Chapter 890 Mother and Son Reunited (Qing Ge VS Xinyang)
In November, the border region is bitterly cold.
That night, Shangguan Yan came from Pucheng and went to the military camp first.
She only heard that the eldest grandson of the emperor had arrived after she entered the city. Based on her understanding of her two sons, one was looking for a wife and the other was looking for a younger brother, so they were most likely in the military camp at the moment.
As expected, she found Gu Jiao and her two brothers in the Marquis of Xuanping's tent.
Shangguan Qing was already asleep, and Gu Jiao was giving him an IV drip.
He hasn't had a good appetite lately, and Gu Jiao has been giving him IV fluids from time to time.
But tonight, the atmosphere inside the tent seemed unusually heavy.
Shangguan Yan's expression changed: "What's wrong? What happened? Is Qing'er not feeling well?"
Shangguan Qing's condition was not good to begin with. He had been relying on medicine from the Imperial Preceptor's Palace to suppress the toxicity, making him appear no different from a normal person. In fact, his body was already on its last legs.
Ye Qing said that he wouldn't suffer too much during his journey, but he would become increasingly drowsy, and one day he might fall asleep and never wake up again.
Xiao Heng told Shangguan Yan about Shangguan Qing's idea.
Shangguan Yan slumped into a chair, stunned: "Has he really decided to do this?"
Go to Zhao Kingdom.
This means he has completely given up on the antidote.
The journey to Zhao Kingdom is long and arduous, and no one can guarantee that he won't succumb to poisoning on the way.
What if he gets poisoned? Wouldn't all this trip have been for nothing?
The thought of her son dying alone on the way back to Zhao Kingdom made Shangguan Yan feel as if her heart was being torn apart!
She didn't want to miss seeing her son one last time!
"Aheng... I can't bear to part with him..."
At this moment, she was not the fierce and loyal princess, but just an ordinary mother.
However, she also understood that she did not have the right to stop Shangguan Qing from seeing Princess Xinyang.
"Lord Hou, Chang Jing, and Ye Qing are heading north. I inquired and found out that Dark Night Island is in that direction. If the journey were easy, they would have taken Shangguan Qing with them long ago. The fact that they didn't means this trip was fraught with peril."
The far north has extremely harsh weather, with blizzards raging across the ice plains, and with the arrival of winter, it becomes impassable even for experts.
Shangguan Qing may have understood this point, which is why he decided to give up waiting for Zicao.
He wanted to use the last moments of his life to return to his country and see his home one last time.
To see his mother.
Shangguan Yan choked up as she said, "Back then, I took him away without asking if he agreed..."
Now he's grown up.
He couldn't decide his own birth, or even choose his own life, but he hoped to be able to choose how he left.
Whether he lives or dies, it should be his choice.
Even after taking the purple gromwell root, there is only a one in ten thousand chance of survival. If he fails, he will never be able to return alive.
Whether he chooses to gamble on this "what if" or risks his life to see his mother is a decision for him to make.
Inside the tent, Shangguan Yan held her son's hand and cried all night.
...
This winter in Zhao Kingdom was exceptionally cold. The capital city saw its first snowfall at the end of October, and snow fell for a full two weeks in November.
After entering the twelfth lunar month, the weather cleared up for a few days.
In a house on Zhuque Street, Princess Xinyang sat quietly by the bed, embroidering.
Previously, her desk only contained writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, but at some point, they were all replaced with various kinds of fabrics.
She felt stuffy in the room, so she called Yujin to open the window.
A young maidservant entered.
The maidservant smiled and said, "Aunt Yujin has gone out. What are your orders, Princess?"
"Open the window," Princess Xinyang said.
"But it's very cold outside," the maid said, worried about her health.
Princess Xinyang said calmly, "I'm hot."
"Then, we'll just drive for a little while," the maid said.
"Yes." Princess Xinyang nodded.
The maidservant went around the table and used the lever to open the window frame.
A cold wind carrying snowflakes drifted in, and Princess Xinyang felt a refreshing coolness that cleared her dizzy head considerably.
The little maid shuddered.
It's so cold!
It's snowing again!
Princess Xinyang did some embroidery while enjoying the cold wind. Her maidservant, not daring to let her stay in the cold wind any longer, lowered the window lattice, risking being kicked out.
"Aunt Yujin said that you can't be exposed to cold winds, you can't eat cold food, you can't..." The little maid lowered her head and said very hesitantly.
