4 Times married to my enemy

Chapter 8 : Could this girl be... the prince's... lover outside?

Chapter Eight

Upon arriving at the Shuhuai's home, after being announced, Shuhuai received her in the study.

Shuhuai was reviewing documents, probably having changed clothes in advance. He was wearing a black robe with gold cloud patterns, with a golden crown on his head, looking neat and formal, without any trace of leisure at home.

Qin Peng stood at the door, bowing first, "Your Highness."

Shuhuai didn't even look up, not giving her the slightest face as he said directly, "What's the matter, speak."

Seeing that he didn't give her face, Qin Peng also threw away the little respect she had, didn't speak to Shuhuai, walked into the room, knelt down in front of Shuhuai, and smiled, "I came this time to inquire about the enthronement ceremony, Your Highness."

Shuhuai paused his pen, looked up at Qin Peng, who was sitting there smiling as if she hadn't noticed her earlier intrusion.

Shuhuai didn't give her face because in his eyes, Qin Peng, a puppet, was not worth it. According to Shuhuai's understanding, this person should hesitate to stand at the door and talk to him, but this person walked in directly, with much more courage than the average courtier.

Shuhuai's eyes were cold, but Qin Peng seemed oblivious, smiling and asking, "Your Highness?"

"The Ministry of Rites is in charge of the enthronement ceremony, you don't need to worry about it," Shuhuai withdrew his gaze, returning to the documents, "You may leave."

"I still need to confirm some details with Your Highness..."

"Jiang Chun," Shuhuai called someone in, and said directly, "Take the princess to the Minister of Rites."

After that, Shuhuai buried himself in the documents.

Qin Peng: "..."

There was no reason for her to stay any longer.

Qin Peng was dragged by Jiang Chun to the Minister of Rites to inquire about the enthronement ceremony for a while. She wasn't really interested in this matter, so she chatted for a while and then left.

Jiang Chun went back and reported Qin Peng's actions to Shuhuai. Shuhuai pondered for a while and then said, "Keep an eye on her."

The next day, Qin Peng came to Shuhuai's house early again to report. She had someone deliver a greeting card, and soon after, the gatekeeper returned, apologetically saying, "Princess, His Highness said that when you come today, you must first list the purpose of the visit, he will review it first, and then discuss any matters that need to be addressed."

Qin Peng was infuriated by this statement.

It was the first time she realized that meeting Shuhuai was actually so difficult. In the past, when she met Shuhuai, it was always about whether she wanted to meet him, not whether she could meet him.

Fortunately, Qin Peng had excellent adaptability. She quickly realized that things were different now, and Shuhuai didn't really need her. If she couldn't see him, it wasn't a big deal.

She took a deep breath, took pen and paper, and this time she came up with a more direct reason. She wanted to ask Shuhuai if he wanted the position of regent.

Shuhuai would definitely want this position, but perhaps he was still waiting for Wei Yan and hadn't come to the palace to find Li Shu yet. She and Li Shu were also waiting for Shuhuai to speak up. This was a big deal, and she didn't believe that Shuhuai would ignore it.

Who would have thought that after waiting for half an hour, the gatekeeper came back with a message that simply said, "Not your concern."

Qin Peng: "..."

After a moment, she crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it out in anger.

After throwing it, she realized that Shuhuai was now wary of her. If she wanted to see Shuhuai, she needed a very good reason.

But if she didn't see Shuhuai now, how would she lie and say she got the information from Shuhuai's mouth? More importantly, how would she drag Shuhuai into the palace on the day he killed Wei Yan, giving Lu You the opportunity?

With Shuhuai's temperament, as long as he was present, Lu You probably wouldn't be able to move. And the difficulty of saving Wei Yan would likely increase significantly.

After thinking for a while, Qin Peng made a decision. She would wait at Shuhuai's door. Not long after, she saw a minister coming to the door. She hurried over and recognized him as Dali Temple Qing Cui Qing, whom she had seen at the court banquet. She quickly said, "Mr. Cui!"

Cui Qing was slightly startled, but after a moment, he remembered her. This was Princess Qin Peng.

Although the enthronement ceremony had not yet taken place, and the imperial decree had not been issued, everyone knew about Qin Peng's identity. Cui Qing quickly bowed, "Your Highness."

"Mr. Cui came to see Prince Huan'an?" Qin Peng asked warmly. Cui Qing was somewhat surprised by the change in Qin Peng from the rumored "gentle and weak" image, but he suppressed his doubts and nodded, "Yes, Your Highness."

"I'm also here to see His Highness," Qin Peng said with a smile, walking ahead of him, "Let's go in together."

"Uh..."

Although Cui Qing had many questions in his mind, Qin Peng was a princess, so he didn't say much. He had already handed over his greeting card in advance, and the gatekeeper let him in when he arrived. Qin Peng followed him, blending in along the way.

Although the gatekeeper was also puzzled, he didn't dare to ask more questions about how this person, who had just been rejected, was following Cui Qing. He let the servant guide Cui Qing in.

