Chapter 7 007 General Meng, as always, still loved to take advantage of others…
As night fell, all was quiet except for the sound of the guards patrolling outside Taoyuan Pavilion. The Prince of Dingxi ordered his men to send Qingli back to Taoyuan Pavilion and put her under guard, which was tantamount to confinement. It could be said that she would not be able to leave Taoyuan Pavilion until this matter was investigated.
"Madam?" The guards surrounded Taoyuan Pavilion. Jiang Yue, worried, brought her bedding to keep watch. Hearing a slight movement inside the bed, Jiang Yue, unable to sleep, tentatively called out.
A hand reached out from under the curtain, slightly raised, revealing a stunningly beautiful woman behind it, leaning against the couch, her allure captivating. Her bright eyes looked over, and she reassured her, "Don't be afraid."
Jiang Yue is meticulous and gentle, but she is indecisive when faced with problems. She is not good at talking and always buries herself in Taoyuan Pavilion. Jiang Zhao goes out with her. In fact, Jiang Yue is better looking than Jiang Zhao, but because she is hiding in Taoyuan Pavilion, she avoids many dirty things. Rongde's affairs fall on Jiang Zhao. Jiang Zhao ignores the cold words outside, but he finds it hard to bear Jiang Yue's situation.
So when this happened, Jiang Zhaoan returned to her room, while Jiang Yue was restless day and night. She became agitated and leaned against the cushions. Jiang Yue got up, pulled up the bed curtains, and whispered, "Will the prince kill us?"
When Jiang Yue said this, her body visibly trembled. Qing Li thought that she was probably remembering something that happened two years ago. At that time, the three of them had just been placed in Taoyuan Pavilion. The Prince's Mansion was very disciplined and majestic. They were already like frightened birds. Then, the Prince's Mansion caught a spy, and Rongde ordered all the maids to go and watch the execution.
Upon returning, Jiang Yue fell ill, and Jiang Zhao remained pale for several days. Only after she had calmed down did she reveal that a kitchen maid had been naked and bound to a long bench, water was poured on her, and her flesh was scraped off with a brush. The maid lost consciousness, and the process continued until her bones were exposed. The flesh scraps were washed down to the feet of the onlookers, causing many to collapse to the ground. Rongde forbade anyone to close their eyes.
Qingli immediately understood that it was the torture of "combing and washing," where boiling water was used to soften the skin and flesh, and then a special brush was used to repeatedly scrape the reddened skin and flesh, which was extremely cruel and torturous.
Qingli said solemnly, "No."
“But that person broke his promise and abandoned us here. If things come to light…” Jiang Yue’s face grew more and more bitter as she spoke, complaining, “He looks quite human, but he’s a complete scoundrel!”
A gust of cold wind blew, and as soon as the mistress and servant finished speaking, they looked up and saw a burly man standing in the room. They looked up at him and could hardly see his head, making the whole room feel cramped.
Jiang Yue was shocked that her bad talk had been overheard by the person in question. Her face turned bright red with embarrassment, and she dared not look up. Qing Li stared blankly, also speechless. Although she hadn't said the words, she had opened her mouth as if to agree. In fact, she had been proud and stubborn since childhood, and she would never back down, especially towards him. She blinked, and finally blurted out what she had been thinking.
It was indeed unpleasant to hear, but it made me feel better. I instructed, "I want to say a few words to General Meng."
Jiang Yue lowered her head, not daring to say anything more. Besides, General Meng was the lady's brother, and she hadn't thought about etiquette at all. She turned around and went out the door. Once outside, she slapped her forehead in frustration. The lady wasn't dressed yet. Hearing the low voices inside, she had no choice but to give up.
Meng Qingshan pulled out the low stool behind the bed with practiced ease. Qingli was taken aback. Her body was so soft and boneless that she usually preferred to lie on the bed and did not have the habit of making Jiang Yue and Jiang Zhao kneel to serve her. Even Ying Shui and Ying Yue had never punished her. When Jiang Yue and Jiang Zhao served her in the room, they would sit on the low stool so that their line of sight would be level. When not in use, they would put it behind the bed. How could he know?
The doubt lasted only a moment, and before she could think about it further, she saw him sitting down in front of the bed. His tall figure loomed over her, enveloping her and making her involuntarily stand up.
