Chapter 74: He didn’t care if there was another sword stuck in his heart.
Yu Qing blurted out: "Xie Jing!"
She was about to jump in, but stopped halfway through—no, if it were just her, it would be fine, but there were too many people around. It was getting warmer, so she dressed lightly. If she fell into the water, she might... and it would be hard to change clothes.
At this moment of hesitation, there was a "thump" sound beside him, and Xie Jing's guard jumped down first.
The river bank here is not very high, and although the water below is deep and turbulent, at least no one will die if they fall into it.
As long as he doesn't drown and sink to the bottom, he will float downstream and the water will be flat. There are many people there and they will definitely be able to rescue him.
But the problem was, the frightened horse was also thrashing in the river, getting very close to Xie Jing. Yu Qing was worried he might get hurt. The guard wasn't a very good swimmer either, and struggled to pull Xie Jing to the side, bobbing and weaving, unable to keep a firm grip. Seeing this, Yu Qing said, "Two more capable swimmers, go down!"
Fortunately, there were many attendants, and two more people followed, and they finally stabilized themselves a little in the rapids and avoided Ma Shun River and went down.
The group of people near the low bank in the distance were also startled by the noise upstream, and waded into the water to pull a few people ashore.
Yu Qing hurried over, passing through the mess of people, and saw Xie Jing coughing wetly, and finally felt relieved.
"I'm glad everyone's okay!" Xie Tingchen said. "What happened? Out of nowhere, did they fall off with the horse? They didn't even pay attention!"
A servant who was watching over the horses hurriedly said, "Your Highness, that horse just now, I don't know if it stepped on a nail or a thorn, it suddenly broke free and we couldn't stop it!"
There was no point in asking for accountability at this moment. Yu Qing frowned, asked the guard to take off his coat, and put a piece of clothes on Xie Jing first.
Fortunately, he did not suffer any external injuries and did not drown, otherwise it would have been a serious accident.
After what happened, let’s not talk about Nanhu or barbecue for now. We have to settle King Jing first.
Xie Jingbei's car was parked halfway up the mountain, and it was now of use, so he could send him back home safely.
Xie Tingchen angrily scolded the servant who was watching the horses and seemed to have punished him. Then he sent someone to the palace to deliver a message, so that the prince would be informed of any unexpected events.
"Are you still going to Nanhu?" someone asked weakly.
There was silence for a long moment, and finally the bunch of gluttons started saying, "Go ahead, go ahead. The boat's already booked. We finally managed to get so much food, we've got to eat it! We can figure out the rest tomorrow!"
Yu Qing was speechless for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "I won't go."
·
As the group walked down the mountain with their prey, Yu Qing felt a stir in his heart. He turned to his attendant and said, "Go back and see if we can get the horse back."
She felt uneasy, thinking it was too much of a coincidence, as if the horse was heading towards Xie Jing.
She didn't know if she was overthinking it or if there really was something fishy going on, but she decided to confirm it just in case.
On the way back, Yu Qing rode his horse absent-mindedly.
I always think of the scene where Xie Jing was holding his coat tightly, his face pale.
It's already cold in the mountains, and if you fall into the water, you'll be blown by the wind. The return journey by carriage will take at least an hour, and I don't know how long it will take to get back.
After returning to the city, Yu Qing sent several Xuanlin Guards to inquire and was told that King Jing's carriage had just arrived at the palace. Later, the imperial physician also rushed over to check and said that he should be fine.
That night, the guards who had landed at Weiyun Mountain came back to report that they had fished out the drowned horse and examined it. They found that there was indeed a spike on its hoof, and the reins seemed to have broken at a weak point, which was consistent with the statement of the servant at the time.
This did not dispel Yu Qing's suspicion.
A startled horse is indeed difficult to control, but with so many people heading in so many directions, why did they choose to head towards Xie Jing? Could it be that because he was dressed brightly, even horses liked him? Impossible.
Thinking about it carefully, Xie Jing probably didn't come into contact with other people throughout the whole day. Apart from the guards who followed him all the time, only Xie Tingchen walked with him for a while.
And Xie Tingchen was not friendly to him at all.
Was it Xie Tingchen who did it? Or was it someone else who was mixed up in his team?
The Marquis of Xuanbei and the Marquis of Zhongwu were both renowned military generals, and had been family acquaintances for generations. Although Yu Qing had a neutral opinion of the Fifth Prince, she had known him for many years, and despite her years away from the capital, she felt he hadn't changed, or rather, hadn't made much progress.
Therefore, when I think of Xie Tingchen, I always feel that he has a straightforward look and does not have the meticulous mind to plot against others behind their backs.
But Yu Qing thought again, you can know a person's face but not his heart, so who can see clearly?
She can't even see through the person next to her. She should learn from her mistakes.
She had once believed in Princess Qingjia, but now the thought of her was baffling and terrifying. Qingjia had never existed. A phantom, a mask, yet so real.
