Chapter 140 A Convenient Thing
It would be a lie to say he wasn't envious. How could he not be? The two relatives who had been with him the longest in this world, one had passed away, and the other was now treating him like this.
Xiao Yuluan keenly caught the mood of her nephew and sighed in her heart.
Thinking that this nephew had lost his mother and his father was hostile to him, and that he was a poor child, Xiao Yuluan's heart softened.
Forget it, she is determined to stay in the capital now to support her disciple and seek justice, so there is no need to rush. The child's mood has been very up and down today, so it is better to give the disciple to him first.
After all, Qingwu is his spiritual pillar now, right?
Thinking of this, Xiao Yuluan said to the little disciple in her arms: "When you think you were still a child, how old are you now? Grandma has been traveling for many days, so let Grandma enjoy the big bed alone tonight. Don't kick you under the bed in the middle of the night..."
Qingwu's ears burned with anger because of what grandma said. He couldn't help but mutter, "How could I be like that... I sleep well..."
As Qingwu spoke, her voice gradually became softer. It seemed that she had a very bad sleep when she was young. After coming to the Xi family, Mrs. Zheng taught her the rules and even made her sleep in a standard posture. Only then did her sleep improve a lot.
Seeing a hint of guilt on her face, Xiao Yuluan smiled and pinched her cheek: "Alright, go back and accompany your husband. He's been very emotional today and needs someone to accompany him."
As he spoke, he glanced at Xiao Ji and saw that the young man was obviously startled. Then he hurriedly said, "I'm fine. Grandma and Madam haven't seen each other for a long time. I won't disturb you."
Qing Wu looked back and saw the young man waving his hands, a faint apology on his face. He was still explaining: "It was just a joke, I really didn't..."
But before he could finish his words, he heard his wife, who was already a few steps away, nodding with white hair, "Then have a good rest, grandma."
Then the lady came back to his side, took his hand in front of the grandmother, smiled softly and said, "Let's go back to the room." Xiao Ji subconsciously held her hand with a little tightness, with a little surprise and confusion in his eyes.
Madam, are you giving up just like that?
He didn't get a verbal answer, but Qingwu gently shook his hand in return. Xiao Ji's heart was moved again, swollen and sour. The grievance that he had previously thought that his wife had forgotten him because she had grandma completely disappeared.
Regardless of the presence of his grandmother, the smile on the corner of his lips could not be suppressed. Xiao Ji could not stop looking at his wife with sparkling eyes.
Seeing the useless look of this kid, Xiao Yuluan was both amused and angry. Could the bloodline of the Xiao and Yang families produce such a short-sighted person?
However, a smile appeared on the corner of her lips. No matter whether she was short-sighted or sentimental, as long as she treated her little apprentice well, even if he was a useless person, she would be able to help him climb the wall.
Xiao Yuluan turned to leave, but the sight of the young couple in love was a bit jarring. She turned back and added something meaningful: "I live in the west wing, and I sleep lightly at night."
Then he left the young couple with blushing faces and walked straight to the side hall. When the sound of the door closing was heard, they suddenly came back to their senses.
Qingwu's face was as red as a cooked shrimp, and she subconsciously let go of Xiao Ji's hand.
Xiao Ji was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses and felt puzzled. Madam's face had never been so red before. He quickly pulled her back into his arms. Seeing her blushing face, he couldn't help but bite her earlobe and teased, "Grandma, what are you... talking about?"
Being in the palace for a few months has really toughened his nerves. He would never have said such reckless words before.
Qing Wu angrily punched him in the chest, but he grabbed her wrist. Xiao Ji held his wife's hand while lifting his leg to close the door, which made Qing Wu blush even more.
"You...can't do anything tonight? What if grandma hears..."
"Eh? What does it have to do with us? We won't yell in the middle of the night."
Seeing that he didn't admit the dirty talk he just said, Qing Wu couldn't help but glare at him, "Are you still pretending?"
Fearing that his wife would be really angry, Xiao Ji decided to stop while he was ahead and raised his hands in surrender, "Alright, alright."
The candlelight flickered, and Xiao Ji's eyes were as gentle as water: "Don't worry, I know my limits." Qing Wu had just breathed a sigh of relief when he leaned close to her ear, his breath warm, "Let's just keep our voices down, Qingqing is still on duty tonight..."
"Xiao Ji!"
Before he could finish his sentence, Qingwu hurriedly covered his mouth, but he took the opportunity to kiss her palm.
