People of the previous dynasty
At dawn, soldiers patrolled the streets of Chang'an, their presence exuding a chilling atmosphere.
"Xi Niangzi An".
Xi Yuzhen nodded slightly to them in goodwill, but as they were about to leave, she suddenly remembered something, turned around and asked, "Wait a minute."
"What urgent matter brings you, Miss Opera?"
"It's nothing serious. I haven't seen my brother in a long time, so I wanted to ask the general if he had seen him before."
The young man in armor stopped in his tracks. "I saw him at the palace gate not long ago, just around the corner."
He even pointed with his finger.
“My brother and I have relied on each other for many years. It’s been so long since we last saw each other, I can’t help but miss him. I’m really troubling you, young general.” Xi Yuzhen bowed and thanked him.
"You're too kind, Madam Xi. If it weren't for Young Master Xi's timely report, we would probably still be completely fooled by them. Oh, by the way, Madam Xi, just call me Deputy General Lin. I really can't accept the title of General." He scratched his head sheepishly.
Xi Yuzhen smiled slightly, her gaze falling on the corner he pointed to, her eyes darkening for a moment.
"Alright, Vice General Lin. Vice General Lin is very busy, so I won't bother you any longer."
Xi Yuzhen bowed and exchanged pleasantries with him for a few moments before leaving.
After turning around, her face remained as sour as ever. The servants of the opera house bowed and greeted her, but she ignored them all and walked straight ahead.
"When did my wife go out?"
"I don't know, maybe we just didn't see it. The young master is a big shot now, and the wife's status has risen accordingly. How could we, as servants, possibly know where she is?"
Xi Yuzhen walked halfway before stopping and looking back at them.
The servants immediately fell silent and went about their work. Xi Yuzhen waved for the servants around her to leave, and she went to the back garden alone.
She glanced cautiously to the left and right, then turned and quickly left.
—
Xuanping Prince's Mansion
Snow began to fall again, and the sky above the snowflakes and clouds had no end and no limit.
Chu Yong stood outside Gu Qingyi's study, his heart pounding with fear, his steps hesitant.
"Young Master, are we going in or not?"
"Shut up, isn't this young master preparing?" Chu Yong said fiercely, while his hands kept changing their positions and crossing them together.
The door suddenly opened, and a maid came out and said, "Young Master, Madam invites you in."
"...Um, okay."
"Young Master," the servant whispered in his ear, raising his hand to indicate the object in his hand.
"Ah, yes! I heard that Mother Consort enjoys playing chess, so I specially sought out the finest sandalwood and Hetian jade to make chess pieces. I wonder if Mother Consort will like them?"
The maid smiled and said, "The young master is the lady's own son, so of course she likes him."
Chu Yong's smile faded slightly. He wanted to speak again, but the maid had already bowed and invited him inside.
Well, I didn't really have anything to say anyway.
Chu Yong bowed and looked up, trying to see Gu Qingyi's face. What expression should she have? Was she as happy as he was?
Or something else...
"Get up."
Unexpectedly, Gu Qingyi picked up her pen and began writing, without ever looking up.
A hint of regret flickered in Chu Yong's eyes, and the smile that had appeared before he entered froze.
"Mother, Mother Consort, chess..."
“I heard you. You’re very thoughtful. Just give it to Chun Tao.”
Chu Yong lowered his head and remained silent. After a while, Gu Qingyi still ignored him.
The charcoal inside was burning warmly, but Chu Yong's heart felt as if it had been doused with cold water.
He grew up in the north, where the King of Wei was stationed in his camp year-round, either leaving early and returning late, or not returning at all, so he had no time to take care of him.
When I was little, I had my grandparents to take care of me, asking if I was well-fed and clothed. But as I grew older, I had none of that.
He became known among the neighborhood children as a child who was born of a mother but not raised by one.
Oh.
Chu Yong, undisciplined and habitually arrogant, spoke recklessly, "Mother, you haven't sent a single letter to the North all these years. Have you never treated me as your child? If that's the case, you might as well have strangled me in the first place! That would have saved Father from constantly blaming me for being useless!"
"presumptuous!"
With a "thud," Gu Qingyi put the pen down on the table, and the room fell silent instantly.
The maids in the room all knelt down, and the servants around Chu Yong were so frightened that they also knelt down, while Chu Yong glared angrily at her.
