Mei Qingxue gave a strange look at An Ying. Then An Ying said, "My lord, I have something else to report."
It must be something extraordinary to make An Ying hesitate. A sense of heaviness welled up in Mei Qingxue's heart.
"Go ahead!"
"My lord, someone is offering ten thousand taels of gold to buy the life of the Ghost King."
After An Ying finished speaking, Mei Qingxue was stunned. It took her a while to come to her senses. "Who is it?"
"Anonymous. It could be either the eldest prince or the third prince," An Ying replied.
Seeing the expression on Mei Qingxue's face, he couldn't help but worry about her. The Jade - faced Gentleman she had asked him to look for was her husband. Now someone was trying to buy her husband's life.
However, her expression didn't seem like that of a woman who knew her husband was about to be assassinated. Instead, she looked rather relaxed.
"Fortunately, they came to the Azure Sea Pavilion."
"An Ying, go and find out who wants to buy his life first. Give me some time. I need to think of a way."
Mei Qingxue wasn't as calm as she appeared on the surface. Their peaceful days had just begun. First, there was that side - concubine. Fortunately, she turned out to be fake, and Mei Qingxue was relieved. Before, she had been struggling because the Sixth Prince was too kind to her. But she had feelings for the Jade - faced Gentleman, and later she found out they were the same person. Just as her heart had started to calm down and she no longer had to bear the psychological burden, other troubles came one after another.
One wave had not subsided when another rose. Was it really that difficult for her to live a peaceful life? She had been unlucky for ten lifetimes. In the previous nine lifetimes, she had died young and alone. Now she had a harmonious family and a husband who doted on her, but her life was still trapped in this complicated situation. She had plenty of money, and power was not what she pursued. Why couldn't those people leave her family alone? Was she destined to be unlucky in this lifetime too?
An Ying flashed away. Du Gu Qing saw clearly that a figure left the princess's room. He knew who that person was. Maybe Mei Qingxue already knew that someone was trying to buy his life. That was her Azure Sea Pavilion. Du Gu Qing was eager to know what Mei Qingxue would do. Would she choose the gold or a short - lived husband? It was not until the figure disappeared that Du Gu Qing slowly paced into Mei Qingxue's Pavilion.
When he entered, he thought he would see Mei Qingxue acting as if nothing had happened. However, when Mei Qingxue looked at him, there was a hint of melancholy between her eyebrows. Was she going to tell him her troubles?
"Qing, come here,"
Mei Qingxue waved at him. When Du Gu Qing walked up to her, Mei Qingxue took the initiative to hug his waist and buried her face in his chest. She murmured, "Why won't they let me live a peaceful life?"
Hearing Mei Qingxue's words, Du Gu Qing was deeply touched. He knew that Mei Qingxue didn't intend to hide anything from him, and he felt a sense of relief. "Silly girl, what's wrong?"
"I have a question for you. You must answer truthfully. No hiding and no counter - questions." Influenced by Mei Qingxue's almost rascal words, Du Gu Qing nodded seriously.
"Okay!"
"Who do you think wants your life?" After saying this, Mei Qingxue felt that her expression was not clear enough, so she added, "Which of your two elder brothers do you think wants your life?"
"Either of them is possible," Du Gu Qing replied. He didn't expect Mei Qingxue to be so direct.
"Then let's find a miracle doctor to cure your illness quickly. Otherwise, how can we deal with them?" Mei Qingxue said anxiously.
Du Gu Qing held her hand and looked into her eyes seriously. "There's something I've never told you. Now is the right time."
Mei Qingxue looked at him in surprise. Du Gu Qing nodded slightly and shifted his eyes to the side.
He said softly, "When my mother was pregnant with me, she was poisoned. So, it's not that I'm weak and impotent. Instead, I've been poisoned since childhood."
Mei Qingxue covered her mouth in surprise. Now she realized that their life was not as peaceful as it seemed on the surface!
"What about your disappearances every month..."
"On the fifteenth day of every month, I need to soak alternately in the cold pool and the hot spring to suppress the cold poison. I have to endure excruciating pain!" Du Gu Qing said it lightly, but Mei Qingxue knew it couldn't be that easy. A poison that had lingered for more than a decade couldn't be ordinary!
Currently, the court was in turmoil. The position of the crown prince had caused several princes to fight desperately. Even he, this "weak and incompetent" prince, couldn't escape!
Originally, it was thought that he was on the edge of the power storm and could avoid it. He had no desire for that position, but his elder brothers wouldn't let him go. What was the benefit of buying his life? Now his existence had no impact on his elder brothers at all.
"My life is destined to end at the age of twenty - five. Are you afraid?"
Du Gu Qing held her hand tightly and stared into her eyes. Mei Qingxue felt a tightness in her heart, and her breath caught in her throat. An indescribable pain welled up in her chest. She had never been clear about her feelings before, but now, after hearing his words, she suddenly understood.
"I don't believe it." A poison hadn't taken his life in more than a decade. Since she had appeared, she didn't believe that he would be defeated by so - called fate this time.
