Chapter 67: Throw Me a Hanging Pearl (1) You are always like this, Lu Guanque,...
In the next few days, when Meng Xuanli was in the pharmacy, he always observed the people coming and going intentionally or unintentionally.
Sure enough, she noticed something unusual. Two unfamiliar faces came in every few days, sometimes buying some heat-clearing herbal tea, sometimes just a few coins of licorice root. Their eyes were always restlessly roaming around, and they would linger for a while.
That day, one of them came again. He wanted some inexpensive herbs. Anxiang was about to get some when Meng Xuanli stood up and said with a gentle smile, "Anxiang, go to the backyard and help Fu Yao. I'll get the medicine for this gentleman."
Anxiang understood and left.
Meng Xuanli walked to the medicine cabinet and weighed the medicine according to the prescription, but at the last moment, she mixed in the powder she had prepared in advance, wrapped it up, and handed it to the man.
"Sir, your medicine is ready." Meng Xuanli looked calm.
The man was completely unaware, paid the money and left in a hurry.
He didn't go directly to the east side of the town. Instead, he circled the street twice, turned into a small alley, and handed the medicine bag to the waiter there. "Take it back quickly and let the shopkeeper take a look. Don't make any mistakes this time."
Qian, the shopkeeper from the east town, received the medicine package and opened it without hesitation. After a careful inspection, he found something unusual. He pinched a little, sniffed it, and immediately realized that he had been seen through and tricked.
Shopkeeper Qian laughed. He had been running a medicine shop in this town for decades and was considered a well-known figure. But now his business was taken away by an outsider, and he was even openly provoked by her?
"Very good."
Shopkeeper Qian threw the medicine bag to the ground, his face livid with anger. He waved his hand and ordered, "Go get two people, find out her daily route, and find a suitable opportunity to teach her a lesson."
"Let her know that this town's pharmacy is not something she, an outsider, can interfere with." He thought of something else and instructed, "Oh, and don't kill her. Let her know that when she encounters difficulties, she should just quit and close the shop and leave."
"Yes, boss."
#
In October, the herbal medicine shop ran out of several herbs, so Meng Xuanli decided to go to the city's pharmacy to buy some more. She packed up and prepared to go out.
Lu Guanque stood at the gate, stepped forward and stopped her: "Are you going to town today? The journey is not short, and the amount of goods must be quite large. I will go with you."
Meng Xuanli lowered her eyes and adjusted her sleeves, saying lightly: "It's okay, I'm familiar with the pharmacies in the city. You just stay at home and take care of the children." After she finished adjusting, she went out.
Lu Guanque turned around and looked at her back. He knew that it was difficult to change her decision. But he was worried about her going alone.
After Meng Xuanli's carriage left, Lu Guanque handed the child to Madam Zhang, hurriedly said a few words, and immediately set off to chase in her direction.
He always kept his distance and didn't dare to get too close, for fear that Meng Xuanli would notice and scold him. By then, their relationship might even get worse.
After arriving in the city, Meng Xuanli went to a familiar pharmacy, inspected the herbs, bargained for a price, and placed an order, arranging for delivery the next day. She worked tirelessly until dusk, then took a carriage home.
However, on the way back, the carriage stopped.
The driver's voice trembled as he said nervously, "Madam, the road ahead is blocked."
Meng Xuanli frowned, lifted the carriage curtain, and looked up. Several people stood in the middle, holding wooden sticks, their faces covered with black cloth. She vaguely guessed who they were, gestured to the driver to be at ease, and jumped out. "My dear men, you stopped my carriage. What do you want to do for me?"
The leader stepped forward and said with a forced smile, "Madam Meng, we meet again." His true face revealed, "It's nothing serious. I'm just here on the boss's orders to persuade you to close your pharmacy early. It'll save everyone's face."
"Oh. Is it Shopkeeper Qian's idea again?" Meng Xuanli paused and said coldly, "My dear fellows, don't you think about it?"
Those people stood there in a daze.
"How could I, a stranger with a young daughter, dare to open a shop in this unfamiliar place?" She deliberately raised her voice. "If I had no one to look after me, how could I have survived so safely?"
