Chapter 62: When Huoshui is quiet, he looks like her; when he smiles, he looks like her; even when he frowns, he looks like her...
As power has steadily shifted to the Xuanlin Guard, the size of the Jinyu Guard has begun to decrease. They are now mainly responsible for the palace inner gardens, ceremonial banquets and sacrifices, and eventually nearly one-third of the guards will have to be reorganized.
On the Xuanlin Guard side, Yu Qing promoted a group of capable old subordinates, and together with the young men sent in by the major families, it can be said that the guards are full of talents and have a great momentum, and they are unstoppable.
Yu Qing has become a popular and powerful official in the outside world. Flattery from all sides has come one after another. The Marquis' Mansion receives a basket of visiting cards or invitations every day, which cannot be sorted out.
The rumor she had spread before that "the prince of Xuanbei was destined to be unlucky in marriage" has now been completely forgotten, but she is firm in her attitude and has a proud personality. If the prince does not agree, others will never dare to force him to do so.
But the opportunity to establish a relationship with the Xuanbei Marquis' Mansion is too tempting. If the direct branch of the Marquis' Mansion cannot be found, then look for the side branches. There are a lot of young people in the family who are talking about marriage this month, and you can imagine how many people are here to make relatives.
Even her sister and brother-in-law who lived far away in Shu received so much condolences that they wrote letters home and sent them to the capital.
Yu Qing has no feelings for the clan. Every generation of the Marquis' Mansion has earned their own achievements and has no family support at all. On the contrary, they have brought their entire family to prosper.
When her eldest brother got into trouble, many clansmen set their sights on the Marquis' Mansion. Fortunately, she was able to become the crown prince in the end, otherwise, if the Marquis' Mansion had fallen into their hands, it would have been squandered within three generations.
Yu Qing has already given orders that even if members of the Yu family come to visit, if their intentions are wrong, they should be sent away. The housekeeper should make his own arrangements and not let them bother his parents.
If anyone dares to use the name of Xuanbei Marquis Mansion to commit evil and bully others, report it to her, she will immediately cut off ties with him and will never provide him with any protection.
As time went by, the perception that the prince was unkind became more and more solidified, and the other family members gradually quieted down.
Everything is normal inside the Xuanbei Marquis Mansion.
That night, she returned to Huaifeng Pavilion from the study and saw Qiying looking around.
"What's wrong?" Yu Qing asked.
"I have a silk handkerchief but I can't find it," Qiying said helplessly, "I wonder if it was lost here."
Yu Qing was very busy, and Qiying couldn't find her to play chess or sword fighting with. These days, when she was bored, she knitted and embroidered. She had already sewed a small vest for Xuetuan and a purse for Yu Qing.
When someone came to look for her, she would put the work in her hands aside and easily forget about it afterwards.
"Let me think about it," Yu Qing said, "I seem to have seen your embroidery basket..."
"I can find the embroidery basket," Qiying said, "but the handkerchiefs are gone. How strange! I haven't finished embroidering them yet."
Yu Qing said, "Could it have fallen somewhere and been washed by the servants? Or maybe Xuetuan took it away. It hasn't been very obedient lately."
Qiying: "Well, it will show up on its own one day."
Neither of them bothered about such trivial matters anymore. As the housekeeper of the Marquis' Mansion, Qiying was also quite busy.
The old marquis always used the best medicinal herbs. Qiying would take people to the herbal medicine shop every once in a while to pick out some newly acquired rare herbs and bring them back to the mansion for storage.
One day, while walking down the street, she heard a commotion ahead. Someone had suddenly fainted from a heart attack, and the servants were calling for help. Qiying went over to take a look. Seeing a young man with a pulse, she thought the problem wasn't serious. She had him laid flat on the ground and pricked a few acupuncture points. The man slowly regained consciousness, and the servants stood by, thanking her for her kindness.
"I don't know your name, young lady. I will come to visit you someday..." said the young man.
