Chapter 47 047 He Made Her Look at Him in a New Light
After a long period of quiet, the palace began preparations for the winter rites in full swing. As if it had been suppressed for too long, every place was bustling with activity.
Consort He sat in Yingcui Palace, watching Consort Mu with great interest as she arranged for Yu Jue to go to the Imperial Clothing Department to arrange new clothes. On the day of the Winter Worship, everyone from the common people to the palace had to wear new clothes, and the new clothes also had to be carefully chosen, following the five elements and changing with the seasons, using shades of green, yellow, white, and black.
"Sister, you're too late."
Consort He gave a sarcastic remark.
Consort Mu smiled gently. "What do you mean by that?"
"Qingli's new clothes have already been laid out in the Jingsi Hall."
"Thank you for your trouble."
Consort He approached her intimately and said, "What are you saying, sister? It's been thanks to your care all these years that Su Chen Palace has been able to stay safe. It's not easy for me to contribute this time. Besides, Qing Li is poised and generous, and she acts with grace and poise. She has also made Pei'er much more cheerful."
A sweet, innocent voice came from outside, "Consort He, how biased you are!"
Ling Shuyao, dressed in a fiery red, narrow-sleeved outfit, handed the bow and arrow to her maid. The bow was wrapped with colorful silk threads, which was very festive. She sat down, took the teacup and drank it all, and her burning throat finally felt a little better. "Haven't I taken good care of Pei'er all these years?"
Consort He wiped Ling Shupei's sweat with a handkerchief while replying, "All these years, we have been so grateful to the Second Princess."
"He's just a bit too lively and talks too much, leaving Pei'er speechless."
These were the words of Consort Mu. Ling Shuyao stood with her hands on her hips, looking aggrieved.
Consort Mu gestured for Qingli to step forward, took the handkerchief from the maid to wipe her sweat, and Qingli gave Ling Shupei a wink, saying playfully, "I see."
Ling Shupei just smiled blankly.
Consort He smiled in the corner, but her eyes flickered as she watched Consort Mu's actions. Not to mention the Second Prince, even the Second Princess had never received Consort Mu's personal care. This Qing Li must be someone of great importance.
The laughter and cheers at the British Palace continued for quite some time before finally subsiding.
*
Inside the imperial prison, only an oil lamp burned dimly on the wall, crackling and emitting black smoke. The place was perpetually dark, and the murky smell and dampness enveloped the people on the weeds. Their bodies rose and fell in the darkness, revealing that they were still alive.
The bailiff, his head bowed, face numb, his wrinkled eyelids drooping, looked terrifying. Hearing the voice from above, he glanced sideways, walked inside, opened the cell door, and then retreated along the wall.
Some things, if you know too much, you'll lose your life. Isn't that what happened in the movie?
Anping Tai tilted his head slightly, glanced at the doorway, and then fell back down heavily. Blood gushed from his wounds. He couldn't tell whether it was the dizziness caused by his serious injury or the darkness of the night, and he couldn't see anything around him.
Lu Yunye covered his mouth and nose, and said with disgust, "Why did you have to make me come here? It's disgusting."
"Is he dead or not?"
"No way, they attacked so hard and he still didn't die. Looks like he's nothing special."
Meng Qingshan seemed unaffected by Lu Yunye's nagging, his eyes gleaming as he looked at the person lying on the weeds, barely alive. "Have you thought it through?"
"Ha, he's a vicious tiger... Meng Qingshan... aren't you a wolf too?" An Pingtai, having suffered repeated assassination attempts, was already severely damaged and on the verge of death. He spoke intermittently, each word feeling as if his bones were cracking.
"You're not even a piece of meat in the wolf's mouth."
Anping seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world, and chuckled softly. The laughter was muffled, and it turned out that he was spitting out a mouthful of blood, which made Lu Yunye take two steps back, afraid of being tainted by something unlucky.
After working so hard for so many years, I've long been at the mercy of others, yet I've still ended up in this situation. "You still have your own agenda."
Anping Tai felt a chilling aura pressing down on him and couldn't help but cough. His internal organs felt like they were being burned, and his heart ached throbbed. He heard him say, "What you thought was a life-saving item is actually a death warrant. You're still proud of it. You're a real fool."
Seemingly finally moved, Anping Tai lay on the weeds, calming his breathing. At this moment, he understood that his hesitation was only because Meng Qingshan was willing to help. What right did he have to hide anything? After a long pause, he said, "Military supplies..."
That's not what I want to hear.
Anping was stunned for a moment, too weak to get up. He stared at the moldy ceiling, sticky and slippery, making him uncomfortable. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "What do you want to hear?"
"Does he keep a private army?"
Are they private soldiers, not the main camp outside Beijing? Then it must be a personal grudge? Anping stared intently, his eyes long since devoid of light after days of torment, but it was clear he truly didn't know.
Meng Qingshan could only recall the black-armored guards discovered at the camp outside the capital, who bore a resemblance to the people who had chased Qing Li. But Anping didn't know... was it the First Prince? And who was it then?
Having received no useful information, Meng Qingshan turned to leave.
"Wait...why did you save me?" He must have known about Anping's self-control beforehand, and he had been unable to break free for many years. Given Meng Qingshan's intentions, why would he spare his life?
A hint of tenderness flashed in Meng Qingshan's cold, hard eyes. "You're alive now because you have a smart sister who knows which deity to pray to to save your life."
Stepping onto the ground, the bright sunlight made Meng Qingshan squint. Lu Yunye behind him staggered a couple of times, then slapped his arms hard to shake off the chill clinging to him. "Since you already know, why did you bring me along?"
"The fact that things went so smoothly this time suggests that there must be another force involved in Kyoto, but they haven't been caught in the act."
