Chapter 135: Brother Qiao

The Prince of Nanping already maintained a residence in the Western Capital, and Prince Qiao Ke’s crown prince manor stood immediately adjacent to it.

A grand procession of carriages came to a halt before the Nanping Prince’s manor. As passengers disembarked and carriages were cleared, a crowd quickly gathered at the gates. Under the subtle signal from Lian Yu, Qiao Bin instructed the waiting steward to lead Nan Xiangmo, Zhong Yufei, You Yuwei, and the others inside to rest.

Lian Yue’s gaze remained fixed on the carriage Qiao Zhi had arrived in. As expected, once the vehicle stopped, Qiao Zhi stepped out with an expression of impatience. Following closely behind him was Qiao Yu, draped in fiery red; she stood behind him with a flushed face, her eyes never once straying from his figure.

Had Qiao Ke not previously warned her about their relationship, Lian Yue would have merely interpreted Qiao Yu’s intense gaze as one of admiration. But now, she saw it for what it was: a burning, heated look, much like the way her eldest brother sometimes looked at Lan Shui.

Qiao Yu appeared only slightly younger than herself, and Qiao Zhi was only two years her senior. While they were uncle and niece, they looked more like contemporaries. Still, in Lian Yue’s eyes, Qiao Yu was truly unworthy of Qiao Zhi.

Lian Yue exchanged a glance with Qiao Ke, who understood her intent immediately and chirped, "Sixth Royal Uncle!"

Hearing the call, Qiao Zhi walked over. In truth, he had spotted his nephew back at the city gates. Knowing the Yue family would be overjoyed to see him, he had deliberately stayed in the carriage, listening to the faint, happy sounds of Lian Yue’s voice, which had lifted his own spirits significantly. Along the journey, he had resolved that as long as Lian Yue remained betrothed to another, he would remain by her side only as a close friend, never allowing his feelings to spiral out of control.

Later, hearing Qiao Yu’s voice had given him a headache. The mere thought of the young woman’s past arrogance and unreasonable nature made him want to hide in a hole. Unfortunately, his Fourth Brother had essentially sold him out. To his surprise, however, Qiao Yu had been uncharacteristically quiet in the carriage, even offering polite inquiries. Initially, he thought she had matured, but her constant questioning had eventually worn thin. Still, she was his niece; he could not simply cast her aside. He often wondered why, despite both being arrogant, Lian Yue seemed adorable to him while others did not—people were indeed different.

Qiao Zhi reached out and ruffled Qiao Ke’s hair. "Ke’er has grown taller, and more handsome, too."

"Thank you, Royal Uncle," Qiao Ke replied with his usual docility. "You must stay longer this time. I have so much to learn from you. Besides, Aunt is here too; the three of us can spend time together."

Having established his standing, Qiao Zhi no longer remained silent. He cast a flirtatious glance at Lian Yue. "I’m only afraid there are some places your aunt wouldn't dare to go."

Lian Yue didn't need to think twice to know what kind of places he meant. She was stunned that Qiao Zhi, whose reputation was already poor, would try to lead her nephew astray. She decided she would have to keep a close eye on them.

Though dissatisfied, she decided to handle that later. For now, she followed the plan. She put on a look of feigned grievance, suppressed the goosebumps rising on her skin, and cooed, "Brother Qiao..."

She had deliberately mimicked Qiao Ke’s tone, and the effect was immediate. It drew the attention of everyone nearby; most looked on in disbelief, wondering if they had misheard. Yuwen Lingxi furrowed his brow, his gaze lingering deeply on Lian Yue, while Qiao Yu stood behind Qiao Zhi, glaring daggers. But the most dramatic reaction came from Qiao Zhi himself.

As Lian Yue spoke, he had been opening his bone fan with a flourish. Startled by her honey-sweet tone, his hand slipped, and the fan clattered to the ground.

Qiao Zhi awkwardly bent to retrieve the fan, which now had a chipped edge. "Sister Yue’er," he lamented with a bitter expression, "do you have a vendetta against my fans? This is the second one."

