He sat bolt upright, staring straight ahead, his hands slowly moving over of their own accord, his fingertips touching the back of her hand resting on the soft cushion, cool to the touch.
Just like that he didn't move, not advancing, not retreating.
Yuan Qingling also sat bolt upright, her gaze darting around, every muscle in her body tense, feeling his fingertip's touch. She should move her hand away, she should, alright, she'll move it away.
But wouldn't that seem too deliberate? It was just their fingertips touching, what of it? They had been physically intimate before, just a slight touch of the hands didn't warrant a big reaction.
After all, weren't they friends now? A touch of the hands between friends was no big deal.
Just now he had even dried her hair for her, she had also accidentally touched a part of his body...
If her heart wasn't beating so fast, everything would be fine.
The carriage suddenly stopped, Xu Yi lifted the curtain. Yuwen Hao quickly pulled his hand back and placed it on his knee.
"Your Highness, Your Ladyship, we've arrived!" Xu Yi called out.
Oblivious Xu Yi naturally didn't notice the awkward atmosphere in the carriage.
Yuwen Hao got out of the carriage first, Yuan Qingling wrapped herself tightly in his loose outer robe, carefully peeking out. Yuwen Hao put his arm around her to help her down, their bodies pressed close in that instant, Yuan Qingling felt weak all over, after getting down she could barely stand, her heart racing nonstop.
Xu Yi reached out to take Yuan Qingling's wet clothes, Yuwen Hao grabbed them from him, "This king will take them."
"Oh!" Xu Yi felt it was a bit strange that His Highness would take Her Ladyship's dirty clothes for her.
But then Yuwen Hao immediately threw the clothes to Lv Ya, "Make her a bowl of ginger soup."
This incident of falling into the lake was somehow absurdly resolved. Sitting in Feng Yi Pavilion, Yuan Qingling looked out at the pagoda tree outside the window, still feeling very confused.
How did Yuwen Hao conclude that she wasn't the one who pushed Chu Mingcui into the lake?
He didn't believe Chu Mingcui framed her? This was really bizarre.
"Your Ladyship, the ginger soup!" Lv Ya brought in the steaming ginger soup, the billowing steam made her eyes water, she blinked a few times.
Yuan Qingling took it and raised it to her lips, gulping it down. "Hot!" she exclaimed in surprise.
Lv Ya didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "Why are you drinking it in such big gulps?"
Yuan Qingling put the soup down and pulled Lv Ya over, solemnly asking her, "Ya, I have something to ask you, you must answer me truthfully."
Seeing her solemn expression, Lv Ya was given a fright, "Your Ladyship, please ask, I would never hide anything from you."
Yuan Qingling brushed back her hair, trying to disguise her unnatural demeanor, "Have you ever liked someone before?"
Lv Ya was confused, "Like? What kind of like does Your Ladyship mean?"
"A woman's feelings for a man."
Lv Ya's face turned red, "How could I like a man?"
"It's only natural for a woman to like a man."
"I wouldn't dare."
As her chief handmaiden, Lv Ya was so conservative about the topic of love, it really made her miss her previous life's assistant!
"Why are you asking about this?" Lv Ya asked ingenuously.
"You're about the right age to marry, I was thinking of finding you a match if there's anyone suitable."
Lv Ya was stunned for a moment, then her eyes began to fill up with tears, "Do you really mean it, Your Ladyship?"
"Why are you crying? Don't you want to?"
Lv Ya fell to her knees with a thud, "I'm deeply grateful for Your Ladyship's kindness."
Now it was Yuan Qingling's turn to be confused, "What are you thanking me for? Men and women are meant to marry, you've pledged your service to the prince's manor, of course it's my duty to arrange your marriage, why are you calling it a favor?"
Lv Ya sobbed and said, "I thought Your Ladyship would take me as a concubine."
"Take concubine?" Yuan Qingling was startled, of course she knew what it meant, to make her most trusted handmaiden a concubine for Yuwen Hao.
Usually when a young lady marries, her personal maid often becomes a concubine. The children born to the concubine would also be the young lady's children. This would solidify her position.
Lv Ya wasn't originally her lady in waiting, but her previous one had been dismissed, with Lv Ya taking over that position.
The status of a concubine was only slightly better than that of a maid, in essence reduced to being a breeding tool or s*x tool, without dignity.
Yuan Qingling suddenly realized this issue and asked, "How many concubines does His Highness have?"
Xiaoyue Pavilion seemed to have some maids serving him, all quite good-looking, could they be his concubines?
Lv Ya said, "I wouldn't know about that, we of Feng Yi Pavilion would never dare ask about Xiaoyue Pavilion's affairs. But I presume there are none, otherwise it would be made known. Taking concubines isn't kept secret unless His Highness doesn't want people knowing about it."
Yuan Qingling felt that was probably the case, he didn't want others knowing.
It was reasonable for a physically normal adult man to have such needs and take one or two concubines.
Yuan Qingling suddenly felt a twinge of sourness, it seemed the aftereffects of drinking lakewater still hadn't faded.
"Lv Ya, I'll find someone suitable for you, stop kneeling." Yuan Qingling pulled her to her feet.
Lv Ya was still very moved to tears.
Yuan Qingling slowly drank the ginger soup, her prior lightheartedness gone.
After sending Lv Ya away, Yuan Qingling began making wishes to the medicine chest.
She started with a simple wish, asking for a pen.
If her wish could be granted, she would try asking for medicine.
Closing it then opening it, she rummaged through but couldn't find a pen, only some pencils.
Was the medicine chest deaf?
"Rifampicin," she tried again.
Closing and opening it, there was rifampicin, but it was what was originally inside, no new medicine appeared.
"Prednisone."
Opening it again, a small bottle of prednisone cream lay inside.
"Prednisone tablets."
Upon opening, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry, inside was a tube of hemorrhoid cream, bundled with a bottle of camphor oil.
The medicine chest was so unreliable, looked like there was no way she could heal Prince Huai.
Prince Huai, I've tried my best.
She lay collapsed on the bed, looking very helpless.
She wondered how Chu Mingcui was doing. She wondered what Yuwen Hao told Prince Qi about this matter.
What was Yuwen Hao thinking? Why did he believe her with just one look at the scene?
It was truly puzzling.
The moment Yuwen Hao took Yuan Qingling away, Chu Mingcui's heart turned to ashes.
Her entire body was trembling, her heart was also trembling.
She thought she understood him, had him under control, and believed he would take her side without question.
But he didn't, just casting that indifferent glance at her, she saw the disappointment in his eyes.
He said he would give them an explanation, that was just an excuse. He felt sorry for Yuan Qingling and wanted to take her away immediately.
When he looked at Yuan Qingling, although his expression was gloomy, his eyes were anxious and worried, he felt sorry for her.
This woman who had schemed against him, causing him to be neglected by the Emperor, ridiculed by civil and military officials and commoners in the capital, yet he actually felt sorry for her.
Yuwen Hao, why are you so shamelessly infatuated? And why are you so heartless?
Her heart bled the entire carriage ride back, the pain indescribable.
"Don't be afraid, Fifth Brother will definitely give you an explanation," Prince Qi held her hand to comfort her.
"He won't!" Chu Mingcui said coldly.
"Fifth Brother will, he's reasonable, he definitely won't let Yuan Qingling off."
"What do you understand?" Chu Mingcui suddenly erupted at Prince Qi.
Prince Qi fell silent.
