Chapter 12: No One on the Bed

Jiang Qingqing clutched the back of her head, which had been bumped, and scrambled away from the large bed, rolling and crawling toward the door.

With her hand on the doorknob, she turned around, intending to berate the intruder behind her, only to discover that the pristine white bed was completely empty.

Jiang Qingqing’s breath hitched.

Where was he?

Hadn’t he just reached out toward her? How could he have disappeared?

Jiang Qingqing had experienced plenty of strange occurrences, but this was the first time she had witnessed a full-fledged vanishing act.

Her hands trembled even more violently. Cold sweat dampened her forehead, causing strands of hair to stick to her skin, and her face turned deathly pale. She wiped away her tears, and her vision gradually cleared.

After confirming once again… the bed was indeed empty.

Jiang Qingqing swallowed hard and cautiously spoke, “Which celestial being is playing tricks on me? Please, spare me.”

The only response was a knock at the door.

“Qingqing, it’s me.”

Jiang Qingqing jerked her head around.

Something was off!

Though she had been in a panic earlier and hadn’t gotten a clear look, she was certain that the man on the bed was not Liu Xubai. Liu Xubai was not nearly that handsome.

And now, just two days after she had struck Liu Mei, Liu Xubai had come looking for her.

He must have come to seek justice on Liu Mei’s behalf.

Perhaps the presence of a living person outside the door gave Jiang Qingqing a sense of security. Summoning her courage, she searched the suite thoroughly but found nothing unusual.

Letting out a soft sigh, she slumped onto the carpet, still feeling a lingering sense of fear.

Although the customs of the Liang Dynasty were relatively open, it was still improper to share a bed with a stranger—

No matter how handsome he was.

“Qingqing, the Empress Dowager has already learned about Liu Mei. On her way back to the manor, she was attacked by mountain bandits and lost her innocence…”

Outside the door, Liu Xubai had no idea what had just happened inside. Seeing that Jiang Qingqing did not open the door, he had no choice but to explain.

Hearing this, Jiang Qingqing frowned.

One wave had yet to settle, and another had already risen.

But what did Liu Mei’s misfortune have to do with her? It wasn’t she who had provoked Liu Mei, nor had she arranged for the bandits.

This was simply karma.

Standing just inside the door, Jiang Qingqing responded to Liu Xubai, “Liu Mei’s misfortune has nothing to do with me, and you know that.”

Liu Xubai had anticipated this response.

He continued, “It’s true that you’re not responsible for what happened to Liu Mei, but the Empress Dowager—surely you understand her ways by now? What she wants…”

What the Empress Dowager wanted was Jiang Qingqing’s life.

Jiang Qingqing caught the implication in Liu Xubai’s words and let out a soft laugh.

“So whatever she wants, she gets? If not for my father’s mercy, she wouldn’t even be Empress Dowager. Now she dares to overstep her bounds—doesn’t that seem excessive?”

The current Empress Dowager was not the birth mother of the Liang Emperor.

The Emperor’s real mother had been a noblewoman from a border province, but she had died young, leaving the Emperor as a child in the ruthless imperial palace. The current Empress Dowager had once been an imperial concubine, banished to the Cold Palace by the late Emperor. When the Liang Emperor ascended the throne, he granted her the title of Empress Dowager out of gratitude—after all, in his childhood, she had once given him a bowl of porridge.

Liu Xubai shook his head. “Qingqing, you don’t understand the current state of the palace. His Majesty has been ill for a long time and has not appeared in court for ages. The Empress Dowager is the one in control now.”

Jiang Qingqing refuted, “That’s only temporary. My father will recover.”

When that time came, her mother would be found, and she would be brought back to the palace.

Their family would be reunited, just as before.

She would not allow the Empress Dowager to do as she pleased.

But Liu Xubai’s next words shattered her illusion.

“If the Emperor were still in good health, or even had a little strength left, would you have been abandoned in the mountains for so many days without anyone coming to find you? Weren’t you supposed to be the Emperor’s most beloved princess?”

Jiang Qingqing was left speechless.

But she refused to believe him.

