4 Times married to my enemy

Chapter 10 :He was like a lone sword, walking alone in this world

Chapter Ten

Qin Peng persisted for another day, finally enduring until the day Wei Yan entered the capital.

Early in the morning, she continued to stake out Shuhuai. This time, she brought many people and spread out to squat in front of the gate of the Prince Huan's Mansion in Huai'an. As the sky darkened, a simple-looking carriage came out from the back gate of the mansion, followed by several more carriages, clearly indicating it was not a solo journey.

Upon hearing the report from the guards, Qin Peng smiled and had her carriage block the entrance to the alley connecting to the back gate of the mansion. Several carriages were blocked by Qin Peng's carriage, and the coachman in front respectfully said, "I wonder if the master in front can make way. We have urgent matters to attend to, please."

"The young master speaks very politely, must be from a decent background," Qin Peng sat in the carriage, smiling as she lifted the curtain and looked at the person speaking across from her. When Qin Peng's gaze swept over, the other party became alert. Qin Peng's eyes fell on the waist knife of the person, squinting slightly, "A first-class guard but just a coachman. I wonder who is inside the carriage?"

Upon hearing Qin Peng's words, the guard opposite smiled openly, "Is the Fourth Princess here to cause trouble today?"

"Not at all, not at all," Qin Peng shook her head with a brazier in her arms, "I just want to invite the prince for a meal."

With that, Qin Peng looked at the carriage curtain as if she could see the man who had been silent behind the curtain. She said affectionately, "Would the prince honor me with his presence?"

"No," Shuhuai decisively replied, showing no face to Qin Peng, and directly said, "Move aside."

Qin Peng was not surprised by this answer. She smiled at the people inside and said gently, "I can move aside, but I wonder if the prince wants to know what Empress Changsun said before she passed away?"

When Qin Peng spoke, the atmosphere suddenly turned cold.

Empress Changsun was Shuhuai's birth mother. In the third year after Shuhuai went to Beiyuan, due to the dislike of Empress Changsun by the incompetent Jing Emperor, he ordered her to be strangled after wiping out the Changsun family. After her death, her body was thrown into the wilderness, and even the whereabouts of her body were unknown.

This was a knot in Shuhuai's heart. The search for his mother's body and the investigation of the cause of her death were crucial matters in Shuhuai's life.

Qin Peng knew this, so she was also aware that this person would definitely pause for this.

After a long time, Shuhuai lifted the curtain of the carriage. He sat upright in the carriage, his expression cold, "What do you want?"

"Me?" Qin Peng smiled, "I said, I just want to have a meal with the prince."

"Okay."

Shuhuai put down the curtain and said to the guards, "Go back."

"Your Highness..." The guard was a bit hesitant, with no response from inside. The guard pursed his lips and finally listened to Shuhuai's words, turning back to the mansion.

Qin Peng and Shuhuai entered through the main gate, with Qin Peng following behind Shuhuai. Shuhuai walked fast, while Qin Peng walked like a snake, slow and enchanting. After a few steps, Shuhuai couldn't help but frown and turned back, "Walk faster."

"Hmm?" Qin Peng was stunned for a moment, then chuckled.

She suddenly remembered that when she went out with Shuhuai back then, Shuhuai was also like this, standing in front of her, frowning. But back then, he said...

It's awkward.

Now it's not his wife, so the words are different. From awkward to walk faster, the tone is much colder.

Qin Peng felt a bit emotional. Following Shuhuai to the place of the visit, after the two sat down, Shuhuai directly asked, "Have a meal now?"

"Not in a hurry," Qin Peng looked up at Shuhuai and smiled, "Let's play a game of chess first."

"Okay."

Shuhuai did not rush, and had someone bring in the chessboard. At the same time, dinner was prepared.

Chunsu knelt aside to make tea for the two, and after guessing the pieces, Qin Peng, holding the black pieces, made the first move.

At the beginning, Qin Peng played steadily, and the two played chess unhurriedly.

After many years, Shuhuai's chess style had changed drastically. Previously, his chess style was gentle and gentlemanly, but now it was fierce and steady, making it hard for people to catch their breath.

Qin Peng suddenly became curious about what Shuhuai had experienced over the years to become the person he was today.

She stole a glance at him.

Shuhuai was an extremely handsome person. Now compared to his youth, he was even thinner, and his features were sharper.

When he was young, he seemed cold due to his lack of social skills, but his eyes were clear and gentle, especially when he smiled, it was like the sunlight in March falling on the lake, creating ripples and speckled light.

But now he exuded a kind of innate aloofness that repelled people from a distance. When his eyes looked over, there was no warmth at all, like the chill of a harsh winter, cold as snow on a high mountain.

The softness of his youth seemed to have been buried or destroyed, and he was like a lone sword, a lone pine, walking alone in this world without any complaints.

Qin Peng was lost in thought as she looked at him, but Shuhuai raised his eyes, reminding her, "Make your move."

Qin Peng regained her composure, with a smile on her lips, she placed a chess piece with a softer tone, not knowing what mood she was in, teasingly asked, "I heard that the prince has three wives, I wonder which one he likes the most?"

