It was an expected imperial edict. Mei Qingxue didn't show much emotion. Du Gu Qing knew she was unhappy.
Although Mei Qingxue hadn't revealed her feelings yet, he was certain that this seemingly shrewd but actually muddled woman probably had feelings for him long ago, but she just didn't realize it.
Du Gu Qing felt both delighted and heart - ache. He was delighted because they were in love with each other and he didn't have to pine away alone. The heart - ache came from a certain matter. He would be twenty full years old after the New Year.
Du Gu Qing knew about the Marquis of Anning. Just like the Mei family, the Marquis loved his third daughter, the princess, the most. He was actually willing to marry his beloved daughter to a dying man like himself. It was obvious that the Marquis had his own motives. Although he was far away on the border, he could still fathom the emperor's will accurately.
Was it because he was the emperor's out - of - favor son that the Marquis was willing to marry his daughter to him? Was his purpose to reduce the emperor's suspicion of him? Hahaha, the Marquis of Anning was completely wrong. Du Gu Qing thought to himself.
He knew his own father well. Even if the Marquis of Anning showed his loyalty, the emperor's suspicion of him would not be reduced in the slightest.
"Receive the edict, Your Highness, the Sixth Prince?"
The shrill voice of the eunuch finished reading the imperial edict. Mei Qingxue was already dizzy. The words and sentences in it were extremely difficult to understand. It was really hard for Mei Qingxue, a modern person from nine past lives, to understand them. However, she understood the general meaning. Anyway, it was about the third princess of the Marquis of Anning, who was supposed to be very good in many ways. Her name was probably Rong Yu'er, and she was only fourteen years old.
What a pity! Such a young girl! While sighing, she gave Du Gu Qing a hard look. It was all this sickly man's fault that so many people were trying to marry their daughters to him.
As if sensing Mei Qingxue's resentment, Du Gu Qing gave her an innocent look.
Ignoring the guy who showed his innocence with his eyes, Mei Qingxue stuck out her tongue... Rong Yu'er. So the Marquis of Anning didn't have the surname An. Fortunately, she didn't ask.
"I, your subject, receive the edict!"
Du Gu Qing stepped forward and respectfully received the imperial edict. Mei Qingxue lowered her eyes and followed his action. She just needed to follow suit. The eunuch looked at the two of them haughtily, flicked his little finger, twisted his buttocks, and left!
Mei Qingxue almost vomited. An old wrinkled eunuch actually... flicked his little finger and twisted his buttocks. Damn it! What a world!
She angrily glanced at the edict in Du Gu Qing's hand, then turned around and went back to her Qingxue Pavilion. Soon this would no longer be the Sixth Prince's Mansion.
"Your Highness, this..." Du Gu Qing motioned to the yellow scroll in his hand.
Mei Qingxue rolled her eyes. It was his concubine, not hers.
Yue Ru and Han Zhao followed their respective masters, with different expressions on their faces. The prince always obeyed the princess's orders. They were already used to it.
To be honest, Mei Qingxue was reluctant to leave her Qingxue Pavilion. She and Yue Ru had decorated it bit by bit.
After thinking for a while, she turned to Du Gu Qing who was following behind her and said, "I want the bed in my bedroom to be moved."
Every time Han Zhao heard the words from the princess's mouth, his mouth would twitch once, and Yue Ru's head would hang lower.
Everything in the new mansion would be ready. Who would use these old things?
"The dressing table should also be moved..."
"..."
Anyway, Mei Qingxue listed a whole lot of things. She almost wanted to move the chamber pot. Du Gu Qing agreed to all of them with a smile. He would build a Qingxue Pavilion exactly the same for Mei Qingxue.
"The wedding will be in a month. Let's arrange Yue Ru and Han Zhao's wedding first, so as to avoid any inauspiciousness caused by the overlapping of the dates." Mei Qingxue looked at the blushing Yue Ru.
Then she looked at Han Zhao who pretended to be deaf. She clearly saw the tips of the big guard's ears turning red. He was also eager to marry Yue Ru. These two master and servant were not good people.
She gave Du Gu Qing another angry look and didn't look at the yellow scroll in his hand again. It was annoying to look at. Finally, a woman was coming to share her home. It was so sad to think about it. She had been a modern person in her previous nine lives and had never had such feelings. Now she had to accept her husband's other woman, which she couldn't bear at all.
She would first welcome the concubine into the mansion. After her elder brother's matter was properly arranged, she would disappear.
Having made up her mind, she unconsciously touched her lower abdomen. She had slept with Du Gu Qing many times. There should be some signs by now. With her sixteen - year - old body in this life, she vaguely hoped that she was pregnant. Maybe it was for the sake of leaving Du Gu Qing and having a souvenir.
"I will handle this matter as soon as possible, Your Highness. Don't worry." Du Gu Qing had been paying attention to Mei Qingxue's expression. The thing he feared most seemed to be about to happen.
Everything would depend on that Rong Yu'er. Du Gu Qing's pupils shrank slightly. He would never be able to bear Mei Qingxue's departure in his remaining days. He had loved her for six years. Since he was thrown into that hot spring pool, that purple butterfly had fallen into his eyes.
Putting this topic aside, the two of them didn't say a word. The atmosphere was a bit heavy. Han Zhao secretly glanced at Yue Ru. Yue Ru gently shook her head, and then Han Zhao reluctantly turned his eyes away.
