"Your Highness, please intercede with the Princess for us. This maid is willing to be a rough servant girl in the mansion. Please don't let us stay under the sun like this," a taller maid pleaded when she saw the prince sitting not far away.
"Aren't you supposed to stay under the sun for two hours? After that, go and ask the Princess to revoke her order. Now that the Princess is the mistress of the mansion, even I have to follow her orders."
Du Gu Qing pointed to his head and said, "It's the order of the Princess, according to the rules of the Han Dynasty."
The maid immediately shut up and continued to suffer under the sun, feeling aggrieved. It was just that after a few days of sun exposure, their faces turned red, peeled, and were unbearably itchy and painful.
"Your Highness, this..." Han Zhao couldn't bear to watch. Du Gu Qing glanced at him and whispered, "If you're so protective of these girls, you can enjoy that kind of food every day like we did yesterday. I'm not going to suffer with you."
"Forget it then!" At the mention of that food, Han Zhao's stomach cramped. He had only managed to eat a few mouthfuls before vomiting all night. He was almost vomiting bile. Just as he was feeling better, the prince brought up that unpleasant topic again.
"If we rest for even a moment less, I'm afraid the Princess has some other surprises in store for me," Du Gu Qing didn't believe that the Princess would let him off so easily. She didn't want to marry him, but now she had followed the imperial edict. Thinking of Mei Qingxue's reaction last night, a faint smile appeared on Du Gu Qing's face. If she liked to cause trouble, he would let her. As long as she was happy.
What else could he do? He couldn't even guarantee his own life, let alone promise her a lifetime. He could only make her happy as long as he was still alive.
"Then Your Highness, please be careful!" Han Zhao gently supported Du Gu Qing and slowly walked towards the study. He was "tired," so Han Zhao was extra careful.
As soon as they opened the door of the study, Han Zhao was shocked. The entire study was in a complete mess, as if it had been hit by a storm. "This..."
Han Zhao didn't dare to say the rest. Most likely, it was the work of the Princess. He stole a glance at Du Gu Qing and saw that there was no expression on his face. He couldn't tell what kind of mood he was in, so he had to help him sit down.
"It must be my wonderful Princess. It's really hard for her to make my study look like this."
There was no sign of anger or happiness in Du Gu Qing's words. Han Zhao frowned and had to carefully roll up the scrolls one by one. Many of the scrolls by famous calligraphers were damaged beyond repair. Some weren't damaged, but there were several footprints on them, which would probably never fade.
Seeing the mess on the ground that was the Princess's "masterpiece," Han Zhao was speechless, but there was nothing he could do. The prince seemed to be in a very good mood.
"I think it's great. Instead of being suspected and framed by my older brother, I might as well accompany the Princess in her mischief. Maybe my ears will be quieter."
"Your Highness is so good-tempered. Aren't these all your favorites? Look, they're all ruined. The Princess really doesn't seem to care at all," Han Zhao started to grumble. He wondered if the Princess was really as well-educated and reasonable as people said. Could it be? Han Zhao shook his head. He knew about the prince and Young Master Luo Fan. Now the two of them were truly husband and wife, but the prince hadn't told her the truth of that day.
From the prince's eyes, Han Zhao knew that the prince was deeply in love with the Princess.
But the Princess had damaged the prince's beloved things so badly. What else could one say?
"Let the Princess be happy. I won't live past twenty-five anyway. As long as I'm still alive, I can support her. Let her have fun now. Maybe she'll have some good memories after I'm gone."
There was a look of desolation on Du Gu Qing's face. He wasn't afraid of death or pain. He was just afraid that the woman he had loved for several years wouldn't be happy. Everything she did was for him, and there was nothing that could change that.
Du Gu Qing knew that Mei Qingxue had turned his study into such a mess because of what he had said on the day they returned to her natal family.
He had told her that he had some early masterpieces of that person in his collection. Mei Qingxue had believed him. He didn't know that she was so deeply in love with him that she remembered every word he had said. A helpless smile appeared on Du Gu Qing's face. He didn't know if it was lucky or unlucky. Looking at the mess on the ground, he didn't feel the slightest bit of heartache. If she liked it, then he would let her do as she pleased.
"You all have to listen to the Princess. What if something happens to me one day."
"Your Highness!" Han Zhao growled with red eyes. He had followed the prince since he was a child and had the longest relationship with him. They were like brothers. Seeing the prince in trouble, Han Zhao wished he could take his place. Who would have thought that the prince would say such inauspicious and discouraging words today.
"Your Highness, if you're gone, I'll definitely follow you."
"If you follow me, who will protect the Princess for me? If I'm gone, you all have to take good care of the Princess." He was already twenty years old. In five years, if he couldn't cure the cold poison, he would accept his fate. It was just that he was so deeply in love that he had requested the imperial edict to marry her. He couldn't accompany Mei Qingxue for a lifetime. He just hoped that she wouldn't hate him.
"Has my good third brother made any moves?"
"Yes, your subordinate has found out that the Third Prince has secretly formed a clique with several officials and seems to have won their support."
