Suicide

The consequence of running back and forth was that Qi Qinghe fell ill.

The prince and his wife were both seriously injured and seriously ill, and they both fell down, which made the servants and the prefect very anxious.

Doctors came in and out and stopped by, and supplements were delivered to the prince's courtyard like water.

It was two days later that Qi Qinghe woke up from his coma.

Xiao Junbai was guarding the bed. There were two round jade bowls on the round stool. One bowl contained clear green tea, and the other contained brown medicine.

The whole room was filled with the bitter smell of medicine, which went straight into the nose.

Qi Qinghe's eyelashes trembled slightly, and her sleepy eyes gradually woke up. Her head, which had just woken up, subconsciously shrank into the bed.

She couldn't help sighing in her heart. She didn't want to take the medicine, especially since it looked so bitter.

Xiao Junbai didn't let her hide. He first fed her a piece of candied fruit, and then fed her the medicine with his own hands.

Seeing that half of the medicine in the bowl was gone, Qi Qinghe realized that the prince was still injured. He hurriedly took the bowl from the prince's hand, pinched his nose, drank it in three or two gulps, and then looked at the prince.

"Your Highness is still seriously injured and has not recovered. I am here to take care of such trivial matters." She said softly, moving a position inside so that the prince could lie down and feel more comfortable.

Perhaps because she was weak from long-term illness, she spoke in a particularly weak voice, as thin as a mosquito.

Xiao Junbai took off his coat and lay down.

The two were speechless for a long time.

Qi Qinghe turned his head to look at the prince. His beard had been shaved, and his handsome profile was particularly eye-catching in the dim candlelight.

The doubts lingered in her mind. Seeing that His Highness was in a good mood, she asked softly, "Since Your Highness has captured those assassins, then the Third Prince must..."

She stopped talking halfway, hesitating, not knowing how to continue.

Was it treason? But the Third Prince was a prince, so even if he was treasonous, she couldn't talk about it casually, not to mention that she had never seen it with her own eyes, so she wasn't sure.

But she was really curious, especially about the inconspicuous little piece of cloth she left next to the Third Prince's courtyard that day.

If she was picked up by the prince, wouldn't it be a disaster? It's better for her to run away, because the sky is high and the road is long, and no one can catch her.

But now that she is back, she should take it back to avoid any trouble in the future.

Xiao Junbai opened his eyes upon hearing the sound and tilted his head in response, imitating her. A hint of a smile flashed in his dark eyes, "You mean, the strip of cloth next to Third Brother's courtyard?"

Qi Qinghe never thought that the prince would point out her mistake directly. Her face turned red immediately and she stammered for a long time. She couldn't think of a single word to say in response. She just stared at the man with a pitiful look in her eyes.

The smile in Xiao Junbai's eyes became even wider. When the guard searched for the piece of cloth and showed it to him, he recognized the handwriting at a glance. It was from the same person as the letter he found under his bed.

"Tell me what's in the letter first." He stopped smiling, put on a stern face, and spoke sternly.

Qi Qinghe sighed and told everything the Third Imperial Concubine had said to her, even including the packet of medicine, without hiding a single thing.

Xiao Junbai was listening nonchalantly until he heard about the packet of medicine. His expression froze, "Where is the medicine now?"

Qi Qinghe faced the prince's cold gaze, her scalp tingling and her whole body trembling. She said in a breath, "I fell down."

Xiao Junbai's frown relaxed. He gently embraced her, patted her wrist, stroked her long hair, and said comfortingly, "Since she fell, there's nothing wrong."

"What about the Third Prince..." Qi Qinghe mustered up her courage and asked bravely. She was really curious.

"No need to call him His Highness anymore." Xiao Junbai said calmly, "Why are you so curious?"

Although the prince looked calm and his words were not harsh, Qi Qinghe still understood his unspoken disagreement.

After a while, she pulled the prince's sleeve and told him all her thoughts.

It is true that she does not need to worry about these things, but the various experiences she has had in recent days have made her feel different.

Even if she was wealthy enough to rival a country, what good could it do? She could not compare to those who held power. Even if he was just a small county magistrate, he had power and influence and could drive her out without any room for negotiation.

Or maybe she is like her father, with no talent for business, but she is unwilling to be kept in the backyard of the palace and always wants to do something.

After hearing this, Xiao Junbai fell silent, looking away in deep thought. After a long moment, he embraced the person and said, "Rest well, I'll take you there when you feel better."

Qi Qing nodded slightly and obediently stopped asking questions.

…

It is always rainy in the spring and summer in the south of the Yangtze River.

The weather was clear for only one or two days, and then it started to drizzle for several days.

Qi Qinghe couldn't describe how happy he had been these past few days.

Ever since she fell ill, a constant stream of supplements and all kinds of novel gadgets have been delivered to her. She doesn't have to worry about other things. She just needs to chat with her mother and younger sister, talk about some storybooks, visit the prince, sit for a while, and have some food. She feels so happy.

Until this day, Qi Qinghe changed into a smoky purple gauze dress. She made an appointment with her younger sister to go to the teahouse to listen to storytelling.

Unexpectedly, before she even left the house, Cheng Xi trotted into the courtyard and knocked on the door. "Your Majesty, His Highness has instructed you to wait inside the house."

Qi Qinghe was stunned, then recalled what the prince had promised that day. He immediately understood and sent someone to explain things to his younger sister while he waited in the house.

It was almost noon when the prince arrived, with a servant behind him holding a brocade box.

