She placed her hands on Xie Jin Yan's chest, her eyes filled with disbelief and sorrow.

When Xie Jin Yan had previously said that her Shifu (master) regarded her as a chess piece to curry favor with the royal family, she had some doubts and always wanted to ask her Shifu herself.

But now, before she even had a chance to ask about her own affairs, Xie Jin Yan was telling her that not only her, but even her other Shimei (female martial siblings), even a girl as simple as Qingqing, were chess pieces her Shifu used to curry favor with others.

Could that be true of the caring and kind Shifu, who treated them like his own daughters?

Qingwu's eyes widened, and tears welled up. She looked up at Xie Jin Yan and asked him again, unable to accept it, "Your Highness, are you saying that whether it's Qingqing or the other beautiful Shimei, they are all chess pieces Shifu uses to curry favor with others? So... if Qingqing is of no use and just disappears, he won't allow it, will he?"

Hearing this, Xie Jin Yan did not answer. He only raised his hand and gently stroked her hair, then took her hand and said gently, "Alright, let's talk about these things tomorrow. Go back and rest first."

"As for Qingqing's matter, I will think of a way. We need to consider it carefully."

So, he was indirectly admitting it.

Yu Qingwu was already devastated. She had always thought that they were all Shifu's children, but now…

No, if that was really the case.

Shifu would definitely not let Qingqing go. He might send her away tonight to be a concubine for some powerful person, claiming she had died, that she was driven mad by Qu Shan Shan and had falsely accused Xiao Feng Yun, and then committed suicide out of madness.

Yu Qingwu had seen such methods used by those powerful figures when she was young.

If what Xie Jin Yan said was true, and Shifu had only been nurturing them to use them for political gain, then he might very well do that.

Thinking of this, Yu Qingwu couldn't sit still any longer.

She grabbed Xie Jin Yan's hand and pleaded with him, "Your Highness, we can't... we can't consider this carefully. This matter can't be delayed for even a moment. The longer we delay, the more danger Qingqing is in."

"I'm still considered lucky. Even though I was schemed against in every way, I still entered your residence. After all, you and I were once Shijie (martial sisters) and Shidi (martial brothers), and there is some affection between us. But Qingqing is different. Qingqing is simple and timid. If... if Shifu sends her to be a concubine for someone else, I don't need to say how her life will be, right?"

"So I want..."

Yu Qingwu raised her head, looking at Xie Jin Yan with pleading eyes, looking at that handsome and earnest face. The words that came to her lips, she swallowed again, stammering, "Your Highness... I want..."

"Want what?" Xie Jin Yan's face darkened, and his voice became cold. Just looking at Yu Qingwu's expression, he guessed what she wanted to say.

Heh, she was generous enough. To help her Yan Shimei escape, she probably wanted to offer him up.

However, even though he thought so, she was still a wife who couldn't tolerate infidelity, so it was naturally very difficult for her to say those words easily.

In the dim light, a hint of pain and entanglement flashed across her bright face. Finally, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and looked at him, "Your Highness... why don't you take Qingqing as a concubine? If she enters the Crown Prince's residence, we can take care of her..."

"Take care of her? How? Let her live as a widow?"

"Besides, do you think Shifu is a fool? Just a moment ago, you said that if Qingqing had nowhere to go, we would take her back to the capital. Now you're going to tell Shifu that I've taken a fancy to Qingqing and want to take her as a concubine. Do you think Shifu will believe that?"

Xie Jin Yan rolled his eyes at her, his tone somewhat helpless. He put his arm around her and walked out, while continuing to offer ideas in a sarcastic tone, "It's not impossible to make Shifu believe it. Tonight, I'll sleep in the same bed with Qingqing. Once we have had intimate relations, Shifu will have to agree even if he doesn't want to."

"If you really want to use this as an excuse to take Qingqing away, I'll go lie in the same quilt with her in a while. As long as you're not angry, I don't mind sacrificing my charm. Anyway, it's not like a man like me will suffer any loss in this kind of thing."

Xie Jin Yan's tone was unpleasant, and the words he said made Yu Qingwu very uncomfortable.

But she had to admit that if there was no real intimacy, Shifu would never believe it, but if Xie Jin Yan and Qingqing really had intimate relations, she would also mind very much.

Which wife doesn't want to be the only one for her husband for the rest of her life? She couldn't be so generous as to send her husband to another woman's bed for no reason.

What's more, even if she agreed, Qingqing might not agree.

For a moment, Yu Qingwu was a little confused.

She lowered her head slightly, her expression somewhat dejected.

Seeing this, Xie Jin Yan patted her shoulder gently and called her softly, "Alright, A'wu, don't think so much. I will think of a way to deal with this matter. As you said, Yan Shimei said those words because of us, so naturally I have no reason to ignore her."

She knew that Xie Jin Yan wouldn't ignore it, but...

Qingwu raised her eyes, her peach blossom eyes still filled with worry, and said with some hesitation, "But Your Highness, you know Shifu's temperament. If we don't act quickly tonight, I'm afraid Qingqing will disappear by the time we wake up tomorrow morning."

"By then, even if we think of a way, it will be too late."

She frowned, her expression full of guilt and worry.

After thinking about it, she seemed to have made up her mind and called him hesitantly again, "Why don't... why don't you and Qingqing..."

"I'll go talk to Qingqing about this. If she wants to protect herself, she should... will... will agree."

Yu Qingwu stammered, and in the end, she didn't dare to look Xie Jin Yan in the eyes at all. Without thinking, she could guess how ugly Xie Jin Yan's face was at the moment, but the current situation...

Qingwu raised her head, looking at Xie Jin Yan's increasingly gloomy face with some guilt, and continued nervously, "Your Highness, you... promise me."