Chapter 45 A Twist of Fate
The princess felt uneasy when she saw him stammering.
"say what?"
The eldest princess frowned and pressed for an answer.
"Someone downstairs saw two...two men...in...in..." in the window of room number two.
"What are you doing?"
The eldest princess's bad premonition grew stronger.
"They were hugging each other, doing...doing that kind of thing..."
"What?"
Upon hearing this, the princess turned pale, her vision blurred, and she fainted.
The servants around them panicked instantly.
"Princess."
"Princess……"
Qi Guozheng was in his office when suddenly a servant rushed in to report that the princess had fainted, and he hurried to the residence.
Upon returning to the residence, he saw Princess Jinyang lying on her bed, tears streaming down her face, and said:
"My husband, what are we going to do..."
The Duke of Qi, puzzled, quickly asked, "What's wrong? What exactly happened?"
The eldest princess looked at the people in the room, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping herself.
With a wave of his hand, the servants around him left.
The eldest princess then spoke through tears: "Yesterday, Ling'er went to room number two in the Earth section of Tianxing Tower to meet someone."
Later, someone saw the shadows of two people reflected in the window of room number two.
Two men were embracing each other, doing *that* kind of thing…
The Duke of Qi was utterly bewildered: "You...you...what do you mean?"
"You...you mean...our Ling'er likes...men?"
Upon reaching this conclusion, the Duke of Qi felt a throbbing vein on his forehead.
He held his head for a while to catch his breath before gradually raising it.
"So that's why he insisted on having His Majesty issue a decree; he wanted to decide his own marriage. So that's the reason..."
Waaaaah... Why is our life so miserable...?
Hearing his beloved wife crying in his arms, the Duke of Qi was overwhelmed with emotion.
After a long pause, he finally asked, "Are you sure it's our Ling'er and a man?"
"There were many people standing on the street, all saying the same thing: it was two men."
The Duke of Qi closed his eyes briefly and asked, "Did you verify this with Ling'er?"
"Not yet. When he went out this morning, I noticed he didn't seem to have rested well, so I asked him a couple more questions."
And that's how this big thing came about..."
The eldest princess continued to cry, sobbing as she spoke.
"Who is the other man? Have you found out?" Duke Qi asked.
The eldest princess shook her head: "It hasn't been found out yet."
Duke Qi thought for a moment and said, "Don't be in a hurry. Let's ask Ling'er when she comes back."
Those people only saw a shadow, not the real person. What if it wasn't Ling'er?
Upon hearing this, the eldest princess wiped away her tears and said:
"The servants at Tianxing Tower said that only two people booked that room yesterday: their young lady and Ling'er."
His young lady is a girl, so the only one left is Ling'er.
When the Duke of Qi heard this, he felt that something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
He had no choice but to order, "Someone, go and summon the Prince back."
The person outside responded and went out.
Besides, after Xie Yuntang finished his morning duties at the government office, his good friend and lunch buddy Shen Bowen came in.
The two chatted while eating.
Shen Bowen looked at Xie Yuntang mysteriously and asked, "Brother Xie, have you heard?"
Xie Yuntang looked up and asked, "What?"
"Something strange happened at Tianxing Tower last night."
Upon hearing that it was his own Tianxing Tower, Xie Yuntang frowned and pressed for an answer:
"What is it?"
"I heard that last night someone saw two men's silhouettes reflected in the window of a private room on the second floor of Tianxing Tower while walking on the street."
Shen Bowen spoke with a sly, cheeky laugh.
Seeing his expression, Xie Yuntang stopped eating and asked:
"What's wrong with the two men?"
"The two men, who were homosexual, were said to have been embracing each other and doing things that were considered homosexual."
According to witnesses, the fight was fierce, and one of them nearly stripped another naked.
After Shen Bowen finished speaking, he winked and grinned even more slyly.
Xie Yuntang frowned, worried that this might affect Tianxinglou's business.
