the truth
On a spring night, the coolness is mixed with a little bit of coolness, and the fragrance of peach blossoms penetrates into people's noses.
Qi Xu stood outside her daughter's bedroom, suspecting that she had misheard. Her daughter usually came and went alone, so how could there be a man's voice in the bedroom?
Although Qi Qinghe had arranged a marriage for her younger sister, in Qi Xu's eyes, her daughter was still a simple and kind girl, so she was particularly worried about her.
Unfortunately, the old woman had never dealt with any important people in her life and was not used to Cheng Xi's flattery, so she chose to come when no one was around.
Qi Xu listened to her daughter's voice, which was a little hoarse, and did not sound like she was being bullied. She felt relieved and walked forward and slowly pushed the door open. After all, she was her own daughter, so there was nothing she couldn't see. "Then I'll come in."
But as soon as she put her hand on the door frame, the dormitory door opened from the inside out.
Qi Qinghe was only wearing a moon-white nightgown. Her thin figure could not bear the wind. Her eyebrows were curved and she smiled sweetly. "Mother is here. It's a pity that you still think of me. I'm starving right now."
As she spoke, she took the food box from A Niang's hand and led A Niang into the house.
The simple bedroom was visible at a glance. Apart from the bed, table and chairs, there was also a treasure chest. There was no one else in the empty house.
Qi Xu patted her chest and was completely relieved. Her daughter was so well-behaved, how could she hide anyone?
Qi Qinghe looked normal, only a little pale, and her voice was a little hoarse. She didn't look sick at all. She laid out the food that her mother had brought, which included porridge, side dishes, and desserts, all very light.
She frowned in disdain, and before she even started eating, she heard her mother speak.
Qi Xu said, "Qinghe, don't blame your mother for being too talkative. You are a girl after all. It's fine for you to just do business, but stay out of the public eye with those officials. You're not acting like a girl if you're in the spotlight. Besides, the world is unpredictable and the laws of nature are unpredictable. You should be more cautious and pay more attention to your own safety."
Qi Qinghe lowered her eyes and listened obediently to her mother's lecture without a word of resistance. "Mother, you are right. I remember what you said. I will definitely not act so recklessly in the future, so as not to worry you."
Qi Xu sighed, gently stroking her daughter's long hair, and watched her finish her light meal. "Mother has lived for most of her life without much to look forward to. As long as you are well, Mother will be relieved."
This sounded normal at first, but after listening carefully, Qi Qinghe felt something was wrong. If her illness had caused her mother to be so sad, she had never seen her mother like this before, even when she was married off or fell into the water.
She didn't show any emotion on her face, and held her mother's hand tightly, "What you said is right, I will remember it."
"Did you see it that day?" Qi Xu was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "You've been ill these past few days, so take good care of yourself. When you recover, I'll tell you."
The words were incoherent and left Qi Qinghe confused. Then suddenly an idea came to her and she understood that what A Niang was talking about was the page of letter with her name on it that she saw in A Niang's room that night.
She froze, looking away awkwardly, "Mother is right."
Qi Xu wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, she said nothing. She cleaned up the dishes, told her daughter not to see her off, and left.
Before he had gone far, he seemed to bump into Cheng Xi who had hurried back. The two chatted for a few words and then dispersed.
Cheng Xi frowned, thinking to himself that something was wrong, and walked forward to the door, "Girl, girl, are you okay?"
Qi Qinghe was still lost in what her mother had just said when Chengxi suddenly interrupted her. She realized that Chengxi wasn't asking her a question, so she angrily scolded him, "What can I do?"
Her eyes moved to the bed. Through a thin layer of bed curtains, the thick bedding piled up against the wall was suddenly lifted up.
Xiao Junbai pulled off the quilt with an expressionless face and slowly stood up. He felt uncomfortable and couldn't stretch his hands and feet. They were numb and sore. He stretched his hands and feet and moved closer to Qi Qinghe.
The tall figure of the man slowly approached and enveloped her. His entire face was blurred in the dim light, but she could clearly feel the steady breath, as if spraying on her face, shoulders, and chest, burning hot and making it impossible for her to escape.
Xiao Junbai sat across from her, took a towel and took her hand, gently wiping her fingers clean. "What do you think of what I just asked?"
Qi Qinghe finally saw clearly, his fingers stained with some snack crumbs, and he lowered his eyelids without saying a word.
Seeing her like this, Xiao Junbai was not annoyed. "Since you are not saying anything, I will assume that you agree. It's still early, why not clean up first."
Qi Qinghe suddenly raised her head and met the prince's eyes with a faint smile. She cursed him inwardly, calling him a lunatic. It was already dark outside. If they went to Yangzhou City now, wouldn't they have to travel at night? Would she be able to sleep tonight?
Xiao Junbai's eyes moved across the man's face, his tone calm and unquestionable, "You have no other choice. I am your way out."
The shocking words coming out of the prince's mouth made Qi Qinghe's eyes widen in shock. Her slender and beautiful figure was raised, and she opened her mouth to curse, but swallowed back half of the curse.
After a long moment, she finally found her voice, "Why do you say that? I have to make my own way in life."
"I thought you understood." Xiao Junbai said calmly, "It was my order that your cloth shop could continue to this day. With your innocent background, how could you survive in this world?"
