Chapter 46: Sacrifice

Qiandeng took the yogurt and took a sip to calm his brain which was immersed in the warmth.

At this moment, she suddenly heard a "click" sound in her ears, which scared her out of her mind.

When I looked back, I saw that it was Daimao who was carrying roasted pears. I was not paying attention and almost tripped over the short stick she left under the corridor. I staggered and barely stood up.

She hurriedly placed the tray in front of Qiandeng, turned around, picked up the short stick, and leaned against the wall.

Qian Deng said, "Just throw it away. It's not clean anyway."

"No, I grew up in the village, and you're not allowed to leave things on the ground like this," Daimao said seriously, "especially farm tools like hoes. I stepped on one when I was a kid and it left a big scar."

She said, pointing to her hairline.

Qiandeng took a look and found that there was indeed a faint mark, but it was covered by hair over the years and was not noticeable.

She felt pity for him, raised her hand and stroked it, saying, "This scar looks pretty serious."

"Yeah, I bled a lot. My parents and brother were so worried. Luckily, I'm lucky. But..." Daimao picked up the short stick in frustration and said, "My brother always says that I was hit stupid by the hoe handle and my brain is not working properly anymore."

"You're not stupid, you're so agile that even your brother can't beat you." Qiandeng said with a smile, taking the handkerchief handed to him by Liuli and wiping the sweat off his face.

At this moment, her mind suddenly felt a fright, and she didn't know what was pulling at her. She was stunned and stared at the figure of Daimao leaving with the short stick.

Everyone was still unaware. Daimao, clutching his spear, headed for the stables. Liuli took the empty bowl and placed it back on the tray. Aunts Xuanji and Yingluo were discussing the household accounts.

She was the only one standing in the corridor, holding the plate of uneaten baked pears in her hands. In this moment of daze, she suddenly grasped something very important, which made her breathing become deeper.

“I see…I see!”

She dropped the handkerchief in her hand and hurriedly said to Amber, who was waiting beside her, "Go and ask Cui Shaoqing to come over and tell him..."

Before she finished speaking, Aunt Xuanji came quickly from the door, the smile on her face unable to stop: "County Lady, Cui Shaoqing is here."

Just as I was about to invite him, he arrived.

Qiandeng looked out the door. On that gloomy morning, Cui Fufeng wasn't wearing his official uniform, only a moon-white robe. This made him look even more elegant, as radiant as a jade tree and as clear as the spring moon.

Qiandeng went to meet him and greeted him, "Mr. Cui, you are here so early this morning. I wonder what brings you here?"

Cui Fufeng nodded to her as a gesture of respect and discussed the matter. "Today, we received word from the head of the neighborhood that it is the seventh day since Madam Meng's death. Logically, Meng Lanxi should do his duty as a son and wear mourning clothes to summon his mother's spirit. However, he is currently imprisoned in the Dali Temple, and I cannot act on my own. I wonder if the county lady would consider this matter?"

Qian Deng naturally knew what he meant. According to the laws of this dynasty, if a close relative dies and there are prisoners in custody, the son can fulfill his filial duty and return home to perform filial rites.

However, since the Dali Temple was escorting prisoners to its prison, it was naturally impossible for them to make such a proposal and then have the government approve it on its own. It could only be the Changhua Palace or the Imperial College, as a party involved in the case, who came forward to apply for him.

Qiandeng held the teacup silently, thinking of the seventh day after her mother's death. She was still trapped in the farm because of the war. The murderer had not been caught and the truth had not been revealed. She was in agony and almost unable to hold on.

To this day, she has not yet gotten over the pain of parting with her loved ones, and can better understand the heart-wrenching pain.

Qian Deng said, "As it should be. I will have Aunt Xuanji draft a letter requesting the court to grant Meng Lanxi permission to return home for the funeral. I also hope that the Dali Temple will arrange for her escort and that everything will be done in accordance with court regulations."

Cui Fufeng agreed, but he was busy with his work, so he said goodbye and left, leaving only his attendant waiting.

Aunt Xuanji was helpless about Qiandeng's style of taking on too much responsibility, so she could only write a memorial and hand it over to the head of the Cui family.

