Crown Prince Shang Jingci of Daxia, twenty-two years old, had been well-versed in the intricacies of palace politics since childhood. Yet his temperament was neither gloomy nor suspicious; instead, he possessed a youthful spirit, upright character, and both literary and martial talents. He studied benevolent governance under his teacher, Duke Shen Yuzhen, learning the ways of benevolent rule.
The world often spoke of young men as being romantic, but the term “romantic” was utterly inappropriate when applied to Shang Jingci. Not only had he never been seen in places of pleasure, but there were also no romantic anecdotes about him. The only exception was his arranged marriage from birth—a childhood sweetheart he had grown up with, Shen Yanxi, the daughter of Duke Shen. However, as Shen Yanxi had not yet reached the age of maturity, the grand wedding ceremony had not yet taken place.
Qu Qing had stayed awake all night at Chunjiang Lou, intending to thoroughly investigate the relationship between the Crown Prince and Shen Yanxi, but unfortunately, her efforts yielded little. Regardless, with Shen Yanxi standing between them, the Crown Prince could never be a suitable match for Qu Yi.
As the sun rose, Qu Qing returned to the residence. The soft sound of the door opening disturbed Qu Yi, who had been dozing off, leaning on her arm beside the table.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Qu Yi asked softly, “What time is it? Did you just return, sister?”
Qu Qing had intended to have a serious conversation with Qu Yi, but seeing her like this, she knew Qu Yi must have been waiting there for her all night. Softening her tone, she said, “Are you tired? Go back to bed and sleep a little longer.”
“Not tired, not tired,” Qu Yi immediately stood up, picked up the soup bowl that had been kept warm in hot water on the table, and offered it to Qu Qing with a flattering smile. “Sister, you didn’t come back for dinner last night. Are you hungry? I specially brought a bowl of white jade lotus seed soup from the kitchen…”
Halfway through her sentence, Qu Yi realized the hot water was no longer warm.
Qu Qing had already reached out to take it, but Qu Yi suddenly pulled back, awkwardly laughing, “It’s… it’s cold.”
“It’s fine,” Qu Qing said, taking the soup bowl from Qu Yi’s hands and eating it herself. “It was my fault for not considering things properly. I forgot to send a message back, making you wait all night in vain. How could I let your soup go to waste as well?”
Seeing this, Qu Yi pursed her lips, her eyes slightly reddening as she called out, “Sister…”
Qu Qing interrupted in a serious tone, “I investigated the Crown Prince last night.”
“Ah… ah?” The half-formed emotion Qu Yi had been feeling instantly vanished. She widened her eyes and looked at Qu Qing. The efficiency of Shumiao Pavilion was perhaps a bit too high—no wonder the Crown Prince so desperately wanted her sister’s assistance.
Studying Qu Qing’s expression, Qu Yi tentatively asked, “Sister, what did you find out?”
“The Crown Prince has an arranged marriage with the legitimate daughter of Duke Shen’s family.”
“Ah, is that all?”
Qu Yi had thought it was something earth-shattering. What did it matter to her whether the Crown Prince had other romantic interests?
“Is that all?” Qu Qing put down her spoon, her gaze probing as she looked at Qu Yi. “Do you know what this means?”
“What?” Qu Yi blinked her eyes.
“It means you would have to share a husband with someone else, and at best, you could only be a concubine.”
Only then did Qu Yi understand Qu Qing’s meaning. She lowered her eyes, thinking about how to respond, but in that brief moment of hesitation, Qu Qing had already sensed something amiss.
“Didn’t you like the Crown Prince very much? Why, upon hearing this, are you neither sad nor jealous?”
Qu Yi was startled and quickly looked up, her slightly panicked expression meeting Qu Qing’s clear, penetrating gaze.
Qu Qing took her hand and asked softly, “Yi’er, what are you hiding? You don’t actually like the Crown Prince, do you?”
Oh no, she was about to be exposed.
Qu Yi’s heart suddenly raced, and she hurriedly withdrew her hand, saying, “No, it’s just that I’m having a hard time accepting it for the moment.”
