Chapter 34: Princess Changyi

Since she was out, before going to the Huang family, she went to the Prince's Mansion first.

The gift the Crown Prince had personally delivered to her on the day she chose her husband had now been lost in her hands. The court would surely hold her accountable. She only hoped that after she reported this to the Crown Prince as soon as possible, he would speak up for her in front of the Emperor and Empress.

After all, the prince had always treated her like a brother or sister, and they were in danger together when the rebel army entered the city. He naturally knew that under such circumstances, it was inevitable to lose the imperial gift.

But... remembering what Xue Xiyang said, that day someone from the Prince's Mansion had a secret meeting with Yang Huaijiang in Pingkangfang, and gave him something saying that it could help him fulfill his wish, she felt vaguely uneasy.

The Inner Palace Bureau suddenly allowed Yang Huaijiang to enter the palace. There must be someone behind the scenes who had a say in the affairs of the Emperor and Empress. Who could that person be?

Why did the other party recommend Yang Huaijiang? What was the thing that the people from the Eastern Palace gave to Yang Huaijiang, saying that it could help him fulfill his wish?

After a moment of hesitation, the gate of the Prince's Mansion finally appeared in the distance ahead.

There are seven days off before and after the winter solstice. All government offices are closed during these days, so the prince should be at home.

Qiandeng asked Daimao to get out of the car to hand over a visiting card and ask to see the prince.

She sat in the carriage, waiting for the prince to lead her in as usual. But he would often walk outside the palace and meet her in the corridor, smiling with surprise and anticipation, and asking her, "Lingling, how come you are free today?"

However, Daimao returned from the gatehouse and hesitantly reported, "County Lady, the people in the palace said...the prince is not free."

She was stunned by this unprecedented answer. She stared at the East Palace gate in silence for a long while before she came to her senses and ordered, "In that case, let's go to the Huang family first."

The driver responded, turned his horses, and drove slowly down the street.

The curtains of the carriage swayed, and she could vaguely see a sandalwood carriage inlaid with pearls and gems and carved with phoenixes passing by her carriage, and a faint fragrant breeze blew over the curtains.

Qiandeng saw the emblem on the car, which was the residence of the Grand Princess of Gao State.

After a slight hesitation, she lifted the curtain a little and looked back towards the Prince's Mansion.

The gate of the mansion was wide open, and the Prince's Secretary Li Gaosheng led his men down the stairs to greet them with a smile on his face. He helped lay out the carriage seats and invited the people inside to get out of the carriage.

The carriage door opened, and Princess Changyi Xiao Fuyu, dressed in bright and gorgeous clothes, was helped out of the carriage by her maid. She put on a sable fur coat, and surrounded by a laughing crowd, she entered the Prince's Mansion in a lively and bustling manner.

It turned out that the Crown Prince didn't want to see him because he was waiting for Princess Changyi.

The carriage from the Changhua Palace turned into the south-facing street. Qiandeng lowered his hands and the curtains fell, covering everything outside.

They are an engaged couple, so their relationship is naturally different.

Qiandeng pondered, leaning his face against the car wall, recalling the last conflict in the mountains.

I wonder if the Crown Prince will blame her for offending the future Crown Princess?

If she doesn't want to see him, then she can just not see him. If that doesn't work, she can still submit a memorial to Her Majesty the Queen, explaining the reason for losing the imperial gift.

The current situation is turbulent, and the court should be sympathetic and not impose too severe a punishment.

The carriage had reached the downtown area, and the driver slowed down. Qiandeng sat in the slightly swaying carriage, trying to calm herself, putting aside the Crown Prince's concerns and recalling the last time she had visited her cousin, Yang Jiazhi.

Although Yang Jiazhi was born in the Hongnong Yang family, it was an insignificant branch, so the Huang family she married into was not prominent.

But her husband Huang Min was experienced and steady. Not long after getting married, he passed the imperial examination and joined the Ministry of Justice. Because of his outstanding talents, he was promoted twice in one year.

During this military riot, many high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Justice fled in a hurry, and Huang Min was stranded in Beijing.

He organized a team to rescue all the files of the yamen, preserving the foundation of the Ministry of Justice, and was praised by everyone. Therefore, the court planned to send him to Sichuan for training, first as a deputy governor, and after a few years of observation, he could be promoted or returned to Beijing for further employment. In short, he had a bright future.

By the time the Thousand Lantern Festival ended last month, the Huang family was already preparing for the Burning Tomb feast. However, the Huang family wasn't large, with only a dozen servants. My cousin Yang Jiazhi was pregnant, and she had to pack a lot of luggage, manage household affairs, and care for her sick eldest son. She was already exhausted, too tired to even speak.

