"I had a dream last night." Qiao Si spoke calmly and slowly, as if it was just an ordinary dream.
"In my dream, I was probably dead. I was wandering around like a lonely ghost. I saw Prince Qiao's mansion in the capital. It was dilapidated due to years of neglect. I didn't see my father or my third brother there.
Later, somehow, I arrived in Dingzhou, only to find my father. Dingzhou had returned to its former state of fragmentation and destitution. Returning to Prince Qiao's mansion, I saw only my father, now white-haired and hunched over, no longer the heroic figure he once was.
He was exhausted, guarding the huge palace alone, so lonely that it broke my heart.
I saw him walking alone to the ancestral hall, leaning on a crutch and staggering. I saw him sitting alone in the ancestral hall, and on the table was our tablet.
I was so powerless, listening to him muttering to himself, I wanted to touch him, but I couldn't..."
Qiao Si spoke with a heavy nasal voice, holding back tears. "I thought, I can't just die like this. I can't leave them alone. I can't be so selfish. So, I woke up."
When Zhang You heard Qiao Si say this, his heart felt like it was being pinched by a pair of small hands and he couldn't breathe.
Jingzhu had already started crying. She had never been a sentimental person, but when she heard Qiao Si say this, she just felt heartbroken.
She not only felt sorry for the lonely Prince Qiao who died in her dream, but she also felt sorry for Qiao Si who, even though he was bedridden, still thought about the Prince Qiao Mansion and did not dare to slack off.
If she had not been born in Prince Qiao's Mansion, she would have been a girl in the boudoir who only cared about the trivial matters of today and tomorrow, and would not have been involved in the intrigues and deceptions of power in the court.
Cui Liu wiped the tears from her eyes. Qiao Si's words reminded her of Hong Mei, and she couldn't help crying. The whole group of people were moved by Qiao Si's words.
Qiao Si couldn't bear to see them crying, "Why are you all crying? What are you crying for? I'm fine now, aren't I?"
"Yes, this is a good thing. The princess will be blessed with long life and live a hundred years." Cui Liu sobbed and forced a smile.
The sad atmosphere finally dissipated a little.
Zhang You recovered from his illness for more than half a month. The midsummer heat was washed away by an autumn rain, and autumn had already begun in Beijing.
Yao Yushu's death led to a series of changes in the court.
Because the prince bullied Yao Yushu, Li Guanghan wrote a letter to the emperor demanding severe punishment, but the emperor simply put him under house arrest and passed the case over.
After Yao Yushu's funeral, Imperial Tutor Yao was dissatisfied with the emperor's handling of the matter, but he felt helpless. Completely disillusioned with the court and the emperor, he submitted a petition requesting his resignation. The emperor quickly approved his petition, allowing him to return home with his family.
Li Guanghan was depressed for a while because he could not redress Yao Yushu's grievances. After that, he picked himself up and began to secretly recruit ministers. Now, he has gradually grasped one-third of the power in the court and has begun to gain influence in the court.
August 15th, in the blink of an eye, it is Mid-Autumn Festival again.
The heat of summer has been completely replaced by the freshness of autumn, and the osmanthus flowers in the yard are blooming again, with a rich fragrance.
During the period when Qiao Si was recuperating, Wei Nian visited him several times. Qiao Si did not see him, so he just gave him some things and left. He asked someone to deliver a letter, which Qiao Si burned after reading it. No one knew what he said. They only knew that Qiao Si no longer liked him.
Later, Wei Nian just sent someone to tell Qiao Si that he was wrong and hoped that Qiao Si could forgive him, but Qiao Si still did not respond.
On the Mid-Autumn Festival, he sent gifts again, but was turned away as usual. Instead, Li Guanghan, who had never been to Prince Qiao's mansion, actually came to visit in person today.
He sent Jinlu to deliver the things for Qiao Si to Songxueyuan, while he went to visit Prince Qiao. When Qiao Si rushed to the study, he heard Li Guanghan discussing the time to marry her with Prince Qiao.
Qiao Si stood at the door of the study, not moving for a long time.
Zhang You just followed behind her silently.
Everything is going as they planned, so they should be relieved.
Zhang You looked at the dazed Qiao Si in front of him, and couldn't help thinking in his mind: Is this really okay?
Qiao Si sacrificed his lifelong happiness to set up a chess game. What should Qiao Si do after the plan is completed?
Qiao Si did not move. She heard the voice inside: Li Guanghan's low voice, mentioning her without any emotion, as if it was just official business and he was just doing his job.
After seeing Qiao Si's recovery, the emperor brought up the matter again, mentioning his marriage to him. This time, Li Guanghan didn't refuse. While he could disrespect Qiao Si, he had to consider Prince Qiao's loyalty to the emperor and his people. Therefore, he came to discuss a wedding date with him, so that he could report back to his father and have him grant the marriage.
Prince Qiao paused in his activity of teasing the bird. He thought for a moment and asked, "When does Your Majesty want to spend his time?"
"In March, there will be a grand meeting of all nations. I'll be so busy that I won't be able to make wedding clothes and prepare for the wedding. How about setting it for the New Year?"
Seeing that Li Guanghan came prepared, Prince Qiao nodded and agreed.
After the two of them had discussed it, Li Guanghan stood up and said goodbye.
The door opened, and he saw Qiao Si standing there waiting. His eyes moved for a moment, just that moment, and he walked right past Qiao Si's gesture of greeting him and strode away, leaving Qiao Si standing there awkwardly, with his hand raised, neither raising nor lowering.
Jinlu quickly bowed and apologized respectfully, "Princess, please rest assured. The prince was just busy with official business, so he left in a hurry."
Qiao Si put down her raised hand and said in a light voice: "Yeah." To people's ears, it made people feel that she was lonely and ignored.
"Then I'll take my leave first." Jinlu bowed hurriedly, looked up at Xia He, and then trotted away in a hurry.
Qiuyue crossed her arms, approached Zhang You, and asked in a puzzled tone, "Why do I feel like he always has to look at you?"
Zhang You rolled his eyes at Jinlu's back, "Who knows? The more he tries to hide something, the more obvious it becomes. One plays the good cop, the other the bad cop. Who knows if he's trying to infiltrate us and go undercover?"
When Qiuyue heard her words, the corners of her aunt's mouth twitched. She and Chunhua looked at each other and saw helplessness in each other's eyes.
After Li Guanghan left, Qiao Si went in and talked with Prince Qiao for a long time. They were guarding outside and no one else was allowed to approach.
Today was Mid-Autumn Festival, and although they were the only three of them in the capital, they still wanted to celebrate the festival. Zhang You and the others prepared the meal with great care, hoping to share the joy with them.
This should be the last Mid-Autumn Festival that Qiao Si spends at home. Prince Qiao and Qiao San were reluctant to leave. They drank a lot of wine at the dinner table. In the end, they were drunk. Qiao Si still sent people to take good care of them.
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