The crowd drank and watched the show.
Wei Qingge, already angered, immediately drew the whip from her waist upon hearing the deliberately provocative words and flicked it towards the ground with a *swish*.
Her fair and clean features held a hint of sharpness.
"A mere creature posing seductively in a pleasure house is not fit to be mentioned in the same breath as this young lady."
"You—"
Although Li Qiongyu was drinking, his gaze was constantly fixed on her.
Upon hearing her furious words, a surge of laughter welled up in his chest.
Seeing this, the woman, unwilling to give up, tried to pull Li Qiongyu's sleeve, but she let go, startled by his casually cast glance.
Normally, the young master was dissolute and frivolous, easy to deal with, and rarely appeared so fearsome, as if he had become a different person.
She was shocked and quickly retreated a few steps.
Wei Qingge paid no attention to her, not even glancing at Li Qiongyu, and turned to leave.
What a flamboyant show-off.
Essentially all the pleasure houses and entertainment venues in the capital were under his name.
These women were clearly from his establishments, used to win over these generals.
She put away her whip and went to the Tianzi Pavilion to wait.
Jingyu ordered food to be brought.
"Miss."
Wei Qingge would not deny herself food and immediately picked up her chopsticks and began to eat.
After finishing, she waited in the room.
She waited for a whole day. She went out to check several times, but the room inside remained lively.
Later, she was so tired that she unknowingly slumped onto the table and fell asleep.
Seeing that she had fallen asleep, Jingyu immediately went to another room.
"Young Master, she's asleep."
Many wine jars were placed in front of Li Qiongyu, indicating he had drunk a lot.
However, his eyes appeared very clear.
"The Prince Regent's intentions are likely clear to all, so please proceed quickly."
With that, Li Qiongyu stood up and walked out.
A military official quickly responded, "Naturally, young marquis, please rest assured."
After he left, the people in the room could not help themselves and hurried towards the back rooms with the women in their arms.
As Li Qiongyu walked to the door, he glanced at the woman who followed him out, a murderous intent in his rebellious eyes.
He signaled to Jingyu behind him, who immediately nodded and blocked her path.
"What are you doing?"
A guard suddenly grabbed her and dragged her back. She cried out in alarm, "Young Master, Young Master—"
"Muzzle her."
Jingyu warned coldly, "You've broken the rules, and your path ends here. Shut your mouth, and I'll give you a quick end."
The young master had been away for many years, and there were too many women who wanted to climb the social ladder. He had dealt with countless women like this.
Tianzi Pavilion.
The room was dark, with no candles lit. Only the light from outside spilled in, falling on Wei Qingge's jade-like face, illuminating her extremely faint outline.
Li Qiongyu gently closed the door and walked towards her.
Wei Qingge was sleeping soundly and didn't notice anyone approaching. Perhaps she was dreaming of something delicious, as she smacked her lips.
Li Qiongyu saw her action and suddenly let out a laugh.
Carefree.
He approached, directly pressed her sleeping acupoint, and carried her into the inner room.
When Wei Qingge woke up, she found herself asleep until the next day.
She cried out and quickly looked down at her clothes, which were all in order.
Thank goodness, she was so scared.
"Jingyu, where is Li Qiongyu?"
She had come to ask him for the betrothal document. Little did she expect that after sleeping, she hadn't even seen him.
Jingyu had been guarding the door. Seeing her rush out, he replied, "The young master had urgent matters and left ahead of time."
Wei Qingge was furious. "Why didn't he wake me? I have something to ask him."
"---"
"Where is he now?"
Jingyu lowered his head. "The young master has gone to Lingnan."
"What?!"
Wei Qingge's teeth chattered with rage. "Did he leave? Has he left the capital?"
Jingyu remained silent, his lowered eyes shifting.
Seeing her like this, Wei Qingge stamped her foot in anger and hurried to chase after him.
After she left, Li Qiongyu emerged from around the corner and looked at her retreating back, raising an eyebrow slightly.
She truly couldn't wait to get rid of him.
Li Qiongyu was deliberately avoiding her, so how could Wei Qingge find him? She went to the Li residence, the Marquis's mansion, and even the places he frequented, but she couldn't find him.
She was upset for several days. Thinking that Li Qiongyu had truly gone to Lingnan, she packed her bags and planned to go to Lingnan to find him.
Li Qiongyu heard the news when he was at the Imperial Palace's military department.
He couldn't help but laugh.
Xiao Chizhan heard his laughter, put down the memorial he was holding, and looked up.
"What's so funny? Tell me about it."
Li Qiongyu was half-reclining on a couch, playing chess with Liu Rongruo opposite him.
He held a jar of wine in his hand, his posture languid.
"The little girl is throwing a tantrum."
After speaking, he tilted his chin.
"You may leave."
Ye Yu respectfully retreated.
Liu Rongruo looked over. "What's wrong with Qingge?!"
"She misses me."
Xiao Chizhan couldn't stand his demeanor and directly exposed him. "I think she wants to kill you."
Liu Rongruo, being astute, immediately understood and asked calmly.
"What? Has she found out about your dirty deeds?"
Li Qiongyu drank a large gulp of wine unhappily, threw down a chess piece, and leaned his tall body lazily against the jade pillow, a frost covering his face.
Liu Rongruo looked at the remaining chess pieces on the board and slowly made his move.
Xiao Chizhan walked over, kicked him away, and sat down.
"Continue playing."
Li Qiongyu was kicked and turned over.
He lay there for a while, his eyes half-closed, thinking about something.
A moment later, he jumped off the couch.
But before he could reach the door, he heard Liu Rongruo's faint voice.
"Don't think about locking her up."
Li Qiongyu turned back and sneered, "Do you think I'm as stupid as those two?!"
Xiao Chizhan, "---"
"Speak if you want to speak, but don't make indirect accusations."
Liu Rongruo's expression remained unchanged. "Just don't be foolish."
Having known each other for many years, he knew her heart and mind completely.
Seeing his demeanor, it was clear he couldn't be bothered to tolerate it anymore.
"Wear your mask properly, don't let it fall."
Li Qiongyu scoffed and turned to leave.
After leaving the military department, he went directly to Langyuan.
"Bring the person."
"Yes."
Li Qiongyu entered the hall and went directly to the bathhouse in the back to bathe.
When Wei Qingge heard the news of his return, she said indignantly, "He didn't go to Lingnan at all. He was deliberately avoiding me, wasn't he?"
Jingyu explained, "There was an urgent matter at the palace."
Wei Qingge didn't know if he was telling the truth, but she certainly didn't want to believe them now.
She immediately rode her horse and followed Jingyu into the palace.
The guards at the palace gate saw the token and did not stop them, allowing them to enter.
"Miss, riding horses is slow in the palace."
Riding horses was forbidden in the palace. Except for princes, ordinary officials could consider themselves fortunate to enter the palace in a carriage.
How could they be so reckless and ride through like this?
Wei Qingge of course knew the palace rules. She pursed her lips and quickly slowed down.