Chapter 47: Summer Days, Winter Nights. After a Hundred Years, Return to…

The next day, she got up early in the morning to practice swordplay. In winter, the days were short and the nights were long, so it was still dark when she put away her sword.

Qiying had just gotten up and couldn't help but ask, "You got up too early. It's still cold. Why don't you sleep in a little longer?"

Yu Qing said, "I can't fall asleep after waking up, so I might as well stretch my muscles."

It was fine in the military camp, but since she returned to the capital, she began to suffer from insomnia again. It was difficult for her to sleep well at night. Sometimes she woke up early and wanted to go back to sleep but couldn't. In the afternoon, she felt groggy and sleepy again. Practicing sword skills helped her blood circulation and at least she felt more alert.

Qiying was a little worried.

After breakfast, she tentatively asked Yu Qing, "Didn't you like using calming herbs in the past? How about I make some for you and put it by your bed?"

Yu Qing was stunned for a moment, then said, "...No need."

Qiying said, "Let's try it. I asked Miss Qiu Lian for the recipe some time ago."

“…”

Yu Qing remained silent and shook his head.

A taste that is too familiar may not bring comfort, but may instead add to your worries.

Qiying sat down, sighed, and took out a few silk embroidered handkerchiefs from her arms. Yu Qing looked at the patterns on them, realized something, and his eyes froze.

"This was left by Her Highness Qingjia. After you left for the war, she embroidered a few more in her spare time, intending to make purses for you. I'm keeping it for you."

Yu Qing could hardly bear to look closely at those silk handkerchiefs.

"This is all the princess's good intentions. If she were still here, she would surely be worried about you," Qiying advised softly. "I know you must be sad for her, but you have to think positively. The princess suffered a lot of pain and illness in her life. Now she is enjoying happiness. Her next life will surely be smoother than this one."

Because of her status, there are not many people who can make her let down her guard, and each one of them is very precious.

The princess's brief visit had a great impact on Yu Qing. Qiying knew that Yu Qing valued friendship very much, but unfortunately she was unable to keep the princess.

"I hope so..." Yu Qing said, "I hope she grows up safely in her next life and doesn't end up in heaven."

The two sachets Qingjia gave her had long since rotted away and had to be thrown away, no longer having any refreshing fragrance.

No matter how carefully she protected it, the satin became old and no longer as bright as it once was.

Although she got the princess's relics, she was reluctant to make sachets out of them and planned to keep them well.

·

There was another happy event after the New Year: Northwest Defender He Lin got married. He had earned a lot of military merit over the years. Now he was promoted to a higher rank, and the emperor granted him another marriage.

He Lin was naturally overjoyed to receive the grace of the emperor's personal approval and hosted a grand banquet for his guests.

Yu Qing, a close friend of his, naturally made an appearance at the wedding. That same day, Prince Rui personally visited the He residence and presented some imperial gifts.

After drinking with the soldiers he was familiar with, Yu Qing did not participate in the subsequent bridal chamber disturbance and asked for good luck, and said goodbye and left.

As he left the palace, he bumped into Prince Rui's carriage.

"It's windy today, and it's easy for you to catch a cold riding a horse," Prince Rui invited gracefully. "We're going our way, so why not get in my carriage and I'll give you a ride."

Upon hearing this, Prince Rui's guards immediately came to help her with the horse. How could Yu Qing refuse such a kind offer from her superior? She had no choice but to board the carriage.

"There have been quite a few happy events lately," Prince Rui said. "The Imperial Astronomical Observatory calculated several auspicious dates for the beginning of the year. I remember that the Duke's grandson will be getting married soon, and the Crown Prince has received an invitation, right?"

Yu Qing said: "I have prepared a gift to send to the Duke's Mansion, but it is not convenient for me to go and congratulate you that day."

Prince Rui asked curiously, "Oh? Does the Crown Prince have something important to say?"

Yu Qing doesn't have any position now, and Prince Rui knows it. He wonders if the prince is planning to resign and return to the border?

Yu Qing said: "It's not a big deal, go see my wife."

Prince Rui was stunned. He said, "What do you mean? I remember that the position of Crown Prince's wife is vacant. Did you bring back your beloved girl from the northwest this time?"

