Chapter 997: Chapter 836, Hostage_2

“Xiao Yechen” seized the opportunity and said, “Father, would you like to join us? The Princess Consort would be very pleased if she knew you lit an Everlasting Lantern for her.”

Luo Qiong glanced at “Xiao Yechen,” understanding his intention, and immediately took over the conversation, “Father, on the day the Princess Consort met with disaster, she even prayed for a Ping An blessing from Buddha on your behalf. She said she wanted to give it to you personally upon her return, but unfortunately…”

Seeing the sorrow on both their faces, the Prince thought of the tender moments he had once shared with the Ma Family and, after pondering for a moment, nodded, “Alright, I shall accompany you.”

Upon the Prince’s agreement, both “Xiao Yechen” and Luo Qiong felt a surge of joy, but before they could revel in their happiness for long, Daohua approached with her maids.

“Father, are you going out?”

Seeing Daohua arrive, Luo Qiong furrowed her brows. However, remembering that Xiao Yechen had not disclosed her affairs, she slowly regained her composure.

“Xiao Yechen,” however, brightened at the sight. Xiao Yeyang had been relentless in eliminating members of the Eight Princes Party, and the Prince had died sick on the run largely because of Xiao Yeyang’s unyielding pursuit. If he could catch Xiao Yeyang’s wife, he wanted to make him taste the agony of deep-cut pain.

Daohua approached the trio with a smile, paid her respects to the Prince, and then bowed to “Xiao Yechen” and Luo Qiong.

She noticed the two standing closely together and a flicker of suspicion crossed her eyes.

A husband who learns of his wife’s infidelity normally would be filled with disgust and unlikely to have physical contact with his wife during such a time.

Seeing it was Daohua, the Prince didn’t conceal the matter and directly shared that “Xiao Yechen” and Luo Qiong were heading to the temple to light an Everlasting Lantern for the Princess Consort.

Hearing this, Daohua grew even more puzzled.

Xiao Yechen should know that Luo Qiong was related to the Princess Consort’s death. Why would he bring her to light a lantern for the Princess Consort at this time? Was he trying to recreate the scene?

“So that’s the case, that’s appropriate.”

While Daohua continued smiling and agreeing with the Prince, she scrutinized “Xiao Yechen” and Luo Qiong without changing her expression and, noticing the bruise on Luo Qiong’s mouth, asked in surprise, “Sister-in-law, what happened to your face?”

Luo Qiong touched her mouth and replied, “I accidentally bumped into something.”

Before Daohua could respond, the Prince expressed his displeasure first, “How are the maids attending to you? You are carrying a child, how could you be allowed to bump into anything?”

Daohua took over smoothly, “Yes, sister-in-law, you need to be careful about all things during pregnancy. Although lighting a lantern for the Princess Consort is the right thing to do, the temple is crowded. It might be better to wait until after the delivery to prevent any mishap.”

As she spoke, she looked toward “Xiao Yechen”.

“The Princess Consort always worried most about her eldest son’s lineage. Postponing the lantern lighting for a few months, she would surely understand.”

“Xiao Yechen” and Luo Qiong intended to take the Prince with them, but Daohua instinctively sensed something was amiss and wanted to prevent that.

“Xiao Yechen” glanced at Daohua, said nothing, but directly addressed the Prince, “Father, last night the Princess Consort appeared in my dream, and I wanted to light an Everlasting Lantern for her today.”

“The younger sister-in-law was always disrespectful to the Princess Consort when she was alive, and now that the Princess Consort has passed, she still tries to obstruct me in every way when I want to light a lantern for her. I really don’t know what she is plotting?”

Daohua saw the Prince furrow his brows and spoke softly, “I was just considering the child in my sister-in-law’s womb and spoke out of turn. If big brother wishes to go, then go ahead, I won’t be the villain here.”

Luo Qiong, seeing that Daohua would not pursue the matter further, quickly tugged at “Xiao Yechen’s” sleeve, signaling him to hurry.

Daohua noticed Luo Qiong’s subtle gesture, and her suspicion only grew.

Seeing the injury on Luo Qiong’s face, Xiao Yechen must have been the one to strike her. Confronted by a husband who abuses her, her reaction was all too wrong.

Why did it seem like she was so dependent on “Xiao Yechen”?

Moreover, though Luo Qiong’s eyes darted away at times, her demeanor did not show much panic, which was highly inconsistent with her current situation.

“Xiao Yechen” ignored Luo Qiong and turned to Daohua, “Second sister-in-law, since the father is going to light a lantern for the Princess Consort, being younger, shouldn’t you also offer your respects?”

Hearing this, Daohua had not yet reacted when Luo Qiong, managing Pingxi Hall and already burdened with daily responsibilities, vigorously shook her head at “Xiao Yechen”, saying, “How can we bother her with this?”