Chapter 83 Past Events Become Memories
The fact that a prince could kill someone in public stunned even the sixth prince, who had been stirring things up.
"Third brother, you... Imperial Physician, summon the Imperial Physician."
The sixth prince glanced at the woman causing trouble, then at the third prince gripping the hilt of his knife, and thought to himself that things had gotten out of hand.
As he spoke, the Sixth Prince's steps forward were stopped, and Han Mu instead pulled him back.
Many others shared the same reaction, including princes and ministers who were relatively close to the Third Prince.
They didn't retreat because the Third Prince had killed someone; firstly, he had a knife, and they didn't want him to go berserk and hurt them; secondly, it was because of what the woman had just said.
Treason and rebellion are crimes that can cost you your head.
Regardless of whether this matter is true or false, the fact that this woman is from the Third Prince's household, and that he just personally admitted it, and that she calls him by his name directly, shows that their relationship is quite close. To dare to reveal such a secret in public...
As Lang Mingxuan listened to Lang Zhizhi's outrageous words, his chest heaved, and he felt a chill on his neck, as if it wasn't even his own. He fainted from anger.
Although the Third Prince's Consort had been annoyed during the capture of Lang Zhizhi, she hadn't lost much of her composure. But now, seeing the knife plunged into Lang Zhizhi's body, she felt as if the sky had fallen, her voice trembling, "Your Highness—"
The shout jolted the Third Prince awake. He looked down at his hand holding the knife, hurriedly released it, took two steps back, and said firmly, "She slandered me; she deserves to die."
The back courtyard had the most women. Even though some of the ladies were experienced and remained calm, many unmarried girls screamed in fright.
Not many people heard what the Third Prince said.
With a thud, Lang Zhizhi fell backward to the ground.
Zhao Xian stared intently at Lang Zhizhi's abdomen, staggered for a moment, and widened her eyes.
She couldn't help but reach out and hit her head; it hurt, it hurt so much.
Suddenly, a scene became very clear.
There were many maple leaves all around, their bright red color was quite beautiful.
Two pairs of hands, clearly belonging to women, were clasped together. It was as if a breeze was blowing, causing the woman's hair to flutter, but her face was very blurry.
Her mouth was moving, as if she were saying something, but no sound could be heard.
The surroundings blurred for a moment.
Suddenly, the person whose facial features were indistinct suddenly had exceptionally clear eyes, as if looking into the distance. The horror in those eyes pierced her heart, as if she had seen something terrifying.
It makes people inexplicably tense up along with it.
Before she could get a good look, the scene flashed before her eyes, and a man appeared out of nowhere. The man had his back to Zhao Xian and appeared in front of the woman whose face she couldn't see.
The man's gaze was fixed on the woman's abdomen, his hand gripping the bloodstained dagger.
There was no sound, yet it was as if one could hear the dripping of blood on the ground.
However, the flickering images did not stop.
More and more scenes are appearing, non-stop.
Too many images and too much information flooded in at once, giving Zhao Xian a splitting headache.
He was breathing rapidly and staggered forward.
Jiang Liangxu's face paled for a moment, but fortunately he arrived in time and caught her. "Ah Xian, Ah Xian."
Zhao Xian's body seemed to have no support, and she did not respond; she had completely fainted.
Jiang Liangxu bent down, picked up Zhao Xian, and carried her to the front yard, his face full of worry.
Cui Tingyue didn't know why her adoptive mother had suddenly fainted, and didn't have time to ask. She lifted her skirt and followed, with her maidservant close behind.
Because of the Third Prince's slash, the scene was already chaotic, and no one paid much attention to them.
"Lord Jiang, what's wrong with Madam Jiang? There's a royal physician at the Prince's residence. Please go to the guest room first, and I'll have someone fetch him."
Han Mu noticed Jiang Liangxu carrying his wife out, and came forward to ask what was wrong, but his gaze was fixed on Cui Tingyue.
Jiang Liangxu thought that it would take some time to get back, so he did not refuse. "Please find the imperial physician as soon as possible."
