Chapter 26: Offering Food to One’s Husband Respectfully

ted him with a reply: "That was out of emergency."Night Qingran snorted and retorted, "So it was an act of emergency This Miss Qin actually allowed you to risk breaking your bones to save her! When di...Chapter 26: Offering Food with Raised Eyebrows as a Sign of Respect

Although it was a beautiful night, Yun Qianyue was extremely exhausted. After eating, she couldn't resist her fatigue and didn't even bother to get up from the couch to go to bed; she simply lay down on Rong Jing's body and closed her eyes. Soon, soft and steady breathing sounds could be heard.

Rong Jing was taken aback for a moment, turned his head, saw that Yun Qianyue had fallen asleep with a look of exhaustion on her face, and felt touched and concerned as he looked at her. After a moment, he put down his chopsticks, gently picked her up, and walked towards the bed. Arriving by the bedside, he placed her inside the bed, carefully took off her clothes, saw that her milky-white skin showed no trace of any previous romantic feelings, changed her into a night robe, adjusted her to a comfortable position, then covered her with the blanket. During this entire process, Yun Qianyue was very obedient and didn't move at all.

After tidying up Yun Qianyue properly, Rong Jing did not go to bed but also did not leave immediately; instead, he sat by the bedside looking at her. For so many years of insomnia and suffering from cold poison, he had thought this life was very short and that it would pass like this until he slowly died due to the torment of the cold poison. However, unexpectedly, heaven favored him, allowing her to help him eliminate the cold poison and regain his life. So what reason did he have not to hold on to her

No matter how prestigious a position was bestowed upon him by the common people of the world or how heavy the responsibilities given to him by the Prince's Manor; regardless of how vast the outside world was, whether splendid and colorful or otherwise, he felt that his world was solely centered around her. Just watching her lie peacefully on his bed without any guard, soundly asleep, made him feel content.

If time were to stop right now, he would think it worthwhile to use his life to exchange for this moment!

"Young Master!" Qing Shang's voice came from outside.

Rong Jing was interrupted in his thoughts. He reined in the emotions revealed in his eyes and replied lightly, "Mmm."

"The Old Prince sent someone to pass on a message, saying he wants you to come over." Qing Shang said softly.

"Now" Rong Jing raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, now!" Qing Shang nodded.

Rong Jing glanced at Yun Qianyue and saw that she was deeply asleep. He got up, walked towards the door. Upon reaching it, he looked at Qing Shang and whispered, "She is already sleeping; please keep the noise down so as not to wake her."

"Yes!" Qing Shang immediately replied.

Rong Jing slowly left the Purple Bamboo Garden.

Seeing Rong Jing leave, Qing Shang hesitated for a moment but stayed at the entrance as per his instructions.

Just after Rong Jing had left, someone suddenly barged into the Purple Bamboo Garden. Qing Shang was alarmed; the eighteen covert guards instantly appeared with swords and knives drawn, surrounding the intruder.

Qing Shang immediately lit a firestone. Seeing that the person surrounded by the eighteen covert guards was Ye Qingran, she hurriedly approached him, her face showing displeasure as she said, "Young Prince Ren, if you wish to see our Young Master, please send someone to inform us properly! Swords and knives can be merciless; how would it be settled if you were injured"

"A formidable little girl! Do they really think they could harm me" Ye Qingran gave a flamboyant laugh as he looked at the eighteen covert guards surrounding him, his brows raised high. "I have long wanted to test the martial arts of these eighteen weak beauties; it's just that I couldn't find an opportunity before. Today seems like a perfect chance!"

Hearing this, Qing Shang frowned and said in low tones, "Young Prince Ren, if you wish to see what the eighteen weak beauties' martial arts are like, that would be fine, but not today or now; Miss Yun Qianyue is sleeping. If you wake her up, I won't hold back on your treatment either. Even though you have high martial skills and aren't afraid of their techniques, it's still possible for injuries to occur. In case any injuries happen, don't blame us."

