Qin Wei's eyes were dim.

He took this ointment almost every day. Even if he forgot to take it sometimes, Zhao Yuanrou would personally bring it to him...

"No." Qin Wei shook his head vigorously, "Impossible."

He muttered to himself, "This must be Xiao Shuo's doing again. He deliberately came up with the Ten-Healing Cream to establish his authority. It's just a small trick."

He told himself this in his mind, over and over again, until he was convinced.

"princess."

There was a sound of greeting outside, and Zhao Yuanrou said, "All of you go down."

Qin Wei turned around and saw Zhao Yuanrou pushing the door open. She was as beautiful and elegant as ever, but Qin Wei didn't know why he didn't feel as excited as before. Instead, he felt an indescribable feeling in his heart.

"Rou'er."

Qin Wei suppressed his strange feeling and said with a smile, "You're back."

As if possessed by a ghost, he hid the box in his hand into his sleeve pocket without letting Zhao Yuanrou see it.

Zhao Yuanrou nodded.

"Prince." She smiled and asked, "Did something happen? When I went out, I saw a lot of Jinyiwei on the road. What happened?"

Qin Wei said calmly, "It's Xiao Shuo. What does a eunuch think he is? He relies on his power to stir up trouble. He insisted on banning the Shiquan ointment in the foreign goods store."

When Zhao Yuanrou heard about the Shiquan ointment, her heart skipped a beat and she said nonchalantly, "So that's how it is."

Qin Wei subconsciously looked at her expression and saw that she was normal. He couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief. Then he heard her say, "Since the Shiquan Cream is sold in foreign goods shops, it means it came from overseas. It has been selling well in Minzhou for so many years. Why do they have to strictly prohibit it as soon as it arrives in the capital? Your Majesty, I think this is not a good idea. What if people think that Darong wants to ban maritime trade? Wouldn't it cause panic again?"

Qin Wei nodded in agreement, thinking that what she said made sense. Just as he was about to speak, his heart suddenly skipped a beat and he subconsciously thought of something.

Oh, right! Minzhou, he himself did not say that the Shiquan ointment came from Minzhou. It seems that it was not mentioned in the documents of the court either.

Why did Rouer know?

In the past, he thought Zhao Yuanrou was good in every way and never had any doubts about what she said.

But now, it was as if a ball of evil fire had ignited in my heart, burning bigger and bigger in the weeds, the flames surging and unable to be suppressed.

He kept telling himself that Rou'er would not lie to him, but he couldn't help thinking about the box of ointment in his sleeve pocket.

"Your Majesty." Zhao Yuanrou did not notice his abnormality and asked, "Have you gone to see Lord Zheng?"

Qin Wei suppressed the ups and downs in his heart and nodded, "I have been there."

"What did Lord Zheng say?" Her voice sounded a little anxious.

Qin Wei looked at her in silence, and after a while he said, "Zheng Zhongming said that the time has not come yet."

"Timing?" Zhao Yuanrou was a little confused.

Zheng Zhongming should be more eager to get rid of Xiao Shuo than Qin Wei, right?

Qin Wei put his arm around her shoulders and sat down, not noticing the flash of disgust in her eyes. He said patiently, "Zheng Zhongming has always been cautious. Since he has no intention of taking action for the time being, he won't say anything more to me."

Zhao Yuanrou's face darkened.

She subconsciously touched her belly. She wasn't pregnant yet, but she wouldn't be able to hide it for long.

Qin Wei could not care that she had eloped with Zhou Jingxun, but no man would not care about raising a child for someone else.

She lowered her eyes slightly, as if thinking about something.

Qin Wei looked at her tenderly. After a while, he said, "Rou'er, are you tired? Do you want some water?"

Zhao Yuanrou did not comment.

Qin Wei stood up and poured her a glass of water with a few rose petals in it and some honey, which was what Zhao Yuanrou liked.

He personally brought the water to her lips. Zhao Yuanrou drank half a cup from his hand, enjoying his hospitality without feeling that there was anything wrong.

"The water tastes a little off," she said casually. "What else did you add?"

This water didn't seem to be as sweet as the one she usually drank. After taking a sip, it tasted a little bitter. Not only that, she also felt her heart beating a little faster and she had an inexplicable excitement.

"You haven't been sleeping well recently, so I added some of the medicine you gave me last time into the water." Qin Wei was always gentle and considerate, "You sleep for a while, and we'll have dinner together later..."

