Chapter 60 060 Falling Ill, Giving a Blind Eye to the Blind
A-Meng placed the peach branch that her master had given her into a vase and watered it with her spiritual power every day.
Yinye was puzzled. "Your Highness, is there anything special about this peach blossom?"
In the past, the flowers that General Meng gave to the little princess would wither and die with their blooming season. Once they faded, they were simply discarded, and new ones were always introduced every day. If he were to infuse them with spiritual energy like this every time, the little princess would probably have been completely consumed by those flowers long ago.
A-Meng didn't answer. Seeing the new buds sprouting on the peach blossom branches, she smiled happily, hoping that they would grow lush and verdant every day.
This peach blossom is naturally different.
Since the day her master came to the hall to visit her, clad in armor and covered in dust, gave her this peach blossom, and said so many things, A-Meng's feelings for her master had quietly changed.
She couldn't explain what the change was, but she knew that when she saw the palace maids blushing as they spoke to their master, she felt very anxious.
Eager to grow up quickly, she also wanted to grow as slender and graceful as those beautiful palace maids, with a shapely figure, just like an adult.
After General Meng returned, daily training resumed. Although Yan Lie did not explicitly order the lifting of the princess's confinement, he tacitly approved of it all.
A Meng trained even harder than before, but on the training ground, she couldn't help but steal glances at her master, her eyes following him uncontrollably.
Why does Master always wear a mask?
During a break, Ah Meng saw her master painting his beloved again and couldn't help but go over and interrupt him.
The master's eyes remained fixed on the woman in the painting, not paying much attention to the child's attempts to make conversation, and he replied perfunctorily, "Because she's ugly."
A-Meng deliberately leaned her head in front of the painting, forcibly blocking her master's gaze onto herself, then widened her eyes and corrected very seriously: "No, Master is clearly very handsome!"
Seeing the child's serious expression, General Meng couldn't help but laugh and slapped her on the head. "How old are you? What do you know about looking good? How's your swordsmanship? All you do is slack off."
A-Meng covered her head and argued angrily, "I'm not a child anymore, Master, don't always hit people on the head. Have you ever seen a decent man hit a woman's head so casually?"
General Meng was actually judged by his own little apprentice whom he had raised, and was even expelled from the "good man" group, which was both funny and sad.
He put the painting away, stood with his arms crossed, and this time he didn't hit his little apprentice on the head. Instead, he simply raised his foot and lightly kicked her in the buttocks, sending her flying back to the martial arts arena.
A-Meng stared wide-eyed, looking aggrieved.
"Why are you staring like that? Instead of thinking about these nonsense things, you should practice the sword techniques I taught you a few more times. If you encounter a trap in the future, it will increase your chances of survival."
A-Meng: "..."
The little girl practiced her swordplay with a pout, and because of her resentment, her swordsmanship carried a hint of murderous intent.
General Meng, unaware of the young girl's feelings, praised her repeatedly, saying that she had finally made progress.
Lying in bed that night, Ah Meng was still too depressed to sleep, and couldn't help but recall a phrase that her nanny in the palace often said—
She winked at the blind and whispered sweet nothings to the deaf.
At first, she didn't quite understand the meaning of these words, but now she's increasingly grasping their hidden meaning.
...
Ah Meng had no way to express her suffering, and the people in the palace just assumed that she was still troubled by the rumors.
However, Yan Lie's temper has been much calmer recently, and he hasn't done anything to A Meng and her daughter. So the people in the palace no longer dare to point fingers at A Meng, and they have gradually returned to their former respect, as if nothing has changed.
People say it's because General Meng has returned, and His Majesty the Ghost King, disregarding the monk's feelings, has shown some respect for the Buddha.
However, this also shows that General Meng's status in the Ghost Realm is currently at its zenith.
Ah Meng had been carrying a heavy burden in her heart, with nowhere to vent, until one day, she heard a shocking piece of news—
My father is going to arrange a marriage for my master.