As Jiang Liangxu carried Zhao Xian to the guest room, the sound of a eunuch announcing the arrival came from the front yard.
"His Majesty has arrived! His Majesty the Empress has arrived!"
The eunuch's shouts instantly dispelled the panic among the crowd, and everyone knelt down.
The imperial guards filed in and stood in an orderly fashion behind the crowd.
Lang Zhizhi was stabbed and fell to the ground, but the Sixth Prince had someone summon the imperial physician, and someone had already gone to check on her.
The Empress's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a sharp edge beneath its gentle tone, "Who caused the bloodshed at my son's wedding?"
Such an incident occurring on the prince's wedding day is a slap in the face to the royal family.
The Emperor glanced at everyone present: "Are you all mute?"
The emperor's voice, though not angry, carried an imposing aura that sent shivers down everyone's spines. Yet, no one dared to accuse the third prince, not even the sixth prince himself.
Brothers may quarrel in private, but not in front of the emperor, who is both the ruler and the father.
What their father disliked most was seeing his brothers at odds.
The third prince seemed to have come to his senses. "Father, this woman deliberately harmed me. I had no choice but to kill her. Please investigate thoroughly, Father."
The Emperor summoned the Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs and Lady Wang to his presence and inquired about the situation.
Because of the mention of treason, no one dared to look at the emperor's face; they knelt on the ground with their eyes lowered.
However, the Emperor's furious rage did not materialize. Instead, he calmly said, "Rise, all of you. The auspicious time has arrived. Do not delay the wedding ceremony."
The Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs hurriedly continued to urge everyone to go to the front courtyard to watch the ceremony.
No one dared to question it.
But he also wondered, was it really okay for the Third Prince to be exposed for treason and kill people in public?
However, everyone soon discovered that the Third Prince and his wife were not present at the ceremony in the front courtyard.
Guest room in the Prince's Residence.
After taking her pulse, the imperial physician said to Jiang Liangxu, "Lord Jiang, the lady's liver pulse is rising and her heart pulse is agitated. This is a sign of sudden internal heat attacking the heart, causing qi and blood to flow in disorder. I can first administer acupuncture to stabilize her condition, and then supplement her with medicine to soothe the liver, relieve depression, nourish the blood, and calm the mind."
Jiang Liangxu nodded: "Thank you for your trouble."
-past-
The county government office of Huquan County.
Looking at Meng Yingniang, who held the brush well and wrote beautiful characters, Zhao Xian exclaimed in surprise, "You're so skilled with the brush! You said you've only been here for less than three years? You're not lying to me, are you?"
What a genius! He was able to correct his bad handwriting so quickly, grasp the essence of the problem, and write so well.
She was actually reincarnated as a baby, and she never changed her habit of writing with a pen from her previous life.
Is it because she didn't try hard enough?
Meng Yingniang raised her eyes, her gaze gentle as water, and smiled, "My maternal grandfather was obsessed with calligraphy, and I learned from him since I was a child, so I'm not unfamiliar with it."
Zhao Xian clapped her hands. "What a talented woman! But didn't you say you made figurines? Doesn't your family object?"
"They respect my hobbies, and it was precisely because of these things that I learned from a young age that I was able to build a foundation."
"Oh no, oh no, compared to this, my scribbles are unbearable to look at." Zhao Xian was so focused on looking at Meng Yingniang's handwriting that she didn't notice the desolation and deep longing in her eyes.
With the arrival of midsummer, the heat in Huquan County was unbearable. When no one was around, Zhao Xian liked to roll up her sleeves high.
"My dear wife, it's so hot, and you're still covered up so tightly. Aren't you hot?" Zhao Xian reached out to help her roll up her sleeves.
Meng Yingniang seemed startled, instantly pulling her hand away, hugging herself and turning around, saying, "I'm not hot, I'm fine."
Zhao Xian pursed her lips, dodging quickly as if afraid of being touched.
Meng Yingniang realized she had overreacted and smiled gently at Zhao Xian, "I'm really not hot."
