Unplanned

After hearing from the eunuch that Cui Lingxian had summoned him to the East Palace, Lu Fengping grabbed his medicine box and rushed over, fearing that Ping An had done something in the East Palace that might have injured Cui Shenzhi or Cui Lingxian. Fortunately, it turned out to be a false alarm.

Ping An found Lu Fengping's sweaty appearance laughable.

She wasn't a skilled martial artist; she was just a little girl with no martial arts skills whatsoever. What could she possibly do to Cui Shenzhi and Cui Lingxian? Besides, eliminating Cui Shenzhi and Cui Lingxian wouldn't benefit her at all; it would only cost her her life. Only a fool would do that.

Ping An snuggled into Cui Lingxian's arms and said casually, "Little fairy, let me tell you, Young Master Lu's medical skills are exceptionally good. When he told me that my hand might be ruined, I was terrified, but then he said that if I left it to him, it wouldn't be a problem. Sure enough, it was healed in about ten days!"

After listening, Cui Lingxian looked at Lu Fengping with disapproval.

"Fengping, Ping'an is so young, why are you scaring her?"

"I... I was just thinking that since Shenzhi doesn't want Ping An to touch those sharp things again, I might as well make things sound serious and scare her, and then she naturally won't touch them."

“Then you shouldn’t have used such a serious word as ‘crippled’ to scare her.”

"…yes."

Cui Lingxian then turned around and patted Ping An's head: "Ping An, it's okay. Feng Ping was just joking with you. Patting his fur won't scare you. Don't be afraid."

Ping An didn't expect Cui Lingxian to use those words to coax her, so much so that she paused for a moment before remembering what she was going to say next.

"Huh? Did Young Master Lu scare me? You're so mean! You have no idea I almost cried!" Ping An threw a provocative look at Lu Fengping and then snuggled back into Cui Lingxian's arms: "Little fairy, Young Master Lu bullied me, you have to help me."

"Okay, I'll help you beat him up, okay?"

"Oh no!" Ping An's eyes darted around, and she leaned close to Cui Lingxian's ear, whispering in a volume everyone could hear: "Young Master Lu scared me, so can you scare him back? Just say you're angry because he scared me, and you're not going to talk to him anymore, and then for a day? No, no, half a day? That seems too long... How about two hours without talking to him?"

"Okay, if Ping An says two hours, then it's two hours."

Cui Lingxian turned to Lu Fengping with a bright smile and said, "Fengping, I'm angry. I'm not going to talk to you anymore."

At the same time, Ping An, hiding behind Cui Lingxian, mouthed something to Lu Fengping.

Aren't you afraid?

Lu Fengping, aren't you afraid? Cui Lingxian believes me so readily. I tried to sow discord in front of her, and she immediately concluded it was your fault without even asking. What do you think will happen if I continue to associate with her?

Lu Fengping understood Ping An's meaning and was so angry that he stood up on the spot, wanting to cause trouble for Ping An. However, after taking a few steps, he found that Cui Lingxian was looking at him with a lot of doubt in her eyes, and Cui Shenzhi was also frowning and staring at him.

Seeing the mocking expression on Ping An's face, Lu Fengping took a deep breath and said as calmly as possible, "Your Highness may not wish to speak to me, but please listen to what I have to say. When I was treating Ping An's hand injury, I accidentally discovered that she, like you, suffers from a congenital deficiency. However, her condition is less severe than yours, but she still needs to take medicine and recuperate for half a month before we can see how she is doing."

"Then why don't you just prescribe the medicine? Why are you telling me this? Is there some precious medicinal material that I need to ask my father for?"

Lu Fengping shook his head.

"I have already prescribed the medicine. The Imperial Medical Academy has all the necessary ingredients. However, some of the ingredients in this medicine are sleep aids. If she takes this medicine, she will have little energy throughout the day. I heard that Your Highness is currently teaching Ping An to read and write. As a result, she will probably have to stay in bed for half a month and will not be able to follow Your Highness's instructions."

Half a month later is Cui Shenzhi's birthday, which is also the anniversary of the late empress's death. Cui Shenzhi will leave the palace the day before no matter what. Even if he doesn't go to the slums, he will go to Huguo Temple to pray for the late empress. At that time, he will definitely let Cui Shenzhi see the true face of Ping An!

Cui Lingxian, unaware of Lu Fengping's thoughts and only concerned about Ping An's health, quickly replied with concern, "Then let Ping An rest for half a month. Studying is something that can't be rushed. What's the big deal about half a month? Of course, Ping An's health is more important."

In other words, for the next two weeks, Cui Lingxian would have no reason to come to the East Palace every day.

Ping An was very satisfied with the result. As for what would happen in half a month? Judging from Lu Fengping's attitude, he would definitely do something to try to expose her true colors. She would just go with the flow. With Lu Fengping's brain, he couldn't come up with any flawless plan.

*****

Two weeks later.

Lu Fengping thought that Ping An would stop Cui Shenzhi from leaving the palace like last time, but to his surprise, Ping An did not. Not only did she not stop, but she also showed great interest after hearing that Cui Shenzhi was going to Huguo Temple.

This made him feel that something was wrong.

