I insist

Chapter 201: Important News

"What's wrong with you? Are you even watching where you're going?!"

The coachman yanked the reins sharply, bringing the carriage to a screeching halt. He glared at the man before him and began to berate him loudly.

Yu Huailin never expected that someone would suddenly stop his carriage and interrupt his confession. The carriage jolted violently and lurched forward.

Song Miqiu was listening to Yu Huailin's words and didn't pay attention to her surroundings. She lost her balance and tilted forward abruptly.

She gasped and tried to reach out to brace herself up so she wouldn't fall in the carriage, which would be incredibly embarrassing.

Yu Huailin braced himself against the carriage wall. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Song Miqiu about to fall inside the carriage. Startled, he quickly reached out and pulled her into his arms.

He was panting, looked down at the woman in his arms, and asked softly, "Are you hurt?"

Song Miqiu stared blankly ahead, and it took her a long time to react. She raised her eyes in confusion, glanced at Yu Huailin, and faintly heard the strong and powerful beating of Yu Huailin's heart.

For some reason, Song Miqiu felt her ears burning slightly. She shook her head slightly, and remembering that Yu Huailin's attention had been entirely on her, she asked softly, "Is there something you need?"

As she spoke, Song Miqiu reached out with some concern, placing her arm against the other person's other side, as if to feel around and check if Yu Huailin was injured.

The latter let out a soft groan as she groped him. Yu Huailin helplessly lowered his head, looking at the crown of her head, and grabbed her hand from behind his back. "I'm fine..."

Song Miqiu wanted to say something more, but then she realized that her actions were a little strange. Her face flushed, she withdrew her hands, pulled herself out of Yu Huailin's embrace, and said in a hesitant voice, "I'll go see who it is."

She braced herself against the carriage and flung open the curtain, only to find that the person standing in front of the carriage was none other than Qing Zhi!

Upon seeing the other person, Song Miqiu's eyes lit up instantly. She lifted her skirt, bent over slightly, and stepped out of the carriage.

Song Miqiu walked up to the other person in small steps and asked in confusion, "How did you end up here?"

"I have something to tell you, and I also brought you some things." Qingzhi emphasized the word "things" deliberately, perhaps to make sure Song Miqiu understood.

Seeing the light in Song Miqiu's eyes, Qingzhi knew that Song Miqiu was definitely interested. He smiled and gestured with his thumb behind him, "Why don't we go somewhere else to talk?"

Song Miqiu understood what the other person wanted to talk about. She subconsciously glanced at the person inside the carriage, nodded slightly, and followed Qing Zhi's steps toward a place not far away.

The two walked for an unknown amount of time before Qingzhi finally stopped. He took off his bundle and handed it to Song Miqiu, saying with a light laugh, "This is full of precious jade artifacts. I imagine you would like them, so I brought them for you."

"Of course I like it!"

Song Miqiu smiled and gave Qingzhi a thumbs up. She took the bundle and gently weighed it in her hands, feeling its weight. Her smile widened.

Qing Zhi, perhaps recalling how Song Miqiu had protected the treasure earlier, felt a mischievous urge to tease her. Taking advantage of Song Miqiu looking down at the bundle, he suddenly reached out his hand towards her.

Song Miqiu blinked in fright at Qing Zhi's action. She quickly withdrew her hand, her gaze falling on Qing Zhi, her face filled with terror as she asked, "Weren't you going to give me the thing?"

As she spoke, Song Miqiu clutched the bundle in her arms tightly, looked at the other person warily, and slowly took a few steps back, as if Qing Zhi would snatch everything from her hands at any moment.

Seeing this, Qingzhi couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Song Miqiu's appearance was exactly the same as the scene in the carriage before, which made him want to tease her even more.

Qingzhi rolled his eyes, tentatively reaching out to startle Song Miqiu. Sure enough, Song Miqiu suddenly took a step back, pretending to return to the carriage.

Seeing this, Qingzhi quickly stopped Song Miqiu, shrugging his shoulders helplessly and saying, "I was just joking with you, there's no need to react so strongly, is there?"

Seeing that Song Miqiu was still looking at him with suspicion, Qingzhi sighed and asked in return, "When have I ever asked for the things I gave you back?"

"Yes!" Song Miqiu said with a straight face and a serious expression, "Just now."

These words left Qing Zhi speechless. He had only intended to scare Song Miqiu, but he hadn't expected her to react so strongly.

Thinking of this, he quickly explained, "I just wanted to tease you because of how you looked in the carriage earlier."

Song Miqiu stood there, staring at the other party warily for a while before she could barely believe it and walked up to Qingzhi with the bundle in her arms.

At the same time, Song Miqiu threw the bundle in her arms directly onto her shoulder and carried it on her back, her little hands tightly gripping the bundle, as if afraid of dropping it.

She knew that the precious jade ornament Qingzhi had given her must be extraordinary, but she never expected it to be this extraordinary.

Based on its weight, this precious jade artifact must be incredibly valuable.

Song Miqiu carefully hoisted the bundle onto his back and asked, "What was the news you mentioned earlier?"

Qingzhi, who had been smiling, lost his smile instantly upon hearing Song Miqiu's question. He glanced warily at the carriage and whispered to Song Miqiu.

"The Empress Dowager has returned from Tianyun Temple."

Upon hearing this, Song Miqiu looked at Qingzhi in confusion. Qingzhi had one hand under her bundle for a sense of security. Song Miqiu asked, puzzled, "What does the Empress Dowager's return from Tianyun Temple have to do with us?"

"Of course there's a connection!" Qingzhi exclaimed, his eyes wide with disappointment. "Not only is there a connection, it's an incredibly strong one!"

He reached out and grabbed Song Miqiu's arm, pulling her towards him. "Perhaps you don't know, but the Empress Dowager and the Emperor's relationship hasn't been very good these past two years."

"The situation had eased somewhat in the middle, but then the Empress Dowager went directly out of the palace to worship Buddha."

Seeing that Song Miqiu still seemed a little confused, Qingzhi immediately asked a question, "If your son and you didn't get along well, would you do this?"

"What else can we do but out of sight, out of mind?"

Song Miqiu spoke casually, then realized what Qing Zhi meant earlier. "You mean, during the time the Empress Dowager was away from the palace to worship Buddha, her relationship with the Emperor went from not being very good to a complete falling out?"