The clingy concubine ran away, and the sickly prince lost control.

"Miss Cui, I asked Lao Zhang to drive. You suddenly darted out, and it's lucky that Lao Zhang was able to brake in time and not hit you. You should thank him. Even if he had hit you, you can't blame Lao Zhang."

Luo Qingyan spoke loudly, raising her face and looking down at Cui Rou.

Make sure all the bystanders hear it.

"Then this young lady should be careful when crossing the street; if she gets hit, she'll be the one who suffers the pain."

On the way back, Pei Shiyuan did not tell Lao Zhang to speed up the carriage, but instead told him to go slowly.

When Old Zhang slows down, he slows down to a crawl, like a parade float. If Cui Rou hadn't suddenly appeared, he wouldn't have stopped so abruptly.

Cui Rou's eyes darted around. How did Luo Qingyan know that she had suddenly appeared? She probably just happened to see her.

From afar, she recognized the carriage as belonging to the Duke's mansion. She wanted to stop it and speak with Pei Shiyuan, thinking that he hadn't seen her in a long time and probably wasn't angry with her anymore.

Moreover, there has been no news of Pei Shiyuan's condition worsening. Logically, he should not have more than two months to live, and his condition should have deteriorated or he should be bedridden.

She wanted to see for herself.

"Never mind how I crossed the street. A fool can't drive a carriage, right, everyone?"

Passersby chimed in with agreement.

"Indeed, someone with a mental disability should not drive."

"There are quite a few children running around on the street; what if they get hit?"

"Old Zhang was driving very slowly, it wasn't dangerous." Luo Qingyan glared at Cui Rou. "Miss Cui, Old Zhang injured his brain on the battlefield. Don't keep calling him an idiot. He was once the best cavalryman."

"Ah, so you're a retired veteran."

The passerby was surprised and said, "My apologies."

"Uncle Zhang's carriage isn't fast, so don't try to make false accusations."

A child emerged from the crowd, pointed at Cui Rou's nose, and said, "Even you can't run as fast as me."

With no excitement to be seen, the passersby dispersed.

"I had heard that the Duke's mansion was employing wounded veterans, and it seems that's indeed the case."

"Is this Miss Cui trying to extort money from me?"

I think so.

"I'm not!" Cui Rou jumped up and down in a panic. Why was she being called that? It was clearly Luo Qingyan...

"Miss Cui, you need to apologize to Old Zhang as a sign of respect for the disabled veteran."

Luo Qingyan stared at Cui Rou with her dark eyes.

Old Zhang kept waving his hand from behind and whispered, "Aunt Luo, no need."

"I won't..."

Before Cui Rou could finish speaking, she was thrown away by a burst of internal force.

"what!"

A scream came from across the street.

It was Pei Shiyuan who used his internal energy.

Luo Qingyan glanced coldly at Cui Rou, then turned to say, "Old Zhang, you drive well, let's go."

She could tell that Old Zhang was trying very hard to keep the carriage steady.

They boarded the carriage.

Luo Qingyan looked at Pei Shiyuan with concern: "Your Highness, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Cui Rou doesn't know how to cross the street, so I'll help her."

Pei Shiyuan said coldly.

"Your Highness, if you display your inner strength, won't someone discover something?" Luo Qingyan asked. Last time, Pei Shiyuan told her that the court was dangerous and that her life might be in danger, so she had to be careful in everything she did.

She remembers!

"No, Yuan Qing also possesses this level of internal energy."

A look of relief flashed in Pei Shiyuan's eyes; Luo Qingyan was beginning to realize the danger.

"Don't worry, Aunt Luo, others will think it was me. I'll show you my inner strength another day, it's like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves."

Yuan Qing smiled and moved his hands, gesturing to indicate the name.

Suddenly receiving a glare from Pei Shiyuan, Yuan Qing's smile froze on her face. She immediately withdrew her hand, muttering, "She's far inferior to you, Master."

Luo Qingyan and Liu Yue both laughed.

The carriage was filled with laughter and conversation throughout the journey.

Cui Rou lay on the ground across the street, unable to get up for a long time.