But the die was cast, and he was afraid that if he delayed any longer, something would happen to Cui Shenzhi and Cui Lingxian, or that Ping An would ruin their reputation.

So the four of them set off for Huguo Temple that day, intending to pray for blessings first, and then go to the slums to distribute porridge and clothing.

The trip to Huguo Temple went smoothly, but an unexpected incident occurred in the slums.

While Ping An was playing with some children, Cui Lingxian was suddenly called away, and then a burly man kidnapped Ping An and took him to a dilapidated thatched hut.

The burly man roughly threw Ping An to the ground and shouted, "I've been eyeing you for a long time. You're a bit dim-witted, but you're good-looking and seem fertile. Staying with those nobles would just make you a servant. Why not be my wife? As long as you give me a son, I promise I won't let you go hungry."

Looking at the burly man in front of him, Ping An felt speechless.

Could Lu Fengping be any more stupid? She came with Crown Prince Cui Shenzhi and Princess Cui Lingxian. Who in this slum would dare to touch her? Even if someone did, did Lu Fengping think the bodyguards around Cui Shenzhi and Cui Lingxian were useless? Not to mention, this was in broad daylight, and the brute kidnapped her in front of a group of children.

That's incredibly stupid.

Ping An had no idea that the burly man wasn't actually arranged by Lu Fengping. When the people Lu Fengping sent arrived, they only saw a group of crying children and signs that Ping An had been forcibly taken away. They hurriedly ran to tell Lu Fengping that something had gone wrong.

*****

Because she was convinced that the brute was brought by Lu Fengping, Ping An naturally assumed that Cui Shenzhi and Cui Lingxian were watching her from the shadows. Therefore, she did not make any move that implied resistance, but continued to maintain her overly naive facade.

“I am not a servant. I do not want to be your wife, nor do I want to bear your son. I want to go back to the East Palace.”

"Go back to the Eastern Palace? I think you just think my place is dilapidated and you despise my poverty, so you want to go back and climb into the Crown Prince's bed to enjoy wealth and luxury!"

“I didn’t,” Ping An said, hugging her knees and curling up into a ball. Her voice trembled as she said, “I used to live in a dilapidated house. If you won’t let me go back to the East Palace, you can let me go back to the Cold Palace. I don’t want to stay here or stay with you. I’m scared.”

"Afraid?" The burly man sneered and approached Ping An step by step: "Once you become my wife, you won't be afraid after we sleep together a few more times."

Ping An still didn't realize something was wrong, so she didn't really resist until the burly man tore off her coat and was about to pull down her skirt. Only then did she realize that she might have made a mistake and that the person in front of her might not be the one Lu Fengping had sent.

She immediately took a hairpin from her hair and forcefully stabbed it into the burly man's arm while he was in pain. Then, she kicked him in the stomach and pushed him away before getting off the bed.

After landing on the ground, she quickly stood up, glanced around the room, grabbed a bowl and smashed it against a pillar. She picked up the broken pieces and prepared to rush at the brute, but then she heard a commotion outside.

Ping An's eyes narrowed. She grabbed a shard and slashed her arm, tearing open her skirt. She then pulled off the jade pendant from her waist and plopped down near the broken bowl, cowering as she said, "You took my clothes, so I can't leave now. I have to stay and be your wife. But could you please return these two jade pendants to Shen Zhi and Little Fairy? They've been so good to me. I can't let them stay here because of these two jade pendants."

The rough man didn't know what Ping An was doing, but he could tell that the two jade pendants in Ping An's hand were very valuable.

He pressed the wound on his hand, enduring the pain in his lower abdomen, and took a few steps closer to Ping An. After confirming that Ping An was not as ferocious as before, but just terrified, he said with a ferocious expression, "Give it back? Do you think I'm as stupid as you? These two jade pendants belong to those two noble people, they must be worth a lot of money. If I sell them, I can live a good life!"

Upon hearing the burly man's words, Ping An immediately put the jade pendant into his bosom and shouted, "No! These two jade pendants cannot be sold! They must be returned! Otherwise, Little Fairy and Shen Zhi won't be able to go back!"

The burly man didn't bother to say anything more to Ping An. Without a word, he tried to grab her, but before he could even touch Ping An, the door to his residence was kicked open.

*****

Upon hearing that things had gone wrong and that Ping An had indeed been kidnapped, Lu Fengping panicked.

He wanted to expose Ping An's true colors, but he never intended to ruin Ping An's reputation or kill her. If something really happened to Ping An, not only would Cui Shenzhi and Cui Lingxian not forgive him, but he himself would not be able to forgive himself.

The situation was urgent, and Lu Fengping didn't have time to think about anything else. He rushed to find Cui Shenzhi and Cui Lingxian, whom he had lured away from Ping An using a diversionary tactic.

Upon hearing the details, Cui Shenzhi's expression immediately changed. He stared at Lu Fengping for a moment, then led the guards anxiously toward the direction where Ping An had been kidnapped. Cui Lingxian slapped Lu Fengping and followed them.

Although neither of them said anything, Lu Fengping felt that he might lose Cui Shenzhi, his good friend, and Cui Lingxian, his beloved girl.