Mu Hongjin finished speaking without showing any emotion, as if she was talking about someone else.

He Yan felt uncomfortable after hearing this. She thought for a moment and said, "Maybe... Yunlin was busy that day so he didn't come. I also made an appointment with someone but was delayed by something urgent so I missed the appointment."

"There is no emergency, no misunderstanding," Mu Hongjin said with a smile, "He told me this himself."

He Yan didn't know what to say, but felt that what Mu Hongjin said was not the whole truth. If Liu Buwang really had someone else in his heart, he would have never seen any other woman in all these years since He Yan met him. He also never heard him mention anyone's name. To be honest, Mu Xiaolou was the one he treated the most differently, and Mu Xiaolou was Mu Hongjin's granddaughter.

"Young people always think they are unique." Mu Hongjin smiled, "I was like that when I was young, too. Little do I know that uniqueness or not depends on who sees it. In that person's eyes, I am just the one who doesn't catch his eye among thousands of people."

"The person your highness is talking about is my master?" Xiao Jue asked.

"As Xiaolou said, I can't think of anyone else." Mu Hongjin said, "But I didn't expect that he would come to Jiyang..."

He Yan thought to herself, Princess Mengji guessed wrong. According to the teahouse owner, Liu Buwang came to Jiyang not only this year, but also every year... But, Liu Buwang came to Jiyang, could it be for Mu Hongjin?

What is this? It’s better not to meet than to meet.

Mu Xiaolou curled his lips and said, "That man has no vision. My grandmother is the most beautiful, powerful and best person in the world, and he is willing to let her down? Is he blind? I think we should stop calling him Yunlin Layman and call him Layman with No Vision!"

"You," Mu Hongjin tapped Mu Xiaolou's head and said with a smile, "You are so young, how can you know what it means to be a betrayal?"

"He got my grandmother's favor, but he didn't feel grateful and didn't take it seriously. Isn't this a betrayal? He deserved that he didn't marry my grandmother. I don't want my grandfather to be such a person." Mu Xiaolou said angrily. She was just a child and didn't care about what she said. It was probably because when she was born, Mu Hongjin's husband had passed away. She had never met him and had no feelings for him. So she didn't care about it when she talked about it.

"Okay," Mu Hongjin smiled and hugged Mu Xiaolou: "Then the husband our Xiaolou finds in the future must cherish Xiaolou and never let her down."

"Of course!"

He Yan felt uncomfortable seeing the happy scene of the grandfather and grandson. There are thousands of people in the world, and those who are destined to be together but not destined to be together are as numerous as the sand in the Ganges, but if you are misunderstood but cannot tell, that is perhaps the most regrettable thing.

The delicious food couldn't make her happy. After finishing the meal with heavy hearts, Xiao Jue and He Yan stood up to say goodbye to Mu Hongjin.

Mu Hongjin nodded.

When turning around to leave, He Yan finally couldn't help but look at Mu Hongjin and asked, "Your Highness, since you already know that my old friend is now living in Cui's house, why don't you ask him about his current situation and his experiences over the years, instead of meeting him?"

From the beginning until now, ever since she knew that Liu Buwang was the one who saved Mu Xiaolou, Mu Hongjin lightly brushed over the past event and never mentioned this person again, as if Liu Buwang had nothing to do with her.

Mu Hongjin was slightly startled, then looked at He Yan and said calmly: "That's all in the past."

"As of now, he and I are no longer related."

…

After dinner, He Yan and Xiao Jue said goodbye to Mu Hongjin.

After leaving the palace, He Yan couldn't help but look back at the palace's vermilion gate and spoke hesitantly, "Princess, do you really think of my master as a stranger now?"

Xiao Jue: "The deeper the love, the deeper the hatred. Those who have truly let go will not deliberately forget something."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is," he raised his lips slightly, "Miss He really doesn't know how to read people's expressions when it comes to love affairs."

