That night.
Prince Qing's Mansion.
Jin Changge put down the dried sweet potato in her hand, closed the book, and then stood up and stretched.
Qing'er sat on the chair to the side, her head tilted to the side, already dozing off. A strand of silver thread drooped from the corner of her open mouth and flowed down to her sleeve.
Jin Changge glanced at her, picked up a handkerchief from the table, and placed it on Qing'er's sleeve.
Then she gently pushed open the door and went out.
Winter nights are not as noisy as summer nights; the cold has driven the insects into the soil, making no sound.
It was a quiet night.
Outside the wooden walkway, a row of ginkgo trees had already lost all their leaves.
Under the dim candlelight, the ginkgo tree trunk appeared uneven, as if insects had gnawed on a lot of the bark.
Her cotton shoes trod across the wooden planks without making a sound; she walked very quietly.
With a creak.
Jin Changge pushed open the door of the mourning hall and walked in calmly.
Although it was night, candles were still lit inside the mourning hall, and as the door was pushed open, the candlelight flickered slightly in the wind.
In the flickering candlelight, Jin Changge picked up a few sticks of incense that were placed beside the altar.
By lighting the candle, wisps of smoke gradually rose, first in a straight line, and then dissipated in mid-air.
In the thin wisp of smoke, those clear eyes seemed somewhat dazed.
Looking at the smoke, Jin Changge recalled the smoke he had seen earlier that morning.
It was thick, black smoke, rising straight into the sky, seemingly trying to penetrate the heavens.
That was the smoke generated by the burning of beacon towers.
Her dazed eyes gradually focused ahead, and she picked up the lit incense stick and placed it in the incense burner.
And then, all eyes fell on the memorial tablet.
That is the memorial tablet of my mother, Liu.
Jin Changge's mother died in childbirth, so he did not know what she looked like.
Although the father commissioned an artist to paint a picture of the mother's appearance when she was alive, it was still just a painting, and something was always missing.
My father said that my mother was a beautiful, virtuous and talented woman.
The father was deeply in love with the mother, and after her death, he did not remarry like most men.
This clearly shows that the mother must have been a lovable woman during her lifetime.
Unfortunately, I have never spoken a word to my mother, nor have I ever had the chance to know what she looks like.
Jin Changge bent down, knelt on the prayer mat, then clasped his hands together and kowtowed devoutly.
When she straightened up, she opened her mouth, but no sound came out from her thin lips that moved up and down.
After saying these words in her heart, she bent down again.
This time, she didn't immediately get up. She just pressed her forehead against the cold ground, letting her hair fall to her ears and letting the candlelight burn.
It wasn't until a series of footsteps reached his ears that Jin Changge straightened up and turned his puzzled face toward the door.
In the not-so-bright candlelight, Prince Qing's face appeared at the doorway.
Half of the face was illuminated by candlelight, while the other half remained hidden in the darkness.
"Hmm? Yongning, what brings you here?" Prince Qing looked at her and stepped across the threshold, the candlelight finally illuminating his face.
Jin Changge stood up and said calmly:
"Hmm... I got tired of reading, so I came to see my mother."
Prince Qing stroked his beard, smiled and nodded, "Hmm, not bad, it's kind of you to have this thought."
Then, he sighed:
“Unlike the eldest and third brothers, your eldest brother always just goes through the motions and never comes at all.”
"As for the third brother, let's not talk about him before. He went overseas and has been away from home for so long. Now that he's back from overseas, I haven't seen him come here."
“But Jiande still comes here quite often.”
As Prince Qing passed by Jin Changge, he took out incense and continued speaking:
“You silly girl, you never eat with us, and you always hide in your room. In all these days, you haven’t said as much to me as you used to in a single day.”
"They say girls change a lot as they grow up, but you've changed way too fast."
Jin Changge pursed her lips and remained silent. She slowly stood up and waited quietly to the side.
Prince Qing lit the incense and placed it in the burner, staring blankly at the memorial tablet.
"Father, how long will it take them to enter the capital?" Jin Changge's voice suddenly rang out.
Prince Qing turned around, looking directly at Jin Changge, then shook his head and said:
"Although the signal fires have arrived, they may not be able to capture the capital."
"Your older brother is there to support you, so there's no need to worry too much."
"Okay, Father, I'm going back to my room." Jin Changge replied and turned to walk out.
“Yongning…” Prince Qing called out to her.
Jin Changge turned her face away, her fair face expressionless.
"The upcoming battles will likely affect Nanjing, so we should leave Nanjing for the time being."
Jin Changge raised an eyebrow, "Leave Jinling?"
Prince Qing nodded, stroking his beard, and said, "That's right. The traitor has led his rebel army to attack. Although we have sent a large army to suppress him, we must protect ourselves before the situation is settled."
"This is called 'retreating to advance'."
Jin Changge remained calm and said indifferently:
"A strategic retreat?"
"Father's idea is correct."
She continued walking out, saying, "Father, I won't leave Jinling."
Upon hearing this, Prince Qing frowned and immediately lowered his hand that was stroking his beard.
He quickened his pace, caught up with her, and said:
"Stop! What nonsense are you talking about?"
Jin Changge stopped in her tracks, but did not turn around. She calmly said:
"Father, I was born in Jinling. This is my home. I'm not going anywhere. I want to stay here."
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