Qi Yuan let out a soft laugh.
For most people, this kind of physical ordeal would be unbearable, but in her past life, she was trained as a death warrior.
To rise above all others in that brutal group, of course she had her strengths. At the very least, when it came to enduring pain, she would never lose to anyone.
Still, a divine physician was a divine physician, she figured Physician Xue had likely already sensed something off about her.
But that didn’t matter much. Since he hadn’t exposed her on the spot, there was nothing to fear.
After all, she hadn’t planned to stay here long anyway.
Qiu Mama saw her brushing it off and hesitated for a moment before lowering her voice: “Miss… you saw it too. His Highness… he truly cares for you deeply.”
Qi Yuan turned her face toward her, gaze cool: “What are you trying to say?”
Qiu Mama’s lips trembled, but she pressed on: “His Highness’s concern for you is plain to all. He even wants to marry you as Wangfei. Yes, maybe dragging you from the capital was… improper, but he only did it because he truly cares.”
“What does a woman want in life? Isn’t it just someone to depend on, someone who loves her?”
“His Highness treats you with such devotion. Why doesn’t that move you, even a little?”
Qi Yuan let out a cold laugh.
Love?
Does Qi Wang even know what love is?
Even if you truly loved a dog, you wouldn’t break its legs, choke it so it can’t breathe, feed it the finest medicine just to keep it barely alive, and then say, ‘I really love you. I can’t live without you.’
That’s not what love looks like.
Qi Wang wasn’t even capable of loving someone.
She wouldn’t even call herself a caged bird.
A caged bird, at least, could fly away if the cage were opened.
But she? She was a bird embroidered on a screen, stitched onto a curtain of melancholy purple silk, a white bird forever trapped amid golden clouds.
Over time, her feathers dulled, mildewed, and were eaten away by moths. But even in death, she remained bound to the screen.
That was what Qi Wang wanted of her, to be a motionless puppet.
Only when she was still like this could he feel at ease.
But the moment she was awake, he would break her limbs all over again.
She smiled faintly: “If this is his version of devotion, he can save it for someone else. I’m not blessed enough to accept it.”
Qiu Mama opened her mouth to say something, but then Qi Yuan turned to her, those clear, piercing eyes silencing her immediately.
Elsewhere, Qi Wang had arrived at the study and summoned Li Changshi.
“Draft a memorial to the emperor,” he ordered.
Li Changshi responded immediately: “Your Highness wishes to submit a petition for punishment?”
After all, the flooding in Jiangxi was disastrous, especially with Xiao Yunting executing so many corrupt officials in Xunyang. As a county prince, it made sense for Qi Wang to offer an official apology.
But Qi Wang shook his head and replied calmly: “No. I simply want to ask the emperor for an imperial marriage decree.”
A decree of marriage?!
Li Changshi was stunned, unable to react for a moment.
Only when Qi Wang tapped the table did he snap out of it. “Your Highness is requesting a marriage decree… with whom?”
“Qi Yuan,” Qi Wang replied, lips curved in a half-smile. “Miss Qi came all the way to Jiangxi to be with me. I cannot let her devotion go unanswered. Asking my father for a marriage decree, surely that’s reasonable?”
Li Changshi was momentarily speechless.
Qi Yuan had been kidnapped by Gao Qing with great effort from the capital.
Now Qi Wang wanted to spin it into her pursuing him across provinces?!
As long as the Qi family couldn’t produce solid proof that she’d been abducted, they’d have to swallow the insult.
As for Miss Qi?
She lay in a coma, completely unaware.
And even if she were awake, what could she do?
This wasn’t the capital. This was Qi Wang’s territory. Here, what he said was law.
Li Changshi’s thoughts whirled rapidly. In the end, he nodded and immediately began drafting the memorial.
The letter opened by inquiring after Emperor Yongchang’s health, followed by an expression of guilt over the flood disaster in Jiangxi. It pledged full cooperation with the Imperial Grandson.
Finally, it mentioned that Marquis Yongping’s daughter, Miss Qi, had followed him all the way to Jiangxi out of deep affection, and he humbly requested a marriage decree to not disappoint her.
Qi Wang skimmed through the finished draft and nodded in satisfaction: “Very good. I’ll copy it out by hand myself. Send someone on a fast horse to deliver it to the capital.”
Li Changshi bowed immediately.
Qi Wang was in a good mood and even rewarded him with five hundred taels of gold and twenty bolts of fine silk.
Li Changshi thanked him profusely.
Qi Wang waved him off with a smile: “This marriage will require your help in the future, Li Changshi. You’ve earned it. Now rise.”
They talked into the evening. As night fell, Qi Wang invited Li Changshi to stay for dinner in the residence, then, impatient, hurried back to Qi Yuan’s room.
Seeing him approach, Qiu Mama immediately knelt to greet him.
Qi Wang waved her up and, upon seeing Qi Yuan still lying quietly on the bed, smiled. He took the handkerchief from Qiu Mama’s hands and said, “I’ll do it.”
Then casually asked: “The kitchen prepared the medicinal broth prescribed by Divine Physician Xue. Did you feed it to her?”
Qiu Mama was in full panic, terrified he might insist on feeding Qi Yuan himself. She quickly replied: “We just gave her some, she only managed a small amount, but Physician Xue said that’s fine. Better to give a little at a time.”
Qi Wang nodded: “You’ve done well. Keep taking good care of her.”
Qiu Mama quickly agreed.
Qi Wang stayed for quite a while. Qiu Mama was beginning to worry he’d spend the night here and didn’t know how to intervene.
Just then, Eunuch Feng knocked on the door. “Your Highness! There’s been an incident!”
Another one?!
Qi Wang was about to lash out in annoyance, but remembering Qi Yuan, he held it in. He stood and strode to the door with a frown. “What is it now?”
Eunuch Feng’s face was pale. “Wang Weiqi and Huang Hongzhong, they’ve both been killed!”
“Lord Xiong sent men to investigate, it turns out both Wang Weiqi and Huang Hongzhong are dead!”
Both dead?!
Qi Wang was momentarily stunned.
Then his expression darkened with clenched fury. “Xiao Yunting.”
It had to be Xiao Yunting’s doing.
No one else could pull this off.
No wonder he hadn’t entered Gaojia Town, he must have sensed something was wrong as soon as he arrived at Jin County.
Qi Wang gave a low snort and said with a calm face: “Understood.”
