TFWYH – Chapter 795 Setting a Trap for Her

It was at this very moment that He Shihan arrived at the Prime Minister’s residence.

Carrying Gu Xiyan’s favorite pastries, she came to visit with an abundance of “sincerity” and “concern.”

However, the moment she saw Gu Xiyan, she was genuinely startled.

The Gu Xiyan of the past might not have been a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms, but she had certainly been exceptionally attractive.

But the woman now lying weakly on the bed, her face deathly pale and her body so thin she looked like a ghost…

Was this really Gu Xiyan?

He Shihan quickly composed herself, forced a few tears from her eyes, and hurried to the bedside.

“Sister Yan, it’s only been a few days since we last met. How have you become so haggard?”

At the sound of He Shihan’s voice, a faint spark slowly returned to Gu Xiyan’s lifeless eyes.

She turned her head toward her, and her expression instantly darkened.

“It’s you.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be serving your Noble Consort in the palace? Have you come here just to laugh at me?”

Gu Xiyan wasn’t without close friends among the noble ladies.

But that had been before everything happened.

Ever since her scandal, those so-called friends couldn’t wait to distance themselves from her.

Why would any of them come to visit her in person?

As for He Shihan…

She was merely the daughter of a minor official.

Even before the scandal, Gu Xiyan had looked down on her and considered her unworthy of being in her circle.

Whenever they happened to meet, she had treated He Shihan little better than a cat or a dog.

Yet now…

This woman had actually come to see her.

Gu Xiyan had to admit she felt a tiny bit touched.

That didn’t stop her from speaking sarcastically, however.

He Shihan smiled gently as she opened the food box.

“Her Highness the Noble Consort received His Majesty’s permission to leave the palace today and brought me with her. That’s how I learned about your…”

She trailed off and sighed softly.

“I begged Her Highness to let me leave for a while, so I specifically went to buy your favorite osmanthus cakes from Xu’s Bakery. Please… have a little.”

“Eat?”

Gu Xiyan slapped the food box onto the floor, her face clouded with gloom.

“Eat what? There are no telling how many people outside laughing at me, calling me shameless and saying I deserve to die. Even my own grandfather probably thinks the same way. What’s the point of me staying alive? I might as well die and give them what they want!”

“Oh, Sister Yan, dying is easy. Living is the difficult part. Please don’t think like that.”

As He Shihan spoke, her eyes reddened.

“You have no idea how heartbroken I feel seeing you like this.”

Ever since the scandal, apart from her mother, no one had shown Gu Xiyan any concern.

Even the servants in her own household dared to mock her.

Seeing He Shihan like this, Gu Xiyan couldn’t help feeling moved.

Tears slowly welled up in her eyes.

“But… what am I supposed to do now?”

“My grandfather says he’s going to send me to become a nun.”

“My whole life is ruined…”

“Ruined…”

She broke down in sobs.

He Shihan quickly comforted her.

“Where there’s life, there’s hope. Back then, my parents nearly forced me to marry the Eldest Prince, but didn’t I manage to escape that fate? Her Highness the Noble Consort has treated me extremely well. She even said that once I turn seventeen, she’ll personally find me a good husband and see that I’m married off in grand style.”

The moment Gu Xiyan heard those words, her chest tightened.

The gratitude she had just begun to feel vanished instantly.

The way she looked at He Shihan also turned hostile.

This bitch…

Did she come here just to mock me after all?

The moment He Shihan saw her expression, she realized she had been misunderstood and hurriedly explained,

“Sister Yan, you’ve misunderstood! I didn’t come to laugh at you. I came to offer you a solution.”

“Oh?”

Gu Xiyan narrowed her eyes.

“And what kind of solution could you possibly have?”

He Shihan sighed before continuing,

“My family may not be as distinguished as yours, but I never wanted to become someone’s concubine. That’s why I’ve always opposed my parents’ arrangements.”

“But if I had really married the Eldest Prince, it would have been me marrying above my station.”

“Think about it, Sister Yan.”

“His Majesty has only three sons.”

“We can set the Second Prince’s wife aside.”

“As for the Third Prince’s wife, she’s extremely capable and deeply favored. If you married into that household, you’d never gain any advantage.”

“Only the Eldest Prince’s household is different.”

“First, the Eldest Prince’s principal wife isn’t favored.”

“Second, she has no children.”

“Third, even the Empress doesn’t like her.”

“So tell me…”

“Wouldn’t the Eldest Prince actually be the best choice among all three princes?”