Chu Qing blinked her eyes, seemingly unable to believe what she had just heard.
"You... aren't actually the biological son of the Prince of Guangling?" Chu Qing suddenly leaned closer to Wei Ying and asked with wide - open eyes.
She still found it hard to believe.
As Chu Qing got closer, Wei Ying felt his mouth go dry. Clearing his throat, he slowly began, "Yes, I only found out later that I'm his adopted son. However, he never intended to disclose my true identity to the public."
"Then your... true identity..." After thinking for a while, Chu Qing couldn't help but ask.
"I'm still investigating."
"So... you actually have no blood relation with the current emperor?"
"You can put it that way." Wei Ying leaned slightly against the couch and carefully observed Chu Qing's expression at the moment.
Chu Qing fell silent. Hearing this news, she was truly overjoyed. Because if he had no relation with the royal family, she wouldn't have all those unnecessary concerns.
There would be no such things as the story that the Grand Empress Dowager and her royal nephew had to tell, or the so - called "an old cow eating tender grass"!
Well, as for "an old cow eating tender grass"... No, she was Chu Qing now, and there was no such thing!
Chu Qing's thoughts were in a whirl, while Wei Ying was a bit nervous.
He originally thought that after Chu Qing learned his secret, she would distance herself from him.
But in Chu Qing's eyes, Wei Ying didn't see the estrangement and panic he had expected.
At this moment, Chu Qing thought of the crucial task given to her by the little meatball, which was to make Wei Ying fall in love with her. Now it didn't seem so difficult.
Since her rebirth, she had been avoiding and didn't want to think about it. Now she finally felt relieved.
Now, she naturally wouldn't deliberately ignore the fluttering in her heart that had often appeared recently. Thinking of this, Chu Qing blushed.
"You rest first. I'm going back." After saying that, feeling that she needed to calm down, Chu Qing turned around and quickly ran away. Wei Ying watched Chu Qing leave briskly and couldn't help smiling.
...
"Your Highness!" Only after seeing Chu Qing leave did Wei Yi, who was hiding under the eaves outside the door, tentatively enter the room.
"Your Highness, how's your injury?" Seeing the bandages on Wei Ying's body, Wei Yi couldn't help feeling worried.
"It's nothing serious, just a flesh wound. Where are those two people?"
"They're in the water dungeon. Wei Er has already taken people to interrogate them."
Thinking of the helpless and vigilant Chu Qing in the mountain temple at that time, Wei Ying's face turned cold. "I'll interrogate them myself."
...
On the other side, Xu Xin, who had returned to her room, had lost her previous leisure and was pacing back and forth anxiously.
"Your Highness, it's getting late. Please rest quickly." Qiangwei said softly and carefully beside her, afraid that a single wrong word would anger her master again.
"Rest? How can I have the heart to rest? Why did the prince come back so early? Wasn't he supposed to stay outside for a month!" Xu Xin still looked angry.
Knowing what her master was worried about, Qiangwei immediately comforted her, "Your Highness, don't worry. There won't be any mistakes. Even if those two people were brought back by the prince, they don't know who gave the order! I heard from the madam that she found a very reliable person to deliver the message to them. Since no one has seen this person, you won't be found out."
After hearing this, Xu Xin slowly sat down, but still felt uneasy. The strategy she and her mother had painstakingly come up with couldn't just end like this!
Thinking of this, Xu Xin said with a fierce look on her face, "Have you arranged for someone to spread the news?"
Qiangwei replied with a smile, "Your Highness, don't worry. Everything has been arranged properly."
...
After learning that their master had returned to the mansion, Lvluo and Liuxin originally wanted to rush over to serve her, but were told by Wei Ju to wait in the courtyard and not to disturb the prince and the princess. So the two had to wait silently for their master to come back.
Just when the two were sitting in silence, Chu Qing was sent back.
"Your Highness!" Seeing Chu Qing come back, Lvluo and Liuxin immediately rushed forward anxiously. One on the left and the other on the right, they carefully checked if she was injured.
Knowing that she had really scared them today, Chu Qing patiently let them check.
When seeing the white bandages on Chu Qing's wrists and ankles, Lvluo couldn't help getting teary - eyed. "It's all the slave's fault. The slave should have followed you every step of the way. You just recovered not long ago, but now you're injured again..."
Seeing Lvluo so self - reproachful, Chu Qing comforted her, "It's okay. It was I who wanted to be alone. It's not your fault."
Liuxin carefully helped Chu Qing to the couch. Then she turned around and told the others to prepare some food and hot water.
Seeing the two of them looking at her guiltily, Chu Qing sighed helplessly and continued, "You two don't have to look like this. I'm back, aren't I?"
"Your Highness, what exactly happened?" Lvluo wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and asked.
"Someone kidnapped me and said that someone had paid a hundred taels to keep me locked up for one night and would release me tomorrow." When talking about this, Chu Qing's tone was quite calm.
"Ah? Lock you up for one night? Why?" Lvluo looked very confused.
Hearing this, Liuxin, who usually looked calm, showed anger in her tone. "They wanted to ruin your reputation."
Hearing Liuxin hit the nail on the head, Chu Qing nodded appreciatively at her.
Realizing the severity of the matter, and seeing Chu Qing's appreciative look at Liuxin, Lvluo had no time to be jealous. Instead, she was filled with indignation.
"The other party is so vicious! If... rumors spread throughout the capital... then you..." Thinking of this, Lvluo was too scared to continue.
Lvluo wished she could tear the mastermind who had kidnapped her master into pieces.
"Don't worry. I have my own countermeasures." Chu Qing looked nonchalant.
The other party wanted to ruin her reputation, but unfortunately, the person targeted was her.
She hoped that the other party could hide their fox tails well. If she found out who it was, she would surely not let them go.
She had experienced even more disgusting things in the palace before, so at this moment, Chu Qing wasn't panicked.
After eating and taking a hot bath, Chu Qing was ready to go to bed.
After all, there would be a tough battle tomorrow.