Chapter 304 Unable to find either the person she once was, nor the woman she once was.
The servant, following his instructions, set up a table and writing implements in the courtyard.
Zhan Xingzhuo held his pen, recalling Yao Qingling from back then as he looked at the boulder, but he couldn't quite capture her as she was back then.
He failed time and time again, and started over again and again, but he still couldn't draw a decent picture by nightfall.
Enraged, the man tore the paper to shreds.
The Grand Princess heard that Zhan Xingzhuo was painting in the courtyard, so she came to see him.
All that could be seen was a pile of torn paper.
The maidservant beside her picked up the scraps of paper from the ground and showed them to the Grand Princess.
The Grand Princess stared at it for a long time, but still couldn't figure out what he had drawn.
"I heard you've returned to the manor, so I came to see you. Xingzhuo, what are you doing? You've returned to the manor and haven't even gone to pay your respects to your father."
Zhan Xingzhuo snapped out of his daze and bowed to the Grand Princess: "Mother."
The Grand Princess looked at him and saw that he had lost a lot of weight and his complexion was not good.
"Didn't Zhou Zhining take good care of you? How did you become so thin?" The Grand Princess sat down.
Zhan Xingzhuo did not answer.
The Grand Princess glanced at him, wondering why he hadn't spoken up for Zhou Zhining this time.
She glanced again at the painting spread out on the table, where the outline of a woman was vaguely visible.
"Ha, so you know how good Yao Qingling was, and you've come back to the manor to reminisce about her?" The Grand Princess's gaze was sharp and disdainful.
What she finds distasteful is that this son, who is dissatisfied with all the arrangements made for him by his mother, now comes to reminisce.
His disdain stems from his various favoritism towards Zhou Zhining; he remains unrepentant even after being tricked by her, and he still can't bear to let go of her now.
Zhan Xingzhu moved his lips and couldn't help but ask, "Mother, why didn't you tell your son beforehand about Yao Qingling reporting the fake medicine to the Empress?"
The eldest son calmly said, "If I told you, would she still be a first-rank imperial consort? Or would it give you a chance to exonerate Zhou Zhining?"
Zhan Xingzhuo angrily said, "Mother, I am your son, how dare you side with her?"
"I'm not trying to favor Yao Qingling, but given the stakes involved in this matter, I'd rather choose Yao Qingling than let Zhou Zhining benefit."
Moreover, Yao Qingling had already taken the lead in siding with the Empress, and the Grand Princess only belatedly discovered this.
The Grand Princess had been angry before, and she knew that after Yao Qingling gained power, it was even less likely that she would return to the Duke's mansion. Moreover, the fact that she chose the Empress instead of her former mother-in-law was clearly a way for her to find a powerful backer and escape the control of the Duke's mansion.
But what if Zhou Zhining gains power?
Zhan Xingzhuo's infatuation with and favoritism towards Zhou Zhining had reached a point where the Grand Princess could no longer tolerate it.
Yao Qingling only wanted to break free from the control of the Duke's Mansion, but she never did anything harmful to the Duke's Mansion.
Zhou Zhining is different.
This woman is narrow-minded and holds grudges. If Grand Tutor Zhou returns to the capital, they will turn their guns on the Duke's mansion.
Moreover, since Zhou Zhining has benefited, all future advantages will only go to her son.
Her son had absolutely no connection to the Duke's mansion. Allowing her and her son to gain power was nothing more than feeding two ungrateful wretches.
But Yao Qingling's child was born of the Duke's family, a fact known throughout the city. If she benefited, the child would also benefit, as the child was ultimately of the Zhan family bloodline.
Third, judging from Emperor Jingyan's various actions, he suppressed the old aristocratic families and supported the forces he wanted, so it might not be a bad thing for Yao Qingling to gain power.
Fourth, Zhao'er has already inherited the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion, while the position of heir of the Duke's mansion already belongs to the eldest grandson. Apart from a privileged environment, the Duke's mansion can't offer that child anything else.
The Grand Princess knew perfectly well which side to take at this point. Even though she was dissatisfied with Yao Qingling, she would side with whoever was in her best interest.
