Chapter 15 Sachet "I treat her as my younger sister." Yu Qing said. ...

At the same time, Yu Qing was conducting a serious review in Huaifeng Pavilion.

"The princess is defenseless and very fragile," she said. "Next time you go out, you must never leave her side."

Qiying: "...Isn't it just a snake? It shouldn't be like this."

Yu Qing said, "She is very afraid of snakes. Her face turned pale with fear."

"Did she blame you?"

"No."

Qingjia would never blame Yu Qing. Instead, she blamed herself for letting Yu Qing kill.

Qiying sighed, "Prince... No, Miss, you don't really think of yourself as your husband, do you?"

Yu Qing paused. Qiying calling her "Miss" was clearly a wake-up call. Unconsciously, she was indeed becoming more and more interested in Qingjia.

Qingjia was a lovable girl, unlike Yu Qing's sworn brothers or even Wen Shuo's fringe friends. She was gentle and attentive, and Yu Qing treated her well because she cared about him. Although there was no romantic connection between them, Yu Qing figured he could at least try to create the illusion of a husband for her. She was innocent and simple, having been dragged into this marriage from the start.

"...She's a little younger than me, and I treat her like a younger sister," Yu Qing said. "It's both moral and logical that I should take better care of her. She married here alone..."

Qiying: "Before, the He family girl hid in your direction because she was afraid of insects, but you bumped her into a pillar and got a bump that almost disfigured her. Later, you even went to her house to offer your condolences. Why didn't you consider that she was your younger sister?"

It took Yu Qing a while to remember who she was talking about.

"She's different. She's been practicing martial arts since she was a child," Yu Qing defended. "Besides, I didn't expect her to be so timid. When I saw her rushing towards me, I thought something was wrong and pushed her away quickly..."

The He family girl was the daughter of the Marquis of Zhongwu, and the cousin of the Fifth Prince, Xie Tingchen. Speaking of their wedding, Xie Tingchen had said that He was very sad at home... This girl had always followed Xie Tingchen when she was little, and had met Yu Qing many times. She hadn't done it on purpose; she didn't like anyone else getting close to her except those close to her.

As he was speaking, someone from outside was informed that someone from Wenhuayuan had arrived.

The two stopped talking, and Yu Qing was a little surprised.

She cleared her throat and lowered her voice a little: "Please." She didn't pretend when she spoke to Qiying just now.

Soon a maid came in. Yu Qing remembered her name as Dong Li. Dong Li presented a small box and said, "Prince Consort, this is what His Highness ordered me to bring to you."

Yu Qing opened it and saw an exquisite sachet inside. It was soft to the touch and the refreshing fragrance lingered around his fingertips.

She had almost forgotten about it, but she didn't expect Qingjia to still remember it.

"I'm leaving now."

"Wait, Miss Dongli," Yu Qing called her and said with a smile, "Please thank His Highness for me. I like this sachet very much."

Yu Qing was very surprised and immediately put the previous topic behind her. After Dong Li left, she picked up the sachet, closed her eyes and sniffed it again. Her eyes lit up: "What a nice smell! This is given by the princess. It is said to calm the mind."

Qiying sniffed and said, "Yes, it is. Is this from the palace?"

"No, I made it myself. I think it's much better than spices," Yu Qing said. "It really is the same smell as her."

Yu Qing was confused, not knowing whether to hang it on the corner of the bed or around her waist. Then she decided that she could hang it on her body during the day and put it beside the bed at night without any conflict.

She actually loved fine gadgets. When she was little, she had a box containing all her treasures, many of which were shiny artifacts and ornaments from the Western Regions brought to her by her brother. But when she grew up, she had no more, and was only covered in armor and swords.

The subtle fragrance of herbs accompanied Yu Qing into her sleep, and she felt refreshed when she woke up.

It was still early, and she stretched herself, then expertly wrapped the silk cloth around her body, wrapping it twice before tying it in a knot. Sitting before the mirror, her waist-length hair still untied, her face in the mirror was a stark contrast of black and white: black at the temples and eyebrows, white at the smooth skin.

She examined the sachet again. It was also intricately embroidered with orchids. Her slender hands were embroidered with scars and calluses, and fearing she would scratch the threads, she carefully felt the fine stitching before hanging the sachet around her waist.

Wen Shuo came to see her yesterday, but she didn't pay attention. Now that day, she happened to have nothing else to do, so she went out to meet Wen Shuo as agreed.

Wen Shuo sniffed: "Hmm? You never usually use incense."

Yu Qing: "You have a very sensitive nose."

"What kind of spice is this? It's quite unique."

"I don't know either," Yu Qing said calmly, "The princess gave it to me."

Wen Shuo: "Oh? Let me take a look."

Yu Qing naturally turned sideways to avoid the claw: "Don't touch it."

Wen Shuo couldn't help but clap his hands and laugh, "Okay, okay, okay, now that I know you have a wife, that's great, okay? Hey, you look so proud of yourself, and you seem to be living a comfortable life with the princess."

Feeling elated? Yu Qing didn't realize it, and subconsciously touched the corner of his mouth.

Wen Shuo asked himself and answered: "It's hard not to feel comfortable. I saw the princess yesterday. She is truly a beauty."

Yu Qing frowned: "Isn't Your Highness wearing a veil?"

Wen Shuo: "Even through the veil, you can still see a little bit. Beauty cannot be hidden."

Yu Qing was a little unhappy: "You think you can peek at His Highness? This is so disrespectful, I will punish you for your disrespect."

