High-class Spring Joy

"what?"

Princess Jing'an felt something was amiss the more she looked. She had heard that Qingyuan's clothes were properly dressed, but they still looked rather disheveled.

Princess Jing'an looked down and noticed that Qingyuan not only had a red mark on her earlobes, a suspiciously red mark, but also a bright red mark at the junction of her neck and collar, though it was mostly covered by her clothes and only a little bit was visible.

Upon hearing this, Qingyuan noticed that Princess Jing'an was staring at her side. She quickly covered her neck and explained, "Princess, you must have mistaken me for someone else. There are no red marks or anything unusual. Perhaps you got up too early and rested in this carriage all night, so you're a little tired. You might have just imagined it. I'm really fine, Princess, don't worry. I just didn't sleep much last night, so you're a little tired right now. Everything else is fine, please don't worry."

As Qingyuan spoke, she stood up, looking at Jing'an in front of her with great nervousness, afraid that Princess Jing'an might notice something else.

Little did Princess Jing'an know that Qing Yuan's attitude was becoming increasingly abnormal. Seeing Qing Yuan's strong reaction, Princess Jing'an grew even more suspicious, looking at her with great doubt: "Really nothing? Really nothing's wrong? I'm a little skeptical. That expression is strange. And when did I say you had red marks on your neck?"

Princess Jing'an's questioning gaze and doubtful words were well-founded, seizing upon the flaws in Qing Yuan's words. Qing Yuan was momentarily speechless, unable to offer any defense.

Seeing Qingyuan's speechless expression, Princess Jing'an knew her guess was probably correct. She took two steps forward, leaned closer to Qingyuan, squinted her eyes, thought for a moment, and asked:

"Last night, you were invited to Chu Jingyu's carriage by that Sai Huatuo, who said there was something you could help with. Seeing how worried and anxious you were, I thought it was probably related to Chu Jingxian's illness, so I didn't send anyone to urge you to come back. But why are you acting so strangely this morning?"

As Princess Jing'an spoke, she was also analyzing the situation in her mind. She looked Qing Yuan up and down several times, combining all the clues she had noticed, and finally came to a conclusion in her mind:

"Logically speaking, you should have spent most of the night in Chu Jingxian's carriage and wouldn't have gone anywhere else. Setting up camp here, while there might be wild animals, with so many of us, would have killed them immediately if any did. So, that's ruled out. Therefore, could the tooth mark or red mark on your earlobe be related to Chu Jingxian?"

As Princess Jing'an spoke, Qingyuan's heart clenched tighter and tighter, until Princess Jing'an uttered the name Chu Jingxian. Qingyuan's entire body tensed up, her blood rushed to her head, and her heart pounded as if it were about to burst out of her chest.

Qingyuan stared intently at Princess Jing'an before her, unable to utter a single believable word. She could only frantically wave her hands and offer a haphazard explanation: "No... Princess, it's not what you think. Princess, it has nothing to do with Chu Jingxian..."

Princess Jing'an, firmly believing in her own conjecture and conclusion, refused to listen to Qing Yuan's unconvincing explanations. She grabbed Qing Yuan's wrist and demanded earnestly and angrily, "Qing Yuan, tell me honestly, what exactly is your grudge against Chu Jingxian? Why did he bite you? Why did he bite you? How dare he bite you? How dare he treat you like this, dare to bite you?! This Chu Jingxian usually seems like a magnanimous person. Even if you did something wrong, even if you angered him, even if you made him unhappy, he shouldn't treat you like this! How could I, the princess, let him get away with hurting you like this?! A man like him shouldn't be so cruel to you! Even if you angered him, why would he bite you himself?!"

Princess Jing'an grew angrier as she spoke, unable to understand what Qingyuan had done or what mistake she had made to warrant Chu Jingxian biting Qingyuan like this!

Before Qingyuan could answer, Princess Jing'an began to speak angrily to herself, "No, this princess must go and give Chu Jingxian a good warning! How could he do something so unbecoming?! He dared to bite you, so this princess will order someone to bite him! After all, you were invited by Sai Huatuo to help him, which should have helped him with his illness. Not only did he treat you badly, but he also dared to bite you?! This is simply outrageous! How can anyone treat people like this?! Isn't this repaying kindness with enmity? He's not even a man!"

Jing'an grew angrier and angrier, and the more she thought about it, the less she understood. Qingyuan, after hearing Jing'an's words, belatedly realized that the princess seemed to have misunderstood. She seemed to think that the Third Young Master had bitten her as punishment, which was why he had done these things to her.

