141 Chapter 141
"Since Xie Qi has already..."
Xu Qinghe frowned and finally turned around to look at him.
The handsome man in front of him smiled. "At first, Yang had no other intentions. He just wanted to repay the favor. But later... later, I saw that Madam was well-spoken, talented in painting, kind, and approachable. In Yang Ye's heart, she was a goddess as beautiful as the moon in the sky."
"Madam, you are such a good man, why do you have to be that man? Why wait for a heartless man who will never come back?"
Xu Qinghe's brows suddenly turned colder: "Yang Ye, you've crossed the line."
Yang Ye smiled at her and said, "This is the first time Madam has called me by my name. I am very happy."
He didn't give Xu Qinghe a chance to speak, and immediately continued, "As long as Madam is willing, you don't have to wait for that man anymore. Yang Ye is right by your side, and I can take good care of you. In the future, I will treat your children as my own, and we can be a normal couple."
"Please, Madam, give Yang Ye a chance."
Xu Qinghe looked at Yang Ye coldly, and the latter looked back at her without hesitation, with a fierce sincerity surging under his dark eyes.
But it made Xu Qinghe feel a chill on his back.
Perhaps sensing the discomfort in her eyes, Yang Ye lowered his head. When he raised his eyes again, his expression had changed. He smiled gently and said, "If Madam doesn't want to, Yang Ye can continue to wait, any time is fine. It was Yang Ye who was abrupt today, Madam, please don't blame me."
Maybe it was because Yang Ye mentioned Xie Qi today that she dreamed of him at night.
It could be a white robe on the martial arts field, or a red dress in the plum forest after the snow. The man is galloping on the battlefield with a spear and a white horse, or he may sit down under the flower trees with his robe lifted up to make wine and tea.
He always smiled at her, and his affectionate eyes seemed to hold only her. He would hold her hand and lead her to mount the horse, or pick up the teacup with his long fingers and hand it to her lips.
He called her again and again, Qinghe, Qinghe.
But I couldn't hear her answer.
So he felt very aggrieved and asked with red eyes: Why didn't you answer me? Why didn't you look at me?
Xu Qinghe felt like she was crying: It was clearly you who let me go first, why are you pretending to be so aggrieved now?
She cried and said: Xie Qi, I am not soft-hearted towards everyone.
He saw Xie Qi smile bitterly and replied in a trembling voice: Yes, it’s my fault, I was wrong.
He left without looking back, just like the silver-armored general outside the city gate that day.
Xu Qinghe first struggled to chase after him, but then saw the scene around him changing rapidly, and he was actually on a bloody battlefield with swords and sabers.
Someone called her again and again, Qinghe, Qinghe, but there was still no response from her.
Xu Qinghe searched and looked desperately, and finally found him covered in blood under several corpses.
She suddenly woke up from her sleep.
In the dream, Xie Qi covered in blood seemed to be right in front of her, which almost made her unable to sleep all night.
She began to worry about Xie Qi's current situation, while at the same time comforting herself that it was just a nightmare, and when she woke up, everything would be gone.
The next morning, Xu Qinghe received a letter from Jing'an.
Jing'an said in the letter that Qi Sheng's master had continued to travel, and she would have time to visit him in the next few days.
Xu Qinghe looked up at the scorching sun outside. It was the hottest time of the summer, and Jing'an shouldn't go out at this time.
But firstly, she did miss Jing'an, and secondly... she had a gift for her.
So she gave up the idea of asking Jing'an to come again in the future, and just replied that she already knew. After sending the letter, she called Lin Xiao again.
"Where are the people?"
Lin Xiao smiled and replied, "That man is a painting enthusiast. After seeing your paintings, he was so impressed that he set off today. Now, judging by the distance, he should arrive the day after tomorrow at the latest."
Princess Jing'an happened to come to the town on this day.
