"I'm fine," Xiao Wangye waved his hand after drinking the water brought by Xiao Si.
Looking at Ye Qingcheng's sly eyes, he found it hard not to suspect she had done it on purpose.
"Tomorrow, people from the Xiao family will come to visit. The butler will arrange everything. You, as the Princess Consort, should come out to receive them."
"Tomorrow?" Ye Qingcheng thought for a moment. "Who are the main people coming?"
"The younger generation of the Xiao family." As the head of the Xiao family, he naturally placed great importance on his descendants.
After all, the prosperity and decline of a family depended on these young people in the future.
He had always disciplined them strictly, even sending them to the army for training. He also established a family school and hired renowned scholars to teach them.
However, not everyone in the family was convinced by him. Xiao Wangye knew this, but for the overall benefit of the family, he sometimes turned a blind eye.
A group of young people, Ye Qingcheng thought. She glanced again at Xiao Wangye in his wheelchair. He was twenty-five or twenty-six this year, and the original host had married him shortly after coming of age, making her only eighteen now.
What a great age difference, uncle and loli. It was illegal in modern times to have a marriage settled when Ye Qingcheng was only sixteen.
However, although the original host was only eighteen, she had lived to be almost thirty in the apocalypse. Thinking about it this way, it was she who was the "old cow eating young grass."
Ye Qingcheng felt embarrassed and quickly shook away the increasingly wild thoughts in her mind.
This meant that the younger generation arriving tomorrow should be around the same age as the original host.
"Knock, knock." A knock on the door suddenly echoed in the quiet alley.
It sounded somewhat eerie in this desolate, deep alley.
Seeing that no one opened the door for a long time, the man placed his horse at the entrance, flipped over the wall, and entered.
He went to the front door, opened it, brought the horse in, and tied it by the well.
As he walked towards the room, a childlike voice called out from behind him, "How can a girl stay out all night?"
She turned around and saw Xiao Hong, dressed in coarse cloth with her hair disheveled, pointing at her and accusing, "Everyone was worried about you and couldn't sleep all night."
However, they had all fallen asleep from exhaustion.
Although Xiao Hong was only twelve, not the oldest among this group of street children, she had the highest authority.
Girls' psychological age was indeed more mature than boys'. Moreover, before becoming a wanderer, she was the daughter of an accountant. After surviving on the streets for two or three years, she had gained considerable experience in survival.
Seeing that Xiao Hua didn't speak, Xiao Hong could only mumble. She walked to the well to feed the horse some grass from the corner. "The water inside has been boiled; go and drink a bowl."
Here, only Xiao Hong knew she was a girl. The other half-grown boys were still foolishly thinking she was a boy.
After all, her appearance was heroic, she dressed as a man outdoors due to the sun and wind, and she was usually silent.
The water was a bit cool. She held a chipped bowl and drank it slowly.
She had met Ye Qingcheng on the street earlier. After seeing her predicament, Ye Qingcheng had helped her find this place.
Now, Xiao Hong accompanied her when she went out to perform. These children made handicrafts at home to sell. Life was difficult, but they could still survive.
"So, has Bi Xi been found?" Xiao Hong asked, walking in from outside.
"Found." She rummaged in her pocket and took out a bag of silver.
"So much!" Xiao Hong grabbed the cloth bag. "It's from Sister Ye."
She pondered for a moment and nodded. It was indeed from Ye Qingcheng; this silver was only part of it.
When she dug out the contents, it was already getting dark. She took out a tinderbox and examined it carefully.
A large chest, containing two smaller chests. One box was filled with silver and jewelry, and the other was filled with letters.
She had brought back the gold, silver, and jewelry on the horse. Ye Qingcheng said not to touch the letters. This gold and silver could be used to improve the lives of the children.
After thinking about it, she only packed a small cloth bag of silver.
Seeing Xiao Hong excitedly say, "Sister Ye is too generous, truly worthy of being wealthy!" she began to plan how to use the silver.
It seemed she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
The next morning, the king's mansion's butler began preparing for the reception banquet.
Ye Qingcheng stopped him on a small path. "Butler, did Yu Jian return yesterday?"
After Yu Jian was punished by her last time, Xiao Wangye had found another old butler.
This old butler had some skills and quickly became familiar with the situation in the king's mansion. Yu Jian's position in the mansion was gradually challenged. Yu Jian was helpless and her hatred for Ye Qingcheng deepened.
"Princess Consort, Yu Jian returned last night. She was injured and is recuperating in her room," the old butler quickly informed her of the situation.
"Princess Consort, the younger generation of the Xiao family is coming today. Princess Consort..."
Before the butler could finish speaking, Ye Qingcheng ran off. "Butler, you carry on; I just remembered something."
Who would want to do these chores? She wasn't the real Princess Consort.
Asking her way, Ye Qingcheng arrived at Yu Jian's room, wanting to ask her clearly.
"Princess Consort," a maidservant greeted her at the door.
"Is Yu Jian inside?"
"Aunt Yu Jian is resting." The maidservant slightly shifted to block the door. "Princess Consort, it's best not to catch Aunt Yu Jian's illness."
Ye Qingcheng didn't care about this at all. She pushed the maidservant aside and went to open the door.
Yu Jian was indeed inside. Ye Qingcheng walked to her bedside and saw her lying on the bed, motionless, her face pale, and her breathing unstable.
"Aunt has been unconscious since she returned. Princess Consort, if you need anything, please let this servant serve you."
Ye Qingcheng stepped forward to observe her and also felt Yu Jian's pulse. She was indeed still unconscious, and her pulse was somewhat erratic.
"How did Yu Jian return yesterday?"
"Aunt returned to the mansion by herself yesterday. She fainted after saying only a few words," the maidservant replied truthfully. "A doctor came to see her once, but Aunt still hasn't woken up."
"What was the doctor's prescription?" Logically speaking, since the wound was treated, she should be much better. Moreover, Xiao Hua had also said yesterday that Yu Jian had spoken to her and even made a move to take Bi Xi away.
At least she wouldn't have been so severely injured yesterday.
"I gave it to the kitchen. They purchase the medicinal herbs daily, boil them, and deliver them."
"Alright." Seeing that Yu Jian wouldn't wake up anytime soon.
Ye Qingcheng glanced at the maidservant. "When Yu Jian wakes up, please inform me immediately."
"Yes, Princess Consort."
After Ye Qingcheng left, the maidservant walked to Yu Jian's bedside and gave her another bowl of medicinal water.
"So stupid," the maidservant wiped the medicine juice from Yu Jian's mouth. "You disrupted the Empress's plan. You are of no use now."
Leaving Yu Jian's place, Ye Qingcheng felt something was not right, but she couldn't recall what it was for a moment.
"Princess Consort," a maidservant rushed over. "His Highness is looking for you in the front hall. The guests have arrived."
"I know, let's go." Although she wasn't the real Princess Consort, some superficial courtesies still needed to be shown to outsiders.