Chapter 209 Xi Qingtong Meets Prince An
"That's... the Second Lady and the Third Lady?"
The maid beside her said in disbelief, "Why are they together?"
Xi Qingtong gritted her teeth and sneered, "We are sisters, why can't we be together?"
Everyone who saw it could see the intimacy between the two sisters. They watched them walk together towards the temple gate, and then gather together with another group of maids.
With her sharp eyesight, Xi Qingtong spotted the lady in the lead at a glance. Then, seeing the intentional or unintentional actions of the two, how could she not understand?
"That's Madam Yang. Is she looking for that girl?" Xi Qingtong said this very softly, and tears suddenly appeared in her eyes.
"This is clearly the mother's right. When did it become her turn to make the decision?"
She spoke with sarcasm, but her eyes, as beautiful as Qingwu's, were filled with envy that she herself was not aware of.
Xi Qingtong clenched her hands in her sleeves until her knuckles turned white. She watched from a distance as Madam Yang held Qingmian's hand affectionately and talked to her, looking very happy.
Is it possible that even that girl will be superior to her in the future?
"Madam... shall we go back?" Jinzhu spoke cautiously.
"What are you going back for?" Xi Qingtong wiped the tears from her eyes. She lowered her head and looked at her belly, which hadn't shown any sign of pregnancy yet. She felt increasingly unwilling to give up. If it weren't for this child, if it hadn't come at such an unfortunate time, she still had a chance...
She has already been stepped on by Xi Qingwu, so is she going to be outdone by her half-sister?
Xi Qingtong suppressed her resentment and signaled Jinzhu to follow Qingwu and his group from a distance. She deliberately slowed down her pace, using the pilgrims as a cover to secretly observe the movements over there.
The place she looked at was exactly as she expected. Madam Yang came forward with a smile, greeted Qingwu, and then looked at the little girl standing behind her.
Although Xi Qingmian was a little nervous, she didn't want to embarrass her sister. After bowing, she raised her big eyes and looked at Madam Yang. At just one glance, Madam Yang felt that this girl was particularly comfortable, and the worry in her heart gradually dissipated.
She was a person who judged by appearance. If she liked someone, she would accept him. Madam Yang immediately took Qingmian's hand gently and said, "The third lady is so pretty and lovely, much more likable than my Jing Suo."
Xi Qingmian looked over Madam Yang's shoulder and met the eyes of the handsome young man behind her. The young man had a fair and handsome face, but the tips of his ears were so red that they seemed to be dripping with blood.
"Jing Shuo, why don't you meet Xi's sister?"
Hearing his mother's words, Yang Jingshuo lowered his head nervously and bowed politely: "Greetings, hello, sister Xi." His voice was as thin as a mosquito, and he lowered his head and dared not raise it after he finished speaking.
Somehow, perhaps because she saw that others were more nervous than her, Xi Qingmian suddenly felt more relaxed and even smiled a little.
The girl, who was in her teens, was slightly younger than the boy, but she was much more generous than him. "Hello, Third Brother Yang."
She raised her eyes and met the boy's secretly raised gaze. Yang Jingshuo immediately turned his face away, and the red tips of his ears were exposed to everyone's eyes.
Upon seeing this, Madam Yang and Qing Wu smiled at each other and tacitly agreed to go burn incense, leaving space for the two young people.
The two young men had been instructed earlier, so they followed behind them at a distance, not too close, to get to know each other.
"I heard... I heard that my sister likes poetry?" Yang Jingshuo held it in for a long time before finally uttering a word. When discussing poetry, he should have something to say, right?
Seeing how clumsily he tried to find a topic, Xi Qingmian finally couldn't help but cover her lips and chuckle softly. Then, blinking her big, watery eyes, she said, "Third Brother Yang must like poetry, right?"
Seeing the girl directly expose his thoughts, Yang Jingshuo couldn't help but cough. Just as he was thinking about how to make amends, he heard the girl beside him say again: "I quite like the "Spring Mountain Fu" written by Brother Yang San."
Upon hearing this, Yang Jingshuo's eyes lit up immediately. His face flushed as he said anxiously, "Sister, have you read it? That, that was just something I wrote randomly..."
The two of them started talking gradually. Yang Jingshuo was both happy and anxious, racking his brains to speak. After a while, his face changed and he stammered, "Sister, wait a moment. I, I'll be back soon..." After that, he hurried to the backyard of the temple.
