Chapter 105: The Late Rain Bitter Summer is Drawin’ to an End…
The girl held two brocade bags in her hands. Although the patterns embroidered on them were not delicate, it was obvious that every stitch was carefully sewn.
"Yes, it's for your brother. He helped me last time, and I haven't had time to thank him yet. The Autumn Examination is coming up soon, and I heard the amulets here are very effective, so I got one for you and one for him. I hope you stay healthy and your brother does well on the exam!"
Zhao Mingsheng:?
She thought for a long time but couldn't remember when Zhao Qingyue helped Huang Yuexin.
"It was in Qingkang Town, when you disguised yourself as a man..." Huang Yuexin gave a hint, then lowered her head shyly.
After hearing this, Zhao Mingsheng finally remembered, and then he felt a little amused. If it weren't for his accidental coincidence, his brother wouldn't have met the young lady from the Huang family. After all this time, he ended up being his brother's matchmaker.
She tied one of the brocade bags around her waist and carefully put the other into her sleeve. She smiled and said, "I'll pass it on to him for you."
On the other side, Zhao Mingjing, led by Li He, walked around most of Lingyin Temple, and her feet were a little sore from walking.
Seeing how familiar he was with the place, Zhao Mingjing asked curiously, "It seems like you are very familiar with this place?"
Li He hummed softly and replied, "My late mother's tablet is enshrined here. I come here once a month to burn incense. I've become familiar with it over time."
"Why is your father's tablet here? Shouldn't it be enshrined in the ancestral hall of the Earl's Mansion?"
As soon as Zhao Mingjing said this, she felt something was wrong, but the words had already been said and there was no way to change them. She secretly looked at Li He's expression, and it was indeed not as good as before.
The man's eyes were darker than ink. A dragonfly lightly touched the surface of the pond, and then flew away quickly. Li He stared at the ripples for a long time. Just when Zhao Mingsheng couldn't help but open his mouth to change the subject, he finally spoke.
"When I was seven or eight years old, my stepmother invited a 'high monk' from somewhere. He said my mother was born with bad luck, which was why she was young and had a tragic life. Leaving her memorial tablet in the house for too long would cause unrest in the family. She needed to be in this temple to rely on the Buddha's light to suppress the evil."
What nonsense! It's obvious that this stepmother couldn't even accommodate the original wife's tablet, so she created this farce!
"That's absolute nonsense!"
Zhao Mingjing didn't believe it. At this moment, her eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn't imagine how tolerant the current mistress of the Earl's Mansion was that she couldn't even tolerate a small tablet?
The girl's angry look made Li He's expression change slightly.
Even a young girl raised in seclusion understood this truth. His father was well-read but believed those nonsense and allowed that woman to move his mother's tablet to Lingyin Temple. He lowered his eyelids to hide the mockery in his eyes.
"When I was little, I always thought that when I was able to do so, I would personally bring my mother's tablet back to the Earl's Mansion."
The man stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance. To Zhao Mingjing, his back revealed boundless loneliness, making her want to reach out and hug him. His life in the mansion these past few years must have been very difficult.
"But now, when I have the ability to do so, I don't think so anymore." The man turned around and smiled at Zhao Mingjing with relief. "There's so much trouble in the Earl's Mansion. Mother is such a clean person, why would she go back to that mess? It's fine to be here in peace and quiet."
If someone else asked him about these things, he probably wouldn't say a word, but in front of the girl, he suddenly had the desire to talk.
Zhao Mingjing also smiled widely. "Mm! The environment here is so nice, your father will definitely like it here!"
Li He couldn't help but rub the top of Zhao Mingjing's head, and the soft hair left a furry touch in his palm.
A good girl should stay in a clean place.
He put down his hand and put away his thoughts.
"Let's go, we should go back too, it's time for lunch."
When Zhao Mingjing and the others returned to the main hall, Zhao Mingsheng was already there, accompanied by a young lady who looked somewhat unfamiliar.
After the two finished chatting, Zhao Mingsheng saw that Huang Yuexin was lonely in the temple alone, so he invited her to go back to the main hall to see his grandmother.
Huang Yuexin agreed at first, but was stunned when she got there. She never expected that the grandmother Zhao Mingsheng said he would take her to meet would be the old lady Gu of Pingyuan Hou!
She looked at Zhao Mingsheng in disbelief, having never thought that she was actually a child of the Zhao family. Thinking of the contemptuous attitudes of those noble ladies at banquets she had attended in the past, Huang Yuexin's nervous breathing became disordered.
Zhao Mingsheng brought Huang Yuexin to his grandmother and briefly introduced her: "Grandma, this young lady is my friend. We met here by chance."
Huang Yuexin stepped forward somewhat reservedly and bowed to the old lady, lowering her head. She was just thinking about how to avoid embarrassing Zhao Mingsheng if she was asked about her identity and found out she was just a merchant's daughter and was treated coldly, when she heard the kind-looking old lady say lovingly:
"Good boy, don't be shy. Stay and have a vegetarian meal with us later."
Old Madam Gu did not ask about her identity. In her opinion, identity was not important. Although she could see that the young lady in front of her might not be from a high-born family, it was rare for Miss Sheng to bring her friends to see her, so she naturally loved her as well.
Faced with such a kind old lady, Huang Yuexin breathed a sigh of relief and smiled again.
"Thank you, ma'am."
After finishing their vegetarian meal, they rested for a while at Lingyin Temple before boarding the carriage for their return journey.
Zhao Mingjing was afraid that she would get carriage sick again, so she closed her eyes and fell asleep as soon as she got on the carriage.
Huang Yuexin couldn't help herself after enduring for a long time, and asked in a low voice: "What's going on with you? How did you become the child of Pingyuan Marquis Mansion?"
