Chapter 122
Xie Sui'an was stunned for a long time until Jinyun lightly landed on the roof and called out "Young Master" before he came back to his senses.
“You asked me to keep an eye on Miss Qin Sang,” Jin Yun said, peanut crumbs still clinging to his lips. “She left before dawn this morning, just came back, and is now asleep again.”
"Where did you go?" Xie Sui'an asked.
"In the east of the city, there was a rather large mansion, I don't know whose villa it was. I stayed inside for a while and then came out. I even picked up a little beggar on the street and had Uncle Qin take him away."
Xie Suian frowned and looked in the direction of Qin Sang's courtyard.
She always had her own plans, which she never told him. But thinking about how she had taken the initiative with him yesterday, he couldn't help but smile. Then he thought to himself, "Oh well, I'll trust her." Since she was on his side, whatever she wanted to do was her business, as long as she was happy...
He lowered his head, waved for Jinyun to leave, and went straight back to his room to sleep. He planned to see her after he woke up. But he absolutely couldn't use Xie Xiao's suggestion.
At that moment, he felt utterly incompetent once again.
On the other side, Qin Sang took a nap and then opened her eyes again, only to find that an autumn rain had started falling without warning. The rain pattered down, and the rainwater dripped from the eaves into the puddles below.
Ying'er hurriedly came to help her get up, and Lingding also came in upon hearing the noise. Qin Sang picked out a simple dress to change into and said, "I'll just appease the old nanny for a bit. I have to go out for a bit, so Lingding doesn't need to come with me. Be careful that the First Madam doesn't come over suddenly."
"Where else is the young lady going?" Lingding asked, frowning in confusion.
"I will be going to the palace to see the Emperor tomorrow, so I'm going to have a talk with Prince Ning'an."
What should we talk about?
Qin Sang applied powder to make her lips appear even paler and said, "Naturally, we're discussing a deal."
The two girls exchanged a glance. Although they were both curious, neither dared to ask any more questions.
The old woman sent by Wang Huiwen had been waiting outside for quite some time, holding her embroidery. She restrained herself from rushing in and dragging Qin Sang away, mainly because she knew Qin Sang was still ill. If she were to fall ill from exhaustion and miss her audience with the emperor tomorrow, her entire family would be in serious trouble.
Hearing the commotion inside, she uttered a Buddhist prayer and hurriedly got up to greet her: "Miss, you've finally woken up. Is your body alright... Oh dear, why are your lips so pale? Do you have a fever?" As she spoke, she reached out to touch them.
Qin Sang tilted her head slightly to the side and smiled, "I don't have a fever, I just feel like I haven't slept enough..." She smiled obediently, "It's alright. Yesterday, the First Madam instructed that we should learn the etiquette for entering the palace today, which has already taken up half the morning. Granny, let's start quickly."
The old woman looked at her with concern, thinking to herself that this sickly girl must have accumulated some good fortune to have received such a great deal for nothing. She was afraid that her fate was not to be able to bear it, which was why she was so sickly at the end.
However, she didn't show it on her face, her expression and words perfectly controlled: "Yes, young lady, you're incredibly smart and learn quickly. If we just keep at it, we'll still have time to rest this afternoon..."
Qin Sang looked over gently. Although she appeared slightly ill, she was still fair-skinned and beautiful, with delicate features, a refined nose, and a graceful, straight nose. Not to mention men, even women themselves felt that this woman was indeed a femme fatale, a beauty with a tragic fate...
"Then let's hurry," Qin Sang said with a smile.
The old woman snapped out of her daze: "Yes, yes, yes, come on..."
After having lunch, Qin Sang used the excuse of taking a short nap to order Ying'er to impersonate her on the bed, while Lingding stood guard at the door of the room. Qin Sang then slipped away through the window again.
To be honest, while she had to figure out how to fool the doorman, it would be easier and less troublesome for her to carry Lingding. She spotted an empty corner of the wall and used her light-footed skill to leap over the high wall and courtyard. However, when she landed, it aggravated her internal injuries, and she almost coughed up blood.
Qin Baoyun's carriage—yes, it had finally been changed to a horse-drawn carriage—was waiting at the street corner not far away. At her whistle, the driver flicked the reins and drove the carriage over.
As Qin Sang climbed into the carriage, Qin Baoyun was about to shake the reins again when he suddenly glanced sideways at the roof of the Xie residence.
Jinyun was so frightened that he ducked and fell off the roof. He silently dusted himself off, then leaped again, only to see Qin Sang staring straight at him with a smile on her face as she lifted the carriage curtain.
"..." He gave an awkward smile, "It was the young master who sent me to protect you. He was afraid you would get hurt again if you acted on your own..."
Qin Sang smiled slightly and beckoned to him with her finger.
Jinyun was taken aback at first, then easily jumped down and ran to the side of the carriage to listen obediently to instructions.
"Your young master is back?" Qin Sang asked.
Jinyun nodded: "He's back. He's asleep. He was on night duty all night, which was quite tiring. He also said he would come to see the girl after he woke up."
"Oh," Qin Sang nodded. "Alright, then you go back and watch over him. I'll just go out to take care of some small matters; there won't be any danger. You go back and watch over him and tell him to get some rest. I'll naturally send someone to look for him when I get back. Go ahead."
Jinyun scratched his head: "...But..."
"No buts! If you keep following me like this, you'll only ruin my plans. If my business is delayed because of you, I'll tell your young master and fire you, sending you to the countryside to do hard labor!"
Jinyun was stunned.
Qin Sang lowered the curtain with satisfaction and said, "Let's go." Qin Baoyun then lightly shook the reins and drove the carriage out of the small street.
