Jiang Qinshi was at the desk, grinding for Mr. Jiang Si.
While grinding, he said, "It would be better to send this letter to Concubine Yun."
Concubine Yun was the younger sister of Jiang Qin’s cousin, Qin Yun. Jiang Rao called her aunt.
Qin Yun entered the palace at the age of fifteen and was quite favored by the emperor. She was a concubine in her first year, a consort in the next year, and in her fifth year after entering the palace, she was promoted to the position of noble consort.
Now, she has been in the palace for just over ten years, and her beauty is still as great as ever, and her favor with the emperor remains undiminished.
When Jiang Qin was in the boudoir, she took good care of her cousin. In the Qin family, the two of them had the best relationship, better than real sisters.
Jiang Qin said, "Ayun has been in the palace for so many years. You can draw a portrait of the child in the west of the city and send it to her to see if she is really the same person as the Ninth Prince. It will be faster."
Fourth Master Jiang frowned and said, "It's good to let her take a look, but Concubine Yun has always done things as she pleases, which makes people worry that she is not reliable enough."
Jiang Qin smiled, "She is a bit spoiled and casual, but since you mentioned that this matter is related to Nian Nian, she will definitely take it to heart."
Before Qin Yun entered the palace, he liked his cousin Qin Qingshan the most. He always stuck to her like a little tail.
Later, when Jiang Rao was born, all her attention turned to this little baby with round black eyes who didn't cry or make a fuss and was very well behaved.
Every time I see it, I can't let it go.
She had been in the palace for ten years and had no children, so she treated Jiang Rao more and more like her own daughter.
On Jiang Rao’s birthday every year, the gift from Concubine Yun must be the most precious and rarest of all the gifts.
"Just as you say." Fourth Master Jiang agreed.
Jiang Qinshi was grinding the paper and reminded her, "Don't forget to tell her in your letter that we will visit her in the palace after we return to Jinling. Niannian must want to see her aunt, too."
Mr. Jiang Si followed her instructions and wrote with his wrist suspended. Suddenly he asked his wife, "Niannian is not at home at this time again, right?"
…
Not at home every year.
Nian Nian was in a small house in the west of the city, with his head lowered, repenting madly.
I confess that I just wanted to curse someone and couldn’t help but curse out loud.
Instead, she cursed out loud in front of the person she was scolding.
It really came as retribution.
Jiang Rao hung her head, not knowing how to explain to Rong Ting.
To say that the person in the dream was him is not correct.
But it would not be right to say it was not him.
Something that is totally unclear.
She was vague, "That was a person..."
Rong Ting's voice was slightly cold, "Who is it?"
Jiang Rao thought of a solution quickly, "That person's surname is Wang, he was born on August 9th, so his name is 8/9."
Some ordinary families in Dazhao had many children and did not have time to name them, so they named them after their birth dates, such as Zhou Chusan and Li Chongjiu.
The more Jiang Rao spoke, the more confident she became. She didn't blush or get nervous, but she spoke a little too fast unconsciously.
Otherwise, people would see that she was trying to hide something.
Rong Ting bent his fingers slightly, tapped his side in a subtle manner, and said in a faint voice, "Is that so?"
"Yes." Jiang Rao responded simply, but her eyes wandered away, not daring to look him in the face.
Rong Ting's brows relaxed slightly, and he smiled at her gently, with a thought of wanting to kill her completely flashing through his mind.
He was thinking, why should a person with such an ordinary background who needed a birthday be worthy of her quietly reciting his name three times when she was alone at night?
…
It's a sunny day and the sun is shining brightly.
Taking advantage of the good sunshine, Jiang Rao started to dry the quilts in the yard.
Unfortunately, she didn't have enough strength, and she had to hold a whole heavy quilt in her arms. Her vision was blocked when she walked, and her steps were crooked, like a little duck.
The rope he used to hang clothes to dry was lowered. Jiang Rao walked in a duck-like pace not far before she touched the rope and hung the quilt on it.
Although Jiang Rao never did housework when she was at home, she was not the kind of lazy and arrogant young lady. After seeing how the maid cleaned her room, she followed her example and learned about 70% of it.