Is this offensive? He Yan thought, how can she be blamed for this? In her previous life, she had no occasion to carefully figure out other people's thoughts, except for the enemy generals. Besides, women's minds are delicate. If a woman really wants to hide her feelings, she will definitely not let others see it.

"The governor speaks as if he knows a lot about it," she retorted.

"Better than you."

He walked forward leisurely, and He Yan followed closely.

…

In the empty hall, a woman in a red robe and a golden crown slowly walked up the steps and sat down on the high seat.

After eating, Mu Xiaolou was taken back to her bedroom by her maid to rest. She had been frightened a lot yesterday, and the child was tired and very sleepy. Mu Hongjin asked someone to send her some tranquilizing soup. Fortunately, Mu Xiaolou was only frightened and not injured.

Jiyang was facing internal and external troubles, with Wutuo people mixed in. The lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the city were in her hands. The current situation was not a comforting one. This was originally a mess, but Mu Hongjin's mind actually thought of another name.

Willow never forgets.

She really didn't expect that after all these years, she would still hear the name Liu Buwang from other people's mouths. She also didn't expect that Liu Buwang would dare to enter Jiyang City again.

If Mu Hongjin was young, she would definitely stand in front of him, look down at him, and tell him to get out of her territory. But now, she didn't have such an impulse, and she didn't even want to meet him.

On the small table next to the high seat, there was a carved bronze mirror. It was found for her by Cui Yuezhi from a merchant. The mirror was very thin, with beautiful carvings, and the wooden handle at the bottom was inlaid with an emerald green cat's eye stone. She always liked complicated and gorgeous things, so she kept it with her every day. Mu Xiaolou always said that the bronze mirror looked old-fashioned, but Mu Hongjin didn't think so. She took the bronze mirror in her hand and looked at the person in the mirror.

The woman in the mirror has an extremely beautiful face. I don't know when, even her makeup has to be equally dignified and delicate. There is a hint of light red at the end of her eyes, which makes this beauty have a kind of cold beauty. Her lips are also red, slightly pursed, showing restraint and indifference.

She reached out her hand to touch her hair. The maids were envious of her long black hair, which did not look old even at her age. However, they did not know that every morning, she would have her personal maid comb her hair carefully in the sunlight to find the white hairs and remove them one by one.

As long as she remains on the throne of Princess Mengji, she will always be young, beautiful, noble and powerful, suppress all restlessness and impetuosity, and accept the respectful and submissive gazes of everyone.

but……

The end result is old age.

Mu Hongjin looked at herself in the mirror. Once upon a time, her face was clean and she never wore makeup. Her eyes were not as domineering and fierce as they are now. The girl always had a smile on her face, and when she smiled, her white teeth were exposed, and she looked bold, cheerful, and carefree.

Her thoughts flew back to many years ago, so long ago that she could no longer remember exactly which year it was. At that time, Mu Hongjin was not yet the "Princess" in red robes and golden crowns. She was the only daughter of King Mengji, the apple of his eye, a seventeen-year-old girl.

The seventeen-year-old girl, full of imagination about love and the future, suddenly learned that her marriage had been arranged to be to the son of an important official in the court. Her first reaction was fierce resistance.

Old King Mengji, her father, looked at her with some guilt, but his tone was unquestionably firm: "You must marry him to secure your position as the princess."

"I don't want to be a princess at all," Mu Hongjin sneered, "I don't want to exchange my marriage for this position, I'd rather be an ordinary person!"

Her resistance was not taken seriously, perhaps just regarded as a child's willful prank, or perhaps, King Mengji knew very well that even if he resisted, it would be fruitless. The position of the vassal king was not stable to begin with, and if he was not careful, no one could escape.

Mu Hongjin slipped out of the palace late at night.

She was a quirky person, and had long yearned for an ordinary life. She took a horse whip, changed her clothes, and left Jiyang City that night.

Mu Hongjin was older and smarter than Mu Xiaolou back then, and he didn't eat anything on the way until he reached the foot of Qiyun Mountain.

