Qin Jiuge played with the teacup in her hand for a long time, then suddenly leaned forward, holding her cheek with one hand, and said softly with her red lips:

"Master Qi's words... remind me of the unfaithful man in the play."

Qi Che's face turned pale, and he quickly lifted his robe and knelt on the ground, pressing his forehead tightly to the ground. "Your Highness, I am very wise. What I said is true, and I have never lied!"

Qin Jiuge sneered, and gently lifted his chin with a fan, his voice turned cold: "First it was Miss Chu, then it was Prime Minister Gu's daughter, and now, you are here to show your courtesy to me..."

"Does Lord Qi think that you can play with the royal princess at will?"

At this moment, Qin Jiuge suddenly exuded the pressure of a superior, noble, indifferent, and unattainable. Qi Che's heart surged.

"Your Highness, please understand! I was only repaying the Chu family for my kindness, and my actions towards the Gu family were just a temporary measure. The only thing I can do to Your Highness is..."

His voice was hoarse, and he looked up at Qin Jiuge with deep affection, but soon lowered his head, "In my life, I have never seen anyone like Your Highness who truly deserves the title of 'golden branches and jade leaves'."

Qin Jiuge tilted his head: "Oh? Lord Qi, are you going to... abandon your wife and children for me?"

Qi Che straightened his back, and suddenly a dagger slipped out from his sleeve. With a "swish" sound, a cold light flashed, and in the blink of an eye, a strand of hair appeared in his hand.

"I am willing to take this as an oath. If Your Highness shows mercy... from now on, the Luan mirror will be hung forever in the main hall of the Qi Mansion!"

He was borrowing the allusion of the previous dynasty's prince consort hanging a mirror to reveal his will.

It is said that in the previous dynasty, there was a duwei Lin Yan, who, in order to show his loyalty to the princess, hung a bronze mirror in the main hall of the bridal chamber. The back of the mirror was engraved with the eight characters "Mirror your heart and make your will clear, and never have two hearts". It is said that this mirror can reveal the evil in people's hearts. If someone has a different heart, a blood shadow will appear in the mirror. Later, Lin Yan was caught for colluding with foreign enemies, and the hanging mirror really reflected a hideous blood light, which became a joke in the capital. People then used "hanging mirror" to satirize the hypocritical behavior of appearing loyal but actually hiding treachery.

On the side, Zi Yuan, who was watching, was so disgusted by Qi Che's acting that she felt like she was about to vomit her overnight meal.

She really wanted to go up and give that big pig a big slap in the face.

But now I still have to cooperate with him in acting, it's really hard to hold it in.

After a long time, Qin Jiuge chuckled, and the smile on her beautiful face grew wider and wider, but if you look closely, the smile does not even reach her eyes.

She suddenly leaned back a little, crossed her legs, and hooked Qi Che's chin with the tip of her shoe, with a slightly frivolous tone.

"Master Qi really has good intentions."

Qi Che immediately bowed and kowtowed, "I am willing to serve the princess at my service."

"Okay!" Qin Jiuge stood up, and her gorgeous skirt slid across Qi Che's fingertips, bringing with it a faint fragrance.

She looked down at Qi Che and said, "I will give you three days to clean up all the weeds in your house."

"After three days, whether Master Qi can win out among the ten candidates will depend on Master Qi's ability."

Qin Jiuge looked at Qi Che and smiled meaningfully, "But I believe that as the top scholar of this year's exam, Master Qi can stand out among thousands of students and win the first place. His ability and knowledge are naturally beyond doubt, right?"

Qi Che's heart was trembling wildly, shocked, surprised, and delighted, all kinds of emotions intertwined, making him at a loss for words for a moment.

Finally, he placed his forehead on the ground and kowtowed heavily: "I, your humble servant, will definitely live up to your expectations!"

…

After Qi Che left, Zi Yuan withdrew her gaze and asked Qin Jiuge doubtfully, "Miss, do you think he will really..."

Qin Jiuge threw the round fan that had touched Qi Che into the stove, and said firmly: "Not only will he divorce his wife, he will also do it in a big way for the people of the whole city to see--"

Her eyes were cold and without a trace of emotion: "It's just right for the princess to have a witness to the injustice she has suffered in recent years."

At this time, another maid came to report: "Princess, General Pei is here and said he has something to discuss with you."

Qin Jiuge and Zi Yuan looked at each other and saw the understanding in each other's eyes.

"Miss, General Pei must be here at this time to welcome the princess back to the palace."

Qin Jiuge nodded unequivocally and looked up at the sky above his head, "Yes, it's been three years... He finally waited for this day."

That's why I can't wait so much.

——

On the other side, after Qi Che returned to the inn, he immediately told the coachman to drive back to Jiangnan City.

He had to deal with the affairs of the mansion before the princess held the piano concert. Gu Yanran was easy to deal with, as he had a fatal handle on her. Chuntao was not a problem either. He didn't care whether a servant of the Gu family lived or died.

The only person who made it difficult for him to make a decision was Chu Qingniang.

But now, for the power that is about to be acquired, he has to let go of this relationship. At worst, he will find a way to make it up to her after he comes to power.

Anyway, she is an orphan, she has lost her shop, and she has no power behind her. If she can get some help in the future, over time, an iron rod can be sharpened into a needle.

Along the way, Qi Che was thinking in his mind how to draw a clear line between himself and Chu Qingniang. It would be best if he could announce it to the whole city so that the princess could see his utmost sincerity.

In this way, Qi Che was thinking about his worries and unknowingly returned to the Qi Mansion soon.

Soon after getting off the car, someone notified Gu Yanran. Almost as soon as Qi Che entered the yard, Gu Yanran came to meet him.

"Husband."

She came jogging all the way here, with a few strands of hair on her forehead messed up by the wind. She was obviously very happy about Qi Che's return home.

"My dear, where have you been these past two days? You didn't tell me in your letter, which made me worried."

She buried her head in Qi Che's chest and took the initiative to put her arms around Qi Che's waist, as if she could hold him tightly in this way.

Qi Che smelled the familiar scent of Chenshui in Gu Yanran's hair, but his fingertips paused stiffly at her waist.

Gu Yanran noticed his silence, took a step back, and looked up at him: "Why don't you speak, husband?"

"But are you tired from the journey? I have already asked someone to prepare hot water and stew your favorite lotus root and pork ribs soup."

Qi Che closed his eyes and gently stroked her hand away: "Let's talk inside."

Gu Yanran was stunned. She didn't know why, but Qi Che today always gave her a bad feeling, as if something was about to happen.

She took two deep breaths, adjusted her facial expression, and then began to follow Qi Che's pace and walked into the house.

In the study, the candlelight flickered. Qi Che stood in front of the window with his back to Gu Yanran. The moonlight outlined his tall silhouette.

Gu Yanran stood quietly behind him, but for some reason, her heartbeat was getting faster and faster.

"Yanran." Qi Che said in a deep voice: "Do you remember a few days ago, I asked you a question?"