Chapter 233 Are you very concerned about your friend?
Jiang Wan Ning accepted the envelope and thanked them.
Lin Qiqin put down her things and turned to leave.
Shen Ruzhi followed, and Lin Qingshuang greeted her warmly, "Ling'er, come here."
"I was worried you weren't used to riding horses, so I specially prepared a carriage for you."
The people of Western Xia were known for their forthright and fierce nature; both men and women preferred riding horses to sedan chairs. Shen Ruzhi thanked them and climbed into the carriage.
The sedan chair, pulled by four horses, was undoubtedly spacious. Chen Ruzhi squeezed into the carriage, which was covered with fluffy carpets, even on the floor.
In the middle was a small low table, on which were placed the things that Chen Ruzhi liked to eat.
The colors here are also Chen Ruzhi's favorite colors.
In just a few days, she had found out all her preferences clearly, which shows that the Lingxiao Sect's influence is indeed spread across various countries.
And her love for herself...
Shen Ruzhi suddenly felt as if something had plucked the strings of her heart.
"Ling'er, if there's nothing else, shall we set off? If you have any complaints or discomfort, be sure to tell your mother."
"Wait!" Shen Ruzhi called out, lifting the carriage curtain.
Lin Qingshuang immediately stopped the carriage and asked with concern and anxiety, "What's wrong, Ling'er?"
Seeing Lin Qingshuang's concerned expression, Shen Ruzhi opened her mouth, then whispered, "Why don't you come in and sit down too?"
As he spoke, he lowered the carriage curtain and quickly pulled it back inside.
Lin Qingshuang was as excited as a child, looking at Lin Qiqin and then at Tuoba Yan'er, "Was Ling'er just inviting me to ride in the carriage with her?"
Tuoba Yan'er said, "Aunt, my cousin is actually quite easy to get along with. You two should spend more time alone together."
As she spoke, Tuoba Yan'er pushed Lin Qingshuang forward and then instructed Yu Haidao, "You drive the carriage."
When they arrived, Yu Hai was already a groom, and now he's being made to drive the carriage. The Empress of Western Xia already felt that her daughter had been taken advantage of, and now that she's a groom, she'll be looked down upon even more.
Yu Hai didn't take the whip. "I want to ride a horse."
Tuoba Yan'er asked in surprise, "You? Did I hear that right? You said you wanted to do something? Ride a horse?"
Can you?
"What can't I do? I can bring the dead back to life, let alone ride a horse. I want to ride a horse."
"If you don't let me ride a horse, you won't get any of the fresh food in the future."
The biggest threat to a foodie is not giving her food.
Upon hearing this, Tuoba Yan'er immediately said, "If you're going to ride a horse, then ride a horse. But if you fall and get seriously injured, don't blame me for not advising you."
He then ordered someone to bring over a horse. Yu Hai gripped the saddle tightly, tiptoeing repeatedly until he finally climbed onto the horse's back after a full incense stick's time.
This was under the premise that Tuoba Yan'er asked someone for help.
“Our horses in Western Xia are very spirited. Once you get on, there will be no room for regret.”
Yu Hai...
If you knew you'd be looked down upon anyway, why gamble with your life?
Yu Hai had a long face, and Tuoba Yan'er, seeing this, deliberately wanted to tease him, since her cousin was always arguing with her.
"Giddy up!" Tuoba Yan'er lashed Yu Hai's horse's rump with her whip.
Yu Hai was so frightened that he bent over and hugged the horse's neck tightly, shouting, "Mommy! Help!"
"So delicate," Tuoba Yan'er mocked. "A grown man using reduplicated words to talk about a horse? Does using reduplicated words make it obey you?"
"Let it save your life."
"This cousin seems to have the same poor taste in men as her mother."
Tuoba Yan'er sighed softly, shook her head, raised her whip and lashed her horse's rump, chasing after Yu Hai.
Inside the carriage,
Lin Qingshuang and Shen Ruzhi remained silent for a long time before Lin Qingshuang mustered her courage and said, "Ling'er, it's my fault for not taking good care of you."
"I've made you suffer all these years."
"Fortunately, you are still..." alive.
Shen Ruzhi shook her head, her hands clenched tightly together. "No, it's not your fault."
"You're not angry with me?"
Shen Ruzhi shook her head. "I've been doing very well these past years. My father..."
“I’m talking about my adoptive father. He was very good to me. Later, I found myself an adoptive mother, and she was also very good to me.”
"I have a good friend like Ningning, so I'm doing very well."
“But it’s you.” Shen Ruzhi slowly raised her head to look at Lin Qingshuang. “You’ve worked so hard all these years to find me.”
She could see the exhaustion in Lin Qingshuang; she was very thin, and she must have suffered a lot in the past few years.
Lin Qingshuang raised her head slightly, waited for her tears to flow back, and then smiled and said, "As long as you live, I'm willing to do anything."
“I know your adoptive parents treat you very well. If you can’t bring yourself to call me that, you don’t have to force yourself.”
Although Lin Qingshuang felt heartbroken saying those words, she knew she couldn't force Shen Ruzhi at this moment.
“Mother,” Shen Ruzhi called softly, “I can tell that you are really worried about me.”
"You...what did you call me?" Lin Qingshuang thought she had misheard. "You're willing to call me Mother?"
"You were always my mother."
The reason she was reluctant to call him that before was simply because Shen Ruzhi wanted to see if this Western Xia empress truly loved her, or if it was something else entirely.
But the moment she got into the carriage, she knew she was overthinking it.
This is a mother's love for her daughter.
"I can acknowledge you as my mother, but I don't want to be a princess."
Lin Qingshuang, immersed in happiness, suddenly paused, "Can you tell Mother why?"
"Western Xia and Eastern Ling have been at war for many years. I am of Western Xia blood, but the people who raised me are from Eastern Ling. I do not want to be a princess of Western Xia, nor do I want to be forced into a marriage alliance in the future."
"If I were a princess, I certainly wouldn't stand by and watch the Western Xia attack the Eastern Tombs, especially since Ningning's husband is going to the battlefield."
"You care a lot about that friend of yours?" Lin Qingshuang asked.
“She is my best friend in this life,” Shen Ruzhi said without hesitation. “She was worried about me and brought me all the way here.”
"I know she's afraid that she'll be overwhelmed and those people will threaten me."
"If I were wronged here, she would definitely rush over to save me without hesitation."
When it comes to Jiang Wan Ning, Shen Ru Zhi always has a lot to say.
“It seems she is indeed very important to you,” Lin Qingshuang said. “Don’t worry, your mother founded the Lingxiao Sect to avoid being implicated by any force.”
"No matter where you are, you just need to be yourself."
"If you like that man outside, your mother won't stop you, as long as he treats you well."
Shen Ruzhi blushed again. How could her feelings for Yu Hai be so obvious?
"As for your father," Lin Qingshuang said, "he certainly made mistakes, but he has also suffered a lot of pain over the years due to his illness."
"Of course, whether you want to go or not is up to you. Your mother will not force you."
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