Suddenly, the sound of a teacup being knocked over was heard, followed by a young eunuch kneeling in panic, “Your Highness, when… when did you arrive?” Both Qingqing and the Fourth Prince were startled. The Fourth Prince’s palace had few servants, and they had all left when they saw Qingqing and the Fourth Prince talking. Li Qin, seeing Qingqing and the Fourth Prince in such a state, didn’t bother with formalities or explanations. He kicked the young eunuch with full force, angrily shouting, “You dog slave, when I decide to come, do I need to report to you?” The eunuch trembled with fear, continuously kowtowing and begging for mercy. The Fourth Prince couldn’t bear it, saying, “Why bother with a servant, brother?” Li Qin himself didn’t understand why the sight of Qingqing leaning on the Fourth Prince’s shoulder made him feel a twinge of jealousy, only venting his anger on a servant to console himself with the notion that “one should not look upon what is improper.” Seeing Qingqing’s flushed face, resembling a young girl caught in a secret rendezvous, he was startled by his own thoughts: “When did I start to care about these things? What do they do, what does it matter to me?” With that thought, he turned and left.
After a while, Qingqing finally reacted, murmuring, “I wonder what I did to offend the Crown Prince again…” The Fourth Prince’s face turned cold, “Hmph, he’s probably just upset. No one has offended him.” Qingqing quickly thought through the Crown Prince’s recent behavior, wanting to ignore him but also fearing to stir up trouble. Although her father hadn’t blamed her for yesterday’s incident, he had warned her not to go against the Crown Prince’s will. Beyond that, Qingqing was thinking about how to resolve this misunderstanding without drawing attention. Without time to think, she hurriedly chased after him. Ignoring the Fourth Prince’s surprise, anger, and calls, she caught up with Li Qin by a lotus pond pavilion. Qingqing called out to him, but he didn’t respond. The more she called, the faster he walked. Frustrated, Qingqing, disregarding etiquette, shouted, “Li Qin, you petty man!” She didn’t know where she found the courage, especially emphasizing the word “petty.” Li Qin, who had intended to ignore her, stopped in his tracks.