With a smile, Zhao Xian instantly shook off the strange feeling from before. "I had the kitchen make you an iced drink. Aren't you hot in the summer? Are you perhaps suffering from a cold constitution? Can you eat it?"
"It's okay, I just don't sweat much."
"I'm so envious."
The two chatted as they sorted through the messy documents at the county government office, as if there was never enough time in the day.
In the afternoon, a servant came to tell us that Young Master Tao had come to pick up Madam Meng.
Zhao Xian glanced at Meng Yingniang teasingly, "Brother Tao is keeping a close eye on you. You come to the county office every day, how could you possibly run away? He treats you like a child, picking you up and dropping you off."
Meng Yingniang turned her face away, not letting Zhao Xian see the embarrassment in her eyes.
Zhao Xian enjoyed spending time with Meng Yingniang. After dismissing the maids, she could tell them many things that only they knew. Having a like-minded person to share things with felt like finding a home.
The good times didn't last long. The matriarch of the Tao family gave birth, and Zhao Xian and Jiang Liangxu were invited to the baby's one-month celebration banquet.
On the way, Zhao Xian was held in Jiang Liangxu's arms. She was a little carsick. It was fine for short journeys, but she couldn't handle long journeys.
As the carriage swayed and rocked, she felt like the contents of her head were being shaken together. "How much longer until we reach the Tao family?"
Before Jiang Liangxu could speak, the coachman's voice came: "My lord, madam, we have arrived at the Tao residence."
Zhao Xian rubbed her dizzy head. "How long have we been walking?"
Jiang Liangxu helped her down from the carriage and said, "About four quarters of an hour."
"It was only an hour, why didn't she say goodbye when she left? The invitation was delivered by a servant."
They spend every day together, couldn't they have given each other a heads-up?
Jiang Liangxu had heard countless complaints from her along the way, all expressing her petty dissatisfaction with her leaving without saying goodbye. He comforted her again, saying, "Perhaps she left in a hurry and didn't have time."
The Tao family were merchants, and Jiang Liangxu was an official. Upon learning that the magistrate of Huquan County had arrived, the head of the Tao family and his steward came to greet him with smiles.
Zhao Xian was in a hurry to find Meng Yingniang to ask her if she considered her a friend.
Is it because she's worried about her status as an official and a businesswoman? Now that she's here, I'm definitely going to give her a good scolding.
Because of Zhao Xian's status as the county magistrate's wife, the Tao family attached great importance to her and even had the young mistress of the Tao family, who had just finished her postpartum confinement, accompany her.
However, Zhao Xian still hadn't seen Meng Yingniang. "Young Madam, where are the rest of the Tao family? Where are your sisters-in-law?"
The young mistress of the Tao family smiled gently, "Madam of the county magistrate is joking. My husband is the only son in the Tao family, how could I have a sister-in-law?"
No sisters-in-law? Zhao Xian thought for a moment, could it be that Young Master Tao is from a distant branch of the Tao family? But even if he is from a distant branch, she didn't see Meng Yingniang.
Just as she was about to ask again, a servant announced that the young master had arrived.
In merchant families, the rules were not so strict, and the places where male and female guests stayed were not far apart.
Zhao Xian had no interest in the young master of the Tao family; she was looking for Meng Yingniang. However, when the man walked up to the young mistress of the Tao family and picked up the child, Zhao Xian happened to turn around and see the man's face.
For a moment, she couldn't breathe.
This young master Tao has the same face as Meng Yingniang's young master Tao.
"My lord, this is the magistrate's wife. She just asked me if I had any sisters-in-law. It's a pity you don't have any brothers."
The young mistress of the Tao family told this story as an amusing anecdote.
Young Master Tao smiled gently as he looked tenderly at his wife beside him.
When he looked at Zhao Xian, he showed no embarrassment. Instead, he greeted her, "It is my son's honor that the magistrate's wife could come to celebrate my son's one-month birthday."
Zhao Xian's smile gradually faded. She raised her finger and pointed at the young mistress of the Tao family and the child in their arms. "You, wife and child?"
Who is Meng Yingniang?
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