He loved it when she smiled, loved her childishness, her pouts, and every lively expression on her face.
But when she was unhappy, he could sense the disappointment in her heart.
"Han Chao, go and find out what's going on."
"Yes, Your Highness!" Han Chao took the order and left.
Not long after, Han Chao returned to report, "Your Highness, it was a killer from the Azure Sea Pavilion. He failed in his mission and was captured yesterday."
"Who was he sent to kill?" A shock went through Du Gu Qing. He had forgotten that the Azure Sea Pavilion under Mei Qingxue had a wide range of operations.
"Tang Tangtao, the inspector of Meizhou."
"What about that man..."
Du Gu Qing fell into deep thought. Tang was the brother - in - law of his third elder brother, the prince. He was said to be corrupt, taking bribes, and even casually taking people's lives, all relying on the influence of the third prince.
Thinking of this, a smile appeared in the corners of Du Gu Qing's eyes.
"So she was just concerned about her subordinates." Du Gu Qing let out a soft laugh. He didn't care why his princess was the leader of a group of killers. As long as she was his Xue, everything was fine. In his eyes, Mei Qingxue had her justifiable reasons for everything she did. As long as there was no other man in the picture, everything would be perfect. The exception was the charming young master he had pretended to be, but that was his own doing.
"Han Chao, help with this matter, but don't let the princess know that we've helped her."
He thought she probably didn't like to ask him for help. The fact that she had managed to set up her own business showed that she didn't like to rely on external forces. Since she didn't like it, he wouldn't let her know a thing.
"Yes, Your Highness. I'll go and take care of it right away."
Du Gu Qing thought for a moment. His little woman would surely bring the person back to the mansion to recuperate. He might as well handle everything for her.
"When the princess brings someone back, just do a cursory check and let them in."
"Yes." Han Chao responded helplessly. The princess was always bringing in all sorts of people, and the prince didn't seem to care at all. Han Chao frowned secretly. If the prince indulged the princess like this, she would surely become unruly in the future.
After pacing around the Welcome Inn for who knew how many times, Mei Qingxue finally saw An Ying coming back with a person. She heaved a big sigh of relief. "Are you okay?"
"Master, it's just some minor injuries. He'll recover after some rest. It's nothing serious. He can stay in the back hall of this inn. It'll be fine." An Ying knew what Mei Qingxue was thinking. She wanted to bring the person back to the royal mansion, where it would be safe.
"That's good."
Mei Qingxue looked at the unconscious man and waved for An Ying to help him into the backyard. There was a secluded small courtyard in the Welcome Inn. It was no problem to accommodate a person there.
After examining the killer's injuries, she found that they were indeed not life - threatening. Only then did she feel relieved.
"An Ying, you're very familiar with the personnel of the Azure Sea Pavilion. Find some people to take care of him. He's one of our own brothers. Take good care of him. If there's anything lacking, there's money in the account. You can take it as you see fit."
Mei Qingxue's words were simple, but everyone present was deeply touched. Even the unconscious killer hadn't expected to be able to leave that man's dungeon alive.
"Get rid of any tails. Don't draw anyone's attention to this place."
If this place was exposed, it would be unsafe. After all, they had done a lot to get rid of corrupt officials, all of whom were under the influence of the first and third princes. If they knew that the Azure Sea Pavilion was against them and had a gathering place here, their lives would be in danger. Mei Qingxue would never allow such a thing to happen.
She had sent An Ying because he was the best at hiding his tracks. Even when he was seriously injured, he hadn't been caught.
"Now that there's nothing else, I'll leave. When you go on missions in the future, read the safety regulations carefully. We need to make money, but we need to be alive to do so. Otherwise, who are we making money for? I won't say more. Pay attention to safety. Remember!"
"Yes!" Everyone responded. Only An Ying's eyes flickered. No one knew what he was thinking.
Mei Qingxue rushed back to the royal mansion as fast as she could. What would she say if the man woke up and asked where she had been? Lying wasn't her forte.
As soon as she entered her bedroom, the man was sleeping soundly. It was good that he hadn't woken up. Had she given him too much of the medicine? Why had he been in the same position for so long? Mei Qingxue took a closer look and found that the guy was snoring softly. His breathing was even, and he was clearly sleeping well.
She lay down beside him fully dressed. She hadn't slept well after worrying all night and was just about to catch up on some sleep... Suddenly, the man pretended to turn over and pinned her under him. What was going on?
Mei Qingxue tried to push Du Gu Qing away hard and found that he was just turning over in his sleep. She rolled her eyes in frustration. Just as she was about to push him again forcefully, his hand started to wander.
He was clearly still asleep with his eyes closed, but his hand... Where was it going?
Mei Qingxue felt a headache coming on. This was really too much.
Was this guy thinking about that even in his dreams? Damn it. Could he be a bit more decent? He was so skillful at unbuttoning her clothes even with his eyes closed. She couldn't push him away, and instead, she was showered with random kisses all over her face.
