Qiao Xiuyu originally wanted to take a short nap in the hot water bath—but Shang Shaoyan had warned him that it was not good to do so, as it could easily cause him to catch a cold or faint. So Qiao Xiuyu was now simply forcing himself not to sleep.
Just as he was dozing off, a burnt smell wafted into Qiao Xiuyu's nostrils, instantly waking him up.
Qiao Xiuyu was very familiar with this smell; it was the smell of burnt food. He and Qiao Yu used to sneak into Empress Cheng's small kitchen to cook for fun, and burnt food always tasted like this!
He frowned with some doubt—this cook from the Northwest…he remembered her cooking skills were quite good?
How could the food have burned? Qiao Xiuyu wondered as she quickly got out of the bathtub, put on her clothes in a few quick movements, and prepared to go see what had happened, lest she miss lunch.
It's not a big deal if he goes hungry, but what if An'an gets too hungry?
Qiao Xiuyu used to deliver meals to Shang Shaoyan every day, and sometimes he would cook a few dishes himself, so he naturally knew where the kitchen was. He rushed over, but did not find the cook.
Only his An'an sat on a small stool, her face covered in ash, her clear phoenix eyes sparkling cleanly as she stared at a bowl of burnt food with a sullen face and puffed-out cheeks.
Qiao Xiuyu: "..."
He chuckled and rubbed his forehead, then stepped forward, squatted down in front of Shang Shaoyan, and said gently, "You originally wanted to cook, didn't you?"
Shang Shaoyan glanced at him listlessly and said with little enthusiasm, "Yes, I thought you must be tired and hungry after your long journey back, so I wanted to make you something to eat."
Qiao Xiuyu smiled and reassured Shang Shaoyan, "You've never cooked before, so this is normal... We can eat out."
Shang Shaoyan sighed sadly, looking at the blackened bowl of burnt food in front of him with a hint of defiance: "But I just wanted to make something for you to eat... Yan Xuening sent me a letter a few days ago, saying that she made some desserts for Li Langxuan, and Li Langxuan was happy for several days."
Qiao Xiuyu patted Shang Shaoyan's head, her voice tinged with a hint of helplessness: "You are different from your cousin. You are destined to move freely in the sword fights of the battlefield and the imperial court. These hands of yours can wield a sword and hold a pen, so why do you have to make them cook?"
Shang Shaoyan was stunned for a moment, then smiled and looked at Qiao Xiuyu somewhat shyly: "You're quite good at comforting girls."
Qiao Xiuyu smiled and wiped the dust off her face, saying gently, "You're wrong, you're quite good at comforting Princess Heyang."
Shang Shaoyan couldn't help but smile, her eyes crinkling. She leaned close to Qiao Xiuyu's cheek and kissed him: "Qilang, I really like you more and more now."
...
Nanchen, located outside the city of Diannan.
A luxurious carriage traveled along the road, surrounded by many guards. A few coughs could be faintly heard from inside the carriage, followed by mournful cries.
The woodcutters and villagers passing by couldn't help but glance at the carriage several times, but they were glared at by the guards and shrank back, no longer daring to watch the excitement, and hurried on their way with their heads down.
The carriage curtain was lifted slightly, and a pretty maid-like woman with slightly red eyes glanced at the scenery outside. She then lowered the curtain and looked at a sickly-looking woman inside the carriage, saying in a tearful voice, "My lady, please wait a little longer, we'll be there soon."
The young woman was beautiful, with a delicate and graceful air about her. She frowned slightly, which made people feel sorry for her. She was truly a sight to behold: "It's alright. If I hadn't been able to hold on, it would have been fate."
Upon hearing this, the maid burst into tears again, knelt before the young lady, and cried, "My lady is such a good person, how... how could it be... Heaven is truly unjust!"
The young woman smiled somewhat reluctantly and patted the maid's shoulder reassuringly: "Good Zisu, don't cry anymore. From now on, remember to burn more paper money for me today... I have no children, I only regard you as my own sister..."
Then she closed her eyes and fainted.
Zisu was terrified. She quickly checked the young woman's breathing with trembling hands. After finding that her breathing was weak but still present, she breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but lean over to the driver and say, "Faster! My wife can't hold on much longer!"
The driver responded and then sped up, but still kept his speed in mind of the woman's well-being.
Zisu sat inside the carriage, looking sadly at the young woman.
The woman's breathing grew weaker and weaker. She tried to open her eyes, but she couldn't. In a daze, she saw her own tragic life.
She was originally the only daughter of the governor of Qianzhou, surnamed Tao, and named Ying Shi. Tao Ying Shi's mother was the governor's principal wife. Before giving birth to her, she had already given birth to three sons. When she had Tao Ying Shi, she naturally loved her like a precious jewel. Her three elder brothers and two half-brothers also loved her very much. Therefore, Tao Ying Shi was raised with utmost pampering.
A few years ago, the governor of Qianzhou returned to the capital to report on his duties. At that time, Emperor Wen was on the throne. The Southern Chen Dynasty was not yet in such dire straits as it is now, but many festering sores were hidden in the shadows. Emperor Wen seemed to be mild-mannered, but he was actually extremely suspicious and insisted on having the entire Southern Chen Dynasty under his control.
Governing a country in this way makes it difficult to be thorough in all aspects, which leads to his inability to understand everything completely, and his subordinates naturally become arrogant.
Under such circumstances, Tao Yingshi being favored by the fourth prince at the Lantern Festival and forcibly taken as a concubine can only be considered an insignificant incident among countless tragedies.
Tao Yingshi was usually innocent and carefree, but she was also fiercely independent and would rather die than submit; moreover, her five older brothers were also against it, but how could they possibly fight against the fourth prince?
Not long after, the governor of Qianzhou was accused of treason, and his entire family was imprisoned. Tao Yingshi, for the sake of her family, gave herself to the fourth prince.
She thought life would continue like this, but little did she know that the Fourth Prince was ruthless and felt deeply humiliated. So, after forcibly taking Tao Ying, he threw her to his guards and then, with another beautiful concubine in his arms, watched her being humiliated with a smile.
Tao Yingshi thought this was the worst thing that could happen, but when she woke up in the middle of the night and wanted to commit suicide, she suddenly heard that everyone in her family had been executed by the Fourth Prince.
Tao Ying broke down.
She didn't understand what she had done wrong, or what her family had done wrong. She had simply gone to see a lantern festival and dressed up nicely; her family had only wanted to protect her and try their best to rescue her...
Tao Yingshi wanted to die, but the Fourth Prince wouldn't let her. For a period of time, he would throw Tao Yingshi to the guards every day and clap his hands and cheer.
Tao Yingshi gradually became numb, but later, this numbness turned into extreme hatred—why did she and her family do nothing wrong, yet they did not get a good result; why can vicious people who disregard human life live in luxury?
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