Chapter 40
After seeing Cui Hu off, Yue Qingning wanted to go to Teng's house the next day to see her sister and ask about the prescription. However, the door of Teng's house was closed and even she was not allowed to enter.
This was probably the first time that Sister Teng refused to see her. It seemed that she was feeling guilty about the prescription. Her heart had always been concerned about the people, and she must have felt bad that so many people had died this time.
After hitting a wall here, it was September 17th in the blink of an eye. The princess's mansion once again invited the family to go and organize the sacrifice ceremony, but the Yue family had just survived a disaster, not to mention that Zhong was heartbroken. This time, she had no energy to leave the mansion no matter what, so Yue Qingning had to take over.
Paper lanterns were hung in front of the tall golden door. No one in the capital dared to hold such a grand sacrificial ceremony every year like the eldest princess.
Yue Qingning got off the car and was unprepared to meet that man. On the opposite side of the half-open red door, he was standing calmly by the door with his hands in his sleeves. When he saw her coming, he swayed and took a step to the side. The half-smile on his face was really scary.
"Greetings, His Royal Highness Prince Shou."
It seemed as if something strange had happened between the two of them during the time they hadn't seen each other. Prince Shou nodded lightly and said nothing more. He just glanced at her up and down twice with his cold eyes, then looked away and walked away.
Yue Qingning never thought that the eldest princess would invite him over on such a day. Perhaps he had never come here since that day.
The two of them walked hand in hand, slower and slower. She was afraid of him to begin with, and now that there was no one else around, she felt extremely awkward, and even the palms of her hands, which were tucked into her sleeves, began to sweat.
He remained silent for a long time, which intensified the panic. The two of them stood side by side for a long time, but Yue Qingning could not bear the silent torture anymore and spoke.
"I heard earlier that it was Your Highness who solved the horse plague case and sought justice for my brother. Qingning thanks Your Highness!"
Without stopping, he continued walking forward, seemed to glance at her slightly, and said thoughtfully.
"How is your brother now?"
"Qingzhe is fine. He returned to school two days ago."
As they were walking through a tree-lined path towards the ancestral hall, the wind blew through the forest, stirring up green waves. Prince Shou, who was in front, suddenly stopped and stopped her behind.
Yue Qingning didn't understand what he was going to do, but he turned around and looked at her thinner face very seriously.
"I'm not one to get to the bottom of things, but after this incident, a random idea suddenly came to my mind."
Yue Qingning looked up at him, feeling a little restless.
She didn't live long, so she didn't see whether he succeeded in the end. So she could only gamble, betting that he was not an ordinary person, and that he could see through things.
Because she placed this hope on him, sometimes she began to show a different kind of trust in this Xiao family member who had nothing to do with her than in others.
Her slender neck was stretched straight towards him, showing off her clean and delicate face with a hint of pink in her fair complexion. Prince Shou lowered his eyes and looked at her, narrowing them unconsciously.
Everyone in the world has a story, but no matter how high their official position is or how strong their background is, one can see everything at a glance if they know their life story. However, the mystery surrounding her has always been shrouded in a layer of fog. He had carefully investigated her past and found that she was just a woman with some talent in seclusion.
But what was unusual about her was that even though she was obviously afraid of him, she still dared to lean on him obediently with those bright eyes, as if she could help him with anything.
Why is she so loyal to him?
Thinking of this, Prince Shou had some doubts and wanted to test it out.
"No one can predict the disasters that will come to pass in this world. All the efforts made can't withstand the sudden change. Before, I was wrong. It was only after the horse plague incident that I realized something."
He chewed the words carefully between his teeth for a long time, but his words were quick and clear. "Qingning, it's okay if you don't want to get married."
Cui Hu was a general guarding the border. If she married him, she would have to endure a long period of separation. Moreover, this man was not her ideal husband. It was even more impossible for a lady from Kyoto to follow him to live at the border thousands of miles away.
Although the name of the Duke of Protectorate's Mansion is good, no matter how much the powerful people in the capital like this name, they still have to consider the future life of their daughters. Cui Hu is really a bad idea for them.
This was extremely despicable. He never really wanted to let her go, he just wanted to see through her disguise and see her true nature.
Yue Qingning was obviously also comforted by his sincerity, but she frowned and tilted her head, as if she had thought through the consequences in an instant, and looked at him and agreed obediently.
"Thank you, Your Highness, for your concern for Qingning. The young master is fine. I am willing."
The two looked at each other in silence for a long time. Yue Qingning lowered his head and waited for a while. Seeing that he didn't speak, he couldn't help but look up at his expression.
His Royal Highness Prince Shou, who was always at ease, was so close to her but looking at her from afar, as if he couldn't see through her as if there was a veil between them.
Her heart was pounding, and she wondered if she had said something wrong.
However, before the two of them could make up their minds, a maid came around the corridor and reported that Her Royal Highness the Princess was waiting for Miss Yue to come over.
So, the two were about to separate here. Yue Qingning said goodbye and left first, but after walking for a while, he still glanced back.
In the center of the crowd, his eyes were like a hawk, staring straight at her face through the crowd.
It was like an unresolved obsession gradually took root.
——
When she arrived at the eldest princess's warm room, the throbbing feeling of being stared at had not yet disappeared from her heart. She had not felt so scared for a long time. She was a little confused. It was obvious that he had no ill intentions, but there was a hint of hatred hidden in his eyes.
Why did he always look at her like that?
