Chapter 23 Cutting off the peach blossom

"Well, Master Qingyi, you'd better say less." He gently advised, fearing that Sister Ruyi would really faint from anger. Although it would be easy to explain to the master, if this matter got to the ears of the King of the Northwest, the consequences would be unpredictable.

"Qingqing, what other places in the palace have I not visited? Take me around. I will rest here tonight and dinner will be delivered here. By the way, Uncle Lin, bring some more good wine from the palace." Qing Yi said, greeted Manager Lin, and walked away.

“…” Everyone in the palace had never seen such a shameless and unreasonable person. They were stunned for a moment, and could only sigh softly and follow Qing Yi’s pace.

"Manager Lin, look, who is this person?" Ruyi cried aggrievedly.

"Ruyi, don't cry yet. Let's wait until the young prince comes back tomorrow to deal with this matter. I will arrange for the servants to be on duty here tonight. You can take the maids to the villa to rest." Manager Lin looked at Qingyi's back as he left, thought for a moment, and then said to Ruyi.

"Butler Lin, and that girl Qingqing! She must have brought that man here on purpose!" Ruyi had long looked down on this girl. Just because she knew some martial arts and had been following the young prince for years, and with her looks, she wanted to curry favor with the rich and powerful?

"Ruyi, you are also an elder in the mansion. The prince thinks highly of you, so you need to be more prudent in your words and deeds." Manager Lin said to Ruyi earnestly.

"Butler Lin taught Ruyi a lesson, and she knows she was wrong." Ruyi bowed. In this palace, even the young prince respected Butler Lin very much.

"Hey, Master Qingyi, there's nothing interesting to see in the palace. Let me take you outside for a walk." He suggested gently, thinking to himself, don't wander around the palace. You've already offended Ruyi, and don't offend anyone else soon. If this guy wants to get familiar with the palace, he'd better wait for the master to take him there personally.

"Okay! That's exactly what I want." Qing Yi agreed readily.

"Why do you have to provoke Sister Ruyi? If she complains to the King of the Northwest in the future, you will be in big trouble!" Qingqing kept muttering.

"Hmph! So what if I report this to the King of the Northwest? What can he do to me? He clearly knows about the friendship between Xiaoye and me, but he still designates a concubine for her. Isn't this clearly ignoring me? If I meet him, I will definitely make him pay!" Qing Yi looked unconvinced.

"Oh, hey, just be quiet for a while! That's the King of the Northwest, who do you think you are? My prince doesn't like you, so don't provoke him again!" Qingqing felt that Qingyi was a very bold and fearless boy.

"Oh! Do you think I like him very much! If he wasn't Xiao Ye's biological father, I wouldn't bother with him!" Qing Yi really didn't have a good impression of the King of the Northwest. The two of them disliked each other and were full of subtle hostility towards each other.

"Okay, Master Qingyi, you just arrived in the capital, so you'd better keep a low profile and don't cause trouble for my master!" Qingqing finally said with some helplessness.

"Eh? Qingqing, I see that Ruyi doesn't seem very friendly to you! Why do you seem to be quite afraid of her?" Qingyi chatted with Qingqing as they walked, with a hint of sarcasm in his words.

"Um, no...I don't think so." She tried to deny it, but her tone clearly lacked confidence.

"We are family, what can't we say? If you tell me, I will definitely stand up for you! I disliked that girl at first sight." Qing Yi looked like a man of great righteousness.

"Hahahahaha, are you jealous? Because she is a quasi-concubine?" He teased gently.

"You girl! Say it or not, I'm not afraid of her anyway."

"Well...there's nothing special about it. She is the head maid, and she was appointed by the prince. The master hasn't married a princess, so her status is naturally different from ordinary maids like us." Qingqing's voice was a little low, with a hint of barely perceptible loneliness.

"Why didn't the King of the Northwest specify you? Your master takes you wherever he goes. Isn't that perfect?" Qing Yi asked with a playful smile.

"Ah! Master Qingyi, please stop joking. The young prince only has you in his heart..." Qingqing was shocked when she heard this and quickly denied it. She didn't want to cause any trouble because of this.

"I mean, why did the King of the Northwest designate her and not you? Did your master and that Ruyi..." Qing Yi deliberately dragged out his tone.

"I... I'm just a little maid, and I'm not good-looking. How... how can I be worthy of the young prince? Sister Ruyi is beautiful, so she is naturally the first choice... Don't worry, the young prince hasn't summoned her to sleep with him yet!" Qingqing explained hurriedly, fearing that Qingyi would misunderstand something.

"Well, Qingqing, I know you also admire your master, but you don't have any chance. I won't let anyone get close to Xiaoye. He can only belong to me, Qingyi, and no one else! No matter if it's Ruyi or the queen's niece!" Qingyi said this seriously, as if he was not only talking to Qingqing, but also to himself and Ye Qingyu who was not here.

"Master Qingyi, do you know?" she asked softly, a flicker of surprise and disappointment in her eyes. She truly adored her master, but she also knew she wasn't worthy of him. Perhaps she had once harbored a faint hope of becoming the young prince's concubine, but after Qingyi appeared, she knew there was no chance! For three years, she had been content to be his maid, accompanying him on his journeys.

"Yeah! Xiaoye didn't hide it from me."

"Master Qingyi, don't worry. The master will definitely find a way to refuse the emperor's arranged marriage. You are the only one in his heart." He repeated it gently, fearing that Qingyi would doubt the master's intentions.

"As for Xiao Ye, of course I believe it. This hero is handsome, suave, skilled in martial arts, and loved by everyone..." Qing Yi began to brag again, with a confident smile on his face.

"Okay, okay, stop bragging!" She interrupted him with a gentle smile. She really liked Qing Yi and thought he had a lively personality, a smart mind, and most importantly, he dared to express himself without being hypocritical.

"Well, but Qingqing, don't worry. Although you have no hope on your master's side, I will definitely help you find a good marriage!" Qing Yi changed the subject and suddenly mentioned helping Qingqing find a marriage.

"...Oh, you're talking nonsense again!" She blushed and glared at Qingyi.