Heaven knows how Situ Yin managed it. While he was alone in the room with her, no one, including Chun Tan and Chun Mian, had approached the room. The moment he left, the two little maids immediately knocked on the door hand in hand and came in.
However, at this moment, one of them looked unwilling, while the other was all smiles, trying to smooth things over for her.
"Madam, perhaps Chunmian is just seeing things..."
She had barely begun speaking when the two of them noticed Tang Ning sitting at the table, her face slightly pale. She slowly turned her head and looked at them. Despite her already pale complexion, she still managed a faint smile.
"Chunmian, I wonder if you still recognize the way to that...house?"
Tang Ning's voice was quite hoarse.
"lady!"
Upon hearing her say this, the two maids immediately understood what she was planning and shouted in unison.
“I want to go over and take a look… Don’t worry, I’m just going to take a look.”
Tang Ning lowered her eyes slightly and murmured this in a very soft voice.
Upon hearing this, the two frowned and exchanged a glance.
How could they possibly feel at ease?
Seeing that their mistress was so determined, they could only pray that the woman really had nothing to do with the young master and that Chunmian had been mistaken from the beginning.
As dusk approached, even without Chunmian's reminder, Helan Ruo still rushed back to the Duke's mansion as soon as the hot pot was set up in the Princess's courtyard.
Having spent a short time together, Helan Ruo had already thoroughly figured out Tang Ning's tastes. She didn't care about eating herself anymore and just kept helping Tang Ning cook and serve her food.
Princess Qingping smiled so much that her eyes narrowed at his attentive manner. When she saw that her husband was also putting food into her bowl one bite after another, she raised her eyebrows in surprise. But the next second, her husband leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Don't be envious, you have some too."
Upon hearing the prince consort's words, Princess Qingping immediately pinched his waist lightly under the table, calling him a lewd old man.
She wasn't just envious; she was clearly happy and delighted. She felt that Tang Ning was the right wife. Look at A Ruo now; she even knows how to be caring.
The young couple can have a few more children in the future, and the whole family can live together happily and warmly.
Just imagining that scene would probably make Princess Qingping laugh out loud even in her dreams.
Yes, because of the concubine in the late emperor's harem, Princess Qingping also suffered considerable trauma. The most direct aftereffect was her longing and yearning for the warmth of family.
Now that Tang Ning has fulfilled her little dream, Princess Qingping really likes Tang Ning so much that she doesn't know what to do. After having a hot pot meal together, she rewarded Tang Ning with a lot of jewelry. Even the newly made pearl headdress, which she hadn't even worn herself, was given to Tang Ning on the grounds that the color was too delicate.
However, it seems that only Princess Qingping and her husband were truly happy at the whole table. Not to mention Tang Ning and He Lanruo, even Chun Tan and Chun Mian, who were serving behind them, were not in a good mood.
Especially the straightforward Chunmian, whose gaze fixed on Helan Ruo's back could hardly conceal her unease.
Chun Tan was the first to notice her unusual behavior. She quickly reached out and tugged at her sleeve, while giving her a wink.
If the Eldest Princess and the Young Master saw Chunmian in this state, what good would it do her?
Moreover, if the young master really has a change of heart, what can the lady do?
Thinking of this, Chun Tan was truly saddened.
Even if the lady makes a scene, it will probably only get her to formally acknowledge the woman in the other house. After all, once a woman is married, she belongs to that man. It's not that she can't divorce, but the lady has already broken off an engagement once. If she comes to divorce again now, who knows what outsiders will say!
Why is it so difficult for women in this world?
Just as the two maids were feeling sad, upset, and angry for Tang Ning, the Princess on the table seemed to suddenly remember something and hurriedly spoke to He Lanruo, saying that he should go to Baiyun Mountain in a few days to visit his senior uncle. She said that she had heard that the weather had been too cold recently and the old man had caught a cold without paying attention. He was only served by a young novice monk and was very lonely.
