Unparalleled Beauty

Chapter C088

Upon learning that the Princess Consort would be staying in the study that evening, Linglong returned to Xiangluan Courtyard and gathered some of Mei Wushuang's belongings.

Such as her everyday clothes, nightclothes, and embroidered shoes.

Mei Wushuang knew she wouldn't be able to escape that night, so she simply ceased struggling. After receiving the clothes, she first went to bathe and change.

It was still early, so Prince Wei led Mei Wushuang to the desk, asking her to write for him to see.

Mei Wushuang's calligraphy was proper and decent, neither particularly good nor unsightly. It couldn't compare to Prince Wei's vigorous and forceful strokes, like iron paintings and silver hooks, but since Prince Wei asked her to write, she obliged.

She sat on Prince Wei's lap. Having just bathed, she wasn't wearing socks, and her feet, originally in embroidered shoes, slipped out as they lifted off the ground.

Her thick, waist-length hair cascaded down her back, making her appear even smaller.

Because it was difficult to exert force while sitting on his lap, she sat very straight, prim and proper, like a newly enrolled student carefully copying large characters under the observation of an elder.

"Has the Princess Consort chosen an intimate name?"

After a young woman's coming-of-age ceremony, they would choose an intimate name, to be used by those close to her. Generally, it was bestowed by an elder or chosen by her husband.

But Mei Wushuang did not have an intimate name.

"Then, would it be alright if this Prince chose one for the Princess Consort?"

You've already said it, how could it not be alright?

Prince Wei wrote the character '双' (Shuang) on the paper.

"Shuang, composed of 雔 (chou), and 又 (you), as the saying goes, 'As for those who are trustworthy, there is no equal under heaven.' Within it are a pair of flying birds, known as mandarin ducks. The Princess Consort's name is exceptionally good. If we were to choose an intimate name, since you are a woman, we could take the character 雔 (chou), calling you Chouchou, would that be alright?" 

"Chouchou?"

The sound felt somewhat awkward, and Wushuang felt a strange sensation in her heart; he had actually given her a pet name.

"Does Princess Consort know this Prince's courtesy name?" Prince Wei suddenly asked.

This, Wushuang truly did not know.

Prince Wei then wrote two large characters on the paper: Shengheng.

"Shengheng," she murmured.

"From now on, this Prince shall privately call the Princess Consort Chouchou. What should the Princess Consort call me in private?"

'"Shengheng?"'

Prince Wei's gaze was profound, his voice a husky whisper. "Chouchou, call it once more."

Mei Wushuang, caught in the depths of his gaze, couldn't help but blush. She whispered, "Shengheng."

He lowered his head in praise and kissed her.

Afterwards, the two continued to write, but it was Wushuang who wrote, and Prince Wei who watched.

She didn't know what to write, so Prince Wei would say a word, and she would write a word; say a phrase, and she would write a phrase. When the piece was finished, it turned out to be a classical lyric poem expressing the love between a man and a woman.

She was so ashamed that her face and ears burned red, though, in truth, her blush had never truly faded.

On the contrary, Prince Wei, though these 'licentious words' had come from his own mouth, maintained a solemn and righteous demeanor, leaving Wushuang both ashamed and annoyed, yet unable to express her anger.

Without knowing when, the night had grown deep.

The two returned to the bedchamber hand in hand. This was not Wushuang's first time here, but it was her first time lodging here, and it felt extraordinarily different from usual.

The hibiscus curtains were warm, and the spring night was still long.

Wushuang had a premonition in her heart that Prince Wei, suppressing his pent-up emotions, would certainly not let her off easily.

Indeed, he made her call out "Shengheng" the entire night, as if he wanted to carve those two words onto her body, into her heart, so that she could never forget them for all eternity.

***

The next day, when she rose, Wushuang didn't dare to even glance at Prince Wei.

Another item had been added to her ankle, this time a small golden seal, resembling the small jade seal that Ji Yang had hung on her. It, too, had a dragon-shaped knob, and the bottom was engraved with patterns and characters.

At this moment, Wushuang finally realized that the seal Ji Yang had given her was no ordinary seal, and that Prince Wei actually understood its meaning. What frightened her even more was that, back and forth, three had been hung on her, making her clearly aware that the two men were competing with each other.