"Han Zhao, I'll give you a break. Go and arrange your wedding room. After everything is ready, you can hold a simple banquet in your yard and invite your brothers. Since the concubine is going to enter the mansion, I'm afraid you'll have to have a low - key wedding."
Yue Ru's eyes turned red. She knelt down first, and Han Zhao also knelt on one knee.
"Your servant thanks the prince and the princess. Your kindness can never be repaid in this lifetime and the next."
"Han Zhao thanks the prince and the princess."
Han Zhao was so honest that he didn't know how to say nice words. Presumably, Yue Ru wouldn't suffer if she married him. Du Gu Qing secretly glanced at Mei Qingxue.
"You just told Han Zhao to arrange the wedding room by himself. What can he do without any money? Yue Ru, come in with me and get some money. Your Highness, please find some craftsmen. The wedding dress, household items and so on all need to be prepared. Call Uncle Fu. He is the most careful."
Mei Qingxue thought it was really something for Du Gu Qing to only say that he would give Han Zhao a break. She rolled her eyes at him, and he happily accepted it.
All the silver in the family was in Mei Qingxue's hands. Du Gu Qing was just a prince in name. He couldn't touch his own property now, lest he arouse the suspicion of his father and elder brothers' spies. It wasn't worth it. The silver that his princess was using now was the compensation from the Third Prince, Du Gu Jue. Mei Qingxue didn't feel bad about spending it at all.
Du Gu Qing watched as she casually stuffed some silver into a large cloth bag and grabbed a handful of gold leaves. Du Gu Qing could see clearly that Mei Qingxue didn't care how much she gave.
"Your Highness, that's enough. This amount of money is enough for your servant to live several lifetimes." Yue Ru said with red eyes.
She had followed her young lady since childhood and then accompanied her in marriage. She originally thought that she would either be randomly matched with a servant or become a concubine, and she would never be able to get rid of her slave status. She never thought that she would have the chance to marry Han Zhao as his main wife. Han Zhao was a sixth - rank guard, and she could become the mistress of the family and get rid of her slave status to enter the official register.
Yue Ru knelt down behind Mei Qingxue, with tears in her eyes: "My mistress, even after I get married, I will still serve you, manage the household for you and take care of the little master."
As she said, she wiped away a tear.
Mei Qingxue was also extremely sad. Since she had traveled through time and became the mute young lady nearly ten years ago, Yue Ru had accompanied her the most. Mei Qingxue didn't have many hierarchical concepts in her heart. Yue Ru was like her best friend, but she understood the rules well. All those feelings were in her heart. Yue Ru didn't need to understand, and she didn't have to.
What she had to do now was to make sure that Yue Ru had a good marriage so that she could feel at ease. Even if she left one day, she wouldn't have to worry about Yue Ru in the capital.
Du Gu Qing didn't understand Mei Qingxue's current mood. He just watched as she busily searched for silver, then for cloth, and then for suitable jewelry.
"Your Highness, your servant can't accept these. They are too precious."
"Why not? You'll look great with these on." Mei Qingxue didn't understand Yue Ru's concerns.
"Precious jewelry can't be given. If you're reluctant, give more silver notes. Jewelry is not easy to hide. If someone with a malicious intention sees it, they'll be in trouble."
Mei Qingxue rolled her eyes. How could she forget about this?
"I'll keep them for you first. After you get married, you won't be my servant anymore." Mei Qingxue didn't call herself the princess but used "I".
Although Han Zhao was only a sixth - rank official, Yue Ru would be a free person.
"Even if I get rid of my slave status, your servant will always be the princess's servant." Yue Ru hugged Mei Qingxue's leg and cried without letting go.
Du Gu Qing watched the deep bond between the mistress and the servant and gently turned his face away.
"Get up quickly. Don't always kneel. I don't like this."
"Alright..."
Yue Ru wiped away her tears with her sleeve and stood behind Mei Qingxue as usual, watching her busy around.
"Your Highness, let your servant do it." Yue Ru said immediately when she saw Mei Qingxue trying to climb up.
"Okay. Up there, I remember there's a roll of red silk. I originally wanted to make underwear out of it. You can take it."
Yue Ru remembered that roll of red silk. It was thin, soft and very comfortable to wear next to the skin. All of Mei Qingxue's underwear was made of that material. Most of the things in the Prime Minister's Mansion were in Mei Qingxue's hands. Even the old lady only kept a set for herself. This showed how favored Mei Qingxue was.
"Your Highness, that's too bright. Your servant doesn't dare to accept it. Please choose something else. Your servant remembers there's a roll of high - grade silk. Your servant dares to ask for that."
The high - grade silk was used for pasting windows. It was thick and the color was mild.
"High - grade silk?" Mei Qingxue thought for a while. That would do too.
"Yes, your servant wants that." It could be made into clothes. The material was of the best quality. It was even hard to buy because it was made for internal official use.
"That's good too." Mei Qingxue nodded.
When Yue Ru got married, she naturally wouldn't be stingy. She had already sent wedding candies to Yue Ru's little sisters in the Prime Minister's Mansion. When they heard that Yue Ru was getting married so well, they were all extremely envious. They wondered when such good luck would fall on them.