A moment later, Luo Qiniang revealed a moon-white veil beneath her veil...
“This is Uncle Zhou’s hometown,” Qin Weixi said.
Chu Yening raised an eyebrow: "Comprehensive?"
Everyone present knew about Zhou Quan's connection with Duke Qin Heng, except for Chu Yening.
Before Qin Weixi could speak, Chu Yening had already shown an expression of sudden enlightenment and laughed, "That fool... I see."
Gu Han served hot tea to everyone in the room. The group remained seated around the desk. Jiu Qu, who was standing by the window, asked, "Lord Marquis, shall we go to Chongqing Prefecture?"
Chu Yening's lips suddenly curled into a meaningful smile: "Yes, we'll take you. But you don't need to come along. Once the storm has passed, find a way to go to Yongzhou. The people we sent there haven't been able to find Sun Cheng."
Jiuqu and Songyang exchanged a glance: "How can we not follow? What if we encounter assassins..."
Chu Yening, who hadn't even taken a sip of tea yet, glanced at the two of them with a sly look upon hearing this: "What? Have I become a piece of trash?"
Suddenly, a scene flashed through Jiuqu's mind: Liang Cizi's bizarre and gruesome death in the snow and ice. He gave a dry laugh: "How could that be!"
Qin Weixi suddenly said, "I want to go too."
Jiang Yuanjun, who had been silent all along, blurted out instinctively, "No, Seventh Sister."
"The capital is more than a thousand miles away from Chongqing. On the way back to the capital back then... Fifth Brother was really afraid that something unexpected might happen on the way. He was not trying to stop you from going, but he was afraid that Seventh Sister would encounter danger."
At this point, Jiang Yuanjun suddenly realized that the inner garment she was wearing today was now soaked through on her back.
"Aren't you worried about me?" Chu Yening suddenly looked at Jiang Yuanjun, raising her chin slightly.
Jiang Yuanjun was taken aback for a moment, but quickly a polite smile appeared on her lips: "You? What do I have to worry about?"
This was the first time since returning to Beijing that Jiang Yuanjun's words to him contained a hint of teasing.
Chu Yening responded with a "Hmm": "That's easy. If anything unexpected happens, I will make sure she lives, even if it means my own death."
"Pah! What are you saying!" Tao Qingyun shouted angrily, while looking around for something convenient, and finally picked up a book and threw it at him.
Luo Ling stood up, stepped forward, and took the item from them, interrupting them, saying, "Just like when you were young, you argue after a few words, and if you can't reach a conclusion, you part on bad terms. Are you going to start a fight next time you meet?"
Luo Ling, with his hands behind his back, glanced at the people present, looking at them with a helpless expression like that of an old father.
The three men remained silent, their expressions indifferent, as if arguing was nothing compared to the fact that they would still meet when the time came.
Qin Weixi chuckled as he looked at the group of people who still carried the spirit of youth.
Luo Ling suddenly turned his gaze to his thoughtful younger sister and said with a smile, "My little sister is going, and Ye Ning should participate even more. All we can do is help them when necessary and give it our all."
Qin Weixi pondered for a moment, then said cautiously, "Brother, let's say I'm going back to Jiangnan to visit our elderly grandmother. What do you think?"
Because Jiang Yuanjun was present, she did not say what she had originally intended to say.
Since the emperor wanted her to keep Luo's father from returning to the capital and becoming the Crown Princess, he would not easily let her leave the capital.
Tao Qingyun casually fiddled with her folding fan and said, "Since there's nothing going on in the capital, and Grandfather finds me an eyesore, Ye Ning and I will go under the guise of escorting you, Seventh Sister, back to Jiangnan for a short trip. I've done this kind of travel before, so even if Aunt finds out, what else can she say?"
Luo Ling pondered for a moment and nodded: "That's fine too, brother, let Luo Yuan follow you."
Jiang Yuanjun echoed, "As the Crown Prince, I cannot easily leave the capital. Seventh Sister, I will have A-Xiao escort you."
Chu Yening suddenly sighed softly, then picked at his ear, looking quite relaxed: "Do you really think I don't exist?"
Qin Weixi smiled at him and said to the others, "Now that I've left the capital, only my brother is left in the mansion. If I take Brother Luo with me as well, wouldn't that make me feel bad on the journey?"
"And Fifth Brother, there is no need for Ah Xiao to escort me out of the capital. As the Crown Prince of the country, as Fifth Brother said, there are countless eyes in the court watching you. Ah Xiao is your close attendant, and his every move represents you."
"With my fourth and third brothers, two older brothers who have always protected me since I was a child, what do I have to be afraid of?"
