Chapter 59

Chapter 59: The Ugly Woman Married into the Prince's Manor and Lost Favor? Jia Qingcheng hadn't expected him to trust her so completely, even showing her secret correspondence of this nature. She frowned in confusion but did not reach out to take it. After all, Prince Chu was the God of War—these letters surely concerned matters of great importance, and she, a mere woman, had no qualification to read them. Moreover, in her previous life, she had learned one lesson: the less you know, the better! So she refused him. "Your Highness, Qingcheng is but a simple woman who cannot understand such things. As long as I know that Your Highness is in good health, I am at ease!" Xiao Zhiheng hadn't expected Jia Qingcheng to be unwilling to open the letters and examine them. Very well then. Since she was unwilling, he would tell her everything himself. Moreover, he now needed her full cooperation. He was by nature a suspicious man, but because Jia Qingcheng had saved his life, and because he had investigated her entire background and knew all there was to know about her— He chose to trust her. "Very well. In that case, I ask the Princess Consort to cooperate with me in staging a grand performance!" A grand performance? Jia Qingcheng drew in a cold breath. "Your Highness, what kind of performance?" Xiao Zhiheng gazed at her deeply. Seeing her eyes bright and clear, he knew this woman was worthy of his trust. After all, his very life had once been in her hands. What more was there to distrust? Besides, Jia Qingcheng was also someone who had been betrayed. He believed she would not do anything that harmed others without benefiting herself. "I need to feign serious illness for three months. During this time, I must ask you to bear some hardship." Feign illness for three months? This puzzled Jia Qingcheng. "Your Highness, may I ask the purpose behind such an action?" Purpose? Xiao Zhiheng naturally had his reasons. He slowly rose to his feet and looked out the window, speaking calmly. "The calamity of the Northern Barbarians has already spread to the border towns. When the Drought Demon Jade learned of my grave illness, he grew even more arrogant and reckless, doing as he pleases." What—the calamity of the Northern Barbarians? Hearing this, Jia Qingcheng's face darkened. In her previous life, she remembered that after Prince Chu's early death, the Northern Barbarian King launched an attack on the Central Plains. Without the protection of the God of War, that campaign was lost miserably. Later, it was only by paying silver and sending a princess for a peace marriage that the court survived shamefully under the Northern Barbarians' might for thirty years. The peace marriage princess was toyed with by the Northern Barbarian ruler and subjected to the humiliating punishment of the "sheep-leading ceremony." After that, she too had died, never knowing how the nation's fortunes fared. And now, she learned that Xiao Zhiheng was going to face the enemy—if he went, wouldn't that mean he would never return? No—she had only just saved his life. She absolutely could not let him die on the battlefield! "Your Highness, when do you leave?" Her words surprised Xiao Zhiheng greatly—after all, she had actually agreed to this? "I plan to depart in three days. However, you must swear not to reveal my whereabouts, or else..." Xiao Zhiheng gave her a deep look, leaving the warning unspoken. He did not wish to treat her that way, and he hoped she would stand with him, fighting side by side. "Qingcheng is willing to lend Your Highness her full support!" Seeing how understanding she was, Xiao Zhiheng reached out and embraced her tightly. In that moment, a warm current surged through Jia Qingcheng's heart—a feeling she had once obtained from Pei Wuliang and then lost. "Your Highness, I await your triumphant return!" Xiao Zhiheng was about to say something when, suddenly, a respectful voice came from outside: "This servant pays respects to Noble Consort!" His mother had come! Xiao Zhiheng immediately lay back down. This matter was of utmost importance—he was keeping it secret even from his own mother. "Open the door. Let me see how my son is doing!" Outside, the Noble Consort had arrived in haste with her attendants, while Jia Qingcheng had long since knelt on the ground to welcome her future mother-in-law. "Qingcheng pays respects to Noble Consort!" Seeing that it was the ugly woman Jia Qingcheng, the Noble Consort's misunderstanding of her deepened in that moment! "The Prince is gravely ill—why did you not send someone to the palace to inform me? How are you fulfilling