In a few days, I told Helan Ruo to prepare some things and go up the mountain to visit him properly.
"Okay, son, I understand."
He Lanruo nodded in agreement.
The hot pot meal was quickly finished. Although the hot pot was delicious, it had a lingering odor, so Tang Ning took a bath early that evening and was sitting in front of her dressing table asking Chun Tan to wring her hair. Soon after, He Lan Ruo also finished bathing and returned to their room.
Because he had been running around a lot these past few days, and was too lazy to call the servants, he simply asked Chunmian to prepare a basin of hot water for him to soak his feet, relax, and then go to sleep.
Unexpectedly, Chunmian did bring him water, but because of a feeling of frustration, she slammed the basin of hot water down in front of Helan Ruo, even spilling a few drops of the hot water.
Seeing this, Chunmian realized she had gone too far, and knelt down with a thud to admit her mistake.
Although Helan Ruo was a little confused by her commotion, she was Tang Ning's maid after all, and she herself knew she was wrong, so she didn't pay much attention to it and casually waved her away.
By this time, Tang Ning's hair was almost dry, so she asked Chun Tan, who was beside her, to go downstairs with her.
After the two women left the house, closed the door, and walked a little further away, Helan Ruo finally turned her gaze away from the doorway and smiled, "Why do I feel like Chunmian seems a little unhappy today?"
"Really? Maybe it's because I went out to buy roasted chestnuts today and someone knocked them all over, so they're all covered in dust," Tang Ning replied softly.
"Is that really the reason?"
Helan Ruo shook her head helplessly, inwardly sighing at the little maid's gluttony.
Unexpectedly, at that moment, Tang Ning, who was sitting facing the bronze mirror, spoke again, seemingly casually, "I forgot to ask you, where did you go today? Mother said we'd be having hot pot tonight, and I specifically told Chunmian to remind you to come back early if she saw you outside. But she searched several places you usually go and couldn't find you. Where did you go?"
Upon hearing Tang Ning's question, He Lanruo's entire body stiffened slightly, and her pupils contracted.
He stared intently at his feet soaking in the basin, and for some inexplicable reason, a feeling of guilt welled up inside him.
Just then, Tang Ning slowly walked towards him from in front of the dressing table.
Knock knock, knock knock.
Even though he and Mu Qing hadn't done anything, He Lanruo's heart still started pounding as Tang Ning got closer.
Do you need my help?
"ah?"
He Lanruo was somewhat bewildered, but then he saw Tang Ning squat down in front of him, reaching her hand into his foot basin.
"No need, you don't need to do these things, I can do them myself."
He Lanruo immediately grabbed Tang Ning's hand.
Don't worry, I'm just doing it for show.
She smiled gently on the surface, but in her heart, Tang Ning thought to herself.
Why are your hands so cold?
Nothing compares to a cold heart.
For every word He Lanruo said, Tang Ning would silently retort in her mind.
"Is it cold? It should be fine. I'm always like this; my fingertips are always a little cool." Tang Ning replied with a smile, then picked up a white handkerchief from the side and began to gently wipe the slightly damp ends of the other person's hair.
The more Tang Ning acted this way, the more distressed He Lanruo felt.
He couldn't understand how he had become like this all of a sudden.
He had previously helped Tang Ning scold Wei Jing, but now how is he any different from Wei Jing?
He took care of Mu Qing without telling Tang Ning.
he……
Thinking of this, Helan Ruo immediately reached out and pressed down on Tang Ning's wrist as she was drying his hair, then turned to look at her, "After a few days, when I come down from Baiyun Mountain after visiting my senior uncle, I have something I want to say to you."
Yes, he wanted to be honest with her. No matter what, Tang Ning was now his wife, and he would only have one wife in his life.
He couldn't keep taking care of Tang Ning indefinitely without keeping it from Mu Qing.
Although she has forgotten many things now, and even her memory is still stuck at the age of nine, her body is no longer that of a nine-year-old. She keeps hugging him all the time. How can this be allowed?
