117. Meeting with the Prince of War

Le Qianxue choked on her tea.

She glared at Le Yongcheng. How could a father say such a thing?

Her expression was less than pleasant, but Le Yongcheng failed to notice anything amiss.

Le Qianxue said, "Father, if I were truly disfigured, you wouldn't have to worry anymore. I would lose my only redeeming quality."

At present, there was still a faint red mark on Le Qianxue’s face, but her skin was otherwise fair and delicate; the mark was hardly noticeable. Le Yongcheng felt his daughter was only becoming more beautiful by the day.

He quickly waved his hands. "No, no, that won't do. If you lost your face, you would be miserable. That is your only advantage."

Le Qianxue huffed. "Enough. Talking to you is always so suffocating."

Le Yongcheng stopped teasing her and asked, "Then what can you do now?"

Truth be told, Le Yongcheng really did not want Le Qianxue to marry the Crown Prince. Even though Tong Xianxian had requested it, he would have opposed it regardless. After all, becoming the Crown Princess meant sharing a husband with a multitude of other women.

Moreover, if Le Qianxue were to become Empress in the future, it would be even worse. He did not know how many women were eyeing that throne. In that case, Le Qianxue would face endless trouble, trapped in constant infighting with no joy left in her life.

Le Qianxue rested her chin on her hand and said, "I have no plan for the moment."

Le Yongcheng sighed. Could it really come to this?

Father and daughter were both filled with worry, but then Le Qianxue suddenly remembered something. Her eyes brightened. "Father, I have an idea."

"What idea?"

"Do you know where Yan Luoyu, the only daughter of the Yan family, is being kept?" Le Qianxue asked.

Le Yongcheng shook his head slightly. "The Yan family are the wealthiest merchants in the world, and Yan Luoyu is a business prodigy. However, it is said she suffers from a chronic illness and has been recuperating."

"Actually, that is not true. She has been imprisoned by the Emperor," Le Qianxue said. "He did it to control the Yan family, but the family hasn't been so easily subdued. They are still at a stalemate, as the head of the Yan family has only this one daughter."

Le Qianxue pondered for a moment before continuing. "The Crown Prince must know this. He likely wants to win the Yan family over as well."

Le Yongcheng hummed in agreement and asked, "So your plan is to rescue Yan Luoyu, and in doing so, force the Emperor and the Crown Prince to abandon their designs on you?"

Le Qianxue nodded. "Although it is risky and might enrage the Emperor, I cannot think of a better plan right now."

"Indeed. Last time you captured Yuan Feng, the Emperor was furious. Otherwise, why would he have exposed your identity to Prince Zhan?" Le Yongcheng mused. "The Emperor might have spared you once, but he will not let it slide a second time."

Le Qianxue knew this, but this time she had a better strategy. After all, she did not intend to kill Yan Luoyu.

She frowned. "Father, I suspect the Emperor is trying to locate the Four Great Families of the previous dynasty, and the Yan family is one of them. The branch of the Yuan family has also surfaced long ago. I couldn't understand why the Crown Prince was so insistent on marrying me. Could I also be linked to the Four Great Families?"

She stared into Le Yongcheng’s eyes, as if questioning him.

Le Yongcheng could not help but laugh. "The Four Great Families? My ancestors have always been surnamed Le and have never changed their name."

"What about Mother?" Le Qianxue could not fathom why Yu Guohan had targeted her.

Le Yongcheng’s expression flickered slightly. He thought for a moment and said, "This... your mother’s origins are somewhat strange. When I first met her..."

Le Qianxue waited for him to continue, but Le Yongcheng suddenly stopped. He pressed his lips together and said, "In any case, it is unlikely your mother was part of the Four Great Families. Your mother possessed formidable martial arts skills, and her background... I will not speak of that. It is her secret."

Le Qianxue was stunned. "Why can't you tell me?"

Le Yongcheng waved his hand. "I swore an oath to your mother that I would never speak of her origins for as long as I lived."

"Why? I am your daughter. And aren't we trying to figure out why the Crown Prince wants to marry me? We need to understand his motives." Le Qianxue was baffled. She hadn't considered Tong Xianxian before, but thinking about it now, Tong Xianxian’s background was highly suspicious; very few people knew where she came from.

Le Yongcheng looked troubled. After much deliberation, he decided against saying anything.

He could only say, "When your mother married me, she had already cut ties with her kin. It is not for me to say now. However, she never once mentioned anything about the Four Great Families to me, so she could not have been one of them."

Le Qianxue murmured, "You don't think Mother could have deceived you?"

Le Yongcheng, who had always been honest and steady, thought about it. "That... it is possible. Your mother was quite mischievous and clever. But the Emperor’s favor toward you—I can explain that. He was quite fond of your mother in the past."

"Favor? What good is that? In the end, he was the one who ordered her death," Le Qianxue said.

