Chapter 183

Princess Que'er stood to the side with tears in her eyes, looking at Duan Rongshi, as if she wanted to step forward but dared not get too close.

Her face was full of grievance, her hands trembling slightly as she gazed at him.

Duan Rongshi didn't even lift the curtain, looking at Que'er through the screen: "How did you come here?"

Que'er's eyes were red: "Cousin, your life and death are unknown—how could I not come personally look for you? But seeing you safe, I'm relieved."

Sha Lei said: "Your Highness, Princess Que'er's subordinates have been searching everywhere up and down the mountains these two days without rest."

"We also encountered what seemed to be Lotus Sect members; the princess, a woman of martial skill, even shot and killed several."

Duan Rongshi: "I understand. Que'er, there is a matter I wish to entrust to you."

Seeing Prince Su unharmed, Que'er's heart settled considerably.

Upon hearing he still needed her help, she immediately agreed without even asking what it was.

Li Qingluo, standing nearby, watched the scene and originally thought: that day when I first saw Princess Que'er, she bore an aura no less formidable than a man's, yet by the Prince's side she had completely turned into a timid maiden.

But suddenly, the Prince pointed his finger at me.

"It was a coincidence that I and the Li family maiden fell into misfortune together this time."

"She helped me, but I cannot damage her reputation. Please, Que'er, assist me by personally escorting the Li maiden back to Jiangjun Fu and keeping this matter secret."

If everyone in Jinling City knew that Li Qingluo and Prince Su had fallen off a cliff together and been missing for a day and two nights, her innocence would indeed be completely ruined.

Upon hearing this, Que'er's face stiffened slightly.

But she had already agreed, so she could not go back on her word.

Thus she could only steel herself and reply again: "Yes, Que'er understands, Cousin, rest assured."

Prince Su gazed deeply at Li Qingluo through the curtain, then waved his hand: "Depart."

Li Qingluo naturally had no objection to this.

She even felt a bit grateful for the Prince's thoughtfulness today, feeling that she had not wasted her effort in saving him.

But then a hostile glance shot at her; Li Qingluo stiffened, lifted the curtain, and gave Que'er a friendly nod.

Jiangjun Fu.

For these two days, everyone in Jiangjun Fu dared not even breathe loudly.

Since the seventeenth, when word came from outside the city of a major rebel uprising, and news spread that Prince Su had gone out to suppress the rebels but then vanished with unknown fate, the whole of Jinling City fell into panic.

That night, the young ladies invited by the Nanping County Princess to ride out of the city were only safely returned home deep into the night.

Only the eldest daughter of Jiangjun Fu has not yet returned.

Although Jiangjun Fu kept the news tightly sealed, the rumor still spread like wildfire.

Street gossip held that the bandits had abducted many noble ladies that day, so the Jiangjun Fu maiden's absence must mean she came to harm.

"If it were only losing one's life, that would be bearable; but if it were losing one's purity... given the Jiangjun Fu's recent string of scandals, I think the only way to set things right would be for every female in the household to become a nun."

"Don't talk nonsense—Prince Su's whereabouts are also unknown."

"You mean they might have disappeared together?"

"Hah, absolutely impossible! Those two are as unrelated as can be—even if both went missing, they could never have disappeared together!"

"Even if the Li family's eldest daughter is now radiant and bears a hint of Jiangjun Fu's ladylike bearing, to think of cozying up to Prince Su... she must be tired of living."

Such gossip naturally also reached the ears of Old Lady Pei.

She didn't care what outsiders said; she simply had Zhang Mama send people out day and night to keep searching for Li Qingluo's whereabouts.

"Have you searched the mountains, the valleys, the cliff bases, the precipices, the tiger dens and wolf lairs?"

"Or perhaps Luo'er was injured and hid at some farmer's house?"

"Have you checked the hunters' cabins on the mountain?"

Zhang Mama merely kept coming in and shaking her head.

Old Lady Pei watched as her spirits deteriorated day by day.

Deng Mama and Que'er had already been kneeling in Jingci Tang for a day and two nights; Old Lady Pei didn't want to see them, but they wouldn't let her be.

Each time Zhang Mama entered, they would immediately prop up their trembling bodies to look.

But each time Zhang Mama shook her head, causing them to collapse again and again.

Que'er's tear tracks never dried.

"Granny, if the miss is gone... please bury me beside her memorial tomb. In my next life I will still be her maid... and serve her!"

"In this life, our master-servant affinity is too shallow..."

