A pale woman lay on the bed, looking sickly. She was dressed in a narrow-shouldered jacket of red satin embroidered with golden butterflies, over a five-colored brocade robe of dark blue with silver fox fur, and a jade skirt with scattered flowers.
Despite it being the height of summer, the weather was hot and oppressive.
Yet, the old woman was dressed as if it were winter.
The old woman looked at Nangong Mo, who sat by her bedside chatting for a while. She frowned, her face showing displeasure. She lowered her voice, "A'mo, nanny has always been most at ease with your actions, but regarding the matter of marrying the Ninth Princess Consort, nanny cannot help but say a few words. Nanny has heard that the eldest daughter of the Gu family not only beats her concubines in her own residence but also poisoned her own father. Such an arrogant and rebellious person, how could she be worthy of you, A'mo!"
"But this King has never cared about these things."
Before Shi Momo, who had raised him, Nangong Mo's tone was not so cold.
Shi Momo, seeing that Nangong Mo seemed to have developed true feelings for the eldest daughter of the Gu family, was very anxious. "A'mo, you are the Ninth Prince of noble status, and more importantly, among the princes in court… cough, cough, you are the irreplaceable Ninth Imperial Uncle in seniority. With our noble status, what kind of princess consort can we not marry? Why must you marry a woman with such a bad reputation? Cough, cough, cough… cough, cough, cough…"
Shi Momo, having spoken so much at once, seemed somewhat weak. As she sat up, leaning on the bedside, she coughed heavily due to the exertion.
Bai Qi pushed Nangong Mo forward. Nangong Mo helped Shi Momo smooth her back and personally fed her a cup of warm medicinal tea. After putting down the teacup, he said, "But this King only wants her."
Seeing Nangong Mo's stubbornness, Shi Momo's dislike for the eldest daughter of the Gu family grew, but she did not show it on her face. "Since A'mo, you are so determined that you must have that woman, why don't we do this? The eldest daughter of the Gu family can be married, but only as a secondary consort or a concubine. As for the main consort, we will select a woman of excellent virtue and talent from the legitimate daughters of the old and respected ministers in court. Such a woman would be worthy of you, A'mo."
After drinking the warm medicinal tea, Shi Momo's complexion improved slightly, and she did not cough as much after speaking.
Seeing this, Nangong Mo called for the maids and asked them to serve Shi Momo her meal.
During the meal, Shi Momo wanted to say more, but Nangong Mo merely accompanied her for a few bites and then, citing matters to attend to, had Bai Qi push him away from Lanxi Pavilion.
As he left, Nangong Mo told her to rest assured and take care of herself, and that he would continue to find renowned physicians to treat her illness.
"A'mo, for nanny's sake, who is not long for this world, please listen to nanny," Shi Momo said, wiping her tears as she looked at Nangong Mo's retreating back.
Nangong Mo raised his hand to Bai Qi. Bai Qi stopped, pushing Nangong Mo to turn around.
Nangong Mo looked at Shi Momo, his voice suddenly turning cold, "This King will not let you die, nanny!"
When saying the words "nanny," Nangong Mo deliberately emphasized them.
Shi Momo's body stiffened, and more tears welled up in her eyes. "Your Highness, please forgive this old servant, I have overstepped."
She choked back a sob and tried to get out of bed to kneel before Nangong Mo. Nangong Mo glanced at Bai Qi, who immediately stepped forward and helped Shi Momo back into bed before returning behind Nangong Mo.
"Serve Shi Momo well. Anyone who dares to gossip again will be beaten to death!"
Nanny had never left her room, so how could she know anything about the Gu family's girl?
Nangong Mo cast a cold glance at the maids serving in the room.
The maids were so frightened that they all knelt on the ground.
Bai Qi pushed Nangong Mo away from Lanxi Pavilion.
They passed through the back garden.
"Your Highness, wait a moment."
A woman in blue, with exquisite makeup, walked over with her maids.
