Chapter 47 Fainting on the Road
Zhan Xingzhuo felt as if a knife had been squeezed in his heart. How could this be?
How could a living person just disappear overnight?
Zhou Zhining watched Zhan Xingzhuo's expression change, seeing shock and heartache on his face, and she clenched her fingers.
If Yao Qingling is dead, then what she just saw was her soul.
But in broad daylight, where would a spirit come from? It was clearly Yao Qingling who had returned unharmed.
They were working together, one after the other, to pretend to be ghosts and scare people.
But Zhou Zhining couldn't say, because she had just chosen to keep it a secret.
She bit her lip, her expression changed, her eyes reddened, and tears welled up in her eyes.
She gripped Zhan Xingzhuo's arm tightly in terror, as if all her strength had left her, and clung to the man.
"Brother Xingzhuo, it's all my fault. I'm the one who ruined Qingling. I shouldn't have asked you to stay with me... I deserve to die, I should give my life to make amends for her..."
She broke free from Zhan Xingzhuo's grasp and slammed her head against the wall.
Zhiyun and Zhiyue cried out in surprise and rushed to pull her away.
Zhou Zhining only bumped her head slightly, and her forehead was a little red.
—Thanks to the timely rescue by the two maids, the impact was not serious.
Zhan Xingzhuo held the limp Zhou Zhining in his arms, feeling sorry for her, and said, "How can I blame you? You were also frightened by the refugees..."
Zhiyun, with tears streaming down her face, said, "The refugees are brutal. There are so many of them, and even the government can't do anything about them. Even if you go, you won't be able to save them. You might even die there."
"Master is such a noble man, he can't bear even the slightest injury; the young mistress is gone, it can only be said that she was unlucky and had a short life. How can you ask the young lady to pay for her life?"
Zhou Zhining glanced at her and weakly scolded, "Zhiyun, don't talk nonsense."
As tears streamed down her face, she closed her eyes and fainted.
"Zhi Ning!" When Zhan Xingzhuo saw that she had fainted, he didn't care about anything else and quickly carried her into the house and asked someone to invite Doctor Li.
...
"Miss, aren't we going back to the new residence?"
Tao Ye glanced at Qing Ling with unease.
The road they are taking now is neither the way back to the new mansion nor to the Duke's mansion.
They were just wandering around aimlessly.
Tao Ye was worried that Qing Ling would run out of strength, and she was also worried about the child in her womb.
Yao Qingling snapped out of her daze, glanced at the fried dough in her hand that no longer smelled so delicious, and then looked up at the sky.
The sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly, but why did she feel so cold when it fell on her?
She felt cold the moment she saw Zhan Xingzhuo and Zhou Zhining come out of the inn.
At that moment, she realized that the chill was seeping from her very bones.
She handed the fried dough to Taoye, her lips moving, but Taoye couldn't hear what she was saying. She asked, "Miss, what would you like? Where are we going?"
Qingling swayed slightly, seemingly unable to hear her surroundings. What was Taoye saying? Why did she appear so blurry...?
His body went limp and he collapsed.
"Miss!" Tao Ye exclaimed, dropping the fried dough and catching Yao Qingling in her arms. She shouted to the passersby, "Help me get to the clinic, I'll give you money!"
Inside the clinic, Doctor He gave Qingling acupuncture and instructed the apprentice to prepare the medicine.
He wiped his hands, turned around and asked Taoye, "What's wrong, young mistress? Why do you look so exhausted?"
Peach Leaf has a bitter story she cannot tell.
A pregnant woman, after trekking through the mountains and enduring a harrowing night, and then busily rescuing people, finally made it to dawn. Without even a moment's rest, she hurried down the mountain and finally made it back to the city. Feeling alive again, she witnessed the person she loved most and who should have protected her most diligently taking care of another woman...
Even the strongest person can't withstand a double blow to their body and mind.
However, Peach Leaf could not say anything.