Jinyun stared blankly at the carriage's retreating figure, feeling both fearful of being abandoned in the countryside and vaguely sensing that something was amiss. By the time he came out again, the carriage had already vanished.
Because of the rain, the street vendors who used to hawk their wares in the morning were all huddled under the eaves of the houses on both sides to avoid the rain.
Qin Baoyun dressed simply, wore a bamboo hat, and drove his horse-drawn carriage through the streets and alleys without attracting attention.
The carriage stopped at the side gate of the Prince Ning's mansion, the same gate through which Xie Sui'an had passed that morning. Qin Baoyun handed the visiting card, written by Qin Sang herself, to the gatekeeper and waited outside for a while. A middle-aged steward, holding a paper umbrella and wearing a smile, then appeared.
The steward said, "I'm sorry, please tell your master that the prince is ill and will not see any guests."
Qin Sang, who was in the carriage, heard this sentence and frowned slightly, wondering how serious Ning'an Prince's injuries were, since he hadn't recovered after several days.
Qin Baoyun then mentioned some urgent matters, but the steward remained polite with only one meaning: Prince Ning'an would not see guests, no matter who came.
She hadn't expected to be turned away. It was more likely that Bai Yiqing would refuse to see her. Tomorrow they were to meet the Emperor together. Why wouldn't this future husband, who was now nominally the Princess of Ning'an, see her?
Could it be that the disease has truly reached its terminal stage?
She lifted the curtain, smiling before she even spoke.
The steward looked at her, and she said softly, "It is indeed offensive of me to come here so abruptly, but I am going to enter the palace tomorrow, and there are many things I don't understand that I would like to ask the prince. Old steward, is the prince really so ill that he can't get out of bed? If so, will he be able to get up tomorrow?"
The butler looked steady, but he was only in his early thirties. The address "Old Butler" made him stumble and almost fall.
But as expected of someone personally promoted by Prince Ning'an, he remained calm and composed in the face of adversity, his emotions hidden on his face. He still smiled and said, "Miss, please have some self-respect. As you probably know, it is very taboo for unmarried men and women to meet before marriage..."
“Yes,” Qin Sang interrupted him with a smile, “I know that’s true, but I still came at the risk of ruining my reputation, which shows how important it is to say this. Old butler, if I’m delayed, can you bear the responsibility?”
The old butler closed his eyes briefly and said, "Miss, wait a moment, I'll go report again..."
This time, the old butler came out and invited the person in shortly.
Unlike when he met Xie Sui'an earlier, Prince Ning'an was not sitting in the main hall. When Qin Sang entered, he was sitting at a round table in a side hall, taking herbal medicine. The strong smell of Chinese medicine lingered even in the rain. The courtyard was damp, yet very clean and serene.
Qin Sang looked at him from afar and saw that the man seemed even thinner and weaker than when they had met before, his clothes appearing loose and baggy. She couldn't help but feel alarmed. How could such a person bear such a heavy burden? She feared that he would kick the bucket in a couple of years and cause more trouble.
Prince Ning'an did not look up at her until she approached and bowed. Only then did he gently lift his eyelids and smile faintly, saying, "You've come."
"Let's start with courtesy, then resort to force," Qin Sang smiled sweetly and poured out her prepared speech: "Your Highness seems to be in good spirits. Truly, surviving a great calamity is sure to bring good fortune..."
The old butler standing to the side had a complicated expression on his face.
Prince Ning'an was also taken aback for a moment, then found it amusing: "Really? Well, I must accept your kind words. Is there something important you need to discuss with me?"
He spoke with impeccable manners and excellent manners, a stark contrast to his eccentric behavior when we first met, proving his true cunning.
Qin Sang thought for a moment, then reached for her silver needles at her waist and said very sincerely, "To be honest, I learned some medical skills when I was in the countryside, and I have quite a talent for acupuncture and regulating qi. Your Highness, although you seem to be in good spirits, you are still a bit too thin. Come on, let me give you a couple of acupuncture needles first, and I guarantee you'll have a good appetite from now on..."
As she spoke, she took out her needle case and placed it on the stone table, then sat down next to Prince Ning'an.
The old steward stepped forward to stop him, but Prince Ning'an raised his hand to stop him. He looked with interest at the row of finely polished silver needles of varying thickness spread out on the table and laughed, "Are you planning to use these silver needles to kill me so that you can elope with your little lover?"
"What are you saying? A doctor's heart is benevolent. This needle only heals, it doesn't harm... What did you say?" She stopped mid-sentence, her smile freezing on her face, and looked at Prince Ning'an guiltily.
"Didn't you come here to persuade me to give up our marriage?"
Qin Sang: "...How...how did you know?"
The old steward couldn't stand it any longer and couldn't help but remind him, "Young Master Xie came by earlier."
Qin Sang's face instantly turned half red: "Oh, he came by? What did he say?"
The Prince of Ning'an still had a smile on his lips, but his eyes suddenly turned icy cold, sending chills down one's spine.
Although Qin Sang was not afraid, looking at this person, she had to admit that Prince Ning'an truly had the makings of a born emperor.
At the same time, she realized why the other person had suddenly changed their expression. No one would be happy if a woman talked so happily about another man in front of her fiancé.
She coughed lightly and said, "Your Highness, you are a man of great ambition, and our goals are aligned. However, I would like to discuss with you the possibility of slightly altering the method of doing this. But rest assured, it will not affect the final outcome. Whether I marry or not, I can guarantee to help you achieve what you desire. You are so dashing and charming, what kind of woman wouldn't you have? In the future, you will have three thousand women in your harem to choose from. As for a crude and uncouth person like me, I suppose the final result will be nothing more than being banished to the cold palace. Please, have mercy on me and give me a way out."
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