Chapter 48: Yulan’s beautiful face was shockingly familiar…

After Yu Qing said goodbye to King Rui, he went out and asked about the whereabouts of Qiu Lian and Dong Li.

When the two men heard that the prince had come to see them, they were very surprised and bowed respectfully to Yu Qing.

Meeting old friends, Yu Qing felt lost at the moment, remembering that they were always by the princess' side in the past, and that the years in Wenhua Garden were peaceful and quiet, but now everything has changed.

"Thank you for your hard work these past two years. I know you are loyal to the princess, but you can't stay here forever," she said. "If you wish, you can come back to the Marquis' Mansion with me."

After the princess's death, the maids had nowhere else to go, so they volunteered to go to the imperial mausoleum. They were all unfortunate girls from the palace, and Yu Qing was willing to take them in.

"this……"

Xie Jing's place of residence in Jiangnan was not suitable for maids to serve him.

Qiu Lian and the other two were ostensibly guarding the mausoleum, but in fact they were just waiting for Xie Jing to return in a safe and secure place without danger. Everything was settled well and they didn't suffer any hardship.

It was unexpected that Prince Yu Qing still remembered them and sincerely considered them, which was very touching.

Dong Li was unsure and looked at Qiu Lian secretly. Qiu Lian was also conflicted.

Seeing the two seemed hesitant, Yu Qing patiently persuaded them, "You'll have no worries about food and clothing in the Marquis' Mansion. You can live here forever if you want. If you want to get married, the Marquis' Mansion will also provide you with a dowry. You're still in your prime years, don't waste your time here, come with me."

·

After bringing back two girls, Yu Qing also arranged for them to live in Wenhuayuan.

Thinking of King Rui asking her if she would remarry, Yu Qing didn't want to cause any trouble.

In addition to Xie Tingzhao, other families have also come to test the waters during this period. General Yu was promoted and made great contributions, but his wife is gone. If they can take advantage of the opportunity and take the position of the prince's wife, wouldn't it be a huge profit?

Some even went to Mrs. Lu for help, but Yu Qing didn't want them to disturb his family.

Not all people are necessarily opportunistic, but even if they are good, she can't open her heart to them like she would a princess. After all, a person's efforts are limited.

Soon, rumors about Yu Qing spread throughout the capital.

It is said that although Prince Yu has a distinguished family background and is extremely brave, he was born with an unlucky fate. Wherever he goes, there will be blood and gore. Although he can fight a hundred people alone on the battlefield, he is a great threat to those around him.

This is why his wife died just over half a year after their marriage, and a beautiful story turned into a tragedy.

This rumor was well-founded and had been corroborated by officials from the Imperial Observatory and great Buddhist masters. Many people were convinced at once.

Although it's a high branch, you still need fate to climb it. Yu Qing's late wife was a princess of a great country. Even she couldn't overcome this fate, so how could the noble ladies of the aristocratic families be spared? Most of them gave up.

Even if there is an ulterior motive, it is not easy to force yourself to discuss the marriage. Otherwise, it would be like trying to cover up one's own fault and you will have to give up.

Qiying once thought that these remarks were too cruel and wanted Yu Qing to leave some way out, but Yu Qing disagreed.

She didn't care anymore, she wouldn't have a wife anyway.

·

At the beginning of February, Yu Qing was a little confused about whether to request to return to the northwest or stay in Beijing for a while. At this moment, Prince Rui summoned him alone and said that he had an errand.

When she arrived at Guanlan Palace, she heard that they were escorting Beijing officials to the south for inspection. Yu Qing was very surprised. The Censors and others went on inspection tours to the local areas every year, and it was common for them to send guards to accompany them, but there was no need for her, a cavalry general, to escort them, right?

There have been no reports of any major uprisings by refugees or rebellions by garrison troops in Jiangnan recently.

Prince Rui seemed to see what she was thinking. He dismissed his attendants and said slowly, "This trip to Gusu is only for inspection. I have another matter to entrust to the prince."

He took out a roll of something from the brocade box. There were bright yellow lines on the edge of the silk. Yu Qing was startled. This was clearly a secret imperial decree.

This could only have come from the emperor's hand.

