Chapter 35 "Her heart is with another man..."

Chapter 35: Illness ==

"Did you see Wanwan?" After watching Xiao Yu and Su Wanyue leave, Qin Jue went to look for Lu Qingchen. From afar, he saw the person who seemed to blend into the night. Qin Jue closed his ink bamboo folding fan and asked.

Qin Jue's intuition told him that Lu Qingchen had already met his sister, otherwise why would Princess Zhaoning of Beili Kingdom say such a thing? But observing his sister's expression just now, he was somewhat suspicious of him.

Lu Qingchen was still wearing a light blue Shu brocade robe, his demeanor gentle and refined. However, his pupils were unfocused at the moment. Hearing Qin Jue's voice, he came back to his senses slightly and said, "I've met you."

She seems to be doing well, and that's enough.

"As you can see, Wanwan is doing very well in Beili. However, since she is married to Prince Cheng, she is inevitably involved in the struggle for the crown prince position. But as long as her identity is not exposed, she can still live a very comfortable life in Beili." After midnight, the bustling streets began to become deserted. Qin Jue and Lu Qingchen walked slowly towards the post station.

Now that they were back at the inn, and the guards outside were all their own people, Lu Qingchen decided to get straight to the point and asked.

"His Highness Prince Cheng treats Wanwan so well, but there is still a factor in the fact that Wanwan is Princess Weiyang of Nanqiong. If one day His Highness Prince Cheng discovers that Wanwan is not the real Princess Weiyang, it is unknown whether he will harm Wanwan."

Lu Qingchen knew very well that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, today's meeting was likely the last time he would see Wanwan before returning to Nanqiong. Originally, Lu Qingchen would have been satisfied once he was certain that Wanwan was doing well in Beili, but considering Wanwan's current status, he couldn't help but worry.

He didn't know what kind of person the Prince of Beili was, but no one can tolerate deception, let alone in matters of marriage. The more the Prince liked Wanwan, the less he might tolerate her deception.

Wanwan's identity is like a hidden danger. Once her identity is exposed, who knows what kind of bloodshed will be unleashed? But they are far away in Nanqiong and cannot protect her in time.

Lu Qingchen suddenly felt a deep resentment towards himself for being just an ordinary subject.

What Lu Qingchen could think of, Qin Jue could naturally think of as well. That's why Qin Jue had been ignoring Princess Weiyang for the past six months, because Princess Weiyang had no idea how much trouble she had caused, nor did she know the dangerous situation her sister was in because of her.

The political situation in the Northern Li court is even more complicated than in the Southern Qiong court. If anyone finds a handle on Wanwan's identity, it will be used to make a big fuss. So far, Qin Jue has not come up with a way to satisfy both sides.

“Zhou Heng already knows Wanwan’s identity. If Wanwan’s identity is truly discovered, Zhou Heng will inform me immediately. You don’t need to worry about that. As for the rest, please allow me some time to think about it.” Qin Jue reached out and pressed her forehead, saying.

The moonlight was beautiful tonight, but neither Qin Jue nor Lu Qingchen were in a good mood, especially Lu Qingchen, whose eyes remained calm.

Since they have already missed the best opportunity, the best course of action now is to continue down the same path and pretend they don't know Wanwan's identity.

The royal family is ruthless. Even though the Emperor and Empress of Nanqiong have always treated Su Wanyue as their own daughter, they will still abandon her without hesitation when it comes to a critical moment. If this is discovered, the Emperor and Empress of Nanqiong might choose to disregard Su Wanyue's life or death, and then marry Princess Weiyang to them as promised, and then apologize by cutting off her genitals. Although the Prince of Nan loves his beloved daughter, he is still under the Emperor and Empress's control. To put it bluntly, Su Wanyue needs a strong backing, and that can only be found when Crown Prince Qin Jue ascends the throne.

Within the royal family, only Qin Jue would spare no effort to protect his younger sister.

Lu Qingchen was obviously aware of this as well. He pursed his lips slightly and bowed to Qin Jue, saying, "I thank Your Highness."

