Dropping the mask

Mu Chengwu slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly: "How dare he bully my sister! I'll go and chop him up!"

Seeing that Mu Chengwu was about to rush out in a rage, Mu Chengwen hurriedly called to Liang Youan, who was standing at the door: "Youan, stop my brother!"

Liang Youan was still wet. They heard this news when they came back and didn't have time to change their clothes.

She instinctively grabbed his arm, and he stiffened. They both recalled the scene by the lake and tacitly looked away, falling into a strange and awkward silence.

Mu Chengwen: ?

What's going on with these two?

Zhu Qinghe helped explain: "General Mu, don't worry, it was just an act. Wenwen is fine."

What struck her as odd was that when they were trapped inside the house with nowhere to go...

Kesh and Mu Chengwen suddenly appeared in front of them and helped them escape.

When did these two meet?

Wait, let's put these aside for now.

Zhu Qinghe looked at Bai Qiuru, who was staring blankly at the table: "We can put other things aside for now, but Qiuru, how exactly did you become His Highness Prince Qi's beloved?"

“That’s right.” Mu Chengwen and Liang Youan both gathered around.

Compared to others, this is much more bizarre and exciting.

"Um..." Bai Qiuru pondered for a while, then said with a headache, "Actually, I'm not too sure either, after all, we only met once."

"But I think he probably doesn't want to get married, so he's using me as a shield."

"Oh, how could this Prince Qi be like this? Isn't this ruining your reputation?" Mu Chengwen said indignantly.

Bai Qiuru smiled bitterly: "Who told me to accidentally stumble upon his secret?"

Zhu Qinghe grasped her hand: "Qiu Ru, if you don't want to, I'll find a way to let you out."

If all else fails, we can have Shen Er take her out, and then arrange some kind of accident to say she's gone. I doubt the other party will investigate further.

Bai Qiu shook her head. They were already in a precarious situation and couldn't afford to cause any more trouble.

"It's alright. His Highness Prince Qi is not a bad person. Besides, I have something on him that he can't do to me. He won't do anything to me."

"You've worked hard." Zhu Qinghe said earnestly, squeezing her hand tightly.

The girls all seemed to have mixed feelings; it appears they had all been through a lot lately.

Zhu Qinghe closed the door and pondered to herself who had done what had happened today.

If the other side fails, will they have other tricks up their sleeve? But besides adultery, what other reason could possibly provoke war between the two countries?

Suddenly, she thought of something, her mind sharpened, and the next second, a cold, sharp sword aura shot straight towards her back.

Before she could dodge, someone rushed over and pulled her into their arms.

The blade pierced flesh, releasing a sticky, fishy stench, and she heard the man's muffled groan.

The assassin was dressed in black and had a slender figure that resembled that of a young woman.

The longsword in her hand was shattered by the opponent's internal force, and the two began to fight hand-to-hand.

The more Qingque fought, the more alarmed she became. Her opponent's martial arts skills were far superior to hers, and if the fight dragged on any longer, she would gain no advantage whatsoever.

The injured man's eyes flashed with anger, and he became increasingly violent.

He was probably afraid that if he didn't finish the fight quickly, he wouldn't be able to protect the people behind him after losing too much blood.

A cold sneer surfaced in Qingque's eyes. This handsome stranger was protecting the new queen with his life.

It seems that they do indeed have a close relationship.

Zhu Qinghe was extremely anxious as she looked at the blood-soaked clothes on Shen Er's back.

A bluish-yellow firework exploded into the sky in the distance. Qingque received the signal and stopped fighting. After making a move, she jumped out of the window and left.

Shen Er staggered backward and fell, but was caught by Zhu Qinghe who rushed over.

"You're injured, I'll go get a doctor."

“Don’t go,” Shen Er grabbed her hand, “It’ll be hard to explain if we go now.”

Zhu Qinghe then realized that if she went to call for help, everyone would know that there was a man in the new princess's room in the middle of the night.

Damn it! She said coldly.

"It's alright. Fortunately, there was no poison on the sword. These are just superficial wounds. As long as the bleeding stops, they will heal quickly."

Seeing her serious expression, Shen Er comforted her.

Zhu Qinghe half-dragged, half-carried him onto the bed and brought him some wound medicine: "Take off your clothes."

Shen Er: "I'm a little unaccustomed to the princess's sudden initiative."

Zhu Qinghe, who was frowning and smelling the wound medicine to see if it was expired, glanced at him and sneered: "I can be even more proactive."

Shen Er raised an eyebrow expectantly. Zhu Qinghe reached out and ripped open his collar. He hissed in pain and smiled bitterly: "I was injured while saving the princess. How heartless the princess is."

His aggrieved tone sounded like he was pouting, and Zhu Qinghe, unusually, didn't scold him in a teasing tone. Instead, she slowly asked, "Were you in my room the whole time? How did you appear so timely?"

Chen Er: "I suddenly realized something was wrong, so I came. Luckily I made it in time, otherwise it really would have been..."

He was still reeling from the shock when Zhu Qinghe's voice seemed to carry a deeper meaning: "You came in such a hurry, didn't you realize you forgot something?"

Shen Er was taken aback: "What is it?"

Zhu Qinghe's lips curved into a smile, her cool and indifferent gaze sweeping over his high nose and thin lips.

She leaned close to his ear, her voice soft and low: "Lord Shen Wumei, you came in too much of a hurry and forgot to disguise yourself."

Shen Er, or rather Shen Wumei, stood there, and after a long while covered her face and sighed deeply.

How stupid!

