Chapter 113: Precognitive Dream (Qin Lie)
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Qin Lie went to the recruit camp during the day and entertained the generals who came from the border to see him off in the evening. By the time he returned to Hanmoxuan, the moon was high in the sky.
Unexpectedly, the princess was still awake and greeted him as he entered, attentively helping him undress.
Not only that, he left in a hurry in the morning and forgot to soak the sheep casings, so the princess surprisingly soaked one herself.
Qin Lie knew it was a trap, but the bait was too tempting, so he willingly walked into it and even made a number of demands.
After a long while, the princess, panting softly, got off him. Before she could catch her breath, she bluntly asked him, "If we go to the capital, what will happen to Concubine Liu?"
Qin Lie hesitated for a moment, then replied, "What do you mean, what to do? She'll naturally stay at the estate."
Lingyi said slowly, "When a woman marries, she wants to have someone to rely on in the future. Since the general has taken her in, he does not treat her well and has the heart to leave her alone in Jizhou."
Qin Lie said, "She's just a maid who sold herself to the general's mansion. Even though she's on the estate, she'll never have to worry about food or clothing for the rest of her life. How can you say she has a lifelong support? How else should I treat her?"
He spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in his mind, which shows that's what he really thought.
Lingyi was momentarily speechless. Qin Lie liked her, but that was all. He remained aloof and superior to other women.
Seeing that she didn't speak, he pinched her cheek. "Princess, there's no need to beat around the bush. Speak, why did you suddenly bring her up?"
Lingyi then said, "I want the general to write a letter of release for his concubine, so that she can return home."
Qin Lie said, "She's just a concubine. We can keep her on the estate. What's the big deal? Why go to all this trouble?"
Lingyi deliberately said, "What's the big deal about a simple letter of release from concubine status? Is it because the general still has feelings for her that he won't let her go?"
Qin Lie was in a good mood upon hearing this, and lazily smiled as he put his arm around her, saying, "Do you still doubt my heart? I will never see her again, so there's no need for the princess to be jealous."
Lingyi felt a sense of powerlessness, like punching cotton. She had no choice but to put on her clothes, sit up halfway, and look at him solemnly, saying, "The divorce papers I want are for her to have nothing to do with you anymore. Even in the future, you must not interfere with her marriages or funerals."
Qin Lie, a man of keen insight, lowered his long eyebrows and his voice turned cold, "But has she become disloyal?"
He was filled with surging anger; no man could bear such humiliation.
Lingyi, however, reacted even more strongly, immediately accusing him: "The general is indeed very concerned about her!"
Qin Lie immediately deflated and could only patiently explain to her that he had given Concubine Liu a choice, but she had chosen to stay in the manor as a maid. Since she had become his woman, she should remain chaste for him for the rest of her life; this was a man's innate possessiveness, regardless of who she was.
But the princess wouldn't listen to anything. She was convinced that his anger meant he still had feelings for Aunt Liu, and that his refusal to let Aunt Liu go home was to rekindle their past relationship.
He only managed a few words of explanation before her eyes reddened, her lips pouted, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes.
Qin Lie had no choice but to agree, but Ling Yi still wouldn't have it and insisted that he write the document right now.
After he handed her the decree to release her from her concubine status, Lingyi stopped her supernatural powers and obediently lay back down beside him.
Qin Lie's hand rested on her waist, caressing it back and forth. He had recovered from his daze by now and asked with a half-smile, "Princess, what was your purpose in using your beauty to seduce me, and all that singing, recitation, and fighting?"
Lingyi wanted to help Aunt Liu and her son, but she had no intention of getting herself involved. She had already prepared her explanation: "I just felt sorry for her. She was so young, yet she had to waste her whole life in the manor. And it was because of me that the general sent her away. I can't help but feel guilty."
Qin Lie wasn't entirely convinced and stared at her, asking, "Is it really only because of these things, and nothing else?"
Lingyi knows those things; if he investigates, he will immediately find out everything.
She immediately leaned in softly, lying on his chest as if boneless, saying, "What do I care about what others do? I only care about my own heart."
She turned her head and rested it on his left chest. "I love the general, so I want to possess you. I don't want another woman standing between us, especially since she's not just a concubine in name only; you two have a child together."
Before she could finish speaking, she felt his hand, which had been moving unconsciously, stop abruptly. At the same time, through the layer of flesh and blood, his heart pounded both fast and heavy.
