Mei Qingxue also disliked others using her things. Although she wasn't sure about her feelings for Du Gu Qing, she had already regarded Du Gu Qing as her own property.
Du Gu Qing never expected that Mei Qingxue would guess his thoughts before he even opened his mouth.
"No, I didn't take a fancy to any other young lady!"
Before Du Gu Qing could finish his sentence, Mei Qingxue immediately thought of a young man in a submissive role. So he has such a preference! Just like the Third Prince. Truly, birds of a feather flock together. Thinking of this, Mei Qingxue frowned and ignored Du Gu Qing.
Du Gu Qing quickly said, "No, no!" Knowing that Mei Qingxue had misunderstood, he explained, "I meant that I'm afraid that when you enter the palace this time, Mother Concubine will bring up the matter of me taking a concubine. It's all up to you. If you agree, I'll take one. If you don't, I won't."
Mei Qingxue let out a sigh of relief and gave him a disdainful look. This guy had made her so anxious, unable to finish a single sentence.
"If you want to take a concubine, report it to me quickly. Later, when I see Mother-in-law, I'll ask for permission. But if you promise now that you won't take a concubine and then bring one into the mansion later, just wait for me to write you a divorce letter."
"A woman's divorce letter doesn't count," Du Gu Qing said sheepishly.
Mei Qingxue sneered, "If you do this behind my back, I'll shave my hair and become a nun." After saying that, she refused to look at Du Gu Qing.
Du Gu Qing quickly smiled apologetically, "My dear Princess, I'll listen to you. Is that okay?" He tried to coax Mei Qingxue all the way, but she didn't even give him a smile. Du Gu Qing knew that he had said the wrong thing.
"I didn't think about it before. As I said, if you agree, I'll take one."
Mei Qingxue said, "It's up to you!"
Hearing the conversation inside the carriage, Han Zhao was completely stunned. Since when did the Prince need to report to the Princess before taking a side concubine?
Yue Ru whispered behind the carriage, "If I get married, I'll be the main wife. If you want to take a concubine, you'd better ask the Princess first." Hearing what the Princess had said to the Prince, Yue Ru felt extremely happy.
"How dare I!"
I can't even afford to support you, a young lady. I'm just a poor bodyguard. Seeing the desolate look on Han Zhao's face.
Yue Ru quickly said, "I'm just joking with you. If I... get married, I'll surely be a good and virtuous wife."
Han Zhao looked at Yue Ru with glowing eyes. Yue Ru gave him a coquettish look. It wouldn't be long before they got married.
Inside the carriage, it was unusually quiet, scaring Han Zhao and Yue Ru into silence.
Before long, Du Gu Qing's voice grew louder, "My lady..."
Han Zhao stumbled and almost fell to the ground.
What's going on? Han Zhao really wanted to take a look inside the carriage, but he didn't dare.
Mei Qingxue curled her lips, "Do I look that old? Don't try to take advantage of me. Go and stand aside." Looking at the little woman beside him, unable to touch or kiss her, Du Gu Qing was so anxious that he almost jumped up. He couldn't help but feel remorseful. He should have known better than to say those words. When Mother Concubine brought it up, she could handle it herself. Now he was in an awkward situation and his heart was itching.
"Your Highness, we're here."
The carriage stopped. Mei Qingxue got off the carriage first, not giving Du Gu Qing a chance to show his courtesy. Yue Ru quickly followed behind Mei Qingxue, leaving the Prince behind. Han Zhao stood behind the Prince, looking at the Princess's back, and let out a wail.
The Prince and the Princess were walking separately. What should they say if Concubine Qin asked about it later?
"Princess, won't you wait for the Prince?" Yue Ru whispered behind Mei Qingxue.
They had entered the palace together, but one was in front and the other was behind. Anyone could tell that something was amiss. Yue Ru was afraid that others would find fault, so she quickly reminded Mei Qingxue.
"Sure, I remember there's a pavilion in front. Help me go there and sit down." Yue Ru helped Mei Qingxue sit down in the pavilion. Du Gu Qing, being weak, could only walk slowly.
When he reached Mei Qingxue, Du Gu Qing coughed twice.
"Princess, I was wrong, okay?" Du Gu Qing lowered his voice, and his expression looked rather strange.
"What did you do wrong?" Mei Qingxue knew his awkwardness well. Men in ancient times were like masters. When it was appropriate, Mei Qingxue would surely give them enough face, but not now.
The conversation between the two made Han Zhao and Yue Ru break out in a cold sweat. They quickly stood farther away. They definitely hadn't heard a single word.
Seeing Du Gu Qing's humble tone, Mei Qingxue knew when to stop. She slowly stood up and said, "It's so hot today. I just feel like losing my temper."
"Princess, here..." Yue Ru quickly came to help her when she saw her standing up.
Du Gu Qing followed slowly with a smile on his lips. Han Zhao just wanted to bury his head in the sand like an ostrich.
This unique Princess was really a shocker!
"Your Ladyship, Prince Six and Princess Six have come to pay their respects to you," Xiao Yue said with a smile, standing behind Concubine Qin and gently fanning her. According to her rank, she didn't need to fan anymore, but she was used to serving Concubine Qin, so this was her usual practice.
"Greetings, Mother Concubine."
"Greetings, Mother Concubine."
As they were speaking, the two of them entered together and bowed. Concubine Qin sat up and looked at them with a smile on her face. She didn't even notice that the nail guard on her hand had fallen off. Mei Qingxue quickly went over to pick it up and gently helped her put it back on. Only then did she notice that Concubine Qin's hands, who was nearly forty years old, were as smooth as a baby's.