Xu Qinghe personally met her at the door. Because they came in through the main gate, all the neighbors knew that the Xu family had guests today, and Yang Ye also accompanied them.
Because she specifically instructed in the letter not to make it public, Princess Jing'an traveled light this time. But even so, the gorgeous carriage and dozens of servants still opened the eyes of the people in the town.
"Didn't I tell you not to make a fuss?"
Jing'an brought her into the house under the scorching sun. He first took her hand and looked her up and down. He finally felt relieved after seeing that his good sister not only did not lose weight, but had become a lot plumper.
"Qi Sheng said that we are here today to support you. Although we cannot be too ostentatious, we cannot be too low-key either. We must let the people in the town know that you have someone backing you up."
"I just wanted to reunite with you when I was free, but how come you are the one who has to support me?" Xu Qinghe was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
Princess Jing'an said, "You are now alone in this small town, so of course you need someone to support you. Let's stop talking about this and let me hear what my little nephew and niece want to say to me."
As he said this, Jing'an leaned forward to listen.
The child is now almost seven months old, and Xu Qinghe herself can often feel small fists or feet gently hitting or kicking her. Jing'an felt it after possessing her for a few moments.
She smiled at her, her eyes full of envy: "When the child is born, I will be the child's aunt."
Xu Qinghe replied, "Even if I accept you as my godmother, that's fine."
But I thought in my heart, Jing'an loves children so much, she must let that miracle doctor take care of her health.
When she came back to her senses, she found Jing'an staring at her with a smile.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
It's creepy.
Jing'an said, "I haven't seen you for a few months, and I see that you have changed a lot compared to before."
Xu Qinghe: "What?"
Princess Jing'an said, "You used to exude a sense of aloofness from head to toe, a coldness that kept people at a distance. It was only after you married Xie Qi...that's all. Let's not talk about this."
She went to the dressing table, got a mirror, and placed it in front of Xu Qinghe: "Look, you are much gentler now. The corners of your eyebrows and eyes are as gentle as water. I have never seen you like this before."
Xu Qinghe thought, it was probably because of the child.
She used to be a girl, but now she is a mother. Unconsciously, she has become more tolerant and gentle towards things and people in this world.
Take Lin Xiao for example, this girl is not as careful as Nanzhi when serving pens and ink. If it were her old self, she would have scolded her with a sullen face, but now she is willing to teach her step by step in a friendly manner. Nanzhi would probably be shocked to see this.
As he was saying this, Jing'an suddenly said, "Since you can be tolerant to others, why can't you be more tolerant to yourself?"
Xu Qinghe: "Hmm?"
Jing'an sighed: "Since Xie Qi has already..."
She suddenly paused, bit her tongue, and changed her words: "Since Xie Qi is gone, why are you still waiting so hard? Why not give others a chance, and give yourself a chance as well?"
Xu Qinghe always felt that her pause just now was a little strange, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
"…What did you want to say just now? What happened to him?"
"What could possibly happen to him? Of course he's just being the Marquis of Dingnan in the Southern Territory!"
Jing'an suddenly raised her voice, and Xu Qinghe was startled by the surprise, but she threw away the doubts she had just had.
Jing'an realized it belatedly and immediately stopped talking. He whispered, "Unlike you, you're trapped in your memories and don't want to get out. I remember you told me at the beginning that you would let him go, and if you met someone you liked, you would pursue him boldly."
Xu Qinghe certainly remembered these words: "I don't think I still have someone I like..."
"But I think that Yang Ye at the door just now is pretty good, isn't he? It was so sunny, but he held up an umbrella and managed to keep you from getting burned at all, while he himself was sweating profusely and looked so embarrassed."
At this moment, the fetus in her belly kicked her gently.
Xu Qinghe then said, "See? The child doesn't agree with what you're saying and is kicking me in protest. Right now, I just want to give birth to the child safely and don't want to think about anything else."
