Chapter 60
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, due to the instructions of Prince Shou, Yue Qingning did not even go with the others to enjoy the spring lanterns, for fear that the prince and his men would catch him or try to assassinate him again.
Prince Shou said that the Crown Prince was a vengeful person, and if he was unhappy, he would inevitably go crazy and hurt outsiders. The person most likely to be retaliated against was no one other than a small person like her.
Moreover, the Yao family hadn't gotten over this incident yet, and she had set a trap and plotted revenge. The Crown Princess was probably eager to rip out her heart and kill this evil person who was trying to do good things. It was said that she wasn't happy in the palace either. The Crown Prince disliked her because of this incident and hadn't treated her well for a long time. This matter was so well-known that even the people outside the palace laughed at her and said she deserved it.
How could Yao Chunying possibly bear this?
I'm afraid he has already planned how to catch her and take revenge on her.
In this case, she couldn't go out even more. At least at this critical moment, the two of them were still angry, so she had to be extremely vigilant. Prince Shou had arranged a large number of guards in Yue Mansion, so she could feel more at ease in the mansion and wait and see.
The day when he would be dragged under the carriage was getting closer and closer. Yue Qingning had been having trouble eating and sleeping these days. It seemed that something big was really going to happen as Prince Shou had said.
However, she could avoid trouble but not people. The maid from the Princess's Mansion suddenly brought in a message, saying that she was asked to go to the mansion to celebrate the Lantern Festival today. The Princess had no one close to accompany her. She was old and her later years were miserable. If she did not go, the mansion would probably seem even more lonely during the festive season.
However, before she left, she was still cautious and asked Prince Shou's men to go and ask Prince Shou and then come back to report to her. It was not until dark that the complicated lights in the city gradually lit up.
When Xiao Qingtang saw the lights, she couldn't stay at home any longer and shook her mother to ask her to take her out to see the lights.
Zhong didn't want to go out. If she left, the family wouldn't be reunited. The Lantern Festival should be a family reunion to fulfill the meaning of the festival, but Xiao Qingtang was only two and a half years old and couldn't stay still.
Seeing this, Qingzhe volunteered to stay at home with her sister. Zhong hesitated. On the one hand, she couldn't stand her youngest daughter pulling her, and on the other hand, she felt sorry for her eldest daughter.
Yue Qingning felt even more sorry for her family when she saw the whole family looking at her.
It was she who caused the trouble in the first place, how could she let her family be implicated?
So she said, "Go ahead! If you're trapped in the mansion because of me, Qingning will feel like she's done something wrong. I don't think so. What I did earlier was for the sake of justice. There's no reason to let this harm our family."
She stroked Qingzhe's shoulders gently, asked him to stand up, and smoothed out the wrinkles on his clothes inch by inch, smiling.
"I promise, next year...next year I won't be trapped in the mansion at this time anymore. I'll definitely go out with you guys to see the lanterns next year!"
The lights flickering in her eyes were like stars, and she spoke with certainty and determination, as if she was really sure that everything would be fine next year.
Although Qingzhe did not have much affection for his cheap brother-in-law, he was dead after all, and even after his death he remained deeply in his sister's memory. He understood that for someone as loyal as his sister, his death was a dose of poison, which would not only hurt her heart but also her body.
His sister risked everything for him and even dared to challenge the prince.
The person who was supposed to protect her sister is no longer here, and now that position has been taken by a prince whom she cannot see. She calls him His Royal Highness Prince Shou.
That Prince Shou seems to be better than Que Ming and his cheap brother-in-law, but will he suddenly disappear at any time?
Who will protect my sister then?
At this moment, the boy hated the years when he grew up so slowly. He always grew up too slowly and was not able to shoulder the burden on his sister's shoulders or understand the trauma she was carrying.
At this time, he couldn't argue with his sister, and he didn't have the power to make her believe in him, so he could only sigh in discouragement and listen to her.
Seeing that his mother still had something to say, Yue's father started to persuade his wife.
"Since last year, my whole family has been terrified and hiding in the mansion. I'm doing better and can still attend court. You haven't gone out for a walk for so long. Aren't you afraid of getting sick from staying out?"
Zhong naturally nodded, but compared to the freedom to go out, she cared more about what her family thought and always wanted to take everyone into consideration.
Yue Qingning shook his head at her, signaling her not to say anything more, and Yue's father also comforted her.
"I'll ask the Shouwang Mansion to send half of its people to go with you. Don't worry about Qingning. I'm here to accompany my daughter."
As he said this, he lifted his robe and sat down opposite his daughter, asking someone to bring a set of Go, as if he wanted to play a few moves with his daughter after a long time.
Seeing this, Mrs. Zhong could no longer refuse. She called Aunt Cheng and Old Sun to follow her. One of them held little Qingtang in his arms, while Qingzhe held his mother's hand and looked back towards the yard.
During the Lantern Festival, many lights were lit in the mansion, but there were only two people left in the house playing chess, making the house seem even more lonely.
Finally, the sound of a carriage was heard outside the courtyard gate. Yue Qingning breathed a sigh of relief, and her father smiled at her when he saw it.