But the Grand Princess saw all of this clearly, yet her son was bewitched by Zhou Zhining and remained obstinate.
Zhan Xingzhu clenched his fists: "But... but if Yao Qingling gains power, my son will be even less able to control her, which is why she came back."
Without power or influence, Yao Qingling was as hard as a rock, preferring to shatter like jade rather than submit to him. But with power and influence, Yao Qingling was like a suit of armor; how could he possibly break through her defenses?
The Grand Princess sneered, "The best way to bring her back is to let Zhou Zhining leave, isn't it? Are you willing to do that?"
Zhan Xingzhuo felt a lump in his throat.
The Grand Princess said coldly, "You just want to use your power to suppress Yao Qingling and make her listen to you. You used to look down on her, and I used to look down on her too. But now, Yao Qingling is making me look at her differently, so what about you?"
Zhan Xingzhuo clenched his fists even tighter.
He couldn't say that Yao Qingling was using her intelligence and any resources at her disposal to help another man rise to power, suppress him, and take revenge on him.
This deeply hurt his dignity.
The Grand Princess sighed: "You can't let go of Zhou Zhining, and you can't let go of Yao Qingling. You'll regret it someday. No, you'll regret it even more than you do now."
She gave Zhan Xingzhuo a deep look, then ignored his feelings.
With the changing political landscape, the Grand Princess's primary focus was now on protecting the Duke's mansion from collapse. It would be difficult for her to oversee Zhan Xingzhuo any longer, and she could only hope that he would come to his senses soon and stop being harmed by Zhou Zhining.
The Grand Princess left, and Zhan Xingzhuo stared at the half-painting, his thoughts even more chaotic.
He didn't know what to do.
Yao Qingling asked him for the painting back, but Prince Xin refused to return it.
He actually listened to the king's words and tried to recreate the painting to return to her?
However, he could neither find his former self nor find her again.
...
Spring has arrived, and the weather is gradually warming up.
Lin Shiyuan kept his promise and took Qingling back to the valley for a spring outing, to catch fish in the mountain stream, and to make her grilled fish.
This time, Lin Shiyuan didn't let Yao Qingling bring her maids, nor did he bring Lin Qiao; it was just the two of them.
Lin Shiyuan led a majestic green-eyed wolf to the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence.
The domineering aura he exuded upon entering the mansion frightened everyone around him, preventing them from getting close.
This further confirms the rumors circulating in the public—that Lin Shiyuan bullied Yao Qingling.
So people watched as Yao Qingling was unwillingly led out of the mansion by Lin Shiyuan. She was terrified by the wolves and was forced to sit in the carriage.
Then, the mighty wolf crouched at the carriage door, preventing the people inside from escaping.
Lin Shiyuan leaped into the air and arrogantly drove off in his carriage.
Inside the carriage, Yao Qingling abandoned her fear and timidity, stretching out her arms and legs, touching here and looking there.
Lin Shiyuan's carriage was not as rugged as it looked from the outside. Inside, there were soft cushions, a hand warmer, a cloak to shield her from the wind, as well as tea, fruit and snacks, and a few travelogues for her to read when she was bored.
Yao Qingling smiled, relaxed, picked up a pastry and took a bite, then picked up a candied fruit and felt the sweetness in her heart.
Lin Shiyuan drove very steadily, and there were no bumps along the way. Yao Qingling read for a while and then fell asleep in the carriage. When they arrived at the valley, the man lifted the curtain and saw that the woman was fast asleep with her head on the book, with crumbs of biscuit still on the corner of her mouth.
Like a child.
The man chuckled silently, but didn't wake her. He reached out and brushed his finger against her lips, then paused slightly, as if he had thought of something. He lowered his body and leaned closer to her.
He slowly pecked away the crumbs and kissed her lips.
Her lips tasted sweet, like dried apricots.
He savored it bite by bite, never tiring of it.
Yao Qingling was awakened by his pecking. She opened her eyes slightly, a smile playing on her lips, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Are you a bird?"
Taking advantage of her opening her mouth, Lin Shiyuan kissed her deeply and began to grope her while she was half-awake and dazed.
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