Chapter 181 Redrawing a Painting (Two Chapters in One)

Princess Huiming was the orphan of Emperor Xiaokang. Since Emperor Yongjia came to the throne illegitimately, he had to put on a good show, especially for the helpless and posing no threat princess. Even if he ignored her, he had to give her due respect to the outside world.

Although he disliked the crown prince, he was still his own flesh and blood. The crown prince had done something against moral principles, and the princess was of a sensitive status. Even if Emperor Yongjia was determined to depose the crown prince, he would have charged him with another crime instead of having an affair with his cousin!

Otherwise, not only the prince, but also his father and uncle would be infamous in the history books of later generations.

Emperor Yongjia not only wanted him and his descendants to sit firmly on the throne with dignity, but he also wanted to leave a good reputation after his death. If he could not become the greatest emperor of all time, he would at least be a virtuous monarch praised by future generations.

It is conceivable that after such a scandal, the one who wanted to cover it up the most was not the crown prince who was in a state of panic, nor Princess Huiming whose life and death were uncertain, but Emperor Yongjia!

Zhao Shiqing has been the second young lady of the palace for ten years. She knows very well that except for the Queen, Concubine Qiao, the Crown Princess, and their confidants, everyone else present today will die, and may have been taken into custody now.

Zhao Tingluo and the two brothers of the Yan family would not talk about this matter at the palace banquet.

It had only been half an hour since this incident happened, and even Zhao Tingluo, who knew everything about the palace, only guessed who the person was at the last moment.

So, how did those people know in such a short time?

People are already talking about it at the palace banquet, and it won’t be long before this scandal spreads out of the palace and throughout the capital.

Zhao Shiqing didn't need to think too much to guess that all this was planned long ago.

No matter how much the prince could drink, he would get drunk today;

No matter where the prince wanted to rest, he would be taken to Yujing Palace today;

Regardless of whether the prince is lustful or not, he will be caught in bed with Princess Huiming today!

No matter how many people Emperor Yongjia killed or how many people he silenced, this scandal would spread quickly and be known to everyone!

Zhao Shiqing subconsciously searched for Yang Shengqiu's shadow in the crowd. She knew it was futile, but she still wanted to see him, to see him gathered with a group of officials who were unaware of the truth, three parts nervous and seven parts curious, discussing what might happen as if it had nothing to do with them.

Unfortunately, she saw many young faces, but none of them was Yang Shengqiu.

Zhao Shiqing sneered. As the instigator, he would not appear here at this time.

She felt a little sad in her heart. That little brother Lamb, who was both good in character and academic performance, had finally left.

Never coming back.

At this moment, Zhao Shiqing was more grateful than ever that her memory was fragmented. Because it was incomplete, Brother Xiaoyang was just a name, not a living person to whom she had endowed emotions.

She had no attachment to her little lamb brother, so she would not be sad.

But I still feel uncomfortable, just like a favorite painting, but when I open it occasionally, I find there is a stain on one of its spots.

Zhao Shiqing lowered her head and looked at her toes.

Xiao Zhen noticed her momentary depression and asked softly, "What are you thinking about?"

After a long while, Zhao Shiqing raised his head, the shadow in his eyes gone. "I want to paint a new picture, a clean one without any stains."

The painting shows a courtyard full of roses, a red swing, young parents, a kind grandmother, and a little girl chatting gossip with a bird.

If the old man wanted, she would draw him in too.

They are a family, the best family in the world.

Although Xiao Zhen didn't know why she suddenly wanted to paint, he didn't ask.

"Well, I can draw it for you if you like."

He had seen Zhao Shiqing's painting skills, learned it, practiced it, and could paint, but... he had only learned it.

But as soon as he said this, he suddenly realized that perhaps the painting Zhao Shiqing was talking about was not an ordinary painting.

For no reason, my face turned red.

Fortunately, it was a fake face and no one saw it.

......

Even after the palace banquet ended, Zhao Shiqing didn't see the three little ones again. Instead, eight-year-old Yan Twelve ran over and asked, "Brother Abao, where do you live?"

"My home is in Tianjing Hutong, Zhen's residence." Zhao Shiqing said with a smile.

"Okay, Brother Abao, I'll come find you later and we can go watch the Stone Crushing Chest together."

Yan Twelve ran away after he finished speaking. Zhao Shiqing looked up and saw Yan Xia standing not far away. Yan Twelve was running towards him.

Yan Xia nodded at Zhao Shiqing. At this moment, Zhao Shiqing even suspected that Yan Xia had recognized her.

