Chapter 1139: Chapter 630: Annan Royal Mansion (Double-Length) (Part 2)

Listening to this, although Chen Yi was quite intrigued, he knew that such matters were best left to the nannies to handle, and it wasn’t appropriate for him to intervene. After the two were done talking, he asked:

"When will Yue’er go out to play?"

Thud.

Chen Yi looked down to see the ball bounce once or twice on the ground.

It turned out that Qin Yue had thrown the ball over to hit him.

She pouted and said, "You play very badly, not going out."

"If you don’t go out to play, are you playing here?"

"I, I’m here... very happy to play." With that, Qin Yue picked up the ball that had rolled back and, using all her strength, threw it again, "Throw the ball, the ball turns into a tiger... and eats you."

Chen Yi grabbed the ball directly in mid-air.

Qin Yue’s eyes widened in surprise.

Chen Yi crouched down slightly, softened his voice, and said: "How about Yue’er going out to play with dad? It’ll be fun outside."

Qin Yue snapped back, shook her head forcefully.

Chen Yi tried to persuade her several times, but she kept shaking her head, and then simply covered her ears and closed her eyes, acting utterly untempted and uninfluenced.

Chen Yi thought for a moment, then exited the room to instruct a nanny to bring some candy.

Quickly, a small plate of candy was brought over, Chen Yi took a few pieces in his hand and went back in. Qin Yue was still covering her ears and eyes tightly shut.

Chen Yi crouched down in front of her, using one hand to pry open her ear and said: "Here’s some candy, go out with dad and I’ll give you some candy to eat."

"Bad, bad candy won’t eat." She said this, but her eyes were transfixed on the candy.

"You guys brought this candy, is this bad candy?"

"Oh, then good candy."

"Will you eat it?"

Qin Yue’s little face was full of hesitation, as if struggling, drooling from her slightly parted lips, clearly troubled by the choice before her.

In the end, she decided: "Eat."

Chen Yi pushed the candy in front of her, Qin Yue quickly grabbed a piece and tossed it into her mouth.

She savored it for a while, uncontrollably delighted, and soon had another, finishing the candy in Chen Yi’s hand quickly.

"Let’s go out and play."

As soon as he said that, Qin Yue quickly ran back,

"Haha, you got tricked!"

Chen Yi’s face was one of bewilderment.

Qin Yue was even more delighted, giggling gleefully, with a victorious expression.

Just then, the door opened.

A tall shadow squeezed in from behind the door.

Qin Yue’s laughter quickly quieted down.

No need to turn around, Chen Yi knew who had arrived.

.........

"I’m just here to see the child, why are you so tense?"

In the corridor, Qin Qingluo walked in front, Chen Yi followed closely behind.

No need to look, Chen Yi knew the Prince’s face was dark, the shadow cast by that tall figure grew even more intense.

"After all, she is our child." He said.

The tall woman suddenly stopped, her vertical pupils turned to the side of her eyes, staring straight at him: "She’s been here for two years, what does it have to do with you?"

Her eyes were full of murderous intent.

Chen Yi did not retreat, calmly and sincerely said: "I am still her father, I came all this way just to see you, and her, nothing else matters to me."

Though he thought this statement might not penetrate her defenses, it was sincere enough to slightly move anyone.

Unexpectedly, Qin Qingluo’s eyes grew colder with murderous intent, she sneered: "Save those words for another woman, it disgusts me."

Chen Yi blinked.

He thought hard for quite a while, yet couldn’t understand why these words had made Qin Qingluo more displeased.

Perhaps it’s because she has always disliked him.

As for whether someone was manipulating this situation, Chen Yi didn’t think along those lines, because his relationship with Qin Qingluo was strained inside and out, barely allowing him to stay here now.

As they proceeded deeper, Chen Yi did not know where they were going, just silently followed. After stepping over a threshold and passing a screen, a pagoda-like building came into view. Qin Qingluo pushed the door open and entered, Chen Yi looked around, seeing rows of bookshelves surrounding the walls standing tall, it was veritably some sort of Scripture Pavilion.

Up to the top floor, there were tables, chairs, and a warm wine pot, columns in all directions, but no walls, the view was expansive.

The whole scenery of the Prince Mansion and nearly half the cityscape could be seen effortlessly, naturally included was where he stayed.

"This is Hanhai Building, a collection of martial arts classics from various sects and martial secrets," Qin Qingluo paused, then continued: "If you are too idle, you can come here."

Chen Yi raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Of course, there are conditions." The tall woman continued indifferently: "Every visit requires leaving a page of martial arts, once you’ve left all of yours, you can’t come again."