Qin Jue had no reason to accept his thanks. He pressed down heavily on Lu Qingchen's shoulder with the handle of his fan and said something to him.

***

Is the Princess Consort hiding something from me...?

Su Wanyue's pupils suddenly contracted, and she was slightly lost in thought. This should be the second time he had asked this question. The first time he asked this question, the woman did not know why, but when he asked this question again tonight, the woman felt that he vaguely knew something, which made her uneasy and even the little bit of sleepiness disappeared without a trace.

The answer was now clear. Xiao Yu smiled silently, his movements no longer as tepid as before, but rather like a sudden storm.

The woman had already endured too much stimulation that night. She let out a soft moan, her fingers wrapped around Xiao Yu's shoulders turned white, and her body trembled. This time, she was completely speechless.

Seeing this, Xiao Yu kissed her small earlobe, pulled her into his arms and sat her down, trying to calm the turmoil in her body in this way.

He spoke words that sent chills down her spine, but his actions were extremely gentle. Seeing that she didn't answer, Xiao Yu slowly asked, "Your Highness, is the answer to this question difficult?"

"What answer does Your Highness want from me?" Su Wanyue gently bit her lip, her almond-shaped eyes, clear and bright, untouched by worldly concerns.

She knew she had lied to him and wronged him, but she had no other choice. If she could, she would take full responsibility for her actions.

Xiao Yu looked at his beautiful wife in his arms. Because of the passion in her body, her cheeks were as red as crabapple blossoms, her forehead was covered with fragrant sweat, and her fair and delicate skin was stained with the marks of lovemaking. It was easy to arouse people's pity, but her eyes could not hide her stubbornness.

Xiao Yu closed his eyes tightly, letting his wife rest her head in his arms. His chest heaved violently. Perhaps it was because he had already guessed that his wife's status as a princess was not enough to shake him in the slightest. He had married this person, not her status. In this matter, his wife was innocent, but the thought that his wife's heart belonged to someone else still made Xiao Yu lose control.

Xiao Yu was indifferent and never acted impulsively for anything, but this time, he couldn't control himself; he acted impulsively tonight.

He will surely ascend to the throne, and only she can be his empress.

As for Lu Qingchen, he's just a former fiancé and nothing to worry about.

The gloom and darkness in Xiao Yurui's eyes gradually faded, his gaze cleared, and his powerful aura subsided considerably. He gently stroked his wife's soft cheek, his voice exceptionally gentle, "I was just asking casually."

Not quite understanding why his attitude had suddenly softened, Su Wanyue's eyelashes trembled slightly like butterfly wings. His sudden probing of her tonight still made her feel uneasy.

A moment later, Xiao Yu released his wife from his arms; her entire body was flushed pink.

Especially the petals.

Xiao Yu summoned servants to attend to them. Qin'er and the others, who had been listening to the commotion outside, were terrified. They entered cautiously as well. The scents of ambergris and intimacy mingled in the hall. The prince, with his refined and elegant demeanor, was leaning back in his armchair, holding the princess in one arm and feeding her water.

Seeing that His Highness seemed alright, Qin'er finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had just felt that His Highness's mood was off and was worried that he knew something. But now that she saw His Highness's normal demeanor and his continued kindness and gentleness towards the Princess, she knew that she had probably been overthinking things.

But the bed was a mess tonight, and the maids kept their heads down, still feeling that His Highness was too impetuous and not tender enough towards women.

Su Wanyue was clearly exhausted. After drinking some water, she leaned on the man's shoulder and fell asleep. Xiao Yu stroked her soft black hair with his long, slender fingers and held her for a while before carrying her back to the canopy bed to rest.

The woman's cheeks were stained with gold thread from the pillow. She was fast asleep, but her breathing was very light and shallow. Xiao Yu, on the other hand, had not slept all night. Before going to court, Xiao Yu instructed Qin'er not to go in and disturb her before she woke up.

Since his wife wasn't the real Princess Weiyang, the maid she brought certainly wasn't from the Nanqiong Palace either. On his birthday, when Zhou Heng, the Nanqiong envoy, saw his wife, he couldn't hide his shock. Zhou Heng must have been unaware of his wife's identity before that.

