Chapter 22: Distinguished Guests at the Royal Palace
"Hey, Qingqing, you actually side with her and not with me! It was obviously her who provoked me, okay? Why does she say I am an outsider? What did your master say?" Qing Yi looked unconvinced.
He shook his head helplessly and said, "Hey, Master Qingyi, I know you are a very important person. You are my master's future princess, but the other people in the palace don't know. If you trespass into the master's bedroom and bully the master's maid, it will be really bad if the news gets out!"
"Princess-to-be?" Qing Yi was taken aback by Qingqing's sudden address. Although they often joked around, he still felt something was...different when Qingqing said it so seriously.
"Ah? Really? You don't want to be a princess?" Qingqing shouted in surprise.
Qing Yi was a little embarrassed by the question. How could he possibly become a princess? But he couldn't just say that he was better than Ye Qingyu, right? So, he could only be vague and said, "Hey, girl, don't talk nonsense."
"By the way, did you bring the gift?" Qingqing suddenly changed the subject and started joking with Qingyi.
“....” Qing Yi jumped off the bed.
"Didn't bring it? Humph! Stingy! I wanted to tell you a little secret, but forget it, I won't say it!" He shook his head gently.
"Hey, Miss Qing, what's our relationship? Why do you need a gift? That would be too awkward. Come on, tell me what little secret you have."
"No, not without a gift." He smiled mysteriously.
"Well, I was in a hurry this time. I will make it up to you next time. When we leave the capital in a few days, I will let Xiaoye take you and we will go to Jiangnan to play!"
"Then keep your word and take me with you! I don't want to stay here!" She complained softly. The palace in the capital has more rules than the palace in the northwest city. She had had enough of it.
Qing Yi said confidently: "Don't worry, your master listens to me!"
He uttered a disdainful "tsk," then whispered, "Do you know who Ruyi is?"
"Hmm? Stop keeping me in suspense and tell me! Isn't she just a maid?"
She shook her head slightly and said, "Although she is a maid, she is the head maid! A year ago, the King of Northwest appointed her as the young prince's first concubine..."
"What?" Qing Yi jumped up before he finished listening.
Qingqing quickly pulled him back, "Hey, hey, why are you so anxious? I haven't finished speaking! Although the prince has designated it, the young prince hasn't agreed yet..."
"Manager Lin, he's inside!"
Before he could finish his words, he heard hurried footsteps outside. Qing Yi was still in shock at the news that Ye Qingyu had a concubine. He looked up and saw about ten people coming in. The leader was the palace's housekeeper Lin. Standing next to him was Ruyi, whose eyes were red with tears.
"Young Master Qingyi." Manager Lin saw that Qingyi and Qingqing were indeed in the young prince's bedroom.
"What's the matter, Manager Lin?" Qing Yi asked politely, pretending to know nothing.
Steward Lin smiled apologetically and said, "Master Qingyi, it was my fault for not arranging a guest room for you. For the sake of the young prince, please bear with me. I am old, so it is inevitable that I will not be considerate in my work."
Seeing this, Qing Yi hurriedly supported him. He saw that Ye Qingyu was very polite to the steward Lin, and knew that this old man must have some qualifications, so he did not treat the steward Lin the same way he treated Ruyi.
"Uncle Lin, I'm from the underworld, I don't have so many etiquettes, please don't embarrass me."
"Master Qingyi, I've arranged a guest room for you in the adjacent courtyard. Would you like to take a look?" Manager Lin spoke kindly, not reprimanding Qingyi for his actions despite Ruyi's complaint. He had spent his entire life serving the powerful, understanding their intentions in order to fulfill his duties as a servant.
The Northwest King had designated Ruyi as the young prince's concubine, and Steward Lin knew about it. The young prince had not agreed, nor had he summoned Ruyi to his bed, treating her as his maid as usual.
"I think forget it. The young prince won't be back tonight anyway, so I'll just stay here for one night." Qing Yi said carelessly, not paying any attention to Ruyi who was glaring at him.
Upon hearing this, Chief Steward Lin quickly tried to dissuade him, saying, "How can this be? The young prince even told me to serve you well before he entered the palace. I can't possibly explain to the young prince how poorly I treat you!"
"Haha, Uncle Lin, do you treat me as an outsider? This sister just now also treated me as an outsider. Didn't the young prince say? Treat me the same way you treat him. Are you so polite to him too?" Qing Yi said with a smile, but secretly complained in his heart: Humph, she actually secretly took a concubine behind my back, Xiaoye, Xiaoye, you are really a hidden talent!
"This... what are you talking about, Master Qingyi? The young prince is the master of the palace. Whatever he says is the truth, and we servants should listen to our master. However, this is the young prince's bedroom, and it is indeed not convenient for you to live here. The best guest room in the palace has been cleaned up for you. Why don't you live there first and make a decision when the young prince comes back. What do you think?" Uncle Lin looked embarrassed, but also very respectful.
"Oh, Uncle Lin, it seems that you still treat me as an outsider. In this case, I will not bother you any more. I will leave now and will not trouble your family anymore. When the young prince comes back, please tell him that I am staying at the inn." Qing Yi said goodbye and made a gesture to leave.
"This..." Manager Lin was speechless. It was indeed what the young prince had instructed, but there was a lot of politeness mixed in it. However, this person took this sentence as the absolute truth.
"Manager Lin, he is a scoundrel, let him go immediately! We can't keep such a person in our palace!" Ruyi said angrily, his words full of indignation.
"Hmm? Are you talking about me?" Qing Yi was already pretending to leave, so that Xiao Ye would feel wronged when he returned and would have to coax him. But Ruyi's harsh words stopped him in his tracks.
"Hmph! Who are you? How dare you be so rude! The young prince will not forgive you when he comes back!" Ruyi had a backbone. She didn't believe that this man could still attack in front of Manager Lin?
"Aren't you just a little maid? How dare you come and make decisions for your master?" Qing Yi had a look of disdain on his face, and his words were full of contempt.
"You! You!" Ruyi had lived in the palace since childhood. All she met were young masters from aristocratic families. She had never seen a person like Qingyi. She was so angry that she gritted her teeth, her cheeks flushed, and she couldn't even utter a word.
"What's wrong with me? I am a distinguished guest invited by your master. Are you dissatisfied with your master?" Qing Yi's words were so infuriating that he almost died.
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