Rong Ting sat under the window, leaning against it, watching her move a stool out and leaning against it under the quilt.
The rope is low so that the corners of the quilt will not touch the mud on the ground.
Quite clever.
The sunlight blew away the damp and cold air in the quilt, making people involuntarily want to hug it and smell the sunshine on it. Jiang Rao stood under the quilt sniffing the sunlight, and heard some movement behind her and turned around.
Seeing Rong Ting trying to get out of the house in a wheelchair, she hurried over, went around behind him, stopped the wheelchair, and pushed him out.
Rong Ting's face was extremely pale, and apart from his naturally cold white skin, he also had a chilly aura.
It was sickly pale, as if it had never seen the sun.
"Let me take you to bask in the sun." Jiang Rao said.
Rong Ting nodded, and Jiang Rao pushed his wheelchair to the north wall of the yard where the sun was the best, found a blanket, and covered his legs with it.
She brought a small stool and sat next to him, mumbling, "You can get out in the sun more often, it will warm your body and make you feel better."
Jiang Rao didn't sleep much last night and ran around today, so she was tired.
Her body was basking in the sun, feeling warm as if soaked in wine. She gradually closed her eyes, shook her head, and suddenly nodded downwards.
Rong Ting took it in his palm.
He carefully held her forehead with the palm of his hand, and then controlled his wheelchair to move.
She rested her head on his lap.
He moved the blanket away and put it on her body.
As he draped the blanket over her, he frowned at the sunlight falling on her face.
He moved his finger bones, raised his slender hand, and cast a shadow on her face.
The shadow cast by the back covered her small body.
He lowered his eyes, looking quiet and well-behaved, his eyes full of tenderness and care. Looking at the face of the little girl in his arms, he gradually became obsessed, and his finger bones turned white and tensed.
He didn't want to hear other people's names from her mouth, nor did he want to see her eyes cast on other people.
He reached down and touched her forehead with his fingers.
It would be best if those men whose names she had repeated were to be torn into pieces.
"Don't be so nice to others as you are to me, okay?"
Knowing that she couldn't hear him, he spoke instead, "It's so good to just wait for me."
…
The letter sent from the Jiang Mansion arrived in Jinling in three days by express carriage.
Soon, it was transferred to Concubine Yun.
Inside the Shuxiang Palace, smoke was rising from the stove and it was as warm as summer.
Concubine Yun was dressed in a light gauze, with a slender waist and bare ankles wrapped in dazzling water-colored gravel. She was leaning leisurely on the beauty couch.
Judging from her appearance, she is somewhat similar to Jiang Rao, except that Jiang Rao's eyes are round and bright, while Concubine Yun's eyes are slender and charming.
The favored concubine was bored and had nothing to do.
Hearing the maid say that the letter from the Jiang family had arrived, Concubine Yun ran down from the bed barefoot, "Is it the letter I sent every year?"
The little maid said, "Your Highness, this is a letter from the Fourth Master of the Jiang Family."
The expectation on Concubine Yun’s face suddenly disappeared, and she took the letter with her mouth pursed.
She muttered with an unhappy look on her face: "Niannian is so heartless. She clearly promised me that all letters from her family would be written by her. What a heartless little thing."
The little maid knew that her mistress treated her little niece as both a sister and a daughter. Although she scolded her, she felt very hurt in her heart. She dared not agree with her mistress when she heard her scolding.
Concubine Yun unfolded the letter and glanced at the end of the paper.
Seeing that it said that he would come back every year soon and visit her in the palace, she immediately smiled and instructed the maid beside her, "Ask the cook in the small kitchen to study and cook more sweet and sour dishes, so that she can enjoy it every year."
The little maid thought to herself that it was a good thing that she didn't join in the scolding, and she said "yeah" and went downstairs.
Only then did Concubine Yun read the entire letter from beginning to end.
After reading it, he took out the portrait in the letter with a slightly confused look on his face.
She only took a quick glance and frowned, saying, "Isn't this the Ninth Prince?"
Concubine Yun called a maid over and said, "Liuying, take a look too. Is this the Ninth Prince from Jinxiu Palace?"