"Hey, hey, hey, why are you being disrespectful? I was wrong. I'll stop talking now," Wen Shuo covered his mouth with his fan. "A dignified general is so petty. Brother Yu, you've changed."

He and Yu Qing had known each other since childhood, and his impression of him was that he had never been interested in women, no matter how beautiful the woman was. This time, he had really fallen for the princess. Who could have thought that the emperor's random matchmaking would actually turn out well?

"Let me ask you, since His Highness gave you something, have you given it back to him?"

Yu Qing really didn't expect this and was stunned when he heard it.

Wen Shuo knew that Yu Qing had no experience and no means, so of course he had to help him now.

"If someone gives you a peach, you should give them a jade in return. If someone gives you a gift, you should return it. Give and take is the way for a couple to get along. Besides, most girls like to receive gifts. Even if she doesn't give you one, you should always think about giving her something."

Yu Qing paused in thought. Wen Shuo's words made sense. Although he wasn't married, he was quite adept at pleasing his confidante. So, she decided to take his advice and pick out a gift for Qing Jia before returning home today. Wen Shuo even volunteered to help, but Yu Qing didn't ask him to come along. Of course, such things were best done personally. Besides, she didn't want Wen Shuo's petty tricks to affect the princess; she was her husband.

Standing in the largest and busiest market in the capital, with a treasure pavilion on the left and a garment shop on the right, Yu Qing rarely came to such places and was dazzled by the sight.

She was hesitant to enter those overly flashy shops, as they were crowded with people and most of them were girls looking at each other. Yu Qing paused for a moment and entered a jade shop.

"Sir, what would you like to buy? A jade carving? A jade cup?" The clerk didn't know Yu Qing's identity, but from his face and aura he knew that he was a young man from a wealthy family, so he started to recommend expensive items.

Yu Qing said: "I want to buy a piece of jewelry."

"Oh, sure. Would you like a jade crown or a jade pendant? My son is a handsome man, and jade is the perfect match for him. Your sword is a little hollow, would you like a sword pendant?"

"No need," Yu Qing said, "I... will buy it for my wife."

"Oh, so the young master is already married. I'm sure he and your wife are deeply in love. Here are jade hairpins, jade hairpins, and even jadeite..."

Yu Qing looked at them and wasn't very satisfied with any of the finished products. If it was jade, it would be best to select the material and the blueprint and carve it carefully. However, when she looked at the quality of the jade, she felt that it was not the most suitable for Qingjia. She remembered that Qingjia had a pair of blue jade earrings, so she asked about it.

The clerk smiled and said, "To be honest, sir, our boss just got a piece of top-quality blue chalcedony. It's the quality of an annual tribute. Most of the material from the same batch was sent to the palace. We had a lot of trouble getting this piece, and we won't show it to anyone else."

Yu Qing was invited into the shopkeeper's treasure hall. She saw the blue chalcedony, which was indeed very clear and seemed large enough to be made into a hairpin. She chose a design and paid a deposit. Only after leaving did she realize that, while the hairpin was beautiful, it couldn't be carved today.

...I will go back empty-handed and then get the gift to give to the princess half a month later. It will be too late to return the favor.

Never mind, let’s buy something else.

Didn’t Wen Shuo say that giving more gifts is better and can make people happier?

She hesitated for a moment, then stepped into the jewelry store next door, thinking that she had to buy something ready-made.

However, there are more varieties of jewelry. Although she knows a little about jade, she knows nothing about jewelry.

She herself had no womanly jewelry. Once, in Qiying's room, she had seen all sorts of gold and jade hairpins in her dressing table, and she had wanted to pick one up to look at it, but as soon as she touched it, she withdrew her hand as if it had touched fire.

...Those exquisite ornaments are destined not to appear on her body, so what can she do with them?

The ornaments in this shop were a hundred times more than those in Qiying's shop. She was dizzy and couldn't make out anything. Fortunately, she had enough money.

"What are the most expensive ones?"

Major General Yu’s idea is very simple, that expensive things must be good.

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper came over to show her.

"We have something extremely valuable here," she said. "I wonder who you want to give it to?"

The shopkeeper was a plump, graceful woman, always smiling and talking. Yu Qing wanted to say she was giving it to her wife, but she felt awkward. She thought simply calling her "wife" wouldn't reveal the princess's nobility. So she said, "I want to give it to a noble person."

The shopkeeper rolled his eyes and said, "Sir, you've never given me jewelry before, have you?"

Yu Qing said: "Yes. Please help me pick one."

"Alright. I will give you the best and most expensive things. Look at this..."

She held up the makeup box, and Yu Qing opened it and nearly blinked. It was a golden phoenix hairpin, inlaid with shimmering gemstones. Wasn't that... a bit exaggerated?

"How is it?" the shopkeeper asked tentatively. "Does it suit you?"

"It's a bit dazzling."

The shopkeeper said, "Of course it is. This is made of pure gold. Each of these gems is a treasure. Look, compared to this, everything else pales in comparison."

Yu Qing hesitated for a moment, wondering what Qingjia would look like wearing it. Suddenly, she remembered their wedding night, when Qingjia was radiant and beautiful in her phoenix coronet and bridal robe. She couldn't take her eyes off her and immediately thought the phoenix hairpin was a nice touch.

The princess is originally the daughter of the emperor. No matter what precious things are, they are not worthy of the princess.

"Pack it up for me." Yu Qing took out the silver note.

"Oh, good, good!" The shopkeeper smiled happily, "Sir, come again next time!"