The young lady had instructed us not to easily tell anyone about that night at Yongning Temple.
The young lady made a deal with the refugees, and she will encounter unknown things afterward, so she should try to speak as little as possible.
Seeing Tao Ye's distressed expression, Doctor He guessed it was probably related to Master Zhan, so he didn't ask any further questions.
He sighed. Being the wife of a powerful and wealthy man, yet being an unfavored one, was never easy.
After waking up, Yao Qingling drank the medicine and said goodbye to Doctor He.
Doctor He gave her a deep look: "Young Madam, please take care."
He glanced at Qingling's belly. From the moment she asked him to keep it a secret, Doctor He felt that this young mistress had something to do.
Qing Ling smiled slightly: "Thank you."
After leaving the clinic, Qingling still did not return to the new residence.
They hailed a horse-drawn carriage and took them to Tongluo Lane.
Inside the carriage, she and Lin Qiao stared at each other intently.
Tao Ye said that when she fainted, Lin Qiao helped take her to the clinic.
Lin Qiao licked her lips and said, "Young Madam, I don't want your thank-you fee. Can you continue to let me be your bodyguard?"
Qing Ling turned her head slightly and stared at Lin Qiao for a while.
She said, "What a coincidence, I fainted on the road and you showed up?"
Tao Ye was startled and stared nervously at Lin Qiao.
Although the little girl is young, she is quite shrewd. Could it be that she has been following them ever since they came to the city?
Lin Qiao glanced out of the carriage and said, "Young Madam, I can help you with more than just these small things."
Her bright, clear eyes darted around, and she lifted her little face slightly, looking quite proud.
Qing Ling lowered her eyes, smiled calmly, and slowly peeled off the dried stains on her clothes with her fingers.
His clothes were covered in mud and blood.
Dr. He was fond of cleanliness, so he actually let her lie in his clinic instead of throwing her out.
Seeing that she didn't ask, Lin Qiao couldn't hold back any longer and said, "I was the one who spread that nursery rhyme. Otherwise, your husband wouldn't have let you go out."
Tao Ye was startled and looked at her suspiciously: "It's you?"
How could a little girl have such power?
However, the nursery rhyme was poorly composed, lacking literary merit, and was unlikely to have come from a scholar. It would have been more likely to have been written by a young girl like Lin Qiao.
Yao Qingling didn't suspect anything. She simply asked calmly, "You made up such a nursery rhyme just so you could become my guard again?"
Lin Qiao nodded.
She added, "Young mistress, if I had been at Yongning Temple last night, I could have protected you."
Tao Ye's eyes widened: "You... how did you know we went to Yongning Temple last night?"
Qingling glanced at Taoye, signaling her to be quiet.
Lin Qiao had seen her yesterday at the stands in the bustling city. But Qing Ling was later taken to Yongning Temple by Zhan Xingzhuo. Although Zhan Xingzhuo intended for others to see her, he didn't detain her; he was putting on a show for those important people.
She asked, "Were you following me?"
Lin Qiao shook her head.
She was concerned about how her brother would be tried, and when she saw the young mistress being taken away by her husband, she did not follow.
Lin Qiao didn't mention the glance she and Qing Ling exchanged in the bustling city.
Her brother said that she should hide her identity first and not let anyone know that she was his sister.
Lin Qiao said, "Yesterday evening, some refugees were robbing people in the city. I was worried about the young mistress, so I went to your residence to ask. The gatekeeper said that you went to Yongning Temple."
"But this morning, the whole city was saying that Yongning Temple had suffered a great calamity and many people had died."
"I was worried about the young mistress, so I kept watching at the city gate. I saw you and Sister Taoye get out of a carriage, so I followed behind."
The little girl spoke calmly and steadily, always neither humble nor arrogant, without any intention of being clever.
She observed Qingling's expression.
Qingling smiled slightly: "Then, I must thank you for your concern."
"Then, young mistress, may I continue to be your bodyguard?"
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