Cheng Liang undressed and finally lay down on his long-missed bed. He was exhausted, but he tossed and turned for a long time and still couldn't close his eyes to rest for a moment.
Just then, a soft knocking sound rang out on the door.
"Who is it?" Cheng Liang sat up and asked in surprise.
A woman's soft voice came from outside the door: "General Cheng, it's me, Lu Tianjiao. I have something urgent to discuss with you. Please open the door."
"Wait a moment." Seemingly disturbed, he still got up to open the door patiently. His master was still unconscious, and to avoid any unforeseen circumstances, the princess had just taken the opportunity to hand over all the power of the Qin Prince's Mansion to him. He was determined to guard the gates for his master.
With a creak, the door opened.
Standing outside the door was Lu Tianjiao, dressed in a long pink dress, dignified and elegant, polite and graceful, with a gentle, spring-like air about her. Her smiling face was as beautiful as a flower, captivating all who beheld her.
The beauty hesitated, then said softly with a hint of shyness, "General Cheng, are you... resting? I apologize for disturbing you, General."
In this situation, with such a beautiful woman before him, a feast for the eyes, it's likely that few men in the world could resist her intense allure.
Even a man who spent his days serving a cold, aloof prince, a man of unyielding temperament, was far less resolute than his master. Faced with such a gentle woman, Cheng Liang was momentarily stunned.
Then, as if suddenly realizing his rudeness, he cleared his throat and asked seriously, "Miss Lu, what urgent matter brings you to me?"
Upon seeing this, Lu Tianjiao's smile froze for a moment. He quickly regained his composure, still smiling, and said, "General Cheng, the Princess Consort has been very worried about His Highness's health. Therefore, she wishes to go to the City God Temple in the south of the city to pray for His Highness. However, because His Highness previously ordered the guards of the Prince's residence to not leave when he is not there, the Princess Consort is not allowed to step outside. But now that His Highness has returned, General, do you think the Princess Consort may…?"
Upon hearing this, Cheng Liang suddenly interrupted her, asking in bewilderment, "How does the Princess know about the City God Temple in the south of the city?"
"Oh, well... A while ago, Tianjiao accompanied the Princess Consort out to order a gold hairpin. Perhaps the Princess Consort heard about it at the market," Lu Tianjiao lied.
“However, many military affairs in the south of the city urgently need to be concluded, and His Highness is unwell and needs to rest. I’m afraid I simply cannot spare the time to accompany Her Highness the Princess.” Cheng Liang said, feeling very constrained.
Lu Tianjiao pursed her soft red lips, sighed softly, and said with a troubled expression, "Indeed, matters of state cannot be neglected. However… I originally intended to accompany the Princess, but unfortunately, I am unwell these days. But the Princess has heard that a highly virtuous monk presides over the City God Temple in the south of the city, and prayers there are extremely effective, so she insists on going. Moreover, it is the Lantern Festival, and the incense at the City God Temple must be especially abundant. She is afraid of missing this good opportunity, so she is even more anxious and cannot wait to set off immediately. The Princess is only acting out of good intentions for His Highness. Perhaps… General Cheng could arrange for a reliable subordinate to accompany them. His Highness and the General have just returned to the capital from clearing out enemy bandits in the south of the city. Presumably, the city defenses there are the most heavily guarded in the entire Western Qin Kingdom. There is no safer place than the south of the city, so Her Highness should be safe!"
Seeing Cheng Liang's continued hesitation, Lu Tianjiao suddenly changed her expression, her eyes filled with melancholy, and said, "To be honest, since Your Highness and the Princess's wedding, General Cheng has seen it all. Your Highness has always been cold and indifferent to the Princess. Recently, the Princess has been very depressed. If something were to happen, and Dongning Kingdom investigated, Your Highness would be the first to be implicated. Back then, I promised the Princess that I would stay in the palace to keep her company, and I even abandoned my elderly father thousands of miles away, all for Your Highness and for Brother Han!"
As Lu Tianjiao spoke emotionally, he secretly wiped away tears from the corners of his eyes.
"Alright! I'll make the arrangements." Faced with Lu Tianjiao's sincerity, Cheng Liang nodded in agreement after a moment's thought.
Lu Tianjiao immediately bowed with delight and said, "Thank you for your consideration, General Cheng. Well then... Tianjiao will take his leave!"
After saying this, Lu Tianjiao smiled and turned to leave slowly.
As Cheng Liangzheng was lost in thought, Lu Tianjiao, who was walking along the corridor, suddenly stopped but did not turn around. She still said softly, "By the way, General Cheng is always by Brother Han's side. Has Brother Han not practiced his calligraphy for a long time? It seems to me that Brother Han's calligraphy now looks like it was when he was not even ten years old."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Liang jerked his head up in surprise, staring at her retreating figure with a look of utter astonishment…
Ever since Lu Tianjiao mentioned the trip to the City God Temple in the south of the city to pray for blessings, Mei Xiyuan seemed unable to sit still in Shaohua Pavilion any longer.
At this moment, she was pacing back and forth anxiously.
