"Your Highness! You should have seen the side concubine's face. It was as white as a sheet of paper!" As soon as Lüluo returned to the courtyard with Chu Qing, she couldn't wait to speak.
"Lüluo, kneel down." Instead of answering her, Chu Qing spoke in a deep voice after entering the room.
Lüluo was stunned at first, then realized that this incident was indeed her fault. So she knelt on the ground willingly.
Liu Xin, who had been supporting Chu Qing to sit down, also knelt down silently after seeing Lüluo kneel.
"Do you know where you went wrong?" Chu Qing asked expressionlessly.
Lüluo lowered her head and said softly, "This servant shouldn't have been playing around with Liu Xin and violated the rules. In the end, I even involved Your Highness and made a fool of us."
Seeing that Lüluo was still thinking about her at this moment, Chu Qing sighed softly and softened her tone. "This is not the main reason I made you kneel. You should know that since you are following me, both you and Liu Xin need to be cautious in your words and deeds, because your actions represent me. It's not that I'm afraid you'll embarrass me if you do something wrong. It's just that people's hearts are unpredictable. Those with ulterior motives will magnify even the slightest mistake of yours infinitely. Since you represent me, others will nit - pick at you. One wrong step leads to a series of mistakes."
Lüluo and Liu Xin were not stupid. After Chu Qing said this, they naturally understood her good intentions.
Seeing that they understood, Chu Qing continued, "As long as you can be sure that you are in the right and don't let others seize your mistakes, when someone tries to put on airs in front of you, you don't have to be afraid. You should still show your proper momentum."
"This servant understands." Lüluo and Liu Xin replied in unison.
"Does your face still hurt?" Chu Qing stood up and gently touched Lüluo's swollen and red cheek.
Hearing Chu Qing's concern, Lüluo's eyes turned red again.
Seeing this, Chu Qing rubbed the space between her eyebrows and said helplessly, "Look at you. You cry at the drop of a hat. How can I rely on you to intimidate others in the future?"
Lüluo immediately rubbed her eyes hard and promised Chu Qing, "This servant understands!"
Only then did Chu Qing smile. Then she told Liu Xin to get some ointment for Lüluo.
...
Early the next morning, just as Chu Qing was about to go out, she bumped into Wei Ying who was coming to find her. And for the first time, Wei Yi was not hiding in the dark beside Wei Ying.
When Chu Qing saw Wei Ying, she suddenly remembered the unfinished task.
Then her heart gave a sudden twinge.
If it went on like this, when would she ever be able to change her weak constitution?!
"Where are you going?" Wei Ying stopped when he saw Chu Qing.
"I'm going out for a stroll. Your Highness came today... Is there something you need?"
Wei Ying's eyebrows twitched. He replied, "Can't I come to see my beloved concubine if there's nothing important?"
"... " Chu Qing's face instantly flushed red when she heard him call her "beloved concubine".
Seeing Chu Qing blush, Wei Ying decided to stop while he was ahead. He straightened his face and then pulled Chu Qing back into the room.
Then he closed the door.
Chu Qing was startled by Wei Ying's sudden actions. Thinking he was going to do something, she immediately took a few steps back warily.
Although... she did like this young man, but... she really didn't want the relationship to progress too fast!
Seeing that Chu Qing seemed to have misunderstood something, Wei Ying's face darkened. But thinking of the purpose of his visit today, he took a deep breath and said, "My men have found out some information."
Hearing this, Chu Qing's face also became serious. "You mean you've found that person?"
Wei Ying nodded. "The people from the Earth Department found that there's an old maid in the residence of the Minister of Revenue. There's a black mark on the tiger's mouth of her right hand. And a few days ago, she went to an unremarkable medical clinic in the west of the city to have her teeth filled."
"The Minister of Revenue?" A dark look flashed in Chu Qing's eyes. Then she looked up at Wei Ying.
Because the Minister of Revenue was Xu Xin's natal family.
She wondered what Wei Ying was thinking at this moment.
After all, Xu Xin was his side concubine! And he had taken the initiative to marry her back then.
Before she knew it, Chu Qing's words were tinged with jealousy. "Since the suspicion has fallen on the side princess, let's just forget about this matter."
"Are you sure?" Wei Ying narrowed his eyes dangerously at this moment.
Seeing that he seemed to be angry, Chu Qing also got angry. "Otherwise? Do you want you to divorce your side princess? Can you bear to do that?"
"I can bear to." Wei Ying replied in a deep voice.
"Since you can't bear to... Eh? What did you say?" Chu Qing continued to say angrily with a pout. But halfway through her words, she realized what Wei Ying had said. She thought she was having an illusion.
"I said I can bear to." Wei Ying patiently repeated it again.
"... " Chu Qing's anger instantly disappeared. She suddenly didn't know how to respond to him.
Thinking back, she had never cared about the many concubines in the harem before. But now, just Xu Xin could make her lose her temper and be jealous.
"I married her back then because I wanted to get close to the Minister of Revenue and make him let his guard down." Wei Ying actually continued to explain to her.
"I've never liked her, nor have I ever touched her."
"???" Chu Qing opened her eyes wide in shock. Then she asked, "If you didn't touch her, how could she be willing? Aren't you afraid she'll complain to the Minister of Revenue?"
Hearing Chu Qing's question, Wei Ying replied expressionlessly, "I once gave her medicine twice and found another man to... have sex with her. The medicine would make her have hallucinations and think that man was me..."
Chu Qing was completely shocked.
"You actually cuckolded yourself?!" This young man was really... capable of doing anything for his goals!
Hearing this, the corner of Wei Ying's mouth couldn't help twitching.
It seemed... she was right...
Chu Qing suddenly seemed to remember something. With a complicated look on her face, she continued, "You didn't do the same thing to me, did you?"