Qingying returned to her room in the villa and was just about to rest when Tongxia suddenly came back from outside, saying, "Miss, for some reason, the news that His Highness the Crown Prince entered your carriage yesterday has spread outside."
She nodded. "I understand."
Yu Yue, who was just about to become anxious, was taken aback when she saw how calm the woman was. "Miss...aren't you worried at all?"
What are you worried about?
"Of course, it's your reputation."
She smiled calmly and said, "If you walk by the river often enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet. I knew this day would come."
Yu Yue said, "But you must know, young lady, the rumors outside will eventually become falsehoods."
"I understand, but... this was all caused by Wei Huaixu, why should I be in such a hurry?"
Tong Xia said, "What you say is right. If His Highness the Crown Prince hadn't disregarded the rules, you wouldn't be the subject of gossip. He should be the one to deal with the trouble he caused."
Qingying flicked her nose and laughed, "Our Tongxia is getting better and better at handling things. You're right, he should be allowed to solve things himself."
Meanwhile, Wei Huaixu soon heard the rumors as well.
The guard beside him was even more anxious: "Your Highness, what should we do? If we ruin Miss Liu's reputation, won't she blame you?"
Wei Huaixu smiled but said nothing.
The young eunuch on the other side laughed and said, "You've been by His Highness's side for so many years, do you think he's the kind of person who acts without any sense of propriety? Since His Highness dared to get into Miss Liu's carriage in full view of everyone, why is he afraid of gossip?"
The guard scratched his head belatedly, "So... Your Highness did this on purpose?"
"Otherwise what?"
"What is Your Highness trying to achieve by doing this?"
Wei Huaixu raised an eyebrow and said, "Of course, it's for the beauty."
He had originally planned to wait until Qingying came of age before discussing marriage, but now, he feared he couldn't wait any longer...
...
The next day.
As soon as Qingying arrived at the hunting grounds, Ayan greeted her with a smile and asked, "How did you sleep last night, Qingying?"
"Thank you for your concern, sister. I'm fine."
“Indeed, you look great today.” Ayan leaned closer to her, winked playfully, and said, “I didn’t dare to stand out too much yesterday, afraid of attracting attention, so I deliberately hunted less. I’ll start hunting more today, and then go all out tomorrow. I’m sure I can win first place.”
Qingying smiled gently, "Sister Ayan is so capable, she will definitely be able to get what she wants."
Yesterday's first round of the autumn hunt saw Chu Lingyu unsurprisingly secure the first victory among the women. On the men's side, besides Wei Dongchen, Liu Chengfeng had the most kills, followed by Wei Huaixu.
Wei Huaixu was an outstanding horseman, but his archery skills were somewhat lacking.
Thinking this, Qingying's gaze began to sweep across the field. She did not see Wei Huaixu, but unexpectedly saw Wei Huaichong.
He hadn't participated in the autumn hunt, yet he was talking to Chu Lingyu as if no one else was around.
He maintained a smile throughout, but Chu Lingyu remained expressionless. Qingying clearly saw from Wei Huaichong's lips that he uttered the word "get lost," and Wei Huaichong's face fell as well, before he turned and stormed off.
That makes sense. No matter what, Wei Huaichong is a prince. No matter how much he likes someone, he won't tolerate being constantly given the cold shoulder.
What she didn't know was that Wei Huaichong had just said with a smile, "If you dare to marry him, I dare to take his life."
...
As the autumn hunt came to an end today, Liu Yu suddenly arrived at the hunting grounds. He sat to the left of the Emperor, looking very serious, listening to the chief eunuch report on the day's hunting results.
Upon hearing Ayan's name, he subconsciously glanced into the crowd, but quickly looked away after meeting her unremarkable face.
"I've never heard of this girl named Ayan before."
The head eunuch glanced at the list and said, "General Liu, these are people who were reported by your own household. How could you not know them?"
Liu Yu was taken aback. "From my residence?"
"Yes, it's clearly written on the list, it's Miss Ayan from the General's Mansion."
Liu Yu immediately called Liu Chengfeng and Liu Qingying, the brother and sister, over to ask them questions.
Liu Chengfeng explained, "Father, this is indeed my maid Shuoyue. It's just that the name reported during the autumn hunt was the one she used before she entered the manor."
"I see." Liu Yu looked into the crowd again, carefully scanning Ayan, and said, "I never knew we had such a remarkable maid in our household. She's almost as good as Chu Lingyu."
He was so impressed because Ayan had performed exceptionally well today. Yesterday, she hadn't even made it into the top five in terms of the number of hunts, but today she had overtaken everyone else and jumped to second place.
Liu Chengfeng said proudly, "Of course, the maids around me are naturally different from ordinary maids."
Liu Yu said disdainfully, "You can't even find a decent wife, all you do is play football and race horses all day long. I don't know where you get your sense of pride."
Qingying smiled faintly and said, "Father, please don't be offended. Seeing Sister Ayan stand up for her, I am just proud to do so."
Liu Yu said, "Women should be like our Ying'er, delicate flowers raised in a greenhouse, while men should be the ones to protect them from the wind and rain."
Liu Chengfeng nodded, "Yes, our Shushu was born to be cherished and protected."
At this moment, Qingying suddenly recalled a conversation she had overheard earlier that day. A woman said, "Liu Qingying is really lucky. She is just a concubine's daughter, yet she lives the carefree life of a legitimate daughter. Not only is she loved by her whole family, but now she is also favored by His Highness the Crown Prince."
"Yes, otherwise how can we say that she is lucky? She was just born into the wrong family, but it didn't stop her from rising to prominence."
She immediately wanted to stand up and say something, but then she was distressed to find that she had no way to refute it.
Although women in Donglin Kingdom did not have a very low status, the concept of male superiority and female inferiority still existed in their bones. For example, Chu Lingyu was said to be a heroine who was no less than men. She was even more valiant than men on the battlefield, but she could not escape the shackles of worldly conventions and her marriage was not up to her own choice.
Qingying felt that as an ordinary person, what right did she have to be exempt from the common customs?
What are you thinking about?
Liu Chengfeng's voice came from beside her, and her thoughts gradually returned.
"What's wrong, brother?"
"It's nothing, I just saw you seemed so engrossed in thinking that you weren't even watching where you were going, and I was worried you might fall."
Qingying shook her head. "It's nothing, I was just thinking about some trivial things."
"It's good that you're alright. Tomorrow is the last day of the autumn hunt. Just wait and see if I can take the crown this time."
"Oh? Brother is so confident?"
"Of course, I've taken first place for two consecutive days."
"But I see that His Highness the Crown Prince has hunted just as many as you have."
Liu Chengfeng glanced at her and said, "What? I haven't settled the score with you for what happened at the polo match last time. I could let it go then because you won money, but this time you're going to continue to side with outsiders?"
Qingying quickly shook her head, "That's not what I meant. I just didn't want you to be too proud and complacent. In my heart, brother will always be the most amazing."
"real?"
"real."
Liu Chengfeng blinked and said smugly, "Then you can just watch as your amazing brother wins the championship of this autumn hunt for you. Just tell me what you want then."
"OK."
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