Chapter 22

Xie Qinghong was taken aback, surprised that he actually knew, and felt that he was biased. He explained to him seriously: "It is true that he could not get what he wanted, but in the situation last year, he could not make any decisions. So we cannot conclude that he was a coward."

Pei Du's tone remained indifferent: "He didn't dare to take the princess away when faced with the emperor's decree, but today he kidnapped a weak woman like you. What else is he but a coward?"

Xie Qinghong asked in confusion, "If you were in his situation, what would you do to avoid being a coward?"

After a while, Pei Du replied, "I have already done it."

The word "coward" has never been associated with him; he has always fought for what he wants.

Xie Qinghong asked curiously, "What did you accomplish?"

Pei Du pulled on the reins, and the horse slowly came to a stop. It turned out that they had arrived near Shumo Street. When Ah Xing and Xie's coachman saw the familiar carriage approaching, they didn't care that the driver was the terrified Prince Pei. They hurriedly went forward to check if the young lady was alright.

Xie Qinghong was fine otherwise, but her arm had bumped against the carriage wall and she was probably bruised. She spoke briefly with Ah Xing, and seeing that Pei Du was still standing by the carriage as if waiting, she quickly thanked him, saying, "Thank you for today, Your Highness."

Pei Du looked up and met her gaze, raising an eyebrow slightly and revealing a smile: "This is the second time."

Xie Qinghong choked, recalling what the Empress had said in the palace today, and angrily accused, "The Crown Prince is indeed a smooth talker. Just an hour ago he said he wouldn't make me feel wronged."

Pei Du was stunned, somewhat bewildered: "You feel wronged now?" He felt that he hadn't done anything yet.

Xie Qinghong said, "You're being sarcastic to me." She learned this phrase from Song Lingxi. Although she didn't directly encounter her at the flower-viewing banquet, she still heard her muttering complaints in the side hall about Zheng Yingluo's sarcastic remarks, which were quite fitting.

Pei Du was speechless at how well he had applied what he had learned, and after a long while he finally said, "I misspoke."

Inside the carriage, Ah Xing exclaimed softly, "The young master's temper is not like the rumors suggest; he seems gentle and polite."

Xie Qinghong already knew what was going on. She didn't understand love, and her mother had never talked to her about these things, but she seemed to have this ability innately—she could easily distinguish whether others were kind or evil to her. Undoubtedly, Prince Pei had no ill intentions towards her.

So she took a small step forward, and Prince Pei remained tolerant. She was very confident, feeling that she had found a way to get along with Prince Pei. This man was similar to her older brother; he probably liked to hear nice things. She would praise him more often in the future.

They quickly returned to the Xie residence, only to bump into their aunt, who had just alighted from her carriage, with Xie Qingke accompanying her.

Xie Qinghong alighted from the carriage with a normal expression and nodded to them, saying, "Aunt, cousin." Pei Du followed behind her all the way, but did not dismount upon arrival. He looked down at them and interjected, "I'll be going now."

Xie Qinghong glanced back at him, and he gently squeezed his legs against the horse's belly, pulled on the reins, and changed direction to leave.

Aunt's expression wasn't good. She stared at Pei Du's departing figure for a while before Xie Qingke reminded her that she had been lost in thought. She quickly put on a smile and asked, "Qinghong, you've returned from the palace? It seems you and Prince Pei are getting along well. Your uncle can rest assured now."

Xie Qinghong smiled and said, "I don't know if Uncle is at ease, but I think my cousin is, isn't he?"

Xie Qingke, who was usually mild-mannered, looked embarrassed and lowered her head, weakly defending herself: "My cousin is joking. We just want you to be well."

Xie Qinghong took the lead and walked up the steps, saying as he went, "Aunt and cousin, did you come here today to see my mother? Please come in quickly, my brother should be back soon."

Auntie's heart skipped a beat, and she hesitated to take a step forward, but Xie Qingke's eyes showed pleading, and she sighed softly as she entered the door.

Xie Qinghong went to her own courtyard to change into a light dress, and asked Ayue to serve tea in the front hall, while also listening to her aunt's purpose for coming. When she was changing her clothes, she realized that the injury on her arm looked quite serious, with bruises all over her arm and elbow. She had already called the family's traditional Chinese medicine doctor to come and take a look, so she couldn't go to the front hall for the time being.

When A-Yue returned, she was already in bed resting. Then A-Yue told her about what happened in the hall: "Madam Hou came to seek reconciliation. She said that the misunderstanding had been cleared up and the two families should still keep in touch. She also said that since you will marry into the southern region in the future, you will naturally need the Xie family as your support. We are all family. It's okay to have some disagreements, but we can't really sever ties."

Xie Qinghong yawned and asked, "Did my cousin say anything?"

A-Yue thought for a moment and shook her head, saying, "Third Master just stayed with us without saying a word. When Madam asked about his studies, he only answered with two sentences."

Xie Qinghong fell into deep thought. She had always thought her cousin was mild-mannered and taciturn. Because they were about the same age, she, her brother, and her cousin always played together when they were young, and her cousin was always slow. But as they grew older, she and her cousin no longer lived in the same household, and they gradually had less contact with each other.

Unbeknownst to him, the once mild-mannered child had grown into a shrewd and calculating young man. He was probably aware that his choice would plunge his cousin's family into trouble, but in this world, there are always those who are close and those who are distant, and he simply chose what was more important to him.

Just as Qin Yu said, for the sake of a bright future, one can discard one's family like worn-out shoes.

Ah Yue added, "But there's one more thing, please don't be angry when you hear it, young lady."

Xie Qinghong, nestled in the blankets, remained lazy and motionless. Upon hearing this, she merely lifted her eyelids to signal that she should speak freely.

Then A-Yue began to speak: "Madam Hou said that the Third Young Master's wedding date is about to be set, and asked Madam to find a match for the Second Young Master as soon as possible, so as not to delay your wedding date. After all, it is really against the rules for a younger sister to marry before her elder brother takes a wife... She also said that Prince Pei is a dragon among men, and if he had a daughter of suitable age, he might not, uh, let you marry him."

What do you mean by "don't be angry"?!

Xie Qinghong threw off the covers and sat up abruptly. Her aunt's words had made her wide awake. How could someone be so tactless for ten years?

She angrily got out of bed, pulled out her grudge notebook, turned to the second page, and looked at Pei Shizi's past annoying deeds, hoping to calm herself down by comparing them. However, after comparing them one by one, she still found her aunt's words to be more annoying!

But this notebook can't be used to record elders, so she angrily picked up her pen and wrote: Fifth point, Pei Du is being sarcastic towards me!

Pei Du, who had just returned to his lodging, suddenly sneezed. His attendant quickly handed him a cloak and said, "Young Master, when shall we set off back? The weather in Wangjing is so cold, it's late March and it's still this cold."

Pei Du pushed aside his cloak, glanced at the sky, and said, "It'll be soon."