Hearing this, Mei Qingxue was stunned. The Gentleman with a Jade-like Face had left the capital before, but why did she feel that this time he was leaving as if he would never return? "Brother Yu, how long do you plan to be away this time? One month? Two months?" She couldn't help but feel a bit scared.
The Gentleman with a Jade-like Face gently shook his head with a smile on his lips. "Not one month, nor two months. It might be two years, or even twenty years. Maybe I'll never come back."
The forced smile on Mei Qingxue's lips froze. Did this mean that he might never return... that he was leaving forever and she would never see him again? Was that what he meant?
"Why did you suddenly decide to leave the capital? You've always lived here, haven't you?" Mei Qingxue felt her voice choke a little, and her eyes began to feel hot. But she held back her tears.
"Well, actually, I'm not from the capital. I can't stay here forever. I'm going back to get married. The wedding is on the tenth day of next month." The smile on the Gentleman with a Jade-like Face's lips gradually faded. But his feelings were different from Mei Qingxue's. He knew that this was the end of his identity as the Gentleman with a Jade-like Face. From then on, he would appear as her husband. He had to cut off her thoughts.
During the three years they had been together, how could he not notice the change in her feelings for the "Gentleman with a Jade-like Face"? But in the end, he couldn't be with her under this identity. He believed that whether it was the Gentleman with a Jade-like Face or the sickly "Ghost King", Mei Qingxue would eventually become the most important woman in his life.
"Get married... You mean you're going back there to get married and settle down... on the tenth day of next month..." What a ironic coincidence on the same day... Could there really be such a coincidence in the world? Was God mocking her? Mocking her for not even having a chance to confess?
Both he and she were about to get married. Shouldn't her wild thoughts learn to be obedient?
Du Guqing didn't want to deny that he deliberately mentioned this date. He was indeed getting married on the tenth day of next month, and the bride was her.
"Yes, I'm not young anymore. My family has been really anxious. I originally wanted to postpone it for another year or two, but then I thought it's better to get married earlier and settle down earlier." If he postponed it for another year or two, he didn't know how anxious he would be.
"Then, congratulations, Brother Yu. But I'm afraid I won't be able to attend your wedding. I'll have someone prepare a generous gift for you later. I wish you and your wife a long and happy life together." Forcing back the tears in her eyes, Mei Qingxue pretended to be happy and congratulated the Gentleman with a Jade-like Face.
Mei Qingxue, forget it. You two are just two intersecting lines that only meet at one point. It will be hard for you to cross paths again in the future.
"Hehe, I'll take your kind words, Brother Luo." Of course, he was going to spend the rest of his life with her.
Seeing the Gentleman with a Jade-like Face looking so happy, Mei Qingxue felt as if something was stuck in her throat. Her eyes were getting hotter and hotter. No, she couldn't let her mind wander anymore. Everything was already a foregone conclusion. Thinking more was useless!
Mei Qingxue, it's just a man. Are you really that pathetic! Cheer up quickly. Don't let him see you crying when he's leaving!
"I wonder when you're setting off, Brother Yu. I'd like to see you off."
"I'm leaving tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? Why so soon?" Couldn't they have a little more time together?
"Well, I have some things to take care of."
The light in Mei Qingxue's eyes dimmed. Was he going to prepare for his wedding? She really wanted to know what kind of woman could marry him.
"Then, Brother Yu, we must have a good drink today. Otherwise, I don't know when we'll see each other again after you leave."
"Okay. We won't stop until we're drunk today." Du Guqing replied with a gentle smile.
Mei Qingxue asked Yu Yi to bring out the best wine from "Welcome Guests Inn". She really wanted to get drunk today. Just this once. Just this once, let her get drunk without any worries! She was willing to bear the consequences.
Soon, several large jars of top-quality daughter red were carried into the private room.
Mei Qingxue stepped forward and opened the jars. A strong and mellow fragrance filled the room. She also had two large bowls brought in. It was really no fun to drink with those tiny thumb-sized wine cups at a time like this.
"Today, let's learn from those heroes in the green forest and drink and eat heartily!" Mei Qingxue said as she grabbed a chicken leg from the table, took a big bite, and then gulped down the wine in the bowl. She completely ignored the gentlemanly demeanor she had maintained in front of the Gentleman with a Jade-like Face for a long time.
Humph, she wasn't really a gentleman anyway. At a time like this, who cared about manners!