“You’re lying,” Qu Qing stared intently into Qu Yi’s eyes, concluding with absolute certainty.
“I’m not.” Though Qu Yi said this, her expression betrayed her guilt. She took a deep breath and added defiantly, “Anyway, whether you believe me or not, I like him and I’m going to marry him!”
Qu Qing fell silent, picked up the soup bowl in her hand, drained it in one gulp, and then walked out.
Qu Yi’s lips trembled, but in the end, she couldn’t say anything. After the other person left, she threw herself onto the bed, pounding the bedding in frustration, feeling utterly miserable.
Just as Qu Qing stepped out of the courtyard, she encountered Tian An. “Miss Qing, the master requests your presence.”
When Qu Qing arrived at the study, she saw Qu Youyu flipping through an account book. Judging by his expression, it was clear the profits were substantial.
“Father.”
Qu Youyu quickly set down the account book and smiled, “You’re here, have a seat.”
Qu Qing asked, “What did you need me for, Father?”
“You child, can’t I call for you without a reason? I see you’ve lost even more weight this past year. Sigh, how can the food outside compare to home?”
“Although traveling doesn’t always mean lavish feasts, I get to taste the specialties of different places, which is also quite nice.”
“Your mother told me there’s still no news of Xiao Si?”
“No.”
Qu Youyu complained, “If I had known it would come to this, I shouldn’t have entrusted you to his care back then. Look at what he’s done to my daughter.”
Qu Qing didn’t respond.
“Ahem, Qing’er, what do you think about Yi’er’s situation?” After beating around the bush, Qu Youyu finally got to the point.
Qu Qing stated firmly, “I don’t agree.”
Qu Youyu said with difficulty, “Qing’er, I feel like Yi’er seems somewhat serious this time. After you left yesterday, she pestered me for a long time about royal matters. Everything I know, she dug out of me. What else could she be so eager to learn about the royal family for? It must be for the Crown Prince!”
Qu Qing’s frown deepened. After a long silence, she asked, “Did you tell her about Prince Zhen?”
Qu Youyu hurriedly replied, “No, absolutely not.”
“Do you really think the Crown Prince and Yi’er are suitable?”
“That’s exactly why I called you here. Your mother and I both disapprove of this marriage, especially your mother. Yesterday, she was truly furious with the Crown Prince and Yi’er. She woke up coughing several times in the middle of the night, and I even saw fine traces of blood in her phlegm. After all, Yi’er is also her own daughter—how could she not care about her? It’s just that she can’t get past that hurdle in her heart.”
Qu Qing asked, “Has a doctor been called?”
“Yes, she’s fine. It’s just that she was so angry it inflamed her liver and scorched her lungs. Don’t worry about your mother; I’m here for her. But that Crown Prince is truly outrageous. It would be best if Yi’er gave up. If she really marries him, she must never bring him back here. If we have to endure another scene like yesterday a few more times, my ears will go deaf!”
After their conversation, Qu Qing went to visit Du Youxia. Seeing that her complexion was still good, she felt relieved.
During dinner, Jian’er reported that Qu Yi was fast asleep and couldn’t be woken, so she couldn’t come for the meal.
Thinking that Qu Yi had indeed stayed up late the previous night, Qu Qing didn’t suspect anything. She simply ordered some food to be set aside in case Qu Yi woke up hungry during the night.
Another night passed, and by the next morning’s breakfast, Qu Yi was still curled up in bed, refusing to wake. It wasn’t until midday that Qu Qing, observing Qu Yi lying as still as a corpse, finally sensed something amiss. She checked Qu Yi’s pulse and, fortunately, found no signs of illness—she was merely feigning sleep.
“What are you trying to do?” Qu Qing’s tone was icy, tinged with a hint of anger.
Qu Yi’s eyes shifted beneath her closed eyelids, but she still didn’t open them.
Qu Qing continued, “Stop pretending. Your pulse is erratic—nothing like someone in deep sleep.”
With her lie thoroughly exposed, Qu Yi finally stirred as if just waking, rubbing her eyes and murmuring softly, “I seem to have gotten up a bit late today.”
