Chapter 8
"Yes! Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."
The conversation turned to Sister Teng. Yue Qingning breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at the green tiles outside the window with an indifferent expression.
I didn't know if Que Ming was hurt just now. She was not that kind of willful person. Even though he had done so many evil things, she didn't feel much happiness in taking revenge on him.
He must have choked on the water. When he first came ashore, his face was red and he kept coughing. His wet shirt revealed his thin figure. He looked so miserable that it was impossible not to think about him.
"General Cui was extremely brave on the Weidong battlefield. Everyone in the capital knows that you are a young and accomplished man, both brave and resourceful. You are truly a rare pillar of our Dasheng!"
The prince's passionate words brought Yue Qingning back to his senses, and he could be heard expressing his approval of the young master of the Cui family.
"Your Highness, thank you for your praise!"
Cui Hu seemed unused to talking to him and only said a few words. Xiao Yan didn't care about his attitude and continued.
"I'm sure you've heard some rumors. The Shuhu clan was oppressed and slaughtered by the Ibuzhu clan, and they were forced to come to Dasheng to seek refuge. How could Dasheng, a country so rich and powerful, stand idly by? The emperor has already approved the allocation of funds to help the Shuhu establish a nation and maintain its security. I'm afraid that Major General Cui will escort them throughout this mission!"
When these words were spoken, everyone was shocked.
It turned out that His Majesty had recalled Cui Hu for this very reason! The situation on the border was changing rapidly, yet he had recalled the chief general at this time just to escort three million taels of silver to Shu Hu. It was truly a joke!
Looking at the lively scene of everyone's faces turning pale and purple, Xiao Yan sneered.
He knew that few people in the capital would agree with such absurd behavior, but they should also know how powerful the emperor was, and he would soon be the next emperor.
Their reluctance was of no use at all. Xiao Yan brought up this matter deliberately to make them clear who is the center of power!
"Major General Cui is in a difficult situation?"
Cui Hu quickly replied, "No! Serving the country is my duty!"
"That's great! The Young General is indeed as impressive as Duke Cui Huguo was back then! I'll leave everything to you, then."
Cui Hu had never imagined that the emperor had summoned him back to the capital for this matter. He lowered his head, unable to conceal his disgust. He had always been guarding the frontier for his country, and had never paid attention to the affairs of the court. He had never expected that after such a long absence, the situation in the court had changed.
This prince is the son of the foreign queen of Shuhu. It goes without saying that he will definitely help his mother's family to establish roots. However, it is unexpected that he is unwilling to even pretend and has already started to make profits for his mother's family before he ascended the throne.
The sound of the piano gradually faded, and the singer began to sing. The song he sang was a southern folk song, which was gentle and melodious and very suitable for the current scene. However, everyone present had different thoughts and could not listen to the song.
Xiao Yan had already achieved his goal. He nodded at the two courtesans and the servant beside him handed them two bags of silver. The two of them thanked him profusely and accepted the reward, then listened to him speak again.
"Since we want to enjoy the lotus, it's not the time yet. Why don't you listen for a while and then go to the lotus pond in the evening?"
"I will do my best to obey your Highness."
Since the noble man had spoken, Yue Qingning and the other two had no way to leave.
Yue Qingning became even more worried. He would definitely have to board the boat at night, and Que Ming was still on the boat. How could he get rid of him without leaving any trace?
Across from him, Xiao Yan gently waved his folding fan, nodded from time to time, and listened quietly to the lingering music.
She appears calm and composed on the surface, but in fact she is very meticulous and attentive. It is really difficult for him not to notice!
What could she do now to avoid suspicion of ulterior motives? Yue Qingning thought carefully. A clear purpose was more reassuring than an ulterior motive. But would he believe it?
Yue Qingning called Zhu'er to his side and whispered instructions to her.
Qingzhu received the order and quietly went downstairs, and it seemed that no one noticed.
After a while, amid the melodious music, a sound of water reached his ears. Yue Qingning listened carefully and found that it was indeed the sound of waves.
They have already left the shore.
The matter was finally resolved, Yue Qingning breathed a sigh of relief, and finally let go of the handkerchief in her hand. But just as she relaxed a little, she felt that shadowy gaze following her again.
Such an intimidating gaze could only belong to the Third Young Master Cui. He was too focused on her and was causing her trouble at this time. Yue Qingning didn't want to respond and deliberately avoided looking at him.
After singing for about two quarters of an hour, the prince sat up straight with a lack of interest, and it seemed that he wanted to leave. Yue Qingning had not yet heard the sound of the boat docking, so he hurriedly sat up straight as well.
"Your Highness, Qingning has a question that has been lingering in my mind for a while, but I have to ask."
"Oh? What's the problem?"
He became interested and leaned aside, waiting for her to ask.
Xiao Yan looked at the beautiful Handan who was sitting opposite him with her brows lowered. She didn't want to say anything just now, but now she wants to talk to him?
Could the accidentally dropped veil also be part of the story? This girl from the Yue family is quite interesting, but is this her own idea, or is it Minister Yue's intention?
"Qingning had just entered the room when he saw a huge red lotus placed before him. The petals were exquisite, the color delicate. I wonder which master crafted this lotus. Qingning has been thinking about it since entering the room. I'm really curious. Could Your Highness tell me?"
Xiao Yan lowered his head, shook the jade pendant he was playing with, chuckled, and said slowly.
"He's the newly appointed imperial kiln craftsman in the palace. Years ago, the Empress expressed her desire to visit Lotus Lake, so my father arranged for this lake-viewing pavilion to be built. The red lotus is the craftsman Dou Chen's first work. The young lady loves this red lotus so much, he's so lucky to have found a soulmate!"
