Chapter 599 Past Life and Present Life (Two Updates)
Ignoring the doctor's instructions, Marquis Xuanping abandoned the wheelchair, strode forward, picked up the unconscious Princess Xinyang, and carried her to the carriage.
This happened so suddenly that even Yu Jin didn't immediately come to her senses.
Princess Mingming's problem had already improved a lot, so why did it suddenly turn out like this again?
Since she had already fainted, she no longer cared about her earlier statement that she wouldn't ride in the same carriage with anyone.
“Come up,” Marquis Xuanping said to Yu Jin.
"yes."
Yu Jin got into the carriage.
“I’ll do it, Lord Marquis,” Yu Jin said softly.
Looking at Princess Xinyang, who was pale in his arms, Marquis Xuanping considered the possibility that she might wake up halfway and faint again from fright. Finally, he nodded and handed Princess Xinyang over to Yu Jin.
Yu Jin embraced Princess Xinyang and gently held her hand.
Marquis Xuanping frowned.
Although he and Princess Xinyang did not interfere with each other, they were husband and wife after all, and had consummated their marriage. Now, however, he could only watch her lying in another woman's arms.
What kind of mess is this?!
Marquis Xuanping looked annoyed!
He suddenly stood up and lifted the curtain.
Yu Jin was taken aback and asked, "My lord, what are you doing?"
Marquis Xuanping said coldly, "Get out of the carriage and ride a horse, so that she won't be scared unconscious again when she wakes up."
“But your injury…” Before Yu Jin could finish speaking, Marquis Xuanping had already gotten off the carriage and seized a servant’s horse to ride on.
Xiao Heng went to the Ministry of Justice to handle official business. Gu Jiao had been lying in bed for several days, but today she was finally able to get out of bed and move around freely. She first went to the courtyard to loosen her muscles and bones, and then picked up the red-tasseled spear and practiced a set of spear techniques.
Martial arts training requires daily practice; otherwise, you'll easily become rusty.
When she was halfway through her practice, Marquis Xuanping and Princess Xinyang returned.
Gu Jiao knew that the two of them had entered the palace, but when they went there, they rode in the same carriage, but when they returned, it was Marquis Xuanping riding a horse and Princess Xinyang riding in a carriage.
Did they... have a fight?
Marquis Xuanping dismounted calmly and tossed his riding whip to the maid guarding the gate.
He then said to Gu Jiao in the courtyard, "The princess has fainted. Go and take a look."
"Oh." Gu Jiao put away her red-tasseled spear and looked around.
"Give it to me." Marquis Xuanping reached out to Gu Jiao and took her red-tasseled spear.
Gu Jiao glanced at his waist and thighs, said nothing, and walked to the door.
Gu Jiao carried the unconscious Princess Xinyang back to the room and placed her on the soft bed.
Yu Jin followed her in and asked worriedly, "Jiao Jiao, will the princess be alright?"
Gu Jiao first checked her pupils, which were relatively normal, then placed three fingers on her wrist to take her pulse: "What's wrong? How did you faint?"
Yu Jin lowered her eyes and said, "She fainted at the palace gate. Before she fainted, she went to Huaqing Palace and Kunning Palace. I didn't go with her and don't know what happened. The princess's face looked strange when she came out of Kunning Palace. When she got to the palace gate, the princess told the Marquis that she would not ride in the same carriage as him. The Marquis... the Marquis asked the princess a few questions, and then the princess fainted."
"She fainted as soon as I asked her? Was it something that made her very angry?" Gu Jiao loosened Princess Xinyang's collar and tightly bound belt to make it easier for her to breathe.
Princess Xinyang's angina pectoris had long been cured, and her fainting spells were not related to angina pectoris, but rather seemed to be caused by some kind of shock.
Yu Jin's words clearly concealed something.
After Gu Jiao helped Princess Xinyang undress, she pulled a thin cotton quilt over her and covered her with it.
She turned to look at Yu Jin: "Aunt Yu Jin, if you don't tell the truth, it will be difficult for me to make an accurate diagnosis for the princess."
Yu Jin hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.