"No need for reward, it's just a small favor," Qiying said. "Just in case, it's best to go to the clinic again."
Seeing that the person was rescued, the onlookers dispersed. Qiying did not delay and went straight to the herbal medicine shop.
She remembered that she had just sewn a purse for Yu Qing, and that Qing'er had been very busy lately, and she wondered if she could sleep well at night. She simply grabbed a few herbs, thinking she would mix them according to the recipe first and give them to Qing'er later. If she liked it, she could wear it, and if she didn't, she couldn't.
·
Of course Yu Qing would not refuse Qiying's feelings.
She had given the recipe to Yu Qing before, but Yu Qing hadn't used it then. Firstly, she didn't want to add to her sadness, and secondly, she couldn't bear to use the embroidered satin left by the princess. She'd actually been feeling pretty good recently, and didn't need the spices to help her sleep.
However, when she thought of Prince Rui's sachet, she still felt a little uncomfortable, thinking that he was wearing it.
So she also wore the one Qiying gave her around her waist.
Sachets and purses were common, but when Xie Jing saw one at Beichensi, he was surprised and asked, "Hmm, what is this?"
Yu Qing was puzzled. Of course it was a sachet. Can’t you see it?
Xie Jing seemed very curious. He walked over and said with a smile, "This thing looks very exquisite. Where did it come from...?"
The ending tone took a turn.
Yu Qing was puzzled: "If you want, have someone sew one for you."
Xie Jing looked at the sachet and then at her, frowning and saying, "...Oh."
For some reason, a hint of resentment flashed across his eyes. Yu Qing didn't see it clearly and sat back in her seat, feeling hesitant.
She subconsciously glanced sideways at Xie Jing again, and saw that his expression was still a little…off. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was, but it felt very subtle. She tried to ignore it, but it felt like there was a lump in her chest, neither rising nor falling.
At that moment just now, it was just like...
"Why, do you think my technique isn't good enough?" Qing Jia said softly, "Who else do you want to sew it for? Am I not your wife?"
That was in the hunting ground. Yu Qing's clothes were torn by a branch, and the princess sewed them for her with her own hands.
For some reason this scene popped up in my mind.
Qingjia was delicate and reserved. Even if she was dissatisfied, she wouldn't say it directly, but would endure it quietly and pitifully. Because of this, Yu Qing hated to see her frown, fearing that she might be neglecting him, and always rushed to comfort her.
As a result, Xie Jing's behavior actually made her feel uncomfortable, as if she couldn't feel at ease unless she asked.
“…”
Yu Qing tightened his grip on the pen.
It was fine before, but now Xie Jing was in the same room with him, facing him day and night, and their relationship was inevitably getting closer and closer, and she was becoming increasingly unbearable.
It was as if a poisonous vine had wrapped around my arm, tightening more and more, and I couldn't break free.
There's nothing wrong with Xie Jing, but he looks too much like his deceased wife.
Yu Qing also tried to treat him normally, but was often troubled by that familiar face.
She looks like her when she is still, she looks like her when she smiles, even when she frowns she looks like her.
So every time she would think about it, she would have a tangled mess of thoughts, which made her feel helpless. The mystery of Qingjia's life experience has not been solved yet. She always thought about the secret affairs of the deep palace, the wedding night, the tenderness, and the death of the beautiful woman.
In the end, it took half a day.
Looking at Xie Jing's face, two words emerged in Yu Qing's mind: disaster.
·
Xie Jing had no idea what accusation Yu Qing had put on him, and he sat there full of confusion.
When he saw the sachet just now, he thought he had embroidered it himself and was quite happy.
Looking closely, I wondered where he had embroidered such a pattern before.
Didn't Yu Qing love his own sachets the most? Before he left, he embroidered several and asked Qiying to keep them for him. Qiying was quite reliable, so could she have forgotten about them?