While he was thinking, a carriage stopped at the side of the street. There was a commotion all around, three times more noisy than the West Market.

"Cui Fufeng, arrest Cui Fufeng!"

"Ji Linyou! Those who can fight can always hold on longer!"

Qiandeng raised his hand and pressed his forehead to relieve the throbbing veins in his temples - he was back at Shengfa Casino again.

Today's Shengfa Casino is completely different from the past.

The men who were holding Shi Jingning were crying, while the well-informed men who had taken Yang Huaijiang into custody were laughing triumphantly: "Thank goodness I was quick and resourceful. In my opinion, that Yang Huaijiang must be in his clutches! He's the county lady's cousin, and my aunt has personally come to the mansion to support him. How can this be tolerated?"

"Come to think of it, I heard that the County Master's aunt came here to help the Prince's Mansion with the funeral. Then, isn't it obvious who holds the soul silk..."

"Let's bet on Yang Huaijiang!" Those who bet on him were extremely confident. "Why else do you think the court suddenly inserted someone into the candidacy when the Lady Qi's funeral is only a few days away?"

Some thought it made sense, while others started to jeer, "It's hard to say. In my opinion, the Lingling County Master is truly a bit of a freak! For another thing, I heard that Shi Jingning entered the Guanglu Temple at the age of eight or nine, and spent the past ten years in the kitchen. How could he have died from a careless use of fire?"

"It's true! The kitchen at the Changhua Palace burned down, and they were just looking for a temporary place to stay! I heard Jingning was reduced to a skeleton, and the charity cemetery collected a pile of bones. It was so pitiful!"

"Tsk tsk, wasn't everyone saying a while ago that he and the county lady were childhood sweethearts, and that Lady Qi had also left a legacy for him, so the county lady had a good chance of choosing him? How come all of the county lady's husbands who died in vain all disappeared just when the bets were soaring?"

"It's not really that accurate to say someone is destined to bring bad luck to their husband. It's probably accurate..."

"Then it depends on that Yang Huaijiang. Now that the people holding him are rising in number, I want to see whether he can withstand the killing power of Lingling County Lady and finally win the beauty since he is from the Hongnong Yang family!"

Qiandeng sat in the slowly moving carriage, listening to the complicated discussions around him with an expressionless face.

Everything passed by like wind, but when they talked about Shi Jingning, she still felt an unbearable pain in her heart.

Yu Guangling, Shi Jingning...

The casual gossip among the idle people in Chang'an, but no one thought that they were all people who were familiar to her heart, vivid, and who left deep memories in her life.

The carriage turned into a quiet street, and at the end was the Huang family's house.

Daimao was just getting up to pack up when the carriage suddenly jolted and she bumped into the wall, causing a bump on her head.

She stuck her head out of the car window and saw that a young man was helping a pregnant woman with a big belly walk out of the Huang family's gate. The driver made an emergency move to avoid them, which caused the car to shake violently.

"Isn't that my cousin and her husband?" Daimao was surprised to see that the young couple was none other than her cousin Yang Jiazhi and her husband Huang Min. She quickly jumped out of the car, put the seat away, and helped Qiandeng get off the horse.

An old woman had already chased out of the house, pointing at them and angrily yelling, "Well, since you don't care about Yan'er's safety, then let's go to Shu together. By then, the baby in your belly will be gone, and we'll both be wiped out!"

"Don't worry, parents. Although Shu is a long way away, I will take good care of Jiazhi. I will raise the child to be plump and healthy in Shu. Please rest assured!"

Huang's mother's words were harsh, but Huang Min responded with a firm tone. The mother and son had a fierce verbal confrontation, which surprised Qian Deng who happened to see them.

Turning around and seeing the county lady beside her, Huang's mother felt a little embarrassed and bowed awkwardly: "Greetings, county lady."

"Why is the old lady angry?" Qian Deng nodded in return. Seeing that Yang Jiazhi, who was supported by Huang Min, had a pale face and slightly blue lips, he knew something was wrong and hurried over to check.

Huang Min supported his wife as they walked towards Qiandeng's car and said anxiously, "County Lady, we were just about to hire a car. Jiazhi has had a miscarriage, and we need to find a doctor right away."

Upon hearing this, Qiandeng and Daimao hurriedly helped Yang Jiazhi into the car, laid a blanket for her to lean on, and then asked Huang Min, "Which doctor has Sister Jiazhi always consulted for pregnancy? Why don't you stay home and let the doctor come to your house?"

Huang Min looked back at her mother, a look of sorrow and pain that she could not explain. She simply said, "It has always been treated by Doctor Liang of Huichun Hall."

Qiandeng said nothing more, and even put down the ginseng, antlers and Polygonum multiflorum he had brought with him. He asked the driver to drive immediately to Huichuntang.