When Xiao Du brought Yuan Xi back to the farm, everyone who had been waiting all night finally breathed a sigh of relief. An He's eyes were already swollen from crying. When she saw Yuan Xi walk in, she rushed over and hugged her tightly, then put her head on her shoulder and said, "Madam, you are finally back."

Yuan Xi smiled and took her hand, and said softly, "Don't worry, with the Marquis here, I will be fine."

Xiao Du stood beside her, and when he heard her words, he raised his lips slightly. At this time, Xiao Chun also came up with a bitter face, and was about to cry like An He, but was glared at by Xiao Du fiercely. She was immediately frightened into silence, turned around and greeted her attentively, smiling: "My Lord, you have worked hard. Do you want me to fetch you some water to wash your hands and face?"

Xiao Du thought to himself that it was not that hard for him, and then he glanced at Yuan Xi unconsciously. Yuan Xi understood and glared at him with a stern face. Xiao Du touched his nose and told An He, "Go get some water for Madam to wash thoroughly."

An He quickly responded with a "hmm", but when she turned around she felt a little strange as to why the young lady's face was so red.

Xiao Du raised his head slightly. The blue sky after the rain was clear and bright. She was standing within his reach. The breeze blew her hair across his face, reminding him of her warm hands and soft lips. He felt his heart become comfortable and satisfied. Although last night was a little different from what he thought, it didn't matter. They still had a lot of time and could take it slowly.

Who knows, the unexpected events are just like the rain yesterday, always coming unexpectedly. Just after lunch, the Marquis's Mansion sent someone to report that Prince Qing and the Princess had returned to Beijing a day earlier, and the Princess would go to the palace to meet the Queen Mother and the Emperor tomorrow, and then come to the Marquis' Mansion to visit the Princess. Yuan Xi felt that the string in her head was immediately tightened, and she no longer had the mind to play, and hurriedly ordered the maids to pack up the boxes and prepare to return to the Marquis' Mansion immediately.

Although Xiao Du was extremely reluctant, he could not go against his wife's wishes. He had originally planned to spend some time with her after returning home, but Yuan Xi was so busy as soon as she came in that she had no time to pay attention to him.

After finally making it to the evening, he knocked on Yuan Xi's door expectantly, but all he saw was Madam Li, who looked apologetic and said, "Madam said there were too many things to do today, and she was afraid that she would be distracted and something might go wrong. Please come back tomorrow, Master."

So for the first time in his life, Xiao Du was turned away and could only stand in the yard looking at the moon in sorrow and sighing: It turns out that it is not a good thing for the lady to be too ambitious.

On the second day, the carriage of Princess Qing arrived as scheduled. Because this trip was to visit the family of the Marquis, Prince Qing did not accompany them. The green curtain was opened, and several maids and servants came down first, helping a woman with pearls and jade on her head and silk sleeves and gorgeous clothes to get off the carriage. Every move she made was majestic. It was Princess Qing Meng Jingrou.

The housekeeper of the Marquis's mansion had been waiting at the door with a group of maids. When they saw the princess get off the car, they all knelt down and welcomed the princess to the main courtyard according to etiquette.

Everyone else was already waiting in the main courtyard. The princess stood at the front. When she saw Meng Jingrou, she could not hide her excitement. Her usually pale face actually showed a hint of excitement.

Meng Jingrou was too careless to be polite when she saw her old friend again. She took a few steps forward and took the princess's hand to take a closer look. The young girl and close friend she once was, now a woman with white hair, looked at each other with tears in her eyes.

Meng Jingrou took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears and said in a trembling voice: "After decades of separation, Tonghui, you have changed."

The princess also wiped away her tears, and just as she was about to speak, she burst into a violent coughing fit, and quickly covered her face and stepped back. Nanny Yu hurriedly explained: "The princess knew that the princess was coming, and she was so excited that she couldn't sleep well for several nights. Who knew that it would cause her old illness to relapse. I hope the princess will forgive me."

Meng Jingrou had heard that the princess had been weak for many years, but she never expected that she would be so seriously ill today. She felt even more heartbroken for her, and tears could not stop flowing out again. Yuan Xi came forward and saluted the princess, saying, "The tea and fruits are ready in the hall. Please go in and talk with the princess."

Meng Jingrou nodded, and walked into the main hall with the female family members. The two drank tea and chatted casually, but the atmosphere seemed a little distant and polite. First, because the princess kept coughing, Meng Jingrou couldn't bear to let her talk too much. Second, there were many outsiders here, and many private secrets could not be explained in detail.

Fortunately, the banquet was soon prepared and everyone welcomed the princess to the dining room. Meng Jingrou insisted on sitting with the princess, but the princess said she was afraid of passing the disease to her and insisted on letting her sit at the seat of honor.

The old marquis looked around at the table, but did not see Xiao Qing and Wang Shiqin. Feeling somewhat uneasy, he secretly sent Zhou Jingyuan out to inquire about them.