Liuying nodded, "This is exactly the same as the Ninth Prince."
Concubine Yun's face turned cold.
She and the Queen have always been irreconcilable.
When it comes to the people in Jinxiu Palace, no matter if it is the Queen or her two sons, Concubine Yun feels extremely disgusted.
She threw the portrait aside as if it was unlucky.
He said in a cold voice: "Write a reply letter and tell my brother-in-law that this person is the Ninth Prince."
After saying that, he turned back and said, "Oh, right, write more, tell them that I'm sick, and ask them to hurry up. Don't be so slow. Today they wrote a letter to tell me they are coming, but after half a year, there's no sign of them."
She threw away the portrait, picked up the letter, read it over and over again, frowned, and called the prostitute over again.
"The one in Jinxiu Palace said that she was afraid that the assassin who committed suicide might have left some survivors, so she sent her son out of the capital to recuperate. She is in Jinling and is investigating this matter." Concubine Yun frowned and said, "It's been a year, and the Ninth Prince hasn't returned. Has the one in Jinxiu Palace found out anything?"
Liuying said: "I haven't heard any news about this."
"When the incident first happened, she wanted to throw dirty water on me, wanting people to think that I was the one who harmed her child." Concubine Yun carefully played with the small teacup in her hand, "She underestimated me."
"If I want to kill someone, I must kill her most beloved little Seventeen. What's the point of killing someone who is not her biological child?"
Liuying had long been accustomed to her mistress's bold and presumptuous words.
Even though the queen was spoiled, His Majesty's favor towards her was everlasting, and no one in the palace could hurt her in the slightest, so she gradually got used to it.
But this time, what Concubine Yun said was truly shocking, and Liuying immediately said, "Your Highness, you can't say such things carelessly."
Concubine Yun snorted proudly, "I just can't stand her pretending to be dignified and virtuous all the time."
…
There are two different opinions among people in the palace about the queen.
One group thinks that she is a real lady from a noble family, gentle and virtuous.
The other faction, like Concubine Yun, thinks the queen is fake and can't stand her.
Those who disliked the Queen also disliked the Ninth Prince Rong Ting, who was raised by the Queen, who was often on her lips, and who cried in front of Emperor Zhaowu about how hard it was for her to raise a child.
That is a tool to win favor for the queen.
The more he heard that the queen treated him like her own son, the more he looked down on him.
Those who wanted to trip up the queen couldn't stand seeing Rong Ting doing well, so they always tried to trip her up and bully her in secret.
Two years ago during the autumn hunt, I heard that Rong Ting was seriously injured.
The concubines in the palace watched the queen crying anxiously. They all seemed extremely worried, but secretly, they were all happy and relaxed.
However, they didn't know that the queen, who cried so hard because her adopted son was injured, was the same as them in private.
Just as pleasant and comfortable.
No one really cared about the leg injury of the young boy who fell off his horse.
…
Inside the Yongqing Palace, Emperor Zhaowu was reviewing memorials. By the time of Shen time, it was already late at night.
The eunuch Li Ren who was serving beside him came forward and said softly, "Your Majesty, today is the fifteenth day of the lunar month, and you must stay at the Queen's place."
Emperor Zhaowu looked at the table full of unfinished memorials, frowned, and said tiredly, "Go to Jinxiu Palace and tell them that I am busy with government affairs, so I will stay in Yongqing Palace tonight and will not go to the Queen's."
Li Ren agreed, and half an hour later, he came back with a food box, "The Empress made pear soup for you, and has been waiting for the Emperor to come. But the Emperor said he couldn't come, so he asked me to bring this over."
Emperor Zhaowu said, "Present it."
He took two sips and found the taste sweet and refreshing. His frown relaxed a lot and he felt the queen's thoughtfulness.
After drinking the pear soup, he asked Li Ren, "I sent someone out to pick up Xiaojiu, why haven't I heard anything yet?"
Li Ren replied, "If we hadn't ridden fast, it would have taken at least ten days to get from Yecheng to Jinling. This time, it took nearly a month. Your Majesty, please be patient. The Ninth Prince will be back soon."
