Vengeance Fulfilled
Lily Evans smiled gently at Princess May Chu. This princess, born of a concubine in the Chu royal palace and raised without a mother, must have her own means of survival to have made it this far.
It was clear now that Princess May Chu was nothing like Princess Mira—she had a mind of her own.
Dealing with clever people is always much easier.
What Princess May Chu wanted from Lily was nothing more than financial support and access to the elite circles of Jin’s capital through Lily’s connections.
After marrying into Prince Ling's Manor, everything for Princess May Chu would depend on money. That little dowry was far from enough. Without silver, every step would be a struggle. And how could the royal family of Chu possibly keep giving her money? That’s why Princess May Chu urgently needed a patron.
Money? Lily Evans had plenty. She was now the number one female tycoon in the capital. Spending a little pocket change to win over a Princess Ling Consort was a bargain indeed.
So Lily smiled, her slender, fair hand gently covering Princess May Chu’s. She chuckled lightly and said, “Sister Ling Consort, today is your big day. I’ll have someone deliver your wedding gift a bit later.”
Princess May Chu immediately understood and beamed. "Thank you, Sister Princess Consort Hayes!"
The two women exchanged a glance, tacitly understanding each other. Thus, a subtle alliance was formed between them.
Once Princess May Chu was dressed, the wedding continued. Lily Evans had no idea how Emperor Jin Xuan was handling the officials outside at the banquet. All she knew was that when she left the bridal chamber, the celebration outside was still lively, as if the incident with Princess Mira had never happened at all.
Lily Evans lowered her gaze, inwardly admiring Emperor Jin Xuan's ability to intimidate and control the court officials.
Lily Evans returned to the guest room without revealing any emotion; inside, Alexander Hayes was waiting for her.
"You're back, my dear," Alexander Hayes stepped forward, took Lily's hand, and pulled her to sit down. The two shared what they'd just experienced.
As it turned out, after Princess Mira was taken away, she was sent straight to the palace and detained, while the person impersonating Master Su Yu was secretly let go by Alexander Hayes.
"The emperor is far too proud to allow Princess Mira to cuckold his own son. Even if he doesn't kill her, he surely won't let her return to Chu. Most likely, she'll spend the rest of her life locked in the Cold Palace," Alexander Hayes said. "But having someone else as Princess Ling Consort is better. The emperor is getting old and hasn't been well lately. Prince Ling is the empress's legitimate son and the most favored. If he becomes emperor one day and Princess Mira becomes empress, we'll surely be in trouble."
Lily nodded, then turned to instruct Lola, "Go tell our people to prepare a chest of gold and a chest of jewels as a wedding gift for Princess Ling Consort."
From now on, it's time to invest in the future empress—this is an extremely shrewd deal.
But just thinking that Prince Ling might become emperor someday, and remembering the way he looked at her, Lily couldn't help but feel uneasy...
The wedding banquet ended quietly. Before nightfall, Alexander Hayes took Lily back to Prince of Qin's Manor.
The next day, Alexander Hayes received secret news: Crown Prince Charles Chu agreed to let Princess Mira stay in Jin. Emperor Jin Xuan then threw Princess Mira into the Cold Palace, forbidding her to ever leave. Afterwards, the Kingdom of Chu promised to present a batch of rare treasures to Emperor Jin Xuan, barely appeasing his anger.
Half of her mother's great revenge was complete, Prince Ling's reputation was ruined, and Princess Mira would spend the rest of her days in the Cold Palace, never causing trouble again. This made Lily much more at ease. Just then, explosive news arrived from the Marquis Valor Estate...