"Pervert! Let..." Before she could finish the word "go", her words were blocked by his mouth. He kissed her deeply and passionately with his eyes closed, looking very content.
She was determined not to let him succeed this time. She reached out and pinched his nipple hard again and again. Taking advantage of the moment when Du Gu Qing opened his eyes in pain and his movements paused, Mei Qingxue quickly pushed him away and got up. She then went to sleep on the low couch by the window.
"Princess, you're really cruel. It's all red..." Du Gu Qing pretended to lift his clothes to check.
Mei Qingxue simply turned her face away. Trying to seduce her in broad daylight! Although she had a weakness for good - looking men, but in broad daylight... Wasn't this the wrong time?
"Pfft!"
Mei Qingxue spat softly.
"You're so shameless. Don't you even look at what time it is? Although you're a powerless prince, you can't spend all your time in bed!"
"The princess is right." Suppressing the fire in his heart, Du Gu Qing gently agreed with her words. He sat down beside her and accompanied her as they looked out of the window.
"I heard from my mother that your health has improved a bit compared to previous years?"
Mei Qingxue didn't want to be a widow. After the hardships of her previous lives, she was going to turn things around in this life. She would never accept her fate again.
"Actually, I lied to mother. I was afraid she would worry. My health has been like this for the past few years."
"It seems that there's more to your illness than meets the eye. I've already asked someone to find some good doctors to treat you." Mei Qingxue turned to look at him seriously.
"It's useless." Du Gu Qing smiled faintly. He didn't know how many famous doctors he had consulted or how many folk remedies he had tried, but his condition remained the same. As time passed, the poison in his body was getting worse. He was afraid that he wouldn't even live to be twenty - five, and he would have to be separated from the person in front of him for good.
"Where are you going to find a famous doctor so easily? All the good doctors are in the imperial hospital."
Du Gu Qing changed the subject, "It's strange. I only ate a little today, but I slept for so long?"
Mei Qingxue said calmly, "Your Highness is in poor health and has been working hard all night. It's better for us to sleep separately in the future. This will be good for your health."
Seeing that Mei Qingxue had so casually taken away his privilege of sleeping with her at night, Du Gu Qing felt a headache coming on. Now that he had tasted the sweetness, how could he sleep alone?
It was easy to get used to luxury, but hard to get used to frugality.
Thinking of the wonderful moments with her, a certain part of Du Gu Qing's body started to stir again. Knowing that Mei Qingxue would definitely not agree to him this time, Du Gu Qing had to suppress his desire. He lay farther away from her. If he was too close, he wouldn't be able to control himself when he smelled her scent.
Hearing Du Gu Qing lie back on the bed, Mei Qingxue turned her face to a place where Du Gu Qing couldn't see and secretly showed a triumphant smile.
"Princess..."
Yue Ru was smarter this time. She knew that the prince hadn't left the princess's bedroom, so she didn't rush in recklessly. Instead, she softly called out from outside the door.
Mei Qingxue couldn't pretend to be asleep anymore, so she got up. "What is it, Yue Ru?"
"Princess, today is the day to check the accounts of the restaurant. I'll go and check the books and come back soon." Mei Qingxue also had a public restaurant, which was always managed by Yue Ru on her behalf.
"If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten. After checking this month's business, buy some high - quality cloth for my parents and have someone make some appropriate clothes for them. I can't go back casually, so please check on them more often for me. My brother is usually not at home. If he is, please tell him that I like all the things he brought. Tell my brother to do his job well."
Mei Qingxue gave all the instructions she could think of.
Only then did Du Gu Qing remember that he had a brother - in - law who didn't like him. It seemed that if he wanted to improve his relationship with his brother - in - law, he would need the princess's help.
Thinking of this, Du Gu Qing sat up. "Wait, Yue Ru, right? Hold on a second."
"Princess, this return gift is too simple." He remembered that her brother was a military general. He knew how to cater to his interests.
"There's a sword in my study. It's said to be an ancient sword. I'm not in good health, so I don't need it. Ask Han Chao to get it and give it to my brother - in - law on my behalf. Tell him it's my gift. Don't let him think it's too shabby. Also, tell my brother - in - law that both the princess and I miss him very much."
To win over his brother - in - law, he had to start with Mei Qingxue. As expected, after he finished speaking, he saw the expression on Mei Qingxue's face soften. "Thank you, Your Highness. My brother loves swords. This gift is just what he wants."
Seeing Mei Qingxue happy, Du Gu Qing was also happy in his heart, but he said, "We're all family. If I don't think about my family, who else should I think about?"
"You're right." Mei Qingxue felt a bit embarrassed. In order to deal with this rascal, she had deliberately added ginger powder to his food. But now, what Du Gu Qing had done didn't match his reputation as the "Ghost King" at all. Seeing that he was kind to her family, Mei Qingxue was also happy, and a smile involuntarily appeared on her face.
"Then I'll go. Do the princess and the prince have any other instructions?" Yue Ru spontaneously put the princess's title first.