But think about it, she came here with Master Zhen. She could deceive others, but she couldn't deceive Master Yan, who was good at criminal justice. When he saw Master Zhen, he guessed who she was, even though she was dressed as a man.

Zhao Shiqing guessed correctly, Yan Xia had indeed guessed her identity.

The second lady of Prince Liang's Mansion, his future sister-in-law!

Zhao Shiqing’s first trip to the palace in his life ended like this.

Zhen Wuduo had been sitting in the yard, dozing off with Sanqianliang. Ah Huang and Xiaoye also fell asleep at the door and in the corridor respectively. As for Xiao Yao and Dapang, the moment Zhen Wuduo began to doze off, they started running around the yard, jumping up and down.

This was the scene Zhao Shiqing saw when he stepped into the yard.

She suddenly felt that as an orphan, she was much happier than Princess Huiming.

Although she is not a princess, she has met good people over the years, including her adoptive father, brother, sister, master, her dear grandfather, and... Xiao Zhen.

They were all very nice to her, and she actually grew up surrounded by warmth.

Zhao Shiqing jumped in front of Zhen Wuduo with a bang. The old man was startled and said in unison with Sanqianliang: "Who is this troublemaker (idiot)?"

Zhao Shiqing bared his teeth at the old man: "It's your precious granddaughter who's back!"

The old man said: "You must be hungry, you must not have eaten enough. Aunt Ji steamed some buns, but you'd better not eat them at night, as it will easily cause indigestion. I left some porridge for you on the stove, it's been kept warm. Lingbo, come quickly and bring the porridge over."

The yard suddenly became lively. Lingbo went to heat up the porridge, Wan Ruyi went to pickle the pickles from the jar, Chen Wangxing threw down the notebook in his hand, Niu Qiu brought out a few small stools, Xiaoye turned in circles and bit his tail, Ah Huang was anxious to report the gossip he heard today, even Xiao Yao and Dapang came running over. Zhao Shiqing watched them busying around with a smile, feeling very happy and satisfied.

......

At this time, Princess Huiming was still in Yujing Palace.

She was even still in that bed!

She stared blankly at Chengchen above her head and bit her hand again. The back of her hand was already covered in blood, but she didn't care.

The pain came again, and she once again confirmed that this was not a dream, this was real, everything that happened today was real.

She and her sister had not originally planned to attend the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet, and no one wanted them to come. They were just giving them face and waiting for them to find an excuse to refuse.

But that day, Yang Shengqiu said he would come, and he said he was waiting for her in the palace.

The word "wait" gave her expectations. Although she knew that she and him would not have a future, she still wanted to come, even if she could only watch him from afar. His gentle eyes and considerate words could make her indulge in them, like a moth to a flame.

But when she arrived at the palace banquet, she found that she could not even see the shadow of Yang Shengqiu.

Men and women sat at separate tables. Although the sisters were marginalized, they were princesses, while Yang Shengqiu was just a low-ranking official who had just entered the officialdom. The banquet was not held in the same place.

She was worried about everything and couldn't eat. An elder member of the royal family pulled her sister aside to ask about Princess Jiarou's recent situation. Her sister was better at dealing with such situations than her. She was bored and when she looked up, she met the knife-like eyes of the Qingchuan County Lord. She turned her face away in fear.

At this time, a palace maid came over and whispered in her ear, "Princess, Yang Zhuangyuan asks you to wait for him in Yujing Palace. He will be there later."

Yujing Palace?

Last year, there was a flood that burned down two palace houses. After they were renovated, they have been empty ever since and no master lives in them.

Where will Brother Qiu go?

The maid Chunying saw a palace maid approaching and looked over warily. She quickly said to Chunying, "I just left my handkerchief in the guest room. Go and look for it."

If Chunying heard Brother Qiu's name, she would definitely tell her sister. Her sister didn't like her thinking about Brother Qiu.

Chunying was a little reluctant, but she still went to the bathroom to find a handkerchief. The trip back and forth would take at least a cup of tea.

Seeing her send the maid away, the palace maid whispered, "Yang Zhuangyuan saved my life, and now the eunuch Zhang who guards the Yujing Palace is my godfather."

As she spoke, a wooden hairpin appeared in the palace maid's hand.

Princess Huiming grabbed the wooden hairpin, which she had carved herself as a gift for Brother Qiu.

"Why are you here?"

The maid's voice was very low: "He is waiting for you to insert it into him personally."

All the sounds around disappeared, leaving only the girl's pounding heartbeat.

