The Birth Of A Villainess

Along the way towards Hong Pei Lou, Yu Fangzhu couldn't stop moving. His fingers tapped on his knees to hide his anxious heart from showing to his face.

Being alone with Qu Xing Xu, he couldn't help but think that he wanted to jump out of the carriage. During the banquet, he could still show a neutral face and not feel intimidated at all when he exchanged some words with the duke and those times in the past when they could still meet at the imperial court. However, being around the man who brought glory and won meritorious battles for the empire, even Yu Fangzhu who was as sly as a fox, felt fear when faced against Qu Xing Xu.

On the other hand, Qu Xing Xu felt that ignorance was bliss. Even though he could sense the fear inside the prince despite hiding it so well, Qu Xing Xu thought that it was comical how can someone be so foolishly brave enough to order someone to infiltrate his home and assassinate his bride but when in front of him, that person wouldn't even meet his eyes.

Honestly, Qu Xing Xu has high expectations for this fourth prince. He had shown great skills both in the scholarly arts and martial techniques before. During a debate inside the imperial court, Yu Fangzhu would be so eloquent that he could persuade a lot of officials and even got most of them to stay beside him. Yet, lately, there was no such fourth prince who constantly showed up.

Although Qu Xing Xu never showed up at the imperial court after he was done with the last war at the border with the rebels, he still had ears and eyes inside the imperial palace so it wouldn't be strange for him to know everything that has happened inside the palace.

He even installed these eyes and ears in the residences of the princes and princesses to monitor their movements. Some of the princes showed great changes and rose to a higher level from their previous useless self but Yu Fangzhu showed the greatest change after all.

He didn't only not show any improvements but drastically changed into a fool.

And the failed assassination last night was that night was the evidence of this. How could Yu Fangzhu be so stupid?

"Welcome, sirs!" A familiar face welcomed them. It was the same waiter that served Lin Xiaofei the last time she came there.

Qu Xing Xu simply swept his dark obsidian eyes to the waiter before smiling. It was a faint gesture not worth mentioning but that was enough for the waiter to understand what was going on.

It seems that his master has plans that day and blood will be shed, thought the waiter before he led them to a room upstairs.

After Lin Xiaofei handed over her payment for the bomb, Qu Xing Xu followed along with her advice and renovated the second floor of the restaurant. The ground floor was still as gaudy as it was in the past but the second floor changed into something a little bit classy and there were rooms designated for customers to use for privacy.

After sitting down, Qu Xing Xu and Yu Fangzhu didn't say a thing.

"We would like to have a pot of tea and some snacks." Qu Xing Xu told the waiter who left immediately to get what he asked for.

After the waiter left, Yu Fangzhu looked around, seemingly taken by the beauty of the room but in truth, he just didn't want to look at Qu Xing Xu.

However, he couldn't keep up with this act since it would do him nothing.

Thankfully, Hong Pei Lou was crowded that day and he brought along his two guards with him to that room. Whatever the duke wanted to do to him after the assassination, he wouldn't be able to do it because they're in public and there would be a lot of witnesses.

"Isn't it a great day, your highness?" Qu Xing Xu said, his lips pulling up as he looked at the prince.

Yu Fangzhu also smiled but it was an awkward smile, "It is. The sky is clear and the sun is peeking out. The wind is also very soothing."

"Indeed." Qu Xing Xu looked out of the window as he said, "It is actually a good time to hunt. Animals would be lurking around the forest and it would be nice to shoot them with an arrow so I can take one home for my dearest. You think so too, right?"

Yu Fangzhu almost flinched at his words but still said, "That is correct."

Seeing Qu Xing Xu was still looking outside instead of looking at him, Yu Fangzhu was slightly relieved.

His two guards were still standing behind him and it seems that there was a possibility that the duke still hadn't found out that he was the one who ordered some assassin to ambush his bride. The duke wouldn't send his bride to his residence and meet him if he knew anyway.

Thinking like this, Yu Fangzhu was feeling a little bit better than earlier. Not only was he safe in Hong Pei Lou, but there was also a chance he could get away as if nothing happened.

At this time, the waiter came back with a tray of snacks and a pot of tea. Once he was done putting what Qu Xing Xu ordered for him to get on the table, he left without a sound. But before he could get away from that room, he made sure that the door was locked.

He even ordered that the second floor should be empty and no customers could pass upstairs.

Qu Xing Xu's line of sight shifted towards the snacks and popped one fruit cake inside his mouth. He had done it so lazily that it seemed like he was not in front of royalty.

The guards behind Yu Fangzhu wanted to reprimand him for acting as such but they could only openly glare at him.

And that was their mistake.

After slowly chewing on the cake and swallowing it, Qu Xing Xu suddenly said, "Tell your guards to look elsewhere. I don't like being stared at by ugly men."

Yu Fangzhu who was about to drink the tea he poured almost choke on it as he stared at Qu Xing Xu's words.

The guards appeared offended by his words and because Qu Xing Xu's tone felt like he was ordering the prince. They thought that he was being disrespectful towards a royal prince.

"Your highness…" They suddenly shifted into a combat mode, ready to punish the man across them.

However, before they could even put their hands on the hilt of their swords, Qu Xing Xu was faster than them as two dark shadows flashed so quickly that no one would even see it flying in the air.

"Ah!"

"Guh!"

Grunts coming from the two guards sounded from behind Yu Fangzhu, making him visibly flinch and turn around to see what exactly happened for the two to sound like they were in so much pain.

And what he saw almost made him jump from where he sat.

The two guards who stood at the side was now kneeling on the floor, their hands were on one side of their faces. Upon looking closely, one would be able to see a stick sticking out from where their hands were positioned.

It seems that the two flashes were the chopsticks that were on the table and flew right to their eyes. One in the left eye of the first guard and another in the right eye of the second guard.

"Qu Xing Xu!" Yu Fangzhu shouted and wanted to glare at him. He had never met anyone who could be as daring as Qu Xing Xu to actually hurt his guards in front of him!

But who knew that the moment Yu Fangzhu turned, Qu Xing Xu was already had one of his hand raised with a chopstick held in it. And it was aimed at Yu Fangzhu's eyes.

Yu Fangzhu completely froze up from this and heard Qu Xing Xu say, "There are a lot of things I don't like in this world. One, being stared at by ugly men…"

"And two, I don't like others touching what is mine." And without any hesitation, Qu Xing Xu drove the chopstick towards its target.