Chapter 46 A New Layout

With the fragrant, soft, and warm jade held in his arms, Xie Ning's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.

He could clearly feel Li Qingning's slightly trembling body and her hot, sincere heart pressed tightly against his chest.

This Eldest Princess, who was so decisive, majestic, and ruthless in front of outsiders, was at this moment acting like a little girl who had suffered grievances and finally found something to lean on.

Xie Ning's heart melted instantly.

He reached out and gently wrapped his arms around Li Qingning's slender waist, pulling her even tighter into his embrace.

"Silly girl."

He spoke softly again, using the tip of his nose to gently brush against Li Qingning's earlobe as he whispered, "Why are you still thanking me?"

"You are my wife; if I am not good to you, who should I be good to?"

Li Qingning's delicate body trembled, especially upon hearing the word "wife," causing her to bury her head even deeper.

The two of them embraced each other quietly, neither speaking a word.

The atmosphere in the room was warm and enchanting.

After a long while, Li Qingning finally raised her head from his arms. Her tear-reddened eyes looked like two frightened little rabbits, making Xie Ning's heart melt all over again.

"Alright, stop crying. If you keep crying, you won't look pretty anymore."

Xie Ning reached out and gently wiped away the tear tracks from the corners of Li Qingning's eyes.

His movements were gentle and filled with deep affection.

Looking at Xie Ning's handsome face close at hand and those deep, starry eyes, Li Qingning's heart beat even faster.

As if driven by some mysterious impulse, she rose slightly on her tiptoes.

She planted a dragonfly-like kiss on Xie Ning's lips.

Then, feeling as guilty as a thief, she quickly stepped back, turned around, and left Xie Ning with a shy view of her back.

"I... I'm going to rest first."

With that, she fled like a runaway into the inner chamber.

Xie Ning touched his lips; a faint, lingering sweet fragrance seemed to remain upon them.

He chuckled inwardly.

It seemed that his status as the Prince Consort was becoming more and more secure.

"Didn't you say you were going to live here from now on?"

As if remembering something, Xie Ning chased after her.

...

The next day.

The news that Xie Ning had achieved legendary status in one battle at the Imperial Garden Poetry Gathering and had been granted a marriage decree by the emperor on the spot swept through the entire Jian'an City like a hurricane.

For a time, street corners, alleys, tea houses, and wine shops were all buzzing with discussions about this abruptly emerged "Poet Immortal."

"Have you heard? That Marquis of Dingyuan's heir, Xie Ning, single-handedly defeated all the civil officials in the imperial court at the Imperial Garden yesterday!"

More than just defeating them, I heard that Young Master Yuwen Yue, along with several old scholars from the Hanlin Academy, were so angered on the spot that they vomited blood and passed out!

"Really? Is it that bizarre?"

"Absolutely true! The cousin of the friend of my seventh maternal uncle's son is on duty in the palace and saw it with his own eyes!"

"Those poems, those couplets—tsk tsk tsk, haven't you heard them?"

"After fresh rain in the empty mountains, the weather turns to late autumn... Oh my god, can a human actually write such a poem?"

"It's not just poetry; I heard that Marquis Heir Xie also possesses miraculous supernatural powers. Yesterday, when the ancestral tablet of the late emperor in the imperial temple cracked, he was the one who fixed it!"

In an instant, Xie Ning's reputation among the common people reached an unprecedented height.

In just one day, he seemed to have transformed overnight from a down-and-out marquis heir into the God of Literature descended to earth, an all-knowing and omnipotent prodigy of the contemporary era.

Meanwhile, the reactions of various factions varied greatly.

On the side of the literati, they had completely lowered their flags and fallen silent.

Those venerable scholars had all closed their doors to visitors, too ashamed to face anyone, terrified that someone might bring up yesterday's disastrous defeat in the Imperial Garden.

The Prime Minister's Estate was even more shrouded in gloomy clouds.

Ever since Yuwen Yue returned, he had locked himself in his room, refusing to eat, drink, or speak, completely ruined as a person.

Prime Minister Yuwen Taiji was so furious that he smashed several of his beloved antique porcelain vases, yet there was nothing he could do.

As for the Worthy Prince's Estate.

The Worthy Prince, who had always projected an image of being aloof from worldly affairs, virtuous, and courteous, lost the gentle smile on his face upon returning from the Imperial Garden.

He sat in his study in silence for a long time.

"Xie Ning..."

He slowly uttered these two words, a trace of unprecedented solemnity flashing in his eyes.

He knew that he, and even the Empress Dowager, had severely underestimated this young man.

This suddenly appearing heir of the Marquis of Dingyuan had already become the greatest variable in their plan.

Inside the Eldest Princess's mansion, within that new bedchamber filled with spiritual aura, Xie Ning and Li Qingning sat facing each other, leisurely sipping tea.

"Right now, the entire Jian'an City is buzzing with stories of your miraculous deeds."

Li Qingning put down her teacup, looked at Xie Ning, and a hint of a smile played at the corner of her mouth.

"You are a red-hot celebrity right now, even more famous than the emperor."

"Naturally."

Xie Ning tossed his head in narcissistic pride.

"My legend has only just begun."

"Let's talk business."

Li Qingning rolled her eyes at him.

"Although you won the competition and obtained the marriage decree, the matter is far from over. I know my mother; she will never let this rest. Having lost all her face this time and missing out on the alliance with the Prime Minister's Estate, she is unlikely to leave it at that."

Hearing this, Xie Ning nodded, and the smile on his face faded.

"I understand. However, the Empress Dowager only wanted to create conditions to check and balance the Worthy Prince. For now, I probably haven't met her expectations yet."

A glimmer of worry flickered in Li Qingning's beautiful eyes.

"That's right, so we must take the initiative."

"Do you have a plan?"

Xie Ning asked.

"Didn't you say before that the Four Yin House-Extinguishing Formation set up in my villa and the cracking of the ancestral temple tablet were done by the same person or the same group of people?"

Li Qingning said in a deep voice.

"I feel that this is our greatest threat right now. This enemy hiding in the shadows uses bizarre and unpredictable methods; we must root them out as soon as possible."

"Exactly."

Xie Ning heartily agreed. Until this ticking time bomb was defused, he could never sleep in peace.

"Any clues?"

Li Qingning shook her head.

"Xiaolian has already confessed, pointing the mastermind behind the scenes to the Worthy Prince. But I always feel things aren't that simple."

"Given the Worthy Prince's usual style of conduct, he wouldn't use methods that expose him so easily. Furthermore, this kind of top-tier Feng Shui metaphysics is not something ordinary people can master."

Xie Ning touched his chin, falling into deep thought.

A moment later, he slapped his thigh.

"I've got it."

He looked at Li Qingning, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

"Since the enemy loves playing dirty tricks, we'll play along."

"Isn't our wedding coming up soon?"

"Our wedding?"

Li Qingning was stunned, failing to see what this had to do with catching the mastermind behind the scenes.

"Yes, exactly the wedding."

Xie Ning smiled like a cunning fox.

"Our wedding will definitely be the grandest and most eye-catching event in the entire Jian'an City. Do you think that enemy hiding in the shadows will let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?"