When she raised her eyes again, she was met with the smiling face of the young man. There was a hint of mischief on the corner of his lips, which was completely different from his loneliness and helplessness just now. Thinking of her grandmother's instructions and his life experience, the shame and anger in Qingwu's heart disappeared.
The young man was waiting to be scolded by his wife again. He didn't mind his wife scolding him at all. Whenever his wife was embarrassed and angry, her already beautiful eyes would become brighter and more lively.
But the girl in front of him was not embarrassed or angry. Instead, she hugged him in her arms, neither tight nor loose. The strength was just right and gentle, and the boy couldn't help but be slightly startled.
But the girl's actions did not stop there. She said so calmly: "You have me now."
The tone of voice was not very fluctuating, nor was it extremely gentle, but such simple words revealed a deep peace of mind.
The boy's eyes suddenly became moist.
He buried his face deep in Qingwu's shoulder, breathing in her delicate fragrance. He had smelled this scent many times, but he never felt sick of it, only felt an incomparable peace of mind.
"Yeah." He responded muffledly, with a barely perceptible sob in his voice.
Qingwu felt the slight wetness on his shoulder, sighed softly, patted his back gently, and slowly soothed him.
During these months of getting along, Qing Wu also discovered that although Xiao Ji appeared cold on the surface, he was actually very affectionate inside. This trait was rarely seen in royal heirs, but it appeared in the young man in his arms.
Being loyal and righteous is not considered a good thing in the royal family, but Qingwu feels that it is far from a bad thing. At least for her, she likes such an emotionally rich young man, who is like an ordinary person, with flesh and blood, crying and laughing.
No matter what kind of ambitions he had, Qingwu would not think that he needed to change or become cold-hearted and ruthless. If he became extremely rational, decisive in killing, and gave up all concerns for the sake of the dragon throne, then even if he became the emperor and she became the queen, it would be meaningless because she would be abandoned by him sooner or later.
Just like that, just like an ordinary teenager.
The young couple fell asleep hand in hand with deep affection, but the door of the side hall was quietly opened. Wearing the clothes that her apprentice had specially found for her, Xiao Yuluan stood in the corridor, looked up at the bright moon in the sky, and a complex look flashed in her eyes.
Although she was determined to support her disciple, it was not easy to do so. If her disciple was still with Song Yunhe, whether to divorce or let Song Yunhe hold her disciple for the rest of his life would be a matter of her words. But her disciple and her nephew had become a pair of lovers by chance, and her nephew was the deposed crown prince with Yang family blood.
Xiao Yuluan, who was born into the royal family and had experienced the struggle for the throne, would not think that as long as she helped Xiao Ji restore his status as a prince and gave him the title of prince, her little apprentice would be able to become a princess safely.
Take herself as an example. Hadn't she fought against her brother for the throne, nearly to the point of life and death? In the end, she gave up the fight for the throne because she couldn't bear to see her mother suffer again, and even died of illness because of it. This preserved her princess status and her dignity.
But that was because she and her royal brother were born from the same mother, and she had her mother to support her, so they did not end up separated by life and death. The folk saying is not without reason, "It is better to live with a mother who begs for food than with a father who is an official." A father and a mother are different.
Her mother only gave birth to two sons and two daughters in her life. Not counting the elder sister who died young, her mother had only three children. Even if her heart was divided into three parts, she could still get one third. But what about from her father's perspective?
Even though her mother was deeply loved by her father, he still had several other women besides her, five sons and four daughters, so they couldn't be divided according to the same way as their mother. The mother of one of her sisters was just a palace maid. She had never been favored by her father since birth, and even her name was not given to her until she was three years old and was ready to be recorded in the Jade Tablet.
This shows that a father's love for his children is far less than that of a mother, except for my apprentice's biological mother, of course. It's rare for that biological mother to be so unfair.
Back to the point, Xiao Yuluan didn't think that if Xiao Ji restored his status and got the title of prince, the other princes would let him go. His status as the legitimate son of the queen was destined to be an eyesore to them forever. Unless Xiao Ji was really lame and had no intention of continuing to fight for the throne, otherwise, the path of becoming a rich and powerful prince would not work.
What's more, can Xiao Ji's legs really recover as before?
Xiao Yuluan herself was unwilling to let her little disciple become the fearful princess, so... she could only be the queen.
There's nothing I can do about it, she's just so protective.
As the queen, the mother of the country, I'm sure my little disciple's biological mother and twin sisters must be filled with regret, right? And that blind Song Yunhe.