Liu Xubai continued, “The Empress Dowager has already ordered the Ministry of Justice to draft charges against you. In three days, officials will come to arrest you and imprison you in the imperial prison. If you leave with me now, it’s your only chance.”

Jiang Qingqing clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white. “Liu Xubai, are you threatening me?”

Liu Xubai shook his head. “No, I’m saving you.”

His voice was warm, like a gentle spring breeze.

Anyone who heard him would believe in his sincerity, as if he had simply stumbled upon a dying kitten by the roadside and was offering a helping hand out of pity.

Had Jiang Qingqing not seen his true nature before, she might have actually been fooled.

“I don’t need your help.”

With that, Jiang Qingqing ignored him, walked into the kitchen, and washed an apple for herself.

Liu Xubai knew how stubborn she was, so he didn’t try to persuade her further.

With a sigh, he said, as if helpless, “Qingqing, I’ll be waiting outside the courtyard. In three days, you’ll understand who your only ally truly is.”

—

After Liu Xubai left, Jiang Qingqing kept replaying his words in her mind.

He wouldn’t lie outright, but that didn’t mean everything he said was true.

For now, she could only take things one step at a time. If, in three days, the Ministry of Justice really did try to arrest her on false charges, then she would have no choice but to leave with Liu Xubai.

There was no other option.

Between the tiger’s den and the wolves’ lair, she would have to step into one.

That was her current reality.

Jiang Qingqing bit into her apple, reclining on the sofa.

She stared blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Sometimes, boredom brings unexpected surprises—like the reward from her game.

[Congratulations, player! You have successfully completed your first cooperative mission.]

[Your reward is ready for collection.]

On the small table beside the sofa, ten neatly arranged meat buns had appeared.

The fragrance wafted through the air, still steaming with heat.

Jiang Qingqing: ???

Oh, she had completely forgotten about this. Yesterday, she seemed to have participated in some task. But was this task completed just like that?

It seemed like she hadn’t done anything herself.

Jiang Qingqing sat up, reached over, and grabbed a meat bun.

She took a small bite. Wow, the taste was pretty good. Better than the food made by the imperial chefs in the palace. Just as her mother had said, anything from her maternal family was considered a treasure in the Great Liang.

—

Outside the small courtyard

Liu Xubai’s carriage was parked next to the fence. There wasn’t much food on the carriage, but it was enough for him to wait here for three days.

In three days, he would take Jiang Qingqing with him to Yingzhou.

“Have you caught Jiang Yu?”

Liu Xubai, holding a tea cup, asked.

The subordinate’s expression was serious. “We didn’t catch up with him. He managed to escape. But he’s heavily injured now, so he probably won’t survive for long.”

Liu Xubai nodded.

“The Jiang family is about to face execution, and without Jiang Yu, their young general, it would be difficult.”

He tipped the first cup of tea he made, letting the liquid spill into the groove of the table. It was going exactly where it was meant to go.

People were the same. Jiang Qingqing was meant to be his.

And everyone who stood in the way of him and Jiang Qingqing deserved to die.

A cold glint flashed in Liu Xubai’s eyes. “What about the Empress Dowager?”

The subordinate responded, “The Empress Dowager had planned to send officials from the Ministry of Justice to arrest the princess today, but was persuaded by Eunuch Zhang. Everything is proceeding according to plan. The Liang Emperor’s illness is not going to improve anytime soon.”

The subordinate’s answer made Liu Xubai’s expression soften considerably, but his eyes still held a dark, cold look.

The subordinate, puzzled, asked, “Master, why three days later? If the Ministry of Justice comes today, the princess could leave with you today.”

Liu Xubai nodded slightly, a smile of indulgence curving his lips. “Qingqing is stubborn. If I force her today, she’ll be angry with me.”

“Then… what about Madam?”

The sudden question made Liu Xubai cast a chilling gaze at his subordinate, who immediately knelt and apologized, “I misspoke, my lord.”

Meanwhile, in the carriage, neither of the two inside realized that Jiang Yu, whom they had searched all over the capital for, was currently hiding in the broken water tank inside Jiang Qingqing’s courtyard.

Taking advantage of their conversation and the fact that they were no longer paying attention to the courtyard, he pried open the gate, dragging his half-dead body into the room.