Zhao Mingsheng smiled at her and explained it briefly to her.
Huang Yuexin sighed with emotion, "What a twist of fate..." Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, she asked doubtfully, "Where's that young lady? Why didn't I see her today?"
Zhao Mingsheng knew who she was talking about. Thinking of Zhao Mingzhu, even she couldn't help but sigh: "There are some twists and turns in this matter, and I can't explain it clearly at the moment. I will explain it to you later."
Seeing that she was unwilling to say more, Huang Yuexin stopped asking. She moved her eyes to the car window, and suddenly her eyes lit up, and she said excitedly:
“It’s raining!”
Zhao Mingsheng followed her gaze and saw that it had started to drizzle without him noticing.
Not only Yanzhou, but the capital city has not seen rain for a long time. This rain comes at the right time. The long-thirsty earth and crops need such rain to be watered.
Zhao Mingsheng stretched out his hand toward the window, feeling the coolness brought by the raindrops falling on his fingertips, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up.
As this bitter summer was drawing to a close, the capital finally welcomed the long-awaited rain. The rain gradually grew heavier, and the raindrops formed beads and dripped onto the bamboo leaves and window frames.
In the study, Prince Jin looked at the letter in his hand, frowned, and crumpled the letter paper in his hand.
Seeing that his father's mood today seemed to be as bad as the weather, Qi Shang, who was standing aside, couldn't help but slow down his movements.
"My father, did you summon me here to tell me something?" Qi Shang glanced cautiously at Prince Jin in front of the desk, not knowing why he was suddenly called here.
Prince Jin raised his eyes and his gaze fell on him.
"I heard from your mother that you found yourself a concubine."
The tone was somewhat unpredictable. Although Qi Shang couldn't tell whether it was happy or angry at the moment, it was always right to admit his mistake first, so he quickly knelt down with his head lowered.
"It was all my son's fault for being confused and accidentally making a mistake."
There was no movement from the other side for a long time, and he didn't dare to look up. He just knelt there nervously.
After a long while, he finally heard his father say calmly, "Get up. I don't mean to blame you."
"Although the Pingyuan Marquis's Mansion is not a big deal in the court now, it still has some foundation. She can be a concubine."
Prince Jin tightened his lips. The daughter of the Pingyuan Marquis family was not only suitable for a concubine, but more than qualified. His son had done nothing wrong, and Prince Jin was even satisfied with it. However, he couldn't say this openly, lest it encourage his son's behavior.
If he were to be so rash in choosing a queen in the future, it would ruin his plans, so Prince Jin had to teach him a lesson again.
Qi Shang stood up from the ground, patted his clothes and breathed a sigh of relief. Before he could fully relax, he heard him say:
"But from now on, this will be your wife..."
Qi Shang immediately understood the implication of his words and continued, "Son, don't worry about it. From now on, the matter of marrying a wife will be decided by my father and mother. We will never be so hasty."
Prince Jin then nodded in satisfaction.
Seeing that his father's mood had improved, Qi Shang bravely glanced at the crumpled letter on the table and asked:
"Father, are you worried about something today? I can help you with some of your worries."
Prince Jin was stunned for a moment, then carefully looked at the person in front of him. Ever since he revealed the emperor's secret, he has become more pleasing to his son recently. He is no longer the idle and incompetent son before, and he feels more reliable.
He originally called Qi Shang over because of the matter of his concubine, and he had no intention of letting him know about his own affairs.
But since Qi Shang has spoken, it’s okay to tell him.
"Do you know about the disaster in Yanzhou?"
Seeing Qi Shang nod, he continued, "Most of the local officials are from our side, but I lost contact with them half a month ago, and no one responded to the letters I sent. I think something must have happened in Yanzhou."
Thinking of the fact that Yan Zhuo brought food and supplies to provide disaster relief, Prince Jin had a bad feeling in his heart.
Qi Shang speculated, "Perhaps the disaster over there was so severe that the local officials were too busy to handle it, so they didn't contact my father in time?"
Prince Jin shook his head. Qi Shang didn't understand those people, but he knew they would definitely not bother about this. Instead, they would choose to wait for the relief food from the court to arrive. So he was more inclined to another guess:
"Could it be that Yan Zhuo discovered something..."
Qi Shang realized later that his father might have some unspeakable secret with those officials, but he didn't care.
"The governor of Yanzhou has tens of thousands of men under his command, and Yan Zhuo only brought a thousand to provide disaster relief. Even if he discovered something, what would happen? Besides, those are all officials appointed by the imperial court. No matter how capable he is, he wouldn't dare to act rashly."
Prince Jin thought about it and agreed. Even if Yan Zhuo had the ability, a strong dragon could not defeat a local snake after all. He must be worrying too much.
But there was one thing Prince Jin hadn't told Qi Shang: he had previously instigated Cui Kan, the eldest son of the Cui family, the Marquis of Zhenguo, to attack the relief team and secretly manipulate Black Wind Village. Apparently, they hadn't succeeded, and there had been no news of Black Wind Village or Cui Kan.
With all these things combined, Prince Jin had to be careful in his response. The light he finally saw couldn't be lost because of such a small matter. To be on the safe side, he had to find someone to keep an eye on this matter. As for the impact...
Prince Jin's gaze fell on Qi Shang.
"I'll leave this matter to you. I want to know what happened in Yanzhou and what's going on with that kid Yan Zhuo. Why did he suddenly ask for disaster relief?"
Qi Shang was dumbfounded. Even his father didn't know what was going on in Yanzhou, so how could he find out?
But he thought of the woman who was his landlord. It was she who told him about the emperor's incident last time. Maybe she knew about this incident as well?
With this idea in mind, Qi Shang agreed immediately.
"Father, just leave it to me! I will definitely get to the bottom of it!" he said confidently.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