"This Miss Lu has finally shown some consideration for Her Highness the Princess. If she can really go to that City God Temple, which is said to be very efficacious, Her Highness the Princess might as well take the opportunity to pray for a son or daughter. If she could really have a child, the princess's life wouldn't be so lonely in the future," said Granny Zhao happily as she brewed tea.
However, Mei Xiyuan sneered upon hearing this, and said in a daze, "Child... how easy is that? Can't you see, Granny, that the King of Western Qin has already made up his mind that I will only be a nominal King's Consort for the rest of my life?"
Having said that, Mei Xiyuan suddenly sighed and sat down silently.
Upon hearing this, Granny Zhao stopped what she was doing and secretly glanced at her. Mei Xiyuan continued, "This princess suddenly feels that I made the wrong choice back then. Perhaps this princess should never have agreed to come to the Western Qin Kingdom as a princess for a political marriage. I thought that even if this Spirit Void War God, the King of Western Qin, were as cold and arrogant as the rumors say, my tenderness and affection would be enough to melt him. But I never expected that this princess wouldn't even be able to enter his heart. My abundant talent and my stunning beauty are still no match for a useless, ugly girl from a small pharmacist's family who was rejected in marriage. This princess has never wanted to admit defeat in her life, but this time, I suddenly feel that I have lost, lost utterly."
As Mei Xiyuan spoke, she slowly closed her eyes, and her slender hand, which was resting on the armrest of the soft couch, suddenly clenched tightly.
Seeing this, Granny Zhao hurriedly stepped forward to comfort her, saying, "Princess, you must not be discouraged. Even if you don't think about yourself, you must think about Her Majesty the Empress. Her Majesty is still waiting to see you sit in the position that you could never achieve in your entire life! As long as you are the Princess Consort of Prince Qin and hold onto this position, no matter what, you will always be the legitimate wife."
Mei Xiyuan sighed softly, opened her eyes weakly, and said, "But, Granny, this princess is so tired, so very tired..."
As Zhao Mama listened and watched, she felt extremely distressed. "Mama knows that the princess is suffering, but 'no pain, no gain.' In order to ascend to the throne, the princess must endure even the hardship."
Listening to Granny Zhao's words, her eyes suddenly drifted to the window, to the few free birds flying in the blue sky. How she wished she could be a bird that wasn't moved from one cage to another, and could soar freely.
But she was born a canary, a caged bird of exceptionally noble plumage and beautiful song. Being a canary meant she was destined to be confined in a cage for life. To desire the ultimate nobility in this world, one must be able to pay the price. 'Once the arrow is released, there's no turning back.' She already knew that she could only be controlled by fate, forever unable to turn back…
After a while, she suddenly spoke and ordered, "Granny Zhao, send a message to the Third Prince, saying that I, the princess, will be praying for His Highness at the City God Temple in the south of the city on the Lantern Festival!"
Upon hearing this, Granny Zhao looked astonished and said, "Princess, are you planning to... But Miss Lu hasn't obtained General Cheng's consent yet?"
Mei Xiyuan chuckled and said, "Miss Lu? She's no pushover. Stop dawdling and just pass on the message I just gave you."
"Yes," Zhao Mama replied, handing Mei Xiyuan a cup of tea with a pinkish-brown color, containing a few delicate rose petals, and a rich, fragrant aroma. The tea was said to have the effects of strengthening the liver and stomach, relieving depression and calming the mind, soothing emotions, replenishing blood and qi, eliminating fatigue, and moisturizing the skin. Only then did she walk out on her own.
The room was silent. Mei Xiyuan, with her beautiful face, stared blankly at the blood-red rose in her cup for a long time. Just as she was about to take a sip, a sweet voice called out from the doorway, "Sister!"
"Sister, you're back so soon! Come in and sit down to rest. Granny Zhao just brewed this beauty tea. The roses in it are the finest roses from Dongning Kingdom, dried whole. The temperature is just right now, sister, please have a taste!" Upon hearing this, Mei Xiyuan immediately put on a smile and handed over the tea she was holding.
Lu Tianjiao sat down, reached out and took it, and took a small sip with relish.
Before she could even swallow the tea in her mouth, Mei Xiyuan hurriedly asked, "How did it go? Is it feasible?"
Lu Tianjiao said, "Sister, please go with peace of mind. General Cheng will personally send the most trustworthy people to escort you."
"General Cheng sent someone? What, are you not going, sister?" Mei Xiyuan suddenly asked in surprise.
Lu Tianjiao said, "Sister, that ugly girl will be entering the Prince's mansion after the Lantern Festival. I have to stay here and teach her a lesson first, right? I don't want that wretched girl to offend you when you come back from the south of the city."
Mei Xiyuan thought to herself, "This girl is cunning and shrewd. If I let her come along, she might give herself away. It's better if she doesn't go."
With this thought in mind, Mei Xiyuan took Lu Tianjiao's hand and said with a smile, "Alright, then I'll trouble you to take care of things at the Prince's Mansion these next few days."
Lu Tianjiao smiled and looked at the sky outside, which was already getting dark. She said, "It's getting late. Sister, you should rest early tonight and have someone pack up. The City God Temple in the south of the city is not as convenient as the capital. We'll have to travel hard before dawn tomorrow."
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