Chapter 89: What if he doesn’t live long?

In the end, Yu Qing pushed Yu Wei out of the house without hesitation.

Yu Wei knew it all anyway, and she was still smiling as she left: "Okay, I won't ask any more questions. Look how anxious you are..."

Yu Qing's face turned red and white after what she said.

It would have been fine if she hadn't mentioned it, but after her elder sister came and stirred up a lot of trouble, she started to think about it again.

In the end, it was all a matter of one thought. Yu Wei was right; it almost happened.

The night view was pleasant, with rippling waves. The South Lake was actually very nice last night.

However, they hardly had much time to go boating on the lake, and after arguing with Xie Jing for a long time, it ended in a mess... The moment she sat on the railing and took off her hair crown, she had clearly made up her mind, but in the end she still couldn't get over it.

I don’t know when Xie Jing will come to see her again... Will Xie Jing mind?

After all, they had prepared a whole pleasure boat and decorated it completely, but in the end, he didn't look very happy at all.

Yu Qing thought for a long time and realized that he was still worried about Xie Jing's feelings.

A person knows so many of my secrets, and I have suffered so much from being deceived by him. Yu Qing not only tolerates him, but also allows me to be entangled with him endlessly. I don’t know how sincere he is to me.

Xie Jing claimed to be in love with her, but it was unclear how long this would last. Perhaps he was simply influenced by the engagement three years prior, or perhaps he was particularly interested in her identity as a woman, though she was in appearance a man. Right now, he and Yu Qing were enjoying themselves, so perhaps he wouldn't be a hindrance to her. But what about the future?

If Yu Qing was more rational, she would be thinking day and night about how to shut him up instead of how to take the next step with him.

Yu Qing was caught in another conflict, and if this continued, it would never end.

She thought to herself, next time, let Xie Jing be a princess. That way, at least it would be easier for her.

However, there was no news from Xie Jing in the next few days.

Originally, he wanted Yu Qing to take the initiative to find him, but in recent times, it was actually Xie Jing who invited her and she agreed.

She also considered whether to make a special trip to Prince Jing's Mansion, but she was still worried that it was too deliberate. In addition, she had been collecting intelligence about the aristocratic families for Prince Rui recently, and she was really busy a few nights, but it was not easy to reveal it. She was discovered by her eldest sister several times when she left the mansion after dark. Yu Wei thought she was going out... to look for someone, and she always looked at her with teasing eyes the next day. Yu Qing was very troubled.

She thought that the next court meeting would be soon and they would meet each other, so she would tell Xie Jing directly then.

·

After that night, Xie Jing was worried for a day or two. He wanted to find Yu Qing as soon as possible, but he was worried about annoying her and that he would lose control again. He thought of many ways to please her next time and also considered what kind of dress he should wear to try to save the situation.

He was in a restless state, had no appetite for meals, and seemed to have no strength in his body. He woke up several times at night for no apparent reason. It seemed that there was a pain in some meridian, not just one place, but it stopped quickly. It was a little painful but not too severe. He didn't know whether it was real pain or just his illusion.

Remembering the heart palpitations he had last time, Xie Jing felt a little worried. Just in case, he went to see the imperial physician who stayed in the palace.

The imperial physician couldn't find any obvious abnormalities. Prince Jing was slightly frail compared to the average person, but within the acceptable range. As for other symptoms, the imperial physician stroked his beard, pondered, and said, "...Your Highness, excessive worrying and stagnant qi are also contributing factors. You should try to smile more and relax."

Xie Jing had heard this kind of talk countless times in the palace before, and it seemed that all the imperial physicians were of the same level.

He has been like this since he was a child. He likes to think too much and always think the worst. I guess he can't change this.

Xie Jing couldn't help but feel confused. Could it be that all this happened because Yu Qing didn't agree to it?

He reluctantly took the medicinal diet for a few days and seemed to be feeling a little better.

He had to get up early to attend court that day. He stayed in the Ministry of Revenue for more than an hour the night before to handle business and came back late. In total, he slept for more than two hours. He was not very restful and was groggy when he woke up.

He put on his court robes, tied up his hair and put on a crown, and dressed neatly. Just as he was about to call someone, his throat felt itchy and he suddenly started coughing.

Xie Jing glanced at the handkerchief and was stunned.

Looking back in the mirror, there was still a trace of red at the corner of her lips.

Xie Jing was a little dazed, his heart in turmoil. The guard outside the door called him once: "Your Highness, are you okay? It's time to go."

