“No, not at all,” Li Dou replied. “I will prescribe a digestive remedy for the Princess. After taking it, her symptoms should be relieved. She will be fine after resting for a couple of days.”
"While one or two meals may not be a big problem, doing so in the long run is very bad for your health. In the future, you should avoid overeating and eat according to your own appetite."
The following sentence was meant for Wei Hong, telling him that Yao Youqing indeed had a small appetite and that he shouldn't force her to eat.
Wei Hong gave a faint "hmm" and told him to brew the medicine himself. He sat aside and watched as Zhou Mama served Yao Youqing and then lay back down.
The girl was listless due to illness, her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she seemed weak and listless. Even her breathing was heavier than the night before, showing that she was indeed feeling very uncomfortable.
Looking at her frail appearance, he frowned and looked gloomy. He regretted letting her eat a few more bites, and wondered how Yao Yuzhi had managed to raise her.
She cries at the slightest fright and gets sick from eating too much. She's so delicate; she really needs to be pampered and carefully protected at all times.
Wei Hong himself is a chosen one, always the one being fawned over by others. He is not used to being fawned over by others, so he does not like this kind of spoiled woman.
The reason she initially chose Ji Yunshu was because during an autumn hunt, some prey that wasn't quite dead suddenly struggled, roared, stood up, and ran wildly. While the other women were terrified and screamed, Ji Yunshu, though also panicked, immediately protected her younger sister and headed towards the guards holding weapons, remaining calm despite her tension.
Wei Hong happened to be nearby at the time, and this scene left a slight impression on him, which is why he started paying attention to the woman afterward.
If Yao Youqing were in the same situation...
She must have been terrified.
Wei Hong's gaze lingered on Yao Youqing's face for a long time, imagining her panicked and frightened crying. He originally thought he would be annoyed, but after looking at her for a long time, he didn't have that feeling.
She and Ji Yunshu were completely different people. She was the eldest daughter in her family and was expected to excel in all aspects of morality, appearance, speech, and skills from a young age. She was expected to learn everything a girl should learn and even things she didn't need to learn, so as not to disgrace the Ji family or ruin its reputation.
Even after she became engaged to Wei Hong, the Ji family did not relax their requirements for her; in fact, they became even stricter, raising her almost like a boy.
The other was the youngest daughter in the family, a precious daughter whom Madam Yao had when she was nearly forty. She was pampered from birth, and even someone as strict as Yao Yuzhi, who was strict with her children, could not bear to criticize her in the slightest. She was not punished at all for damaging his beloved paintings. She was allowed to learn whatever she wanted, and was never forced to learn what she did not want to learn. She was content with just a little bit of what she wanted to learn.
Not to mention she has two older brothers who also dote on her, just as much as her parents dote on her.
Children raised in different environments naturally develop differently. If we're talking about parenting methods, the Ji family's approach seems to be the correct one and the choice of the vast majority of people.
But looking at it from another angle, what if he himself had a daughter...
Wei Hong was slightly lost in thought and made his choice without much deliberation.
If it were him, he would probably be even more indulgent towards his daughter than Yao Yuzhi.
Because he didn't need his daughter to do anything, didn't need her to bring honor to the family, didn't need her to bear the heavy responsibilities of the clan and move forward with difficulty; he just wanted her to live a good and happy life.
If that's the case, why not pamper them?
Just like that autumn hunt back then, if it were him, he would never have let that wild beast get close to his daughter.
If his daughter were present, he would rather she cry and hide in his arms than let her bear this danger alone.
Thinking about it this way, as daughters in the same family, Ji Yunshu and Yao Youqing must be the latter who is happier, right?
If he hadn't agreed to that arranged marriage, she might still be at home being carefully cared for by Yao Yuzhi, or... she might be married to someone else and being cared for by someone else.
Wei Hong frowned, then remembered the reward Wei Chi had sent a few days ago, and his expression darkened again.
If he hadn't agreed to the arranged marriage, this woman would probably already be married into the palace and become his nephew's wife.
Nephew's wife...
The thought of Yao Youqing standing with Wei Chi made Wei Hong feel as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly.
He sat for a while longer, waiting for Li Dou to bring the medicine, and only left after watching Yao Youqing drink it.
Cui Hao knew he had something to do in the afternoon and was waiting for him in the front yard.
But Wei Hong did not take him away directly. Instead, he said, "Have someone go and buy some things."
"...What does Your Highness wish to buy?"
Cui Hao asked.
Wei Hong's daily life was taken care of by others. He didn't need to ask for anything; someone would prepare it in advance. He rarely had to ask for anything.
Aside from the last time he was asked to buy jerky for the princess's dog, Cui Hao hadn't been asked to buy anything by him for a long time.
They just came back from the inner courtyard and are already saying they want to buy things. Surely the little cutie's jerky won't be gone in the blink of an eye?
Just as Wei Hong was about to speak, a servant brought in several boxes, saying that the things Cui Hao had ordered a few days ago had been purchased, and asked whether they should be placed in the front yard first or sent directly to the Princess.
Wei Hong raised an eyebrow: "What did you have someone buy for her?"
Cui Hao said "Oh": "Didn't all those imperial gifts go to Miss Ji before? Although according to the original rules, everything sent from the palace except for gold and silver must be destroyed and thrown away, giving them to Miss Ji this time is the same as throwing them away, so there is no difference."
“But this reward is for the Princess Consort after all. I think it would be inappropriate to just deal with it directly. The servants of the Yao family, who don’t know the inside story, might think that our Prince’s Mansion has embezzled the Princess Consort’s things.”
"So I had someone buy a new copy of everything that was available, according to the list, to send to the princess, so that she wouldn't be upset that we had disposed of her things without her permission."
Upon hearing this, Wei Hong went over to take a look and saw that it was indeed the same stuff that had been sent from the capital before.
