In the imperial court, Duke You of the Dugu family sat high on his throne. Looking at the officials in front of him and his several adult and married princes, he let out a soft sigh.
Now that he was still in good health, those people were already fighting tooth and nail. The only heir he favored was in poor health. As a result, the court officials were divided into two factions. One supported the third prince, Dugu Jue, while the other supported his eldest son, Dugu Ming.
Whenever it was time for the court session, one could see the two factions vying with each other.
Dugu You watched the chaotic court with a headache. He knew that it was imperative to establish a crown prince, and there was no room for compromise. However, neither the eldest prince nor the third prince was his ideal choice for the heir. Yet he had to choose one of them. He looked at Dugu Qing with a touch of heartache. That person seemed completely unaware of his gaze, which made Dugu You feel a slight twinge of sadness.
"Prime Minister, present your memorial regarding the crown prince!"
Dugu You directly called out Mei Zhenguo's name. Mei Zhenguo felt a sudden jolt in his heart. He had already noticed the unfriendly looks from the eldest prince and the third prince. No matter which one he chose, his family would not have a good ending. Only the powerless Dugu Qing seemed to have no interest in this matter at all.
"Your humble servant is here!" Mei Zhenguo stepped forward and found himself the focus of everyone's attention. The looks from the two factions seemed like swords and daggers crossing on his back.
When did he ever submit a memorial about the crown prince? Mei Zhenguo knew that if he didn't come up with a feasible solution today, he might not make it out alive.
"In our dynasty, the worthy is always chosen over the eldest. Your Majesty is wise. You can send the candidates you think suitable for the crown prince to several places to do some work. The one who wins the hearts of the people will be the one!"
Mei Zhenguo's words made the two princes look at him with dissatisfaction. They either wanted him to simply choose one side to support and fight it out, or to retire from the court immediately.
Dugu Qing quietly observed the wonderful expressions on his two elder brothers' faces and noticed that his father was also sitting high and watching the show. Dugu Qing knew that he was in poor health and had no chance to compete with his elder brothers for the throne. Moreover, he had no such ambition in the first place.
"Your Majesty, your son has something to report!" Just as Dugu Qing was feeling conflicted, the third prince stepped forward.
"Speak!"
"Your son thinks that what the Prime Minister said is quite right. This way, we can not only test our abilities but also see if we can win the hearts of the people."
Dugu Jue's sudden support for Mei Zhenguo's proposal made Dugu You a little stunned. Then a deep smile appeared on his face.
"My son has made progress."
Seeing his father praise Dugu Jue, Dugu Ming was not willing to be outdone. "Father, your son was just thinking about which two places would be more suitable for me and the third brother to go."
Dugu You nodded.
"You have a good heart."
Dugu Jue and Dugu Ming snorted at each other. Mei Zhenguo wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and returned to his original position. Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Dugu You saw his relaxed look and immediately called out his name again.
"Prime Minister, which two places do you think are the most suitable for my sons to gain experience?"
Dugu You's eyes were intimidating even without anger, which made Mei Zhenguo shiver. He immediately bent over and stepped forward. "Your Majesty, Tongcheng and Lancheng are the most suitable!"
Without looking at the resentful looks from the two princes, Mei Zhenguo knew that he had been put on the spot by the emperor. He immediately named two cities with similar situations.
Hearing it was Tongcheng and Lancheng, a smile appeared on Dugu Qing's lips, but he quickly suppressed it. These two cities were not only poor but also the weakest areas of influence for his two elder brothers. There were also countless bandits and robbers.
Dugu You nodded. "Then it's settled for now." His eyes swept over everyone in the court with authority.
"If anyone has something to report, please do so. If not, the court is adjourned."
Dugu Jue and Dugu Ming glared at each other fiercely and then returned to their positions.
"See Your Majesty off. Long live Your Majesty, long live, long live!"
Hearing this cry, a look of greed flashed across the faces of Dugu Jue and Dugu Ming.
After the court was adjourned, Dugu Qing had to go back to pick up Mei Qingxue and take her into the palace to meet Concubine Qin.
When he was about to leave the palace gate, a figure quickly stepped in front of him. Han Zhao was about to take action when he saw that the figure was Mei Haoxuan.
Mei Haoxuan immediately bowed when he saw Dugu Qing. "Your Highness, I'm on duty and wearing armor, so I'm not convenient to pay full respects."
"It doesn't matter!" Seeing it was his brother - in - law, Dugu Qing wondered why he had stopped him. He waved his hand and told Han Zhao to step back behind him.
"I stopped Your Highness for my younger sister." Mei Haoxuan said seriously. "My younger sister was spoiled at home before she got married. Please be more tolerant of her, Your Highness."
So that was the reason. A smile appeared on Dugu Qing's face. He pretended to cough twice.
"General Mei, please don't be so polite. Your younger sister is well - educated and a good wife. Please rest assured, and also please tell the Prime Minister and his wife to rest assured." Seeing that there was no one else around, Dugu Qing stepped forward and whispered, "I will often take Xue'er back to the mansion to pay respects to my father - in - law and mother - in - law."
