Wang Qingyao's heart pounded with alarm; this little brat was trying to pry information out of her while she was drunk!
She had underestimated him.
But it was fine, this year's Oscar for Best Actress had to be hers.
She frowned, appearing to ponder, then her eyes lit up and she held up a finger. "Once."
Xiao Yun's heart tightened. "What?"
"It was the first time we met, I lied and said I was a maid from the Wang family, and that my name was Wang Qing, hee hee..."
A mixture of truth and falsehood was the most convincing.
This incident held no value for Xiao Yun, but it confirmed to him that Wang Qingyao was indeed speaking her mind when drunk.
"Anything else?"
"No."
"Really? You're not lying to me?"
Wang Qingyao nodded vigorously. "Really, how could I lie to you?"
She cupped Xiao Yun's face and said affectionately, "You are my husband, my sky, my earth. I would lie to a dog before I lied to you!"
Ugh, so disgusting! She was going to throw up!
Xiao Yun was shocked by her drunken confession, and seemed deeply moved. After a moment of silence, he asked again, "If you had better options, I mean, if you didn't have to marry me, if your parents were alive and doted on you..."
Xiao Yun had always felt that Wang Qingyao was willing to marry him because she had no other choice.
What if she did?
He finally stopped pressing the issue, and Wang Qingyao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Shh!" She placed her index finger on Xiao Yun's lips, gazing into his eyes with affection. "I won't allow you to doubt yourself like this. You are my only choice. No matter my circumstances, I only want to marry you. Xiao Yun, you are the only one I want to marry. I told you long ago, it was love at first sight, and I wasn't lying."
Xiao Yun's voice was hoarse. "Don't you mind that I'm short-lived and won't live past twenty-five?"
"I only regret that my life is too long, and I cannot accompany you in life and death. If I could, I would gladly die on the same day, month, and year as you. But by then, we would surely have our own children, and I couldn't abandon him. Don't worry, after you're gone, I will raise him well into adulthood. I will tell him how much Mommy loved Daddy, and that Daddy is watching us from heaven. With my love for you, I will live well with him. Wait for me on the road to the underworld, don't reincarnate first. In the next life, I will marry you again and grow old with you..."
It was so touching, Wang Qingyao was almost moved to tears by herself.
Xiao Yun was even more moved, tears streaming down his face.
"Yaoyao..." he choked out her name, and couldn't help but lean in to kiss her.
Wang Qingyao's pupils dilated, and she leaned to the side, falling off the chair with a thud, losing consciousness.
She had "fallen asleep."
Xiao Yun gently carried her to a guest room upstairs to rest.
Wang Qingyao had been faking sleep, but eventually, she truly fell asleep.
She woke up in the evening. Her head throbbed when she moved it. Touching it, she found a large lump on the right side.
She hadn't controlled her strength well and had injured her own head.
She felt a little annoyed.
Hearing the movement, Xiao Yun ordered a waiter to bring some hangover soup.
She wasn't drunk at all, but she decided to see the act through. She drank the soup and then feigned ignorance, asking what had happened to her head.
"You were drunk and fell off the chair," Xiao Yun said, his gaze softer than ever.
Upon their return, Yin Zhu applied a cold towel to her head for a while, and by the next day, the swelling had significantly reduced.
The Marquis of Wenyuan's mansion sent an invitation, requesting the Wang family to attend the baby's full moon celebration in two days, specifically asking for the second daughter, Wang Er Guniang, to be present.
His daughter-in-law had given birth to a baby girl early this morning.
Wang Qingyao took a moment to recall that the Marquis of Wenyuan's daughter-in-law was the pregnant woman she had met at Fang Yuan's place, the one who had asked her to predict the baby's gender.
Fang Yuan had said she had four sons and had been hoping for a daughter this time.
Even experienced midwives had said it was a boy, yet Wang Qingyao had casually glanced and declared it a girl.
At the time, no one believed her, thinking she was just trying to please Madam Xue.
Now, some still didn't believe, attributing it to luck.
