Upon entering, I saw Li Niang holding a pipa in her arms, her fingers resting on the strings without moving, her lifeless eyes staring ahead.
Qingying sat down on the chair on the other side. Before she could speak, Li Niang spoke first, her voice soft and gentle, "What brings you here, Miss?"
She paused for a moment, then asked, "You can see?"
Li Niang shook her head. "I can smell your fragrance."
It is said that blind people have a more sensitive sense of smell and hearing than normal people, and this is indeed true.
Qingying stared at her profile for a long time before asking, "May I ask how old you are?"
"I'm twenty-three."
“I think…you look like someone I used to know.”
"Is that so?" Li Niang smiled and said, "It's a pity I can't see it now, otherwise I might still be able to recognize it."
Qingying only had a vague impression of that memory and wasn't sure.
She pursed her lips, her gaze falling on the wound that Li Niang had treated, and asked softly, "Does it still hurt?"
After a moment's reaction, Li Niang slowly shook her head, "This little bit of pain is nothing."
Qingying remained silent for a long time.
So long that Li Niang even thought she had left, and tentatively asked, "Miss, are you still there?"
"Yes." Qingying was staring intently at her face when she slowly said, "Liniang, do you know someone named Ye Ning?"
Li Niang's fingers suddenly trembled, the strings vibrated, and a piercing sound was plucked out.
"I don't know her." Li Niang's tone was indifferent, without any emotion.
Qingying narrowed her eyes slightly. "You really don't recognize him?"
"yes."
Since she refused to say, Qingying didn't intend to press her further. "If you don't know me, that's fine. I just came to see you on behalf of the young master. Seeing that you are alright, I'll be leaving now."
"Please take care, young lady. And please convey my thanks to the young master for me."
"Um."
Qingying walked out of the room, feeling inexplicably depressed.
Judging from Li Niang's reaction just now, she clearly knows Ye Ning, and Ye Ning is her birth mother's name.
Back then, the Ye family was a prominent family in the capital. Grand Tutor Ye assisted the late emperor in ascending the throne and was a senior official in the court. Ye Ning, as Grand Tutor Ye's most beloved granddaughter, was naturally pampered and raised in a loving manner.
I've heard that Ye Ning was once hailed as the most beautiful woman in the capital, proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She even led troops into battle and was a true master of both martial arts and beauty. She was admired by thousands, and the number of people who wanted to marry her was almost enough to wear down the threshold of the Ye family.
Later, when Grand Tutor Ye was convicted of treason, all of Ye's family members, numbering over a hundred, were implicated. The men were beheaded and their heads displayed in public, while the women were sold into brothels, and the Ye family fell into ruin.
Back then, Liu Yu went to great lengths to hide Ye Ning, staging a fake death to secretly take her away from the music hall, change her name, and raise her in a villa outside the capital.
Qingying didn't really remember much about her days at the villa. She only learned the name Ye Ning later from the letters her birth mother left her. She was only four years old when she was taken to the General's Mansion. Ten years had passed in the blink of an eye, and she couldn't even remember what her birth mother looked like.
Qingying slowly walked back to her seat.
"Why did it take you so long?" Liu Chengfeng asked with concern.
Seeing his anxious expression, Qingying smiled faintly, "Big brother, don't worry, I just went to see Li Niang."
What are you going to see her for?
"Just out of curiosity." She sat down opposite her, casually picked up a piece of pastry and put it in her mouth, looking completely unconcerned.
Seeing this, Liu Chengfeng didn't ask any further questions.
Wei Dongchen was somewhat puzzled: "Why are you helping that Li Niang? I just inquired about her, and her reputation... well... isn't very good."
"I'm kind-hearted and can't bear to see a weak woman being bullied, is that wrong?"
"Alright, alright." Wei Dongchen waved his hand and said helplessly, "Luckily, I already have a reputation as a playboy, so I'm not afraid of getting involved in these things again."
"Hmm?" Qingying asked, puzzled.
Liu Chengfeng said, "You didn't know before, but because he helped Li Niang, people are already spreading rumors about his romantic affair with her."
"Huh? Did you know Li Niang before?" Qingying asked him, looking at him with a puzzled expression.
Wei Dongchen sighed deeply: "This is the first time I've ever met her!"
"Then where did this romantic affair come from?"
Liu Chengfeng smiled and said, "Rumors never need to be too true. With a name and an event, a lot of things that don't exist can be derived. But it's also because Achen has too many romantic entanglements."
Qingying felt a little guilty. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have shown up just now. Did I hurt you?"
Wei Dongchen waved his hand dismissively, "It's nothing, just a few rumors. They're baseless and have no evidence, so I won't take them to heart."
Seeing how relaxed he sounded, she breathed a sigh of relief. "It's good that you're alright."
The three of them sat for a while longer before leaving together.
When they returned to the General's Mansion, the rain had not yet stopped. Despite being very careful, Qingying's cloak was still dampened by the slanting drizzle.
As soon as she returned to the dormitory, Granny Zhang immediately came over to help her take off her cloak and put a hot water bottle in her hand.
She couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Where did this hot water bottle come from in the middle of summer?"
"Of course, this servant prepared it specially." Zhang Mama hung up the cloak and instructed, "Miss always has cold hands and feet, so it's better to be on guard."
"Granny, you're being too cautious. I'm not a fragile porcelain doll." She said this, but the feeling of being carefully cared for still warmed her heart.
“Miss’s illness is unpredictable. If I am not careful, I am afraid I will be scolded by Madam again.”
"I understand, I'll be careful." Qingying sat cross-legged on the chaise longue, holding the hot water bottle, and began to think about the day's events again.
In fact, she had no feelings for the Ye family. She had never met any other members of the Ye family except for her birth mother. She was too young at the time, and her birth mother never told her about it.
That Li Niang came from a music troupe, and Ye Ning was also sold into a music troupe. Perhaps that's when they met.
She struggled with the matter for a long time, then suddenly realized that she was worrying herself unnecessarily. So many years had passed, and there was no point in investigating it now.
So when Yu Yue came to report that dinner was ready, she immediately put the matter out of her mind.
As night fell, Qingying sat by the window, gazing absently outside. She hadn't seen Wei Huaixu for quite some time and wondered what he was up to...
As she was thinking, a dark figure suddenly hung upside down from the eaves. She was startled and screamed, almost falling off her chair.
"Ashu!" she glared angrily at the newcomer.
A hint of confusion appeared in Ashu's icy eyes. "?"
"Could you please not appear out of nowhere like that next time! Don't you know how scary it can be?!"
"Now I know."
Ashu handed over a letter.
Qingying took it. "Did His Highness give this to me?"
"Um."
"Thank you for your help."
Ashu saw her smiling with her eyes crinkled, and thought she looked a little silly. He said in a flat tone, "It's what I should do. I'm leaving."
Having said that, he left without waiting for Qingying to say anything more.
Qingying looked out the empty window and muttered to herself, "Appearing and disappearing like a ghost."
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