"Today I lost half a hair. I'm afraid that your shopkeeper Qian, along with the rest of you, may not be able to withstand that man's wrath. When the time comes, I'm afraid it won't be as simple as sending him to the authorities."
"Maybe, probably, even my life is gone."
Her words, a mixture of truth and lies, actually frightened the group of people.
The strong men looked at each other and began to hesitate.
The leader, recalling the previous incident and hearing Meng Xuanli's confident words, began to waver. Shopkeeper Qian had given the money, but if he provoked the wrong person, he might end up with nothing but his life.
He paused, then bowed and said, "Madam Meng, please don't blame us. We were also entrusted by someone..."
"How about this? You close the shop tomorrow and take a couple of days off. We can give the boss an explanation. How about that?"
Meng Xuanli knew the importance of knowing when to quit. After a moment of silence, he said, "That's fine. However, if this happens again in the future, you must inform me in advance. Otherwise, if that person finds out, I won't be able to protect you."
"Yes, yes, thank you Madam Meng for your understanding. Then...then we will take our leave." After saying that, fearing that Meng Xuanli would go back on his word, he hurriedly left with his men.
Seeing them running so fast, Meng Xuanli pursed her lips, a little wanting to laugh. She turned around and said gently to the groom, "Let's go back too."
The coachman nodded, and after Meng Xuanli sat firmly, he waved the whip and drove forward.
#
As dusk fell, the courtyard was quiet. Meng Xuanli pushed open the gate and was surprised to find Lu Guanque was nowhere to be seen. Normally, he would be waiting for her in the courtyard at this time, but today, he was nowhere to be seen.
After walking a few steps, Meng Xuanli saw a few more guards in the courtyard, and a bad thought suddenly arose. She hurried to the wing room and looked around, but Tongtong was nowhere to be found.
Meng Xuanli clutched her chest and said, "Lu Guanque, where's my daughter?" Without a second thought, she stepped forward, stood on tiptoe, and grabbed his collar. "Are you pretending to be someone you want to use to threaten me?"
Lu Guanque hadn't expected her to do this. He lowered his eyes to look at her. Meng Xuanli's eyes were watery, and her lips were trembling. He suddenly understood and said in a low voice, "I just put Tongtong to sleep. She's sleeping soundly in the room right now."
Meng Xuanli was speechless, stunned for a moment, and then she let go. Lu Guanque was quick to grasp her face and frowned, "What? Are you afraid that I'll take her away?"
"It's not impossible." Meng Xuanli said coldly, "You've done this before." She stepped back and pushed his hand away: "Be aware of your identity."
Lu Guanque's palms felt cold, and he said in detail: "Ali, please don't blame me. When have I ever done such a thing?" He walked forward.
"Why not?" Meng Xuanli sneered. "You found me before, and soon after, you took me back to Dongdu. This time, you might have come just to take my daughter away, threaten me, and then..."
She was forced into a corner by him, and through the dim light, her eyes met his. Lu Guanque's voice was deep, yet soft: "And then? Why don't you say anything?"
Meng Xuanli was stunned by the question, and a lingering thought flashed through his mind: "What? How did you force me to marry someone else?"
"Everyone in the courtyard has seen it. You've been so humble by my side, isn't it just to make me forgive you? But you also understand that you'll have to go back sooner or later. You have your wife, and you'll have your children in the future. Tongtong and I are just..."
Lu Guanque's face suddenly turned cold. Without waiting for her to finish, he quickly lowered his head and gently covered her lips with his thumb.
Meng Xuanli opened her eyes wide. Lu Guanque's fingers were gentle, like a confirmation, like a comfort, and even more like a kiss. She suddenly came to her senses and pushed him away.
Lu Guanque held her hand, pressed it against her forehead, and said in a muffled voice, "I copied the divorce agreement back then. It was never real. I hid it from the elders of the clan, and now it's in the family tree..."
Meng Xuanli didn't want to hear the result of her premonition, so she interrupted him: "How did you survive? Or... who saved you?" Her tone was a little stuttering.
Lu Guanque paused and admitted, "It's Zheng Wanruo."