As soon as Zhou Jingyuan walked out, Xiao Qing walked in with Wang Shiqin. Everyone gasped when they saw them. Xiao Qing was dressed in white for such an occasion. From a distance, she looked like she was wearing mourning clothes. Wang Shiqin was also wearing a plain dress. She lowered her head and walked behind. Both of them looked out of place in the festive atmosphere of the hall.

Xiao Qing simply bowed to the princess and sat down. The old marquis looked angry and shouted, "Look at how you are dressed. Why don't you go back and change your clothes?"

Xiao Qing smiled coldly, glanced at him, and said, "My mother's seventh day of death has not yet passed. What does father think I should wear?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone at the banquet changed their expressions. The old marquis slammed the table and was about to scold him, but the princess had already said coldly: "Is a concubine who has lost her moral integrity worthy of someone wearing mourning clothes for her?"

Xiao Qing turned around and stared at him, with deep resentment in her eyes. Wang Shiqin quickly grabbed his sleeve and signaled him not to continue. But Xiao Qing still smiled and said, "If the princess hadn't done so many things to feel guilty, why would she hide in her room and pretend to be sick every day?"

"You!" The princess had never thought that he would dare to say such a thing. She was so angry that she pressed her chest and spit out blood. The princess was so scared that she covered her mouth and screamed. Xiao Du and Yuan Xi rushed over to support the princess's staggering body, and the banquet suddenly became chaotic.

The old marquis stood up in a rage, pointed at Xiao Qing and shouted, "How dare you be so disrespectful to the princess, you rebellious son? I have always been too lenient with you. Take him away and beat him up!"

Wang Shiqin raised her head in fear and tried to plead for Xiao Qing, but Xiao Qing had already stood up, lifted his robe, turned his head and looked at the flustered people at the table with contempt, then strode to the door and said to the stunned servants, "The master has spoken, why don't you go get the stick? The master can't wait any longer."

The princess was trembling while leaning on the table. Her face was as pale as paper, as if she had been greatly shocked. Xiao Du and Yuan Xi beside her were very anxious. Nanny Yu cried and said, "Princess, please go back to your room and take medicine and rest. I'm afraid you are neglecting the princess."

The princess quickly asked a few people to take the princess back to her room. After such a commotion, the others had no appetite for the meal. The princess was worried about the princess's illness, so she ate a few bites and took two of her personal maids to visit the princess. When she saw that the princess was about to go to bed after taking the medicine, she reluctantly returned to Qixia Courtyard.

In the upper room of Qixia Courtyard, the maids had already spread the curtains and lit incense. The princess sat beside the dressing table with a frown on her face, staring at a blooming peony in the room in a daze. After a while, she told the other maids to go and rest, leaving only the most trusted nanny in the room.

This nanny had been serving the princess since before she got married. She knew that she was worried and asked quickly, "Are you worried about the princess's illness?"

The princess nodded, hesitated for a while, and then said, "Also, I always feel that the princess seems to have changed a lot."

The nanny said, "The princess and the king have not seen each other for more than 20 years. Now they are both wives and mothers. Since their identities and experiences are different, they can't be the same as when they were young."

The princess still frowned and said, "But... I can't really explain it. I always feel like she seems to have become a little gloomy." She thought for a moment, sighed, and said, "Forget it. I think too much. I'm afraid she's not having a good time in the Marquis' Mansion. I'll ask her again tomorrow when she gets better."

The nanny smiled and said, "Princess, don't let your imagination run wild. The princess gave birth to a legitimate eldest son who inherited the title, and the old marquis doesn't have many concubines around him. He's just a little weak, so what's wrong with that?"

The princess sighed and said, "It's a pity that she only has one son. It would be better if she had more children. And this Xuanyuan Marquis Mansion is getting worse day by day..."

She seemed to realize that she had said too much, and chatted with the nanny. After several days of traveling, she returned to the palace early in the morning. She felt very tired and went to bed early.

The night soon deepened. The crows chirped from the treetops swaying in the wind. The princess was half asleep and half awake when she suddenly heard someone singing in her ear. A sharp and thin female voice sang a nursery rhyme: "Hold my brother, pull my brother, and step on the tiles to break them without touching the ground."

It sounded like a mother coaxing her child to sleep, but why was it in her yard? And why did it sound so close, so close as if... right next to her bed.

A faint female voice echoed in the silent darkness. It was clearly an old nursery rhyme, but the more she listened, the sadder and sharper it sounded. The princess frowned and waved her hand to drive away the disturbing singing, but the singing was right beside her ears, not too far away, not too fast, not too slow, and singing in a sharp and thin voice.

Although she was dreaming, she finally felt something was wrong and was suddenly awakened. When she opened her eyes, she saw a woman's face hanging above her: the person was dressed as a maid, gently touching her belly with her hands. When she saw her open her eyes, she finally stopped singing and grinned.