As the woman approached, she held a red wooden box.
Bai Qi slowly stopped the wheelchair.
Nangong Mo did not have Bai Qi turn the wheelchair around, he simply had his back to the woman in blue.
Seeing this, the woman in blue paid it no mind. Instead, she walked around to Nangong Mo's front, opened the red wooden box in her hands, and looked at Nangong Mo with a smile, "Your Highness, your medicine must be finished. Here, Brother Du Chun asked Qing'er to send it to you. Take it quickly."
The woman in blue's voice was clear, like a lark singing, and she appeared pure and harmless.
Nangong Mo looked at her, his tone still as cold as ever, "Mm."
Bai Qi behind him smiled heartily at the woman in blue, "Miss Qing'er is very thoughtful."
Bai Qi took out the bottle of Yixi Pills from the red wooden box and put it into his sleeve.
The woman in blue smiled sweetly and continued along with Bai Qi's words, "Qing'er has always been most concerned about Your Highness's matters. Oh, right, Qing'er made some small pastries that Shi Momo likes today. I made a bit too many, so I specifically brought them for you, Your Highness. Please take them back and try them."
Lan Qingqing, a young lady of humble origins who had lived in the Ninth Prince's mansion for a long time.
Earlier, when Nangong Mo's legs were not yet paralyzed, as he was returning to the capital via a shortcut with a few personal guards, he encountered an ambush by unknown assassins. During the attack, he was severely injured and fell off a cliff. It was Lan Qingqing's father, Old Craftsman Lan, who saved him.
When his identity was exposed and the assassins reappeared, it was also Old Craftsman Lan who arranged for him to leave secretly.
And the Lan couple died at the hands of the assassins to protect him.
Their daughter, Lan Qingqing, fortunately survived.
In order to repay the kindness of the Lan couple, he brought their daughter, Lan Qingqing, to the mansion and promised her a lifetime of prosperity and comfort.
As Shi Momo suffered from illness and was bedridden, it was more convenient for Lan Qingqing, being a woman, to take care of Shi Momo. Nangong Mo then asked her to move to Lanxi Pavilion to help care for Shi Momo.
Lan Qingqing had her maidservant beside her open the food box she had brought, then took out the osmanthus cakes and handed them to Nangong Mo.
Nangong Mo's gaze fell upon the exquisite osmanthus cakes.
His eyes gradually narrowed.
A small figure that often appeared in his mind suddenly surfaced.
"I hate osmanthus cakes the most, so you can't eat them either. If you dare to eat osmanthus cakes, this young lady will bite you to death, hmph."
A faint smile curved his lips.
Nangong Mo said coldly, "This King never eats this."
Lan Qingqing was a little disappointed but quickly put on a naive and harmless expression again. "Oh, it's alright. When Shi Momo is better, Qing'er will make some of Your Highness's favorite dishes and send them to you."
"Mm."
Nangong Mo replied faintly and then had Bai Qi push him away.
On the way.
Nangong Mo said coldly to Bai Qi, "Tell the kitchen to stop serving osmanthus cakes from today onwards."
He had never eaten osmanthus cakes. He only thought of the little girl who disliked osmanthus cakes whenever he saw plates of them.
He was reminiscing about someone this way. Now that he could see the person he wanted to see all the time, there was no need to keep such a habit.
"Also, investigate clearly who is gossiping in the mansion. Once found, kill them!"
"Yes, Master."
Meanwhile, in the study.
Bai Qi was organizing the documents on the desk.
Nangong Mo sat in his wheelchair, his head leaning back, his eyes closed in repose.
Suddenly, a dark guard entered and knelt on one knee.
"How is the investigation?"
"Reporting to Master, the eldest daughter of the Gu family has not left her room for the past few days. Today, however, she dressed as a man and went to the number one building in the world. Your subordinate also saw the second son of the Xu family follow shortly after."
Nangong Mo slowly opened his eyes, a cold glint appearing within them. "Does this girl truly think this King is dead!"