"Your Highness, Concubine Song requests an audience. She says she has something important to say."
Prince Jin frowned and asked the person beside him, "How's the matter I asked you to investigate last time?"
"We haven't found out yet. Concubine Song used to stay in seclusion in the mansion, always in low spirits. The servants attending to her often embezzled her rations and didn't serve her whole - heartedly..."
"Got it." Prince Jin rubbed his temples.
He always felt that there was more to the relationship between Concubine Song and Shen Qing than met the eye. He hadn't gone to see her for the past two days.
"Let her in."
"Your servant pays respects to Your Highness."
Prince Jin stepped forward to help her up. "Didn't the mansion doctor tell you to stay in bed and take good care of your fetus? Why did you come out again?"
Concubine Song gave him a coquettish look and placed her hand on her flat belly. Her tone was both charming and plaintive. "The baby in my belly misses his father and has been troubling me. I had no choice but to bring him here."
Prince Jin's gaze followed her hand and landed on her belly. His eyes softened a bit. "I've been busy with official affairs these days and neglected you and the baby."
"Your servant knows that Your Highness has been working hard. In the future, the baby will surely be a heroic and upright man like his father."
Whether there was really a baby or not was another matter.
Prince Jin half - supported her to sit down. "What do you want to talk to me about?"
Concubine Song nodded. "Your servant was tidying up my father's relics when I was free and found something."
"What's this?" Prince Jin took it with a puzzled look.
"There's a secret passage in the Song family's ancestral mansion. It leads outside the city. It was originally set up by the successive family heads of the Song family to protect the clan. Now that the Song family only has your servant left, I'd like to offer it to Your Highness."
Prince Jin unconsciously tightened his grip on the paper. He said in a tone as if joking, "This is something for saving one's life. You just give it to me like this?"
"Your Highness is your servant's husband and the sky for your servant and the baby. Everything of your servant belongs to Your Highness." As Concubine Song said, she fell into Prince Jin's arms.
"From now on, your servant and the baby will only rely on Your Highness..."
Prince Jin put his arm around her. "Don't worry. I will surely treat you well."
Concubine Song buried her head in Prince Jin's arms before she dared to take a long breath.
Miss Shen was right. Only when she entrusted her life and fortune to him would he trust her again.
But in this way, their only trump card was exposed.
However, Miss Shen should have other plans.
She just needed to follow her instructions.
Shen Qing had also regained her vitality. In the past few days, the people in the dungeon still wanted to use other means on Shen Qing, but Xu He stopped them.
The reason was that if they tortured her continuously, Shen Qing's body couldn't bear it, and it would arouse suspicion.
But the interrogator reported this to Prince Jin.
Prince Jin had already suspected Xu He for not presenting the results for a long time. After this, he became even more suspicious. Was there something else between Xu He and Shen Qing that he didn't know?
Once the seed of suspicion was sown, it would leave a mark in the heart. After that, the slightest sign would make people can't help but associate in that direction.
Prince Jin was just such a person.
...
"Daddy, can you make sachets?"
"Daddy... can't."
Facing Sibaobao's clear and expectant eyes, Ji Junye felt for the first time that the two words "can't" were extremely hot - mouthed.
He didn't know what Sheng Mei had told Sibaobao. As soon as they set up the camp, Sibaobao ran out and hugged his leg.
Hearing that he couldn't, Sibaobao was a bit disappointed. "But Aunt Sheng said she can. She's going to make one for Uncle Zhuiyun to express her love for him. Daddy, you should also make one for Mommy with Sibaobao's flowers. Then Mommy can feel the love from Daddy and Sibaobao."
Sibaobao's tone of "if others can, my daddy must be able to" greatly satisfied Ji Junye's vanity at this moment.
But it was just a vain satisfaction.
Ji Junye didn't want to deceive Sibaobao, but he also didn't want to ruin his tall and magnificent image in Sibaobao's heart.
Finally, under Sibaobao's urging, he finally chose to damage his image a little.
"Daddy hasn't learned..."
At this time, Sheng Mei just came out of the tent to look for something to eat. Ji Junye vividly demonstrated at that moment what it meant that the look of wanting to kill someone can't be hidden.
Sheng Mei laughed so hard that she leaned forward and backward, her body shaking like a swaying flower.
Ji Junye's cold voice came. "Since you're so idle, you'll be in charge of tonight's security."
In this way, she wouldn't have time to teach Sibaobao all kinds of nonsense.
The smile on Sheng Mei's face disappeared suddenly.
"I'll do it then."
Sheng Mei snorted and dragged the helpless Zhuiyun away.
When they reached a deserted place, Sheng Mei took out something from her bosom. Before Zhuiyun could see what it was, it was thrown into his arms.
He subconsciously reached out to catch it and asked, "What is it?"
"It's a sachet."
Zhuiyun could see clearly. It was indeed a sachet, with a cyan - blue satin surface. The pattern embroidered on it was something he had never seen before. It was a kind of plant that grew on stones. Three slender leaves were intertwined, and the arched shape was like a heart.
Zhuiyun felt a strange emotion welling up in his heart. He thought she was just joking with Sibaobao, but unexpectedly she really made one for him.
He thought her hands were only good at dealing with bugs and poisons.
Sheng Mei snorted and slightly raised her chin, looking like a proud peacock. "This is the immortal ribbon. It's a kind of sacred grass in the mythology of our Miao ethnic group. It has a good meaning. Many young people use it as a sachet pattern."
What Sheng Mei didn't say was that the immortal ribbon looked like a concentric knot, symbolizing everlasting love.
Before Zhuiyun could refuse, she continued, "Put it away. You must wear it every day from now on. You're not allowed to take it off except when taking a bath. Otherwise... Humph!"
"Didn't we agree not to let outsiders know?"
Zhuiyun frowned. His first thought was that if he wore it ostentatiously every day, everyone in the camp would know about it before long.
Sheng Mei immediately turned around and stared at him. "Will you wear it or not? If you don't, I'll..."
Sheng Mei got closer to him and whispered something in his ear. Zhuiyun's face immediately turned bright red. He looked around furtively to cover up his embarrassment. After seeing that there was no one around, he felt relieved and scolded in a low voice, "We're still outside. Watch your words!"
Sheng Mei raised her eyebrows and looked at him without saying a word.
"I promise you."
Zhuiyun thought Sheng Mei was the most troublesome woman he had ever met in his life. She was his natural nemesis.
Only then was Sheng Mei satisfied. She took the sachet and tied it to his waist herself.
Then she clapped her hands and left. She ordered some of her subordinates to come and gave them instructions about tonight's security.
Zhuiyun was left standing there alone.
Sheng Mei had actually been keeping her promise. She rarely showed any intimacy with him in front of others. So when she got closer to him just now, a delicate and gentle fragrance of a woman wafted over, the same as what he had smelled on several nights, which made him uncontrollably recall some scenes.
He sniffed the sachet. It was just ordinary agarwood, but the fragrance of the agarwood was mixed with that delicate fragrance of a woman.
It was really strange. He had never seen her use any perfume. How could she smell so good?
Zhuiyun was immersed in his own thoughts and didn't notice that someone had witnessed this scene.
Oh my goodness!