The secret decree was short, only a few lines long, and the gist of it was that she was ordered to take someone to Jianghua Palace to pick someone up and bring them back to the capital. It ended with the emperor's private seal.

"This is my father's arrangement. I am responsible for finding a suitable candidate," Prince Rui said. "After much consideration, I feel that the Crown Prince is the most suitable, and my father agrees. This decree must be carefully kept and must not be leaked lightly."

Although the secret decree didn't specify, Yu Qing immediately had a guess. Who could possibly have persuaded the emperor to issue a secret decree to find someone? This person's identity was obvious.

"This is the list of people accompanying you. Thank you, Your Highness," said Prince Rui. "If anything changes, please prioritize the safety of that person."

"...I understand that I will live up to your Majesty's trust."

Nowadays, he is a passionate person with many children.

When he was in his prime, he went on tour and had a brief affair with a commoner woman. The woman became pregnant with a son, and was brought back to the palace and made a concubine. The son was also made a prince.

Because there was such a precedent, and seeing that there was a eunuch on the list, Yu Qing's guess was basically confirmed.

I wonder which hidden gem this time is.

This involved royal secrets, and the royal bloodline could not be tarnished. Therefore, when receiving someone, there could be no fanfare, and their identity had to be thoroughly verified before it could be considered valid. This matter naturally had to be kept secret, otherwise the royal family's reputation would become a topic of conversation.

At the same time, if he is really the son of the emperor, he cannot be treated poorly. Therefore, people with sufficient status and rank should be sent to show due attention.

Two days later, in the early morning, a group of carriages and horses left the capital and headed south along the official road.

While seemingly low-key, the lightly-armed riders on horseback were actually the Golden Feathered Guards and the general's personal guards. The carriage contained two court officials and a pale, beardless eunuch. Their mission was to search for the lost royal bloodline.

·

Suzhou.

Ganghwa Palace is elegant and tranquil, nestled between mountains and water, making it the perfect place for spiritual and mental well-being.

It's a chilly spring day, the magnolias are about to bloom, and the sound of bells can be heard in the distance.

The palace, which has been uninhabited for a long time, is now home to a distinguished guest, and the outside world is completely unaware of this.

However, the servants in the palace were clever and had secretly found out the background of this young man. They treated him with great respect and concern, fearing that they would not serve him well enough.

"Young Master, you are a master painter. This is truly a masterpiece!" the attendant asked attentively. "Would you like it to be framed for you?"

The magnolia on paper is both vivid and vivid, with the colors being of appropriate shades.

The man frowned and said nothing. He put down his paintbrush and looked left and right, still feeling unsatisfied.

"Put it away," he said. "Thank you."

He was a little annoyed. He stood up, walked out of the pavilion, and walked along the path into the depths of the courtyard, with his servants following closely behind him.

·

I have been in Jiangnan for two years.

Initially, Xie Jing lived in a quiet ancient temple with a unique meditation room. There were special people to take care of him in the temple, as well as doctors and a group of secret guards.

It is not easy to recover after taking secret medicine for many years. This medicine comes from Nanzhao and is poisonous in itself, so he has always been colder and weaker than others.

After stopping the previous medicine and taking the opposite antidote instead, the bones that had been suppressed for many years began to grow inch by inch. Even if one tried to slow it down, it was still too fast and the body was under considerable pressure.

During that period, Xie Jing could hardly move freely and had to rely on others for support. He was even more fragile than before.

It is common to wake up in the middle of the night with cramps, and my muscles and bones ache from time to time. Acupuncture and medicine can only relieve the pain a little at most. When the pain is the most unbearable, I need to drink some Ma Fei San.

Fortunately, I had experience in enduring pain over the past ten years. I'm afraid someone else wouldn't be able to hold on.

He didn't weigh much to begin with, and his bones were shrinking rapidly, leaving him with insufficient blood and flesh. After being tortured, he became even thinner, and his entire body was almost skin and bones.

At that time, Xie Tingzhao happened to have a few days off and wanted to come to Jiangnan to visit him, but Xie Jing refused to let him.

Even if you are a fairy, you won’t be very beautiful if you turn into a piece of dry wood.

