Chapter 53 Returning to the Capital.
As the sun began to set, news arrived that Ji'an had awakened.
Qin Lie hated this man to the core, but only spared his life out of fear of harming him. He didn't take the news to heart.
Qin Xiaoshan looked troubled. "Your Highness, the person has woken up, but... but something seems a little off... perhaps you should go and see for yourself."
Qin Xiaoshan never uttered useless words, and Qin Lie stepped forward.
When they arrived, Qin Hong and his deputy were both there, staring in shock at the courtyard.
Qin Lie looked over and finally understood what it meant that "something was not quite right".
—Jian was lying on the ground, following behind the mother hen like a chick, clucking happily. After running around half the yard, perhaps because he was hungry, he saw chicken droppings on the ground, picked them up and put them in his mouth along with the dirt, chewing and giggling foolishly.
The fifteenth princess stood aside, watching this scene with an expressionless face.
Only when the others looked at her with complicated expressions did the Fifteenth Princess calmly explain, "I accidentally punctured the wrong acupoint, which caused him to become like this."
That being said, her tone and demeanor didn't seem like it was "accidental."
She didn't care whether others believed her or not, and turned to Qin Lie, "Prince Duan, you should feel at ease taking someone like this out with my sister, right?"
Qin Lie never looked at her from beginning to end. He just stood with his hands behind his back, looking intently at Ji'an, who had become a fool. After a long while, he turned to look at the Fifteenth Princess. His eyes narrowed, his dark pupils were deep and dark, and upon closer inspection, they faintly revealed a kind of madness.
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The fifteenth princess left the village the next day. When she left, her eyes were bluish and her right hand was trembling, which showed how much she had exhausted herself.
She got into the carriage, and Qin Hong volunteered to be the coachman. Holding the reins, he didn't listen to what the people inside were saying for a long time. Suspecting that she was too tired and had fallen asleep, he quietly lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and saw her sitting there staring blankly at her hands, her expression dazed.
Qin Hong had never seen her like this before, and asked with concern, "Are you... alright?"
The fifteenth princess said bitterly, "I must be going crazy."
She must be crazy, otherwise why would she agree to Prince Duan's request to administer acupuncture to Lingyi?
But she had no choice. Even without her, Prince Duan would find someone else to wake Lingyi up.
After waking up, Lingyi, being the way she is, would silently take on all the responsibilities herself again.
Knowing her seventeenth sister's nature, she simply made Ji'an stupid—it was enough that the bloodline of the former crown prince was still alive; there was no need to waste any more feelings on her.
But to everyone's surprise, Qin Lie had such a crazy idea after seeing her—he would rather Lingyi become an idiot than not keep her by his side.
She was out of her mind, actually thinking that this was the only way to keep Lingyi alive for a long time.
What else could she do? She couldn't take Lingyi away from Prince Duan, and even if she did, they would only face endless pursuit.
Even without these, with Huan'er, Lin'er, and Ji'an by her side, Lingyi could never let go of them, and her efforts would inevitably be wasted.
Does she have to just watch Lingyi die?
Besides her, Lingyi also has children.
Ke Lingyi was her only relative in this world.
She couldn't bear it, nor could she accept it.
She rarely showed vulnerability, asking, "Do you think Lingyi will hate me for doing this?"
She deliberately used the contents of the ancient medical books in the palace on Ji'an. But when she applied acupuncture to Lingyi, she did her best, yet the result was truly unpredictable. She didn't even dare to stay, afraid of seeing Lingyi's mentally impaired state after she woke up.
Qin Hong felt a pang of heartache and comforted her, "She won't. Even if she becomes an idiot, Third Brother will take very good care of her."
Human nature is always biased. When his third brother offered to give Lingyi acupuncture, he even thought that this might be the best solution. His third brother would never give up, rather than risk a dead end and an injury that could not be resolved.
It would be better if the princess became a fool and stayed by Third Brother's side; wouldn't that be a kind of wish fulfilled?
The Fifteenth Princess breathed a slight sigh of relief. Yes, Prince Duan would definitely take very good care of her; that was the reason she had decided to administer the acupuncture. Only by saving Lingyi's life could she think about the future.
Only by living can we meet again.
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As the moon sets and the sun rises, the sun moves from east to west across the midline and slowly sinks.
Qin Lie remained seated inside the room, staring at Lingyi on the bed.
Qin Xiaoshan came over to bring tea several times, his expression growing more and more serious each time.
Qin Lie knew what he was worried about.
Even Qin Hong, upon hearing that he intended to turn the princess into an idiot, blurted out, "Third Brother, are you insane?!"
What do they actually know?