"Oh So early in the morning, this little girl is already asleep" Ye Qingran raised his eyebrows.

"Indeed, Miss Yun Qianyue is sleeping." Qing Shang nodded and looked at Ye Qingran, trying to keep her voice low. "Are you here for our Young Master Our Young Master has gone to the Old Prince's residence. I can have someone take you there."

"I am not looking for him; I'm here just for this little girl." Ye Qingran shook his head.

"You're here for Miss Yun Qianyue" Qing Shang was taken aback. She knew that Miss Yun Qianyue and Young Prince Ren were close, but she had some reservations as she said, "I just mentioned that Miss Yun Qianyue is extremely tired today and went to bed early. If you have something important, why don't you come back tomorrow after she wakes up"

"She's exhausted What did she do all day long to be so tired Why go to sleep at this hour" Ye Qingran clearly didn't believe it; looking at Qing Shang he said, "I want to see what tricks the weak beauty has played on this little girl and why won't she let her out of here."

"It's not our Young Master hiding Miss Yun Qianyue. It's because Miss Yun Qianyue is extremely frail; our Young Master is adjusting her body condition." Qing Shang shook her head immediately.

"That line won't work on me, this little girl may be weak but don't think I'm unaware that it was the weak beauty's manipulation earlier today which left Miss Yun Qianyue in such a state. Since he did so with good intentions for the sake of this little girl, I didn't expose him back then." Ye Qingran looked at Qing Shang, his face still showing displeasure.

Thinking that Young Prince Ren truly was not someone to be fooled around with easily, she hesitated but told the truth: "Miss Yun Qianyue has been learning embroidery and needlework all day long. She is extremely tired from it and went to sleep early."

"Why would she learn embroidery and needlework" Ye Qingran was surprised.

Qingshang shook his head and said, "Miss Qin Yue suddenly wanted to learn; I don’t know why." Seeing Ye Qingran's puzzlement, he added softly, “All girls love things like this. It’s unlikely that Miss Qin Yue doesn’t want it either! She probably wants to try embroidery!"

Ye Qingran frowned.

Qingshang hurriedly said again, "Miss Qin Yue is really asleep now, Your Highness. If you have anything important to tell her, come back tomorrow morning. Otherwise, if you don’t mind telling me what it’s about, I can pass the message on when she wakes up."

"That won’t do!" Ye Qingran paused for a moment before decisively waving his hand and saying, "I have to see her today! You should wake her up now. If she knows that I’m here, she will definitely get up! Otherwise, tell me where Miss Qin Yue is staying I’ll go in and ask her myself."

Qingshang frowned as he stood still and shook his head, "Miss Qin Yue is too tired to be woken up. You should…"

"Why so many words" Ye Qingran was annoyed and warned Qingshang, “If you don’t want me to cause a ruckus in this courtyard full of treasures that belongs to your Young Master, go wake her up now! Otherwise, I won't hold back!"

Qingshang hesitated as he looked at Ye Qingran. He knew that if Lord Eighteen Shadows and Prince R yan got into a fight, Qin Yue would be woken up regardless of his attempts to stop it; but then again, if he went to wake her up now, wouldn’t he also have disobeyed the Young Master’s orders He looked at Ye Qingran with some difficulty as he tried to dissuade him, "Prince R yan, do you have something important to tell Miss Qin Yue I’m not lying; she really is tired and has fallen asleep. She didn’t rest from morning till nightfall today. She did not even eat her lunch and only went to bed after having dinner."

"Learning knitting and sewing techniques like this isn't worth the trouble!" Ye Qingran obviously didn't believe him; he felt that Qin Yue’s sleeping was probably true, and that she really was tired. But he wasn’t sure it was merely because of learning knitting and sewing. A sudden feeling of confusion rose up in his heart as he angrily said, “Do you want to stop me Then I won’t hold back!”

As soon as Ye Qingran spoke, he suddenly attacked with a gust of palm wind that blew through like the surging waves of the sea towards Qingshang.