"Did the Prince of Dingxi say anything?" Meng Qingshan forcefully turned his gaze away, ignoring the glimpse of white revealed by her disheveled clothes. She had been delicate and frail since childhood, afraid of the heat in summer and the cold in winter. Her skin was also delicate, and her palms would always be red and swollen whenever she lifted heavy objects. She would sit in the courtyard with tears in her eyes, blowing on them with small breaths.
When Qingli learned of his departure during the day, she had already cursed him fiercely in her heart. Now that she knew he had deliberately left to dispel the King of Dingxi's suspicions, she felt somewhat ashamed, but she showed no sign of it on her face. She described the situation during the day to him in detail, and finally ordered, "You must extricate me from this matter."
They were cooperating, and neither owed the other anything. Although she didn't know what was written in those documents, it was still more important than her finding someone, so she deserved to protect herself.
"Don't worry." He had already thoroughly investigated the guards hidden around Taoyuan Pavilion, and the Prince of Dingxi was indeed very suspicious of her.
"Hmph, don't worry, you say it nicely, but how can I trust you? You're not even in the palace, you can't reach me, don't you understand?" Qingli thought of his past actions, how he was all bravado and reckless, only good at showing off and fighting. She said angrily, "I don't believe you."
Meng Qingshan frowned, but since the matter was important, he pondered to decide what to say to her.
Seeing that he remained silent, Qingli felt her blood boil. Thinking of the suffering she had endured over the years, trapped in the Prince's mansion and deprived of her freedom, she felt a surge of resentment. She regretted conspiring with the wolf and despised herself for easily forgetting her past and trusting him. He was the real culprit. Her face turned cold as she stared at him indifferently and said sarcastically, "I didn't expect General Meng to still be the same as always, always using others as stepping stones."
As soon as she finished speaking, he straightened up, causing the curtains to tremble. He glared at her menacingly, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, and asked in a low voice, "What do you mean by this?"
"General Meng, how did you achieve such illustrious military exploits? The glory you are currently dazzling you, but don't forget the path you came from!"
As soon as Qingli finished speaking, she noticed that the corners of his eyes had turned bloodshot, and her arrogance immediately subsided. She was terrified that he might hit her next. When she was young, he often punished her by inexplicably throwing a tantrum, dragging her to the bottom of a tree, and staring at her with bloodshot eyes. She trembled with fear, wondering if he would turn into a monster and eat her.
She mustered her courage and refused to let him look back, but he seemed to have given up, though his tone was still stiff, "Tomorrow someone in the city will spread the word that you won't get involved."
Having achieved her goal, Qingli decided to stop while she was ahead, saying, "That's good then."
The two were silent for a moment. With the matter on her mind resolved, Qingli felt tired. Looking at him in front of her, she dared not relax, but she was just putting on a brave face. She wondered what he meant by looking at the luminous pearl. Did he really have an addiction to being a thief? She was just thinking about it in a daze.
The next morning, upon waking, Qingli was momentarily dazed before suddenly looking towards the side of the bed. No one was there. She inwardly groaned at how could she have been so careless as to fall asleep. Jiang Yue and Jiang Zhao had already neatly hung up the bed curtains and brought in warm water. Qingli took a few small sips, her voice slightly hoarse, "When did he leave?"
Jiang Zhao looked at Jiang Yue, confused. Jiang Yue saw that the lady was also looking at her. She lowered her eyes and said hurriedly, "This servant doesn't know either. When this servant heard that there was no more movement, I pushed the door open and there was no one in the room."
After saying that, she took the teacup and turned around. Qingli didn't have a chance to ask any more questions. Anyway, nothing happened. After washing her face, she didn't need to go out. Qingli didn't even put her hair up. All the maids in Taoyuan Pavilion were not allowed to go out. The meals were brought by the guards. After eating a simple meal, Qingli nestled in the brocade quilt and leaned against the chaise longue to read a book.
Sunlight streamed through the window, warming him. Jiang Zhao placed the heater inside, with a shelf on top. The charcoal below glowed red, while the water above boiled. The rising steam dissipated in the sunlight, filling the air with the aroma of dates and the crackling of chestnuts. The window was half-open, and he could see the glittering snow on the branches.
Qingli leaned lazily against the soft pillows, watching Jiang Yue take tea leaves from the plum-green glazed lotus leaf-covered jar and place them in a white porcelain Xishi teapot for brewing. Her movements were fluid and elegant, and the aroma of tea quickly filled the entire room. She put her book on her chest, took the teacup, took a sip, and praised, "So beautiful."