"Mother Concubine, your skin is really good," Mei Qingxue said sincerely, envious. After all, not many people could maintain their skin like this.
Concubine Qin smiled sweetly and said, "Xiao Yue, bring me the Wan Yu Lu."
Before long, Xiao Yue fetched a small bottle. Concubine Qin motioned for her to give it to Mei Qingxue.
"This is it. It's a secret recipe!" After saying that, she covered her mouth and laughed.
Du Gu Qing quickly took it for Mei Qingxue and put it in his bosom. "This is Mother Concubine's treasure. I remember that when I was a child, I accidentally spilled some, and Mother Concubine blamed me for a long time."
Concubine Qin was slightly stunned. "You still remember?" At that time, Qing'er wasn't raised by her. She only saw him for a few days at most. She never expected that Qing'er would still remember such a small thing so clearly.
"Yes, Mother Concubine," Du Gu Qing said, feeling a bit sad. He was clearly her own son, but he couldn't call her mother. He could only call her Mother Concubine.
Mei Qingxue saw clearly that Concubine Qin's eyes were slightly red. The true feelings in her eyes flashed by and disappeared. Truly, the palace was a cannibalistic place. There was no true feelings. If there were, they could only be buried deep in the heart like Concubine Qin's, and never shown to others.
Seeing the deep affection between her mother-in-law and her husband, Mei Qingxue was also a bit touched. She had only spent a few years with her parents and elder brother in this life before getting married.
Concubine Qin quickly collected her emotions, and her face showed that calm and unchanging smile again. Only now did Mei Qingxue realize that the smile was so fake.
"Xiao Yue, why aren't you serving tea yet?"
Concubine Qin's face was smiling gently, but her eyes were extremely sharp. Mei Qingxue was secretly shocked. She decided to learn this trick and use it to deal with Du Gu Qing's concubines in the future.
"Has Qing'er's health improved recently?" This was a question she always asked every time she saw him.
"Mother Concubine, Qing'er has improved a lot recently," Du Gu Qing replied.
Concubine Qin carefully examined Du Gu Qing's complexion and nodded in satisfaction. "It seems so. It seems that my daughter-in-law is really to your liking."
When she looked at Mei Qingxue, her eyes softened a bit.
"Princess Six has taken good care of the Prince," she said. However, the smile on her face made Du Gu Qing unable to figure out her true feelings. Mei Qingxue guessed that Concubine Qin's look was meant to intimidate her, but she wasn't afraid. She knew how to be obedient on the surface while disobeying in private.
"Thank you for your praise, Mother Concubine. Recently, the Prince has been sleeping much better. He used to be a light sleeper and easily awakened," Mei Qingxue said, knowing that taking credit was a tried-and-true method.
"I didn't know that Qing'er used to be a light sleeper," Concubine Qin said, looking at Du Gu Qing.
Du Gu Qing didn't know that he had such a problem either. But now, whether he had it or not, he had to admit it. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to get close to Mei Qingxue at night. Mei Qingxue didn't even look at him, but she was sure that Du Gu Qing wouldn't expose her.
"Yes, Mother Concubine. It has improved a lot now. The Princess often massages my head. I didn't tell you before because I was afraid that you would worry about me," Du Gu Qing said.
Hearing Du Gu Qing's words, Concubine Qin's expression completely relaxed. Before, she was afraid that the daughter of the Marquis of Mei would dislike Qing'er because he was a sickly person. She was afraid that she would treat him badly in the Prince's Mansion. After all, the people she had arranged in the Prince's Mansion had all been sent back to the palace by this new Princess on some pretext.
Mei Qingxue, who had experienced ten lifetimes, knew that Concubine Qin was just putting on a show to intimidate her.
How could Mei Qingxue be afraid? With Du Gu Qing's protection, she was now bold.
"That's good," Concubine Qin's voice also softened, just like when they first met.
Mei Qingxue didn't want to know whether this was the real Concubine Qin or not. Now, she just wanted to take good care of her family, herself, her husband, and her subordinates. Whether her mother-in-law treated her well or not didn't matter much to her. In this world, everything depended on her husband's attitude. Moreover, the matter of Du Gu Qing seeing a famous doctor needed to be arranged earlier. It couldn't be delayed.
"Mother Concubine!" Mei Qingxue smiled faintly. "You can rest assured. I'll surely take good care of the Prince's health."
This was to reassure her mother-in-law. Although it wasn't like an ordinary family where she had only one mother-in-law, this one was the real deal.
Mei Qingxue knew how to flatter. Even if she didn't know how before, after ten lifetimes of experience, even a pig would be able to climb a tree.
At this time, Xiao Yue had brought the pastries that Du Gu Qing liked the most and placed them beside him. Since Mei Qingxue was sitting farther away, Du Gu Qing picked them up and was about to place them beside her.
Seeing this, Xiao Yue smiled and said, "Your Highness, these are specially prepared for you. The Princess's will be ready soon." Afraid that Concubine Qin would be suspicious, Xiao Yue immediately understood what was going on between Du Gu Qing and the Princess.
"This may not be something a maid should say, but I have to say it. Your Ladyship, I see that the Prince and the Princess are deeply in love. I'm afraid that your wish will come true soon," Xiao Yue said.
"Really?" Concubine Qin raised her eyebrows.