Chapter 18

Walking out of the temple, it seemed as if all problems were really solved.

Yue Qingning breathed in the fresh air outside the mountain gate with ease, and his face showed a relaxed look that had never appeared on his face before.

Seeing her relaxed look, Cui Hu held her hand from the side without leaving any trace.

"I've never seen you like this before."

Yue Qingning smiled and said, "I used to think too much, but now that you're here, I suddenly feel like I can take a break."

Cui Hu didn't know what a little girl like her was worried about, but it was probably just some boudoir worries like getting married. After him, she didn't have to worry about it anymore.

Thinking of this, his heart softened a little, and he wrapped his big palm around her hand to bring her warmth.

"From now on, I'll be with you. Qingning, just rely on me for everything!"

Yue Qingning also smiled, and this smile was sincere. He seemed to be standing beside her like a mountain, holding up a ray of light for her. After so long, Qingning could finally let go of her worries and get rid of the entanglement of the nightmare of her previous life.

She nodded and let him pull her along, slowly walking down the mountain.

Returned to the Princess's Mansion in the evening.

Yue Qingning was still in a daze and couldn't believe it. She just felt that this day was very magical. By some strange coincidence, she was actually going to get married!

Even her mother and father didn't know yet, and she thought she had to tell her mother the news first.

However, the look on my mother's face when she came back today showed that she had received the news too late, as she had already heard the news from the eldest princess.

Mrs. Zhong sat at the other end of the couch, staring blankly, not knowing what to say.

Yue Qingning naturally knew her mother's worries, but now the situation was a foregone conclusion and could not be changed. She sighed, stood up and squeezed next to her.

"Mom, can you talk to me? I want to know what you mean."

But what could Mrs. Zhong say? This was the intention of the eldest princess and Prince Shou, and Qingning had actually kept it a secret from them and had decided to spend her life with the Cui family's son so quickly.

The Duke of Protectorate's Mansion is not a marriage that a Shangshu family like them can get. What's more, the Duke of Protectorate's Mansion is involved in military and political affairs, and Yue Zhizheng happens to be a Minister of Revenue. If this marriage touches the bottom line of His Majesty, it is inevitable that His Majesty will find an opportunity to settle accounts in the future.

But this matter was brought together by the Princess and Prince Shou, and there was no way to refuse it.

Mrs. Zhong sighed deeply, "Qingning, why didn't you tell me about this long ago? Marriage is such a big deal, how can it be a joke? The Duke of Huguo's family is even more wealthy and complex. How can our small Yue family compare to them?"

Yue Qingning naturally knew that the Duke of Protectorate's Mansion was extremely powerful, and that was precisely why it was possible for them to compete with the Crown Prince. But if she said that the Crown Prince would target their Yue family in the future, would her mother believe it?

"I know your concerns, but this matter is not something I can influence based on my own will. Mother also knows that with the nobles behind us, we can only follow their wishes."

Hearing her say this, Zhong felt even more uncomfortable and let out a long sigh.

"It's my fault. No matter how hard I try, I can't let you live comfortably."

Yue Qingning hugged her, feeling sad.

"How can you say that! Mother has done her best to protect me from the wind and rain for so many years, but there are some things that ordinary people like us can't control. It's enough for us to just follow the instructions and get by!"

"Besides, General Cui is a rare good man. I have easily obtained something that others would never even dream of. On the bright side, this may be a guarantee for the future of our Yue family."

At this, Mrs. Zhong sighed even more deeply.

In the eyes of outsiders, it is a good thing for a daughter to marry into a wealthy family, but it may not be in the eyes of her parents-in-law. If General Cui goes home to explain this, he may face a lot of opposition.

If he had not been sincere and wholehearted in his request, the Duke of Huguo's Mansion would never have allowed her, the daughter of the Minister of Revenue, to enter the house.

Even if she is lucky enough to get married, she will still have to endure many hardships and have to look after the parents-in-law. The Yue family is a single branch, and her family has little strength, so her daughter will also be looked down upon. Who will know the sadness of her daughter living in someone else's inner house?

She sighed one after another, but she couldn't change anything in the end.

This is what it is like for those in lower positions. They cannot even decide their own marriages. They have been content with the status quo, but now they realize the benefits of power, but it is too late.

Because of the obstacle in front of her this time, Zhong also felt some resentment towards the eldest princess. No matter how close the eldest princess was to her, she could not be as close as her own daughter. This time, it was obvious that she was trying to trick her. Zhong said that she did not want to stay any longer and asked to go home early the next morning.

The eldest princess knew that she would be angry, so she did not stop her. She just asked Qingning to visit her often in the future.

This scheme deceived her closest people, so she was naturally unhappy.

But how can everything in this world be controlled by humans?

Even though she was the eldest princess, hadn't she been unable to keep the person most important to her? At a time when the situation was engulfing everyone, did she think she could stay out of it just because she was an insignificant person?

The eldest princess sighed, dismissed the maid, and then added another sentence.

"Tell Qingning that if anything goes wrong in the future, as long as I'm still here, I'll help her no matter what."

The maid took the order and left. The princess dismissed everyone and walked alone to the spirit tablet of her husband.

She had never believed in ghosts, gods or Bodhisattvas before, but she started to believe in them again after her husband left. She always thought that this would comfort herself and make her heart less stubborn.

But now, there is only a stick of incense in front of the spirit tablet, and there is nothing behind it, only the mark left by the Bodhisattva who has been there for a long time.

She has believed in and worshipped Buddha for ten years.

We always comfort ourselves with the cycle of cause and effect and the predestination of life and death, but in the end it is all a false deception.

