This statement naturally reminded Ye Ningxin of Fu Sheng’s earlier question: whether she had separated from the Prince out of anger.
Did that mean that once her anger subsided, they would have to share a bed…
Ye Ningxin’s face flushed even redder. To outsiders, it might seem like the effect of the wine, but she knew it was due to her own shyness.
The Prince’s appearance was naturally her type. Although her current body was only eighteen years old, in her previous life, Ye Ningxin had already celebrated her twenty-third birthday. In terms of mentality, this could be considered a relationship where she was the older one.
Since both were adults, certain matters could be left unspoken.
A married couple sharing a bed was a perfectly normal thing, but what Ye Ningxin wanted was a pure, lifelong commitment—the kind where two people remained devoted to each other forever.
In this era, it was entirely normal for men to have multiple wives and concubines. As a Prince, he could legitimately have a group of consorts.
Ye Ningxin had no desire to compete with a crowd of women for favor. Fighting over a man was nowhere near as fulfilling as building a career! If the Prince ever wanted to remarry in the future, she would immediately divorce him.
Before the Prince regained his sight and before the two of them fully confirmed their mutual feelings, Ye Ningxin did not want to take things further.
Withdrawing her hand, Ye Ningxin laughed it off, telling the Prince not to joke around. Fortunately, he did not press the matter further.
That night, the breeze was cool, and the moonlight was just right—all the romantic elements were brewing something called hormones. Yet, after drinking, Ye Ningxin boldly declared that she would become the wealthiest woman in the entire dynasty!
Listening to her drunken state, the Prince smiled indulgently: “This woman has quite the ambition!”
As the night wore on, Ye Ningxin became so drunk that she lost all sense of time. She insisted on pulling the Prince aside to explain her business plans, swearing earnestly that she would draft a proposal the next day. Both the Prince and Fu Sheng were left bewildered by her words, but the Prince managed to pick out the three most important words from her ramblings: “Weight-Loss Pills.”
After Ye Ningxin fell asleep, the Prince asked Fu Sheng about the recent changes in the Princess Consort. Fu Sheng recounted everything he had observed in detail, especially describing vividly how Ye Ningxin, dressed in fine clothes, had made a dazzling appearance that day.
“When I first arrived, the Princess Consort was so plump that her eyes and nose seemed squeezed together. It was impossible to tell what she really looked like. But today, after a careful look, I realized the Princess Consort is actually quite a beauty. One day, even if she were to enter the capital, she would certainly not lose out to the daughters of noble families.”
Speaking of his own Princess Consort’s merits, Fu Sheng couldn’t help but feel proud and honored.
Hearing this, the Prince felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.
Although he had never seen his wife’s appearance since their wedding day, from Fu Sheng’s description, she seemed quite pleasing.
Today, hearing her mention something about Weight-Loss Pills and listening to Fu Sheng describe how she had recently slimmed down considerably, it appeared that his wife was determined to change her current situation. Could it be that his earlier words had truly provoked her?
Gu Haoyuan felt that Ye Ningxin had changed dramatically recently, yet he couldn’t pinpoint the cause. After much thought, he could only look to himself for an explanation. But did he truly have such a significant influence on her?
Originally, he had thought that once the thorny issues were resolved and Cui Lao had cured his eyes, he could let go of everything here and return to the capital.
But now, he couldn’t bear to leave.
If he left Ye Ningxin alone here, would she be heartbroken? Where would she go? Would her family still accept her? And what about her cousin—was there still affection between them?
These matters had never been part of his considerations before, but now he had no choice but to plan carefully.
If, after everything was resolved, Ye Ningxin still treated him as she did now, he was willing to take a gamble—betting that she was devoted to him and would stand by him through thick and thin.
…
Despite drinking quite a bit, Gu Haoyuan couldn’t fall asleep because his mind was too full of thoughts. Similarly awake was the dark cuisine chef living in the back mountain—Gu Si.
Gu Si couldn’t sleep because Gu Wu had returned, bringing with him some bad news.
The informant they had planted in the canal gang had been compromised, meaning they had lost their eyes and ears and could no longer fully monitor the other side’s movements.
“We must report this to the Prince immediately!” Gu Wu rubbed his cheeks in frustration, sighing with regret.
“Tomorrow morning, I’ll send a signal to the Prince. He’ll come up the mountain to hear your report.”
Gu Si tried to reassure Gu Wu: “The Prince will find a way! There have been more people around the foot of the mountain lately, so I haven’t seen the Prince for several days either.”
Gu Wu: “Oh? Where did all these people come from? Could it be that Prince Anjing sent them?”
Gu Si: “What are you thinking! Prince Anjing and his lot only dare to scheme behind our backs. How would they dare to show up openly in front of our Prince?”
Gu Wu: “Then who are they?”
Gu Si: “It’s the woman the Prince married. She’s undertaking a massive construction project, hiring a group of people to rebuild a courtyard house.”
Gu Wu: “I remember last time you told me that this woman never cared about our Prince, only sending money and goods back to her parents. Why is she building a house now?”
Gu Si: “Who knows! The whole thing is strange. It’s as if this woman suddenly changed her ways and has completely bewitched our Prince. A while ago, the Prince even specifically ordered me to guard the foot of the mountain and keep watch while she bathed!”
Speaking of this, Gu Si still sounded a bit aggrieved.
Gu Wu was growing more and more confused: “The Prince let that woman bathe in the hot spring?”
Gu Si: “Yes!”
Gu Wu: “…”
As far as he knew, given his Prince’s temperament, no one else was allowed to touch his things, let alone share the same hot spring for bathing.
Gu Si: “I think this woman might be possessed by a fox spirit, feeding our Prince some kind of bewitching potion! Her cooking is also incredibly delicious—there must be something special added to the food!”
Gu Wu immediately seized on the key point: “You’ve eaten the Princess Consort’s cooking?”
“What Princess Consort! I don’t acknowledge her as the Princess Consort!” Gu Si still held his prejudice: “The Prince made me eat it.” At this, he recalled the meal he had eaten at the foot of the mountain, and saliva involuntarily began to pool in his mouth.
For the past half year, he had eaten so poorly!
Gu Wu, of course, understood his situation and let the matter drop.
Whatever you have to say, wait until tomorrow when you see the Prince and speak to him directly. Gossiping about the Princess Consort behind her back is certainly not honorable. Our Prince has the strategic mind to command troops on the battlefield—how could he be so bewitched by a woman from the countryside? Gu Si must be overthinking things!