When Qin Lie finally came to his senses from his ecstasy, he lifted the person up, nose to nose, eyes to eyes, and said in a hoarse, low voice, "Say it again."
It was clearly feigned affection, but Lingyi blushed and said, "I won't tell!"
He looked into her evasive eyes, his smile widening and widening. He chuckled to himself for a while before pulling her close to his chest, saying firmly, "I'll let you off the hook for now. You'll tell me again a thousand times over without me having to urge you!"
He has never been stingy with his praise of these two words since Huangzhou; he not only says it to people's faces, but also in his letters.
No matter how direct and passionate he was, she remained tight-lipped and never spoke to him when she was sober, except when he forced her to speak in bed.
This is the first time in history.
Qin Lie couldn't help but think.
For this one word of affection, no matter what Aunt Liu did, it was worth him disregarding past grievances.
.
When Lingyi was nearly sixteen, she came to Jizhou from the capital. When she was twenty-two, she embarked on her journey home again.
The journey was slow and peaceful, without bandits, White Lotus sect members, or the anxiety I felt back then.
At first, when passing through the prefectures and counties that were already under the Qin family's influence, one could still see the people living in peace and contentment. But the further one went towards the capital, the more desolate the fields became, and the more broken walls and ruins were everywhere.
Huan'er, who had been wealthy since childhood, had never seen such a sight. Lingyi not only did not stop him from looking, but also told him about the scenes she had seen where plants had been eaten and people had resorted to cannibalism. Huan'er was not afraid; instead, he asked curiously why. Lingyi then told him about the incompetent emperors of the previous dynasty, the natural disasters and man-made calamities, and the years of war that had left the people in dire straits.
Huan'er asked, "Is it like the people in those princesses' mansions?"
He and Lingyi had visited several times and met many seriously ill disaster victims and refugees.
Lingyi said, "Those were lucky to survive. There are many others, especially children your age, who couldn't survive the chaos of the world and have already died silently."
Huan'er, who was at an age where he thought his parents were omnipotent, asked in bewilderment, "Where are their parents? Why don't they protect them?"
Looking into his clear eyes, Lingyi sighed sadly, "Because everyone's abilities are limited. If the emperor is unkind and the heavens are unjust, even if their parents do their best and sacrifice their lives, they cannot protect them in the face of natural disasters and man-made calamities."
Huan'er seemed to understand but not quite. "So that's why Grandfather became the new emperor, because he would be a benevolent ruler, right?"
Lingyi didn't know how to answer, so she just ruffled his hair.
Sitting on the other side of the carriage, Qin Yinrong said disdainfully, "There are plenty of kind people in the world. Our wet nurses are all very loving and kind. How could they not become emperors? They still need military power. Our father conquered the country for our grandfather!"
Lingyi scolded, "Yinrong, you are not allowed to say such things again!"
Qin Yinrong shrank back, wanting to argue, but her stepmother was always right. She wasn't stupid, so she naturally wouldn't go against her. She raised her chin and turned her face away to show her dissatisfaction, but she would still listen to every word she was told.
After traveling for more than three months, Qin Xu waited at the city gate early in the morning on the day he entered the capital.
The usually gentle and refined King Xian showed a rare hint of anxiety, and only smiled when he saw his wife and children.
"Thank you very much, Third Brother and Third Sister-in-law, and congratulations to you both!" He cupped his hands in thanks to Qin Lie.
Xie Qinlie will escort his wife and children along the way, while Princess Xie will take care of them in Jizhou.
Congratulations! The princess was found to be pregnant during the journey. Lingyi knew without a doubt that it was Qin Lie's insistence on forcing the issue that caused the sheep intestines to tear.
But it can't be called a calamity. Even though she hadn't expected it before, its arrival brought Lingyi joy.
When Qin Lie was first diagnosed with pregnancy, he was so nervous that he wanted to wait until she gave birth and settled down before continuing their journey, but she stopped him, both amused and exasperated. The child was very well-behaved; compared to Huan'er's violent reaction, it was quiet and peaceful in her womb, and apart from being more prone to fatigue, it didn't cause her any discomfort.
Upon learning that she was pregnant, Huan'er and Yin Rong had very different expectations.
