25. Entering the mansion
◎The prince broke his promise this time◎
Chapter 25
Jiang Qiuye woke up in bed, rubbed her forehead, and slowly stood up. She looked around. It was an unfamiliar environment. The decoration was not luxurious, but it was extremely clean and elegant.
At this time, a tall maid walked in. Seeing Jiang Qiuye sitting up, she immediately came forward and put a few pillows behind her back, saying with a smile, "The girl is awake."
Jiang Qiuye asked doubtfully: "Where is this place?"
Of course she had guessed what this was, but she had to pretend anyway.
The maid pulled up Jiang Qiuye's bedding, took two steps back and said, "This is Prince Qi's Mansion. I am Mingyue, the maidservant, and I am here to take care of you, my lady, under the orders of the prince."
Prince Qi's Mansion.
The Qi Wang Mansion was given by the previous emperor when Ji Ci was fifteen years old.
It is said that when Ji Ci was young, he was well-versed in poetry and literature at the age of three, and shot a large eagle in front of the emperor at the age of five. When the emperor visited various countries, he could penetrate a copper coin and break through five armors with a single shot, thus making his archery famous throughout the world.
Although the Former Jin was destroyed and the Later Jin was rebuilt only a few years ago, the Prince Qi Mansion, bestowed by the late emperor, is one of the most magnificent residences in Shengjing. Its vast grounds, prime location, towers, terraces, and waterside pavilions, once brought in countless rare birds and animals.
Jiang Qiuye tightened her grip on the quilt, concealing her inner excitement. She looked around the empty room and asked, "Where's the prince? How long have I been unconscious?"
Mingyue said, "The young lady was attacked last night and has been unconscious since then. It is now the 9:00 pm of the following day. The prince went to court early in the morning and has not returned yet. The imperial physician came to see the young lady and said she is still feverish and seriously ill. The prince asked you to rest well in the mansion. Would the young lady like to eat now?"
"Thank you." Jiang Qiuye nodded. The emotions that had been tense for a long time finally relaxed, and his stomach felt empty in an instant.
After drinking a simple bowl of pumpkin porridge, Jiang Qiuye put on a cloak and strolled around the courtyard.
The servants in the courtyard were just like Ji Ci, serious and never smiling, and they didn't even give her a second glance.
What she didn't expect was that the Prince Qi's Mansion was indeed quite simple. Although it looked very grand from the outside, there were actually not many courtyards suitable for living inside. For some reason, most of them were in a state of desolation.
It seems that its owner is just like it, with a glamorous body but revealing decadence and abandonment.
decadent?
Ji Ci? How is that possible?
Jiang Qiuye thought of the handsome man and rejected the idea that suddenly popped up in his mind.
The entire palace seemed empty, but it was actually heavily guarded in secret. It turned out to be the right decision not to break in at night.
After walking around, Jiang Qiuye was so bored that she returned to her original dormitory.
It was not until noon that Jiang Qiuye finally heard the sound of Ji Ci coming down from court. She was originally sitting at the table, but she immediately ran back to the bed, pulled the quilt over her, and pretended to have just woken up.
Hearing his movement, she turned over and rubbed her eyes, then stood up with some difficulty, looked at him happily, and said, "The prince is finally back."
Ji Ci was still wearing the royal attire of the dynasty, a dark blue suit with a jade belt around his waist.
He hummed and was walking towards the bed. Before he could say anything, Jiang Qiuye reached out and grabbed his arm, pulled him down and sat him down on the bed.
Even now, Ji Ci was still not used to such sudden physical contact. He moved slightly to the edge of the bed so as not to touch the quilt covering Jiang Qiuye.
"I'm glad you're awake. The doctor said you should get more rest."
"Your Highness." Jiang Qiuye's eyes quickly turned red as she looked at him. She threw herself directly into Ji Ci's arms, hugged his waist, breaking the boundary between them, and said weakly, "I'm scared."
She was afraid of the soft voice.
Ji Ci suddenly gave up trying to push her hands away, and finally they could only hang helplessly on the bed.
It had been a long time since he met someone who needed his physical comfort. Perhaps in his more than ten years of life, he looked down on this type of comfort.
Just this soft and trembling limb made him recall the white cat in his arms when he was a child.
The little widow and the weak white cat are of the same type, the type that will not be disgusted even if his safe distance is severed.
