Chapter 71 Chapter 71 Princess, where are you going to carry this king?
"Please come in, Princess." Compared to Jiang Hexue's shock, Wei Shutan's voice remained calm.
"...Mengniang?" Jiang Hexue followed behind her and asked when he saw her locking up the white tiger that had grown much bigger.
Wei Shutan hummed, "My nickname is Mengmeng."
She led Jiang Hexue to sit down at the long table and pushed a glass of water towards her. "I'm not feeling well and don't drink tea on weekdays. Princess, please bear with me."
Jiang Hexue smiled and answered, "Plain water is fine."
Her meeting with Wei Shutan was not awkward.
Firstly, Shen Qingchen gave her enough sense of security.
Secondly, she felt that Wei Shutan seemed to be much more energetic than before. Although the smile on her lips was faint, it was extremely gentle. On her slightly flushed face, it was as hazy as her small name, like the moon.
"That time before, it was my fault," Wei Shutan apologized. "I was curious about what kind of woman my benefactor would marry, so I deliberately teased her. I'm truly sorry."
Jiang Hexue didn't care about this situation and could chat with her with a smile.
Wei Shutan decisively agreed to repair the statue: "Let me try polishing a small one first. There won't be any mistakes."
Seeing her so cautious and rigorous, Jiang Hexue's smile widened. Yingying asked her, "What is Mengniang's salary?"
Wei Shutan waved her hand and refused: "His Highness has done me a favor. You are his princess. How can I accept money from you?"
Jiang Hexue never wanted to force others to do things, and he was tired of putting on a show. He was simply curious about her attitude: "What favor?"
She only knew that it was Shen Qingchen who sent her to Renshu Temple, but looking at Wei Shutan's sick face, she felt that there might not be much difference between the palace and Renshu Temple. In fact, the imperial doctors in the palace were on duty at any time to take care of her sick body, which was better than Renshu Temple.
"In the palace... there are people who bully me, people I can't afford to offend." Wei Shutan's lips parted slightly, his eyes dimming slightly. "In fact, I can't afford to offend anyone. Being confined in the palace is like being a slave."
"This place is still the best. I don't leave the monastery, and few people come. The Taoist priest just treats me as a pilgrim who has lived here for a long time and brings me vegetarian food at a fixed time every day." She smiled, and a little light appeared in her eyes. "Occasionally, you can see interesting people."
Jiang Hexue didn't ask who she was, as long as she was happy.
Wei Shutan wanted to talk to her, so she just acted like Chen Qingchen always did to her, and became a quiet listener.
"I grew up in the southwest, where people love to raise snakes. My knowledge of taming animals is quite limited. I can keep birds of prey as pets, but I can't command them to do anything. Your brother is extremely intelligent. With the help of ancient books from the southwest, he has mastered the art of taming animals and can even be used in battle to kill enemies."
"I had no advice, so I put him back beside the princess and was content to be left alone."
"Is he learning to tame beasts, or is it His Highness's intention? He said this way, he can protect you." She was frail, drinking very slowly and speaking very slowly. "Your Highness and the Princess are truly enviable."
"I originally thought he was a very cold and aloof person, but I never expected that he would be so devotedly in love with a girl."
Jiang Hexue was surprised: "Why do you say that?"
King Hengfeng was executed at the beginning of last year. Considering this, Wei Shutan and Shen Qingchen had only known each other for a year at most. Moreover, she was ill and seldom went out, so this shouldn't have happened.
"Hasn't His Highness mentioned this to you?" Wei Shutan's calm eyes finally stirred. "When the Qingyuan marriage was imminent, Your Highness was originally chosen."
"But he told Princess Renshu..."
"If he cannot marry the girl he has loved for many years, he will become a monk or commit suicide to express his love for her."
"Now that it has never happened, isn't it the fulfillment of my wish?"
"That girl that His Highness has been in love with for years, willing to remain single for life and even die for her…" Wei Shutan looked at Jiang Hexue and spoke slowly, each word clearly. "Isn't that you?"
-
When Jiang Hexue left Renshu Temple again, she felt as if her soul had been taken away.
