Hearing the words of her maid Xiaoyue, Concubine Qin's face immediately showed eagerness. She looked at Mei Qingxue with a beaming smile. "Xue'er, can I call you like this? It won't be too abrupt, right?"
"Not at all!" Mei Qingxue lowered her head. Even if she minded, she didn't dare to say so at this moment. This place was like a dragon's den and a tiger's lair. Even though she had read many time - travel novels in her previous nine lives, she still couldn't handle things with ease here.
Concubine Qin gently lifted her little finger. Mei Qingxue saw that the gem on her fingernail shone brightly, dazzlingly so.
Concubine Qin stretched out a finger and gently hooked it. Mei Qingxue obediently stood in front of her.
Du Gu Qing noticed her reluctance and quickly said, "Mother Concubine, Xue'er is shy. Please don't make things difficult for her."
"The more I look at Xue'er, the more I like her," Concubine Qin said as she grabbed Mei Qingxue's little hand and gently pinched it in her own. "She looks like a lucky child at first glance."
She sized Mei Qingxue up and down, with her eyes paying special attention to Mei Qingxue's abdomen.
"When are you going to give me a grandchild? Hmm?"
Mei Qingxue pretended to be shy. "Mother Concubine... It's still too early to talk about these things!" Mei Qingxue said in a voice almost like a mosquito's hum. "I'm still young!" After saying that, she almost vomited from her own affectation.
It seemed that in the Qing Dynasty, Manchu daughters - in - law would give birth at the age of thirteen or fourteen. She really didn't know how those men could do such things to wives who were still children. Fortunately, she didn't time - travel to the Qing Dynasty. If that old guy, the King of Hell, still troubled her, she would definitely tear down his palace and pluck out all his beard.
"Achoo..."
Just as this thought flashed through Mei Qingxue's mind, someone sneezed several times in a row. Knowing that it was that fiend cursing him, he quietly wrote a note in Mei Qingxue's life record, "Many children!"
The person chuckled. "You can just keep giving birth. Hehe. Let's see if you still have time to mess with my palace of the King of Hell."
Mei Qingxue shivered. "Brr... Where did this cold wind come from?"
Concubine Qin didn't seem to notice. She continued, "As members of the royal family, we should abide by the rules. Well, I won't set rules for you. Sit down quickly. I can see that if I don't let my daughter - in - law sit down, my son will be restless."
"How dare I, Mother Concubine?" Du Gu Qing coughed slightly.
Mei Qingxue quickly stood behind him and gently stroked his back, saying softly, "Are you feeling better?"
"Yeah." Du Gu Qing blushed a little. Pretending to be weak in front of his own mother wasn't the first time for him. Every time Concubine Qin was about to start nagging, this trick always worked.
"You really care more about your wife than your mother," Concubine Qin said, sounding both heart - aching and reproachful.
Du Gu Qing didn't mind. He looked at Mei Qingxue and smiled foolishly. The person he wanted to protect for his whole life was right in front of him. What else could he ask for?
But the next words from Concubine Qin made Du Gu Qing not know what to do. His mother Concubine said, "I'm old. I'm lonely in the palace. You two should hurry up and give me a grandchild. Sigh..."
Concubine Qin wasn't even forty years old. Old? Mei Qingxue was sweating all over her head. Even if she had a grandchild at forty, and the grandchild had a child at sixteen, it would be no problem to have six generations living together, not to mention five.
Du Gu Qing didn't show any reaction. Presumably, he thought the same way. Mei Qingxue was only sixteen. How could she have a child?
"What do you think, daughter - in - law?" Concubine Qin asked.
Mei Qingxue nodded, but said, "Mother Concubine, you're not old at all. Although I don't know what you looked like in the past, you're at your most beautiful now." Suddenly, she ran out of words and didn't know how to praise the beautiful woman in front of her.
"Mother Concubine, don't talk nonsense. You're not old at all. Even the spring flowers and autumn moons pale in comparison to you," Du Gu Qing said. As soon as he said this, Concubine Qin immediately squinted her eyes. "You just like to tease your mother. If I looked like that, wouldn't I be a femme fatale?"
Goodness, what a flatterer!
Mei Qingxue raised her hand and covered her mouth with a ladylike smile. "Mother Concubine, look what you're saying. What the prince said is the truth."
After saying that, she immediately gave Du Gu Qing a look, asking him to continue flattering. Mei Qingxue herself picked up a small plate of snacks and sat on the footstool beside Concubine Qin. She said sweetly, "Mother Concubine, today's snacks taste really good! Try some..."
Concubine Qin looked at Mei Qingxue with a half - smile. "When does daughter - in - law plan to?" She glanced at Mei Qingxue's abdomen. The rest of the words were self - evident.
Du Gu Qing immediately looked at Mei Qingxue with eager eyes. He also really wanted to know the answer. Looking at the eager looks of the mother and son, Mei Qingxue just wanted to bang her head against the wall.
Having a child wasn't like buying vegetables. She couldn't just have a pregnancy whenever she wanted.
"The prince's body is still weak now, Mother Concubine. Don't be in a hurry. Once the prince's body is properly recuperated, there will be a grandson." The prince couldn't even perform his marital duties. Where could a grandson come from?
Mei Qingxue silently cursed Du Gu Qing. She would definitely drive that dead guy to the study to sleep tonight. It was too much. Not only didn't he help her deal with Concubine Qin, but he also added to her troubles.