"What do you mean? There's a master behind them?" Lu Yunye sighed at their shrewdness.
How did you know?
Meng Qingshan seemed not to hear, and walked forward. Lu Yunye looked down at his shadow, pondered for a moment, but couldn't figure it out, so he followed, and said schemingly, "You're not trying to warn me not to have any thoughts of restoring the dynasty, are you?"
Meng Qingshan immediately stopped, but Lu Yunye couldn't stop in time. She grabbed his arm and barely managed to stand. When she met his disdainful look, she said indignantly, "What do you mean? How am I... not good enough?"
Meng Qingshan was getting a headache from his annoyance. He brought him along so that he could see An Pingtai's role in all of this. An Pingtai was once the commander of the Imperial Guards, and it was impossible to know how many subordinates he had cultivated. Lu Yunye had been in the Imperial Guards for a long time, knew a lot about people, was charitable, and was smart and alert. Having him keep an eye on things would keep him away from trouble.
"A while ago, a banned drug from the previous dynasty was exposed, and others were implicated. The days ahead will be turbulent, so tell the brothers below to be careful."
"OK."
Lu Yunye remembered something and whispered, "The performance evaluation will be held after the New Year, and a special imperial examination will be held. Many prominent families in the capital are making preparations, busy recruiting students and acknowledging their mentors. It's quite a lively scene."
Meng Qingshan suddenly thought of Huang Pu's troublesome visit some time ago, and felt a headache coming on. He thought to himself that scholars were just troublesome.
For several days in a row, Qingli did not see Meng Qingshan, but only sent him messages to take care of himself.
She's heard it the same thing every time, and she's tired of hearing it.
She had been practicing her speed-running with the Second Princess and the Third Princess these past few days, and time flew by. The next day, she woke up without being reminded by Granny Hua Ying. Granny Hua Ying was just lifting the curtain when she said cautiously with a tense expression, "Miss, Chongwen Palace is closed."
Since that's the case, Qingli didn't get up again. "Has something happened?"
"It was said that His Majesty was furious, the Empress rushed over, and then the palace ordered everything to stop."
Qingli paused for a moment, her thoughts a jumble. She wasn't exactly afraid, but she was wondering how the Emperor would handle the matter of the First Prince being reprimanded, whether it would be a stern rebuke followed by a lenient one.
I felt a chill in my heart, as if nothing had been meant to be.
A question suddenly popped into her mind: if the truth about her parents' past were found out, would it also be covered up quietly, since this world belongs to the emperor?
And what about her? The pain of being separated from her family, and the lives of her parents—are they all insignificant in the eyes of this saint?
Her suffering had nothing to do with him, so why should she acknowledge him as a saint?
Seeing that her mistress had lost her temper, Hua Ying, the old woman, turned over and seemed lost in thought. After getting up, she sat there blankly. Hua Ying was worried and took the opportunity of serving the meal to find Meng Qingshan.
A breeze stirred the curtain, causing the candlelight to flicker and wave before her eyes. Qingli looked up blankly, then recognized the person and exclaimed, "Why are you here?"
After asking the question, Qingli realized that dusk had already fallen outside. It turned out that she had spent the whole day thinking before finally finding a difficult way out.
Seeing her pale face and exhausted appearance, Meng Qingshan's brows furrowed. What could possibly require her to go through such hardship? Was it for that secret? Or for that person she couldn't find?
If he were to ask her directly, she would surely tell him the same lies, so why bother asking? He simply responded.
Granny Hua Ying watched anxiously from the side, wondering what had gone wrong. Just moments ago, the general had rushed over, but now he sat in his chair without uttering a word. Had he gone mad?
Granny Hua Ying rolled her eyes, picked up the Nine-Nine Winter Solstice Chart that was placed under the window, and whispered, "Miss, General, there are only two days left until the Winter Solstice. Where should we hang this chart?"
Both of them came to their senses. Qingli breathed a sigh of relief. The plum blossoms painted by the palace painter were flawless. The brushstrokes were full and rich. There were nine plum blossoms and eighty-one petals. One petal was painted each day, and winter passed and spring deepened.
Meng Qingshan pointed to the east wall of the outer room, where Granny Huaying bent down to do so. He looked at her carefully; her face had regained some color, and her eyes were no longer so empty. Only then did he ask, "You were the one who brought the evidence that day. Why are you scared?"
"Will it just fizzle out?"
The questions were asked with such caution.
Meng Qingshan thought about it seriously for a moment, then said, "Yes."
Qingli relaxed a little and looked at him seriously. His sword-like eyebrows and sharp, angular features made her smile slightly as he spoke so calmly.
"What? You think it's all in vain?"
"some."
“Those in high positions are not afraid of repeated betrayals, because they understand that since they are in high positions, everyone will flock to them, but the most dangerous thing is the suspicion of those in high positions.”
Meng Qingshan raised his teacup and congratulated him, "You've done a great job getting the seed to sprout."
Qingli stared blankly at Meng Qingshan under the lamp. The light and shadow shone on his high nose bridge, making him look even more resolute. He had abandoned his previous fierce and domineering attitude and temporarily put aside the estrangement between them. Undeniably, he had impressed her time and time again, and inspired her time and time again.
The exhaustion from planning all day and the occasional discouragement vanished with his words, giving her a surge of strength and making her even more determined in her choice.
She wanted to ask about the truth of what happened back then, but the words caught in her throat, and she suddenly smiled. Perhaps what she was about to do was no longer important.
Meng Qingshan looked at the brilliance in her eyes, his throat bobbed twice, and his emotions surged, clamoring in his mind, which he repeatedly suppressed.
Whether she's happy or disappointed, she should just let him stay by her side.
He will clear away all obstacles in his path.
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