Chapter 315 Prince Xin's Confidence

"How is the painting?" Prince Xin asked, his hands behind his back, as he turned his head to admire Yao Qingling's "painting."

Yao Qingling put down her pen, lowered her eyelids and stared at the painting: "It's just so-so. If Your Highness finds it acceptable, keep it. If not, tear it up."

Prince Xin chuckled and said, "You certainly have a lot of confidence."

To draw something so ugly and yet still call it average.

Yao Qingling didn't reply. She picked up the paper and with a swift motion, her drawing was split in two. Prince Xin couldn't stop her in time: "Hey, you—"

Yao Qingling said, "What you said is just average."

Prince Xin laughed: "Your personality..." He hesitated for a moment, then added two more words, "Interesting."

Yao Qingling continued tearing up the painting, and Prince Xin looked at Zhan Xingzhuo: "Your painting skills are superb, why didn't you teach her?"

This topic was clearly a reminder to Yao Qingling of how Zhan Xingzhuo had treated her over the past three years.

In front of the two people, Prince Xin stirred up trouble.

Zhan Xingzhuo frowned slightly, his face tense, unable to open his mouth.

Yao Qingling casually tossed her hand, and scraps of paper fluttered down like snowflakes, dancing in the air.

She looked up, smiling slightly as she watched the fragments fly around and then land.

Turning her head, she looked at Prince Xin: "I suddenly remembered that these fragments are not easy to clean up. I would appreciate it if Your Highness could have a few servants do the work of cleaning them up. If you want money, I am willing to give it to you."

Zhan Xingzhu stared blankly at Yao Qingling. She could give Prince Xin a smile, but she was always cold to him and wouldn't even look at him directly.

It was as if he were air.

But at this moment, Zhan Xingzhuo suddenly understood why Yao Qingling had become like this.

He remembered that when they were in the new mansion, Zhou Zhining and Xiao'er were guests. Xiao'er couldn't walk yet, and sometimes Zhou Zhining's books would be left by the bedside. Xiao'er would pick them up and tear them up for fun.

She complained to Zhan Xingzhuo that no one was helping her take care of her child, which is why the child tore up her favorite books.

When Zhan Xingzhuo blamed Yao Qingling, Yao Qingling had no choice but to send more servants to her courtyard to serve her.

Zhou Zhining was willing to spoil her child; she bought a lot of paper for the child to tear up and play with.

The paper is thin, and when the wind blows it, it's everywhere in the yard, some even hanging on the treetops, making it very difficult to clean up.

Zhou Zhining said that the courtyard was no longer beautiful, and the white color was considered unlucky.

Zhan Xingzhu gave Yao Qingling a lecture, feeling that the servants she sent were not serving her well and were neglecting the guests.

Yao Qingling was the one busy taking care of the whole family. Zhou Zhining was a wealthy young lady, and even in her decline, she maintained her noble dignity and felt entitled to the best care. Yao Qingling never complained... or rather, under his control, even when Yao Qingling expressed her dislike, he stopped her.

Looking back now, these trivial matters weighed on Yao Qingling day by day, gradually eroding her feelings for him.

Zhan Xingzhuo gazed at the giggling Yao Qingling, his eyes gradually dimming.

Prince Xin looked at the silver that Yao Qingling took out and laughed heartily: "Yao Qingling, you are an honored guest invited by me. Even if you made a few scraps, it's nothing. If I make you feel uneasy about such a small piece of paper, wouldn't I, as a prince, become a laughing stock?"

“Those servants aren’t here to be young masters and misses. This is their job, why bother with them?”

Yao Qingling said, "I am aware of my own limitations. Your Highness treats me as a guest, but I cannot be impolite because of that."

She placed the silver on the table: "If Your Highness refuses to accept it, then consider this a reward from me to the servant who cleaned the room."

With each word Yao Qingling spoke, Zhan Xingzhuo felt that her words were directed at him and Zhou Zhining.

Prince Xin glanced at Zhan Xingzhuo.

Prince Xin knew quite a bit about his family's affairs.

Yao Qingling may seem magnanimous, but she's actually quite petty and vindictive. And here she is, getting her revenge.