The road to Qiyun Mountain is steep, and people say that it is a barren mountain. But at the foot of the mountain, there is a dense peach forest. It is spring, the peach blossoms are in full bloom, and the wind is endless. Not far from the peach forest, Mu Hongjin met a villain.

Almost every girl who is alone, if she does not disguise herself, is very likely to encounter thieves with ill intentions, and if she is a beautiful girl, she will be even more vulnerable. Many stories of heroes saving beauties in operas and novels all come from this.

Mu Hongjin ran all the way, and when she ran under a peach tree, she accidentally sprained her ankle and had nowhere to hide.

The villains came forward with funny grins, like catching turtles in a jar. If this were a play, it would be at this moment that the hero who saves the beauty would appear.

The hero who saves the beauty has indeed appeared.

"stop."

At the critical moment, someone's voice was heard, it was a clear male voice. Mu Hongjin turned around and saw a young man in white clothes walking slowly, with his long hair tied into a bun with white silk, a harp on his back, with delicate eyebrows and eyes, and a refined appearance, as if he was a Taoist who didn't care about the world, standing in front of her.

The criminals were stunned at first, then burst into laughter, thinking that the young man looked weak and was just trying to show off, so they told him to get out of here. Mu Hongjin also felt a little desperate, as he looked more like a musician than a hero.

The boy just stood there quietly, without moving.

The villains were so angry that they wanted to make the boy suffer, until the boy drew the long sword from his waist. Only then did Mu Hongjin see clearly that he actually had a sword.

The young man in white was indeed a hero, and a somewhat kind-hearted hero at that. His swordsmanship was extremely high, but he did not take the lives of those people. He just fought hard and stopped at the right time, and beat those people and made them flee in panic.

Under the peach tree, there were only two of them. In the red, Mu Hongjin looked at the other person. The young man's eyes were calm and indifferent, and his robes were spotless, but she knew that he was not a zither player, he was a knight. He jumped out of those thrilling scripts, appeared in front of her like a god, and saved her.

The fear just now completely faded away, and she smiled with her eyebrows curved, "Thank you for saving me, my name is Mu Hongjin, what's your name?"

As if he was a little surprised by her sudden joy, the young knight paused and said, "Liu Buwang."

The girl from Jiyang was cheerful, passionate and generous. Mu Hongjin looked at him with a distressed expression, but a hint of cunning flashed in her eyes.

"Young Master Liu, I sprained my ankle and can't walk. I will save people to the end. Please carry me on your back!"

The person in the bronze mirror has her lips slightly raised, her gaze gradually becomes distant, and when she recalls the peach blossoms of that year, she smiles unconsciously.

I didn't hold the bronze mirror tightly in my hand and it accidentally fell to the ground.

The noise startled the woman on the high seat. She bent down to pick up the bronze mirror and was slightly startled. On the smooth surface of the bronze mirror, a crack appeared due to the fall just now. It was very slight and would not be noticed if you didn't look carefully.

The smile on her lips faded. After a moment, she put the mirror aside.

After all... a broken mirror cannot be mended.

…

When they returned to Cui's house, it was already evening, and Cui Yuezhi had not returned yet. He Yan was afraid that Liu Buwang would leave without saying goodbye, so the first thing he did was to look for Liu Buwang. When he found him, he discovered that Liu Buwang was playing chess with Lin Shuanghe. They both liked to wear white clothes. When Lin Shuanghe wore them, he looked like a handsome young man, and when Liu Buwang wore them, he looked like a noble swordsman.

Seeing He Yan coming back, Lin Shuanghe said, "Young Master, Madam, you are back! Mr. Liu is such a great chess player. Even though I, Liu Buwang, am such a skilled chess player, I can't even win ten moves against him. This is the 9th round. How about you play chess with Mr. Liu and help me win back a game?"

