233. Nightmare
Qin Fengsong rode swiftly to the residence of the Marquis of Beiding. As soon as he dismounted, he saw Jin Lizhi, the second son of the Marquis of Beiding, accompanying his elder brother, who was recovering from a serious illness, to get some fresh air.
"Hey, are you the guard captain?" His second brother recognized him.
Qin Fengsong was eager to talk about the little dumpling, so he didn't beat around the bush and said in a low voice, "Young masters, I just passed by the Prince's residence and saw that the guards were very tight and the atmosphere was not right. I also saw the county princess's carriage parked at the side gate of the residence, but the steward said that the county princess had already left. I was worried that something had happened to the county princess, so I came here to inform the Marquis of Beiding."
"Something happened to my sister?" The second brother immediately frowned. Just as he was about to ask for details, he heard hurried footsteps behind him, accompanied by soft sobs.
The two turned around and saw Tao Wanbi running over, lifting her skirt. Her hair was a little disheveled, and there were still wet tear stains on her face. Her eyes were as red as a rabbit's.
The moment she saw Qin Fengsong, it was as if she had found her pillar of support. She rushed over, grabbed the commander's sleeve, and her voice choked with sobs, barely able to form a coherent sentence: "Commander! You must do justice for me!"
Qin Fengsong was taken aback by her sudden action. He didn't know her, nor did he understand why she knew him.
Jin Qizhi and her second brother also frowned, wondering what she was going to do.
Tao Wanbi ignored all of that and just kept crying as she recounted, "Today I went to the Prince's residence to find my sister, wanting to talk to her about my feelings. But as soon as I got to the pavilion, I saw her standing with the Prince. The Prince pointed at me and said, 'Where did this wild girl come from? She doesn't even dare to talk to us!' My sister not only didn't stop her, but she also laughed and said, 'Don't let her bother us, drag her away!'"
As she spoke, she lifted her skirt, revealing bandages wrapped around her feet, the edges of which were still stained with blood: "After hearing what she said, the guards came and grabbed me, dragged me to the woodshed, and said they would break my legs so I would never dare to see my sister again. I was terrified, and I managed to escape through the window when they weren't looking. That's when my leg was scraped by the window sill..."
At this point, she cried even harder, her shoulders shaking with sobs: "I guess the reason the Prince's residence is under martial law is because my sister is afraid I'll tell everyone, so she had the Prince order people to be stopped to prevent the news from spreading. Commander, you don't know, my sister seems obedient on the surface, but she's actually very ruthless. She's disliked me for a long time, and this time she's definitely trying to take this opportunity to get rid of me..."
"Tao Wanbi!" Her second brother interrupted her sharply, "What nonsense are you spouting! Do you think I don't know what kind of person my sister is? She's never even stepped on an ant since she was little, how could she let the guards beat you? Don't spout nonsense here!"
Jin Qizhi frowned, his tone clearly displeased: "Sister Tao, you can't just say things like that. The county princess is also your sister, how can you slander her like this? Did you do something wrong and are afraid of being punished, so you're making up these lies?"
Tao Wanbi was taken aback by the brothers' scolding, and her tears fell even harder, but she still stubbornly argued, "I didn't lie! Everything I said is true! If you don't believe me, look at my leg, this injury is the proof!"
Looking at the injury on Tao Wanbi's leg, and recalling what he had overheard at the entrance of the Marquis of Beiding's residence, Qin Fengsong's doubts gradually faded.
If the little dumpling really bullied Tao Wanbi, the Beiding Marquis family would naturally find out what happened after Tao Wanbi escaped back.
The Crown Prince's residence is under martial law, perhaps because they're afraid Tao Wanbi will make a big fuss, not because the little dumpling is in danger.
He had only suspected it before, but now that he heard Tao Wanbi say this, he realized that he had been overthinking it.
But a strange feeling lingered in my mind.
Although he didn't have much contact with Xiaotuanzi, he always felt that she shouldn't be this kind of person...
Jin Qi stepped forward and apologized: "Commander, I am really sorry. The child was ignorant and made up rumors, which made you laugh. My sister is gentle and would never do such a thing. Sister Tao must have misunderstood."