Before he finished speaking, Zhao Yuanrou's face suddenly changed. She looked nervous and frightened. She subconsciously covered her mouth, as if she wanted to spit out the water she had drunk.

Qin Wei's heart suddenly felt cold, and he squeezed his hands hanging at his sides tightly.

Zhao Yuanrou asked with a trembling voice: "What did you release?"

"This." Qin Wei took out the small box from his sleeve pocket, "You gave it to me. You said it can calm the mind and help sleep."

Zhao Yuanrou's eyes widened. Without a second thought, she pushed him away and asked in a shrill voice, "How could you give me this to eat?"

As soon as she said this, she realized that she was too excited and bit her lower lip. It was just that Qin Wei had always obeyed her unconditionally, and she was used to being cared for by him wholeheartedly. Now she was unrestrained and glared at him with a cold face.

Qin Wei's heart was completely cold, as if it was being poured through by icy water over and over again.

“Is this the perfect ointment?”

Qin Wei asked, and although it was a question, his tone was very certain.

Zhao Yuanrou turned her head away and said coldly, "I don't know what you are talking about."

She turned around angrily and was about to leave. It had always been like this. Whenever she was unhappy, as long as her face was stern, Qin Wei would definitely get nervous, apologize politely, and comfort her softly.

She knew almost instinctively how to hold Qin Wei. She frowned and didn't even look at Qin Wei. However, the next moment, Qin Wei quickly came in front of her and held her shoulders tightly with both hands.

He was so strong that Zhao Yuanrou felt like her bones were about to be broken. She frowned and shouted unhappily, "Qin Wei, let me go!"

Qin Wei, who always obeyed her, did not listen to her this time. He pinched her shoulders and trembled, "You did it on purpose, didn't you?"

Zhao Yuanrou struggled and said coldly: "I don't understand what you are saying."

She lowered her eyes to hide the brief panic in her eyes, and replaced it with anger of being wrongly accused.

"So what if this is the perfect ointment? I bought it because the foreign goods store said it was a good medicine. How can you blame me?"

"No." Qin Wei's hands tightened, his face showing sadness, "No, you clearly know what this is!"

Otherwise, she wouldn't have panicked so much after eating just a little bit.

"You knew that the elixir ointment was harmful, yet you still tried to trick me into eating it."

Zhao Yuanrou screamed, "Let me go."

Qin Wei was about to collapse, and he shouted almost crazily: "Zhao Yuanrou, I'm so good to you, why do you treat me like this? I'll give you whatever you want, why do you want to hurt me on purpose, why!"

"Why!"

Qin Wei still doesn't think the Ten-Herb Cream is that scary, he is still obsessed with Zhao Yuanrou and wants to harm him.

It was obvious that he had given everything for Zhao Yuanrou. He didn't even care when she eloped with Zhou Jingxun. He didn't care about the gossips and private ridicule of those people in the capital. He was even ecstatic that she was willing to fulfill the marriage contract. However, his sincerity was torn into pieces by her.

As much as he liked her before, at this moment, he hated her as much.

His face was distorted, and he slowly let go of her shoulders. Zhao Yuanrou breathed a sigh of relief and was about to lower herself to coax him. She just said, "Qin Wei, listen to me..."

The pair of powerful hands suddenly pinched her slender neck, and the veins on the back of her tense hands bulged.

“Hmm…”

Zhao Yuanrou groaned in pain.

She couldn't breathe. She knew that there was a huge difference in strength between men and women, but she had never imagined that the gap would be so helpless.

She thought she was going to be strangled to death.

She tried desperately to pull his wrist, but her strength was getting weaker and weaker. Her consciousness gradually blurred and everything went dark before her eyes.

Gradually, she dropped her arms weakly.

At that moment, she felt that she was about to die.

Qin Wei's face was grim, but when he saw the unbearable pain on her face, he softened his heart and the strength of his hands became lighter and lighter. He was about to raise his hands to wipe the tear marks on her face and tell her that he forgave her, but at this moment, the door was kicked open by someone from the outside.

"Rou'er."

Zhou Jingxun broke into the house.

The moment he saw Zhou Jingxun, Qin Wei was obviously dumbfounded, and then was punched in the cheek by Zhou Jingxun who rushed over and snatched Zhao Yuanrou away.

Zhao Yuanrou hadn't caught her breath yet, her lips half open, and the bruises on her neck left by fingerprints were glaringly red and shocking.

"Zhou, Zhou Jingxun?" Qin Wei was hit so hard that he didn't even wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. He asked in a daze, "Why are you here?"