Thinking of this, Mei Qingxue's eyes showed a bit of resentment. Du Gu Qing knew very well what this resentful look in his princess's eyes meant. He quickly said, "Mother Concubine, why are you in such a hurry? I'm not even in a hurry."
There would be a grandson. Du Gu Qing gave Concubine Qin a reproachful look. Mei Qingxue pretended not to see the eye - contact between the mother and son.
In the end, Concubine Qin was defeated. Du Gu Qing proudly showed off his success to Mei Qingxue.
Concubine Qin smiled nonchalantly. The real drama was yet to come. Her Qing'er was a handsome and noble prince. Although he didn't have real power, he was at least a registered prince. How could he have only one princess in the backyard? Without many concubines, her wish for many grandchildren would be hard to come true.
Thinking of this, a smile that Mei Qingxue couldn't understand appeared on Concubine Qin's face. But Mei Qingxue at least knew that the conversation under this smile would not be pleasant, and no one could predict the result.
Sure enough, Concubine Qin gently cleared her throat. "Daughter - in - law, I won't beat around the bush with you. I'm sure you know that Qing'er is, after all, a prince in the court. His backyard is too deserted. As the main princess, you should do something good for the prince."
Here it comes? Mei Qingxue sneered. Do something good for the prince's sexual pleasure? As his mother, she really dared to say so. But there was still a faint smile on Mei Qingxue's face.
"I'm not in a position to make this decision. The prince is the head of the family. He should make the decision on this matter."
"Look at what you're saying, daughter - in - law. You're the one in charge of the household. You should handle this matter. After all, the girls who enter the mansion will be your sisters. As the elder sister, you should lead them well."
"Mother Concubine, I rarely go out. Do you have any suitable candidates? Just let me pick one."
Du Gu Qing looked at Mei Qingxue in surprise. He had no idea what she meant. It was completely different from how she had acted when she came.
"Yeah." Concubine Qin nodded in satisfaction. "Daughter - in - law is really considerate."
If she didn't agree to take concubines, would she be considered inconsiderate? It seemed that Concubine Qin had already picked the candidates. If she couldn't control her own small family, she would rather leave.
Du Gu Qing saw the calm and serene look on Mei Qingxue's face. He didn't think she really agreed. It was a pity that his mother didn't notice. She continued, "There are several official's daughters. I think their temperaments are quite good. I've already invited them to come this afternoon. Let daughter - in - law meet them."
What did she mean by "let you meet them"? It was clearly a done deal. She didn't know what the point of saying this now was.
"If Mother Concubine thinks they're good, it's okay to keep them all." As long as that lecher could handle it.
The more Concubine Qin listened, the happier she became.
"Xiaoyue." She waved to her maid behind her. "Please invite those young ladies from yesterday... Miss Si Ma, the third princess of Marquis An Yu, and the eldest daughter of the General of the Central Guard together."
Although there was a smile on Mei Qingxue's face, it was already very forced.
Seeing that something was wrong, Du Gu Qing quickly stood up. "Mother Concubine!"
"Didn't you say yesterday that as long as your wife agreed, you wouldn't have any objections?" Concubine Qin said curiously.
"Yes, yes. I've changed my mind today," Du Gu Qing said anxiously and angrily as he looked at Mei Qingxue, who was smiling but silent. The uneasiness in his heart grew stronger.
Mother, if you keep going like this, the princess will... To be honest, Du Gu Qing didn't know what Mei Qingxue would do. He looked at Mei Qingxue uneasily, but Mei Qingxue seemed not to notice him.
"Thank you, Mother Concubine, for your concern," Mei Qingxue said with a gentle curtsy and then returned to her seat. Concubine Qin, who had spent many years in the palace, could easily tell that her stupid son now only listened to his wife. As long as the princess showed the slightest sign of displeasure, Du Gu Qing wouldn't even know whether to stand or squat.
Just as Xiaoyue was about to go and invite the official's daughters that Concubine Qin had taken a fancy to, suddenly, a palace servant rushed over to report.
"Prince Six, the emperor is looking for you!" Du Gu Qing waved his hand. "I'll go right away."
"Your Highness, the emperor has also summoned the princess," the palace servant said without daring to raise his head.
"You may step back. The prince and the princess will go there soon," Du Gu Qing said as he looked at the little eunuch and recognized him.
"Yes!" The little eunuch bowed and stepped back.
Looking at the little eunuch who had saved the day, Du Gu Qing felt a little better.
Concubine Qin thought with great regret that if she had had a little more time, she could have stuffed those official's daughters into Du Gu Qing's backyard. That little princess of his still wanted to be in charge of the prince. She was probably still too inexperienced.
A smile appeared on Concubine Qin's lips. "Go. Since the emperor has summoned you, go quickly. Don't delay the important matter."
"Yes! I'll take my leave, Mother Concubine!"
"I'll take my leave, Mother Concubine."
Mei Qingxue didn't feel relieved just because Concubine Qin didn't continue the topic for the time being. Being summoned by the emperor at this time, a powerless prince and the daughter of a prime minister, it wouldn't be a simple matter. Mei Qingxue didn't think that the royal family would do anything simple. When she married into the Mansion of Prince Six, everyone said that the prince couldn't perform his marital duties and that she was going to the mansion to live a lonely life. But what was the result? It was she, the poor one, who often had backaches.