After putting Gu Jiao's red-tasseled spear away, Marquis Xuanping stepped in.
Yu Jin found it even more difficult to speak.
Gu Jiao pointed to the chair next to her: "Sit."
Marquis Xuanping is definitely the most disobedient patient. If you tell him not to move around, his wound will definitely swell up again.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became very strange.
The gaze of Marquis Xuanping toward Yu Jin was so intense that it made Yu Jin feel suffocated.
Yu Jin looked at the unconscious Princess Xinyang, her mind torn between two conflicting thoughts. In the end, the desire to heal Princess Xinyang prevailed.
She lowered her head and said slowly, "Princess Xinyang cannot have contact with men; any man who gets too close will make her feel uncomfortable."
"To what extent exactly? How close, how uncomfortable?" Gu Jiao pressed for details.
“Well…” Yu Jin was a fairly organized person. After a brief moment of tension and confusion, she sorted out Princess Xinyang’s situation. “If they are outside, the distance should be three steps. If they are inside… Princess Xinyang cannot be in the same room with a man.”
Marquis Xuanping frowned: "So she was really scared that time in the pavilion, but she was still stubborn."
This happened a few months ago. At that time, Gu Jiao had not yet gone to the border. Princess Xinyang fell and was injured in the pavilion. Marquis Xuanping went to save her, but he scared her half to death.
Gu Jiao arrived at the scene later and also noticed Princess Xinyang's unusual behavior, but based on the situation at the time, Gu Jiao thought it was claustrophobia.
"How long has she been in this condition?" Gu Jiao asked.
Yu Jin shook her head: "I don't know. The princess didn't tell me. I only came to serve the princess after her wedding. She was already in this condition then. I tried to ask the princess, but she wouldn't say anything."
Gu Jiao pondered: "Since you came to the princess's side, has the princess always been like this? Or has the situation worsened or improved?"
Yu Jin replied truthfully, "It has improved somewhat in the last two years, and I am now able to ride in the same carriage as the Marquis."
Princess Xinyang had also ridden in the carriage of the Yan State pharmacist, but the Yan State pharmacist's carriage had no curtains and was open at both ends, so it did not resemble a confined space.
Marquis Xuanping recalled his recent experiences riding in a carriage with Princess Xinyang: "But I can tell she's not having an easy time either."
"So the Marquis found out?" Yu Jin asked in surprise.
Marquis Xuanping sneered, "What? So in your eyes I'm just a roughneck? You can't even notice one of these trivial matters?"
Yu Jin bowed slightly: "Yu Jin misspoke."
Marquis Xuanping said solemnly, "It's not your fault. Men who are military generals are indeed not as thoughtful as you women. But I am exceptionally gifted and am no ordinary person."
Yu Jin: "..."
Is it really okay to pat yourself on the back like this?
Yu Jin could only pretend not to hear and continued her previous words, "It's not easy, but I can endure it. If I couldn't, I would faint like today."
Gu Jiao hummed in agreement: "But my husband and Long Yi seem to be alright."
Yu Jin nodded slightly: "The young marquis and Long Yi are exceptions."
Marquis Xuanping was displeased.
Xiao Heng is one thing, he's her son, but why is Long Yi an exception?
Yu Jin hurriedly explained, "Long Yi wasn't able to get close to the princess from the beginning. It was because the young marquis liked Long Yi so much that he always pestered him. As Long Yi spent more time with the princess and the young marquis, the princess gradually started to treat him like a child."
Therefore, in Qin Fengwan's eyes, Xiao Ji was a proper, masculine, and powerful man.
Marquis Xuanping raised an eyebrow.
Wait, something still doesn't seem right.
Yu Jin looked at Marquis Xuanping and said earnestly, "My lord, the princess did not mean to dislike you. She just cannot get along with men. Please do not blame her anymore."
Marquis Xuanping frowned and murmured, "So she really did take the wrong medicine that night..."
"What did you say, Lord Marquis?" Yu Jin didn't hear clearly.
Marquis Xuanping said calmly, "It's nothing."
So he was making an antidote for a woman?
