"You've gone to so much trouble, what do you want?" Qu Qingxi put down her chopsticks and looked directly at Shen Shuyan.
“We’re friends, aren’t we?” Shen Shuyan looked back at Qu Qingxi, his eyes open and honest, without a trace of scheming.
Qu Qingxi pursed her lips gently, lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment, then lowered her head and poured a cup of tea for each of them.
"Let's toast our friendship with tea instead of wine." Qu Qingxi picked up her teacup, a resolute look on her face.
"To our friendship." Shen Shuyan also raised his glass and gently touched the teacup in Qu Qingxi's hand.
"Since you've put it that way, I won't refuse." Having power in her hands would give her more confidence in what she did next.
It can be used for both offense and defense.
"This was originally yours."
"Thank you." Qu Qingxi still thanked Shen Shuyan earnestly.
After finishing her meal, Qu Qingxi returned to her residence, only to find an uninvited guest at the Prince's mansion.
Qu Qingxi was still dressed in men's clothing. She glanced at Ren Nuanyun, who was sitting in the front hall, and a hint of surprise crossed her mind. Why did Ren Nuanyun suddenly come to the door?
She couldn't recall Ren Nuanyun ever sending an invitation to the Prince of Nanqing's residence. It seemed she had come unexpectedly, treating this place like modern times, going wherever she pleased. Even in modern times, if you wanted to visit someone's house, you'd have to call ahead to ask if it was convenient.
Or perhaps, after becoming the Crown Princess, Ren Nuanyun became somewhat arrogant and thought that everyone should give her face?
Qu Qingxi snorted coldly, turned around, and walked straight towards her room.
Inside the room, Qingdai was pacing anxiously when she saw the door being pushed open and a middle-aged man walking in. Qingdai was startled at first, then immediately attacked Qu Qingxi.
Who dares to break into the princess's room? It's a man, he's practically asking for death.
However, Qingdai dared not shout loudly, lest she attract others. If others saw that there was a man in the princess's room, they would surely spit on her and drown her in their gossip.
Now that the princess is not here, we can only capture him first and torture him severely to find out who sent him to try to damage the princess's reputation!
Before Qingdai even reached Qu Qingxi, Qu Qingxi spoke up, "Qingdai, it's me."
Qingdai stopped what she was doing, stunned. The princess's voice? How could this man in front of her speak the princess's voice?
Before Qingdai could voice her doubts, Qu Qingxi spoke up again, "I've disguised myself, wait a moment."
As Qu Qingxi spoke, she quickly took off her outer clothes, revealing a white garment underneath. A small, round object also fell to the ground.
Qingdai saw clearly that the thing fell from the person's stomach. In the blink of an eye, the middle-aged man who had been chubby just moments before became slender and thin, but his bronze skin and small mustache made him look out of place.
At this moment, Qingdai understood perfectly well that the person in front of her was none other than the princess, whose disguise skills were extremely superb. She wondered what the guards in the palace were doing, and how they could let a man into the palace for no reason, and even let him into the princess's courtyard.
Qingdai was unaware that the guards in the Prince's mansion had no idea that Qu Qingxi had gone out disguised as a man. Qu Qingxi naturally had ways to evade their surveillance.
"Your Highness, why didn't you take me with you when you went out?" Realizing that the person in front of her was Qu Qingxi, Qingdai quickly stopped her attack.
The princess's attire clearly indicates that she secretly slipped out to play. No wonder she couldn't be found this morning; she had gone out.
Qu Qingxi hadn't expected Qingdai to ask this question right away; she thought Qingdai was going to ask her where she had gone.
"When I went out this morning, I saw you were still sleeping, so I didn't take you with me," Qu Qingxi said, then walked to the basin of water next to her and began to wash her face.
Qingdai stuck out her tongue. Lately, she had been spoiled rotten by the princess, and she was living a life of luxury, sleeping early and getting up late every day, eating and drinking the finest food. Her happiness had increased immeasurably.
The weather has been getting colder lately, so she's been staying in bed a bit longer.
"Your Highness, Ren Nuanyun suddenly came to see you today." Qingdai remembered the important matter and quickly moved closer to Qu Qingxi.
"Did you say anything?" After washing off the makeup, revealing a beautiful face with fair skin and rosy cheeks, Qu Qingxi gently wiped the water droplets off her face with a soft cloth.
"No, she just said she had something to discuss with the Princess, but she wouldn't say what it was. I didn't want her to come in, but she was with the Crown Prince's men, so I couldn't stop her," Qingdai explained.
She disliked Ren Nuanyun completely. Last time, she even dared to drug the Princess at the chrysanthemum appreciation banquet. If the Princess hadn't been alert and sent her to call the Prince in time, who knows what might have happened.
Unexpectedly, before the princess could even make a move, she still dared to come knocking on their door.
Qingdai had no idea that on the second night after the chrysanthemum appreciation banquet, Qu Qingxi would take revenge on Ren Nuanyun.
In this era, it is somewhat unfair to blame women for having intimate relations before marriage, as it is considered their fault. However, if the other person is a prince, the situation would be quite different.
As the heir apparent, the Crown Prince should prioritize state affairs. Being too fond of women and indulging in lust is unacceptable. Once this matter is exposed, Qu Qingxi won't even need to lift a finger.
The memorials impeaching the Crown Prince submitted by the Censor-in-Chief alone could overwhelm him. At the same time, other ambitious princes would certainly not let go of this good opportunity to remove the Crown Prince from power.
He Liufeng had previously sent people to keep an eye on the Marquis of Dingguo's residence, so he naturally knew about the incident that night when the Marquis of Dingguo's residence beat and killed his servants.
That night, apart from the maids and servants who were lazy and didn't get up, as well as the personal maids and servants of several masters in the Dingguo Marquis's mansion, almost everyone else was secretly executed.
The next day, the Marquis of Dingguo's mansion replaced its servants with a new batch. He Liufeng's men kept a few alive and placed them elsewhere.
After that day, the Crown Prince and the Marquis of Dingguo thought that with the deaths of those servants, no one would know about the affair between the Crown Prince and Ren Nuanyun in the ancestral hall of the Marquis of Dingguo's mansion.
Qu Qingxi and He Liufeng pretended not to know about it. If they had revealed it then, the effect might not have been good. They were just waiting for the right opportunity.
Let this matter realize its greatest value, and ideally, let it directly cripple the Crown Prince and Ren Nuanyun.
"She didn't send an invitation in advance, so let her wait. Qingdai, have someone prepare hot water for me. I want to take a bath. Also, find me some suitable clothes." Qu Qingxi didn't take it to heart.
Qingdai was worried about the Crown Prince's identity, but she wasn't. She was now considered the Princess Consort of Nanqing, and the Crown Prince wouldn't dare to do anything to her. Besides, the people who came today were the Crown Prince's people, not the Crown Prince himself, so she wasn't flustered at all.
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