So the people who already know his wife's identity must be the Crown Prince of Nanqiong and the Prince of Xiang. Her fiancé must also know. Last night, the Crown Prince of Nanqiong deliberately prevented him from following his wife, probably in order to find an opportunity for his wife to meet her old acquaintance.

If Xiao Yu still had the idea of ​​exposing the truth last night, he no longer intends to do so.

This morning at court, His Majesty was in high spirits, and the court officials below happily echoed his words. Crown Prince Xiao Ruofei had been in a good mood for the past two weeks because of the Crown Princess's pregnancy, and his eyebrows were beaming. At this morning court, it seemed that Prince Cheng was not in a good mood, and there were dark circles under his eyes and his face was cold and stern. This made the ministers wonder if it was because Prince Cheng and Princess Cheng had quarreled last night.

Even the emperor at the head of the table glanced at Xiao Yu several times before looking away.

After the Emperor finished speaking, the Imperial Censor reported the matter to the Emperor, who remained amiable throughout.

"If you have something to report, please do so; if you have nothing to report, please leave the court."

Xiao Yu left the Golden Palace with outstanding demeanor. As soon as he left, Xiao Ruofei immediately followed, saying, "Third brother, please wait."

"What is it, elder brother?" Xiao Yu stopped and looked at the crown prince with an indifferent expression.

In the past, Xiao Ruofei would have been furious to see Xiao Yu's attitude, thinking that if Xiao Yu came to power in the future, he would not let this day pass. But today, Xiao Ruofei put on an unusually kind appearance. "It's not because of anything else. It's just that Zhao Ning told me something last night. She said that when she went boating with her elder sister yesterday, she found Princess Cheng talking to a strange man in an alley. I hardly slept all night after hearing this. After thinking it over and over again, I decided to tell my third brother about it."

Mo Yu gritted his teeth. His Highness the Crown Prince really knew how to stir up trouble and deliberately make people unhappy.

"I've long heard that Princess Zhaoning is spoiled and can't distinguish right from wrong. How come even His Highness the Crown Prince likes to believe everything he hears? Last night, my wife was with the Seventh Princess. Didn't Princess Zhaoning already know that last night?" Xiao Yu asked indifferently, his thin lips slightly parted.

Xiao Ruofei was immediately rendered speechless. In fact, he had just listened to Princess Zhaoning's words and let them go, but he also knew that Xiao Yu's few words to his wife might throw him into a panic and cause him to make mistakes.

But who knew that Xiao Yu would be so calm and not fall for it at all? This made Xiao Ruofei a little annoyed. Did he really trust his princess so much?

"I was just reminding my third brother," Xiao Ruofei said, forcing a smile.

"Thank you for the reminder, elder brother. I would also like to remind you to keep a close eye on Princess Zhaoning. It would be bad if she caused a disaster and implicated the Crown Prince."

Xiao Ruofei clenched his fists in anger. He was the crown prince of a country, a man of noble status, while Xiao Yu was just an ordinary prince. Yet he dared to remind him.

Before Xiao Ruofei could speak, Xiao Yu had already turned and left. Xiao Ruofei's face was somewhat distorted, and he wished he could tear Xiao Yu to pieces.

When Xiao Yu returned from court, he went straight to the Zixia Palace, where he ran into Chunzhi, who was in a panic. When Chunzhi saw that it was Xiao Yu, she knelt down with a thud. "Your Highness, the Princess Consort has a fever and seems to be feeling unwell."

"Go and fetch the imperial physician." Xiao Yu's expression turned cold as he handed the jade pendant hanging from his waist to Mo Yu, who immediately took the pendant and entered the palace.

Inside the Zixia Palace, Qin'er placed a handkerchief soaked in cold water on Su Wanyue's forehead. The woman's body was burning hot, her cheeks were flushed, and even her breath was hot.

When Xiao Yu entered, he saw this scene. Qin'er immediately curtsied to him, "This servant greets Your Highness."