She couldn't explain the feelings in her heart, but she just knew that she couldn't wait to see Shen Qingchen.
But when he returned home in a hurry, he couldn't find him anywhere. After Uncle Fu reminded him, he suddenly remembered that today was the day before the palace examination and he had already entered the palace to prepare.
In order to ensure the absolute objectivity and fairness of the palace examination, he had to stay in the palace for two days of the examination, plus the day of score verification after the examination, and was not allowed to see anyone else, and even verbal messages could not be passed in.
For the first time, Jiang Hexue felt like an ant being roasted on a hot pan. He was so anxious that he wanted to break these thirty-six hours into pieces and throw them away.
Little He He also missed Shen Qingchen very much, and rubbed against the edge of her skirt and spun around. Jiang Hexue held it on her lap and was surprised to find that it was much heavier than when it first entered the mansion. Its fur was snow-white and its eyes were dark and moist.
At first glance, it was obvious that it was well maintained by Shen Qingchen.
Jiang Hexue rubbed its fur and asked, "Do you miss daddy?"
Little He He whimpered.
"Mom misses Daddy too." Jiang Hexue pinched its soft belly again and sighed softly. "Daddy is really gentle. He took good care of you and me."
Little He He purred again to show his agreement.
The crescent moon jumped out of the broken clouds. Inside the bedroom, little He He was sleeping soundly in a doghouse covered with thick velvet, little Qiong Hua was dozing off while hanging on the golden standing pole, while Jiang He Xue, wearing her pajamas, was curled up in a recliner, patiently embroidering in the embroidery booth.
She had hidden the suitcases she had packed a few days ago in the side room to prevent Shen Qingchen from getting suspicious and seeing through her and Jiang Heye's plan.
Jiang Hexue lowered her eyes and looked at the cat and fish patterns on the embroidery stand.
She hoped that Shen Qingchen would finish the two purses and give them to him before returning home.
-
The first piece of news about the Spring Examination is not the announcement of the results.
It was Fu Wang, the son of the Marquis of Changping, who was arrested for sending someone to take the exam for him.
According to Longlin's laws, both the person taking the exam for someone else and the person being replaced were originally sent to the frontier as soldiers. However, the punishment this time was that the person taking the exam for someone else remained the same, while the person being replaced was sentenced to...
The Marquis of Changping was demoted to the Earl of Changping, and his family members were demoted to commoners for generations.
It is said that they were demoted from generation to generation until they became commoners, but in fact, when Fu Wang inherited the throne, he was the Duke of Changping, and the next generation was a commoner.
As soon as the news came out, the aristocratic families in various states shuddered.
Since Emperor Hengshun ascended the throne, several aristocratic families that had occupied the capital for hundreds of years were now wiped out, and the emperor's centralized power finally extended to the local areas.
On the evening after the Spring Examination, Shen Qingchen was still in the palace, but Jiang Hexue received a note from Fu Wang.
"Princess, I will be leaving the capital tomorrow. Since we have known each other for a while, would you be willing to come and practice for me?"
"If the princess is willing to come alone, I am willing to tell you the secret of His Highness."
"It was after you were expelled from the Zhenbei Marquis's Mansion that His Highness came to look for you."
Jiang Hexue stared at the note, pondered for a long time, and sent someone to the palace to call Jiang Heye.
"Wait for me outside. If he hasn't come out by the time I ring the night watch, break in immediately." Jiang Hexue instructed him when they arrived at the restaurant written on Fu Wang's note.
Jiang Heye took out a small porcelain bottle and said, "Tension softener, just in case. Keep it with you."
Jiang Hexue hid it neatly in his sleeve pocket and pushed the door open.
-
Fu Wang sat leisurely at the desk, not surprised by her arrival. He poured her a cup of tea and pushed it in front of her.
"The princess cares about Your Highness more than I imagined." He smiled meaningfully.
Jiang Hexue touched her lower lip politely: "We are husband and wife."
"There are many couples in this world who respect each other like guests." Fu Wang narrowed his eyes slightly. "The princess and His Highness are deeply in love."
Jiang Hexue admitted frankly: "Yes. Let's get to the point."