Yue Qingning shook his head and forced himself to smile as he replied.
"I don't dare to call myself your soulmate, I can only appreciate your superficial knowledge!"
Xiao Yan sneered, "If the young lady really likes it, the emperor will go on a trip soon, and the craftsman will come here to receive the reward. Why not let me introduce him to you?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's faces lit up.
The prince was clearly mocking her. If an unmarried woman relied on the prince to introduce a man to her, wouldn't that mean she would be destined for life? And the man she was looking for was a craftsman, a far cry from her own status.
Among everyone present, the third young master of the Cui family had the most serious expression. He had been away from home for many years and was not as good at hiding as the people in the capital. At this moment, he was about to lose control. Seeing his brother like this, Cui Jing quickly grabbed his arm and asked him to turn his head unnoticed.
The capital is not like the frontier. If the noble sees you with an unfriendly look, it will be a serious crime.
Xiao Yan leaned on the table as if watching a fun event, with his head resting on his hands to see how she would respond. However, Yue Qingning's expression did not change at all, and she spoke lightly.
"I dare not let His Highness worry about such a trivial matter. Qingning has been in the mansion for many years and has not seen much of the world. I am sorry to have caused His Highness trouble!"
A light remark stopped him from wanting to see her make a fool of herself. She said that she had never seen the world. The craftsmen made it exclusively for the imperial palace. If it wasn't a reward, how many people had really seen the world?
Yue Qingning was calm and composed. Although she lowered her head, there was no trace of unhappiness on her face, as if she was not the one who was in trouble just now.
However, she really didn't care what was happening on the scene. Beneath her calm demeanor, she was listening attentively to the sounds coming from downstairs.
Seeing that the prince did not want to say anything more, Cui Jing hurried forward to smooth things over.
"Your Highness, it's almost time. Why don't we go to the boat and enjoy the view?"
Upon hearing this, Yue Qingning immediately became nervous. Cui Hu had been paying attention to her. When he saw her suddenly raise her eyes, he looked extremely anxious and wanted to come over to ask her about her condition.
On the one hand, the boat downstairs has not returned yet, on the other hand, the prince wants to go downstairs at this moment, and there is also a busybody who is about to come over to cause trouble!
She was dizzy from the troubles that piled up one after another. Just then, the prince suggested going downstairs, and everyone present stood up.
Yue Qingning held onto the table and straightened her legs with difficulty. She swayed a bit when she stood up, but this unexpectedly gave her an idea.
She swayed twice, half pretending to be dizzy and half really dizzy, and suddenly fell forward. The prince was coming down the stairs in front of her. He was startled by the sound of her falling and looked back in surprise.
Beside the low couch, a beautiful woman was leaning on one side, her face half flushed, her brows tightly furrowed as if she was about to faint.
Xiao Yan thought she was pretending to be sick, but when he looked at her carefully, he saw some beads of sweat on her temples. Her face, which had just been red, began to turn pale, and she seemed to be really dizzy.
Although he didn't like her, he wouldn't leave her there. He came back and saw her leaning on Teng.
"What's going on?"
"Your Highness, my sister has been feeling unwell for a few days now. It was me who insisted on bringing her out, which is why she is in this state today. I am sorry to have caused Your Highness so much worry!"
Sister Teng held her hand tightly, feeling the cold sweat on her palms and becoming more and more anxious.
"I'm fine, just send her to the hospital!"
As Cui Hu was about to come over and pick her up, Yue Qingning quickly pushed him away and forced herself to speak to the prince.
"I wanted to entertain you all, so I sent someone to buy some river lanterns. I didn't expect my health to be so poor, and I ended up disturbing your highness's enjoyment. I'm so sorry!"
Xiao Yan was stunned. It turned out that the boat that just left was her idea. He was sitting by the window close to the dock, and he knew it as soon as the boat moved. But just now he was still guessing whose idea it was.
It's really nice to have river lanterns add some fun to watching the lotus at night. This little girl is quite smart. Is she trying to attract his attention?
The servant beside him came up from downstairs and whispered a few words to Xiao Yan. He listened without much change and said to the beautiful figure sitting on the ground.
"The ship has returned, you don't have to worry! The most important thing is to get you back!"
My brain is smart but my body is not. I’m afraid this time it won’t go your way.
The prince looked down at her condescendingly, feeling extremely contemptuous of her petty thoughts. He gradually began to show annoyance on his face, so he waved his hand and called the servant over.
Before the servant could get close, Cui Hu had already picked her up. He was tall and it was effortless for him to lift her up.
"Your Highness..." He lowered his eyes towards the prince.
Xiao Yan naturally didn't care who picked her up, he just wanted her to get out of his sight as soon as possible, so he nodded.
Yue Qingning almost fell down the stairs. He only felt a gust of wind when he came down, and his whole body almost floated in the air.
He was such a straightforward man that Yue Qingning couldn't stop him no matter how much she wanted to refuse. At this moment, she felt ashamed, angry and anxious, but fortunately, she had done what she should do.
Before reaching the dock, the prince's servant caught up with him.
"His Highness said to send the girl by boat, it would be faster this way!"
Then he led them to the other side. The prince came here by boat, and at this moment the exquisite boat was parked on the other side of the island in the middle of the lake.
Cui Hu stepped onto the boat in a few quick steps and let her lean against the cabin. Yue Qingning quickly pressed his arm to thank him.
"Thank you, Third Young Master! His Highness is still here, please go back!"
He hurriedly asked, "How can you do it alone?"
Why is this guy so stubborn? Judging from his expression, he seems to be genuinely worried about her, but she is not alone. Qingzhu, who was jogging behind him, has also come to her side and is holding her up, wanting to say something but stopping herself.
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