So what if he's a fool?
If she died so easily, what did he mean by all these years?
Qin Hong said that no matter when or where, the thought that there is such a person in the world makes him happy and makes his days more enjoyable.
On the contrary, for more than a thousand days and nights, every moment, the thought of that person made his heart feel like it was being gnawed by a thousand ants.
He practiced martial arts since childhood, and his hands and feet were covered in blisters. Once the blisters bled and formed calluses, he would no longer suffer from them.
But why is it that even after my heart has been torn apart countless times, the thought of her still causes me unbearable pain?
He endured it all, relying on the thought of how he would torment her when they met again to get to this point.
So, of course she has to live well, whether she's a fool or a madwoman.
He'll see it through to the end.
Actually, it's better to be a fool.
A fool wouldn't appear outwardly docile but secretly only want to escape, nor would he have children with other men.
When the fool sees him again, he will not feel any lingering affection or guilt, but will simply tell him calmly that he can't remember those words.
It made him seem like a joke.
If she weren't stupid, how would he have had the chance to sit here quietly watching her, without having to deliberately avoid her gaze for fear of not being able to dodge it?
He had already planned how to humiliate a fool.
He has a thousand methods, just waiting for her to wake up to use them.
But when the bright sunlight turned orange-red and the earth was about to be swallowed by darkness, she finally woke up.
Only memories of the palace remain; all other past events have been forgotten.
A pair of clear, black and white eyes looked over and asked who he was.
All sorts of methods and ideas vanished into nothingness at this moment.
It's like a person walking in the dark, reaching the end of their rope, and in despair, suddenly glimpsing a ray of light.
Despite his best efforts to restrain himself, he could not suppress the overwhelming joy in his heart, and even his hands, which were hanging down by his side, trembled slightly.
He heard his own dry, hoarse voice rise uncontrollably, carrying a secret sense of relief and obvious tenderness.
"Why is the princess suddenly talking nonsense? How could I be a thief?"
"My name is Qin Lie, and I am your son-in-law."
Staring into the princess's astonished eyes, he slowly added, "And also your husband."
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More than a month later, Prince Duan led his army back to the capital, where the Crown Prince and a group of officials greeted him outside the city gate.
Thirty miles outside the city, many people lined both sides of the official road, and wherever they went, they were welcomed by the crowds.
While everyone wanted to see this Great War God, there was another reason: the capital and most of the other prefectures and counties had been conquered by Prince Duan. Every time a city was captured, he never allowed his soldiers to harass the people, but instead treated the people with great kindness.
This earned him great affection from the people who had suffered from war for many years, and he was highly respected among the common people.
The army, which had been fighting for more than half a year, returned to the capital in triumph, living up to expectations with its imposing presence and solemn discipline.
They showed no signs of arrogance, but rather displayed the indomitable and awe-inspiring aura of a kingly army.
Prince Duan took the lead, with a row of black banners waving behind him.
The army is the king's army, but who is leading it? Many ministers couldn't help but steal glances at the crown prince's expression.
The Crown Prince remained calm throughout, only revealing a slight smile when he saw Prince Duan.
Before the army even reached the city gate, Qin Lie raised his arm to order the army to stop, dismounted, strode to the Crown Prince, and knelt on one knee, saying, "Your subject greets Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
The Crown Prince reached out to help him up and noticed that his right arm was bandaged. He asked with concern, "When did you get injured, Third Brother? Why was it never mentioned in your memorials?"
Qin Lie said respectfully, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. It's just a minor injury, nothing to worry about."
Amidst the brotherly harmony between the Crown Prince and Prince Duan, the group returned to the city and entered the palace.
The Emperor sat upright in the Golden Palace, while the ministers below had been waiting for a long time.
Upon entering the hall, the emperor naturally bestowed further praise, and many ministers also sang his eulogy.
Qin Lie listened quietly, and after they had all finished speaking, he took out the military tally from his pocket and presented it, thus directly handing over military power.
This move was completely unexpected, rendering the prepared arguments of the Crown Prince's officials useless, and even catching the Emperor, who had already become wary of his son, off guard.
Now that the Emperor has ascended to the throne and his imperial power has grown daily, even his most trusted confidants must now tread carefully in his presence. The Crown Prince, whom he relies on most, is even more respectful to him, pondering his words carefully before speaking.
Perhaps because he had been fighting on the front lines, Qin Lie still acted as he had when he was in Jizhou. When asked by the emperor, he only said that he had been fighting on the front lines and that his old wounds had not yet healed and new wounds had arose, so he needed to rest. It sounded like he was complaining to the emperor, and even had a hint of grumbling.