However, some did believe her. Coupled with Madam Zuo's persistent promotion of her "lucky star" persona, those who had difficulty conceiving or wanted to know their baby's gender one after another wished to visit her and seek clarity.
They couldn't even wait for the Marquis of Wenyuan's celebration and directly came to the Wang residence.
How could Madam Bai possibly arrange such a thing for Wang Qingyao to gain fame?
However, among the visitors were the wives of high-ranking officials and members of noble families. Missing this opportunity might mean not being able to forge connections for a long time.
As she hesitated, a maid quietly approached and whispered a few words in her ear. The frown on her brow immediately relaxed.
"The Second Young Lady is not feeling well and is reluctant to go out. If the ladies don't mind, perhaps I can lead you to see the Second Young Lady?"
These ladies, trying various methods to have sons, naturally didn't mind visiting Wang Qingyao.
"The County Princess is ill, so it is only natural for us to visit," one of the ladies said.
Only then did everyone remember that Wang Qingyao also held the title of County Princess. It was just that she didn't take it seriously herself and never flaunted her authority, so others had forgotten.
After all, she was a County Princess, of higher rank than them. If one were to be strict about it, shouldn't they be the ones to pay their respects to her?
One lady glanced at Madam Bai with displeasure.
The flesh on Madam Bai's cheeks quivered as she smiled obsequiously and led the group towards Lengxiang Courtyard.
On the way, they encountered Wang Qinglin, Wang Qingzhen, and Wang Qingzhu, the three sisters who were also coming to visit.
Wang Qinglin and Madam Bai exchanged a glance, their smiles hidden from each other.
As they reached the entrance of Lengxiang Courtyard, exclamations and cries could be heard. The main gate was wide open, and only a pretty maid stood in the courtyard, holding a broom, staring intently at the main house.
"Qiuju," Madam Bai called out, "What's going on? So much commotion."
Qiuju snapped back to attention, bowed, and replied, "Your servant doesn't know either. The Second Young Lady suddenly... suddenly cried out, and also broke a mirror..."
Qiuju had actually seen it. She had been watching the movements in the main house.
After breakfast, Wang Qingyao had been strolling in the courtyard to aid digestion. The late spring and early summer sun was bright. After basking for a while, she shielded her eyes with her hand and looked up at the sky, as if enjoying the warmth.
At that moment, Qiuju saw large patches of skin peeling off Wang Qingyao's face, like falling snow.
And Wang Qingyao seemed oblivious.
She turned to go inside and bumped into Yin Zhu, who was coming out. Upon seeing her appearance, Yin Zhu screamed, "G-Guniang, your face..."
Wang Qingyao touched her face, which seemed slightly different from usual.
She went into the room and looked in the mirror. Following that, Qiuju heard the sound of the mirror shattering and even more tragic screams.
She had quietly sent out the news.
Despite her joy, Madam Bai put on a worried expression. "What is wrong with this child?"
As she spoke, she lifted the beaded curtain and walked in. The front was the study, and the bedroom was behind it.
Although separated, the space was small. Standing in the study, one could see into the bedroom by craning their neck.
Madam Bai and the three sisters Wang Qinglin entered the bedroom, while the other ladies crowded at the study entrance.
The bedroom was in disarray. The mirror lay shattered on the floor. Wang Qingyao, with her back to everyone, was covering her face with a handkerchief, sobbing quietly.
Two maids and a wet nurse were softly comforting her.
"It's okay, it's okay."
"Shall we call a doctor?"
"What's wrong with Yaoyao?" Madam Bai walked in and placed her hand on Wang Qingyao's shoulder. "Why are you crying so sadly?"
Yin Zhu hesitated to speak.
The triumph and excitement in Madam Bai's eyes grew, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up. "Yaoyao, what's wrong? Let Auntie have a look?"
She exerted force on her hand, trying to turn Wang Qingyao around. Wang Qingyao struggled a few times but was no match for her strength. Suddenly, her face was fully revealed to everyone.