Huan'er was still just a child and knew nothing of the reasons behind it all. At this moment, she could only pout her rosy lips and timidly approach the woman, seemingly reluctant and helpless. She first helped the woman put on her shoes and socks before taking her from the old woman's hands. Then, she placed one of the woman's arms on her thin shoulder and, with the old woman's help, slowly took her first steps.
It wasn't difficult at all; the mistress and servant quickly placed the woman back on a small bed in the old woman's room. Huan'er, who had been timid and fearful throughout, huddled to one side. At this moment, she seemed to habitually ask, "Does Madam have any other instructions?"
The old woman sat by the bed, carefully wiping away the sweat stains left behind by the young woman, and explained, "Huan'er, don't be afraid, this girl is not a monster, she..."
Before the old woman could finish speaking, Huan'er blurted out in surprise, "Then why does she have such a strange bracelet? I've never seen one like it before. But... I often hear Wang Er telling strange ghost stories to the children in the village, and that's when such a strange thing appears."
The old woman shook her head slightly upon hearing this, smiled faintly, and asked, "Huan'er, did you also see with your own eyes just now that the light emitted by the seven-colored gold and jade bracelet on this girl's hand was purple?"
Huan'er recalled for a moment, then suddenly stretched out her arms to hug herself, as if still in shock, and said, "Yes, it was definitely purple light, appearing and disappearing intermittently, and at the end it even showed a blood-red pattern, it was really terrifying and extremely strange!"
The old woman calmly continued what she was doing, saying, "Purple light is auspicious energy, often associated with the appearance of emperors, sages, or treasures. How could Huan'er not know this? It's clear that Huan'er hasn't studied hard enough!"
Hearing this, Huan'er seemed to find a little relief, and slowly lowered her arms. She repeated the old woman's words, puzzled, as she tiptoed closer to the small bed to examine the woman on it more closely. She said, "A sign of an emperor, a sage, or a treasure appearing... But this girl doesn't look more than a few years older than Huan'er. Surely she can't become an empress or a sage? Or perhaps the old woman meant that this girl is a treasure? But as Huan'er sees it, if we're talking about treasures, that bracelet might qualify, but besides its ability to glow, it doesn't seem to have any special powers. Even the glow is flickering and indistinct... Oh dear, could it be that the treasure was ruined by the river after the girl fell in?"
Upon hearing this, the old woman suddenly raised her head and scolded Huan'er, "Shut up, don't talk nonsense."
Huan'er was scolded and quickly shut up and lowered her head.
The old woman stopped what she was doing, got up and went to the window. Gazing at the starry sky in the north, she said meaningfully, "Throughout history, the imperial courts have judged the rise and fall of the dynasty by observing the brightness of the Purple Palace in the night sky. The flickering, indistinct, and ever-changing purple light emitted by this bracelet now is precisely the current fate of my Western Qin Kingdom, which is on the verge of collapse and is quite worrying!"
"Madam, please forgive my ignorance, but I truly cannot discern the mystery of this bracelet," Huan'er said quietly.
The old woman sighed, but did not blame her. She turned around and said, "Tomorrow at dawn, go to the City God Temple in the south of the city and find a Xuan Kong Master. Tell him that the old lady from Peach Blossom Village asked you to go and find him. Tell him... 'The purple light appears in the world, sometimes bright and sometimes dim.'"
“‘City God Temple in the South of the City’ ‘Master Xuan Kong’ ‘Purple Light Appears in the World, Sometimes Bright and Sometimes Dimming’…” Huan’er repeated these words over and over again.
After a moment, the old woman urged, "Alright, it's getting late. Go back to your room and rest. We have a long trip tomorrow."
"Yes," Huan'er seemed to have remembered what the old woman said. She responded and left, gently closing the door behind her.
After a torrential downpour last night, the clouds finally parted and the sun shone through today; and tonight, the clouds finally dispersed and the moon shone brightly.
Huan'er left, and the room fell silent. The old woman stood by the window, gazing silently at the peaceful sleeping face of the woman on the bed, her mind filled with many memories...
The next day, before dawn, the area in front of the Qin Prince's Mansion in the east of the city was still brightly lit.
Cheng Liang, Xuan Yuan Yue, and Xuan Yuan Hao had already gotten up early and embarked on their journey back to the palace with great anxiety.
Cheng Liang had already ordered his men to compile a list of all the court officials who had been involved with the Northern Lie enemy through Wanjiao Pavilion, along with their testimonies. This morning at court, he would present the list to the court in the name of his master, Prince Qin, Xuanyuan Han, for Emperor Jing to decide.
As dawn broke, Mei Xiyuan, dressed in splendid attire and adorned with jewels, walked slowly out of Shaohua Pavilion with Lu Tianjiao's support, her face filled with melancholy. Behind her followed Zhao Mama and several maids who served her closely.
