Liu Wanqing had no choice but to return to Changning Marquis Manor.
At this moment, she remained unaware of the events that had transpired in the manor the previous night.
Moreover, Lin Xiao had issued a strict order forbidding anyone from spreading the news to protect the young master’s reputation.
Thus, no one dared to tell Liu Wanqing the truth.
Anxious and uneasy, Liu Wanqing returned to her own courtyard.
The thought of Lin Rufeng’s unpredictable temper and her mother-in-law’s incessant bowls of fertility-inducing medicine filled her with such despair and oppression that she almost wished for death.
After what felt like an eternity, familiar footsteps echoed from the corridor outside her door.
Looking up, she saw a slender shadow gradually appear at the doorway.
He was here!
Would he suddenly erupt again, striking her with fists and kicks? Or had he devised some new method of torment? Needle pricks? Or perhaps scalding with candle wax?
At these thoughts, Liu Wanqing’s entire body tensed up in fear.
“Everyone, leave.” Lin Rufeng’s voice was soft, yet it sent a shiver through Liu Wanqing’s entire being.
Whenever he intended to torment her, he would always dismiss the servants and shut the doors tightly.
Footsteps sounded again, stopping just inches away from her. After a long pause, he softly called out, “Miss Liu…”
Thinking she had misheard, Liu Wanqing looked up and met a pair of gentle eyes.
Though his appearance remained unchanged, his expression and demeanor were entirely different.
“You… what did you call me?”
Tears slowly welled up in his eyes. Clearly, countless words were lodged in his throat, but in the end, they condensed into just one phrase: “I’m sorry…”
During the morning court session, the diligent Xie Shouzheng returned from the palace:
“Your Highness, it’s done! The Emperor has granted you special permission to enter the Xuanjing Office! I was afraid His Majesty wouldn’t agree and had prepared a long list of arguments, but to my surprise, he only hesitated briefly before nodding. Oh, and by protocol, you must go before His Majesty to express your gratitude. You should time it so that you enter the palace for an audience with the Emperor right after the morning court is dismissed.”
Lin Qingyue gladly agreed, as she also wanted to see what the imperial palace looked like now and whether it retained the grandeur of her time.
However, when she stood at the palace gates, she felt somewhat disappointed.
“Xiao Hua, your family’s palace is rather shabby, isn’t it? The palace walls are too low, and the buildings aren’t grand or towering enough.”
Compared to the Cloud Palace where Lin Qingyue had once resided, it wasn’t just a little worse.
Her Cloud Palace reached high above the clouds, offering a panoramic view of the entire World of Cultivation. At sunrise, the Cloud Palace would be bathed in a golden, resplendent glow. That was true magnificence, a place fit for the supreme ruler of the mortal realm.
Tabby Cat said, “The Qi Kingdom’s palace was built a thousand years ago. Even then, its construction drained the people’s resources and exhausted their wealth. Wait, what did you call me? I told you, I don’t like that name! That stupid wolf—I’ll deal with him properly when I get the chance!”
“Don’t like it?” A mischievous smile played on Lin Qingyue’s lips. “Then what name do you prefer? Mimi?”
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince: “…”
“Or… Dongfang Qi?”
In the end, the Crown Prince, who had fallen from grace and been reduced to a cat, had no choice but to reluctantly accept the name “Xiao Hua.”
At least it sounded better than Mimi.
Initially, Lin Qingyue thought Xiao Hua had come along to accompany her into the palace to see his father, the Emperor.
Unexpectedly, after giving a few instructions, Xiao Hua turned and left.
Although the Emperor was his biological father, he was surrounded by numerous attendants and servants. With so many eyes around, he believed it was safest to remain in the shadows for the time being.
Lin Qingyue instructed it, “Then wait for me in the carriage and don’t run around. If someone catches you and turns you into cat meat hotpot, I won’t save you.”
Xiao Hua sighed helplessly, “Can’t you wish me something better?”
As Lin Qingyue passed through the Zhengyang Gate, the court session had just ended, and officials in court robes were approaching from a distance.
At the forefront was Dongfang Yan, surrounded by over a dozen officials.
The dog prince wore a gentle, fake smile as he amiably conversed with his colleagues.
Suddenly spotting Lin Qingyue, his smile instantly froze.
Lin Qingyue flashed him a radiant smile and swaggered past him.
Not long after, Dongfang Yan caught up to her.
Suppressing his anger, he demanded, “Lin Qingyue, what tricks are you playing now? Planning to enter the palace and complain to the Emperor, saying I locked you in the dungeon? Have you forgotten what you did? Using a spell to harm others—if this reaches the Emperor, even I will be charged with negligence in supervision!”
Lin Qingyue looked at him with amusement. “If you’re so afraid of me implicating you, why did you fabricate that baseless accusation against me?”
“When did I ever charge you? Detaining you was, at most, a household discipline measure. Besides, Zhen’er is your own sister—how could you be so cruel as to inflict such suffering on her? This isn’t the place to talk; there are too many eyes and ears. Come back to the manor with me, and we’ll discuss this thoroughly later.”
“Go back? So you can lock me up again?”
Lin Qingyue scoffed coldly, then pulled out a token from her sleeve bearing the words “Xuanjing Office.”
“From today onward, I am the Deputy Envoy of the Xuanjing Office, a fifth-rank official of Great Qi. I am entering the palace now by the Emperor’s personal summons—it has nothing to do with you.”
“What? Lin Qingyue, you…”
After his initial shock, Dongfang Yan grew furious.
“You’d rather give up being Princess Jin and join the Xuanjing Office, mingling with that rabble like Xie Shouzheng? They handle shady, dirty work. Respected nobles disdain associating with them, yet you stoop to becoming a mere fifth-rank minor official?”
“Hah~ You people are utterly hypocritical! When trouble strikes at home, you eagerly beg for their help. Once it’s over, you call them rabble and refuse to associate with them?”
“Lin Qingyue, must you speak to me like this?”
Dongfang Yan’s face darkened as he issued an ultimatum. “Go to the Emperor and resign, saying you won’t join the Xuanjing Office. If you obey and return to the manor, I won’t confine you again. If you refuse, I will divorce you!”
Lin Qingyue left him with a “Do as you please” and strode away.
Dongfang Yan wanted to pursue her, but many onlookers were already casting curious glances his way.
He couldn’t bring domestic disputes here and tarnish his image, so he could only watch helplessly as Lin Qingyue walked further away.
From start to finish, the woman didn’t even glance back at him.
He was puzzled: Why didn’t she care at all? Wasn’t it her who schemed and tried every possible way to marry him? Or was this some tactic of playing hard to get?
Qi Zhaodi received Lin Qingyue in the imperial study, exchanging a few trivial pleasantries before dismissing her.
He neither probed deeply into her Mystic Arts abilities nor asked about matters related to Prince Jin.
Lin Qingyue was somewhat baffled: What game was he playing?
After leaving the palace, Prince Jin had left guards and a carriage waiting to take her back to the manor.
But the Lin Qingyue of today was no longer the weak woman who had no one to rely on.
She boarded the Xuanjing Office’s carriage directly, where Xiao Hua was waiting inside.
“How did it go?” Xiao Hua asked.
Lin Qingyue replied, “It’s a good thing you didn’t go with me. Your father seems to have fallen under an evil spell.”