Did the princess not even consider the other possibility?

Qingyuan carefully observed Princess Jing'an's expression and found it to be true. Only then did she finally feel relieved.

After a brief explanation to Princess Jing'an, it was revealed that the Third Young Master had been experiencing a nightmare and was in a state of near-madness, which was why he had acted that way; it wasn't intentional. This explanation finally calmed Princess Jing'an down somewhat.

The next morning, after everyone had breakfast, they led their caravan back to Bianjing.

The journey was much safer and smoother, and it took less than three hours to reach the gates of Bianjing.

His Highness the Crown Prince led his entourage to the city gate of Bianjing. The guards at the city gate let them pass, but His Highness the Crown Prince's carriages stopped for a moment.

The Empress Dowager was helped down from the carriage by her maid, and Princess Jing'an also stepped out of the carriage.

The Empress Dowager and the Princess had already come out, so the ladies and young misses naturally no longer had the right to sit in the carriage and listen to her. They all got out of the carriage and stood aside waiting for the Empress Dowager's instructions and teachings.

Even if the Empress Dowager and the Princess didn't speak, the ladies and young women present weren't stupid; they could probably guess what it was about that they insisted on discussing it at the city gate.

To sum it up, it all started with the incident of encountering bandits on the way back. As the leader of the group, His Highness the Crown Prince naturally had to give an explanation to the Empress Dowager and also to the ladies and young women to appease the public.

However, the expressions of the ladies were all different, and it was obvious that each of them was thinking something different.

Qingyuan followed Princess Jing'an, first getting off Princess Jing'an's carriage, and finally walking towards the Empress Dowager at the front. At this time, Qingyuan followed Princess Jing'an past Jiang Qingge not far ahead.

When Jiang Qingge and the ladies on both sides saw the princess walking up from behind, they naturally made way for her, each taking several steps back and nodding and bowing in the direction of Princess Jing'an.

Jiang Qingge's expression was different. Princess Jing'an noticed the unhurried smile on Jiang Qingge's face when she stepped forward. She seemed unaffected and unharmed by what had happened before. Instead, she seemed to be calmly waiting for something.

Princess Jing'an saw the fleeting provocation in Jiang Qingge's eyes. In fact, Princess Jing'an knew that Jiang Qingge's provocation could not be directed at her. Even if Jiang Qingge had a thousand or ten thousand times the courage, she would never provoke Princess Jing'an in public.

Qingyuan followed behind her. She knew perfectly well who Jiang Qingge's provocation was aimed at, and Princess Jing'an didn't need to think too much about it.

Princess Jing'an tilted her head slightly, her gaze coldly falling on Jiang Qingge. She calmly raised an eyebrow, a ruthless glint flashing in her eyes.

Princess Jing'an didn't say anything, but the meaning in her smile was enough. The moment Princess Jing'an and Jiang Qingge looked at each other, they didn't say anything, but it was as if they said everything.

Qingyuan knew that Jiang Qingge was after her, but this time it just so happened that Princess Jing'an was in front of her, so Jiang Qingge didn't dare to continue provoking her.

Princess Jing'an walked up to the Empress Dowager, turned to the ladies and young women waiting by the carriage, and said loudly, "The Crown Prince is already investigating the matter of the bandits we encountered on our way back to Bianjing from Xiangguo Temple. He will find out the culprit as soon as possible and give everyone an explanation. He will definitely not let everyone be frightened for nothing."

As Princess Jing'an spoke, her gaze swept over the ladies and young women present. Her gaze was slow and deliberate, like a knife, lingering on each lady and young woman inch by inch before moving on to the next person. She was clearly scrutinizing them.

After everyone had finished smashing everything, a long silence fell over the room. Princess Jing'an's gaze finally settled on Jiang Qingge, a proud and triumphant smile on her face: "As for this matter, we will give everyone an explanation once the investigation is complete. However, we should always adhere to a clear system of rewards and punishments. If we find out who the mastermind is, they will certainly be severely punished. If anyone has rendered meritorious service, we should also reward them handsomely. Does everyone agree?"

The ladies and young women wore different expressions, each likely harboring their own thoughts, none of them speaking them aloud.

Although the painting depicts Princess Jing'an, everyone in Bianjing knows how favored she is. Princess Jing'an is favored not only by the Empress Dowager, but also by the Crown Prince and the current Emperor.

Moreover, Princess Jing'an spoke these words while standing next to the Empress Dowager. Just by looking at the Empress Dowager's expression, most of the ladies and young women could guess what Princess Jing'an meant.

