Chapter 1: Mountain and Mausoleum Disputes
Cui Fufeng raised the corners of his lips slightly, raised his eyebrows and looked at them, with an expression of watching a good show.
Ling Tianshui stared at Xiao Fuyu, who was pointing directly at him. His expression remained unchanged, but a hint of coldness suddenly appeared in his eyes. "Is that so?"
That look made the usually arrogant Xiao Fu Yu's heart tremble, and the hand that was pointing at him trembled subconsciously and dropped down unconsciously.
Ling Tianshui looked at Qian Deng. Before she could say anything, she stepped in front of him. She raised her head and said to Xiao Fuyu and Princess Gao, "Impossible. He is a palace attendant in my palace, and it was to save me that the princess's horse was lost. What happened today is not his fault, nor is it the fault of my Changhua Palace. Even if it goes to the inner court, I don't believe that His Majesty would consider a horse more important than the imperial princess, or that the horse's life is more important than mine!"
"Hmph, but the horse he attacked had Princess Changyi on board," Princess Gaoguo finally spoke, a hint of sinister meaning in her voice. "If Princess Changyi hadn't jumped off the horse in time, she would be in danger now. Someone in your palace is plotting to murder a royal relative. We're being magnanimous by only allowing him to bury the horse in mourning!"
Qiandeng hadn't expected the Princess of Gao to be so overbearing and domineering. She stood in front of Ling Tianshui without moving, but beads of sweat formed on her back in the winter heat as she pondered how to protect Ling Tianshui while also preserving the reputation of the Changhua Palace.
Behind him, Ling Tianshui sneered and said coldly, "County Lady, please move aside. It seems they won't let this go today."
Ling Tianshui had gotten into trouble just to save her. Qiandeng raised her arm to stop him, shook her head at him, and said resolutely, "Then let's make this matter before the Emperor and Empress, and the imperial court! Let them, let everyone in the world know that I, Bai Qiandeng, am still here in the Changhua Palace. No one can bring shame to the Changhua Palace or humiliate the people within it!"
The sun was dim and the dry grass was shining. The cold wind was as sharp as a knife. She was dressed in white. Her thin body was like a reed in winter. She was weak but flexible, and she never bent in the face of wind and frost.
Ling Tianshui's usually firm and cold heart seemed to be suddenly knocked open by something soft but sour. He looked at the girl who stubbornly stood in front of him, and because of her frail shoulders and stubborn side, a thin trickle of tears appeared in his heart.
She was clearly still the orphan girl who cried in confusion after losing her loved ones, and clearly the body that had trembled in confusion in his arms, seeking comfort. But at this moment, she resolutely stood in front of him, trying to carry everything she valued with her frail body.
An inexplicable emotion filled his chest, causing the bloodthirsty impulse in his heart to begin to dissipate, and he pushed her hand away and let it drop.
Qian Deng remained undaunted and faced the aggressive Grand Princess of Gao and the Princess of Changyi. Just as she was about to take a step forward to confront them at the imperial court, Cui Fufeng stepped past her, approached the Princess of Gao, and bowed, saying, "Cui Fufeng greets the Grand Princess."
Cui Fufeng was clearly the next head of the Cui family in Boling. He had made great achievements in the court at a young age, so Princess Gao was naturally acquainted with him.
"Isn't this Cui Jia Liulang? I heard that you were devoted to your official duties and even went to the palace in person to solve the case. Why are you still running around after a woman now that the truth is out?"
This was unpleasant to say, but Cui Fufeng simply smiled and said casually, "Fufeng is here to pay homage to the Prince of Changhua and the Crown Prince. After all, the Prince and the Crown Prince sacrificed their lives for the country and were buried with state rites. The Emperor led all the officials in paying their respects, and Fufeng was fortunate enough to have been among them."
Hearing him suddenly mention the emperor, Xiao Fuyu still didn't understand what he meant, but Princess Gao's expression changed slightly. She subconsciously grabbed the reins and sat up straight.
"When His Majesty offered his tribute, he instructed his ministers not to disturb the Prince of Changhua and the Crown Prince, who had sacrificed their lives for the nation. Therefore, His Majesty dismounted his carriage at the front of the sacred path and led all the officials on foot to the mausoleum, personally burning incense and offering prayers, ignoring the hustle and bustle." Cui Fufeng said, bowing solemnly toward the mausoleum. "The Prince of Changhua and the Crown Prince are of noble character and of the brilliance of a unicorn or phoenix. Even the Emperor and his officials paid their respects on foot. Who would dare to overstep the Emperor's authority and risk such a heavy punishment by riding a horse on the sacred path?"
