As expected, Qingying saw Pan being helped into a carriage by Liu Chengfeng as soon as she arrived at the gate of the mansion.
"Brother, Mother, where are you going?" she asked, lifting the curtain of the carriage window.
The two men turned to look at her at the sound of her voice, and were both taken aback when they saw her.
"Shushu?"
Liu Chengfeng strode over, lifted her carriage curtain, and peeked inside on tiptoe. "Why are you back?"
Qingying was puzzled: "Can't I come back?"
"No, no, I just want to see where you are injured."
She clutched her chest, her expression showing more pain.
"Your heart?" He was shocked. "The Seventh Prince actually stabbed you in the heart? Where's the doctor? Have you seen a doctor?!"
Seeing that he seemed about to fly in at any moment, Qingying quickly explained, "No, no, brother, you misunderstood. I have no external injuries. I was just frightened."
"But they told me you were stabbed to death by the Seventh Prince, how could that be..."
Good heavens, less than two hours have passed and the news of her death has already spread! There will probably be people coming to pay their respects first thing tomorrow morning!
Who on earth is the bastard behind all this?!
"Where did you hear this rumor, brother?"
Liu Chengfeng looked slightly embarrassed. He took a step back to help Pan Shi, who had rushed over, and explained in a low voice, "Mother, I only heard it vaguely. In my haste, I didn't have time to verify it."
Madam Pan glared at him angrily and said, "I've told you to stay away from those brothels. You always believe everything you hear, and you've made me so flustered and anxious."
Qingying had already gotten off the carriage and, upon hearing this, roughly guessed where Liu Chengfeng had heard the rumor.
Her brother always had a stern, cold face, as if others owed him money and hadn't paid it back. However, he was on good terms with the dissolute Prince Yu's heir. As the saying goes, "one is influenced by one's company," and he also frequented brothels and became a proper and upright playboy.
Madam Pan came over, took her hand, looked her up and down, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that she was really alright.
"Mother, I was really just a little frightened, I didn't even have any minor injuries."
Madam Pan said with lingering fear, "Fortunately, it was just a rumor. When I heard that you had been stabbed to death for no reason, my hands and feet turned cold. Shushu, I really can't lose you again."
"I understand, I've worried you, Mother," Qingying said, holding her hand reassuringly.
Liu Chengfeng said, "Alright, let's not stand here and attract attention, lest we disturb Grandmother later."
The mother and daughter then walked back to the mansion together.
Madam Pan was still not entirely at ease, so she ordered someone to invite Doctor Qin to examine her pulse.
When Dr. Qin sees patients, he habitually dismisses those around him.
At this moment, only Qingying and he were in the room.
"Could I trouble you, Doctor Qin, for a favor?" she asked cautiously through the curtain.
Doctor Qin placed his fingers on her wrist through a silk handkerchief, without even lifting his eyelids, and asked, "What does the young lady want me to help her with?"
“I know I’m not sick right now. When you leave, could you tell me that I was frightened and that my old illness relapsed?”
"Does the young lady want me to fake it?"
"No, no, you said yesterday that my body hasn't fully recovered and there's a possibility of relapse at any time, so why not just go with the flow..."
Doctor Qin interrupted her before she could finish speaking, saying, "Young lady, I am a doctor, and I must uphold medical ethics. Why would you say you are sick when you are perfectly healthy? I cannot tell such a lie."
After saying that, he let go of her hand and took the handkerchief from her wrist.
"One hundred taels." Qingying's unhurried voice came from inside the tent.
He paused in packing his medicine box, then retorted coldly, "How could I, an old man, betray my principles for such gold and silver?!"
He slammed the medicine box shut and left.
"Gold." Qingying's voice came again.
He paused for a moment, then continued walking out.
Before long, Doctor Qin's sorrowful voice came from outside: "The young lady has been frightened, and her old illness has relapsed!"
Inside the tent, Qingying smiled.
There is nothing in this world that money cannot solve; if there is, it is simply because not enough money has been given.
...
As night fell, Qingying tossed and turned on the couch. Suddenly, she heard a noise by the window. Her eyes lit up, and she immediately threw off the covers and got up.
"We parted ways in the palace yesterday, why has Your Highness come again today?" She leaned on the windowsill with both hands, smiling radiantly.
Wei Huaixu, still dressed in black, stood outside the window and said earnestly, "I have come to fulfill your wish."
"oh?"
"I'll give you a perfect husband."
Qingying looked behind him. "Where?"
Wei Huaixu cupped her cheeks, making her look at him, and said, "It's far away, yet right before my eyes."
Her face was so small, smaller than his palm.
She blinked, her clear eyes reflecting his handsome features, and asked, "Is Your Highness referring to yourself?"
"otherwise?"
She burst out laughing.
Wei Huaixu looked puzzled and asked, "You mean... you're not satisfied?"
Qingying grasped his hand and rubbed her cheek against his palm like a spoiled kitten. "Is Your Highness confessing your love to me?"
He felt a warm, soft touch from her palm, a ticklish sensation that seemed to reach his very core. He looked down at the girl in front of him; the light from the room shone behind her, obscuring her face in shadow, yet he could see it clearly. It felt as if something was creeping up his heart, enveloping him little by little.
He swallowed hard, his prominent Adam's apple bobbing as he moved. His voice suddenly became hoarse and deeper than usual: "Shushu, I'm serious."
Qingying's expression froze for a moment. She grasped his thumb, took a step back, and said, "I don't like this nickname."
He didn't bother to find out why she didn't like it, but simply asked, "Then what do you like me to call you?"
She thought for a moment and said, “In public, you can call me Miss Liu, but in private, you can call me Jiaojiao. This is the nickname my birth mother gave me.”
"A white horse gallops freely in the empty valley. Your birth mother hoped that you would be as free as a white horse galloping across the wilderness, and as pure as the bright moon in the sky. This is a good omen." He raised his hand and ruffled her hair, softly calling out, "Jiaojiao."
The two words seemed to roll around in his throat, carrying a deep, lingering feeling, almost intoxicating.
"Hmm." Qingying looked at him and smiled.
She suddenly raised her left wrist and waved it in front of him, saying, "Look, I'm wearing the red string you braided. From now on, I'll wear it every day."
A red string was tied around the girl's slender, fair wrist, from which two jade beads dangled and made a soft, crisp sound as she swayed.
A tenderness spread across Wei Huaixu's eyes. He gently grasped her wrist, stroking the red string with his fingertips, and said, "It's really beautiful. People often say that jewelry complements the hand, but I think it's the hand that complements the jewelry."
"I never expected His Highness the Crown Prince to be so eloquent."
"You'll find out later that I know a lot more." He smiled and released her hand, saying, "Since you've told me my childhood name, to show my sincerity, I'll allow you to call me Ah Xu in private."
Qingying smiled faintly, "Okay."
He suddenly produced a jade token from somewhere and handed it over, saying, "This is the jade token that I use to mobilize my subordinates. Since I have decided on you, I am giving it to you. If you encounter any danger while I am not by your side, it may be able to save your life."
Qingying was taken aback when she realized he would entrust her with something so important.
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