Chapter 299 The First Prince's Residence
The imperial decree for the peace mission to depart has been issued.
However, this time the Cheng family was not as sorrowful as before. Instead, beneath their sorrowful faces lay a trace of worry and reluctance for Cheng Jiaojiao.
Cheng Jiaojiao, though feigning sadness, couldn't suppress the joy and excitement of longing for freedom that shone through her eyes.
Once the marriage procession reaches the territory of the Great Sheng Dynasty, she can fake her death and escape. From then on, there will be no more Cheng Jiaojiao, the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Wu'an.
Although she will be freed from her status as a noblewoman in the capital, she will live a freer and more unrestrained life.
The person in charge of escorting the bride was Zhao Jingxing, a fourth-rank official from Huaihua.
With him escorting us all the way, both safety and the execution of the plan were much more assured.
Jiang Ling did not disturb the family's last moments together.
Xiao Ran and I drove the carriage in another direction.
Two days ago, she wrote to Xiao Qiu, asking her to prepare more durable pastries and snacks at her shop in Jishui Village and send them to the capital by fast horse.
We arrived just then.
Xiao Qiu prepared a lot, a whole car full.
Jiang Ling left half for the Cheng family and personally took the other half to the First Prince's residence.
After the gatekeeper announced the arrival, the first person to come out excitedly was Li Hong.
"Miss Jiang!" he said with a hearty smile, jogging all the way.
"Guard Li, it's been a long time," Jiang Ling replied with a smile.
"Brother Li!" Xiao Ran greeted him warmly.
Compared to Cheng Fang and Zhao Jingxing, he spent more time with Li Hong and Qin Qian.
Although she eventually learned that they were also of noble status, Xiao Ran didn't feel awkward at all when interacting with them.
After exchanging greetings, Li Hong's gaze immediately fell on the package in Xiao Ran's hands.
The package was almost half a person's height, and it contained food from Jiang Ling's shop. The two servants behind her were also carrying large cardboard boxes.
Li Hong was away for a year. Although Jiang helped him with the food in the military camp, he could only get enough to eat each meal. In order to save charcoal, they just mixed everything together and cooked it. The taste was only slightly better than pig swill.
He constantly missed the food at Miss Jiang's shop.
"Brother Xiao Ran, you've worked hard. Let me do it!" With delicious food in front of him, Li Hong couldn't hold back any longer and immediately stepped forward to take the heavy package.
As we entered through the second door, Qin Qian came out to greet us.
Upon seeing Jiang Ling, he appeared somewhat flustered. After a moment's hesitation, he only uttered a single sentence in a low voice:
"You've arrived."
It was as if the two were close friends who had only been apart for a few days and were now reunited.
The housekeeper had informed him earlier, and Qin Qian had guessed that she would come over once she finished her business there, but now that she had actually come, he felt nervous again.
Fearing he might say the wrong thing, he waited for her in the study and had Li Hong go to greet her.
But after thinking about it, she felt that it might be a bit impolite, so she hurriedly walked out.
Jiang Ling found it somewhat amusing to see his slightly flushed face.
She was actually two years older than him, so she went along with his words and teased him:
"I've come to collect payment from Young Master Qin. Now that Young Master Qin has returned in triumph, shouldn't we settle our accounts as well?"
Jiang Ling provided him with supplies several times, but apart from the first two times when he received a response, there was nothing more after that, only a reply that was both sweet and sour.
Qin Qian was taken aback, then smiled, cupped his hands, and said:
"I'd rather obey than be overly deferential!"
Qin Qian and Jiang Ling walked ahead, with Xiao Ran and Li Hong following behind. Occasionally, the sound of discussion could be heard.
"Brother Li, is fighting very dangerous? Are you injured?"
"Of course! It was a hail of bullets and arrows! Luckily, I'm highly skilled in martial arts, so I only suffered minor injuries, nothing serious!"
"Brother Li, I've also been learning martial arts recently, almost a year now. How about we have a spar sometime?"
"Really? Well done! Bring it on! Let your Brother Li give you a few pointers!"
Amidst laughter and conversation, they arrived at Qin Qian's study.
Xiao Ran and Li Hong took their food and went to the garden to eat and discuss martial arts.
This was Jiang Ling's first time entering, so she couldn't help but look around with some curiosity.
The study was simply and elegantly furnished, without much luxurious decoration, but the bookshelves were piled high with military and historical books.
Occasionally, I'll find some books that interest me, and I'll put them away neatly.
Qin Qian dismissed his attendants and stood aside with a smile, quietly watching her.
Jiang Ling looked around, then opened the window and gazed at the scenery of the courtyard outside. "The First Prince's residence is indeed magnificent. It's much larger than the Marquis's residence."
Qin Qian strolled over to her side and said meaningfully, "It's just too big. It's rather lonely for me to live here alone."
Jiang Ling gave a meaningful "oh": "How could the dignified First Prince's residence be so deserted? Where have all the beautiful women gone?"
Qin Qian then tried to evade the question, pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back, looking worried and distressed.
"Alas, perhaps I, a prince, am too poor. I still owe Miss Jiang a mountain of debt. All the beautiful women and gentle ladies avoid me. I wonder when I will be able to pay off my debt to Miss Jiang. Miss Jiang has discerning eyes. When the time comes, I will have to ask Miss Jiang to consider my marriage and find me a beautiful lady."
Jiang Ling walked around for a while, then sat down on a chair and said earnestly, "When it comes to life, why do you need a stunning beauty? Just find someone who understands you and can grow old together. Even an ugly wife can bring good fortune to her husband and the family."
Qin Qian sat down opposite her, picked up the teapot, and elegantly refilled her tea: "Miss Jiang is right, but I already have someone in my heart, a stunning beauty, kind, intelligent and generous, no woman in the world can compare to her."
Jiang Ling picked up the teacup and smiled gently. The warm tea soothed her throat and warmed her heart. "Since you have someone you admire, why have you asked me to do this for you?"
Qin Qian suddenly dropped his joking expression, raised his head, and looked at her with a calm and serious gaze.
"I want to ask Miss Jiang to help me ask that man after I pay off my debt to Miss Jiang. I want to see if he is willing to wander the world with me, break free from the shackles of worldly life, and be an ordinary couple."
Jiang Ling was taken aback by his words, looked at his serious eyes, and said in surprise, "You..."
Seeing that she understood his meaning, Qin Qian smiled with relief, his hands continuing to make tea, but his eyes dimmed considerably.
“I was long tired of the court intrigues. On the day my mother died, she left only one sentence: ‘I was wrong to have been born into an imperial family.’ She hoped that I could live an ordinary and happy life. I didn’t understand before, and I was always obsessed with that supreme position. Now I know that it’s lonely at the top, and I realize how precious an ordinary life is.”
The days he spent as the young master of a business in Ping'an County, harvesting vegetables and chatting with her, were the happiest time of his life.
Jiang Ling also stopped joking, looked at him, and her tone became gentle and realistic:
“But you are not Cheng Jiaojiao, you are the emperor’s eldest son, this path is almost impossible for you.”
The Crown Prince alone would not let him go.
You say you have no intention of fighting, but who would believe you?
For those in power, a commoner prince who relinquishes his status is far less reassuring than a prince who has completely disappeared.
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