Although she found it all rather dull, those people outside probably found it extremely entertaining.
She couldn't help but curl her lip in disdain. These women must have gone completely mad, constantly obsessing over such nonsense and baseless rumors!
Are they crazy?
Oh, they surely are.
Not only are they mentally deranged, but their eyesight must also be quite poor.
As Chu Qing grumbled inwardly, she gently patted Wei Ying, who was all but ready to storm out, giving him a look to signal him not to get angry.
Back in the palace, she rarely encountered so many foolish women who were so eager to throw themselves at her husband like moths to a flame.
Now, reborn in this new life, could there be something special about this body of hers?
Something like...
The moment they see her, they can't wait to frame her.
So, does she look... easy to bully?
At this thought, a hint of amusement flashed in Chu Qing's eyes.
The earlier atmosphere of intimacy had long since dissipated. Chu Qing grabbed her clothes and quickly dressed herself.
With a mocking smile on her face, she lifted the curtain and stepped out.
Outside, a small group of people had gathered, all staring at her tent with various expressions on their faces.
When they saw Chu Qing emerge alone, some of them couldn't help but feel a strange sense of excitement.
If it were the Prince, surely they would have both come out together when they heard the commotion!
Chu Qing looked at the crowd with a faint smile on her lips. At the forefront was the Duchess of the State Duke and her daughter, Zhong Yi.
Good. She hadn't even settled the score with them yet, and now they were asking for more trouble?
"Did the Princess of Ning rest well last night?" the Duchess of the State Duke asked with a meaningful smile as she walked forward.
Seeing this, the others also approached Chu Qing.
Chu Qing lazily tucked a stray hair behind her ear and replied softly, "Oh, it was just so-so."
"I heard that the Emperor kept the Prince of Ning for dinner last night. I wonder if the Prince has returned?" someone couldn't help but ask tentatively.
Not all of them were stupid.
Chu Qing scoffed silently in her heart.
Then, with a hint of shyness on her face, she said, "The Prince... he came back rather late last night..."
"It's almost noon, and the Prince still hasn't woken up? The Princess should pay more attention to the Prince's health," the Duchess of the State Duke continued calmly.
Chu Qing narrowed her eyes and looked at the Duchess. She didn't like the feeling of being treated like a junior in front of everyone.
So, she收起 her smile and said with an authoritative tone that brooked no argument, "The Duchess of the State Duke sure has a long reach. The Prince is my husband. If I don't pay attention to his health, should I wait for... you to do it?"
"You!" The Duchess of the State Duke's face turned red with anger.
Chu Qing gave her a disdainful look and sneered, then fell silent.
Seeing that the atmosphere was about to become awkwardly quiet, someone whispered, "We might be making too much noise outside. Will it wake the Prince?"
"Ah! Yes!"
"Yes my foot. If we really woke him up, given the Prince's personality, would he just sit back and do nothing? He would have come out by now!"
"You make a lot of sense!"
"So... there might really be... someone of unknown identity inside?"
Although these people were speaking in a low voice, Chu Qing was no ordinary person. Her hearing was much better than others, so their words clearly reached her ears.
Moreover, it seemed that the last few sentences were deliberately spoken louder.
After listening to all this, Chu Qing was no longer as angry as before.
She just found these women both ridiculous and pitiful.
The Duchess of the State Duke naturally heard the last sentence as well. After a moment of hesitation, she said, "Princess of Ning, we won't wake the Prince, will we?"
"Yes." After Chu Qing said this, she was slightly stunned.
Because Wei Ying had already come out, and he had said the same thing at the same time.
Although his face was expressionless, the aura around him was extremely cold, making it hard for anyone to approach.
"Greetings to the Prince of Ning." Everyone was initially stunned, and then they bowed to Wei Ying with a somewhat panicked tone.
Wei Ying glanced at the crowd indifferently, and finally fixed his gaze on the Duchess of the State Duke. He said coldly, "The Duchess of the State Duke sure has a long reach. Is everything in the State Duke's Mansion so worry-free for you that you have the time to meddle in other people's business?"
Wei Ying's words were extremely blunt, which made the Duchess of the State Duke's face turn from red to white. She was really embarrassed.
But she had no choice!
Although in terms of age, she should be like an elder.
However, in terms of status and position, when the Prince of Ning said such things to her, she really had no room to refute. Even though she was extremely angry in her heart, she could only force a smile on her old face.
Chu Qing saw everything in her eyes, and there seemed to be something welling up in her heart.
She had never been afraid of anything, but every time Wei Ying stood in front of her and spared her the trouble of dealing with things, she really felt extremely at ease.
Wei Ying glanced at Zhong Yi beside the Duchess of the State Duke, and then said to Chu Qing, "Qingqing, how's the investigation into yesterday's incident going?"
Chu Qing was slightly stunned, but then she quickly realized what Wei Ying was referring to.
Although they hadn't communicated much about it, his sudden mention of it gave her a good opportunity.
Sure enough, although everyone had their heads down, Chu Qing could still see them straightening their backs. This meant that they were all concentrating on listening to what she and Wei Ying were going to say.
So, Chu Qing's expression became solemn as she said, "Since all the ladies and young misses are here, I won't hide it from you. Yesterday in the hunting ground, the Prince of Ning hunted a black bear."
Hearing this, everyone thought that Chu Qing was going to brag. Since the person involved was right there, a barrage of compliments came pouring in, which almost made Chu Qing burst out laughing.
As for Wei Ying, he still stood there calmly, as if the compliments were not meant for him.
Seeing that the topic was getting further and further off track, Chu Qing quickly coughed a few times and continued, "Yesterday's bear was attracted by a sachet on my body."
After hearing this, everyone's faces showed a look of surprise.
Chu Qing continued, "And this sachet... you also have one."
"What does the Princess of Ning mean by this?" the Duchess of the State Duke frowned and asked.
At this moment, she was only focused on guarding against Chu Qing and didn't notice the uneasiness of her daughter, Zhong Yi, beside her.
Chu Qing sighed and said, "The sachet I had was obtained by my personal maid from Concubine Gu."
Everyone except Zhong Yi gasped in surprise.