Chapter 8 I Can Protect You Too
Qi Yu shrank back involuntarily as she met Li Mingjue's cold gaze.
But upon second thought, this white lotus flower had come for him, why should she feel guilty?
"Reporting to the Prince, the Princess's maid Hong Xing has been unruly and has caused a ruckus within the residence," Li Bo reported thoroughly.
Li Mingjue frowned fiercely upon seeing the disheveled Hong Xing, who looked like a madwoman, "Drag her out and administer twenty heavy beatings."
"Yes."
After Hong Xing was dragged away, Qi Anran regained her previous gentle and agreeable appearance, stepping forward and softly calling out, "My Lord."
Her tone was who knows how much softer compared to when she addressed others, Qi Yu clicked her tongue lightly. No wonder she could so easily deceive Princess Jiahe.
Li Mingjue, however, seemingly heard nothing and only when he approached Qi Yu did he respond indifferently, "What is it?"
Seeing him with his back to her, Qi Anran's hands nearly crumpled the hem of her skirt in frustration, yet she had to suppress her anger and slowly said, "Sister has been married into the Prince Residence for some time now, and our father and mother miss her dearly. They specifically asked me to come today to take Sister home to the family."
Miss her?
Qi Yu almost couldn't help but roll her eyes; it was probably more about assigning blame.
Just a few days ago, she had tricked that old fox Qi Wei, and now they must be here to settle scores after the autumn harvest.
Li Mingjue turned around, his gaze scrutinizing Qi Anran, and he asked bluntly, "If they missed her, why wait until today? If I'm not mistaken, it's been over half a month since the Princess was married into the Prince Residence."
Qi Anran's face paled for a moment at his refusal to give her face.
But before coming, Qi Wei had strictly ordered her to bring back the person today, and she could only swallow her pride and continue to persuade, "Father couldn't bear to rashly disturb you shortly after Sister returned to the Prince Residence. Today happens to be Sister's birthday, and they sent me to take Sister home for a family gathering."
Birthday?
Qi Yu was taken aback, was today the original host's birthday?
In the original host's memory, every birthday was spent alone in the backyard.
Everyone in the Prime Minister Residence acted as if they were deaf and dumb, never remembering this day.
If that was the case, then today might be a good time to return to the Prime Minister Residence to vent for the original host.
Li Mingjue glanced at Qi Yu and saw her nod, only then did he reluctantly agree.
Before leaving, he instructed Guan Bei to go to the Mingyue Pavilion to tailor ten sets of clothes for Qi Yu.
"I also want pastries from Wanchun Building, and crab roe buns from Xilai Fu!" Qi Yu quickly added.
Who cares about clothes from Mingyue Pavilion? She wanted tasty treats!
Li Mingjue was speechless for a while; should he say that she didn't recognize true value or that she was frugal and thrifty? Either way, a hundred jin of pastries couldn't compare to clothes from Mingyue Pavilion.
But since Qi Yu liked them, he could only go along with it.
The steward responded with affection and quickly dispatched someone to prepare everything.
Today was the Princess's birthday, and it was rare for the Prince to take such interest; he couldn't afford to lag behind.
In no time, the entire Prince Residence was bustling with preparations, afraid of neglecting the Princess and angering Li Mingjue.
If Qi Anran had harbored any last shred of hope, believing that it was all just Qi Yu's side of the story, and how could the Prince possibly care about a fool?
But now, witnessing first-hand Li Mingjue's and the entire Prince Residence's indulgence of Qi Yu, her jealousy twisted her face.
Any random piece of clothing from Mingyue Pavilion cost upwards of a thousand taels of silver, what did a fool like her deserve!
Even she could only coax her mother into buying her one every year, just to maintain appearances at important events.
Yet Li Mingjue casually spent for ten, willing to splurge tens of thousands of taels of silver.
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It really is too cheap for this fool who doesn't know the good stuff.
Hong Xing didn't know that Qi Anran was pained by anger in her stomach, she didn't expect that just having a birthday could bring so many benefits, and her mood brightened quite a bit.
"Sister, let's go back early, I'm sure our parents are anxious," Qi Yu urged.
All she wanted now was to quickly slap some faces, put some scum in their place, and then return to the Prince Residence to enjoy her pastries.
Qi Anran tugged at the corners of her mouth, revealing a forced smile, "Okay."
Thinking of what awaited Qi Yu in the Prime Minister Residence, a bit of her anger dissipated.
She couldn't believe that Qi Yu would be able to leave the Prime Minister Residence unharmed today!
In the carriage, Qi Yu lifted the curtain and curiously looked outside.
The capital city was bustling with excitement, yet she had never been out before.
"Why go back?" Li Mingjue looked at the person who knew nothing of the danger, his expression somewhat ugly.
Although he was confident he could protect Qi Yu, the Prime Minister Residence was surely filled with traps; what would he do if something really happened?
Qi Yu hadn't thought that far, she dismissively waved her hand, "That old fox Qi Wei just wants to vent his anger, doesn't he? Even if we don't show up today, he'll always find a reason to drag me back."
"Besides, instead of being manipulated by others, it's better to take the initiative." Qi Yu winked at him, a sly smile spreading across her face.
Li Mingjue's expression shifted; his Princess always managed to put things lightly, making one have to... take a second look.
"And," Qi Yu suddenly leaned in closer, looking seriously at his devastatingly handsome face, "I can protect you, too."
Li Mingjue felt as if he'd been scorched by her gaze and quickly averted his eyes, saying coolly, "The Prince never said he needed your protection."
Qi Yu poked his face, feigning a sigh, "Ah, there's no need to worry even if the sky falls, our Prince's mouth will hold it up."
"Stop being ridiculous!" Li Mingjue chastised in a low voice, prying her finger away.
Pretending not to hear, Qi Yu cheerfully continued to lean against the curtain, watching the scenery outside.
Li Mingjue reached up to touch the spot where her finger had prodded, a hint of unusual redness blooming on his face, glaring at the culprit with a mix of annoyance and embarrassment.
Upon arriving at the Prime Minister Residence, Qi Wei and Madam Wang were already waiting in the front hall.
Qi Yu walked leisurely with Li Mingjue, as if they were out for a leisurely visit, not in a rush at all.
Qi Anran followed them, attempting several times to urge them on, but was blocked by Li Mingjue's look each time.
"Sister, this is the home where you grew up, what is there to see?" Qi Anran could only try to remind her indirectly.
But Qi Yu blinked, looking at her with some pretense of grievance, "But I've always been locked in a dark room and never seen such beautiful places."
Li Mingjue's eyes turned frosty, his gaze sweeping over the people of the Prime Minister Residence.
The maids who originally held some contempt for Qi Yu couldn't bear the pressure and lowered their heads one by one.
Qi Anran's heart skipped a beat, hastily interrupting before Qi Yu could reveal more truth, "Sister, you must be remembering wrong, we often played here when we were little."
However, Qi Yu carried on relentlessly, scaring Qi Anran to death.
"Yuyu, what are you making such a fuss about!"
Qi Wei and Madam Wang had been waiting in the front hall for quite some time without seeing anyone, growing impatient.
They came out just in time to hear Qi Yu speaking outrageous things and Qi Wei shouted at her.
Qi Yu acted as if she had been frightened, quickly hiding behind Li Mingjue.
Qi Wei frowned, and Madam Wang immediately stepped forward to apologize, "Please forgive us for laughing, Prince. Qi Yu has been foolish since childhood and often says nonsensical things."
However, Li Mingjue was not appeased and protected Qi Yu behind him, his eyes coldly fixed on her, "How dare you, Madam; the Prince's Princess is not someone for you to comment on!"
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