He casually picked up a pack of cigarettes, opened it to take a look, then closed it again: "Buy another pack and send it over with me."
It's just gold, silver, jewelry, rouge, and face powder. What's so special about it?
He would give her double, or even more, what others could give her.
Marrying him is definitely better than marrying his nephew.
Cui Hao nodded knowingly: "Yes, I will give the order right away. However, some things are indeed difficult to buy, and it may take a few days before we can send them to the Princess Consort after we have gathered them all."
Wei Hong nodded and didn't say anything more. Cui Hao also wisely refrained from asking any further questions about what he had initially asked Wei Hong to buy.
...
When Wei Hong returned in the evening, Yao Youqing was much better, but she was still feeling unwell and was resting on a small couch in the room.
Wei Hong entered the room and immediately noticed the extra small couch. His brows furrowed. "What's this?"
Yao Youqing quickly sat up and whispered, "Didn't Your Highness dislike the smell on me? So I had someone bring in another small couch, so... if we sleep separately tonight, it won't bother you."
Wei Hong: "..."
"You are my wife, and you should serve me in my daily life. It was fine when I lived in the front courtyard, but now that I'm staying in the inner courtyard temporarily, I can't bring any servants in. If you sleep in a separate bed from me, who will bring me tea and water if I'm thirsty at night? Do I have to get up and call you first?"
Yao Youqing lowered her head, but in the end she couldn't persuade him, so she had the small couch removed, and the two of them slept in the same bed again that night.
Wei Hong blew out the candle, plunging the room into darkness once more.
Yao Youqing was feeling unwell and hadn't slept well the night before. Although she was worried that Wei Hong might accidentally put his hands and feet on her while he was sleeping, she soon succumbed to sleepiness and drifted off to sleep.
Wei Hong knew she wasn't feeling well today, so he didn't deliberately get close enough to hug her like he did yesterday, so as not to disturb her.
He thought it would take him a long time to fall asleep, but perhaps knowing that he couldn't do anything tonight, he soon drifted off to sleep, inhaling the refreshing, faint fragrance.
In the middle of the night, I heard a rustling sound, very faint, as if a girl had moved.
Wei Hong woke up instantly, squinting his sleepy eyes as he turned to look.
The girl didn't wake up or turn over; she just turned her head, frowned, and murmured, "Aunt Zhou, water..."
Wei Hong touched her forehead and saw that it was no longer hot; she must just be thirsty and wanted to drink water.
He got up, walked to the table, poured himself a glass of water, tested the temperature, and paused for a moment before turning back.
Who's serving whom here...?
The girl on the bed stirred again. He sighed, went back, and helped her sit up slightly.
Yao Youqing drank half a glass of water from his hand, showing no signs of waking up and completely unaware of who was beside her.
After Wei Hong finished drinking the water, he gently put her back on the bed, drank the remaining half glass of water in one gulp, put the empty glass back in its place, and lay down next to her again.
This time he couldn't fall asleep quickly. Lying in bed, he was still somewhat unwilling. Seeing that the person next to him was sleeping soundly, he very gently propped himself up and quickly kissed the corner of her lips.
Well, the price is a glass of water.
not bad.
Chapter 36 Staying or Leaving
"You want to leave?"
Yao Youqing looked at the woman in front of her with some surprise.
Since she arrived at the Prince of Qin's residence, Chu Yan has been as if she doesn't exist. Apart from showing her face when all the servants came to pay their respects to her at the beginning, she has never appeared in front of her again.
Unexpectedly, on their second meeting, she said she wanted to leave the palace.
“Yes,” Chu Yan nodded. “The princess has been married for some time now, and she must already know why the prince took me as his concubine back then.”
"He originally planned to send me away before the wedding, but since Miss Ji passed away, there was no need to send me away. But just as... there was no need to keep me. He just pitied me and gave me a bowl of rice to eat."
"Now that the Prince and Princess are in a harmonious relationship, my presence here would be an eyesore, so I request to leave. I hope the Princess will grant my request."
Yao Youqing suddenly realized and quickly said, "My relationship with the prince isn't what you think..."
"cough."
When Zhou's mother sensed that her tone was off, she immediately coughed lightly to interrupt her.
Chu Yan glanced at the two of them, feeling puzzled, but didn't ask any further questions.
Yao Youqing knew that Zhou Mama didn't want her to tell the truth, so she pursed her lips and said instead, "Although your indenture is in my hands, you are, after all, the prince's concubine. It would be inappropriate for me to dispose of it without his permission. Let's wait until he comes back and ask him first."
Chu Yan frowned slightly, looking into her clear eyes, and asked in a low voice, "Does Your Highness not want me to leave? Since the indenture is in your hands, whether you let me go or sell me elsewhere is just a matter of your word."
"The fate of the servants in the inner quarters is entirely in the hands of the Princess Consort; the Prince will not interfere."
He hadn't seen her for a very long time; perhaps he had even forgotten she existed.
Even if the princess sold her, he might not remember it. And even if he did remember, he wouldn't be angry with the princess because of it.
After all, to him, she was just a dispensable substitute.
Chu Yan had actually thought about leaving a long time ago, but the lingering fantasies, expectations, and unwillingness in her heart prevented her from making up her mind. She remained like a wandering soul in her courtyard, hoping that the prince would remember her again and come to see her.
Even knowing it's impossible, they ridiculously refuse to give up.
Until she heard that the prince had moved back from the front courtyard and was living with the princess.
Living together means that the prince has accepted the princess, so she, who looks similar to his previous fiancée, is even less useful.
Chu Yan was heartbroken and then came to her to ask to leave.
In her view, Yao Youqing, as a princess, would never be able to tolerate her as a concubine, whether because of her status or because of her appearance.