When Yun Xi returned to the prince's mansion, it was already very late and past the time for dinner.
However, when she pushed open the door, she still saw a table full of dishes and neatly arranged bowls and chopsticks, as if no one had touched them.
"Miss."
Yu Zhu was slightly stunned and couldn't help looking at Yun Xi, who was silent.
She could tell that Miss still had feelings for the prince. But after experiencing a lot of unfairness, Miss had been sulking with the prince.
Although she felt aggrieved for Miss's current status, she also didn't want Miss and the prince to remain at odds like this.
"Yu Zhu, you can go back and rest first."
Yun Xi turned to Yu Zhu and gave the order.
Yu Zhu hesitated for a moment. Finally, after quietly persuading Yun Xi for a few words, she turned around and left.
Looking at the quiet room, Yun Xi keenly smelled that in addition to the aroma of the food in the air, there was also a faint smell of medicine.
Yun Xi frowned slightly, and a sense of confusion welled up in her heart.
Except for being a bit weak, she hadn't taken any medicine for a long time.
And Qi Rong was usually as strong as a wild beast. She hardly ever saw him get sick. The only exception was when she went to visit her mother's grave and was chased and killed by the hired thugs of the Jiang family on the way. Qi Rong was seriously injured while saving her.
Otherwise, she would definitely think that Qi Rong was invulnerable!
Thinking of the past, Yun Xi felt emotional.
Before she knew it, she and Qi Rong had already gone through so many hardships together!
In total, Qi Rong had saved her three times.
The first time, she was surrounded by hooligans hired by Jiang Hai in an alley in the capital. The second time, on the way to her mother's grave, Qi Rong almost lost his life while saving her!
The last time, on her way to the Longchang, she and the crown prince were intercepted and had to hide in a peasant's house. If Qi Rong hadn't arrived in time, she would have been buried in the loess long ago!
Qi Rong seemed to be her hero. Every time she was in danger, he could always appear in front of her in the nick of time...
But where was he now?
Following the light in the bedroom, Yun Xi walked into the inner chamber and saw Qi Rong lying on the bed with his eyes closed, seemingly already asleep. And the smell of medicine became even stronger.
Yun Xi's heart skipped a beat, and a sense of unease suddenly welled up in her heart.
"What's wrong with you?"
Watching the sweat constantly oozing from Qi Rong's forehead, Yun Xi subconsciously reached out to wipe it away. But just as her hand was about to touch his skin, Qi Rong suddenly grabbed her wrist!
Qi Rong's black eyes were deep and cold. Like a startled wild beast, he stared warily at Yun Xi, with a fierce and menacing look on his face!
"It hurts so much!"
Meeting Qi Rong's gloomy gaze, Yun Xi was shocked. A sharp pain came from her wrist, and it felt as if it was about to be broken.
"It's you?"
After seeing Yun Xi's face clearly, Qi Rong loosened his grip on her wrist. Instantly, he withdrew all his sharpness. He rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes again.
He was always vigilant. Usually, he could sense when someone was approaching him.
However, this time when the residual poison flared up, he didn't expect it to be so powerful. It couldn't be underestimated!
It seemed that he must strengthen the defense in the prince's mansion next. He had to wipe out all the hidden threats in one fell swoop! Otherwise, the next person to get hurt might very well be Yun Xi!
Not knowing Qi Rong's current anxiety, Yun Xi rubbed her painful wrist. Looking at Qi Rong's cold expression, she recalled the way he had been on full alert just now.
She couldn't help but ask worriedly:
"What's wrong with you? Are you injured? I smelled a faint smell of medicine in the room."
Qi Rong had been full of energy when she left at noon. It was the crown prince and Jing Yao who had been beaten and thrown by him.
It was impossible that this perpetrator would get injured in just half a day. Who had the ability to hurt Qi Rong?
Although she thought so in her heart, Yun Xi didn't ignore Qi Rong's slightly pale face. Even in the dim yellow light, it was still very obvious.
If it had been in normal times, Qi Rong would surely have been overjoyed at Yun Xi's concern.
However, at this moment, he looked cold and sneered with his cold lips:
"You played with other men until so late and now you just remember to care about this king?"
Qi Rong glanced at Yun Xi indifferently. There was not a trace of warmth in his cold eyes.
Feeling Qi Rong's coldness, Yun Xi's heart tightened slightly.
Because usually Qi Rong always referred to himself as "I" in front of her. Only when he was extremely unhappy would he refer to himself as "this king", deliberately creating a distance between them.
It was as if he instantly erected a wall in front of her, blocking her outside and preventing her from seeing his true heart.
Perhaps, this was the real Qi Rong.
One day, when he no longer needed her, he would treat her just like everyone else.
Yun Xi took a deep breath secretly, sat down on the chair in front of the bed, and explained gently:
"Jing Yao is just my friend. When I was a child, I was fostered at my maternal grandfather's house. Our house was separated from the Jing family's by only a wall. I always thought he was a girl, so I was closer to him."
Thinking that Qi Rong was usually very jealous and didn't like her to have contact with men, she promised:
"Jing Yao just came to the capital and is unfamiliar with the place. I was just being a good host and giving him a place to stay during his days in the capital. After that, I will pay attention to the boundaries between us and won't do anything that will damage the reputation of the Xian Prince's Mansion or your dignity."
Jing Yao was just staying in the capital for a few days and would soon return to Jiangcheng. She explained it to Qi Rong in advance to avoid his misunderstanding.
After all, her current status was that of a concubine in the prince's mansion. Although Qi Rong had given her plenty of freedom, she wouldn't take advantage of it to do anything out of line.
As long as she was in the Xian Prince's Mansion for a day, she would "do her job dutifully".
She wouldn't let Qi Rong be pointed at by others because of her!
Yun Xi thought that her explanation would be questioned or even stopped by Qi Rong. However, Qi Rong showed great indifference.
"The relationship between you and this king is just a deal. This king won't ask for your absolute loyalty. But remember, you are this king's concubine, so you should fulfill your duties as a concubine. No matter where you go, you will always carry this king's mark!"
Qi Rong's words were cruel and hit Yun Xi right in the heart, making her face gradually turn pale.
She clenched her fists tightly and bit her lower lip hard, but still couldn't suppress the pain in her heart.
She knew these were all facts, and she had always reminded herself of this. But when these words came out of Qi Rong's mouth, she found that she couldn't accept them!
Qi Rong deliberately averted his eyes and didn't look at Yun Xi's current expression. He continued slowly:
"Also, don't you always want your own courtyard? From today on, you can move to the South Courtyard. You don't have to force yourself to live with this king anymore."
"The South Courtyard?"
Yun Xi frowned subconsciously, feeling a mixture of emotions in her heart.
"What, don't you want to?"
Qi Rong glanced at Yun Xi. With a long arm, he instantly pulled her into his arms. His expression was ambiguous and frivolous:
"This king is a man. If you want to continue to win this king's exclusive favor, then show some true skills to please this king."
"Otherwise, Wushuang will also have opinions!"