Any poison that can cause sudden death must surely attack the heart and veins. Du Gu Qing felt Mei Qingxue's wrist for a long time, but found nothing amiss. Immediately, his face darkened ominously.
Mei Qingxue thought he was checking if she was pregnant. She comforted him, "I'm still young. We'll have children in the future."
As she said this, her face flushed slightly. Even though she had lived ten lifetimes, this was the first time she had promised a man that she would bear him a child.
Du Gu Qing forced a smile.
"Xue, do you feel any discomfort?" People who take poison must surely feel something. But looking at his little Xue's pretty face, pinkish under the fair skin, there was no sign of anything wrong.
Mei Qingxue shook her head. "I don't feel anything, just really sleepy." Her good dream had been rudely interrupted. How could she not be sleepy? But seeing Du Gu Qing's face getting more and more worried, Mei Qingxue also sensed something was off.
"Qing, what's wrong with you?"
Mei Qingxue fought off sleep and tried to stay alert.
Du Gu Qing was just hesitating how to ask her when he saw Mei Qingxue tilt backward.
"Xue..."
Du Gu Qing was shocked. Mei Qingxue's complexion was perfectly normal, her breathing was steady, and her pulse was regular. How could she just tilt back like that? No matter how he called her, there was no response. Du Gu Qing was so anxious that he was about to go find a doctor.
"Pervert! Where are you putting your hands?"
Mei Qingxue shouted with her eyes closed. She was sleeping soundly when Du Gu Qing's hand reached out to check her heartbeat and body temperature. It tickled her, so without even looking, she kicked out at Du Gu Qing.
It was just sleep - talking!
Du Gu Qing was relieved. That Mei - Qingxue - style shout just proved that his little woman was full of energy. Didn't those two people say that the princess had drunk the tea?
Could it be that it wasn't his little princess, but someone else?
In the Feng Kingdom, Mei Qingxue was the only woman who could be called a princess. Could it be a spy from an enemy country? But that person had clearly said something about "a sparrow occupying a magpie's nest".
Didn't that refer to his little scatterbrain? Could it be that this little thing was now immune to all poisons?
Just as he was lost in his own wild thoughts, Mei Qingxue's kick came. How could her little foot reach him? He dodged it lightly with a quick sidestep. Only then did he realize that he was extremely tired. After almost a whole night of torment, having lost a lot of blood, his body was already weak. And after worrying about Mei Qingxue for so long, he found that she was just sleeping in a daze and had simply pretended not to hear his voice. He had thought something had happened to her.
Now that he knew it was just a false alarm, Du Gu Qing immediately relaxed.
But he only felt his body becoming even weaker. Not wanting to crowd Mei Qingxue, he curled up aggrievedly on the imperial concubine's couch and took a nap.
A few hours later, dawn broke. Mei Qingxue woke up from her dream and saw Du Gu Qing, covered in bloodstains, sleeping aggrievedly on the couch. She felt sorry for him. She couldn't bear to see him sleeping so uncomfortably, but she also didn't want to wake him up. So she reached out and gently covered him with a brocade quilt. Then she sat down on one side and watched the handsome man sleeping.
Du Gu Qing's face was a bit pale due to blood loss, but it didn't detract from his good looks. Mei Qingxue looked at his perfectly - lined chin and really wanted to pounce on him and give him a kiss. Without realizing it, she actually smacked her lips.
Du Gu Qing heard the strange sound and opened his eyes. Seeing Mei Qingxue smacking her lips at him like a greedy cat, he grinned.
"What were you doing last night?" He had been sleeping soundly, but she had grabbed, pinched, and groped him!
Du Gu Qing carefully examined Mei Qingxue's complexion. Seeing that she was really fine, he told her what he had heard the master - servant pair say when he passed by the Suoyun Courtyard. He also told her about the young girl in the sedan chair.
"Find a way to rescue the real princess." Hearing what Du Gu Qing said, Mei Qingxue knew that those people were trying to use the trick of "substituting the fake for the real". She just didn't know which side they were from.
"Since that person knows about the actions of Marquis Anning, there must be something wrong with the people around Marquis Anning. You should choose a reliable person to send a message."
Mei Qingxue immediately understood that there was a great opportunity to draw Marquis Anning to their side. It was all about the real third princess. As long as they could rescue the real princess, Marquis Anning would surely be on the same side as their prince. So the task of rescuing the hostage fell to Du Gu Qing.
After Mei Qingxue finished speaking, she saw Du Gu Qing looking at her worriedly.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Mei Qingxue thought there was something on her face, so she reached up and wiped it.
Du Gu Qing said worriedly, "I heard that person say yesterday that after you drank their tea, you would... would..." Die suddenly! He couldn't bear to say the word.
Mei Qingxue knew he was worried about her. She reached out and covered his hand, smiling gently.
"Silly!"