Men and women should not touch each other, and he was still a married man.
He no longer wanted to continue the affair of embracing and kissing other women behind his wife's back.
Moreover, given Tang Ning's personality, she probably wouldn't want to be kept in the dark by him.
He had initially thought he could resolve Mu Qing's situation quickly, but he was afraid of implicating Tang Ning, which was why he had kept it from her. Now, seeing Mu Qing's condition, it seemed unlikely she would recover anytime soon. After explaining things to Tang Ning, perhaps they could brainstorm together and come up with a better way to settle Mu Qing's situation.
Seeing Helan Ruo's serious expression, Tang Ning was momentarily stunned, but her expression quickly softened. "Okay."
Seeing Tang Ning smiling so gently under the lamp, He Lanruo, who was sitting on the couch, suddenly reached out and hugged her slender waist, which was almost too slender. He buried his face in her clothes and smelled the faint fragrance on Tang Ning's body. In that instant, it seemed that all the restlessness and anxiety in his heart over the past few days had been wiped away.
"What's wrong?"
Caught off guard by the sudden hug, Tang Ning instinctively held her breath before gently placing her hand on the man's shoulder.
"Nothing much, I just wanted to... hug you."
Upon hearing his words, Tang Ning immediately began to gently stroke He Lanruo's back.
"Tang Ning..."
"Um?"
Do you think we'll grow old together?
Before Tang Ning could answer, He Lanruo spoke first, "I think it definitely will, it definitely will. When you're old, I want to hold you like this, okay?"
Hearing this, Tang Ning just smiled and remained silent.
I've never seen anyone so eager to set goals for themselves!
The next day, Helan Ruo hadn't even prepared what she needed to take to Baiyun Mountain, and was even planning to take Tang Ning out to buy things. Unexpectedly, at that moment, an imperial edict was delivered directly to the Duke's mansion.
Tang Ning, who had already dressed up, changed her expression immediately upon hearing the words "imperial edict."
Unfortunately, the imperial edict arrived, and everyone in the Duke's mansion had to go to receive it; no one could escape it.
Then a group of people knelt on the ground and listened as the eunuch, who was carrying out the imperial decree, announced that Princess Qingping and her husband would assist in disaster relief.
There has been a lot of snow this year, and the northern part of Dalinchao has suffered a disaster. I heard that many people have frozen to death, and many people were sleeping at home when they were stiff the next day.
For this reason, Situ Yin laughed and chopped off a series of heads. After all, as early as when the Imperial Observatory detected that there would be more snow this year, he had already exempted many places in the north from taxes and had people transport a lot of warm clothing to them.
But people are still freezing to death, it's definitely not his fault.
How could he be wrong?
If it's not his fault, then it must be the fault of those below him.
If you can make such a simple mistake, what's the point of keeping the job?
Let's cut them all down.
Situ Yin gave the order without hesitation and then proceeded to cut down his enemies. His swift and decisive actions terrified the ministers in the court these past few days, causing their legs to go weak when they went to court in the morning. They were truly pitiful.
In fact, Situ Yin had already chosen the people to go to provide disaster relief. Princess Qingping and her husband were just going along to get credit for it.
Upon hearing the news, everyone in the Duke's mansion was stunned. After they came to their senses, Princess Qingping was overjoyed. She felt that this showed that Situ Yin still cared about her as his older sister. She thought that once the consort made some achievements, he might be given an official position by Situ Yin. That would be great.
The eldest princess and her husband were happy, but the old lady and the second branch of the family were not. They even started plotting to get them to bring the second branch of the family along as well.
These people were either excited or scheming, but Tang Ning only raised an eyebrow in her heart.
It's surprising that this crazy emperor with his unusual way of thinking can actually listen to what others say. One minute he's saying he doesn't care whether Princess Qingping is happy or not, and the next minute he's sending her away.
It's also possible that he was afraid she would interfere with him.
This shows that Situ Yin is about to take action.