your duties as Princess Consort?" Jia Qingcheng could only endure the Noble Consort's wrath. "Please calm yourself, Your Grace. The Prince's illness struck too suddenly; this concubine had not yet—" "Silence! Get out of my sight!" Jia Qingcheng felt wronged, but for the sake of the Prince's great matter, she could only swallow her grievance and walk out. Once outside, Chunyan hurried forward. "Miss, are you alright? Did the Noble Consort scold you?" Jia Qingcheng was full of grievances, but she was unwilling to speak of them. After all, this was what she had promised the Prince. He had entrusted such an important matter to her—she could not let him down. "It's nothing. Her Grace is simply too concerned about the Prince." "That Noble Consort is really something—why doesn't she acknowledge that you were the one who saved the Prince? Now that he's fallen ill again, she blames you!" "Enough, Chunyan. Say no more." At the third watch, the Noble Consort finally wiped away her tears and emerged. When she saw Jia Qingcheng still standing there, her anger had somewhat subsided now that she had regained her composure. After all, she knew her own son well. Her son had already been at death's door. She knew he was leaving—this was not something to blame Jia Qingcheng for. "Qingcheng!" The Noble Consort suddenly softened toward her, and Jia Qingcheng immediately offered a salute. "Your Grace." "Foolish girl, I am the Prince's mother. By proper custom, you should call me Mother." Mother? Jia Qingcheng found it hard to say the word. After all, the Noble Consort had an unpredictable temperament, and she feared that a careless slip might anger her. "Alright, I know you've been wronged. I am not an unreasonable person. You are still so young—you should not be bound to this hopeless Chu Wangfu. Once the Prince has passed and your mourning period is over, you may come and go as you please. I will give you my blessing." "Mother, your daughter-in-law wishes to follow the Prince forever, in life and in death!" In life and in death? The Noble Consort shook her head. She knew these words were merely meant to please her, for Jia Qingcheng's heart belonged to only one man—Pei Wuliang. This was something she had already investigated thoroughly. "You need not flatter me. I know you agreed to marry in place of another for the sake of your beloved Pei Wuliang. Am I right?" What? Jia Qingcheng was about to explain, but the Noble Consort cut her off. "There is no need to deny it. I know of your connection to the Pei family. But I must remind you—as long as the Prince still lives, you must uphold your duties as a wife and never do anything to disgrace the Prince's reputation. And after the Prince is gone..." The Noble Consort was already choked with tears. "Take good care of the Prince!" "Farewell, Mother!" The Noble Consort ultimately left in sorrow, and watching her retreating figure, Jia Qingcheng felt even more distressed. She carried a tremendous secret within her, and seeing the Noble Consort so heartbroken, she could hardly bear it. But she had promised the Prince that this matter must not be revealed—otherwise, the Prince would not be able to catch the Northern Mang forces off guard! Early the next morning, Jia Qingcheng brought Chunyan to the medicine shop and asked the shopkeeper to prepare herbs for bruises, injuries, and stopping bleeding. She needed to quickly make these herbs into pills so the Prince could carry them easily. The shopkeeper hurried off to gather the medicines. But just as Jia Qingcheng finished giving her instructions, Chunyan suddenly spotted Song Jiaojiao arriving with her maidservant... "Miss, your cousin has come." Outside the shop, Song Jiaojiao arrived with her maidservant. Seeing that Song Jiaojiao looked unwell, Jia Qingcheng knew her wedding night must have been difficult. "Madam Pei, you've come." The shopkeeper quickly stepped forward to greet her. "Madam Pei, what would you like today?" Seeing how familiar the shopkeeper was with Song Jiaojiao, Jia Qingcheng quietly asked the assistant, "Has Song Jiaojiao been coming here often these days?" The assistant nodded. "Yes, boss. She comes to get fertility pills." Fertility pills? Jia Qingcheng's heart skipped a beat. So it was as she suspected—Pei Wuliang had only stolen half the prescription. Song Jiaojiao's infertility could not be cured, and she must be anxious, which was why she was privately seeking medicine to regulate her condition. "Sister, what a coincidence. I heard that the Prince of Chu is gravely ill, yet he has married a stunning beauty to keep him company. Is that true?"