She was suddenly stunned when she thought of this. She actually started to suspect others because of Xie Jing? Wasn't he the one with the deepest secrets and the most thoughts?
Thinking carefully, why did he come hunting for no reason? Or did he follow Xie Tingchen on his own initiative? If he hadn't come, who could harm him?
Xie Tingchen wasn't a shrewd person, but he had a group of aristocratic families behind him. Prince Rui must have been reluctant to openly touch him. Xie Jing was so good at feigning innocence, but who knew he wasn't framing the situation? Xie Tingxuan's body was still warm.
She found that once she saw Xie Jing, she couldn't help but favor him and protect him. She almost forgave everything and thought that all the good things were his.
Only when I am away from him and alone can I wake up and think of his deception, betrayal, and my own long-lasting pain.
People can't be fooled again and again.
But Xie Jing's obviously panicked face, and the heart-wrenching moment when he tried to catch him but failed, did he have to act so convincingly? Aren't they afraid of getting into trouble?
But he was indeed safe and sound in the end. If she had not been there, his guards might have taken her place... In short, he would not have really died under the horse's hooves.
·
Yu Qing's mind was in a state of conflict. Even when he fell asleep, he felt his mind was still in a mess. The last thing that came to his mind was Xie Jing, who was soaked and bloodless.
She had a dream.
People often cannot distinguish between the past and the future in dreams. At first, she did not realize that there was anything wrong with the other person's appearance. She even came to the person in a daze, and then found that the face was full of tears.
"Why are you crying?" Yu Qing asked hurriedly.
Qing Jia said, "You don't pity me."
Yu Qing was quite bewildered by such accusations: "I pity you..."
Qing Jia said, "You pushed me into the river and didn't come to save me."
Yu Qing: “…”
She was speechless and explained: "It's not like that, I... I..."
Then she suddenly realized, was this Qing Jia, or Xie Jing? Was she trapped in the same nightmare again?
When he looked up again, Qingjia, who was crying silently, was gone. Instead, it was Xie Jing, who was soaked and looked aggrieved.
"You said you would protect me and not doubt me," Xie Jing said softly, "You must not have remembered..."
When she woke up, the morning light was dim. She buried her face in her palms, calmed her breathing, and vaguely understood why she had that dream.
If it was Qingjia, she would definitely fly to protect her without hesitation, or pull her into her arms to keep her safe; taking a step back, she would at least be faster and more agile, and catch her to prevent her from falling; in the worst case scenario, if Qingjia fell into the water, she would definitely not hesitate and would save her first no matter what.
Afterwards, no matter who is suspected, she will pursue it to the end and repay them double.
But she didn't do that to Xie Jing, but she didn't stand idly by either, she just held back. In essence, she still saved him, this was the second time, she had done her utmost.
Why should she feel guilty?
Yu Qing kept reminding himself not to confuse him with the princess.
But...isn't he the princess?
Yu Qing felt herself breaking apart, but she forced herself to suppress her turmoil. To put it bluntly, the princes had always fought fiercely against each other, with winners and losers alike. Why bother with this? If it were the Sixth or Eighth Prince, she wouldn't have bothered.
The same goes for Xie Jing. He and her have no other relationship.
As expected, the palace summoned people today to inquire about the incident of Prince Jing falling into the water. There were many witnesses present. Xie Tingchen and the group of young masters had the same story. It was because of a frightened horse that Prince Jing was hit. He happened to be close to the shore and fell into the river while trying to avoid it. He was quickly rescued by the guards.
When meeting with Prince Rui alone, Yu Qing told him the truth: "...Prince Jing and I weren't together the entire time yesterday. I only remember that, besides the guards, he only interacted with the Fifth Prince. The frightened horse did have a hoof injury, but it was heading straight for Prince Jing, which is a bit suspicious."
Prince Rui frowned, and just when Yu Qing thought he was going to ask for details, he only said, "...Why weren't you and him together the whole time?"
Yu Qing: “……?”
King Rui sighed, his face solemn, and said, "Forget it, I understand, you can go now."
I guess he has started to plan to settle accounts with the Fifth Prince. Who knows how much trouble there will be in the future.
·
Yu Qing had been on duty at the Beichen Division for the past two days. After returning home in the evening, she heard someone report that a guest had arrived. She went to the front hall and found it was Xie Jing's maid, Dong Li.
"Your Excellency," Dong Li whispered, "This is Xuetuan."
It turned out that she had sent the dog back. After Xie Jing mentioned it last time, Yu Qing did not go to his house to get it, so she asked the maid to send it back.
Yu Qing asked someone to take the dog away first.
They were all acquaintances, and Yu Qing had always been nice to them. After knowing that they had been helping Xie Jing hide the truth, she sent them back directly, and they never met again after that.
Dong Li knew she was in the wrong and acted timidly. Yu Qing didn't want to get angry with her, so he asked, "Is everything okay in the palace?"
