Lin Qinghe, suddenly embraced, was startled. She turned to see You Rong and sighed with a hint of helplessness. "What are you doing, Your Highness? I'm preparing a meal for you, why hug me like this? Let go quickly... or you won't have anything delicious later!"
You Rong, instead of letting go, held her even tighter.
In this life, no matter what anyone offered to exchange with him, he would never give her away. She belonged to him alone!
"Your Highness? Please let me go first. What's wrong? Weren't you just happily playing hide-and-seek with Steward Fu?"
You Rong remained silent, and Lin Qinghe couldn't help but frown.
Could it be that You Rong's progress in regaining his power was not going smoothly?
Just as Lin Qinghe was about to skirt around the issue and ask You Rong, a system prompt sounded: "Progress bar increased by five percent, total progress forty-nine percent."
Lin Qinghe was momentarily stunned. You Rong had returned to normal. He loosened his arms around her and gave her a silly,憨憨 smile. "Princess Consort, this king is hungry! What delicious food are you making? Is it ready to eat?"
Seeing this, Lin Qinghe assumed You Rong had just had a momentary emotional outburst. She smiled and said, "I'm preparing meatballs for you. Don't you like them the most? They'll be ready soon!"
"Yes, I like them the most! Princess Consort is so good to this king. This king..." You Rong paused, "This king likes Princess Consort the most!"
These words were imbued with You Rong's genuine feelings, and Lin Qinghe, not being foolish, naturally understood. The smile in her eyes deepened.
In the following days, You Rong would use various pretexts, such as playing with the servants or Fu Sheng, to avoid Lin Qinghe during the day. Lin Qinghe saw through his pretense but chose not to expose it, pretending to know nothing. She let You Rong meet many people who secretly entered the manor in the study.
Another day.
Lin Qinghe returned from Yan Yu Tower with You Rong, deliberately feigning a melancholic expression. "Physician Feng clearly said that after the medicated bath, you should have recovered these past two days. Why haven't you? Is there something wrong..."
Seeing Lin Qinghe's worried look, You Rong felt exceptionally guilty and uneasy. He clutched her small hand, but on the surface, he dared not reveal any emotion, for fear she would notice something.
He was causing her to worry. He just had to endure a little longer, perhaps five more days. Once Jiang Wen arrived with the hundred thousand Yanbei troops stationed nearby at Qinghe City, the closest city to Lijing, he would have the confidence to protect her completely at any time. Then, he would tell her that he had regained his senses.
Lin Qinghe subtly observed You Rong. She did not miss the fleeting expression of heartache on his face. Simultaneously, as expected, the progress bar increased again.
"Progress bar increased by two percent, total progress fifty-one percent."
Two days later.
Unprecedentedly, Lin Qinghe received a letter from the Prime Minister's mansion. Upon opening it, she saw it was from Madam Xu, who claimed to miss her dearly and had lost her appetite, falling ill from worry. She hoped Lin Qinghe could spare some time to return to the Prime Minister's mansion.
Lin Qinghe knew with her toes that the Prime Minister's mansion had no good intentions and naturally had no desire to respond. She wrote a letter filled with insincere pleasantries and concern, sealed it, had Madam Xu prepare some gifts, and sent them to the Prime Minister's mansion, thus dismissing the matter.
Sending someone else to the Prime Minister's mansion would be like sending a sheep into a tiger's den; she wouldn't be that foolish.
As Madam Xu went out, she happened to encounter You Rong returning. Madam Xu bowed. "Your servant greets His Highness."
You Rong glanced down at the letter in Madam Xu's hand and walked directly into the room. Coincidentally, Lin Qinghe was pondering what the Prime Minister's mansion was planning. Her brows were furrowed, and she looked lost in thought.
You Rong's heart stirred.
What was she thinking? Why did she look unhappy? Was it related to the letter Madam Xu just took out? Who was she writing to?
As usual, You Rong sat down beside Lin Qinghe, took her hand, and gazed at her intently. "Princess Consort, you're unhappy? Is it because... of the letter Madam Xu just took out? Who are you writing to?"
She didn't have deep feelings for the people at the Prime Minister's mansion, so writing to them seemed unlikely. Could it be someone she knew from the manor she lived in when she was raised in the countryside?
Lin Qinghe snapped out of her thoughts and met You Rong's gaze. She wanted to tease him, to see if he would be jealous and if it could increase the progress bar.
Lin Qinghe deliberately remained silent, gave You Rong a complex look, then averted her gaze and gave a bitter smile.
You Rong's heart tightened, and he became anxious in his mind.
What was wrong with her? SuDan Novel Network
"Princess Consort, speak! Tell this king what's bothering you! If someone bullied you, tell this king, and this king will help you bully them back! No matter what... you can tell this king!"
Lin Qinghe said with a bitter smile, "You little fool... it's useless to tell you, you won't understand."
"How will you know it's useless if you don't tell this king?! Princess Consort... tell this king, and this king will definitely find a way to solve it for you..."
Lin Qinghe tapped You Rong's nose with her finger, still pretending to be bitter. "Little fool... you won't understand."
The more Lin Qinghe refused to speak, the more anxious You Rong became. He had no choice but to give in. Leaning his head on Lin Qinghe's shoulder, he hugged her arm and pleaded softly, "Princess Consort, please tell me, what is it? Just tell this king..."
Lin Qinghe almost burst into laughter. Fortunately, she gritted her teeth and held it in.
Seeing You Rong, a man of steel, acting so spoiled, she felt that whether the progress bar increased or not was irrelevant. It was worth it!
If only she could record it on her phone. Showing it to You Rong in the real world would surely result in a very interesting expression on his face.
Lin Qinghe took a deep breath, steadied her mind, and continued to look at You Rong with feigned solemnity, slowly saying, "How would you understand matters of the heart, you little fool? Do you know... if my father hadn't forced me to impersonate someone and marry into the Prince Rong's mansion, I might have already married another and pledged my heart to him forever, living in love and growing old together..."
You Rong's face turned slightly pale. He tightened his grip on Lin Qinghe's hand so hard that he feared she would disappear if he loosened it.
Did her words mean... she already had someone she loved deeply? If it hadn't been for the twist of fate that brought her to Prince Rong's mansion as a substitute bride, she would have eloped with that person, is that it?
Was the letter Madam Xu took out from that person? Did she write back to him? What did she write to him in the letter? Was she determined to elope with him regardless of the consequences?
Did she want to leave Prince Rong's mansion? Leave him?
Thinking of this, You Rong felt a chill run through his body, as if he were in an ice cellar. His heart was fiercely clutched.
No!
To him, she was the warm sun in winter, the only warmth in his descent into freezing despair. He could not lose her!
You Rong's grip on Lin Qinghe was so strong that she felt pain. Just as she was about to pull her hand away, You Rong suddenly yanked her into his embrace, hugging her tightly. His voice was filled with panic. "No! You can't leave! You can only be this king's! You can only be this king's Princess Consort! This king has regained his senses, no longer a fool. This king can give you anything you want! You are not allowed to go with anyone! Not allowed! Absolutely not allowed!"
Lin Qinghe was taken aback.
She had intended to provoke You Rong to increase the progress bar slightly, but she hadn't expected You Rong to directly reveal that he had regained his senses. This was quite surprising to her.