Chu Qianli did not chat with Feng Wuya for long. She was concerned about Long Ziyue and Fu Long and found an excuse to leave immediately.
Feng Wuya watched her retreating back. After a long while, his palm tightened, and he strode towards the main gate.
However, before she could leave the prince's mansion, she was blocked by Granny Ni.
"You think you can stop this king with just you?"
Feng Wuya, at this moment, wanted to see anyone related to Consort Yu the least.
"Your Highness, this servant does not wish to stop you. This servant merely hopes Your Highness can think clearly. If you truly tell Prince Xuan about this matter, then he and Consort Yu..."
"Since Consort Yu dared to do such a thing, she should be prepared to bear the consequences!"
Feng Wuya turned his face away, not looking at her, his words extremely cold.
"No matter what the consequences, she brought it upon herself!"
"This servant understands."
"If you understand, then do not block this servant!" Feng Wuya said angrily.
Granny Ni watched his steps. In fact, while he was speaking to her so angrily, his feet had not moved even half a step.
Granny Ni sighed softly, "Your Highness, in this world, everyone has the right to accuse the Consort, but only you do not!"
Before Feng Wuya could speak, Granny Ni preempted him, "Everything Consort Yu did was for Your Highness. Even if she made a mistake, it is not for Your Highness to condemn her."
Feng Wuya did not speak, only tightening his grip on his palm.
Granny Ni knew he was feeling distressed. If she could, she would not want to make things difficult for the prince.
She had watched the prince grow up. As much as Consort Yu doted on the prince, she doted on him just as much.
As much as Consort Yu wanted Feng Wuya to live, she did too, never less than her mistress.
"Your Highness, this servant dares not stop you, but merely hopes Your Highness can think clearly."
Granny Ni sighed silently, "The matter has already happened. The Consort will absolutely not remove the Mandarin Duck Gu for you, for the sake of Your Highness's life."
"Instead of making things difficult for yourself and the Consort, why not think about how you can live well?"
"As long as Your Highness's health improves, Consort Yu will naturally not trouble Miss Chu. If Your Highness has any misfortune in the future..."
Granny Ni's heart was sharply pierced by the misfortune she had spoken of.
She said softly, "If such a day truly comes, I fear the Consort will not be able to live either. If the Consort loses her son, how can she care about the lives of others?"
Granny Ni left.
Feng Wuya understood her meaning.
As long as he lived, A'li would be safe.
If something happened to him, A'li would likely not survive either.
Mandarin Duck Gu...
He lowered his head and looked at his palm.
At this moment, his palm was still calm, nothing there.
But he knew that once something happened to him, the Mandarin Duck Gu on his body would struggle in its death throes, and the one on A'li's body would perish with its host.
Revealing everything to his Fourth Brother at this moment would only resolve the misunderstanding between his Fourth Brother and A'li regarding this absence.
But in reality, the misunderstandings between his Fourth Brother and A'li were far more than just this.
Should he first find a way to remove the Mandarin Duck Gu?
...
Long Ziyue and Fu Long were not in Chu Qianli's chambers.
Fu Ning arrived after dawn.
According to Fu Ning, she had not seen the two of them after returning.
"You're saying you left them on the bed?"
Fu Ning's jaw almost dropped in shock.
"I thought I would be back soon." Chu Qianli knew she had miscalculated, but at that time, the little palace maid was about to open the door.
If she hadn't left the two of them on the bed, covered them with a quilt, and then lowered the gauze curtain, she honestly didn't know how to hide them.
The Emperor hated clandestine meetings the most. Meeting casually in the palace under his nose was absolutely not allowed.
Chu Qianli was now walking on pins and needles with every step, how could she dare to be reckless?
Fu Ning, however, was lost in thought, "My elder brother... has never been so intimate with a woman before..."
"What are you thinking about?" Chu Qianli slapped her on the forehead.
At this time, she was still thinking about romantic matters.
If they were discovered, Fu Long would be sentenced to death!
"Ouch, that hurt!"
Fu Ning snapped back to reality after being hit.
"I know I shouldn't think about it, but I just... forget it. It was due to the circumstances, and you didn't do it on purpose."
Moreover, according to Chu Qianli, both of them were dead drunk at the time, so they couldn't have done anything out of line.
"They must have returned to their own places after waking up this morning," Fu Ning guessed.
After all, it wasn't something to be proud of, and being discovered would be disastrous.
They must have returned to their own quarters.
"Let's go, accompany me to Princess Pingyue's chambers."
As a princess of Long Teng Kingdom, Long Ziyue was a distinguished guest, and her residence was naturally different from Chu Qianli's humble abode.
Chu Qianli and Long Ziyue went to look for her, but were directly stopped by Long Ziyue's maid.
"I'm sorry, our County Princess is feeling unwell today and does not wish to see guests. Please leave!" the maid Danqing said with a cold face.
This attitude was a far cry from Long Ziyue herself.
Fu Ning found it hard to accept and couldn't help but say, "My lady is friends with the County Princess. Should this matter be reported to the County Princess first?"
This maid was clearly unwilling to let them in.
When they requested an audience, the maid, without even reporting, presumptuously tried to drive them away.
What right did she have to speak for their County Princess?
Danqing's expression immediately darkened upon hearing this, and she said displeasedly, "My County Princess is of noble status. How could she make friends with random people? Please do not try to force a relationship!"
"You..."
"Fu Ning," Chu Qianli called out softly.
Fu Ning bit her lip and swallowed her anger.
Chu Qianli looked at Danqing and said faintly, "Last night, the County Princess came to find me and accidentally left something behind at my place. I am just here to return it to her. Please..."
"I told you, my County Princess is feeling unwell and is not seeing guests today. If there is anything, I can return it to her for you," Danqing said with a stern face, not relenting at all.
Fu Ning almost lost her temper again.
Although the lady's status now was not as high as Princess Pingyue's, she was still a master.
This maid's attitude was so rude and unreasonable.
Judging by Princess Pingyue's demeanor, it was impossible to imagine that her maid would have such a temper!
Chu Qianli did not seem angry. She said with a fake smile, "During the competition yesterday, when Ziyue and I secretly attacked Chu Feiyan, something was dropped at the scene."
"However, this item is too important. If you don't let me see her, then I can only take the item back."
She turned to leave.
Danqing's expression changed repeatedly. Just as she was about to reach the archway, Danqing couldn't help but say in a deep voice, "Miss, please come in."
... Long Ziyue was reading a book.
Seeing Chu Qianli arrive, her first reaction was joy.
Her second reaction... was to blush.
"Where were you last night?" she asked with a hint of resentment.
Chu Qianli frowned. After Long Ziyue dismissed Danqing, she walked over and asked in a low voice, "What happened between you and Fu Long last night?"