Chapter 19 For Xiao Mingzhang's sake, let's endure a little longer...
At midnight, the night watchman struck the gong to signal the hour of midnight.
The entire Huanwang Mansion was shrouded in a profound silence, but in the southeast corner of the courtyard, a few candles were still lit, a rare sight indeed.
Xiao Mingzhang looked at the woman who had finally fallen asleep peacefully in his arms and let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief.
It took a full hour to finally calm him down.
He looked at the thin layer of sweat on Yunzhu's forehead, picked up a handkerchief, and gently wiped it away for her. There were also tear stains on her cheeks; she had already cried miserably enough, but then she stubbornly clung to him, and in the end, she ended up crying even more.
Xiao Mingzhang's eyes were filled with heartache. Behind the falling curtain, he kissed Yunzhu's cheeks again and again, from her forehead to the corner of her lips, from the left side of her cheek to the right side. He pondered over and over again, finally lingering on the corner of her lips, carefully sculpting it for a long time before he finally tasted the sweetness and told himself to stop while he was ahead.
After crying for so long, Yunzhu's body was already very weak and could not withstand any more torment.
He quietly observed Yunzhu, and after a moment, he slowly withdrew his arm from under her head.
His movements were very light and slow, and he dared not disturb Yunzhu in the slightest.
Just when success seemed within reach, a dreamlike cry of "Xiao Mingzhang" instantly made Xiao Mingzhang tense.
"I'm here!" He quickly went up to her, coaxing her like a child.
Yunzhu seemed to be asleep, or perhaps not quite asleep. She gripped Xiao Mingzhang's arm and began to murmur softly. Xiao Mingzhang leaned down and pressed his ear close, trying to hear what she was saying. He tried to get closer, but he still couldn't hear a single word.
He could only wait silently for a while longer. Finally, Yunzhu returned to tranquility, and he was able to leave.
He tiptoed off the bed, changed his clothes, and still dared not disturb Yunzhu.
Only after stepping out of the room did Xiao Mingzhang abandon the cautiousness he had shown in the bedroom and boldly order all of Yunzhu's subordinates, regardless of gender, except for Ayan, to come to the flower hall to see him.
Yunzhu was acting very strangely tonight. No matter what he asked her, she wouldn't say anything. Xiao Mingzhang was not someone who could be easily fooled. Even though he was exhausted after returning from the government office, he still wanted to investigate the matter thoroughly before he could go to sleep.
Within moments, all the summoned subordinates were neatly lined up before him. Among them were guards he had specially assigned to accompany Yunzhu every day, as well as Feihong and Chuilü, the two maids who, besides Ayan, spent the most time with Yunzhu.
He started by asking Fei Hong and Chui Lü what Yun Zhu had done that day.
Fei Hong and Chui Lü both shook their heads. Today, Yun Zhu went out to find Xiao Ming An, taking only A Yan with her. The two of them were left in the courtyard and knew nothing.
Xiao Mingzhang then asked about the guards who were supposed to be with Yunzhu today. All the guards he sent to Yunzhu were handpicked by him, and they would stay close to Yunzhu, whether inside or outside the palace, without exception.
The guards said that the Crown Princess went to see the County Princess today, and knew nothing else.
The only thing Xiao Mingzhang is certain of now is that Yunzhu met with Xiao Ming'an today.
But what did she and Xiao Ming'an talk about? It couldn't be that Ming'an bullied her, his sister-in-law, to make her cry like this.
No, impossible. Given Yunzhu's personality, how could she possibly be bullied by Ming'an? Xiao Mingzhang quickly dismissed this possibility.
It was past midnight, and Xiao Mingzhang knew he shouldn't ask his sister about it at this time, but the thought of Yunzhu crying in his arms made his heart ache.
He was in a lot of pain.
Seeing Yunzhu cry made him feel very sad, and he wished he could be the one crying in her place.
So he sent someone to fetch Xiao Ming'an.
But the guard told him, "The county princess went out with her entourage this afternoon, saying she was going to Yi County for a few days of sightseeing."
"Yi County?" Xiao Mingzhang originally thought that this matter might not have much to do with Xiao Ming'an, but she just left like that? That's really like trying to hide something obvious.
"Send someone to bring her back!" Xiao Mingzhang ordered without saying a word.
The guards immediately bowed their heads and agreed.
Now that Xiao Ming'an has escaped, it seems unlikely that Xiao Mingzhang will be able to find out anything tonight.
He sat in the flower hall for a while longer, then suddenly asked the guards, "Is the Crown Princess really not going anywhere else or coming into contact with anyone else today?"
“No.” The guards said confidently, “The Crown Princess went to the County Princess’s courtyard this morning. After leaving the County Princess’s courtyard, she sat in the garden for a while, about an hour, and then went back to find the County Princess. Other than that, she stayed in the courtyard.”
"Were you keeping an eye on things the whole time in the back garden?" Xiao Mingzhang asked.
"Well, when the Crown Princess was sitting in the garden pavilion, Miss Ayan noticed a few gaps in the rockery and asked us to move some stones. So we went and moved some things for a while."
In other words, Yunzhu was actually unattended during this period of time.