Which of the ladies present would dare to publicly defy Princess Jing'an, especially since Princess Jing'an's words were perfectly reasonable?

Princess Jing'an, seeing that the ladies and young women remained silent but nodded, smiled with satisfaction: "This journey has been arduous, with long journeys and rugged mountain roads. I imagine you ladies, young women, and officials must be tired as well. Therefore, I will get straight to the point and speak frankly, without wasting your time. After I have finished speaking, you may all return to your residences in the city to rest. This matter is not complicated, and you should all know about it. When the bandits attacked, the caravan was thrown into chaos, and everyone was only thinking of escaping. Of course, I do not consider this matter to be of great importance." "I have no intention of holding anyone accountable for this, but there is this one person who, despite being in danger himself, still worried about the safety of me and my mother, and rushed forward without hesitation to protect us. This is a meritorious act, not only a decision made by me and my mother, but also by all the ladies and gentlemen—everyone has witnessed it. Furthermore, Qingyuan has saved my life twice and protected my mother's safety on more than one occasion. Such a meritorious act is truly extraordinary. Chen Mama, proclaim the decree."

The old nanny beside the Empress Dowager, the same Chen nanny Princess Jing'an spoke of, announced loudly: "By the Empress Dowager's decree, a young woman named Qinghe from the common people has rendered meritorious service in protecting me, displaying unparalleled bravery and courage. She is intelligent, kind-hearted, and exceptionally skilled in embroidery. Not only has she protected me, but she has also repeatedly rescued Princess Jing'an from danger. This is a great merit, and she is hereby awarded a death-exemption token. This token will allow her free entry and exit from the palace. From now on, anyone who sees this token will be considered to have seen me!"

As the old woman's voice faded, everyone's expression changed.

What does that get-out-of-jail-free card mean? Surely everyone present knew the answer.

Once that pardon is issued, it proves that the Empress Dowager has personally acknowledged that Qingyuan saved the Empress Dowager and Princess Jing'an. With this connection, even if Qingyuan is just a maid, she is by no means an ordinary maid, and most young masters and ladies would not dare to offend her.

Moreover, it was a pardon bestowed personally by the Empress Dowager. Even if Qingyuan committed a capital crime in the future, that pardon would save her life. As a maid, being able to freely enter and leave the palace at any time was already an extremely high honor and a great favor.

Let alone the death-exemption token, everyone else who saw it treated it as if they were seeing the Empress Dowager. Even if Princess Jing'an stood in front of them, they would still have to bow to her as if she were the Empress Dowager.

Not to mention the group of ladies and young ladies standing below them, they thought Princess Jing'an and the Empress Dowager were going to promote Qingyuan, but they never expected that they would promote Qingyuan in this way.

Jiang Qingge, especially, who was standing among a group of ladies and young women, was already furious. She bit her lower lip until it turned white and stared intently at Princess Jing'an standing in front of her.

When Princess Jing'an received Jiang Qingge's gaze, she raised an eyebrow disdainfully, without any provocation, only with a casual contempt.

Princess Jing'an's eyes made it very clear—if she wanted to harm him, then she, as the princess, was determined to elevate her.

She wanted to see if a princess like herself could be defeated by a young lady from a noble family.

She, Princess Jing'an, has protected so many people, and none of them have failed to do so so far.

In such a grand setting, it was just two people staring at each other, exchanging glances, but that was enough to infuriate Jiang Qingge.

Even when Granny Chen presented the gold medal to Qingyuan, Qingyuan still hadn't realized what she had received.

All the young masters, ladies, and wives around them had left, leaving only Granny Chen and Qingyuan.

Granny Chen smiled and said, "Congratulations, Miss. Please keep this gold medal safe and don't lose it, as that would be a serious offense. Also, the Empress Dowager said she really likes your embroidery, and she hopes you will come to the palace more often when you have time."

"Okay...okay."

Qingyuan hurriedly accepted the gold medal and readily agreed. After Granny Chen left, the entire gate of Bianjing City returned to its original state, and the carriages of all the ladies and young ladies had already departed.

The gates of Bianjing were bustling with ordinary people coming and going, entering and leaving the city, as well as tourists from all over the country. Carriages continued to arrive in an endless stream.

It wasn't until Qingyuan truly felt the weight of the gold in her hands that she seemed to realize what she was holding. She quickly put it away, becoming cautious and timid as if she had obtained a great treasure.