The guards and carriage that Cheng Liang had arranged for her were already waiting in front of the Qin Prince's mansion. Lu Tianjiao personally helped her into the carriage and solemnly gave the guards many instructions before stepping back a few steps to make way for the carriage.
At this moment, the entire group was preparing to head towards the City God Temple in the south of the city.
Suddenly, the carriage curtain was slowly lifted, and Mei Xiyuan immediately spotted Lu Tianjiao standing at the foot of the stone steps in front of the Qin Prince's mansion. She leaned closer to the window and softly called out, "Sister."
Lu Tianjiao strode forward and asked, "Is there anything else you need, sister?"
Mei Xiyuan didn't actually want to go to the City God Temple to pray for blessings. She knew that she hadn't caught Xuan Yuanhan's eye at all, so no matter what she did or said, or how much she did or said, he would never appreciate it.
Even so, she always felt that as long as she was still the Princess Consort of Qin, and as long as she was still in the Qin Prince's mansion, she, Mei Xiyuan, was the supreme war goddess of the heavens, the only mistress of the most noble Qin Prince's mansion in the Western Qin Kingdom.
No one knows whether they are just famous in name only. People only talk about Princess Yongle of Dongning Kingdom during tea and after meals. She, Mei Xiyuan, is the woman of the most noble man in the world, whom all women in the world can only look up to and envy.
But now, for some reason, the thought of leaving this mansion for a long trip, even though it would only be for three or four days, suddenly made her restless, as if she would never be able to come back, making it difficult for her to make the trip.
However, when she thought of the Empress Dowager's high expectations and the important invitation from her third brother, she had no choice but to give it up, no matter how reluctant she was.
Why do two people in love have to consider so much? She just wanted to fight for herself and wholeheartedly love this man as she pleased.
Even though this man still can't accept her, as long as they live under the same roof and she treats him wholeheartedly, can't she really not get any love in return?
All the words, so many unspoken thoughts, were swallowed back down as if in despair. In the end, he could only frown and gently instruct Lu Tianjiao, "Keep an eye on the gate and wait for my sister to return."
Lu Tianjiao, as always, greeted everyone with a beautiful smile and replied, "Sister, go in peace. I know what I'm doing in the manor."
From then on, the curtains of the carriage slowly and reluctantly fell, and Granny Zhao and several maids rode in the same carriage, following closely behind. The two carriages drove slowly southward together.
Watching the carriage disappear into the distance, Lu Tianjiao stood quietly in place. Suddenly, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, revealing a sly smile that sent chills down one's spine.
Finally, everyone in the Qin Prince's mansion who could have stood in her way left. This moment seemed to have been one she had waited for for a very, very long time…
As Lu Tianjiao slowly strolled through the corridor toward her residence, she secretly planned how to successfully evade the surveillance of the many guards in the Qin Prince's mansion, both overt and covert, and enter Lin Yuexuan to find out what had happened to her beloved Han-gege.
As she passed by the corridor near Lin Yuexuan, she inadvertently looked up in his direction and caught sight of a little girl who seemed familiar. On a whim, she smiled and called out to her affectionately, "Little sister."
The little girl immediately came running at the sound, stood there blankly, looked around with her big, watery eyes, and then asked, "Are you calling me?"
Lu Tianjiao rushed forward as if she had suddenly grasped a lifeline. She knelt down beside the girl, gently placing her hands on her shoulders, and said softly with a smile, "Yes, that's who I was calling. Little sister, you look so familiar, you're so pretty. Have we met somewhere before? What's your name?"
Indeed, children's memories are better than adults'. Or perhaps Lu Tianjiao's world is much broader, and he sees far more unfamiliar faces than the children who are confined to a royal mansion all day.
The little girl touched her head with one hand, and quickly remembered. Her eyes widened as she exclaimed, "Ah, Ling'er remembers! That day, Ling'er was about to go find Sister Yun, and you happened to be in Sister Yun's courtyard, right?"
Reminded by the little girl, Lu Tianjiao seemed to remember something and said repeatedly, "Yes, yes, I remember now, your name is Ling'er. Where do you live? How did you end up in this courtyard?"
The little girl replied, "Ling'er and Grandma live in the small courtyard inside the archway at the very end of the backyard. I just accompanied Granny Zhang to deliver medicine to His Highness Prince Qin. Granny Zhang is feeding His Highness the medicine right now. She told Ling'er to come out and play by herself for a while, and she will come to call Ling'er when she goes back."
Lu Tianjiao frowned and said, "Yes, I heard about it too, Sister. His Highness Prince Qin was injured in the south of the city. It seems to be quite serious. It looks like he can't even write properly anymore."
The little girl exclaimed in surprise, "Writing? Are you kidding me, sister? His Highness the King of Qin has been unconscious for almost two days and two nights, how can he write?"
"What? His Highness... he's been unconscious for two days and two nights? What happened? Wasn't he just injured?"
As soon as Lu Tianjiao said this, Ling'er suddenly burst into tears...
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