When I opened it, I saw it was a phoenix holding a jade and gold hairpin.

Qi Qinghe's eyes lit up, and he picked it up to take a closer look, only to find it meticulously carved, exquisite and gorgeous.

She was flattered and looked at the prince, "Your Highness, is this too expensive?"

Only the queen can wear the phoenix.

Xiao Junbai lowered his eyes and saw that she was very happy, so he just asked her to go with him.

The dungeon is located in the prefectural government office.

The rainy season is humid and hot, and walking underground suddenly feels a bit eerie. The further down I go, the more impatient I feel.

There were people imprisoned in cells on both sides. They came forward after hearing the noise. They were disheveled, their prison uniforms were tattered, and their faces were covered in dirt. Their eyes glanced around with ill intent, and then fell on the only woman. They either whistled or spoke frivolously.

Without waiting for Qi Qinghe's reaction, the prince spoke first: "Tell them to shut up." The accompanying prefectural officials took the order and left.

Qi Qinghe swallowed and reached out to pull the prince's sleeve.

Xiao Junbai walked steadily without pausing for a moment, just holding her hand.

Feeling the warm body temperature from his palm, Qi Qinghe felt a little relieved and continued to walk inside.

As we went deeper, there were more empty cells, and the bloodstained torture instruments and the shrill screams became farther away.

The group didn't stop until they reached the two cells at the end.

The people in the cell came forward upon hearing the noise.

Qi Qinghe looked left and right and couldn't help but take a few steps back.

The bright and handsome Third Prince Xiao Junqi always loved brightly colored clothes. Who could have imagined that one day he would end up like this, wearing an old and tattered gray prison uniform, with a gray face that looked unfamiliar, and his eyes were even more so.

The eyes that were once gentle and affectionate now only contain terrifying hatred.

Qi Qinghe was shocked and could not compare this man with the Third Prince at all.

The third imperial concubine, Ning Yu, was even worse. Her beautiful face was now thin and bony, and her slender figure looked even thinner, which made her eyes look even bigger. Her dark pupils reflected the faces of several people.

"What are you doing here? I won't plead guilty." Xiao Junqi sneered.

"Whether you admit it or not, it makes no difference to me." Xiao Junbai looked indifferent and ignored these threats.

Anyway, there are letters exchanged with those assassins as evidence.

The prince tilted his head and said softly, "I won't go far. Call me if you need anything."

Ning Yu's cell was opened. Qi Qinghe nodded almost inaudibly and stepped in slowly.

Ning Yu looked at him coldly, "What are you doing here? Are you here to laugh at my stupidity?"

Qi Qinghe originally had a lot of questions to ask, but in the end he couldn't say anything.

After a while, she asked in a muffled voice, "Why me?"

Why did he choose her to join him in the rebellion?

"Because you're stupid." Before Ning Yu could speak, Xiao Junqi, who was listening from afar, sneered, "You have an ordinary background, a dull mind, and a shortsighted vision. And you're bullied everywhere in the palace."

"I don't know who else it could be except you. My brother is like a ghost possessed. He cares about you so much."

"If it was you who poisoned me, my brother would have rushed to get me. It's a pity that you failed by a single move and ended up being imprisoned."

"You are a weak woman who can't even tie a chicken. You come to a place like this. Aren't you afraid that you won't be able to come back?"

As Xiao Junqi spoke, he covered his stomach with his hands and laughed wildly.

His terrifying and creepy laughter echoed in the empty dungeon.

Qi Qinghe felt the hairs on her body stand on end, and a cold sweat broke out on her back. She suppressed her fear, pretended to be calm, and met Ning Yu's eyes, "I'm asking you."

Ning Yu lowered her eyes and chuckled, "Your Majesty, what else do I have to say?"

"I'm Ning Yu. Our Ning family is considered wealthy in the capital. We've been living a life of luxury since childhood. We're well-educated and well-mannered, and we're quite famous in the capital. And you, what can you compare to me?"

"It's just one mistake. What's there to be afraid of? The worst that can happen is to start over again. What's wrong with that?"

Qi Qinghe thought it was normal at first, but after listening again, he felt something was wrong and looked up.

Ning Yu had hidden a sharp wrist blade at some point and raised her hand to wipe it across her neck.

In an instant, Qi Qinghe took three or two steps forward and waved her hand to block Ning Yu's wrist blade, but she was caught off guard and got splashed with warm liquid all over her face, making it difficult for her to open her eyes.

She squatted down, tore off a piece of her dress, and groped around randomly, touching the person's slender neck, and covered the wound tightly with her hands.

Ning Yu opened her eyes and glared at Qi Qinghe fiercely, her mouth opening and closing as if she was saying something.

Qi Qinghe could tell without getting close that it was a curse word. She stared at the person blankly, watching her lying on the ground, her body twitching and blood all over the floor.

At the same moment, Xiao Junqi's heart-wrenching scream pierced through his eardrums and soared into the sky.

Xiao Junqi looked at the lifeless man in disbelief. It seemed as if all the strength in his body had been drained away. He slid and fell to the ground, his red eyes turning red for a moment.

What followed was gnashing of teeth and angry shouts that seemed to want to skin the person alive and pull out his tendons.

He kept shouting the prince's name, banging his head against the railing, even though it was bleeding. "...Xiao Junbai, remember this, I will definitely avenge this. You can keep your head, and you too."

He turned to Qi Qinghe, his eyes were red and wide open, filled with hatred and resentment, like a man-eating beast, as if he would not stop until he had torn the person to pieces.