As the city gates were about to close, Liu Chang finally appeared at the Princess’s manor, his face gloomy. Upon seeing him, Ajie couldn’t help but reveal a sweet smile. She lightly placed her hand on her chest, let out a soft sigh, and respectfully bowed, saying, “Deputy Minister Liu, the Princess has been waiting for you for quite some time. Let me guide you.”
Liu Chang ignored her completely, holding his head high and letting out a light snort.
Seeing that someone had taken on this dangerous task, the other servants were eager to avoid it and quickly retreated. This was exactly what Liu Chang wanted. He followed Ajie nonchalantly to the back garden. Once he saw that no one was around, he swiftly pulled Ajie behind a lilac bush, tightly embracing her waist. He kissed her fair cheek and smiled, saying, “My dear, next time you see me, be careful not to smile like that again. Someone might notice, and she has a very jealous heart.”
Ajie, nestled in Liu Chang’s arms, breathed softly and looked up at him with a grieved expression. “Her temper has been getting worse lately. She lashes out at people for no reason. Earlier, because you were late, she threw a ceramic pillow at me. It nearly cracked my head open. I’m terrified, always fearing that one day I might never see you again.”
In the moonlight, her tears glistened, and her phoenix eyes were alluring. Liu Chang suddenly felt that these eyes were strikingly familiar. Involuntarily, he tenderly licked her eyes, cleaning away the tears with great affection.
Ajie was startled. Despite being accustomed to romantic encounters, she saw genuine emotion in his eyes. She gazed longingly at Liu Chang’s handsome face and said softly, “Earlier, Wei Wang Shi came on behalf of Prince Wei and severely reprimanded the Princess. He didn’t allow her to defend herself and said some very harsh words. So her mood is terrible, and I’m afraid she’ll take it out on you again.”
Liu Chang asked, “Do you know what it was about?”
“I wasn’t able to serve inside at the time, but I tried my best to overhear. It seems the Princess listened to one of Prince Min’s concubines and used Prince Ning’s servants to force the purchase of an estate by the Yellow Canal. Now that it’s been exposed, Prince Ning sent someone to inform Prince Wei, who is furious.”
Liu Chang furrowed his brow and thought silently for a moment. He squeezed Ajie’s chest and said with a smile, “I understand. You’ve worked hard. Don’t take risks in the future. If anyone finds out, it won’t end well. Your safety is the most important thing.”
Ajie pushed his hand away, pouting coquettishly, “I do it all for you.”
Liu Chang held her tightly in his arms and said softly, “I know.” He absent-mindedly stroked Ajie’s head and back while his mind raced, processing and analyzing the information he had just heard. Prince Min was the second imperial prince, much older than Prince Ning, and kept a large group of extraordinary individuals around him. He used these people’s unique abilities to network with the powerful and influential. For instance, Yuan Nineteen, whom he had accompanied recently, was one of them. Was Prince Min getting impatient, using his concubine to provoke Qinghua? An estate by the Yellow Canal? Whose estate? Didn’t Pan Rong say she had bought land nearby to build an estate? Could it be hers?
The chirping of insects and the gentle evening breeze surrounded the couple as they clung to each other, seemingly oblivious to their surroundings, silently enjoying the tender tranquility under the moonlight. Suddenly, a soft sound from nearby startled Ajie from her reverie and jolted Liu Chang from his contemplation. He gave Ajie a signal, and they quickly separated, moving to surround the source of the noise from both sides.
The person they cornered, realizing escape was impossible, boldly stood their ground and walked towards Ajie, calling out, “Ajie, the Princess heard that Deputy Minister Liu had arrived but couldn’t wait any longer. She sent me to see what was happening.” It was Arou, another of Qinghua’s maids.
Ajie’s gaze swept over the extinguished lantern in Arou’s hand. She smiled imperceptibly, straightened up, and calmly smoothed her hair. Taking Arou’s hand, she said loudly, “Oh, it’s Arou. Didn’t you see Deputy Minister Liu when you came? He went in to see the Princess by himself a while ago.”
Arou looked at Ajie with a hint of a cold smile. “Is that so? My eyesight must be poor. I didn’t see him.”
Liu Chang, standing in the shadows, heard Ajie’s voice and confirmed the newcomer’s identity. He turned and swiftly made his way to the main house. Hearing Qinghua’s curses from inside, he couldn’t help but frown. Taking a deep breath, by the time the maid lifted the crystal curtain, his face was already full of smiles.
He walked briskly through layer after layer of gauze, around the six-paneled silver-inlaid screen adorned with feather maidens, and smiled faintly at Qinghua, who lay pale-faced on the bed, her eyes blazing with anger as she glared at him. “Why are you angry again? I was just late because of official business. I heard from Ajie that you’ve been waiting for me and haven’t eaten. How inconsiderate of you. Tell me, what would you like to eat? I’ll feed you.”
Qinghua sneered, curling her lip. “So you remembered I was waiting for you? What official business? I bet you were out gallivanting with Pan Rong again. You, feed me? I think you’d rather see me starve to death!”