Huan'er desperately wanted a younger sister. He was fed up with being the youngest in the family and felt that only by becoming the older brother could he properly protect his sister.
Qin Yinrong hoped for a younger brother so that she could continue to be the only daughter of the Qin family.
Qin Lie still wanted a son. It wasn't that he didn't like daughters, but even the most precious daughter would eventually be given away to someone else's son, and just thinking about it made him angry. A mischievous boy was better; he could discipline and manage, and Huan'er had already shown extraordinary intelligence before he was even five years old. No one would complain about having too many sons like that.
However, even the invincible General Qin was helpless in this matter. Six months after arriving in the capital, the princess gave birth to her second child, a girl, named Jue.
The character 玦 (jue) means a beautiful jade with a minor flaw.
Qin Lie was greatly dissatisfied. His daughter was a treasure of the world, what flaw could she have?
Lingyi advised him that everything in the world is like the moon, which wanes when it is full and water, which overflows when it is full. Only by leaving yourself some room for maneuver can you have a smooth life.
Qin Lie still felt it was unnecessary, but he couldn't persuade the princess otherwise, so he had to agree.
When Jue'er was one year old, Qin Lie was made crown prince.
This was not the emperor's original intention. In his heart, he was in the prime of his life and might even live to a ripe old age. It was just that the court officials were too annoying and kept urging him to establish a crown prince. So he wanted to establish the youngest son born to his most favored concubine, who was only two years old and posed no threat to him.
But when he finally spoke about establishing an heir, he realized that the previous dynasty was no longer under his control. Qin Xu was in power, Qin Lie commanded the army, and he, the emperor, had long been a figurehead. Even in the harem, it was one thing for the empress to secretly support her own son to ascend the throne, but even the empress dowager did not help her son or her grandson. Apart from the maternal family of that favored concubine and a few old subordinates, no one stood behind him.
Qin Lie's rise to power was unstoppable, and the emperor had no choice but to issue an imperial edict.
Despite having already made Qin Lie the crown prince, the Empress Dowager still confided in him, urging him to abdicate early and enjoy family life.
The emperor was furious. He had truly given birth to a fine son, who was like a dark cloud hanging over his head!
Fortunately, this dark cloud will soon move elsewhere and bring rain.
In the fifth year of the Tiansheng era, the Crown Prince personally led troops to conquer the Southern Dynasty.
Lingyi is now the Crown Princess, and everyone is vying to curry favor with her. She lives a secluded life in the Eastern Palace, and unless it is an unavoidable social engagement, she usually only visits the Empress Dowager with her children, and her interactions with Zhen are either at the Prince Xian's residence or in the Eastern Palace.
It wasn't until the Fifteenth Princess returned from her medical journey that Lingyi and Zhen went to visit her, taking the Fifteenth Princess and Aunt Liucui to see the home she had prepared for them.
It was a three-courtyard house, located in the city, yet extremely secluded, and its neighbors were all very kind people.
The daughter of an official from Jizhou, along with the silent maid and two other trustworthy women, were also brought to the capital to live with them and take care of their needs.
Although the fifteenth princess still dressed as a man, they had already guessed that she was a woman.
No one thought she shouldn't show her face in public; they only felt that it was all the more remarkable that a woman could have such superb medical skills and such a heart dedicated to saving lives.
As for Zhen, she only guessed that the divine doctor was a woman, but Qin Xu pointed it out that "Wang Daliang" was actually the fifteenth princess.
The scandal of incest between the imperial siblings in the previous dynasty had been widely publicized and was even related to the struggle for the throne, so Zhen naturally remembered it.
She never looked down on "Wang Daliang" because of this. After experiencing such human calamities, he did not complain about fate and found another difficult path to help all living beings. Zhen was grateful and even more admiring.
The only one kept in the dark was Qin Hong.
He insisted on coming along, and when he saw that the house was full of women, and that it was a house prepared by a princess, his face turned two shades green.
How can Third Brother be so steadfast in his cowardly ways? Doesn't he even try to control Third Sister-in-law?
Furthermore, this house doesn't even have a single servant. How is it any different for Wang Daliang to have entered the Spider Cave after arriving here?!
Zhen glanced at Qin Hong, who was making a ruckus and jumping around, and wanted to say something, but in the end she just looked away.
Forget it, just pretend you don't know him. It's embarrassing, so incredibly embarrassing!
