Beijing
Duke Su's Mansion
Princess Jingyi reclined on the chaise longue, letting her maids gently massage her limbs, and her tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed.
Granny Shu came in carrying a bowl of medicine and said in a deep voice, "You may all leave now!"
The maids respectfully withdrew, leaving only the master and servant in the room.
"Princess, the medicine is ready. Please drink it quickly."
Jingyi opened her beautiful eyes, looked at the dark, murky medicine, and sighed softly, "It's too bitter."
"It's not a problem if it's bitter. I've brought you some candied fruit. You'll not feel the bitterness after you try one."
"Granny, I've been taking the medicine for so long, but it hasn't had any effect."
Granny Shu glanced at Princess Jingyi, His Majesty's most beloved younger sister. She was only thirty-five or thirty-six years old, and she was charming and beautiful. But this ripe and tempting peach had not only lost interest in bedroom matters, but had also become a firecracker. If she talked to the Duke for even a few words, she would be ignited at the slightest provocation.
Every time she saw the Duke arrive full of excitement only to leave disappointed, she felt a pang of worry for the princess.
Even if a couple has a great relationship, if they are constantly at odds and there is no mutual tenderness at night, they may gradually drift apart.
Even though the Duke married a princess, there was still a concubine named Liu in the mansion who was a few years younger than the princess.
But she couldn't upset the princess, so she could only suppress her worries and comfort her, saying, "Princess, don't be so gloomy all the time. It's not good for your condition. The imperial physician said that you should relax. Only when you're in a good mood can the medicine cure you."
Jingyi's beautiful eyes were tinged with sadness. "Granny, there's no need to comfort me. I know my own body. Don't be fooled by the fact that the Duke has been with me or staying in the study these days. I know that no man has that much self-control. It's only a matter of time before he goes to Concubine Liu's place."
"Alas, I don't want to be so cold to the Duke, but for some reason, seeing him reminds me of some past events. And when I think about his indulgence of his illegitimate son and his lack of concern for Qingyu's marriage, I get angry."
For the past six months, Su Zhen had tried to coax her into having a romantic encounter, but she hadn't been interested at all.
Not only did she lose interest, but she also found him somewhat of an eyesore and couldn't help but want to get angry. Su Zhen also vented his anger because of this, ignoring her cold glare, he simply put his arm around her waist and said, "Let's sleep."
If you anger her, you'll have no choice but to stay in the study.
She knew that if she continued to act impulsively and argue with him, he would eventually be seduced by that woman surnamed Liu.
Back when she was pregnant with her second child, an accident did happen.
During her pregnancy, she became melancholic and prone to tantrums. Su Zhen, wanting to pray for her and the child in her womb, stayed at a temple for a while. But unexpectedly, he took Liu, who was also staying at the temple, into his meditation room.
That Liu was merely the daughter of a merchant, yet she suddenly became a woman of Su Town.
Although Su Zhen kept saying that he had been tricked, so many eyes saw him coming out of the meditation room where Liu was, disheveled, that he couldn't deny it.
Even though she was of noble status, with so many people watching, she could only swallow her anger, pretend to be magnanimous, and clean up his mess.
Lady Liu was also elevated to the status of a concubine in the Duke of Su's mansion. Su Zhen suspected that she had framed him and loathed her, so he didn't go to her room for a long time.
But that wretched woman was very lucky; she became pregnant after just one time in the meditation room.
She had intended to force-feed her a bowl of safflower to conceive that bastard child.
But Su Zhen pleaded desperately. Although he disliked Liu Shi, the child in her womb was his flesh and blood, and he couldn't bear to kill it.
It was precisely because of her womanly kindness and a momentary lapse in judgment that she brought herself a lot of trouble.
When Lady Liu gave birth, she gave birth to a son, adding another male member to the Duke of Su's mansion.
Although he became a father again, Su Zhen was not happy.
He has always wanted a sweet and soft daughter.
This is his third son!
Although Lady Liu was not favored, she always had an excuse after having a child. Every few days, she would send someone to invite Su Zhen to visit his illegitimate son in the courtyard. She also had learned a way of seducing people from somewhere. Once Su Zhen stepped into the courtyard, he would never come out again that night.
The servants of the Duke's mansion all knew that the Duke wanted a daughter, and that the princess and Concubine Liu were secretly competing, both wanting to have another child.
Good fortune was on the princess's side, and not long after, she indeed became pregnant again.
Unable to serve Su Zhen, he could only stay at Liu's place every night.
Liu was naturally happy to agree. The princess was pregnant for ten months, so she could occupy Su Town until the princess finished her postpartum confinement.
She refused to believe it. If he could have the master all to himself for so long, why would he be afraid that his belly wouldn't show any signs of pregnancy?
Despite his repeated acts of pleasure, she remained unprepared, and Su Zhen gradually lost his passion for her.
What Aunt Liu didn't know was that the princess had already tampered with her food, so that apart from that illegitimate son, she would never be able to conceive again in this life.
Before she could even celebrate for long, the princess encountered a large number of refugees while going out to pray for blessings, which separated the group. At that time, one problem after another arose. During their escape, they encountered bandits. The baby was born prematurely, and she only saw a red flower-shaped birthmark on the lower back of the crying baby girl before she completely fainted.
When she woke up again, she was in the temple. She could only hear Granny Shu crying, but she could not find her daughter.
Later, they learned that their daughter had been kidnapped by bandits and could never be found again.
Su Zhen rushed over upon hearing the news, his anger intensifying. He hadn't even seen his sweet, soft daughter yet, but she had been snatched away by villains. He immediately sent people out to search for her everywhere.
That night, a baby girl, just over a month old, was abandoned at the entrance of the temple.
Because the princess missed her daughter so much, she kept crying.
Su Zhen was worried that she would damage her eyes and health by crying during her postpartum period.
Upon learning that an abandoned baby had been found in the temple, they sent someone to bring the baby girl over.
The child looked at her curiously with his dark eyes, and even stuck out his pink little tongue and smiled at her.
The princess's heart softened even more, and she could no longer bear to leave the child in her arms. In the end, she decided to take the infant back to the Duke of Su's mansion.
However, his own daughter was never found, and he raised this baby girl by his side for more than ten years.
Although Su Zhen didn't say anything, she knew that he only wanted his beloved daughter, even though he had raised Qingyu to be a beautiful young woman who had just come down to earth.
She was a renowned beauty and talented woman in the capital, as serene as a flower reflected in water and as graceful as a willow swaying in the wind.
Which young master from a prominent family in the capital didn't fall at her feet?
But when the night is quiet, he will sit in the courtyard in a daze, worrying about his daughter who has suffered so much while she was away.
Even though more than a decade has passed, he still refuses to give up, firmly believing that his daughter is still alive.
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