If she wants to tell me, it means she trusts me and is willing to open her heart to me. If she doesn't want to tell me, that's fine too. Everyone has secrets in their heart, and whether to tell them or not is their own business.
“Miss Qu, actually, my real name is Yang Qianqian.” Yang Qianqian stood up, took two steps and then stopped, turned to look at Qu Qingxi, stared into Qu Qingxi’s eyes, and slowly said, “My father’s name was Yang Wei. He was a great general. Ten years ago, he was executed along with his entire family for the crime of treason.”
After Yang Qianqian finished speaking, she carefully glanced at Qu Qingxi's expression, afraid that Qu Qingxi would show any fear or disgust. However, there was nothing there. Qu Qingxi still smiled at her, her smile warm.
"Don't you think I'm a sinner? Miss Qu, I'm the descendant of a disgraced official, don't you feel disgusted?" Yang Qianqian's expression was sorrowful yet tinged with a hint of probing.
Qu Qingxi is a good person. Although she knows that her status is not as high as Qu Qingxi's, she still considers her a friend. If Qu Qingxi really hates her, she will be very sad.
"Why should I hate you?" Qu Qingxi retorted. "Is it because you are the descendant of a disgraced official? In my opinion, you are not that kind of person. Your parents must have been very good people to raise someone with your personality."
As for the crime you mentioned, I am not aware of it; perhaps there are some hidden circumstances involved.
Qu Qingxi dared not say too much for the time being, and could only give a simple explanation: this matter will be cleared of wrongs in the future, but since the evidence has not yet appeared before the court, even if she knew the outcome, she could not say it. Everything has its own laws.
If I were to say something that Yang Wei was innocent, and it were to fall into the ears of someone with ulterior motives, it would inevitably bring me trouble. That matter was handled by the late emperor. If anyone dared to say that Yang Wei was innocent, wouldn't that be questioning the late emperor's wisdom and brilliance?
"Hidden story? Is that what you think?" Yang Qianqian looked at Qu Qingxi, her eyes lighting up. Qu Qingxi's eyes were full of sincerity, genuinely wanting her to reveal the evidence she had collected.
However, no, I must be careful about this matter. If I don't handle it well, not only will all my efforts over the years be in vain, but I may also implicate Qu Qingxi.
"Mm." Qu Qingxi nodded.
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. This little fox is so beautifully embroidered." Qu Qingxi quickly changed the subject when she saw Yang Qianqian's expression turn sad again.
"You like this?" Yang Qianqian asked.
"Yes, I really didn't expect you to know this. It's a pleasant surprise. I really like double-sided embroidery." Qu Qingxi nodded.
"Do you have any favorite animals, flowers, or trees? If you don't mind, I can embroider one for you," Yang Qianqian quickly asked.
"Really?" Qu Qingxi knew that embroidering a double-sided embroidery was very difficult and required a lot of effort.
"Really, Qianqian wouldn't lie." Since Qu Qingxi said she was her older sister, Yang Qianqian genuinely believed that Qu Qingxi was older than her. So, when she spoke, she unconsciously put herself in the role of the younger sister. Although Qu Qingxi was young, she had an extraordinary temperament, which gave people the illusion that Qu Qingxi was not a teenage girl.
"I prefer deer," Qu Qingxi said excitedly. She liked deer because she used to have a deer plush toy that had been with her for more than ten years and was almost her inseparable best friend. So she has always liked deer. It's just a pity that keeping certain deer there is not very legal.
“A deer? Okay, I’ll embroider the deer after I finish embroidering this little fox.” Yang Qianqian nodded thoughtfully. The deer wasn’t difficult to embroider, but since she was giving it to Miss Qu, she naturally couldn’t just embroider a deer.
"Okay, thank you very much. But you don't need to rush. I'm not in a hurry." Qu Qingxi wanted Yang Qianqian to embroider a deer for her not only because she liked double-sided embroidery, but also because doing so would make Yang Qianqian feel that she was giving Qu Qingxi a reward, which would also make Yang Qianqian feel less guilty and uneasy.
