The abandoned concubine who transmigrated woke up shouting "Long live the widow!"

Before leaving, the steward told Jingxue that the prince had moved to Mingyuan Pavilion yesterday.

Jingxue didn't reply, watching the butler's departing figure, trying hard to remember which courtyard Mingyuan Pavilion was.

That's just one courtyard away from Jingning Garden, so this guy will probably be coming over for meals more and more often in the future.

Being in a good position!

Qin Jing was also going today, but even though Lord Tang and his subordinates had arrived, Ye Muchen had not returned.

In the back room at the entrance of the Prince's Mansion, Jingxue had a servant serve hot tea to the group. The official who came with Lord Tang was named Liu He, and he looked to be in his thirties.

One thing puzzled Jingxue: logically, the salt industry should be under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue's Department of Agriculture, but the salt industry in the Northern Night Kingdom was managed by the Qin family, and Qin Jing did not hold any official position. However, this dynasty was one that no one in history knew about, so it could not be judged by conventional standards.

Jingxue was originally waiting for Ye Muchen to return at Jingning Garden, but the steward said that Qin Jing had already arrived, so she also brought several children and servants to the gate and asked the servants to load the things into the car.

She told the children to wait in the next room while she came over to greet Qin Jing and the others.

"Lord Tang, why didn't my cousin return to the manor with you?" Qin Jing asked.

"Your Highness, just before the Prince returned, he was summoned away by Eunuch Ma, who serves the Empress Dowager!"

Qin Jing understood, took a sip of tea, and said, "Then let's wait! There's no rush anyway."

Tang Guozhong said to Jingxue, "Your Highness, we may be staying at the estate for a while, so please excuse us!"

Jingxue smiled and said, "It's alright. However, since we provide food and lodging, your Ministry of Revenue will have to pay some money! Let's calculate the food and lodging fee at 100 wen per day! After all, food is not cheap these days."

The landlord doesn’t have any surplus food!

Tang Guozhong was a little embarrassed by the princess's directness. He said, "Of course, but I came today to check on the situation. From now on, only Liu He will remain stationed there until the grain harvest is complete!"

Jingxue nodded. Mentioning the Ministry of Revenue reminded her of that old fellow Hu Yucheng. She was lucky not to find any silver at his house, but she couldn't let the Ministry of Revenue staff work for free for several months.

And that wicked, despicable emperor—just thinking about him makes her angry, so she's not going to pretend to be magnanimous.

Qin Jing hadn't expected Jing Xue to be so stingy with such a small amount of money. 100 coins a day would only amount to three taels of silver a month, and not much even after half a year. But there must be a reason for this.

Ye Muchen, who was summoned to Shou Kang Palace, paid his respects to the Empress Dowager and then sat down.

The Empress Dowager dismissed the maids and nannies who were serving her and went straight to the point, "Chen'er, lately I've only been concerned about the First Prince. After all, the child was premature, so I haven't summoned you and Xue'er to the palace to pay your respects. Now that his parents are imprisoned in the palace, are you two alright?"

"Don't worry, Mother. Xue'er and I are doing fine, and her younger brother is very well-behaved in the manor!"

The Empress Dowager sighed, "The women of the inner palace cannot participate in matters of the court, but I have sent some things over!"

"Thank you, Mother!" Ye Muchen cupped his hands in thanks.

"Chen'er, you and Xue'er have been married for more than half a year now. When I saw Xue'er sparring with Jingyi, she was full of energy. Why isn't she pregnant yet?"

Ye Muchen was most afraid of this, but since his mother had brought it up, he still had to deal with it. "Mother, it's best to let things take their natural course. Don't put too much pressure on Xue'er. Besides, she hasn't been in a good mood lately!"

"That's true. However, yesterday, when your imperial aunt was having breakfast with the Empress Dowager, she subtly inquired about you. The Empress Dowager believes that Kangping has taken a liking to you and wants to become your concubine. Therefore, I..."

Upon hearing this, Ye Muchen jumped up from his chair as if he had been burned. "What? Mother, you mustn't!"

As Ye Muchen spoke, he extended Er Kang's hand.

He and Jingxue had just taken a small step forward when suddenly someone blocked their way!

The Empress Dowager frowned. "Why are you in such a hurry? I'm just guessing. Besides, do you think Jingxue is the only one for you in your whole life?"

Ye Muchen realized he had lost his composure, so he sat back down, gritted his teeth, and composed himself before saying, "Mother, actually, your son... your body..."

"What's wrong with your health?" The Empress Dowager involuntarily leaned forward and asked anxiously.

"My son has a hidden illness and cannot be a husband and wife... Mother, please don't ask!" Ye Muchen's face was a little hot.

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager understood the illness, but she refused to believe it. "Impossible! Your newlywed white wedding veil?"

Ye Muchen hesitated for a moment, "Mother, I cut my finger."

"Have you seen the imperial physician? Is it really that serious? Besides, when did this happen?"

"Mother, it must be from the injury four years ago!"

"Four years ago? Wasn't it your arm that was injured? How could it affect your offspring? No, I'll summon the imperial physician right now!" With that, the Empress Dowager stood up.

"Mother, don't be anxious! Listen to your son."

Ye Muchen paused slightly. This was a solution he came up with in a moment of inspiration. Saying he couldn't have sex was better than saying he was gay, and his mother would be more likely to accept it.

"Mother, please don't worry. Actually, I only found out I was sick after we returned to the capital. It wasn't good to announce the imperial physicians in public, otherwise I would be ashamed to face anyone. So, I disguised myself and found a skilled folk doctor. He said this disease is very difficult to treat!"

Once Ye Muchen had a train of thought, he spun more and more smoothly, and continued with his head down, "At that time, Father Emperor betrothed me to Jingxue. I wanted to refuse, but I thought that since Jingxue had not yet reached marriageable age, my illness should be cured by the time we got married."

The Empress Dowager sat down again, holding a handkerchief in her hand, and listened quietly.

"But who knew that the old doctor would pass away after only half of the treatment was completed, so it was delayed. At that time, my son was unable to find a suitable doctor. After marrying Jingxue, my son was afraid that she would find out, so he never consummated the marriage with her."

"The son even deliberately ignored Jingxue. At first, Jingxue was quite quiet, but as time went on, she felt that her son looked down on her. She even wanted to divorce him. The son had no choice but to start trying to get along with her slowly."

"After learning that Jingxue knew medicine, my son asked her to take his pulse."

"So what was the result? Didn't Xue'er save your sister-in-law and the eldest prince?"

Ye Muchen raised his head and glanced at his mother. "Xue'er has also diagnosed my illness. She said she can cure it, but it will take time, and she can't guarantee how long. So, Mother, I cannot marry another woman. I don't want more people to know about this. Also, Xue'er has kept this a secret for me and is treating my illness. I can't let her down. If she can't cure me, I plan to give her a divorce and let her leave the mansion. Once I'm cured, I want to be with her for life. I hope Mother can help me."