After taking Princess Xinyang's blood pressure, Gu Jiao said, "Aunt Yujin said that the princess's condition has improved in the past two years, but she suddenly fainted and collapsed today. She must have suffered some kind of shock in the palace. Does the Marquis remember?"
Marquis Xuanping certainly remembered it.
Princess Xinyang started acting strangely after Empress Xiao mentioned the old Liang King and his wife.
After leaving Zhuque Street, Marquis Xuanping returned to his residence.
Steward Liu, who hadn't gone to war, hadn't seen his master for months and was so excited his eyes lit up: "My lord! You're finally back!"
"Alright." Marquis Xuanping waved his hand impatiently, sat down in a chair, and said, "Do you know the old King Liang?"
Steward Liu said, "Uh, I know him. He's the ninth uncle of His Majesty and Princess Xinyang. Why is the Marquis suddenly asking about him?"
Marquis Xuanping said, "Investigate his relationship with the old Princess Liang."
Manager Liu asked, "May I ask why?"
Marquis Xuanping glared at him, and Steward Liu shrank back sheepishly, saying, "I can't."
“We don’t need to investigate everything.” That would be too time-consuming. Investigating information is like fighting on the battlefield; you have to get to the heart of the matter. Marquis Xuanping thought for a moment and said, “Just investigate what’s related to Princess Xinyang.”
Steward Liu looked utterly speechless: "My lord, you've gone through all that trouble. If you want to investigate Princess Xinyang, just say so."
Marquis Xuanping said calmly, "What? Can't I investigate?"
Steward Liu hurriedly chuckled awkwardly, "Yes, yes, yes, you're a marquis, who can't you investigate? But you don't need to investigate anymore. Just ask me anything you want to know. I'm from the old Liang Prince's mansion!"
Marquis Xuanping's lips twitched as he looked at him: "You have this kind of experience?"
Steward Liu coughed lightly and said, "I... I'm not an important person. I was just a handyman in the old Liang Prince's mansion. Later, when the old Liang Prince moved to his fiefdom to build his own mansion, I didn't go with him."
"You're not going to come, are you?" Marquis Xuanping exposed him.
Manager Liu gave a forced smile.
He was still young then, just a lowly servant, so naturally he wasn't qualified to go to the fiefdom.
Marquis Xuanping continued, "Then tell me about the old Liang King and his wife. Is it true that they dote on Princess Xinyang?"
Without hesitation, Steward Liu replied, “It’s true! It’s more real than real gold! The old Prince Liang loved music and kept a troupe of actors in his mansion. I was only eight years old at the time, and I came in with the troupe. Later, the troupe disbanded, but I didn’t leave. I stayed and worked as a small handyman. I heard from the mansion that the old Prince Liang and his wife doted on the late Emperor’s seventh princess.”
At that time, Princess Xinyang had not yet reached marriageable age and had no official title. She was the seventh child, so the servants called her the Seventh Princess.
Steward Liu continued, "The old Liang King and his wife often visit Princess Xinyang in the palace. They have no daughters or granddaughters, so... they have always cherished Princess Xinyang as their most precious treasure."
Marquis Xuanping said, "I know all that. I heard they even invited Princess Xinyang to stay at their residence for a while."
Manager Liu exclaimed excitedly, "That's right, it really happened! The opera troupe was disbanded because of Princess Xinyang!"
"What do you mean?" Marquis Xuanping frowned.
Steward Liu recalled for a moment and said, "I remember... Princess Xinyang was only six or seven years old that year. She came to stay at the manor for a while, and the old Princess Liang specially instructed the opera troupe to arrange a few operas that children would like to watch. The troupe leader arranged... I forgot what he arranged. I just remember that I took a knife and walked around on the stage."
"She loves listening to opera?" Marquis Xuanping has never seen her listen to opera in all these years.
Manager Liu shook his head: "Thinking back now, it seems the princess didn't really like it. She sat quietly between the old King Liang and the Queen, each of them holding her hand affectionately. The maids and servants below the stage were all laughing, but she remained expressionless."
Marquis Xuanping's gaze darkened: "How did the disbandment of the opera troupe get involved with her?"