Tao Wanbi wanted to say something more, but her second brother glared at her and she could only bite her lip and lower her head in grievance.
Qin Fengsong glanced at her, then at the Jin brothers, and finally sighed: "Since it's a misunderstanding, I won't interfere any further. However, the atmosphere at the Prince's residence is indeed not right. The two young masters should remind the Marquis to bring Princess Fukang back to the residence as soon as possible to avoid further trouble."
After saying this, he cupped his hands in greeting to the Jin brothers, turned around, mounted his horse, and headed towards the palace.
Tao Wanbi breathed a sigh of relief, but her face still showed signs of grievance.
As long as Qin Fengsong believes her, the information gap will remain, and her plan can be delayed a little longer.
-
The Imperial Palace.
The Imperial Garden.
The little princess sat on the swing and swayed back and forth, saying to the little prince who was playing with a parrot not far away, "Jiayou, I had a nightmare yesterday."
The young prince didn't even look up, feeding the parrot millet as he said, "Last time you said you dreamed of eating too many snacks and having a toothache, and the time before that you said you dreamed of a kite string breaking... You said those were all nightmares, what did you dream about this time?"
The little princess jumped off the swing, ran to his side, and said with a grin, "I dreamed about Little Moon! She grew up, and so did I. She was holding a sword and said she would help me become empress and make everyone listen to me!"
"This is what you call a nightmare?" The little prince rolled his eyes.
The little princess looked at him, her smile gradually fading, her eyes slowly reddening, and her voice lowering: "But things didn't go well afterwards..."
"I dreamt that you changed, that we were no longer friends, and that you and Little Moon were no longer friends either."
"It seems like we're fighting over something... We're not actually fighting, but it's more terrifying than a fight."
"In the end... you killed me."
"Little Moon held my body and cried very sadly, her tears soaking her clothes."
"I feel so bad..."
As she spoke, tears began to fall.
The young prince paused for a moment, then panicked a little: "Why are you crying? Dreams are all fake. Why would I kill you? Don't think nonsense."
Seeing that the little princess was still crying, he immediately raised his hand and solemnly swore, "As a prince, I promise that I will protect you and Little Moon from now on. If anyone dares to bully you, I will be the first to object. Is that alright?"
The little princess sniffed, then reached out and beckoned to him with her finger: "Pinky promise, you have to keep your word!"
The little prince helplessly hooked his little finger with hers, and she finally stopped crying and started smiling.
"Really," the young prince sighed, feigning maturity, "how could I possibly become that kind of person?"
“I also think it’s impossible.” The little princess nodded in agreement.
At this moment, Qin Fengsong, carrying a knife, passed by and stopped to greet the two princes: "Greetings, Your Highness the Prince and Your Highness the Princess."
As the commander of the guards, he spent most of his time in the palace, and both the little princess and the little prince knew him.
"Uncle Commander, why are you frowning?" The little princess noticed his expression and asked curiously, "Is something wrong?"
Qin Fengsong hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Your Highness, I just passed by the Prince's residence and found that the guards were particularly tight and the atmosphere was strange. I also saw the carriage of Princess Fukang parked at the side gate."
"I went in and asked the steward, who said that the county princess had already left."
"I was worried, so I went to the Beiding Marquis's residence to tell the Marquis of Beiding. But I ran into a woman whom the servants called Miss Tao."
"Miss Tao said that the Princess of Fukang bullied her at the Prince's residence and even had the guards lock her up and torture her. She escaped, and the Prince's residence was under martial law because they were afraid she would tell anyone about it."
"I actually felt it was quite strange, but I had no evidence, so I could only come back first."
"Miss Tao?" The little princess immediately put her hands on her hips and said angrily, "It must be that bad girl! Last time she even framed Little Moon! Little Moon is so nice, how could she bully her?"
After scolding her, she became worried again: "What if Little Moon is really in trouble? That Prince of Zhennan looks fierce. What if he makes things difficult for Little Moon?"
Qin Fengsong sighed, "Your Highness, rest assured, the Marquis of Beiding's residence is already aware of the situation and should be able to bring Princess Fukang back to her residence as soon as possible. I must report back to His Majesty and take my leave now."
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