Chapter 30-030 He was carried back.
Thinking of the passionate Second Princess and the calm and resolute Fourth Prince, Qingli suddenly said, "With your magnanimity, your aunt would certainly not be so narrow-minded."
Huang Pu was rarely moved, and asked in return, "Why do you say that?"
“With you here, I have already figured out my aunt’s temperament. She must be calm and gentle. Although I don’t know why she was like that back then, I am willing to give her a chance to explain.”
"When you meet, will you take the initiative to acknowledge her?"
Qingli shook her head, as if a child was sulking, "No, since she was wrong first, she should admit her mistake first."
"If there is a good reason behind it?"
"Everyone has their own reasons, but reasons can't be a valid excuse. As if we can't understand reasons, if we chose not to speak up back then because we couldn't understand, do you think we can understand now?" She put her hands on her hips and said angrily, "I can't understand anymore!"
"So you're not going to forgive?"
Qingli's eyes darted around, and she chuckled, "That depends on her performance. If she performs well..."
Huang Pu's heart was also raised by her gentle tone, and then he heard her say heavily, "Of course I forgive you."
"What about the wrong things she did? We're not going to pursue them?"
"They've put in a lot of effort, offered compensation, and even taken the initiative. What more do they want? Do they expect people to be subservient? I think that's too much and doesn't seem like the way of strategy in warfare."
What does this mean?
"Beneath the human skin lies only two hundred and six bones, yet upon that skin lie eighteen thousand forms. I have no form, yet I possess myriad appearances. What form am I? For example, if you look in a mirror, I am the same as you. If you act in silence, I will not ask. If you tell me honestly, I will understand."
These insightful words deeply moved Huang Pu, leaving him speechless for a long time.
Qingli had only recently come to this realization, and suddenly felt that the world was vast and boundless, so why suffer for herself?
After she left the Huang residence, looking at the bustling streets outside, with carriages and horses coming and going, the vibrant life made her heart leap with joy, and she decided to squeeze into the crowd.
Not far away, Yun Li and Yun Chen, the secret guards of the Meng family, exchanged a glance and both sensed something was amiss.
Following Miss Guo's lead, Yun Li cautiously replied, "I will go and report to the General."
The bustling city was filled with the lively atmosphere of fireworks, and people were jostling each other. Jiang Zhaomai's arms were full, but he didn't feel tired at all.
I just feel grateful that these are the best days of the day. There's no anxiety, no need to be overly cautious, and no fear of being tormented by anyone. So I said it out loud.
Qingli suddenly realized that in less than a year, the days at the Dingxi Prince's Mansion seemed to be getting increasingly blurry.
Once back at the manor, Qingli instructed Jiang Zhao to distribute the items. The maids and nannies in the manor, who rarely went out, found it all quite novel and hoped to go out with their young mistress like Jiang Zhao.
But the weather suddenly turned cold, and it remained gloomy for many days. The wind blew for many days as well, and Qingli became lazy, postponing the time for handling official business until Chenzheng.
When it's freezing cold, nothing is more comfortable than being in bed.
Only in the last two days did she learn that, in the Meng family's plan, Dongwan Garden was the place where the master of the Meng family would rest in the backyard. Just one gate away was the study. For this reason, the Ministry of Works specially laid flooring in Dongwan Garden.
The charcoal fire burned brightly, making the room feel warm like springtime. Compared to the bitter cold outside, it made one even less inclined to go out.
Right now, Dongwan Garden is the warmest place in the Meng family mansion.
A soft cheer arose outside. Qingli looked up from the ledger. The bright, clear window made it easy to see the snowflakes falling.
The cold wind stopped howling, and snowflakes swirled in the air, slowly falling to the ground, leaving a pale white carpet.
With snow covering the branches, the dreary winter finally came alive.
Qingli suddenly remembered that a few days ago, Granny Sui had been muttering to herself about whether Meng Qingshan had any winter clothes. She pretended not to hear it, feeling awkward inside, but ultimately didn't react.
She understood, but she didn't put it into practice.
Jiang Yue, wearing a ginger-yellow cotton cloak, quickly entered the corridor from outside, lightly stamped her feet twice, and pushed open the door to enter the room. "Miss, the master has sent a letter."
Qingli took it and read it once, then said anxiously, "Let's go to the Tang residence."
Jiang Yue and Jiang Zhao thought something had happened and stood there stiffly for a moment.
"Shuqing's elder brother, there's news."
Jiang Zhao exclaimed loudly, "Really?"
They have experienced the bitterness of searching for their relatives alone, and they know the joy of receiving the news.
Qingli changed into a light blue brocade dress embroidered with lotus patterns, and wore a gray squirrel fur cloak over it. Granny Sui wanted to prepare a hand warmer. The Tang residence was next door. She was in a hurry to leave and waved her hand dismissively.
The ground crunched underfoot, and even with an umbrella, Jiang Zhao couldn't stop the snow from coming with the wind.
A thin layer of snow covered her pale fox fur boots. Qingli walked to the gate of the Tang residence. Jiang Zhao went to knock on the door. She stomped her foot, and a piercing pain suddenly shot into her body from the ground. Her heartstrings tightened abruptly, her vision went black, and her body swayed back and forth a couple of times because she couldn't bear it.
She immediately regained her balance and escaped from the endless void. Her back was drenched in sweat, which turned cold and seeped into her body. She suddenly felt a little scared.
The door opened, and the Tang family steward saw a beautiful woman holding an umbrella amidst the vast expanse of snowflakes. The snowflakes obscured her face like a curtain, but the glimpse of her face revealed was enough to show her exquisite beauty.
"Miss is..."