That meant that Ji Yang might have known what Prince Wei had done long ago, and Prince Wei had no intention of concealing it from him. The two knew what the other had done, but she alone was a fool, placed on a fire, unable to move up or down.

In that instant, Wushuang was, in truth, enraged.

After her anger subsided, she didn't know how to react. She was completely at a loss. She had thought that by temporarily concealing things from Ji Yang, she could muddle through and postpone the problems she didn't know how to face.

But now, these problems had returned to her.

Wushuang appeared outwardly unchanged, just as she always was, but the weight in her heart grew heavier with each passing day, revealing itself only when she was alone.

These subtle changes were noticed only by Meifang, Xiaohong, and Linglong, yet even they were unaware of what troubled the Princess Consort.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the two men, for the sake of masculine pride and self-esteem, childishly resorted to petty tricks and displays of power, but neither could gain an advantage, inevitably leading to a somewhat tense stalemate.

However, Ji Yang had already devised a plan; he had a trump card yet to be played—Song You.

Ji Yang sought out Song You, and to avoid complications and prevent Prince Wei from finding out, he deliberately impersonated Prince Wei when discussing the matter with Song You.

His reasoning was simple: as long as Wushuang knew the difference between the two of them, she would surely be wary of that old schemer in the future, preventing him from ever gaining any advantage again; Wushuang would be his alone.

He was unaware that he had two 'spies' by his side: Fusheng and An Yi.

Especially An Yi, whom Prince Wei had ordered to record Ji Yang's every word and action, and An Yi had dutifully complied, so Ji Yang's actions did not escape notice.

***

"He actually had Song You tell her about this Prince's physical anomaly?"

Prince Wei instantly understood 'his' intentions; in essence, it was a childish tantrum, simply meant to trip him up.

But Prince Wei also recalled the time he had Song You use his technique to make her enter a dream, learning from her some things about her previous life, including one detail: she would know about her dual-soul disorder, which she learned from Song You in her previous life.

Prince Wei understood Song You's character; seemingly indolent, he was in fact cautious. He would not say what he shouldn't, nor would he do more than was necessary. If he were to tell others about this matter, it must be at his behest.

Due to the limited time that time, Wushuang's account was brief and fragmented, and Prince Wei could not learn the specific details of her previous life. Naturally, he also did not know what his mindset was at the time that he had Song You tell her.

At the time, he was somewhat puzzled, but now it seemed it was not he who had ordered it, but 'him'.

Prince Wei was naturally angered again, but he was not Ji Yang; he was relatively more meticulous, and naturally noticed Wushuang's unusual behavior these past few days.

Despite all his efforts, he had only just managed to have her accept him; he was aware that his position in her heart was not as strong as 'his'.

He was not in a hurry; he had plenty of patience. He had not expected someone to cut in now, but he was not without recourse; he could put it to good use.

Prince Wei went directly to Song You.

Originally, Song You was still hesitating about how to tell the Princess Consort about this matter; 'Prince Wei' had simply tossed out the words and cared for nothing else, while he, an outsider, was burdened with many concerns.

Now, seeing that it was still Prince Wei, but with a different approach, he was first puzzled, but quickly understood what was happening.

"That wasn't you, it was him?"

Prince Wei gave a slight nod.

Song You inhaled sharply, then felt a little embarrassed. Logically, he had been the one treating Prince Wei's illness all along, yet he hadn't been able to distinguish between the two personalities.

"Then what are Your Highness's plans?"

"Her heart is perceptive, she will know about this sooner or later," Here, Prince Wei told a lie, not telling Song You that Wushuang already knew about his dual-soul disorder, and also concealing the fact that Wushuang was reborn, "Rather than letting her struggle and ponder, worrying and overthinking, it's better to tell her the truth directly."

"He always acts directly, regardless of the consequences, but this Prince cannot do that. She is, after all, a woman from an ordinary family, and may not be able to accept such a thing. She clearly married one husband, but now she is being told that he is two 'people,' how could she accept that? Therefore, this Prince hopes that you can tell her that it is originally just one person."

Song You said, "You and he are originally one person."

"You know this, this Prince knows this, but she may not know, nor may she be able to understand," Prince Wei said.

"So Your Highness hopes that I will tell the Princess Consort that you are indeed one person, but because of illness, you have split into two people?"

Prince Wei nodded.

"I understand."

***

These past few days, Wushuang had not been in a good mood, and she was also feeling rather lazy.

