Qingying didn't dare tell him that she harbored resentment. She was right to burn incense every day, but she hadn't managed to abstain from meat.
Moreover, now that she has heard him admit his debt to her, she feels that it is not even worth it to offer incense to him.
Qingying scoffed, "Do you think you can repay what you owe me just like this?"
"I know it won't be easy to pay back the debt. I can make it up to you, but I've already promised the position of Crown Princess to Shushu, and I can't let her down." His tone was calm, but it stirred up a storm in Qingying's heart.
"If you can't betray her, then you can betray me, right?"
"Jiaojiao, why don't you understand? I don't love you anymore. Forcing ourselves to stay together will only make us both unhappy and hurt others. What's the point?"
Harming others? Who else could this "other person" be besides Liu Shushu?
Qingying couldn't help but smile bitterly, "Why do you all tell me not to hurt her? I'm the one who's been hurting all along..."
"But she has already suffered a lot before."
"What does that have to do with me? Did I cause this?"
Wei Huaixu sighed, "Alright, you're in a bad mood, let's not talk about this today."
Qingying was not comforted by his nonchalant words at all, but at this moment her heart was filled with a sense of powerlessness, and she did not want to say another word to him.
She huddled in the corner, slowly hugging her knees and burying her face in her hands.
Despite the dim light, Wei Huaixu still managed to spot the red silk ribbons wrapped around her left wrist.
"What is this?" He reached out to touch it.
Qingying, however, hid her hands like a frightened bird, looking at him warily, "What do you want to do?"
He frowned, his tone full of displeasure, "What? Now you can't even tolerate being touched?"
"Ha~ Just a moment ago Your Highness asked me to grant you permission to be with someone else, how could you forget that in an instant? Don't you feel guilty for betraying your beloved by touching me now?"
Wei Huaixu was successfully angered by her. He snorted coldly and said, "Fine, very well." Then he turned away and didn't look at her again.
Qingying secretly stroked the silk ribbon in her hand. It felt smooth and covered the ugly scars well. Today, everyone thought she had dressed up on purpose.
She wouldn't accept this scar so easily. Pan had raised her, but Liu Shushu hadn't, and she didn't feel she owed her anything.
As the carriage arrived at the gate of the General's Mansion, Qingying stepped down. The steward, who was waiting by the gate, immediately came to greet her and said anxiously, "Third Miss, you're finally back! Where have you been so late? Master and Madam were so worried about you."
Worried sick? Not necessarily.
Qingying walked gracefully into the mansion, with Wei Huaixu following closely behind.
The family, having learned of her return, waited in the main room. As soon as she stepped inside, a furious roar accompanied by a heavy slam of the hand on the table rang out: "You rebellious daughter, kneel down!"
The voice of the soldier who had been training in the army for many years was very intimidating, and Qingying's legs went weak almost subconsciously.
She paused for a moment, then forced herself to walk up to Liu Yu, and bent her knees to kneel down.
Wei Huaixu reached out his hand at this moment, stopping her movement, and said gently, "General, please calm down."
Upon seeing him, everyone in the room knelt down and paid their respects.
"General, I had something to discuss with Miss Liu tonight, which is why I was late. I hope you won't blame me."
Liu Yu lowered his head in fear and said, "Your subject dares not."
"If that's the case, does she still need to kneel?"
"It was my ignorance that led me astray. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
Qingying was spared a reprimand simply because of his few casual words. At this moment, she truly experienced the absolute oppression of power and status.
The family respectfully saw Wei Huaixu off. Madam Pan looked at her with a somewhat gloomy expression. Liu Yu also glanced at her, but ultimately did not reprimand her. He waved his hand and said, "It's getting late, everyone can leave now."
Back in the dormitory, she asked Yu Yue, "How did they find out I wasn't there?"
Over the past month or so, her presence in the mansion has been greatly diminished.
“It’s Liu Shushu.” Yu Yue no longer calls her Second Miss in private, but addresses her by her given name.
She continued, "This servant doesn't know why she suddenly came to visit. She said she had something to ask you, but Tongxia stopped her at the door, saying that you had already retired for the night. She had already left, but less than an hour later she suddenly barged in with people. This servant and Tongxia tried their best to stop her, but to no avail."
Qingying rubbed her temples in distress. "How long ago was this?"
"It happened just two incense sticks ago."
Two incense sticks later, around the time she had just left the Song residence, it was no wonder that Liu Yu and Madam Pan were dressed so casually; they must have been woken up from their sleep by Liu Shushu.
She was completely baffled. It was past midnight, why was Liu Shushu suddenly coming to find her instead of sleeping?
Tongxia suddenly said, "I just saw Tao'er following behind Liu Shushu."
"Tao'er?"
Yu Yue said, "Tao'er was a maid who used to sweep fallen leaves in our courtyard. She only came to the mansion last year. After leaving our courtyard, she was assigned to the kitchen to do vegetable washing."
Tongxia continued, "Tao'er and Lan'er are cousins."
Lan'er was the maid who often informed them of things, and now it seems that Tao'er has ingratiated herself with Liu Shushu, using the information she obtained from Lan'er to curry favor with her mistress. Fortunately, she didn't tell anyone about what happened tonight; even Yu Yue and Tong Xia only knew that she went to the Song residence to see the princess.
Yu Yue said regretfully, "It's all my fault, I didn't think of this beforehand."
A dark glint flashed in Qingying's eyes. She gently stroked the silk ribbon in her hand and slowly said, "Yu Yue, tell me, what should be done with a disloyal dog?"
Yu Yue and Tong Xia exchanged a glance and curtsied at the same time, "This servant understands."
Qingying smiled, stood up, and walked towards the inner room, her voice light and airy, "Make sure it's done cleanly."
"yes."
...
The next morning, a maid in the General's mansion suddenly died of poisoning. The person who poisoned her was another maid who lived in the same room as her. It was said that they were cousins. They actually killed each other over a small dispute over money.
The general's wife handed the maid over to the authorities for punishment. With conclusive evidence, the maid named Tao'er's death was imminent.
When Qingying heard the news, she was sitting in the courtyard feeding the white deer. She sighed and said, "It's truly horrifying to see sisters killing each other."
Yu Yue squatted down and added a piece of charcoal to the small stove that was warming tea. Her eyes were smiling, and her tone was regretful. "Yes, how could something like this happen so suddenly?"
Tong Xia chimed in, "After all, you can't see into someone's heart, so we should be more careful in the future."
A figure flashed by at the corner of the wall outside the courtyard and soon went to another courtyard.
Upon hearing the servant's report, Liu Shushu frowned. "It seems this matter truly has nothing to do with her..."
She recalled Qingying's delicate and harmless face, and her frail body that looked like it could be blown away by a gust of wind. She didn't seem like someone who would dare to kill.
"Never mind, she poses no threat to me either."
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