Qingli regained her senses, ignoring the unfounded unease that had gripped her mind. She tilted her umbrella back slightly, and the sound of falling snow echoed behind her.
The butler recognized her stunningly beautiful face at a glance as the young lady from next door and quickly bowed, saying, "Greetings, Miss."
"I've come to find Shuqing."
As the steward invited her inside, he sent a quick-footed servant to deliver the message. The steward glanced at her and, not knowing if it was Xueying, noticed that her face was unusually pale, and felt a pang of regret that Bai Xue's appearance had been marred.
Qingli stepped inside. The Tang family mansion's houses were arranged in a neat and orderly fashion, and the snow-covered landscape made it look even more like a silver-white world. It was indeed quite different from the Meng family mansion. After a while, she realized that the trees were thick and brown, without any greenery. They were fine in the summer, but looked rather gloomy and dry in the winter.
A sudden gust of wind arose, swirling with snowflakes, and she instinctively squinted.
Tang Shuqing met her at the courtyard gate, looking at her anxiously. Only when she saw that she was safe and sound did she breathe a sigh of relief. "You scared me. I heard the servants report that something had happened to you."
Tang Shuqing took her hand and felt it was icy cold. She scolded, "Why are you in such a hurry? You didn't even have time to grab a hand warmer."
Qingli smiled shyly. She didn't want to say anything inappropriate at this time, and simply said, "It's a good thing."
Once inside, the room was brightly lit, with a charcoal brazier burning in the corner. Her hands and feet warmed up. "Let's just talk, just the two of us," she said.
Tang Shuqing sent a maid out and handed her a hand warmer, saying, "Now you can speak, right?"
Qingli took out a piece of drawing paper from her sleeve and pushed it in front of Tang Shuqing. It was a piece of broken jade wrapped with a red rope.
Tang Shuqing was startled and quickly picked it up to examine it closely, not missing any details. Only after confirming that it was another piece of broken jade did she look at her, her eyes already filled with tears, which flowed silently.
Tang Shuqing held her arm tightly, her fingers gripping it firmly, not daring to let go for a moment. Her lips trembled as she carefully asked, "You really have news about my brother?"
"Yes, that's right. Time was of the essence, so I only managed to make a copy of the jade he wore and sent it back by carrier pigeon." Qingli turned the drawing over, revealing a list of locations underneath. "You still need to send someone to see him as soon as possible."
Tang Shuqing felt as if a blockage had been lifted from her chest for years. She hurriedly stood up and said, "I'll go and tell my mother."
"Let me inform Lord Tang first, and ask Madam Tang to wait a moment."
Madam Tang was already suffering from heartache. She couldn't bear to give hope only to be disappointed again, as she was worried that Madam Tang's health wouldn't be able to withstand it.
"Alright, wait for me here. I'll go find Father right away." Tang Shuqing, still wearing her cloak, opened the door and rushed into the snow, shouting, "Wait for me!"
A gust of wind blew snow into the house, covering her skirt with snowflakes. She shivered from the cold and bent down to brush the snowflakes away, but the snow melted into water, wetting her hands as well. In an instant, the water turned into ice crystals, making her fingers cold and painful.
She got up to close the door, but found that soft snowflakes had already fallen all around, and everything in sight was white. The cold light stung her eyes.
The wind was still howling when Granny Sui suddenly came into view.
Her steps were hurried and slippery, and she stumbled twice before regaining her balance. When she looked up, she saw the young lady standing at the door, her fair cheeks flushed with an unnatural red. Her brocade dress was billowing in the wind, making her figure appear even more slender.
Granny Sui walked to the corridor, ignoring the snowflakes falling from her hair. Despite her anxiety, she still had to consider that she was in the Tang residence, so she lowered her voice and said tremblingly, "Miss! The general is seriously injured and has been carried back."
A noisy buzzing sound made her frown uncomfortably. Looking at Granny Sui's mouth opening and closing in front of her, she looked blankly behind her. Her feet seemed to be buried in snow. She tried to move her legs, but found that she was still stuck in the same place.
She hurried forward, but the feeling of exhaustion made her collapse to one side. Granny Sui caught her quickly and panicked, "Miss, don't scare me!"
The fear that had just subsided surged back like a tide, and Qingli subconsciously shrank back.
She didn't know how she got back to the Meng residence. She just stared blankly at the imperial physicians coming and going in the East Garden. Her nose was filled with the thick smell of blood. She leaned against the door frame and looked at Meng Qingshan, who had lost all color on the bed. His face was as pale as paper, and his eyes were closed, losing their sharp gaze.
The three imperial physicians looked grave and worked together, but they still couldn't stop the blood from splattering.
Despite the excruciating pain of having his bones scraped and flesh cut, he didn't even flinch.
Back in Taiyuan, he was injured repeatedly, and each time he would hide in his room and apply medicine by himself. Once, she pushed open the door and saw that his broad back was covered in blood and flesh, with deep scars all around. He had a piece of white cloth in his mouth, and his forehead was covered in sweat.
She remained silent, her eyes seemingly unfocused. She subconsciously stepped forward to take the gauze, bandaged the wound, and then turned and left, leaving behind the words, "Meng Qingshan, if you continue to disregard your own safety, I will become a nun."
Hearing his mistress's whisper, Jiang Zhao quickly asked, "Miss, do you have any instructions?"
Qingli shook her head, her eyes fixed on his face, not daring to look away.
After a long while, her hands and feet were stiff. The snow that had fallen on her body, face, and hair had already melted into water, making her look like she was drenched in sweat. In fact, the wetness stuck to her body, making her feel suffocated and unable to breathe steadily.
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