Shuhuai did not speak. He stared at the chessboard, his serious and restrained appearance piquing Qin Peng's interest, prompting her to ask again, "Your Highness, hmm?"

"I don't have three wives," Shuhuai finally spoke, giving an unexpected answer that left Qin Peng stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter, "Your Highness is joking. Your Highness married three wives through proper channels, Princess Zhao Peng of Beiyuan, General Jiang Yi, and the Prime Minister's daughter Dong Wanyi. This matter is well known, Your Highness, don't deceive me with marital matters."

"I thought you were a weak and gentle person," Shuhuai's expression remained unchanged as he suddenly changed the topic. Qin Peng smiled without saying a word, waiting for Shuhuai to continue. Shuhuai looked at her and said, "Now I know that the princess is clever and resourceful."

"Oh?"

"It's time for the dog shift." Shuhuai made a move on the chessboard, and Qin Peng followed suit. Shuhuai didn't look up, but asked, "Princess, do you think Wei Yan can return?"

Qin Peng's expression remained unchanged, and her eyes turned cold.

Listening to Shuhuai's words, Qin Peng understood that Shuhuai knew her intentions when he played chess with her. He wasn't just playing chess with her but waiting with her. Qin Shu Huai knew her intentions, so naturally she would be on guard. She couldn't help but feel a little flustered in her heart, but her expression remained calm and composed, showing no signs of fear.

"Why did Xiao Si not return after going to visit his family in the capital?" Qin Peng pretended not to understand Qin Shu Huai's words.

Qin Shu Huai made a move, setting up a trap at some point. In that moment of making a move, the situation changed drastically. Apparently unrelated chess pieces connected one by one. Qin Shu Huai took a sip of tea and said calmly, "Are you still pretending to be clueless? I'm just curious how you knew I was going to intercept Wei Yan today."

Qin Shu Huai's words were clear, and Qin Peng looked at the chessboard with a calm expression.

Qin Shu Huai couldn't help but admire the woman in front of him a bit. Even under pressure, she maintained a calm demeanor. Regardless of intelligence, at least her composure was stronger than many others.

He held his tea and waited for Qin Peng's response. After a long silence, Qin Peng finally said, "I'm also curious how the Prince knew that I knew about your plan to intercept Wei Yan?"

"I asked first."

Qin Peng smiled, threw the chess pieces into the box, propped her chin with her hand, looked up at him like a fox, and said with a smile, "Prince, it's only natural for you to target Wei Yan. It would be strange if you didn't. "

"Okay." Qin Shu Huai nodded, his murderous intent towards Wei Yan evident. "Continue."

"Five days ago, I received a letter from my younger uncle saying he would arrive in eight days. He also mentioned our mother's critical condition. By calculating the dates, I knew that the Prince had sent the letter on the day of the palace coup to lure him back to the capital. With this situation, the Prince's intention to have him return to the capital was too obvious."

"So I counted the troops, intending to rescue my uncle. But I didn't know his route back, or how many men the Prince had, or when they would act. That's why I came to watch you closely."

"You found out how many rooms in the mansion, how many clothes the maids washed, my daily routine, and who entered and exited the mansion. Why did you guess I would use mansion guards instead of the army?"

"Because the army's movements are too conspicuous, and there's no guarantee there are no Wei family members within. After all, the Wei family's relationships within the army are intricate, almost like a faith to many in the Qi army. If news of you killing Wei Yan gets out, it would have a huge impact on you. And since Wei Yan was misled by you in a hurry, he wouldn't be able to bring too many people. Mansion guards are enough."

"And by watching you every day, I have a clear understanding of your every move. Any anomaly would alert me."

"So," Qin Shu Huai looked up at her, "you found out that I was going to act today and had people ready to intercept me on the official road?"

"You make it sound so complicated," Qin Peng tilted her head. "Why would I set up ambushes on every official road? I just followed the Prince's men, isn't that enough?"

"The Prince's men are very meticulous," Qin Peng sipped her tea. "Disguised as servants riding in carriages, no one would suspect that many were sent out. But Prince, today I watched your mansion gate. You bought vegetables, fruits, silk, and other items today, filling twenty carriages. I checked your usual consumption, and your mansion made a large purchase seven days ago. I just wanted to know, can you consume and use all of that?"

Qin Shu Huai remained silent, listening to Qin Peng's words and thinking about his subordinates' usual style of doing things. Qin Peng looked at Qin Shu Huai's dejected expression with joy and stood up with a smile, saying, "Let's go, have dinner."

Qin Shu Huai followed Qin Peng out of the room towards the dining hall, pondering all the way. Qin Peng glanced at him and said with a smile, "I've told you my method. Now, can the Prince tell me how you knew I was acting suspiciously?"

"You have been guarding Wei Yang for ten years, so you must deeply love him."

Qin Peng stopped in her tracks, feeling puzzled and not quite understanding Qin Shu Huai's meaning. Qin Shu Huai gave her a disdainful look and continued, "And your recent actions resemble someone who has fallen in love with me."

Qin Peng: "..."

"Most importantly," Qin Shu Huai's tone inexplicably softened a bit, "There was someone who tried to deceive me before, and their excuses were almost identical to yours."

"Once bitten, twice shy."

Qin Peng: "..."