Le Yongcheng’s expression darkened. He clenched his fists slightly, lost in thought.

Le Qianxue urged him gently, "Father, I will investigate this myself. That is exactly why I refuse to marry the enemy."

"Yes, you are right... you cannot marry him," Le Yongcheng agreed. "The most important thing is that you do not love him. You cannot marry him."

Seeing how emotional Le Yongcheng was, Le Qianxue smiled.

Now that she had a plan, she was determined to try it.

Le Qianxue returned to Qingyu Courtyard with Huatao leading the way with a lantern. She knew Yan Luoyu was in the Imperial Palace, but which palace exactly? Moreover, the palace was heavily guarded. How could she possibly rescue her?

Just as they reached the courtyard, a guard reported, "Eldest Miss, someone just delivered this note."

Le Qianxue was puzzled. She looked and saw a dagger stuck into the wooden door with a note attached.

"Did you see who it was?" she asked.

The guard replied, "No. The person possessed incredible martial arts; by the time we reacted, they were already gone."

Le Qianxue walked over and pulled the note down. Since it was delivered to her courtyard, it was clearly meant for her. She opened it and read: *The fish is in the Huafeng Palace.*

*The fish.*

She was shocked. This must refer to Yan Luoyu.

Le Qianxue looked around. Who could have sent this? Who would provide her with such vital information? Even Yuan Feng had not been this specific.

Le Qianxue had intended to use Yan Luoyu as a means to escape her predicament, and coincidentally, someone else shared her objective. Who was helping her?

She thought of Zhan Lianjing, but then shook her head. Zhan Lianjing had been quiet for the past two days, seemingly indifferent to her; it likely wasn't him. Even if it were, he would have already completed his own deal with the Yan family and would have rescued Yan Luoyu himself.

Still, she didn't know if the information was reliable. The next day, she sent someone to scout, and sure enough, the Huafeng Palace was behaving strangely. It was originally a residence for a Dowager Consort, but recently, it had been heavily guarded by the Imperial Guards.

Le Qianxue knew something was amiss. There was a ninety-percent chance Yan Luoyu was being held there.

Rescuing someone from the Imperial Palace was no easy feat, but Le Qianxue’s greatest strength was her medical knowledge, and she was also quite accomplished in the art of disguise. With such skills, how could she fail to bring someone out of the palace?

She began drafting her plan, ensuring it would be foolproof. However, that day, someone came to visit.

The intruder was bold, barging in while wearing a veil. Neither the guards nor Huatao could stop her.

"Sister Le!" The young girl’s eyes were bright and sparkling; she was quite lovely.

Le Qianxue was taken aback. Who was this?

But when the girl removed her veil, Le Qianxue recognized her as Zhan Lianjing’s sister.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

Zhan Yunge looked to be in good spirits; it seemed her illness had been cured.

Le Qianxue’s voice was indifferent, but Zhan Yunge didn't mind. She grabbed Le Qianxue’s hand and said, "I came specifically to thank you. My brother told me it was you and the Divine Physician Yuan who cured me."

Le Qianxue thought of how Zhan Lianjing treated Yuan Tianci, and her tone turned cold. "There is no need for thanks. I am now collecting the medical fees: twenty thousand taels."

Zhan Yunge gasped. "You want money? I don't have that much."

Le Qianxue gave her a faint look. "You don't, but your brother does. It wouldn't have cost twenty thousand, but he will have to pay for Tianci’s medicinal expenses."

Zhan Yunge didn't understand. *Medicinal expenses?* She nodded. "Alright, I will go tell my brother."

Before Le Qianxue could speak, Zhan Yunge had already left. The girl was truly persistent.

Not long after, Zhan Yunge returned, though she brought no money.

"Sister Le, my brother says you must go and collect it yourself," Zhan Yunge said.

"I won't go," Le Qianxue replied. "If he won't pay, he won't pay. I don't care about that bit of money."

"But he said you were just too cowardly to go," Zhan Yunge blinked. "Go, go! Sister Le, you only need to go once, and you will get the fee."

Le Qianxue frowned. "He wants me to go in person?"

"That’s right, that's what my brother said," Zhan Yunge replied.

Le Qianxue thought for a moment. She still hadn't settled the score with Zhan Lianjing regarding the spices from the other day. She might as well handle it all at once.

The red spots on her face had faded, leaving her skin fair and flushed with health; she was more stunning than ever.

Zhan Yunge pulled her along toward the Qianjin Pavilion. It turned out Zhan Lianjing was dining there today.

The table was filled with dishes, but Zhan Lianjing was the only one eating. When Le Qianxue arrived, Zhan Lianjing did not even lift his eyes.

Zhan Yunge giggled, "Brother, I’ve brought her. Can I go play now?"

"Have Zhuixing go with you," Zhan Lianjing commanded.

Although Zhan Yunge didn't want to be followed, she had no choice and quickly departed.