Jiang Yue blushed with embarrassment at the praise from the madam. How could she be considered beautiful in front of the madam? The madam's fragrant skin and jade-like body were truly charming. Jiang Zhao peeled chestnuts beside her, watching this scene with glistening eyes and a smile on his lips. The three of them chatted and laughed all day long.
Inside Biluo Garden, Qiu Zhi sat on a low stool, directing a maid to serve Madam Jiang. Madam Jiang's migraine had flared up again. She was resting with her headband on and her eyes closed, her brows furrowed. The maid, not being skilled, pressed on the painful spot. Madam Jiang glared at her coldly in pain, and the maid knelt on the ground and kowtowed to apologize.
Qiu Zhi endured the pain and got up, dismissing the maid. She reached out and massaged Jiang Shi's head. After a moment, seeing Jiang Shi's brows relax, she felt a little smug. She whispered, "Your Highness, the people I sent reported that those three were laughing and joking about something, and they were incredibly arrogant."
Jiang stood up, and Qiu Zhi, finding his hands empty, immediately clasped them respectfully in front of him. In his nervousness, he heard the person above him say calmly, "No need to send people to keep an eye on him all day. He seems to be a very important person, but he's just a plaything that the prince casually discarded!"
As Jiang spoke, her eyes twitched upwards, radiating utter contempt and disdain. Qiu Zhi was delighted and quickly nodded repeatedly, flattering her, "Your Highness is so magnanimous. It was I who was petty. But I just can't understand how a lowly thing could bewitch the Prince's heart with such despicable means, causing him to lose..."
"Insolence!" Jiang was furious and glared fiercely at Qiu Zhi. Qiu Zhi's face immediately turned pale. He realized that even the prince was being blamed in her words. He didn't care about yesterday's punishment and knelt heavily on the ground, enduring the pain as he kowtowed repeatedly.
"If there's a next time, don't stay in Biluo Garden."
"This servant knows her crime."
Seeing Qiu Zhiteng sweating profusely, Madam Jiang didn't tell her to get up. After a while, she instructed, "How are the preparations going?"
Qiu paused, then leaned down deeply. "Everything is ready."
There was another commotion outside. Jiang heard the buzzing sound and her head throbbed as if pricked by needles. She quickly instructed Qiu Zhi to burn a talisman, soak it in water, and drink it. After a while, she let out a long sigh and said, "The illness will be cured by then."
Qiu Zhi dared not speak casually again and bowed his head in agreement.
A year ago, a traveling Taoist priest diagnosed Jiang Shi with a person in the mansion who was incompatible with the princess and was suppressing one of the princess's meridians. He said that as long as she was released from the mansion, the princess's migraines would be cured without any treatment. Jiang Shi had tried to release her many times, but the prince was so engrossed in her beauty that he couldn't let go of her for a long time. As a result, her headaches became more and more unbearable. This matter needed to be done as soon as possible.
Having rested enough during the day, Qingli became more energetic at night. She told Jiang Yue and Jiang Zhao to go downstairs to rest while she digested her food in the room. Hearing the window loosening, she ignored it and slowly walked around. The person outside tried again and again, and after a while, a blade was finally extended from the window crack to open the window.
Meng Qingshan, his arm muscles bulging, climbed in by clinging to the window frame. Seeing her looking at him with interest, his eyes darkened, and he said somewhat awkwardly, "Let me see how things are inside the manor?"
"I'm imprisoned here, how would I know what's happening inside the manor?"
Meng Qingshan was well aware of the blatant sarcasm in her words. The news had already spread during the day, and he had discovered that apart from the guards at the entrance, all the guards hidden around Taoyuan Pavilion had been withdrawn. However, he could not tell her directly, so he took out the pastries he had prepared in his bosom, "Red bean cakes from Tianxiangju in the city."
Qingli has loved red bean paste-filled pasta since she was a child—red bean cakes, red bean pancakes, red bean buns. She could never get enough of them; the outer skin was soft and the filling was sweet. Every time he came back from his business, he would bring her some. But after eating so much, she didn't like them as much anymore. She was just afraid of him and would always thank him respectfully. In the past few years, she had deliberately forgotten the past and had lost interest in the red bean cake in front of her.
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