Since someone had developed the cold poison, there must be someone who could solve it. He was nineteen years old now, and they still had time. There must be a way!
"Why did you come back so early today?"
Mei Qingxue suddenly realized that Du Gu Qing usually came to Mei Qingxue's Pavilion very late. It was just getting dark today.
Only then did Du Gu Qing remember why he had come back. He took Mei Qingxue's hand and said gently, "There will be something interesting at the Spiritual Treasure Pavilion tonight. There will be all kinds of rare treasures for auction. I think you've never seen it before. I want to take you there to have a look."
"Is it about determining ownership based on the price?"
"Yes, Your Highness is so smart!"
Du Gu Qing didn't stint on his praise. He looked at his little woman in surprise. "Do you want to go?"
Wasn't it just an auction like in her previous life? Mei Qingxue had never been to one. Last time, she had broken a jade pendant that Du Gu Qing had worn for many years. If she saw a good one this time, she would definitely buy it for him. Good jade could nourish the body.
Immediately, she showed a bright smile to Du Gu Qing. "Of course I'll go. I've been wanting to see it. If you hadn't come, I would have sneaked there myself!" Mei Qingxue deliberately used a more relaxed tone.
"Then why don't you change your clothes quickly?"
Du Gu Qing looked at Mei Qingxue's happy and charming face. His heart also relaxed. No matter when fate would come or whether he could avoid it, as long as she was by his side for a moment, that moment would be his happiness.
Mei Qingxue went into the back hall. When she came out a while later, a handsome young pageboy stood daintily in front of Du Gu Qing.
"My lord, please..."
"Who would dare to take such a handsome pageboy out?" Du Gu Qing joked. Last time, because of their good looks, they had almost been taken to the Third Prince's Mansion.
"I can't help being born beautiful. I've tried my best to look ugly, but my charm still shines through," Mei Qingxue's words made Du Gu Qing burst into laughter.
"Let's go, little pageboy." Du Gu Qing walked in front, and Mei Qingxue trotted after him.
When they were about to leave Mei Qingxue's Pavilion, Han Chao intended to follow them. Du Gu Qing waved his hand slightly to stop him. Now it was a scholar with a little pageboy. What would it look like to bring a guard?
"My lord?" Han Chao continued to follow a few steps uneasily.
Du Gu Qing said indifferently, "The Spiritual Treasure Pavilion is just a few steps away. Are you afraid that your lord won't be able to come back?"
Mei Qingxue didn't dare to laugh out loud behind him. She also said to Han Chao, "You can follow from a distance. Just don't let our acquaintances see you. We just want to go in and have some fun. It won't be fun if we bring a guard."
If people knew that it was the prince and the princess, there would be no point. They would just give the treasures directly without an auction. Mei Qingxue didn't want that. When she went out, she had already brought several large - denomination silver notes. She was going to find a good piece of jade for Du Gu Qing today.
"What do you plan to buy?"
Du Gu Qing and Mei Qingxue found a seat in the crowd. His eyes swept over the several private rooms with closed doors on the upper floor. He had just seen a familiar figure and knew that that person must also be here. There would probably be many big shots at tonight's auction. It was bound to be very lively.
"Dear guests, please be patient. In a moment, our auction tonight will start." A man who looked like a shopkeeper knocked on the gong in his hand.
More people were still squeezing into the Spiritual Treasure Pavilion. Du Gu Qing and Mei Qingxue chose a place behind a pillar, which could slightly block their figures and prevent others from seeing them at a glance.
"I'm the host for tonight. Thank you all for giving me face. The auction will start soon. If you keep making noise, we'll cancel it tonight." The host had a big tone.
Mei Qingxue couldn't help but take a look at the man, while Du Gu Qing was not surprised at all. He naturally knew who the behind - the - scenes boss of this auction was.
"The first item for auction tonight is this Nine - dragon Green Jade Vase in my hand. Everyone, take a look. It's of excellent quality. According to my many years of experience in appraising treasures, this vase has been passed down for at least three hundred years..."
The host rambled on and on. Mei Qingxue watched with great interest. She had studied history and literature, so she paid special attention to these historical allusions.
"What do you want to buy?"
Du Gu Qing covered his mouth with a fan and turned to ask the little pageboy behind him. "I'm looking for some high - quality jade!"
The people next to them heard the conversation between the master and the servant and thought they were just being showy. Just looking at the two of them, one was a shabby little scholar and the other was a little pageboy. They just regarded their conversation as a joke.
Several items in a row were all containers. But Mei Qingxue didn't see anything that attracted her. Mei Qingxue knew that the better the item, the more likely it was to be the last. It was an eternal business strategy from ancient times to the present. There was nothing strange about it.
"Good!"
The host picked up a towel that had been prepared and wiped the sweat off his face. Mei Qingxue knew that the highlight was coming.
Sure enough, after the host put down the towel, he personally went to the back and carried out a small wooden box.