For days, the capital had been abuzz with gossip. The Empress Dowager had taken a new goddaughter, bestowing upon her the title of "Princess Anning" and arranging her marriage to the current Grand General of the Western Regions.
Upon hearing this news, the entire capital began to whisper in private.
The sudden annulment of Princess Qinghe's engagement and the emergence of this Princess Anning, there was definitely something fishy going on.
Some brought up the incident from a few days prior, when the Grand General of the Western Regions had broken off his engagement at court, declaring his intention to marry a commoner. They speculated, spinning all sorts of bizarre and convoluted love stories.
In a tea house, Wei Qingge, tired from a long day's work, was napping. Hearing the gossip, she rolled her eyes.
She got up, gulped down a large cup of tea, and turned to leave.
As she reached the doorway, she stretched her body with a twist.
Recalling the words of the people inside, she couldn't help but sigh.
She had been visiting the General's mansion frequently these past two days, but Mu Rou had shown no signs of waking, her body growing weaker. If this continued, she feared she might never wake up.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but think of Tantai Ye, silently cursing him in her heart.
That scoundrel was always so unrestrained.
He hadn't married her when Mu Rou was awake, instead choosing to marry that Li Yan, humiliating her little Rou Rou. Now that Mu Rou was unconscious, he decided he wanted to marry.
Damn beast.
Wei Qingge, furious, kicked a nearby stone stool.
"Hey, Little Pepper, slacking off again."
Suddenly, from a second-floor window of the wine house across the street, a voice laced with laughter drifted over.
Wei Qingge's delicate body trembled. She looked up and saw Li Qiongyu leaning against the window, smiling at her. His face was as radiant as peach blossoms, his demeanor vibrant, and a strange glow flickered in his peach-shaped eyes.
A gust of wind stirred his red robes, revealing a subtle sheen.
"You annoying show-off, always exploiting people."
Just as she was about to curse back at him with her hands on her hips, she heard a clear, melodious voice.
"Qingge, come up."
Big Brother Liu?!
Wei Qingge's body trembled. She immediately suppressed her fierce expression and nervously looked up.
From afar, Li Qiongyu saw the change in her expression and curled his lips coldly.
Their gazes met in the air.
Upon seeing him, Wei Qingge immediately averted her eyes, catching a glimpse of the cool, ethereal figure beside him. She then scurried back into the wine house.
"Big Brother Liu."
Hearing her voice, Liu Rongruo slowly raised his eyes. "Come in."
Wei Qingge reached out and pushed open the door. Her previously excited expression faltered when she saw Chi You sitting beside Liu Rongruo.
Li Qiongyu turned his wine cup with a cold smile. "Come on, what are you spacing out for?"
*You're the one spacing out?!*
Wei Qingge cursed him inwardly and shuffled her feet, walking over and sitting opposite Liu Rongruo.
Liu Rongruo showed no change in expression when Wei Qingge sat directly next to Li Qiongyu. He poured her a cup of tea and handed it over.
"Thank you, Big Brother Liu."
Wei Qingge accepted it with a smile, her eyes inadvertently drifting towards Chi You beside them.
She was wearing a goose-yellow apricot blouse, and her beautiful, almost aggressive little face had lost its sharpness. Her dewy eyes were filled with a meekness, and her entire being exuded a fragile, helpless pity.
She blinked in confusion.
*Why does she look so different from the last time I saw her?*
She remembered her as a bold and alluring beauty, but today, her eyes were downcast, and she seemed very obedient.
"Stop staring. That's A Wu, from your Big Brother Liu's household."
Suddenly, Li Qiongyu's irritating voice interrupted her thoughts. Wei Qingge quickly withdrew her gaze and shot him a subtle glare.
Liu Rongruo narrowed his eyes, his expression towards Li Qiongyu showing a hint of displeasure, as if he disliked his words.
Li Qiongyu scoffed and changed the subject. "Didn't you ask Qingge to help her change her clothes? Go now."
He had accidentally knocked over a teacup during lunch, splashing water all over himself.
Hearing this, Wei Qingge quickly glanced at Chi You's skirt. A large wet patch stained the skirt and blouse, clinging to the young girl's body.
She immediately stood up. "Then I'll take her to change inside."
"Brother, I'm scared. Come with me."
Chi You bit her lip, her slender fingers tightly clutching Liu Rongruo's sleeve, her voice tinged with a hint of tears.
"Brother?!"
Li Qiongyu couldn't help but chuckle.
Wei Qingge blinked in confusion. "When did Big Brother Liu get a sister? Has this girl hit her head?"
Liu Rongruo glanced sideways, seeing her trembling eyes and dejected look, a subtle, unusual glint flashed in his eyes.
"A Wu, Big Brother Liu is a man. He can't accompany you."
"Ah--"
Chi You looked at her with dewy eyes.
Wei Qingge continued, "There's a distinction between men and women. It's not right to do this before marriage."
As she spoke, Li Qiongyu's fingertips, holding the wine cup, instantly turned pale. He coughed lightly.
"Oh."
Wei Qingge looked at Liu Rongruo in confusion and asked, "Big Brother Liu, what's wrong with her?"
*Why does she seem so silly?*
"She fell into the lake that day and doesn't remember anything."
Upon hearing this, Wei Qingge's eyes widened, and she cast a sympathetic glance at Chi You.
*No wonder I felt she was different from the person I saw that day.*
"Then why does she call you Brother?"
Liu Rongruo chuckled softly. "I don't know. Perhaps she subconsciously considers me someone close to her family."
*Toad King Gu, dual personality. How interesting!*
Wei Qingge looked at Chi You with pity. Although she liked Big Brother Liu very much, she harbored no ill feelings towards this girl.
Big Brother Liu already liked her; it was her own wishful thinking.
"I'll take you."
Chi You pouted and instinctively looked at Liu Rongruo. Seeing him nod, she reluctantly stood up and allowed Wei Qingge to lead her into the room inside.
Once they were gone, Li Qiongyu immediately said with a smile, "How come I couldn't find any 'brother' around her?"
*The Saintess of Southern Xinjiang, she entered the sacred tower since childhood. Where would she have a brother?*
Liu Rongruo smiled faintly. "Perhaps he died."
"Right, probably. By the way, I went to Southern Xinjiang for you last time. Where's my money? You still haven't paid me."
"No money."
Liu Rongruo picked up his teacup and leisurely drank his tea.
Li Qiongyu: "----"
"You three treat me like a money tree. The money you've sunk into me is enough for me to open hundreds of banks."
Liu Rongruo ignored his curses and asked softly, "You said she had the Toad King Gu planted in her, causing her personality to split into two—"
Before he could finish, Li Qiongyu interrupted him directly. "This is something all the Saintesses of Southern Xinjiang must experience. According to news from the Dark Pavilion, this Gu can only be dispelled by conjugal union with the Saintess's beloved."
"Let me tell you, this Chi You is no easy person. She's ruthless and cruel. She has almost complete control over the royal family of Southern Xinjiang and harbors great ambitions. To capture Lingnan, she personally came to Daliang for defense maps. Be careful, don't get poisoned."
Liu Rongruo smiled without speaking.
*The笨蛋 beauty by day, the ruthless, mad beauty by night.*
*Heh!*
"I'm not saying this, but you know what kind of person she is, yet you keep her around. Southern Xinjiang and Daliang are on the verge of war. If you keep the Saintess of Southern Xinjiang in your residence, and those people in court find out, they'll accuse you of colluding with the enemy and treason."
Liu Rongruo raised an eyebrow and took a sip of tea. "Just playing with her."