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Prince Jin glanced at the two maids.
He didn't know why, but in just two short days, he felt that the two maids' attitude towards him had changed dramatically.
The day he first returned to the Prince's Manor, they had clearly been a little anxious and expectant when they saw him. Nanny Qing had later told him about her original arrangements, so they probably wanted to leave a good impression on him.
But now, for some reason, he felt that they had distanced themselves from him, calm and composed, with no trace of apprehension towards him.
They treated him completely as an outsider, their attitude clearly siding with Lu Zhaoling.
Qingfeng had followed and reached out to help him into the carriage.
Watching the Prince enter the carriage, Qingfeng withdrew his worried gaze.
The Prince was to mourn the Retired Emperor, but his legs simply couldn't endure kneeling for so long.
"Is there something urgent... What are you doing!"
As Prince Jin just entered the carriage and opened his mouth, Lu Zhaoling reached out and grabbed his lapel. Her slender hands, with unknown strength, pulled him directly in front of her.
They were so close that their breaths intertwined.
Outside, Qingfeng heard the Prince's clearly unsteady cry and his heart skipped a beat. He quickly asked, "Your Highness, are you alright?"
Being attacked by a woman like a flower thief, did that count as being alright?
Prince Jin steadied his breath and said in a deep voice, "I'm fine."
"Oh." If you're fine, why did you suddenly yell?
Though Qingfeng was bewildered, he retracted the hand he had extended to lift the carriage curtain.
Then he met Qingbao's gaze, which seemed a little displeased.
"Qing Ling, what do you mean by looking at me like that?"
"My name is Qingbao now, Miss changed it for me." Qingbao proudly reported her new name. "Besides, with our Miss here, how could anything happen to His Highness?"
Inside the carriage, Prince Jin also heard Qingbao's words.
His eyes deepened slightly as he looked at the person close in front of him.
She wouldn't let anything happen to him?
Or rather, she wouldn't do anything to him?
This girl wasn't just tugging at his lapel; she also gently wrinkled her nose at him, an expression that was—
somehow childish.
It didn't quite match the composed and calm demeanor she had shown these past two days.
"Do I smell, Your Highness?" Prince Jin calmly composed himself.
Lu Zhaoling released her hand, saw the wrinkled collar she had grabbed, and smoothed it out.
Prince Jin: You're quite considerate?
Do you have no concept of propriety between men and women?
"You don't have that ambergris scent your Imperial family loves, which is nice. But, did you touch a woman today?"
Lu Zhaoling glanced at him.
Prince Jin's mouth twitched.
"I'm mourning. What do you think I'm doing by going to the palace?" He paused, then continued, "And where did you learn that jealous tone?"
Were their relations close enough for that?
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Zhaoling took his left hand and held it up between them.
"You touched her with this hand."
"What nonsense... huh?"
Prince Jin initially thought she was just being mischievous, but suddenly realizing something, his expression froze, and he looked at his left hand.
He actually had touched a woman with that hand today.
"Today, Consort Dowager Qin was overly grief-stricken. She almost fainted when she stood up after kneeling before Imperial Father, so I helped her up."
He had just steadied her elbow, releasing it in the blink of an eye.
"Consort Dowager Qin?" Lu Zhaoling thought for a moment, then gave up. "Oh, I don't know her, never heard of her."
Prince Jin fell silent.
True, she was a child who had been abused and treated like livestock in the countryside; how would she know anyone in the palace?
"When I was young, Consort Dowager Qin was quite gentle."
He subconsciously explained, then felt unaccustomed to it. Why was he telling her this?
"How did you know?"
Lu Zhaoling spread his left palm flat and lightly traced a few lines in his palm with her slender index finger.
Prince Jin's hand instinctively recoiled slightly.
Her slender fingertips lightly tracing his palm sent an indescribable itch from his palm straight to his heart.
He had never had such intimate contact with anyone before; it was too disorienting.
But for some reason, after she traced his palm a few times, a warmth spread through his hand. Before that, his hand had always been cold.
"Don't you think this action is a bit ambiguous?" Prince Jin raised an eyebrow at her.
Lu Zhaoling rolled her eyes at him.
"Do you think I want to? Haven't I told you that you need to protect your innocence for the next six months, or you'll be close to death?"
"Lu, Zhaoling." Prince Jin's face darkened, and he gritted his teeth. "I am in mourning, for you to say such a thing, what do you take me for?"
Moreover, Consort Dowager Qin was his Imperial Father's woman!
Lu Zhaoling looked at him and sighed.
"I wanted to warn you to be wary of this Consort Dowager. Your left hand just now touched some unpleasant incense powder. This is probably only used by women because the scent is quite particular."
Prince Jin frowned. "Unpleasant? What do you mean?"
"That kind of incense powder probably has added ingredients. If inhaled too much, it acts like a love potion." Lu Zhaoling looked at him, her eyes clearly saying—
Do you understand?
Four big words.
Prince Jin's face suddenly changed.
That was Consort Dowager Qin.
"Maybe she wasn't targeting you, but be careful. Our cooperation just started three days ago; I won't accept a breach of contract midway."
For the sake of the Purple Qi she needed, he also had to protect himself.
However, Prince Jin's luck was quite good; something like this happened today, and she happened to come looking for him.
Prince Jin took a deep breath. Calm down.
"So, what are you here for?"
"Oh, to replenish myself."
Saying this, Lu Zhaoling reached out and grabbed at his side, snatching a handful from thin air.
Although she could "replenish" herself by staying close to him, she always made sure to grab an extra ball of Purple Qi, which made it faster.
Rough and direct, she liked it.
Patting the ball of Purple Qi into her forehead, she smiled brightly at him. "Alright, you can go now."
Prince Jin was pushed out of the carriage by her and almost lost his footing.
"Your Highness!" Qingfeng quickly supported him.
"Qing Yin, Qingbao, let's go."
Lu Zhaoling lifted the carriage curtain, waved at Prince Jin, and smiled.
The carriage sped away, showing not the slightest reluctance.
Prince Jin's face was completely black.
"Your Highness, why did Miss Lu come to see you?" Qingfeng asked, bewildered.
Prince Jin shot him a glance, his tone ill-tempered, "What's it to you?"
Lu Zhaoling leaned back in the carriage, exhaling comfortably.
Ah, such dense Emperor Star Purple Qi, so nourishing! If only she could ball up Prince Jin and carry him around in a sachet, how wonderful that would be?
Why did he have to be a person, of all things?
The Fu family members were all anxiously waiting for Lu Zhaoling.
However, Physician Fu was truly waiting for her to save his grandson, but the others were anxious and confused, only waiting for her arrival to determine if she could save him, and if not, they would quickly think of other methods.
Physician Fu insisted that Lu Zhaoling could save his grandson, and the others didn't dare to say anything.
"My head!!! Ah! It hurts so much!" Fu Cheng shrieked.
The Fu family members were shocked, "Cheng'er is awake!"
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