Chapter 72: Separation Unless you can return my princess to me.

Yu Qing didn't expect Xie Jing to be like this.

If she were to ask herself honestly, she wasn't that vicious.

Seeing his eyes filled with tears, Yu Qing's mind went blank for a moment.

As he rushed out the door, I didn't have time to call him, but subconsciously took half a step forward, then put down my hands and clenched my fists.

Why was Xie Jing crying? Was it because he spoke too loudly? That wasn't the case.

He couldn't even be called angry at him; he had already done his best to control his attitude, and at most, he had just said something harsh. It was impossible for Yu Qing to actually touch him and let him die.

If someone else had deceived or teased her like this, Yu Qing would never have been so polite.

Prince Jing's departure had just alarmed the guards outside. Unsure of what was going on, they entered and cautiously asked their commander if he had any instructions. Yu Qing waved his hand and said, "It's all right, get out."

Xie Jing's desk had not been moved yet, but everyone had left and Yu Qing didn't ask anyone to continue.

After a moment or two, she calmed down.

In fact, I shouldn't lose my temper with Xie Jing. What's the point in making things so ugly?

She was just angry. How could Xie Jing talk about the past that she thought was unforgettable so easily, and want people to forget it with just a few light words?

Yu Qing thought about what he said and felt that it made sense.

Xie Jing wasn't a real woman, so how could she possibly develop any feelings of love for a strange husband? Acting like a wife seriously was also frustrating for him.

Moreover, during this time, the two had served together at the Beichen Division without conflict, and had gradually become familiar with each other day in and day out. It had all been a fluke at first, but now that it was out of the way, it would be best if they could still work harmoniously together going forward.

So he must be very confused as to why Yu Qing was so petty. Even after he apologized, he still didn't want to be friends with him.

Yu Qing hated Xie Jing's innocent cruelty.

What should she say? Tell her, "I've missed you so much these past few years. Ever since you died, I've been devastated for a long time. What you saw as a farce that lasted only a few months, to me, was a true story. So I can't stand you appearing before me like this, acting so nonchalantly."

Unless you can give me my princess back.

Otherwise, I feel weak whenever you get close.

Then Xie Jing would be horrified after hearing this and would run even faster. Even if he didn't run, he couldn't do it.

After all, Yu Qing was a powerful official, a prince, an unquestionable "man." He was destined to have nothing to do with Xie Jing. Could Xie Jing, a prince, possibly get involved with her and continue to return to the Marquis's mansion to be her wife? Yu Qing wouldn't joke about her status; she wouldn't tell Xie Jing the truth about herself.

...So this was an unsolvable situation, and there was nothing she could do.

·

When Xie Jing was around, Yu Qing had no mind to handle official business. Now that he is gone, Yu Qing is still in a trance. She always thinks of Xie Jing's tears that fell into the dust, and sadly finds that even now, she still has feelings for him.

Yu Qing didn't want to read the documents or write memorials. Finally, he put down his pen and felt tired again.

In fact, the reason why I accepted King Rui’s recruitment in the beginning was very simple.

When I was in the border military camp before, I could patrol and train soldiers every day. After being busy all day, at least I could have a normal rest at night.

After returning to Beijing, the emperor only held court once every five days, and she had no other duties, so the feeling of emptiness enveloped her again, and her insomnia became more serious.

Boating on the lake, admiring the moon and flowers, going on an outing... after thinking about it, none of them seemed very interesting. So when Prince Rui Wenxu and the others came to visit, she thought it would be good to keep busy.

She doesn't necessarily want to have all the power in the government, nor does she have the patience to deal with bloody struggles.

She is a normal person. Unless she is crazy, she would not be willing to face a pile of things all day long and be busy all the time, not to mention the open and secret struggles and intrigues. Anyone who enjoys these is sick.

If she could, wouldn't she want to be relaxed, comfortable, peaceful and tranquil every day? But it's not easy to achieve. Perhaps it's just her fate, her spirit and energy are higher than others, and she has no way to relieve it.

In the eyes of countless people, Yu Qing is now famous and powerful, and she is very happy. In fact, what she desires most is not the present life.

...I still remember that time, when she rode back to the city on horseback, and the princess picked her up at the city gate in a carriage. Then they went to the edge of South Lake, strolled hand in hand in the fine rain, listened to the princess playing the piano in a swaying boat, and only returned home when the moon was at its highest point, still reluctant to leave.

It's all just a dream, it won't happen again.

·

Xie Jing kept his word and did not bother Yu Qing to go and talk to Prince Rui.

When she arrived at the government office the next day, Xie Jing's seat was vacant.

I don't know when someone was sent to take away the things. All the miscellaneous items were gone. No one lit the incense burner, no one looked in the mirror, and even the pots of flowers were moved back to their original places.

Among the row of flowers under the corridor, Yu Qing could accurately recognize which ones had been placed on Xie Jing's desk in the past. The shapes were trimmed very beautifully, and the flowers and leaves did not have any shriveling or curling. They were better cared for than the most precious varieties in the imperial garden.

