Yan Qingli's smile remained unchanged, but her eyes turned cold. Qiu Lanxi had just arrived in the capital and didn't understand why Princess Danxiang had agreed.
She could have easily refused.
No matter how much the Prince of Fu was favored, he was still destined not to sit on the throne. If she refused, there would always be people who would look up to her and not be afraid of making enemies of the Prince of Fu to become close friends with her.
Princess Danxiang may not have been unaware of this, but she still did it anyway, clearly indicating that she had a more important goal in mind than this reputation.
Princess Danxiang's sword dance was indeed impressive, possessing an indescribable dashing charm that was completely different from her demeanor when she stood quietly beside Prince Jin. However, before Qiu Lanxi could fully appreciate it, she felt Yan Qingli's hand reach out from under the table.
Concealed by her wide sleeves, she gently stroked the bracelet on Qiu Lanxi's wrist, as if she were turning prayer beads, trying to calm herself down.
Qiu Lanxi couldn't help but look at her, wondering if they really had some kind of affair? Was she the cannon fodder who made Princess Danxiang jealous?
After all, although Yan Qingli remained unmoved by the advances of others, she did seem to be anything but straight.
"Princess Danxiang's dancing skills are truly extraordinary." As soon as the dance ended, Prince Fu praised her, then added, "The young lady beside my elder sister seems to have a waist so thin it could be encircled by a single hand; I suppose..."
Qiu Lanxi looked up and interrupted him: "This young master has a slender waist and wide hips, so his dancing skills must be extraordinary."
Upon hearing this, Prince Fu couldn't help but show a hint of astonishment. He was used to being arrogant and he wasn't afraid of anyone with little status or position, even if they were brought by his elder sister. However, he didn't expect that before his elder sister could refuse, the other party would speak first, and his words were extremely impolite. Who gave her the audacity to speak to him like that?
However, upon seeing Qiu Lanxi's face, Prince Fu couldn't help but think that even if a woman of this appearance acted arrogantly, it wouldn't be a big deal. Even Princess Danxiang, whom he used to care about so much, now seemed to find her appearance rather ordinary.
If they are still willing to offer tea as an apology...
Yan Qingli looked at Prince Fu: "How come Prince Fu is already drunk before even drinking any wine?"
Upon hearing her words, Prince Fu was immediately intimidated. Shao Guang's fame in the capital was not only due to her favor with the emperor, but also because of her 'illustrious military achievements.' She was not close to her brothers, and if they offended her, she might just overturn the table and whip them. So he chuckled and nonchalantly brushed the matter aside: "I did have a little wine before leaving home. How did Shao Guang know?"
Yan Qingli raised her eyelids, ignoring his words, and said indifferently, "It's getting late, so Qingqing and I will not stay any longer."
After saying that, she raised her hand to offer a toast to the cup of tea around her, and without waiting for the host, Prince Jin, to stay, she stood up on her own.
Prince Jin's expression immediately darkened. This was his territory! When did Yan Qingli ever remember that?!
But he wasn't Prince Fu after all, and he couldn't just shut Yan Qingli up without thinking. He could only swallow his anger and get up to see her off.
As they left the restaurant, the night breeze immediately brought a chill to their bodies. Yan Qingli took the thin cloak handed to her by the maid and draped it over Qiu Lanxi before they left together.
Princess Danxiang watched from afar, her heart filled with unspoken unease. Princess Shaoguang, high above all, had never personally helped anyone put on a cloak, let alone let that girl speak so rudely, which was nothing more than her full of confidence.
If someone with no status or position can act this way, then what about her, a county princess...?
Even though no one was paying attention to her at that moment, she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
After helping Qiu Lanxi into the carriage, Yan Qingli got in herself. As soon as she entered the enclosed space, the expression on her face vanished instantly, making her look somewhat frightening.
But Qiu Lanxi knew that she usually didn't show much expression in private, and it wasn't that she had a problem with her. This time was different, though; she was genuinely in a bad mood because of what happened at the restaurant.
Did she really guess right?
Qiu Lanxi glanced at Yan Qingli secretly, but suddenly met Yan Qingli's eyes.
She immediately lowered her eyes in a panic, realizing that having too much curiosity was indeed a bad thing.
After a short while, Yan Qingli finally spoke: "I have no romantic relationship with Danxiang."
As she spoke, her hand unconsciously grasped Qiu Lanxi's slender wrist, stroking the sandalwood bracelet she had given her.
Qiu Lanxi looked at her in surprise. Did the other person think she was jealous?
Although the way Prince Jin acted was indeed subtle, bringing Princess Danxiang on this trip seemed to be entirely coincidental. Princess Danxiang didn't say anything, but her behavior made people feel that she seemed to have had something with Yan Qingli.
But what does that have to do with her? Besides annoying Yan Qingli, it probably serves no other purpose. On the contrary, the person who does such a thing seems petty.