Qingshang was startled and dared not face it head on; instead, he quickly dodged. Seeing Lord Eighteen Shadows attack when Ye Qingran moved first, all eighteen shadows appeared at once with several flashes of silver light that intertwined into a single shadow.

Cloud Qin Yue was awakened by the noise and opened her eyes to look out. As she made to sit up, R on J ing came in from outside, his gentle voice slightly darkened as he said, “Stop!”

Qin Yue’s body that had been about to sit up lay back down again; with a heavy sense of sleepiness, she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

The eighteen shadows immediately stopped as they heard R on J ing speak. Ye Qingran also stopped when he saw R on J ing standing at the door; he harrumphed unpleasantly, “Weakling beauty, you hid that little girl in your estate! What are you planning to do with her”

R on J ing waved his hand and the eighteen shadows immediately stepped back. He arched an eyebrow as he looked at Ye Qingran.

"Of course this is the most important thing! I want to see what nefarious plan you have in mind for that innocent girl!" Ye Qingran said.

R on J ing felt like laughing when he heard Ye Qingran say Qin Yue was an innocent girl. He thought of how she had fooled everyone, even fooling someone as clever as Prince R yan; did she fool him too If she were innocent, then who was the woman with a heart cold enough to control her feelings that he saw that day in the morning And if she were really innocent, could all those earth-shattering things that happened these past few years be done by someone else Moreover, why would he have gone through so much trouble to bind her to his side and now, even though she is staying in his courtyard and sleeping peacefully on his bed, telling him with a breathless sigh that she likes him; it still wasn’t enough to make his heart at ease

"I want to see the girl today!" Ye Qingran stared fixedly at R on J ing, not missing the expression of helplessness on his face. But his tone was increasingly firm.

“Do you think I would do anything to her” R on J ing looked at him and asked with a smile.

"Of course, you’re capable of doing anything!" Ye Qingran harrumphed, "Extorting every last bit of it from someone is your specialty."

“I guess I understand you well,” R on J ing smiled but didn't comment further. He stepped into the courtyard and walked towards Ye Qingran. He then continued walking inside and told him, “If you want to see what I’ve done to her, why don’t you just follow me in Or ask her yourself and see if I’ve fooled her.”

Ye Qingran frowned as he followed R on J ing.

Around the door, R on J ing didn't turn back or make room for him; instead, he swept aside the curtain and walked in.

Ye Qingran suddenly stopped walking.

R on J ing looked at Cloud Qin Yue sleeping peacefully on his bed as he entered the room. With a gentle look, he did not hear Ye Qingran’s footsteps approaching; he turned to look outside the door and said, "What Not coming in Don’t you want to see her She is right here in my room and now she's asleep."

Ye Qingran suddenly turned around and walked out coldly, “I’ll come back tomorrow!”

R on J ing arched an eyebrow but did not speak; he looked at Ye Qingran leave with a calm gaze.

With quick steps, Ye Qingran took two steps forward before looking back. He then lightly touched his feet and flashed out of the Purple Bamboo Garden.

Qingshang felt her heart stop for a moment; she thought that Prince R yan also liked Miss Qin Yue! Then what about Princess Ye from Southern Frontier She was somewhat puzzled as she looked at the main room and hurried over to apologize, "Young Master, I...

"It's fine! You've had a tiring day today, go rest!" Rong Jing waved his hand and spoke calmly.

"Yes!" Qing Shang responded and turned to leave.

Rong Jing sat down beside the bed and brushed aside Yun Qianmo’s messy hair that covered half of her face. He then combed it neatly, watching as she slept peacefully with a look of concern in his eyes. After a long time, he bent down and kissed her lips gently. His tone was soft as if murmuring: "It shouldn’t be you who should embroider the bad peaches for me, I should do it for you!"

After speaking, he lightly got into bed and held her in his arms before closing his eyes.

Yun Qianmo slept soundly all night. Rong Jing only fell asleep deep into the night.