When the news reached Fusang Palace, she had just returned from the martial arts training ground. Perhaps due to improper practice of magic that day, she vomited blood and fainted.
When she opened her eyes again, it was already night. She was lying on her bed, and outside the curtains, Yinye was talking quietly with the other palace maids.
"Back then, His Majesty intended to marry Princess to General Meng. I wonder why he has now bestowed the marriage upon someone else."
"I heard that this time the marriage was arranged for Princess Xiyuan."
"Princess Xiyuan? His Majesty's youngest sister? She's only about five or six years older than our Highness, isn't she?"
"Yes, but speaking of which, General Meng is now the tutor of our princess. In terms of seniority, he is of the same generation as His Majesty, so marrying the eldest princess is in accordance with the rules..."
A-Meng stared motionlessly at the bed curtains, trying to imagine the folds at the top of the curtains as some kind of animal, just like when she was a child, making up all sorts of magical stories in her mind.
But this time, she failed.
She couldn't come up with anything more.
Tears silently slid down her cheeks, wetting the pillow. A-Meng turned over and buried her face in the pillow, silencing her soft sobs.
Ah Meng had many dreams. One moment she dreamed that she had become a female goddess, living in the sky, and using a long sword to chop down a huge pillar. Another moment she dreamed that she was locked in a golden cage, talking to someone. Yet another moment she dreamed that she was in an inn on earth, and even did something shameful with her master...
The dream was bizarre and fantastical; her body alternated between feeling hot and cold, her mouth was dry, and her head was throbbing with pain.
In her half-awake state, she seemed to feel a large hand touching her forehead.
"...He's had a fever for three days and hasn't woken up..."
Yinye's voice came from beside her ear; it sounded like she was replying to someone.
A-Meng guessed that it must be her father, but then she remembered that her father was no longer as caring and loving towards her as before. She figured that if she was sick, her father wouldn't come.
Who was the person speaking to Yinye?
...
Ah Meng fully woke up ten days later.
"Your Highness, you're finally awake!"
The first thing that caught her eye was Yinye's face. Because she was so close, her face looked very big, making Ameng lose focus.
"Ah, as expected of the medicinal herbs sent by General Meng, they are truly effective!" The palace maids standing nearby were overjoyed and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Her Highness has rarely been sick since childhood, but when she did fall ill, it was truly frightening.
Upon hearing her master's name, A-Meng blinked twice very slowly, trying to speak, but found her throat too hoarse to utter a sound.
Yinye quickly brought over a bowl of soup to soothe the throat and relieve the dryness, and served it to Ameng.
"Master, has Master come?" A-Meng finally regained her ability to speak.
"Of course! You were unconscious for ten days, and General Meng came to see you every morning. He even came again last night, giving us a snow lotus to make soup for you. You drank it yesterday and woke up today!"
A-Meng listened silently for a long time before softly asking, "Master...shouldn't Master be busy with his wedding?"
"marriage?"
Yinye didn't seem to react at first, and only when she realized what Ameng was asking did she sigh heavily.
"Your Highness is referring to the arranged marriage! Alas, I've been so preoccupied with your illness these past few days that I've completely forgotten about it. Please don't bring it up again! It's said that on the very day His Majesty bestowed the marriage, General Meng refused in court, which enraged His Majesty, who severely punished General Meng!"
A-Meng was startled and quickly asked, "What punishment was given?"
"It seems they were demoted in rank and salary, and also received three hundred lashes," a palace maid interjected.
Three hundred lashes!
A Meng was immediately overcome with anger and coughed violently.
Yinye glared at the talkative little palace maid and quickly tried to soothe Ameng, "Your Highness need not worry. General Meng is very popular in our Ghost Realm. His Majesty did not really intend to seriously injure General Meng. Water was injected during the execution, so the general is fine."
That hurts a lot too.
Ah Meng thought silently.
She was about to get out of bed to see her master, but Yinye pressed her back down.
"Your Highness cannot go out yet; you are not fully recovered from your illness!"
Just then, a palace servant announced that General Meng had come to visit the princess.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