Yan Qingli said calmly, "Danxiang's father died on the battlefield, and her mother followed him in grief. Her younger brother was burned into a mentally disabled person due to the negligence of the servants at the time, so the outside world spread rumors that she was cursed and brought misfortune to her relatives."
"I took pity on her and brought her into the palace. But later, when her aunt arrived, she went home with her."
"Later, when I married the Prince Consort, perhaps because she found him handsome and considerate, she developed feelings of admiration for him."
She spoke of this without anger, nor did she think that Princess Danxiang was an ingrate. Qiu Lanxi thought that perhaps in Yan Qingli's mind, the only men an unmarried girl usually sees are her father and brothers. It is perfectly normal for her to have feelings for a man who is good-looking and whose manners match her fantasies.
"After I gave her a warning, she gave up her intentions. However, perhaps because she is usually too close to me, she no longer looks down on ordinary men."
Upon hearing this, Qiu Lanxi suddenly realized why the other party was by Jin Wang's side. They thought Jin Wang would become emperor in the future and were betting on him to gain wealth and glory.
After Yan Qingli explained, she said no more. What she didn't say was that she did have bad intentions at the time, wanting to win the favor of her father's former subordinates. Later, seeing that Danxiang was intelligent, she asked her father to grant her the title of county princess.
Unfortunately, before she could even hint to the other person to stay, she couldn't wait to go back with her aunt. What the other person did afterwards made Yan Qingming realize that she would rather stay at home to be a wife and mother than embark on a path that was destined to be arduous.
This was nothing unusual; Yan Qingli never forced others to be like her. However, the idea of using her connections to gain a higher position in the Prince Jin's mansion was somewhat against her principles.
We're not on the same path, so we should go our separate ways. Now that the decision has been made, why bother trying to take advantage of her influence?
Therefore, Yan Qingli did not stand up for her at the restaurant. She had chosen her own path, and she had to walk it on her knees. What did it have to do with her?
In a sense, Yan Qingli and Prince Fu are actually the same kind of people. When they look up to someone, they treat them with the utmost favor, but once they look down on someone, they become strangers in an instant.
"I see. Your Highness, you are such a kind person." Qiu Lanxi held her hand and smiled as she gave her a "good person" card.
Although she didn't know why Yan Qingli was telling her all this, Qiu Lanxi knew all too well what to say at this moment.
Yan Qingli's gaze swept over her eyebrows and eyes, and she chuckled softly: "If it weren't for me, Danxiang wouldn't have had access to these things. I'm the one who harmed her. Is that what you call a good person?"
Qiu Lanxi seemed surprised by her words, raising her eyes in astonishment before shaking her head after a long pause, saying, "How could Your Highness think that way? It was Your Highness who pulled her out of the mire, but whether the road ahead is smooth or not depends on her own actions, doesn't it?"
"Does helping someone mean you have to act as their parent and do everything in your power?"
She pursed her lips and smiled at Yan Qingli, her eyes crinkling: "In my heart, there is no one in the world as kind-hearted as Your Highness."
The flattering words that others spoke sounded utterly genuine coming from her mouth, and her clear eyes looked directly at Yan Qingli, leaving no doubt about her sincerity.
But Yan Qingli knew she was being disingenuous, yet for some reason, she still subconsciously avoided her gaze.
In fact, she hadn't just recently realized Princess Danxiang's thoughts; she was just angry about it. But she didn't want to try to persuade her again, since... she wasn't her parents, so why should she help someone to the end?
She does have the ability and the opportunity to pull people out, but she's just too lazy to do it.
Seeing Yan Qingli avoid her gaze, Qiu Lanxi's trembling eyelashes concealed the smile in her eyes. When people confide in others, they subconsciously embellish themselves a bit. Qiu Lanxi didn't need to know the truth; she only needed to draw out the guilty conscience in him.
Although she felt that the other party's words were not necessarily intended to beautify her, but rather to make her "recognize" what kind of person Yan Qingli was so that it would be easier for her to use her.
But that doesn't matter.
All she needed to do was transfer the slight guilt the other party felt towards Princess Danxiang onto her.
Look, her status is even lower and more pitiful than that of Princess Danxiang. She can only rely on her wholeheartedly. If one day she can no longer use her, based on past relationships, wouldn't she arrange a way out for her?
In the cannibalistic ancient society, Qiu Lanxi, being of low status and with little influence, could only rely on affection to protect herself.
She couldn't possibly be content to be a mere tool. She naturally had to make the most of this opportunity to get close to the emperor. Otherwise, once Princess Shaoguang had used her, if there were some feelings involved, she would at least sincerely leave her a few options for the future. If there were no feelings involved, she would probably just be handed over to her subordinates to deal with.
After getting to know each other over the past few days, Qiu Lanxi had roughly guessed the other party's purpose.
To prevent Yan Qingli from overthinking, Qiu Lanxi quietly changed the subject: "Your Highness, may I hang that lamp in the main courtyard?"