Even Bodhisattvas can lie, and people are even more deceitful. Her past "letting go, letting go" has now turned into a raging fire of anger, and her resentment has become more intense as her body grows weaker.

No matter what, she had to see that man turned into ashes before she died, otherwise she would not have the face to see her husband even after her death.

The princess twisted the silk cloth in her hand and wiped the tablet inch by inch. She looked at the words on it and sighed.

"No wonder you haven't appeared in my dreams for so many years, it's my fault!"

Touching the three words deeply engraved on the wooden board, she stroked it again and again with trembling hands.

"But you're such a fool! My brain isn't that great to begin with, and you didn't even tell me. I've been researching this myself for years. If Ah Heng hadn't told me, I don't know how many more years I would have been confused!"

After wiping the tablet, she sighed, knelt on the cushion, and quietly lit a stick of incense.

"I know you're definitely going to blame me for taking advantage of Qingning, but if I hadn't done that, how would I have been able to control that man? Even if you're angry, you still have to bless us to succeed, and bless Qingning and her future husband to be safe and sound!"

"I'll apologize to you when we get to the underworld, and you can slowly settle these accounts with me then. Brother Xi, I still have a lot of time to live, and there are still many things to do. You have to protect me for a few more years, so that I can come to you easily after I'm done with my work."

The lit incense sticks were inserted into the incense burner to replace the burnt ones. The eldest princess's usual kind demeanor was different, and the ups and downs in her eyes, like the cold sea water, could only be seen at this moment.

This day will pass quickly. She looked at the light gradually setting outside the window. It was dusk now, but tomorrow the new sun would rise again. She hoped that day would come soon.

Early the next morning.

Zhong said she would not stay any longer and said goodbye to the eldest princess and Prince Shou early in the morning, eager to leave.

Prince Shou asked a few questions with a hint of surprise, but Mrs. Zhong was in no mood to greet him.

Seeing that his mother was so angry that she could hardly contain herself, Yue Qingning had no choice but to explain a few things to him.

"I told Mother yesterday about my self-willed actions. She was a little angry with me. Your Highness, please don't blame me!"

Prince Shou also knew that as an unmarried man, it was indeed inappropriate for him to help the two of them have a secret meeting, so he didn't say anything and asked his servants to bring a box over.

"This is my meeting gift. I said I would give it to Qingning, so I will definitely do it."

So Yue Qingning had no choice but to accept it, and then bowed with both hands.

The box in her hand was quite heavy. She tried to hold it up but still couldn't, and almost fell over.

The person in front of her was quick and stepped forward to support her.

Yue Qingning only felt the fragrance of green pine lingering at the tip of her nose, and an inappropriate atmosphere spread between the two of them, but soon the figure in front of her retreated, turning that feeling into her own fantasy.

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

A crisp bird-like sound like a sigh of relief leaped out of her body, and Prince Shou was also distracted. He frowned as he looked at her drooping brows.

I don't know what this familiar feeling is, but every time I'm with her, I feel like we can understand each other without saying a word.

This happened more than once. In the past, he just thought that her intelligence brought him a lot of convenience.

He thought about it carefully, and it seemed as if the feeling that she saw through him at a glance had appeared since the first time they met. He didn't care much at the time and just thought it was his own illusion. After all, he had been acting for so many years and no one had been able to see through him.

It's just that she...seems a little strange.

There was often nothing to talk about between the two of them, but she always seemed to know what he was thinking and always did things that he didn't expect.

Today, the indescribable atmosphere that had just occurred forced him to think deeply.

She had obviously noticed that something was wrong with her for a moment, but she reacted quickly and pretended nothing had happened. If he was an ordinary person, he might really be fooled by her, but he had been observing people's words and expressions since he was a child, and he could tell what the other person was thinking even if their pupils moved slightly.

If he hadn't caught the moment of panic, he would have thought she was an ordinary person.

Could this be the legendary person with a heart full of seven orifices? Before he could even say anything, she had already exposed him completely just by standing there.

This is not a good thing! I can't tolerate such a cunning person around me.

The air around him turned colder with silence. Yue Qingning also keenly noticed something. He hurriedly handed the gift to the servant beside him and bowed to him again.

"Your Highness! Qingning will leave first."

“…”

Look! It really is a worm in his stomach, able to easily detect even the slightest change in his mood.

This was the first time Prince Shou had encountered such a person in all these years, and he couldn't help but expose a little more hidden danger than usual.

"Qingning."

She didn't dare to move at all, and just lowered her head and nodded slightly.

"You are so different from others! You understand people's thoughts so well..."

There wasn't even a single emphasis on the words, yet Yue Qingning's heart was pounding when he heard them.

Prince Shou participated in factional struggles in his previous life, and it is clear that he has not yet gotten rid of the layer of feigning illness in this life.

She knew but couldn't know.

But Prince Shou was so thoughtful, as if he was testing her, but she couldn't resist his temptation. The more cautious she was, the more he could see her avoidance.

He didn't believe her even if she pretended! So she wanted to escape even more.

"Qingning doesn't know what His Highness is referring to."

The person on the other end didn't say anything, and Yue Qingning was so anxious that she broke out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, her mother urged her from behind and asked her to get in the car.

Feeling relieved, she quickly said goodbye to Prince Shou and climbed into the carriage.

The ruts of the carriage moved away along the stone slabs, but Prince Shou was still standing there, watching the carriage go away, wondering what he was thinking.

One of his servants came close and whispered something to him. Prince Shou smiled contemptuously and then turned his attention away from her.

There is still a big show to be performed next.