He had never encountered such a situation before, so he could only offer comfort: "Ms. Wang has been arrested, and only three or four of her assassins have escaped. But don't worry, I have already issued arrest warrants, and they will be brought to justice soon. This way, the Zhang family case will be closed."
Suddenly, he felt a wetness on his chest and froze, feeling a little overwhelmed. He lowered his head and looked at Jiang Qiuye who buried her face in his chest.
Why is the young widow...crying again?
Yes, we encountered such a dangerous situation last night. The fire burned down Guihong Hall, and we were attacked by assassins.
Fortunately, he didn't have to hold on for long. Jiang Qiuye stood up and let him go at the right time. Her eyes were a little red and swollen, and her cheeks were covered with tears. She pouted and said, "Your Highness has broken his promise this time."
"......how?"
"Did the prince ever promise me that he would protect me and save my life?"
Ji Ci looked aside unnaturally and said, "Yes, the king promised."
Jiang Qiuye snorted and turned her head away, no longer looking at him.
He suddenly didn't know what to do. He had never tried to comfort anyone who was angry, so he just asked with a stiff neck, "What, what happened?"
Jiang Qiuye's voice was muffled, and she never looked at him as she said, "But, I almost died yesterday."
“…”
Ji Ci knew he was in the wrong and really had nothing to say.
She turned slowly, her eyes not fixed on his face. "If I hadn't been quick-witted and noticed the plum blossom tattoo on Master Wang's arm in time, and if I hadn't tried every possible way to delay them, I would have been dead long ago. I couldn't even defeat those men in black at the time, and I had to keep using tables and chairs to dodge. Many times, I almost died at the hands of their swords."
As he spoke, the tears in Jiang Qiuye's eyes began to fall again, and he burped twice.
Ji Ci pondered and said, "That's right. Last night, I was negligent. There was a change of duty among the secret guards, so they left for a while. Later, they failed to report in time, which caused me to arrive late."
"Yesterday, I went to the Imperial Prison. After I left, I heard the secret guards report, and I immediately dispatched troops to Guihong Hall."
Imperial prison?
Jiang Qiuye suddenly thought of the sealed medicine shop. Snow Owl was most likely caught. Was he also interrogated and tortured?
But looking at Ji Ci's current appearance, he probably still doesn't know the relationship between her and Snow Owl.
Never mind, you can’t think too much about this. The more you think about it, the easier it is to discover something suspicious.
This belated report was a blessing in disguise, otherwise how could she have fallen into a coma and been carried directly to the palace?
"Your Majesty."
"What's wrong?" Ji Ci was particularly patient when facing the sick Jiang Qiuye.
"How's Guihong Hall? I remember there was a big fire."
Ji Ci paused, "Well, it's already burned."
"Burned...burned out? Then I will have nothing left, right?" Jiang Qiuye hung his head, his shoulders shaking slightly, looking extremely weak and helpless.
Ji Ci felt a little guilty when he thought about this. Guihongtang had been built up step by step in Shengjing City with all the dowry of the young widow. From having no guests at all to becoming famous in the capital, it was her capital for survival.
He was also responsible for the destruction of Guihongtang.
"Do you remember how it caught fire?" Ji Ci asked.
Jiang Qiuye nodded and looked at him. "We were on the second floor at the time. I was talking to Manager Wang, and I couldn't delay any longer. She attacked me directly, knocked over the candlestick, and started a fire."
"I never imagined that Supervisor Wang was the true culprit behind the Zhang family tragedy. Even more tragically, she turned out to be General Dingbei's daughter. The Pinghui Campaign was incredibly unfair. Suddenly, I realize that Zhang Liang is truly a heinous criminal, and Supervisor Wang is truly a pitiful figure."
"General Dingbei's daughter... I never thought that was her true identity." Ji Ci pondered for a moment. "In fact, I suspected there was something else behind the Pinghui Campaign years ago, but I never found any evidence. General Dingbei is a man of great righteousness, while Zhang Liang has suffered repeated defeats in several battles since he ascended to the rank of General of the Cavalry. It's truly an undeserved title."
Jiang Qiuye twisted her fingers, looked at him with her peach blossom eyes, and said with sadness and coquettishness, "Your Highness, what do you think I should do from now on?"
“…” Ji Ci thought silently.
Jiang Qiuye forced a smile towards Ji Ci, her dimples faintly visible, like a little sun. "I no longer dare to hope to stay in the palace. I know there are many secrets involved. However, I still have a small wish. I still want to continue preparing medicinal food for the prince every day in the future. For me, seeing the prince have an appetite and his health getting better day by day, I will be satisfied."
