12dz Chapter 290 Aunt Rou gave birth to a daughter
Chapter 290 Aunt Rou gave birth to a daughter
After returning home, Gu Qingwan asked Siqi to divide up all the things she had brought back from outside, and asked Baoqin to prepare bathwater for her to take a bath.
"The water is ready. Do you need any more servants to help you?" Baoqin was helping to tidy up the little ornaments that the princess had brought back today, looking for a suitable place to put them.
"No need. Just put your things away and you can go play after you're done."
Gu Qingwan has never liked being waited on, especially when it comes to things like taking a bath. She usually does it herself, and at most she'll ask Baoqin to come and help wipe her back.
But today I just wanted to take a quick shower; I felt sticky and uncomfortable after running around outside all day.
Just as she stepped inside, Xiao Jingchen silently got up and followed her in.
By the time Gu Qingwan realized what was happening, Xiao Jingchen had already closed the door.
"Your Highness, what brings you here?"
Xiao Jingchen acted as if it were perfectly natural. Of course, he wouldn't tell his princess that Prince Chu was shameless and wanted to serve her while she bathed, would he? He walked to the tub and tested the water temperature with his hand; it was just right.
"Take a bath."
……
Everyone knows that people come here to take a bath, not to prepare for dinner.
"If Your Highness wishes to take a bath, there are plenty of facilities available next door."
"No, it's too cold next door. It's warmer here."
……
"Then why don't I come after I've finished washing, or after Your Highness has finished washing?"
After Gu Qingwan finished speaking, Xiao Jingchen looked at her with a resentful gaze. Gu Qingwan was speechless. Why did she feel that the prince had become a resentful woman?
At this moment, Baoqin came in, carrying clothes in her hands. As soon as she entered, she saw the prince waiting for his princess with a resentful expression.
Baoqin moved her lips, but didn't know what to say. It seemed that anything she said would be inappropriate in this situation.
Xiao Jingchen immediately glared at him.
Baoqin awkwardly placed the clothes on the soft couch outside, and said in a low voice as she backed away, "This servant will go down now. If there is anything, Your Highness can just call for someone."
However, Xiao Jingchen's attitude of "with me here, what do I need you for?" made Baoqin feel like she was really the superfluous one.
After Baoqin went downstairs, Prince Chu took off his outer robe right under the princess's nose, rolled up his sleeves, and personally stepped forward to help the princess undress.
Gu Qingwan was stunned until a sudden jolt pulled her back to reality, but it was too late. Prince Chu had successfully carried the princess into the bathtub and personally served her bath.
The result was obvious: the Queen Consort of Chu didn't get out of bed until late morning.
King Chu was afraid that Gu Qingwan would beat him up, so he went to court the next day, which was a rare occurrence for him.
Time flies by like an arrow, leaving us no choice but to let our guard down, especially in winter when the days grow shorter and the nights seem endlessly long.
The end of the year is approaching, and for some reason, the prince has been extremely busy lately. He is nowhere to be seen early in the morning, either going to the palace to discuss matters with the emperor or going to the northern camp for patrol.
In short, the prince had not returned when she fell asleep, and he had already left when she woke up.
If it weren't for the creases on the bed beside her, Gu Qingwan would have suspected that her prince had also adopted that dissolute lifestyle of staying out all night.
Today, she was in her study reading a letter from her second cousin sent from Yunhun Pass. Lord Meng and Gu Ziming had arrived, and she had successfully connected with the caravan that was secretly following behind. Everything seemed normal there, and Gu Ziming appeared to be doing well.
However, Gu Qingwan didn't think that way.
Gu Ziming has always been an extremely selfish person. He is willing to sacrifice everything for his own benefit, so he would never do anything that is not profitable.
This time, he went to great lengths to follow Lord Meng to provide disaster relief, so there must be something fishy going on. However, she still doesn't know what he really wants to do.
When Lord Meng's entourage left, she had Ning load all the things they had collected in the capital onto a cart and quietly followed behind the official procession.
This ensured safety. Lord Meng was aware that someone was following him, but he ignored the familiar faces and assumed it was just an ordinary merchant caravan.
She also wrote a letter to her second cousin, telling him to keep an eye on Gu Ziming and see what his purpose was.
Logically speaking, it would be impossible for a scholar like Gu Ziming to go to the disaster area to provide relief.
Perhaps he suffered hardships in his childhood, but after so long of being pampered, Gu Ziming is no longer the kind of person who can endure hardship.
Gu Qingwan continued to seal the letter with wax and handed it to Baoqin to deliver.
After Baoqin left, Gu Qingwan remained alone by the window, gazing at the large osmanthus tree in the courtyard.
It seems that Gu Hanjiao has become a concubine, and Gu Ziming has also started to make moves again. No matter what their plans are, she will not allow anything to be rekindled around her.
So……
The old lady of the Gu family should be hanging there for pretty long by now.
"Your Highness, Your Highness."
After delivering the message, Baoqin hurriedly walked in from outside.
"What happened?"
"Your Highness, Consort Rou has given birth."
"She gave birth?" Gu Qingwan was a little surprised when she heard this, but after thinking about it carefully, it was something she expected. "When did this happen? It was my oversight. Did you send someone to the manor to ask?"
"Your Highness, it was someone from Consort Rou's side who brought the news. She said that she went into labor last night and gave birth to a girl this morning."
Gu Qingwan nodded. Aunt Rou was indeed carrying a girl; she had already noticed it when she took her pulse earlier.
"Pack some tonics, let's go see Aunt Rou later. Now... she's gotten what she deserved, but the Gu family isn't what it used to be..."
Baoqin also noticed the melancholy between Gu Qingwan's brows. Although she didn't know where the princess's melancholy came from, she only knew that the princess was kind-hearted and had taken such good care of Aunt Rou.
“Your Highness, this is all Rou’s fate. If it weren’t for Your Highness, we don’t know what state she would be in now.”
Gu Qingwan knew in her heart that, given Aunt Rou's beauty, she might have been even more displaced and wandering without her.
"Go tell the prince that we're going to the Gu residence, and that he doesn't need to wait for me."
After giving Gu Qingwan her instructions, she took Baoqin and Siqi and went out.
Even though Gu Qingwan has been expelled from the Gu family, she is now the Princess Consort of Chu. She can go wherever she wants, and who would dare to stop her?
There was no one else in the house. Gu Ziming was not home, the old lady was still recuperating, Aunt Rou had just given birth, and Gu Hanqing was still studying outside and had not returned. So, only Aunt Wang was busy with chores at home.
How is Qing'er's studying lately?
"Thanks to the Princess, Qing'er is quite diligent in her studies. That child has potential, and I am extremely pleased to see it."
"The reply from the academy says that Qing'er is indeed very diligent and has a talent for learning. The teachers have high hopes for him and believe that he will achieve a good result in the next exam."