As they were about to reach Shuhuai's study, Qin Peng suddenly said, "Mr. Cui, are you here to discuss official business with His Highness?"

"Yes, Your Highness..."

"I just have some minor details about the enthronement ceremony. Mr. Cui, please discuss with His Highness first. When you're done with your business, I'll go see him. Off you go."

Qin Peng smiled and waved to Cui Qing, then turned and went to the side, saying to the maid next to her, "I want to eat coconut cake, have the kitchen prepare a serving with osmanthus."

The maid was slightly stunned, not understanding how Qin Peng knew that the kitchen was good at making coconut cake. But seeing the official's respectful attitude towards Qin Peng, she didn't dare to neglect the request and said, "Yes."

Cui Qing, seeing how Qin Peng was unfazed, and how the maid seemed familiar with her, couldn't help but feel a little startled. Looking at Qin Peng's beautiful face, he couldn't help but think that no man could resist such beauty. And when he thought about how Shuhuai controlled the entire Xuanjing without becoming emperor, but instead assisted the sixteenth prince in ascending the throne, and the sixteenth prince's sister was this princess...

This was incredible! Cui Qing suddenly felt that he seemed to have encountered something extraordinary, so he quickly thought that he must not mention this to Shuhuai later, so as not to embarrass Shuhuai.

Qin Peng guessed everyone's reactions, happily went to the dining hall, ordered the dishes she missed, and then sat in the dining hall happily eating.

She looked extremely familiar with Shuhuai, coupled with the noble identity of a princess, making all the servants somewhat confused about her identity.

Could this girl be... the prince's... lover outside?

Looking at Qin Peng's face, everyone was somewhat convinced of this.

And Qin Peng also knew their speculations, so she took this opportunity to frantically inquire about Shuhuai's whereabouts and hobbies.

She knew that these words would eventually reach Shuhuai's ears. The longer she stayed in the Qin residence, the more she inquired, and in the end, when she told Shuhuai everything was just her speculation, Shuhuai would be more likely to believe it.

And Qin Peng also knew that it would be especially difficult to infiltrate again after this time. So she seized the opportunity, happily eating and drinking, and asking more questions.

In Shuhuai's mansion, there were two people who impressed Qin Peng the most. The first was the chef she brought with her when she married, who cooked everything to her taste, especially the coconut cake, which was so delicious that it left Qin Peng speechless. The second was the massage maid, whom she had trained with the others she brought.

To achieve her goal this time, after dinner, Qin Peng confidently said, "I will stay here tonight. Shuhuai told me that there are a few maids in the mansion who are good at massage. Please bring one to help me with a massage."

With that, Qin Peng stood up. The maids had been completely fooled by Qin Peng at this point, thinking that she was Shuhuai's lover, maybe even the future mistress. They immediately cleared out a room in the backyard for Qin Peng, prepared a bath for her, and let her bathe. After soaking in the bath, the massage maid arrived, and Qin Peng lay on the bed as the maid massaged her back, feeling the greatest comfort in life.

Meanwhile, Shuhuai was still discussing important matters with Cui Qing. He had no idea that such a prominent figure had infiltrated the mansion. After discussing the situation of the people imprisoned during the palace coup until midnight, he had Cui Qing escorted out, then washed up before heading to the dining hall.

As he was eating in the dining hall, the steward approached and asked, "My Lord, tonight, will you stay in the west wing or the east wing?"

The east wing was Shuhuai's own bedroom, while the west wing was usually reserved for the women in the backyard. However, Shuhuai had never had any concubines, and it had been occupied by Jiang Yi and Dong Wanyi. Now that both of them had passed away, there was no one living there. The steward's sudden question made Shuhuai furrow his brow, "Why do you ask?"

Seeing Shuhuai's puzzled expression, the steward hesitated and said, "My Lord, don't you know that the Fourth Princess is here today?"

Shuhuai stopped eating, his expression turning cold, "What princess?"

The steward saw Shuhuai's expression and knew it was bad news. He quickly knelt down, saying nervously, "It's the Fourth Princess who came to the mansion today... and now she's staying in the west wing..."

Shuhuai didn't say anything, a cold aura surrounding him. But he remained calm, even his movement of putting down the chopsticks was very gentle and slow.

"Why was she allowed to stay in the mansion without informing me?"

The steward was sweating profusely, kneeling on the ground.

Why?

Because everyone thought she was your lover!

But why did everyone think so?

This question left the steward speechless.

Qin Peng had never said anything related to Shuhuai, but based on her appearance and a few titles, everyone inexplicably assumed that she was Shuhuai's lover.

But upon closer inspection, it seemed that this princess hadn't said anything at all.

Shuhuai looked at the steward and said, "Bring him and all the servants who spoke to Qin Peng over to record their statements. Every detail of Qin Peng's conversations and actions must be captured in the statements, and after recording, they will be punished."

After that, Shuhuai stood up, his expression calm, "Light the way, to the west wing."