Deng Mama scolded her: "Pah, nonsense! The miss will surely be fine..."

Just then, a servant from the front courtyard ran to Jingci Tang to report: "Old Lady, Old Lady—the miss has returned, she's returned!"

Old Lady Pei, supported by Zhang Mama, hurried out: "What did you say? Has Luo'er returned?"

The young servant, face full of joy, replied: "Reporting to Old Lady, it is the eldest daughter who has returned!"

After Liu Qiongzhu was expelled from Jiangjun Fu, Li Qingluo fully restored her status as eldest daughter.

Thus everyone in Jiangjun Fu now calls her "eldest daughter."

"It was Princess Que'er herself who brought the miss back; now the master and mistress are waiting at the gate to receive her!"

"Princess Que'er said the miss suffered a slight injury while rescuing several other young ladies at the horse field these past two days."

"These two days, Princess Que'er forgot about this because of the bandit affair; that day she arbitrarily decided to keep the miss at her suburban villa, intending to send a message back, but she delayed, and only today remembered to send the miss home."

The servant's excited, incoherent words made Old Lady Pei unable to wait any longer.

"Never mind what princess! Where is my Luo'er? What injury did she suffer? Hurry and take me to see her!"

At the gate of Jiangjun Fu, Li Qingluo knelt to thank Princess Que'er.

"Thank you, Your Highness, for your great kindness."

Princess Que'er bent down and personally helped Li Qingluo to her feet.

She wore a smile, but she lowered her head and whispered to Li Qingluo: "I don't care what happened between you and your cousin these past two days, but you'd better keep it all to yourself."

I grew up with my cousin as childhood sweethearts; in my eyes, my cousin is different from all those other princes, and in his eyes, I naturally have a place as well.

Only with him have I truly shared hardships.

This time I'll let it slide. Next time, if I see you near my cousin again, don't blame me for being rude.

Li Qingluo was not frightened by Princess Qin Yu.

On the contrary, she was very angry.

Even if she is a princess of two states, so what?

Li Qingluo had already died once; facing others' threats, it only stirred her rebellious spirit.

However, Li Qingluo also did not want to cause trouble.

As for Prince Su's estate, she herself also did not intend to go through whatever happened in the mountains again.

Just treat it as a dream, go home, and forget everything.

But if Princess Qin Yu wants to treat her as an imaginary enemy, it's completely unnecessary!

"Your Highness has misunderstood; I am merely the daughter recently retrieved from the Jiangjun Fu—who in Jinling City would even look up to me?"

Princess Qin Yu laughed coldly: "It's good that you have self-awareness."

After saying that, she stepped back, gently holding Li Qingluo's hands with a warm expression and said: "When entrusted with a task, see it through. Don't blame me for speaking harshly; in this world, too many women love to daydream. If they fantasize about obtaining what they shouldn't, the end result will only be shattered to pieces."

"As for that Liu Qiong Zhu type, if she weren't dead-set on seducing the Fourth Prince, she wouldn't even be able to enter the royal household."

After Princess Qin Yu finished speaking, she turned, clasped her hands toward Li Chao Jing, then mounted her horse, whipped it, and led a long procession away.

Li Qingluo looked at her retreating back and murmured: "So you also look down on Liu Qiong Zhu."

But her behavior that day was clearly another matter.

"Luoer—"

Pei Lao Furen stumbled out of the Jiangjun Fu gate, seeing Li Qingluo safe and sound, she was so moved that tears rolled down.

"Child, come quickly, let Grandmother take a look!"

Li Chao Jing and Qu Shi turned around.

Li Chao Jing said: "Mother, you can finally rest easy. I heard you didn't sleep all night last night—I was really worried."

Now that Luoer has returned safe and sound, the whole family can finally relax, and we won't be implicated by her.

After saying that, Li Chao Jing turned his head to look at Li Qingluo, furrowed his brows and said: "Luoer, do you realize your mistake? Because of you these past two days, the whole family has been thrown into turmoil, unable to eat or sleep properly—you're really being unreasonable!"

Since you went to Princess Qin Yu's villa, you should at least have sent word home, so the whole family wouldn't be so frantic searching for you...

Before Li Chao Jing's father could even finish putting on his airs, Pei Lao Furen shouted at him: "Are you annoyed? I'm talking to Luoer—what are you doing here jabbering? Get out of the way!"

Li Chao Jing: "……"

Mother, don't be so blatantly biased.