Chapter 478 Northern Territory (2)
Qingyao then brazenly began to command Molang.
One minute he'd ask him to light a charcoal fire, the next he'd ask him to cook porridge, then he'd ask him to mend the cracks in the door, then he'd say there were dead insects in the rice he bought.
Mo Lang fell silent, his handsome face as still as a stone sculpture.
He does whatever he's told to do, and doesn't say a word all day.
Qingyao sulked again.
"Why are you making such a long face? Is it too much of a burden to do some work? If it is, then you should go back now, or I'll be delaying your important business."
Mo Lang looked at her, remaining silent for a long time.
My master said that the feeling of being moved is like sudden death.
He was only worried about the princess and wasn't moved by her at all.
Qingyao was tense for a long time, but still didn't get a single word. She angrily scolded, "Qiaoxiu is right, you're so boring! Are you mute?"
“Princess, I will go back and apologize to the Emperor and my master. I will accept whatever punishment they give me.”
"Princess, you are of noble birth; you must not belittle yourself because of my humble status."
"What if my brother, the Emperor, made you my consort?"
Mo Lang lowered his head and said after a long while, "I will obey His Majesty's orders."
"What if my brother wants to execute you?"
"Absolutely no nonsense."
"Don't you even try to defend yourself? Don't you have any thoughts of your own?" Qingyao said angrily.
"You blockhead!"
A pile of diapers was thrown over Mo Lang's head and onto his face.
Go wash the diapers!
Mo Lang removed a diaper, his face expressionless.
"Also, I want to take the child that Miss Shen gave birth to with me."
"What did you say?"
“There’s no room for discussion,” Mo Lang added.
Another pile of clothes was thrown at Mo Lang's head.
He took it without changing his expression.
But this time, it seems different.
What is that red blob inside?
His hand trembled, and a crack finally appeared on his face; his ears suddenly burned.
Qingyao didn't realize that her clothes, which she had just changed from, still had her undergarments tucked in. Still not satisfied, she put her hands on her hips, lowered her voice, and used what she thought were the most cutting and hurtful words to a man's pride to mock him:
"You're quite tough, aren't you? Why aren't you tough when you should be? If you had any backbone, I'd be the one in postpartum confinement right now!"
"..."
Mo Lang stared at Qing Yao as if he'd seen a ghost.
At that moment, he seemed to see the ghost of Qiaoxiu in her!
Mo Lang fled in disarray and did not reappear for several days.
He hid in the shadows.
Shen Jingshu gave birth to Ji Canglin's child, while Ji Canglin's former subordinates were exiled to the northern border.
He felt that Shen Jing Shu might have some purpose in coming to the Northern Border.
The princess is naive; don't be fooled.
After staking out for several days, I didn't see any suspicious people, but I did see the general's wife arrive.
No human movement in the northern border could be kept secret from the General's Mansion, so when Wen Qingyu saw the familiar name registered at the city gate, she still came to take a look.
Indeed, it was the renowned Shen Jingshu of the capital, and Princess Baochang, who had just been bestowed a title.
The two lived in this simple house with only a kang (a heated brick bed).
It's only autumn now; if it gets to winter, this drafty house could freeze people to death.
"Really, why didn't you come to the General's Mansion to find me?" Wen Qingyu complained.
Her gaze fell on the sleeping baby, her eyes flickering slightly.
"I was planning to come to you when I encountered difficulties." Shen Jingshu said with a slight embarrassment.
Although that's what she thought, she didn't actually plan to bother her unless absolutely necessary.
She was once the legitimate daughter of the prime minister and was favored by the princess, so she often entered the palace, which led to rumors about her and the crown prince.
Everyone assumed she was a shoo-in for the Crown Princess and fawned over her.
At every gathering, he was surrounded by a group of young ladies from prominent families.
She was caught up in her longing for the bright moon, yet she was also trembling with fear that others would shatter that illusion and ruin her reputation.
More than anything, people prayed that the Crown Prince would be burdened by the rumors, take a second look at her, and turn the rumors into reality.
