After everything on her end was settled, Qi Yuan finally returned to the Qi residence.
Old Madam Qi had been waiting anxiously for her. Upon seeing her, she finally let out a sigh of relief, then lowered her voice and said, “Lord Cui came by. He said Her Highness the Princess is doing quite well, just feeling unwell, so she’s staying at Huangjue Temple to recuperate…”
Qi Yuan wasn’t surprised that Emperor Yongchang would handle things this way.
Ever since Xiao Yunting told her that Princess Baorong’s death would officially be deemed a suicide, she already knew how it would play out.
As far as Princess Baorong was concerned, Emperor Yongchang had truly done all he could.
He had gone to such lengths, and yet Baorong still repaid him with such disloyalty and disrespect. To him, it was no different from being stabbed viciously in the back.
Qi Yuan gave a faint, amused laugh. “This is just to make sure everyone remembers—nothing happened that night at Huangjue Temple. And naturally, nothing happened to Her Highness the Princess.”
Old Madam Qi understood the logic too. She patted her chest in relief, though her eyes still held unease as she looked at Qi Yuan. “But Ah Yuan… Qi Wang has already moved into the palace, and you…”
She was worried!
Qi Yuan had previously said she would kill both Baorong and Qi Wang.
Now, at such a critical moment, Qi Wang moving into the palace was clearly because he sensed the threat—afraid he’d end up dead like Baorong.
Qi Yuan took her grandmother’s hand in return. “Don’t worry, Grandmother. I won’t actually chase him into the palace to kill him. As long as he doesn’t go courting death, he won’t die.”
She still had plenty of opportunities to kill Qi Wang.
He couldn’t stay in the palace forever. Even tigers take naps. When he traveled to Hongdu—or even after he arrived—there would still be many chances, wouldn’t there?
Old Madam Qi nodded instinctively. “That’s good… that’s good…”
But then she paused and thought—wait a minute. What do you mean, “as long as Qi Wang doesn’t go courting death”?
So… is he going to?
Well, at the moment, Qi Wang really had no intention of courting death.
After several rounds of confrontation—all of which he lost—he wasn’t stupid enough to throw himself back into the knife.
That said, his mood wasn’t nearly as bleak as it had been at the beginning.
The people around him noticed this quickly. Eunuch Xu was especially surprised to find that, for some unknown reason, His Highness had suddenly shaken off his earlier despair and become quite… euphoric.
Yes, euphoric.
Qi Wang had recently started laughing to himself at random moments.
But the strange part was—nothing good had happened to justify this shift!
In fact, his fief had just been changed, his personal guard reduced—by now, his treatment barely counted as that of a prince, more like a regional duke.
Back in the day, such a blow would’ve devastated him.
But now, Qi Wang didn’t seem to care at all.
This confused Eunuch Xu more than ever. In the end, he could only ask cautiously, “Your Highness… are you feeling alright?”
Qi Wang curled his lips into a half-smile.
Of course he knew what the people around him were thinking. They all assumed the emperor’s cold treatment and recent string of setbacks had driven him mad.
But he was more clear-headed than ever—crystal clear.
That wretched woman Qi Yuan…
Did she really think that by constantly helping Xiao Yunting oppose him, she’d come to a good end?
Sure, Duke Chu’s household had wronged her.
But she thought things would go her way now just because the Feng family was returning?
What a joke. In her past life, who on earth had betrayed her and revealed her identity to Princess Baorong, causing her to nearly be exposed?
Thinking of how, in the previous life, the one who married Xiao Yunting was Feng Caiwei, Qi Wang simply wished Feng Caiwei would hurry into the capital. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Qi Yuan’s face when she saw Feng Caiwei.
After all this effort, wasn’t it just making a wedding dress for someone else?
“No matter.” Qi Wang was in a great mood, and even his expression looked much better. He leaned lazily against the back of his chair and raised an eyebrow slightly as he asked Eunuch Xu, “The message I asked you to send—was it delivered?”
At the mention of this, Eunuch Xu actually found it quite strange.
His Highness had asked him to deliver the message… to the Feng family.
But the Feng family was nothing more than dirt on the ground before—anyone could step on them.
Moreover, His Highness had never had any dealings with the Feng family before. Why suddenly send them a message?
But since he couldn’t figure it out, he simply stopped thinking about it. He just lowered his voice and said to Qi Wang, “Your Highness, we can’t afford any more delays. Let’s leave this place of trouble as soon as possible!”
Qi Wang had never felt so clear-headed as he did now. Though he very much wanted to see Qi Yuan one more time before leaving—to ask her whether she had truly forgotten the Feng family, forgotten the Feng Caiwei from their previous life—
And to see with his own eyes how Qi Yuan would react.
But at the same time, he was very aware that if he really did that, he wouldn’t live to see Qi Yuan’s reaction. He’d be stabbed to death by her on the spot.
That woman had never blinked when killing.
Taking a deep breath, Qi Wang responded with a hum, “Yes, it’s time to go.”
But he wouldn’t be bored. Nor did Xiao Yunting have reason to be smug.
Xiao Yunting’s greatest rival had never been himself.
Not that Xiao Yunting regarded Qi Wang as a rival anymore. Emperor Yongchang had truly brought him to his side to observe court affairs.
This news, however, didn’t cause much of a stir.
After all, Xiao Yunting had just personally led troops to kill Pu Wuyong, effectively crushing the White Lotus Sect in the capital with overwhelming momentum. Let alone the fact that Qi Wang was already finished—even when Qi Wang was still around, he had never achieved anything this outstanding.
Back when Emperor Yongchang had publicly praised Xiao Yunting as a “worthy imperial grandson,” the officials had already mentally prepared themselves for this.
But on the other hand, to the Crown Prince, this news hardly seemed like something to be happy about.
When he heard that Xiao Yunting was accompanying Emperor Yongchang to court, the Crown Prince merely sneered, tugging the corner of his mouth. “Isn’t he the good, virtuous grandson? Let him go, then.”
Song Liangdi bit her lip beside him. “Your Highness… even so…”
The Crown Prince abruptly turned to glare at her coldly. “What, are you jealous?”
Song Liangdi instantly fell to her knees, cold sweat breaking out all over her. “Your Highness… this concubine wouldn’t dare!”
“What wouldn’t you dare?” The Crown Prince suddenly burst out laughing, looking foolishly sincere. “It’s not just you who’s jealous. I’m jealous too! Isn’t that just human nature?”
He laughed heartily.
But Song Liangdi couldn’t laugh at all. Trembling, she stayed by his side, feeling miserable.
Fortunately, after a while, Eunuch Sun came in and whispered a few words into the Crown Prince’s ear.
The smile on the Crown Prince’s face immediately became genuinely cheerful. “My uncles are coming back! Good, good—this is great news!”
Saying that, he personally reached out to help Song Liangdi up. “Why are you still kneeling? The floor’s cold. Come on, get up, get up.”
Song Liangdi’s lips trembled. She hurriedly grasped his hand and stood, forcing a smile to congratulate him. “At last, the clouds part and the sun shines again.”
The Crown Prince clicked his tongue and suddenly asked, “Where’s Jingzhao?”
Song Liangdi let out a breath and replied softly, “Studying.”
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