Their cold and aloof supreme commander, who was known to be indifferent to women and unfeeling, was actually holding a sachet and sniffing it carefully!
Who gave him that sachet? It was the Saintess of the Miao Region!
The peeping soldier's eyes sparkled with gossiping curiosity.
This piece of news shocked him no less than if the emperor had suddenly given birth to a daughter!
They had originally speculated that the Saintess's target was the emperor, but it turned out to be the supreme commander!
He had to tell his brothers right away!
So the next day, Zhui Yun noticed that wherever he went, people were winking at him... and at the sachet on his waist.
It dawned on him too late, and he immediately had a bad feeling.
He thought he had hidden it quite well. How did everyone know about it overnight?!
Sheng Mei also noticed something was wrong, but bumped into Zhui Yun who had turned back. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Did you tell them?"
Zhui Yun's voice was muffled. "I thought it was you."
Sheng Mei tilted her head innocently and shrugged lightly. "Don't talk nonsense. I didn't. You know exactly what I was doing last night, don't you?"
What was she doing last night...
Of course it was with him.
Zhui Yun was at a loss for words. He didn't understand how Sheng Mei could talk about such things so calmly in broad daylight, but obviously this wasn't the time to argue about it.
"What should we do now?"
"Well... I guess we'll just have to do it this way..." Sheng Mei said casually. Zhui Yun even detected a hint of schadenfreude in her tone.
Before he could get angry, Sheng Mei added, "What I promised you at the beginning was just to keep our contract relationship a secret."
A vein throbbed on Zhui Yun's forehead.
Just keep the contract relationship a secret, and other things don't count, right?
This woman was just his nemesis!
Zhui Yun took a deep breath and left with a flick of his sleeve.
Although he was reluctant to admit it, Sheng Mei was right. The best thing they could do now was to do nothing, or they would only make things worse.
Sheng Mei didn't really care that Zhui Yun was angry. He got angry about something every day. She was used to it. Little Si Bao, who was soft and sweet, was much more interesting.
It was a pity that she couldn't conceive a child until her body was fully recuperated.
"Aunt Sheng, my daddy said he won't..."
Sheng Mei rubbed Little Si Bao's wrinkled little face. "Your daddy is so useless. But it's okay. Aunt Sheng can help you."
"Okay."
If Ji Jun Ye heard what Sheng Mei said, he would probably never let Sheng Mei get close to Si Bao again. If she continued to teach him like this, the tall and mighty image he had in Si Bao's heart would be completely ruined!
Ruined beyond recognition!
...
In the Prince Jin's Mansion.
News had just come from the front line that the troops sent there had encountered Ji Jun Ye and a battle had broken out. Ji Jun Ye was extremely insidious. He had been using a large army of poisonous snakes to lead the way. No matter how strong their soldiers were, they couldn't fight against the paralyzing poisonous snakes.
The letter sent to Princess Zhaohua had also disappeared without a trace.
There was no progress at all on Shen Qing's side.
Prince Jin had a splitting headache, so he went to Concubine Song's courtyard.
"Is the prince having another headache?"
Concubine Song ordered someone to serve hot tea. She stood behind him, placed her hands on his temples and gently massaged them. "Lotus heart tea can clear away heat and fire. It's just right for the prince to drink some."
Prince Jin reached out and held Concubine Song's hands. "You're so considerate. Stop massaging. Sit down and chat with me."
Concubine Song sat down beside him as he asked.
"Is the prince worried about Miss Shen?"
Prince Jin looked at her in surprise. "How do you know?"
Concubine Song pursed her lips and smiled. "I guessed. I know the prince treats Miss Shen differently from us."
"How is it different?"
"If the prince just wanted to add a sister for us, why would he send Mr. Xu to persuade her? I don't know where Miss Shen is from, but the prince wants to make her one of his own."
Prince Jin let out a soft laugh and looked at her in surprise. "I never knew you had such a delicate and sensitive mind."
"I don't have a delicate and sensitive mind. I'm just guessing randomly. But I don't understand one thing. Mr. Xu is a great talent. One man can be worth thousands of troops. Why can't he even persuade a woman?"
"So what do you think we should do?"
Concubine Song thought for a while. "I think Mr. Xu is good at this. Why doesn't the prince try someone else?"
After saying that, she seemed to remember something and lowered her head. "I'm just saying it casually. If I said something wrong, please don't blame me, prince."
"It doesn't matter."
Concubine Song's words reminded Prince Jin. Since Xu He couldn't handle her, he could just change someone!
He had so many people under his command. There must be someone who could handle Shen Qing!
Prince Jin suddenly looked at Concubine Song. "Isn't she your savior? Why don't you speak up for her?"
Concubine Song lowered her eyelashes. "It's true that Miss Shen is my savior, but I want the prince to be happy more. Besides, if Miss Shen becomes one of us, won't I be able to repay her for saving my life better?"
"However, I have a request."
"What request?" Prince Jin asked.
"I beg the prince not to torture Miss Shen unless it's absolutely necessary... After all, Miss Shen saved my life. I can't bear to see her suffer. Moreover, what if the blood and energy affect the child..."
Prince Jin let out a soft sigh and held her slightly cold hand. "You're just too kind."
"However, the dungeon is very far from the backyard. Why did you think of going there?"
Concubine Song's heart skipped a beat. "I... I heard the maids in the main courtyard talking about it when I went to pay my respects to the princess that day..."
She quickly knelt down. "I was disrespectful to the princess. Please forgive me, prince."
Fortunately, she reacted quickly. Otherwise...
Concubine Song was even more convinced that the prince was not a good match. Being with him, she didn't know when she would be tricked into saying something.
But she also knew that the prince trusted the princess very much and wouldn't tolerate any disrespect to the princess from his concubines, not even in words.
Sure enough, his tone became much more serious. "The princess is kind and generous. You must not doubt the princess casually."
"Yes."
"Get up."
He reached out his hand. Concubine Song bit her lower lip before putting her hand in his.
"I still have something to do. You should rest early and take good care of the baby."
After seeing Prince Jin off, Concubine Song finally felt relieved. It seemed that she had to be more careful when facing the prince in the future.
Come to think of it, the prince really trusted the princess.
Concubine Song showed a sarcastic smile. If one day the prince saw the true face of the princess with his own eyes and knew that the kind and generous woman he had always thought was his pillowmate was actually a venomous snake, he wondered what kind of expression he would have?
Prince Jin acted quickly and immediately sent someone else to persuade Shen Qing.
Who would have thought that the man couldn't even get in the door.
"Who are you? There should be propriety between men and women. What do you want to do by staying alone with me in a room?!"
"Someone! Come quickly!"
When Shen Qing saw that a different person had come, she knew that Concubine Song's words had worked.
She shouted while kicking the man sent by Prince Jin.
Before the man could react, he was kicked out by a series of kicks.
The man, with a bruised nose and a swollen face, came to Prince Jin to complain.
"Your Highness, that Shen woman didn't even ask and just beat me out!"
"Really?"
Prince Jin was also shocked. There was nothing he could do. He had to comfort the man and send someone else.
But the person was beaten out before even getting in the door.
He even sent women, but the women could only get in the door. They were of little use. They simply couldn't argue with Shen Qing.
Gradually, everyone noticed that Shen Qing only showed courtesy to Xu He.
Prince Jin was sitting on a chair when he suddenly remembered what Concubine Song had said that day.
"Mr. Xu is a great talent. One man can be worth thousands of troops. Why can't he even persuade a woman?"
Prince Jin couldn't help but think of a possibility.
If Shen Qing and Xu He were in cahoots...