Soon, Qi Che finished the banquet and returned to the inn, thinking carefully about everything that happened at the banquet today.

Now he was basically certain that the princess was indeed interested in him, but that was not enough.

In other words, further confirmation is needed and one must be 100% sure before taking the next step.

But what can we do to further explore?

That night, Qi Che tossed and turned, thinking hard. Finally, at dawn, he came up with an idea.

When he heard that the princess was staying at the inn in the city, he ordered people to prepare a gift and went to the inn early in the morning to ask for an audience with the princess.

At the entrance of the posthouse, he respectfully handed over the invitation, "I am Qi Che, a humble servant, and I have come to thank Your Highness for the gift of the book."

This high-sounding reason is both elegant and implies admiration.

If the princess does not refuse to meet, it means there is hope.

Soon, the doorman handed in Qi Che's invitation.

Inside the house, Qin Jiuge had just finished his breakfast when he heard a servant come to report that Qi Che was outside the door asking to see him.

The corners of her lips curled slightly, and a hint of mockery flashed in her eyes, "You are good at making excuses."

She casually placed the visiting card on the table and said to the maid beside her, "Go tell Master Qi that I am changing my clothes and ask him to wait in the hall."

At this time, the maid Zi Yuan came forward to comb her hair and said sarcastically: "Miss, it seems that what the princess said is right. This Qi Che is really a villain who changes his mind according to the situation."

"Just now she was kneeling in front of Prime Minister Gu's house to ask for your hand in marriage. It's been less than a month since we got married, and now she's wagging her tail in front of you."

"It's a good thing that the princess came up with this idea. Let you pretend to be her and stay in Qingshui County for a while. I can't wait to see the scene when this unfaithful man learns the truth and regrets his decision."

"Isn't he trying to get close to the rich and powerful?" Qin Jiuge suddenly chuckled, pinching a strand of black hair and wrapping it around his finger. "Let's build a tower for him. The higher he climbs, the harder he will fall."

She looked at the beautiful face in the mirror, especially the eyes, which were 50% similar to Chu Qingniang.

She was the legitimate daughter of Duke Dingguo, Qin Jiuge, and was a close friend of Chu Qingniang. When she was a child, she was also the princess's study partner, and the two had always had a good relationship.

Three years ago, she heard that Chu Qingniang was missing, and joined forces with Pei Yuan to search almost the entire Chu. Later, when she learned the news, Chu Qingniang had already married and hoped that she would not disturb her life for the time being.

He said that he would contact her by letter when the time was right.

Unexpectedly, she waited for three years.

Moreover, Young Man Chu directly assigned her such a special task - asking her to pretend to be a princess, stay in Qingshui County for some time, and cooperate in the publicity of selecting a prince consort.

Therefore, this is the reputation that has been circulating recently.

It must be said that Chu Qingniang had calculated every step very well. She was well aware of Qi Che's selfishness and hypocrisy, and in order not to affect the reputation of the royal family, she deliberately designed this drama.

"Let him wait in the flower hall for a while, drooling at the treasures in the room, and then send a little maid to deliberately let the cat out of the bag and mention the matter of the selection of the prince consort." Qin Jiuge ordered.

Zi Yuan understood what she meant and inserted the last kingfisher hairpin into her bun: "I understand. I will make him anxious. When he thinks he is firmly in the position of a consort, I will expose his ugly deeds of abandoning his wife and children and clinging to the powerful.

By then, the spit of the people in the city will be enough to drown him."

Qin Jiuge stood up, spread her sleeves like clouds, and the hem of her skirt embroidered with golden phoenixes swept across the sunlight on the ground:

"Have the princess prepare the evidence for the divorce. When Qi Che's ugly face is exposed, we will tear his true face apart in front of all the dignitaries and common people in the city—"

In the flower hall, Qi Che sat upright, his eyes unconsciously attracted by the furnishings in the room.

On the rosewood stand was a famous inkstone from the previous dynasty called "Dragon Tail and Gold Star", on the desk was a jade ruyi inlaid with South China Sea pearls, and even the incense used was ambergris, which was more valuable than gold.

Any one of these treasures is worth half a year's salary for him.

Just as he was secretly thinking about it, he suddenly heard two little maids whispering in the back of the yard.

"Have you heard? I heard that the princess will decide on a prince consort before returning to the palace."

"Hush - when I was combing His Highness's hair this morning, I saw portraits of ten young masters on the dressing table. I heard that..."

The maid's voice became quieter, causing the other maid to become anxious.

"Tell me now!"

"I heard that three candidates have been selected and are waiting for the piano meeting in three days..."

The discussion stopped abruptly, as if someone had suddenly stopped it. Qi Che's heart was pounding.

Three out of ten?

Today, he must seize the opportunity!

At this moment, the sound of rings was suddenly heard, and a burst of elegant orchid fragrance came with the wind.

Qi Che looked up and saw that Qin Jiuge had changed into a sky-blue Liuxian dress with a white magnolia hairpin in her hair, which made her look even more elegant and refined than yesterday.

"I'm sorry to have kept Lord Qi waiting for a long time." Qin Jiuge moved to the flower hall and said with a smile.

Qi Che immediately stood up, bowed respectfully, and took out an exquisite brocade box from his sleeve, "I have come to thank Your Highness for the gift of the book. Although this is not as precious as the gift from Your Highness, it is also a token of my heart."

Qin Jiuge signaled the maid to take the brocade box, opened it and saw a piece of fine Duan inkstone inside.

"Master Qi is thoughtful." She stroked the inkstone with her fingertips and asked casually, "The carving is really exquisite. I wonder who made it?"

Qi Che was delighted and immediately replied, "This was carved by me personally, and it took me more than half a month to complete."

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It’s even more exciting later!