He Lanruo needs to be honest, and Situ Yin needs to take action.
How could Tang Ning possibly slack off?
Because the imperial edict ordered Princess Qingping and her husband to depart immediately, they packed a few things and left that afternoon. The second branch of the family was so angry that they didn't even come to see them off, because they hadn't managed to get their useless second uncle into their party.
Before leaving, Princess Qingping held Helan Ruo's hand and instructed him to take good care of Tang Ning.
Almost simultaneously, the officials of all ranks in the capital, terrified by the capricious and unpredictable Situ Yin, were filled with envy upon seeing his lavish treatment of Princess Qingping and her husband. For a time, many even secretly considered whether they should try to get closer to the princess and her husband; at the very least, it might save their lives in a critical moment!
Thinking about it this way, the General of Zhenbei is indeed cunning and shrewd. He actually married his daughter to the young master of Helan. If anything happens to him, wouldn't the princess plead for him?
Alas, I miscalculated.
Unaware of all the speculation in the capital, on this very day, no sooner had Helan Ruo arrived at Baiyun Mountain than Tang Ning, guided by Chun Mian, stood before the residence Helan Ruo now used to house Ji Muqing.
"Madam, this is the place."
Seeing Tang Ning staring intently at the gate in front of her, Chunmian said this.
"...Okay, go and knock on the door."
After hesitating for a moment, Tang Ning pursed her lips and said this.
Upon hearing this, Chunmian nodded, then slowly walked forward and knocked on the door in front of her. After only a couple of knocks, the door was immediately pulled open from the inside, revealing a smiling face.
"Zichu, have you come to see me again? I've missed you so much..."
She had only just finished speaking when she saw Tang Ning, and her smile froze on her face.
She is indeed very beautiful; no wonder Helan Ruo has been thinking about her for so many years. It's truly remarkable that such a beauty would feign madness and stupidity.
Tang Ning smiled to herself.
Inside the door, the moment Ji Muqing saw Tang Ning's face, even though she had never met Tang Ning before or seen her portrait, her intuition told her that the woman outside was indeed He Lanruo's new wife.
She was indeed beautiful, even more beautiful than she had imagined.
No wonder Helan Ruo completely forgot about her after marrying her.
It really is something I'm not happy about!
However, the fact that she chose to come to her today means that she discovered what she had done a few days ago. Not only that, but it may have made her feel very uncomfortable, which is why she came to find her in secret behind Helan Ruo's back.
On this point alone, she was at a disadvantage.
Ji Muqing smiled inwardly, but after a moment of stunned silence, she seemed to be greatly frightened and took several steps back.
"Who are you people? Why isn't it Zichu here? Did you hide Zichu? Please give Zichu back to me!"
She immediately revealed an innocent, girlish expression and reached out her hand directly to Tang Ning.
Seeing her like this, Tang Ning could tolerate it, but Chun Mian couldn't. In all her life, she had never seen such a shameless woman. She was pretty, but why did she have to talk so annoyingly?
"You've really gone too far, young lady! Do you even know who this person standing in front of you is? My lady is the young master, the one you call Zichu's lawfully wedded wife. You, a mistress who can't be brought into the open and can't be brought to the table, are you asking my lady to return the young master to you? When did the young master become yours? You have no shame!"
Chunmian unleashed a barrage of insults.
Then Tang Ning saw with her own eyes that Ji Muqing, who had previously looked innocent and frightened, suddenly had a flash of ferocity in his eyes.
Having grown up in the Prime Minister's mansion, she was a high-ranking daughter of the Prime Minister. Later, she entered the palace and became the highest-ranking Consort Chen. Even after being sent to the Cold Palace, she was quickly rescued by Helan Ruo. It can be said that she had never been scolded like this before.
No wonder she lost her composure.
I thought this one would be a bit better, but it seems she's just so-so, only slightly better than Qin Qianqian.
It's a good thing she came all this way so excitedly.
Tsk, boring.
