Chapter 52 052 A tiny shrimp can't stir up any storm.

Since leaving the message, Consort De had sent Tang Shuqing to a separate palace with the Third Princess. The hot springs and medicinal baths there could cure the Third Princess's weak and sickly ailments. She had just returned yesterday when she heard about this, and now she was in tears.

Qingli had just comforted Tang Shuqing when she saw Ling Shuyao again. She whispered to her, "If you keep crying, you won't be able to face anyone."

Ling Shuyao carefully held her hand and breathed on it, "Does it still hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt, it just looks scary."

Her body was covered in bruises, how could she not be in pain? This made Ling Shuyao burst into tears. "That thief threatened me with a knife, how could I drag you into this fire pit? I just didn't expect that after I was knocked unconscious, Pearl would be so cowardly as to trick you into coming here."

Her words were full of regret. "And you, why did you have to be so stubborn? You even wanted to trade your life for mine. My life is precious, and your life is precious too. If something happened to you, I was already thinking of becoming a nun."

"It's good that you're back. That thief deserves to die. Meng Qingshan finally did something good. Now that he's saved you, I won't look down on him so much anymore."

Qingli was deeply moved. Ling Shuyao was her cousin, and the natural bond of kinship made her willing to protect her. Ling Shuyao was completely unaware of this, and her kindness in treating her like this showed that she was pure and kind-hearted.

"However, this matter involves many people, and the Imperial Guards have severely punished those involved. That fool Lu Yunye, and Meng Qingshan, are both in dire straits, especially that thief who tried to reveal more secrets, and as a result..."

As a result, he was killed, and Meng Qingshan feared that this would cause trouble for others.

"The scoundrel's dying words are nonsense and should not be taken seriously," Tang Shuqing said, offering a word of comfort.

Qingli blinked, unwilling to create a tense atmosphere, she suppressed her anxiety and changed the subject. However, having just recovered from a serious injury, she lost her energy after talking for only half a cup of tea and fell into a deep sleep again.

So when Meng Qingshan came to the Jingsi Hall after his shift, he saw her hair pulled back, revealing her fair and porcelain-like face. The dim light of the setting sun gave her a warm glow, unlike the resolute and hopeless look on her face earlier.

That moment felt like a cold knife piercing his heart and lungs.

As he caught her, he felt a lingering fear, thinking how fortunate he was that he had managed to do it this time.

When Qingli slowly woke up, it was still dark, and she realized it was night. The candlelight in the corner cast a dim glow, which was not glaring. She got up and sat up, and saw Meng Qingshan resting with his eyes closed in the armchair, blocking most of the light.

His brow was furrowed, as if he couldn't find peace even in his sleep.

Her eyelashes trembled, but she finally mustered the courage to look up at him seriously. The murderous aura around her disappeared, replaced by a dignified and powerful presence, allowing her to navigate the power dynamics of Kyoto with neither servility nor arrogance.

His temperament is actually more suited to the wildness of the frontier, where he can ride freely. Why then did he come to the capital, where every step is difficult and he must constantly be on guard against intrigue and backstabbing?

The answer wouldn't be found on his face. Instead, he blinked and quickly opened his eyes, capturing her searching gaze. After a moment, Qingli immediately lowered her eyes.

Qing Lixin felt a ripple in her heart, and suddenly tensed up, as if he had suddenly taken over the spacious room the moment he woke up. Just as she was about to lose her grip on his powerful aura, a rustling sound broke the stillness, and a few wisps of wind blew in through the cracks, allowing her to breathe more easily.

But the next moment, a dark shadow loomed over her, and a warm palm landed on her forehead, causing her to stop breathing abruptly.

Is something the matter?

Qingli dared not let anything happen to her, so she shook her head and shook off his hand.

"Are you really alright?"

Her cheeks were a little red.

"Are you hoping something bad will happen to me?"

Meng Qingshan: ...

After this question and retort, Qingli's inexplicable embarrassment and anger subsided, and she became more natural, immediately changing the subject, "Has the palace taken any action?"

