Shen Qingyao’s lips twitched slightly—of course she knew.
That man held administrative, judicial, and life-and-death authority in the Southern Territory, his status second only to the emperor in the Central Plains. Deceiving him was akin to deceiving the emperor.
But, but she was just an orphan girl—she couldn’t care less about all that. She refused to become any man’s concubine. She wanted to seek freedom amid danger, to fight for her own way as much as possible.
Besides, though this move was risky, it wasn’t entirely impossible to escape.
She was certain that as long as she never appeared before the Southern Prince again, and as long as her uncle before her didn’t betray her, everything would be fine.
So, she needed to speak properly with her uncle.
“Uncle.”
She hastily lifted her skirt and knelt. “It’s precisely because I know the Southern Prince holds immense power, and because our statuses are unequal, that I dared not tell him the truth. If I bluntly refused, wouldn’t he see it as me not knowing my place? The outcome would still be the same, wouldn’t it?”
“Nonsense!” Liu Hui slammed the table angrily, his chest heaving.
Suppressing his rage, he said, “You’re a fool! If he had asked if you were willing to be a concubine, lying like this might have been understandable. But he asked if you were willing to be an unofficial mistress—you should have refused outright!
Because an unofficial mistress is an improper and immoral relationship, refusing is an act of upholding your own rights and propriety—it’s justified. Otherwise, why would he arrange to meet you in such a roundabout way?
Because he knows that keeping an unofficial mistress is a disgrace among the princes. The roundabout approach was his way of anticipating your refusal, ensuring that his meeting with you wouldn’t be known to others. But what did you do?
You deliberately deceived him, handing him leverage for free. If he doesn’t suspect you, fine. But if he does and investigates, he won’t need to ask you again. Whether you end up with nothing or submit to him will depend on your own initiative.”
Shen Qingyao stared blankly after hearing this, but after a moment, she averted her gaze, unconvinced.
How could she not know all this?
“I understand the propriety you speak of regarding unofficial mistresses, but that only applies to ordinary people. For someone as powerful as him, it’s useless…”
She muttered in rebuttal, “What if I honestly refused, and he changed his mind and demanded I become his concubine? Wouldn’t the justification vanish? Wouldn’t the outcome still be the same?”
That wasn’t impossible.
Liu Hui shook his head. “No, when the Dowager Princess was alive, she deeply despised men who took by force. Therefore, the prince wouldn’t go against his mother’s wishes. If you had refused outright, he might have been angry and tried other methods, but you could have found ways to deal with him. At least you wouldn’t have handed him leverage.”
??
Shen Qingyao shot him a questioning look.
There was such a thing?
After thinking for a moment, she said, “But I truly didn’t know about this before.”
“Not knowing gives you the right to deceive the Southern Prince?”
Liu Hui asked her sternly, his gaze filled with helplessness. “He is no ordinary prince of equal rank. He is the Prince of Nine Honors, a position akin to the Uncrowned Emperor, second only to the emperor himself.”
Shen Qingyao’s eyes flickered, and she bit her lip, falling silent.
Liu Hui looked at her, then sighed deeply, his gaze drifting elsewhere as he fell into a brief silence.
“Qingyao, it’s not wrong for people to have principles, but lies must be tailored to the person. For a commoner to deceive an official, or an official to deceive the ruler—these are grave offenses. They concern the foundation of governance and are no trivial matter.
Using a fabricated lover or even a pregnancy to refuse the prince is no longer a well-intentioned refusal. It’s tantamount to evasion and dismissal, carrying a degree of insult.”
“Even if it were an ordinary man or woman, being brushed off like this would be hard to swallow, let alone a prince. Once His Highness finds out, he will not let you off lightly. Whether you go to confess your guilt to the prince or continue to cling to hope—you decide for yourself.”
After saying this, he stood up and left.
Outside the door, he ran into Xiao Mei, who was carrying tea. Xiao Mei quickly lowered her head and stepped aside. He frowned and walked straight past her.
Xiao Mei hurried into the room and saw Shen Qingyao already seated back behind the desk, sitting upright with her eyes closed. She placed the tea on the table.