The next morning, Yun Qianmo woke up early. After she woke up, she saw that Rong Jing was still sleeping deeply. It seemed that her bad sleeping posture had pushed him to the very edge of the bed. She felt a little guilty and believed he hadn’t slept well all night. She wanted to move but dared not do so for fear of waking him up. So, she just stared at him.

No matter how many times she looked at him, the only words that came to mind were "beautiful eyes." She felt that the Creator was truly amazing for creating a person like Rong Jing! People felt envious of such beauty and even felt guilty about being jealous. Subconsciously, her expression turned dreamy as she leaned over and kissed his lips.

Her heart started pounding before her lips even touched him. The closer she got to him, the faster her heart beat. When she was an inch away from his lips, she gave up and closed her eyes abruptly like a thief caught in the act. Her small face turned red as if it were on fire. She silently cursed herself: Yun Qianmo, you're becoming more useless! Isn't just stealing a kiss from a man something you should be able to do You’re pathetic!

Just when she was cursing herself, her lips were suddenly kissed by him. Startled, she opened her eyes and saw Rong Jing’s smiling gaze. Her face flushed even more red. She reached out to push him but he only released her after planting a heavy kiss on her mouth. With his sleepy voice slightly hoarse, he said with a smile: "So you’re that timid!"

Yun Qianmo was immediately exasperated, “Even if I am timid What’s it to you”

Rong Jing looked at Yun Qianmo’s puffed-up face and embarrassed eyes with a soft smile. "And now you have the nerve to blame me"

Yun Qianmo immediately shut up, but then she blushed and argued: “The sky is already bright! You’re still sleeping on endlessly. Aren’t you ashamed”

"Don’t know who was kicking and thrashing about in the middle of the night, waking me up several times. I finally managed to fall asleep late at night but then got disturbed again," Rong Jing said slowly.

Yun Qianmo immediately fell silent, half a moment later she blushed as she argued: “Isn’t that because you were kicked awake by my hard work embroidering the sachet for you You knew I sleep badly and still didn't move to another room. How could I blame myself And again, knowing how handsome you are, why did you make me open my eyes to see you this morning, disturbing your sleep. It's because of you that I'm confused.”

Rong Jing couldn’t help but chuckle and leaned over for another kiss on Yun Qianmo’s lips before he said softly with a smile: "Alright, it's all my fault! Being able to confuse you proves there are redeeming qualities in this appearance of mine!" After saying that, he got up and pulled Yun Qianmo along. He spoke gently: “No need to embroider today; I just mentioned wearing them on the Double Seventh Festival as a joke. It would be a crime if it made you exhausted. A hundred neck-kissed mandarin ducks can’t make up for this.”

“Today is only the 4th, right There are three days left! I’m not tired, I’ve done much harder work than this before. What’s the big deal” Yun Qianmo thought about it and shook her head. Seeing Rong Jing looking at her with a slight shift in his gaze, she immediately changed to her clear voice and got up gracefully as if she were a proper lady from an honorable family. She imitated Qin Yucui's manner of speaking and said softly, modestly smiling: “It’s my good fortune that Prince Jingshi wants to wear something I embroidered for him.”

Rong Jing was stunned and then chuckled lowly as he got out of bed and put on his shoes. He stood by the side of the bed and bowed slightly in a formal greeting towards Yun Qianmo. In a serious tone, he said warmly: “It’s my good fortune to receive Miss Qianmo's favor!”

Yun Qianmo smiled and then burst out laughing, saying sarcastically: "Rong Jing, go on pretending! I'll see how long you can keep it up!" Still with those lines of poetry about his beauty, still calling himself Prince Jingshi, Mr. Jing She looked at him and mocked: “When everyone finds out what an evil hearted person you are, you’ll be running into walls. And I won’t help you.”

"I know you will follow me in running into the wall," Rong Jing said with a smile.

Yun Qianmo was speechless and blushed as she muttered sarcastically: “Stupid one!”