It only took a few breaths for these thoughts to form in Xiao Yuluan's mind. Her expression remained so calm, as if these were just thoughts about what to eat and drink, rather than plans on how to fight for the throne.
Of course, even if someone pointed out Xiao Yuluan's mistake, she would just laugh it off. After all, her Xiao family had never had a smooth handover of imperial power.
It is customary to launch an uprising at the Meridian Gate.
And this is not just for Qingwu, but also for the people of the world. Even though she was outside, she heard about what the current emperor Xiao Yuancheng had done. The decrees written in the post reports from the government offices were becoming more and more outrageous, and the lives of the people were becoming increasingly miserable, which was not as good as when her mother was alive.
In addition, she also found that studying medicine could not save Dayu, and she was old, so it was time for her to return to Beijing to retire. Then, intervening in the succession of the crown prince was a normal behavior of the descendants of the Xiao family. It was a convenient thing to do.
With this in mind, Xiao Yuluan naturally began to plan. She had quite a few followers back then, but most of the older ones must have passed away. Only those who were of the same age or younger than her could probably still make a difference.
In addition to her subordinates, she also has sisters to fight for, such as her elder sister who was named at the age of three and has a relationship with her.
The Queen Mother was kind and never treated her elder sister harshly, whether she was the Queen or after she ascended the throne as the Emperor. She also felt sorry for her elder sister and took care of her many times. The two had a good relationship.
Later, when her sister grew up, her mother, as usual for princesses, found her a good consort. By the time she left the capital, her sister and her consort had already had four or five children. That consort was the current Princess Anyang, only two years older than she was, and was still alive. If she had returned to the palace, she would probably have been one of the first to come.
Don't underestimate her because she is just an ordinary princess. At her age, she has many children and grandchildren. Even if she is just a small official in the officialdom, she is still a help and may be useful at a critical moment.
As for other people...several young and handsome faces suddenly flashed in Xiao Yuluan's mind, of course they were old men now.
After thinking about it, she shook her head and decided not to count on them.
The night wind blew, and her silver hair fluttered. Xiao Yuluan turned and walked into the house, her back as straight as a pine tree. If it weren't for her white hair, others would have thought she was young.
She stretched herself, went to sleep, and would think about it tomorrow.
But the next day, Qingwu received a note from his grandma early in the morning -
"My beloved disciple: Grandma has something to do and has not left Beijing yet. She will be back in a few days. Also, remember to apply the medicated oil on time. I have left the recipe for making the oil, don't worry. - Grandma"
Qingwu held the note, feeling both amused and distressed. Grandma was still so decisive and left without a second thought.
"Madam?" Xiao Ji came over on crutches. Seeing her standing there in a daze, he couldn't help but ask with concern, "What's wrong?"
Qing Wu handed him the note and said, "Grandma left early this morning, saying she had something to do."
Xiao Ji took the note and looked down. He saw the handwriting was so vigorous and powerful that it could be seen through the paper. It didn't look like the handwriting of an ordinary old woman. He couldn't help but praise: "Grandma's handwriting is really bold and unrestrained, with the style of a great master."
Why does it look so familiar?
Qing Wu smiled upon hearing this and said proudly, "Of course, my grandma's handwriting is extraordinary. She has written so many prescriptions over the years..." She paused, "However, when she was a child, her handwriting was more regular than it is now. I personally think that was the best then. This one now has the style of an expert, but it's a little harder to recognize."
Xiao Ji stroked the note thoughtfully, the inexplicable sense of familiarity growing stronger. Where else had he seen this handwriting, this progression and twist?
"What's wrong?" Qingwu saw that he was distracted and gently tugged at his sleeve.
Xiao Ji came back to his senses, folded the note and handed it back: "Nothing, I just think grandma... is very special."
Qing Wu was not modest and agreed on behalf of his grandmother: "Of course, my grandmother has saved countless lives and has done immeasurable good deeds."
Xiao Ji was amused by her arrogant look and was about to make a joke when he saw Zhao Tong running over: "Master, Madam, someone is coming! It's..." Zhao Tong glanced at Qing Wu and whispered: "It's Madam's eldest brother."
Zhao Tong also went to the wedding ceremony of the Crown Prince's Consort, and naturally recognized the eldest son of the Xi family.
The two men looked at each other, both puzzled, especially Qingwu, whose expression instantly dimmed. Why did this elder brother come?
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