The prince said it lightly, as if it was a trivial matter not worth mentioning.
Qi Qinghe stared at him in a daze, feeling as if a basin of cold water had been poured over her head, soaking her body thoroughly and chilling her burning heart. Her hair stood on end and she trembled uncontrollably.
It turns out that all this was fake.
What about the cloth shop, doing business, and inheriting his father's ambition? None of it counted. They were all carefully woven webs by this man, making it impossible for her to break free and she had nowhere to escape.
Qi Qinghe curled her fingers into fists, her fingers sinking deep into her palms. The faint stinging stimulated her. She could only curse herself inwardly for being so stupid. All this was just her self-righteousness.
Xiao Junbai grabbed her hand and stretched it out with force. He saw scars on her palm, some deep and some shallow, and bleeding. He frowned slightly, took a towel and wiped it dry gently, then wrapped it around and around, wrapping her palm tightly without a trace of blood.
Qi Qinghe was unconscious and breathless, "If that's the case, why are you asking me?"
Anyway, the prince wouldn't allow her to refuse, so why bother?
Xiao Junbai was speechless.
…
About half an hour later, Qi Qinghe packed only a few pieces of clothes and a letter for her mother, pushed aside the prince's support, and got straight into the carriage.
In the silent house, in the pitch-black darkness, there was no one to be seen, no sound of footsteps to be heard, and everyone seemed to be fast asleep, without a breath.
It would be best to leave under the cover of night without attracting attention.
The carriage creaked away and slowly headed towards Yangzhou City.
Halfway through the journey, Qi Qinghe couldn't help but ask the Crown Prince, "Since you knew I was a substitute bride, did you see through our conspiracy to escape during the autumn hunt?"
Xiao Junbai turned a deaf ear and closed his eyes to rest.
Seeing that no one responded, Qi Qinghe became more and more angry. He turned his head to the other side, thinking that out of sight, out of mind.
She was so angry that she forgot that she was still sick. When her thoughts were in a mess, the suppressed sleepiness swept over her body. Her heavy eyelids drooped, and she didn't know when she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
The person in the sleep seemed to be unable to sit steadily, tossing from side to side, and actually fell straight onto Xiao Junbai.
Xiao Junbai suddenly opened his eyes and looked down at the person he was leaning against. There was a faint floral fragrance coming from the woman, mixed with a hint of medicinal smell. After the fragrance, there was endless bitterness.
He raised his arms, held the person against his chest, slowly leaned over, hugged the person tightly, and greedily sniffed the remaining flower fragrance.
On the woman's slender wrist, the purple fingerprints left by the prince when they met again had not yet completely disappeared, hidden in her sleeves and invisible to others.
Xiao Junbai thought that he should tie her hands and feet so that she could never escape.
The bright moon hangs high in the sky, dotted with stars, and the breeze is blowing gently.
At midnight, the carriage stopped outside Yangzhou City. On the towering city wall, the guards stuck their heads out and shouted at the carriage below the city to ask who was coming.
The accompanying guard handed over the official letter and was allowed to enter the city only after the guards had carefully checked it.
As he spoke, Qi Qinghe was still fast asleep, with an abnormally light red flush on her face. The places where she was hugging the prince, her fingers, forehead, and cheeks were all burning hot. Her willow-shaped eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and she was whispering softly.
Xiao Junbai pushed back a little, raised his hand and touched the man's forehead. The hot skin made him retract his hand suddenly. He frowned and asked the driver to go faster.
Soon, the carriage stopped at the post station palace. The coachman placed the footstool and lifted the curtain. The prince jumped out of the carriage steadily holding someone, strode in, and ordered the servant who came to meet him to call the doctor.
Putting her on the soft bed, Xiao Junbai took a wet towel and carefully wiped the sweat from her forehead.
The doctor came quickly and saluted cautiously. When he saw that the person who came to ask for pulse was a woman, he hesitated for a moment. Facing the prince's unexpected look, he picked up the towel that was placed on his forehead, placed it on the woman's wrist, and held his breath to calm his mind.
"Your Highness, although this girl has a high fever, it is not caused by an epidemic, but by anger." The doctor told him frankly. Unexpectedly, the prince, who was relatively calm just now, now had a gloomy face and was looking at him coldly.
The doctor shuddered, forgetting what he was about to say. He stammered and changed his words, "This girl has an impatient temper, and she's been worried about a lot of things. She's been feeling depressed for a long time, and her anger has just taken a toll on her heart, and coupled with the epidemic, she's had a high fever."
As soon as he finished speaking, the prince, who had been gloomy just now, suddenly turned pale.
The doctor withdrew his hand tremblingly, cold sweat breaking out on his back. He lowered his head and dared not say a word, wondering in his heart, is this really the upright, just, and self-disciplined Crown Prince of the current dynasty?
Xiao Junbai was extremely angry, but for a moment he didn't know who to be angry at. In the end, he didn't make things difficult for others. "Just tell me how to treat it."
"It can be cured, Your Highness, rest assured." The doctor nodded hurriedly, wrote a prescription, handed it to the waiting servant, bowed, and thought it would be best to leave early. "Just take the medicine on time."
"When will she wake up?" The prince looked away and glanced at the unconscious person on the bed.
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