ASTRP -Chapter 11 After Beating the White Lotus, Preparing to Run Away

“I heard that Your Highness has come down with a high fever, so I specially went to the kitchen to boil some ginger soup to help drive away the cold.”

Ginger soup?

Again?

If she remembered correctly, Liu Qingqing had also brought ginger soup yesterday.

And she had slapped it flying onto the ground—gone just like that.

Yet today, she came again!

Honestly, this concubine was as tough as a cockroach—impossible to get rid of.

Carrying the ginger soup, Liu Qingqing walked to the bedside and stopped in front of Xiao Jinghan.

“Miss Feng, please move aside.”

Feng Jinge: … Women really do go at each other like needles against wheat.

Seeing Liu Qingqing picking a fight with his master, Ning An frowned and said coldly, “Miss Liu, I’ve just fed His Highness his medicine.”

The implication was clear—there was no need for the ginger soup.

“Oh, Guard Ning, that’s not quite right. Medicine is medicine, ginger soup is ginger soup. How can the two be compared?”

“It’s like—you’ve eaten a meal, does that mean you can’t drink water afterward?”

Ning An replied icily, “How can those be compared?”

“Why not?”

Liu Qingqing raised her brows, clearly ready to launch into a full debate.

Feng Jinge was already irritated from her injuries, and the back of her head throbbed painfully.

Liu Qingqing’s incessant chattering only multiplied her annoyance several times over.

She spat out coldly, “Liu Qingqing!”

Liu Qingqing paused and turned to look at her.

Feng Jinge said in a chilling tone, “Do you still remember what this prince told you this afternoon?”

Liu Qingqing blinked, her eyes filled with confusion.

“Your Highness… what did you say?”

“You don’t remember?”

Feng Jinge sneered, her voice turning icy as she gave the order, “Ning An, drag her out and give her ten strokes of the board.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

The moment the command was issued, Ning An moved forward to seize Liu Qingqing.

But before he could, Liu Qingqing dropped to her knees with a thud, not even caring about the ginger soup she was holding, and kowtowed frantically.

“Your Highness! Your Highness, I was wrong! Please spare me!”

She knocked her head against the ground repeatedly, the loud thuds making Feng Jinge’s heart tremble, and a trace of pity rose within her.

Pressing her lips together, Feng Jinge glanced sideways at Xiao Jinghan.

His face remained indifferent, unmoved.

Since he didn’t act, Feng Jinge didn’t dare act rashly either. She could only watch helplessly as Liu Qingqing’s forehead split open, blood slowly trickling down.

As if suddenly remembering something, Liu Qingqing’s tear-filled eyes lit up.

“I remember! This afternoon, Your Highness said that without permission, I must not enter your residence!”

Feng Jinge’s lips twitched as she was about to speak—

But a cold, merciless voice reached her ears. Her lips paused mid-motion. She lifted her gaze, looked at Ning An, and barked, “What are you standing there for? Drag her out!”

Ning An frowned, giving Feng Jinge a deep look, but said nothing. He grabbed the wailing Liu Qingqing and dragged her outside.

“Your Highness!”

“I know I was wrong, Your Highness…”

With tears in her eyes, Liu Qingqing stared desperately at “His Highness,” pleading without stop.

Feng Jinge’s expression didn’t change in the slightest as she said coldly, “Ten strokes. Let it serve as a lesson.”

She watched with cold eyes as Liu Qingqing was dragged out of the room.

Though her figure disappeared from sight, her wails continued to echo inside.

Only Feng Jinge and Xiao Jinghan remained in the room.

Neither spoke. The atmosphere was stifling after what had just happened.

Feng Jinge glanced at Xiao Jinghan.

At some point, he had already turned his head away. From her angle, she could only see his profile—nothing more.

Thinking of Liu Qingqing’s miserable state, along with his cold, ruthless order…

It felt as though a heavy stone pressed on Feng Jinge’s chest, making her uncomfortable.

She lay back down, pulled the quilt over her head, and muttered in a muffled voice,

“Hurry up and find a way for us to switch back.”

“Once you do, we’ll immediately—”

Before she could finish, the quilt over her head was suddenly yanked away.

She looked up and met Xiao Jinghan’s eyes directly.

Their gazes locked.

Xiao Jinghan spoke calmly, “You’re angry with me.”

It wasn’t a question—it was a statement.

Feng Jinge instinctively retorted, “I’m not.”

But her cold tone had already betrayed her.

Xiao Jinghan said coolly, “Feng Jinge, let me remind you—since we’ve swapped bodies, only you, me, Ning An, and Qing Shan know about it.”

“Liu Qingqing is targeting you, not me.”

Feng Jinge snapped back, annoyed, “Fine, she’s targeting me. But she’s being nice to you, and the one speaking harshly to her is you. The one ordering her punishment is also you!”

“I’m only carrying out your words.”

“No matter what, she’s still your woman. And you treat her like this? So ruthless?”

Xiao Jinghan stared at her slightly reddened eyes.

His gaze turned colder. He turned around, his back facing her, and said coldly, “Get some rest. Tomorrow, wake early and assist the Emperor at court.”

“Court?!”

Feng Jinge was instantly dumbfounded.

She forgot all about Liu Qingqing and scrambled up from the bed, her tone anxious and tinged with anger.

“Wait, are you serious? I—”

Xiao Jinghan suddenly turned back, killing intent radiating from him.

Feng Jinge immediately changed her tone.

“Your Highness, I’m still injured!”

Xiao Jinghan glanced at her bandaged head and curled his lips into a faint smile.

“That’s exactly what I need.”

Feng Jinge: …

Conversation over.

“Goodbye, Your Highness.”

She pulled the quilt over her head again and lay back down.

Xiao Jinghan glanced at her, then turned and left.

After quite some time, Feng Jinge peeked out from under the covers. Once she confirmed he had gone—

She threw off the quilt, grabbed her outer robe, and dressed quickly.

Then, moving at lightning speed, she swept up all the valuable items in the room, packed them into a bundle, and slung it over her shoulder.

With a leap, she climbed onto the beam, pried open a few roof tiles, and struggled her way out.

Unfortunately—

Her upper body made it through, but her lower half got stuck.

Feng Jinge twisted and wriggled, using all her strength to push upward.

And then…

She couldn’t go up, and she couldn’t go down.

She was completely stuck.

If she had known this would happen, she wouldn’t have tried escaping through the roof.

Waaah… internally sobbing in despair.

Just as she was on the verge of tears, a gentle voice sounded from above:

“Need some help?”

To Feng Jinge, that voice was nothing short of heavenly.

Without thinking, she nodded frantically.

“Yes, yes, yes—!”

As she responded, she was about to look up at the speaker—

Before she could, someone grabbed her hand.

The next instant—

She was pulled out completely.