Unbothered by his dramatic reaction, Lian Yue spoke again, her tone returning to normal. "Brother Qiao, Ke’er and I are planning to go to the Sparrow Tower later. You should come with us."

The Sparrow Tower was a famous restaurant in the Nishang Empire, named for the saying, "The sparrow may be small, but it has all the vital organs." If a guest requested something, the establishment would satisfy it. It was unique to the Western Capital. Lian Yue had been dying to visit, and the name had popped into her head the moment she needed an excuse.

Qiao Zhi’s newly calmed heart was thrown into turmoil again. "Sister Yue’er, you can call me 'Peach-Blossom Eyes' or 'Ointment'—anything but that. I really can't handle that."

Qiao Yu, already fuming, seized the opportunity. She abandoned her demure act and warned Lian Yue, "Did you hear my Sixth Uncle? You are not allowed to call him that!"

Lian Yue gave her a provocative look and shook her head. This girl was no match for her. Seeing Qiao Yu’s exasperation, Lian Yue leaned in and looked at Qiao Zhi with a flutter of her lashes. "But I want to call him that. Unless you really want me to call him 'Ointment,' which would make you 'Ointment’s Niece'?" Her voice was dripping with feigned fragility.

Qiao Zhi had nearly lost his composure under that look. He had heard Qiao Yu’s voice from the carriage earlier and knew Lian Yue was retaliating for Qiao Yu’s behavior. His heart naturally sided with Lian Yue, and he flashed his signature rogue smile. "Call me whatever you like, Sister Yue’er; I enjoy it. I’m happy to accompany you anywhere." He even leaned in and winked at her, a gesture that did not escape Qiao Yu’s notice.

Lian Yue felt she had been nauseating enough, but seeing Qiao Zhi outdo her, she had to concede defeat.

Qiao Yu, feeling ignored, trembled with rage. In her mind, she labeled Lian Yue a vixen and convinced herself that her Sixth Uncle had been deceived. Yes, that had to be it. She looked at Lian Yue with venomous intent: *Sixth Uncle is mine. Any woman who tries to lay a hand on him will not have a good ending.*

Lian Yu, caught between them, watched the group with a thoughtful expression. She looked at Qiao Yu before speaking: "Enough, Yue’er. Stop teasing. Let’s go inside."

Lian Yue shot Qiao Zhi a look of deep affection, her voice heavy with feigned reluctance. "Brother Qiao, you must keep your word. And one more thing—don't bring your pet out on the street, especially when that pet is a turkey."

With that, she turned and walked away without looking back. Qiao Zhi was amused by her words; he turned to see the furious Qiao Yu and realized the comparison was actually quite fitting. He couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Sixth Uncle, someone is bullying me, and you're laughing?" Qiao Yu pouted, glaring at him.

Knowing he shouldn't laugh at his elder status, Qiao Zhi suppressed his smile and offered a rare, serious piece of advice: "Don't dress like that in the future. It really does look a bit similar."

Ignoring Qiao Yu’s impending tears, he turned to Zhou Man, who had yet to enter the manor. "Fourth Brother, I’ll head back to my own residence now. Send word when it’s time to enter the palace."

Qiao Bin looked at the aggrieved Qiao Yu and said to Qiao Zhi, "Qiao Yu is still a child, and she’s always been close to you. You shouldn't hurt her feelings like that."

"She really does look like one," Qiao Zhi mouthed, then turned to the smiling Zhou Man. "Uncle Zhou, I shall take my leave."

Perhaps due to the lingering trauma from the ship, Qiao Zhi did not invite Yuwen Lingxi to accompany him. After bidding everyone farewell, he walked toward the side alley.

Qiao Yu stood where she was, tears streaming down her face as she watched Qiao Zhi depart. Seeing that he had no intention of waiting for her, she followed him, feeling deeply wronged. In her heart, she cursed Lian Yue viciously. Before she had appeared, her Sixth Uncle had never treated her this way. It had to be her.

A mad person is terrifying, a mad woman is more terrifying, and a woman driven mad by love is the most terrifying of all.