Chapter 58

Chapter 58: Rumor Has It That Prince Chu Married a Stunning Beauty? Jia Qingcheng: "..." Was this man incapable of understanding human speech? When had she ever worried about him not wanting her? Why would she need him to want her? Jia Qingcheng didn't want to waste words with him, so she chose to remain silent. After all, she had no desire to stir up trouble in Chu Wangfu. Seeing her silence, Pei Wuliang understood that her days in Chu Wangfu were difficult. "Alright, stop sulking with me. You've seen Prince Chu's condition yourself—he'll be dead within half a month at most. Though I must say, I never expected him to despise you so much that he'd go and marry a stunning beauty. Hmph, what's the use of marrying one when he can't even enjoy her?" What? A stunning beauty? Jia Qingcheng's heart inexplicably skipped a beat. It seemed everyone had misunderstood, thinking there was another great beauty in the residence. Now even Pei Wuliang had gotten the wrong idea. "You needn't worry. Prince Chu only has that much time left anyway. Just endure it for now, and I promise that once Prince Chu dies, I'll make arrangements to take you as a concubine." A concubine? Jia Qingcheng was almost amused into laughter. Pei Wuliang was truly living in a dream. Not only would Prince Chu not die, but even if he did, she would never marry this scumbag from her past life. Now that she had seen through his ugly true face, how could she be fooled again? "Alright, I don't have much time, so I must be going. I'll find another way to come see you another day!" Knowing that Jia Qingcheng was afraid, Pei Wuliang walked a few steps before suddenly stopping. "You don't need to be scared either. Just endure it and it'll pass. After all, with Prince Chu in that state, no one will mock you for losing favor. Just hold on for these days, and in the meantime, take inventory of all your dowry. Don't let the people of Chu Wangfu take advantage of you. Do you hear me?" Pei Wuliang's intention to marry her was a sham—what he truly wanted was to seize her dowry and medical texts. "Also, have you brought the formula for the Qianjin Prescription?" The Qianjin Prescription? Jia Qingcheng looked at him coldly. "That is my dowry." "I know it's your dowry, but you need to protect it well. Don't let scheming people get their hands on it!" Scheming people. This Pei Wuliang truly thought himself clever with all his calculations. He was the scheming one. "Alright, take care of yourself. I shouldn't be able to get in for the next few days. Look after yourself!" Look after herself? In her past life, he had always said that to her, and she had naively believed he truly cared. Only now did she fully understand that so-called concern was nothing more than empty lip service. And she had been foolish enough not to realize it! After Pei Wuliang disappeared into the night, Chunyan returned with the medicine she had brewed. "Miss, the medicine is ready!" "Come in!" Chunyan entered and quickly set the medicine she had prepared on the table. "Miss, this servant just saw Pei Wuliang." What? Learning that Chunyan had seen Pei Wuliang, Jia Qingcheng remained calm and unhurried. "It's fine. He's already left the residence." "Miss, what exactly is going on? Wasn't the Prince perfectly fine today? How did he suddenly become so ill?" Chunyan's face was full of anxiety. After all, she had just seen the Prince dote on her mistress like she was the apple of his eye. The good days had only just begun—how could he suddenly be on the verge of death? "Don't worry. The Prince is fine." What? Fine? Chunyan thought her mistress must have gone mad. So many physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy had come, all saying the Prince was beyond saving, yet her mistress claimed he was fine. If he were fine, would the Imperial Medical Academy have been alerted? "Miss, what should we do now?" What to do? Jia Qingcheng quickly stood up. "Go deliver medicine to the Prince." Deliver medicine? Chunyan shook her head helplessly. These were all ordinary herbs; they probably wouldn't do much for the Prince's condition. Jia Qingcheng didn't want to explain too much, so she brought the medicine she had Chunyan brew to the study door. At the study entrance, a group of guards stood watch, preventing anyone from entering. "Your Highness." "Open the door. I've brewed medicine for the Prince." The guards hesitated for a moment, then nodded and stepped aside. This time, Jia Qingcheng chose to deliver it personally and told Chunyan to withdraw first. Chunyan was confused but obediently waited outside for her. When Jia Qingcheng entered, she saw the maid Aru attending closely to Xiao Zhiheng. Xiao Zhiheng still lay on the bed, appearing as though he truly was at death's door. "Your Highness, the Princess Consort." "Leave. I'll take care of the Prince." She told Aru to leave, but Aru was uneasy about it. "Your Highness, this servant should continue caring for the Prince. Your body hasn't recovered yet—please don't trouble yourself." Aru was wary of her, and Jia Qingcheng understood this well. She paused, quickly set down the medicine, then walked to Xiao Zhiheng's side and gently lifted his arm to check his pulse. After examining him again, she became even more certain of her assessment. Just as she suspected. "Your Highness, is my master already..." "No, the Prince is blessed by heaven. I believe he will be fine." Jia Qingcheng reached out and gently stroked Xiao Zhiheng's face. For the first time, she had felt warmth from this man, yet she didn't understand why it had come to this. What exactly was he trying to do? "Your Highness, please leave. This servant will watch over him." In response to Aru's words, Jia Qingcheng slowly prepared to rise. "Very well, then I'll trouble you to take care of the Prince." She turned to leave, but suddenly, Xiao Zhiheng grabbed her arm, which filled Aru with joy. "Your Highness, the Prince is awake!" "Aru, get out!" Xiao Zhiheng had awakened and ordered Aru to leave at once. Though Aru did not understand why the Prince was suddenly so protective of this ugly Princess Consort, she still bowed and departed. After she left, Jia Qingcheng quickly stepped forward and closed the door. Just as she was about to turn around, she was suddenly pressed firmly against the doorway by the man. At that moment, her breath quickened as she stared at him in disbelief... "Your Highness, what is the meaning of this?" Indeed, the Heavenly Silkworm she had planted in Xiao Zhiheng had already devoured the Gu insects in his body—there was no way he could suddenly fall ill. But she did not understand why he was doing this. Why pretend to be gravely ill and let everyone misunderstand? Xiao Zhiheng knew he could not deceive her. In truth, he had not intended to deceive her either, for Jia Qingcheng had studied medicine since childhood—how could she fail to see through the state of his body? "Qingcheng, I'm sorry. I did not mean to deceive you." Xiao Zhiheng took her hand and found her palm ice-cold, which made him somewhat anxious. "Are you cold?" Jia Qingcheng shook her head. "I'm not cold. Your Highness, I don't understand." Xiao Zhiheng knew he should not lie to her, but there were things he had to do now. So! He had Jia Qingcheng sit down, then took out a confidential letter from the side. The letter had already been opened. He gently handed it to her. "Take a look?"