Emperor Zhaowu smiled slightly, "Do you remember my instructions?"
"I remember." Li Ren replied respectfully, "The emperor said that the Empress must not know about this matter. I am doing what you ordered."
Emperor Zhaowu nodded with satisfaction, "When Xiaojiu comes back, bring him to me first. I will personally take him to see the Queen."
He looked at the empty bowl of pear soup and said, "It's not easy for the queen to be in charge of the harem. This may make her happier."
Li Ren echoed, "Your Majesty has good intentions. Your Majesty will be even happier when the Ninth Prince returns."
…
Rong Ting's cold wind,
He recovered completely in three days.
Not only did the cold go away, but the injury on my leg was obviously much better.
Even though he had no one to support him or anything to depend on, he could stand up on his own and hold on for a while.
Rong Ting stood up from the wheelchair, and his legs, which had not walked for a long time, supported his body with trembling steps.
He walked to the door step by step, with heavy and slow steps, and raised his hand to push it open.
For ordinary people, it is just an ordinary distance.
For Rong Ting, it was an experience he had not had for a year.
He stood in the bright light of day, his back straight and tall, his hands behind his back trembling slightly.
With trembling fingers, he stood there silently for nearly an incense stick of time, and the turmoil in his eyes finally stopped.
After returning to the house, he sat back in the wheelchair.
After sitting back in the wheelchair, its two legs were placed on the pedals, looking as weak and powerless as before, but the look in its owner's eyes had changed.
Just like a beast trapped in a cage finally breaking free, the long-suppressed desire for revenge and bloodthirsty murderous intent accumulated and settled in his pupils, gradually becoming a dark and heavy thing that was difficult for ordinary people to understand.
…
Rong Ting went to the clinic and found the old doctor.
After the old doctor took his pulse, he was quite surprised and said, "You are getting better too quickly."
Rong Ting nodded.
The old doctor saw that he was in a calm mood and felt that although the boy was very young, he looked as mature and experienced as an old man who had lived for decades.
He had been sitting in a wheelchair for a whole year as if his legs were disabled, and then suddenly they were healed. Who wouldn't be ecstatic?
He is different.
Rong Ting held a letter in his arms.
The letter paper used was still the one with the bloody handprints of the dead soldier.
He knew that the palace, especially the Jinxiu Palace, was bustling with activity.
The queen was extremely suspicious and began to doubt a person and could no longer trust him.
Even though Nanny Ji was the old nanny who had been with her since she got married, as long as she became suspicious, she would never believe her again.
In the letters that the Queen sent later, she urged her "death warriors" to find out who was colluding with Nanny Ji.
She didn't know that he was the one who actually saw the letter.
If the Queen knew it was him someday, I wonder what expression she would show.
There was darkness in the boy's eyes, but he hid his cunningness in his silence.
When a cat plays with a mouse, it always plays with the mouse for a while before the mouse dies.
After the old doctor finished examining him, he wanted to leave.
The old doctor saw him change to a wheelchair and called out to Rong Ting, "You can walk around now, it's fine, you don't have to sit in a wheelchair."
Rong Ting shook his head slightly, "I'm afraid of pain."
Even though it was a lie, he remained calm.
"You're not afraid of the pain from taking those medicines, but you're afraid of the pain from walking?"
Serious illnesses are difficult to cure. The medicine given by Dr. Ren is both a medicine and a poison. It is said that after taking it, one feels as if ants are drilling into the bones at night. The pain continues for a long time, and the time of each attack is different. It is impossible to guess how long the pain will last.
The old doctor laughed, "Forget it, forget it. You may not be able to get used to walking now. In this case, just sit in the wheelchair for a few more days. Young master, congratulations, it's not easy to cure your leg injury."
Rong Ting's expression was a little cold.
He didn't know what to say at this moment.
In front of almost everyone, he has no strong desire to talk or communicate with others.
The old doctor spoke to him, and although he listened, his heart remained calm.
Just like the last time Jiang Jinxing was clamoring for candy, I didn’t know what to do or what expression to show.