Qu Qing reached over to the small table, picked up the bowl of rice porridge floating with a few vegetable leaves, and handed it to Qu Yi, saying coldly, “You haven’t eaten all day. Have some porridge first.”
But Qu Yi only stared at the porridge, making no move to take it.
“Still not eating?”
Qu Yi lowered her gaze and whispered, “I’m not hungry.”
“Are you made of stone? Not eating all day and still not hungry?”
“I don’t want to eat…”
Qu Qing slammed the bowl back onto the table with a heavy thud, her voice turning frosty. “Qu Yi, what are you trying to do!”
Qu Yi hung her head in silence, her hands tightly clenched together.
“Can’t you hear me? Are you trying to starve yourself to marry that Crown Prince? And if starving yourself doesn’t work, what’s your next plan? Threatening suicide, hanging yourself, or cutting your wrists? Why are you so stubborn? I refuse to believe you’ve truly fallen for that Crown Prince after meeting him only twice.”
Qu Qing’s words were neither rushed nor loud. Though each sentence was a question, it felt less like a reprimand. Qu Yi thought this might be the most she had ever heard Qu Qing speak in her life, yet every word struck a guilty chord within her.
Qu Yi felt both miserable and wronged. In truth, she had long been too hungry to sleep, but to make Qu Qing relent and agree, she gritted her teeth and remained silent, even lowering her head as if she couldn’t hear. Just as Qu Yi was wrestling with her inner turmoil, a traitor betrayed her—her stomach let out an embarrassingly loud, rumbling growl.
Qu Qing, who had been firing off questions, abruptly fell silent. If it were anyone else, given her temperament, she would have long since lashed out with a whip or struck them with a rod.
But now, this decisive and ruthless Pavilion Master of Shumiao Pavilion had to rein in her temper. She sat back down, picked up the bowl she had just slammed down, scooped a spoonful of porridge, and brought it to Qu Yi’s lips. “What kind of fool are you? Even if you want to stage a hunger strike, you should at least let someone know. If we were all busy with our own affairs, what good would this do except torment yourself?”
“Sister would notice,” Qu Yi mumbled softly.
“That’s only because I happen to be free these days. If the pavilion were busy, I might not even be home all day.”
“Sister wouldn’t abandon me at a time like this. Even if you’re busy, you’d be busy with matters concerning me.”
Hearing this, Qu Qing couldn’t help but chuckle softly. “Who told you that? I may not be the most prominent, but I am still the Pavilion Master of Daxia’s top intelligence organization. As they say, a tall tree catches the wind—there are plenty of unsavory characters looking to cause trouble for me. Besides, the connections within the intelligence world are intricate, and there’s much to be said about it.”
Qu Yi remained silent, her head still lowered.
By now, Qu Qing had more or less guessed the reason for her unusual behavior. She sighed and said, “Yi’er, you’ve grown up. Many things are my fault for not explaining them clearly to you, which led to you worrying too much and stirring up unnecessary trouble.”
Upon hearing this, Qu Yi finally slowly leaned closer to the spoon and began sipping the porridge in small mouthfuls. As Qu Yi drank bit by bit, Qu Qing fed her spoonful by spoonful.
Qu Yi’s eyes reddened. “Sister, if I’m this willful, will you one day grow to dislike me too?”
Qu Qing weighed her words carefully. “How could that be? You’re not willful—you’re just inexperienced and straightforward in handling matters. I only hope that in the future, if you ever face a difficult decision, no matter what you plan to do, you’ll always tell me first.” She emphasized her tone and added, “Be careful not to let good intentions lead to unintended harm.”
“Yi’er understands.” Qu Yi nodded firmly, then threw off the covers and climbed out of bed, her eyes shining brightly. “Sister, I’m still hungry. Let’s go to the kitchen to find something delicious.”
Thus, Qu Yi’s “hunger strike” was nipped in the bud by her growling stomach before it even began.
That night, Qu Qing did not press Qu Yi further for an explanation. Instead, she summoned a carrier pigeon and sent a letter to the headquarters of Shumiao Pavilion.