...If she forgot, then she forgot. Xie Jing couldn't blame her. But what he cared about most was who embroidered the new one for her?
A while ago, rumors were swirling in the capital, saying that the Xuanbei Marquis' son, now in control of the Northern Palace Department, was highly respected and might one day dominate the world. Consequently, prominent families were vying to fill the Marquis' mansion with women, and beauties flowed freely through the prince's selection...
Xie Jing was not worried at all, after all, he knew Yu Qing's identity.
But now he was beginning to feel uneasy.
It is true that Yu Qing is a woman and will not be obsessed with beauty, but the Prince of Xuanbei is now at the prime of his life. It is unacceptable that the Marquis' Mansion has not had a mistress. If this problem is not solved, there will always be people who will not give up.
Yu Qing is a person who doesn't like trouble. In order to solve the problem once and for all, maybe he really wants to marry someone else?
When he married into the Marquis's Mansion, didn't Yu Qing have any objections?
They are all women anyway, so if you think about it carefully, there is nothing to be afraid of. At most, you just need to be a little cautious, which can save you a lot of trouble.
When the time comes, he will find a gentle and beautiful girl. Yu Qing is soft-hearted and loves flowers. As time goes by, he and that person will become a harmonious couple. Yu Qing is so good, who can remain indifferent?
Would Yu Qing also dance with her with a sword? Would he listen to her play the piano? Would he also embrace her and fall asleep in the dead of night?
There's nothing wrong with that. Anyone can be the Crown Prince's wife. There are already many people who like her. The girl from the Cui family, the girl from the He family, the princess in the east, the noble lady in the west, there are too many to count.
By then, the person who is a perfect match for the prince in terms of talent and beauty will be replaced.
What about him? What about poor Princess Qingjia?
Who still remembers the original wife whose grave is covered with grass several feet long?
Xie Jing seemed to have already thought of the future situation. He was immersed in the plot he had written alone, and became frightened on his own, feeling his heart sink.
"I'll tell Qiu Lian and the others about this," he thought to himself. "If... there really are any signs, what should I do?"
The two barely spoke to each other the entire morning.
Yu Qing looked at him several times, wondering why Xie Jing was so quiet today. He couldn't even get used to it without his occasional chat.
What is he busy with?
It seems that he hasn't been assigned too many tasks. Besides, hasn't he always been very idle and never in a hurry?
After lunch, Yu Qing came back and glanced at the paper on Xie Jing's desk. There didn't seem to be much content on it, but... Xie Jing's handwriting was a little messy, and the shape of the handwriting seemed a little distorted, which was different from the neat handwriting before.
“…”
Yu Qing frowned slightly.
She picked up the paper, looked at it carefully, and suppressed her doubts.
After noon, someone from Prince Jing's Mansion came to Beichensi and had a message for His Royal Highness Prince Jing. When Xie Jing came back, he said that he had other important matters and had to leave first today.
Yu Qing agreed without asking any further questions.
Xie Jing did not come back that day. The next day was a grand court meeting, and Xie Jing appeared as usual in court robes. After the court was dismissed, Yu Qing was about to ask him if he was going all the way back to Beichensi, but saw Xie Jing walking together with two members of the Chen family.
After they finished talking, Yu Qing followed behind them.
"Your Highness?"
Xie Jing immediately turned around and said, "I was just looking for the prince. Shall we go together?"
The two of them boarded the carriage one after another. Yu Qing thought for a moment before asking, "Those two people just now, if I remember correctly, seemed to be from the Chen family?"
Xie Jing raised his eyes in surprise: "Yeah."
Yu Qing asked, "Your Highness has a good relationship with the Chen family?"
Xie Jing said: "...just okay, what's the matter?"
"The Chen family used to be a family that could be granted titles and appointed as prime ministers," Yu Qing said. "But things are very different now. Two years ago, when His Highness was away from the capital, the Chen family was greatly implicated because of the Third Prince's affairs. You should be careful."
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