Emperor Mingkang did not react when he heard this. He had originally intended to eliminate the vassal kings without any disturbance. Now that the matter of the vassal kings was a thing of the past, how could he allow a vassal king's strategist to manipulate him and bring the matter back to the forefront? Another reason was that there were too many remnants of the vassal kings, and many court officials were involved with them. If the matter were investigated thoroughly, it would only lead to more turmoil in the court.

Emperor Kang of Ming remained silent, waiting to push forward with next year's imperial examinations and then gradually sort out the candidates once he had found usable ones.

Emperor Kangxi only rebuked him with one sentence: "Think thrice before you act."

After hearing this analysis, Qingli felt somewhat relieved.

"Consort Xian was banished to the Cold Palace, and the Fifth Prince was entrusted to the Empress for upbringing."

Since entering the Cold Palace, Consort Xian has remained silent and unresponsive, even to the Fifth Prince's cries outside. She is listless and numb, staring blankly into the void, seemingly lost in thought.

In Qichun Palace, Consort Liu was also talking about Consort Xian. The eunuchs and maids tried to get information out of her, but she remained silent. A sense of impatience welled up inside her. "I don't know what she's going crazy about."

The second prince couldn't judge his father's concubines, but seeing his mother's anxiety, he advised, "This matter has nothing to do with us. What difference does it make whether she speaks or not?"

That's what they say, and this time no one instigated it, and the situation is clear.

Consort Liu wanted to know why the strategist was sent to kidnap Qingli, and what was going on. The thought that the strategist had been shot dead by Meng Qingshan made her even more suspicious.

"That Meng Qingshan is truly ungrateful."

The second prince also felt the same way. However, it was understandable that he did this in his grief and indignation. Moreover, he had recently gained more and more favor from his father, the emperor, and held such power at such a young age. Unless absolutely necessary, the second prince could not break off relations with him.

During Qingli's recovery period, the Jingsi Palace became increasingly lively. The Second Princess, along with the Third Princess, the Fourth Princess, and Tang Shuqing, spent their days discussing poetry and literature, and camellias and flowers, filled with laughter and joy.

Meng Qingshan was somewhat depressed. Emperor Mingkang had assigned him several tasks in succession, leaving him little free time. When he did have some free time, the Jingsi Hall was always bustling with people, and he could no longer freely enter and exit as before.

That day, looking at the simple yet profound lintel before him, Meng Qingshan chuckled softly.

Dexi, standing nearby, was puzzled. "Commander Meng, what are you laughing at? Everyone says there's a saying about Lord Huang. Could it be that you've fallen for it too?"

After saying this, Dexi took an unnatural step back, making Meng Qingshan the first to be hit.

"His Majesty sent the two of us here to visit Lord Huang; this mission cannot be delayed."

Dexi urged him on.

Lord Huang is a pawn in Emperor Kangxi's plan for the following year. Only with this pawn can the game be turned around, and everything can be smoothly screened to break up the deeply entrenched powerful families.

However, Huang Pu remained bedridden for a long time, which put Emperor Mingkang at ease.

The appointment of a commander of the Imperial Guards and a personal eunuch was already Emperor Mingkang's greatest show of sincerity. Meng Qingshan, of course, did not believe in supernatural phenomena. He smiled only because he was worried that when Lord Huang saw him, he would ridicule and embarrass him, and that he might not be able to handle this mission well.

The young eunuch went to knock on the door, which opened with a gust of wind that made the person outside squint.

"Commander Meng, Eunuch Dexi, please come in quickly." The steward and Tai greeted them with smiles and said repeatedly, "Master is in the pavilion. This old servant is still brewing medicine, so I won't see you in."

Meng Qingshan followed the bitter smell of medicine and saw a small stove outside the gatehouse, where medicine was being simmered. However, the pot was full of overflowing dregs, which was not as detailed as described.