The old doctor talked a little more and said to Rong Ting, "Your leg injury has healed. You should thank Miss Jiang. Thanks to her for finding the medicine for you. I should also thank her. Doctor Ren's prescription has inspired me a lot."
Like breaking ice, a hint of warmth appeared on Rong Ting's cold face.
The cold eyes became much more lively when he thought of the petite figure of the little girl.
He lowered his eyes, "It's all her credit."
Thinking about how Jiang Rao usually treated people, he said to the old doctor, "Thank you, old sir."
The old doctor was very excited. "Now that your leg injury is healed, you must go and thank her."
"But just saying thank you won't win a girl's heart."
"I'm telling you, girls all like jewelry. Think about it, she likes the kind that glitters with gold, or the kind with beautiful gems. If you can give her jewelry, it's likely that she accepts your feelings."
Rong Ting tilted his head, thinking of the jewelry Jiang Rao usually wore, and his eyes unconsciously softened.
The old doctor didn't care whether he listened or not. He smiled, as if recalling something. The wrinkles around his eyes deepened because of the smile. He said slowly, "At the beginning, my wife agreed to marry me because of a white jade hairpin. Since then, I have bought her a hairpin every year. What kind of hairpin should I buy this year? You should think carefully about it."
…
Rong Ting sent the letter.
On the way back, I stopped when passing by a jewelry store.
shop
The boss saw that Rong Ting was dressed in ordinary clothes, but his temperament could not hide his nobleness. He unconsciously treated him more warmly, "Young Master, what do you want to see?"
"Look at the jewelry." Rong Ting said.
"It's a gift, in exchange for..."
"Send it to someone."
"I wonder if it's for your elders, family members, or your beloved little girl?"
“The little girl I like.” Rong Ting turned his eyes away slightly.
The shop owner understood and picked a hairpin. "Look at this white jade lotus hairpin. It will set off your eyebrows and eyes and make you look very beautiful when worn by a little girl."
Rong Ting looked at it, frowned, and glanced over the other hairpins, saying: "Wearing other ones will also look good."
The shop owner smiled and said, "Of course, of course. The young master is already a beautiful man, so I think the girl he likes must also be extremely beautiful."
The shop owner's words are mostly polite tricks to attract business. Unexpectedly, just after he said the words "topless beauty", he heard his little guest hum in a faint voice.
Although his voice was quiet, his expression showed that he agreed very much.
The shop owner smiled and said, "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder." This shows how much he liked the girl.
He continued to solicit business, "It's just that this one in my hand is made of the best jade material. Girls like it very much. It can best show your intentions."
Rong Ting was a little dissatisfied, "This hairpin is selling very well?"
"Of course it is good. This is the best hairpin sold in the shop."
"I don't want this."
"I want jade material," he said.
…
Rong Ting worked all night long, and the next day, on the table, the rough jade material he had bought turned into a beautiful white feather hairpin.
What he wanted to give her was something unique in the world, something that only she had.
He ground the remaining jade into a small piece of jade ring.
He used to repair benches and tables for himself, but this was the first time he made jewelry.
He put down the small sharp knife he had been holding all night. His eyes were bloodshot. He blinked, his eyelids were dry, and he held the hairpin in his palm, feeling a little nervous.
His eyes glanced at the hairpin again and again.
A little hesitant.
I don’t know if she will like it.
Before he even gave away the hairpin, he strung the jade ring with a red thread and wore it around his waist, right next to the old purse.
…
Concubine Yun's letter came with a gift for her beloved niece - ten boxes of spices.
Concubine Yun has always loved beauty and has a deep understanding of rouge and powder.
Jiang Rao is young now and is unlikely to use these things.
She went to look for her parents with the ten boxes of precious spices that were said to have been sent from the Western Regions.
Mr. Jiang Si and Mrs. Jiang Qin were sitting and standing at the desk, one sitting.
"Dad, Mom."
Hearing Jiang Rao's voice, the two looked up from the letter.
All of them had unhappy expressions.
Fourth Master Jiang stood behind Jiang Qinshi, his brows knitted tightly, his expression solemn, "Niannian, come here."
"Daddy has something to tell you."
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