The room fell into silence, with Li Qinqin bowing respectfully before Jun Beiyue and Ziqing. For a long while, neither of them spoke—more precisely, neither gave her permission to rise.
Li Qinqin, having completely abandoned her earlier arrogant, domineering manner, wisely remained bowed, head lowered, not daring to say another word.
But the scene couldn’t remain frozen like this forever.
“Hongyi, bring another set of bowls and chopsticks,” Jun Buli said flatly, his tone as light and casual as if nothing at all had happened.
But Hongyi glanced fearfully at Ziqing, not daring to move an inch. Her master was clearly furious right now—if she actually went to fetch the bowls and chopsticks, wouldn’t that be inviting death?
“Hongyi?” Jun Buli frowned at her.
Hongyi, sharp as she was, knew exactly what was happening—she’d been pushed forward as a middleman, and in this situation, her master wasn’t going to say a word.
On one side, the young master’s order; on the other, her master’s silence. Forced to choose between them, she nearly wanted to cry! What was she supposed to do?
Facing Jun Buli’s questioning gaze, Hongyi’s eyes darted about, wishing desperately she could bolt from the room. This room felt unbearably oppressive.
“Hongyi?” Jun Buli spoke again, his tone clearly heavier this time.
Hongyi’s heart lurched. She looked up at her master, but Ziqing’s expression remained utterly unreadable. Gritting her teeth fiercely, she gave in.
“Yes! This servant will go at once.”
Having answered the young master’s order, Hongyi didn’t dare look at her master again, practically fleeing the room.
With Hongyi gone, the atmosphere grew even more oppressive, the air thick with something that felt ready to erupt at any moment—at least, judging from the expressionless faces of Ziqing and Jun Beiyue, that was certainly the case.
But compared to before, Jun Buli seemed considerably more relaxed. Watching from the side, even Guxi couldn’t help feeling a certain admiration—it seemed the master and the Prince had finally found a worthy opponent.
In truth, during their ten years of absence, the young master had truly changed a great deal. Perhaps, in the days to come, they would come to understand even more.
In the silence, Jun Buli remained perfectly composed, joking with Li Qinqin, “What, seeing Father Emperor and Mother Empress made you forget about me entirely?”
What… did that mean?
Ziqing was still frowning when Li Qinqin quickly spoke up. “This concubine greets Your Majesty. Ten thousand blessings to Your Majesty!”
At these words, Ziqing understood immediately what was happening. Her hand, resting on the table, unconsciously clenched, while Jun Buli, beside her, said with perfect naturalness, “Beloved consort, no need for formality. Rise!”
Ziqing and Jun Beiyue said nothing, and Consort Li remained bowed—yet with that single line from Jun Buli, the previous deadlock dissolved with remarkable ease!
Li Qinqin’s lips curved slightly upward, casting a grateful glance toward Jun Buli, and she actually rose to her feet. Watching this, even Guxi couldn’t help breaking into a cold sweat on her behalf—this woman actually dared to rise!
Did she not realize that by rising like this, she was, in a sense, using the young master’s favor to defy his parents?
Meanwhile, Hongyi, watching from the doorway with the bowls and chopsticks in hand, felt her heart nearly stop.
She knew her master better than anyone—her master was always composed, yet this matter with the young master was the one thing that could shatter her calm. If she couldn’t hold herself back and lashed out at Li Qinqin right then and there, it would inevitably lead to conflict with the young master!
Mother and son had only just reunited—fighting over a woman now would only wound both their hearts.
As Li Qinqin rose, Ziqing finally lifted her gaze, looking directly at her. Hongyi’s eyes followed Ziqing’s, and she steeled herself, determined to do something, anything, to remind her master to stay calm.
But just as Hongyi was about to step through the door, Li Qinqin, to everyone’s astonishment, suddenly dropped to her knees before Ziqing and Jun Beiyue with a resounding thud!
“This concubine was ignorant and offended Father Emperor and Mother Empress—not only making a fool of herself, but committing an act of gross disrespect, a grave transgression. This concubine acknowledges her crime and begs Father Emperor and Mother Empress for severe punishment!”
Word by word, without a trace of her earlier coquettish petulance, but earnest, sincere—and with that, she struck her forehead against the ground three times, hard.
A faint smile touched Jun Buli’s lips—not one of doting affection, but something closer to satisfaction, gone in an instant.
Ziqing’s face betrayed nothing, but inside, she was nearly seething. If she weren’t still uncertain of her son’s true feelings, afraid of clashing with him, she would have already kicked Li Qinqin clear across the room!
Playing this kind of self-inflicted-suffering trick on her—Li Qinqin was overestimating herself considerably!
In this situation, Ziqing had to preserve her son’s dignity, had to prioritize the mother-son relationship above all else, had to appear the picture of a magnanimous mother-in-law—in other words, she had to play along with Li Qinqin’s little game, no matter how nauseating, and then quietly, silently, deal her a fatal blow behind the scenes where no one would see!
Rationally, Ziqing knew exactly what she should do. But when it came to matters concerning her son, she truly couldn’t stay rational.
She looked furious on the surface, but inside she was dying of grief—she never would have imagined it would come to this, playing at court intrigue of all things.
Staring coldly at the kneeling, bowed Li Qinqin, Ziqing remained silent for a long moment, still unable to find words.
But Jun Buli broke into a broad smile. “Mother, I just heard from the guards—seems there was quite the misunderstanding earlier!”
This brat was treating the whole incident in the bamboo grove as nothing but a joke.
Ziqing’s expression twitched. She shot him a glance, finally unable to hold back, her tone icy. “Do you find this funny?”
At these words, Jun Beiyue’s hand, holding his soup spoon, froze beside her. He knew—Ziqing was about to explode.
But Jun Buli suddenly threw an arm around Ziqing’s shoulder, acting affectionately spoiled. “Mother, Consort Li has never met you before—ignorance isn’t a crime, is it? She’s already kowtowed and admitted her fault. Please, be magnanimous, for my sake, and forgive her!”
The words were spoken with such finality that Ziqing had no room left to refuse.
Not forgiving her now would mean denying her son face.
Li Qinqin, meanwhile, having secured Jun Buli’s backing, kept her head lowered and said nothing more.
Watching her son smile so warmly at her, Ziqing suddenly felt the urge to ask him one thing: “And if I said no—what then?”
If she refused to give him this face, what would he do?
“Consort Li, quickly, get up and pour tea for Mother and Father!” Jun Buli was clearly smoothing things over.
Ziqing said nothing, staring at her son. Only now did she truly realize what she had lost during these ten years of absence—the son before her was thoughtful, considerate, yet also… so unfamiliar.
He was clearly forcing her hand, all for the sake of one woman!
Consort Li respectfully brought a cup of hot tea before Ziqing. “Mother, this concubine offers her apologies. This concubine knows her fault.”
Instantly, everyone’s attention fixed on that steaming cup of tea. But to everyone’s surprise, Ziqing actually reached out and took the cup.
A flash of barely-concealed triumph flickered through Consort Li’s eyes, while beside her, Jun Beiyue’s brow furrowed.
But then, unexpectedly, Ziqing suddenly feigned dizziness, her body tilting sideways as she flung the hot tea directly into Li Qinqin’s face!
“Ahh…!”
In an instant, Li Qinqin clutched her face with both hands, letting out a scream like a slaughtered pig, while Ziqing collapsed against her son, falling unconscious…