Chu Qingluan's eyes suddenly turned cold, "Shameless!"
The smile on Qi Che's lips widened, and he let go of Xiao Tao, "Your Highness is kind."
Xiao Tao staggered and fell to the ground, covering her neck and coughing violently.
Qi Che pretended not to hear, "I'm sure Your Highness would not want to see these innocent people die because of you, right?"
Qi Che thought he knew Chu Qingluan very well. He expected that she was kind and righteous and would not bear to see innocent people suffer.
But I didn’t expect…
Chu Qingluan just sneered, his voice remained calm.
"Yun Yan! Do you think you can threaten me by just capturing a few insignificant people?"
She was fearless and looked down at Qi Che: "If you have the guts, you can kill all the servants in this yard in front of me, what's wrong with that?"
Qi Che's expression suddenly cracked.
…
Finally, when Qi Che came out of the yard, his face was terribly pale.
Of course he couldn't kill the innocent Xiaotao in front of her.
The Third Prince's ambition has not yet been accomplished, and he still needs to take Chu Qingluan as a hostage so that he can force the Emperor of Chu to submit in the future.
And Qi Che also has his own selfish motives.
He finally joined the Third Prince and gained his trust. He wanted to make Chu Qingluan fake her death and escape. He even trained a substitute and kept her in a secret place. When the Third Prince started a rebellion, a charred corpse would be enough to deceive the world.
"Just bear with it a little longer..."
Qi Che clenched his fists and looked at Chu Qingluan's courtyard.
He had already surveyed the route outside the Great Wall and had prepared a fake identity at the border. When the time came, he would take her away to the misty land of Jiangnan, where he had bought a house long ago, built by the water and surrounded by peach trees, where there would be no more disputes or disturbances.
He even contacted a miracle doctor outside the Great Wall. He only needed one pill to make people forget their past.
…
Let’s talk about this side.
After Qi Che left, Chu Qingluan glanced at Xiao Tao, who was lying limp on the ground, with a cold expression.
"Everyone's gone, how long are you going to pretend?"
Xiao Tao opened her big innocent eyes, as if she was a little confused and didn't know what Chu Qingluan was talking about.
"Your Highness...I don't understand what you mean."
Chu Qingluan stood up and looked down at her.
"I hate self-righteous people the most."
She glanced at Xiao Tao's hand, her tone gentle, but every word was as sharp as a knife: "Chu Hong sent you here, it really took great pains."
Xiao Tao's expression changed, but she quickly pretended to be calm, "I don't understand what Your Highness is talking about."
"The thin calluses on your knuckles are from years of holding a sword. Although your knuckles are slender, the joints are slightly protruding, which is a sign of excessive practice with hidden weapons."
She leaned forward slightly, gently lifted Xiao Tao's chin with her fingertips, and forced her to look directly at her: "How could a cautious man like the Third Royal Brother really send a naive and weak little girl to guard me?"
Xiao Tao looked at Chu Qingluan's eyes that were as sharp as fire, and felt that all disguises were exposed in front of her.
Gradually, the timidity in her eyes faded away and was gradually replaced by coldness and silence.
She slowly stood up, her weak posture gone, even her breathing became extremely light, almost silent.
"Your Highness is indeed perceptive."
Xiao Tao's voice was soft, yet it was filled with chilling coldness: "I just don't know, since you saw through me, why didn't you expose me just now?"
Chu Qingluan raised the corners of her lips: "If you expose it, how can I know that Yun Yan was also deceived by you?"
Xiao Tao's eyes darkened.
"It seems that Chu Hong trusts you very much."
She slowly retreated back to the table, tapping the surface with her fingertips. "Even Yun Yan thought you were just an ordinary maid, which shows that you hid yourself well enough."
Xiao Tao smiled softly, finally removing her disguise, "Since Your Highness knows that I am not a simple servant, you should understand that you cannot escape."
Chu Qingluan raised her eyes, her eyes were cold and piercing: "When did I ever say I wanted to escape?"
This Youzhou is the Youzhou of the Great Chu. As the legitimate princess of the Great Chu, she knows that all land under heaven belongs to the king. It is unreasonable for her to let a slave teach her what to do in this land.
Although Xiaotao was a little surprised by this answer, she did not continue to ask.
For her, as long as Chu Qingluan is willing to behave herself and not cause trouble for herself, that would be the best.
However, Xiaotao still underestimated Chu Qingluan.
She promised not to run away, but she didn't say she wouldn't make trouble.
The next morning, after the maid served breakfast, Chu Qingluan only took a glance at it and then made the excuse that she had no appetite and asked everyone to leave.
Over the next few days, she complained that the porridge was too thick, the dishes were too salty, or the pastries were not fine enough. In short, no meal satisfied her.
Chu Qingluan's spirit was visibly weakening, and her once rosy cheeks gradually lost their color. She leaned against the window, looking listless and too lazy to even speak.
Xiao Tao watched coldly and sneered in her heart.
The legitimate princess of the Great Chu actually used such childish means to protest?
One day, the news reached Qi Che's ears. He frowned, immediately put down his official duties, and rushed to the villa.
He knew that Chu Qingluan had been living a life of luxury since childhood and was picky about food. It was normal for her to not be used to the simple meals in Youzhou.
But if this continues, he is worried that her body will not be able to bear it...
On the way, we passed by a restaurant - Zhiweixuan.
Qi Che heard from his men that this was a restaurant specializing in Beijing cuisine, with authentic ingredients and excellent taste.
Qi Che immediately dismounted, packed up a few signature dishes and sent them to the villa.
In the evening, an exquisite food box was delivered to Chu Qingluan.
She was a little uninterested at first, but when she opened the food box, the familiar aroma hit her face - crystal shrimp dumplings, lotus chicken slices, Beijing wontons, crab meat lion head...
These were all dishes that she used to eat at the princess's mansion.
This time, Chu Qingluan finally showed a satisfied smile on her face, and for the first time ever, she ate an extra bowl of rice.
Finally, she told Qi Che, "We'll have to eat this again tomorrow."
She put down her chopsticks and tapped the food box with her fingertips. "The wontons must be freshly wrapped, the shrimp dumplings must be steamed and the lid removed before being served, and the crab meat and lion's head must be served in a casserole."
Qi Che's face was grim, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Your Highness, are you trying to embarrass me on purpose?"
"You know, Zhiweixuan is half an hour away from the villa. How can it be delivered immediately after cooking?"
"That's something you should worry about." Chu Qingluan glanced at him lazily, "Since the Third Prince has invited me to Youzhou City as a guest, then I am the guest. Can't I even meet such a trivial request?"
"When my third brother comes back, I will ask him in person if this is his way of entertaining guests."
Qi Che's face turned pale in an instant.
He knew that Chu Qingluan was deliberately making things difficult for him.
But what she said was true. If the Third Prince knew that he couldn't even satisfy Chu Qingluan with a meal, he would probably blame her for not doing her job well.
After coming out of the yard, Qi Che immediately told Wang Zhong: "Go to Zhiweixuan and ask for a cook."
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