Chapter 79 This Woman... Is Beautiful!

A voice laced with anger came from within. Qiao Qingyun swallowed hard and pushed open the door.

The oppressive aura that greeted her almost forced Qiao Qingyun to the ground. She hurriedly straightened her posture, as if fearing she might be devoured whole by the man before her.

“Your Highness…”

“Hmph.”

The man let out a cold snort. Liu Fu, standing nearby, didn’t dare utter a word, clearly frightened as well.

“Your Highness, are you angry?”

“Qiao Qingyun, what do you take me for? At your beck and call, to be dismissed at will?”

“What? Your Highness, have you misunderstood something?”

Qiao Qingyun felt her own temper flare at Yuan Zaichun’s words. Clearly, it was this man who insisted on possessing her as if she were his property. Was he out of his mind? He had even done such things to her. And now, he had the audacity to turn the blame on her first? Unbearable—absolutely unbearable!

“So you welcome others with a smiling face?” Yuan Zaichun didn’t even know where his sudden anger came from, but hearing Qiao Qingyun so nonchalantly mention bringing Bu Shenglian in made his fury surge for no reason.

“Your Highness, I told you from the start that my heart already belongs elsewhere. I have never expected to hold any important place in your heart. Now that she has returned, how you wish to handle things is entirely your decision.”

“I am but a mere woman, with no power except to obey my husband’s wishes.”

“Qiao Qingyun!”

The man suddenly stood up and strode quickly to Qiao Qingyun, seizing her chin in a tight grip and pinning her against the doorway.

“Your Highness! You’ll hurt the Crown Princess if you keep this up!”

Liu Fu hurried forward to intervene, but the woman said nothing. She only gazed at him quietly, as if utterly unfazed by the pain in her jaw.

“I have already promised you that I won’t bring her into the residence. I have shown you enough favor, given you enough leeway—what more do you want?”

“Is it that you don’t want to? Or is it that His Majesty forbids it? If you were to bring a woman widowed by her husband into your residence, what would that do to your reputation as the Crown Prince?”

“You...!”

Yuan Zaichun was so enraged by Qiao Qingyun that even his arms began to tremble, and he could scarcely restrain his urge to strike her down right then and there.

But he held himself back, and in Qiao Qingyun’s eyes, tears had somehow welled up.

“If Your Highness wishes to bring her into the residence, I have no objections. I only hope you won’t behave in a way that would lead me to misunderstand. Tomorrow Bu Shenglian returns—if you grow weary of me, I will leave at once.”

With that, she flung open the door before her and strode away.

Yuan Zaichun, standing behind, watched Qiao Qingyun’s departing figure, his brows tightly furrowed.

“Your Highness, just now… your actions truly frightened the Crown Princess. And from the start, you both agreed not to interfere in each other’s affairs. Now that Miss Bu Shenglian is back, I fear…”

“I know.”

The man drew a long breath and gazed in the direction of Qiao Qingyun’s departure, unable to collect himself for a long while.

All day, Yuan Zaichun did not see Qiao Qingyun again. It was said that she remained inside the Bamboo Listening Courtyard and did not come out, not even when Yuan Zaichun sent someone to summon her. She merely replied lightly that she was feeling unwell and did not appear before him.

The next morning, Qiao Qingyun did not rise early. Today was the day of Bu Shenglian’s return; Yuan Zaichun had likely gone to greet her.

Indeed, the man had set out early, but when he passed by the Bamboo Listening Courtyard, he paused and looked back. Yet he did not linger long and soon walked on.

Although Liu Fu, following at his side, said nothing, it was clear enough from his expression how worried Yuan Zaichun was.

At the city gates, Bu Shenglian’s father, a high-ranking official, was already waiting. When the gates opened, a delicate, willow-like woman stepped forward—a veritable Lin Daiyu, frail and lovely. Upon seeing her father, she rushed forward and flung herself into his arms, sobbing.

“Father, your daughter has been unfilial—all of this is my fault.”

“Don’t cry, dear. It’s enough that you’ve come home, enough that you’re safe.”

Master Bu, his beard already white, wept tears of joy as he comforted his daughter.

After some time, Bu Shenglian accompanied her father to stand before Yuan Zaichun. After several years apart, the man’s physique had grown even more robust, and his black attire made him look all the more noble. Yet for some reason, the tenderness in his eyes seemed to have vanished.

“Greetings to Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”

“Hm, it must have been a difficult journey home.”

There was a hint of complexity in the man’s gaze. He had thought he would be overwhelmed with excitement upon seeing Bu Shenglian again, but…

That tearful, delicate face of Qiao Qingyun’s kept appearing in his mind at the most inopportune moments.

“Thank you for your concern, Your Highness.”

Bu Shenglian sensed a trace of distance and felt a pang of worry. After all, she had been away so long; she had no idea what had transpired. Yuan Zaichun, meanwhile, seemed to have grown far steadier.

“Thank you, Your Highness, for coming to meet my daughter. Today I would like to host a banquet to welcome her home, if…”

“Father, may I have a private word with the Crown Prince?” Bu Shenglian seized the opportunity—on this first meeting, she must capture this man’s heart.

Yuan Zaichun considered for a moment and nodded. “Very well.”

He turned and led Bu Shenglian and Liu Fu toward the Crown Prince’s residence, heading straight for the main hall. But the route inevitably passed by the Bamboo Listening Courtyard.

“Did you fare well while away?” Yuan Zaichun suddenly asked.

Bu Shenglian was startled, then lowered her head in feigned sorrow. “Your Highness, back then I truly had no choice. I did not know…”

“My lady! Be gentle! If you keep this up, my brother will be crippled!”

Hong Ying’s cry rang out, and the title “my lady” instantly caught Yuan Zaichun’s attention. He frowned and saw Qiao Qingyun still sparring fiercely with Zhong Shi, the two locked in a struggle.

Somehow, a surge of jealousy rose within his heart, making him forget Bu Shenglian at his side as he strode quickly toward Qiao Qingyun.

At that moment, the woman was drenched in sweat, dressed in tight-fitting practice clothes, a long sword in her hand flashing like a dragon as she thrust fiercely at Zhong Shi.

“Zhong Shi, show your true skills!”

“My lady, I fear I might hurt you.”

“Today I am not your lady, and you are not my subordinate! If you don’t fight back, I’ll beat you till you can’t get up!”

With that, Qiao Qingyun increased her strength. As Hong Ying waved her flag and cheered, a sudden cry came from behind: “Make way for His Highness, the Crown Prince!”

Qiao Qingyun paused, quickly withdrew her sword, and turned—only to see the man accompanied by a woman.

She glanced at them briefly, but Bu Shenglian was utterly stunned by Qiao Qingyun’s beauty.

This woman… was stunning!