Prime Minister Xu hesitated for a long time and said, "Your Highness, my daughter is indeed not yet married. If Your Highness fancies my daughter, this humble minister..."
Before Prime Minister Xu could finish, You Rong interrupted him. "I have noted it. If Miss Xu has someone she fancies, Prime Minister Xu need only speak to me, and I will personally request an imperial decree from my father to bestow a marriage upon Miss Xu."
Prime Minister Xu was immediately stunned.
Did His Highness the Crown Prince not fancy his daughter?
He wanted to find a marriage for his daughter?
Seeing Prime Minister Xu frozen and silent, You Rong let out a soft "Mmm," "Prime Minister Xu, are there any issues?"
Prime Minister Xu snapped back to attention and quickly cupped his hands. "No, no... my daughter thanks Your Highness the Crown Prince in advance. I trouble Your Highness for thinking of her."
"No need for pleasantries. I shall take my leave for today."
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, we escort you."
After You Rong left, Prime Minister Xu stood in place, utterly bewildered.
Since His Highness the Crown Prince did not wish to marry his daughter as a concubine, why did he bring up her marriage? Was it to show his concern for the Xu family?
Prime Minister Xu could not fathom it.
You Rong emerged from Chunri Tower and boarded his carriage. Inside, his handsome face was etched with thoughtfulness.
Crown Princess?
He had never considered it. If he were to marry a woman as his consort...
The figure of Lin Qinghe suddenly appeared in You Rong's mind. After a moment, his ears turned red as he shook his head and murmured, "Why am I suddenly thinking of her..."
***
The Eastern Palace.
"Sister Qinghe, as you instructed, I have leaked the patrol exchange times for the soldiers in the Eastern Palace."
Lin Qinghe smiled with satisfaction. "Good, I know. Then let's proceed to the next step."
"The next step?"
Zhu Hong once again did not understand Lin Qinghe's meaning. She blinked her clear, dark eyes and looked at her doubtfully.
Lin Qinghe curved her lips and gestured for Zhu Hong to step back two paces with her eyes.
Zhu Hong took two steps back and saw Lin Qinghe raise her hand and overturn the table in the room. With a bang, the table crashed to the floor, and the teacups and teapot on it shattered.
Zhu Hong gasped in fright, "Sister Qinghe! You... what are you doing?"
Lin Qinghe raised her eyebrows with a smile. "Naturally, before Duan Guifei's people arrive, I will create a scene as if the Crown Prince hates me to the bone and is tormenting me. Otherwise, when they come, how can they continue to trust me?"
Zhu Hong revealed an expression of sudden realization. "So that's how it is!"
Lin Qinghe continued to smash and throw whatever she could in the room, not forgetting to say to Zhu Hong, "Don't just stand there foolishly. Come and help me. Make this room as messy as possible!"
"Yes, Sister Qinghe."
With Lin Qinghe and Zhu Hong's efforts, in less than fifteen minutes, the previously neat and tidy room was in utter disarray.
After Zhu Hong threw Lin Qinghe's clothes all over the floor, she panted slightly and asked, "Sister Qinghe, is this enough?"
Lin Qinghe clapped her hands, very satisfied. "Not bad, it's good. Anyone who sees it will think I'm being tortured to death by the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace." Her eyes flickered slightly. "But something is still missing."
"Something is still missing? What else is missing?"
Lin Qinghe did not answer. She walked to the vanity, picked up the rouges and powders, and began to smear them on her face and arms.
Within the time it takes an incense stick to burn, under Zhu Hong's stunned gaze, Lin Qinghe, using her god-level modern makeup skills, drew multiple lifelike wounds on her face and body.
Lin Qinghe smiled at the stunned Zhu Hong with a bruised and battered face. "How is it? Does it look real?"
Zhu Hong swallowed. "Yes... it does! It looks so real! If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would have thought Sister Qinghe had been severely punished and beaten!"
"That's good. If you can't tell, then when Duan Guifei's people come in, they shouldn't be able to either."
To be on the safe side, Lin Qinghe still instructed Zhu Hong to fetch some chicken and duck blood from the kitchen and smear it on her clothes. Once the bloodstains dried, Lin Qinghe changed into the clothes and lay down on the bed, truly looking like someone who had suffered severe punishment and was gravely injured.
With everything prepared, the sky outside had already darkened.
Lin Qinghe said to Zhu Hong, "Oh, right. If the Crown Prince asks for me later, tell him I'm feeling a little unwell, like I've caught a cold. I'm afraid of infecting the Crown Prince, so I won't be serving him tonight. Do you understand?"
Zhu Hong: "Yes, this servant remembers."
Lin Qinghe hummed and waved Zhu Hong away. She paced around the room a few times, making sure everything was foolproof, and then lay down on the bed listlessly, waiting for Duan Guifei's people to arrive that night.
Lin Qinghe: "Alas... it's time again for me to display my superb acting skills."
You Rong's sleeping quarters.
You Rong frowned when he saw Zhu Hong serving his dinner. "Where is Lin Qinghe?"
Zhu Hong quickly replied as Lin Qinghe had instructed: "Sister Qinghe is feeling a bit unwell, as if she has caught a cold. She is afraid of infecting Your Highness the Crown Prince, so she will be resting in her room tonight and has asked me to serve Your Highness your meal."
You Rong's heart tightened. "She caught a cold? Is it serious? Have you had the imperial physician see her?!"
Zhu Hong was stunned by You Rong's rapid-fire questions and stared at him blankly.
"Speak! How is she? Is she very ill?"
As he spoke, You Rong could no longer wait for Zhu Hong's answer and was about to walk out of the palace, seemingly to see Lin Qinghe.
Zhu Hong came to her senses, remembering Lin Qinghe's instructions. Seeing this, she quickly said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince need not worry. Sister Qinghe is not seriously ill. She has already... has already drunk the herbal decoction and is resting. She specifically instructed us not to disturb her."
You Rong stopped, his brows furrowed tightly. "Are you sure she is not seriously ill? And she is resting?"
Zhu Hong lowered her head slightly, feeling a little guilty. "Yes, this servant is sure Sister Qinghe is not seriously ill."
You Rong's tightly furrowed brows did not relax. After a moment of thought, he said, "I understand. You may withdraw. You do not need to serve tonight. Go wait outside Lin Qinghe's room. If she has any discomfort, immediately send for the imperial physician."
"Yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Leaving You Rong's sleeping quarters, Zhu Hong was secretly astonished.
To Your Highness the Crown Prince, Sister Qinghe was merely a palace maid. Upon hearing that Sister Qinghe was ill, he was willing to call for an imperial physician to diagnose her. This... he valued Sister Qinghe far too much.
After Zhu Hong left, You Rong paced back and forth in his sleeping quarters. Upon learning that Lin Qinghe was ill, he became restless.
On the other side, in Lin Qinghe's room.
Lin Qinghe lay on the bed, her eyes closed, resting. At midnight, a creak was suddenly heard, the sound of a wooden window being pushed open. She perked up.
Duan Guifei's people had indeed come!