"You still dare to run! Wench, stop right there!" Hong Xing was desperate, chasing her all the way.
It was not until Qi Yu managed to duck behind Li Mingjue that she realized this was not the Prime Minister Residence.
And now, Qi Yu had become the untouchable Princess Consort of Prince Qi.
"Prince... Prince..." Hong Xing swallowed hard, not daring to look directly at Li Mingjue.
Li Mingjue slightly turned his head to glance at Qi Yu hiding behind him, wondering which act she was playing today.
Qi Yu raised an eyebrow, spreading her hands to show she did not want to make a move herself.
Li Mingjue: ...
In the end, the steward couldn't stand it anymore and had someone pull the maid away.
Hong Xing tried to struggle, shouting at Qi Yu hiding behind him, "Miss, it's me, Hong Xing! I was just playing with you!"
Qi Yu scoffed, playing?
Wanting to kill her was more like it.
She pretended to be scared, hiding behind Li Mingjue and watching as Hong Xing was taken away.
"Satisfied now?" Li Mingjue asked coldly, looking at her face that seemed to revel in her crafty plans.
Qi Yu nodded happily, patting Li Mingjue on the shoulder, "You go wait in the room first; I'll come detoxify you after breakfast."
Li Mingjue frowned at her casual manner, scolding, "Men and women should not touch."
Qi Yu pouted indifferently, "What's there to fear, haven't we already married?"
Li Mingjue's expression paused, but he ended up saying nothing.
Qi Yu picked up a bun and bit into it carelessly, shouting at his retreating figure, "Remember to strip and wait for me in the room later."
This remark made everyone in the Prince Residence look up at Qi Yu, only to see their Princess Consort cheerfully eating the bun, appearing completely innocent and unaware of the shocking nature of her words.
"Cough—" Mr. Li coughed, and nobody dared to look anymore, busying themselves with their tasks.
He might not have shown any reaction on the surface to Qi Yu's words, but he was secretly thrilled inside.
If the Princess Consort and the Prince could consummate their marriage sooner and give the Prince Residence an heir, that would really liven things up.
Of course, Qi Yu knew nothing of Mr. Li's inappropriate musings; otherwise, she'd choke on her bun.
She and Li Mingjue were far from being close; they were practically strangers.
They had only known each other for a day, without any real emotional connection, let alone all this absurd nonsense.
After finishing the bun, Qi Yu took a handkerchief from the maid and wiped her mouth.
Although she wasn't used to being waited on, the strict social hierarchy of ancient times meant she had to adapt quickly.
Qi Yu still had to play the fool, tossing the handkerchief aside carelessly and clapping her hands before walking towards Li Mingjue's room under Mr. Li's hopeful gaze.
The door was slightly ajar, and Qi Yu gently pushed it open.
When she saw what was inside, she nearly spurted blood from her nose.
Li Mingjue was lounging on the bed, his clothing loosely opened, revealing his lean upper body as he casually flipped through a book.
Qi Yu finally understood what was meant by "the beauty revealing a glimpse and no more."
Catching a glimpse of the dazed figure standing at the door, Li Mingjue raised his eyebrows slightly, "Planning to serve as my door god?"
Qi Yu cleared her throat and closed the door.
In her previous life, she had treated many people, and no matter how good the body, it was just flesh to her.
It must have been Li Mingjue's impressive physique that had given her such colorful thoughts.
Misconduct, misconduct...
Qi Yu carefully inserted the silver needles into the corresponding acupoints, not forgetting to comfort Li Mingjue, whose lips had already turned deathly pale.
"It might hurt a bit, just bear with it," she said.
"Talk less," Li Mingjue gritted his teeth and managed to spit out two words.
Qi Yu chuckled lightly. Unbeknownst to some, the Prince was quite proud.
Before starting the acupuncture, Li Mingjue had already ordered the Hidden Guard to stand guard outside the door, not allowing anyone to enter.
Hong Xing, who had been locked in the firewood room and starved for a day, was now in a dire state.
After she was released, she immediately wanted to find Qi Yu.
That fool, how dare he treat her like this? Did he really think that clinging to the Prince would allow him to bully others?
Hong Xing snorted coldly, she didn't believe she couldn't handle that fool!
She ran to the courtyard where Qi Yu was staying and started banging on the door loudly.
"Miss, it's Hong Xing, open the door quickly!"
But despite her hands turning red from knocking, there was no response inside.
Could it be that the fool wasn't there?
Just as she was about to break in, she was suddenly grabbed by a figure who appeared behind her, clamping her throat and covering her mouth and nose with a handkerchief.
"Mmm—"
Hong Xing struggled for a while before finally collapsing to the ground, powerless.
Shen Nanxing, looking at her unconscious form, disdainfully clapped her hands.
She finally understood why her Princess was reluctant to intervene herself; such a person was disgusting even to look at.
After finishing all this, she quickly returned to her earlier position, a large tree in the courtyard, continuing to hide in a place invisible to others.
An hour later, Qi Yu wiped the sweat from her face and finally removed the silver needles.
"The toxins in your body have been almost half removed. As long as you don't do anything foolish, I guarantee you could live to a hundred," Qi Yu confidently said to Li Mingjue after she put away the needles.
A flicker of surprise crossed Li Mingjue's eyes.
Originally, the poison in his body was so severe that even the Divine Doctor of Dazhao, Lou Qingming, had said it was incurable, he could only slightly delay the spreading of the toxins.
Unexpectedly, after Qi Yu had applied the needles a few times, not only had he been revived, but half of the toxins in his body had also been neutralized.
Such exquisite medical skills were probably unmatched in the entire world.
Yet, everyone in the capital knew that Qi Yu was merely the unfavored second daughter of the Prime Minister's Residence, and a fool at that.
Li Mingjue's gaze deepened as he looked at her, seemingly trying to peer through her heavily made-up, deliberately uglified face to see what secrets she might be hiding behind it.
"What are you looking at? Starting to suspect me now?" Qi Yu was not intimidated by his scrutinizing gaze, instead, she provocatively asked.
Li Mingjue naturally denied it, "No, you're thinking too much. I'm just looking at this extremely ugly makeup on your face."
Even if Qi Yu really had any secrets, what did it matter? Right now, she was just his Prince Consort.
Qi Yu hee-hee'd a laugh, touching her face, "The uglier I disguise myself, the more those who wish me dead will believe I am truly a fool."
This was makeup she had deliberately applied. In her previous life, she had mastered various techniques of disguise; looking ugly was a trivial matter for her.
From the memories of her original self, it was clear that Qi Yu had inherited her mother's beauty but had been secretly marred by Qi Anran's jealousy, applying all sorts of concoctions to ruin her face.
Qi Yu had looked at herself in the mirror before; the foundation of her face was still there, only marred by some ugly scars which were indeed frightening at first glance.
However, she could restore her original appearance if she wanted to.
But there was no need, she wanted to use this face to scare those who had wronged her.
"What, do you think I'm ugly now?" Qi Yu asked dissatisfiedly, pursing her lips.