"She overheard my conversation with Su He and replaced the wine. I didn't die, and she locked me up in the cellar of the Zheng Mansion. Later, when she wasn't paying attention, I escaped."
Meng Xuanli realized she shouldn't have asked, much less listened. Her eyelashes drooped, her expression cold. "Well, you should go and repay her. Why are you pretending to be so hypocritical in front of me? Get out of here."
Lu Guanque shook his head and continued to explain: "I'm here, of course, for my Ali. Don't dislike me."
"According to the family tree, you and I are still husband and wife. Even the gods can't separate us. I promise I won't hide anything from you anymore."
Meng Xuanli bit her lip, as if trying to dispel her suspicions, and remained silent for a while. Lu Guanque saw that she was a little tired. "When you're angry, you don't speak. When I see you're silent, my heart is like frying in oil. So promise me, don't be silent, just scold me directly."
Meng Xuanli blinked, his eyes gleaming as he stared at him: "Scold you? I'm too lazy to open my mouth."
"Then what do you want to do?" Lu Guanque pursed his lips, "Are you tired? Can I hold you? Give you a rub?"
Meng Xuanli felt relieved and pushed him away gently, but he smiled and bent down, put one hand through her knees, and the other hand around her back, and picked her up sideways.
Meng Xuanli struggled uncontrollably, so she simply let him pick her up. She lay flat on the bed, eyes closed, and said angrily, "Just now you said you wouldn't hide it from me, but today you're hiding it from me." It wasn't until she got home that she realized he had followed her silently all the way.
"You know." Lu Guanque paused, "I did that because I was afraid you would get hurt."
Meng Xuanli turned her head and looked at him: "Lu Guanque, I'm not as fragile as you think, okay? If I were that fragile, I would have died countless times."
Lu Guanque squatted down and met her eyes, his gaze deep: "I know you are not fragile." His voice was low and hoarse, "I am the one who feels sorry for you."
Meng Xuanli kept repeating the word "heartache", feeling a lump in her throat. She turned away and stopped looking at him: "Why didn't I feel heartache before..."
"Do you know how sad I was when you were away and I was all alone?" She sniffed. "You say it's for my own good, but that only works if I think it's good."
"Then what does Ah Li think is good? I can learn from you." Lu Guanque gently stroked her back, his voice extremely gentle, "Don't cry, if you cry, I will want to cry too. You should scold me, or should I kneel for a few more days?"
Meng Xuanli recalled the past: "When I was little, I desperately wanted to be seen by others, but in the end, few people noticed me. Gradually, I got used to my own airy existence."
"Later, when I met you, I realized that you liked me and cherished me, but... what you said that day was so hurtful. You said you..." Her voice choked, and she could hardly repeat the pain.
Meng Xuanli's words made Lu Guanque throw away his restraint and forbearance, his eyes welling with tears. He gently lifted her up, placed her on his lap, and wiped away her tears. "I thought those words were the only ones that could deceive you, but now, I regret saying them. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be in such pain."
"What I said was very bad and always made you sad. I promise you that I will never say such annoying words again in the future and will only say good things to you, okay?" Lu Guanque lowered his head and lightly touched her forehead.
Meng Xuanli lowered his eyelashes: "Who knows which of your words are true? You are always like this, Lu Guanque. You always lie to me like this."
"Ali, do you still think I was cold and heartless back then?" Lu Guanque felt a pang of pain in his heart. "In fact, I can't control my feelings for you at all. No matter what time it is, when I think of what you said that day, I can't help but feel heartbroken."
"Seeing you so sad, I am even sadder than you. Because I love you more than you love me."
He leaned over and kissed her eyes. "You once asked me what I was most afraid of, and I said, losing you. I meant it, and it's always been there."
Meng Xuanli's vision was blurred. She leaned on his shoulder and sobbed, "If you say so now, it's fine. Please don't leave me, don't say those annoying words anymore, don't abandon me again..."
Lu Guanque patted her back gently, his nose swollen, and said in a muffled voice: "I know, I know everything. I won't abandon you again, and you don't abandon me, okay?"
