Zhu Zhi trembled in fright, hugged himself tightly, took two steps back, and shouted, "Whoever can give me two hundred thousand taels of silver, I will be hers for the next month!"
The women who had been rushing forward like headless flies suddenly stopped in their tracks, looked at each other, and, as if they hadn't seen the prince, turned around and went back to their own rooms.
They're gone, just like that?!
Zhu Zhi's forehead veins throbbed. What good are women anyway!
Zhu Zhi walked around twice, and the backyard, which had been crammed with more than twenty women, was now eerily quiet, as if there were no ghosts.
Finally, Zhu Zhi went to the Crown Princess's room.
The Crown Princess had just taken her medicine; her face was as pale as paper, and her body was so thin that a gust of wind could blow her away.
Upon seeing Zhu Zhi enter, the Crown Princess struggled to sit up from the soft couch: "Your Highness... Your Highness..."
She had to pause twice before she could finish a sentence; she was too weak and relied entirely on the palace maids beside her for support.
Zhu Zhi walked over and helped the Crown Princess lie down on the soft couch, his voice extremely gentle: "You are not well, do not get up."
The Crown Princess smiled and said, "I still have some in my box, 20,000 taels of silver notes. Your Highness, please take them."
The palace maid beside her straightened up, hesitated to speak, but was frightened by the Crown Princess's gaze and retreated.
Zhu Zhi pulled the thin blanket around the Crown Princess: "Keep your money. If there's anything you want to eat, just have them go out and buy it for you. Father Emperor bestowed a 500-year-old ginseng, and I've already ordered someone to prepare it for you as medicine."
The Crown Princess gripped Zhu Zhi's hand tightly, coughing violently. The veins on the back of her hand, which was so thin that only a layer of skin remained, bulged out.
In the past, when I coughed violently, my face would still have some color, but in the last two years, even that color has disappeared. When I cough so hard that I can't breathe, my whole face turns bluish-gray.
Just like it is now.
The Crown Princess suffered greatly during childbirth; the labor was too long, and the baby was kept inside her womb for too long, resulting in a very weak baby after birth.
After finally giving birth, the Crown Princess almost suffered a postpartum hemorrhage.
If it weren't for Physician Jiang's assurances to him, given by both the old emperor and the crown prince, the crown princess would have died during that childbirth.
But in the end, that body never got up again.
...
As night fell, Zhu Yu lay half-reclined on the soft couch by the window, reading a book in his hand.
I wonder what Lu Xiaoyun is doing right now, and whether she's thinking about him.
At the palace's New Year's banquet, he said he would stay in his room every day, but he didn't come over yesterday.
Hmph, you little liar!
He was poisoned at the end of last year, fell into a coma, and was on the verge of death. Lu Xiaoyun was so worried.
Now that the Emperor has decreed that they should divorce, Lu Xiaoyun is probably hiding in some corner, heartbroken.
Not wanting him to be sad, he probably hid away by himself.
"That must be it," Zhu Yu said, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Li Feng endured it again and again. Not only had the young lady not turned a single page of the book in half an hour, but she was also holding it upside down!
Miss, aren't you most fond of these storybooks? What's wrong with you today?
I really can't stand it anymore.
"Miss? Miss?"
No response.
Li Feng blinked. Didn't you hear that?
Miss, what are you laughing at? The Emperor has already decreed that you and the Prince should divorce, and you're still laughing?
"Miss!" Li Feng raised his voice.
Zhu Yu was startled and looked up abruptly, staring blankly at Li Feng: "What's wrong?"
Li Feng pointed to the book in his hand: "Miss, you're holding the book upside down."
"You brat, why are you making such a loud noise?"
"Miss, I've called you several times, but you haven't heard me. What are you thinking about, Miss?"
"I wasn't thinking anything. What would a little girl like her know?"
Li Feng pouted, wondering why she didn't understand: "Miss, are you missing the Prince?"
Zhu Yu: "Is it that obvious?"
Li Feng nodded seriously: "Yes, Miss, it looks like you have 'I miss the Prince so much' written on your forehead. Shall I get you a mirror so you can take a look?"
"You brat, you've only learned a few words and you already know how to tease your young lady, haven't you?"
Li Feng chuckled.
Zhu Yu tossed the book into Li Feng's hands: "I'm not reading anymore, I'm going to sleep."
"Huh?" It's only just past 7 PM, why are you already sleeping?
Back when she was at Prince An's mansion, Miss wouldn't go to sleep until 11:45 PM.
But Li Feng didn't dare to say anything. She helped Zhu Yu up, obediently helped him wash up, and then got him into bed.
"You should go to sleep too. You don't need to serve us here anymore."
Li Feng blinked, said "Oh," and then turned off the light and left the room.
Zhu Yu stared blankly at the ceiling, time passing so slowly.
Lu Xiaoyun, where did you hide to be sad?
Lu Xiaoyun, who was drinking and eating with Qi Shaocheng in Wangxianglou, suddenly sneezed.
Lu Xiaoyun rubbed her nose, wondering which minister Zhu Yu had offended was now badmouthing her behind her back.
Wangxianglou is a property under the name of Prince An, and it only serves guests who hold a restaurant token.
Those without a token, even if they hold a high position, cannot expect to be served a meal.
No one knows what kind of powerful backer is behind Wangxiang Tower. In the past, many high-ranking officials and nobles have tried to force their way in, but without exception, none of them have had a good ending.
Therefore, it was impossible for people outside to know that Lu Xiaoyun was having dinner with Qi Shaocheng inside.
Today, Lu Xiaoyun met with him mainly to discuss how Qi Shaocheng could gain the old emperor's trust and completely hand over the Northern Army to him on the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
The two chatted for about half an hour.
"Your Highness, rest assured, this humble general will certainly live up to your expectations."
Lu Xiaoyun nodded and raised her glass to drink another cup with Qi Shaocheng.
Jiang Chuan's lips moved slightly, wanting to advise his lord that General Qi's alcohol tolerance wasn't very good.
This person has no other flaws, except that he talks a lot when he's drunk, and he's the kind who gets drunk after just one drink.
In the military camp, Qi Shaocheng never drank alcohol.
The prince knew he couldn't hold his liquor.
But what's wrong with him today? He seems to be preoccupied with something, drinking himself into a stupor.
One of them seemed unaware that the other had a low alcohol tolerance and let him drink like that.
Sure enough, after drinking five cups, Qi Shaocheng was already seeing double.
Qi Shaocheng was completely drunk. Hiccuping, he staggered over to Lu Xiaoyun and put his hand on her shoulder: "Your Highness, why are my father, my mother, and them pressuring me to get married every day? What's so good about getting married?"
The smell of alcohol on Qi Shaocheng's breath went straight into Lu Xiaoyun's nose. She pushed his hand away from her shoulder and said, "Men should make mistakes when they grow up, and women should marry when they grow up. Marquis Yongbo and his wife only have you as their son, so they naturally hope that you will get married and have children soon."
Qi Shaocheng tilted his head back and downed another glass of wine, making Jiang Chuan shudder.
"Getting married, good, hehe, getting married is good. I want to marry her, marry her. But my parents won't agree, they won't agree. Marrying another woman, I, I don't want to."
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