"Get up," the man in bright yellow said in a harsh tone.
Had she caused trouble again? Was her kneeling posture unseemly, an eyesore? Qiu Su was filled with worry. After thinking for a moment, she obediently got up, her eyelids remaining perfectly compliant without lifting an eyelid.
"Pei Yuan is waiting for you at the front gate of the palace. Xiao Luzi, take the lady there."
"yes."
"Don't rush to answer, there's still one old lady who hasn't returned." Qiu Su pursed her lips but didn't move.
The man in bright yellow took a step forward and then stopped. "What?"
Qiu Su mustered her courage and glanced over, only to be stunned. She now understood why some people said Pei Yuan was the Third Prince. This person before her, aside from a slightly square chin and a different mouth shape, was practically a carbon copy of Pei Yuan from the nose down. No, not exactly. After all, his eyes weren't as calm as Pei Yuan's; they seemed to hold a hidden fire, as if ready to explode at any moment. Actually, while the eyes were roughly similar, they weren't exactly identical, but looking at them this way, they just seemed so alike—almost 60% identical.
The man in the bright yellow robes twitched at the sight of the woman staring at him. If it were a young maiden looking at him like that, he might feel a little better, but being stared at by such a heavily pregnant woman... well, it only fueled his anger. That Changqing Palace was really asking for trouble, daring to even bring the Pei family's daughter-in-law into the palace. He wondered what the Regent Prince had promised her to be so subservient. It was truly remarkable that a woman could survive with such a large bust and no brains.
The man in bright yellow narrowed his eyes irritably, and Qiu Su shrank her shoulders in response.
She hadn't heard of the current emperor being violent. Could it be that he was sexually frustrated by a concubine like Consort Li, and his pent-up desires turned into rage?
The man in bright yellow frowned. "Is there anything else?"
Qiu Su quickly lowered her head, "Your Majesty, my mother-in-law said she is coming to pick me up."
"Hmph, fine, let's go together."
Before Qiu Su could express her gratitude, a eunuch rushed out from inside, shouting in a high-pitched voice that could be heard by people outside the courtyard, "This servant respectfully welcomes Your Majesty."
The man in bright yellow smirked, chuckled, and turned to leave. What kind of show is this? Qiu Su glanced at the others, deciding it was best for her to slip away first.
He had only taken two steps when he heard Ming Huangnan say, "Why are you running? You're just going to let it go after blocking my way? Go away, I hate seeing you, get out of here."
Qiu Su was speechless, and tactfully stepped out of the courtyard.
"Your Majesty?" The eunuch caught up and asked timidly, "The Imperial Concubine is coming out to greet you."
"What's there to welcome me for? Can't you see I've gone to the wrong courtyard?" The man in bright yellow flicked his sleeves and walked away with his hands behind his back, exuding an air of arrogance. Qiu Su hid to one side of the courtyard gate, glancing at the little path where the head was always bowed, and quickly followed.
Qiu Su glanced at the man in bright yellow walking ahead every now and then. Why did he seem more like a spoiled young man than an emperor? He looked just like He Zhuo back then.
The man in the yellow robe walked quickly, while Qiu Suwei, supporting her belly, chased after him.
The man in the bright yellow robe suddenly stopped, turned around, frowned at Qiu Su who had almost bumped into him, squinted at her for a long time, and said in a voice that revealed no emotion, "What are you doing following me?"
Qiu Su blinked innocently, "His Majesty said, let's go together."
"You think we can just go together because I say so? Is the little road behind you just for show?"
Huh? Ah!
Qiu Su turned to look at Xiao Luzi, who also looked innocent, and after a long while, she stammered, "Um, Your Majesty, your words are golden..." When she looked up, she found that there was no one in front of her, and the bright yellow figure had already walked far away with a flame.
Qiu Su glanced at Xiao Luzi, who bowed slightly and stepped back to the side. "Madam, please follow this servant to the East Gate."