Especially with the cold weather, she became even lazier, either sleeping in bed or reclining on the Luohan bed, and her appetite was not very good either.

Suddenly hearing that Prince Wei had invited a doctor to take her pulse, she was stunned for a moment, wondering if she was ill. It was not until she saw the doctor himself.

It was Song You.

Wushuang didn't think too much about it, assuming it was for a routine checkup.

This time, Song You took her pulse without any fanfare, but he took it for quite a long time, which couldn't help but make her panic. Could it be that she really had some illness, otherwise why would he look like this?

Song You put down the handkerchief he had used as a cushion and said, "The Princess Consort's body has no major problems, just some kidney qi deficiency. You should pay attention to marital relations and not overindulge."

Wushuang blushed instantly, but she quickly forgot about blushing, because Song You then said the following words.

"The Princess Consort's pulse shows a slight sign of a slippery pulse, but it is not obvious. This Song is not sure if he diagnosed it correctly. Only after a few days of re-examination can it be distinguished."

Wushuang did not know what a slippery pulse was. Only through Song You's explanation did she learn that a slippery pulse was an indication of pregnancy, though it generally took more than a month to diagnose.

It could be diagnosed in a month, but that was only with Song You's highly skilled medical techniques. If one encountered a less skilled doctor, it might take more than two months to diagnose.

This matter gave Wushuang no small fright.

"Does Physician Song mean that I might be with child?"

"It is not yet certain. As this humble one has just said, it will be necessary to examine you again in a few days."

Even so, it was enough to make the people of Xiangluan Courtyard happy. Meifang, Xiaohong, Linglong, and the others were overjoyed, and Wushuang's face was mostly filled with delighted surprise.

"Actually, this Song came today for another matter."

"What is it?"

I must trouble Princess Consort to dismiss those around you. What this humble one is about to say can only enter the Princess Consort's ears."

Wushuang seemed to have encountered this situation before. In her previous life, when Song You told her about Emperor Qianwu's dual-soul disorder, he had been just as cautious.

She had a premonition in her heart. At this moment, she was puzzled. She clearly already knew, so why did Song You still need to tell her? Upon further reflection, only Prince Wei knew that she knew; others were unaware.

Therefore, she sighed, feeling that she had become increasingly foolish lately, unable to understand even such a simple matter.

In truth, it wasn't that Wushuang couldn't understand, but rather that she had never faced a certain question in her previous life—why would Song You tell her such a top-secret matter? Did he merely feel that she was working hard and facing difficulties?

This clearly did not align with the level of 'top secret.'

She hadn't thought about it carefully at the time, but this question had lingered in her heart ever since. Subconsciously, she felt that Emperor Qianwu must have instructed Song You to tell her, but because she hadn't considered it deeply, it remained subconscious. But the subconscious existed, so she subconsciously assumed that since Prince Wei knew she knew, Song You wouldn't come to tell her again in this life.

Who knew she was completely wrong? The one who had instructed Song You to tell her was not Emperor Qianwu at all, but Ji Yang.

But let's not dwell on these matters.

Because she was mentally prepared, Wushuang was not surprised by what Song You said afterward.

However, this time Song You was clearly more detailed than in her previous life. In her previous life, Song You had only vaguely told her that Ji Yang, this alternate personality, had appeared during Prince Wei's youth. How it appeared and why it appeared were glossed over.

This time, Song You told her the truth.

After Wushuang heard that Prince Wei's birth mother, Consort Chen, had died in madness, and that Prince Wei had been questioned since childhood, with people saying that the son of a madwoman would also go mad, and that the young Prince Wei, having lost his mother early, was particularly favored by Emperor Taihe, and therefore secretly suffered countless schemes, ostracism, and bullying, enduring countless grievances both spoken and unspoken, all of this finally erupted on the night of Prince Wei's wedding, when he saw his newlywed Princess Consort murdered naked in bed.

Mei Wushuang was utterly shaken. She clutched at her chest, feeling a sharp pain in her heart, as if it were being twisted by knives, a pain that left her breathless.

"Are you saying that his illness is actually because he couldn't bear all of this, so another personality emerged to protect him, to endure it in his stead?"

"That's essentially it. Though not entirely accurate, that's the general idea."

"So, they are essentially one person, but because of the illness, they were split in two?"