Hearing Dugu Qing's words, a look of relief appeared on Mei Haoxuan's face. She was his dearest and most beloved younger sister. What he was most worried about was that she would marry the wrong person. Now that he heard what the sixth prince said, Mei Haoxuan felt much more at ease.
"I'm still on duty, so I won't chat with Your Highness anymore. Farewell!" After saying that, he strode away with his head held high. Dugu Qing looked at his brother - in - law's back, and a smile appeared on his lips.
Normally, it was his princess who caused chaos in the mansion. He didn't know where this "well - educated" description came from. Han Zhao almost burst out laughing. When had that lively and mischievous princess ever been well - educated? Han Zhao couldn't imagine it. Yet the prince praised the princess as if she were the only one in the world.
Han Zhao couldn't help but let out a laugh. Dugu Qing immediately turned his head.
"What? Do you want the princess to teach you a lesson?"
"Don't..." Han Zhao stammered. "Your subordinate just thought that Your Highness has been in a better mood recently, and I'm happy for Your Highness."
The princess had made a mess of the mansion, but the prince really had more smiles on his face. He even often smiled to himself.
"Since that's the case, I'll spare you this time. Don't say anything bad about the princess."
Dugu Qing thought that if he said something like that again, he would let the princess teach him until he was convinced. This guy was really becoming more and more daring.
"Yes, yes, Your subordinate will never dare again." Han Zhao secretly groaned. He had just couldn't help but let out a laugh. He almost got sent to the princess for education.
He thought to himself that he was really lucky. Fortunately, he said something the prince liked to hear, or the prince would really have punished him. Han Zhao was also puzzled. He didn't know when he had started to flatter others. It was really strange!
When leaving the palace, Dugu Qing didn't take the busy main gate. He didn't like to meet his elder brothers. For so many years, it had become their habit to bully him. Although he didn't really care about it, he still felt uncomfortable. In the past, it was okay when he was alone. But now that he was married, they still behaved like this. It seemed that he really had to teach them a lesson, or they would think that this sick tiger would never show its claws.
"Your Highness... Where shall we go now?"
"Back to the mansion to pick up the princess and go to the palace!" Last time when he was in court, his mother - concubine had been nagging about why he didn't bring his daughter - in - law. Actually, he knew what his mother - concubine meant. It was nothing more than taking good care of his health and having an heir as soon as possible. Maybe today she would talk to Mei Qingxue about taking a concubine. If he didn't handle it well, the relationship between him and the princess would become tense again. They had just made some progress.
After all, this was just his guess. He didn't know how to talk to Mei Qingxue about it. Moreover, it was normal for a man to have concubines. Although he didn't like it, if Mei Qingxue agreed, he wouldn't refuse.
Just as he was thinking, the carriage arrived at the mansion gate. Mei Qingxue had already dressed up in the formal attire of a princess and was waiting for him to pick her up.
"Princess, the prince is here to pick you up." As soon as she saw the prince's figure, Yue Ru immediately reported to Mei Qingxue. She didn't go to the palace with the princess last time, so this time she must go and have a look. Besides, she was going to get married soon, and she might not have another chance to follow the princess into the palace.
"Help me up." Mei Qingxue raised her hand. Dugu Qing quickly stepped forward and held her hand.
Mei Qingxue withdrew her hand from his. "Your Highness is in poor health. You should take care of yourself."
As she said that, she gave Dugu Qing a fierce look, blaming him for making her lose face.
Dugu Qing scratched his nose awkwardly. He had wanted to be considerate but had ended up getting rebuffed.
Yue Ru secretly laughed. Mei Qingxue glared at her maid again.
"If you keep dawdling, I'll go back and take a nap."
Yue Ru quickly came over to support Mei Qingxue. Dugu Qing scratched his nose embarrassedly. "It's all because your husband is useless and in poor health." He even coughed a few times in a serious manner.
Mei Qingxue rolled her eyes at him and let Yue Ru help her into the carriage. Han Zhao helped Dugu Qing and then also got into the carriage. After they were seated, Han Zhao and Yue Ru followed the carriage on the left and right sides respectively and headed towards the palace.
Dugu Qing took Mei Qingxue's hand. He didn't know whether he should tell her his guess. After thinking for a while, he said, "There's something I don't know how to tell you."
After saying that, he looked at Mei Qingxue. Mei Qingxue thought his tone was a bit strange. She said irritably, "Just say it. If you've taken a fancy to a girl from some family, just bring her back!"
No man was a good thing. It had only been a few days since he married her, and now he wanted to take a concubine. If that really happened, she would never let him touch her again.
Just like many time - traveling people, Mei Qingxue wanted to have only one partner for her whole life.
However, she wouldn't tell Dugu Qing about this. After all, she was in ancient times and would adapt to the local customs. But what to do after that was her own business. She didn't like to use things that others had used.