After Xia Ruolan calmed down a bit, she asked Mei Qingxue in surprise, "You're back for the home - visiting. Why didn't Yue Ru follow to serve you?"
Mei Qingxue frowned slightly. She herself hadn't seen her dowry maid since morning. Her mother's question was really hard to answer.
"Mother, didn't we go to the palace to pay respects this morning? The prince thought it was troublesome and asked for everything to be kept simple. We didn't bring any servants when we entered the palace," Mei Qingxue said indifferently.
Previously, all the maids in the Sixth Prince's Mansion had been dismissed. It was only after the imperial bestowal of marriage that Concubine Qin had sent over a few maids, along with the ones she had brought as dowry. It was well - known in the former Prime Minister's Mansion that there had been no maids in the prince's mansion before.
"The prince is in poor health. How can you manage without someone to serve you by your side?" Xia Ruolan immediately thought of the key point.
Mei Zhenguo understood what his wife meant and said, "Madam, there are so many people in the prince's mansion, and the situation there is complicated... It's better to just leave it as it is for now."
"But without anyone to serve her, how can Xue'er take good care of the prince?" Madam Mei didn't understand her husband's meaning.
Mei Haoxuan whispered to Xia Ruolan, "Mother, have you forgotten what Father said? Didn't he suspect that the Sixth Prince's illness was not simple? Father is afraid that it was man - made. If we send someone in, what if something happens to the prince? We'll surely be held accountable."
Madam Mei nodded immediately. "Your father did say so. I'm just worried about Xue'er. It's so hard on my girl."
Mei Qingxue smiled sweetly. "Mother, what are you talking about? It's not hard at all."
Everyone said she was suffering. She had suffered for ten lifetimes. What were these things? In the previous nine lifetimes, she hadn't even had her first love or first kiss. In this lifetime, her father doted on her, her mother loved her, and even her elder brother spoiled her extremely. Except for having a husband in poor health, there was really nothing to complain about.
Thinking of Du Guqing, Mei Qingxue said to the prime minister, "Father, we've been talking here for a long time. I think the prince must have woken up. I'd better go and see how he is now."
There were quite a few calligraphy and paintings in her boudoir that she had tricked from the Jade - faced Gentleman. They were all her treasures. Saying that she was going back to see her husband was actually more like checking if any of her calligraphy and paintings were missing. Those calligraphy and paintings were worth a lot of money, not something that her "Black Cat Sheriff" could compare with.
"Go ahead. Later I'll ask the kitchen to cook a bowl of ginseng soup for the prince," Xia Ruolan said, looking at her beloved daughter with worry on her face.
"Okay, Mother. I'll go first. Father, Brother, don't look so solemn. I'm really not suffering." Under the eager gazes of her relatives in this lifetime, Mei Qingxue finally ended up fleeing. She scolded herself for being so spineless. Surely the bad luck of her previous nine lifetimes wouldn't extend so miserably into this one?
Outside her former boudoir, as expected, she saw the straight - standing guard from the prince's mansion, that guy named Han Chao.
"Your Highness the Princess!" Han Chao saluted as soon as he saw Mei Qingxue.
"Is the prince awake?" she asked.
"Reporting to Your Highness, the prince has woken up," Han Chao glanced at his mistress but didn't dare to tell her that the prince had not only "woken up" but also had a good tour of the princess's boudoir.
"I'll go in and have a look. Don't come in and disturb us without permission."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Du Guqing was lying on Mei Qingxue's boudoir bed. Hearing her voice coming from outside the door, he immediately closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.
When Mei Qingxue came in, she saw the moment he just closed his eyes. "Weren't you awake?"
Mei Qingxue rolled her eyes dramatically and quickly went to her treasure - hiding place. She carefully counted the calligraphy and paintings of his that she had collected. None were missing, and only then did she breathe a sigh of relief. He had become someone else's husband on that day, and she had become someone else's wife on that same day. The only things that connected her to him were these calligraphy and paintings in his own handwriting. They all carried his scent.
Looking at the handsome man lying on the bed, she thought of his poor health. Mei Qingxue sighed softly.
He was so lively and energetic at night, but now he was so weak. Most likely, he was exhausted from the previous day.
The man still frowned slightly even when he was sleeping soundly on the bed. Mei Qingxue could smell the same scent on him as on that person. Thinking of that person's gentle and jade - like demeanor, while Du Guqing was always surrounded by medicine jars, for some reason, a trace of pity welled up in her heart.
Mei Qingxue reached out and gently covered his eyes and eyebrows. "It turns out you're not as bad as the rumors say. Don't worry. Since I've become your wife, I'll find a way to cure you."
Maybe because she was close to him and smelled that familiar scent, she genuinely felt pity for him.
Du Guqing was shocked. He hesitated whether he should wake up at the right time and tell her his identity, as well as the real situation of his illness. After much hesitation, Du Guqing decided not to tell her for the time being. Given Mei Qingxue's personality, if she knew he was the Jade - faced Gentleman, who knew what kind of trouble she would cause? It would be better to wait until things around him calmed down before telling her.
It would be best after the crown prince was decided. Then it would be a bit safer around him, and it wouldn't be too late to tell her then.