Qiu Su was bewildered, thinking that the emperor seemed unwilling to step into Changqing Palace at all. Judging from his tone, following Xiao Lu was the safest option. So she nodded and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch."
The East Gate was indeed quite far east; Qiu Su had walked for quite some time without passing through a single gate. Fortunately, Xiao Luzi's pace wasn't too fast. Perhaps noticing Qiu Su's hesitant expression and the fact that she was holding her pregnant belly and lagging a few steps behind him, looking like she was ready to run away at any moment, Xiao Luzi would tell her where they were at each stop, kindly explaining which concubine or group of people lived there. After passing through palaces, halls, and courtyards, they finally saw Pei Yuan's figure at the end of the increasingly wide road.
Pei Yuan jogged over, not bothering to avoid Xiao Luzi, and pulled the person into his arms. Xiao Luzi smiled and said, "The person has been safely delivered; this servant will take his leave."
"Thank you for your trouble, Father-in-law."
Xiao Luzi smiled humbly, glanced around, and then whispered, "You flatter me. Madam has been staying at Changqing Palace for quite some time. Lord Pei should ask a doctor to examine her when you return."
Pei Yuan frowned and nodded, taking Qiu Su's hand and leading her outside. After a few steps, seeing how hard she was trying to keep up, he simply picked her up and looked at her dress, which was splattered with vomit, and frowned, asking, "You vomited? Are you feeling unwell?"
"No, Grandma hasn't come out yet."
"Don't worry about her. How could the Prime Minister's wife get into trouble just because she went to the palace?"
Pei Yuan's steps were somewhat hurried, as if he couldn't help but want to jog, yet he tried his best to steady himself. This resulted in an odd pace, sometimes fast and sometimes slow. Qiu Su was really tired from walking, so she didn't say anything about continuing to walk. Instead, she nestled against Pei Yuan's chest and wrapped her arms around his neck, as if it would be easier for him to hold her.
Pei Yuan quickened his pace after leaving the city gate, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he reached the carriage parked by the roadside. He then grabbed Qiu Su's shoulders and looked her up and down, frowning as he asked, "What did you eat?"
"No."
"What did you touch?"
"No." Qiu Su wasn't in a good mood. The memory of the sliver of light that flashed through the curtain when she entered still made her heart clench. Thinking about her anxiety that day, she felt a surge of resentment towards the person before her. He hadn't said a word since she hadn't asked. If it weren't for the brief instructions from Pei's mother on the way, she wouldn't even know who was who. Qiu Su couldn't help but push his hand away and raise her voice, "Really, no, it was just a cup of tea. I held it for a while, but I didn't drink it."
Pei Yuan paused, sighed, and then pulled the person into his arms again, whispering, "I'm sorry."
Qiu Su felt a bitter taste in her mouth. He had known all along that she was a descendant of the Ji family, and that she must have discovered something that night at Qingfeng Village that caused her to change her mind and stay there. Undeniably, she had fallen in love with him, and regardless of how shallow that love might be, she was resolute. He had protected her well, telling her nothing about what was happening outside. If she hadn't noticed the desolate atmosphere on the streets during their journey to the palace, she wouldn't have known the situation had become so tense. Yet, he had brought her to the capital, willingly delivering her to the enemy's doorstep.
She had to shoulder some responsibilities; if she hadn't thought things through, she wouldn't have gone to the capital with him. But why did she still feel so miserable?
He is the Third Prince, it must be. Living so openly in the Pei family under the name Pei Yuan, how could the Pei elders not know? Or did they know but deceive themselves, or were they cooperating with the Third Prince in a performance? For a thousand years, any daughter of the Ji family must enter the palace as a concubine. So, what is her status in marrying him now? Or rather, what status does he want? The youngest daughter of the Ji family? Or Qiu Su, the chieftain of Qingyuan Mountain?
And what about the child in her belly? If he is born, he will be thrust into the limelight, and she can't even guarantee that the child will live to see the sun rise.