Rong Jing smiled without saying anything more. He extended his hand to Yun Qianmo, who placed her hand in his. She then used his strength to lightly jump off the bed. As soon as her feet touched the ground, Rong Jing immediately let go of her hand and sighed helplessly: “You have absolutely none of the demeanor of a lady! How did I even fancy you!”

"Indeed, it’s truly worrying! How can an upright Prince Jingshi from Yong王府 (Yong Noble Manor) fancy such a woman like me who is a wastrel and illiterate, arrogant and notorious" Yun Qianmo bent down to put on her shoes as she listed out her own vices helplessly. "Unbelievably, you still fancied me. What should I do Should I go run into the wall"

Rong Jing was about to take the crescent white brocade robe from beside the bed but his hand paused when he heard this, and he looked at Yun Qianmo. Seeing that she had already started dressing herself up, he raised an eyebrow with a smile: "When did you become so sharp-tongued"

"From following your example!" Yun Qianmo proudly glanced at him before quickly getting dressed.

Rong Jing watched her for half a moment and then nodded. “Hmm, good. Proximity to vermilion makes one red.”

Yun Qianmo’s hand paused: "Why didn’t you say proximity to ink makes one black" Could being near him still be considered proximity to vermilion

"Isn't it the same meaning" Rong Jing took his clothes and started dressing as well.

Yun Qianmo looked up at the sky speechlessly. Even he, the first prodigy in the Heavenly Sage era, would say that proximity to vermilion makes one red and proximity to ink makes one black meant the same thing! But what he said wasn’t wrong either; she was now constantly facing him day and night, so whether it was proximity to vermilion or proximity to ink, he was both.

The two of them stopped talking and got dressed as usual. After washing their faces, Rong Jing combed Yun Qianyue's hair while she automatically picked up a comb to brush his hair. While doing so, she felt amazed that in just a few days, she had grown accustomed to Rong Jing and blended into his life, with him also blending into hers. It seemed as if they were meant for each other since the beginning of time. She couldn't help but think of the phrase "holding trays level with their eyebrows" (a metaphor for harmony in marriage). For a moment, she was deeply moved. However, what surprised her more was that she didn't feel any discomfort or awkwardness at all; instead, she enjoyed it immensely. She thought to herself that she must be poisoned!

Infected by something called "Rong Jing"!

The maid Qing Shang brought breakfast as usual. Each of them had a bowl of chicken soup and another bowl of medicinal soup.

After eating, Yun Qianyue didn't go to Qing Shang's courtyard but took out needlework to embroider sachets with entwined mandarin ducks based on her memory from the previous day. She had an excellent memory and a natural talent for embroidery, so it wasn’t as difficult as she imagined. Soon enough, she finished the base layer of embroidery while Rong Jing sat beside her watching.

After embroidering for a short time, Yun Qianyue raised an eyebrow at Rong Jing in satisfaction, “Look! If I keep up like this, before the Qixi Festival, not only can I make you a sachet with entwined mandarin ducks but also two peach blossoms!”

"At that speed, you could embroider three peach blossoms," Rong Jing said noncommittally.

"You want three That's fine!" Yun Qianyue nodded.

Rong Jing looked at Yun Qianyue deeply but didn't speak.

“Are you just going to stare at me like that all day You are the Crown Prince of Yong王府, aren’t you too idle” Yun Qianyue raised an eyebrow and asked after embroidering for some time.

"You're the legitimate daughter of the Cloud Manor holding the position of head of household. Aren't you also rather free" Rong Jing said.

"That's not the same at all! I don’t need to take over Cloud Manor in the future," Yun Qianyue pouted. After she took on the responsibility of managing the manor and settled the side branches of her family, she spent an afternoon with Jade Bracelet and Green Twig devising a systematic plan for management. Since then, everything had been running smoothly without any need for her involvement.

"Queen" Rong Jing raised his eyebrows and nodded immediately, "Indeed not! Rather, being the Queen Consort would be more appropriate."