"Go and find out which of these reckless officials they are. Let my eldest brother accidentally find out." A mysterious look flashed in Du Gu Qing's eyes. He wanted to live a peaceful life with Mei Qingxue, but his two older brothers kept testing him. He only had the title of a prince, no fief, and no real power. He didn't know why they were so nervous and regarded their little brother as their biggest enemy.
"The Eldest Prince has wanted to kill you for a long time. Although you haven't participated in the fight for the crown prince, you're still a legitimate prince. He won't show you any mercy," Han Zhao analyzed for Du Gu Qing.
"I thought you were just a rough and tough guy. I didn't know you were actually so insightful," Du Gu Qing said with a gentle smile. Han Zhao's big face turned red, and he scratched the back of his head embarrassedly. "Your Highness, your subordinate... your subordinate..."
He was so nervous that he couldn't speak. Du Gu Qing gently shook his head and didn't make things difficult for Han Zhao anymore.
"Find out who the cook is today. If it's still that Jiang Benfen, quickly get some food from outside for me. I don't have the courage to eat the food he cooks."
Han Zhao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. You didn't want to eat it yourself, so you gave it to him, a poor illiterate guard. Thanks to the Princess, he could now pronounce the word "yue" correctly.
"Then Your Highness, please wait a moment. Your subordinate will be back soon."
He hoped it wouldn't be Jiang Benfen. If he had to eat that kind of food one more time, he might as well just buy a block of tofu and kill himself. That kind of food was really not something a guard could handle.
Han Zhao ran into the kitchen as fast as he could. When he saw that the chef was the familiar Li Dalu, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Lord Han Zhao, why do you have the time to come and inspect the kitchen?" Li Dalu greeted Han Zhao warmly when he saw him.
Han Zhao smiled and said, "To be honest with you, the prince has returned to the mansion. He sent me to the kitchen to see if Jiang Benfen is the chef. If so, he'll buy food outside to eat."
Jiang Benfen's aggrieved voice came from behind the stove:
"Is my cooking really that bad? The Princess praised me and told me to keep improving." Han Zhao was startled and quickly looked around for the source of the voice. Sure enough, he saw Jiang Benfen, who used to dig manure.
When he saw him, Han Zhao's stomach started to cramp.
Jiang Benfen's face was covered in black ash. He looked at Guard Han Zhao innocently. It wasn't his choice to cook for them. He couldn't disobey the Princess's order. Han Zhao's face immediately stiffened, looking extremely strange. "You should keep improving. You all keep busy. I'll go and report to the prince."
Keep improving? Han Zhao was so scared that he ran even faster than when he came.
"Your Highness, it's still Jiang Benfen. Your Highness, don't count on it. You can't even set foot in the kitchen," thinking of Jiang Benfen's appearance, Han Zhao looked even more miserable than if he was crying.
"Hehe," Du Gu Qing laughed.
He really didn't dare to imagine the new cook's cooking skills.
"Then go secretly to Yingkelai and buy a few dishes. Don't let anyone see," Du Gu Qing instructed like a thief. Han Zhao immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
"Your subordinate obeys!" Han Zhao clasped his hands and immediately turned to leave the study. Yingkelai was quiet at this time. He could quickly get the prince's food and also order a portion for himself.
Carrying two portions of food in his hands, Han Zhao didn't know why the prince had specifically told him to be secretive. Before he could figure it out, he met someone on his way back to the study.
Yue Ru, the personal maid of Mei Qingxue.
As soon as Yue Ru saw what Han Zhao was carrying, her eyes turned into crescent moons. The Princess was really brilliant. She had told her to wait here for the prince's guard. There would be delicious food in the evening.
"Miss Yue Ru, what do you want from me?" Han Zhao didn't know why the maid was blocking his way.
"Guard Han Zhao, the Princess has an order," Yue Ru looked serious. In fact, she was extremely happy inside and tried hard to hold it in. Then she continued, "To reward the hardworking prince and his guard, the kitchen will specially add some dishes in the evening."
"I already have some!" Han Zhao sincerely showed the packed food to Yue Ru. Yue Ru secretly swallowed her saliva.
She reached out to take it and said, "The Princess also said that the prince is in poor health. The hygiene of the food outside is not as good as that in the mansion. It's better not to eat outside food randomly, lest it upset his stomach."
Han Zhao watched helplessly as Yue Ru took the two portions of food from his hands and walked away proudly.
Han Zhao was stunned at first and then completely dumbfounded. No wonder the prince had specifically told him to be careful.
"Han Zhao, come in!"
After the maid had walked far away, Du Gu Qing opened the door of the study.
"Your Highness, your subordinate is incompetent!"
Han Zhao was so ashamed that he was about to kneel down. Du Gu Qing waved his hand. "It's not your fault. My Princess is really clever. But she has her tricks, and I have my own ways."
Du Gu Qing laughed. Just now, he had felt that Han Zhao wouldn't be successful, so he had specifically called Uncle Fu and bought another portion of food from a different restaurant.