"Okay, I understand." Yang Qianqian smiled and nodded. Although Qu Qingxi said there was no rush, she still wanted to finish the embroidery as soon as possible, as a way of repaying Qu Qingxi for saving her and asking someone to take care of her and support her.
These are things that cannot be measured by gold and silver, nor can they be repaid with a few words of thanks.
After sitting with Yang Qianqian for a while, Qingzhu and Qingdai returned dejectedly.
"What's wrong?" Qu Qingxi asked with a smile.
"Your Highness, we took those people to the Prefect of the Capital. The Prefect's men clearly recognized them. When they saw that Xu Cheng and the others were injured, they tried to arrest us without asking any questions."
"If we hadn't explained in time that we were from the Southern Qing Prince's Mansion, they probably would have arrested us all today."
Qingdai was furious. Her face turned red, and she put her hands on her hips, wishing she could beat those sycophants half to death right then and there.
Qingzhu was clearly angry too, but she just stayed quietly to the side, completely different from Qingdai's lively demeanor.
"Your Highness, I had no idea that the Prefect of the Capital would speak to people in a way that suited them. When he saw the Xu family's steward being beaten up like that, he wanted to beat us up on the spot in order to leave a good impression on Xu Cheng."
"When they finally found out we were from the Prince of Nanqing's mansion, their attitude changed drastically. But they didn't dare offend Xu Cheng, so they tried to smile at us, but when they saw Xu Cheng's injuries, they couldn't smile anymore. That weird and perverted look was disgusting."
Qingdai pouted, seeing that after she had talked for so long, the princess was just smiling at her without showing any shock or confusion, and she was a little surprised.
"The Princess Consort had already foreseen this?" Qingdai thought of something and immediately opened her eyes wide to look at Qu Qingxi.
"Yes, that's how it is in most officialdom. Who can blame him when Xu Ding is the Minister of Personnel, with an Empress as his sister and a nephew who is the Crown Prince above him?" Qu Qingxi nodded. She had anticipated the reaction from the Prefect of the Capital.
She didn't actually intend to send Xu Cheng and the others in today; she just wanted to take the opportunity to slap Xu Ding in the face and teach Xu Cheng a lesson.
"Qingzhu, if you encounter something like this again, just fight back. If anything happens, I, the princess, will back you up," Qu Qingxi said domineeringly.
During her conversation with Yang Qianqian, she learned that Qingzhu had acted out of desperation. She didn't want things to turn out this way. She and He Liufeng both had enough strength to ensure that the people they wanted to protect wouldn't be easily bullied. She hoped that her people would stand up without fear or hesitation when faced with adversity.
Although she knew it would be difficult, she would not give up and would gradually change them in a subtle way.
"Yes, Your Highness." Qingzhu nodded heavily, knowing full well that if she hadn't handled things properly at the beginning, none of what happened later would have occurred.
"Qingzhu, you did very well today too. Special cases require special treatment. Take good care of Miss Yang from now on. If you need more people, ask Qingdai for help, or buy maids and guards. Understand?"
"Yes, Your Highness, this servant obeys." Qingzhu understood that this meant the princess thought highly of her and hoped that she could make a decisive decision.
"You've all had a long day, so please get some rest. Qingdai and I will head back now." Qu Qingxi stood up, nodded slightly to Yang Qianqian, and then turned and left with Qingdai.
The two returned to the Prince's Mansion. Qu Qingxi was just about to rest for a while when Qingdai rushed in.
"Your Highness, someone from the palace has arrived." Qingdai's expression was very unpleasant.
"Is she someone from the Empress's side?" Qu Qingxi raised an eyebrow slightly, pausing in her act of taking off her clothes.
“Yes, it’s that Granny Yang who came last time.” Qingdai nodded. “She said that the Empress has decreed that the Princess Consort must come to the palace now.”
"Alright, let's go then." Qu Qingxi smiled, but her expression was extremely cold. The news really spread quickly; she had just returned to the manor when the Empress came to her door.
How could she possibly remember that the empress was forbidden from interfering in politics? Did she even know that the emperor was aware of the empress's close ties with the outside world?
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