He Yan silently rolled her eyes in her heart. She was not bragging about her master, but Liu Buwang was good at everything. He was a talented man in both civil and military affairs. Lin Shuanghe's three-legged cat kung fu was good enough to trick girls in brothels, but compared to Liu Buwang, it was simply an insult to Liu Buwang.

She walked to Liu Buwang and said to Lin Shuanghe, "Since you have lost so many times, Brother Lin should go back and practice well before the next time. I still have something to do with my master, let's talk about it later!" After that, she pulled Liu Buwang up and walked into the house.

Lin Shuanghe looked at He Yan's back, approached Xiao Jue, and asked curiously, "Why are you in such a hurry? What happened to my He sister?"

Xiao Jue: "I went to listen to a story."

"What story?" Lin Shuanghe was puzzled. "Did you meet the princess in the palace? How was it? Did she not embarrass you?"

Xiao Jue chuckled and didn't answer. It wasn't difficult, but... His eyes fell on the door that He Yan had closed. This trip was probably an unexpected surprise for Mu Hongjin, Liu Buwang, and even He Yan.

Cui Jiao was about to go in with the tea in her hand, but was stopped by Xiao Jue. He looked at the teapot on the tea tray and said, "Bring a bowl of brown sugar water, hot."

Cui Jiao nodded in agreement. Xiao Jue turned around and saw Lin Shuanghe staring at him with a strange look. He frowned and asked, "What are you looking at?"

"Xiao Huaijin," Lin Shuanghe looked at him seriously, waved his fan, and said three words: "You're done."

"You are sick." He replied indifferently.

…

In the room, He Yan pushed Liu Buwang to sit down at the table, and then he sat down too.

She had a lot of questions to ask, such as what Liu Buwang had said before about tracking down the Wutuo people, and Ji Yang's current actions, but the first thing she said was: "Master, I just came back from the palace and met Her Royal Highness the Princess."

Liu Buwang looked at her.

"Princess Mengji seems to be an old acquaintance of Master." He Yan hesitated for a moment before speaking.

Liu Buwang said: "Not bad."

Admitted it so quickly? She was stunned for a moment. Was this frankness a sign that there was nothing wrong? For the first time, He Yan realized that she was so gossipy that she even wanted to know other people's private affairs. But if it was about Liu Buwang, she couldn't help but want to know what kind of past this god-like, seemingly heartless and desireless master of hers had.

Perhaps it is this past that makes him more down-to-earth and look more like an ordinary person.

"Princess Mengji said that she once admired Master, but Master loved someone else." He Yan said it in one breath, "Princess Mengji wanted to escape the marriage and made an appointment with Master, but Master did not come, so she returned to Jiyang and got married."

After hearing this, Liu Buwang remained expressionless and it was unclear what he was thinking.

He Yan asked, "Master, is this true?"

She always felt that Liu Buwang was a chivalrous man who would bury the dead bodies if he passed by them, and if Mu Hongjin begged him sincerely, he would definitely take her away. If he had not intended to take her away from the beginning, he would not have made an agreement with Mu Hongjin at all.

Why bother?

"It's true." Liu Buwang replied indifferently.

He Yan was surprised: "Why?"

"This is the best choice for her." Liu Buwang said: "As the princess of Mengji, she should shoulder her due responsibilities. Jiyang is her responsibility."

"But..." He Yan was still unwilling to accept it, "Is it because of this that Master didn't take her away, or is it because of some other reason? Does Master really love someone else in his heart?"

In all these years, she had never seen Liu Buwang mention any woman or lover. To put it bluntly, if that "lover" was no longer alive, at least he would have to pay homage to her during the Qingming Festival and Zhongyuan Festival every year, but no, nothing.

Liu Buwang didn't answer her, but just looked at He Yan with a smile: "Is she...doing well?"

Is he living well? He Yan couldn't answer this question. The current situation in Jiyang City was not good. But in a way, Mu Hongjin was married and had a son, and a granddaughter to take care of him. At least he was not as lonely as Liu Buwang.

She had no choice but to say, "Xiaolou is her granddaughter."