"Alright, I didn't say I was going to punish you." Princess Xinyang didn't intend to argue with a little maid, but she had been sitting in the room for an hour and was indeed getting restless.
"Give me the cloak, I'm going out for a walk," she said.
"Ah, yes." The maidservant nervously took the cloak and draped it over Princess Xinyang's shoulders.
Princess Xinyang got up, and with her swollen legs, walked out of the house and onto the veranda.
The snow in the yard was swept clean, and non-slip grass mats were laid on the ground.
The maid held an umbrella for her.
“Let’s go take a look at the greenhouse,” Princess Xinyang said.
"Yes," the maid replied, carefully supporting her.
The master and servant went to the flower room.
The house was originally quite large, but Princess Xinyang loved growing flowers, so she used half of the house as a greenhouse.
Charcoal was burning inside the greenhouse, making it very hot.
The maidservant understood that her princess wasn't going to admire the flowers; she wanted to check if all the old clothes from before had dried.
As soon as the two arrived at the entrance of the greenhouse, they heard a hushed conversation coming from inside.
"What do you think the princess was thinking? Why would she dig out old clothes from so many years ago and ask us to wash and dry them?"
"Keep your voice down, don't let anyone hear you."
"So what if I heard it? Do you think I'm the only one saying this? Everyone's been talking about it behind my back!"
What are you sending?
"The princess... actually has two sons!"
"What?"
"These children's clothes are half the young marquis's and half another young master's. It's just a pity that the other child was unlucky and died before he was a month old! You tell me, it's fine for us to wash and dry the young marquis's clothes, but why wash the other child's clothes? Washing the clothes of a dead person during the New Year is so unlucky!"
The news that the young Marquis of Zhaodu had returned alive had already spread throughout the capital.
Although news of Xiao Qing's identity had not yet spread outside, the servants who came behind closed doors overheard some of it while she and Yu Jin were tidying up their clothes.
The little maid didn't dare to breathe. She turned to look at Princess Xinyang, and sure enough, the princess's face was icy cold.
The two maids, perhaps sensing the cold gaze behind them, turned around in a daze. Upon seeing Princess Xinyang, they were so frightened that they knelt down on the ground with a thud!
Princess Xinyang walked over quickly.
The little maid was terrified: "Princess! Please slow down!"
Princess Xinyang approached the two men and shouted angrily, "Get up! You've dirtied my son's clothes!"
The maid who had spoken rudely just now happened to be holding a small garment that Xiao Qing wore when he was born.
The maidservant handed the soiled clothes to Princess Xinyang, her hands trembling.
Princess Xinyang looked at her son's dirty clothes and, for some reason, felt a surge of sorrow.
"Princess!"
Yu Jin returned from shopping. She heard that Princess Xinyang had gone to the flower room, so she hurried over to take a look.
But then I saw this scene.
She didn't immediately ask the two kneeling maids what they had done wrong, but instead directly ordered the maid, "Take them away first, I'll deal with them later!"
"Yes!" The maidservant folded the umbrella in her hand and handed it to Yu Jin.
Yu Jin took the oil-paper umbrella and whispered to Princess Xinyang, who was on the verge of emotional collapse, "Princess, Jingkong has come to see you."
After Xiao Jingkong returned to the capital, he often came to visit Princess Xinyang. Yu Jin just ran into him at the door.
Princess Xinyang liked Jingkong very much. When she heard him coming, she pulled herself out of her extreme emotions and took the soiled clothes back to the room herself.
After studying at the Imperial Academy for a month, Xiao Jingkong returned to his former appearance. He will be six years old after this New Year's Eve.
But he still looks like he's five years old, which is really worrying me.
Princess Xinyang had a bowl of goat milk cooked for him, with honey and red beans added; it was very delicious.
After finishing his meal with great relish, Xiao Jingkong sat on a stool and chatted with Princess Xinyang.
"Princess, you look radiant today! You're getting more and more beautiful!"
Princess Xinyang was amused by him: "Really?"
“Of course, and,” Xiao Jingkong looked Princess Xinyang up and down, opened his mouth, and said, “she’s become even cuter.”
Princess Xinyang exposed him: "That's not what you meant to say."
"Ah." Little Jingkong raised his two little hands and scratched his head. "You noticed that too... Well, Jiaojiao told me to say that!"
"Has Jiaojiao returned?" Princess Xinyang asked.