Xie Jing had never seen himself so ugly before, and he was forbidden to have any mirrors in his room. Even his nightmares were about how he would never grow back, and how he would have to live with this skin forever. He was heartbroken.

It is not only a problem of facial features. If the muscles and bones are not in harmony, future movements will be hindered and it is easy to become a disabled person who cannot live without others.

If that were the case, Xie Jing might as well just die.

He burst out with amazing willpower, tried his best to adapt to this body, began to move and exercise with difficulty, and forced himself to eat even though he had no appetite.

First he rehabilitated according to the doctor's plan, and then began to practice sword skills with the secret guards.

It is not difficult for a young man from an ordinary family to learn martial arts and swordsmanship from a master since childhood.

But Xie Jing had no foundation at all. You know, when she was a princess, the most physically demanding thing she did every day was walking the dog herself. Now the little strength she had left was so strong that she could barely lift a wooden sword, let alone an iron sword.

When I first started, after practicing a set of sword moves, my face turned pale and I vomited violently when I went back.

Even after he was able to wield the iron sword, Xie Jing still wanted to die every now and then.

He once envied those princes who had practiced martial arts, riding and shooting since childhood, but now he has come to his senses: one should not glorify things that he has not done, and it is better to embroider and play the piano in the house than to sweat like a baby.

It took him almost a year to grow from a thin and frail figure into the well-proportioned, tall and slender figure that was supposed to belong to him.

Although his swordsmanship was mediocre and still far from being able to fight against others, Xie Jing did not expect to fight with others. His only requirement was to look good.

Under the guidance of the secret guards, he had developed a very good figure, with broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs, and a layer of muscle covering his body.

Although she was still a little thin compared to the strong man, Xie Jing was already very satisfied - it would be ugly if she was too strong, so this was the only way to please the eye.

Now, apart from a few lingering issues that occur from time to time, everything else is no different from an ordinary person.

This experience was similar to the "rebuilding of the body" described in the storybooks. Xie Jing didn't even want to recall how he got through it.

Fortunately, he had the "burial objects" he brought from the Marquis' Mansion with him.

Taking it out and looking at it occasionally can bring back some memories.

Shortly after the emperor suffered a stroke, Xie Jing began to contact the court. Three months ago, the prefect received a secret order to take him out of the ancient temple and place him in the Jianghua Palace.

all the best.

There was not a moment when he didn't want to return to the capital, and he was almost eager to go home.

·

Yu Qing brought along civil officials and eunuchs, and their journey was not fast. By the time they reached the Jiangnan area, it had rained for two days. By the time they met the prefect Meng Wenhan, more than ten days had passed.

Governor Meng had received the secret order years before and was also aware of the matter. That evening, he hosted a banquet for the officials in the capital and said, "I have sent someone to inform the people in the imperial palace. You all can go there tomorrow."

The next morning, the group arrived at Jianghua Palace. Yu Qing showed his token, the guard let them in, and the servant led the way.

The palace was elegant and beautiful, with winding paths and corridors, and every step brought a new scene. Although the greenery had not yet fully spread, spring had already revived. Yu Qing glanced at the magnolia in front of the courtyard.

One of the ceremonial officers whispered, "Does the guest know that we are visiting today?"

The waiter nodded and said, "Yes, sir, you have been waiting for a long time."

As they were talking, they had already arrived at a spacious and bright courtyard with elegant pavilions. When they entered, the waiter hurried inside to announce the news. When they arrived in front of the hall, the people inside were just emerging from the hall.

He was a young man in white clothes, with a slender figure, walking calmly, and the ring on his waist made a clear sound.

Just looking at his bearing and demeanor, there are few who can match him among the famous families in the capital.

As soon as they saw him, even before they saw his full appearance, some people subconsciously thought: He must not be a fake.

As he came closer, his entire body emerged from the shadows of the house into the bright sunlight.

He was dressed in a cloud brocade robe, the collar and cuffs of which were lapped in purple and embellished with gilded patterns. His figure was as graceful as a swaying orchid, his face as rosy as a peach, and a glance from the corner of his eye revealed a sudden sense of arrogance.

Yu Qing was stunned.

Her eyes widened, and for a moment she forgot where she was.

That beautiful face was so familiar that it was shocking.

who is he?