Chapter 34: It is normal for people to have three joys and four loves.
After waiting for a long time for King Jin to let her go, she had not taken two steps away from Ying when she suddenly heard a sudden cough behind her that pierced her heart and lungs.
She turned around and saw bright red blood dripping down his knuckles as he covered his face.
"Your Highness!" Cong Ying's pupils shrank suddenly in shock.
The Prince of Jin, who had been speaking sweetly to her just now, now seemed to have lost all his life force and was staggering backwards. Cong Ying struggled to support him and found that his whole body was as cold as ice.
Prince Jin avoided the bloody hand and handed her a bamboo whistle: "Don't be afraid, it's okay..."
Cong Ying blew the bamboo whistle in panic, and soon, four guards in black clothes came up along the mountain path, followed by Zi Su who was running out of breath.
The guards took Prince Jin to the monastery and took out the medicine bottle from his arms. However, no matter how many people tried, they failed to feed the medicine into his mouth. Zi Su was even pushed unconsciously by Prince Jin and staggered.
Cong Ying pushed everyone aside and took the medicine bottle: "Let me try."
Oddly enough, as she approached, Prince Jin was noticeably less nervous than before. She took out two pills and placed them to his lips, whispering soothingly, "Your Highness, these are life-saving medicines. I'm Ah Ying, and I won't harm you."
"Ah Ying..."
While he was mumbling and opening his mouth, Cong Ying pushed the pill between King Jin's teeth: "Water."
After taking the water handed to him by Zi Su and swallowing the pill, Cong Ying breathed a sigh of relief.
Zi Su said, "His Highness is seriously ill. I have sent for Doctor Zhang to come to the mansion. We need to bring His Highness back as soon as possible. Madam Jiang, since His Highness has recognized you, could you please take care of him on the way?"
Human life is at stake, so Cong Ying didn't hesitate: "Okay."
So Cong Ying boarded the carriage of King Jin, followed by Ji Caibing's carriage. The group left Xuandu Temple and returned to Yunjing City along the mountain road.
The bumpy mountain road soon woke King Jin from his sleep.
He opened his eyes and saw Congying's nervous expression, but suddenly smiled: "I am so lucky to have you stay. This time I am sick at the right time."
Cong Ying frowned: "Your Highness is worth a fortune, you shouldn't say these things."
"No more talking," King Jin extended his hand to her, "Come, give me a hand."
He said he was helping her, but in fact he took the opportunity to lean on her, his forehead against her shoulder. He was so sick that he just wanted to indulge himself, and he was not sparing her words: "Madam Jiang, I can't repay you for saving my life, how about giving me your body?"
Cong Ying said sternly, "Your Highness, don't repay kindness with enmity."
Prince Jin hummed, "Then save the life to the end. Can you lend the patient your hand for a while? Don't be so stingy."
Cong Ying sighed helplessly and thought to herself: How come he is so smooth-talking.
Perhaps it was the effect of the medicine, or perhaps it was his mood, but Prince Jin felt his constricted chest and lungs slowly relax. He closed his eyes and felt the peace of the moment, when suddenly the carriage stopped.
The guard approached nervously, "Your Highness, there seems to be an ambush at Eagle Head Gorge."
King Jin suddenly opened his eyes and asked, "How far?"
The guard replied, "About six or seven feet. There aren't many people, so I can't see clearly."
King Jin protected General Ying behind him with one hand, lifted the carriage curtain and looked in the direction of Yingtou Gorge. Sure enough, he saw a faint flash of light behind the dry rocks high up.
The light had a hint of ice blue in it, like the luster that could only be emitted by precious treasures.
He asked the guards, "Did we report to the Yanqi Guards guarding the city gates before we left the city?"
The guard answered yes.
King Jin understood, he knew which saint was lying in ambush.
In his previous life, he had a treasure named Qianlimu, which was said to have been made by Lu Ban. Not only was it made of rare material, but its structure was also exquisite. Through it, one could see whether a mosquito was male or female a hundred steps away.
The ice-blue light was reflected by the glass lens with a thousand-mile vision.
So King Jin looked towards the direction of Yingtou Gorge and raised his eyebrows provocatively.