Qin Wei naturally knew about the confiscation of the Yongning Marquis's mansion, and he was secretly happy in his heart, thinking that Xiao Shuo's actions this time were quite in line with his wishes. It was just that Zhou Jingxun was never caught, which made him secretly upset at Dongchang's incompetence. He even mocked Xiao Shuo and wanted Xiao Shuo to send more people to catch Zhou Jingxun.

I didn’t expect…

Zhou Jingxun...why is he here?

Qin Wei's mind went blank, and only then did he notice that all the servants were missing.

There was such a big commotion in the house, but no servants knocked on the door to ask anything. Even Zhou Jingxun walked in so blatantly without being stopped.

"Axun." Zhao Yuanrou finally breathed a sigh of relief, with a sense of joy at having survived a catastrophe, "Axun..."

Zhao Yuanrou only found out about the imperial court's ban on the Ten Perfect Cream after she left the house today. She was also afraid that Qin Wei might find out something, so she asked Zhou Jingxun to come with her. If she could appease Qin Wei, it would be fine. But if she couldn't...

In fact, she originally thought that Qin Wei would not heed Xiao Shuo's strict order at all because of his hatred for him.

Qin Wei's heart sank at Zhao Yuanrou's unsurprised tone. He pointed at Zhou Jingxun and said in disbelief, "You brought him back? You..."

No wonder everyone in the Yongning Marquis's mansion was arrested, except for Zhou Jingxun, who has no news...

Qin Wei figured it out. It turned out that Zhao Yuanrou had hidden Zhou Jingxun in the mansion, and she had also brought him to the main courtyard!

He was devoted to her, but not only did she deceive him and give him things like the Ten-Herb Cream, she even brought the man back to his house.

He almost collapsed: "I'm so good to you...why do you treat me like this? Why?"

Zhao Yuanrou covered her neck with a look of disgust. She thought: Qin Wei said he was good to me, but he wanted to strangle her to death over such a small matter. Sure enough, the so-called true love was just a pretense.

Qin Wei was filled with anger and hatred, and rushed towards Zhao Yuanrou again. Zhou Jingxun opened his arms and stood in front of her.

The two men had long hated each other to the point of teeth itching, and they immediately wrestled into a ball, punching and kicking each other, neither of them giving in.

Zhao Yuanrou bit her lower lip, picked up a vase and smashed it on the back of Qin Wei's head.

Bang!

Qin Wei was completely unprepared. He raised his hand and touched the back of his head. His palm was wet and sticky, covered in blood. His body swayed and he couldn't stand and fell to the ground.

Zhou Jingxun looked around, his eyes lit up, and he picked up the sword that Qin Wei had casually placed on the table. He drew out the sword, and the sharp blade reflected a cold star-like light.

He held the sword in both hands and stabbed Qin Wei.

"Wait." Zhao Yuanrou weakly pulled him back and shook her head, "No...no."

Zhou Jingxun looked at her in shock, thinking that she was reluctant to leave. Zhao Yuanrou said calmly, "Don't forget, we still have to rely on him to seize this dynasty for us."

Zhou Jingxun was a little hesitant.

From childhood to adulthood, he was taught to be loyal to the emperor. He would never have dared to think about treason and rebellion.

Zhao Yuanrou hugged him gently and said, "Your mother has been sentenced to death. Only by standing in that supreme position can she be saved, right? We don't have much time." She took his hand and placed it on her belly, "And for him. We can't let him live in uncertainty from the moment he is born."

Thinking of the child, Zhou Jingxun's hesitation immediately disappeared. He clenched his fists and his expression gradually became firm: "For our child."

Qin Wei was a little dazed by the blow, and suddenly he came to his senses. What were they talking about? What kid?

He looked at Zhou Jingxun with a dull gaze, then looked at Zhao Yuanrou who was leaning closely against him, and recalled what they had just said in his mind. The more he thought about it, the colder he felt.

child?

Zhao Yuanrou not only brought Zhou Jingxun back to his house, but she was also pregnant with Zhou Jingxun's child? !

His head ached, and he thought he was hallucinating because of the injury to the back of his head.

Zhou Jingxun glanced coldly at Qin Wei lying on the ground, as if he were looking at a dead person: "He won't listen to us."

"Yes." Zhao Yuanrou said firmly, "In the whole capital, I am the only one who still has the Perfect Cream in my hand, unless he is willing to bow down to Xiao Shuo. Unfortunately, even if he is willing to bow down, Xiao Shuo will not look down on him."

