Unrivaled Miracle Doctor: The God-Defying Demonic Consort-Chapter 248: Return of the King (Part 9)

Mu Qingge paused for a moment, but quickly recovered, a faint smile on her lips, "Princess Yongle is very good, it’s me who isn’t worthy of her."

These words made Qin Jinchen stop in his tracks, turning his gaze towards her. His penetrating eyes fell on her as he slowly said, "The little Lord who has always been so arrogant, has actually become humble."

Arrogant?

Mu Qingge’s lips twitched, returning the sarcasm: "I never expected that the Prince Xian, who never bothers with worldly matters, would actually act as a matchmaker."

"Because that is Lianlian." Qin Jinchen slightly raised his head, his tone light yet irresistible.

Mu Qingge sneered, "Prince Xian is really amusing. What, are you trying to impose your preferences on others?"

Qin Jinchen lowered his eyes, making it difficult to read his true emotions.

After a while, he finally said, "I just want to know the reason."

"Prince Xian seems to believe that only I can bring happiness to Princess Yonghuan?" Mu Qingge squinted her eyes.

Qin Jinchen’s eyelashes fluttered slightly as he gave his reason, "She likes you, and you are not someone who is heartless and unfaithful."

Mu Qingge laughed mockingly, "To receive such an evaluation from Prince Xian, it’s truly a great honor for me. However, Prince, have you forgotten the precedence set by Princess Changle? I am hardly a person of deep and consistent affection."

But Qin Jinchen said without concern, "Changle and Lianlian are different. My mother is not Consort Jiang either."

"And what about you, Prince Xian? Are you different from Prince Rui too? Is that why you secretly sent someone to escort me ten months ago?" Mu Qingge’s eyes turned into slits, a dangerous glint in the seams, pressing tightly.

Qin Jinchen’s calm eyes fluctuated for a moment but he did not answer.

Mu Qingge curved her lips into a smile, "Perhaps Prince Xian finds it strange how I knew it was you?"

Qin Jinchen lifted his gaze, his calm yet distinct black and white eyes looking at her as if searching for an answer.

"It’s actually very simple, I just didn’t think of it initially. Using the method of elimination, the least likely person was you. Because you are low-key, harmless, like being invisible, drawing not a hint of attention, making people forget your existence. But no one expected that you could control a group of highly skilled death warriors. Who would believe you have no ambitions? I fear that when the Crown Prince and Prince Rui were contending, they all forgot that among the adult Princes of the Qin Country, there was still a Prince Xian." Mu Qingge said playfully.

When she investigated this conclusion, Mu Qingge herself was somewhat incredulous.

Who could have thought that the seemingly inconspicuous Prince Xian was secretly building power?

Moreover, hiding it so deeply.

In the end, if Mu Qingge hadn’t set her sights on Qin Jinchen, sending Gu Ya to personally see the master who helped her fend off assassins appear beside Prince Xian, she would have found it hard to believe.

Qin Jinchen stared intently at Mu Qingge for a long time before calmly saying, "I am not interested in that position, nor does my mother wish for me to be blinded by power." It seems he does not care about his secrets being known to Mu Qingge.

However, Mu Qingge absolutely did not believe it.

A Prince who has been coldly treated, hiding and enduring for so many years, secretly developing strong forces, suddenly telling her he has no intention to fight for the throne?

Mu Qingge let out an undisguised cold laugh, as if it pierced Qin Jinchen’s eyes, causing him to lower his gaze, avoiding that scorching stare.

Seeing him not speak, Mu Qingge prepared to leave.

However, she had just taken two steps when that solitary, desolate voice came again: "It seems you really have forgotten the past."

The past? What past? Could it be that Mu Qingge had an unspeakable connection with this Prince Xian?

Mu Qingge was surprised in her heart but turned around expressionlessly, her clear eyes looking coldly at him.

Under her gaze, Qin Jinchen pulled out something from his bosom, spread it in his palm, and showed it to Mu Qingge, "Do you still remember this?"

Mu Qingge squinted her eyes, her gaze falling on the small segment of bamboo tube in Qin Jinchen’s palm.

She wasn’t the original owner, so she really didn’t know what this bamboo whistle represented!

Slowly raising her eyes, Mu Qingge looked at Qin Jinchen.

Qin Jinchen gradually tightened his grip, retracting his hand, "I remember, it was when I was ten years old. At that time, you were probably only seven. You were the grandson of the War God Mu Xiong of the Qin Country, enjoying the glory of the Mu Family. And I was just an unlucky, sickly Prince. In the Imperial Palace, not only brothers could bully me, even palace maids and eunuchs could too. Because they knew, no one would ever hold them accountable. That time, I was surrounded by several eunuchs in the corner of the Imperial Garden, being beaten until I felt my blood surging and was on the verge of death. In despair, you appeared and chased away those eunuchs who bullied the weak."

As Qin Jinchen spoke of this, he smiled. As if immersed in the memory, "In fact, your fists, your feet, didn’t even touch those eunuchs, who deftly dodged. But they begged for mercy from you and ran away in panic."

His calm and indifferent eyes, for the first time, were filled with emotion as he looked over. Mu Qingge felt incredibly awkward because she knew the person Qin Jinchen spoke of was not her.

"After they left, you mocked me for being useless. Such a grown person, yet bullied by servants. At the time, I was quite resentful that you didn’t know the inside story. However, you suddenly gave me this bamboo whistle, telling me if someone dared to bully me in the future, I should blow the whistle, and upon hearing it, you would come to my aid and beat them up." Qin Jinchen finished speaking, holding the bamboo whistle tighter.

"You didn’t actually believe it, did you?" Mu Qingge’s lips twitched, "Such words are clearly meant to deceive children, aren’t they!"

Qin Jinchen nodded frankly, affirming, "I believed it. Afterwards, each time I was beaten, I would blow the whistle. But you never appeared once."

"And you still say you believed it?" Now, it was Mu Qingge’s turn to be astonished.

Qin Jinchen looked at her, "Later, I realized the Imperial Palace is too big, the sound of the whistle could not be heard outside the palace. You didn’t live in the palace, how could you have heard it? Since you couldn’t hear it, naturally you wouldn’t appear. If you could hear it, I believe you would have certainly appeared."

"..." Mu Qingge was speechless. She wasn’t the original Mu Qingge, she wouldn’t know what the real Mu Qingge thought. But if it were her, having made such a promise, she imagined she would fulfill it.

"You secretly sent someone to escort me, wasn’t it to repay the kindness from childhood?" Mu Qingge suddenly speculated.

Qin Jinchen didn’t deny it but continued, "Gu Shi and the others acknowledge me as their master by sheer coincidence. Therefore, I also have the capability to protect those I wish to protect. The throne, I do not covet."

With that, he walked towards the direction outside the palace, seemingly indicating the end of their conversation.

Mu Qingge exited the Imperial Palace, parting ways with Qin Jinchen. Behind her was the gradually distant carriage of the Prince Xian Mansion. She looked back at that carriage, and couldn’t help but think: If the earlier Mu Qingge had been like Qin Jinchen, and remembered a childhood promise, would today’s result be different?