Retirement

After Qin Yousi met Xia Lieyun, he did not stay in Yangcheng for long.

She returned to Liuquan Monastery and left a handwritten letter for Taoist Master Xiwei, instructing him, "If anyone from the Nine Sects brings Ke Xian'er's head as apology, you should give them this letter. Otherwise, burn it and don't let them steal it."

Taoist Xiwei took the letter in surprise. He didn't know what this girl had offered in exchange to force Xia Lieyun to kill his wife!

The mountains were already covered in snow. Qin Yousi insisted on returning to the capital at this time. Taoist Xiwei wanted to stay, but Qin Yousi could only sigh and say, "I was taken away by the Nine Sects before. Gu Wu and Liu Guang have both sent letters to the capital. If I don't return soon, I'm afraid Master Baili will do something stupid."

Taoist Xiwei shook his head and smiled, then didn't stay any longer.

When Qin Yousi hurried back to the capital, Yu Huan came to the city gate to pick her up in a clean, warm carriage. In the carriage, they drank hot tea, warmed themselves by the fire, and recounted what had happened in the capital during her absence.

Qin Yousi listened to the normal news and gradually became absent-minded. He took the initiative to ask, "Is there any news about Lord Baili?"

Yu Huan looked at her thoughtfully and forced a smile, "No, my Lord may be too busy. He hasn't been to the clinic these days."

Qin Yousi felt something was wrong. On her way back to the capital, Gu Wu did not receive any new instructions from Baili Hongyuan, nor did she see anyone sent from the capital. Now there was no news of him in the city, as if Baili Hongyuan did not care at all about what she did outside the capital this time.

It would be fine if she really didn't do anything, but she didn't discuss it with him and took the risk alone to meet the people from the Nine Sects. How could Baili Hongyuan not say a few words to her?

Something is very wrong!

"Go to Qingshan Lane." Qin Yousi was not in a hurry to go home, but instead asked the driver to go to Qingshan Lane.

Yu Huan immediately said, "Young lady, why don't you go back and rest first? If you go to see Master Baili now, he may not be home."

Qin Yousi smiled faintly and asked, "What favor did Lord Baili promise you? I was only away for a few days, and you helped him coax me?"

Yu Huan immediately said anxiously: "Oh girl, it's not true!"

After all, he was Qin Yousi's personal attendant, so Yu Huan didn't dare to rush any further and said, "Last night, someone from Bailutai came with a message saying that Lord Baili was slightly injured while on duty. To prevent the young lady from worrying, they asked me to help cover up a few things and not let the young lady go looking for Lord Baili."

Qin Yousi asked seriously, "Where are you hurt?"

Yu Huan shook his head and said, "I didn't go into details."

Qin Yousi became more and more determined to go to Qingshan Lane.

If it was really a minor injury, Baili Hongyuan would not need to send anyone to take care of it. He would only need to hide from her if he could not hide it on the surface.

We rushed all the way to Qingshan Lane. Uncle Zhou was boiling medicine in the kitchen. There were many treasures piled in the yard that had not yet been sorted out. They looked like rewards from the palace.

Qin Yousi walked towards Baili Hongyuan's bedroom as if he was familiar with the place. The closer he got, the stronger the smell of medicine became, and it was even mixed with a distinct smell of blood.

Her heart beat faster and faster, until she stepped over the threshold and saw a familiar figure sitting at the small table pouring water, then she breathed a sigh of relief.

Qin Yousi quickly stepped forward to take the kettle from his hand, poured tea for him, and said, "Sir, you should also hire a few maids and servants for your family. How come there is no one to serve tea and water even when you are sick?"

She handed over the water and carefully looked at where Baili Hongyuan was injured.

Baili Hongyuan wasn't surprised to see her. He just asked gently, "When did you come back?"

Qin Yousi didn't rush to answer, but just frowned at him.

Because it was winter, Baili Hongyuan was wearing more clothes and a cloak on his shoulders. His right hand was hanging in the cloak, and he only used his left hand to drink tea. She could not see the injury clearly.