He turned to Cong Ying and said, "They are just bandits. They don't dare to attack them."
He lowered the curtains.
In Qianlimu's field of vision, the King of Jin and the hem of the sky-blue skirt behind him were buried in the carriage. Only through the undulating diamond-shaped windows could one vaguely see one person leaning on the shoulder of another, and their behavior seemed very intimate.
The whitened joints almost twisted the copper shell of Qianlimu.
The archers lying in ambush were so overwhelmed by the sudden, low aura that they dared not utter a word. After watching the luxurious carriage slowly drift within range for a long time, they whispered, "Third Young Master, didn't you say you wanted to test the King of Jin's strength?"
Xie Xuanlan snatched the bow and arrow from his hand, drew the string like a full moon, and aimed the sharp arrow blade at the diamond-shaped window of the carriage.
"Testing his depth? I'll pierce his heart and lungs with an arrow!"
The harsh words spoken with such force could make a hole in a stone, but Xie Xuanlan still did not release the arrow in his hand.
The corner of the sky-blue dress and the beautiful figure reflected by the window were both the fuse that ignited his anger and the last bit of calmness that restrained him and made him hesitant to act rashly.
Why is Jiang Congying in Prince Jin's carriage!
Why was she chatting and laughing with the King of Jin and behaving so intimately?
When he shot the arrow through the carriage, would he accidentally hurt her... If King Jin died from this arrow today, he could escape, but what about Jiang Congying?
The carriage passed through Yingtou Gorge and sped away triumphantly in Xie Xuanlan's silence.
The starving archer, who had been lying in ambush nearby for a long time, swallowed his saliva and said, "Third Master, are you still going to attack?"
Xie Xuanlan's voice was as cold as ice: "No, I recognized the wrong person."
＊
At the end of February, Mrs. Xie hosted a spring outing banquet at Huanlang Mountain and invited the wives and daughters of major families.
The flower invitation to Congying had already been delivered in person in front of Wenqu Hall. Later, someone was sent to the door with gifts in a polite manner, inviting Zhao to bring the girls and children from her family to go together.
So grand and meaningful.
Of course Zhao was happy, but when she saw Ying, she knew what she was happy about and didn't want to go anymore.
However, when he returned from Xuandu Temple in Prince Jin's carriage, he happened to agree to do something for Prince Jin.
The Prince of Jin said, "There is a black plum tree on Huanlang Mountain. My wife, Ying... well, that's my late wife with the same surname as you. She loves it very much. I want to bring her a branch next time I visit her. I'd also like to ask Madam Jiang to pick some and send it to the Prince of Jin's mansion."
Cong Ying said, "Your Highness can send someone to fold it at any time."
The King of Jin said, "That is Xie's hilltop. My people cannot enter."
Cong Ying asked, "I picked a branch of sweet osmanthus for Her Highness last year. Did she like it too?"
Prince Jin: "Yes, she likes it too."
From Yingxin's perspective, it's just the same old trick, just a different bottle for the same medicine.
She refused, and the King of Jin spoke to her in a gentle tone, "Otherwise, I wouldn't dare go to see her empty-handed next time, and I'd have to trouble Madam Jiang to go with me. I'm afraid that rumors might spread, which would delay Madam Jiang's marriage proposal."
Cong Ying frowned: "Your Highness, why are you trying to imitate these dandy behaviors?"
The King of Jin sighed, "Please, this is a piece of cake for you. I promise that I will return home to recuperate and never trouble you again. Of course, if you have any trouble, you can always come to me."
Finally, Congying finally relented and agreed. After returning home, she was secretly troubled by this matter for several days.
Picking flowers is not difficult, but the difficult part is that she always feels a knot in her heart.
Did she dare to mention this matter to Third Master Xie, dare to let him know? If not, wouldn't her self-proclaimed uprightness become a kind of self-deception and hypocrisy?
She couldn't figure it out, and felt uncomfortable holding it in her heart. After laying the groundwork for a long time, she tactfully confided her troubles to Ji Caibing:
"...I have a friend you don't know. She says she's clearly obsessed with Mr. Li, yet Mr. Zhang next door keeps pestering her, asking her for harmless favors, and she can't bear to refuse. She agrees, but doesn't dare let Mr. Li know. Sister Cai Bing, don't you think she's being a bit unkind? What's she trying to do?"
