Chapter 96 Of course it counts
Chapter 96
The night deepens and everything is silent.
Meng Yuning lay on her side, breathing evenly and with a peaceful expression, she had already fallen into a deep sleep.
She was completely unaware that Qi Jingyan beside her slowly opened his eyes after her breathing became steady.
There was no trace of sleepiness in his eyes, only a deep pain.
He tilted his head and stared at her quietly for a moment, then very gently lifted her hand that was resting on the pillow. He guided that warm and soft hand and gently covered his eyes.
However, at the moment his eyes were covered by her palm, the emotions that he had been suppressing for a long time seemed to have found a way out. Tears could no longer be restrained and burst out, soaking her palm in an instant, sliding quietly through her fingers, wetting his temples, and falling on the pillow.
He clenched his teeth, his Adam's apple rolled violently, but he never made a sound.
Only his shoulders and chest trembled imperceptibly, like a lonely animal trapped in despair, licking its wounds alone, wailing silently...
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The next day, Meng Yuning opened her eyes and found that it was already bright outside the window. Qi Jingyan was no longer in bed.
She propped herself up and reached out to Yi'er beside her. Her palm touched Yi'er's warm forehead, and she felt his steady breathing. Her heart finally settled down a little. Yi'er was fine.
She felt relieved, lay down next to Yi'er, and hugged him in bed for a while.
She lay there with her eyes open for a while, and when she was fully awake, she got up, went to the bathroom to wash up, changed into plain white clothes, packed up, and walked out.
Mu Ying and the others were all dressed in mourning clothes, standing solemnly, and the air was filled with a silent sadness.
Meng Yuning raised her hand, exempting them from the formal greetings, and slowly walked to the table and sat down. She saw that several light breakfast dishes had been placed on the table.
She asked softly, "Where is His Highness?"
Mu Ying bowed her head and replied respectfully, "To answer the young lady, His Highness went to the Qingke Hall early this morning and told the servants not to disturb your sleep."
Meng Yuning poured a bowl of red date millet porridge and asked, "Did Your Highness have breakfast before leaving?"
Mu Ying shook her head, her voice filled with helplessness. "My dear, His Highness simply said he had no appetite. I dared to advise him, but His Highness ignored me and went straight to the Qingke Hall."
Meng Yuning couldn't help but frown slightly when he heard this.
He didn't eat anything for dinner last night because he was afraid he was too hungry. If he didn't eat today, he would starve to death.
She personally picked out a few light and delicious breakfast items, put them in a lunch box, and handed it to Mu Ying: "Send it to His Highness and tell him it was my idea. Please make sure to use some."
Mu Ying responded respectfully, picked up the food box, and turned to leave.
Meng Yuning thought for a moment, then called out to her, "Forget it, I'll just wait until I finish eating and go there myself."
Qi Jingyan seems easy to talk to, but sometimes he is very stubborn. If he still refuses to eat, Mu Ying probably won't dare to persuade him anymore. She has to keep an eye on him herself.
Upon hearing this, Mu Ying immediately turned back, gently placed the food box back on the table, then stood quietly with her hands hanging down, waiting silently.
Meng Yuning ate a bowl of millet porridge with a bowl of pickled vegetables, a vegetable bun, and an egg. After she was full, she put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, drank another cup of tea, and then stood up.
She whispered, "Mu Ying, come with me. Qiu Lian, Meng Jin, Mu Li, you stay here and take good care of the young prince. If he wakes up, tell him I'll be back soon."
Several people responded in unison.
Meng Yuning walked out and Mu Ying caught up with her carrying a lunch box.
Along the way, I saw that all the guards in the mansion had changed into plain hemp mourning clothes, and the atmosphere was solemn and dignified.
Meng Yuning asked softly, "Was this arranged by Mu Yun?"
Mu Ying whispered back, "Yes. Yesterday, His Highness ordered a period of mourning for the Empress, and Mu Yun immediately sent someone out of the palace to buy mourning clothes. They were delivered this morning, and everyone changed into them together. Mu Yun also sent someone to deliver them to the brothers in the mountains."
Meng Yuning nodded slightly and said slowly, "It should be so."
While the two were talking, they had already reached the outside of the Qingke Hall.
Mu Yun was standing guard in the corridor. When he saw her approaching, he immediately bowed and saluted: "Miss Meng."
Meng Yuning nodded slightly and asked, "Is His Highness inside?"
Mu Yun whispered back, "His Highness is in the study."
Meng Yuning said "Okay" softly, reached out to take the food box from Mu Ying, and walked in alone.
When she passed the main hall, she saw the tablet of the empress lying quietly on the table, so she stopped, straightened her clothes, bowed respectfully, and then turned to walk towards the study on the west side.
When I pushed the door open, I saw Qi Jingyan sitting behind a desk in plain white mourning clothes, writing something with his head lowered.
Hearing the footsteps, he raised his head. Although his face was calm, there was a faint shadow under his eyes. Only his eyes remained calm. He said softly, "A Ning, you are here."
Meng Yuning picked up the food box in her hand and said softly, "I'll bring you some breakfast."
Meng Yuning prepared a lot of arguments to persuade him to eat, but to her surprise, Qi Jingyan did not refuse. He just nodded slightly and said calmly: "Thank you, An Ning, just wait a moment."
"There's no rush." Meng Yuning responded softly and took a few steps forward. Only then did she notice that he was not writing at the desk, but painting.
She was curious and looked up, but because she was at a distance, she couldn't see the content of the painting clearly.
Qi Jingyan had already put down his brush and gently covered his unfinished painting with a piece of plain paper. He then stood up and quickly walked around from behind the desk. He took the lunch box from her and asked gently, "A Ning, are you ready? Why don't we go sit in the next room?"