The powder was sprinkled on the wound, and Shen Wumei clenched the bed sheet tightly with her fingers.

To divert attention, he asked, "When did you recognize me?"

"First time meeting."

So early?

He couldn't believe it: "So you've always known, watching me put on an act in front of you."

Zhu Qinghe: "I see you're pretending to be having a good time, so I'll play along."

"..."

The man was silent for a moment, then suddenly grabbed her hand, causing the wound medicine in her hand to spill out.

"What are you doing?" Zhu Qinghe glared at him, thinking it was such a waste.

"Now that we've revealed our identities, I have something I want to say to you."

"I've really missed you these days."

His voice was deep and earnest, carrying the pent-up frustration and forbearance of these past few days, and containing a burning, intense longing that enveloped her completely.

Zhu Qinghe looked at him, and when he moved, his wound bled again, but he said with a smile, "I'm injured now, so it's better for the princess to take the initiative."

Zhu Qinghe really wanted to shove the medicine bottle in her hand into his mouth.

She reached behind him and wrapped his bandages with her hands, saying irritably, "You're injured, can't you just behave yourself?"

Her hands were tied behind his back, and all he could see were her slightly red ear tips. A sea-blue bead hung on her small earlobe, swaying gently with her movements, light and graceful.

Shen Wumei took the sea-blue bead into her mouth and kissed her delicate, fair earlobe tenderly.

Feeling the body beneath her lips stiffen, Shen Wumei chuckled, "Isn't it for bandaging? Continue."

Zhu Qinghe's breathing became rapid: "Do you believe I'll strangle you with gauze right now?"

Feeling emboldened, Shen Wumei wrapped his right arm around her waist and pulled her down onto his lap.

"Well, to die beneath the peony blossoms is to be a romantic death, even as a ghost."

Her handsome face, which she hadn't seen in a long time, came infinitely close and magnified in front of her. He pinched her chin and kissed her.

Their breaths mingled, and suppressed longing and lingering fear from surviving the ordeal slowly surfaced from the depths of their hearts. Their breathing became rapid, and their blood boiled. The flickering candlelight created an ambiguous and passionate atmosphere.

On the semi-transparent landscape screen, a scene of lovers entwined and embracing is reflected.

After kissing for an unknown amount of time, Zhu Qinghe felt something sticky and damp on his back, as if waking from a dream, and pushed him away: "Your wound!?"

Shen Wumei not only didn't mind, but instead snuggled into her neck and pecked at her neck and collarbone with his thin lips.

"We're not going to die anyway, let's kiss a little longer!"

Zhu Qinghe: "..."

That's so cheesy!

The next day, the king's decree was issued.

Bai Qiuru was appointed as a concubine of Prince Qi and immediately moved into Changliu Pavilion.

Changliu Pavilion was the residence of Prince Qi in the central capital city.

However, Qingque, who was at yesterday's banquet, was also made a concubine along with her.

Zhu Qinghe's expression was serious: "Why are you in such a hurry?" She then looked at Bai Qiuru: "If you are unwilling, I can think of another way."

What kind of person is this Prince Qi? She really doesn't feel at ease handing him over like this.

"It's okay, I can handle it," Bai Qiuru comforted her.

"It's almost time, I should go."

She stood up, opened the door, and suddenly stopped, turning back with a smile: "If I can't return to the Great Li Dynasty, Qinghe, you must help my father clear his name."

Because this is the only thing she cares about.

Bright sunlight streamed through the half-open window, and the rustling bamboo grove exuded a refreshing fragrance, carrying a light and cool breeze that created a soft, rustling sound.

Yuan Qi sat by the window, lost in thought, his jade-like index finger gently twirling the white jade thumb ring on his thumb. The jade was smooth and lustrous, of excellent quality.

But his overly perfect hands made him seem ordinary; at first glance, one felt that even the finest jade in the world was not worthy of this person who was even more translucent than jade.

A bamboo leaf was swept up by the wind, swirling and drifting to Yuan Qi, landing on his white, cloud-like clothes.

He picked up the bamboo leaf, his handsome eyebrows furrowing.

"Master, I'm here, I'm here!" Tingming rushed in, calling out repeatedly.

Who's here?

"Miss Bai and Miss Qingque!" Tingming looked quite excited. "The decree was personally issued by the King."

"My lord, you've really made something of yourself these days. You used to be averse to women, but now you have two concubines. However, you should still exercise restraint, after all, your health..."

Yuan Qi glanced at him indifferently, and he was immediately silenced by the coldness emanating from him.

Why does it seem like his husband isn't in a good mood?

"Where is he?" Yuan Qi asked.

“I’m waiting outside,” Tingming replied.

Bai Qiuru stepped out of the sedan chair with the help of her nanny. As soon as she looked up, she saw Qingque across from her with an indifferent expression.

They exchanged a glance, but neither of them made a move to greet each other.

They stood still, and through the archway in front of them, a graceful, ethereal figure slowly walked towards them.

When Bai Qiuru saw Yuan Qi again, she felt somewhat dazed.

This was only their third meeting.

The first time, she caught him having an episode, holding a blood-stained longsword, like a jade-faced demon, with the sword against her neck.

When he woke up, he was gentle and polite, apologized repeatedly for what had happened, and did not pursue the matter of her hitting him.

The second time was at yesterday's banquet, when he told everyone that she was the one he loved.

At that moment, her heart skipped a beat, and for the first time, she felt flustered and at a loss.

The third time, which is now, he is dressed in white, flowing like a cloud, and slowly walks towards her.

He walked up to her and smiled, "You've finally come."

Then, he gently took her hand.