Xiao Mingzhang's expression immediately turned serious, as if he had become a completely different person: "Didn't I tell you before that no matter what happens, you all have to stay by the Crown Princess's side?"
"..." The guards looked at each other, speechless.
This group of people had been assigned by Xiao Mingzhang to look after Yunzhu for two whole years. For two whole years, they followed Yunzhu everywhere, inside and outside the palace. Under their care, Yunzhu had never done anything out of line, not even once wandering off. So they naturally assumed that it wouldn't matter if they didn't watch her for an hour.
That's completely wishful thinking.
"Everyone who watched over the Crown Princess today will have their salary reduced by half a month!" Xiao Mingzhang had never been so stern in the Prince's residence.
The guards lowered their heads, and none of them dared to refute them.
After a long silence in the flower hall, Xiao Mingzhang added, "Starting tomorrow morning, immediately take the portrait of the Crown Princess and go along the streets to inquire where she went yesterday. If you can find her, your merits and demerits will be offset."
A slap followed by a sweet treat—Xiao Mingzhang has always understood the business acumen of those in power.
The guards immediately perked up and obediently accepted their orders and withdrew.
—
Yunzhu hadn't had such a sound sleep in a long time.
She was truly exhausted from crying last night. She buried herself in Xiao Mingzhang's arms and fell asleep without realizing it. When she woke up, her shoulders were sore, her neck was stiff, and her eyes were red and swollen.
She sat on the bed, looking around, wondering where Xiao Mingzhang had gone.
It wasn't until Ayan came to serve her and told her that it was already noon that Yunzhu realized she had slept for so long.
She hadn't slept this long since Xiao Mingzhang returned home.
"By the way, Princess, it seems the Prince summoned the people in the courtyard last night for questioning..." Yunzhu Jueshen was not disturbed by Xiao Mingzhang's movements at all last night. A girl like Ayan, who had practiced martial arts since childhood, was different. The slightest rustling in the courtyard could wake her from her dream.
"Questioning...?" Yunzhu murmured, clutching the blankets around her, somewhat expecting it.
Xiao Mingzhang is a man of deep thoughts. It would be abnormal for him not to investigate the matter after she cried so much yesterday.
"However, I heard that Princess Qingyuan ran off to Yi County yesterday. She probably doesn't dare let her own brother know what she's done!" Ayan had very little goodwill towards Xiao Ming'an, and her words were full of sarcasm.
Yunzhu patted her hand to calm her down.
"In the end, it wasn't her fault. If it weren't for her, I'm afraid I would still be kept in the dark," Yunzhu said.
"But she already knew, yet she still wouldn't tell you anything! There isn't a single good person in their entire manor, they're all... what... what... a bunch of... what..." Ayan wasn't very good at using idioms, she only remembered the two words in a jumble.
"Birds of a feather!" Although Yunzhu still couldn't write the last character, she could at least pronounce it.
Ayan nodded suddenly. Yes, that's exactly what she meant!
“But Ah Yan, look, even though this palace is so bad, at least Xiao Mingzhang still cares about me, doesn’t he?” Yunzhu knew that Ah Yan was doing this for her own good. They had come all the way from the Western Regions, and Ah Yan was the only companion she could rely on and spend every day with.
She held Ayan's hand tightly, recalling how Xiao Mingzhang had comforted her the day before.
“Ayan, Xiao Mingzhang is a good person,” Yunzhu said calmly. “So as long as his sister hasn’t done anything seriously wrong, we shouldn’t hold it against her. After all, she’s a young girl even younger than us, and she’s still immature, isn’t she?”
Yunzhu insisted on not arguing with Xiao Mingzhang because of him, so what could Ayan do? She wasn't the master, and she couldn't control Yunzhu's thoughts.
"But what about the princess?" Ayan asked Yunzhu again.
How could the Ying family and the Prince Huan treat her like this? She refused to believe that her princess could continue to tolerate this couple!
This time, Yunzhu was finally caught off guard by Ayan's question.
She sat on the bed, remaining silent for a long time.
Yesterday, she chose to endure because of Xiao Ming'an's words, choosing not to break ties with Ying Shi for the time being. But what about today, after she has come to her senses? From now on, she and Ying Shi will definitely have to see each other all the time, living in the same palace. How will she face her in the future?
Ying Shi was not Xiao Ming'an. Xiao Ming'an was just spoiled and willful, but Ying Shi had truly caused her to sleep on a quilt with musk for two whole years. If she hadn't known that Xiao Mingzhang had already changed the bedding, Yunzhu thought that when she returned to her room yesterday, she would probably have vomited as soon as she saw that quilt.
"When soldiers come, generals will block them; when water comes, earth will dam it."
After releasing Ayan, Yunzhu unconsciously gripped the blankets tightly again. She finally said to Ayan, "From now on, we will never listen to her again, we will only do what we think is right, and we will never compromise again!"
Ayan tilted her head, not quite understanding what it meant, but seeing the light in the princess's eyes return, she nodded firmly, naturally willing to follow her princess.
As if to verify Yunzhu's vow, she got up, and soon after, someone from Ying's side came to report that the princess had something to do and asked the crown princess to go to the front hall.
A note from the author:
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