Rebirth of the Duke's Daughter and the Little Imperial Uncle

Chapter 10 The Young Man in My Dreams (1)

"What does this mean?" Grand Tutor Liu frowned, asking thoughtfully. At that moment, Liu's mother was also deep in thought. Just as she was racking her brains, Liu Xiaoyu's clear voice rang out: "I think someone must have deliberately manipulated these rumors to intentionally prevent new rumors from appearing."

A hint of appreciation flashed in Grand Tutor Liu's eyes as he glanced at Liu Xiaoyu with satisfaction. However, Liu's mother was extremely anxious and hurriedly asked, "What should we do?" Grand Tutor Liu composed himself and comforted her, "Don't worry, things haven't gotten out of control yet. The reason they don't want the truth to be covered up, yet haven't taken any other action, is simply that they want some money. Just give it to them; there's no need to make a fuss about it."

Liu's mother replied anxiously, "But Father, who should we give the money to? After all, we have no idea who is behind these rumors!"

Liu Xiaoyu looked at her grandfather with suspicion and asked softly, "Grandfather, do you think Qin Yaoyao did this? Otherwise, why would she ask for so many benefits?" Liu's mother shook her head, indicating her denial, "It shouldn't be... Wouldn't it be too obvious? Everyone could guess that it was them, wouldn't that just be asking for trouble and attracting criticism?"

After a moment of contemplation, Grand Tutor Liu slowly spoke: "Hmm... that's not impossible. Perhaps those who disagree with me politically are trying to use this incident to create trouble for me. But whoever the instigator is, we can just pay them off. Anyway, our family isn't short of money."

Upon hearing this, Liu's mother frowned and retorted, "Father, you absolutely must not hand over the shop to someone else! This rouge shop is the crown jewel of our family's business; most of our wealth comes from it. If we were to give it up so easily, it would undoubtedly be a huge loss to our family's finances!"

Upon hearing this, Grand Tutor Liu's face darkened instantly, but he quickly regained his composure and replied earnestly, "It's alright. No matter how much money we have, it's far less important than Xiaoyu's reputation. Wealth can be earned back, but if Xiaoyu's reputation is damaged, then it's a case of losing more than you gain."

After careful consideration, Liu's mother agreed. If her daughter could successfully marry into the Third Prince's household and become a princess, she would surely enjoy endless wealth and honor in the future. Why would she worry about not having enough money? So she nodded repeatedly and replied, "Father is absolutely right! Your daughter-in-law will do as you wish." As soon as she finished speaking, Liu's mother turned and left, hurriedly beginning to arrange the relevant matters.

Qin Yaoyao didn't care what decision they made; the benefits would naturally come to her eventually. At this moment, she was leisurely lying on a deck chair in the yard, contentedly savoring delicious grapes.

Suddenly, Qin Yaoyao's eyes lit up, and she called out cheerfully, "Yingchun, Banxia, ​​come and taste these grapes!" Hearing their mistress's call, Yingchun and Banxia didn't dare to delay and hurriedly ran over. Thinking something had happened, they asked anxiously, "Miss, is something wrong?"

However, Qin Yaoyao didn't answer. She simply smiled mysteriously, picked up two grapes, and without a word, popped them into their mouths. After they swallowed the grapes, Qin Yaoyao stared at them expectantly, blinking her bright eyes and asking, "How did it feel? Were the grapes delicious?"

Seeing this, the two women breathed a sigh of relief. Yingchun glared at Qin Yaoyao with a resentful look and scolded, "Miss, you've become so naughty these days! You've even learned to tease us servants!" Banxia, ​​standing to the side, echoed her sentiment in agreement.

Seeing this, Qin Yaoyao giggled, seemingly quite pleased with her little prank. The entire courtyard was filled with laughter, a warm and peaceful scene.

In fact, when Banxia walked to the table, she already understood her mistress's intention—to let them all try this new dish. However, due to her reserved and introverted personality, and witnessing Yingchun's vivid and interesting changes in expression, she chose to remain silent and exchanged a knowing smile with Qin Yaoyao.