“Young Miss?” She had heard everything, but she had no say in the matter.
“Are you asking me if I should go to the prince’s residence to confess?” Shen Qingyao asked calmly.
Xiao Mei nodded eagerly. “Yes! General Liu’s words are not without reason.”
Shen Qingyao fell into a complicated silence. After a moment, she opened her eyes. “I don’t believe the prince will suspect me unless my uncle reports me, but he won’t do that.”
“Come here.”
She beckoned to Xiao Mei, who quickly leaned in. Shen Qingyao whispered detailed instructions into her ear.
After listening, Xiao Mei smiled. “Alright, I’ll go instruct them right away.”
Watching Xiao Mei’s retreating figure, Shen Qingyao narrowed her eyes. Although she firmly believed the Southern Prince would not suspect her, it was still necessary to put on an act for a few days—just in case!
Liu Hui returned directly to his residence, not daring to go to the prince’s residence to give His Highness an explanation.
Because telling the truth would mean Shen Qingyao’s punishment.
Telling a lie would mean his own punishment.
Moreover, lying would easily be detected by the prince.
After more than a decade of interaction, he understood the prince’s sharpness all too well. If you met his gaze, within three breaths, he would surely see through you, whether you were human or ghost.
Sitting in the carriage, he speculated.
For Qingyao to have deceived the prince, she must have kept her head lowered throughout, following etiquette, and never met his gaze. Otherwise, she could never have succeeded.
Evening, Prince’s Residence, the Office of the Chief Steward.
In a lavishly decorated room, Song Jiuchen and Xiao Che were dining.
The two men sat facing each other, every movement exuding perfect elegance.
Xiao Che paused mid-meal, a hint of confusion crossing his face. “Huh? Logically, after Liu Hui went to Drifting Clouds Teahouse to investigate, he should have returned to give you an explanation.”
Regarding Song Jiuchen’s interest in Shen Qingyao, he naturally knew.
He had even felt a pang of regret for Song Jiuchen.
After all these years, his good friend had finally taken a liking to a woman, only for it to turn out like this… Alas!
Song Jiuchen remained expressionless, continuing to eat his meal unhurriedly, indifferent to Xiao Che’s confusion.
Xiao Che watched him for a while, but when he didn’t speak, he simply resumed eating.
Well, it was just a woman, after all.
After dinner, Song Jiuchen sat for a while before returning to his own quarters.
Behind the green jade desk piled with official documents, he sat down in silence. Only then did a flicker of deep suspicion appear in his cold eyes.
In truth, he had been suspicious even before Xiao Che voiced his doubts—he just hadn’t shown it.
Ye Zhao brought over a teacup, set it down, and stood to the side, watching him.
After a moment, Song Jiuchen looked up at Ye Zhao and ordered, “Investigate Shen Qingyao in secret. I want to know her detailed connections, character, and whether she is pregnant. If necessary, you may capture her servants for interrogation under torture.”
Liu Hui’s failure to come and explain could only mean one thing: he must have learned something and, out of concern for Shen Qingyao, dared not face me.
Ye Zhao was startled upon hearing this but quickly understood the situation. “Yes, I will conduct a thorough investigation immediately.”
No wonder the prince has been displeased these past two days—so that’s what happened.
As soon as he left, Song Jiuchen’s gaze fell on the teacup on the table, his expression darkening.
I hope you weren’t deliberately toying with me!
Half an hour later, at Drifting Clouds Teahouse.
Shen Qingyao was leaning against the windowsill, gazing at the night scene outside.
Everywhere was brightly lit, so beautiful!
She then looked toward the opposite side—that window was still tightly shut, pitch-black inside.
So she couldn’t see that behind that window, someone was watching her.
One man and two women. The man was none other than Ye Zhao, disguised as a customer.
As for the women, the still-charming middle-aged woman was Shen Qingyao’s archrival Mo Niang, and the younger one was her assistant Qing He.
Both were too timid to speak. Mo Niang stole glances at Ye Zhao, her mind racing.
“Have either of you seen Shen Qingyao’s lover?”
Ye Zhao suddenly turned to ask them, his tone filled with severity.