Chapter 86086 Very Serene
Chapter 86
Meng Yuning's heart skipped a beat.
In the past, when she talked about her dreams, she would take the initiative to talk about it, and Qi Jingyan would just listen and leave it at that. Occasionally, if he encountered something he didn't understand or was interested in, he would ask a question or two, but he never delved into the matter and would never bring it up again afterwards.
But what happened to him today? Why did he suddenly ask about her dream?
Could it be that this man noticed something was wrong with her and started to doubt her?
That couldn't be right. She had clearly tried her best to imitate the speech and mannerisms of modern people, trying to be like an ancient person. Where did she let herself slip?
If he discovered she wasn't "her," would he arrest her? Or lock her up? Or kill her like she was a demon?
She stared at Qi Jingyan, her mind racing. In just a fleeting moment, a thousand thoughts raced through her mind. Unfortunately, the candlelight was dim, and Qi Jingyan was facing away from the light, his face shrouded in shadow, making it difficult to see clearly.
So without thinking, she put her hand on his shoulder and pushed him to turn around a little, so that his face was completely exposed to the light.
Then she leaned forward, moved her head closer, and looked at his expression carefully.
Qi Jingyan looked at the girl in front of him who was supporting his shoulders somewhat roughly, staring down at him, her big watery eyes full of vigilance.
The smile on his lips deepened a little, and his tone was gentle: "What's wrong?"
Meng Yuning looked left and right, confirming again and again. Besides a hint of curiosity, there was nothing strange in his eyes. Feeling relieved, she let go of his hand and sat back down, saying casually, "Nothing. I just saw a mosquito land on your face, and I wanted to see it before I hit it, so you wouldn't get slapped in vain."
Qi Jingyan chuckled softly.
Meng Yuning knew that he knew she was lying, but this kind of situation was not the first time, so she simply gave up and didn't bother to think about whether he believed her or not, and just lay back down.
He put his hands behind his head, lifted one leg, crossed it over the other, and gently swung on his toes, concentrating on recalling the plot of the original book.
Since Qi Jingyan asked, she thought about it seriously. If she could help him, she would naturally help.
Qi Jingyan knew that Aning was thinking about her "dreams", so he didn't say much. He just turned sideways and continued to fan her slowly.
The night wind is slightly dry and the candlelight sways gently.
His eyes were involuntarily drawn to the pair of dangling white calves and the restless feet.
He looked for a while and felt a little stuffy and hot. He subconsciously pulled at his already loose collar and looked away with difficulty, forcing himself to stare at the swaying trajectory of the palm-leaf fan.
Meng Yu concentrated on thinking for a moment, then suddenly sat up straight. His voice was very low, but his tone was full of urgency: "I remember now."
Qi Jingyan also sat up and said gently, "Don't be impatient, speak slowly."
Just as Meng Yuning was about to speak, Qi Jingyan raised his hand to stop her: "A Ning, wait a moment."
As he spoke, he leaned over and gently picked up Yi'er, then turned to Meng Yuning and whispered, "Please, An Ning, make way."
Meng Yuning knew that he was afraid of disturbing Yi'er's sleep, so she quickly moved aside.
Qi Jingyan stretched out his arm, put Yi'er a little further away, and then patted the empty seat beside him: "A Ning, come over and talk."
"Oh, okay." Meng Yuning crawled closer and sat down next to him. Then she whispered, "Your Highness, there was another incident in my dream, but I don't know if it's related to the disappearance of Boss Guo and the others."
Qi Jingyan nodded: "A Ning, just tell me."
Meng Yuning whispered, "Didn't His Majesty fall ill later? I meant in my dream, haha, there was absolutely no intention of cursing His Majesty at all!"
As she spoke, she hurriedly turned to the window, clasped her hands together and bowed, muttering, "Your Majesty, please forgive me for my words."
Seeing her being so cautious, Qi Jingyan held his forehead with his hand and chuckled helplessly, "Don't worry, An Ning, it's just you and me here. Not a single word of what we said today will be spread."