Yue Qingning lowered the curtain and entered the cabinet filled with the aroma of medicine. The eldest princess was leaning on the bed, teasing a munia in her hand. She didn't look like she was still sick.
This illness has been pretended for more than half a month, but there is no improvement. No one can guess or understand what these son and nephew are thinking.
Just as she came in, the eldest princess ordered someone to send the bird away, patted the quilt and called her forward.
"Is Qingzhe okay? Your mother is so worried that she can't eat."
Yue Qingning did not dare to hide anything and told the truth. Ever since the epidemic was over, his mother had been holding on to the Yue Mansion for a long time. When she relaxed for a while, she became plagued by various illnesses. Now she has such a severe headache that she cannot even get out of bed. She has to take decoctions from Jiyuantang three times a day, almost every day.
The eldest princess sighed when she heard this, grabbed her hand and covered her palm, her brows furrowed in anxiety.
Yue Qingning hurriedly said, "Mother's headache is an old illness. Your Highness, there is no need to worry about it. It will naturally get better after this period of time passes."
No amount of persuasion could dispel the eldest princess's worries. She was clearly concerned about the safety of the Yue family, but she didn't expect that due to some strange coincidences, she couldn't help Aning at all.
This child has a very pure temper, and I'm afraid he will get stuck in a rut for a while.
Thinking of this, she sighed again and patted Qingning's hand.
"It's my fault this time. I will go and talk to your mother about it. You don't have to worry about these things here. Just stay with me and spend this anniversary of my death peacefully."
As she spoke, she lightly lifted the quilt and was about to get up. Yue Qingning was startled by her and quickly supported her.
Unexpectedly, the sick Princess raised the corner of her lips, patted her arm, smoothed her robe, stood on the ground with full energy, without even a trace of shaking, and walked out of the room slowly and steadily.
The doubts in Yue Qingning's heart were entangled like vines, but he finally followed the person out.
One in front and one behind, the old and the young walked across the courtyard and entered the ancestral hall where incense was burning.
The light in the room was blocked by the narrow door frame, and the remaining light was obviously not enough to illuminate the wide and deep room. In the very middle, under the outline of the Buddha statue, a small wooden sign stood in the middle, which seemed so out of place with the exquisite items in the room.
The eldest princess walked in without looking back. She lit three incense sticks and knelt down in front of the altar where the tablet was placed.
Yue Qingning also knelt down with her, feeling infinite grief in his heart because of what he had heard about his past.
It was as if this person grew up in the flesh and blood of his relatives who cared about him. As long as he was thought of, the story about him would never end.
The eldest princess led her to kneel, lowering her eyes and touching her head. The endless thoughts flowing quietly in the air also infected her in silence. She couldn't help but bow her head and make a sincere wish to her uncle, hoping that he would come to her dreams more often to comfort her.
However, she kept her thoughts to herself, while the eldest princess beside her spoke aloud amidst the curling smoke of incense.
"Brother Xi, you have to protect me and help me get what I want, don't worry!"
"I will make sure the person who owes you pays you back in full!!"
It was like a tree, cleanly covered on the outside, but with roots buried deep underground, entangled and tightly locked together. The sound seemed to pull the entire tree up, revealing the hatred that had never seen the light of day outside, dripping with the soil, and was turned up in broad daylight.
Those who saw it for the first time were shocked and panicked.
Yue Qingning happened to be the one who was exposed to the secret for the first time. She suddenly opened her eyes and looked outside in shock.
There was no one around, and the hatred in the eldest princess' voice broke the silence, as if she was determined to bring up the past, which frightened her and made her at a loss.
However, the person in question didn't seem to care that she heard it. After speaking his true feelings, he kowtowed three times to the tablet and respectfully placed the incense sticks into the burner.
Who owed my great uncle? What did they owe him?
Yue Qingning intuitively felt that the secret was extraordinary, so he couldn't speak first.
But the eldest princess seemed to have understood her worries and said calmly, "Qingning, don't you want to know who harmed your uncle?"
Yue Qingning's lower lip trembled in panic. She wanted to, but didn't want to.
At this moment, a voice suddenly came from outside the door.
"His Majesty has arrived!"
Yue Qingning stood up quickly, feeling panicked and scared. This was the first time she had seen the emperor in her two lives.
Just as he was thinking about it, he saw the eldest princess heard the voice and did not even stand up. She continued to kneel there, looking up and closing her eyes in meditation.
Such audacity, a fearlessness of imperial power. Yue Qingning was terrified and didn't know what to do. However, the emperor was already outside the door. She hurriedly retreated to the door, huddled into a small ball that no one cared about, and whispered, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
The bright yellow figure that came in didn't even look at her. He passed the servant who was kneeling in front of him and scattered beans, and walked behind his sister.
Someone at the door immediately pulled Qingning out, closed the door, and left the two precious royal family members to talk on their own.
Yue Qingning retreated outside and only then did she feel the pain under her knees. She was afraid that she had accidentally bumped her knees because she was too anxious. She sighed. She used to think that she hated the royal family, but she didn't expect that when she really met the emperor, her fear was far greater than her disgust.
All the offerings in the world are for that one person. She couldn't help but imagine that if the person in power is not a good person, then the world will be at his mercy.
Just as she was thinking about it, someone suddenly called her from outside the door.
Yue Qingning looked up and didn't expect that the man was her biggest enemy in both lives and this life - Xiao Yan.
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