dognovel Chapter 9: A Second Time "Throwing Himself into My Arms"
Chapter 9: A Second Time "Throwing Himself into My Arms"
Although she had some guesses, Jiang Qingyue was still somewhat surprised when Qin Xuanyu appeared. She stopped herself from getting up after Jiang Chuchu left.
Qin Xuanyu slowly walked up to Jiang Qingyue and stopped. He looked Jiang Qingyue up and down, then said with a hint of pity, "Tsk, how pitiful. She barely escaped with her life, and now she's being forced to kneel here as punishment."
His tone was regretful, but his face clearly showed an expression of watching the show.
"Did the prince return just to see us make a fool of ourselves?" After the gift-giving incident, Jiang Qingyue was even more unsure of Qin Xuanyu's intentions.
But the only thing she was sure of was that he seemed to have no ill intentions towards her, which put her at ease.
"Oh, my royal sister was worried and sent me back to check on things." Qin Xuanyu lied through his teeth.
After all, if Qin Congyu was really worried, he could just send any of his many guards and servants, or at the very least, Qin Xuanyu's entourage. Why would a prince need to come back in person to check?
Jiang Qingyue knew he wouldn't tell the truth, so she didn't expose him. Instead, she went along with his words, "Then Your Highness has seen it and can go and report back."
"Ha, so cold-hearted? I gave you so many gifts and helped you out during the day, don't you feel even a little bit of gratitude?"
"Speaking of gifts, I have a question for Your Highness."
Qin Xuanyu nodded slightly, signaling Jiang Qingyue to continue.
"Is it too ostentatious for Your Highness to present gifts in broad daylight? After today, the entire capital will know. Your Highness is not afraid..."
This was completely unexpected for her. She never imagined that Qin Xuanyu's promise to help her would be in this way. Although it was a great relief and made her feel refreshed, she was still relieved.
But he hasn't officially announced his return to the court, which is tantamount to revealing his identity. Isn't he afraid of being exposed? What is he after?
Qin Xuanyu raised an eyebrow, understanding the deeper meaning behind Jiang Qingyue's words. He did not answer Jiang Qingyue's question, but instead asked in return, "But before I introduced myself today, no one present recognized me. How did you recognize me back then?"
The question thrown back at Jiang Qingyue instantly stunned her, leaving her speechless.
Yes, none of them recognized Qin Xuanyu, but I only met him once, and I not only recognized him but also called out his name. There has to be a reason for that.
But she couldn't very well say that she was reborn, could she? This was her biggest secret and her greatest asset.
Thinking of this, Jiang Qingyue decided to lie through her teeth, "I had seen a portrait of the prince by chance from someone else before."
"I see." Qin Xuanyu knew perfectly well that Jiang Qingyue was just fooling him.
Well, nobody's telling the truth anyway. Given time, he'll eventually uncover Jiang Qingyue's hidden secrets.
Seeing that Qin Xuanyu didn't press the matter, Jiang Qingyue secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This little expression made Qin Xuanyu feel a little amused.
He slowly stepped forward, leisurely squatted down, and looked Jiang Qingyue in the eye. "Aren't you tired of kneeling and talking to me for so long? Aren't you going to get up?"
"My father punished me by making me kneel here until dawn before I could get up."
"Heh!" Qin Xuanyu chuckled, looked Jiang Qingyue up and down, and said in a teasing tone, "I don't believe you'll obediently accept your fate. Just now, before I came out, your movements were clearly an attempt to get up, weren't they? Alright, no one's here anymore, go to sleep, no need to pretend."
As he spoke, Qin Xuanyu grabbed Jiang Qingyue's wrist and pulled her up from the ground.
Jiang Qingyue didn't refuse. Since she had already been exposed, she simply got up.
But having knelt for a while, his legs gave way as soon as he stood up, and he stumbled forward.
The expected pain did not come; instead, she fell directly into a warm embrace.
"If you want to thank me, you don't need to throw yourself into my arms!"
Before Jiang Qingyue could react, upon hearing Qin Xuanyu's voice, she instantly broke free and darted away like a startled cat. However, before her legs could recover, the sudden movement caused her to lean backward.
Qin Xuanyu swept his arm around Jiang Qingyue's waist and caught her steadily. "What are you making a fuss about? I'm not some monster."
Jiang Qingyue couldn't help but blush.
This time she didn't act rashly. After struggling for a while, her legs had recovered. She slowly stepped out of Qin Xuanyu's embrace, cupped her hands in greeting, and said without looking at him, "Thank you, Your Highness!"
After saying that, he turned around, lowered his head, and walked away. In Qin Xuanyu's eyes, it looked like he was fleeing in panic.
"Where are you going? Aren't you afraid your father will find out and punish you again?" Seeing Jiang Qingyue's actions, Qin Xuanyu found it somewhat amusing. He put his arm around Jiang Qingyue's shoulder, blocking her path.
"Go back to sleep. They can kneel back when they get up tomorrow." Jiang Qingyue didn't even turn her head, directly brushing Qin Xuanyu's hand away, leaving him with only her back.
Even after Jiang Qingyue left, Qin Xuanyu's upturned lips lingered. Her presence had certainly added a lot of fun to his otherwise dull life.
When Jiang Qingyue's figure had completely disappeared, Shadow Blade appeared behind Qin Xuanyu.
Hearing the commotion, Qin Xuanyu composed himself and asked in a low voice, "What happened?"
"Your Highness, His Majesty has learned of this."
Qin Xuanyu looked unconcerned. "With such a big commotion today, we'll definitely find out."
"Your Highness, please forgive my bluntness, but why did you make such a big show of giving gifts today and reveal your identity? Your secret return to the capital was for... His Majesty is already wary of you and is afraid that it will be detrimental to you." At this point, even Ying Ren's usually expressionless face couldn't help but show a hint of worry.
"No need to worry. I have changed my plans and deliberately exposed my identity to alert them. After all, they are hiding in the shadows. This move is to force them to show themselves and take action so that we can wipe them out in one fell swoop."
"But the poison in Your Highness's body... was all caused by that traitor. It was my negligence that led to Your Highness's poisoning. Otherwise, things wouldn't be like this now." Shadow Blade lowered his head in shame, his face filled with deep remorse.
Qin Xuanyu patted Yingren on the shoulder, "It's alright, you won't die for now."
Moreover, if it weren't for the poisoning, he probably wouldn't have run into Jiang Qingyue while recuperating at the hot springs, and he wouldn't have discovered that she had helped him before. Everything was preordained.
"Let's go, let's go into the palace first and appease that cowardly brother of the Emperor!"
After saying this, the two disappeared into the vast night.