Xie Jiaoying nodded approvingly, "That's right. A Crown Princess needs to be magnanimous, otherwise how will she keep the harem in check?"
Qingying quickly covered her mouth, looked around, and whispered a warning: "Don't you know how to keep your mouth shut? If someone with ulterior motives hears this and it reaches the Emperor's ears, your Xie family might not even want to live anymore."
If His Majesty is truly unwell, the most unwelcome thing is someone coveting the throne. He hasn't even passed away yet, and people are already speculating about the future monarch's reign. What's the difference between that and cursing him to die young?
Once she understood this, Xie Jiaoying shuddered and quickly nodded.
Qingying then let go of her hand.
She touched her pounding heart and said, "Thank goodness you reminded me, otherwise I might have said something terrible. Sister Liu is truly a great benefactor to our family."
Qingying was both amused and exasperated by her exaggerated appearance, and helplessly rubbed her forehead, "Just be more careful in the future."
...
The banquet was still in progress when Qingying left halfway through, citing feeling unwell.
She had just secretly drunk a couple of sips of fruit wine, and now the alcohol was getting to her, making her a little unsteady on her feet. Yu Yue and Tong Xia helped her up and down to the side room.
They had only gone halfway when they saw a beautiful couple standing under a banyan tree in the distance. She squinted slightly, still unable to see clearly, so she pointed and asked Yu Yue, "Is that man my older brother?"
Yu Yue followed her gaze and nodded, "It is indeed the eldest young master and Miss Ayan."
Why are they standing so close together?
Tong Xia said with a smile, "Anyone with eyes can see that the young master has feelings for Miss Ayan. Perhaps they have reached the point of deep affection between them."
Qingying frowned. Having spent time with Ayan recently, she found the woman to be straightforward, kind, and interesting, but for some reason, she always felt that Liu Chengfeng was not a good match for her. Moreover, she could clearly see that Ayan treated Liu Chengfeng like an older brother.
But at that moment, the two of them were embracing under the banyan tree, deeply in love.
She unconsciously walked in that direction.
Yu Yue and Tong Xia looked at each other in bewilderment.
Yu Yue said, "Isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to go over there now, Miss?"
Tong Xia asked, "If I accidentally disturb the young master's good time, will he be angry with you?"
Qingying remained silent, like a stubborn donkey charging forward, completely ignoring what others were saying and heading straight ahead.
Liu Chengfeng was holding the woman in his arms, his face slightly flushed with intoxication. It was the first time he had embraced his beloved, and he couldn't hide his excitement. After hesitating for a long time, he leaned down slightly to place a kiss on her forehead...
Suddenly, he felt a strong gaze from the side and subconsciously glanced to the side.
He should have just glanced at it; one glance almost made him jump up in fright.
Qingying stared at them with wide, angry eyes, her fair cheeks flushed red, and her moist lips pressed into a thin line.
The two immediately separated in a panic, each tidying their appearance.
Liu Chengfeng coughed awkwardly, covering his mouth with his fist, and asked, "What are you doing here, little sister?"
Qingying crossed her arms and looked at him scrutinizingly, saying, "I still need to ask you why you're here, brother!"
"I...we..." He stammered for a long time, unable to get a coherent answer.
Qingying then shifted her gaze to Ayan beside her. She saw that Ayan kept her head down, her hands nervously clasped in front of her, clutching a corner of her clothes, and she didn't dare to look at Ayan's expression at all.
Although Qingying appeared somewhat drunk at this moment, her mind was actually exceptionally clear.
She looked him up and down very carefully, and finally frowned and said, "You're not Ayan!"
The other person's back stiffened instantly, and he knelt down with a thud.
Liu Chengfeng was stunned. He stared blankly at the woman kneeling beside him and realized that this person could not be Ayan.
Ayan was a woman who grew up in the world of martial arts, unconventional and unrestrained by etiquette. In all her time, apart from the Emperor, she had never knelt before anyone else.
She once said that she would only kneel to Heaven and Earth above, and to her adoptive father and master below, and would not easily kneel to others. She said that the emperor was the Son of Heaven, and also a part of Heaven, so it was alright for him to kneel to him.
But how could she possibly kneel before Qingying?
Liu Chengfeng belatedly realized what was happening, frowned at her, and coldly questioned, "Are you the real Shuoyue?"
The answer is obvious; he just asked one more question out of sheer stubbornness.
Shuoyue lowered her head and whispered, "This servant did not mean to deceive you, young master. It was just now... This servant deserves to die. Please punish me, young master."
Liu Chengfeng had drunk quite a bit of wine earlier, so he left his seat to change his clothes. On his way back, he was suddenly helped up by Shuoyue, and he subconsciously mistook her for Ayan.
Hearing her concerned inquiries about his health, he assumed that his feelings had finally been reciprocated, and for a moment he was overcome with infatuation...
Just thinking about it gave Liu Chengfeng a headache. He rubbed his forehead and took a step back, saying, "It's not your fault, I drank too much... Sigh~ You can leave now..."
"Yes." Shuoyue bowed and prepared to leave, lifting the hem of her robe.
Qingying reached out to stop her.
She was taken aback. "Is there anything else you need, young lady?"
Qingying asked, "Now that you're here, where did Sister Ayan go?"
Shuoyue shook her head and said, "I just arrived from the manor at Shenshi (3-5 PM). I met the young master as soon as I got here, and I haven't seen Miss Ayan yet."
It would take two hours to get from the General's Mansion to the hunting grounds, even at a fast pace. Now it was almost 9 PM, and she really didn't have much time to see anyone else.
Qingying nodded, signaling her to step back.
Shuoyue curtsied and was finally able to leave.
Liu Chengfeng sat under the tree, rubbing his forehead, and sighed helplessly, "Wine and women really do lead people astray. It's fortunate that you arrived in time, otherwise it would have caused a great disaster."
Qingying laughed and teased, "I think I've figured it out. Brother really likes Sister Ayan. Otherwise, how could you, who is always so self-disciplined and polite, suddenly do something so outrageous?"
"Since she didn't resist at all, I assumed..."
"What did you think?"
"Forget it, it's all in the past." Liu Chengfeng stood up, leaning against a tree, and patted the bits of grass off his hands. He said, "You go back and rest first. I'll go to Dongchen's place."
Qingying blinked and asked doubtfully, "Aren't you going to find Sister Ayan? If someone else sees her and Shuoyue at the same time, you won't be able to explain yourself."
He touched his nose and said awkwardly, "I'll send someone to find her; I won't go to her myself."
"So my brother does know how to be shy."
Liu Chengfeng reached out and pinched the flesh on one of her cheeks, saying with displeasure, "Now that you're all grown up, you've actually learned to make fun of me? Hmm?"
"Okay, okay, I won't say anymore, alright?" Qingying's eyes welled up with tears as he pinched her, and she quickly begged for mercy.
Only then did Liu Chengfeng let her go.
Before leaving, he thoughtfully instructed Yu Yue and Tong Xia to take good care of her and escort her back to her room.
No sooner had he left than Qingying met with trouble.
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