"As for my return to Jiangnan under the pretext of visiting my grandmother, I think it would be better to let Pu Niang and Feng Hua really go back, and then have Pu Niang paint Feng Hua's face to look like Xiao Xing when they return to the Luo family in Jiangnan, so as to prevent others from becoming suspicious. At that time, you only need to send the guards in the mansion to protect Pu Niang and Feng Hua. However, I will have to trouble you to find two more men who are about the same height as my fourth and third brothers."
"And I, elder brother, fifth brother, this time I will definitely return to the capital safely. The New Year is just a few months away, and this time I also want elder brother to eat dumplings and glutinous rice balls with me at the mansion."
"There are still some minor gusts of wind, and I will have to trouble you to take care of me for some time to come."
Her eyes remained bright, and as her lips moved, she calmly and rationally explained the reason for everyone's worry.
Outside the window, light snow was still falling, but inside, it was warm and cozy. The group seemed to vaguely see again the delicate, mischievous, and fearless little girl they knew from their youth.
Luo Ling nodded repeatedly and said gently, "Brother will do as you say."
Lu Yu, who had been missing for many years and had seemingly vanished from the world, suddenly appeared in Chongqing Prefecture. The group of people, unable to contain their excitement, left the Luo residence.
The first thing Tao Qingyun did after leaving the mansion was to instruct Fa Cai: "Go and order two autumn shirts, and remember to go to Xiangshan Shop!"
The wealthy monk was completely baffled. He turned around and looked at the vast expanse of white snow covering the capital. He exclaimed in surprise, "Young master, it's time to order winter coats. The Empress Dowager recently bestowed upon you a jade-green fox fur coat. This servant finds it very warm!"
Tao Qingyun stamped her foot, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened her eyes again, saying, "What's with all the fuss? I'm very useful!"
In the secluded depths of the palace.
Crown Prince Jiang Yuanjun walked beneath the towering, vermilion walls that stretched as far as the eye could see, with Ah Xiao following closely behind, holding an oil-paper umbrella.
After a moment, Jiang Yuanjun stopped, watching the snowflakes gradually rushing towards her.
He took off the moon-white fox fur coat he was wearing and tossed it to Ah Xiao, who was following behind him. Ah Xiao opened his mouth: "Your Highness?"
"No need for further explanation."
Jiang Yuanjun wandered aimlessly along the palace wall, her brocade boots making a crunching sound with each step in the snow.
Where should he go? To see his father or mother? Or perhaps his sister, who has been melancholic lately?
He longed to ask about the Li Mou case, which had caused a sensation in the capital years ago, and why the case files had been brought into the palace. Was it because his father wanted to completely resolve the case to avoid further controversy for the Qin family, or was it because, as with every emperor after a change of dynasty, a disloyal heart would gradually arise?
He believed in the Qin family, but why didn't his father? Was it because he wanted to give an explanation to the people of the world, and to give an explanation to his Uncle Chu who died far from home?
Snow fell in the capital, and his good brother, Ah Shuo, also died on such a cold, snowy day.
Ah Xiao still held the umbrella, but this time he didn't follow closely. He looked at the lone figure in the snow and gradually lowered his eyes.
*
Three days later, a sunny day arrived. After the snow, the capital city looked brand new.
As the Luo family's carriage was about to slowly leave the capital to return to Jiangnan, Empress Tao learned of this and quickly summoned Qin Weixi to the palace. Upon learning that her own nephew would be escorting them with the Marquis of Jingning, she kept Qin Weixi in the palace for a long time. She then summoned Tao Qingyun to the palace and questioned her in detail before letting the two of them leave.
She remembered that the old matriarch of the Luo family had fallen ill in the spring, and Luo Ling had even personally asked His Majesty for medicine for her.
As people get older, they are not as good as they used to be.
This elderly woman, nearing her eighties, appears serene and tranquil, yet is in fact resolute and unwavering. Of the three families who helped the late emperor establish the empire, she is now the only one left.
Empress Tao bestowed many gifts upon him and entrusted his nephew to take them to Jiangnan. Emperor Kang Le learned of this but said nothing, only entrusting him to take a Duan inkstone.
Back then, Luo Songyue loved books and was always engrossed in writing, so he had no choice but to cater to his interests.
When the carriage had traveled about a hundred miles outside the capital, the group secretly changed their route. On the way there, Qin Weixi had brought Feng Hua and Pu Niang with him. On the day of their return to the capital, Luo Ling suggested writing a letter and entrusting Pu Niang to personally deliver it to her mother in Jiangnan. At that time, one of the maids from Jiangnan would be chosen to "Feng Hua" and return to the capital.
The group parted ways in the outskirts of the capital. Qin Weixi leaned on Pu Niang's shoulder, reluctant to leave. Pu Niang smiled and held her hand tightly.
Qin Weixi said, "Puniang must have had a lot of hard work these days."