"My wife's position is not vacant. I got married two years ago," Yu Qing said calmly, looking at King Rui. "The end of the month is her death anniversary. I want to fast for a few days and go to pay my respects to her."

Xie Tingzhao: “…”

The carriage fell silent. Yu Qing said, "Your Highness was not in the capital at the time, so he probably didn't know."

Prince Rui said, "This prince... naturally knew. Qingjia passed away long ago, but I didn't expect the prince still remembered her."

Yu Qing said, "Your Highness, you are joking. How could I have forgotten this? Logically, I should have observed mourning for her for three months. The war was intense at the time, and I never returned to the capital afterwards. Now I can just make up for it."

Xie Tingzhao thought, oh no, is this prince really a romantic man?

He was also puzzled. Xie Jing and Yu Qing had only been together for about half a year. He didn't know how compatible they were. How could it have ended up like this?

Not only is one obsessed with it, but the other seems to be devoted to it as if for life and death.

Soon they arrived at the Xuanbei Marquis Mansion. Yu Qing thanked Prince Rui and was about to get off the car to go back, but Prince Rui stopped him.

"Alas, Prince," Prince Rui paused, "Qingjia's passing naturally pains me. But the dead are gone, and the living must cherish themselves. It's time to let go, don't you agree?"

Yu Qing smiled faintly and said nothing.

She thought to herself, what does Prince Rui know? He hasn't even seen his sister, how heartbroken can he be?

Only those who don't understand Qingjia can be so calm.

·

Yu Qing fasted for five days, burned incense and bathed, and came to the imperial mausoleum on the anniversary of the seventh princess' death.

Qingjia passed away suddenly, and the country was in turmoil, so all the ceremonies were simple and the burial was hasty.

She bowed before the coffin, looked at the title on the cold stone tablet, and thought that her Qingjia was buried in this silent mausoleum, she still couldn't hide her heartache.

She died so young, what a pity! Even the inscription on her tombstone is so short, just a few words recording her life.

She swept Qingjia's grave, brushed off the dust on the stage, and presented the tributes and sacrificial texts she had brought one by one.

After kneeling in silence for a while, she began to talk to Qingjia in a low voice, telling her what had happened in the past two years.

It was so empty and quiet, with only her own voice echoing.

After a long while, she touched the stone tablet and said, "I'm leaving now. I'll come to visit you next time."

Qiying said last time that Qiu Lian and Dong Li went to guard the mausoleum after the princess's death. Yu Qing remembered that these two girls were Qingjia's closest people, so she thought it would be better to bring them back to the Marquis' Mansion this time.

As he was walking out, he heard footsteps approaching from afar in the quiet. Yu Qing stopped, surprised to find that the person coming was actually Xie Tingzhao, Prince of Rui.

"Why is Your Highness here?"

Prince Rui dismissed his attendants and approached with his hands behind his back. He said, "I heard you mention Qingjia last time, and since I have some free time today, I came to see her."

He lit a stick of incense at his sister's spirit tablet, looked at the offerings on the altar, and said, "...Did you prepare these?"

Yu Qing said: "Well, these are all the things she liked when she was alive."

From her observation, she found that although Qingjia did not act like a princess, her taste was still a bit picky.

She only uses more dishes, snacks, and fermented rice wine if they are to her liking. If she doesn't like something, she won't say much, but just sit there quietly without touching her chopsticks. So she can't be careless.

Xie Tingzhao himself didn't know what Xie Jing liked, and he felt complicated as he looked at the dazzling array of things on the table.

"You and Qingjia were married by our father. I thought your time together wouldn't last long, but I didn't expect you to be so deeply in love."

Yu Qing said: "Her Highness Qingjia has a noble character and a kind heart. It is my honor to be able to accompany her."

Xie Tingzhao sighed, "Qingjia was born with a weakness. When she was young, the imperial physician predicted that she wouldn't live past the age of ten. Life and death are determined by fate and cannot be forced. I don't usually mention her in front of you because I don't want to upset the prince. Qingjia is my biological sister, and you are her consort. In my eyes, I actually treat the prince as a family member."

