Chapter 12 Water Pavilion
Qiandeng asked Nanny Tian and several maids to take good care of his mother, while he went out of the house to check the gates of the manor.
"Princess Lingling, are you free now?" Cui Fufeng's voice came from behind her.
It's really strange. This person looks elegant and gentle, but his voice always has a cold tone.
Qiandeng turned around and looked towards the corridor.
The pomegranate flowers were in full bloom, splendid red and green in the sunlight. Cui Fufeng stood facing the wind, looking at her in the green shadows of the courtyard, and the heat of late summer seemed to have dissipated by half.
Even though the situation was tense, he remained calm and composed, his eyes clear and sincere. "I have some security matters for the village that I would like to discuss with the county lady."
Qiandeng nodded and took him for a walk along the wall of the manor to check whether the gates were strong.
When they reached the last corner gate, Cui Fufeng said to Qian Deng, "I see that most of the people on the farm are the elderly and weak, placed there by your father. Currently, there are ten guards of the Crown Prince, who form the main force of the protection, plus the ten candidates for the position of young men that the county lord and I have selected. However, the young men's abilities vary greatly. Shangluo, for example, is young and injured, so he will require even more care. Right now, we can only rely on the strong walls of the farm. We must fully mobilize the forces of the guards, Zhuang Han, and the ten young men to ensure the best possible deployment."
Qian Deng pushed the corner door to make sure it was stable. "Actually, the biggest problem is that the farm doesn't have any weapons. We're short on weapons. The few axes and sickles we've been given aren't going to be very effective. We'll definitely be at a disadvantage against swords and guns."
"Fortunately, we still have ten bows and arrows borrowed from the Eastern Palace. It's better than nothing." Cui Fufeng surveyed the inner and outer walls and said, "I think since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is surrounded by guards, and the main hall is spacious and easy to man, I'll have him stay there. Most of your ten potential husbands are young and strong, so I'll have them stay in the outer wings, three to a room, which will be suitable for both offense and defense. If there's any movement, we can respond promptly."
Qiandeng nodded. Cui Fufeng raised his hand and pointed to the high platform in the backyard, saying, "The county lady and her wife should live in that water pavilion. I see that this place is surrounded by water on three sides and is high up, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. I believe it will be the safest place."
Qiandeng looked up at the small pavilion on the high platform he was pointing to. This farm was her father's most proud work, and what made him most proud was the water pavilion in the backyard.
The river water was brought in from the manor and meandered through the courtyard. A high platform was built by the water, and a small pavilion was built on the platform. In the summer, people can enjoy the cool breeze here and it is very comfortable.
The small pavilion on the high platform faces the pond and is surrounded on three sides. There is only a corridor on the rockery below that leads to the platform, and there is no other way to enter.
Qian Deng said, "Indeed, as long as we guard the corridor, this is the safest place. The Crown Prince is of noble status, so why not give this place to Your Highness?"
"The main hall is spacious and easy to deploy, while the small pavilion is not conducive to maneuvering. This place is cramped and closed, so it can't accommodate too many people. It's more suitable for you and your mother to stay in seclusion." After a moment's thought, Cui Fufeng said, "When the time comes, send two guards from the Eastern Palace over, and have Nan Yu assist in the guard. He is an excellent archer and has a background in martial arts, so he is most suitable to guard the entrance to the corridor below the rockery."
In this situation, he was still considering allocating manpower to properly protect the mother and daughter. Qian Deng was grateful and bowed to him: "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Cui."
"As you should, no need to be so polite." He raised his hand, motioning her to stand up. "I didn't take good care of you during the palace coup... I hope you'll be fine this time."
His voice was so low that Qiandeng could only vaguely hear it, and felt dazed for a moment.
This cold and heartless Cui Jia Liulang, who cleaned up his fiancée and others without blinking an eye, actually still cared about what he owed her during the palace coup?
She hesitated and said, "I have been blessed by the Emperor over the years and have been doing fine. Mr. Cui, don't worry."
After half a day of running around, her makeup and eyebrow pencil could no longer hide her scars. In the setting sun, Cui Fufeng saw the pitiful blemish on her jade-like face. Thinking of the rumors circulating in the capital about her relatives and her unlucky husband, he felt a strange sense of melancholy.
But, at this critical moment, everything was suppressed deep in his heart. Cui Fufeng simply bowed to Qiandeng and said, "Then it is settled."
Mrs. Qi was not young after all. She rode her horse all the way from Leyouyuan and rested for a long time at the farm, but she still felt her heartbeat was uneven and her body was tired.
Qiandeng took her mother's hand and led her from the corridor to the pavilion.
Nan Yu was standing guard at the foot of the rockery at the entrance to the veranda with two East Palace guards. When he saw her, his eyes lit up and he stepped forward to greet her: "Madam, the County Princess."
