A man's hearty laughter came from above.
Qingying peeked through her fingers and saw that he had only taken off his outer robe and then made no further move.
"You...you are..."
"I broke a teacup earlier, and my clothes got soaked with tea. They're not very comfortable to wear." He paused, then deliberately leaned closer, narrowing his eyes slightly, and asked, "What do you think I'm planning to do?"
"No, no..." she immediately denied.
Wei Huaixu sat down next to her and personally poured her tea.
Qingying then lowered her hand from her eyes, looking rather embarrassed: "Why did Your Highness invite me here?"
"Nothing much, I just wanted to show you the place where I grew up."
He placed the tea he had poured in front of Qingying, and she noticed a small, shallow cut on his index finger, the blood already somewhat congealed.
How did you hurt your hand?
He glanced at it and said nonchalantly, "It must have been a minor cut when I broke the teacup earlier. It's nothing serious."
"It's because of me..." Qingying frowned and said, "Even a minor injury should be treated. Do you have any medicine here?"
Wei Huaixu glanced at her, then lowered his eyelashes and pointed to a cabinet on the right, saying, "There should be some there."
With no one else around, Qingying got up and went to the cabinet, opened it, and saw a pile of neatly arranged bottles and jars inside.
Which one?
"The one with the red paper sticker is specifically for treating abrasions."
Qingying found the medicine he mentioned, picked it up, closed the cabinet door, and went back to sit down.
"So many medicines... Are you frequently injured?"
"What injury could I possibly suffer? I'm just keeping it in reserve for unforeseen circumstances."
She secretly felt relieved.
“Hold out your hand,” she said, opening the small jar.
Wei Huaixu obediently spread his hands in front of her.
His hands were beautiful, fair and clean, with long, slender fingers, distinct knuckles, and round, reddish nails—clearly the result of a life of luxury.
Yes, he is the crown prince, and there are few people in the entire country who are more precious than him.
Qingying used a handkerchief dipped in clean water to simply wash his wound, then used her finger to scoop out a little ointment and gently applied it to the wound.
Wei Huaixu looked at her serious expression. The girl lowered her head and her fingers grasped his fingertips, which had a soft, warm touch. Her movements were very light and gentle, as if she was afraid of hurting him.
His heart softened.
"I'm sorry to have startled you today."
She shook her head. "It's alright. The Seventh Prince was just trying to scare me. He wouldn't dare to do anything to me."
Her tone was indifferent, a stark contrast to her earlier frightened deer-like demeanor in the palace.
Suddenly realizing what was happening, he couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile: "You're quite bold, daring to even use me to escape."
Qingying raised her head, her eyes smiling, like autumn water rippling outwards. She said in a light tone, "Shouldn't His Highness the Crown Prince be happy? This matter will reach the ears of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor sooner or later. Even if the Seventh Prince really didn't mean it, with my show of weakness, in order to appease the Liu family, he will at least get a scolding, even if he isn't punished."
Wei Huaichong probably didn't expect that she would actually endure it so aggrievedly. What if she fell ill again after returning to the manor...
She was actually a little excited thinking about it.
Seeing the smile on her lips, Wei Huaixu couldn't help but reach out and poke her smooth, full forehead, saying, "What mischievous idea are you up to, little girl?"
"It's nothing." She put away the ointment and said with a smile, "But I still want to thank you for your help today."
"You once saved me, and now I'm saving you."
“You can’t calculate it like that.” Qingying wrinkled her nose and said, “You are the noble Crown Prince. Your life is worth at least three times what you have. Besides, even if you didn’t make a move today, he wouldn’t dare to really hurt me. At most, this is only worth half a life.”
Wei Huaixu was amused by her words, "You little rascal, you usually seem so proper, I never expected you to be so good at budgeting."
"Does Your Highness find what I said reasonable?" She raised an eyebrow.
“That makes sense, that makes sense. My life is indeed precious.” He said with a hint of helplessness, “So, I still owe you two lives?”
"There are two and a half."
"Okay, two and a half."
After saying this, the two looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh.
...
Wei Huaixu personally escorted her out of the palace.
They took a different, more secluded palace path to avoid running into the noble ladies coming out of Fanghua Palace.
The two walked side by side, a breeze blowing, gently lifting her beautiful hair.
She raised her hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
Wei Huaixu suddenly looked at her exposed fair wrist, frowned, and asked, "Why aren't you wearing the bracelet I gave you?"
Qingying was stunned for a moment, thinking that she had put the red bracelet into the box that night and never taken it out again.
She had simply forgotten that such a thing existed.
"You...don't like it?" he asked again.
Qingying quickly denied it: "No, I like it very much."
"If you like it, why not wear it? It was made by my own hands... It may not be very pretty, but if you don't like it, I will give you another one."
"Your Highness wove this by hand?" Qingying couldn't help but be a little surprised.
Wei Huaixu pursed his lips and said, "I obtained that red rope from Chongfu Temple. I specifically learned how to braid rope from the young monks there. They said it can bring peace and safety."
Qingying felt both touched and guilty.
"That red string... it just doesn't quite match my clothes today. I'll put it on when I get back to the manor."
Wei Huaixu was very pleased. "If there's anything else you like, just tell me, and I'll definitely find it for you."
Qingying couldn't help but chuckle: "Anything?"
"Hmm... as long as it can be found in this world, I will do everything in my power."
"Then help me find a suitable husband."
He paused for a moment, then turned to look at her: "Aren't you not even of marriageable age yet? Why are you in such a hurry to get married?"
Qingying said innocently, "Wouldn't it be perfect to find a young man to cultivate feelings for first, and then get married after I come of age?"
Wei Huaixu frowned and thought for a moment before saying, "Alright, I agree."
This was somewhat unexpected for Qingying. She had only said it jokingly, but why did he seem to take it seriously?
Before long, they arrived at the palace gate. Qingying said goodbye to him and left.
Yu Yue was waiting by the carriage. When she saw her coming, she anxiously went up to her, looked her up and down, and asked, "Are you alright, Miss?"
Qingying asked, puzzled, "What could possibly be wrong with me?"
Seeing that she was indeed unharmed, Yu Yue patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "Just now I ran into Miss Xie, and she said that you were almost stabbed to death by the Seventh Prince! It really scared me to death."
"???"
Qingying was quite surprised. How could things have spread like this in such a short time?
It's still unknown what kind of rumors will reach the General's mansion.
No, she must go back to the manor immediately.
Seeing her young lady hurriedly board the carriage, Yu Yue quickly followed.
"What's wrong, young lady?"
"Hurry up, or the rumor will spread everywhere."
"Is the young lady going back to dispel the rumors?"
"No, I want to add more firewood!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com