"Go and wash your face before going to court!"
When Mei Qingxue saw Xuanqiao's figure, she gently pushed away Du Guqing.
"Okay," Du Guqing replied.
"Xuanqiao, bring the water for washing the face."
"Yes, Princess."
Xuanqiao answered crisply and carried in a copper basin.
She placed the copper basin on the stand and was about to reach out to wring the towel. It was the maid's job to help with face - washing.
"Put it down. His Highness will wash his face himself."
Mei Qingxue took a subtle look at the pretty maid. This maid was sent by her natal family. She just wanted to see what the person's purpose was.
Xuanqiao kept her eyes downcast and didn't look sideways at all. Only then did Mei Qingxue nod. There was already a sick concubine in the mansion. She couldn't let any other unwanted people in.
Right then, Mei Qingxue said,
"Quickly fetch the breakfast prepared in the kitchen. Don't delay His Highness from going to court. By the way, put the date - paste cakes into the snack box for His Highness and let him take them on the way." Hearing Mei Qingxue instructing the maid, a slight smile appeared on Du Guqing's face.
"You're becoming more and more like the mistress of the house."
"Of course..." Mei Qingxue also relaxed.
"I'm going out of the mansion today. Can you not ask what I'm going to do?" Hearing Mei Qingxue's words, Du Guqing was in a daze for a moment.
"Silly girl, come back early. There are many eyes watching. Don't give others a chance to gossip." He naturally knew that Mei Qingxue must be going to meet the killer named An Ying.
He didn't want to say that he knew all about her actions. He just wanted to help her. One day when he was no longer around, he would leave his people to her. Although they couldn't make her rich and prosperous, they could keep her safe for a lifetime.
For Mei Qingxue, he changed the name of his organization Qianyuan to... Biying Xueya! From now on, they would have a mistress. If the master was no longer around, they would only obey the mistress's orders. Of course, he couldn't let Mei Qingxue know about this for the time being. Too many forces were eyeing him, this useless prince. He wouldn't bring the slightest trouble to Mei Qingxue.
If he was no longer around, who else could help her like this?
"I can handle it. Today, help me submit a memorial to the Emperor. Among the two candidates given by the Emperor, my Mei family won't choose either. I'll carefully choose a marriage for my elder brother." Although she said so, she would create opportunities for her elder brother to fall in love freely even if there were none.
Getting to know someone on her own was much better than being arranged. She wouldn't be like countless time - traveling people who brought new inventions or new ideas. What she wanted to do was simple: protect what was hers and her family.
After seeing Du Guqing wash his face, Xuanqiao had already brought the breakfast and was holding the snack box for His Highness.
Mei Qingxue took the snack box and opened it. Seeing the six neatly arranged date - paste cakes inside, she nodded.
"Xuanqiao, you're very careful. As long as you serve me whole - heartedly, I won't treat you badly."
A look of joy flashed across Xuanqiao's face.
"Xuanqiao thanks the Princess!" She also wanted to be like Sister Yueru and get rid of her slave status. Hearing the Princess's words, Xuanqiao knew that as long as she served whole - heartedly, the Princess would surely treat her well.
After learning that Sister Yueru had gotten married, she had begged the old lady in the mansion for a long time, fearing that she would be arranged to be a concubine's maid for the master or the young master one day. There were indeed some who wanted to climb into bed and become a phoenix by virtue of their pretty looks. Xuanqiao had shed her former nature after several years in the Prime Minister's Mansion and had become a bit proud. She would rather marry a poor or disabled man than take pride in climbing into bed.
Knowing that the young lady had always treated the servants well before marriage, Xuanqiao had begged the old lady for a long time, stating that she just wanted to serve the young lady whole - heartedly and one day get married as a free person like Sister Yueru.
Mei Qingxue never suspected Xuanqiao's loyalty. Her mother had praised Xuanqiao in the letter again and again. Originally, Xuanqiao was prepared to be a concubine's maid for Mei Haoxuan, but unexpectedly, the girl preferred to be a maid rather than a concubine's maid.
"I'm done!" Du Guqing picked up the towel and gently wiped the corner of his mouth.
Mei Qingxue handed over the snack box. "Eat a couple if you're hungry."
"Yes, yes, ma'am!"
"You're such a smooth - talker!"
Hearing the flirtatious talk between the Princess and His Highness, Xuanqiao's face was full of envy. Originally, she was also a girl from a good family. Her father had married a woman from somewhere and had a little brother. Before long, her biological mother had died, for no clear reason. At that time, no one had helped her. Without her biological mother and with the first wife in the family, the concubine had become a secondary wife and couldn't stand the eldest daughter left by the first wife. While the master was away, she had entrusted a matchmaker to sell her. At that time, she was eleven years old.
If she couldn't have one man for her whole life, she would rather be a slave for life. After seeing Yueru, who was like a sister to her, marry well, Xuanqiao had this thought in mind.
Knowing that it was just a young girl's small thought, Mei Qingxue just smiled and didn't care.
After Du Guqing left for court, Mei Qingxue said,
"When there's nothing to do here, you can learn from Nanny Yuexue how to serve in the Prince's Mansion."
Yueru was now the steward nanny in the Prince's Mansion. Xuanqiao should call her aunt, but Mei Qingxue never cared about such things. As long as they could do their duties well, she was very lenient.
"Yes, Princess."