Yun Qianyue paused in her embroidery work, raising an eyebrow at Rong Jing, “Queen Consort”

"Yes!" Rong Jing nodded.

"According to the tradition of the Four Great Manors, heirs must get married before they can inherit their family's legacy. Without a wedding, you cannot enter court or become a王爺, so where would the Queen Consort come from" Yun Qianyue asked with a smile.

“Then we’ll make it your Crown Prince Consort first!” Rong Jing said.

"You are really good at finding loopholes!" Yun Qianyue snorted, giving him an annoyed look. "If you have nothing to do, go sit somewhere else. I can't concentrate with you watching me embroider."

“Then pretend I don’t exist,” Rong Jing said without moving.

You are a living person; how can I pretend you don’t exist” Yun Qianyue glared at him and shooed him away. "If you want to wear the sachet on Qixi Festival, you’d better stay far away."

"Alright!" Rong Jing moved slightly further from her.

Seeing that he only moved a little bit, Yun Qianyue glared at him and resumed her embroidery work. She focused intently on the needlework, adhering to her principle of doing things thoroughly. Soon enough, she was completely absorbed in her task.

Rong Jing tilted his head to watch Yun Qianyue, his gaze growing tender as he watched her.

The room fell silent except for the sound of needlework against the white silk.

Half an hour later, Qing Shang approached the door quietly. Unlike usual, she didn’t call out but peeked inside instead.

Rong Jing looked towards the door as Qing Shang glanced at Yun Qianyue who was deeply focused on her embroidery and gestured for him to come over. Rong Jing raised an eyebrow and also glanced briefly at Yun Qianyue before slowly getting up and stepping out of the room.

The moment Rong Jing stepped out, Qing Shang leaned in close and whispered to him, "Young Master, the Seventh Prince is here!"

Rong Jing narrowed his eyes slightly and asked softly, “What for”

“The head steward sent word that the Seventh Prince came to thank Young Master for your efforts in welcoming him. He wishes to pay respects,” Qing Shang continued whispering. "Now he has been brought into the front hall. Given how much the Emperor values His Highness, we cannot treat him casually. Should I inform Your Excellency whether you wish to see him or if I should say that you are busy today and send him away"

"See!" Rong Jing cut off Qing Shang's words.

Qing Shang immediately stopped talking.

Rong Jing turned around to look into the room, hesitated for a moment, then suddenly turned and entered the house, coming to Yun Qianyue. Seeing that she did not even raise her head, he softly asked, "The Seventh Prince came to the mansion today. Are you going out with me to see him"

Yun Qianyue's hands did not stop working; she harrumphed and said: "Someone comes to your house, why should I accompany you in seeing guests I'm not the mistress of this place!"

"That’s right. Although the Seventh Prince is a guest, but you're not the hostess. It's fine if we don't see him," Rong Jing suddenly smiled and walked out after he finished talking.

Yun Qianyue raised her head to give Rong Jing an angry look before lowering it again; although she continued stitching with her hands, it was clearly slower.

Rong Jing left the room calmly. Qing Shang quietly retreated as well.

The room fell silent.

Yun Qianyue stitched for a while and suddenly stopped her actions, frowning deeply. The Seventh Prince seemed unlikely to return to Beijiang in the short term; she couldn't truly hide away in Rong王府 as an invisible person. After all, her identity was currently placed here, and she wasn’t the female owner of Rong Manor since she hadn’t married Rong Jing. She couldn’t rely on him to handle everything for her. Instead of糾纏 now, it would be better if they met earlier. It’s best to clarify what exactly her relationship with the Seventh Prince is so that she won’t suffer like this. With this thought in mind, she immediately stood up and walked out.

Just as Yun Qianyue reached the courtyard, Qing Shang rushed over to ask, "Miss Yun, where are you going"

Yun Qianyue thought that meeting with the Seventh Prince wasn’t about seeing him in Rong Manor together with Rong Jing. How could she ask questions while facing Rong Jing With this idea, she immediately said: "Going back to my own residence!"