Dong Li nodded and said, "Well, Qiu Lian and I are still with His Highness. Actually, I have always wanted to thank the prince, but I didn't have the chance to say it..."
"You're welcome," Yu Qing said calmly, then casually asked, "How is your prince now?"
Dong Li seemed to be waiting for this sentence, and hurriedly said, "I caught a cold in Weiyun Mountain last time and had a fever for two or three days. I'm feeling better today, but I can't leave the house, so I asked this servant to bring Xuetuan here first."
Yu Qing: “…”
She thought it was just a fall into the water, and thought that drinking some hot soup and having a good night's sleep would be fine. How could it be so precious? Yu Qing paused: "Then..."
Dong Li raised his eyes cautiously, and Yu Qing said, "Then let the housekeeper pack some tonics for you to take away."
"..." Dong Li said, "Okay, thank you, Prince."
·
Xie Jing had been recuperating from his illness for a few days, and he didn't expect that he would be so unlucky. In fact, the cold was not a big deal, and he shouldn't be unable to get out of bed. However, being soaked in cold water and being blown by the mountain wind triggered his old illness. Logically, he should have recovered long ago. He had only had occasional dull pain before, but this time it was particularly severe. It might be that the remaining toxins in his body were released.
Prince Rui came to visit him several times. He was drowsy before and didn't say much. Today he seemed to be a little more energetic.
"Let Duan Zhirui follow you from now on," Prince Rui said, "your side is still not peaceful."
Xie Jing said gloomily, "Yeah."
Prince Rui asked him if he had noticed anything suspicious that day. Xie Jing sighed and said, "I didn't pay much attention to others. Let me think about it..."
Prince Rui didn't need to guess who he was targeting. Xie Jing had stayed in the capital, watched over by the Golden Feather Guard and the Black Dragon Guard, so he wouldn't have gotten into any serious trouble. But who knew he'd fled to the outskirts of the capital, leaving him unattended and in such a state? Seeing that he hadn't fully recovered, Prince Rui couldn't bear to scold him, so he finally said, "Now you know who to save first when someone falls into the water? Save my brother! Yu Qing doesn't care about you at all."
Xie Jing: “…”
I really didn't expect that after so long, King Rui was still brooding over this issue.
He said, "Yu Qing is in charge. If she hadn't helped, I would be dead now. Besides, she wanted to save me. I heard her calling my name..."
Prince Rui was so disappointed that he said, "Xie Jing, Xie Jing, how could our family produce a romantic like you!"
Xie Jing took this as a compliment.
When Dong Li came back later, Xie Jing immediately asked, "What did you say?"
Dong Li said: "The prince accepted the snowball."
Xie Jing: "...what else?"
"...The prince is still very concerned about your highness's condition," Dong Li said. "I heard that you were bedridden and was very worried. I wanted to come and visit you, but he said he was busy with things over there and was afraid he couldn't spare the time. He asked me to bring you a message, asking you to rest more and recover soon..."
Xie Jing said faintly, "It's fake, right?"
Dong Li was immediately dejected: "Well, he really didn't say that, I made it up."
Xie Jing sighed, "It's really fake!"
Dong Li: “…”
She said, "But the prince sent some medicinal herbs, lots of boxes, would you like to take a look?"
Xie Jing sighed, "Just leave it there."
So the imperial physician who stayed in the palace temporarily received a box of medicinal herbs, which he sorted into categories and put into the warehouse. When he opened a box, he was dazzled - ginseng of this size was rare even in the imperial palace, and it took hundreds of years to grow?
·
Everyone left, and Xie Jing sat alone in the room, staring at the flickering lights, his eyes dry.
After days of hardship and depression, he was truly exhausted, both physically and mentally. He had even run out of tears and no longer had the energy to feel sad.
I don’t know what to do, and nothing I do will help.
He no longer had the right to show weakness or shed tears. Even if he fell off a cliff, sick and haggard, he would not receive charity.
...Let's stop here.
This thought flashed through his mind for only a moment, and the despair in Xie Jing's heart was rekindled. He grasped the brocade in his hand tightly.
Even if he was hated and despised, he didn't want to let go. If they became strangers in the future, he would never rest in peace. Anyway, things had come to this point, it couldn't get any worse, and he wasn't afraid of more pain.
After all, Xie Jing didn't really live for more than twenty years in vain.
He knelt at the palace gate from day to night, was harshly criticized in the dark Buddhist temple, cried heart-wrenchingly in front of a corpse bitten to death by a snake, felt a life worse than death at night when the medicine took effect, and did needlework with the maids to exchange for charcoal fire in the palace where water turned to ice... He endured it all, and there was no hardship he could not endure.
In addition to forbearance and waiting, he is also best at enduring hurt.
Therefore, if it can be exchanged for the treasure he wants, he doesn't mind having another sword stuck in his heart.
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