Ji Caibing understood immediately: "Oh, you mean you don't want to marry the Third Young Master anymore, you want to marry the Prince of Jin——"
Cong Ying covered Ji Caibing's mouth with lightning speed.
Ji Caibing laughed so hard that he fell backwards. He swore again and again that he would never reveal a single word before he calmed down Cong Ying, who was as frightened as a cat.
Ji Caibing was quite at ease: "Flowers have a thousand different forms, and people have three joys and four loves. This is all normal. Let's not talk about those men who have three wives and four concubines. Look at your ladyship. Prince Consort Xuan was also a handsome man in his youth. Now, has she not had many lovers?"
She stopped Cong Ying's rebuttal and said, "Of course, the Third Young Master is powerful, and the Prince of Jin is influential. It's not something a weak girl like you can manipulate. I wouldn't dare to instigate you like this. Relax, and come on, let's analyze who you really want to marry."
Her words actually made Congying clear about her feelings.
She said, "I don't care what others think. All these years, I have only been attracted to the Third Young Master."
Ji Caibing: "Then you...oh, where is your friend Zhang Sheng?"
From the firefly, there was silence for a long time.
She still couldn't figure out where her inexplicable affection for Prince Jin came from, but she didn't intend to give in or compromise. She hadn't received or given much true love since she was a child, so she cherished every bit of it.
Cong Ying said: "Time flies by, and water dripping wears away stone. There will be a day when you can be at peace."
After figuring this out, Cong Ying finally had the courage to attend the Spring Outing Banquet.
Mrs. Xie sent someone to wait early and lead the family of four to the main seat. Such generous treatment was obvious to anyone with a discerning eye. The two families were planning a smooth marriage. Some were envious, some were surprised, and all their eyes were on them.
Mrs. Xie invited Cong Ying to sit on her right. Seeing that she was lightly dressed, she ordered the maid to fetch her green feather fur coat and tied it on for her herself. She whispered to her, "San Lang has been delayed. He will come later. Let's have some fun first."
Cong Ying smiled and nodded.
Wang Silang—the cavalry general who had won a victory in the northwest and was about to enter the capital to receive his reward—had his wife, Madam Wang Silang, witnessing this scene. She jokingly said, "Madam Xie has such a rare fur coat, but why is she dressed so plainly? Isn't our daughter a distinguished guest like Madam Jiang, unworthy of such grandeur?"
Mrs. Xie was wearing a crab-shell green, pine-patterned double-breasted dress. The fabric and stitching were good, but it was not a new and fashionable dress.
There were many twists and turns in her words. Madam Xie was used to dealing with these people. She smiled calmly and said, "This is a birthday gift from Madam Jiang. The embroidery is about craftsmanship, but the gift from Madam Jiang is about the heart. What fashionable and rare thing can be more grand than a gift from a heart?"
After hearing this, Zhao, who was always cautious in public, also looked up at Madam Xie.
Last autumn, the dress that had made her happy for many days was now worn by Mrs. Xie. It fit her perfectly. The delicate pine patterns on it, illuminated by the spring sunshine, had a low-key and gentle beauty.
Mrs. Xie sat side by side with Cong Ying, talking to her while she offered her various rice cakes and candies on the table, wanting her to try all the flavors. But fearing that she might not be able to finish it all, she cut it into pieces with a small silver knife and picked out the parts with the most delicious fruit filling to give to her.
Congying was also very appreciative. He took the food and tasted it one by one. His cheeks were bulging with food. He did not forget to comment on it. His eyes and eyebrows were curved. He was so well-behaved and cheerful that Zhao Shi seemed a little unfamiliar.
Zhao thought to herself, why is she so happy? Is it because she is short of food at home?
There were several women who were unfamiliar with the place and arrived late. They were standing behind Zhao and saw this scene.
Zhao heard them whispering, "Could it be Xie Liuniang next to Madam Xie?"
"That's right. Her manners show that she is a lady from a noble family. She looks a lot like Madam Xie."
After hearing this, Zhao's heart suddenly became dull, and she quickly turned her eyes away to look at her son who was following closely beside her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
