After Chu Qing left, the Shangguan father and son exchanged a bitter smile.
Didn't they also long to truly realize their ambitions?
Now, it was actually the words of an outsider that woke them up. Truly, those involved are often blinded while onlookers see clearly.
However, they always felt that something was amiss...
Shangguan Zhen had already been helped up by the maid. Seeing the expressions on her grandfather and father's faces, she couldn't help but speak up. "Grandfather, Father, why are you so afraid of that Princess of Ning? Moreover, Zhen'er always feels that the words she said seemed... to be scolding... the younger generation..."
Shangguan Haoyu stood still. After being reminded by his little granddaughter, it seemed that it was indeed... a bit like that...
He always felt... as if his elder sister had come back...
Thinking of this, Shangguan Haoyu shook his head, trying to drive out such absurd thoughts from his mind.
His elder sister, Shangguan Wanyu, had already passed away a long time ago.
...
After Chu Qing returned to the villa, she had just sat down for a short while when Liuxin came to report that Xu Xin was coming to pay her respects.
One never visits the Three Treasures Hall without a reason. Paying respects at night? This excuse was really clumsy. Chu Qing knew that she must be up to something again, so she told Lvluo to make a pot of flower tea and waited leisurely.
Sure enough, not long after, that wobbly figure appeared.
Looking at that affected person, Chu Qing's eyebrow twitched.
She wondered how long such a person could last if she entered the harem.
"Xin'er feels like it's been ages since I last saw Sister~" Xu Xin leaned over, looking overly affectionate, which made people feel nauseous.
Chu Qing casually put on a smile. "Has Sister had dinner yet?"
"Is Sister inviting Xin'er to have dinner with you?"
"..."
I didn't, I'm not, don't talk nonsense.
Chu Qing silently scolded herself for being talkative, then still smiled and said, "It's really unfortunate. This princess has just finished eating. I was thinking that if you haven't eaten, you should go back and eat early. Otherwise, eating dinner too late will make you gain weight easily. Moreover, this princess thinks that your waist has indeed gotten a bit thicker than before."
The sweet smile on Xu Xin's face immediately faded after Chu Qing's casual remark.
Could it be that she had really gained weight these days?
However, she had indeed eaten a lot of sweets these days...
The more Xu Xin thought about it, the angrier she got. She decided that she would stop eating those pastries and sweets when she got back today, especially since she heard that the prince was coming back soon.
But... she had something even more important to do today!
Thinking of this, Xu Xin continued to smile and said, "Sister, accompany me to Xingfu Temple to pray for blessings tomorrow. It happens to be the fifteenth day of the lunar month, which is a good day for burning incense and worshipping the Buddha."
Burning incense and worshipping the Buddha?
Hearing this, Chu Qing raised her eyebrows slightly. Was this person inviting her to the temple for some shady business?
Seeing that Chu Qing didn't say anything, Xu Xin steadied her nerves, lowered her eyes and said, "These days, Xin'er has been having nightmares every night. So I thought of going to Xingfu Temple to burn incense and worship the Buddha to get rid of the bad luck. I originally planned to go alone and not bother Sister, but Mother said that when burning incense and worshipping the Buddha, it needs to be accompanied by the mistress of the mansion to show sincerity. Xin'er had no choice but to come and ask Sister to accompany me."
Looking at the reluctance in Xu Xin's eyes, it didn't seem to be fake.
It was just going to the temple to burn incense and worship the Buddha. Although neither of them was extremely strong, there shouldn't be any accidents.
Without thinking too much, Chu Qing nodded in agreement.
After getting Chu Qing's consent, Xu Xin chattered a few more words and then left.
After the person left, Lvluo tentatively said, "My lady, aren't you afraid that she's tricking you there and has some other tricks up her sleeve?"
Chu Qing closed her eyes slightly, leaned back against the cushion on the couch and said, "The prince is not in the mansion now. Even if she wants to play the trick of feigning injury, there's no one to watch."
"Then... what if she wants to harm you?"
"Would she dare to kill me? You know, everyone in the mansion knows that I'm going out of the mansion with her. If anything happens to me, she definitely won't be able to escape."
Only then did Lvluo feel relieved.
Liuxin on the side seemed to want to say something, but was afraid that Chu Qing would think she was being talkative, so she gave up.
"Has this princess not eaten much all this time?" Chu Qing felt her stomach growling. She frowned and glanced at the two maids.
Lvluo and Liuxin looked at each other and then realized that since they left the mansion, they hadn't eaten anything! The dishes they ordered in the restaurant before were left untouched as they went straight to the Prince of Ning's mansion.
They stayed in the mansion for so long and didn't even drink much water before coming back.
They had really been negligent!
Fortunately, Chu Qing didn't want to argue with them. Lvluo immediately ran out to give orders, while Liuxin looked for some leftover morning snacks for Chu Qing to tide her over.
Liuxin was a bit nervous, afraid that Chu Qing would dislike the leftovers.
Fortunately, Chu Qing was always a person who didn't care about such things.
Seeing Chu Qing eating happily, Liuxin finally felt relieved.
...
Early the next morning, Chu Qing was gently woken up by Lvluo.
"My lady, the side princess is already waiting for you in the front hall." Although she was reluctant, they couldn't let their own mistress be known for being arrogant.
They didn't know what was going on in that woman's mind. She got up so early and made their mistress get up early too.
Chu Qing didn't really have a bad temper when waking up, but being woken up from a dream was really annoying.
She closed her eyes and let Lvluo and the others do her makeup. It wasn't until Liuxin gently placed a bowl of something in her palm that Chu Qing slowly opened her eyes.
"What's this?"
Seeing the surprise in Chu Qing's eyes, Liuxin blushed and smiled. "This is the porridge that this maid made especially for you. Try it?"
Chu Qing lowered her head and took a sip. It was soft and glutinous. If she tasted carefully, she could even taste some fish paste. Soon, Chu Qing finished all the porridge in the bowl.
"I didn't expect you to be able to make porridge, and your craftsmanship is quite good."
Hearing her mistress's sincere praise, Liuxin was overjoyed.
However, Lvluo beside her frowned and wrinkled her nose. "Is my lady going to be partial?"
"You naughty girl. Have you fallen into a vinegar jar these days?" Chu Qing scolded with a smile.
After joking with the two maids for a while, Chu Qing finally got ready.
When she walked into the hall and saw Xu Xin patiently waiting for her, Chu Qing always felt that something was wrong.
But before she could think more, Xu Xin hooked her arm and got into the carriage.
Looking at the gradually disappearing Prince of Ning's mansion, Chu Qing began to be on guard.
...
"My lord, why did you return to the capital ahead of schedule?"
Finally getting a chance to rest, Wei Yi couldn't help but ask.
Wei Ying didn't answer. He was just thinking about the letters that Wei Er had sent him these days.
The contents of the letters were all about what the princess had done.
It both delighted and worried him.
So, as soon as he finished his work, he immediately rushed back on horseback.
"Get ready and continue on the journey. Try to arrive tonight."
Wei Ying dropped these words and turned to get on his horse.