Everyone says a woman's heart is as unfathomable as a needle at the bottom of the sea. In reality, for Chu Qianli now, a man's heart is truly difficult to fathom.
One moment he's calm and talking to you, the next he's erupting in fury, raging like thunder.
Chu Qianli was driven out by Feng Yexuan.
When Leng Ji escorted her back to Qianyun Pavilion, he looked at her, wanting to speak but hesitating.
But in the end, he said nothing.
Xi'er hurried to chase after Leng Ji and managed to find out from him what they had said in the side hall of Wuzhouyuan.
"Princess Consort..."
"Don't call me Princess Consort!" She hated that title the most.
Xi'er was helpless. She sighed and whispered, "Princess Consort, you're quarreling with the Prince, don't take it out on this servant!"
Chu Qianli glared at her, but this time, her anger had subsided.
She had suffered grievances at Feng Yexuan's hands, so why should she make things difficult for Xi'er?
In fact, in this manor, and even in this world, besides her grandfather and maternal uncle, only Xi'er truly cared for her.
This little girl genuinely treated her as a mistress, without any ulterior motives.
"I'm sorry."
"Princess Consort, don't say that to me. I was just speaking my mind. If you want to vent, go ahead. Just make sure you feel better after you're done!"
Xi'er was optimistic.
Although she had nothing, no status or position, she could live happily every day.
Chu Qianli smiled and shook her head, "I don't know why you can be so carefree and cheerful."
"When people live, it's inevitable to get angry or feel wronged. Who told us we aren't strong enough?"
You could call Xi'er optimistic, or you could say she simply saw things clearly.
"Grievances are given to you by others, but life is what you give yourself. Happiness is one day, unhappiness is also one day. Why always let yourself spend every day in sadness?"
Xi'er was talkative, and once she started, she wouldn't stop.
"Princess Consort, let me tell you, I heard a famous doctor say when I was young that if people are unhappy, they will have a shorter lifespan! So, you absolutely cannot be unhappy!"
For the sake of longevity, one must smile at oneself every day!
She didn't want to be someone with a short life!
"Yes, being unhappy leads to a shorter life. That's a good thought."
Chu Qianli simply smiled faintly, "From now on, whether happy or unhappy, I will smile. As I keep smiling, I will truly become happy."
Even though she didn't believe these words herself.
But at least, Xi'er had said something very true: who told them they weren't strong enough?
Because they weren't strong enough, they had to compromise and rely on others to live.
"Actually, I know you're still upset in your heart."
Xi'er looked at the smile on her lips, a smile that didn't reach her eyes at all.
"Princess Consort, do you feel like the Prince doesn't like you?"
Like? Chu Qianli suddenly found the word "like" utterly laughable.
For men of this era, what did "like" even mean?
In fact, women were merely accessories to men in this era.
When they liked them, they would dote on them, but once the novelty wore off, they would be completely abandoned.
"Princess Consort, don't be so disheartened. Actually, I know the Prince still has a knot in his heart regarding you."
"During the time when the Prince was seriously ill and unconscious, it was clearly the Princess Consort who stayed by his side, but they all said it was Yu Linglong and that Chu Huaiyu who stayed by the Prince's side."
"In any case, they completely usurped your credit. Because of the Emperor's decree, no one around the Prince was willing to speak up for you!"
Of course, Xi'er also knew that even without the decree, few people around the Prince would have spoken a word of justice for the Princess Consort.
Everyone had their own agenda, and everyone had to fight for their own rights.
Who would pity their Princess Consort?
"Princess Consort, don't worry, I will definitely help you!" She suddenly clenched her fist, her small face filled with determination!
Chu Qianli didn't take it seriously, she just waved her hand, "You don't need to help with anything... Oh, wait, now, help me get some paper, ink, brush, and inkstone."
... That day, Chu Qianli sat in her room, behind the desk, constantly painting.
She was painting the people she had seen on the phone screen.
Fortunately, she was almost a jack-of-all-trades before, and her painting skills were excellent.
With a few paintings, she had basically recreated the scenes she had seen on the phone screen.
Her grandfather had to be saved. If Feng Yexuan truly refused to trade with her, then she might have to seek out Feng Qihe.
Of course, saying she could even give up her own body was just a fit of pique at the time.
It would be absolutely impossible to say such a thing to Feng Qihe.
Although she was a modern person with open thoughts, she wasn't *that* open.
Facing Feng Qihe, she didn't even want him to touch a single finger.
"Xi'er, is there any way you could get me a small fan to dry the paintings?"
But there was no response from Xi'er outside.
Chu Qianli frowned, put down her brush, and glanced out the window.
Only then did she realize that it was already dark outside.
She opened her mechanical watch and saw it was 9:20.
So late?
"Xi'er?"
But there was still no response from outside.
Chu Qianli walked to the door and looked out. The courtyard was empty.
When Xi'er wasn't around, she suddenly realized that her Qianyun Pavilion had no other people at all.
There weren't even any guards on duty today. It seemed she was free.
She didn't want to guess the man's changing moods, and she didn't have the energy to guess now.
"Xi'er," Chu Qianli called out again.
She didn't know where this girl had gone. She wasn't even in the kitchen.
With Xi'er absent today, there was no food in the kitchen, nor any ingredients.
Chu Qianli also remembered that the food they usually ate was fetched by Xi'er from the communal kitchen and then cooked by herself in the kitchen.
Besides Xi'er, there were no other maids in her Qianyun Pavilion. Xi'er did everything.
As for Chu Qianli, because she had the bracelet space, she never cared about food or drink.
If there was food, she ate it; if not, she would take something from her bracelet.
She never needed to worry.
"Xi'er?" Now that Xi'er was gone, her heart suddenly felt empty.
After being in the manor for so long, the only one who had accompanied her was indeed Xi'er.
When she was around, Chu Qianli always found her chattering and noisy.
But with her noisy voice suddenly gone, she felt she really wasn't used to it.
"Xi'er, where the hell did you go?"
Chu Qianli suddenly felt a bit agitated. After the agitation, a hint of unease began to rise.
Certain scenes in her mind were slowly becoming clearer.
Didn't Xi'er say she would help her?
What was she going to do?
A wave of unease washed over Chu Qianli again. She immediately turned around and walked towards the main gate of Qianyun Pavilion.