The carriage traveling to Chongqing Prefecture made its way along the road, stopping frequently, gradually revealing green leaves and birds amidst the barren branches of early winter in the north. After Pu Niang and her party returned to the Luo family in Jiangnan, the three of them would also travel to that mountain city.
Along the way, Qin Weixi saw many people carrying shoulder poles to fetch water from the river, and two or three women walking together washing clothes in the river, chatting and laughing.
Mu Tong and Xue Zhao were already waiting at an inn in the countryside. Xue Zhao had already sent someone to follow Lu Yu, who went to the river to wash clothes every day.
Qin Weixi asked, "Does Lu Yu have a young daughter?"
Xue Zhao said, "Madam, she looks to be about eleven or twelve years old now. Our investigation revealed that Lu Yu dotes on this little girl. Every day after washing clothes by the river, he would go home to watch over her. If any villagers needed to give birth, they would ask her to help. He raised his daughter on his meager income."
Qin Weixi nodded, her mind preoccupied with Lu Yu washing clothes by the river, completely unaware of the changes in the others besides her and Chu Yening after Xue Zhao's earlier address of "Madam".
"Wooden Boy Jin, General Xue, how did you discover Lu Yu's whereabouts?"
Mu Tong smiled and said, "It's quite a coincidence. Zi Jin and I have been visiting every papermaking workshop in Jiangnan recently, but we have no clue what to do. It wasn't until Miss sent us that letter that we started to secretly investigate various medicines and even clinics with General Xue, but we still found nothing."
Zi Jin continued, "Until one day, in front of the Zhang family clinic in Hangzhou, a woman in difficult labor was buying cosmetics with her elder sister in the market when she suddenly went into labor. The woman's elder sister said she wanted to find the Fish Lady who used to practice medicine at the clinic, because it was the Fish Lady who helped her out of danger during her childbirth. But the doctor at the clinic said that the Fish Lady had long since left."
"The woman's elder sister asked where the person had gone?"
Mu Tong said, "The doctor said it's Chongqing Prefecture! He needs to save enough money to open a pharmacy! We were thinking that this fish lady might be Lu Yu. Since there was even a glimmer of hope, we had to go and find out. Later, when we arrived in Chongqing Prefecture, we split up with General Xue to search. Sure enough, we found Lu Yu in this village based on the portrait."
"Fish Lady? Is that the fish from the river?" Qin Weixi asked.
The wooden boy nodded.
Just as the group was about to discuss their plans for the trip, Tao Qingyun interrupted them with a smile, walked straight to the bundle she had brought with her when she left the capital, and quickly took out two jade-colored autumn garments from them. Judging from their styles, one was a woman's silk skirt and the other was a man's long robe.
Tao Qingyun said with a smug look on her face: "I asked you, what does Lu Yu like most? A loving relationship with her husband! Then let's fight poison with poison! Watch me!"
Everyone: "..."
The warm afternoon sun shone on the shimmering river surface as Qin Weixi, Chu Yening, and Tao Qingyun set off into the emerald green mountains and clear waters. She wore a veiled hat and a jade-green silk dress, which echoed Chu Yening's bamboo-green brocade robe.
The two stood together, and Tao Qingyun circled them again and again, praising them repeatedly with a confident expression, saying, "They really are the golden couple that Grandmother Zhao spoke of."
He waved his folding fan, cleared his throat, flicked his clothes, and took the lead: "You two have been pretending to be a newlywed couple all this time."
"And I will temporarily play the role of the older brother who is taking his troublesome younger sister, who is always clamoring to travel and explore, on a trip."
As the three approached the riverbank, they could hear the women's laughter and the sound of the river flowing more clearly. Looking into the distance, they saw six or seven women dressed in clean and neat short brown clothes sitting together on the riverbank, chatting idly, with unwashed clothes piled up beside them.
Not far away, a lone woman seemed out of place among them, not even looking up as she continuously beat clothes in her hands with a mallet in the rushing river.
Nestled against the mountains and beside the water, this village boasts stunning scenery, attracting wealthy families throughout the year. Some young men, eager for novelty, try their hand at fishing in the river, while others gather to host banquets and admire the breathtaking landscape.
But most of the villagers had never seen two such handsome young men before.
The women, who had been chatting and laughing, gathered around in groups, glancing every now and then at the graceful young woman dressed in fine silks and satins, whose face they couldn't quite make out.
"Are you two young gentlemen here for a visit?"
"Where did this young lady come from? With such rosy lips and white teeth, she must be the youngest daughter of a wealthy family."
"This dress is really beautiful."
The girl behind the veil smiled calmly at the women's gazes, while glancing behind them at the lone woman who had stopped her work and turned around when she noticed the unusual scene by the riverbank.
A moment later, the pale veil beneath the hat was slowly lifted by a fair hand, revealing a woman with bright eyes and a charming smile: "I am the seventh child in my family, so you aunties can just call me Luo Qiniang."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