"You...you are slandering me!" Although Xiao Fuyu was arrogant and domineering, his face turned pale and he quickly retreated from the sacred path.
Princess Gao and the people behind her immediately turned their horses and retreated. A few smart people had already jumped off their horses and led their horses as far away from the sacred path as possible.
Only a man behind the princess stepped forward, bowed, and apologized to Qiandeng and the others, saying, "Thank you, County Lady, and Junior Minister Cui, for your guidance. We were not fortunate enough to be here during the memorial service that day, and missed out on your praise. Now that Junior Minister Cui has given us guidance, it's not too late. We will not disturb the tranquility of the mausoleum today. We will prepare a memorial service another day and pay our respects here to express our admiration for Prince Changhua."
Qiandeng felt that this person looked familiar. Judging from his demeanor and speech, he did not look like a servant in the princess's mansion. While she was pondering this, Cui Fufeng approached her and whispered, "The Crown Prince's Secretary, Li Gaosheng."
Li Gaosheng was quite frank, but Qiandeng felt embarrassed when he came to his senses.
Although he is the Prince's Secretary, he should not have any contact with the mother of the future Crown Princess. Now that they are hunting together, he must be the lover of this widowed princess.
"Ignorance is not a crime, and the Grand Princess's mistake was merely an unintentional one. Princess Changyi must have lost control of her horse and collided with it," Cui Fufeng said slowly. "Fortunately, Ling Sijie intervened in time, preventing the princess from making a serious mistake and later regretting it."
Xiao Fuyu glared at Ling Tianshui, still filled with resentment. However, under pressure from Princess Gao and Li Gaosheng, he could only reluctantly bow towards the Changhua Prince's mausoleum and said dryly, "Changyi has disturbed the peace of the Prince, Princess, and Crown Prince. I hope you will forgive me."
After saying this, she glanced at the white horse that was crying silently on the ground, and without caring about the beloved horse that was destined to die, she grabbed a horse and walked away with an indignant look on her face.
After the group of people from the princess's mansion left, the old soldiers guarding the mausoleum came with a rope, tied up the injured horse, and it took several people to drag it down the mountain.
Qian Deng's gaze couldn't help but pause on Ling Tianshui, thinking that this man's strength was too terrifying. In that situation, he was afraid that there would not be anyone under his grandfather's command who could accurately deliver such a ruthless and ferocious attack.
Thinking of his firm embrace just now, the same chest he touched that night, Qian Deng's voice couldn't help but become a little hoarse: "Thank you very much, I'm lucky to have you."
Ling Tianshui tilted his head and gestured, "If you want to thank someone, thank Meng Lanxi. He saw the county lady coming in the mountains and brought me along."
Before he finished speaking, Meng Lanxi emerged from the cemetery. He was dressed in plain clothes, holding the injured white rabbit in his arms. A few bloodstains stained his clothes, a cold and pure expression, like plum blossoms dotting the snowy peaks of Solitary Mountain, making him appear even more otherworldly.
He looked at Qiandeng, pursed his lips slightly, and the pair of enchanting dimples appeared on his cheeks, seeming to express both joy and anger.
Only his voice, still gentle and clear, rang in her ears: "County Lady, I found this rabbit. Should I send it to the Princess of Changyi?"
Qian Deng rubbed his brows tiredly: "No need, in fact, the dispute between our two mansions is not because of this rabbit."
It was because, after the eldest princess of Gao State lost her husband, she fell in love with the prince of Changhua and intended to force him to divorce his wife and remarry. However, she was sternly rejected. The prince stated that he and his wife would never be separated for the rest of their lives.
As a result, her parents became the talk of the town in Beijing, and Princess Gao holds a grudge against them to this day.
She sighed, and seeing the rabbit lying docilely in Meng Lanxi's arms, she raised her hand and stroked its soft back, saying, "It's fate that it can run to my ancestral mausoleum to seek refuge. Let's release it."
Meng Lanxi nodded, looked at its legs again, and said, "It's seriously injured. If we just leave it like this, I'm afraid its survival will be in jeopardy. Why don't I take it back and treat its injuries first?"
Qiandeng nodded in agreement and then ordered his men to go down the mountain.
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