Meng Yuning had deliberately acted this way to avoid appearing too rebellious. Hearing his assurance, she finally felt relieved: "Thank you, Your Highness. I will speak frankly then."
Qi Jingyan suddenly chuckled again and pointed behind the bed: "But if Aning really wants to bow in the direction of the imperial palace, she should go over there."
Meng Yuning quickly followed suit, turned around, and bowed respectfully twice more: "Your Majesty, please forgive me."
Qi Jingyan shook his head and laughed, then reached out and gently grasped her shoulders, turning her back: "Alright, if you keep bowing, I'm afraid it will be dawn soon."
Meng Yuning then lowered her voice and continued, "In my dream, late in the autumn of the following year, His Majesty accidentally caught a cold and fell seriously ill."
"Who would have thought that this seemingly ordinary cold, despite the Imperial Hospital's repeated prescriptions, still showed no improvement. Your Majesty has been suffering from a recurring low-grade fever and a persistent cough for several days, remaining bedridden and showing no signs of improvement."
"Just when the entire Imperial Hospital was at its wit's end, helpless, the Third Prince suddenly brought in a folk witch doctor from outside the palace. He had an alien face and wore foreign clothing. He gave Your Majesty a single pill, and that night, Your Majesty's fever subsided, never to return."
"Later, the witch doctor claimed that Your Majesty was the true Dragon Son of Heaven, destined by heaven. He presented a magical elixir that was said to prolong life. After Your Majesty took it, his complexion truly became radiant and his spirits were revitalized. He felt as if he had suddenly become more than ten years younger."
"His Majesty was so pleased that he kept the witch doctor in the palace and trusted him so much that he practically obeyed his every word."
"When His Majesty was seriously ill, even though he was so weak that he could barely get up, he still trusted no one and tightly controlled the government, refusing to let up even a little."
"But ever since he became obsessed with the art of immortality, he spent all day discussing longevity techniques with the witch doctor. Gradually, he lost interest in managing state affairs."
"Later, the ministers repeatedly kowtowed outside the palace, begging for an audience. His Majesty became annoyed, so he summoned the Third Prince, who spent his days at home, flirting with women and seemingly indifferent to worldly matters, into the palace and ordered him to handle the matter."
"Just like this, slowly, step by step, the Third Prince completely gained His Majesty's trust and eventually became Regent."
Qi Jingyan pressed on, "What's the witch doctor's name?"
Meng Yuning shook her head: "Then I don't know." It wasn't mentioned in the book.
Qi Jingyan asked again: "What happened to him later?"
Meng Yuning: "Later, when Your Highness brought Yi'er back to the capital, you killed the Third Prince and also killed the witch doctor."
Qi Jingyan pondered what An Ning had just said and said thoughtfully, "A Ning is suspecting that the disappearance of Boss Guo and the others is related to that witch doctor?"
"That's right!" Meng Yuning nodded vigorously. "The so-called elixir of immortality that the witch doctor presented to Your Majesty claimed to be made from human hearts! He also said that it took the hearts of 749 people with pure yang bodies to create a single elixir."
Meng Yuning became increasingly excited as she spoke, unable to resist crawling closer. "Your Highness, think about it. The Third Prince is behind the Zhang family gambling house. Boss Guo and the others were taken away by the gambling house's people and their whereabouts remain unknown."
"And that witch doctor was personally introduced to the palace by the Third Prince. Connecting the dots, I'm afraid those people were sent to make medicine for that witch doctor!"
When Meng Yuning thought about it carefully, she felt creepy and a chill ran down her back.
She rubbed her arms subconsciously, her voice trembling unconsciously: "If all this is true, it's really terrifying."
Ordinary people were caught in this interlocking trap, and even their lives became stepping stones for others' ambitions.
Thinking of the era she once lived in, when countless people disappeared every year, her voice trailed off, tinged with sadness: "For thousands of years, ordinary people have just wanted to live a simple and stable life. Why is it so difficult?"
In the original book, when Qi Jingyan and Yi'er returned to the capital after great difficulties, Emperor Kangwen was already terminally ill, bedridden, and unable to speak clearly.