Manager Liu said, "One late night, Princess Xinyang suddenly came to the opera troupe. The troupe leader asked her what she wanted, but she didn't answer. The troupe leader thought she wanted to listen to the opera, so he went back on stage and sang a few more operas for her. Then the troupe leader said to her, 'Seventh Princess, it's getting late, shall we sing again tomorrow?' She..."
These events happened a long time ago, and Steward Liu couldn't remember them very clearly. But for some reason, when he suddenly thought about it today, Princess Xinyang's eyes at that time became incredibly clear in his mind.
"She seemed to be pleading."
Manager Liu said blankly.
But she still left in the end.
One person walked away.
The next day, news spread throughout the mansion that Princess Xinyang had broken her leg.
It is said that she fell and was injured on the way back from the opera troupe. Princess Liang blamed everything on the opera troupe and disbanded the troupe without explanation.
Marquis Xuanping pondered for a moment and then said, "Then let me ask you, has anyone in your household ever bullied her?"
Without hesitation, Steward Liu said, "Of course not! The Liang King and Queen dote on the princess, and no one dares to bully her! I remember once, the old Liang King's son got into an argument with the princess for some reason and pushed her to the ground. It was grass, so it didn't hurt, but when the old Liang King found out, he hung his own son up and beat him severely!"
Marquis Xuanping said thoughtfully, "Qin Fengwan's personality... isn't very likable, is it? Of all the princesses, she's the most reserved and least like a child. The Liang King and Queen don't like the lively and lovely Ning'an, nor do they like the well-educated and reasonable Deqing, but they seem to favor her?"
Steward Liu laughed: "The princess is the most beautiful!"
That's true.
Of all those princesses, Xinyang was the most beautiful from a young age.
In the afternoon, Marquis Xuanping still went to Zhuque Avenue.
Gu Jiao was brewing medicine in the small kitchen.
Marquis Xuanping walked over and asked Gu Jiao, "She hasn't woken up yet?"
Gu Jiao tossed a slice of ginger into the medicine jar: "She woke up once, took her medicine, and went back to sleep."
Marquis Xuanping gazed intently and asked, "Can her illness be cured?"
Gu Jiao said, "A mental illness requires a mental cure."
A remedy for the heart.
Qin Fengwan, what is your heart medicine?
After Gu Jiao finished brewing the medicine, she kept it warm on the stove and told Yu Jin that the princess must drink the medicine first when she woke up, as it was to be taken before meals.
"Are you going out?" Yu Jin asked.
"I'm going back," Gu Jiao said.
Yu Jin smiled and said, "After staying for a few days, it's time to go back and visit. I'll take care of things here, Princess, so you can go without worry."
Yu Jin prepared a car for Gu Jiao.
On the way back to Bishui Hutong, they would pass by Liu Yisheng's house. As they passed that hutong, Gu Jiao said to the driver, "Stop for a moment, I have something to do."
"Yes, Dr. Gu!"
The coachman stopped the carriage at the entrance of the alley.
Gu Jiao was just checking to see if Liu Yisheng had returned, not expecting much. But before she could even knock, a white figure darted over the wall and rushed into her arms.
"Little Ten!"
Gu Jiao hugged the chubby little dumpling in her arms.
The chubby little dumpling snuggled against her affectionately.
Gu Jiao smiled slightly.
Who's here?
Liu Yisheng opened the chipped wooden door in the courtyard and saw Gu Jiao standing outside.
Gu Jiao, dressed in a green robe, still looked like a young girl in her prime, but there was an unintentional air of fierceness and ruthlessness between her brows.
Liu Yisheng's gaze froze for a moment.
Gu Jiao said, "You're back?"
She meant to come back.
This proves that she knew he had gone out earlier.
Liu Yisheng explained, "Granny Wen is getting old, so I'm sending her back to the countryside... to return to her roots."
Granny Wen was the old nanny who used to serve in the courtyard. She was old and frail and could no longer move around easily.
Liu Yisheng took her to live in the countryside for a while.
