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

"Why would you harbor suspicions about me, my dear? Could it be that someone is gossiping about you? Those people are jealous of our love and are trying to drive a wedge between us. My dear, please don't fall for these treacherous schemes."

"How could I do such a despicable thing as taking advantage of a national crisis to make ill-gotten gains? My husband has known me for so many years, doesn't he know my character? How could I have the guts to do such a thing?"

Meng Qingjiao put her arms around King Qing's thin waist, her words full of grievance and provocation.

Prince Qing lowered his eyes and looked at the hairy top of his beloved's head, listening to her explanation, with deep sadness and heaviness in his eyes.

He slowly closed his eyes, his voice revealed an indescribable chill, and his words were cold.

"Do you know who told this to the king?"

"It doesn't matter who it is. This is completely instigated by a villain."

Meng Qingjiao was very satisfied and was thinking about how to dispel the suspicion in King Qing's heart, wondering who leaked the matter.

If she knew who had informed the King of Qing, she would have beaten that person to death.

"My father said so." Prince Qing's words were like a sudden frost and snow in winter, causing Meng Qingjiao's heart to tremble violently.

"Father... Father said that?" Meng Qingjiao was shocked. She couldn't help but let go of her hand and took a few steps back in a daze.

How could the emperor know about this? She was so secretive about it.

She racked her brains but couldn't figure out the reason, she just thought someone in the shop leaked the news.

Prince Qing caught the flash of panic in her eyes and knew that this was true.

His breathing was disordered for a moment and his chest rose and fell.

“Cough cough cough… cough cough——”

He coughed violently, as if he was going to cough out all his internal organs.

Seeing this, Meng Qingjiao hurried forward, fumbled out the medicine bottle from the drawer, and carefully fed it to Prince Qing.

Rouyi landed on Prince Qing's back, gently soothing him. The panic in her eyes grew even more intense. "I... was simply confused for a moment, blinded by the slander of others, and that's why I made such a big mistake. I never thought that it was an act of profiting from the national crisis."

"My dear husband, please see that this is my first time making a mistake. Please forgive me. I will never do it again. Never again."

After she finished speaking, crystal tears slid down her beautiful face, like pearls that had broken off the string, falling heavily on her lapels.

The faint and intermittent sobs, intertwined with gradually weaker coughs, echoed in the quiet house.

A trace of heartache emerged in Prince Qing's heart, which was then replaced by a faint sadness. He slowly closed his eyes.

"Have you ever thought about the consequences of this action?" His voice was low and heavy.

Meng Qingjiao just sobbed softly and shook her head gently.

"My father has ordered that I must set off for my fiefdom after this New Year at the latest." There was a subtle bitterness in the words of Prince Qing.

As soon as these words came out, a trace of panic flashed in Meng Qingjiao's eyes.

This clearly didn't happen in my previous life.

If she goes to the fiefdom, can she come back?

Too many unexpected events had happened in her life. She was worried that if the Crown Prince didn't die, Prince Qing wouldn't be able to take the throne of the Crown Prince, and she wouldn't be able to become the Crown Princess or the Queen.

Prince Qing did not look at Meng Qingjiao's expression, but continued to talk to himself softly.

"Once I go to the fiefdom, I will be completely cut off from the capital. I will not be able to know about any movement in the capital."

"Originally, my father ordered me to leave in two months."

"But my frail body couldn't bear the hardship of such a long journey. It was the Crown Prince who pleaded with my father to let me recuperate before setting off again."

"But how long can this be delayed? If he were to go to his fiefdom like the other princes, he would only be able to return to the capital during the annual festival."

"How can my body withstand the hardships of the long journey and the biting cold wind?"

A deep sense of unwillingness appeared in King Qing's eyes.

As long as his broken body can be restored, his plan can be put on the agenda.

When the crown prince dies, he, as the only prince in the capital who has not gone to his fiefdom, will have more time to take down the ministers in the court than his brothers who have been crowned kings.

But now...

"Cough-cough-"

Prince Qing coughed softly, and the unwillingness in his eyes turned into determination.

He must quickly invite Doctor Qi to treat him.

Once he recovers from his chronic illness, he can implement the design immediately.

I just don't know whether the people he sent can succeed.

"Have you ever heard that the Xiao family in Jiangnan made great contributions in disaster relief? What kind of honor did the emperor bestow upon them?" Prince Qing looked at Meng Qingjiao calmly with clear eyes.

Hearing this, Meng Qingjiao shook her head with tears in her eyes.

"The Emperor has appointed the Xiao family as the Great Zhou's number one 'Imperial Merchant' and has bestowed upon them a plaque as a commendation. When the imperial edict reaches Jiangnan, the envoy will personally lead the Xiao family's leaders back to the capital to meet the Emperor."

"As a merchant, to have the privilege of seeing the Emperor is truly an unprecedented event in our Great Zhou! Ahem—"

When the King of Qing spoke of this, he became very emotional and could not help but cough lightly again.

Meng Qingjiao was shocked upon hearing this. She shook her head repeatedly and muttered to herself, "How is this possible? The Xiao family is just an ordinary merchant in Jiangnan. How could they have such great prestige as to be granted an audience with the emperor and even become the 'imperial merchant'?"

Upon hearing this, King Qing closed his eyes tiredly.

Ordinary businessman?

The Xiao family is a prominent and well-known merchant family both in Jiangnan and in the entire Great Zhou.

In the past, because the Xiao family’s business rarely set foot in the prosperous capital, the women in the capital knew little about them.

After this morning's court session, I'm afraid the Xiao family's name will spread like a spring breeze, quietly infiltrating into the ears of the people, women and children in the capital, and becoming a hot topic of discussion on the streets.

When the Xiao family marches to the capital to meet the emperor, the Xiao family's status and glory as an imperial merchant will surely resound throughout the Great Zhou.

The King of Qing asked again, "Do you know who came up with this idea?"

Meng Qingjiao kept shaking her head, her eyes full of panic.

"It was Meng Tingyue who proposed it."

When Wang Fu of Qing learned about this, he felt extremely complicated.

It was unexpected that a woman could come up with such a bizarre idea as to let the imperial court cooperate with merchants.

If you say that there is no selfish motive involved, King Qing will certainly not believe it.

He now had to admit that his royal brother had married a good wife.

"How is this possible! How could she come up with such a method!" Meng Qingjiao naturally didn't believe it.

Prince Qing looked at her slightly distorted face, and Wang Qishen's words lingered in his mind again.

"If you can marry the eldest daughter of the Meng family, it will be of great help to the prince in the future."

Yes, it is indeed very big.

He underestimated Meng Tingyue.

He might... regret it.