Noticing Banxia's reaction, Yingchun suddenly realized that Banxia had already seen through everything. She immediately scolded Banxia, ​​"You wretched Banxia, ​​you kept it from me! I'll teach you a lesson!" Before she finished speaking, Yingchun pounced on Banxia like a nimble cheetah. Meanwhile, Qin Yaoyao quietly watched the two playfully bickering, feeling exceptionally relaxed and happy. Gradually, she closed her eyes, lay back on the recliner, and unknowingly drifted off to sleep.

Seeing that Qin Yaoyao was sleeping peacefully, Yingchun and Banxia were afraid that she would catch a cold, so they quickly went back into the house to fetch a soft, warm blanket and gently covered Qin Yaoyao with it. Afterwards, the two quietly stayed by her side, silently watching over their sleeping friend.

In her sleep, Qin Yaoyao seemed to have fallen into a chaotic world. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in a desolate place, pitch black all around, where she couldn't see her own hand in front of her face. Fear gripped Qin Yaoyao, but she still mustered her courage and cautiously groped her way forward, softly calling out, "Is anyone there?"

However, only endless silence answered her. Despite feeling a little scared, Qin Yaoyao didn't stop and continued walking forward resolutely. As she walked, she suddenly heard a faint voice talking. The voice seemed familiar, and Qin Yaoyao couldn't help but prick up her ears to listen carefully.

As they drew closer, the voices became clearer—it was a man and a woman talking! What shocked Qin Yaoyao even more was that these two voices were all too familiar to her. Even if she burned them to ashes, she would never mistake them, because they were Liu Xiaoyu and He Mingwen's voices!

In an instant, the surrounding environment became bright and dazzling, and Qin Yaoyao finally saw her location. She was inside the Princess's residence, the very scene from the flower-viewing banquet, and she was standing behind the artificial hill by the pond. From this excellent vantage point, she could clearly observe everything happening ahead.

Just then, the familiar voices rang out again. Qin Yaoyao couldn't help but lean out curiously to look, and sure enough, she saw He Mingwen and Liu Xiaoyu talking about something not far away.

Qin Yaoyao thought to herself, how wonderful it would be if she could hear what they were saying! Just as she was lost in thought, suddenly, two whispers drifted into her ears.

Qin Yaoyao suddenly looked up and saw He Mingwen tightly gripping Liu Xiaoyu's hand, saying in a low voice, "Xiaoyu, bring Qin Yaoyao to this place later, and then push her into the water when she's not looking. Remember, I'll hide behind this artificial hill. After you succeed, I'll show up and pull her out. Then you go find her family and call more people over. That way, everyone will think I saved her."

Upon hearing He Mingwen's plan, Liu Xiaoyu's face showed a hint of worry. She asked softly, "But what if she finds out that I intend to harm her? You know, we've known each other for a long time, and she's never set foot in this pond before. Will she really come here with me willingly?" He Mingwen's lips curled up slightly, and he replied with a cold laugh, "Then we'll see how you do it! Let's see how deep your friendship really is."

After a moment's thought, Liu Xiaoyu agreed. After all, that person had always been obedient to her, so bringing her here shouldn't be a problem. Confidently, she promised He Mingwen, "Don't worry, she listens to me very well. I'll definitely bring her here!" Hearing this, He Mingwen was overjoyed and pulled Liu Xiaoyu into his arms. Liu Xiaoyu blushed and softly scolded, "Your Highness, please don't do this. What if someone sees us?" He Mingwen replied excitedly, "It won't be a problem. Few people come here, and besides, we're not doing anything outrageous. I've missed you so much these past few days! Xiaoyu is so understanding; let me kiss you." Before he finished speaking, the two embraced and kissed. This scene made Qin Yaoyao, who was standing nearby, extremely uncomfortable, and she frowned deeply.

However, at that moment, the scene suddenly shifted, and Qin Yaoyao was confronted with a gruesome image of the two men making love before her eyes. This was precisely what she had experienced in her past life when she was brutally abused by He Mingwen. They had thought they could easily possess her, but she had never shown him any interest, never letting him near her from beginning to end, even after their marriage until her death. Witnessing this scene again now, Qin Yaoyao merely watched coldly.

Looking at Qin Yaoyao, who stood before him expressionless and like a wooden doll, He Mingwen felt a surge of anger. He glared at her fiercely, deciding to use his final move: to tell her the truth about his massacre of the entire Duke's family!

