Along the way, Song Lingxi was led by Xie Changling towards the main house. Song Lingxi did not speak at all, which Xie Changling misunderstood as her being nervous.
Xie Changling quickly reassured her, "Your father and mother are both easygoing people, don't be nervous."
After saying that, Xie Changling felt that what he said was not very pertinent, so he added in her ear, "If you are really afraid, just offer me tea, and I will take care of the rest."
Song Lingxi was absent-minded, her mind filled with the unjust deaths of the prime minister and his wife in her previous life, and her own powerlessness to do anything about it, which made her feel somewhat depressed.
Suddenly, Xie Changling's voice rang in her ears. His words made her both angry and amused. What a good son he was to his in-laws!
Song Lingxi quickly reached out her small hand and covered his thin lips: "Don't say that, I'm not that delicate. Besides, the Prime Minister and his wife are both very kind people, how could they make things difficult for me?"
"Good, good, my Xi'er is the most considerate of others. Mother will definitely like you. Don't be nervous."
Xie Changling took Song Lingxi's fair hand and kissed it, making Song Lingxi blush and give him a reproachful look.
Xie Changling then truly believed her and led her into the main hall.
Upon entering, they saw the Prime Minister and his wife sitting upright in the hall, smiling as they watched the couple walk hand in hand. However, when their gazes swept over Song Lingxi, they both momentarily lost their focus.
Song Lingxi was dressed in a cross-collar brocade dress with a red gauze overcoat. Her hair was styled into a woman's bun, revealing her snow-white neck. She was stunningly beautiful.
The brocade belt around her waist outlined her exquisite and graceful figure. Her slender waist, which seemed so delicate it could be grasped in one hand, swayed gracefully with her movements, and a faint fragrance wafted from it.
The woman had willow-leaf eyebrows, and beneath her slender eyelashes were a pair of bright almond-shaped eyes. Her face was flawless, like that of ice and jade, and her naturally red lips added a touch of glamour.
She lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting shadows beneath them. Her expression was respectful, and her behavior was proper. Even the Prime Minister and his wife, who had seen countless people, had never seen such a stunning beauty before.
Especially the Prime Minister's wife, after she came to her senses, glanced at her son and saw that his eyes were glued to Song Lingxi, and couldn't help but sigh, "She is truly a beauty among men."
Song Lingxi served tea to her parents-in-law according to etiquette. The tea was warm, not scalding.
But when Song Lingxi offered it to them, they all took it as quickly as possible, afraid that their delicate skin would be burned.
After they finished their tea, the Prime Minister's wife took Song Lingxi's hand and helped her up from the ground: "Good child, get up quickly."
She gently patted Song Lingxi's hand, her voice warm and her face full of affection.
“I know you suffered because you married into this family. Ling’er has been sickly since childhood. The master predicted that only a destined person can save Ling’er’s life.”
"It was my husband and I who pleaded with His Majesty. Please don't blame us for our haste. If Ling'er's life were to be in danger one day... and you wish to remarry, my husband and I, even if it means drinking ourselves into obscurity, will certainly plead for another imperial decree to grant you marriage."
"mother!"
Xie Changling interrupted the Prime Minister's wife with a dark face. What kind of nonsense was this? On the second day of their wedding, his own mother was already urging his dear wife to go find a second spring?
"Don't you dare corrupt my wife! We're a perfectly good couple!"
Xie Changling grew anxious. Xi'er was his destined one; didn't his mother see how strong and healthy he was?
Of course they saw it. The Prime Minister's wife gave the Prime Minister a wink, and both of them could see Xie Changling's anxiety. They smiled at each other.
The Prime Minister patted Xie Changling on the shoulder reassuringly.
"Your mother is just teasing you. Even if your daughter-in-law remarries, that's something that happens after you're gone. Right now, you're alive and kicking, so your mother and I are at ease."
The Prime Minister's wife glared at him reproachfully, somewhat disdainfully, and asked, "What do you mean by 'afterlife'?"
As a mother who was almost obsessed with hoping for her son to get better, these words were not a good omen, and she couldn't bear to hear them.
"Pah, pah, pah! How dare you say such unlucky things! I see Ling'er looks much better; it's all thanks to Lingxi's good fortune. Why don't you let the physician take a look?"
The Prime Minister nodded in agreement. His eldest son had been exceptionally intelligent since childhood, unlike ordinary people, and he was particularly good at understanding military books and strategies.
He could ask questions at the age of three and compose poems at the age of five, speaking fluently and spontaneously. His intelligence was almost supernatural, but unfortunately, he was not in good health and could not enter officialdom to contribute to the court.
Even the current emperor lamented Xie Changling's lack of literary talent. The story of this relationship is long, but in short, the two had been classmates, which is why he was able to obtain the imperial edict so easily.
"Let the imperial physician examine you, and I will personally go to the palace to invite Master Hongyi to take a look, how about that?"
The prime minister discussed it with his wife. The couple had a son together, Xie Changling.
Although the Prime Minister has many sons and daughters born out of wedlock, he values this exceptionally talented eldest son the most. Therefore, just to be on the safe side, he should invite a master to take a look.
"Of course, it's rare for Master Hongyi to travel in the capital. If we miss this opportunity now, who knows when we'll be able to see him again!"
The Prime Minister's wife naturally had no objections. She had only one child in her life, Xie Changling, and she had raised him with great difficulty until he reached the age of twenty.
Seeing Xie Changling's health deteriorate day by day, her heart was breaking. He was the culmination of all her efforts in the first half of her life, and her support for the second half. How could she not feel heartache?
"Mother, don't be sad. My husband is in good health and will surely become even healthier in the future. He might even learn martial arts and become a great general."
Song Lingxi comforted the two of them. She also felt deeply about this, and the thought of Xie Changling dying in the future made her feel even more distressed.
After all, she had memories of the future and knew that after Xie Changling died, the old couple, who were like white-haired people sending off their black-haired son, were like souls taken away, living like walking corpses every day.
The Prime Minister's wife wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, and affectionately patted Song Lingxi's hand.
A while later, the imperial physician arrived in a hurry with his medicine box. He was about to bow when the Prime Minister interrupted him.
"Sir, you've arrived. Please examine my son's health. He looks much better today. Has his condition improved?"
The physician responded with a "Yes," then opened his medicine box, took out a medicine pillow, and began to take the pulse. Everyone held their breath, afraid of disturbing the physician and affecting the diagnosis.
Even Xie Changling himself was a little nervous and uneasy. His life used to be meaningless and dull. He was accompanied by bitter medicine all day long and would pant even when walking.
But after meeting Song Lingxi, he suddenly wanted to live longer, a few more years, a dozen years, or even decades, and even wanted to stay with her forever.
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