"Cough, cough, cough!" Du Guqing coughed a few times and "coughed" himself awake.
Hearing Du Guqing's cough, Mei Qingxue quickly walked over and gently patted his back. "Why did you start coughing again for no reason?"
"I don't know. Cough, cough..." Du Guqing coughed so hard that his handsome face turned red, as if he really couldn't catch his breath.
"You were so energetic last night," Mei Qingxue sneered. As a result, she saw Du Guqing coughing even more violently.
Originally, he just wanted to pretend to cough a few times, but unexpectedly, his princess's words made him really unable to catch his breath, and he really started coughing.
"In order to continue the royal bloodline, this king is willing to risk his life..." Before Du Guqing could finish his words, Mei Qingxue slapped him hard on the back.
"You're so weak. Instead of taking good care of your health, what do you want to do? Since you don't cherish your own life, why did you marry me?"
Could this really be the continuation of the bad luck in her tenth lifetime?
How could Du Guqing tell her that it was because of his six - year - long love, because he was the Jade - faced Gentleman. When the imperial edict of the bestowal of marriage came down and he learned that he was going to marry her, the woman he had been longing for, he didn't know how happy he was in his heart. But at this moment, Du Guqing had made up his mind not to tell her the truth. Maybe it would be better for her if she knew less.
"This... this king didn't dare to disobey the imperial edict either," Du Guqing said weakly.
As he spoke, he secretly glanced at Mei Qingxue's face. Sure enough, he saw the expressions on the little woman's face changing.
"What a 'having to obey the imperial edict'," Mei Qingxue gritted her teeth and said each word through her teeth.
Du Guqing, I'll show you how virtuous I am. Thinking of this, a shy smile appeared on Mei Qingxue's face. "Your wife will surely abide by the duties of a wife, be virtuous and manage the household well..."
For every word Mei Qingxue said, a hint of a smile appeared on Du Guqing's lips. But in Mei Qingxue's eyes, it was extremely hateful.
"This king saw that the princess has collected quite a few calligraphy and paintings. That person is not well - known, and his paintings are not worth much. It's better to just throw them away," Du Guqing said. Originally, he said this to gauge Mei Qingxue's feelings towards his other identity, but he didn't expect that this one sentence would determine the fate of those peerless treasures in his study.
"The prince is in poor health. Instead of taking good care of your health, why do you care so much about other things? Besides, those are the princess's treasures," Mei Qingxue said angrily.
The reason she didn't take them to her husband's family was also for this reason. She didn't allow others to touch them. That person was deep in her heart. Since she couldn't take him out and show him often, it was better to keep him hidden.
Knowing that Mei Qingxue was protecting those things that also belonged to him, Du Guqing couldn't tell what he was feeling in his heart. "Princess, you've suffered. You've married this useless king."
Du Guqing's voice was filled with loneliness. His illness was the last thing he wanted to mention. He didn't want to face the prophecy that he would die at the age of 25. He just wanted to accompany her for a longer time.
Why did this guy also say that she had suffered as soon as he woke up? Did he mean that she was going to be a widow? Mei Qingxue was secretly annoyed in her heart, but her face became a bit more gentle.
"I don't feel that it's hard. It's just that my body aches terribly. For the prince's health, you'd better take good care of yourself. Don't think about these useless things. When your body recovers, there will be plenty of time for us to get along in the future." It was not appropriate to say explicitly that it was due to excessive indulgence. Even though she was a modern person in her previous nine lifetimes, she had never discussed such a topic with a man face - to - face.
"This king was thinking of leaving a child for the princess. If this king should pass away one day, the princess would have something to remember by and wouldn't be lonely and helpless," Du Guqing's voice became so soft that it was almost inaudible at the end. How he wished it was him accompanying the woman he loved under the moon, walking hand in hand until they were white - haired. But he only had a lifespan of 25 years!
Mei Qingxue really wanted to slap the guy in front of her to death. If he didn't die of illness, she would slap him to death. How could he not cherish his own life and always talk about death?
"Your wife will think of a way. You don't have to think too much. Just cooperate with the doctors' treatment as much as possible. Think about it. If you unfortunately pass away, I'll take your property and marry another man. Then I'll let that man beat your child!"
"You... you dare..." Shocked by Mei Qingxue's astonishing words, Du Guqing couldn't catch his breath and really started coughing. She really dared to say such things.
"You... what about you? If you have the ability, cure your illness and then argue with me. Otherwise... Humph, humph!" Mei Qingxue was even better at annoying people. She could annoy people to death without having to pay for it. Besides, she was going to be a virtuous and good - housekeeping wife.
Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Mei Qingxue's face. "Your wife will surely be virtuous and manage the household well. Otherwise, what will the little prince eat in the future? Am I right?" Mei Qingxue playfully stroked her still - flat abdomen.
Du Guqing's face turned red and then white. He was really annoyed by Mei Qingxue.
"This is the ginseng soup cooked for the prince," came the voice of Madam Mei, Xia Ruolan, from outside the door.
Du Guqing closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He hadn't realized that his little woman had such a side. It was all his own fault. He had created the Jade - faced Gentleman for no good reason. Now he had to bear the consequences himself.