Qian Deng returned the greeting: "Thank you all for your hard work. I will have to trouble Master Nan and the two brothers these days."
Nan Yu immediately said, "Thank you for your trust, I will do my best to protect the safety of Madam and the County Master!"
Qiandeng nodded at him with a smile, and Nanny Tian, who was tidying up the pavilion, also came out and helped the lady to sit down in the pavilion.
After drinking two sips of tea in the room, Qiandeng looked at the dressing table and mirror and found that her hair had become a mess after the hustle and bustle. When she thought about how she had been interacting with people like this for half a day, she couldn't help but cover her face in annoyance.
Daimao was at her parents' house in the outer courtyard, so her mother didn't call her. She pulled Qiandeng to sit on the bed, took a comb, and helped her untangle her hair. Slowly combing it straight, she said with a bit of disappointment: "Today was supposed to be a great day for you, but who knew you would have to suffer so much..."
Qiandeng casually tied her hair into a bun, took a silver hairpin from her dressing table, and pinned it up. She said, "I don't want to think about these things anymore. Now I just want to protect the manor and make sure everyone is well. Mother, don't worry too much. Just rest assured. I'm here for you."
"How can you, at such a young age, be responsible for the safety of so many people?" Her mother held her hand, a little worried. "Deng Deng, if the rebel army comes, will we really be able to resist it?"
"Don't worry. The rebels outside the city are just scattered looting and have no organization. Our farm is so strong and has sufficient food reserves. As long as there is no large-scale attack, we can hold it for ten days or half a month, let alone one or two days."
"Hold on for a few days. As long as the reinforcements arrive, everything will be fine." Looking at her daughter, she felt relieved. "Deng Deng, I see that you look a lot like your father back then."
"Really? It's true that a tiger father has a dog daughter." She smiled, her brows bright.
"Mother still remembers that you were born at dusk. Your father heard your cry, looked out at the city lights, and said, 'This child was born under the reflection of hundreds of thousands of lights, so let's call him Bai Qiandeng...' The past seems to be right before my eyes, but in the blink of an eye, that child who was only the size of a wine jug when she was born has grown into the most beautiful girl in Chang'an City..."
Qian Deng couldn't help but laugh, hugging her mother's hand and saying, "You're not ashamed to say your daughter is the most beautiful. There are so many princesses and princesses in Chang'an."
"But my daughter is the most beautiful of all." Her mother hugged her and said with a smile, "Although your father is gone, you and your husband can always be by my side. In a few years, I will be able to hold a few chubby white babies. Then I will have a house full of children and grandchildren, and I will be filled with endless joy!"
Having a baby...
Qian Deng went over the ten people today in his mind and found that he could not imagine marrying and having children with any of them, so he fell silent.
"Who says it isn't?" Nanny Tian, who had just come in with tea, interrupted and jokingly said, "I think all ten of those gentlemen are good, and the county lady is so virtuous and handsome. The future grandson of the lady will surely be lovely and smart!"
"Of course not. Deng Deng often came to the farm when she was little, and Nanny also took care of her. Nanny is still healthy now, and I'm afraid we'll have to trouble Nanny to take care of the next generation of children in our family."
"This is a blessing for me!" Nanny Tian smiled from ear to ear and spoke in compliments. "My young man, Nan, who guards the corridor, is quite good. He is handsome and tall. The prince and the duke like such heroic young men the most. By the way, I heard that he is also a master archer who can shoot through the arrows at a hundred paces! I believe that if the old master knew about this in the underworld, he would definitely be satisfied!"
The mother smiled and looked at Qiandeng.
Qian Deng said, "Madam is really smart. It's only been less than an hour or two and she's already found out everything."
Hearing her words, Nanny Tian's heart suddenly tightened. She knew she had overstepped her bounds, and she tipped the teapot in her hand, staining a large area of her clothes.
"Oh, I usually don't want to wear this dress, but today my master is here, so I put it on to look respectable." Nanny Tian hurriedly pulled at the hem of the dress and said with a wry smile, "I'll go wash it quickly to see if it's stained."
Mother smiled and said, "Change them. I have some clothes in the closet that I made a few years ago. I don't wear them anymore. Mammy, go pick one out."
As she spoke, she asked Madam Tian to open the cabinet and pick out a dark blue satin dress. "Madam, you are about the same height as me. After I put this dress on, I feel that the color is not suitable. It suits your age, but it is suitable. I will give it to you."
Nanny Tian saw that the color looked dark and indeed not suitable for the lady's age. She hurriedly thanked her for the favor, immediately took off her dirty outer clothes, put on new clothes and said with a smile: "Then I will thank the lady for her blessing. When we visit relatives during the New Year holidays in the future, let everyone see the grace of the palace for us servants!"
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