Having spent three hazy, nightmarish days, Chu Qingmeng finally felt as though she had drifted ashore. For those three days, she felt like a small boat tossed upon the sea—one moment freezing, the next burning hot, spinning about as if caught in towering waves, and the next plunging into the ocean depths where she could not breathe. Finally 'docked,' Chu Qingmeng slowly opened her eyes. The first sight that met them was Mo Liujin standing by the bedside, while Xiazhi had fallen asleep slumped over the edge of the mattress.
When her gaze met Mo Liujin's, it was like plunging into an abyss. The undisguised affection and heartache in his eyes seemed ready to swallow her whole. Startled, Chu Qingmeng hurriedly looked away and avoided his gaze. "Could you give me a cup of water? I'm so thirsty."
Seeing her turn away and refuse to meet his eyes, Mo Liujin felt a bitter ache in his heart, though he kept his expression neutral. "I just fed you medicine; you shouldn't drink water for the moment. Wait about the span of a single cup of tea before having any." With that, he placed the cup of water beside Chu Qingmeng's bed.
Chu Qingmeng nodded, and the two sat in silence. Seeing that she had nothing more to say, Mo Liujin quietly withdrew from the room and left. Hearing him depart, Chu Qingmeng looked in the direction he had gone and let out an internal sigh. She wasn't blind; every time she saw that look in his eyes, she understood it completely. To be honest, her heart fluttered just a little bit. After all, Mo Liujin's features completely suited her tastes. She was a sucker for good looks to begin with, and when she had touched his body back then, she had indeed felt a tiny flicker of lust. But under such emergency circumstances, that tiny bit of lust had long since flown to the ends of the earth. Forget it! Better not get involved with him. Although she now had money and property and didn't really want to return to the modern era, she also had no desire to be entangled with a man raised from childhood with the notion of having a wife and concubines. Staying single was bliss! With ancient rituals and morals being so strict, she certainly didn't want to fight a whole group of women for a single man. Thinking along these lines, Chu Qingmeng drifted off to sleep once more, her mind muddled.
Five days later, Chu Qingmeng had fully recovered, and at this point, the token of gratitude from the Prime Minister's Mansion arrived. The Prime Minister's Wife personally brought Lin Yue to thank Chu Qingmeng. During their conversation, Chu Qingmeng learned that the man from that day was the legitimate son of a fifth-rank official. Because his father's official rank was far too low, and his personal conduct failed to meet Prime Minister Lin's standards, his repeated marriage proposals had been rejected. Desperate, he had colluded with the women of his household to hatch such a despicable scheme, hoping to marry the legitimate daughter of the Lin Estate and thereby secure a smooth official career with soaring success. Once this scandal broke, Prime Minister Lin seized upon his weaknesses during a court session and launched a fierce attack, resulting in the entire family being exiled. Naturally, Prince Mo's handiwork was also behind this, especially since the incident had implicated Mo Wushuang and caused Chu Qingmeng to fall ill. After a round of polite pleasantries, Madame Lin left the gifts of gratitude behind and departed. The Princess Consort offered Chu Qingmeng some words of concern before finally letting her return to her courtyard to rest.
As soon as she stepped into her courtyard, Chu Qingmeng found Mo Liufang standing beneath the eaves, staring blankly up at the sky. She gave a light cough and asked, "Heir Apparent, is something the matter?"
Mo Liufang snapped out of his daze, failing to notice the distance in Chu Qingmeng's tone, and waved his hand to signal the servants to withdraw. At that moment, only the two of them remained under the covered walkway. Looking somewhat anxious, Mo Liufang blurted out, "Qingmeng, I..." He had barely begun before his face flushed crimson. Gritting his teeth, he pressed on, "I am fond of you! I know this might be too sudden, but I truly am fond of you! Ever since we escaped from the tomb together, I have never been able to take my eyes off you! If you had been treated the way those people tried to yesterday, I think I would have gone mad! I..."
Chu Qingmeng raised a hand to stop Mo Liufang from continuing. She took a deep breath and said with a serious expression, "Heir Apparent, I have no romantic interest in you."
Mo Liufang panicked slightly. "Why? Am I not good enough?"
Looking at Mo Liufang, Chu Qingmeng said very solemnly, "Heir Apparent, you are the legitimate Heir Apparent of the Prince's Mansion, and your status is exceptionally noble. Your future marriage must undoubtedly be one that brings you political support and leverage. Furthermore, as the future head of the Prince's Mansion, taking multiple wives and concubines to continue the family line is unavoidable. I am merely an orphan girl with no influential backing to rely on, and I cannot offer you any assistance. Moreover, I cannot accept a man having multiple wives and concubines; I do not want to fight with a crowd of women over a single man. And most importantly of all, the most crucial point of all—I have no feelings for you."
Hearing these words, Mo Liufang looked as though he had been struck by lightning, and he stumbled backward a step. Hearing her previous words, he had wanted to explain that he didn't need her support and wouldn't take a houseful of concubines and maidservants. But her final statement—that she had no feelings for him—left him with no room to argue. Stammering, he said, "Qingmeng, can't you at least try to open your heart to me?"
Chu Qingmeng looked at him with a half-smile, her expression a mix of mockery and pity. Mo Liufang fled in a panic. Chu Qingmeng watched his retreating back and shook her head. It seemed she could no longer stay in the Prince's Mansion; if things went on like this, she was afraid she would turn into a femme fatale. Chu Qingmeng couldn't help letting out a self-deprecating laugh. She had never imagined that her own plain and ordinary appearance could ever be associated with a beauty who brings disaster to a nation. It seemed she had simply lacked self-confidence before.
After mocking herself for a moment, Chu Qingmeng returned to the main courtyard to request an audience with the Princess Consort. After explaining her request to the Princess Consort in detail, the latter let out a long sigh of dismay. "It must have frightened you, Qingmeng. It was simply that I had already picked out a prospective wife for him, so the boy must have acted impulsively out of sheer shock."