"May I ask what business you have with this humble monk?" the abbot asked as he poured her tea.
Qingying sat down opposite him, took out the purple jade she had hidden in her sleeve, placed it on the table, and asked with a smile, "Does the abbot recognize this?"
The abbot stared blankly at the translucent purple jade pendant with dragon patterns on the table for a moment, then ordered his attendants to be dismissed.
He picked up the jade pendant and examined it closely by the candlelight. As if confirming his suspicions, he suddenly became tense and serious: "May I ask where the person carrying this jade pendant is at present?"
From his expression, Qingying was certain that he knew the man. So she answered truthfully, "He was poisoned in the storeroom in my courtyard. I found it by chance in the temple last night, and I did this because I was afraid something would happen to him."
The abbot nodded knowingly. “Please leave the jade pendant here, benefactor. I have an antidote pill here. Please take it back and give it to him. It can temporarily slow the spread of the poison in his body. After you leave the temple, I will send someone to take him away from your courtyard so as not to tarnish your reputation.”
"Alright, thank you for your trouble, Abbot."
“What are you saying, benefactor? This matter is all thanks to your kind heart. Otherwise, if this person had an accident in this temple, it would have caused a lot of trouble.”
Qingying didn't know what he meant by "big trouble," but she could roughly guess that the man's identity must be extraordinary.
Fearing trouble, she didn't dare ask any more questions. After explaining the situation, she bid farewell to the abbot and left.
Back in the courtyard, Qingying took advantage of the servants tidying up to quietly go to the storeroom by herself.
The man was still conscious at the time. She held the back of his neck and fed him an antidote pill, then said, "I'm going back to the capital soon. I've already delivered the message for you. Someone will come to rescue you later. Just hold on a little longer."
"Thank you, young lady."
"Don't be shy, you should get some rest."
Just as she was about to leave, the man suddenly grabbed her sleeve, "Miss..."
She turned around, puzzled: "Is there anything else?"
"May I ask... what is your name, young lady?"
Qingying brushed his hand away, smiled gently, and said, "Young master, you don't need to know my name. I saved you by chance."
The man was still weak and had difficulty speaking. Seeing that she was unwilling to reveal anything, he stopped pressing her.
Qingying returned to the main house and saw that the luggage was basically packed, so she led her people to Wang's courtyard.
Half an hour later, the group bid farewell to the abbot and several elders of the temple and descended the mountain.
The carriage could only stop halfway up the mountain, and to get down were more than nine hundred stone steps. Although Wang was old, she was in very good health and it didn't take her long to walk and stop.
The group arrived at the place where the carriages were waiting, and saw a group of people waiting there from afar. The young man in purple at the head of the group walked slowly over, bowed respectfully to Madam Wang, and said, "Greetings, Madam."
Lady Wang quickly stopped him, saying, "Your Highness is being too kind to this old woman."
"What are you saying, Madam? It is only right for a junior to pay respects to his elders." Wei Dongchen's handsome face was adorned with a gentle smile, showing no trace of the playboy rumors circulating in the capital.
Everyone in the General's Mansion bowed to him.
"No need for formalities, everyone. I'm heading back to the capital anyway, and I'll escort you back with Chengfeng."
“In that case, I will trouble you, Your Highness,” said Lady Wang.
The group of women then boarded the carriage.
Qingying's carriage followed closely behind Wang's. Her purpose in coming to Chongfu Temple to offer incense was threefold: first, to pray for blessings; second, for a good marriage; and third, to pray for a child.
The prayers were for General Liu Yu, Qingying's father, who was far away on the frontier; the marriage was for Liu Chengfeng, who was over seventeen and of marriageable age; and the wish for a child was for the second wife. The Liu family had been military generals for generations, protecting the country and making great achievements, but they had always had few offspring. Wang had two sons and a daughter, but the daughter died young. Now the first wife only had one son and one daughter. Pan had suffered an accident in her early years and was unable to conceive again. The second wife only had one son, born to the deceased Zeng. Luo had been married for over a year but had not yet conceived, which caused Wang a lot of worry.
The carriage swayed and rocked its way down the mountain. Qingying lifted the curtain to peek outside, but suddenly met a pair of eyes filled with a twinkling smile. Unaware that Wei Dongchen was outside, she felt awkward at the abrupt eye contact: "Um... what brings the young master here?"
"I've always been here, you just didn't notice."
Qingying didn't know how to respond, so she simply lowered the curtain in silence.
She dared not show her face again on the way back to the capital.
Fortunately, after entering the city gate, Wei Dongchen went to the training ground with Liu Chengfeng.
The carriage finally arrived at the gate of the General's Mansion, and Qingying was helped down from the carriage. Madam Pan had been waiting in front of the mansion for a long time. She went over to help Madam Wang down from the carriage and said with concern, "Mother, you have been trapped on the mountain for the past few days. Your daughter-in-law has been extremely worried and has not been able to eat or drink. Fortunately, Buddha has blessed you and brought you back safely."
Mrs. Wang patted her hand reassuringly and said, "We're fine. It's you who's not fully recovered yet, and you're worrying so much. What if your condition worsens?"
Qingying walked over and took Pan's hand affectionately, saying, "Grandmother is right. Mother, you should also take care of your health. It's only been two days, but you've lost a lot of weight. It's heartbreaking."
Madam Luo stepped forward and chimed in, "Yes, sister-in-law, you were already quite frail, and now that you've recovered from your illness, you look even thinner. I'll have Yinzhu send you some nourishing ginseng later."
Madam Pan maintained a smile throughout, saying, "Sister-in-law, you're very kind."
"Sister-in-law, you don't need to be so polite with me."
After the group entered the mansion, Qingying went back to her own courtyard to change into comfortable clothes. Soon after, a maid came to inform her that Madam Pan wanted her to have a meal in the front hall.
She took Tongxia and went out the door.
At the dinner table, Madam Pan suddenly said, "Yesterday, the Grand Princess sent someone to deliver an invitation to the Spring Appreciation Banquet. Shushu, why don't you come with me?"
Qingying paused for a moment, then asked, "When?"
"Three days later."
"Okay, Shushu will follow Mother's arrangements."
...
After returning from the front hall, Qingying seemed rather sullen.
Yu Yue couldn't help but wonder, and asked Tong Xia, who had come with her, "What's wrong, Miss?"
Tongxia whispered in her ear, "Madam asked you to go with her to the spring banquet. Don't you think this is like the sun rising in the west?"
Yu Yue paused for a moment, then frowned. Having been by Qing Ying's side since childhood, and being two years older than her, she knew the intricacies of the situation best.
On the surface, Liu Qingying is highly favored in the General's Mansion, enjoying the treatment and honor of a legitimate daughter. However, she is a well-known illegitimate daughter among the noble families of the capital, born to a mistress who cannot be seen in public. She only has her current noble appearance because she was raised by her legitimate mother since childhood.
Madam Pan treated her as her own daughter, ensuring she had no worries about food and clothing, and raising her to be as well-educated and reasonable as the legitimate daughters of noble families. However, she never took her to noble banquets, nor did she allow her to befriend other noble women.
She had gotten used to it over the years, but this time...
It's truly baffling.
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