Yang Jingshuo didn't expect that he was so disappointing. He originally thought that it was just a meeting, nothing special. But who would have thought that as soon as he saw the girl, a strange feeling surged in his heart, and then... then he was so nervous that he wanted to... go to the toilet.
This situation also fell into Xi Qingtong's eyes from afar. Seeing this, Xi Qingtong immediately followed. She didn't want to see Xi Qingmian marry into the Yang family. That was the Yang family, a family that she would be considered to be marrying up in. It was just that there were no men of the right age in the Yang family in the past two years. Who would have thought that her half-sister would be able to marry into the family, especially... thanks to Xi Qingwu's favor.
Thinking of this, a gloomy look flashed in Xi Qingtong's eyes. Did Xi Qingwu want to act like a high-handed matchmaker? He was offering favors everywhere, but she refused to give in.
However, with her speed, she lost sight of Yang Jingshuo after turning around a few big trees.
Huguo Temple was built on the mountainside, covering a vast area. Surrounding it were dense ancient trees, their lush branches and leaves blocking out the sun. How could he possibly find any trace of him? Just as he was feeling frustrated, he suddenly heard footsteps from behind a tree beside him, and a slender figure emerged from the mottled shadows.
"Don't you have..."
The man's voice suddenly stopped. His eyes fell on the upper half of Xi Qingtong's face covered by the veil. A hint of amusement flashed in his eyes. He suddenly reached out and pulled off the veil covering her face.
Xi Qingtong took a half step back in shock, then looked up to meet a pair of smiling eyes. A brocade robe outlined his tall figure, and his whole demeanor was regal and imposing—it was Prince An.
"What a coincidence..." Prince An looked at her meaningfully. "Are you my sister-in-law, or her twin sister?"
Without waiting for Xi Qingtong to answer, Prince An looked her over and said firmly, "You are Princess Zhao's twin sister, right? If Princess Zhao had been treated this way by me, she would have definitely retorted. You are so timid, you must be her twin sister who grew up in the countryside, right?"
Prince An was talking to himself, not noticing that Xi Qingtong's face was getting paler and paler. He was frightened and angry. So... had she become so regarded by outsiders?
Xi Qingtong came to Huguo Temple this time to relieve the depression he had been feeling for some time.
She received unprecedented attention in the Song family, but her heart was empty and she was not happy at all.
Whenever it was late at night and everyone was asleep, her dreams would always drag her back to the past - when she was incredibly talented and brilliant, all eyes in the capital were either admiring or jealous, all falling on her.
But as soon as she opened her eyes, reality hit her like a bucket of cold water. Now, everyone was staring at her belly. They were concerned and caring, but the more they did so, the more Xi Qingtong hated the child in her belly.
She didn't understand why she was in so much pain until Prince An's words cut through the fog like a knife - it turned out that in the eyes of others, she was no longer the noble lady from the capital with both talent and beauty, but just a vulgar woman who grew up in the countryside.
Her talents and looks were no longer important. Her value at this moment was just like Xi Qingwu who grew up in the countryside - giving birth to children, like a sow, one by one.
Her identity was completely replaced by Xi Qingwu.
She became Xi Qingwu.
And Xi Qingwu became her.
This realization struck like thunder. Xi Qingtong suddenly raised her hand to touch her face, her fingertips trembling. Tears rolled down without warning, hitting her clothes.
The scene she just saw lingered in her mind - her twin sister, the woman who replaced her identity and enjoyed the honor of a princess, was stepping up the steps of the Huguo Temple step by step.
Even though she was traveling in casual attire, she was still followed by four maids and two guards, not to mention the attendants who stayed behind to guard the carriage. She walked calmly, with the golden statues of gods and Buddhas before her and a bright and smooth path beneath her. And what about him? I could only hide in the shadows, looking up at her back.
If this goes on, even if she shouts at the top of her lungs to the world, saying that she was the one who married Prince Zhao... who would believe her?
Xi Qingtong suddenly burst into tears, which really shocked Prince An. He couldn't help but take a step back, feeling a little disgusted. They had the same appearance, but their personalities were very different. He still preferred the sister-in-law who dared to retort to him.
At this moment, the tearful girl suddenly bent down and vomited continuously. This was very rude, but Prince An's eyes lit up for a moment.
"Are you pregnant?"
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