Her voice was icy cold, as if it contained ice chips, and she was extremely contemptuous of Qin Wei.

Qin Wei looked up at her blankly, feeling a heart-wrenching pain. A fishy-sweet taste came out of his throat, and his chest was surging. A mouthful of blood spurted out, dyeing the area in front of him blood red, just like the bloody sunset outside the window.

Zhao Yuanrou was not moved at all. She covered her neck which was pinched and hurt, and said, "You watch him. I'll go deal with the servants."

She sent all the servants away, but she couldn't keep them away for too long as it would arouse suspicion. After all, she was a new princess and had not yet established enough authority, and was not as good as Qin Wei.

Zhou Jingxun nodded: "Don't worry."

Zhao Yuanrou pulled up her collar to cover the bruises on her neck, stepped over Qin Wei who was lying on the ground, and walked out.

Then, King Zhao fell ill.

Everyone in Prince Zhao's mansion knew that Prince Zhao had caught a cold and stayed indoors. The princess took care of him day and night without asking anyone else to help.

After five days, the condition of the king finally improved, and the princess also became more haggard, which made the king very distressed. As soon as he recovered, he took the princess to the palace, saying that he wanted to ask the queen mother to appreciate the princess. Many people knew that the queen mother did not like the princess, so it was no wonder that the king wanted to show off the princess in front of the queen mother all the time.

Qin Wei took Zhao Yuanrou and went straight to Cining Palace as soon as he entered the palace. He told the Queen Mother that he wanted her to make the decision and appoint him as the Regent. He analyzed the situation again in detail: "Mother, my brother is ill. We can't always let an eunuch make the decisions in the court. You know that a stroke cannot be cured. I'm afraid my brother will be bedridden forever. Someone has to take over the government."

"Mother, don't worry. Prince Cheng has already recruited many court officials for his son. Now all that's missing is someone raising their arms and making a call."

"Mother, you don't want a eunuch to oppress your son for the rest of his life, do you? Your son is also the legitimate son of the late emperor, how can he be inferior to a eunuch?!"

"Mother, isn't Qingping attracted to Fu Junqing? Why don't you help them get together?"

The Queen Mother silently turned the Buddhist beads in her hand. She was the Queen Mother, and now she was half-imprisoned in the palace. Even if she wanted to see her son, she had to do it secretly. Of course she didn't want to do that.

Qin Wei was right. The emperor was ill and he might not get better. Darong really needed a regent.

It was just Qingping. The Queen Mother also knew that Qingping wanted to marry Fu Junqing. The Queen Mother originally wanted Qingping to think it over carefully. After all, she wanted to marry the first two men, but she regretted it not long after.

But now, the court has been controlled by the treacherous Xiao Shuo. If his son wants to be the regent, he must have the military power in his hands to overthrow Xiao Shuo and restore the Qingming Dynasty!

The Wu'an Marquis's Mansion has military power, and that is enough.

The Queen Mother nodded: "Okay. I will help you."

She didn't notice that after she said this, Qin Wei didn't show much joy on his face, but Zhao Yuanrou looked proud instead.

All the servants in the palace had already been sent out. Cao Xi, the chief eunuch of Cining Palace, stood in the corridor with a dust whisk in his hand, expressionless on his face, and a hint of mockery on the corner of his mouth.

Qin Wei and Zhao Yuanrou stayed for an incense stick's time before leaving the palace. Once the empress dowager agreed, Qingping and Fu Junqing's marriage was settled.

With the deliberate promotion of Lady Wu'anbo, the news soon spread throughout the capital.

Even Sheng Xiyan, who was busy embroidering her wedding dress and had hardly gone out in the past few days, heard about it. It was Cheng Chuyu who told her when she came to add makeup.

Sheng Xiyan's wedding is approaching, and her status is somewhat detached now. However, she has always ignored anyone's flattery, so some people simply come to her house under the pretext of adding makeup to show their closeness.

In the prosperous period, people who came to a bridal chamber to add makeup for good luck were generally not turned away. For a time, there was a constant stream of people coming and going.

Sheng Xiyan made the excuse that there was no hostess in the house, and invited the guests to the hall in the backyard to serve tea. After gathering enough people, she went out to meet and thank them. This way, she saved a lot of trouble, and no one would say she was neglectful anyway. As long as they could see her and personally hand over the makeup gift, many people were satisfied.

Only because Sheng Xiyan was as close to Cheng Chuyu as she was would she invite her to her yard.