Baili Hongyuan didn't hide it from her and said, "I was stabbed in the right chest, but it's nothing serious."

Qin Yousi took the opportunity to say, "Let me see."

Baili Hongyuan declined, saying, "The imperial physician just changed the medicine, and it still hurts. Let's not touch it."

Qin Yousi curled her lips. No matter how badly he was injured before, she never said it hurt. Why was he talking about it today? It was obvious that he didn't want her to look closely.

"What happened, who hurt you?"

Before Qin Yousi left the capital, he entrusted the task of recruiting Tianying and Wu Bo to Baili Hongyuan. This was a trivial matter for him, but he also took the opportunity to use the emperor's hand to clean up some of the remnants of Xichang Hou.

"Tianying contacted the remnants of Marquis Xichang and pretended to plot an assassination against the Emperor to avenge Marquis Xichang. The Supervisory Office seized the opportunity to capture the remnants so that he could serve you with peace of mind in the future."

Qin Yousi was surprised and asked, "How could those people hurt you?"

Baili Hongyuan smiled helplessly and said, "I can hide it from the emperor, but not from you. I deliberately got stabbed with a sword, hoping to take advantage of the injury and resign from my position as the Supervisor of the Supervisory Office."

"Why?" Qin Yousi was very surprised when he suddenly heard his plan.

"I've done the Emperor's dirty work for so many years. Now that the court is safe, if I don't retreat, the Emperor will be the next to get rid of me."

Qin Yousi nodded. Although this was true, she always felt that something was missing.

Since it involved state affairs, Qin Yousi didn't ask any further questions, but simply rebuked: "Even if you want to step down, you shouldn't joke with your life and property. What if this sword hits a vital point?"

Baili Hongyuan looked at her seriously and said, "You also know that you can't joke about your own life and property?"

Baili Hongyuan had never said anything harsh to Qin Yousi, but this sentence was filled with anger.

Qin Yousi's face turned red. He was in the wrong, so what right did he have to criticize others?

She wasn't a stubborn person, so she said softly, "I was wrong about the Nine Sects incident this time, and I won't do it again."

Baili Hongyuan had obviously been deceived by her several times and didn't quite believe it. He just said "hmm" lightly and said nothing.

Fortunately, Uncle Zhou came in after stopping the medicine, and Qin Yousi quickly changed the subject.

During the time when Baili Hongyuan was recuperating from his injuries, Princess Linglong went to the palace and cried to the Queen Mother and the Emperor several times, saying that she had a miserable life and now had only this one son. She begged His Majesty to let him be a leisurely prince and not live a life on the edge of a knife.

Baili Hongyuan also submitted a petition to resign, saying that he had been running Bailu Tai for many years. If this continued for a long time, he was afraid that Bailu Tai would become autocratic and damage the throne. He suggested that the emperor send other confidants and rotate them every two years.

This request touched the emperor's heart, so Emperor Sheng pretended to be reluctant and hesitated for more than a month before approving his request.

At the same time, in order to appease Princess Linglong, Emperor Sheng finally issued an edict, conferring the title of "Prince of Ning" on Baili Hongyuan.

The issue of Baili Hongyuan's inheritance has been a source of worry for Princess Linglong for many years.

She was the eldest princess, and had made great contributions to the country through marriage between the two countries. Her son should have been granted the title of a prince, but because Baili Hongyuan was the director of the Supervisory Office and his biological father was the King of Northern Liang, the emperor had been withholding his title on the grounds that the title had not been decided.

Now that her son had finally obtained the title he deserved, Princess Linglong felt much more relieved and decided to host a banquet for guests in the princess's mansion.

Qin Yousi also received an invitation from Princess Linglong.

Looking at the invitation, Qin Yousi couldn't decide whether to pay attention. She was not a royal relative, nor a prince or noble. With what status could she attend the banquet?

She had previously attended the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet at Prince Bao's Mansion because she was treating the prince and princess, so there was some connection.

But what does she have to do with the princess's mansion?