It took Yinxing a lot of effort to lift her onto her shoulders, and she limped towards Luo Chengxuan's residence.

The doctor diagnosed that she had broken her leg. When they put on the cast, it was so painful that Cui Rou kept screaming, and her forehead was covered in sweat.

"Luo Qingyan, you better remember this."

Cui Rou, supporting her broken leg, gritted her teeth.

Ginkgo's eyes darted left and right, a sinister glint in them: "Miss, the one who hit you across the street is the young master."

She felt that since the young lady had acted so ruthlessly, she should no longer harbor any illusions about Pei Shiyuan, but instead reclaim all the feelings she had once given.

"You've devoted so many years of your heart to the Crown Prince, and received nothing in return. Don't you feel you've lost out?"

"Of course I'm at a loss," Cui Rou said, tears streaming down her face. "Who told the Crown Prince to fall ill?"

Bad luck!

"Miss, you can't think like that. Illness doesn't affect affection. The young master is so sick and he still doesn't cherish you, which shows he doesn't have much affection for you. He has to make it up to you."

Ginkgo Road.

"Compensation? How? Money? I don't need it. The way he treated me today shows that he cares more about Luo Qingyan and doesn't care about me at all," Cui Rou pouted.

"Miss, it doesn't necessarily have to be money. You can make him pay a price, which can be considered a form of compensation. There are always people in the court who dislike the Crown Prince. You can start from there."

Yinxing felt that her young lady was too soft-hearted and that Pei Shiyuan should be taught a lesson; perhaps then he would change his mind.

He's sick, not dead. Why don't you show your affection to Miss and betray her true feelings?

"I don't want to hurt Brother Yuan," Cui Rou exclaimed in surprise. She would never do anything to hurt Pei Shiyuan.

Yinxing leaned closer to Cui Rou and lowered her voice, saying, "We don't really want to hurt Prince Pei. We want to intimidate him and make him focus his attention on you. He'll have to repay the debt he owes you even if he dies."

"Then why not just get rid of Luo Qingyan?"

She still didn't want to make things difficult for Pei Shiyuan.

"Getting rid of Luo Qingyan won't change Prince Pei's mind. Your goal is to change Prince Pei's mind, but even ten Luo Qingyans won't help then."

Yinxing's thin lips opened and closed, her tone sinister.

"I don't know anyone who's at odds with Brother Yuan!" Cui Rou came to the capital from Qinghe, and was so busy eating, drinking and having fun that she didn't pay attention to who was causing trouble for the Duke's mansion.

"You can ask the second young master, right?"

"Yes. I asked my second brother."

As soon as Cui Chengxuan returned from his shift, Cui Rou pulled him aside and asked him questions.

"In the imperial court, those who are at odds with the Duke's mansion are naturally the Prime Minister's faction. Why are you asking this? And why are you concerned about Pei Shiyuan?"

Cui Chengxuan was curious as to when Cui Rou had started to care about matters of the court.

"Oh dear, second brother, although my cousin and I are no longer engaged, we are still family! I travel around the capital, so of course I need to know who is causing trouble for my cousin."

Cui Rou said in a crisp voice.

"Um, what happened to your leg?"

Cui Chengxuan pointed to Cui Rou's leg, which was in a cast.

"I tripped and fell, but it's nothing, Second Brother, you can go back to your work!"

Cui Rou pretended nothing was wrong.

As soon as Cui Chengxuan left, she clutched her throbbing leg and wailed, "It hurts so much, damn Luo Qingyan."

"Miss, we have a plan. Once your leg is healed, we'll get to know the Prime Minister's people. If you side with the Prime Minister, Prince Pei will definitely panic and beg you to come back."

Ginkgo smiled with a slight upturn at the corners of her mouth.

Cui Rou nodded firmly: "Brother Yuan will definitely come looking for me then, begging me to reconcile with him. I don't care about the marriage contract, as long as he has me in his heart, that's enough."

As she spoke, Cui Rou blushed.

At this moment, at the entrance of the Imperial College.

Luo Haitang, with her exquisite makeup and wearing a pink dress, looked shy and timid, occasionally lowering her head and smiling to herself.