Gu Qingyi: "I don't think you've learned a single rule in the Prince Wei's mansion!"
"Rules? Do you know what they all say about me? I'm just a bastard born of a mother but raised without one. What rules does a bastard have!"
"Slap!" Gu Qingyi stepped forward and slapped him. Chu Yong turned his head and half of his face was red and swollen, showing how hard she hit him. You could even hear a gasp of cold air coming from inside the room.
She slapped herself so hard that her hand hurt, and suddenly everything went black. She quickly grabbed the desk and covered her head with her other hand.
Leaning against the table, her finger trembled as she pointed to the door. "Get out! Get out of here, and don't let me see you again."
"My lady, please don't be angry. The young master is still young." Seeing this, Chun Tao quickly stepped forward to support Gu Qingyi and gestured to Chu Yong to say a few kind words.
Chu Yong tilted his head with a stubborn look in his eyes. Chun Tao had no choice but to continue coaxing Gu Qingyi not to be angry.
"Young? Ah Ling was even younger than him back then, and she was far more capable than him. If it weren't for..."
After Gu Qingyi finished speaking, she suddenly fell silent, feeling her head throb even more.
Chun Tao gently patted her back, "Madam's excellence is mainly due to you. It's all thanks to your guidance. The young master is your own child, it's just that time was a little too late. Now mother and son are reunited..."
"Get down."
Chun Tao was interrupted by Gu Qingyi halfway through her sentence. She noticed that Gu Qingyi was in a bad mood, which she thought was probably because of Madam Lu. She wanted to speak up to comfort her, but Gu Qingyi scolded her sternly.
"Get down, don't make me say it a third time."
Chun Tao had no choice but to give up, waving her hand to let the maids go forward to serve Gu Qingyi, while she pulled the resentful Chu Yong away.
As they left the study, Chun Tao pulled Chu Yong aside and sighed, "My young master, why do you have to be angry with your wife?"
"I, the young master, do not need your reprimand!"
“How could I do this?” Chun Tao shook her head. “My lady has suffered so much these years. First, she and her son were separated, and then the young lady she had raised passed away early.”
Upon hearing the word "deceased," Chu Yong finally looked at her and asked, "Is it the 'A-Ling' that Mother Consort mentioned? Who is that?"
"The eldest lady's name was Lu Kou, and her nickname was Ling. She was the daughter of the Prince's younger sister, the Princess of Runan County. She was brought back to the Prince's mansion by the Prince and raised there. She was sick outside when she was young, and when she was a little older, she became the eldest lady's student and studied with her. The eldest lady was truly the best lady in the world. She far exceeded the Prince's expectations in every way. Even the Prince praised her in private. It is a pity that the eldest lady passed away not long after she got married."
"Died of illness?" Chu Yong said casually. "It sounds like my mother liked her very much. Who did she marry? What illness did she have that even the Prince's Mansion couldn't cure, and I didn't hear my mother send a message to the Prince's Mansion to find medicine."
"The marriage was arranged by the king, and she married a young man from the Fan family. As for her illness..."
Chun Tao lowered her head and said, "The illness was rather strange. It came on suddenly and the person passed away in less than two months. So, Madam didn't send a message to the Prince of Wei's residence. Besides, everyone in Chang'an, including the one who used to be in the palace, is watching the Prince of Wei's residence. How could Madam send a message to the Prince of Wei's residence so casually? Madam was worried about the Heir Apparent and the Prince of Wei. Otherwise, how could she bear not to send a single letter?"
"Since I have been with Madam for a long time, I will speak boldly to you, Your Highness. Today you have truly hurt Madam's heart. Madam has suffered enough in her life, and you are her only family."
Snow fell on Chu Yong's swollen cheek, the icy coolness like water seeping into tree roots, seeping into his skin little by little. His eyes suddenly darkened, and he turned and left.
Chun Tao didn't know if Chu Yong had listened to her or not; he left without saying anything.
She sighed softly and, using her wife's name, summoned the physician to Chu Yong's residence.
What a terrible thing to do.
My wife hasn't mentioned Madam Lu in a long time. Why did she suddenly bring it up today? Mentioning it makes me sad again. Alas, it's truly a tragedy.
"Aunt Chuntao, something terrible has happened!"
"What happened? Why are you in such a panic?" Chun Tao frowned, and her brows furrowed even more after hearing what she said.
She cursed under her breath, "What a terrible thing!"