Seeing that he was intentionally hiding it and didn't want others to see it, Meng Yuning looked away and replied with a slight smile, "I've eaten."
The two of them moved to the living room together and sat down at the table.
Meng Yuning took out the breakfast items from the food box one by one and served them to him in a gentle voice: "This millet porridge is the best for warming and nourishing the stomach. Your Highness, please have a bowl. I pickled these pickled cucumbers a few days ago. They are crisp and appetizing, perfect with the porridge."
She then pushed a boiled egg and a plate of vegetarian buns in front of him. "Eggs shouldn't be taboo, Your Highness, have one too. These buns are stuffed with mushrooms and vegetables, and are all vegetarian. Your Highness can have one too."
Qi Jingyan nodded in response, "Okay", picked up the bowl of porridge as he was told, picked up a few slices of pickled cucumber, and quietly lowered his head to eat.
Meng Yuning sat quietly beside him, her elbows resting on the edge of the table, her hands supporting her cheeks, her eyes fixed quietly on Qi Jingyan's face, watching him eat his meal leisurely.
Although only one day had passed and he had only missed a dinner, Meng Yuning felt that his cheeks seemed to have become thinner and the lines of his jaw had become clearer and firmer.
She stared at his face and couldn't help but think of last night, when he was in front of the spirit tablet, on the couch, trembling slightly, hugging her tightly, and murmuring "It's so cold in the snow" over and over again.
In the original book, there is no mention of Qi Jingyan in the snow except for the scene where he died alone in front of the queen's tomb.
If that was what he was talking about, did that mean he had lived once?
But this shouldn't be the case. If he had really experienced a lifetime, how could he still be trapped in such calculations and end up in such a situation.
Or maybe, he was not reborn, but just had a precognitive dream?
But when did this dream begin? Why did he see the bitter cold of snow in his dream, but not his own impending disaster? Why didn't he prepare for it and avoid it in advance?
Meng Yuning's heart suddenly moved, and she couldn't help but think of the pot of hemlock soup that poisoned the officers and soldiers, and the fact that they had taken refuge in the mountains.
A light bulb went off in her head. Things started changing from that time. Could it be that he started dreaming from that time?
She felt like she was being tormented by a hundred claws, and she wanted to ask for the truth right away: was he living his life again, or was it just a premonition? But the words reached her lips, and she swallowed them back.
How could an ordinary person know this? If she spoke rashly, she might not get anything out of him, and instead arouse his suspicion, and then sell her out. That would be disastrous.
The question is, does this man still remember what he said to her last night? If he remembers, will he kill her to silence her?
As soon as this thought came to her mind, she quickly shook her head and denied it secretly.
If she had said that when they first met, she was still afraid that Qi Jingyan might want to kill her for various reasons. But after they had been together day and night until now, she had an inexplicable certainty in her heart that he would not hurt her.
There was no reason, no logic, but she was convinced. Perhaps it was just a woman's intuition.
Qi Jingyan's heart still felt heavy, and after a bowl of millet porridge, he couldn't eat anymore. But thinking of Ah Ning's instructions, he finally reached out to take the boiled egg, tapped it gently on the edge of the table, and carefully peeled it.
Meng Yuning was startled awake by the noise. She suddenly came to her senses and looked up to see him quietly peeling eggs. She couldn't help but ask softly, "Your Highness, would you like some more porridge?"
Qi Jing didn't stop moving, just shook his head slightly, and said in a gentle voice: "No need."
Although Meng Yuning had never experienced the deep love between a mother and daughter, she recalled how she had been overcome with grief when her grandmother passed away, unable to eat and losing over ten pounds in just a few days. Empathizing with Qi Jingyan's feelings, she could better understand what he was feeling at that moment.
She reached out and patted his arm soothingly, saying softly, "Your Highness has already eaten the porridge. If you really can't eat this egg, there's no need to force yourself."
Qi Jingyan looked at the peeled egg in his hand, was silent for a moment, and whispered: "How about An Ning help me eat the egg yolk?"
Meng Yuning nodded without hesitation and said, "Okay, I'll help you."
Qi Jingyan broke off half of the egg white and put it in his mouth, then brought the remaining half of the egg to Meng Yuning's mouth. Meng Yuning bit off the yolk with his hand, and Qi Jingyan ate the remaining half of the egg white.
After they finished eating and drank another cup of tea, Meng Yuning quietly put the dishes and chopsticks on the table back into the food box, then stood up and said, "Your Highness, I will go back now, lest Yi'er wakes up and doesn't see me and starts crying. If you don't want to go back at noon, send someone to send a letter back, and I will bring you food."
Qi Jingyan nodded and said, "Okay."
Meng Yuning gently reminded him, "Don't be busy all the time. If you feel tired, go to the couch and rest for a while."
Qi Jingyan nodded again, his tone gentle: "Okay, I'll remember that."
Seeing how obedient he was, Meng Yuning sighed softly in her heart, nodded at him, and turned away.
As soon as she reached the door, she heard Qi Jingyan calling her, "A Ning."
Meng Yuning stopped and turned around: "What's wrong?"
Qi Jingyan looked at her quietly for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Does what An Ning said last night still count?"
Meng Yuning thought to herself, she had said so many things, but which one was he talking about?
She wanted to ask him, but looking at his eager eyes, she didn't dare to ask, for fear of hurting his fragile heart.
She thought carefully and realized that she had only said some comforting words, so she nodded solemnly: "Of course it counts."
After he finished speaking, Qi Jingyan's lips curled up slightly, a glimmer of light seemed to light up in his eyes, and he said softly, "Okay."
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