Then she told him about the strangeness of the servant when she entered the Suoyun Courtyard, and the unusually plump figure of the third princess. When the princess poured the tea, her finger had trembled slightly.
"Then why did you still drink it?" Du Gu Qing asked anxiously. Since he couldn't detect the poison, he thought he might have to ask his master for help.
Mei Qingxue put her finger on his lips and gently scolded, "Silly!"
Then she told him how she had drunk the tea and spat it out. She showed him the small bottle, and only then did Du Gu Qing truly relax.
"I know you're worried about me," Mei Qingxue took his hand. "Qing, you're so good to me."
"Xue, if I didn't have you, it would be meaningless for me to live on." Without Xue, his world would return to the cold and lonely state it was before. What good would money and power be to him then?
Du Gu Qing took the small bottle from Mei Qingxue's hand. "I'll go and see what kind of poison it is. It was so terrifying!" This poison had almost scared him out of his wits.
"You should start making arrangements to rescue the third princess as soon as possible. We just don't know who is behind all this." There was a look of regret on Mei Qingxue's face.
"I know who it is!" Isn't it his third elder brother who always pretended to be a good person? He would wait and see how his third elder brother brought down the eldest prince in the court tomorrow! Du Gu Ming was cruel - hearted, willing to kill his own brothers, and of bad character. He was definitely not qualified to be the crown prince.
Du Gu Qing himself had no ambition for the throne, but none of his good brothers trusted him. They all wanted to put their knives to their little brother's throat, thinking that they could easily bully him because he had no power. They really underestimated him. Tomorrow, he not only wouldn't go to the morning court on time, but he would also be late! He would give them the illusion that they had succeeded. Let his dear elder brother be happy for a while.
His third brother would surely be happy too. With his younger brother assassinated and the eldest prince missing out on the crown prince position due to a mistake, wouldn't Du Gu Jue become the crown prince smoothly?
A smile appeared on Du Gu Qing's face. He didn't fight for the position, but he wasn't someone to be bullied either.
"Your smile looks so strange. Do you have a good plan?" Seeing that he didn't seem to want to say, Mei Qingxue knew that her question was inappropriate.
Afraid that she would feel uncomfortable, Du Gu Qing immediately explained, "I'm not thinking of any plan. I just think that when they don't see me at the morning court tomorrow, they'll think I'm dead. They'll be very happy. Then I'll show up..."
Just thinking about the expressions on their faces made Du Gu Qing laugh.
Mei Qingxue also gave a relaxed smile. She gently stroked his wound, and her heart ached. Now the situation was gradually becoming clear. Maybe their peaceful life was about to arrive? But she also felt that things wouldn't develop as she had expected. Mei Qingxue felt a bit lost for a moment.
"Get up. I'll help you to the bed and let you lie down for a while." Mei Qingxue reached out to help him.
Du Gu Qing put the small bottle into his sleeve. "I'm not going to sleep. I have to prepare for the court. I can't miss today's show."
Seeing the smile on his lips, Mei Qingxue took the initiative to kiss his lips. "A patient should act like a patient. And we have to rescue the real princess quickly."
Du Gu Qing held her delicate little hand and gently patted it. "Don't worry. Your husband knows what to do."
Humph, how much does he really know? Mei Qingxue lowered her head. If Du Gu Qing didn't act, she would do it herself.
Du Gu Qing knew Mei Qingxue very well. He immediately turned around and grabbed her hand. "I have other arrangements for the princess's matter. Don't ruin my plan."
I see. Mei Qingxue nodded. They could rescue the person, gain an ally, and make that person suffer. Why not do it?
"Don't leave the Qingxue Pavilion today. She's still waiting for you to die suddenly."
"Don't worry. I'll tell Xuan Qiao to take care of everything."
Mei Qingxue agreed readily, but how was she going to eat today? She was thinking about her meals. This was an important matter. She was still growing. Looking at her figure, which was not as good as the fake princess's, Mei Qingxue lowered her head slightly. She was jealous.
Did that person use some bone - shrinking technique? Thinking of this, Mei Qingxue immediately looked up. Her bright eyes stared at Du Gu Qing. "Qing, do you think there's really a bone - shrinking technique in this world?"
"Yes!" Du Gu Qing looked up in surprise. He didn't expect his little princess to know about this.
"I just thought of it when I saw the fake princess today." Mei Qingxue told the truth. If it was a real young girl, how could she have such a figure? So... plump?
"I see." Du Gu Qing looked at Mei Qingxue. He had thought that the Shadow had told her something. Thinking of how close that person was to her, a wave of jealousy welled up in Du Gu Qing's heart.
"You must know something about my affairs. In the future, I'll tell you everything without reservation. We're husband and wife. We share both glory and disgrace!"
Mei Qingxue's words sounded so sweet in Du Gu Qing's ears. It was like eating the legendary ginseng fruit.