Gu Jiao suddenly realized: "So that's how it is, then she..."
Liu Yisheng said, "She has passed away."
Her children were all gone; it was Liu Yisheng who saw her off at the end.
“He passed away peacefully in his sleep.” Liu Yisheng made way for him. “Come in and sit down.”
Gu Jiao carried the chubby little dumpling into the courtyard: "I was just passing by today, I didn't expect you to actually be home. Yuan Tang asked me to bring you some things, I'll bring them to you in a bit."
Liu Yisheng led Gu Jiao into the main room and poured her a cup of tea.
Someone is cooking in the backyard.
She was Anu, the last servant by his side.
Gu Jiao's gaze fell on the several trunks on the chair: "Did you just get back, or are you leaving again?"
Liu Yisheng followed her gaze to look at her and Anu's luggage, and said, "I was actually planning to come find you. I need to say goodbye."
Gu Jiao's expression froze: "You're leaving the capital?"
"Hmm." Liu Yisheng smiled with relief. "I'm leaving, but it might not just be leaving the capital."
“You must leave Zhao Kingdom,” Gu Jiao said.
Liu Yisheng smiled helplessly: "There's nothing I can do. I lost a bet with someone. I understand the principle of honoring a bet."
Gu Jiao said, "So you remember."
Liu Yisheng took out three hairpins from the brocade pouch: "I've always remembered, but Granny Wen is not well, and I can't leave her here alone."
Gu Jiao nodded.
Like something he would do.
Thinking of something, Liu Yisheng said seriously, "But don't have too high hopes. I'm just going out to study. Good things like being ennobled and appointed as prime minister won't fall into my lap."
Gu Jiao did not refute.
Liu Yisheng carefully put away the three hairpins: "Before I leave, I have a question for you."
Gu Jiao said, "You go ahead."
Liu Yisheng hesitated for a moment, then mustered her courage and asked, "Why... are you so kind to me? Is it really just because I'm a patient at the clinic?"
“No,” Gu Jiao said.
Liu Yisheng's eyes lit up: "That is..."
Gu Jiao smiled and said, "You've already asked one question."
Liu Yisheng choked, and after a long while, she gave a bitter smile: "That's true."
Gu Jiao noticed a bamboo flute standing on the chest: "You like playing the flute?"
Liu Yisheng said gently, "I like it."
Gu Jiao said "Oh," and then asked, "When are you leaving?"
Liu Yisheng said, "We will depart in an hour. My identity is special, and it is inconvenient for me to leave the city when there are many people around."
Gu Jiao nodded and looked at him: "Is the carriage ready?"
Liu Yisheng smiled and said, "It's ready."
Gu Jiao said, "Then I'll go get Yuan Tang's things for you."
Liu Yisheng opened her mouth: "No need to make a special trip, I'll have Anu go with you to get it."
"good."
On an ordinary night, Liu Yisheng, who had lived in the capital for twenty-two years, finally mustered up the courage to board the carriage that was about to leave.
He wasn't allowed to leave the capital, so he spent some money and used some underhanded methods.
He exited through the west gate.
He didn't know if he would ever be able to return, but he had to go.
As he passed Phoenix Pavilion, he suddenly heard the melodious sound of a guqin, as beautiful as heavenly music.
Liu Yisheng felt a jolt in her heart.
He yanked the carriage curtain tighter, then suddenly stopped just as he was about to rip it open.
Anu turned her head and gestured to ask him if he wanted to get off the bus.
He glanced in the direction from which the music was coming, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes, but he shook his head and said, "Tell the carriage to slow down."
Anu slowed down the car.
The melodious sound of the zither drifted over, like the sound of the heavens and the murmur of a mountain stream.
He had never heard such melodious and graceful music in his life, and even the court musicians could not produce even a fraction of it.
Liu Yisheng slowly took out the bamboo flute in his hand, placed it to his lips, and followed up with her zither music.
She was seeing him off.
A fleeting melody is sent to a close friend.
She thanked him for the kindness he showed in her past life, and he thanked her for recognizing her in this life.
Please give me a monthly pass, mwah~
(End of this chapter)
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