Tang Ning thought this to herself, but on the surface, she suddenly grabbed Chunmian's arm, who was about to scold her again, and said, "Chunmian, what are you saying?"
Seeing that Tang Ning's expression was off, Chunmian retreated to the side somewhat unconvinced, muttering to herself, "That's for sure. Look at her, who knows which brothel she came from."
To support Tang Ning, Chunmian spent several days immersing herself in the streets and learned these insults, determined to make the young master's mistress flee in terror.
Springtime is filled with ambition and aspirations.
But her little tricks were no match for Ji Muqing's.
No sooner had she finished muttering than Ji Muqing, who had been standing in front of them, suddenly covered her ears and backed away, shaking her head repeatedly. "Nonsense, nonsense, you're talking nonsense! How could Zichu possibly marry someone else? He said he would marry me, and that he would only ever love me. He would never marry anyone else but me! You're talking nonsense!"
"I...I need to go find Zichu!"
With her eyes red, Ji Muqing looked directly at the three people in front of her. Before Tang Ning and the other two could fully react, she left behind these words, shoved them aside, and ran away without looking back.
When Helan Ruo received the news of Ji Muqing's disappearance, she was being teased by her senior brother on Baiyun Mountain. After all, when Tang Ning came to ask for the knife, she had said firmly that she would never like Tang Ning, but now Tang Ning had become her wife.
As they were chatting and laughing, Helan Ruo was stunned when she received the news that Ji Muqing had gone missing. She even forgot about her sick senior uncle and rushed down the mountain immediately.
Unfortunately, when he arrived at the house he had prepared to house Ji Muqing, he only saw Tang Ning and her two servants looking anxious.
Upon seeing them, Helan Ruo immediately understood why Ji Muqing had suddenly disappeared.
He just didn't understand why Tang Ning was here. He hadn't even told her about Mu Qing's existence yet, had he? But now wasn't the time to find out. Although Mu Qing had been in the palace for three years, there were still many people in the capital who knew her. If she were recognized, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Helan".
Turning around and seeing Helan Ruo, Tang Ning rushed over immediately.
Seeing her like this, Helan Ruo suppressed her own panic and asked, "Do you know where they ran off to?"
"That way..."
Before Tang Ning could finish speaking, she saw He Lanruo turn around and chase after the direction she was pointing.
Unfortunately, the group searched from morning until evening but still couldn't find Ji Muqing.
Because of Ji Muqing's state, coupled with her sensitive identity, He Lanruo became visibly agitated.
Tang Ning stood by and watched him anxiously pacing around.
It wasn't until he saw the other person look up at the setting sun that he seemed to suddenly remember something and abruptly ran off in one direction.
He remembered that when he was nine years old, he seemed to have run away from home with Mu Qing once.
It must be there, it must be there.
Tang Ning, who was following behind him, watched the man's figure disappear in a short while, and her steps suddenly slowed down, her eyes becoming frighteningly red.
"lady!"
Chunmian and Chuntan quickly stepped forward and grabbed her arms on either side, calling out with concern.
"I'm fine..."
Tang Ning mustered all her strength to force a smile.
You're fine, but I'm not.
At the same moment, Situ Yin, sitting on the second floor of a restaurant, watched Tang Ning's back with a gloomy face.
He couldn't understand why, when she was sad, even the fragrance on her body smelled bitter.
He was so miserable that he felt terrible.
"Are the people ready?"
Situ Yin turned his head and asked the guards behind him.
"Those assassins, that reckless young apprentice from Huichuntang, and those young ladies who were once very familiar with Ji Muqing?"
"It's all prepared and ready."
"That's fine."
Situ Yin smiled slightly.
It's time to bring Ji Muqing into the public eye and, at the same time, confirm Helan Ruo's crime of abducting concubines.
If anyone makes Tang Ning unhappy, he'll become unhappy just by smelling the fragrance.
He's unhappy, so—
No one can be happy!
Author's Note: Situ Yin: To make me happy, please go and make my wife happy, thank you~~
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