"Ask Yueru to send the concubine's allowance to Suoyun Courtyard. Don't be the slightest bit negligent. If the slightest bit of news about the concubine gets out, everyone will be flogged to death!"
If Rong Yu'er's matter was exposed, it wouldn't be just her Mei family that would be exterminated.
Xuanqiao was loyal to the Mei family. Knowing something about the concubine, she lowered her head in agreement and then backed out.
After sending Xuanqiao away, Mei Qingxue changed her clothes and took a guard with her to Yingkelai.
When Yu Yi saw it was Mei Qingxue, he quickly gave her a look. Mei Qingxue went straight to her private room. During the day, she would enter the secret room from there, and the guard stayed outside the private room.
Mei Qingxue came today to deal with the matter of the ten thousand taels of gold.
Since that person had taken action, Mei Qingxue would never just sit back and do nothing. He was trying to buy her husband's life! What kind of person was Mei Qingxue? After living ten lifetimes, she always retaliated for every grievance and never changed.
Since he had made her feel bad, Mei Qingxue would make him feel even worse, a hundred or a thousand times worse.
A few days ago, when Mei Qingxue was chatting with Du Guqing, they had inadvertently mentioned that the Emperor currently favored the eldest prince, Du Gu Ming. He was decisive in his actions, with the style of ancient great generals, and his personality was more like that of the Emperor when he was young.
Du Guqing himself had no intention of vying for the throne, so he had just mentioned it as a casual chat. But there was a worried look between his eyebrows. Mei Qingxue knew that no matter whether the eldest prince or the third prince ascended the throne, Du Guqing would be the one to suffer.
That person dared to hire a killer to buy a life even before he had ascended the throne. Then Mei Qingxue would have a good time with him.
After studying literature and history for three lifetimes, she knew all the strategies and counter - measures like the back of her hand. The tricks those people were playing were just child's play in front of Mei Qingxue.
Now Mei Qingxue had already made up her mind to make that person suffer. The jade pendant worth 350,000 taels before had neither hurt his bones nor muscles. It had just damaged his reputation a bit. Those small tricks were nothing.
"Master!" An Ying would always wait there for the master's latest orders when he was free.
"An Ying, you can give the order to start the pursuit and assassination of the Sixth Prince."
An Ying's pupils shrank. Was the master going to take action against her own husband for money?
Mei Qingxue's next words made him feel relieved.
"Just pursue but don't kill. Make it as real as possible. You can make proper arrangements. The eldest prince now has extremely powerful influence in the court. Then I'll give him a hand. Spread the news to the third prince that the eldest prince, Du Gu Ming, has hired a killer to murder his sick and weak younger brother. This... must be accidentally said by the eldest prince's people."
Only in this way would it be real. Otherwise, others would know that the pursuit was fake. She would even have to wrong her sick prince to get a small injury, or it wouldn't seem real when they saw the Emperor. In fact, she had thought everything through.
Du Gu Ming, if you want to play with me, you're still too young. My ten lifetimes weren't lived in vain.
An Ying nodded. He would handle this matter personally. It had to be real and dangerous. He was afraid that if others did it, they might not be able to control it well and would be killed by Du Guqing's guards.
"The Sixth Prince will go to the hot - spring villa outside the city tonight. I'll ask the prince to bring his guards to pick me up. You can take action at that time."
"Yes."
Mei Qingxue didn't discuss this with Du Guqing. She knew that Du Guqing would definitely go to the hot spring tonight. He was her loving and doting husband. If it weren't for the emergency, how could she be willing to let anyone hurt a single hair on his head?
After finalizing all the details with An Ying, Mei Qingxue packed some food at Yingkelai. She couldn't go back empty - handed.
"Princess," the guard followed behind Mei Qingxue.
"Xiao Lu, how old are you this year?" Mei Qingxue asked the guard.
Xiao Lu was a guard in the Prince's Mansion. Han Chao had introduced the personnel in the mansion before. Lu Ju was a family - born servant, loyal and reliable.
Even though he was loyal, Mei Qingxue wouldn't tell anyone in the Prince's Mansion about her own affairs now. She was afraid. All kinds of forces were intertwined. Who knew who was whose person?
In the past, her favorite TV series was *Bu Bu Jing Xin*. Now her life was really like that. One wrong step, and she would lose not only her own head. Now Mei Qingxue finally understood what it meant to be cautious and plan carefully at every step.
"Reporting to the Princess, I'm seventeen years old!"
"So young?" Mei Qingxue was stunned. Lu Ju looked at Mei Qingxue as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
"If you have something to say, just say it. Don't be so restrained!"
"Princess, could you please plead with His Highness for me? I want to go to the front line!" Lu Ju summoned up his courage and said it in one breath. At first, Mei Qingxue thought he was asking her to use her connections to get a good job.
"Why? Don't you want to follow His Highness?"
"No. A good man should fight on the battlefield and die heroically. I just want to go there."
The longing for the battlefield on Lu Ju's face made him raise his head and look ahead, forgetting that there was the Princess in front of him.
"Xiao Lu, there will be a chance. Be patient for now!"
There would be no shortage of opportunities to fight in the future. Every time a fight for the throne failed, there would be a palace coup or an attempt to collude with foreign enemies. Mei Qingxue secretly took note of this Xiao Lu. Her elder brother was a military general and needed loyal soldiers.