Qiu Su closed her eyes, trying to suppress the sudden thorn in her heart, and sighed, "What have you done to wrong me?"
Pei Yuan tightened his grip on her arm. "Don't overthink it. Just be a good young mistress. I'll take care of everything."
Qiu Su buried her head in his arms, and after a long while she finally let out a muffled "hmm," which seemed to be both a response and a self-mockery.
This trip to the palace was fraught with danger but ultimately safe, though Qiu Su had many worries. He Zhuo left the capital less than two days later, and despite the mountain lord's protests, he packed a bundle and carried Xiao Su Su away. Qiu Su looked at him riding on horseback with a fluffy white dog's head hanging from his chest and couldn't help but feel envious.
The mountain lord was quite depressed for two days because he had lost another daughter. Qiu Su personally went over to coax him to eat, and he felt better afterward.
After returning from that trip to the palace, everything returned to normal. Pei Yuan remained busy, and his workload seemed to be increasing. Prime Minister Pei, however, became increasingly idle, even feigning illness and staying home in seclusion. Pei Yuan didn't tell Qiu Su anything, and Qiu Su didn't bother to ask. She spent her days basking in the sun, looking at the flowers and plants, and playing with the Mountain Lord. Occasionally, Lingling, who led Xue'er around, would come to keep her company.
The sun shone brightly that day. Qiu Su lay on the soft couch under the eaves, basking in the sun. Lingling led Xue'er to stretch their limbs in the yard, while Xiao Hei followed behind Xue'er, occasionally climbing on its back and being dragged along. Qiu Su was getting drowsy, and in her half-asleep state, she heard a loud voice exclaim, "That's not a dog, it's clearly a wolf! Humph, and her belly, how come it's so big?"
She hadn't heard that voice for a while, and hearing it again felt quite familiar. Qiu Su frowned, squinted for a moment, and then slowly opened her eyes. Sure enough, she saw Pink Lantern standing not far away, still holding a small horsewhip, her clothes still flamboyant, and her face still fair and smooth. Lingling was holding her arm, preventing her from going over, and kept whispering something.
Oh, calling her a pink lantern isn't quite right. Although she's still wearing a puff-sleeved tutu today, the color has darkened to green and magenta due to the colder season. Qiu Su frowned, thinking that calling her Lu Qing would be more appropriate. Calling her "pink lantern" or "green lantern" every day is a bit awkward, and today she doesn't even look like a lantern; instead, she looks like an upside-down magenta rose.
"You're awake?" His arrogance remained undiminished.
Qiu Su nodded. "Did you need something?"
"Tch, who's looking for you!" Lu Qing circled around Qiu Su, tapping her small whip a few times in her hand. She looked at Qiu Su with a pitying gaze for a long time, then clicked her tongue and said, "You should take good care of yourself. I won't bother you lately."
Qiu Su almost choked on her saliva. She glanced at the arrogant Lu Qing, pursed her lips, and said nothing more.
Lu Qing seemed to have something else to say, staring at her much larger belly for a while before saying, "You should eat more so that the baby will grow up healthy and chubby."
This time, not only Qiu Su was puzzled, but even Huang Tao, who was standing to the side, narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Lu Qing didn't care and even reached out to touch Qiu Su's stomach, which startled Qiu Su, who shrank back. Huang Tao quickly blocked her hand.
"So stingy." Lu Qing rolled her eyes, put her hands behind her back, looked at Xiao Hei and Xiao Xue who were still playing happily in the yard, and then looked at the mountain lord who was nestled on the other side of Qiu Su, blinking enviously.
Lu Qing stood there bored for a long time, watching. Qiu Su didn't say anything, and Huang Tao ignored her. Lingling saw that Qiu Su was in low spirits and tried to pull Lu Qing out twice, but gave up when she saw that Lu Qing had no intention of leaving. Lu Qing stood there for a long time, then sighed mysteriously and contentedly, pointing at the mountain lord and the two figures, one in black and one in white, and said, "These will all be mine in the future."