With the return of the divine physician, Madam Zhen and Lingyi discussed opening a shop again. Thanks to Qin Xu's efforts, although the Zhen family was the Empress's maternal family, they did not come to the capital this time. Madam Zhen also became the Princess Consort of the Prince of Xian. Not to mention the Prince's salary and private property, even her own salary was no longer a source of financial hardship.
But she still wanted to open a shop. "These are all the legacy of men. Although I feel at ease with myself, I always feel that something is missing. Lingyi, before in Jizhou, I saw you use all your dividends to buy medicine and support the divine doctor to help disaster victims. I was actually very envious, but I couldn't do it because I have a family to rely on. Now I also want to do my part. Can you promise me?"
Lingyi hesitated and said, "But those fancy jewelry pieces are old styles from the capital. They might work in Jizhou, but they probably won't work here."
Madam Zhen laughed and said, "It doesn't matter if the style isn't perfect. As long as it's a shop we own, won't all those noble ladies flock to it? Besides, once we're here, we'll naturally hire other craftsmen. There's no reason for the Crown Princess to personally draw the patterns."
Lingyi exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this a disguised form of bribery?"
Madam Zhen said, “Why are you so honest? We are just women in the inner quarters, what could we possibly accept as bribes? The clothes and jewelry are all clearly priced, and we don’t take a penny more than they pay. Besides, we only make a limited number of pieces, so they can’t buy more even if they want to. If they really think that buying some clothes and jewelry will make them closer to us, they must have done something wrong. We should just consider it as robbing the rich to help the poor. In their hands, this money is just a few pieces of jewelry and a few pieces of clothing, but in our hands, it can play a much greater role.”
Lingyi was tempted, but after thinking for a moment, she said, "I need to go back and discuss this with the Crown Prince before making a decision."
Lady Zhen couldn't help but laugh and said, "From Jizhou to the capital, everyone knows that the Crown Prince treats you like the apple of his eye, and he indulges you in everything. Yet you are still so obedient, asking him about such a small matter. Alright, go ahead and ask, he certainly won't stop you."
Lingyi blushed slightly as she took her leave.
After returning to the Eastern Palace, Lingyi wrote a letter to Qin Lie, informing him of the matter.
It wasn't that she was without ideas; it's just that she had developed a reading habit after copying books for the old lady. The more history books she read, the more she felt that everything had a harbinger. As the saying goes, "prevention is better than cure." What may seem like a small shop could become a breeding ground for pests.
Ever since Qin Lie confessed his feelings, whenever he went to war, he would send her a thick stack of letters every two weeks, in addition to letters from home. Every time she held them in her hands, she could feel the ambiguous and teasing gazes of Zhen Shi and others.
In reality, there wasn't much written inside. Qin Lie was not good with words, so his letters were even more concise and to the point.
Of course, this also depends on the situation of the battle. If the battle is easy, he may paint two or three pictures, but once the battle becomes intense, he will not have the mind to paint.
He was a highly skilled painter, but he was not at heart. Sometimes he would not even use Xuan paper, but would just paint whatever was at hand. He would not frame it, but would fold it up and put it in a letter and send it over. It was a real waste of talent.
Lingyi then distributed the paintings to several children so that they could copy them, thus making the best use of the materials.
There's only one thing: every letter mentions her, and she must reply, with a letter no less than three pages long.
Lingyi didn't really have much to say to him, so she could only talk about the children. In the end, she simply let the children write their own letters, each writing a paragraph and then adding a few sentences to send back. How could that not be considered a proper family letter?
Qin Lie's reply arrived as scheduled half a month later, telling her not to worry too much and to do whatever she wanted, as he would take care of everything.
After discussing it, she and Mrs. Zhen opened a shop.
They owned the best shops in the most bustling areas of the capital, two shops occupying half a street.
Nevertheless, the store was packed with people on opening day.
Part of the shop's profits were used to buy medicinal herbs for the Fifteenth Princess, and the other part was used by the old nannies and palace maids to take in poor women as apprentices, open schools, and teach them everything they knew.
Although their paths diverged, their destinies remained the same, and Lingyi, true to her nature, followed a similar path to her previous life.
This time, with the addition of Madam Zhen and Qin Xu standing behind her, things proceeded much more smoothly and quickly got on the right track.
The saying "virtue is never alone; it always has neighbors" seems to hold true.
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