However, the calligraphy, paintings and collections he had previously arranged in the main hall were left behind.

Soon, at the next court meeting, King Jing was transferred to the Ministry of Revenue.

As expected, the arrangement Prince Rui had made for him was not bad. Minister Wen Xu of the Ministry of Revenue was Prince Rui's confidant and would certainly be devoted to him. If he could accomplish a few things in the future, his achievements would surely be better than those in the Beichen Division.

After Xie Jing left, she also had a period of adjustment. The guards were loyal, but they were not as careful, smart and perceptive as him.

Whenever she wanted to see something, she would raise her hand, but no one would hand it to her and she would have to ask for it herself; when she forgot the meeting time, she would ask her personal guards, who would bow their heads to confirm; these people would not dare to chat with her openly while she was busy, and she would sometimes sit in silence for over an hour without noticing, and only noticed when her eyes became sore.

Never mind, you'll get used to it.

·

Xie Jing could no longer stay in the Beichensi, and finally had to obey Prince Rui's arrangement and go to the Ministry of Revenue.

Shangshu Wen Xu is the eldest son of the old tutor Wen, and is a top scholar in the capital. He is extremely talented and knowledgeable. In addition to leading Xie Jing to do things on a daily basis, he also does not forget to appreciate his talents.

Since Xie Jing followed him, his mind has been full all day long, and he is so tired that he wants to die. After all, he didn't study with the princes before, and he has never been involved in politics. No matter how smart he is, he can't make rapid progress.

In comparison, he still wanted to go to Beichensi to serve tea and water.

Prince Rui was born with a knack for governing. He had learned easily in his youth, so he assumed everyone else was as capable as he was. He expressed confusion about Xie Jing's headaches, "Is it that difficult?"

Xie Jing: “…”

He has never learned it! If you ask Prince Rui to embroider, he certainly won’t be able to do it.

After a while, he made rapid progress. When reporting to Prince Rui, he was asked about state affairs, and he could barely tell him a few things. Xie Tingzhao nodded repeatedly.

"By the way," Prince Rui asked casually, "What's going on between you and Yu Qing?"

"..." Xie Jing said faintly, "Royal brother, please stop bringing up irrelevant issues."

When Xie Jing first offered to transfer, Prince Rui was very pleased. But later, it turned out that Xie Jing hadn't really come to his senses, but had fallen out with the Prince of Xuanbei.

Prince Rui was quite satisfied with this, especially since the two of them had gone their separate ways, one in the Beichen Division and the other in the Ministry of Revenue, and both were doing better than before.

As for Yu Qing, a matter that took the Ministry of War ten days or half a month to figure out was handled by him in just three to five days; and Xie Jing had just submitted a memorial with Wen Xu, which received a lot of support at the court meeting and would be able to move forward soon.

It was obvious that they were busy being affectionate with each other all day long before. Now it is not bad either.

However, Xie Jing has been in a bad state for the past few days. Sometimes he is depressed, and sometimes he is in a trance. Just sitting there alone, quietly, there is a melancholy atmosphere.

Seeing him looking so pitiful, King Rui couldn't just pretend he didn't see anything, so he came over to ask.

"I heard that the last time you came back from Yu Qing's place, you cried all night in the mansion. Is that true?"

Xie Jing's eyes widened. "What? Who told you that?"

Xie Tingzhao: "It's not important."

Xie Jing asked, "You let the secret guards monitor me? Put spies on me?"

Xie Tingzhao: "...I was the one who sent all the people to your house. Do you really need to send secret guards?"

Xie Jing said, "Anyway, your habit of meddling in other people's affairs is really not good at all. Even Yu Qing has said so."

Xie Tingzhao: “…”

Prince Rui thought this was outrageous. He didn't even tell Yu Qing that she had kidnapped Xie Jing, yet this person was actually saying bad things about him to Xie Jing?

"I didn't ask," Prince Rui said, "Duan Zhirui told me."

Xie Jing couldn't believe it: "Him? How did he know?"

"He also heard it from his personal guards. The personal guards heard it from their colleagues when they went to your house to relieve their shift. The colleagues seemed to have heard it from a cook in your kitchen..."

Xie Jing's eyes darkened: "..."

Prince Rui continued, "...the cook heard it from your maid."

Xie Jing was furious and said angrily, "Doesn't everyone know this? You guys are going too far! Stop spreading it."

Prince Rui looked away. "I told my mother about this yesterday when I went to the palace to see her. Maybe she should discuss it with the palace maids as well."

Xie Jing: “…”

Xie Jing was so angry that he felt dizzy and clarified, "It's all just rumors. It wasn't a whole night at all, only half a night at most!"

After he said that, he felt aggrieved again. It would have been better if he hadn't mentioned it, but after he mentioned it, he started to worry again.

Who wouldn’t be sad when being hated by the one you love?

