Qin Su seemed to have thought of something, and her face instantly turned extremely ugly. "Lian Tao, fetch a basin of water."
When Lian Tao brought over a basin of water, Qin Su bent down and put her hands in to scrub vigorously, as well as her face, washing them thoroughly.
Suddenly, Yu Shuo pressed his hand on the towel and said, "If you press too hard, you'll get a scratch."
His deep eyes seemed to surge with turbulent emotions as he recalled finding Qin Su just now. Her collar was slightly open, and her arms and hands were covered in blood; she looked extremely disheveled.
All of this was caused by Xue Huai'an, and he could no longer ignore Xue Huai'an's existence.
"It's filthy, it makes me feel disgusted." If Yu Shuo hadn't been there just now, she really would have jumped into Shuangyue Lake and scrubbed herself thoroughly.
Yu Shuo pulled up a chair and sat down, reaching into the basin of water. He grabbed a towel and carefully and gently washed her skin, just once. Then, staring into Qin Su's eyes, he said very solemnly, word by word, "Okay, you're clean."
Qin Su bit the soft flesh inside her lower lip; the pain on the tip of her tongue was still there, but that wasn't the most important thing.
Looking at the person in front of her, she felt a surge of grievance for no apparent reason.
Her voice choked with emotion as she asked him, "Is it really clean?"
Qin Su knew it was all in her head, but she still felt uncomfortable.
"Yes, it's very clean." Yu Shuo wrung out the handkerchief and put it aside, then looked at Qin Su again and answered seriously.
The young girl in front of him suddenly tugged at his robe and asked another question, "According to the original plan, after I marry Xue Huai'an, will Your Highness go to the border?"
Yu Shuo responded.
He did indeed have this plan. Rather than staying in the capital and watching her be with someone else, it would be better to stay far away.
Qin Su pinched his sleeve with her two slender fingers, lowered her head, and tears fell in a steady stream.
Just like in my previous life.
He will leave, his parents will have an accident, and she will fight alone.
Qin Su cried in a suppressed manner, and Yu Shuo assumed that she was feeling sad for Xue Huai'an and was also feeling bad. He said, "I will avenge you."
Qin Su nodded heavily, "I believe in Your Highness, I have always believed."
Yu Shuo couldn't help but pat Qin Su's head. The girl who looked like a boy in his eyes had grown up and become a graceful young woman.
She wasn't like this before; when she cried, she would wail and sob without a care for her image. Was she being held back by Kyoto? Or was it because of Xue Huai'an?
Yu Shuo stared at Qin Su's small face, and for a moment he even doubted whether it was right or wrong to advise His Majesty to recruit the White Tiger Stronghold.
Before long, Qin Su wiped away her tears and smiled again, "Your Highness, please forgive my embarrassment."
She became strong again, as if her previous weakness was just a dream, provided you ignored her red eyes.
Yu Shuo took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and carefully wiped away the tears on her face. "You don't need to pretend to be strong in front of me. Cry if you want to cry, laugh if you want to laugh."
Qin Su lay back down and said, "A moment of weakness is enough; anything more is useless."
Yu Shuo didn't refute her anymore, knowing what kind of person she was.
Qin Su felt wronged, but she didn't usually show it.
After Lian Tao returned with the medicine, Yu Shuo sent her back and then called Chongyang over.
"Go investigate Xue Huai'an."
Chongyang was taken aback for a moment, then his face lit up with delight. "Yes, Your Highness."
The next day, Chongyang knocked on Yu Shuo's door and, after receiving Yu Shuo's permission, happily walked in.
"Your Highness, there is news."
Yu Shuo got off the bed wearing only a white undergarment. He rarely wore plain white; the color was too clean and couldn't conceal the color of blood. He only wore it at home.
He picked up the undergarment placed beside him and listened to Chongyang's report while putting it on.
"The Chengguo Duke's mansion has declined drastically in recent years, but the Chengguo Duke is fond of women and has spent a lot of money on them. The Chengguo Duke's wife is not good at managing the household, so the mansion is almost always short of money. But Xue Huai'an is different. He is determined to climb up the social ladder and has made many friends in private over the years. In a sense, he is indeed more promising than many sons of officials."
Seeing that his prince gave him a displeased look, he hurriedly added, "Of course, he can't be compared to Your Highness. The Duke of Cheng also has a son born out of wedlock. This son is very favored and almost always opposes Xue Huai'an. However, he is not as clever as Xue Huai'an and is often outmaneuvered."
A large, slender, pale hand rested against the edge of the collar, creating a striking contrast between the black clothes and the pale hand.
"Xue Huai'an is so eager to marry Miss Qin, perhaps because he wants the wealth and power of the Marquis of Zhongyi. He wants to use this to climb the social ladder."
That's why he had ambiguous relationships with other women in private, while outwardly insisting on marrying only Qin Su.
Chongyang then recounted some of Xue Huai'an's past deeds, which, aside from being full of scheming, seemed to have no other faults.
"Perhaps the Duke of Cheng needs to find a new successor," Yu Shuo said.
Chongyang frowned slightly. "Your Highness, Da'an has a clear rule that as long as the legitimate son is still alive, and unless there is a special crime, the illegitimate son cannot inherit the family business."
This is to protect the matriarch of the household.
"When did I ever say that a son of a concubine would inherit the Duke of Cheng's mansion?" Although who inherited the Duke of Cheng's mansion had no impact on Yu Shuo.
Chongyang asked in confusion, "So Your Highness just wants to use the two of them, to let them fight like dogs?"
Yu Shuo glanced at him again, and Chongyang immediately understood. He hurriedly replied, "Your Highness, rest assured, I will handle it perfectly."
There was no peace and quiet at the Duke of Cheng's mansion all night. When Xue Huai'an was carried back, he was barely breathing, and Li was so frightened that she almost fainted.
Whether it was because Chongyang's subordinates were skilled or Xue Huai'an was just lucky, in any case, the doctors in the capital all said there was nothing seriously wrong and he just needed to rest.
Li sat by her son's bedside, crying and cursing Qin Su. After cursing for a long time, she said to Xue Huai'an, "An'er, why don't we get rid of Qin Su? She's too cruel and doesn't deserve my son."
Xue Huai'an woke up to his mother's nagging, which made him feel dizzy.
He is indeed wavering now.
If he hadn't seen Prince Chen anxiously holding Qin Su, he might still have thought there was hope. Prince Chen clearly had romantic feelings for Qin Su, but he hadn't matured yet. If he were to confront Prince Chen for Qin Su's sake at this time, it would not be a wise decision.
But... I'm just so unwilling to accept it.
"I heard you've been seeing the daughter of the Vice Minister of War. Why don't you go with her? Is she the legitimate daughter?" Madam Li immediately grabbed Xue Huai'an's arm, her eyes filled with hope and greed.
Xue Huai'an immediately frowned and said, "She won't do."
The literal meaning won't work.
Chen Yirou was an illegitimate daughter, which meant she was destined to be of little help to his career.
Moreover, his feelings for Arou were not merely about using her.
"Do you have a suitable candidate? Son, you're not young anymore, you should find a woman to look after."
Footsteps came from outside, carrying a carefree and frivolous feel.
"Oh dear, Mother, who should I look for for my brother? What good girl would be willing to marry my brother these days? Instead of looking for my brother, Mother, why not look for me?"
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