Qian Deng saw that the man was the one who had delivered the letter to the Shuofang Army camp last night. After a moment's thought, he tried to ask casually, "Did Captain Zhang receive the letter from Cui Shaoqing last night?"

The attendant immediately replied, "Yes, I delivered it to the Shuofang Army camp. However, Captain Zhang had already returned to the northwest due to a family emergency. So, I followed the instructions of the soldiers and returned to your residence, handing the letter to Ling Sijie, his replacement."

"Ling Sijie..." Qiandeng was stunned for a moment, and his eyes involuntarily turned towards Yuansongju, "Ling Tianshui?"

"Yes. If the county lady has any business with the Prince of Linhuai or the Shuofang Army in the future, she can directly inform Ling Sijie. Now, all letters and items sent to that side in the capital must be received and inspected by him. Except for important military matters, nothing can be delivered without his approval."

"Oh..." Qian Deng didn't know whether to breathe a sigh of relief or laugh at his own suspicion, but from the moment he saw the crescent moon mark on the letter in the morning, the heavy stone pressing on his heart finally fell to the ground.

She couldn't help but laugh and shook her head, wondering how she could have such an absurd association.

That arrogant Prince Linhuai was recovering in the northwest, so how could he possibly have secretly come to the capital? As for the possibility that he had condescended to appear in her backyard under an assumed name, becoming one of her fiancée candidates...

The medicine she took last night must have messed up her brain, causing her to have such a ridiculous and weird idea in an instant.

Although he had only met Madam Meng once, Qian Deng had a good impression of her, so he estimated the time and went to pay tribute in a low-key manner with only a few guards.

When we arrived at the Meng family, we saw that a simple mourning hall had been set up in the secluded courtyard, with elegiac couplets and white curtains hanging on it.

Four Dali Temple jailers stood at the door, while Fang Zheng and several elderly men were busy with the funeral arrangements. In the hall, Meng Lanxi, clad in mourning, knelt before her mother's tablet, unable to rise, unable to contain her grief and sobbing uncontrollably.

Thinking that he was wrongfully imprisoned and has not yet been cleared of all charges, and that his mother died because of him, Qian Deng felt sad and heartbroken.

She walked in and stood beside him, looking at Meng Lanxi who was prostrating herself on the ground crying and kowtowing, not knowing how to comfort her, so she could only stand silently by the side.

Looking up, he saw Cui Fufeng was discussing with the Meng family, but Meng Lanxi and her son did not interact much with the clan. Now one of them had passed away and the other was guilty. They came over to go through the motions, praise the court's kindness, and comfort Meng Lanxi with a few words, and then left soon.

Cui Fufeng looked up and saw Qiandeng, raised his eyebrows slightly, came over and stood shoulder to shoulder with her in the corridor, and whispered, "I didn't expect the county lady to come here in person to pay her respects."

Qian Deng said softly, "After all, Madam Meng and I have met once, and Meng Lanxi is also related to me. When my mother was about to pass away, he was one of the people pointed out... I should come and burn a stick of incense."

Hearing her talk about the person her mother pointed out, Cui Fufeng naturally recalled what happened that day.

That night, Lady Qi used up her last bit of strength, pointed at the people in the outer hall, and said to Qian Deng, "Marry him and take him home."

Qian Deng looked at Meng Lanxi's thin and gaunt figure and whispered, "Although I still don't know who my mother has chosen for me, since she left a will asking me to choose from among those eight men, then Meng Lanxi could be the one my mother has chosen for me. My husband must be among those eight."

"Nine people." Cui Fufeng interrupted her calmly, "Among the original ten candidates for betrothal, besides the two who did evil, there was another person who was also present."

Looking at his familiar calmness, Qian Deng felt his scalp stiffen a little: "The person you are talking about is..."

"I." Perhaps because this thought had already swirled in his mind many times, his gaze at her became even deeper as he spoke. "At that time, I was injured and sent to the outer hall, so I was one of the people that the lady pointed out."

This confident tone was the same as when he first recommended himself to her backyard, justified and logical.