Chapter 261 Freedom

After Li Jing arranged everything, he found a reason that would not arouse suspicion and left the palace.

After leaving the palace, he hurried to the courtyard outside Beijing.

Su Jingyao has lived here for more than three months.

The maid who was in charge of taking care of Su Jingyao was a mute girl purchased by Li Jing from an obscure underground exchange in the capital.

These few months have been an extraordinary period, and Li Jing has had to be extra careful. Su Jingyao had just given birth, and her looks were not something an ordinary young lady could possess. In a place like the capital, news spread quickly, and he couldn't let anyone suspect anything.

These days, Su Jingyao was contented in the yard.

When tending flowers and plants, his eyes are focused and gentle, as if he is whispering to each flower; when reading, he can forget everything, as if he is amused by the beauty of the book; when playing the piano, his fingers jump nimbly on the strings and his expression is intoxicated.

At this moment, she was holding a watering can and carefully watering the lush crabapple flowers in the small garden.

The crabapple blossoms are colorful, some are as pretty as lotus flowers emerging from the water, some are as charming as the sunset in the sky, and they are truly lovable.

Su Jingyao did not tie up all her long hair, but simply tied it into a bun like she did before she got married, leaving the rest of her jet-black hair casually scattered.

As she bent over to water, her long hair cascaded down to her chest, swaying gently.

Li Jing walked towards her from afar, looking at her figure, feeling a lot of emotions in his heart.

In fact, he noticed that she was very different from before. Just after a trip to the palace, her temperament became so peaceful and distant, as if she was not affected by the world.

He had always known about her ambition and desire for power, so when he learned that she insisted on leaving the palace even though she had already firmly established herself on the throne of empress and was the mother of the country, Li Jing was so shocked that he couldn't recover for a long time.

However, he still did not ask the reason.

If she wanted to leave the palace, he would do his best to help her.

The emperor, who is high and mighty, has three thousand beauties in his harem, and he will select more women in the future.

Perhaps after she became queen, she realized that power was just that, and she was unwilling to spend her life scheming and scheming with other women in the harem to compete for her husband's favor.

Leaving the palace is also good.

Although he could not give her tremendous power, Li Jing was willing to do his best to give her a life of wealth and leisure, and to protect her life of peace and happiness.

Li Jing walked up to Su Jingyao, his eyes gentle, and said softly: "Miss, I'm back."

When Su Jingyao heard Li Jing's voice, she straightened up from bending over to water.

She turned her head and smiled, "Li Jing, from now on there will be no Su Jingyao, the eldest daughter of the Su family. There will only be Ning Qian, the adopted daughter of the Ning family. Just call me Qian Qian."

Li Jing was slightly stunned at first, then said, "Okay, Qianqian."

"elder brother."

Su Jingyao also smiled back at Li Jing, her eyes curved into a crescent shape with a hint of intimacy.

Li Jing's heart seemed to be instantly filled with a warm and fulfilling emotion.

He is an orphan who has never felt the warmth of his loved ones in this vast world. The only one he truly cares about and holds in his heart is her.

He knew very well in his heart that even if she left the palace, it would be difficult for their relationship to make any substantial progress.

However, being her brother and having the identity to legitimately protect her throughout her life is already good enough.

After Li Jing left the palace, he packed his luggage without delay and left the capital with Ning Qian.

Only after arriving at other cities did he begin to handle various matters in an orderly manner.

He selected maids and grooms, and even hired a group of strong guards at a high price to ensure the safety of the journey.

In addition, he also specially called upon a man from the underworld, Zhongli Mingchuan, who was a martial arts expert, quite famous in the underworld, and a close friend of Li Jing.

Knowing that Jun Zechen would be attacking Canglang soon, in order to avoid conflicting with his schedule, Ning Qian thought carefully and finally chose to travel west to the mysterious Western Regions.

At this time, Ning Qian, Li Jing and Zhongli Mingchuan were sitting in a luxurious and exquisite carriage.

Zhongli Mingchuan had his black hair tied up high and was wearing a black suit. The fabric looked strong yet flexible, and it was obviously carefully prepared for traveling the world.

His skin was not fair, perhaps due to his long years of wandering around in the underworld, but a healthy bronze color, exuding a maturity that came from having experienced many ups and downs.

Beside him, a sword lay quietly, the decoration on the hilt was simple yet exquisite.

If you simply ignore the faint smile on his lips, you would really think he is a cold-blooded, unapproachable and handsome swordsman.

However, Ning Qian had been with him for some time and knew very well that he was a casual and unconcerned person.

"Qianqian, why do you want to go to the Western Regions?" Li Jin asked with a little curiosity.

Ning Qian raised her eyebrows and smiled, bright and charming.

"It is said that 'there is a beauty in the West, who lives in a towering building. Her eyebrows are as beautiful as the bright moon, and her smile can bring joy to the whole city.' Of course I have to go and see her."

When Zhongli Mingchuan heard her answer, his eyes involuntarily fell on the woman opposite him.

Brother Li Jing's sister is really beautiful, but unexpectedly she also has a casual personality.

Zhongli Mingchuan has never been a man who is greedy for beauty, but these days he has always had to force himself not to stare at girls, otherwise it would be too embarrassing.

It was fate that he could travel with Brother Li Jing this time. Originally, he just wanted to travel around the beautiful mountains and rivers of the kingdom, but he never thought that he could travel with Brother Li Jing and have such a beautiful woman from Qingcheng as his companion.

After spending the past few days with her, I found that Miss Ning exuded the elegance and grace of a lady from a noble family, whether in her actions or words.

But the unruly words he just said made him even more curious about Ning Qian.

"Why is Miss Ning interested in beautiful women?"

Zhongli Mingchuan raised his eyebrows and raised the corners of his mouth with a hint of ridicule.

"I like all beautiful people and things." Ning Qian replied with a chuckle.

"Then I also want to see who is more beautiful, this beauty from the Western Regions or Miss Ning?"

Zhongli Mingchuan blinked with a hint of joking.

"Just think of it as Master Zhongli complimenting my beauty. But if Master Zhongli keeps comparing women, I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to find a wife."

Ning Qian's lips curled up slightly, with a hint of playfulness in her eyes, as if she was deliberately teasing Zhong Li Mingchuan.

Zhongli Mingchuan touched the tip of his nose subconsciously, a trace of embarrassment flashed across his face, and he seemed to realize that what he had just said was inappropriate.

"Qianqian, Zhongli is used to being casual and outspoken."

Li Jing tried to smooth things over with a gentle smile on his face.

Zhong Limingchuan quickly followed suit and nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, it's just a joke, Miss Ning, don't take it to heart."

Ning Qian waved her hand gently, still with a smile on her face, obviously not angry about it.

The three of them traveled from east to west in such a relaxed and happy atmosphere, talking and joking.

After three months, they finally arrived in the Western Regions.

The moment Ning Qian set foot on this land, his heart was overwhelmed with emotion.

This was the second time she came here, and all the memories of the past surged in her heart.

She raised her head slightly and looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar sky.

In her second life, she had been here with Jun Zechen.

However, that was several years after Jun Zechen unified the country, and the stars had already begun to participate in government affairs.

Her thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the past, and her eyes became a little blurry, as if she could see past scenes through the scene in front of her.