When Cheng Chuyu mentioned that Qingping and Fu Junqing were about to place their betrothal gifts, Sheng Xiyan raised her eyebrows: "So soon?"

"Yes." Cheng Chuyu was happy when he said this, and said excitedly, "I deliberately went out a few days ago to 'run into' Fu Junqing, and let Qingping find out. Qingping thought that Fu Junqing and I would get back together, and she couldn't hold back, so she asked Princess Yong'an to come and propose marriage in person, but the Queen Mother didn't agree, so she delayed it for a few more days."

Sheng Xiyan couldn't help but open her lips slightly. Is this the girl taking the initiative to propose to the boy?

Cheng Chuyu said, "I heard yesterday that Fu Junqing and Qingping exchanged engagement letters, so I guess this is done."

"What about Wu Anbo?" Sheng Xi asked, "Does Wu Anbo have any opinions?"

Mrs. Wu Anbo behaved like this in the capital, without even pretending to be polite, but Wu Anbo didn't even say anything?

"Uncle Fu is not in the capital." Cheng Chuyu said, "There was a group of bandits in Yizhou. Uncle Fu was ordered to suppress the bandits before he even finished mourning. Because the military situation was urgent, he did not delay for long."

A few days ago, because of the nonsense that Wu Anbo's wife had said, Cheng Xianzhuo and his wife went to question her in person, and only then did they know that Wu Anbo had already left Beijing.

Mrs. Wu Anbo thought that the relationship had already been broken up, so she had nothing good to say to them and quickly served tea and sent the guests away.

Later, an old servant of Wu'an Mansion told them that before Wu'an Earl passed away, he issued a strict order to escort Wu'an Earl's wife back to her hometown. She was already on the way, but was chased back by the prince.

"What a pity! I just realized now that Fu Junqing is not clear-headed. It turns out that childhood memories cannot be taken seriously." Cheng Chuyu couldn't help but complain, "Sister Yan, the last time I deliberately ran into him and put on a show for Qingping, he said that although his mother was wrong, as the head wife of the Fu family, being sent back to her hometown was too shameful. He hoped that I could be more tolerant."

After thinking it through, Cheng Chuyu now just treated it as a big show, with a casual and interested attitude, no different from being in a theater. Sheng Xiyan followed her and asked, "What happened next?"

"Later I agreed." Cheng Chuyu said happily, "Anyway, I won't be the one who has to tolerate it in the future."

Sheng Xiyan chuckled, her eyebrows curved.

Cheng Chuyu continued, "It's not good to go back to my hometown. If I go back, I will be separated from Qingping. Then how can we watch a good show? The capital is so boring. It's rare to see a big show that doesn't cost money."

Sheng Xi Yan Shen felt that it made sense.

After joking for a while, E Rui came in and said, "Miss, Princess Qingping is here. She said she's here to help you with your makeup."

Sheng Xiyan was a little surprised.

Qingping had always had a mediocre relationship with her, and as the empress dowager's legitimate granddaughter, Qingping would not "bow" to her.

However, she soon figured it out and smiled at Cheng Chuyu, "I came to see you."

Cheng Chuyu was also very insightful, and snorted softly, "That should be it. Sister Yan, don't see her, lest it ruin the joy."

She frowned in disgust. People like Qingping are full of bad luck.

"Meet him." Sheng Xiyan winked at her.

Cheng Chuyu immediately understood what she meant, showing some excitement, clasped his hands together and said with a smile: "Okay."

Sheng Xiyan gave the order, and soon Qingping was brought in. When she saw Cheng Chuyu, a hint of disgust flashed across her eyes, but she was not surprised that she was here. Obviously Sheng Xiyan was right.

After a few perfunctory greetings, Qingping couldn't wait to say, "Chuyu, you're here too."

Cheng Chuyu stood up and bowed: "Princess."

Qingping smiled and said, "Are you here to help Ms. Shengda with her makeup? Then you can't be partial to one over the other in the future. I'm waiting for you to help me with my makeup."

As she spoke, she glanced at Cheng Chuyu provocatively.

After so many days, her shoulder still hurts a little. The imperial physician said that the injury was too severe and would leave a scar in the future, and it was all caused by Cheng Chuyu. Whenever she saw Cheng Chuyu now, she would think of the pain of the pierced shoulder, and her delicately made-up face would be slightly distorted.

However, she still won. From childhood to adulthood, Qingping had never failed to get what she wanted.

Qingping raised her chin slightly. Who told her to compete with him? She deserved it.