Looking at the military tally before him, he thought of the hardships Prince Duan had endured over the past few years.
The Emperor laughed and said, "In that case, I will grant you a few days of carefree living."
Qin Lie felt as if he had been granted a pardon and immediately knelt down to express his gratitude, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty..."
The Emperor was even more pleased and interrupted him, saying, "Don't even think about being a hands-off manager. I'm only giving you ten days to rest. After that, you must attend court every day like the Crown Prince and assist him wholeheartedly."
Upon hearing this, the hall fell silent.
Although the emperor was the founding emperor, most of the country was conquered by Prince Duan.
Prince Duan returned to the capital in triumph after a glorious military campaign. The ministers, being shrewd individuals, each had their own plans.
However, when Prince Duan returned, he relinquished his military power, which the emperor approved. He was not given any other official post, as such a leisurely prince was not required to attend court.
But the emperor also wanted him to "attend court every day like the crown prince and assist him diligently."
The ministers were all in turmoil, pondering the matter.
The Crown Prince and Prince Duan, however, seemed oblivious, their expressions unchanged.
At this moment, the only one in the hall who was truly happy was the Emperor. He finally stepped down the jade steps and came to Qin Lie's side. Only then did he notice the injury on his son's arm and showed a hint of fatherly concern. "You have been away on campaign for many days. The Empress Dowager and the Empress have been worried day and night and are waiting for you in the inner palace. Go and see them quickly, and let the imperial physician take a good look at your injury."
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From the imperial court to the inner palace, after meeting the Empress Dowager and the Empress, and having a family banquet, Qin Lie returned to the Prince Duan's residence when the moon was already high in the sky.
Qin Xiaoshan led him to the courtyard where the princess lived.
The Fifteenth Princess and Qin Hong believed that the traitor had revealed Lingyi's whereabouts.
Little did they know that the traitor was illiterate and could only leave behind traces of his whereabouts, revealing nothing else.
The princess was secretly taken back to the capital and placed in the prince's palace.
Although they had parted ways yesterday to rejoin the army, Qin Lie still came to the princess's room even though he knew she was asleep.
Qin Xiaoshan's arrangements were naturally meticulous and thoughtful. The Prince's Mansion was originally arranged in the same neat and uniform manner as the General's Mansion before. Now, the arrangement here was exactly the same as the Jizhou Princess's Mansion, and even the person lying on the bed was equally sweet and soft.
The princess was fast asleep. She was small and slender, and the blanket was slightly raised, revealing only her fair face.
The most striking features on her face, besides her thick, fan-like black eyelashes, were her slightly parted red lips, with a captivating curve.
Qin Lie couldn't help himself and lowered his head to press against her, not wanting to wake her, he simply gently sucked on her breast to quench his thirst.
He had been traveling since before dawn and had been busy until now, his beard was all prickly and rough, and the princess soon woke up.
Although Qin Lie retreated to the bedside as soon as she blinked, Lingyi still showed a look of fear when she saw him.
"You—how dare you trespass into the princess's bedroom?! Guards! Guards!"
No one came. Qin Lie stood there watching her leisurely until he saw tears welling up in her frightened eyes. Then he sighed and said, "This humble subject came to see the princess and tell her that I will accompany her to the East Palace early tomorrow morning."
Upon hearing "Eastern Palace," Lingyi immediately held back her tears and stared at him blankly: "Really?"
When she woke up to find herself surrounded by strangers, how could she not be afraid?
Her only thought was to return to the capital and find her elder brother, the Crown Prince. Hearing him say this, she was naturally overjoyed.
She still had the mind of a fifteen or sixteen-year-old. Her heart was filled with joy, and her face naturally showed emotion. Her eyes were still filled with tears, and the corners of her lips were already turned up. Her clear black and white eyes were staring at him, as if she was afraid that he was lying.
Qin Lie longed to touch her long hair and kiss her forehead.
He could only stand still and said to her, "I will be going there early tomorrow morning, so please get some rest, Princess."
Then, under her wary and uneasy gaze, he turned and left.
Lingyi only breathed a sigh of relief after Qin Lie left and closed the door.
But she couldn't fall asleep anymore, so she got up and went to the only familiar thing in the room: the mirror.
This mirror was a gift from Xie Yu to her in the past, so it makes sense that it's now in this room.
What's illogical is why she didn't marry Xie Yu, but this Qin Lie who appeared out of nowhere?
When this man claimed to be her husband that day, she thought it was utter nonsense.
In her astonishment, she blurted out.
"Impossible! You're so old, how could my brother, the Crown Prince, marry me to you?"
"If you are the prince consort, then who is Brother Xie Yu?"
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