Is he trying to get close to Qingjia by bringing him out... Yu Qing thought.

"So, this prince is also very concerned about the Crown Prince," Xie Tingzhao said. "You are a pillar of the country, with outstanding military achievements. You will inherit the title in the future, so you can't always be without a family. In the past two years, have you planned to remarry? If you find a good partner, there is no need to be shy. This prince and my mother understand you."

Yu Qing was even more disappointed.

She told King Rui frankly, "I have no intention of remarrying, not for reasons of propriety. I promised Qingjia that I would be her only lover for the rest of my life, and I will not let her down. Besides, having seen so much, nothing can compare to it. Apart from the princess, I have no interest in anyone else."

Prince Rui opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

"Actually, Qingjia once told me about His Highness." Yu Qing said.

Xie Tingzhao was stunned: "What did he say?"

"She said that although she and her brother were thousands of miles apart and hadn't seen each other for years, they were still blood-thicker-than-water siblings. She also often visited Concubine Rong. At that time, the Concubine Rong's heart disease had not yet healed, and she was always worried. Now that Your Highness has returned, the Concubine Rong is much better. If she knew, I don't know how happy she would be. She has always missed you the most in her life."

King Rui said: "...Indeed, it is a regret of mine that I was not able to see her for the last time."

Yu Qing said slowly, "Although she was a daughter of a wealthy family, she was blessed with a tragic fate. She had no one to rely on in the palace and was always suffering. She couldn't sleep alone at night and needed someone to accompany her. Before she passed away, not a single loved one was by her side. I wonder how lonely she must have been. Apart from Your Highness and the Queen, I was the one closest to her. How could I abandon her?"

Having said this, Yu Qing nodded, shook his sleeves, and left along the way he came.

Xie Tingzhao looked at the epitaph "Qing Jia" on the stone tablet and felt helpless.

He finally understood that Yu Qing was expressing her dissatisfaction in a subtle way - Qingjia treats you as a relative, but you don't care about your sister at all. We are different.

His Royal Highness Prince Rui was greatly wronged.

After repeated contacts, including testing and seduction, Yu Qing's performance far exceeded expectations.

This man was efficient, calm and composed, and had the demeanor of a gentleman. He was deeply affectionate and devoted to his deceased wife.

If this deceased wife was not his own brother, then it would indeed be a tragic story.

He thought about what Yu Qing said, and suddenly remembered a point that the other party had inadvertently revealed - Xie Jing said he couldn't sleep and asked Yu Qing to sleep with him?

Prince Rui's eyes went dark again. He felt that when Xie Jing came back in a few days, the first thing he would do was to talk to him.

Considering the family background and appearance of the Marquis of Xuanbei, if Xie Jing was really a little princess, then Xie Tingzhao would have no objection to choosing a consort according to Yu Qing's standards.

The problem is, she's not a princess at all.

Prince Rui rubbed his eyebrows.

He had previously considered sending his trusted confidant, Duan Zhirui, to Jiangnan to fetch Xie Jing, but things had been turbulent lately, and as the deputy commander of the Golden Feather Guard, it wasn't easy for him to leave. The other candidates each had their pros and cons, and he wasn't entirely confident in any of them. So, he ultimately settled on Yu Qing, believing him to be reliable, capable, and of high status.

But if the two of them really get together, wouldn't this ill-fated relationship... continue?

Looking at it from another angle, with the bond between her and Qingjia, Yu Qing should be more dedicated than others, right? After all, they have a similar face.

Xie Tingzhao paced back and forth, his eyes falling on the stage again. In addition to the offerings, there was also a manuscript of the sacrificial text placed in the middle.

The handwriting on it is Yu Qing's, the regular script is neat and neat, and every word is sincere.

He flipped through it, but didn't know how to comment: "..."

In the end, Xie Tingzhao just shook his head and sighed. There are really not many men in the world who are so loyal and righteous.

He also left the altar, but the sacrificial text remained there quietly.

At the end it says:

Kudzu grows thickly and thickly, and sedge spreads in the wild.

If I lose my beauty, who will I spend the day with?

Summer days, winter nights.

After a hundred years, he returned to his room.