The two sisters reunited after a long separation, and Jing'an recounted interesting stories from the imperial palace with Xu Qinghe. For example, after Wei Yiqun was executed, Concubine Zhao was sent to the cold palace, and even Prince Yong was stripped of his title and sentenced to guard the imperial mausoleum. Then there was the matter of the Seventh Princess's eighteen-year-old brother, who had recently gained considerable favor with Emperor Yongshun and had just been named Prince Shun. This, along with the Seventh Princess's biological mother, had also been given the title of Concubine...
The Seventh Princess's eighteen-year-old brother Xu Qinghe had seen him before, not in another place, but behind Wei Che, who often lingered in brothels. Because of this, Emperor Yongshun often scolded him for being unfit for the task.
"It seems that Prince Shun was also hiding his strength in the past."
It was late at night, and the two of them lay on the bed shoulder to shoulder, but neither of them was sleepy, and they talked in low voices with their arms as pillows.
Jing'an nodded, wanting to say that maybe it was your Xie Qi who taught him this, but he didn't say it in the end.
The southern border is thousands of miles away from here, and this place is just a small town. I guess the news from there is not so easy to get over. Otherwise, Qinghe is pregnant now, and who knows what will happen after she gets the news.
She stayed here for four or five days straight, seeing off Qi Sheng, who had to go on duty. Seeing that she seemed to be staying here permanently, Xu Qinghe asked, "Are you going to stay until I give birth?"
Jing'an laughed and said, "Not only that, I plan to stay until you are out of confinement before leaving."
Xu Qinghe naturally had no objection to this matter: "But I'm afraid Commander Qi will not be happy with this."
Because the weather was hot and stuffy, Jing'an asked someone to freeze a melon in well water. Now when the melon was cut open, it not only exuded a sweet aroma, but also a hint of coolness.
She picked up a piece with a fork and handed it to Xu Qinghe, saying with a smile, "How can that be? The emperor has been reforming the military and political affairs these days, and Qi Sheng has been very busy. Whether he can return home is another matter. Or he suggested that I stay at your place."
Xu Qinghe thought, she had never realized before that although Qi Sheng looked cold and distant, he was actually a very thoughtful person.
It is easy to feel sleepy during pregnancy, so Xu Qinghe went to bed for a nap soon. Jing'an had nothing to do, so she sat on the couch in front of the window to make some small clothes for the child.
Outside the house, there were the noisy chirping of cicadas and the whispering of servants.
"Hey, did you hear that the Marquis Dingnan from the southern border was defeated?"
"Hmm? When did this happen? Isn't Marquis Dingnan the former Major General Xie? I heard that Major General Xie went to the battlefield when he was a teenager. His father was also brave, so how could he lose the battle?"
"Who knows? It probably happened only a month ago. The young general has been living a life of extravagance in the capital for five years. He's no longer the young general he once was. I'm afraid he's just a shell of himself now."
At this time, another person came closer and said, "Not only that, I heard that not only was the battle lost, but even Marquis Dingnan himself was seriously injured. I also heard recently that the southern border is already preparing a coffin and a funeral... It's just that we're so isolated from the outside world here. This news reached the capital half a month ago, and it only spread to our town in the past few days."
…
Jing'an put down the embroidery frame and walked out with a cold face.
Because Xu Qinghe was still taking a nap inside, she took her to a distant place to reprimand her. After reprimanding the ignorant little girls, before she could find Lin Xiao, Lin Xiao came looking for her first.
She had just run back from the street, sweating profusely under the scorching sun.
"Your Highness, is what the town is saying true? Did the young general really…"
Jing'an frowned and said in a low voice, "Qinghe must not know about this. Do you understand?"
Lin Xiao pursed her lips and tears welled up in her eyes. Since Her Royal Highness the Princess said so, it was probably true.
The poor young general has never seen or even knows that he has an unborn child.
In the shade of the woods, a tall man in a green robe stood.
"Why is Mr. Yang here? It's really hard for us brothers to find him."
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