Although she was happy that Baili Hongyuan inherited the title of Prince of Ning, she also knew in her heart that the distance between her and Baili Hongyuan had become greater.

She politely replied and declined Princess Linglong's invitation, but soon, the old nanny Cao who was by Princess Linglong's side came to the clinic in person to make a second invitation.

"Princess, I have something to say to you. It would seem too deliberate to announce your meeting on a normal day. Why not take advantage of the wedding banquet to meet you? What do you think?"

Having said that, how could Qin Yousi refuse? He had no choice but to agree.

But she guessed in her heart that the princess wanted her to draw a clear line between herself and Baili Hongyuan.

Okay.

After a few days of depression, the fifteenth day of the winter month was the day for the wedding banquet set by the princess's mansion for Prince Ning.

Princess Linglong invited mainly royal women, and Princess Bao was naturally among them. She favored Qin Yousi and feared she would be mistreated by the ignorant servants, so she personally came to fetch her and take her to the banquet.

There was a constant stream of people and cars in front of the princess's mansion, making the bleak winter day lively.

Qin Yousi accompanied Princess Bao and met Princess Pingtung Liu Ying and Princess Chengyue. Looking at these familiar people, her uneasy heart gradually calmed down.

Liu Ying came up and took Qin Yousi's arm, whispering in her ear, "Auntie invited you here today, but did you intend to make your relationship with Prince Ning public?"

Baili Hongyuan had been conferred the title for about half a month, and everyone had changed their names.

Qin Yousi quickly shook his head and whispered, "Don't talk nonsense. What is my relationship with the Duke? The Princess invited me to the banquet because she remembered that the Duke studied at my mother's clan school when he was young."

Liu Ying was speechless. This was going too far.

She winked at Qin Yousi and said, "Just pretend to be confused!"

Qin Yousi had no intention of joking with her and followed Princess Bao to the backyard.

There were many guests today, and Princess Linglong was busy entertaining them. When she saw Qin Yousi, she didn't say much, but just told the guests to have fun and not to be restrained.

Qin Yousi waited patiently for her to meet him alone, without saying much.

There is a red plum forest in the Princess's Mansion, and it is in full bloom right now.

The servants surrounded the pavilion in the forest with felt, lit a small clay stove and placed snacks on it for the guests to enjoy and rest.

Liu Ying loves to join in the fun, and she is not afraid of the cold, so she drags Qin Yousi to appreciate the plum blossoms.

The two of them walked around in the yard for a while when a person who looked like a female official came to find her with a hand warmer. Qin Yousi was a little surprised when she saw that it was Gu Wu dressed as a woman.

Previously, Gu Wu worked as a secret guard at Bailu Terrace, and she dressed the same as the men every day. When Qin Yousi first saw her in women's clothes, he almost didn't recognize her.

Gu Wu put the hand warmer into Qin Yousi's hand and said, "It's cold outside. The prince said that young ladies shouldn't be exposed to the wind. Just take a quick look and go back to the house. Don't play around and catch a cold."

Liu Ying covered her mouth and laughed, then pushed Qin Yousi and said, "You still say no?"

Qin Yousi didn't want to respond to her question, so he asked Gu Wu, "Have you left Bailu Terrace now?"

Gu Wu nodded and said, "After the master is crowned as a prince, he will soon set up his own residence and will need people to serve him. Your Majesty is sympathetic and has ordered Xin Chen and I to remain with the prince."

These two people are Baili Hongyuan's most trusted people, and Emperor Sheng probably doesn't want to keep them in Bailu Terrace.

Qin Yousi chatted with Gu Wu for a while, and soon someone came to invite them to take their seats.

Baili Hongyuan was the protagonist of today's event. Although the male and female guests sat at separate tables, the female guests and he were all relatives from the same clan, so he went to the backyard to toast to all the clan members.

Qin Yousi watched him silently. He took off his armor and put on the elegant and luxurious crown of a prince, which made her feel a little unfamiliar.

He was not the naive boy that we first met many years ago, nor was he the gloomy and cold man that we met again.

Steady, noble, and hidden edge.