kingnovel Chapter 1196 The Sickly Child Who Was Schemed Against 2
Chapter 1196 The Sickly Child Who Was Schemed Against 2
When Liu Meier returned to Prince Cheng's mansion, Song Zhende was in Jiang Chunxi's courtyard.
"Alright, get up now!" Looking at Liu Meier, who was kowtowing to her in gratitude, Jiang Chunxi said with a sad expression, "Look at how haggard you look, your eyes are all swollen from crying. You must have cried all your tears away these past few days."
“Caiyu,” Jiang Chunxi said, looking at Caiyu, “go out and tell Granny Liu that Mei’er doesn’t need any work these two days, and that she should rest for a couple of days.”
"This servant thanks the Princess Consort." Liu Meier kowtowed to Jiang Chunxi again before getting up and walking out, without giving Song Zhende a single glance from beginning to end.
“Chunxi, Mei’er used to be your head maid. It’s a waste of her talents to have her as a lowly servant,” Song Zhende said after considering his words. “How about this? I’m short a maid to serve in my study in the front courtyard. How about Mei’er…”
Jiang Chunxi's suspicious look successfully shut Song Zhende up: "Husband, the way you say that makes it sound like the Prince Cheng's mansion is short of maids. There are so many servants in the entire Prince Cheng's mansion, I don't believe your study would be short of a maid."
“If you don’t agree, then forget it. Why are you talking to me like that?” Song Zhende said with a helpless and amused expression. “And the suspicious look in your eyes makes it seem like I’ve done something to wrong you.”
"Sigh!" Song Zhende sighed. "I just felt it was a waste to have a senior maidservant working as a lowly maidservant, so I thought of transferring her to serve in my study in the front courtyard. Besides, considering that over the years, Mei'er has been doing her best to help you and me deliver letters."
"She has indeed rendered some service, so seeing Mei'er reduced to a lowly maidservant was truly unbearable for me, which is why..."
"Alright," Jiang Chunxi said, too lazy to listen to Song Zhende any longer. "If you really have those feelings for Mei'er, just say so. Do you think I'd refuse to give her to you? It'll make me look like I'm some kind of jealous person."
"Heaven and earth bear witness!" Song Zhende almost raised his hand to swear, "How could I possibly have such feelings for Mei'er? You've really wronged me."
“Really,” Jiang Chunxi frowned and said, “You’d better think it over. If you really have those feelings for Mei’er, then I’ll make Mei’er your concubine right now. But if you don’t admit it and miss this opportunity, then if you regret it later and want to ask me for Mei’er again, then I won’t agree.”
"After all, what I hate most is being deceived. I can't expect you to deceive me and then regret it and want the person back from me. I have to happily give the person back to you!"
"Hmph! There's no such thing as a free lunch," Jiang Chunxi sneered. "Trying to play with people like monkeys and expecting them to forgive and forget is unacceptable. Even the Buddha in the temple isn't that magnanimous. I, Jiang Chunxi, am not some lowly person who would willingly offer up the other cheek after being slapped."
Honestly, Song Zhende was really tempted at this moment, but when he thought about what he had just said so confidently, if he changed his mind now, wouldn't that be exactly as Jiang Chunxi said, that he was blatantly deceiving her and playing her for a fool?
“I really don’t have any romantic feelings for Mei’er,” Song Zhende suppressed the surging emotions in his heart. “You’re overthinking it.”
"That's good," Jiang Chunxi's expression softened a bit. "I'm not afraid to tell you, it's fine if I give you my maidservant on my own initiative, but if you ask me for her yourself, that's a different story."
"So you'd better not have any ulterior motives towards the maids around me, especially my head maids. You should know that these head maids of mine will never become concubines. I will marry them off in a grand and glorious way so that they won't be given to you."
"Don't worry! I would never have any ulterior motives towards your maid." Song Zhende said, feeling extremely aggrieved.
Jiang Chunxi finally smiled: "By the way, I had someone stew some tonic for you. When they bring it up later, you must drink it all."
"You know, it's not enough for a woman to just take care of her body to have a baby. The man also needs to take good care of himself so that he can give birth to a healthy offspring."
Song Zhende couldn't help but clench his fists again, but he still managed to suppress his anger and forced a smile, saying, "Let's forget it! You know I've always hated drinking those bitter medicines..."
“Husband,” Jiang Chunxi’s voice became sharp, “what’s wrong with you? Why do you always have so many reasons to upset me about having children? I just don’t understand. Even though the child born to this concubine is to be raised by me, in the end, you are the one who benefits.”
"It was one thing for you to make excuses about not wanting to have a concubine before, but now you're even refusing to drink the tonic. It's just that the medicine is a little bitter. What's wrong with enduring a little bitterness for the sake of continuing healthy offspring!"
"If you're not even willing to endure this little bit of hardship, then tell me yourself, do you deserve to have children? Do you deserve to have a house full of children and grandchildren?"
Jiang Chunxi had a good scolding, but Song Zhende was furious. However, he dared not lose his temper except to hold it in: "I'll drink it, I'll drink it, okay?"
"Alright, alright," Song Zhende said, placing his hands on Jiang Chunxi's shoulders with a fawning expression. "It's all my fault. You can hit me or scold me as you please, but please don't get angry, or I'll be the one who feels the pain."
"Hmph!" Jiang Chunxi snorted coldly, "Now you know how to coax me, so why did you make me angry just now?"
"Let me tell you, Song Zhende, my patience has its limits. You'd better not keep trying to test my limits, or if you really anger me, I might as well live separately from you and never see you again for the rest of my life."
What could Song Zhende say? He naturally resorted to all sorts of obsequious words, making oaths and cursing, trying his best not to make himself look too humble.
Half a year passed quickly. During these six months, Song Zhende not only had to drink extremely bitter tonics every day, but also had to go to his concubine's room every night to conceive.
Even the strongest body can't withstand this kind of abuse! You see, the tonics Jiang Chunxi gave him weren't real tonics, but just medicine made from random medicinal dregs. Although they wouldn't have any effect on his body, every medicine has some toxicity, and drinking too much of them would be harmful.
Of course! Jiang Chunxi has some special abilities; changing Song Zhende's pulse is a piece of cake for her.
So, Song Zhende looked more and more haggard every day, but no matter which doctor examined his pulse, the result was always the same: there was nothing wrong with his body, and in fact, because he drank tonics every day, his body was well-nourished.