“What do you mean, Gu (I) is back in the palace again?” Xie Jin Yan stood up, a hint of displeasure in his phoenix eyes. He reached out and pulled her into his arms, frowning as he said, “What do you mean by that, Shijie (senior sister)? Don’t you want me around? Don’t you want to see me?”

“This concubine doesn’t mean that,” Yu Qing Wu replied softly, meeting the man’s questioning gaze. She quickly explained, “This concubine was just thinking that Your Highness is so busy with state affairs. Having to come to the palace to be with me every day, isn’t that a bit too tiring for you?”

“It’s not that bad. Before I had my own residence, I used to live here anyway,” Xie Jin Yan chuckled. He gently stroked her delicate nose with his large hand and pulled her down to sit on the soft couch.

He gently placed his hand on Qing Wu’s shoulder and said softly, “After what happened last night, Gu (I) was worried. Even though I’ve increased the security in the East Palace, I’m still worried that you’re scared.”

“Back then, at the Xiao family, after what happened between Gu (I) and you… didn’t you used to be afraid for days? Later, you even needed Zhou Shimei (junior sister) to accompany you when you slept.” Xie Jin Yan spoke vaguely.

If he had known that she had experienced such trauma, he wouldn’t have taken advantage of her that night, no matter how much he couldn’t control himself…

Although she had made the first move that night, in the end, he had hurt her so badly that she stayed in her room for days and didn’t even go to the bathroom to bathe.

Thinking of the past, a trace of guilt flashed in Xie Jin Yan’s eyes. He lowered his eyes to look at the woman in his arms and said softly, “If Gu (I) had known those things, I definitely wouldn’t have… treated you like that…”

Xie Jin Yan’s sudden apology stunned Yu Qing Wu.

She hadn’t expected Xie Jin Yan to suddenly bring this up, much less that he would suddenly apologize to her.

Just because he knew about her past, he witnessed her trembling fear last night.

People were strange. The Crown Prince, who used to be so confrontational and unwilling to apologize even when he almost killed someone, was now feeling remorseful about something that happened so long ago because he had witnessed her fear.

Perhaps he was really changing, slowly changing for her…

“Your Highness, let’s not talk about the past anymore.” Meeting his gaze, Qing Wu grasped the man’s trembling hand and smiled. “I was indeed very scared that day, but actually, from the moment you hugged me, I suspected that you were the one.”

As she spoke, a blush crept onto Yu Qing Wu’s face.

Xie Jin Yan had forced himself on her that night, and she was indeed scared, but in reality… she wasn’t without ways to refuse.

After a moment of silence, she raised her eyes again. Her fair hand gently stroked the man’s handsome face. Yu Qing Wu lowered her voice and said awkwardly, “You were a bit too rough that night, which made me feel scared whenever I think about it.”

“But I also knew in my heart that the poison that A Yue and I took that night wasn’t ordinary. If I hadn’t been detoxified in time, I’m afraid… it would have cost me my life…”

“If I had wanted to completely refuse, I could have used poisonous insects to take your life.”

Yu Qing Wu spoke softly, her voice getting softer and softer, her face getting redder and redder. In the end, she lowered her eyes, not daring to look into Xie Jin Yan’s eyes again.

Xie Jin Yan didn’t speak. Under his handsome face, a pair of phoenix eyes were filled with shock.

After a while, he came back to his senses.

A flash of joy flashed in his eyes. Suddenly, he raised the woman’s flushed face, leaned closer to her, his thin lips almost touching her face, and chuckled softly, asking with an ambiguous tone, “So, Shijie (senior sister)… you liked Gu (I) back then, didn’t you?”

What was going on?

This scoundrel was very good at seizing opportunities.

Yu Qing Wu glared at him angrily and scolded娇嗔, “Xie Jin Yan, don’t take an inch when given a foot. Although I didn’t take your life back then, it doesn’t mean I was willing. I was just… afraid that the poison wouldn’t be detoxified and my blood vessels would burst and die.”

“Besides… you are the Crown Prince. If you died, the court would definitely investigate thoroughly. I’m not stupid, how could I court death?”

Although she scolded him verbally, Qing Wu was still embarrassed when she mentioned this matter.

She forcefully pushed Xie Jin Yan’s hand away, turned her head to the side, and stammered, “Alright, it’s getting late. Let’s wash up and go to bed early.”

As she spoke, she immediately pushed away the man who was holding her and got up to walk inside, preparing to get her inner garments to take a bath.

Why was there a scent of rouge in this room?

Yu Qing Wu had just walked to the bed and was about to open the box at the head of the bed when her attention was drawn to the dark purple python robe on the bed. There was a hint of red on the exquisitely crafted brocade robe, and the scent of rouge seemed to be coming from there as well.

Yu Qing Wu stiffened, her mind suddenly blank.

Biting her lip, she slowly reached out and brought the brocade robe to her nose, sniffing it carefully.

That’s right, the strong scent of rouge was coming from here, and that hint of red was clearly lip rouge.

Why would Xie Jin Yan’s robe have rouge and lip rouge on it?

“Your Highness, where did you go today?”

Yu Qing Wu turned around, suddenly looking coldly at the man sitting on the soft couch. Suppressing the anger in her stomach, she slowly walked up to him and questioned in a deep voice, “Why does Your Highness’s outer robe have the scent of rouge? And where did that lip rouge come from?”

“Scent of rouge?” Xie Jin Yan was stunned by the question. He looked at Yu Qing Wu in confusion, got up and walked to the bed, picking up the outer robe and sniffing it as well.

Then he threw it back on the bed and explained gently, “I must have accidentally been brushed against by a 花娘 (flower girl) when I went to the brothel to investigate a case today.”

花娘 (Flower girl)?

That was clearly the scent of palace rouge…

Yu Qing Wu sneered in her heart. Her peach blossom eyes, which had been gentle as water just now, were now intertwined with sarcasm and desolation.

Closing her eyes, she opened the cabinet, took out her inner garments, and when she looked at the man again, her expression had returned to its usual coldness and aloofness. “If Your Highness doesn’t want to say, then so be it. This concubine will say it again: you are the Crown Prince of Great Wei. Even if you are philandering outside, you should be selective. Don’t go and provoke just anyone.”

“Also, don’t say you only love me, don’t give me any more promises.” Taking two steps towards the door with her inner garments, Qing Wu turned her head again, a bitter smile on her reddened eyes. Enduring the pain in her heart, she looked at Xie Jin Yan with tears in her eyes and said, word by word, “Your Highness, I am very stupid. I will believe you.”

After saying that, Yu Qing Wu stepped out of the sleeping quarters and entered the bathroom next door, which had already been prepared with hot water, without looking back.

Xie Jin Yan stood there, gazing at the woman’s receding figure, his eyes slowly darkening.

A moment later, he slowly followed.

“A Wu…”

Yu Qing Wu had just stepped into the bathroom when the man hugged her from behind in the misty air.

Yu Qing Wu pursed her lips tightly and expressionlessly pried open his hand, saying, “This concubine is going to take a bath. Your Highness, please leave.”

“A Wu.” Xie Jin Yan hugged her again, turned her around, cupped her face in his hands, and looked at her deeply. He took a deep breath and said, “It was A Yue. This afternoon, Gu (I) went to Chunfang Pavilion to see A Yue. She was feeling upset, so Gu (I)… just hugged her for a moment.”