"But if you had not been expelled from the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion that year, it should be you and I who are getting married now." Fu Wang looked at her intently.
"Wrong." Jiang Hexue chuckled. "Jiang Tao never planned to keep me until I got married."
"It's not Your Highness, and it can't be you. Don't be stupid."
"Hurry up." She urged again.
"Then, Princess, do you want to hear His Highness's secret, or do you want to know..." He stroked the edge of the teacup, and said softly, "Why did I take your purple-fanged black collar?"
He thought Jiang Hexue would definitely choose the second one.
A sensible and sober girl like her, having previously gone to great lengths to ask him with the Soul-Restoring Incense but to no avail, would not miss this opportunity...
"The first one." Jiang Hexue said without hesitation.
If Fu Wang didn't say it, with Shen Qingchen's dull temperament, he would definitely not take the initiative to tell her.
Fu Wang was stunned for a moment, then smiled with relief.
"It's okay to tell you." He spoke slowly under Jiang Hexue's serious gaze. "Back then, when His Highness went looking for you..."
"Zhenbei Hou told him that you died of illness."
"Then I sent someone to take him to see your tomb."
"His Royal Highness, Prince Heng'an, who remained calm despite the collapse of Mount Tai, at that time..." He recalled, his lips twitching with laughter. "He seemed to be going crazy."
-
As night fell, heavy rain suddenly came pouring down.
"Where is the princess?" Shen Qingchen asked before taking off her straw raincoat.
"I went to a restaurant outside Beijing to meet Mr. Fu." Xuemei answered respectfully.
Shen Qingchen was stunned and glanced at the clepsydra hesitantly.
There is still a quarter-hour curfew.
He glanced at Xuemei who was answering, strode into the hall, and saw the other Xuelan and Xueju.
She didn't bring any maid with her.
The suitcases that had previously made the bedroom so crowded that there was almost no room to move were nowhere to be found. Little He He, who had been napping in the doghouse, came over and rubbed against him. In the food bowl beside him, there was a pile of meat and rice, and the milk was still warm.
The little Qionghua on the beam tilted her head to look at him and called out "Zhaohua". In the bowl next to her, there was a pile of peeled sunflower seeds.
She remembered adding food to Xiao He He and Xiao Qiong Hua, but she didn't say a single word to him.
"Did the princess say when she would return home?" Shen Qingchen asked, suppressing her emotions.
The three of them shook their heads.
"Xuezhu, prepare the horses." Shen Qingchen didn't ask any more questions. He took out the dragon tongue bow, two reels of arrows, and put a pair of scimitars on his waist.
Zhuixue, a warhorse that can travel a thousand miles a day, finally experienced the long-awaited sprint today. The master on his back brought all his weapons and seemed to be rushing to the front line.
It galloped at full speed, covering nearly forty miles before stopping outside a restaurant at the last call of the night watchman.
The rain was pouring down, and in Shen Qingchen's blurred vision, there were three people taking shelter under the eaves.
It was Jiang Heye, Fu Wang, and his wife.
He smiled at the two people beside him, who were talking happily. He didn't know whether they were looking forward to the pleasure of going to Jiangzhou for fun in the near future, or whether they were imagining the days of unrestrained and happy life when they returned to their hometown of Liangzhou.
A servant came up to them, leading two horses.
Jiang Heye turned over nimbly and got on one of the horses, while Fu Wang properly controlled the reins of the other horse and signaled Jiang Hexue to get on.
Then, when she was seated firmly, he seemed to step on the stirrup, wanting to ride with her and leave in the night rain.
She had to leave without a moment's delay even in the pouring rain so that the rain could wash away her traces and he would never be able to find her again.
The horse raised its hooves again, and the sharp arrow flew out of the bow.
“Be careful!”
A feather arrow pierced the horse's leg, and the horse under Jiang Hexue's crotch let out a long neigh. Before she could scream, her waist was firmly hugged and the horse's back was pressed back to chase the snow.
Jiang Hexue looked back in shock and met Shen Qingchen's deep peach blossom eyes.
"Princess," he said hoarsely. "Where are you going with me on your back?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
