Xiao Qiniang returned to her own residence after leaving Li Man'er's room. Her maid, Zhuyu, hurried to greet her. Seeing that her mistress's complexion was not good, she immediately asked, "Miss, are you alright?"
Xiao Qiniang sat down at the table, leaned back wearily in her chair, and closed her eyes, saying, "I'm fine."
"Your complexion is not good. Did that person surnamed Li give you a hard time?" Zhuyu, fiercely protective of her mistress, guessed that her young lady had suffered a disadvantage under Li Man'er.
"Don't talk nonsense," Xiao Qiniang opened her eyes and said wearily, "Do you know she now has a Prince as her backer? Perhaps the next time I see her, I will have to pay her great respect and address her as Princess Consort!"
Even though she knew she could not compare to Li Man'er, Xiao Qiniang still couldn't help but feel jealous. She had been exceptionally outstanding since childhood, and her background was not poor. Why couldn't she win over that person!
Zhuyu naturally sided with her, "The Prince is so foolish. How can he not see Miss's feelings!"
Xiao Qiniang frowned, "Don't talk rubbish." Then she also felt a bit regretful, "What's the use of just having feelings? The Prince wants a woman who can bring him help. Compared to Li Man'er, I am indeed inferior to her."
"Miss, you must not underestimate yourself. She is just from a better family and looks better..." Zhuyu stopped speaking after saying a couple of sentences, realizing it didn't sound like comfort.
Xiao Qiniang smiled, "Aren't these two things enough?"
Zhuyu had no words to say. Yes, she was beautiful and from a good family. With just these two points, she already surpassed most people. Not to mention that Li Man'er herself possessed superb medical skills, her martial arts were high, and she could lead troops into battle. Compared to her, Xiao Qiniang's talent in managing household affairs was not worth mentioning.
"Don't mention these things again. Be careful not to let people hear and laugh at us..." laugh at her for her foolish infatuation.
"Oh! Your servant understands," Zhuyu said dejectedly, "Miss, you should rest!"
"I'm not sleepy yet. Go and see how Grandfather is. I heard the Prince mention that Li Man'er might be able to cure Grandfather's illness."
Zhuyu was somewhat surprised, "Didn't they say it was incurable?"
"It's indeed incurable, but it can extend Grandfather's lifespan. Even if it's only for half a year, it's enough."
Zhuyu couldn't help but murmur, "That's still quite remarkable." After all, all the doctors before had said to prepare for the funeral, and now she could last another half a year.
Perhaps feeling she had said something she shouldn't have, Zhuyu quickly said, "Your servant will go immediately."
After Zhuyu left, Xiao Qiniang sighed deeply, rubbed her slightly aching forehead, and fell into deep thought.
Qi Yihan dispatched people overnight to gather the troops, punishing and arresting the loyal followers of Xiao Rudie. Led by Zhang Yue Sheng, several advisors and deputy generals who participated in the rebellion were all taken into custody. The fate of these people was obvious. If they were only beheaded and their families were not implicated, it would be considered fortunate. If the Emperor was enraged, their entire clans might be wiped out.
Qi Yihan appeared in the military camp as the Ninth Prince. With the previously surrendered generals bringing their own soldiers to support him, and with Xiao Xiang's intervention, Xiao Rudie's affairs were resolved smoothly. Xiao Rudie's confidantes who had been placed in Xiao family's barracks were also uprooted, making any resurgence impossible.
"I didn't expect that although Xiao Rudie's legs were crippled, his reach was quite far," Ah Qi pocketed the memorial Qin that Qi Yihan had written. "Your Highness, when shall your subordinate set off?"
"You take your men to the new city and find Li Nian first." Qi Yihan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Forget it, let's wait for now!"
Ah Qi understood his meaning and immediately beamed, "Alright, Your Highness can rest assured. After asking Miss Li's intentions tomorrow, your subordinate will depart."
Ah Jiu, standing by, frowned imperceptibly but said nothing, mainly because he dared not.
Qi Yihan, however, was very pleased with Ah Qi's words, "You must not disturb her."
"Your subordinate would not dare."
When Ah Qi and Ah Jiu retreated, Ah Jiu said sarcastically, "Ah Qi, I didn't realize you were this kind of person."
Ah Qi rolled his eyes, "What kind of person am I? If you have something to say, say it. If not, get lost."
"That's exactly it. I originally thought you were just a bit talkative but still a decent person. But I didn't expect you to be so spineless, so easily bought over by that woman."
"I was bought over?" Ah Qi sneered, "So what? She is my savior. I am willing to be bought over by her. Is that not allowed? Besides, anyone with eyes can see how attentive the Prince is towards Miss Li. If you can't stand it, tell the Prince not to marry her?"
"I..." He naturally did not have that ability.
Seeing that Ah Jiu was speechless, Ah Qi immediately said, "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking."
The two happened to walk to a secluded spot. Ah Qi saw that there was no one around, so he stopped and, forgoing his usual jesting demeanor, said earnestly to Ah Jiu, "I know your bond with Ah Shuang is special. But for us, we must know our place. If it weren't for the Prince, you, I, and Ah Shuang would have met the King of Hell long ago. We could never repay the Prince's kindness in this lifetime, even if we worked ourselves to death. How Ah Shuang feels about the Prince is her business. Are you perhaps trying to interfere with the Prince's marriage?"
This was overstepping one's bounds, acting presumptuously.
"No!" Ah Jiu said, "How could I have such thoughts? Marriage for the Prince is such a major event. How could I, a mere guard, interfere?"
Ah Qi sneered repeatedly, "It's good that you know."
"But..." Ah Jiu felt extremely aggrieved and had no one else to talk to. Ah Qi was someone he trusted, so he said, "But Ah Shuang is also very good. She may not be qualified to be the Princess Consort, but couldn't she be a secondary consort? Or a concubine? Unlike Li Man'er, she has no calculative intentions towards the Prince at all. She will take good care of the Prince."
Ah Qi looked at Ah Jiu as if he were an idiot. Why had he never realized this guy was so foolish?
If the Prince knew his brain was so addled, he definitely wouldn't assign him tasks!
This guy's mind becomes muddled as soon as Ah Shuang is involved. He'll cause big trouble sooner or later!
"Are you implying that Miss Li is calculating towards the Prince?" Ah Qi asked casually, but two sparks of fire were hidden in his eyes.
Ah Jiu, completely unaware, continued, "Of course. Our Prince is such an extraordinary person, how could Li Man'er be worthy..."
Before Ah Jiu could finish speaking, Ah Qi interrupted him, "Worthy? Can't you see how beautiful Miss Li is? And how high is her martial arts, you've experienced it, haven't you?"
Ah Jiu recalled being wounded by Li Man'er and being thrown out behind the brothel, and in his embarrassment and anger, he blurted out, "That was her being despicable, using underhanded tactics..."