Lu Cijian simply looked at her quietly without saying anything.
But some long-blurred images involuntarily surfaced in my mind.
He thought he had forgotten those precious memories, but he never expected to recall them now.
He still remembers that after his mother fell ill, she would often hold him and say that she wanted to take him away and let him live a good life.
At that time, he simply smiled and agreed, only saying that he hoped his mother would get better soon. He never thought about the pain and torment his mother was going through when he said those words.
After experiencing too many disappointments, he gradually forgot about these scenes.
It turns out that he was once truly loved.
If he had known the torment his mother had gone through, he wouldn't have agreed so easily.
Sensing that the person next to her was acting strangely, Jiang Yimian simply reached out and took Lu Cijian's hand, saying earnestly, "Don't blame yourself. You can blame anyone, but not yourself."
How could Lu Cijian at that time possibly understand the scheming and intrigue among adults? He had barely managed to survive.
Lu Cijian didn't speak, but simply gripped that small hand tightly.
He didn't understand why Lu Chengyuan would be so ruthless as to kill his mother, when she was already bedridden and had no power to ruin Lu Chengyuan's plans.
She was clearly someone Lu Chengyuan had married into the family with great pomp and circumstance; he didn't believe Lu Chengyuan had no affection for his mother whatsoever.
Looking back now, what reason would someone as ruthless as Lu Chengyuan need to kill someone?
He wouldn't show mercy to anyone, whether it was to him, his mother, or Zhang Ying.
Lu Chengyuan would not be soft-hearted towards anyone who could stand in his way.
Zhang Ying was laughing when she suddenly broke down in tears, lying on the ground and murmuring, "Actually, I used to envy Li Qingmeng, I envied that even after she died, people still remembered her."
People will run around for her, people will relentlessly investigate the cause of her death, and people will even beat up Lu Chengyuan because of her.
At least she had someone who loved her, and someone who worried about her death.
She had forgotten what the man looked like, but she was surprised when she heard the palace staff report it.
At that time, she actually envied Li Qingmeng and was also surprised that this person would give up someone who loved her so much and marry into the Marquis's mansion.
Especially when she saw Lu Chengyuan nearly die, she felt not only worry for him but also envy.
I envy that someone would go to such lengths for Li Qingmeng.
Later, she heard that the person had died, and she stopped paying attention to it. But now, she suddenly remembered it and felt a little sad.
She has been scheming and plotting for so many years, but she only has the title of Empress Dowager and nothing in reality.
No one loves her, no one cares about her, but Li Qingmeng does.
It existed before, and it still exists now.
Whether it's that person or Lu Cijian, they are both people who care about Li Qingmeng.
She suddenly laughed self-deprecatingly, "You must be very smug down there, laughing at me for getting nothing all these years, and no one caring whether I live or die."
"Li Qingmeng, I've lost. I've lost completely."
As Zhang Ying spoke, she shakily got up from the ground, staggered to the table, picked up the glass cup, and drank it all in one gulp.
News of the Empress Dowager's passing quickly spread throughout the palace, where palace staff were bustling about.
Jiang Yimian and Lu Cijian left Cining Palace without saying a word the whole way; both of them were rather silent.
After hearing Zhang Ying's words, she felt a mix of emotions.
Zhang Ying is obviously not a good person, but she is also somewhat pitiful. Having lived and fought within these palace walls for so long, she must have gone mad long ago.
As death approaches, a sense of loneliness arises for no apparent reason.
Her own son disowned her, the man she loved abandoned her, and the last person she saw before she died was the son of the woman she hated most.
There are also Chen Shuyu and Li Qingmeng. Although these three women have different personalities, they also have something in common: they ruined their lives because of Lu Chengyuan's sweet talk.
Thinking it over, Jiang Yimian looked at the person beside her and hesitated, "Should we go to the dungeon?"
Lu Cijian simply shook his head and said calmly, "No, I don't want to see those people."
He didn't want to see anyone in the Marquis's mansion.
His memories of that place weren't very happy.
Even his visit to Cining Palace today was an accident. Now that the matter is settled, he should look forward.
Considering the time, he really should go back and visit, both his mother and Song Bingcheng.
*
When news of the Empress Dowager's death spread throughout the capital, a bizarre yet erotic rumor also quietly began to circulate.
That was Lu Lin's wife, the second young master of the Marquis of Anding's mansion. She ran away with the mansion's guards and reportedly absconded with a considerable amount of the mansion's silver.
Notices are now posted everywhere, seeking the arrest of this young mistress of the Marquis's mansion.
Because of this, many storytellers told the story in teahouses and restaurants, and within a few days, various different versions of the story spread throughout the capital.
What remains unchanged is that Lu Lin, the young master of the Marquis's mansion, was cuckolded. His wife had long ago had an affair with a guard in the mansion, which is why she absconded with the money and fled the capital as soon as the mansion fell into ruin.
Jiang Yimian was arranging things at Baoxiangfang when she heard about it.
Since the plan to escort Aguzan back to Tuyuhun had been finalized, she was to accompany Lu Cijian and the Southern Guards to send Aguzan back.
It would take at least five or six months to make a round trip, so I thought I should make proper arrangements for Baoxiangfang.
As Jiang Yimian talked to Yunniang about things, she listened to Ashu's vivid description and could only smile helplessly.
Yunniang, standing to the side, said with dissatisfaction, "Ashu, you do nothing all day but go to restaurants and teahouses to listen to storytelling. Be careful, or I'll fine you your monthly allowance."
Ashu stuck out her tongue a little embarrassedly and whispered, "I just happened to overhear it when I went to deliver the incense pills. I won't do it again, Aunt Yun, please don't be angry!"
Yunniang glared at her but didn't say anything more.
Ashu quickly slipped away.
On the contrary, Liu'er had been staring at Jiang Yimian with a mournful expression all morning, her eyes filled with grievance.
Jiang Yimian felt really uncomfortable under that gaze, so she looked at her and asked, "What's wrong? Who bullied you? What kind of weird wine did Lin Yan'an give you to drink?"
Otherwise, she really couldn't think of anyone who had offended her.
Liu'er snorted and said irritably, "What does it have to do with him? This guy hasn't even returned to the capital yet."
You're really going too far, girl. Aunt Wang and Uncle Jiang are taking Xiao Nuan'er and Xiao Ye back to Qing Shi Village, and they're even taking Zhao Xiaonian and Song Er with them, but they're not taking me.
I was thinking it would be nice to stay in the capital with you, but now you're leaving with Lord Lu without taking me with you. You've gone too far! Please take me with you, Miss.
That second prince of Tuyuhun doesn't seem like a good person. He even specifically asked you to escort him. I think he's up to no good.
"Girl, if you take me with you, you'll have one more person to take care of you, right?"
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