Liu Chang, unfazed, took a bowl of bird’s nest soup from Ajie, who had followed him in. Using a silver lotus leaf spoon, he scooped up a spoonful and brought it to Qinghua’s lips, saying gently, “I think you’re bored and letting your imagination run wild. If I can handle my official duties well, won’t that reflect well on you too? Don’t you know that what I want most is to earn my place through genuine talent and ability?”
Princess Qinghua didn’t give him an inch. She blew the soup everywhere with a “puff” and spat, “Ha! Others might not know, but I know exactly what you are. Genuine talent? Don’t make me laugh. Do you think you got this Deputy Minister position on your own? If it weren’t for me, you…”
Liu Chang, unable to contain himself any longer, changed color abruptly. He smashed the golden flower bowl to the ground, not caring that bird’s nest soup splattered everywhere. He glared coldly at Princess Qinghua and said, “Fine, I’m just a good-for-nothing who can only rely on the old and women. Without you all, I’d be begging on the streets to fill my stomach! If you hadn’t fallen off that horse, I wouldn’t have gotten this position as Deputy Minister of Agriculture so quickly! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been invited to drink with Prince Ning’s people today! I wonder, am I incapable or unwilling? Why do you all look down on me?”
Princess Qinghua hadn’t seen him explode like this in a long time. Seeing his outburst, the anger in her heart subsided a bit. She looked at Liu Chang suspiciously and said, “You were invited to drink by Prince Ning’s people? Who invited you? What did they say?”
“I didn’t want to tell you because I was afraid it would upset you, but I can’t stand your torment!” Liu Chang snorted, putting on airs as he kicked Ajie, who had come to clean up the spilled soup. He scolded, “Blind servant, you bumped into your master!”
Ajie “swallowed her anger” and curtsied, kneeling on the ground to clean up the soup. She didn’t forget to steal a glance at Arou, who was diligently wiping Qinghua’s face and brocade quilt, then gave Liu Chang a meaningful look. After receiving an affirmative glance from Liu Chang, she “sullenly” retreated.
Qinghua frowned and said, “So you know everything already?”
Liu Chang bluffed, “Know what? They just inexplicably warned me about something. I only know that you did something you shouldn’t have with Prince Min’s household. Look, can’t you just lie down and recover from your injuries? Why meddle in these affairs? If there’s something to be done, why not let me do it? Why get involved? Don’t you think your injuries are severe enough?”
As he spoke, his voice grew louder, and his expression became more severe.
Since he didn’t seem to know about He Mudan, the more angry he appeared, the more Princess Qinghua felt it was out of concern for her. Her previously terrible mood improved slightly. She was silent for a moment, then said, “I haven’t been out for a long time, and not many people come to see me. You don’t tell me about things outside either, so how would I know about all these complexities? This time, I didn’t think it through and was used as a pawn. It won’t happen again. Don’t worry, after I recover, I’ll go to the palace to ask His Majesty to arrange a better position for you…”
Liu Chang sneered and turned his head away. “I don’t want that! I’m always afraid of being called a freeloader. I don’t want to hang my head in shame for the rest of my life.”
Princess Qinghua grew impatient. “This won’t do, that won’t do. What exactly do you want?”
Liu Chang rose, his face dark. “I’ve been busy all day outside, and you’re just looking to give me trouble? I’m exhausted. I think you should focus on recovering. I’ll come see you when you’re better.”
Princess Qinghua had been having a difficult time lately. She had been looking forward to his visit for comfort, but after barely exchanging a few words, they had quarreled, and now he was leaving after smashing things. She felt both angry and resentful. Unable to contain herself, she grabbed the golden duck incense burner that was emitting fragrant smoke and threw it, shouting viciously, “Fine! Go ahead and leave! If you have the guts, don’t ever come back!”
The golden duck hit Liu Chang squarely on the back of his head, covering him in white ash. Liu Chang saw stars, his vision blurring. He stopped in his tracks, glaring at Princess Qinghua with cold, murderous eyes. He desperately swallowed his anger and walked resolutely towards the exit.
Princess Qinghua felt a pang of guilt at his look, and fear began to creep in. Years ago, when she told him she was going to marry someone else, he had given her the same look. After that, he truly never sought her out again, until she went back to find him when he was down on his luck and he accepted her again. Now, it seemed like they were back to that night. If he left this time, he probably wouldn’t look back…
She blinked and cried out hoarsely, “Don’t you dare leave! If you go, I’ll make sure your entire family regrets it!”
“In that case, take care of yourself. Remember, on the day you have my entire family executed, feel free to slap my face and spit on me. Do whatever makes you feel better.” Liu Chang smiled strangely. She’d make his whole family regret it? Currently, Liu Chengcai was the only one in his family who didn’t regret anything; the others already regretted plenty!
Seeing his resolute expression and strange smile, and hearing him say such things, Princess Qinghua truly regretted her words. But unable to swallow her pride, she choked back her tears and said venomously, “You…”