Seeing Xie Jing remained silent, Qiu Lian, the maid waiting in the outer room, faintly heard his cough and asked softly, "Your Highness? Is there something wrong?"

Xie Jing said: "...right away."

He wiped the corners of his mouth, rinsed his mouth, quickly destroyed the handkerchief, then went out and followed the guards into the palace to attend court.

He felt extremely uncomfortable the entire time. As far as he knew, no matter how bad he'd been, he'd never vomited blood. If he started coughing up blood, he was probably nearing the end of his life.

...What's wrong with me? Xie Jing stared at his hands in a daze.

After staying in Jiangnan for nearly two years, I was basically fully recovered. In the last six months, I was no different from an ordinary person, except for occasional discomfort. At that time, I just thought it was the lingering effects of the medicine and that I would gradually get better.

Who would have thought it would get worse now?

I haven't been feeling well since I fell into the water and got seriously ill last time. That time, I was in severe pain all over my body.

After much thought, he had a guess that the medicine he used before might have caused too deep a damage, and the remaining poison could not be removed, nor could it be cured. After all, it took several years.

Ordinary decoctions have their own drawbacks, so this kind of panacea that directly acts on bones and tendons must not be too simple, right?

The effect is indeed very good, and it can keep the bones in an unformed state, but each time it is extremely painful, and even the recovery time is very long. In the first one or two months, he was tortured to the point of being half-human.

But those were mostly superficial symptoms. Now that I think about it, maybe my internal organs were also hurt?

This possibility scared Xie Jing a lot.

Although he is still alive and kicking and does not look like a dying person, he still cannot forget that mouthful of blood.

When he was in court, he was lost in thought and absent-minded several times. Fortunately, no one asked him about court affairs today, otherwise he would most likely not be able to answer.

·

On the other side, Yu Qing cast glances at Xie Jing several times without making any expression. Xie Jing seemed to be thinking about something and looked very serious, and did not notice her attention.

The person who spoke now was a ceremonial officer, reporting on all matters concerning this year's autumn hunt. It was pretty much the same as before. Yu Qing listened and really didn't understand what Xie Jing was thinking about.

She felt the court meetings were unusually long, with several people spouting off without actually getting anything done. If these people were her subordinates, she would definitely not tolerate them.

It was finally over. The emperor set off and everyone left the court. Yu Qing was about to look for Xie Jing on the way, but he saw that he did not leave with everyone else, but turned towards the palace.

·

At first, Xie Jing subconsciously wanted to follow Xie Tingzhao, but Xie Tingzhao was followed by several trusted ministers, talking in low voices, and went straight to the Guanlan Palace.

He hesitated.

Prince Tianrui has been extremely busy these days, and is in a stalemate with the aristocratic families. He looks much gloomier, and there is a strong smell of incense on his body, which shows that he must have been unable to sleep at night recently.

Xie Jing finally didn't bother him. He turned to the harem, handed over the card, and went to see Concubine Rong.

The palace maid brought him tea and snacks, but Xie Jing didn't move, thinking about how to start the conversation.

The last time Concubine Rong heard Prince Rui say that Xie Jing's complexion has improved since he reconciled with Yu Qing. Looking at his face now, he is indeed better than before when he was sick.

She thought to herself, never mind, it’s better for the child to be happy than anything else, so let him be.

"How is the thing I asked your brother to bring you last time?" Rong Fei asked gently, "It's a secret recipe. If you find it useful, come to the palace and get it."

Xie Jing: “…”

Concubine Rong has gone through many ups and downs over the years, and she is used to the things in the harem and doesn't think it's a big deal at all.

He said awkwardly: "...Actually, I haven't used it much yet."

Rong Fei advised: "You still have to use it. Don't think that you can take it lightly just because you are young."

Xie Jing: “…Okay.”

The originally gloomy mood was dispelled by this topic.

Xie Jing's expression changed unpredictably for a while. He finally ate some snacks to calm down, and then hesitantly asked, "Mother, I want to ask you one more thing."

Rong Fei: "Hmm?"

"I took this medicine for many years. Where did it come from?" Xie Jing asked, "Do you know the recipe?"

That was not an ordinary decoction, and he didn't know what medicinal ingredients were in it. Every time the prepared pills were sent to him, it was very convenient to deliver and take.

Rong Fei was startled: "Why are you asking this suddenly?"

Xie Jing said: "...just curious."

"I'm really not sure about that. Your brother got it back in Nanzhao," Rong Fei pondered for a moment. "The medical skills there are different from those in the Central Plains. The prescriptions they use may not be interchangeable, so there's no way to know."