Ji Ci suppressed the strange feeling in his heart, his expression remained indifferent, but his voice became a little gentler, and he said: "Then...are you going back to the Anguo Mansion?"
"No, of course I don't want to go back there." Jiang Qiuye immediately knelt down and hugged herself, trembling uncontrollably. She turned her head away, "Why don't you just let me wander around."
It was really pitiful to see the young widow trembling with fear.
In fact, when he brought her back to the palace last night, he had already recognized his responsibility.
Ji Ci finally sighed and said, "In that case, you can stay in the palace first. When you find a new place to live, you can move out. How about that?"
Jiang Qiuye smiled secretly in his heart, but hesitated on his face and said, "Will it not... disturb the prince?"
"No, just stay here and let Mingyue take care of you."
"Thank you, Your Highness. You are so kind to me." Jiang Qiuye smiled sweetly, reached out and grabbed his sleeve, shaking it slightly like a spoiled child.
Ji Ci couldn't help but curl up the corners of his lips slightly, but quickly suppressed it.
Seeing this, Jiang Qiuye whispered tentatively, "Brother Jian Xi is so nice."
Ji Ci was stunned, as if he didn't hear clearly, and asked: "What did you say?"
"Nothing, nothing." She immediately shook her hands and then her head. "Oh, I'm still a little dizzy. Let me sleep for a while."
After saying that, she lay down, turned to her side, and closed her eyes.
Seeing this, Ji Ci tucked the corner of the quilt for her and stood up to leave. The moment he turned around, the corners of his mouth finally couldn't hold it anymore and raised again.
Brother Jian Xi...
This time, when the young widow called him that, he didn't seem to be offended at all.
…
Ji Ci was always busy. After coming back at noon, he left the palace without even having lunch.
He did not restrict Jiang Qiuye's activities, nor did he let the secret guards follow and monitor him every day.
Although she was ill and still needed to rest, she still found an excuse to buy herbs and went out to look for an antidote.
Today she didn't even tie her hair into a bun. She just casually tied it up with a silver hairpin, put on a fox fur cloak, and went out directly.
When she passed by Guihong Hall, she saw that the former building had now become a pile of ruins and was sealed off. Although this herbal medicine restaurant was just a tool for her to get close to Ji Ci, she still felt a little reluctant to leave.
The owner of Guihongtang also disappeared in the fire, along with the painting "Ladies with Guihong in Autumn".
After walking across another street, you will see the Jishun Tang Pharmacy, which has already closed down.
She stood at the door of the pharmacy and did not go closer, but just glanced around casually. People came and went, each doing their own thing.
At this time, a scholar who was setting up a bookstall called out to her, "Are you the owner of Guihongtang?"
After hearing this, Jiang Qiuye turned around and found that the scholar looked familiar. After thinking for a while, he remembered that he was the person who participated in the debate and policy essay at Jingshan Academy.
At that time, she also listened to this person talk for a long time about the implementation of the new policy reform.
She walked forward, glanced at the books on display, and said with a smile, "There's no Guihong Hall anymore. Just call me Miss Qiu."
"Yes, yes, Miss Qiu." The scholar spread out the books on the stall. "Is there any book you would like?"
She felt a little sorry when she thought that the books and stories she had saved were also burned.
"Do you have the 'Jade Pressing Chronicle'?"
She remembered that she had not finished reading the story.
The scholar smiled, searched in his bag beside him, and actually found the book.
When she handed it to Jiang Qiuye, she felt the scholar also handed her a pill. She was a little stunned. This person...
"My name is Zhang Yi. I've been staying at Jingshan Academy for many years. I came to Shengjing to earn some money selling books."
"Thank you, I'll remember that." Jiang Qiuye paid the money and then looked at Zhang Yi.
The other person smiled slightly and whispered, "Don't worry, Miss Qiu. The one in the temple has already been sent away. And the one in the imperial prison has already left."
She slowly raised her eyes and looked into Zhang Yi's sinister gaze. She understood that the person in the temple he was talking about was Jin Hong, and Xue Xiao was already dead.
The dead will keep their secrets, so she doesn't need to worry that he will confess under torture.
She turned and left, her expression unchanged. But suddenly she thought of the old man with the white beard in the drugstore, and a feeling of regret she had never felt before came over her.
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