She and Wen Qingyu came from the same girls' school, but their relationship was just so-so.
When others flattered her, Wen Qingyu never stepped forward.
But she had seen how the Crown Prince avoided her, and chose to remain silent.
In that beautiful dream built on lies, the Prime Minister's daughter did not lose face, entirely because Wen Qingyu remained silent.
Conversely, Wen Qingyu's impression of Shen Jingshu was the same.
When she was abandoned by her scumbag boyfriend, hurt by rumors, and isolated and ridiculed at the banquet, only Shen Jingshu silently offered her kindness and gave her a way to leave gracefully.
Being a woman is inherently difficult; her joys and sorrows are determined by others.
They weren't close friends in the eyes of outsiders, but they genuinely offered each other warmth and shared a deep emotional connection in the capital city, where people were often powerless and drifted with the tide.
"To be honest, I escaped," Shen Jingshu said truthfully.
After Ji Canglin fled, she returned to the Prime Minister's residence.
However, the Prime Minister's mansion dared not take her in and sent her to Qingyun Nunnery.
They were so eager to marry her off to the new crown prince.
In the end, however, he felt that she was a scourge.
At Qingyun Nunnery, someone poisoned her, and someone forced her to hang herself. If Qingyao hadn't come looking for her, she would have "committed suicide out of fear of punishment."
But what did she do wrong?
The mistake was being born into the wrong family!
So she came to the North, cutting ties with the past.
Wen Qingyu grasped Shen Jingshu's hand, "Prime Minister Shen can't handle the Northern Border yet. Come with me to the General's Mansion first. It's too dangerous for you to stay here."
Is this child... a boy or a girl?
Shen Jingshu was startled, but immediately understood what she meant.
She came here while pregnant because she was afraid her child would be harmed.
There were many sycophants who would harm her and her child in order to curry favor with the new emperor.
She had to tell the truth: "Qingyu, this is not Ji Canglin's child. He has never touched me."
These words surprised not only Wen Qingyu but also Qingyao.
Shen Jingshu is a model of a noble lady, meticulously crafted. She is trustworthy in keeping her chastity with men, so how could she possibly have an affair!
"Hey! Ji Canglin is a cuckold, serves him right!" Qingyao said happily after her initial shock.
Wen Qingyu: "..."
When did the little princess become so blunt?
“Jing Shu, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but the northern border is a special place where everyone who comes and goes must be strictly investigated. I am not only your friend, but also the wife of a general, and I am responsible for the safety of the border.”
Tell me, who is this child's father...?
Shen Jingshu said with a somber tone, "The child's father was merely one of Ji Canglin's subordinates. That day..."
She angered Ji Canglin by saving Qingyao that day.
He dragged her away and forced her to drink the aphrodisiac.
"What prime minister's legitimate daughter? You're nothing but a power-hungry slut!"
Wasn't he deeply in love with Ji Ruyan? How come he turned around and got into my bridal sedan chair!
"A woman like you doesn't deserve to be my royal consort!"
Then he gave her to his men.
Qingyao covered her mouth, "Sister Jingshu, I'm sorry."
Wen Qingyu never expected that she would encounter such a thing, and she felt depressed and cursed Ji Canglin, that bastard.
Instead, Shen Jingshu wasn't upset. "It's nothing. He's not a bad person, and he didn't hurt me."
Now, I'm actually glad I wasn't Ji Canglin back then.
That person is very timid.
He huddled in the corner, too afraid to approach her.
She lost her mind, and she knew that Ji Canglin would not let her go; if not him, it would be someone else.
Since that's the case, at least he's someone I can look at comfortably.
So, she was the one who caught him.
"What's that person's name?"
Suddenly, Mo Lang's serious voice rang out from outside the door.
"I will investigate the truth of the matter."
This matter concerns the stability of the nation, and the child's identity must be thoroughly investigated.
Therefore, Wen Qingyu also looked at Chen Jingshu.
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