Xie Jing stared in silence. Concubine Rong asked perceptively, "...Are you feeling unwell somewhere, Ah Jing?"

His brother and mother would never intentionally harm him, Xie Jing thought. If these two people had bad intentions towards him, he would have died long ago.

Perhaps the two of them didn't know what it was, and now he wasn't sure about his own situation either. If he said it rashly, it would only cause trouble for others.

...If there really is a problem, I'm afraid there will be panic and guilt.

Xie Jing evaded the question for a few moments and left the palace with a heavy heart. On the long street outside the palace gate, he unexpectedly saw a familiar carriage, and Yu Qing was standing in the shadows with his hands behind his back.

He was startled, then walked over.

"Prince..." he said, "Are you waiting for me?"

Yu Qing nodded.

In fact, she initially thought that Xie Jing would come out soon, but Xie Jing delayed for a long time. She guessed that maybe he had something to discuss with Prince Rui, and if it couldn't be finished in one or two hours, she couldn't just keep waiting.

However, there were several times when I was about to leave, but I ended up staying, thinking that it didn't matter for a while.

"Why didn't you call me?" Xie Jing whispered, "I walked around the palace. If I had known you were here, I would have come out earlier."

Yu Qing said: "It's okay, I just stopped by."

After she finished speaking, she couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. Who would wait for half an hour? Facing Xie Jing, she couldn't even hide it.

Xie Jing was not very clear-headed today and did not hear anything unusual. He thought that Yu Qing was really discussing matters in the palace, or was doing work nearby with the imperial guards.

He was conflicted and wanted to ask Yu Qing, but he didn't know whether Yu Qing still had a grudge from the last time. He had been feeling unwell these past few days, so he didn't know how to invite her.

Yu Qing asked, "Your Highness, are you free tonight?"

Seeing that Xie Jing was silent for a long time, she felt depressed and just spoke directly.

In addition, she had long discovered that if the date was too far away, she would have to think about it too much beforehand, which was too tiring, so it would be better to just do it today.

Xie Jing was a little surprised that Yu Qing actually brought this up. If it had been a few days ago, he would have been overwhelmed. Even then, he couldn't bring himself to refuse. He smiled as casually as possible and said, "Okay, I'm free."

Yu Qing said: "Well, then I'll leave first."

She had already missed the time by a long time and still had a lot to do when she got back, so she turned around and got on the carriage. Suddenly, she remembered something and said to Xie Jing, "...Tonight at your house, let's do it the same as before. Don't be like last time."

Xie Jing was startled, then understood what she meant and said, "Yeah."

He watched Yu Qing's car leave, lowering his eyes. Yu Qing still didn't accept him. He then followed the guards to the Ministry of Revenue.

Xie Jing was lost in thoughts all day long.

Why are the attacks still happening? It's not a real old condition. How long will the medication last? Does it require a trigger, or are they simply getting worse and worse, uncontrollably? What if they become more frequent? What should he do? Is there a treatment?

And that mouthful of blood... What if he doesn't have much time left? Will the medicine actually affect his lifespan?

In the past, he hadn't considered so much in order to survive, but now he felt panic. In his mind, he had died in different ways several times.

When he returned home at night, his mind was in a mess and his heart was blocked. He didn't eat dinner and sat alone in the room. When he came to his senses, he found that it was getting dark. Yu Qing might come soon.

Yu Qing specifically said that he still needed to dress up as a princess, and that she only wanted to see the princess.

He hurriedly prepared and picked out a few sets of clothes, but they all looked a bit awkward. When he was styling his hair, he also felt that it was not done carefully enough.

Xie Jing finally became a little annoyed, thinking that no matter how he did it, he would still be imitating others. What should he do?

Dim the lights? Or put on more makeup? His complexion is a little dull today, would a brighter lipstick help?

Xie Jing stayed at the table for a long time. He seemed to hear a slight sound outside. He suddenly woke up and hurriedly blew out the lights.

Yu Qing came earlier than before.

She pushed the door open and walked in. Xie Jing smiled and said, "Prince Consort."

As soon as he opened his mouth, he realized that his voice was a little hoarse. He frowned and tightened his throat slightly.

Yu Qing came over and she responded, "Yeah."

"It's been a long time since I last saw you," the princess said. "Did you miss me?"

The princess today was still different from before, elegant and graceful. Yu Qing was still mesmerized by her. When she was in front of him, it seemed as if she had a thousand words to say but couldn't express them. In the end, she just took his hand and said, "...I miss you so much."