Xiao Yu waved his hand and walked towards the bed. He hadn't even taken off his dark-colored fox fur cloak with cloud patterns, and he still carried the chill from outside the palace. Perhaps sensing the chill on his body, the woman reached out and grabbed his broad hand, burying her head in his arms.

Consort Qin was in the inner palace when news of Prince Cheng's residence sending someone to summon the imperial physician quickly reached her ears. She beckoned someone over and asked, "Why has Prince Cheng's residence summoned the imperial physician? Is something wrong with my son?"

It's no wonder that Consort Qin thought this way, because the news of the minor argument between the Crown Prince and Prince Cheng at Qianqing Palace today reached Consort Qin's ears. The eunuch also said that Prince Cheng wasn't in a good mood today, so Consort Qin subconsciously assumed that Prince Xiao was feeling unwell.

"Your Highness, someone from Prince Cheng's residence said that Princess Cheng is unwell. It seems that Princess Cheng has been feverish since she woke up this morning. I don't know if it's because she caught a chill while outside during the Lantern Festival last night. Fortunately, the imperial physician has already gone there." Zhang Mama, who had been paying special attention, reported to Qin Guifei.

After thinking for a moment, Consort Qin asked Zhang Mama to fetch the century-old ginseng and century-old lingzhi from her storeroom. Once Zhang Mama brought them, Consort Qin asked her to go to Prince Cheng's residence.

The Prince Cheng's residence sent someone to invite him. Zhang, the highly respected imperial physician from the Imperial Medical Academy, immediately went to the Prince Cheng's residence with the people from the Prince Cheng's residence. Originally, Zhang was not nervous, but when he saw His Highness Prince Cheng sitting in the hall, he couldn't help but become nervous. He carefully tried to bow to Xiao Yu, but before he could kneel down, Xiao Yu asked him to go over and take the pulse of Princess Cheng.

Princess Consort Cheng was in a state of perfect health. Imperial Physician Zhang took her pulse through a silk handkerchief. After a moment, Imperial Physician Zhang stood up and said, "Your Highness, Princess Consort has caught a chill. I will prescribe some medicine for her, and she will be fine after taking it for a few days."

"Imperial Physician Zhang, this way please." Xiao Yu gave Mo Yu a wink, and Mo Yu immediately led Imperial Physician Zhang downstairs.

Physician Zhang quickly wrote out the prescription and handed it to Qin'er. A bowl of medicine was brewed in no time. Then they encountered a problem: the princess had not yet woken up. How should they feed her the medicine?

Xiao Yu lifted the woman from the bed, his arms tightly encircling her slender waist. Qin'er quickly fed her medicine, but after just one sip, the woman choked and coughed, her brows furrowed as if she was uncomfortable.

"You can go down now." Qin'er's forehead was covered in sweat. She knew she couldn't get the food down like this. Just as Qin'er was about to feed her a second bite, Xiao Yu spoke in a deep voice.

Qin'er paused for a moment, then placed the bowl on the carved tea table next to her and stepped back.

As soon as she went out, she saw two familiar people: Zhang Mama, who served the Seventh Princess and the Imperial Concubine.

"This servant greets the Seventh Princess."

"Qin'er, Zhang Mama and I are here to visit my sister-in-law on the orders of my mother. How is she now?" The Seventh Princess glanced into the inner hall, her eyes filled with undisguised worry.

"Reporting to the Seventh Princess, the imperial physician said that the Princess Consort has only caught a cold and will recover after taking a few doses of medicine. The Princess Consort is fine," Qin'er said, curtsying slightly.

The Seventh Princess and Granny Zhang both breathed a sigh of relief, especially the Seventh Princess, who was about to rush in, saying, "Then I'll go in and see my sister-in-law."

Qin'er quickly stopped her. The Seventh Princess turned around with some surprise and asked her with her eyes, "What's wrong?" Qin'er hurriedly explained, "Princess, His Highness said that the Princess Consort needs to rest and has not seen anyone for the past two days."

It seems my brother doesn't intend to let them meet my sister-in-law...

The seventh princess had a somewhat strange expression.