"Miss Yun, you want to go back" Qing Shang was stunned.

Yun Qianyue nodded, saying, “Yes!”

"Erm… Does the Young Master know that you're going back" Qing Shang asked.

"He doesn’t know yet! Just tell him when he gets back that I went home," Yun Qianyue shook her head.

“Miss Yun, wait for Lord to come back before returning home. If my lord finds out I lost you while he’s not around, he’ll surely peel off my skin,” Qing Shang shook his head as well. Although she didn’t understand why Miss Yun suddenly wanted to go back, seeing her unhappy face made her think that there must be something going on.

Yun Qianyue frowned and looked at Qing Shang who was still shaking his head at her. She sighed and suddenly walked into the room, waving a hand dismissively as she said: "Forget it. I just remembered something and want to go home."

Qing Shang breathed a sigh of relief and quickly asked, “What’s going on Should I rush over to Cloud Manor for you”

"It's not important. No need to worry about it! You can continue your work. We’ll talk when the Young Master returns," Yun Qianyue shook her head as she re-entered the room and sat down to resume stitching sachets, her previously agitated heart quickly settling.

People tend to make mistakes when they act on impulse, so it’s best not to do anything rashly. She was still clueless about what exactly her relationship with the Seventh Prince was at this moment, so she had better let things take their natural course and observe how events unfold. Since the Seventh Prince wasn’t leaving the capital in the short term, they would inevitably meet eventually; there was no rush for now. Moreover, whether the Seventh Prince is a friend or foe and to what extent their relationship could be considered intimate were things she had to find out herself. Whether it’s what Rong Feng said or how Rong Jing has acted unusually recently, just as Grandpa mentioned, anyone might mislead her.

Qing Shang stood in the courtyard looking at Yun Qianyue in the room for a while before quietly leaving once he saw that she had returned to her usual demeanor.

An hour later, Rong Jing returned to Purple Bamboo Manor. Qing Shang greeted him and secretly informed him of what happened earlier. Rong Jing’s expression was calm, showing no sign of abnormality; after hearing the report from Qing Shang, he nodded and walked into the room.

Yun Qianyue had by now stitched half a body of a mandarin duck.

"You’re stitching so fast" Rong Jing stood in front of Yun Qianyue, smiling at her.

Without lifting her head, Yun Qianyue replied: "If you don’t disturb me, I’ll naturally stitch faster!"

"Stop stitching. Looking at this for a long time isn't good for your eyes!" Rong Jing held onto Yun Qianyue’s hand and said to her, "I want to take you out."

“Where are we going” Yun Qianyue raised an eyebrow.

"Dewei Prince's Manor," replied Rong Jing.

"Duke Deyin's Mansion" Yun Qianyue was taken aback. "Why are we going there"

Rong Jing asked in return, "Ye Qian woke up! Don't you want to see her"

"Let's go then!" Yun Qianyue immediately put down the sachet and stood up, grabbing Rong Jing's hand. She remembered that Nangling Rui had said Ye Qian would be unconscious for seven or eight days; it was only four or five days now. She couldn't help but ask, "Only four or five days Didn't you say she'd be out for seven or eight"

"There are plenty of good medicines in the imperial palace and Duke Deyin's Mansion! Nite Qingran has been looking after her day and night these past few days. It’s not surprising that she woke up so quickly." Rong Jing smiled, glanced at Yun Qianyue holding his hand, then stepped out to follow her.

Yun Qianyue nodded and suddenly remembered that Nite Qingran had come yesterday. She was really tired, so she asked, "Why did Nite Qingran visit last night"

"To see if I’d eaten you!" Rong Jing replied.

Yun Qianyue rolled her eyes and asked again, "Has Qin Yuning woken up yet"

Rong Jing answered, "She woke up yesterday."

"So quickly Even faster than Ye Qian" Yun Qianyue squinted.

