"Yes, Master." Jingfeng and the others exchanged glances and silently lowered their heads. Dugu Mo touched the uneven scars on his face, a ferocious fire rising in his heart. His hands clenched tightly, veins bulging. He gritted his teeth and swore to himself that he would make Dugu Chen pay a painful price.

Several more days of calm passed, with Jingfeng and his men searching for an opportunity in the dark. However, after several days, they had seen nothing, not even a hair, let alone the bewitching princess.

Light rain drizzled from the sky, and the horizon was edged with unending black clouds. A gentle breeze blew, carrying a hint of chill.

Dugu Chen, holding a cloak, walked over to his delicate wife and draped it over her. "It’s cooler when it rains; don’t stand by the window watching. Be careful not to catch a cold."

Feng Xuxu looked up and smiled softly, "My husband, I estimate this rain will continue for a few more days."

Dugu Chen watched the leaden clouds at the horizon, a vast oppressive swath, feeling as if a storm was imminent, "Hmm, it looks like it will last for several days." He stepped forward to close the window and then, encircling his delicate wife in his arms, headed toward the bedroom.

"My wife, come, let me take your pulse." Dugu Chen was constantly worried about his wife, fearing that something might be wrong with her health.

"Didn’t you just check it the day before yesterday? Why are you checking it again today?" Feng Xuxu chided Dugu Chen, but obediently sat down on the chair in the bedroom and stretched out her hand for him to take her pulse.

Dugu Chen tapped her cute nose indulgently and said, "From now on, I will take your pulse every day." He smiled at Feng Xuxu from the corner of his mouth.

Feng Xuxu, feeling somewhat overwhelmed, frowned and shook her head disapprovingly, "Who takes their pulse every day? Once a month will suffice in the future."

Dugu Chen merely curved his lips into a pleasing arc and began to take his delicate wife’s pulse very seriously, releasing her tender, slender wrist only after an incense stick had burned down.

"How is it?" Though Feng Xuxu knew she was in good health, and the food she used daily was the freshest, and medicinal meals were unceasingly provided. Ever since she had taken the medicinal food he prescribed, she’d not thrown up from pregnancy again, this pulse-taking session was much longer than usual, and she couldn’t help but ask with some concern.

"My wife, it’s very good, you and the baby are both very healthy." A flash of light sparked in his phoenix eyes as he couldn’t help but stare intently at her belly.

Feng Xuxu was puzzled and looked at Dugu Chen, who seemed odd, "If everything is so good, why did the pulse-taking take so long?"

"I wanted to be sure that both you and the baby are healthy."

"Oh." She looked at Dugu Chen with skeptical eyes, half-convinced and half-doubtful.

"Princess, Zhao Dapeng has sent a letter." Yingsu’s voice suddenly rang out, interrupting Feng Xuxu’s scrutinizing gaze on Dugu Chen.

"Bring it in."

Yingsu handed a thick envelope to the princess and stood quietly to the side.

Feng Xuxu opened the letter and read it carefully. Only after a half-hour had passed did she put down the letter, her lips curling up slightly and her eyes sparkling brightly with excitement, which also made her pretty face flush with colour.

Dugu Chen, who watched from the side, narrowed his eyes. Since when had a Zhao Dapeng appeared, a name that clearly belonged to a man, and after reading his letter, his wife was actually beaming with joy, which inevitably stirred jealousy within him. He picked up the letter from the table and quickly scanned it.

Seeing Dugu Chen’s face turning nearly as dark as ink, Feng Xuxu felt amused. Such a jealous man, yet she didn’t stop Dugu Chen from reading the letter, curious as to what his expression would be afterward. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

While he read the letter, she couldn’t stop replaying its contents in her mind. There were several main points: firstly, the tavern had already opened in the Prefecture Government where Zhao Dapeng resided, as well as across various towns, and another near the neighboring Prefecture Government was under renovation. Secondly, it was about land acquisition; all sorts of lands from fertile to barren and even unclaimed wilderness had been purchased and were now lying idle.