Liu Buwang smiled and said nothing.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became silent and stagnant.

Cui Jiao knocked on the door outside and said, "Madam, the brown sugar meatball sweet soup is here."

"Why do you still like sweet food?" Liu Buwang came back to his senses and laughed, "Go out and drink some sweet soup. I want to be alone for a while."

He Yan hesitated for a moment, then stood up and said, "Then Master, I'll be out first."

She left the room and the door closed behind her.

The night in Jiyang is also warm, not as cold as in the north. The wind blows in from the window, making the shadows of the trees sway slightly, like the mist on Mount Qiyun.

Liu Buwang has no father or mother. He is the youngest disciple of Yunji Taoist in Qiyun Mountain. Yunji Taoist has withdrawn from the world and lived in seclusion. He adopted a group of orphans as his disciples. Liu Buwang is the seventh child and is called Xiaoqi.

Young men practiced martial arts in the mountains, and when they turned 18, they had to go down the mountain to gain experience. When Liu Buwang went down the mountain, his fellow apprentices came to see him off. He was proud and simple-minded, and they were afraid that he would be cheated down the mountain. Before they left, they gave him many instructions, which made him feel annoyed and impatient.

Every young man feels that his future is bright and limitless, and he can fight against evil and injustice in the world. Nothing can humiliate his character, and nothing can defeat his perseverance.

The same is true for Liu Buwang.

Who knew that just after he came down the mountain, he saw a villain bullying a weak woman in the peach blossom forest at the foot of the mountain. Liu Buwang stepped forward and drove the villain away. He was about to leave, but the woman stuck to him like a dog-skin plaster and he couldn't get rid of her.

He still remembered the first time he saw Mu Hongjin. She was so pretty and charming that one would blush if he looked at her for a second longer. With two braids hanging down in front of her chest, she blinked at him and said innocently, "Young Master Liu, I sprained my ankle and can't walk. I will save her to the end. Please carry me on your back!"

He was shocked by the righteous words, took a step back and said, "No."

"Why not?" Mu Hongjin asked, "Aren't you a young knight? Young knights all do this."

Do all young knights do this? When he was young, Liu Buwang didn't understand. He had always lived in the mountains and had never dealt with the ways of the world. He didn't know whether what she said was true or not. But seeing her sharp words, Liu Buwang thought, maybe... people down the mountain are like this, and he was just being too nervous?

As he was thinking, he saw Mu Hongjin crying out with a bitter face, "Ouch, ouch," "It hurts so much, it hurts every time I move."

He was unhappy to see her being so coquettish. Neither the daughter of Taoist Yunji nor his junior sister were so coquettish. He could only bow down helplessly: "Come up."

Mu Hongjin climbed up happily.

The girl's hands climbed onto his neck, hugging him tightly. Her warm body pressed against him, and he could smell the fragrance of her hair. Liu Buwang felt extremely uncomfortable. He wanted to refuse, but it was too late. He could only accept his fate and said, "Girl, where do you live? I'll take you back."

"I have no home." The girl's voice was pitiful. "I was kidnapped. My home is very far away. I will follow you from now on. Wherever you go, I will go."

Liu Buwang was so shocked that he almost dropped her off his back: "What do you mean I should go wherever you go? Why are you following me?"

"Since you saved me, you must be responsible for me to the end." Mu Hongjin said confidently, "Otherwise you can send me back to my home. My home is in Shuojing, which is very far from here. Can you send me there?"

Liu Buwang: “…”

He really didn't expect that by saving someone, he would actually save himself from such a big trouble. All the people down the mountain were like this, and all the women down the mountain were like this. No wonder the senior brother told him before he left: "Women down the mountain are tigers." Even tigers can be scared away by setting off firecrackers, so how come this woman can't be shaken off?

As if she had read his mind, the girl whispered in his ear, "Don't be afraid. I don't eat much, and it won't cost you much money. You won't be a problem if you take me with you."

"Please, young man."