In Chapter 141: Retreat to Advance, the Fourth Prince sighed, gently wiping away the blood from her lips, murmuring, “You should know, that day I retreated to advance. I wanted him to kill you to save your life.” Qingqing responded with a cold laugh, waiting for him to continue. “Now that things have settled, I dared to come see you.” Qingqing ignored him, only gazing at the sky, its grayness as mysterious as the Fourth Prince’s bottomless eyes. After all she had been through, she was tired. This was not the life she wanted; she missed the timid Lin Qingqing of the past, but there was no going back. Once someone had faced life and death, there was no returning to the past, nor was there any right to do so. The law of the jungle was eternal. The tiger doesn’t want to eat the rabbit, but if it doesn’t, it will starve. Qingqing hid her identity merely to avoid being eaten. This was the instinct for human survival; to be pitied was the behavior of the weak. Everyone has a desire to compete, but now, Qingqing felt exhausted. She only lamented the shallowness of men, like her own father. If she had been born this beautiful, her mother wouldn’t have been neglected, nor would Yafu have grown so arrogant as to poison her in the end.
The Fourth Prince sighed, placing the now cold food at her feet, “I’ll come to see you again. If you change your mind, come find me. But remember, if you die like this, you’ll only earn others’ pity, sympathy, and even scorn.” He watched her trembling shoulders as he left, thinking if she continued to waste away like this, he would have to abandon her. His words truly made Qingqing tremble. Had she endured so much pain, changed her ugly face and kind, weak heart, just for this despair? No, she did not want such a life! She suddenly grabbed the cold rice beside her and began to eat it slowly, chewing each bite carefully as if it were the most delicious food in the world.
Three days later, the Fourth Prince returned. He brought a cartload of charcoal and tonics, which Lihua joyfully received and went to organize. Qingqing had completely changed in those three days. Though still gaunt, she now wore a captivating, confident smile. The Fourth Prince no longer showed the pity and helplessness he had before. With a spring-like smile, he asked, “Have you come to your senses?”
In Chapter 142: The Secret of the Heavenly Duke, Qingqing smiled even sweeter, her voice calm, “If I hadn’t, wouldn’t I be letting down the ‘Heavenly Duke’s’ good intentions?” The Fourth Prince paused, then burst into laughter. Jewelry? That wasn’t what she wanted.
She remembered how Mr. Liu had once been rendered speechless by her discourse on how women should understand the art of governance. Why should she rely on a man to survive? She wanted to free herself from anyone who pitied her, especially men. She no longer needed the so-called “confidant” emperor to give her anything; she wanted to work with those who truly appreciated her and could collaborate with her. She even wanted to possess the entire world!
The two of them slowly descended the mountain, and the Fourth Prince escorted Qingqing back to the Cold Palace without anyone noticing along the way. Once they sat down, they began discussing their future plans. On the way, Qingqing asked the Fourth Prince if her secret had been betrayed by one of his subordinates, if there was a mole among his “followers.” The Fourth Prince did not show any displeasure at the term “mole” and solemnly stated, “My subordinates, except for Yan Shu, are all officials who understand the intricacies of the palace. If anyone were foolish enough to inform, they would gain nothing but death.” Qingqing found this amusing and asked why. He explained, “My power has not been built in a day or two; the second brother would not remove me over such a ‘small matter.’ Because I haven’t opposed him yet, if he were to remove me, it would be like cutting off his own hands.” Qingqing did not ask further and quietly returned to the palace.
As they were pondering their strategies, Lihua brought in some food. As soon as she left, Qingqing’s face darkened, and she indignantly said to the bewildered Fourth Prince, “My stomach isn’t as big as a pig’s belly; if I had thought of it then, I definitely wouldn’t have drunk the soup.”
Chapter 144: The Last Person to Disappoint Qingqing
The Fourth Prince was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, “Looks like I shouldn’t care about you so much.” Suddenly, a flash of inspiration crossed Qingqing’s mind but vanished just as quickly. The bowl in her hand fell to the ground in shock. The Fourth Prince slightly furrowed his brows and asked what was wrong. After a long silence, she said, “I think I’ve figured out who revealed my identity.” The Fourth Prince shot her a sharp glance and then said lightly, “Think? This isn’t something to play around with; it can’t be ‘think.'” After a long while, Qingqing sighed, “I was still hesitant about our ‘great plan,’ but now it seems there’s no one in this world I can trust. Since that’s the case, I’ve made up my mind.” The Fourth Prince wasn’t in a hurry to ask her, his smile catching the coldness in Qingqing’s eyes, “So, should I thank the person who finally disappointed you?” Qingqing said word by word, “Even I should thank her.” “Do you have a plan?” The Fourth Prince toyed with the jade pendant at his waist, lazily asking. “A very good plan.”
In the following days, Qingqing did nothing but recuperate well. She drank the tonics sent by the Fourth Prince like tea, her complexion gradually returning to a healthy glow, her skin becoming delicate as if it could be broken by a breath. However, the clarity in her eyes was gone.
“You’re here?” Qingqing asked with a smile as someone entered. She had only asked Yafu through a messenger, “Do you want to be the empress?” “I’m here to see why you haven’t died yet,” Yafu said with a cold laugh, sitting casually on a chair that was old, dirty, and messy, yet she sat as if on the most comfortable silk couch. “It seems that after spending so much time with Li Qin, you’ve picked up many of his habits.” Qingqing remembered how Li Qin always seemed to be enjoying himself no matter where he sat. “Did you invite me here just to say these trivial things?” Yafu didn’t seem to share Qingqing’s refined taste nor cared about Qingqing directly addressing Li Qin by name. “Of course not,” Qingqing also sat leisurely, as if they were sisters chatting, “Now that you’re the Noble Consort, as your elder sister, I want to bask in your glory.” Yafu didn’t even glance at her, wiping her butterfly tortoiseshell ring with a cloth, and said indifferently, “Why should I do that?”
Chapter 145: Love When Confronted with Power