He simply couldn't believe that Ji Junye, a man with so much blood on his hands, who had imprisoned his own birth mother on Yuntaishan and almost wiped out all his brothers, could show such tenderness.
And Shen Qing...
Xu Yanchi originally intended to have a chat with Shen Qing. Lately, there had been too many rumors about him outside. If he came to find Shen Qing and then left with her, the gossips would subside a lot.
However, he never expected to witness such a scene!
Wasn't Shen Qing forced? Even if Ji Junye could offer her protection, after what had happened, shouldn't she hate Ji Junye?
And Ji Junye, as the Son of Heaven, could have any woman he wanted. At most, Shen Qing was just a plaything to him. How could they possibly develop feelings for each other?!
Xu Yanchi couldn't believe his eyes.
If Shen Qing had developed feelings for Ji Junye, then what was he?
These days, every time Shen Qing had treated him coldly and driven him away, he had told himself that Shen Qing was just deliberately taking revenge on him. She was a heartless woman and didn't deserve his affection. Everything he had done was right.
Now, Shen Qing had actually developed feelings for Ji Junye?
This meant that Shen Qing had never regarded him as her husband!
His wife, Shen Qing, had never had any feelings for him!
This realization felt like a slap in the face to Xu Yanchi.
Suddenly, Xu Yanchi wondered if they had really gotten together because of his scheme.
No wonder a man like Ji Junye, in a fit of rage, not only didn't punish Shen Qing but also agreed to her request. It had all started back then!
It had been a play staged by Shen Qing all along, and she had been watching him make a fool of himself!
Xu Yanchi was furious, trembling all over. This was even more infuriating than the day he had seen them kissing with his own eyes. He was so angry that his chest ached.
For a moment, his emotions got the better of him, and he wanted to rush in and question them. But then, reason took over, and he wanted to turn around and leave. However, for the moment, neither option seemed right.
If he went in, he couldn't bear the emperor's wrath. But if he just left like this, he would be extremely aggrieved.
"Sister Shen, are you done changing your clothes?"
Just as Xu Yanchi was in a dilemma, Ji Qingshu walked over without any warning.
"I, Xu Yanchi, Marquis of Guangping, pay my respects to the princess!"
Ji Qingshu frowned when she saw Xu Yanchi. "You're the Marquis of Guangping who keeps a mistress and favors concubines over his wife?"
Xu Yanchi's face darkened. He gritted his teeth and said, "Your Highness, don't believe the rumors outside."
"Since that's the case, what are you doing here? Why don't you go in?" Ji Qingshu sized him up, clearly not believing him.
Xu Yanchi replied, "Lady Shen... is changing her clothes. I'm waiting here."
Ji Qingshu waved her hand. "Then you can wait here. I'll go in and take a look."
Xu Yanchi: "???"
Ji Qingshu left as soon as she said it. Xu Yanchi was stunned and quickly called out to her.
"Your Highness, wait."
"Lady Shen doesn't like others to come in when she's changing clothes... Your Highness, why don't you come back later?"
Ji Qingshu stopped and looked at him suspiciously. "Really?"
"Of course it's true," Xu Yanchi was almost sweating with nervousness. "Otherwise, why would I be waiting outside?"
"Alright then."
Anyway, the matter she wanted to discuss with Sister Shen wasn't that important. She didn't want to make Sister Shen unhappy. This was the first time she had made a true friend.
Previously, those noble ladies had either looked down on her or flattered her. She simply didn't bother with them.
Ji Qingshu came in a hurry and left in a hurry. Xu Yanchi finally wiped the sweat off his forehead and left as well.
Inside, Shen Qing's heart was pounding. When she heard Ji Qingshu's voice, she instinctively tensed up, fearing that she would barge in and see something she shouldn't.
But the next second, she heard Xu Yanchi's voice and was completely flustered.
Why did Xu Yanchi come at such a bad time? Was he afraid he wouldn't see his cuckoldry?
But Ji Junye wouldn't let her go out or make a sound, which scared her half to death.
Thankfully, both of them had left now.
As soon as Shen Qing came to her senses, she felt someone's hand groping around.
She was annoyed and slapped it with a "pop".
Ji Junye was both angry and amused. This was the second time she had hit him today. He immediately grabbed her hand and squeezed it hard. "Shen Qing, you've grown bold, haven't you?"
Shen Qing quickly said submissively, "I'm sorry."
She didn't know where she had gotten the courage today.
But wasn't it because he was so annoying that she had hit him?
Ji Junye stared at her intently. After a long while, he whispered hoarsely in her ear, "Wait until your poison is cured. See how I'll deal with you."
Shen Qing lowered her head shyly, but in her heart, she thought, Sorry, by then, I'll have already run away.
Finally, Shen Qing thought she had been away for too long and urged him to go out.
Ji Junye watched as she pretended to be calm but actually stole glances around like a thief. He found it quite amusing. Did she think his secret guards didn't know if there was anyone around?
How could they let anyone disturb them?
That's right. He had deliberately let Ji Qingshu and Xu Yanchi in.
Seeing Shen Qing walk away, he let out a soft laugh and disappeared from the room as if he had never been there.
When Shen Qing arrived, she saw the two men who had spoken ill of Ji Qingshu kneeling in front of the Grand Princess. Ji Junye had already returned to his seat, propping up one hand and casually tapping on the armrest of the chair.
He looked so proper that one couldn't tell that he had been acting like a hooligan in front of her just a moment ago.
The two men were trembling with fear. If it weren't for the many people present, they might have fainted.
The Grand Princess looked at the two men below and closed her eyes. "Your Majesty, disrespecting a royal princess is no small matter. Please show us how to deal with them."
Actually, she could have dealt with these two men long ago. Letting the emperor handle it was to support Jingyang. Didn't they say that the princess wasn't favored by the emperor? Now they would know that the princess wasn't someone they could look down on casually!
"If they can't speak properly, then let them be slapped in the face. Stop when Jingyang is satisfied."
Li Quan waved his hand, and immediately, guards dragged the two men away.
Ji Junye then seemed to just remember and asked, "Where's Jingyang? Send someone to look for her. It's not appropriate for her not to be present at this time. When she's found, remember to ask how long the slapping should last."
"Yes." Li Quan wanted to laugh. Regardless of whether the princess forgave them or not, just finding the princess would take some time. By the time they found her, those two men would probably be as swollen as pigs' heads.
However, Ji Qingshu soon came over. When she heard that Shen Qing was here, she immediately rushed over.
As she got closer, she saw two men kneeling not far away, their faces swollen like pigs' heads.
"Princess... please spare us..."
Only then did the maid have a chance to tell her what the emperor had done for her. "His Majesty said to stop when you're satisfied."
Ji Qingshu's eyes lit up. "Did Brother really say that?"