Xiao Jingkong shook his head and said seriously, "No, Jiaojiao said it before! Jiaojiao said that you can't say a girl is fat. If a girl is fat, she's so cute she's practically overflowing with cuteness!"
"Pfft—" Yu Jin, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but burst out laughing.
If you want to say the princess has gained weight, just say so.
However, the princess has not gained weight.
"What did you learn at the Imperial Academy today?" Princess Xinyang stopped talking about the previous topic and instead asked about his studies.
"Today we learned the Classic of Filial Piety." Xiao Jingkong recited the entire lesson from memory and then explained it in his own words.
Princess Xinyang nodded, agreeing that everything she said was correct.
She patted his little head: "What a smart child."
Xiao Jingkong's eyes darted around: "Am I smarter or is my brother-in-law smarter?"
Princess Xinyang was amused by him: "You're both so clever."
Xiao Jingkong frowned deeply, looking as if he had a bitter and resentful look on his face.
Why are both the bad brother-in-law and him smart?
My brother-in-law is such a bad guy, he always comes in last place in exams.
The fact that he asked this question subconsciously meant that he had already acknowledged that his bad brother-in-law was very clever, but he just hadn't realized it himself.
He straightened his small frame and said, "I will become the top scholar in the imperial examination before my brother-in-law!"
At this time, Xiao Jingkong was unaware that although he had indeed become the top scholar in the imperial examination earlier than his bad brother-in-law, he was not the top scholar in the civil service examination.
"Clear the sky! Time to go archery!"
Xu Zhouzhou's voice came from outside the door.
"Oh dear! I forgot to go archery with them!" Xiao Jingkong jumped off the stool, bowed politely to Princess Xinyang, and said, "Princess, I'll be going now. I'll come to see you another day."
"Alright." Princess Xinyang nodded gently and instructed Yu Jin to help Xiao Jingkong onto the carriage.
When Yu Jin returned, Princess Xinyang was tidying up the little dress that had been soiled by the maid.
“Jingkong and Aheng looked so alike when they were little.” So seeing Jingkong was like seeing Aheng half a year younger, which made Princess Xinyang miss him very much.
Yu Jin smiled and said, "Isn't that right? They're all smart, they all like to be number one, and they're all secretly mischievous."
When Xiao Heng was a child, he wasn't as well-behaved as he seemed. If you forbade him to climb trees, he would climb them secretly. If you forbade him to eat candy, he would sneak into the kitchen with Long Yi.
Princess Xinyang would occasionally get so angry that she wanted to beat him, but he would still know to call for a dragon to take him away and wait for her to calm down before returning.
Thinking of Xiao Heng's childhood, Princess Xinyang initially found it amusing, but after a while, her expression turned sorrowful.
She lowered her head, stroking the small garment in her hand, and said calmly, "Tell me, what would it be like if Qing'er were still alive?"
Are you as mischievous as Ah Heng?
Is he as smart as Ah Heng?
Are you as full of mischievous ideas as Ah Heng?
Is he suited for literature? Or martial arts?
Would he prefer to travel around or stay by her side?
Yu Jin looked at her with concern: "Princess..."
Princess Xinyang shook her head, suppressing the pain of losing her son: "I'm fine, it's just that I keep thinking about that child lately."
Yu Jin glanced at the small garment in her hand: "Seeing this reminds me of you, Princess. I'd better put the young master's clothes away."
Princess Xinyang didn't speak. She glanced at the table and said, "Xiao Jingkong's book is left here. Find someone to deliver it to Biyue Alley later."
"Okay," Yu Jin replied.
A soft knock came from outside the door.
"I'll go open the door," Yu Jin said.
She arrived at the gate and pulled it open forcefully.
Yu Jin saw a familiar figure, with exquisite features and a refined demeanor. He had lost some of his youthful naiveté and gained a mature, composed, and dignified air about to come of age.
Yu Jin was startled: "Young Marquis! Princess! The Young Marquis is back!"
"Aheng?" Princess Xinyang was overjoyed. Without even putting on her cloak, she hurriedly came out of the house.
Amidst the swirling snow, she saw the son she had been longing for day and night.
Xiao Heng was covered in snow, indicating that he had been standing at the door for a while.
He stepped across the threshold, but did not immediately go forward to reunite with Princess Xinyang. Instead, he turned around and looked behind him.
"Come in."
"elder brother."
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(End of this chapter)
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