I need to let my sister know when I get home tonight so we can make plans early and not ruin the business.
Xiao Ling was having lunch in the government office when someone from his household came to deliver a message that the eldest princess had fainted.
Xiao Ling stood up, asked for leave, and hurriedly returned to his residence.
Who knew that when I got back I would be invited to the study.
The father looked like he had a headache, and the mother looked at him with red and swollen eyes.
Xiao Ling, puzzled, looked at the two and asked:
"Mother, what's wrong? The servants said you fainted. Is it serious?"
The Duke of Qi looked at his son, his voice filled with anger for the first time.
"Sit down."
Seeing that his father's expression and tone were not good, Xiao Ling was a little surprised, and obediently sat down in the lower seat.
"Ling'er, I called you back because there's something I want to ask you."
Xiao Ling looked surprised: "Father, please ask."
"Did you go to room number two in the Earth section of Tianxing Building last night?"
Xiao Ling nodded.
As soon as the princess saw him nod, she started crying again.
Xiao Ling was even more puzzled: "Mother, why are you crying?"
"My son, are you trying to kill your mother?" the princess cried.
"Mother, what have I done to deserve your death?"
Upon seeing this, the Duke of Qi slammed his fist on the table and angrily demanded, "Were you having a secret rendezvous with a man there yesterday?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ling opened his mouth, unsure how to explain.
"Don't try to hide it from us anymore, we already know."
Many people have seen your shadows reflected in the windows on the street.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ling wondered how to explain it.
If not explained properly, Xie Yunyu might be exposed.
Xiao Ling pondered how to say it when suddenly a brilliant idea struck him.
“The shadow from yesterday was not the child, but someone else.”
Upon hearing this, the Duke of Qi and the Princess were overjoyed and looked intently at Xiao Ling as he explained.
“My child, we did book that room yesterday.”
But when I arrived, the storytelling in the lobby was quite engaging, so I stayed there to listen.
Later I met a man whose clothes were wet and who wanted to find a room to change, so I gave him my room.
Who is that person?
The Duke of Qi and the Princess, with their four eyes, stared intently at Xiao Ling.
"Ye Jing, the heir apparent of the Marquis of Guangping."
Xiao Lingyun said casually.
"It was him?"
Upon hearing this, the Duke of Qi exclaimed in surprise.
The eldest princess then asked, "Who is the other person?"
"It seems to be the illegitimate son of the Vice Minister of Rites, named Chen Jiatao or Chen Taojia."
The Duke of Qi frowned as he listened.
The eldest princess exclaimed in surprise, "They really are two men!"
"The one surnamed Chen went in later. Qingfeng saw him and told me," Xiao Ling explained.
Upon hearing this, the Duke of Qi and the Princess were finally relieved.
Seeing that their expressions had softened, Xiao Ling asked in return:
"You called me back just to ask about this?"
The Duke of Qi nodded and gave an awkward laugh: "Aren't we just letting our concern cloud our judgment?"
Xiao Ling calmly stood up and said, "That's alright, I'll go back to the Ministry of Personnel for my shift."
The eldest princess looked up at her son and asked suspiciously:
"Ling'er, you like women, don't you?"
Xiao Ling glared at her mother in annoyance, said nothing, and got up to leave.
Seeing that he had left so rudely, the eldest princess turned to the Duke of Qi and asked:
What does he mean by that?
Duke Qi also stood up and said, "My wife, I have to go to my post at the government office, so I'll be leaving now."
After saying that, he left.
The eldest princess was left alone, sitting there with a bewildered expression.
Back at the Ministry of Personnel, Xiao Ling spent the entire afternoon in his office, his mind elsewhere.
Just as it was time to leave the office, Qingquan returned.
"Reporting to my lord, Ye Jing indeed intends to marry Xie San Niangzi."
Xiao Ling closed his eyes briefly after hearing this and said, "He really dares to think like that. Then don't blame me for being impolite."
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