books44 Chapter 213: Explanation
Chapter 213: Explanation
Chapter 213: Explanation
He quickly washed the white clothes before coming out from behind.
When she bumped into Lu Yu, she simply smiled faintly and walked past him.
"Are you jealous?"
"No." She paused, wiping the water off her hands. "I know you're going over there to discuss things with people."
"Then why did you leave as soon as you saw me?"
"It's too late, and I'm too hungry." She walked straight ahead to get some food and went to her room.
Even though she had nothing to do right now, she still couldn't stay idle. After packing the things she would need for tomorrow, she finally went to bed to rest.
The candlelight suddenly crackled, flickering. Ji Meiqing opened her eyes and looked at the person standing in front of her. She suddenly sighed, "I'm a little tired. If you have nothing else to do, you should go and rest."
"Your actions... are making me very uneasy."
She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. "I never blame anyone. I know what you're going to do. So, there's no need for this."
I'd rather you be jealous and sad.
He smiled helplessly, but didn't know what to say next.
"You should go and rest first. I really want to sleep." She squinted her eyes, her voice getting softer and softer, and the next second she fell asleep.
Lu Yu stood before her, gazing into her eyes and brows. A strange sense of resentment welled up within him, as if he were desperately trying to attract her attention, yet to no avail.
The following morning, the Prince's residence delivered a considerable amount of gold and silver jewelry. There was also a message.
"The princess requests your presence at the Prince's residence."
"Wait a moment." She nodded gently and walked past them.
She went back to her room, changed into a slightly nicer set of clothes, and then followed him. Lu Yu stood there, watching her leave.
Xunhua didn't have anything important to say to her; she just wanted to ask her about the wine.
"I know this wine is for your birthday celebration, but to whet people's appetites, I'll try to delay it as long as possible." She sprinkled some spices from the box into the incense burner, and a wisp of smoke rose, filling the room with a drowsy fragrance.
Ji Meiqing narrowed her eyes, her limbs feeling weak and sore as if she had been soaked in a drug.
"Drink the tea in front of you, it will make you feel better," Xunhua kindly reminded her.
Ji Meiqing didn't have time to think and drank it all in one gulp.
"This lily powder is used at banquets. People who are not used to its taste will easily fall asleep. It is usually used to enhance the atmosphere with alcohol."
"Thank you for the reminder, Princess."
"Tomorrow is the National Day, so you'll definitely need to make some more preparations tonight."
She nodded, and the room fell silent.
"Alright, that's all I have to say. The rest is up to you."
"Then I shall take my leave." She rose, bowed, and prepared to depart. Xunhua looked at her clothes and suddenly felt helpless.
"Is it because you don't have money to buy nice clothes?"
"What?" Ji Meiqing was taken aback, then looked at her clothes and smiled nonchalantly, "As long as the clothes are warm, it's fine."
"As a woman, you don't even know how to dress yourself."
“It’s not that I can’t, but that I’m stuck in poverty.” She bowed her head and bent over, not seeing Xun Hua’s surprised look.
I returned to my small courtyard from the Prince's residence, assuming they had all gone out to make final preparations. Tomorrow morning, all this wine would be stored in the palace storeroom.
Before I even stepped into the room, Li Ming rushed over.
"what's up?"
"All the rats we fed are dead." Li Ming's expression was solemn, while Ji Meiqing was only taken aback, showing no sign of anxiety.
She pushed the door open and led him into the room. Then she closed the door and the windows.
"How many people know about this?"
"I just discovered it; it's like someone has poisoned me."
Ji Meiqing frowned and whispered, "Go to the market and get a few rabbits. Don't make a fuss about it."
"Are you going to use a rabbit instead of a mouse?"
"That's about it, and there's no time left. If we cause any more trouble now, it will probably attract a lot of attention."
"Okay." He left in a hurry, leaving her alone in the room. A strange unease stirred within her, replaced by a deep tension.
The more critical the moment, the more anxious people become about this matter, even though all precautions have been taken.
Just as she stepped out of the room, she saw Lu Yu standing at the door. Ji Meiqing was stunned for a moment, then walked past him as if nothing had happened.
"You were jealous after all," he chuckled.
However, Ji Meiqing ignored him. She went straight out of the mansion and headed directly to the wine cellar.
The rabbits were brought over, and the small cage was full of them. They were all lying at the bottom of the cage, listless and looking like they were on their last legs, without any life.
I brought over a few glasses of wine and fed them to them.
"Aren't rabbits afraid of water?"
Ji Meiqing paused for a moment, then turned around, picked up a bamboo chopstick, dipped it in the chopstick, and fed it to the rabbit.
There wasn't much of a reaction, and Ji Meiqing breathed a sigh of relief. "Although these wines are mostly just for show, they can still be useful in crucial moments."
She tossed the chopsticks aside and picked out a gray rabbit from the cage to hold. She didn't look at the rest of the rabbits much after that.
"Maintain proper arrangements for tomorrow's events. Also, have you found the people the Ji family arranged?"
Li Ming nodded, "They've all been found. We'll be transferring them tomorrow."
"Well, I feel relieved to have this matter handled by you." She smiled. "I won't be attending the banquet tomorrow; you can go in my place."
"You want to go back?"
"There are too many people here, I'm not used to it." She turned and walked outside, while the people behind her stood there without saying a word.
Once back in my room, I packed my things. Everything was as usual, everything remained the same.
As the smoke rose from the chimneys and the lamps were lit, everything was almost over. Ji Meiqing sat in her room, holding some green vegetable leaves, teasing the rabbit.
Only when the leaves were reduced to stems did she look up at the dawn light outside. It was already late, and after washing herself, she prepared to rest.
Things were almost done. She sighed and went to open the window. She moved the brazier out of the room.
She groggily woke up late at night. As soon as she opened the tent flap, she saw a tall figure standing before her, and Ji Meiqing was so startled she could no longer sleep.
She breathed a sigh of relief once she could see it clearly.
"It's so late, aren't you going to sleep yet?"
"I'm waiting for you."
"What are you waiting for me for?" she asked, getting out of bed while yawning.
"Go to sleep, I'm sleepy."
She turned over, not wanting to pay him any more attention. But Lu Yu, as if he'd taken the wrong medicine, recklessly asked, "You're leaving tomorrow?"
"Um... um."
Lu Yu suddenly walked to her side, picked her up, and interrupted her slumber.