He cautiously looked around and, finding no one watching him, forced himself to remain calm and walked into Bianjing City.

When Qingyuan returned to the Zhenguo Marquis's mansion, her mind was still reeling, as if she had been struck by a surprise that had fallen from the sky. Even after returning to her residence, she sat blankly in her chair, her fingers constantly stroking the gold medal hidden under her sleeve.

Only through such actions, only by truly touching that gold medal, could Qingyuan barely realize that her current feelings and situation were real, that the reward she had just heard about was real, and that this gold medal was real.

What was originally a cold, lifeless pardon was gradually warmed by Qingyuan's touch, and Qingyuan's emotions seemed to calm down.

She stroked her lower abdomen, her heart softening with tenderness and overwhelming emotion.

Yes, he finally won his gamble. He finally won his lifeline, and he won a future for himself and his child. Perhaps that future will not be stable, smooth, or easy, but at least he and his child will have a future.

Previously, Qingyuan had only thought that the best possible outcome would be to gain a reputation for protecting the emperor and to become Princess Jing'an's savior. Perhaps these identities did not have any actual certification or real power, but at least she would have this reputation, and anyone who wanted to harm her would have to think twice.

Qingyuan originally thought that having a deterrent effect was the best outcome he could imagine. However, when he held the get-out-of-jail-free card in his hand, he realized that what he had gambled on—the only chance of winning that he had gained because of the Third Young Master—was what he had actually won.

That means she and her child will never have to live a life as fragile as paper again.

Even if she does something against the imperial authority in the future, she can still save her and her child's lives. This "get-out-of-jail-free card" represents the most certain future for Qingyuan and her child.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside, as if someone was running over from a distance. Qingyuan looked up and saw the long-lost Hongdou.

Qingyuan was overjoyed. "Hongdou!! You're awake? When did you wake up? How's your stomach? Is anything bothering you? Are you completely better? Actually, you don't need to rush back. You can rest there for a few more days. I've already spoken to the Third Young Master, and he's agreed..."

Qingyuan hurriedly went to check on Hongdou's condition, but Hongdou comforted her with a smile, "Sister, I'm really all better. All my injuries are healed. Doctor Sai Huatuo's medical skills are amazing. Actually, I was already healed three days ago. Sister, have you forgotten how long you were at Xiangguo Temple? I returned to the manor three days ago. And although I've been in the manor these past few days, since the old lady and the young masters are not here, and the masters are not here, there's been much less work to do. It's been very easy. I'm completely healed now, and I don't feel any pain anywhere. If I had been kidnapped by accident, you would have to go to the Empress Dowager to beg for medicine to save me. That reward opportunity was something you worked so hard to win in front of the Empress Dowager, but you used it on me. If you hadn't left the manor, and that eldest daughter of the Jiang family had married into the family, not only would you not have a good life, but you might not even be able to save your life. Sister, you shouldn't have used up that reward to save me."

As Hongdou spoke, her eyes reddened, filled with worry and concern as she looked at Qingyuan in front of her, truly feeling guilty.

Hongdou vividly remembers how hard Qingyuan worked and how desperately she tried to raise the thousand taels of silver in order to leave the manor. Hongdou knows this better than anyone else.

But this hard-won opportunity was used on herself. How could Hongdou not feel guilty? How could she not blame herself?

Qingyuan gently wiped away Hongdou's tears with a silk handkerchief: "What nonsense are you talking about? Opportunities can be earned again, money can be earned again, and embroidery can be re-embroidered. But if I lose even you, my sister, I will truly be all alone in this world."

As Qingyuan spoke, she told Hongdou that she was leaving the Zhenguo Marquis's Mansion today, and also briefly recounted what had happened at Xiangguo Temple. Only after hearing that Qingyuan had obtained her indenture and was able to leave the Zhenguo Marquis's Mansion did Hongdou manage to control her emotions.

"Alright, stop crying. Instead of crying, help me pack my things. I need to get out of the manor. If Chu Jingyu sees me, it'll be another messy situation."

Hearing Qingyuan say this, Hongdou perked up and quickly helped Qingyuan pack her things.

-

Chu Jingyu first had a carriage take Jiang Qingge back to the Jiang residence, and then returned to the Zhenguo Marquis's residence.

When Chu Jingyu stepped into his courtyard, he didn't feel anything was wrong. He ate a meal first, and then ordered his subordinates to prepare hot water for a bath.

It wasn't until just before his bath that Chu Jingyu instructed someone to bring Qingyuan to him.

Qingyuan Massage has the best skills.