Chapter 218 Fulfilled Prophecy

Chapter 218 Fulfilled Prophecy

Xiaolian was on edge due to Duan Yunchen's words, but Xin You remained expressionless.

"People change, especially after experiencing unfortunate events." She looked at the slightly drunk young man, a sarcastic smile on her lips. "Surely, Eldest Cousin doesn't expect me to remain unchanged? That would be different from the impression you gave me in the past."

At first, the Duan family hadn't realized she wasn't Kou Qingqing, and after so much time, there was even less fear.

Duan Yunchen wasn't dull and quickly understood her words were a sarcastic jab at his hope that she would always admire him.

He was still concerned about his reputation, and the cool night breeze sobered him enough to bid an awkward farewell before leaving without looking back.

Xiaolian spat in the direction where Duan Yunchen had disappeared. "What a guy! He doesn't like her, but now he's upset because she's indifferent? What a creep!"

"No need to let irrelevant people affect our mood. Let's go back to our room."

"Yes." The young maid followed closely as Xin You returned to the eastern courtyard.

At that moment, King Qing was returning to his residence from Count Gu Chang's mansion.

Since Count Gu Chang was still lying in state, King Qing, as the only nephew, had to visit daily to maintain propriety, even as a prince.

Walking back to his courtyard, King Qing felt depressed. Since his uncle's passing, he hadn't seen the Emperor and couldn't fathom what the Emperor was planning. What was the Jinlin Guard investigating? Could it be connected to Uncle Gu Chang's death?

Too many questions weighed heavily on his heart like stones.

The March night breeze, carrying the scent of the lake, gently lifted his robes, cool and refreshing. King Qing subconsciously changed his direction and headed towards the artificial lake.

A white crane suddenly took flight from the lakeside, sending ripples across the water.

King Qing stopped in his tracks, gazing at the beautiful, tranquil lake, and suddenly remembered Xin You's words about paying attention to water.

Though he dismissed it as nonsense, he couldn't shake the unease. Frowning, he returned to the main courtyard.

That night, the washroom was filled with steam as King Qing stepped out of the bath, feeling the tension melt away. As the maids dried him off, he took a step, but his calf seized up, and he crumpled to the floor before he could react.

"Your Highness!" The maids, unable to catch him, all knelt in panic.

King Qing, gripping the floor with one hand, felt a searing pain in his ankle. His face twisted in a mix of pain and fury, he roared, "You useless fools! Why aren't you helping me up?"

The maids snapped out of their shock and together helped King Qing to his feet.

Dressed in clean inner garments, King Qing sat on the bed as the urgently summoned imperial physician tended to his sprain. The faint scent of medicine reminded him again of Xin You's words.

Could this injury, caused by water, be the fulfillment of her warning?

King Qing's first reaction was to brush it off as a coincidence, but the more he thought about it, the more his expression darkened.

Slipping and falling after a bath hadn't happened in years, yet it occurred today, and he even sprained his foot. Could it be that his cousin's words were true? Could Miss Kou really foresee misfortune and fortune from a person's appearance?

The more King Qing pondered, the more he believed it. And with that belief, his desire to see Miss Kou grew more urgent.

A sharp hiss of pain snapped King Qing back to the present.

This kind of discomfort is inevitable when treating a sprain, but the royal physician hurriedly apologized.

King Qing did not blame him but instead asked, "Will this king's foot injury recover by tomorrow?"

The royal physician, secretly surprised that King Qing did not blame him, said, "Your Highness's sprain is not severe, but it will take at least three days to fully recover."

"So I cannot go out tomorrow?" King Qing was annoyed but did not make things difficult for the royal physician. He waved his hand, signaling him to leave.

That night, King Qing tossed and turned, and early the next morning, he dispatched his bodyguards to Qingsong Bookstore.

Given Miss Kou's exceptional skill in face reading, could she discern the fortune or misfortune that his uncle's accident might have brought him?

"King Qing is inviting me to the residence?" Upon hearing the bodyguard explain the purpose, Xin You understood that the situation she had foreseen had occurred.

She had "seen" such minor incidents like sprains countless times on different people and usually chose to remain silent. To earn King Qing’s trust, she mentioned it, which was confirmed that very day.

With this validation, Xin You became even more composed and responded to the bodyguard with an apologetic smile, "I'm afraid I cannot go."

The bodyguard, failing to persuade her, returned to the residence and relayed Xin You's words to King Qing.

In the past, King Qing would have been furious, but now, with his confidence in her abilities going from 70-80% to 100%, his reaction was different.

"Invite Miss Kou to the teahouse near the residence."

Xin You, being invited again, did not refuse.

The teahouse near King Qing’s residence was elegantly decorated and catered to wealthy patrons. A private room was reserved exclusively for King Qing.

When Xin You arrived, King Qing was already waiting.

"Greetings, King Qing."

"Please, Miss Kou, no need for such formalities."

With his current mobility issues and out of caution, he would not rely on the inherent physical advantages of a man.

After a moment of silence, King Qing spoke, "This king sprained his foot yesterday."

Xin You expressed her concern politely.

"Do you know how I ended up spraining my foot, Miss Kou?"

Xin You calmly replied, "Slipping after a bath."

The scrutiny hidden beneath King Qing's casual tone vanished, and his confidence in her abilities went from 70-80% to 100%.

The slip last night was purely accidental, and there’s no way Miss Kou could have bribed anyone in the residence. The ability to answer without hesitation could only be explained by the fact that she genuinely possessed these skills.

"Miss Kou, this king has a question to ask you." King Qing leaned forward slightly, his expression serious.

"Please, Your Highness."

"You mentioned to Dai Ze that my uncle’s death is connected to me. Could you explain this further?"

Xin You carefully examined him for a moment before replying cautiously, "As a humble commoner, I can only discern that it is connected to the south."

The South?

King Qing was taken aback.

He knew the situation in the North wasn't as clean as it seemed. Once his imperial father discovered it, he would surely be furious.

But what could possibly be wrong in the South?

When King Qing asked again, Xin You shook her head. "I can only see that it's related to the South for now. However—"

"However, what?" King Qing asked quickly.

"The effects haven't ended yet, and your luck won't be great in the coming days. It's best to keep a low profile for now," Xin You advised cautiously.

"Until we hear from Lord He, it's best not to stir up any trouble."

King Qing nodded. "I understand."

Realizing he wouldn't get more information, King Qing instructed his bodyguards to escort Miss Kou out.

The king's demeanor clearly affected how his guards treated her. The guard politely escorted Miss Kou out of the tea house. "Please take care, Miss Kou."

Xin You walked toward the carriage parked by the roadside when, from the opposite direction, Prince Xiu approached.