She looked at her with a slightly flushed face, deciding that this would be her and Yan Qingli's token of love from now on.
With just one sentence, Yan Qingli's slightly furrowed brows relaxed, and she raised her chin slightly, revealing a graceful curve: "As you wish."
Chapter 6
It was already late at night when they returned to the princess's residence. Yan Qingli personally hung the lanterns in the inner courtyard.
Her mood didn't seem to be affected by meeting someone she didn't like today. She was still flipping through her book as usual, but today she finally stopped reading those romance novels and started reading a military treatise instead.
She read very attentively, just as attentively as she had read storybooks before. It was hard to tell whether she had a wide range of interests and simply loved reading, or if she had ulterior motives. Qiu Lanxi didn't need to know these things; she only needed to test and erode the bottom line that Yan Qingli had originally set for herself.
So when Yan Qingli was engrossed in reading the military book, Qiu Lanxi took it away from her.
Qiu Lanxi chose her timing skillfully, making her move only when Yan Qingli was reading the ending, so that even if Yan Qingli got angry, there would still be room for reconciliation.
She wasn't completely idle these past few days; at least she forced herself to adapt to the writing and layout of this era, so that she wouldn't feel dizzy and sleepy just looking at it.
Yan Qingli was not an unreasonable person, so upon seeing this, she only frowned slightly and did not get angry.
Qiu Lanxi said, "Your Highness, why don't we look at it tomorrow? It's too hard on the eyes."
Yan Qingli lowered his eyes to look at her, his fingertips playing with the strands of hair on her cheek, as if he were playing with a newly acquired work of art. However, the brief silence made her seem to lose all her courage, her eyelashes trembling violently, like a flower that was about to fall in a heavy rain.
She then chuckled softly, "As you wish, Qingqing."
Neuropathy!
Qiu Lanxi's eyelashes trembled, and she couldn't help but curse inwardly.
Even if a person intends to hide their preferences, they will always reveal something, let alone if the other person has no intention of hiding anything.
Therefore, Qiu Lanxi easily discovered that Yan Qingli seemed to have a bit of a perverse sense of humor. You wouldn't say she was abnormal, she was a very self-controlled person, and even her indulgences were limited to small things.
But it is these little things that are exhausting, because she has to give the other person the response they want every time, otherwise it would be more fatal for her if the other person lost interest.
When the two were alone, Yan Qingli would suddenly look up when he noticed her gaze; or he would stare intently into her silence while she was speaking…
These behaviors seemed unpredictable, but after a few times, Qiu Lanxi figured out the pattern.
At first, she thought Yan Qingli was disciplining her, subconsciously making her obey and controlling her emotions. But Qiu Lanxi quickly dismissed this idea, because Yan Qingli had no need to put so much effort into her, and she must have had a more sophisticated approach.
So Qiu Lanxi quickly realized that Yan Qingli might have done this simply because she was happy...
When Qiu Lanxi deduced this conclusion, she wondered if Qiu Lanxi was bored out of her mind by life in the deep palace, otherwise how could she have such a strange hobby?
Although she put down her book, Yan Qingli was not sleepy. As a martial artist, she was full of energy and never slept much, so she used all her limited time to study.
Not wanting to sleep, she started a casual conversation: "Qingqing, do you think that if you thoroughly understand a military treatise, you can lead an army into battle?"
After a moment's thought, Qiu Lanxi looked up at her beautifully shaped chin and said earnestly in a soft voice, "I'm afraid that won't work."
"oh?"
"What you learn from books is never enough; you must put it into practice to truly understand," Qiu Lanxi said hesitantly after pursing her lips. "Just as a good poet may not necessarily become an official, if reading a military book made you a warrior, how could there be such a shortage of generals in the world?"
This didn't sound like something a woman who had been taught from childhood how to please men would say. Yan Qingli nodded slightly before saying, "My father once told me that military books are written for those who don't know anything about military affairs."
After a pause, Yan Qingli said, "That's why when I read military books, I regarded them as masterpieces and studied them repeatedly."
As Qiu Lanxi pondered the meaning behind her words, she heard Yan Qingli say calmly, "I do not think I have done anything wrong, so I lent the military treatise to the Prince Consort and sent him to the battlefield. Afterwards, the Prince Consort suffered three consecutive defeats."
"That was just my assumption."
Qiu Lanxi's eyes shone with a soft light: "Practice makes perfect, Your Highness. You are amazing to have thought of this."
While praising him verbally, Qiu Lanxi thought to herself that the other party had probably already set up this scheme. Even if the military treatise was just a theoretical exercise, it was still a powerful tool of war in the present day. Qiu Lanxi did not believe that Yan Qingli had not made the military treatise known to everyone after the prince consort obtained it. In the present day, most people would regard the military treatise as a divine skill manual. If Wang Baiying failed under such circumstances, his previous glory would surely disappear without a trace.