Jin Mantang is managed by Zhou Zhining, and she keeps referring to him as a "servant," which is exactly what Zhou Zhining is talking about.

She subtly criticized Zhou Zhining for being well-educated and reasonable, yet lacking even basic hospitality.

She subtly criticized Zhan Xingzhuo for not knowing how to protect his wife, which broke his wife's heart.

"Your Highness, it's getting late, and I'm not feeling well, so I should go home."

Prince Xin's mood had soured by Zhan Xingzhuo's arrival that he did not stop her.

He told Bu Fang to send Yao Qingling back again.

Zhan Xingzhuo gazed at her figure, feeling empty inside and bitter inside.

Prince Xin glanced at him, brimming with confidence.

There is absolutely no possibility of Yao Qingling and Zhan Xingzhuo getting back together.

He said, "Yao Qingling is gone, can you rest easy now?"

Zhan Xingzhu bowed and turned to leave.

Back at the Marquis's residence, Lou Yue and Xia Chan rushed over, asking, "Miss, are you alright?"

Yao Qingling shook her head: "He didn't make things difficult for me."

She touched her face, recalling the disappointment on Prince Xin's face when he lifted her veil and saw the red rash on her cheeks.

Inside the carriage, Yao Qingling secretly took He Yin's medicine again.

This was actually very dangerous. The medicine was slightly toxic, and by taking it twice, even that slightly toxicity was aggravated. Moreover, she had also taken some secret medicine from the imperial physician.

He Yin quickly took her pulse and examined her eyes and tongue.

Yao Qingling's heart was pounding, her face was pale, and her head was throbbing. She had already held on for a long time, and if she continued to stay at Jinmantang, she might collapse.

He Yin drained some of her blood, which would need to be tested before a suitable antidote could be administered.

At this moment, Zhan Xingzhuo arrived.

He saw He Yin holding a bowl of medicine with blood drawn, and Yao Qingling's hands were wrapped in cloth.

His face darkened, and he strode forward: "What happened? Even if you don't want to paint anymore, you don't have to hurt yourself like this, do you?"

Yao Qingling had a terrible headache and didn't want to waste her breath on him. But things had come to this point, and she had to make things clear to him.

"Zhan Xingzhuo, you've seen it, Prince Xin has taken a liking to me."

"Qingling, don't worry, I..."

"Don't talk about remarrying or anything like that," Yao Qingling interrupted him coldly. "I don't need to use such methods to get rid of Prince Xin."

Whether it's Zhan Xingzhuo or Prince Xin, they're just different places, like a dragon's den or a tiger's lair.

Zhan Xingzhuo's face turned cold: "You mean, you won't remarry me, but you can let Lin Shiyuan marry you, is that right?"

Yao Qingling frowned and looked coldly at the man.

Zhan Xingzhu sneered: "Do you think I don't know about your tricks with Lin Shiyuan? Ostensibly it's revenge, but behind the scenes, you're helping him rise step by step. You've played both the good guy and the bad guy."

"But Yao Qingling, do you think Lin Shiyuan can protect you?"

"He has no one behind him, no family support. Even if he is a third-rank official, what is he compared to Prince Xin? Can he protect you?"

“I am the son of the Grand Princess, a maternal relative of the royal family; the Duke of Zhan’s mansion has existed since the founding of the dynasty, and its family background is quite prestigious. You and I also have a son. If we were to remarry, no one would gossip, neither morally nor logically. No matter how powerful Prince Xin is, he still has to weigh the pros and cons.”

Yao Qingling ignored what he said afterward; what mattered to her was that he had actually figured out the entanglement between her and Lin Shiyuan, both overt and covert.

How we figured it out is no longer important.

The important thing is that the emperor must not find out that they have deceived him.

Yao Qingling took a deep breath and sneered, "Lin Shiyuan can't protect me, and neither can you. I've long understood that to live well, you can't rely on anyone."

"Zhan Xingzhuo, this is a matter between me and Prince Xin, so don't get involved. Just protect yourself. Aren't you still thinking about turning the Zhou family around?"