Du Guqing watched Mei Qingxue indulging herself like this. His sword-shaped eyebrows under the mask frowned slightly. He picked up the full wine cup on the table with his slender fingers and drank it all in one gulp, not leaving a single drop. "Since Brother Luo is so bold, I, as your elder brother, of course can't fall behind."
"Hahaha... Good, good. Brother Yu is really straightforward..." Mei Qingxue laughed heartily with her head thrown back. In fact, the tears in her eyes were about to flow out. She could only cover it up like this. She couldn't let him know how she was feeling.
Half an hour later...
"Come, Brother Yu. Let's drink this cup. I'm really happy to be friends with you, Brother Yu. Happy, hahaha..." Mei Qingxue, who was already a bit drunk, held up her wine cup and shouted loudly.
Du Guqing watched Mei Qingxue getting drunk and shook his head secretly. He stepped forward, took the wine cup from her hand, and gently pulled her into his arms.
This was the first time he had held her in the three years they had known each other. Her body was soft, and he could clearly smell the faint fragrance of orchids on her. He lowered his head and greedily inhaled her body fragrance, secretly telling himself that before long, he would be able to hold her in his arms every day!
In a daze, Mei Qingxue only felt herself falling into a strong and warm embrace. She could smell the familiar musk on him. She couldn't help but reach out and hug the person tightly, nestling in his arms. She sincerely hoped that she could lie in this embrace for a lifetime.
The next day, Mei Qingxue was woken up by the breath of the big Tibetan mastiff, which she hadn't seen for some time.
"Ugh... Damn it, why does my head hurt so much!" She wanted to sit up, but as soon as she moved, her head felt like it was about to split.
"Miss, you're finally awake. You've been sleeping for a whole day and night."
"Yue Ru... Water. Get me a glass of water..." Her mind was as muddled as paste. This feeling was really uncomfortable.
After Yue Ru fed her a glass of water, she felt a little better.
Mei Qingxue was sure that this was her room in the Prime Minister's Mansion. But she clearly remembered that she had been drinking with the Gentleman with a Jade-like Face yesterday. Why was she in her boudoir now? Who had brought her back? Yue Ru said she had slept for a whole day and night... Did that mean the Gentleman with a Jade-like Face had already left the capital...
Looking at the sun high in the sky outside, Mei Qingxue felt a sense of loss...
"What time is it now?"
"Miss, look at how big the sun is outside. It's already past noon."
"Do you know who brought me back?" She couldn't remember how much she had drunk yesterday. She only knew it must have been a lot. She still vaguely remembered that warm embrace... She didn't know if it was a dream.
"I don't know. It seems that you came back in the carriage by yourself." Yue Ru secretly thought that the miss must have drunk a lot yesterday. She didn't even know how she had come back.
"I came back in the carriage by myself?" Could it be the people from "Azure Sea Pavilion" who had brought her back? It must be. Otherwise, who else would know her real identity?
"Miss, you smelled of alcohol when you came back. After I helped you wipe your body simply, you've been sleeping until now. No matter how I called you, you didn't wake up."
"Really? I can't remember anything. I hope I didn't do anything I shouldn't have done when I was drunk! If I did, if I did, that would be great! Anyway, there won't be any more chances in the future. It would be a pity if I didn't do something after loving him secretly for so long!"
"Miss, the madam sent a message saying that you're going to get married in a month. She told you not to go out of the mansion during this period."
"Mother won't let me go out of the mansion?" What was she going to do during this period from today until the wedding day?
It seemed that marrying that impotent prince was an unchangeable reality. She'd better think about what to do next. There was no point in dwelling on the unchangeable facts.
"Yes, the madam said that your needlework is not good. So she had someone find the best embroiderer in the capital to make your wedding dress. She also invited two nannies to teach you etiquette."
"What?" She still had to learn etiquette?
"Miss, you'd better drink this bowl of hangover soup first. Maybe the nannies will come soon." Yue Ru brought a bowl of black hangover soup in front of Mei Qingxue. Her round eyes were blinking. Mei Qingxue had a hunch that this girl must be gloating!
"I'm already awake. Why do I need to drink hangover soup..."
"Second Miss, the nannies the madam invited for you have arrived outside the courtyard." Just as Mei Qingxue was struggling whether to sleep for a while longer, the voice outside the door made her want to die in bed! Why did they come so soon! Didn't they know that she had just suffered a broken heart and needed some time to recuperate!
An hour later...
"Miss, the way you're sitting is wrong. As a daughter of an official family, you should sit upright with your hands folded on your lap when you sit..."