Chapter 98 The man frowned, his face cold.

Yao Qingling still went up to the roof.

The two sat on opposite sides admiring the moon, with a pot of tea and a plate of snacks placed between them.

The moon had been washed clean and was exceptionally bright; even the moonlight seemed much brighter, and you could see very far.

But looking out, one sees dark, looming mountains in the distance, and closer inspection reveals an official road leading in the four directions: east, west, south, and north, with the post station situated in the middle of the road.

The road was straight and wide, stretching into the distance with no end in sight, disappearing into the night.

The scenery wasn't particularly beautiful, but Yao Qingling felt an indescribable sense of comfort at that moment.

If you have a pot of wine, then you can certainly be considered heroic.

She said slowly, "I was born on the southwestern border and grew up almost entirely in military camps. There are many mountains there too..."

She squinted slightly, gazing at the distant mountains, her eyes suddenly becoming melancholy: "But I don't quite remember what those mountains looked like."

Ten years have passed. Looking back, it feels so long, so very long…

She thought she would remember her life in the Southwest forever, but in the end, it was the new memories that overshadowed the old ones.

Even her current nightmares are only about that night at Yongning Temple, and no longer about the tragic scene of the city falling.

Lin Shiyuan glanced at her: "So you want to do business and open a shop on the southwestern border?"

Yao Qingling pursed her lips and did not respond.

But that's what I really thought.

She had forgotten the mountains in the southwest, but in her vague memory, there was a mountain whose rocks were red when viewed from a cliff.

Trees stubbornly grew out of the rocks, accompanied by the red color.

My mother said that those red stones are cinnabar.

She even went to collect those stones, refined them into cinnabar, and used it as a medicinal ingredient.

Mother said that cinnabar can calm the nerves, reduce swelling and relieve pain, and what other uses does it have?

Yao Qingling's memories of her mother are also fading.

She actually resented the world, whose impression of her mother was only of her dying for love and praising her loyalty to her husband, but they did not know that her mother was a highly skilled female doctor who saved many wounded soldiers and treated the common people.

Anyway, the people in the southwest all liked her, and by extension, they also liked Xiao Qingling.

Every time they came to see their mother, they would bring food to Qingling.

They fattened Qingling up back then.

But all that's left in her memory is this.

Her mother gave her a piece of cinnabar raw stone, which she also lost during the escape.

Yao Qingling took a sip of tea with a melancholy expression; the sweet pastries tasted bland in her mouth.

She said, "The four cities my father defended have been lost. The imperial court has not even considered taking them back."

They're all vying for their immediate gains, fighting tooth and nail; they've completely abandoned the common people.

The previous emperor was like this, and the current emperor is like this too.

Of course, Yao Qingling dared not say these words aloud.

She didn't have any grand ambitions; she just wanted to survive and live a good life.

What else can we do? We work ourselves to the bone, risk our lives, but the world remains the same.

She felt that as long as she lived without disgracing her parents or dishonoring their dignity, she had done right by them.

Lin Shiyuan leaned against the roof ridge with one arm, his posture relaxed. He played with his teacup and said indifferently, "This has nothing to do with you."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Those people on Que'er Mountain have nothing to do with you."

Yao Qingling looked at him, her expression becoming wary again.

Lin Shiyuan ignored her wariness and said coldly, "Those people are wanted criminals of the imperial court. If you take them in, you will also be implicated. If the authorities arrest them, as their leader, you will not be able to escape unscathed."

He added, "But you are not their leader yet."

This implies to her that she still has a chance to escape.

Yao Qingling was evasive and secretly made deals with the bandits; Lin Shiyuan could roughly guess what she was up to from the large number of people she brought back and the manor manager taking them away.

He was an official and a military general, and he knew the court's hatred and fear of bandits causing trouble.

These people have become a force that poses a great threat to the imperial court.

At present, the imperial court is trying to appease the people and has not made a clear stance on the rioters in various places, but once someone is caught, it is a capital offense.

With so many people dying at Yongning Temple, the frightened officials and wealthy merchants were even more determined to take action.

Did they think that by disbanding on the spot, the imperial court would never be able to catch them?

A motley crew can come together for the sake of interests, but they are also susceptible to temptation and can turn against each other at any time.

Moreover, Yao Qingling has offended someone, and Prince Xin and his people will keep an eye on her.

Lin Shiyuan continued, "Zhan Xingzhuo and Prince Xin, along with the remnants of the criminals, are condemned by the court and the people. Madam Yao, you are a descendant of a general, do you really want to associate with these fugitives and be condemned by everyone?"

It's not that she dislikes it, but that his parents' reputation has been tarnished.

Qing Ling's smile froze.

But she also felt that those bandits were different from the culprits who committed the tragedy.

She gave a wry smile: "Do I have a choice? Can I back down?"

She gave people hope and has already taken on the burden.

Now that Lin Shiyuan knew, she no longer tried to hide it.

She added, "But since I've done this, I can only take it one step at a time. Lin Shiyuan, take Lin Qiao back. Apart from letting her go to Que'er Mountain a few times, I haven't let her show her face in front of anyone else. Not many people know that she's mine."

The man frowned, his face cold.

After he said all that, she actually felt that he was blaming her for harming Lin Qiao.

Yao Qingling suddenly smiled, stretched out her legs, put her arms behind her head, and lay down leisurely. Looking at the moonlight, she said, "I'm actually very satisfied with the arrangements I made. There won't be any problems."

If she had been timid and hesitant from the start, why would she have bothered with all this? She could have just given Ruan Da Hu Zi a sum of money and kept to herself, letting them do whatever they wanted.

She looked at Lin Shiyuan with a serious expression: "They were only forced into this state by the times, not because they were beyond saving. If the court arrests and kills them all, will it create even greater conflict, or will it be more useful to give people hope?"

Lin Shiyuan remained silent, and he lay down as well, quietly watching the crescent moon.

But upon closer reflection, it seems this was the first time he and Yao Qingling had discussed this issue directly.

Sometimes, he felt that he and Yao Qingling had a tacit understanding; although they hadn't known each other for long, he always felt as if they had known each other for a long time.

But Lin Shiyuan began to realize that there was a divide between him and the bandits.

He couldn't convince her not to get involved in this mess; Yao Qingling also couldn't convince him that those bandits were harmless.

"...Actually, when I was negotiating with their leader today, he almost pulled out a knife," Yao Qingling suddenly said.

Lin Shiyuan suddenly clenched his fists, sat up halfway, and looked at her, as if trying to find some kind of injury on her body.

"I'm fine, he was just trying to scare me." Yao Qingling smiled when she saw his nervousness. "He's unhappy that his men want to come with me. He probably feels embarrassed or that those people don't trust him."

The smile vanished.

“These people who follow me have also entrusted their lives to me. So I think I can completely subdue them and lead them onto the right path.”

"Lin Shiyuan, I know you're a good person, and you're worried about me." Yao Qingling smiled again, ending with a soft "thank you," before closing her eyes.

The man stared at her for a long time, and that inexplicable emotion welled up inside him again.

This time, he finally understood what this emotion was.

He was angry that she had taken on unnecessary responsibilities and risks; she had made him worry, and he didn't want to see her go to the guillotine.

However, she has a heart that is different from others.

She doesn't shy away from problems; she also has a unique perspective on things.

She is brave and intelligent, and she is also cunning.

He was glad she had returned safely.

He hoped she would always be safe and sound.