Qi Jingyan avenged himself, killed his enemy, restored order in the midst of blood and gore, and secured his seat in the court.
During this period, the Daxing Dynasty was in turmoil and precarious due to treacherous ministers causing chaos within and powerful enemies outside.
In order to stabilize this crumbling kingdom, the two brothers worked day and night, exhausted all their energy, and expended countless efforts before they finally secured temporary peace for the people of Daxing.
As for the filth hidden beneath the prosperous times, the unsolved cases of countless people's mysterious disappearances, and the heinous crime of the witch doctor who used human hearts to make elixirs, the book does not mention even a single word about whether Qi Jingyan and Yi'er will eventually find out the truth and whether justice will be done to the deceased.
It was as if the lives of the civilians who passed away quietly became insignificant dust, and no one cared.
Thinking of this, Meng Yuning sighed helplessly and desolately.
She remembered a comment she had seen online before about ordinary people: cattle and horses in prosperous times, cannon fodder in troubled times.
At this moment, she completely agreed.
Qi Jingyan listened with a smile at first, but the more he listened, the more serious his expression became.
Seeing Ah Ning's downcast mood, he reached out and gently pulled her into his arms, caressing her back with his palm. "Don't be afraid, Ah Ning. Now that I've heard about this, I won't sit idly by. I'll investigate it thoroughly and won't allow these evil spirits to harm the people."
Meng Yuning didn't expect that while she was talking, her whole face suddenly fell on his chest. The man's embrace was broad and warm, and the big hand behind her was steady and strong, which made her originally depressed mood better.
She looked up at him and nodded solemnly. Although her voice was soft, it was very firm: "Your Highness, I believe you."
Qi Jingyan looked at the clear eyes reflecting the candlelight, his eyes gradually darkened, and he couldn't take his eyes away for a while.
Meng Yuning was being stared at by him so intently, and was wondering why he was staring at her, when she suddenly felt the hand behind her casually brushing the tie of her bellyband.
Her heart suddenly jumped, and her face inexplicably heated up. Without thinking, she raised her hand to push him away, turned over and crawled to the side of the bed, gently carried the sleeping Yi'er back to the middle of the two of them, and hurriedly lay down, her cheeks flushed, and whispered: "Your Highness, it's getting late, go to bed."
"...Yeah." Qi Jingyan responded softly, lying straight on his back, his eyes fixed on the ceiling of the tent, without saying a word.
Only the hand that had just stroked her back unconsciously clenched into a fist.
Meng Yuning waited for a while, but didn't feel any wind, so she quietly opened one eye and looked at Qi Jingyan.
She saw Qi Jingyan's eyes were slightly closed, his face was calm, he was lying straight and straight, looking very peaceful. She just thought he was sleepy.
So he whispered, "Your Highness, please pass me the fan."
She was very hot at the moment and had to be fanned.
"I'll do it." Qi Jingyan responded immediately, picked up the palm-leaf fan, still lying flat, waving his wrist and fanning himself slowly.
The breeze blew gently, bringing a bit of coolness. Meng Yuning felt much more comfortable, so she closed her eyes and muttered to herself.
The man next to her was a gentleman who didn't like women and was upright and self-respecting. He hugged her just now, obviously because he saw that she was in a bad mood and wanted to comfort her with good intentions.
As for the time when his finger brushed across her laces, it must have been an accident and definitely not intentional.
Meng Yuning, ah Meng Yuning, you must not have any wrong thoughts, and you must not be too self-indulgent.
After such self-persuasion, the heat on Meng Yuning's face faded away and her heartbeat returned to normal.
She began to ponder the original plot again. As she was thinking, she opened her eyes again and called out to him in a breathy voice, "Your Highness, are you awake?"
Qi Jingyan opened his eyes in response, but his gaze was still fixed on the ceiling of the tent. He did not turn his head away as he usually did when she spoke, but only replied lightly, "Hmm."
Meng Yuning whispered, "I feel like that witch doctor looks so much like a human."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
