After Mistakenly Provoking The Soft, Unhinged Princess O - Chapter 8

“Put me down,” Yan Lingshu said, seemingly calm.

Yu Qingci’s scalp went numb. She hesitated between putting her down and not putting her down for one second, then chose to keep firmly carrying Yan Lingshu forward. “It’ll be quick. We’re almost there.”

Forget it. She had already picked her up. If she put Yan Lingshu down now and made her walk the rest of the way, wouldn’t that just earn her two helpings of hatred?

When Yu Qingci said it would be quick, she truly meant quick.

Even with someone in her arms, she still walked as swiftly as the wind. Her arms were strong, holding Yan Lingshu steadily and firmly, without letting her feel the slightest bump.

She really was a qualified and dutiful sedan chair.

It was just that… there were far too many servants they passed along the way.

Yan Lingshu had no intention of arguing with her. If outsiders saw that, it would only be even more humiliating.

When others looked at her, she looked at Yu Qingci instead. Her cold, indifferent gaze locked onto the side of Yu Qingci’s face, staring until a layer of cold sweat broke out across Yu Qingci’s back.

The faster she walked, the faster she became, until the maidservants behind them could not keep up at all and were left far behind.

Yan Lingshu had originally been angry at her for making decisions on her own, but then the tip of her nose caught an increasingly strong jasmine fragrance.

She immediately reached out and covered the throbbing gland at the back of Yu Qingci’s neck, her brows furrowing. “Yu Qingci, what are you doing?”

“I’m walking,” Yu Qingci answered subconsciously.

Yan Lingshu pinched her gland without mercy. “Does walking require releasing your scent pheromones?”

The gland was a Qianyuan’s most vulnerable place. Yu Qingci was pinched by her, and the pain made her shudder. She abruptly came back to herself—how had she released her scent pheromones?

Yu Qingci hurriedly pulled her scent back. As she walked, she looked at Yan Lingshu, her steps involuntarily slowing. Her brows and eyes drooped. “I didn’t do it on purpose.”

The world she had originally lived in had no such thing as scent pheromones. How long had she even been here? It was normal for her to lose control for a moment.

The Qianyuan had been scolded until her head hung dispiritedly, as if she had suffered some great grievance.

Yan Lingshu ignored her.

Yu Qingci stopped explaining too. In any case, in Yan Lingshu’s eyes, everything she did was probably deliberate. Deliberately kneading her hand, deliberately carrying her, deliberately releasing scent pheromones to seduce her…

Thinking of it that way, she really was too much.

Inside, Yu Qingci wanted to cry but had no tears. She felt that this Yu Estate clashed with her. She had behaved so well in the princess’s residence, so why did she keep making mistakes one after another the moment she came back here?

She had even provoked Yan Lingshu so much that Yan Lingshu had forgotten to maintain her weak and delicate persona. That pinch to her gland just now had really been strong. Was that something the soft and frail Fifth Princess could do?

For the last stretch of road, Yu Qingci walked as if she were heading to the execution ground, her whole person dejected and downcast.

She crossed into the main room in two or three strides, gently placed Yan Lingshu on the soft couch, then lowered her head and turned to leave. “I’ll go out for a walk.”

Yan Lingshu definitely did not want to see her right now. It was better for her not to stay here and make herself an eyesore.

Who would have thought that just as she turned around, her sleeve would be tugged?

Yu Qingci turned back blankly. “Your Highness, is there something else?”

Yan Lingshu furrowed her brows faintly. She released Yu Qingci’s sleeve and asked slowly, “Has your physical strength always been this good?”

“Mm?” Yu Qingci did not understand what she meant.

Yan Lingshu said, “Did you not notice? Qinhe and the others failed to keep up.”

At first, they truly had not been able to keep up. Later, they had probably felt that their masters did not want them to follow too closely, so they had not run to catch up.

Yu Qingci turned to look. Sure enough, the space behind her was empty. She looked outside in confusion. “Huh? Are they walking that slowly?”

The confusion on Yu Qingci’s face did not seem fake.

Yan Lingshu studied her. Yu Qingci really seemed completely unaware of what had just happened.

“Qingci, your stamina and walking speed just now are not something an ordinary person possesses,” Yan Lingshu said directly.

Yu Qingci reacted. She looked at her own hands and tried clenching them into fists. Then she walked to the table nearby and gripped the edge of the square table with force. With around only twenty percent of her strength, there came a crack, and she snapped a piece of wood off the table’s edge.

