In the end, Yi Qing still agreed to let the Prince of Qi visit. As for more words, this wasn't the right occasion, so she didn't say anything.
On the way back, Zisu was a bit silent because of the thrilling experience just now.
Yi Qing teased her, "Wasn't it thanks to me today?"
"Thanks to my godson," Zisu said. "Baozi deserves the most credit."
Even though the candlelight in the carriage was as dim as a bean, Baozi's eyes were still as bright as stars.
When they were coming back, he told Xiao Tian that he wanted to ride in the carriage. Coincidentally, the latter was in a rather bad mood and just casually agreed.
At this moment, he was staring at Zisu with his sparkling eyes. "Aunt Zisu, why do you get involved in the affairs of the Southern Border?"
Yi Qing said, "Because your Aunt Zisu is also from the Southern Border. You must never tell this to anyone, or it will cause trouble for Aunt Zisu. Do you understand?"
Baozi nodded and then asked, "So Aunt Zisu supports the deposed imperial princess?"
Zisu smiled. "Of course, because I am that deposed imperial princess."
"…'s maid!" Yi Qing added, glaring at Zisu fiercely.
Baozi was just a child after all. He might be tricked into telling others. She was not at ease.
"Don't lie to Baozi," Zisu said with a calm smile, reaching out to touch Baozi's head. "Aunt Zisu is really the deposed imperial princess of the Southern Border."
She didn't even tell Baozi not to tell others because she trusted him.
Baozi was obviously very surprised, but after a while, he nodded seriously and said, "I will protect Aunt Zisu well. I won't tell anyone. Mother, can you think of a way for Aunt Zisu?"
Zisu said gratefully, "I knew it wasn't in vain that I doted on you."
"What a crazy woman," Yi Qing muttered.
Baozi said seriously, "Mother, I will keep it a secret."
"Mother doesn't not trust you. I just don't want you to always remember to be cautious. It's too tiring."
"I'm a man. I'm not afraid of being tired!"
Zisu laughed. "Let's ignore your mother. Your mother is probably thinking about how to coax your Uncle Xiao when we get back."
Yi Qing: "…"
It seemed that Xiao Tian was really angry.
But it seemed that she and the Prince of Qi didn't say anything! It was mainly because the Prince of Qi had a sharp tongue.
But that was just his personality. He didn't have any bad intentions. Otherwise, could she have survived until now?
After getting off the carriage, Zisu took Baozi away.
Baozi was still worried about Xiao Tian. Zisu whispered in his ear to coax him, "Don't you want a little soldier brother?"
Baozi's eyes were full of surprise. "Will there be one tonight?"
Zisu: "…"
Yi Qing was afraid of the cold, so there were many braziers in the room. As soon as Xiao Tian came back, he squatted down to arrange the braziers. The silver-frost charcoal soon glowed red like a blushing face, and the heat in the room gradually rose.
Yi Qing looked at his long face and joked, "Are you still jealous? Come and eat something first. I just realized that you really can't get full at the palace banquet!"
There was a table full of delicious dishes on the table, such as stewed deer tendons, roasted mutton, pickled goose paws, orange-stuffed crabs... All of them were Xiao Tian's favorites. In the middle of the night, no matter how hungry Yi Qing was, she would only eat a few mouthfuls of vegetables.
In her previous life as a surgeon, she had a bad stomach. Although she didn't have such troubles in this life, she was still a health-conscious person.
Xiao Tian sat down opposite her, silently picked up his chopsticks, and didn't even touch the dishes. He just lowered his head and stuffed rice into his mouth.
Look at this awkward look. She really loved it.
Yi Qing couldn't help but laugh and said, "The Prince of Qi is just like that. He's not serious. But he's not a bad person. If he were a bad person, he would have forced me into his mansion back then."
Xiao Tian's face became even more gloomy.
Yi Qing picked up a piece of mutton for him. "I know you'll be even more jealous when I say this, but I still have to let you know first. We're family, so he has been kind to me. I also have to let you know so that you can repay him when you have the chance."
This obviously sounded more acceptable. Xiao Tian grunted in a low voice and ate the mutton.
Yi Qing silently let out a sigh of relief and couldn't help thinking that sometimes, coaxing a man was not much different from coaxing a son.
Xiao Tian didn't know that Yi Qing had already lowered his status in her heart. He said, "I will repay his kindness."
"Yeah. I don't have many opportunities to meet him. Except when he's sick, I really don't have many chances to repay his kindness. But don't push yourself too hard. After all, I also saved his life."
"I know what I'm doing," Xiao Tian said. "Eat!"
Seeing Yi Qing picking at the vegetables with her chopsticks, he filled a bowl of chicken soup for her and handed it to her, saying in an unarguable tone, "Drink it all."
Yi Qing said with a smile, "Yes, sir."
After dinner, Yi Qing said, "The Prince of Qi will definitely come to visit tomorrow. I know you don't like to talk about him, but I still want to ask you so that I can be prepared."
"What do you want to ask?"
Yi Qing propped her chin on the small table on the couch. "What's the emperor's attitude towards him?"
Seeing her serious expression, Xiao Tian's face softened a little. "Why do you ask this?"
"Of course, I want to hug the powerful person's thigh. If the Prince of Qi is a traitor, then there's no way I can associate with him."
Xiao Tian: "… He's not."
Why wasn't he?
If the Prince of Qi were a rebel, they could just behead him, and he wouldn't have to worry about it.
"That's good," Yi Qing said, relieved.
Xiao Tian saw that her skirt was too close to the brazier and silently lifted it up and placed it on her lap, revealing the trousers inside.
Yi Qing was stunned for a moment. Then she saw him raising his eyebrows at her almost proudly. Suddenly, she lay on the small table and laughed loudly. "Xiao Tian, are you trying to save face?"
She had laughed at him for blushing easily, and now he was trying to get back at her like this?
But your face is still red!
Xiao Tian pinched her thigh. His face was angry, but his action was extremely light and fast, as if to say, Look how brave I am. I even dare to do this.
Yi Qing laughed like a fool.
Seeing that Xiao Tian was about to get angry again because of her laughter, Yi Qing quickly waved her hand. "I'm not laughing at you. I just remembered a funny joke. By the way, the Prince of Qi hasn't been in the capital for so long. Where did he go?"
"Guarding the imperial tombs," Xiao Tian said concisely.
Yi Qing was surprised. "Did he make a mistake?"
Guarding the imperial tombs was usually a punishment for royal relatives who had made mistakes, wasn't it?
"He asked to go there voluntarily," Xiao Tian said.
"Oh, I see," Yi Qing nodded. "He's quite smart. He wants to use this method to dispel the emperor's possible suspicion of him?"
Even if you've never eaten pork, you've surely seen a pig run. The power struggle was just like that.
But Xiao Tian said, "No. The emperor has never suspected him from the beginning."
Yi Qing: "…"
Okay, she admitted that she was just a newbie. So she humbly asked for advice. "Then why?"
"Because after the previous emperor passed away, his mother concubine committed suicide to follow him."
"Ah!"
Was she forced?
Xiao Tian saw through what she was thinking. "There's no reason to force a concubine with a son to commit suicide. The previous emperor and Concubine Yu had a deep affection. That's also why Concubine Yu was envied by others. She was poisoned when she was pregnant with the Prince of Qi, which led to the Prince of Qi's congenital weakness."