Chapter 79 079 I apologize for my presumption.
Consort De was like a servile servant, which made the other concubines outside the door sigh. Which of these women didn't live by the nose of others? After having children, they lived in fear day and night.
The crowd felt even more contempt for the eldest princess, thinking of her having an affair with a eunuch, and how she was caught in the act of making love while completely naked.
The Empress ordered her maid to pull Consort De up and walk her to the eldest princess. After a glance, she saw that Consort De's clothes were loose and her buttons were haphazardly fastened, which clearly indicated that she had lost her decorum.
What do you have to say?
Consort De's mouth was covered by a maid, and she sobbed desperately behind her. After a while, the eldest princess came to her senses, shook her stiff neck, raised her head and looked around. The candle wick had reached the end, emitting a huge halo. The morning light had appeared outside, and the gray-white color was somewhat hazy. Everything seemed ethereal and unreal.
The eldest princess snorted coldly. In this Great Jin Dynasty, in the capital and the palace, there were rules everywhere and traps everywhere. She had long since lost her way and had no idea which path she was on. In fact, the truth and falsehood no longer mattered; only momentary pleasure mattered.
She was a pawn, a discarded piece, a prostitute destined to be exiled thousands of miles away. What difference was there between her and being convicted now?
"Hahaha..." The eldest princess laughed wildly, looking around mockingly. Even when she collapsed to the ground, exhausted, she continued to laugh, tears and blood mingling together, a truly tragic sight.
Consort De was so frightened that she fell to the ground.
A maidservant rushed in, bowing low and not daring to look, "Your Majesty, His Majesty greets you."
The Empress walked out of Manyue Palace, and the palace gates behind her closed heavily. The early autumn light hung high above people's heads, making them dizzy.
When Qingli walked out of the palace, she was also confused for a moment. Just now, a palace maid whispered a few words of advice to her and then sent her out of the palace.
"Miss!" the butler, Tai, called out happily, hurrying forward. "Let's go home. Master is waiting for you at home too."
Qingli glanced at Meng Qingshan not far away. He was dressed in official robes, bathed in sunlight, looking very dashing and unrestrained. She looked at him, took a step forward to say a few words, but He Tai blocked her way.
"Miss, the master sent this old servant here to meet you as soon as he returned home. He was worried about you."
Qingli was relieved to find that things had taken an unexpected turn for the better. "Grandfather is alright?"
"Your Majesty is wise. This matter has nothing to do with you, sir. Your Majesty sent this old servant here to wait for you, and instructed that you be sent back as quickly as possible. Your Majesty has been waiting for this moment of reunion for many years."
He Tai glanced at his mistress, then gave Jiang Zhao and Jiang Shui a look. The two maids helped him into the carriage, and Song Yuan cracked his whip loudly, speeding away from the scene.
As things rushed past Qingli's eyes, she caught a glimpse of the smile on his lips. Suddenly, her heart calmed down, like drifting water vapor that had finally found a cloud to merge with, waiting only for the right moment to turn into rain.
She knew he would come to see her; in that smug smile lay the answer and the promise.
Qingli looked at Jiang Zhao and Jiang Yue, whose eyes were shining and filled with tears. The three of them, master and servant, faced each other and hugged tightly for a moment. All the hardships of these years had finally come to an end.
They did it; after a long and arduous journey, they found the best possible home.
"Miss, we're not afraid anymore!" Jiang Zhao whispered, trying to suppress his emotions.
"Miss, no one can bully us anymore!"
Qingli flicked their noses, making them both look silly, and she also said in a silly voice, "Yes!"
The three of them, master and servants, exchanged smiles, creating a cheerful and relaxed atmosphere.
The whip cracked loudly outside, and they soon arrived at the mansion. The gates were wide open, and servants and maids waited outside, shouting loudly, "Welcome back, Miss! Welcome back, Miss!"
Each shout seemed to be trying to outdo the other, as if they were having a singing contest.
Qingli's eyes flickered, and her emotions rose. She quickly stepped forward, but before she could kneel, she was lifted up. Qingli insisted on kneeling down and kowtowed three times heavily, "Grandfather, your granddaughter has returned!"
"Good! Good! Good!"
Huang Pu had a deep breath and was full of energy. "When the firecrackers go off, we'll send gifts to our neighbors and set up a porridge shop outside the city."
He Tai readily agreed.
The onlookers then realized what had happened and offered their congratulations. Huang Pu was pleased and ordered people to scatter some wedding candy outside.
Amidst the commotion, Meng Qingshan stood watching under the large tree at the entrance of the alley until she disappeared from sight. The Fourth Prince patted him on the shoulder and teased, "Aren't you going to go and see?"
The fourth prince suddenly realized, "Oh, my maternal grandfather must find you the most annoying."
Meng Qingshan sized up the Fourth Prince and said without any mercy, "You can't go either."
He mimicked the fourth prince's tone and said, "Oh, your father is the most suspicious of you, isn't he?"
The fourth prince suffered a heart attack and punched the fist hard, pretending to threaten, "If you treat me well, I can help you with things with your maternal grandfather."
The shadows filtering through the layers of leaves fell on his brow bone, appearing even sharper, and his words were equally blunt: "You'd better pray for yourself!"
"What do you mean?"
Meng Qingshan strode forward, "I didn't mean anything by it. I'm perfectly fine here, you don't need to worry about me."
The fourth prince was unwilling to give up. He quickly walked up to him and looked him up and down. He had no doubt about his cousin's importance to him, but his confidence made it seem like he had already planned everything.
Even his maternal grandfather's reaction was taken into account in his plans. The fourth prince pondered without success, sighed, and let it go.
In the South City Restaurant, Lu Yunye heard the noise on the stairs and quickly stood up.
The door opened, and the three people faced each other.
Lu Yunye hesitated, unsure how to begin. This matter was like a spark that, once thrown out, would ignite a wildfire that would spread far and wide; to remain would be to invite destruction.
Meng Qingshan glanced at him and began to ponder.
The Fourth Prince solemnly said, "Although the situation is becoming clearer now, it is also the most critical moment. If we are not careful, the world could be turned upside down. The Second Prince has already been suspected and it is impossible for him to regain favor. Only the First Prince, although he is not favored by the Emperor on the surface, is in fact unshakable."
Although the fourth prince had long since become accustomed to the eldest prince's favoritism, he still felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
Meng Qingshan snorted coldly, saying, "Where is the unshakeable part? It's just that we haven't found the key point yet."
"Tell me about the situation."
Meng Qingshan nudged Lu Yunye, who slumped his shoulders, glanced at him, then lowered his gaze again, and said, "Can I not say?"
“If you don’t speak, I will have the Second Princess pull out the tongues of those servants.”
"No, no!" Lu Yunye sighed heavily, resignedly saying, "I'll talk!"
The fourth prince glared at him with disappointment. After all, he was his younger sister's husband. If you said he was magnanimous, he couldn't bear to see his sister do anything immoral. But if you said he was petty, he actually allowed his family to do such things.
The old lady of the Lu family, a princess of the previous dynasty, managed to protect herself when the entire dynasty collapsed and was even able to remarry a high-ranking official. No one would believe there was no secret deal involved.
"The previous dynasty had secretly built a passage leading to the outside of the palace."
The fourth prince tensed up and hurriedly asked, "Where are you?"
Lu Yunye slammed his fist on the table, the teacup tilting and making a jarring sound. He said in a deep voice, "I can't get any information out of you."
Meng Qingshan was displeased. "Is it that you can't get the answer, or are you just indecisive and unwilling to let go?"
Lu Yunye was easily provoked. He suddenly stood up, his sleeve brushing against the teacup, which then tilted completely to the side on the table, the tea dripping down with a soft pattering sound.
Lu Yunye felt as if his neck was being gripped, and he slumped down, saying, "My grandmother threatened to kill herself, I really..."
If he truly desires death, he should follow his country when it perishes; it's just a matter of manipulating him.
Lu Yunye struggled to say, "My grandmother and I agreed that after the wedding, we would live in the princess's residence."
Lu Yunye's carefree attitude has been shattered by Meng Qingshan's cold demeanor these past few days. He is more cautious in front of Meng Qingshan than he is in front of the Fourth Prince. He is ashamed that he was so careless and is at a loss when it comes to family matters.
Meng Qingshan pondered carefully: if there was a secret passage in the palace, where would it be? Emperor Mingkang would know and would arrange for someone to guard the safety of this secret passage.
Meng Qingshan frowned as he considered a possibility.
What's your guess?
Meng Qingshan shook his head and brought up another matter, "The Imperial Guards once fought with a group of people who were clean and efficient, ruthless and vicious. They gained no advantage and were never able to find any trace of them. They came and went without a trace."
"Where did this group of people come from?"
"The Imperial Guards have been suppressing bandits in various places. Among the bandits, there are always some who can break through the encirclement. Over time, they discovered that although the people are different, their moves are from the same source, so they must be from the same place."
Lu Yunye had served in the Imperial Guard and knew about these things. Most of the Imperial Guards came from wealthy and prominent families in the capital. They were all dashing young masters built on gold and silver. How could they possibly trust a frontier general who came from a poor alley?
Each one of them was a troublemaker, careless and evasive. Meng Qingshan remained silent, but whenever the Imperial Guard's doctrines were violated, he would personally step in and teach them a harsh lesson. Those who resisted were caught within three moves and their vital points were seized by him.
Within half a month, the Imperial Guards all followed his lead. Seeing that the Imperial Guards had lost their killing intent, Meng Qingshan was sent out in shifts at night. From reconnaissance to attack, all operations were carried out in teams of fifteen. If there were more bandits, two teams could join forces. Meng Qingshan didn't care about the details, he just issued orders.
Just over a month later, the Imperial Guards, their bodies stained with blood, exuded a murderous aura and an imposing presence.
The Fourth Prince felt a surge of emotion and a sense of camaraderie with Meng Qingshan. This was a true general of the Great Jin Dynasty, full of passion and fervor, not one of suspicion, doubt, and deceit.
"You think the secret passage is related to them?"
"Their ability to hide so silently is not to be underestimated, and..."
The fourth prince, his nerves on edge, asked, "And what...?"
"Their work should also be found in the military camps outside Beijing."
The Fourth Prince frowned. This was bad. Regardless of the secret passage, these people, Emperor Mingkang, and the Empress, the unbreakable bond between any two of them made them a difficult case.
"Should I try to probe again?"
Lu Yunye tentatively spoke up, and seeing Meng Qingshan wave his hand, he breathed a sigh of relief for some reason.
Meng Qingshan knew that the old lady of the Lu family was most adept at discerning balance. It was no doubt that Emperor Kang had placed people around the old lady of the Lu family, waiting for the day when they gained the upper hand. She would then tell them the truth, and they would be even more powerful. There was no need to be bound by the present moment.
After discussing for a while, the three of them went their separate ways.
In the Huang residence, at the Liuli Garden, Qingli had just seen her grandfather off. Her grandfather was in high spirits and talked for a long time. He even had dinner in her hall. The maids and servants had set up three tables in the courtyard. The bright moon hung high, the autumn breeze was gentle, and everyone was chatting and laughing, making it a lively scene.
Jiang Yue helped her mistress up and asked with a smile, "Miss, are you tired?"
"I am a little tired."
"This servant will help you take a bath to relieve your fatigue."
As soon as Jiang Yue entered the room, she saw Jiang Zhao huddled silently in the corner, casting a pleading look at her. Jiang Zhao paused, then saw the imposing figure behind the screen.
Jiang Zhaoru, as if seeing a savior, ran to Qingli and stammered, "Miss..."
Before she could react, he pulled Jiang Yue outside and slammed the door shut in one smooth motion.
The two's argument could be heard buzzing through the crack in the door. "Jiang Zhao, you're getting more and more unruly. Miss is still inside."
"Shh... We came out because Miss was inside."
"This is the Huang residence. Miss is a proper young lady. Every word and action must be in accordance with the rules. You cannot make any mistakes."
"But...the general is here, I dare not!"
"Times have changed, I dare!"
The two shoved each other, and the moonlight pierced through their shadows, illuminating the ground where they were locked in a fierce struggle, much like the internal conflict within Qingli's heart. She looked up with trembling eyelashes and saw him leaning against the screen, a teasing expression on his face. "Miss Huang, things are different now. I am honored to have come here."
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