Ye Taoyao and Xi Yuzhen have gotten together.
One wave subsides only for another to rise!
"Come with me."
Today, only Gu Qingyi and Ye Taoyao are in the Prince's mansion; Shen Huaiyu and Sima Xian have gone to the palace.
Ye Taoyao was kept in the Prince's Mansion by Sima Xian because he was afraid she would cause trouble, but unexpectedly she caused trouble in the Prince's Mansion as well.
"Why did it take so long to announce that the opera singer has arrived?" Chun Tao walked very fast, rushing desperately towards Ye Tao Yao's courtyard.
“At that time… the young master and his wife were talking inside the room, and we servants should not have gone in.”
Seeing her timidly lower her head, Chun Tao lost the will to reprimand her. Lady Ye was ordered to stay at the mansion by the king, so she forced Lady Xi to come to her door to draw embroidery patterns for her.
It's one thing for ordinary people, but everyone in the Prince's mansion knows that Ye Taoyao disliked the former Lady Lu. Now that she's angry, and there's this actress who looks so much like her, who knows what kind of trouble she'll cause this time.
Chun Tao had seen Lu Kou and Ye Tao Yao fight before. Lu Kou was clever and would always escape from Ye Tao Yao's clutches and take the evidence to Gu Qingyi and Sima Xian to complain.
The beautiful woman has been replaced by a timid opera singer. Oh no, oh no!
Xi Langjun is currently a favorite of the king. If something happens to his sister in the king's mansion, Ye Niangzi might not be held responsible, but her mistress might not be. After all, she is her own cousin and the king is reluctant to punish her!
"Hurry! Hurry up! And have you informed my wife yet?"
"Of course we notified them."
"Send men to guard the gate. Report to the lady immediately when the King and Princess Consort return. Hurry, even faster!"
Inside Ye Taoyao Taozhu Xiaozhu
She dismissed almost all the servants, walked gracefully to Xi Yuzhen's side with a smile, and put her hand on her shoulder.
"Look at me, I don't know how to draw anything, so I had to ask the opera singer to come."
She laughed heartily, her hand tracing down her neck to her face, a flash of disgust quickly crossing her eyes before her gaze settled on her long, sharp nails.
"Such delicate skin is indeed only found in beautiful young ladies like you. It makes me really want to..."
Xi Yuzhen grabbed her mischievous hand and said coldly, "Doesn't Madam Ye want any more tricks up her sleeve?"
"Oh? You've gotten grumpy after just a few days. Do you really think Xi Yushao is that important?"
Ye Taoyao shook off Xi Yuzhen's hand, laughed, put her hand on Xi Yuzhen's shoulder again, and whispered something in her ear.
When Chuntao rushed over, she saw many maids outside the courtyard and immediately felt uneasy.
"What are you all doing standing here at the door? If something happens inside, can you afford to be delayed? Hurry up and go inside!"
"Aunt Chuntao, my wife won't let us in."
Chun Tao: "With me here, what are you afraid of! Guards! Break down the door now!"
"Yes, yes."
One by one, the servants of the Prince's mansion rushed forward and banged on the door.
As Chun Tao pounded on the door, she called out to Ye Taoyao to open it, but there was no sound from inside the courtyard. Chun Tao's heart sank to the bottom.
"Help! Help me... Someone, please help!"
"Auntie, listen, isn't that a voice coming from inside? It doesn't sound like Madam. Could it be the actress playing Madam?"
Chun Tao listened intently, and sure enough, it sounded like, "Bump, keep bumping!"
"Go, get an axe and split it open."
Before she arrived, her voice preceded her. Chun Tao knew it was her mistress from the clear, cold voice. Gu Qingyi, wearing a royal blue fur-trimmed cloak, strode forward.
"My wife."
"Hmm, Ye Taoyao didn't respond?"
Gu Qingyi looked at the courtyard gate. Ye Taoyao's Peach Isle Villa was located in the inner part of the Xuanping Prince's Mansion, but it was the best courtyard in the entire mansion. There was also a small pond in the courtyard.
"No, instead I heard the opera singer's screams."
Gu Qingyi could faintly hear it, but the sound grew softer and softer.
The axe cleaved the door open, and Gu Qingyi stepped over the wood chips, the sight before her eyes shocking her.
Ye Taoyao is dead!
"Immediately seal off the Prince's residence and send someone to the palace to inform the Prince and Princess."
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