"I've never seen you so afraid of your mother."
Yue Qingning gave birth to another son and smiled in the same way.
"Dad, you don't know how much pressure I've accumulated over the past six months of being locked up in the mansion. Although Mom doesn't say it, her words and actions reveal her anxiety. It's better to go out for a walk."
Father Yue laughed again, dropped a black dot in front of her, and paused for a moment before saying the following words.
"Has His Royal Highness Prince Shou conveyed any news to you recently?"
Yue Qingning was thinking about the chess game. He put down the white piece in surprise and asked curiously.
"No, what did Dad hear from His Highness?"
Father Yue rubbed a child in his hand and spoke slowly, as if he found it difficult to speak.
"After the court session today, His Royal Highness Prince Shou stopped me and told me something."
He opened his eyes and looked at his daughter's confused expression again, stumbling over his words unexpectedly.
"His Highness said that the Crown Prince is keeping a close eye on you, and even he can't guarantee your complete safety. Even if he can protect you temporarily, if you marry someone else one day and live somewhere he can't reach, he won't be able to protect you forever. It's better to find another way and keep you by his side."
"He asked Dad to ask your opinion and whether you are willing to marry him."
After saying that, he glanced at Qingning's face nervously, only to see that his daughter's face looked almost confused, as if she had never expected this to happen.
Yue Qingning had indeed not expected this, but she could not say that she had not expected it at all. In her previous life, she had an accident when she went to see him at Prince Shou's mansion, and it was also because of a word he said after leaving the court that was taken seriously by her father.
This time, it’s still a year and a half since the incident in the previous life. Why does it seem like everything is happening ahead of time?
The same goes for Prince Shou and the Crown Prince.
Yue Qingning suddenly felt a shiver in her arms. She rubbed her arms and heard a bird chirping amid the laughter outside the yard.
Suddenly, she turned to look at her father, wanting to see his opinion on the matter.
She understood Prince Shou's intention almost instantly. Prince Shou wanted to win over her father, the Minister of Revenue. A distant relative was not enough. He wanted a solid relationship that could bind the two of them together through life and death. In this way, marrying her was indeed the best choice.
I don’t know if it was influenced by her, but Prince Shou started to get anxious after what happened with Cui Hu. He was afraid that the cards he had already held in his hand would be taken away by others, so he extended an olive branch to her, thinking that she would not refuse.
And Yue Qingning also understood that he really couldn't refuse.
Father Yue stared at her indifferent eyes for a long time, as if he wanted to see what she was thinking. After a long time, he really couldn't figure out his daughter's thoughts, so he gave up and spread his hands.
"Your Highness Prince Shou is overly worried. I understand what he's worried about. In short, this matter has no disadvantages and only benefits. From any perspective, I would encourage you to agree."
He hesitated for a long time before speaking the next words, but still lacked the confidence to speak them out loud.
He wanted to say: Daughter, you can make the decision according to your own wishes. There is no need to be afraid just because he is a prince. This is your own life.
But he didn't have the confidence to say such words. He even needed help from others to protect his daughter, so how could he let her make her own choice?
With a sigh, Yue's father swept the chaotic chess pieces onto the chess box. Just as he was about to say some intimate words to his daughter, a message suddenly came from outside.
"Sir, Her Royal Highness the Princess is not feeling well today and said she doesn't need to come."
Upon hearing this, Minister Yue hurriedly asked what the illness was. The servant trembled and said that he didn't understand. He just said that his old illness had worsened and he couldn't get up.
Yue Qingning stood up quickly, his brows furrowed in anxiety, his hands tightly clutching the corners of his clothes, feeling extremely restless.
"Father, it's better for me to go and take a look. If something really happens to the eldest princess, Qingning will never forgive myself for staying at home out of cowardice."
After hearing the message, Yue's father frowned. He stroked his beard and spoke after thinking.
"Let me go! Qingning, you stay at home. I'll send a servant back to inform you if there's any news."
Yue Qingning blinked and understood what her father meant. He didn't want his daughter to go out and be assassinated by evil people. It would be the same if he went to the eldest princess's side. After all, he was still an official in the court. If the prince wanted to harm him, he would have to wait and see before considering the emperor.
The carriage rattled away from the courtyard gate. Yue Qingning felt anxious, fearing that the eldest princess was seriously ill and difficult to cure.
Since Cui Hu, she no longer dared to be sure about the development of all things. Even those people who were safe and sound in their previous life might disappear overnight. She was too scared.
The sound of drums and music outside had not stopped yet. Yue Qingning felt even more uneasy in the house. He remembered something and went back to his own yard.
Just as she reached the door and was about to push it open, she heard a very unusual bird call.
The sound was like the last cry of a dying bird. She stood still, put down her hand, and turned her head to look into the boundless sky.
The full moon on the fifteenth day of the lunar month hung in the sky, illuminating everything around it. She followed the sound and tried to see clearly.
However, suddenly, a hand stretched out from behind her, covered her mouth and dragged her into the house.
The moment the door closed, she heard another sound, and then she remembered that it was a sound she had heard before. It was the last hoarse cry of the jackdaw standing on the treetop that she had seen before she died in her previous life.
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