“Nite Tianqing gave half of the five-century-old lingzhi you were given by His Majesty to Qin Yuning for her medicine, so naturally she recovered more quickly!” Rong Jing paused before continuing, "The other half was taken by Nite Qingran and used as medicine for Ye Qian. Do you think they could recover that fast otherwise"

Yun Qianyue stopped walking, looking displeased. “Even if Ye Qian used some, His Majesty gave the lingzhi to me. Why did Nite Tianqing take half of it and give it to Qin Yuning He didn’t even ask my permission! Who allowed him to do that”

"It's just five-century-old lingzhi; nothing special. If you want some, I have several." Rong Jing smiled reassuringly at her, saying gently, "Nite Tianqing personally requested the emperor’s approval. His Majesty originally disagreed, stating that if he had given it to you, he would need your permission first. But Nite Tianqing was clever and used Ye Qian's situation as an excuse. The Southern Frontier Princess sustained severe injuries in her investigation into the caster of the spell and lost a treasure from the Southern Frontier. This left His Majesty feeling guilty, so he agreed. That’s how the lingzhi ended up split in two."

“Nite Tianqing has his moments of intelligence!” Yun Qianyue sneered coldly. "He sure is concerned about Qin Yuning!"

"It's not a bad thing that he cares for Qin Yuning. The more he worries, the closer he wants to be to that position. And the emperor will become colder towards him." Rong Jing smiled.

“Indeed!” Yun Qianyue remained neutral, thinking that Qin Yuning would likely carry the title of being 'fit for the role of empress' her entire life. Nite Tianqing wanted to marry her just because of those four words; in her opinion, he was truly unfit to be the crown prince. Or perhaps he felt threatened by his position in the emperor's heart and couldn’t wait to act. But it was this very impatience that would prove fatal for him. She wished this hateful person would fall from grace sooner rather than later.

Rong Jing remained silent.

Yun Qianyue suddenly asked softly, "You said the old emperor is considering deposing the crown prince. Who do you think will be the next one Nite Tianyu"

"Nite Tianyu" Rong Jing smiled but didn’t answer.

“Hmm” Yun Qianyue looked at him, "Nite Tianyu's mother is Concubine Chen. Even though she’s dead, her father is still alive and well, making his family a strong backing for him. Plus, he was taught alongside me by my aunt, the empress. He has noble status. Among the old emperor’s sons, no one surpasses him in terms of standing. Moreover, it seems like the old emperor trusts Nite Tianyu quite heavily; he's put many significant matters into his hands. And clearly, Nite Tianyu also has ambitions to compete with Nite Tianqing. If Nite Tianqing were to fall from grace, Nite Tianyu could step up."

"Nite Tianyu is a military talent, not a ruler!" Rong Jing said.

Yun Qianyue lowered her head in thought; indeed! Despite his noble status and family support, she felt that while he was scheming and capable, he lacked the broad-mindedness needed to rule. Nite Tianyu truly wasn't fit for such a position.

"Do you think it could be…" Yun Qianyue suddenly remembered someone and試探性地開口問道。,"…someone else"

Rong Jing cut her off, saying gently, "We’re at the gate!"

Yun Qianyue quickly looked up. They were still a short distance from Duke Rong's main gate but could already see what was happening there. Two carriages were parked in front: one was Rong Jing’s pitch-black, fragrant wood carriage, and the other was an ordinary wooden one that was even more basic than those usually used by common officials' families. The head steward of Duke Rong's mansion was standing before the carriages, smiling as he spoke to someone. Yun Qianyue looked at Rong Jing.

Rong Jing smiled faintly and said softly, "Looks like Prince Qi is still here!"

—— Interlude ——

I know the beauties all want some excitement; it's coming soon! O(n_n)O~

Thank you everyone for your diamonds, gifts, and flowers!r now!" Yun Shangyue took the package and felt its weight before waving her hand at Cai Lian, "Go back to work! If anyone asks, tell them I'm not here."Cai Lian nodded and closed the door as she left....