Meng Xuanli uttered a "hmm" through tears, then immediately realized, "Where's Tongtong? Where did you put her?"
Lu Guanque held her face and wiped away her tears: "You forget so much? I just said that Tongtong is in your room."
"You're the one who forgets things." Meng Xuanli sniffed, thinking of the people outside, "What's going on with those guards?"
Lu Guanque hooked her hair behind her ear and said, "I was thinking of sitting down with you to discuss this matter after dinner tonight. Now it seems we have to talk it through."
Meng Xuanli was startled, feeling a little uneasy. Lu Guanque gently scratched her nose and said with a smile, "It's not a bad thing. But I want to know your opinion."
Lu Guanque's fingers were entangled in her hair, his heart tugged at him. "Everyone in the court, and even the world, thought I was dead. But His Majesty... he knew the truth. Not only did he investigate Su He's affairs, he also understood my original choice."
Meng Xuanli pursed her lips and stared at his chin.
Lu Guanque continued, "Your Majesty initially wanted to restore my identity, but after much hesitation, he felt it was inappropriate. Wouldn't it be too frivolous for someone to suddenly be resurrected from the dead, undermining the weight of the Emperor's words?"
"So, Your Majesty and I have come up with an explanation." Lu Guanque deliberately kept the audience in suspense. "Ali, guess what it is?"
"How can I guess what the emperor is thinking?" Meng Xuanli frowned, then smiled. "But I can guess a little about your thoughts."
"Did you take advantage of the funeral to do something?" Her voice was not loud.
Lu Guanque kissed her forehead and continued, "That's right. Your Majesty will announce to the outside world that my funeral was a show staged by the emperor and his ministers. The purpose was to lure out the evil and eliminate all the ministers with evil intentions in the court."
"Now." Lu Guanque paused, "The drama is over, the treacherous villains have been eliminated, and you and I have restored our status. And Tongtong..."
"His Majesty learned of her existence and bestowed upon her the title of Princess, saying it was a reward for us. However, in this case, we must return. Ali, do you want to go back?"
When she heard the words "restore her status", Meng Xuanli guessed what was going to happen next. She remained silent because she felt that she had been tricked by him again.
She asked, "Let's not talk about going back for now. You're so thoughtful about this. Was it planned a long time ago? And today, did you come here on purpose to provoke me?"
Lu Guanque sighed, hugged her tightly in his arms, and whispered, "Ali, I should have told you these words a long time ago, but I didn't say them at first because I was afraid you wouldn't be with me."
"Today's events were brought together by Providence. The guards happened to arrive in Lingnan, and you didn't see Tongtong. This is a good opportunity for me to tell you everything."
“Everything is just right.”
Lu Guanque's nerves were tense as he spoke slowly, "I know you have feelings for this place... So, when you're ready, we can go back, okay?"
Meng Xuanli leaned over his shoulder and expressed his thoughts: "If we go back like this, the court officials will know what's going on at a glance. It would be better to stay here for two or three years and then go back. That would be the end of this drama."
"Don't think I'm doing this for you. I'm just expressing my gratitude to His Majesty." Meng Xuanli realized it belatedly and added, "Liu Lian and I, actually..."
"I know, you little liar." Lu Guanque stroked her hair. "I believed it that day and was heartbroken for a long time."
Meng Xuanli said angrily, "Who told you to... Never mind. I'm a little hungry. Go cook. I want to eat fish."
Lu Guanque smiled and said, "Okay, I'll cook fish for you." After that, he picked her up and walked straight into her room.
Fuyao was shocked when she saw this scene as soon as she entered the room. She immediately hid outside the window and listened to the two people's whispered conversation. She couldn't help but laugh. She was worried that their relationship would become increasingly cold and eventually become a rift. Unexpectedly, before winter even came, there was a ray of hope.
Hearing the laughter, Meng Xuanli hurriedly pushed Lu Guanque and lowered his voice: "If you don't go, I will starve to death."
Lu Guanque's eyes were smiling, and Meng Xuanli shushed, "Tongtong is still asleep."
The warm wind blew in from the window, and the sky was golden, just like Lu Guanque's face, full of joy. He whispered, "Wait for me to come back."
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