“This servant knows, but, Miss, even so, if the Emperor finds out that you are Xie Lingqin, the eldest daughter of the General’s Mansion, then… that would be the crime of deceiving the Emperor. The Emperor wouldn’t need to find any other pretext; one charge would be enough to destroy you forever.”
Zihe spoke earnestly, her eyes filled with worry.
At this moment, Tridacna also stepped forward to dissuade her, "Miss, Sister Zihe is right, this trip is too dangerous."
"But once the danger passes, all will be calm. What if I could gain the Emperor's favor through my identity as Yan She?"
Xie Lingqin's question left Zihe and Tridacna speechless.
If a young lady could gain the emperor's favor by being a man, that would indeed be a good thing.
"rest assured."
Xie Lingqin continued, her expression calm and her brow bone clear.
However, Zi Sa and Che Qu exchanged a glance and both knew that since the young lady had made up her mind, she would definitely not change her mind, so they said nothing more.
"Just in case, Zihe, you and Tridacna will guard the courtyard together. If anything unexpected happens, either of you can pretend to be me lying on the bed. Also, although I have already told my maternal grandfather and cousin that I am fine, it was just to cover it up. But now that I am injured, my cousin, uncle, and aunt may come to see me. You should receive them properly."
"yes."
Xie Lingqin then changed into men's clothing, making herself look flawless. However, when she stood up, she glanced at the light green dress with white tinges next to her, her eyes filled with a gentle tenderness.
In the end, it was Yuwen Yao who made the clothes for her.
"Wash these clothes carefully and put them away properly."
"yes."
Zihe and Tridacna should know exactly what kind of clothes the young lady wears.
Zihe had mentioned this garment to Tridacna yesterday when she returned, so Tridacna naturally knew where it came from.
Thanks to Yuwen Yao's instruction, Xie Lingqin's skills were even better than before, and she seemed to be able to climb over walls and courtyards with much more ease than ever before.
The residence of Elder Dong.
Old Master Dong was not alone; he had a son and a daughter, and his son was born late in life. However, his wife lived in the outer city, not in the capital.
Therefore, in the huge courtyard, only Old Dong was managing the medicinal herbs, and people would come to him for treatment from time to time.
When Xie Lingqin arrived at Elder Dong's residence, she could see from afar that the carriages for the journey were already prepared outside the gate.
Old Master Dong was carrying his medicine box as he walked out of the house.
Xie Lingqin landed quietly in front of Elder Dong.
"Hello, Mr. Dong."
"you……"
"It's only been a few days, and Mr. Dong doesn't recognize me anymore?"
Old Master Dong's eyes gleamed as he looked Xie Lingqin up and down before stroking his stubble and chuckling, "Hehe, I knew you were alright, you brat. So, what do you want?"
"You didn't remove those needles from His Majesty's back, did you?"
Upon hearing this, Elder Dong nodded slightly, "We are trying to come up with a solution."
"Take me there, I'll get it out for you."
"you?"
Mr. Dong was clearly suspicious.
"certainly."
Xie Lingqin pointed to herself, her expression calm, "In the capacity of Yan She."
"You want the Emperor to value you?"
"Old Dong is wise."
Xie Lingqin added, "Elder Dong, you can tell others that I am your last disciple."
Old Master Dong looked at Xie Lingqin, thought for a moment, his eyes, full of fine lines, twitched slightly, and then he nodded, "Alright, but..."
Then he changed the subject again, "The palace is not like any other place. You must be careful and make sure no one notices anything amiss. I am old and it doesn't matter to me, but you have plenty of time ahead of you."
Xie Lingqin smiled upon hearing this, "Don't worry, Mr. Dong, I value my life even more than you do."
So Xie Lingqin followed Elder Dong out of the mansion and got into the carriage.
The carriage headed towards the palace.
"I heard that the Fifth Princess will be entering the city early tomorrow morning."
"Yes, I'm afraid the Emperor is going to arrange a marriage for the Fifth Princess."
"How could we commoners possibly fathom such thoughts..."
"However, two years have passed, I wonder if the Fifth Princess is still as playful as before..."
Listening to the discussions outside the carriage, Xie Lingqin's eyes seemed to be deep in thought.
Actually, she had been curious about why the Emperor was going to bring the Fifth Princess back to the capital at this time. If he had previously used the Imperial Guards to test the Prince Qing's Mansion, now that he had actually brought the Fifth Princess back...
Hearing what was being said outside, she suddenly wondered if the Emperor intended to marry the Fifth Princess to Yu Qingyi.
After all, the two are about the same age.
If you can't kill him, then keep him firmly under your control. The Emperor is capable of doing that.
Just like before, the seventh princess was betrothed to her maternal grandparents' family, but after something happened, they were abandoned without hesitation.
It is said that even after her death, the spirit tablet of this princess was not placed in the royal ancestral hall.
However, Mr. Dong seemed a little too quiet today.
Xie Lingqin turned her head and looked at Old Dong, who had his eyes closed and seemed to be asleep, and called out, "Old Dong, Old Dong."
I called him twice, but he didn't move an inch, as if he were sleeping peacefully.
“Young Master Yan, please stop calling me. Elder Dong returned from the palace very late last night, and got up very early this morning because he had to go to the palace. He must be extremely tired right now.”
Outside the carriage, Dong Lao's personal servant hurriedly spoke up.
Xie Lingqin nodded upon hearing this, "I understand."
This servant boy was, of course, unaware of Xie Lingqin's identity.
However, having understood this, Xie Lingqin, seeing Old Master Dong's kind and gentle expression through the dim light of the slightly swaying carriage curtain, moved forward a few steps.
This old man, Dong, was highly respected and possessed superb medical skills, yet he was also a master of martial arts, making him mysterious and unknown to outsiders.
Could it be that beneath this aged and peaceful exterior lies...?
Xie Lingqin slowly approached, her gaze sweeping across Old Dong's face.
However, there was absolutely no trace of a human skin mask.
Xie Lingqin looked puzzled, then suddenly remembered that the human skin mask that Ming Lan used when he impersonated Yu Qingyi the night before last, according to Ming Lan, was so convincing that you couldn't tell the difference unless you touched it yourself or looked at it closely.
That……
Xie Lingqin narrowed her eyes and pulled at Old Dong's chin with her finger.
This book was first published by Xiaoxiang Academy; please do not reproduce it!
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