Yu Qingci stared blankly at the wood in her hand. She tried holding it in her palm and squeezing hard. In the blink of an eye, the piece of wood turned into splinters that fell through her fingers.

Yu Qingci looked at the wood dust filling her hand, and joy surged through her heart in layer upon layer like waves—

Heavens, she had a cheat ability! She had a cheat ability!! She had a cheat ability!!!

Although her stamina had also been very good in her original world, it had never been good to this degree.

Was this kind of innate divine strength really something she could possess?!

This novel setting where things shattered with one squeeze—she could actually do it so easily?!

“Your Highness, look!” Yu Qingci lifted the square table beside her with one hand, her face full of excitement. “I can lift this table with one hand!”

This square table was made of solid materials and weighed at least a hundred jin.

Yu Qingci lifted it easily, without the slightest effort.

Yan Lingshu quietly watched her. The excitement Yu Qingci showed did not seem fake. It was as if she had only just discovered her own innate divine strength. After lifting the table, she went to lift a chair, and in the end, she even tried to lift the bed.

Every single item seemed so light in her hands. She could even lift the solid wooden bed.

She tested her divine strength all over the room, like a big dog so excited it was darting around wildly, its tail practically wagging up to the heavens.

Yan Lingshu had originally wanted to probe her with another sentence or two, but seeing her like this, there was nothing left to say.

According to the reports from Wangyou Tower, Yu Qingci had no talent in martial arts. She herself did not like practicing martial arts either. But looking at the lively, bouncing, energetic girl before her, Yan Lingshu could not help once again feeling that same doubt—was she truly Yu Qingci?

If she really was the Yu Qingci from before last night, then her schemes and depths were far too terrifying.

“Someone is coming,” Yan Lingshu reminded softly.

Yu Qingci had originally planned to lift the square table again. Hearing this, she hurriedly put down the table that had already left the ground.

She was not familiar with the Yu Estate, nor did she exactly have good feelings toward it. It was better not to expose this sudden divine strength so quickly, lest it provoke suspicion.

When Qinhe and Chunhe entered, they saw only the consort and the princess sitting on either side, the atmosphere harmonious.

Out of the corner of her eye, Chunhe saw the missing corner of the square table. Lowering her gaze, she then saw the crushed wood dust on the floor. Her heart startled, and for a moment, she hesitated, not knowing whether she should ask.

Yu Qingci sat on the soft couch. Seeing Chunhe’s gaze drift toward that square table from time to time, she casually explained, “This table isn’t sturdy. I leaned on it, and it broke. Have someone replace it.”

Hearing this, Chunhe quietly let out a breath of relief.

One look at Chunhe’s expression, and Yu Qingci knew what she was thinking.

The original owner had a violent temper. Whenever anything displeased her even slightly, she would beat and scold people, throw bowls, and smash up rooms. Chunhe was worried that Yu Qingci had raised a hand against the princess.

She did not have the courage for that. The Fifth Princess had a ruthless heart. When it was time to pinch her, she had not held back any strength at all.

Yu Qingci reached up and touched her gland. She had been too excited just now and had not even thought to hide things a little in front of Yan Lingshu.

But there was nothing much to hide anyway. After all, she had already exposed the biggest flaw.

Even if Yan Lingshu was intelligent, surely she could not guess that the person inside this body had changed, right?

What she did need to pay attention to was control over her gland. If it really did not work, she should invite a physician to take a look.

Yu Qingci secretly pondered this. She was just planning how she should train her body later when she suddenly heard a burst of shouting from outside.

“Oh my, Young Miss, you’ve finally come back! Quickly, let this old servant take a look at you.” The person arrived with her voice. An old woman past fifty entered the inner room supported by two maids. Without even raising her head, she first wiped at her tears. “You must have suffered such a great grievance. How could the marquis be so heartless, forcing you to marry a woman you do not like? So what if she is the Fifth Princess? How could she possibly be worthy of you…”

As she spoke, she lifted her head. Seeing the two people sitting on the soft couch, she froze.

Yu Qingci’s nose twitched, and she smelled alcohol.

It seemed that Madam Zhu had just woken from a hangover. She had not even figured out the situation of their return before coming here to speak up for Yu Qingci.