He Tai saw Meng Qingshan staring at the medicine furnace, so he stepped forward slightly to block his view. Meng Qingshan was looking around with a worried expression and didn't see the tension. He said, "Send a maid to keep watch. You take us in so as not to disturb Lord Huang."

Upon hearing this, He Tai rolled up his sleeves to wipe away his tears. "As you know, in this vast Huang mansion, there is only the master himself, and only one old servant in each place."

Dexi: ...

How did we end up talking about this again? He had no answer.

Meng Qingshan frowned, disliking the supernatural act, but he had no choice but to stride forward. As he turned the corner, his sleeve was tugged. "Commander Meng, slow down, slow down!"

"It's very strange here; you can easily get caught up in it if you're not careful."

How did you know that?

De Xi choked on his words. How could he possibly know? It was just that the Emperor had sent people to the Huang residence to investigate, but all their efforts came to nothing. He was only released after being starved for three days.

"Slow down, I can't keep up," was all Dexi could say.

Meng Qingshan kept observing the surrounding environment, which was indeed very strange. He then deduced that the stone wall, every blade of grass and every tree contained the Five Elements, the Eight Trigrams, and the art of Qimen Dunjia. If one did not understand the subtleties, one could easily find oneself in a dead end, with no one to turn to for help.

That old scholar is indeed ruthless.

He muttered to himself for a while, letting things go since he and Qingli had parted on bad terms last time, and for now he could only keep it to himself.

As soon as he relaxed his guard, Meng Qingshan realized that this was the same scene he had just witnessed when he lifted his foot again. Dexi also realized that something was wrong, and his face turned pale instantly. "Right? Right? It was pretty scary."

"Someone come here..."

Ignoring the shouts behind him, Meng Qingshan immediately calmed his breathing, slowly blending with the sound of the wind. Once he was completely in harmony with his surroundings, he slowly closed his eyes, pondering the contents of the books he had read in recent days. He shifted his position constantly, and when he opened his eyes again, he looked at the path ahead and a smile appeared on his lips.

That's all there is to it.

"Commander Meng... Meng Qingshan!"

His voice was already hoarse from shouting.

"Eunuch Dexi, please wait here for a moment. I will come to find you later."

Upon hearing this, Dexi agreed without telling him to leave.

Meng Qingshan took two steps and saw Lord Huang sitting serenely in the octagonal pavilion surrounded by flowing water.

Huang Pu was slightly surprised, but considering that this young man was so young, yet had risen from a common soldier to a third-rank general, and had cleverly escaped the vortex of the camp in the outskirts of the capital, and was clear-headed and not controlled by the Feng family, he could certainly break into this courtyard.

Meng Qingshan clasped his hands in greeting, "Lord Huang."

Huang Pu did not speak, but looked him up and down. He naturally knew about what had happened in the palace. The matter started because of him and ended because of him. The emotions involved were too complicated to be commented on in words, but his opinion of him had changed a little.

"Is your mother still in the nunnery?"

Not wanting others to pry into his family affairs, Meng Qingshan straightened up and looked back at them, his eyes filled with displeasure. "The nunnery is a quiet place, a good place for self-cultivation."

"Lord Huang, aren't you also cultivating your character?"

Huang Pu chuckled at Huang Pu's immediate retort and said, "That's true and that's not true."

"You're just a small fry, you can't stir up any trouble. You should go back."

After Huang Pu finished speaking, he stood up, which was a blatant order to leave. Meng Qingshan lowered his eyebrows and finally restrained his temper. He felt that this old scholar had been hostile to him time and time again, and he didn't know where he got such a temper.

Meng Qingshan knew that Huang Pu's bluntness and lack of concealment meant that he didn't care how they reported to the Emperor. Huang Pu was the top scholar in the country, and his current actions were simply a matter of seizing the opportunity.

As Meng Qingshan walked back, the more he walked, the more familiar the place became. He then remembered that the reason he had been able to go so smoothly was that he had read through the books that Qingli had left in the mansion some time ago, including the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams.