Chapter 9 009 She was unwilling to be called Meng Shi any longer.
Jiang Zhao heard footsteps behind him, but he couldn't turn around while holding his wife in his arms. He shouted, "Quickly, someone come here!"
A slender figure moved in. Jiang Zhao was about to open his mouth to greet him when he saw who it was. He stiffened slightly and explained in a flustered manner, "Lord Shen, my lady has sprained her ankle and can't walk right now."
Qingli turned her head slightly, revealing a large amount of cold sweat on her forehead, glistening with a crystal-clear light. She realized that Shen Yongning was not looking at Jiang Zhao at all, but was scrutinizing her. Suppressing her heart pounding like a drum, she mustered up her courage to look at him and said in an uneven tone, "The maid was frightened and disturbed Lord Shen's arrival."
Shen Yongning had long, thick eyelashes and large, dark pupils. Ordinary people wouldn't dare to look directly at him, let alone know what he was thinking. He stared at him sharply for a moment, then said quietly, "It's alright."
After saying that, he squatted down and reached for Qingli's ankle. Qingli was so nervous that she forgot to breathe for a moment. But her ankle was so painful that she shouldn't be able to back down so easily. Just as his fingers touched the hem of her skirt, Jiang Zhao immediately reached out and stopped him. "My lord, the madam's condition is unclear. It's best not to check her so easily."
Shen Yongning glanced at Jiang Zhao with a cool look, revealing only a small patch of white in his eyes, which carried a sinister chill. Jiang Zhao was so frightened that he immediately lowered his head. Qing Li took the opportunity to hide her feet under her skirt and said somewhat fearfully, "Lord Shen, there are too many people around and the rules are too strict. Please spare me."
It was common knowledge that Qingli was the object of jealousy among all the concubines, and bringing it up now was the best excuse to avoid suspicion. Her tone was already soft, and her pleading with pain made her even more pitiful. Sure enough, Shen Yongning slowly got up and waved to the person behind him. Soon, two guards came out carrying a sedan chair. A layer of cold sweat immediately broke out on Qingli's back. Luckily, she did not go there rashly, otherwise the hidden sentries would have already figured out her purpose.
Qingli was helped into the sedan chair, feeling a cold gaze following her. She tensed her back, not daring to relax for a moment, mentally reviewing her actions. Only when she was sure there were no flaws did she breathe a long sigh of relief. When they arrived at Taoyuan Pavilion, Jiang Yue saw her condition and hurriedly called Ying Shui and Ying Yue to help the lady back to her room. Jiang Zhao lagged behind and took out two pieces of silver from his pocket, thanking the guards profusely despite their refusal.
"Thank you both for saving me. If Madam had been in danger, I would have been dead too." Jiang Zhao expressed her gratitude again. After speaking, she brought out two plates of rice cakes from the house and carefully packed them in oil paper. "Please keep these safe, gentlemen. They can help you eat something while you are on duty."
The two guards were on a mission rarely performed in public. Now, in broad daylight, the beautiful maidservant addressed them as "brother," expressing both gratitude and tender care. They felt quite pleased and pleased. One of the guards chuckled, "Since the Lady is favored by the Prince, you must be careful in the future. This is around here..."
The other guard immediately sensed something was wrong, interrupted the guard, clasped his hands and retreated. Jiang Zhao watched the two leave, their soft arguing barely audible. Jiang Zhao went upstairs and saw his wife staring at their backs from the window. After a moment, she turned around and sat on the couch. Judging from Jiang Zhao's conversation downstairs, that place must be something that cannot be shown to others.
Qingli instructed Jiang Yue, "Tie the red cloth to the back window."
Although she didn't see the person, she could estimate the general location. The rest depended on Meng Qingshan's abilities. She was just worried that if she found the place so easily, the other party wouldn't acknowledge her contribution.
Qingli felt a pang of regret. Seeing that Jiang Yue had already closed the back window, it was too late for regrets. She had always been clear-headed since childhood. After entering the Dingxi Prince's Mansion, she only became depressed for half a year. Later, she changed her mind and mustered up the courage to plan her future. She knew that she could never be trapped in the inner quarters of the Prince's Mansion and compete for favor with so many women. Fortunately, she was blessed by heaven. On her only trip out of the Dingxi Prince's Mansion, she met Song Zhang in a restaurant.
Thinking of Song Zhang, and then of her grandfather whom she had never met, her heart sank, and this continued until evening. Ying Shui went upstairs to report that the princess was seriously ill, and the prince had been staying by her side. The prince sent word that he knew the lady had sprained her ankle and told her to rest well. Qing Li didn't care for this kind of verbal concern; words are always the cheapest thing.
Qingli felt a sense of relief when the Prince of Dingxi did not come. She left Jiang Yue to keep watch at night, and the rest of the people withdrew.
The distant sound of the midnight gong echoed as Qingli and Jiangyue, half-asleep at the table, heard a faint noise from the window. Qingli suddenly woke up, nudged Jiangyue, and Jiangyue went to open the window. A man in black jumped in, stood by the window without moving further, and bowed, saying, "I am Qi Zhaoxin, a member of the Yanyun Iron Guard. General Meng has important business to attend to and cannot leave, so he sent me to await news from Miss Meng."
After Qi Zhaoxin finished speaking, his eyes were fixed on the ground, not daring to look around. Two days had passed before he recovered from the surprise that the concubine of the Prince of Dingxi was General Meng's sister. He recalled that day when he asked Meng Qingshan why, Meng Qingshan shook his head and remained silent, his whole body shrouded in darkness, his back slightly bent, exuding a strong sense of powerlessness and loneliness. Seeing this scene, Qi Zhaoxin felt as if his throat was blocked and he could no longer speak.
"Miss Meng?" Qingli repeated the title to herself several times, no longer knowing what it meant. Instead, she chuckled. She didn't want to be called "Meng" anymore. She and Meng Qingshan had only been working together for a while and would have no further involvement. But there was no need to tell the person in front of her. With a wry smile, she changed the subject, "Go and search in the dense forest in the northeast corner of the lake in the back garden."
Is the news true?
Qingli raised her eyelids and arched her eyebrows, saying with a touch of aloofness and indifference, "Shen Yongning is there, and there are hidden guards nearby. There must be something invisible. As for whether there are any of your people, you can go and check it out."
Qi Zhaoxin was somewhat skeptical, but after carefully inquiring about the location, he bowed deeply before leaving and said, "That man is our brother. If he can be saved, all of us Yan Yun Iron Guards will be grateful to Miss Meng for saving our lives."
Qingli felt little emotional. She did this in exchange for Meng Qingshan's help. As long as he didn't forget their promise, she would never see Meng Qingshan or even the Yanyun Iron Guard again for the rest of her life.
The next morning, Qingli was awakened by a noisy commotion outside, a buzzing sound like countless flies buzzing in her ears. At this moment, Jiang Yue pushed open the door and said, "The princess's illness has worsened rapidly. Biluo Garden has been cordoned off, and no one is allowed to enter or leave. The concubines are all crying at the courtyard gate and have been scolded by the prince."
Qingli was now certain that Jiang was in poor health. Two years ago, when Song Zhang came to the mansion to examine Jiang's pulse, he said that years of accumulated resentment had damaged her heart and lungs. However, as long as she could relax, although it would shorten her lifespan, she could recover slowly. This serious illness was probably related to her visit to the study some time ago. That matter had finally come to Jiang's mind.
Inside the Biluo Garden, Jiang lay on the bed, her face sallow and her heart heavy with sorrow. Tears streamed down her face as she looked at the Prince of Dingxi through the misty fog. It was as if she were seeing the young general who had once swept away the incompetent emperor, sitting upright on his horse, brave and mighty, a towering figure, with tens of thousands of soldiers responding to his every move. Countless young ladies in the capital had been waiting at banquets just to catch a glimpse of him, and Jiang was one of them.
Back then, Jiang's older sister was chosen to enter the palace as a concubine, and Jiang got the opportunity to enter the palace to attend a banquet. That day, the palace was brightly lit, and the new emperor was unrestrained. He set off fireworks for half an hour, and colorful fireworks bloomed brilliantly overhead. Through the crowd of people, she made eye contact with him.
Unexpectedly, and even secretly hoped for, they met eyes. For a moment, she forgot her manners and looked back directly at him. It wasn't until fireworks bloomed in his dark pupils and a girl blushed with embarrassment that she realized what was happening. She immediately turned away, covering her burning cheeks with her hands, but her eyes were unusually bright.
It seemed that the most earth-shattering moment between them was that one glance, an unforgettable first encounter. So, despite all these years of mutual support and his respectful treatment of her, she still felt empty inside. Even the nanny beside her advised her not to be so sentimental, but she couldn't control her resentment. Why should a lowly concubine who had been forced to submit to the emperor be treated differently? He even disregarded the rules for that woman!
She felt contempt, resentment, and bitterness; she just couldn't get over this hurdle in her heart.
Tears streamed down Jiang's face, leaving a wet trail along her deep wrinkles. Disregarding her usual pursuit of decorum, she pleaded weakly, "Your Highness, Consort Ru's origins are unclear, her intentions are impure, and she harbors disloyalty towards you and the Prince's Mansion. Keeping her any longer will only cause trouble. For the sake of peace, it's best to send her away as soon as possible."
After a night of turmoil, the Prince of Dingxi was exhausted and unwilling to continue the fight. He slowly withdrew his hand, straightened his body, and placed his figure on Jiang Shi, as if a mountain was pressing down on her so that she could not move. His words were icy, "Don't think too much, just take good care of yourself."
The Prince of Dingxi was worried that if he stayed there any longer, the two would have a falling out. He got up to leave, but felt his clothes being tugged. He turned around and saw the disgust on the woman's face, which made Jiang Shi panic and get angry. A metallic taste rose in Jiang Shi's throat, but she forced it down. She wanted to hysterically question that woman, was she really that good? There were so many concubines in the backyard, but none of them could compare to her!
But ultimately, her innate sense of propriety and propriety pulled her back, and she once again swallowed her pride, speaking in a humble voice, "Your Highness..."
Before she could speak, her hand was suddenly empty. Jiang stared blankly at her palm, which had been pulled red by the brocade robe, and didn't react for a moment. After a couple of breaths, she suddenly burst into laughter. A moment later, she lay on the edge of the bed and wailed, venting her grief and resentment. For so many years, she had struggled to maintain the relationship for him, bearing children and managing the concubines in the harem. His departure was like a cruel joke, loud and heartless.
"Autumn!"
The courtyard was deserted. Qiu Zhi heard a shrill shout, bent down and entered the house, kneeling to listen to the instructions.
Jiang pulled off her headband, looked at the old-fashioned ginger-yellow ribbon clutched in her wrinkled hand, and flung it aside as if it were an eyesore. She wiped away the last tear from the corner of her eye, a fire burning in her eyes, and squeezed out each word through clenched teeth, "Tell them to get ready and wait for my orders."
Qiu immediately bowed, "Yes!"
The Prince of Dingxi walked faster and faster, and Rongde behind him could only keep up by jogging. He complained in his heart that the Princess Consort was making trouble for no reason, and that she was getting worse and worse as she got older. She could have been a peaceful Princess Consort, but she had to lower herself to compete with a favored concubine. Rongde was so distracted that when she realized that the Prince had stopped and almost bumped into him, she immediately regained her composure and dared not complain in her heart anymore.
"Go to Taoyuan Pavilion."
"Hey? Hey!" Rongde immediately followed behind, thinking that Lord Shen was still waiting to see him. Tsk... let's wait. He called out to the little servant behind him and whispered a few words of advice in his ear.
Inside Taoyuan Pavilion, Qingli's ankle was swollen like a pale steamed bun. She had just finished applying medicated oil, and Jiang Zhao's massage was quite forceful. Her eyelashes were still glistening with tears, making her look somewhat pitiful. Upon hearing a report from below, she immediately endured the pain, stood up, and leaned on Jiang Zhao to greet him at the door. Before she could even bend down, the Prince of Dingxi arrived at the door like a gust of wind. Without waiting for her to say anything, he picked her up and slammed the door shut with his foot.
Qingli's body tensed involuntarily. As she lay on the brocade quilt, she subconsciously sat up. She glimpsed the anger on the face of the Prince of Dingxi. Seeing her disobedient movement, he glared at her with cold eyes. She immediately realized that Jiang must have said something to her. When she saw the Prince of Dingxi leaning down to press and press closer, his hand was already gently stroking her shoulder. She obediently closed her eyes. After a few breaths, Qingli sensed something was wrong. She opened her eyes and saw him with his hands spread out, like a wolf trying to capture her thoughts.
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