"Qin Yaoyao, do you know?" He Mingwen said through gritted teeth, his voice trembling with anger, "I have slaughtered everyone in your Duke's mansion! Not a single one left!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Yaoyao, who had been expressionless, suddenly raised her head, her face filled with astonishment and disbelief. Her eyes widened, her lips trembling slightly, trying to find a trace of joking or lying on He Mingwen's face, but she only saw endless indifference and cruelty.

"What...what did you say?" Qin Yaoyao's voice seemed to come from the depths of hell, filled with despair and sorrow.

Seeing this, He Mingwen felt a surge of pleasure. He laughed triumphantly, continuing to provoke Qin Yaoyao's fragile nerves: "Hmph, you didn't expect this, did you? Your beloved father and brother chose to commit suicide to save your life! And those women in your Duke's mansion suffered inhuman torture and humiliation, ultimately meeting their end as well! They thought they could save your life by doing this, but how could I let you off so easily? Haha, a bunch of utterly foolish bastards!"

After saying this, He Mingwen laughed maniacally, like a madman. Then, he summoned several palace servants and ordered, "Force her to drink this poisoned wine, so she can reunite with her family!"

At this moment, Liu Xiaoyu, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke. She walked up to Qin Yaoyao, her eyes flashing with malice: "Qin Yaoyao, do you know why I framed you? It's because your family treats you so well that it makes me jealous! Why can you have such a happy and fulfilling family, while I can only carefully curry favor with my grandfather? So, I'm going to destroy all of this! Now you should feel the excruciating pain, right? Hahaha, do you hate me? Even if you hate me, so what? Anyway, you're about to die, and I'm the victor in this struggle!" Qin Yaoyao suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, her face as pale as paper, her eyes filled with endless resentment and unwillingness. She clenched her teeth and squeezed out a vicious curse: "He Mingwen, Liu Xiaoyu, you two despicable people, you deserve to die a horrible death! If there is an afterlife, I will make you pay for your blood debt!" After saying this, Qin Yaoyao's breath grew weaker and weaker, and finally, she breathed her last.

Unexpectedly, after Qin Yaoyao's death, her soul did not depart but hovered in mid-air. Just as she was on the verge of death, she suddenly heard hurried footsteps approaching, followed by a palace servant's panicked report: "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! The Prince of Zhenbei has led his army to break through the city gates and has already stormed in!"

Upon hearing this news, He Mingwen's eyes widened in astonishment, his face filled with disbelief. Before he could react, a figure rushed into the hall like a whirlwind. It was a handsome, imposing, and spirited young man, gripping a gleaming sword tightly in his hand, his face as cold as ice.

The young man's eyes immediately fell on Qin Yaoyao lying in a pool of blood. He was instantly enraged, his eyes turning bloodshot, and a chilling killing intent emanating from him. He glared at He Mingwen, gritting his teeth as he demanded, "He Mingwen, why did you treat her like this? Is this how you take care of her?" Faced with He Yanxi's fierce and piercing gaze, He Mingwen felt a surge of fear, his body trembling uncontrollably. He knelt down with a thud, repeatedly kowtowing and begging for mercy: "Uncle, I know I was wrong, please give your nephew another chance..."

He Yanxi coldly stared at He Mingwen, who was kneeling and begging for mercy, his eyes devoid of any pity, as if he were looking at a dead man. He coldly replied, "She's dead, so what face do you have to live in this world?" With that, he suddenly swung his long sword, the sword energy like a rainbow, aiming straight for He Mingwen's vitals.

As soon as she finished speaking, a flash of sword light appeared, and the two men instantly fell into a pool of blood. Qin Yaoyao stared wide-eyed at what had just happened, her pent-up resentment finally released, and she felt incredibly relieved.

However, what happened next brought tears to her eyes. She saw He Yanxi slowly walk to her body, bend down, and gently pick her up. His eyes were filled with endless pain and sorrow, and he murmured, "Yao'er, I'm too late... It's all my fault, I shouldn't have given you to her..."

At this moment, Qin Yaoyao was already sobbing uncontrollably, tears blurring her vision. She could feel He Yanxi's deep self-blame and regret, and she also understood his profound affection for her.

Then, He Yanxi continued, "Yao'er, I have always loved you. If there is an afterlife, would you marry me? If you don't speak, I will take it as your consent. Yao'er, don't be afraid, I'm coming to be with you..." Before he finished speaking, he pulled out a dagger from his pocket.