Chen Yi nodded earnestly.

This is what he said, but it gave him a reason to come here, and as for visiting the greenhouse or strolling through her courtyard, it was just along the way.

Without a reason, Chen Yi would feel embarrassed to come over.

The cool wind blew gently as Qin Qingluo poured two bowls of wine, and Chen Yi drank his with not the slightest hesitation.

She scoffed, "Aren’t you afraid it’s poisoned?"

"Afraid, but it won’t kill me," Chen Yi replied.

The words were said lightly and simply, and Qin Qingluo didn’t pay much attention at first. After sipping from her bowl and pausing for a moment, she vaguely sensed a different meaning in his words.

She turned her face, coldly saying, "It’s different from before."

Chen Yi nodded without expression, slowly saying, "It’s always been the same."

Qin Qingluo was silent for a moment, as if recalling a battle from three years ago, "... You weren’t afraid back then, otherwise, how could you have used the short to best the long?"

"But I found out I was actually afraid, just pretending not to be." Chen Yi paused, then said, "Being afraid doesn’t mean I’ll die."

The tall woman squinted her eyes, "You’ve realized something new."

"Isn’t that why you asked me to come?" Chen Yi smiled, "Did you know I fell from the third rank to the fourth?" 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"Aunt Zhu told me," she said, gently swirling her drink, then adding with a hint of sarcasm, "A fall from the third to the fourth rank, meridians severed, many would fall into destitution, their martial intent scattered, yet your martial intent remains, which surprises me more than a heavenly official bowing to you."

Refilling his drink, Chen Yi asked back, "Didn’t you also return to the fourth rank? What’s so surprising?"

Almost imperceptibly, Qin Qingluo paused, then continued drinking without a change in expression, saying:

"If I had gone all out to kill you, how much of a chance would I have had?"

"You couldn’t kill me, I wouldn’t die."

"What if I defeated you?"

Chen Yi grinned, then said, "I was prepared to be defeated by you."

Qin Qingluo’s punch seemed to land on cotton, and so she squinted her eyes.

Suddenly, Chen Yi flung away the bowl in his hand, retreating with his chair by a yard, exclaiming, "Are you crazy?"

At the spot he was sitting earlier, there was now a several-inch-deep mark as if slashed by a sword.

Qin Qingluo said expressionlessly, "Didn’t you say you were prepared?"

With a calm voice, Chen Yi used his qi to retrieve the wine bowl, saying, "I thought we weren’t fighting."

"I’ve never seen what a third-rank battlefield looks like, and there’s a handy punching bag here, why not practice?" said the female Prince.

Chen Yi remained silent, unwittingly finding his duties here aligned, not much different from that of a usual martial arts tutor hired by aristocratic families.

However, he didn’t wish to be so constrained, calmly asking, "That’s fine, but just idling away doesn’t sit well. If you have any tasks, I can help."

"You want to meddle in the Prince’s affairs?"

"Just lending a hand, maybe clearing out any trash outside your and Yue’er’s doors."

.........

After chatting for a bit, Chen Yi left, and Qin Qingluo had to deal with the political affairs of Nanwei.

The unrest from the Ancestral Temple assassination case had not yet subsided; a stone thrown into the still water would not calm so easily.

On his way through the courtyard, he saw from afar Qin Yue tossing a ball on the grass, running back and forth, playing joyfully.

With a slight thought, Chen Yi turned to the small kitchen to fetch something.

"Yue’er."

Qin Yue turned her head, and upon seeing who it was, her little face drooped.

"Didn’t you say you weren’t coming out to play?"

Qin Yue turned her head away, unwilling to look at him, saying, "I won’t play with you."

"Not playing with Daddy?"

"Not playing with you."

Chen Yi looked helpless for a while, then brought his hand out.

Seeing the sugar cubes, Qin Yue started drooling, her mouth watering as she stared.

"Will you play with Daddy?"

Qin Yue hesitated for a good while, then tried to deceive him as before, saying, "Give it to me and I’ll play."

"Play happily with me?"

"Play happily with you."

Chen Yi handed over the sugar cubes in his hand.

This person is really gullible.

Qin Yue thought, worried he might catch on, she quickly popped the sugar cube into her mouth, raising her mouth in a broad smile.

Soon, her smile froze, and her features began to droop,

"Salty salty salty! Waaah!!!"

She cried loudly,

"You tricked me with salt! Waaah!!!"

Chen Yi laughed heartily, stretching out his other hand to pop the real sugar into his own mouth.