“Madam Zhu,” Yu Qingci looked properly at Madam Zhu, her expression cold. “Are you showing disrespect to the Fifth Princess?”

Madam Zhu instinctively sensed that something was wrong. Yu Qingci had always called her “godmother.” Why was she addressing her so distantly today?

And whenever Yu Qingci went out, Zhuling had always accompanied her. Why was Chunhe the one accompanying her today?

“How would this old servant dare?” Madam Zhu pushed aside the two maids supporting her and bent at the waist in salute. “This old servant greets the Fifth Princess. May the princess forgive this old servant’s careless words. It was all because those girls were talking nonsense, causing this old servant to think Young Miss had suffered some grievance at the princess’s residence…”

On the surface, it was an explanation. In reality, she was shifting blame.

The maids waiting on both sides lowered their heads, clearly growing afraid.

Yu Qingci felt annoyed looking at it. She waved a hand. “Go wait for me in the side room first. I have something to ask you later.”

The two maids supported Madam Zhu and withdrew.

Yu Qingci turned her head and explained to Yan Lingshu, telling her about what had happened with Zhuling today. “Considering how bold Zhuling is, her mother is probably supporting her from behind. I came back today to settle this matter as well. Your Highness should rest first. I’ll be back soon.”

Yan Lingshu lifted her eyes to look at her, the emotion in her gaze hard to distinguish. “She is the nursemaid who raised you from childhood. Can you bear to do it?”

Yu Qingci stood and straightened her sleeves, smiling self-mockingly. “If I do not deal with her today, perhaps one day she may take my life.”

She had to act a little, otherwise she would seem too unlike Yu Qingci.

After sighing emotionally, Yu Qingci strode out of the main room and headed toward the side room.

Inside the side room, the moment Madam Zhu saw her, she stepped forward and asked, “Young Miss, where is Ling’er? Why didn’t she return with you today?”

Yu Qingci did not speak. She walked straight toward the seat of honor. After sitting down, she quietly looked at Madam Zhu, staring until Madam Zhu’s back began to turn cold.

“Young Miss, what is the matter? Did Ling’er do something wrong? If she made you angry, bring her back, and this old servant will teach her a proper lesson…”

“Madam Zhu,” Yu Qingci interrupted her. Very calmly, she asked one question. “Have you ever truly regarded me as your daughter?”

Madam Zhu froze. She immediately wanted to nod and say yes.

Yu Qingci shook her head, her face full of mockery. “No, you have not. All these years, you drove a wedge between Mother and me. You made me hate Madam Cui and hate Yu Qingli. You made me think the entire Yu Estate was targeting me. You made me trust only you and Zhuling. You manipulated and controlled me like this, emptied out my private storeroom without the slightest effort, and used my name to throw your weight around outside. Were you very happy?”

The original Yu Qingci had not been born violent and cruel.

Her birth mother had died giving birth to her. Her mother, Yu Xiao, had treated this daughter coldly because of her wife’s death. Before she was even a full year old, she had gained a stepmother, and the year after that, she had gained a younger sister.

Yu Xiao, Cui Yao, and Yu Qingli were a family. The three of them lived in harmony. Then what was she, Yu Qingci?

Her nursemaid told her that she was an outsider, that her mother hated her, that her stepmother and younger sister coveted her future title and intended to harm her life.

She had lived in this world like a startled bird, her temperament growing more and more extreme and violent. She had even tried many times to take Yu Qingli’s life. And by controlling this frightened bird, Madam Zhu had obtained wealth and power she never should have possessed.

The original Yu Qingci was a villain, but the Madam Zhu before her should not be forgiven either.

“Young Miss, I, I didn’t. There must be some misunderstanding in all this…” Madam Zhu stepped forward.

“Shh.” Yu Qingci raised one finger to her lips, silencing her. “Say fewer words begging for mercy and return more of the money and property you swallowed. Perhaps your daughter may still live. After all, stealing from one’s master is a serious crime.”

Madam Zhu was not ignorant. On the contrary, she was very clever. She knew what she could gain by controlling Yu Qingci, and she also knew what she would lose if she took even one more step forward at this moment.

Yu Qingci walked out of the side room. Breathing in the fresh air outside, she felt as if the heavy, stuffy emotion that had been pressing somewhere in her chest had dispersed.

To frankly admit that someone did not love you was something that required great courage.

But only by admitting it could one truly let go.