chosen by the Empress Dowager as the Prince Consort for Princess Yi'an. And as for the Emperor of Great Zhou, he is extremely filial to the Empress Dowager."

She lowered her eyelids, her tone slightly cold. "Tell me, Brother, when the amnesiac me makes this request, will the Emperor of Great Zhou refuse out of filial piety, or will he break the Empress Dowager's heart to avoid an incident that might cause enmity between our two nations?"

Prince Yuliu's eyes brightened slightly. Although he said nothing, he was clearly swayed by Princess Lingque's words.

A mocking smile hung on Princess Lingque's lips. "If he refuses, I am amnesiac and know nothing; I will surely cause an uproar. If he agrees—hehe, the deep bond between the Emperor and the Empress Dowager will have to take a hit. I heard that before the current Emperor, there was another Emperor, the eldest son of the Empress Dowager. That Emperor merely went missing and might still be alive. If my choice of a consort can create a rift between the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, there might be a good show to watch in the future."

As a princess, she knew very well that those in high positions could not withstand cracks in their relationships, because they possessed too much and were too afraid of losing what they had.

"Sister, you think very far ahead," Prince Yuliu sighed.

This girl had been harboring a belly full of schemes since she started pretending to have amnesia. Fortunately, she was his sister; the one being plagued was Great Zhou.

"Does Brother agree with my choice?"

Prince Yuliu hesitated somewhat. "Your choice is good, but we have only just arrived in Great Zhou. Should we look around to see if there is a more suitable candidate?"

This decision was being made too quickly.

Princess Lingque's expression turned slightly cold as she lifted her chin. "Making a quick decision does not mean making a rash one. While I am injured, this is the best opportunity."

Because she made her go bald, she was going to snatch that wench's Prince Consort!

"Then I shall listen to you," Prince Yuliu nodded.

In any case, it wasn't him who had to marry.

Once the matter was settled, Princess Lingque finally asked, "Brother, is that top scholar Yang Zhe truly peerless in both talent and looks?"

Prince Yuliu recalled Yang Zhe's appearance. "As for his talent, it is hard to tell at a glance, but his looks are indeed quite excellent."

"How does he compare to Brother?" A smile appeared on Princess Lingque's lips.

He was handsome, and he was the one meant for that wench; it was hard not to be happy.

Prince Yuliu thought for a long time before saying with difficulty, "About the same."

Princess Lingque choked.

If that were the case, she was a little worried...

Prince Yuliu did not think he was being insincere, and began to consider the next steps. "Although we are both drinking in the Fragrant Garden, you have not met the top scholar Yang Zhe. To suddenly propose him as a Prince Consort is unreasonable."

Princess Lingque had already thought this through. "That is not difficult. Is Yang Zhe not renowned for his talent? Has Brother forgotten Tianming and the others?"

During this mission to Great Zhou, three scholars had been specifically chosen among the entourage for the purpose of finding an opportunity to dampen the prestige of Great Zhou's scholars.

"Let them provoke the Great Zhou scholars and make a scene. As the leader among the young talents, Yang Zhe will surely participate. At that time, Brother can take me to watch them compete under the guise of helping me relax. Wouldn't it be only natural for me to be won over by the top scholar's talent?"

Prince Yuliu was impressed. "Sister, you have thought of everything."

Princess Lingque rubbed her brow. "I am tired. Brother, you may return."

"Then rest well."

As soon as Prince Yuliu left, the atmosphere around Princess Lingque turned freezing cold. "Bring me a mirror."

A maidservant cautiously brought over a glass mirror.

Princess Lingque stared at the exquisitely beautiful woman in the mirror, her eyes filled with fury. "Tell me, when will my hair grow back?"

The maidservant comforted her with a pale face, "The imperial physician said that because the Princess is young and has abundant vitality, the hair that was cut will grow back very quickly."

"How quick is 'very quickly'?"

"Three... two, oh, no, one month, perhaps." The maidservant felt like she was being driven to death by this question.

When Princess Lingque heard it would take a month, it was like a bolt from the blue. She swept her sleeve, knocking over a teacup. "How annoying!"

Afterward, Princess Lingque closed her doors to recover from her injuries. The gifts sent from all sides piled up in the guest house, and the commotion seemed to pass just like that. Princess Yi'an breathed a secret sigh of relief, finally finding the leisure to return to the Marquis of Wei's manor.

"Where is my sister?" As soon as she saw Mother Kou, Princess Yi'an asked about Kou Wan.

"Wan'er went to the streets this morning, saying she wanted to buy some rouge and powder." Mother Kou observed her daughter's complexion and felt relieved. "That Princess Yuliu had an accident, and I was worried for you. Fortunately, nothing happened."

Princess Yi'an's face darkened. "Mother, please do not mention this again."

"Alright, alright, I won't mention it." Mother Kou instructed the maidservant, "Send someone to the shops the second young lady frequents to look for her and bring her back. She's so grown up, yet the moment she goes out, she's like a horse off its reins..."

Princess Yi'an turned a deaf ear to Mother Kou's nagging. She barely managed to keep her patience until Kou Wan returned, then said indifferently, "I am going to my sister's room to talk."

The two sisters went to Kou Wan's boudoir and dismissed the servants.

Kou Wan's mood was somewhat complicated.

Her sister's coldness during the Flower Viewing Banquet had made her feel sad and unwilling, and Princess Lingque's accident had made her secretly blame herself for perhaps causing trouble for her sister. She had been suffering through various emotions these past few days. She had gone to the streets today hoping to buy something girls like to give to the second Miss Lin as a token of gratitude, not expecting her sister to return and take the initiative to speak to her.

The gloom that had hovered over her heart for several days seemed to dissipate. Kou Wan asked with a smile, "When did you return, Sister?"

Princess Yi'an stared at her smiling sister and raised her hand to deliver a slap.

Kou Wan clutched her cheek, stunned by the blow. "Sister?"