Chapter 152
Qiu Chi wandered around outside for a while longer, and after deciding it was boring, she returned to the manor.
The door in the manor that had locked her and the Tanhua Lang in had been opened. But when they entered, they only saw the Tanhua Lang lying on the floor; Qiu Chi was nowhere to be seen.
Thinking something had happened, they hurriedly helped the Tanhua Lang up and asked anxiously, “Imperial Son-in-law, where is the princess? Where did she go?”
The princess was the Emperor’s only child. Even if the Emperor didn’t care much for her, if something were to happen to the princess, they would all be dead for sure.
The Tanhua Lang said weakly, “I don’t know. She snuck out on her own.”
What happened today had completely shattered the Tanhua Lang’s perception of reality. He felt a little hopeless.
With a tigress like her around, was there still any chance for him and his Wan’er?
Could he dare to dream that this tigress was fated to die young? Although it was a terrible thing to wish for, he just couldn’t help but fantasize… (sobs).
Qiu Chi was unaware of the Tanhua Lang’s various internal monologues. She only knew that when she returned, the courtyard was filled with people.
The moment she appeared, they all knelt down in a great rush.
Qiu Chi was rather speechless. “What are you all doing?”
The matron and eunuch at the front said, “Princess, it’s not that we servants wish to restrain you, but His Majesty has ordered that you are not to leave for these three days. Your Highness is of noble and precious birth. If you were to run out and something were to happen, we servants would not survive. Even if you don’t consider us, you must consider yourself.”
Qiu Chi looked at the people kneeling on the ground and fell silent.
Although she knew she would be fine, these people didn’t.
Moreover, she was the type to yield to soft persuasion but not to coercion. If these people had simply used the Emperor’s authority to threaten her, she would have naturally done as she pleased, acting even more wantonly.
But since they hadn’t done that, Qiu Chi couldn’t bring herself to be harsh.
She pursed her lips and said, “Get up. I just won’t go out for the next two days.”
Not going out was impossible; at most, she just wouldn’t let them find out.
When Qiu Chi returned to the room, she saw the Tanhua Lang looking completely dazed, as if his soul had left his body.
Pouring herself a cup of water, Qiu Chi asked in a leisurely tone, “Have you come to your senses now?”
The Tanhua Lang rubbed his face, still unable to fully pull himself together.
“How are you… so strong?”
Even if he wasn’t a martial artist, he was still a man. He had even done farm work for his family, so he had some strength. Yet in front of her, he couldn’t even put up a fight.
It made him wonder if the two of them had been born with the wrong genders.
Seeing his stupefied expression, Qiu Chi didn’t feel much like bothering with him.
“If there’s nothing else, scram and go back to your own courtyard.”
The Tanhua Lang got up, looking very obedient. A good beating was indeed very effective.
However, after leaving the room but before he could exit the courtyard, he was stopped. “Imperial Son-in-law, what are you planning to do? If there is anything you need, you only have to command us servants.”
The Tanhua Lang glanced back at Qiu Chi’s room, then turned back and said, “I’d like to go for a walk.”
“If you feel cooped up in the room, you can ask the princess to go for a walk with you.”
The implication was that he couldn’t go alone; the two of them had to stay together.
The Tanhua Lang returned to the room with a sigh. “It’s not that I don’t want to go back to my own courtyard, but they won’t allow it. I truly hate how handsome I am. If it weren’t for this face, the Emperor probably wouldn’t have chosen me.”
Qiu Chi gave him a speechless glance. “I didn’t realize you were so narcissistic.”
“Narcissistic is a good word, but this isn’t narcissism, it’s a fact. Although I pride myself on being exceptionally talented, it’s not as if there aren’t others more talented than I.”
“Take the top scholar from my year, for example. His talent was just a smidgen greater than mine, but why did the Emperor choose me instead of him? It must be because of my handsome face.”
Before, the Tanhua Lang had found everything about Qiu Chi disagreeable. His words were full of sarcasm and ridicule, and he was practically begging for a beating.
Now, after getting beaten up and seeing that Qiu Chi clearly had no romantic interest in him, he breathed a sigh of relief and became quite chatty.
“This is a situation I never expected. Becoming the Tanhua should have been a joyous occasion, and being granted a marriage by His Majesty should have been a great honor for my family. But… I already have a beloved.”
“I’m not saying the princess is a bad person. But even if she were a thousand times wonderful, in my heart, my beloved is still the best.”
“She has been with me since I had nothing. Fearing my life was hard, she even did embroidery to earn money to support me. If I were to betray her, I would be truly cruel and ungrateful, worse than an animal.”
“Princess, don’t you agree with what I’ve said?”
Qiu Chi took a sip of tea and glanced at the Tanhua Lang with a faint, unreadable smile. She waited until her gaze made his heart pound with fear before she spoke.
“Alright, cut it out with your little schemes. After these three days are over, you and your beloved can be as lovey-dovey as you wish.”
A hint of surprise appeared on the Tanhua Lang’s face, but it quickly fell as he sighed. “Poor Wan’er, having to follow me without any official status…”
Qiu Chi couldn’t resist smacking him. “Cut the damn crap. Don’t you know you have to take things one step at a time? I’ll make sure you and your beloved can be together.”
Only then did the Tanhua Lang happily thank Qiu Chi. “Princess, I will never forget your great kindness. If you ever need anything in the future, I will surely do everything in my power to help.”
Qiu Chi ignored him, instead looking him up and down.
The sight of him clutching his chest, as if afraid she would take advantage of him, made Qiu Chi want to smack him.
“Spare me. Even if you cried and knelt and begged me, I wouldn’t be interested in you. Now stand still and don’t move.”
Although this Tanhua Lang was also a weakling, compared to that waste of space Jian Ninghua, he was at least easier on the eyes.
She didn’t particularly want to go through all the trouble of being the emperor herself, but she would be displeased if Jian Ninghua took the throne. That meant she had to find someone else.
Qiu Chi gestured for the Tanhua Lang to sit down before asking, “If, one day, you could have an imperial harem, with all the beauties in the world yours for the choosing, what would you do?”
The Tanhua Lang clearly had no such ambitions. Hearing Qiu Chi’s words, he looked utterly shocked. “An imperial harem… isn’t that something only the emperor has…?”
He quickly clamped his mouth shut. Seeing Qiu Chi glare at him and raise a fist, he hurriedly said, “Princess, please don’t make things difficult for me. I am completely loyal to the Emperor and have no treasonous thoughts whatsoever. Besides, Wan’er is the only one in my heart. No matter how beautiful anyone else is, it has nothing to do with me.”
Although that initial pledge of loyalty was clearly fake, Qiu Chi still got the answer she wanted.
She didn’t say whether she believed him or not, simply patting the Tanhua Lang on the head. “Remember what you said today. If you can’t live up to it, you will die.”
The Tanhua Lang didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with her threat. “A gentleman’s word.”
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