The shackles that had weighed on her for more than ten years seemed to have disappeared. She forgot the numerous palace rules and the dangers of the world. She kept repeating these words in her ears: He is waiting for you to put it on him with your own hands.

Brother Qiu, I'm here. Wait for me, I'll be there right away!

My sister was still chatting with the elder female relative. Princess Qingchuan said something that made the two ladies next to her roll their eyes. Princess Huiming breathed a sigh of relief. No one noticed her. She tiptoed and followed the palace maid out quietly.

The gate of Yujing Palace was not locked as Princess Huiming had imagined. Instead, the door was half open, and the palace maid led her in easily.

Although Princess Huiming grew up in the palace, this was her first time visiting Yujing Palace, which was very close to the imperial study and not a place that women in the harem could come to.

As expected of a recent renovation, the walls and pillars have been recently painted, white and red, bright and eye-catching.

A faint fragrance wafted towards her. Before Princess Huiming fainted, she saw several pots of autumn chrysanthemums placed under the corridor. Is this the fragrance of chrysanthemums?

Unfortunately, she lost consciousness before she could determine whether it was Juxiang.

She was awakened by screams and scolding, and also woke up at the same time as her... the prince!

......

Princess Huiming didn't want to recall what happened next: the crying, the scolding, the accusations. The Crown Princess scratched her face with her long nails. The usually gentle and dignified woman demanded in a hoarse voice, "Why you? Why you? We have no grudges against you. Why did you hurt us? Did you do this on purpose?"

She shook her head desperately, her mind in a mess. She didn't know how to defend herself. She could only repeat subconsciously: "No, I didn't, no, I didn't..."

She said that she was brought here by a palace maid, but she couldn't tell the maid's name. She wanted to say that Brother Qiu asked her to come, but when the words came to her lips, she swallowed them back.

At that time, she thought, she was already in this situation, so why should she implicate innocent people?

Besides, no one believed her. She saw the helplessness and sympathy in the eyes of the empress who had always been kind to her, and also saw the sarcasm on Concubine Qiao's lips. Later, the emperor came and said nothing. He just raised his leg and kicked the prince again and again. The prince was kicked to the ground, like a dying wild dog, motionless and silent.

Later they all left. She heard the sound of the door being locked outside, and then her sister's crying came from outside, but soon the crying stopped, and the sound of chaotic footsteps was heard. Her sister came and was taken away again.

Everyone left, and she was the only one left in this room, on that bed, like an abandoned rag doll.

Tears silently rolled down from the corners of her eyes. There was no light in the room, and the moonlight shone through the window, shining on her face and body, making them look mottled and fragmented.

Princess Huiming groped on the bed, hoping to touch a pair of scissors so that she could die to prove her loyalty.

Suddenly, her hand touched something sharp and hard. It was the wooden hairpin. After a lot of confusion, the hairpin was left on the bed.

Her heart ached suddenly. Brother Qiu, does he know what happened to her?

Does that palace maid really know Brother Qiu?

If you don't know it, how could you have this wooden hairpin?

But if you know me, then...

Princess Huiming suddenly realized something, something she didn't dare to believe and didn't want to believe.

It was Brother Qiu who asked this palace maid to lead her here!

No, no, how could that be possible?

Brother Qiu is as beautiful as the bright moon. He is so gentle and considerate. How could he possibly hurt her?

Princess Huiming tried hard to convince herself, but in the end found that it was all in vain.

She hugged her head dejectedly. No, there must be something she didn't know. Brother Qiu was forced, or, it wasn't Brother Qiu at all. Brother Qiu's wooden hairpin was stolen. Yes, the hairpin must have been stolen!

But no matter what the truth is, she is no longer worthy of Brother Qiu, and she doesn't even deserve to be alive.

She picked up the wooden hairpin and put it against her neck. As long as she stabbed it hard, she would be free.

At this moment, the sound of unlocking was heard from outside the door. The carved wooden door opened from the outside, and two crystal-covered lanterns illuminated the room as bright as day.

"The Empress has orally ordered that Princess Huiming go to Ci'en Temple to practice Buddhism with her hair uncut from now on..."

Two sturdy maids rushed over and snatched the wooden hairpin from Princess Huiming's hands. Princess Huiming struggled and refused to give it to them. One of the maids used too much force and the hairpin broke in the middle. The maid threw the pointed end far away, and the two maids dragged Princess Huiming off the bed.

At this time, Princess Huiming was still holding a half-broken wooden hairpin in her hand. She held it tightly, as if holding her entire life.