Ling Yao did not suspect Song Beiting at all; rather, her imperial brother seemed more suspicious.
That day in the imperial garden, he subtly tried to pair her with Wen Tang gege.
Furthermore, Wen Daozi was invited by him, and after the painting was completed, it first passed through his hands. She had never even seen the painting of the rising sun; it must have been withheld by him.
Yet, she didn't believe her imperial brother would disregard her reputation and publicize it widely. If so, it could only be like the last plague, with someone fanning the flames from behind.
"Yu Liu, have there been any recent movements from the Left Prime Minister?"
"No news has been received yet."
"Go inform Ruan Ji and have him investigate."
She always felt the Left Prime Minister wouldn't be so complacent, but the fact that investigations showed him to be quiet recently was too strange.
Yu Liu went to inform Ruan Ji as instructed, and Qu Linglong arrived.
After taking Ling Yao's pulse, she stopped the nourishing soup and prescribed another kind.
"Princess, have you been suffering from insomnia and irritability recently?"
"Yes."
Ling Yao answered honestly. She had indeed been like this lately. She originally thought that having Xiao Shan's portrait would help her sleep better, but instead, she slept even less. She would stay up until late at night, thinking about their past, their arguments, their intimacy, all sorts of things.
"Could there be a problem with my body?"
"Yes, there's a small problem, an imbalance of Yin and Yang."
Qu Linglong's expression was somber as she said softly, "Princess, you miss Brother Xiao dearly, don't you? Have you been having erotic dreams?"
Ling Yao's face flushed "shua."
She could tell even this?
Indeed, the dreams she'd been having recently were somewhat embarrassing.
After waking, her body felt weak, her heart felt weak, and she would become irritable and uncomfortable.
"You and Brother Xiao have a good relationship. It's normal to miss him so much after being apart for so long. Princess, if you have nothing else to do, you can read the 'Pure Heart Sutra' more; it will help."
Ling Yao nodded sheepishly.
Qu Linglong didn't say much more and, with great understanding, changed the subject. "Princess, you're lying to me, aren't you? Your eldest brother isn't sick at all, is he?"
How could he not be sick? He was gravely ill, beyond medical help, with only love to cure him.
"Have you examined him?"
Qu Linglong shook her head. "Not yet. He wouldn't allow it. He says he's not sick."
It was just that his attitude had changed. He was still cold, but it was different from before; he no longer scolded her for meddling.
He was so unlike the sharp-tongued Feng Shihao.
"People who are sick always say they aren't sick. Linglong, have you truly looked at him with your heart? Do you know how much he has changed from before? Haven't you noticed that he has a severe psychological disorder and suicidal tendencies?"
"Princess, what do you know?"
Qu Linglong's voice tightened, clearly still caring about her eldest imperial brother.
No matter how calm and indifferent she appeared, when faced with his safety, she would fail.
"You must discover it yourself. If you continue to evade and blame others for your misfortune, you have no right to speak of love."
"I still remember the advice you gave me before. You could see the problems between me and Xiao Shan, so why can't you see the problems between you two?"
"He wronged you before, and it's understandable that you hate him. However, the deeper the love, the sharper the hate. This also shows that you still love him. Since you love him, why can't you turn the current absent-minded Feng Shihao back into the Feng Shihao who captivated you at first sight?"
"He's just sick, and he'll get better."
"Linglong, eldest imperial brother needs love, a lot of love."
"If you think he's no longer worth it, then you don't need to take my words to heart. If you still want to try with him, then... in short, I've told you the facts. The rest is up to you to decide."
...
Qu Linglong moved back to the Prince of Jiangbei's mansion.
This infuriated Jin Qingqing.
"How can she be so cheap! She left, so why come back? Her plain face is so ugly. The Prince doesn't even like her. Ever since she gave birth, he hasn't favored her, yet she has the nerve to be a secondary consort!"
"Madam, don't rush. Let the doctor examine you first. If you also... it's only a matter of time before we get rid of a secondary consort who only bore a daughter!" the maid said confidently.
A hint of guilt flashed in Jin Qingqing's eyes, and her face became slightly unnatural.
But the thought of the position of secondary consort to the only prince of Da Jing invigorated her.
Father was right. Only by first climbing to the position of secondary consort, and then to primary consort, would she truly be related to the imperial family, and her status would soar and become as stable as a mountain.
Although Qu Linglong had returned, she still felt very disgusted.
The reason she moved out at that time was nothing more than the nonsensical things Jin Qingqing had said to her.
How the Prince had reprimanded other concubines for her.
How he had pinned her against the desk and acted wildly.
How he had kept her in bed tirelessly, making her unable to get up.
Thinking about it made her feel sick enough to vomit. One moment he was indulging in carnal pleasures with a woman in his study, and the next he was pinning her to the bed, tearing her clothes.
At that time, she didn't even wait for a divorce letter and returned to the Qu residence with Su Mian.
And he hadn't sent anyone to convey a message or take the child back.
Originally, she was unwilling to return no matter what, but Ling Yao had said that it was impossible for him to favor other women.
Why was that?
Ling Yao didn't say, and she didn't know.
But she believed Ling Yao, so she had returned to find the truth and give them another chance.
Su Mian was very happy about this return. Although she didn't know why her mistress had changed her mind again, returning to the Prince's mansion was good for both the mistress and the young master, at least giving them a legitimate status.
During the days they spent back at the Qu residence, after her mistress went to the palace every day, when she went out to buy groceries, she would encounter old neighbors who would all curiously inquire about the matters between her mistress and the Prince.
They were all guessing if the Prince had divorced her. Every time she went out, she would return home full of anger.
"Su Mian, research some delicious pastries and make them daily, then have the guards at the gate send them to Hua Shang Lou."
Currently, this was all she could do. He was not worth her personal effort yet.
"Mistress, you've finally come to your senses! That's right. To capture the Prince's heart, you must capture his stomach. This servant will definitely research them well and strive to make the Prince understand your worth soon. Not only pastries but also meals..."
Su Mian chattered on, making Qu Linglong's head ache.
From then on, the guards at the gate had an additional task every day: to send food to Hua Shang Lou.
At first, Feng Shihao was somewhat perplexed, unable to understand why Qu Linglong had suddenly become as virtuous as a woman.
Later, he suspected that Ling Yao might have revealed something to her, making her pity and sympathize with him, which made him irritable.
Therefore, he ordered the guards not to deliver food there anymore.
Unexpectedly, when the guards stopped coming, the maid Su Mian started running over every day.
Truly, there wasn't a single peaceful day!