It seems her mother's history is truly spectacular.
When the long-sealed bow and crossbow were unveiled with the red cloth, revealing themselves to the world, countless people were stunned by their appearance.
Xie Lingqin watched Li Junru walk step by step toward the crossbow, watching the crossbow stand resilient and tenacious in the sunlight, its broken and stubborn nature evident. Her hands, hidden in her sleeves, tightened little by little, her palms seemingly covered in sweat.
Take a deep breath.
Xie Lingqin knew that this feeling did not come from her, but was the body's own instinctive reaction.
No one knows what this bow and crossbow represented to the original owner.
Whenever the original owner was bullied, scolded, or wronged, she would secretly run here in the dead of night, hide behind the red cloth, and cry silently against the bow and arrow.
That was her only outlet.
That's why she hasn't developed a psychological problem all these years.
She thought her powerful mother would protect her and make her better.
But in the end, she died, and then she came.
Xie Lingqin took another breath and suddenly looked at General Xie over there.
In an instant, it felt as if even the soul itself was attacking.
General Xie was also watching the crossbow, but suddenly felt a gaze directed at him, the governor. He turned his head and saw that it was in the direction of the crown prince.
He shook his head.
You must have misjudged the situation.
"Hey, little girl, do you want to pull down that crossbow?"
Yu Qingyi suddenly turned around and asked.
"I don't want to," Xie Lingqin said succinctly.
Yu Qingyi, feeling rebuffed, touched his nose and remained silent.
“It’s good that you don’t want to,” the Crown Prince said meaningfully, looking at Xie Lingqin.
Xie Lingqin raised an eyebrow, as if her secret had been seen through by the Crown Prince, and immediately looked away.
"Boom!" A tremendous roar.
Just as the arrow touched the string, Li Junru suddenly collapsed onto the crossbow, which was as tall as a man.
The sound was the impact of his fall.
"Quickly, help Young Master Li down."
"Someone come here..."
The Minister of War's expression changed, and he immediately stepped down from the stands and forward.
The emperor also stood up, looking ahead with a solemn expression.
So in the end, no one moved the bow and crossbow, and the red cloth was covered again.
The top three have been decided, and the crowd gradually dispersed.
...
Xie Lingqin naturally found Zihe and secretly returned to the General's Mansion.
"Miss, tell me, how could it be such a coincidence that Young Master Li fell on that crossbow?"
Zihe couldn't help but be curious.
Xie Lingqin put down her teacup, her voice tinged with a hint of sorrow and sarcasm, "Because someone wants the people of this world to forget forever, to forget that radiant and beautiful woman."
Zihe was startled upon hearing this, "Miss, you mean..."
"The nine-layered palace is a place of unbearable cold at its height. Even as an emperor, there are things he cannot do."
Xie Lingqin sneered and mocked.
Zihe shook her head, "Alas, this servant finally understands. With the emperor watching above and officials observing below, the position of general is not easy to hold, so naturally they don't care about you, Miss, and that's why all these years..."
Xie Lingqin interrupted Zihe, saying, "Go to sleep early. Tomorrow might not be a good day."
Zihe wanted to ask, but didn't know where to begin.
That night, some were happy, and some were sad.
The next day, early in the morning, in the courtyard of the second aunt, the second aunt and Xie Lingyu had joy on their faces.
"Lingyu, do you know that your cousin ranked second in the top three in this year's autumn examination?"
"Really!" Xie Lingyu was shocked and overjoyed upon hearing the news. The lingering gloom on her face vanished instantly. She held her second aunt's hand and asked, "Mother, how did you know?"
“Of course.” Second Aunt nodded. “Your cousin sent the message. Although I was confined, I still had my eyes and ears. The results came out yesterday. However, you knelt all night the night before and needed to rest, so Mother didn’t tell you. Besides, your cousin didn’t need our help during his trip to the capital, which was also to avoid gossip.”
Even though the second aunt usually hid her feelings the most, she was beaming with joy as she spoke, patting Xie Lingyu's hand, "When I married your father, I was just the daughter of an ordinary merchant. My family was not short of money, but in the end, my status was not as high as that of someone with great power. Now, our family has produced this one. I heard that she went to the palace to meet the emperor and was highly praised by him."
“My cousin is both scholarly and martial, and his temperament is open and bright. I knew he was extraordinary.” Xie Lingyu smiled broadly, fiddling with her sleeves as she looked at her second aunt. “Mother, now you’ve finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel. Father will definitely rescind his order, and the power to manage the family will return to your hands.”
"Of course, even though Xie Lingqin's mother has been dead for so long, your father hasn't officially recognized me as his wife. He's still wary of Xie Lingyu's family. But so many years have passed. The once-powerful Xie family has long since declined since Xie Lingqin's mother's death. And over these years, your father, because of some unclear reasons, not only lost his military power but also desperately tried to keep a low profile in front of the Emperor. And now..."
The second concubine paused slightly, picked up the teacup beside her, took a sip of tea, and sneered arrogantly, "Now that my maternal family has someone to rely on and will not pose a threat to the royal family, your father will naturally be happy. From then on, the day when I am officially recognized as the legitimate wife will be just around the corner, and you will truly bear the title of legitimate daughter in the future."
The more the second concubine spoke, the more her smile deepened. She handed the teacup to the maid beside her, then looked at Xie Lingyu, straightening her back even more. "A small act of impatience can ruin a great plan. We've persevered for so many years, so we must not make any mistakes in the future. Heaven is indeed good to us."
Xie Lingyu nodded and immediately admitted her mistake, "Mother, I know. I've been too impetuous these past few days."
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