Yu Qing's words, "You're alive, I hope you're really dead," were a resounding reminder of his life, echoing in his mind. Like a sharp blade, they pierced his heart, then tore it apart.

He came out from Yu Qing's place and kept wiping his tears while sitting in the carriage. The whole way was filled with fragments of his heart, stretching from Beichensi all the way to the palace.

That night, Xie Jing kept thinking about the past, how gentle and caring Yu Qing had been to him. When she looked at him, her eyes were sparkling, as if they could only hold him.

Now the gap is too big, from the clouds to the earth, Xie Jing fell heavily.

He knew that he was not as popular with Yu Qing now, and they had no relationship and were no longer husband and wife. But he always held on to the fantasy that after all, he still had the same face, and the princess in the past was actually him, so Yu Qing could still have a good impression of him.

As long as he tried his best to be dazzling, Yu Qing would always look upon him with a higher regard, right? With time, the water dripping through the stone would wear away, and one day he would be able to return to her side. After all, he was very good at forbearance and waiting.

Xie Jing didn't tell Yu Qing the truth because he was hoping for a lucky break. This unresolved feeling allowed him to occasionally deceive himself. In fact, Yu Qing didn't not love him, she just didn't know that he was her.

Now that his fantasy is shattered and the truth is revealed, even if Yu Qing knew that he was a princess, she would never treat him the same way as before. She would only be disgusted by his deception and ugliness.

He never expected it to be so serious, and she wished he would die.

It took him a long time to be able to stand in front of her again calmly. At this moment, he didn't understand what the meaning was. During the more than a year of recovery in Jiangnan, he had gritted his teeth and persevered many times, and only when he thought of her occasionally could he have hope.

Yu Qing once promised him that he would be her only love in this life and she would not transfer her feelings to someone else. She also said that she was willing to protect him and accompany him.

Why can't I treat him the same as before, because he is no longer a princess? But he can't be a princess anymore.

Xie Jing fell asleep while crying.

In fact, he didn't make any sound, he was just sad and shed tears silently, which theoretically wouldn't alarm anyone.

As a result, when he woke up the next day, his eyes were so swollen that he couldn't see anyone. Qiu Lian and Dong Li knew what happened at a glance, and quickly gave him ice cubes and egg whites, which took two hours to reduce the swelling.

Now that everything was known, Xie Jing was filled with grief and indignation.

Prince Rui continued to ramble on and on, making sarcastic remarks: "I told you before, but you didn't listen. Now you understand. Men are fickle. They treat you well when things are going well, but they become indifferent after a while..."

Xie Jing said painfully, "Royal brother, please stop causing trouble and let me worry less."

After all, Prince Rui only has this one brother. Seeing him like this, he couldn't bear it. He thought that different habits are different, and sighing every day is not a solution.

"A man like Yu Qing is too fierce for you to control," Prince Rui said. "If that doesn't work, I'll send some handsome young men to your house. You can pick any one you like and keep them as your own. They'll all obey you in everything."

Xie Jing: “…”

When he thought of that scene, he felt like he was struck by lightning. His hair stood on end and he felt terrible.

"I have no interest in men at all," Xie Jing said, "I've told you so many times, it's not what you think!"

King Rui said: "Yu Qing is not a man?"

Xie Jing: “…”

Xie Jing held his forehead, feeling that he would suffer this injustice for the rest of his life, and he didn't know when it would end.

Xie Jing was already burdened with worries, and with the mess thrown in by Prince Rui, he became even more confused. He had no intention of reading the strategies or regulations given by Wen Xu.

He had been experiencing a dull pain in his chest lately, and occasional discomfort, particularly soreness and swelling in several joints. The imperial physician couldn't find anything.

He originally wanted to use some medicine to suppress the pain, but later he found that every time he thought of Yu Qing, the heartache was particularly obvious, so he realized that it was mainly caused by emotional trauma.

After we lost contact, I wouldn't see her for three to five days. Sometimes when I saw the Xuanlin Guards near the palace, I wanted to ask about their leader's recent situation.

Seeing her, seeing her angry voice, would make me sad. Not seeing her, I could only think about her day and night, which was even more tormenting.

Xie Jing sighed heavily.

·

Yu Qing did not tell anyone about Xie Jing's affairs. Probably only Qiying knew some of the inside story, but she also avoided this topic and would not bring it up with Yu Qing.

There is no need to visit any imperial mausoleum in the future.

On the fifth day of the month, the prince gathered a few people and went hunting together.

Yu Qing often stayed at Beichensi, and thought it would be a good opportunity to stretch her muscles. Her horse had always been taken for a walk by the servants, and it hadn't been out on a wide area for a long time. So she accepted the invitation.

On the day of the holiday, everyone, accompanied by their attendants and horses, gathered at the city gate and headed for Weiyun Mountain outside the capital. Most of those familiar with the Fifth Prince were sons of military families, and some held official positions within the court, so they could all chat with Yu Qing. As they were chatting, someone arrived late. Yu Qing turned around and paused.

Xie Jing?