Reborn to marry, the short-lived prince lived a hundred years

Inside the Qing Palace, the morning light shines through the carved window lattices, casting patches of light on the exquisite desk.

"Princess, recently the wives and daughters of the prominent officials and wealthy families in the capital seem to have stopped buying the goods in our shop."

Ziqing spoke softly, a look of trepidation in her eyes, closely following Meng Qingjiao's every move. Seeing the princess's expression suddenly change, she involuntarily shrank back.

"What? How could this happen?" Meng Qingjiao slammed the table, stood up, her face full of disbelief.

Ziqing lowered her head and spoke in a lower voice, "Princess, many ladies have reported that they developed rashes after wearing clothes washed with Ningxiang Pills... Therefore, many people are now boycotting our products..."

At the end of her speech, Ziqing's voice was almost as thin as a mosquito.

"How is this possible? How could there be a problem with Ningxiang Pills? It's clearly their own problem." Meng Qingjiao couldn't understand why something she was using would have problems with others.

Ziqing's throat moved slightly, and she suppressed her anxiety and continued, "What's even more troublesome is that those ladies caused a scene in the shop a while ago, throwing all the Ningxiang Pills they bought in front of the door. This made the common people suspicious of Ningxiang Pills, and now no one is interested in buying them..."

"Plus, our newly opened shop selling Ningxiang Cream is also deserted. On the contrary, the Ningxiang Pavilion opened by the Crown Princess has reopened, and all the customers have gone there."

Before she could finish her words, a teacup whizzed past her cheek, hit the wall heavily, and then shattered to the ground with a snap. The crisp sound echoed in the room.

"What!" Meng Qingjiao clenched her fists and looked incredulous upon hearing this.

Seeing that she wasn't venting her anger on him, Ziqing's eyes welled up as she choked out a sob and said, "The monthly stipend payment is urgent. Last month's payment was already in arrears. If it's not paid this month, I'm afraid the servants will be dissatisfied and make a scene before the prince."

"Besides, the master's birthday is coming soon, and we haven't prepared a decent gift yet."

"After the master's birthday, the prince will set off for Jiangnan again, which will cost a lot of money."

Meng Qingjiao asked, "Where's the money you earned a few days ago?"

Ziqing lowered her head, her voice as thin as a mosquito, full of timidity: "Except for the part returned to the Meng Mansion, the rest has been used to make Ningxiang Pills, Ningxiang Ointment, and to open a shop."

Upon hearing the news, Meng Qingjiao's face suddenly became empty and lifeless. She slowly sat back in the chair, unconsciously whispering words like "How could this be?" and "Everything is over."

Meng Qingjiao secretly calculated that if she could fill the gap in last month's salary and raise enough money to support the prince's trip to the south of the Yangtze River for recuperation on the eve of the prince's awakening, the situation might still be able to turn around and not fall into despair.

Just as Meng Qingjiao was thinking this, she heard a sound coming from outside the yard.

"Princess, good news! The prince... the prince has woken up!" Outside the courtyard gate, a guard hurriedly stepped over the threshold with a joy that was difficult to conceal, and loudly announced the sudden good news.

However, when his eyes fell on Meng Qingjiao's bloodless, almost transparent face, the smile on the corner of his mouth froze involuntarily.

Meng Qingjiao forced herself to cheer up, gently patting her cheeks, trying to dispel the haze in her heart. Finally, she forced out a smile that was uglier than crying, with a barely perceptible tremor in her voice: "Your Highness is awake? This is really... great."

Along the way, she had tried her best to calm down her emotions, but the moment she stepped into the house, tears fell uncontrollably like pearls from a broken string. With a face full of sorrow, she hurried to the side of King Qing's bed.

"My dear husband, you are finally awake. You have been unconscious for these days. My heart feels like it is hanging in the air. I am filled with endless worry and fear day and night... Fortunately, my dear husband, you are finally awake."

Half of Meng Qingjiao's face was hidden in the darkness, a few crystal tears hung gently at the corners of her eyes, and the cold face of King Qing was clearly reflected in her eyes.

When she mustered up the courage to look into the deep and cold eyes of the Shangqing King, her expression froze involuntarily. An indescribable fear welled up in her heart. Her voice was as thin as a mosquito: "Husband, why are you looking at me like this..."

The extremely oppressive gaze of King Qing fell heavily on Meng Qingjiao like a thousand-pound boulder. Then, he slowly shifted his gaze to Mu Xia and Wang Qishen, who were standing beside the bed with excited expressions.

"z...The king wishes to speak to the princess alone for a moment." His voice was low and powerful, and every word seemed to carry unquestionable majesty.

Upon hearing this, Mu Xia and Wang Qishen looked at each other and then retreated respectfully.

As the door gently closed, only Prince Qing and Meng Qingjiao were left in the room.

Meng Qingjiao looked at the King of Qing in front of her, and an indescribable sense of strangeness surged in her heart. The man in front of her was completely different from the gentle and jade-like person in her memory.

She suppressed the turmoil in her heart, a gentle smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, and her voice was so soft that it could drip water: "Husband, is there something important you want to discuss with me?"

Prince Qing slowly cast his gaze on Meng Qingjiao, as if carefully examining every inch of her, trying to penetrate the gentle surface and reach her heart.

"Jiaojiao..." He spoke slowly, his voice carrying a barely perceptible chill, his words full of temptation and consideration.

"I'm here." Meng Qingjiao replied softly, with a barely perceptible tremor in her voice, and then she slowly sat down beside the bed.

At this moment, King Qing's arm shot out like lightning and accurately grasped Meng Qingjiao's slender neck.

At that moment, Meng Qingjiao felt a suffocating chill suddenly hit her.

Driven by the instinct of survival, she stretched her hands upwards, trying to pry open the iron-like hand.

Her fingertips slid across the back of Prince Qing's hand, leaving long, thin streaks of blood.

However, the King of Qing had just recovered from a serious illness and his strength had not yet recovered. Meng Qingjiao took advantage of the situation and finally escaped from the shackles of death.

She collapsed to the ground, her eyes filled with fear and terror, staring at the figure of King Qing as if she were staring at a ferocious beast.

Her body was shaking constantly, and every bit of strength seemed to be drained away, leaving only endless fear echoing in her heart.

The King of Qing seemed to have been drained of all his strength, and he leaned limply on the cold bed. Suddenly, a violent coughing fit swept over him like a storm, echoing throughout the room.

The cough was so sharp and heavy that it seemed to penetrate the heavy door. Mu Xia and Wang Qishen, who were waiting outside, felt their hearts tighten. Without thinking, they pushed the door open and walked in with worried looks on their faces.

"Your Majesty, you..."

Prince Qing shouted in a low voice, "Get out."

Mu Xia and Wang Qishen were captivated by the sudden cold gaze. Although they were extremely worried, they had to retreat slowly. It was not until they reached the door that the oppressive feeling gradually dissipated.

Prince Qing took a deep breath and suppressed the discomfort in his chest and abdomen. The coughing gradually subsided, leaving only heavy breathing.

His eyes were as cold as ice as he stared at Meng Qingjiao in front of him, hatred surging out like a tide.

"Meng Qingjiao, it turns out that you have also returned with the memories of your past life." King Qing's words were filled with shock and deep anger.