Chapter 737 Feigning Compliance
"Therefore, I have been dragging my feet and unwilling to face the facts, and I have been delaying my response to you."
"It wasn't until Wenxiu and Zhuxi were killed that I realized Fu Wenqing was not as innocent and beautiful as I had seen her!"
"He bypassed me and sent people to keep an eye on the Qiao residence. He also secretly sent people to arrest Zhuxi."
“Wenxiu overheard me talking about Zhuxi with the people sent by Fu Wenqing. She thought I was going to kill Zhuxi, so she rushed over to save her.”
"I rushed over there as soon as I found out."
"But Zhuxi was already dead when I arrived."
“I wanted to explain things to Wenxiu properly, but she wouldn’t listen to anything and insisted on leaving with Zhuxi’s body.”
“I agreed to let her go out of consideration for our past relationship, but Fu Wenqing arranged for a sharpshooter to shoot and kill Wenxiu without my permission!”
"Madam, please believe me. It's true that I hesitated and didn't want to face reality, but Wenxiu and Zhuxi's deaths really have nothing to do with me!"
Qiao Qinghe smiled and slowly withdrew her hand from Li Sanqi's grasp. "Did you know that Wen Xiu had a brief moment of lucidity before she died and left her last words?"
Upon hearing this, Li Sanqi's expression froze.
"What did she say?" Her voice trembled slightly and carried a hint of barely perceptible panic.
Qiao Qinghe reached out and touched Li Sanqi's tear-streaked face, whispering, "Wenxiu said that her and Zhuxi's deaths had nothing to do with you. She said that Fu Wenqing was the one who killed them. She also said that she didn't want us to become enemies."
"Princess, do you know that Wenxiu was still thinking of you when she died?"
"I...I'm so sorry, Wenxiu!" Li Sanqi buried his face in Qiao Qinghe's lap and wept bitterly.
This time, however, there was a hint of sincerity in her crying.
After half a cup of tea, Li Sanqi finally stopped crying.
She looked up at Qiao Qinghe again, her eyes resolute, and said, "Madam, I know I was wrong. Please believe me one more time, and I will kill Fu Wenqing to avenge Wenxiu."
Qiao Qinghe smiled, looked at Li Sanqi with gentle eyes, and nodded in agreement, "Okay."
Upon hearing Qiao Qinghe's answer, a hint of surprise flashed in Li Sanqi's eyes.
She grasped Qiao Qinghe's hand again, her expression somewhat excited, and assured her, "Madam, rest assured, I will never let you down again."
"Okay." Qiao Qinghe's tone remained gentle, and her eyes were very sincere.
The two seemed to have returned to their initial close intimacy.
After seeing Qiao Qinghe off, the joy, excitement, relief, and other expressions on Li Sanqi's face vanished instantly, leaving only a deep and unyielding solemnity hidden in his eyes.
On the carriage back to the mansion, A-Shuang asked Qiao Qinghe, "Madam, have you really forgiven Princess Huaiyang like this?"
She always felt that the current Seventh Princess was so fake!
His words were fake, his smile was fake, and even his attitude towards the old lady was fake!
Qiao Qinghe smiled but didn't say anything.
forgive?
Her relationship with Li Sanqi was nothing more than a matter of mutual benefit; what is there to forgive?
Perhaps she had some genuine feelings for Li Sanqi at first, but when Li Sanqi did so many things behind her back and formed an alliance with the Zhong family behind her back, all she could think about with her was weighing the pros and cons.
Mu Jin's betrayal, the deaths of Wen Xiu and Zhu Xi, Li Sanqi's public falling out today, and then lowering his stance to seek reconciliation...
She knew that Li Sanqi had completely lost touch with her.
Her true attitude was revealed through a blunt and confrontational questioning.
The subsequent humble attempt to seek peace was merely to appease her and the forces behind her.
And wasn't she just being hypocritical?
Li Sanqi is out of the running with her!
However, she also needed to keep Li Sanqi in check, and she also needed to use Li Sanqi to eliminate Fu Wenqing and expose Min Ji.
Qiao Qinghe returned to the Qiao residence and saw Madam He waiting for her at the door as soon as she got out of the car.
"Madam, you're finally back!" Madam He hurried to greet her.
Seeing that her expression was strange, Qiao Qinghe quickly asked, "Has something happened at the manor?"
Madam He shook her head, helping Qiao Qinghe inside while whispering, "Princess Qi has arrived and has been sitting there."
"The First Madam asked me to wait for you at the door so I could let you know in advance."
Qiao Qinghe nodded slightly and walked quickly inside.
Today at the Princess's residence, Princess Qi remained silent, acting as if she were invisible the entire time.
Why did you suddenly come to the Qiao residence?
Moreover, judging from what Mrs. He said, she had been there for a while.
In other words, after leaving the Princess's residence, Princess Qi did not return to the Prince Qi's residence, but went directly to the Qiao residence.
Soon, Qiao Qinghe returned to the main courtyard.
As soon as I entered the courtyard, I saw a large group of people guarding outside the east wing.
Apart from a few familiar-looking servants who identified themselves as their own, the rest were all attendants of the Princess Qi.
Having learned of Qiao Qinghe's return to the mansion beforehand, Wei Jia came out from the west wing to greet her as she stepped into the courtyard.
"Mother, you're back?" Wei Jia came up to help her. "Princess Qi has been waiting for a long time."
Just then, Princess Qi also came out from the west wing, holding Li Yiqian's hand with her left.
"The old lady is back?" Princess Qi greeted her with a smile.
Qiao Qinghe smiled and stepped forward to greet Princess Qi.
As soon as Qiao Qinghe curtsied, Princess Qi quickly said, "Madam, there's no need for such formalities! We're family, no need to stand on ceremony."
Qiao Qinghe's lips twitched.
Who's family with her?
She probably forgot that her own granddaughter, the Princess Consort of Xianqi, was killed by the women of the Liu family!
Qiao Qinghe suppressed her emotions and said with a smile, "I didn't know that Princess Qi would be visiting today. I stayed at the Princess's residence a little longer than usual, which made Princess Qi wait for a long time."
Princess Qi smiled and waved her hand, "Madam, you flatter us. We all saw what happened at the Princess's residence today."
"When we left, the princess kept the old lady behind for a private talk."
"I came to the Qiao residence because I was worried that something might happen to the old lady."
"I was thinking that if the old lady didn't return for a long time, I would instruct the servants to go to the princess's residence to ask for her back!"
"Now that I see the old lady has returned safely, it turns out I was being petty."
Hearing this, Qiao Qinghe felt even more uneasy.
But she still smiled and replied, "Princess Qi is joking. The Princess's residence is not a dragon's den or a tiger's lair. Do you think I would be trapped inside and unable to get out?"
Princess Qi chuckled and said, "Who can say for sure about such things? It's best to be cautious."
"Don't you think so, Madam?"
Qiao Qinghe nodded, "Princess Qi is right."
Seeing that the two had finished their pleasantries, Wei Jia smiled and interjected, "Princess Qi, Mother, let's go inside and sit down to talk. If people see us standing here, they'll think something's happened."
"That's right." Qiao Qinghe smiled and invited, "Princess Qi, please come and sit in my room."
Princess Qi smiled and nodded, "Then I shall respectfully comply."
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