Mencius' mother stood up silently, stumbling all the way, as if all her strength had been drained.
She walked unsteadily, and when she reached the door, her hand weakly rested on the door frame.
“Your deaths cannot make up for her,” Meng Qingluan said.
"..."
Mencius' mother did not turn around, but stepped out the door.
"She forgave you before she left. You should pray for her and spend the rest of your lives praying for a good next life for her."
Large, hot tears fell to the ground. Meng's mother bit her lower lip hard without mercy, blood seeping out. Her back trembled as she stood for a long time, leaning against the door frame, before she finally raised her head to look at the sky.
"……Thanks."
"I'm tired, you can go now," Meng Qingluan said wearily.
“I won’t go to the Taoist priest, nor will I expose you. We will continue to take good care of her health.”
"..."
Mencius' mother is gone.
Meng Qingluan slumped in her chair, lightly touching the black mole on her collarbone with her fingertips.
The sigh vanished without a trace.
…
"elder sister……"
In her hazy state, Meng Qingluan vaguely heard someone softly calling her name in her ear.
Her neck was still a little sore, and her mind was foggy. Meng Qingluan turned over and chose to ignore the annoying sound.
The man's voice paused noticeably, and then she felt a light push on her body.
"Sister, wake up."
Meng Qingluan suddenly turned around, and when she opened her eyes, she was met with a pair of misty, watery pupils looking at her.
She paused for a moment, then asked instinctively, "Why are you crying?"
"No... I didn't cry."
Zhu Qing'an gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, stubbornly denying it.
Meng Qingluan looked out the window. The sky had already darkened, bathed in an orange glow. She had slept until nightfall.
After a moment of mental blankness, I slowly came to my senses and asked, "How did you get in?"
Zhu Qing'an straightened up again, increasing the distance between them.
“I saw my mother leave with tears streaming down her face, and I thought she had argued with my sister. I wanted to come in and see you, but no one answered when I knocked. It was getting late, and I was afraid something had happened to my sister, so I pushed open the door and barged in.”
After he finished speaking, he lowered his head, bracing himself for being scolded, "I'm sorry, sister, please punish me."
Meng Qingluan reached up and touched her neck. "Okay, you can go now. I'll go out to eat later."
Zhu Qing'an stood still, "But... the injury on your neck."
"It's alright, I'll be fine after a while," Meng Qingluan said nonchalantly.
"..."
Zhu Qing'an hesitated for a moment, then picked up a small mirror from the side and handed it to her so she could see for herself.
"My dear mother!"
You wouldn't believe it until you see it; Meng Qingluan was shocked by the bluish finger marks and scratches on her neck.
Mencius' mother even said that she was a mountain spirit or a wild monster, and that she had some kind of heaven-defying scratching power.
"It would be better for you to apply the medicine, sister, so that the wound won't hurt at night, and your brother-in-law will worry when he comes back," Zhu Qing'an said thoughtfully.
"Tell Yingbang to go and buy me medicine."
Meng Qingluan dared not leave the medicine on; her neck looked like it had been scratched by a zombie. Not to mention scaring Shen Yan, she herself felt uneasy just looking at it.
"I brought some ointment to relieve pain and reduce swelling, use mine," Zhu Qing'an suggested.
"Never mind, it's too much trouble for you. Just have Yingbang buy some from the pharmacy outside."
Meng Qingluan politely declined.
She wasn't being polite; she was just worried that Zhu Qing'an might have ill intentions.
"Are you afraid I'll poison you, sister?" Zhu Qing'an seemed to see through her thoughts and chuckled. "Don't worry, sister, I'm not that stupid. Besides, I like you very much, sister, and I wouldn't hurt you, nor do I have the ability to hurt you."
Meng Qingluan's thoughts were exposed, and her gaze wandered guiltily, but she remained stubborn.
"Don't overthink it. I'm just worried that your medicine won't be effective. You know I have good skin and I love beauty, so I definitely need to treat myself well."
"Don't worry, sister, the ointment is a special medicine," Zhu Qing'an rolled up her sleeves, revealing her smooth arms. "I used to have a lot of knife scars and needle marks on my arms, but they will all fade away after using this."
Upon hearing this, Meng Qingluan's gaze fell on his smooth arm, and upon closer inspection, she indeed saw extremely small needle marks.
Without needing to ask, Meng Qingluan knew why.
She looked away. "Bring the medicine here."
Zhu Qingan quickly found the medicine, a pale yellow paste in a small porcelain jar, with a refreshing minty scent.
Meng Qingluan held out her hand, "I'll apply it myself."
"Um."
Zhu Qing'an handed her the medicine and then voluntarily stepped outside to wait.
Meng Qingluan carefully applied the medicine to the fingerprints on her neck, her mind involuntarily recalling the scene from her dream, and her fingertips paused.
Childhood spent in the Western Regions, forced to take medicine, and treated with acupuncture...
Is it possible for such a coincidence to happen in the world?
Meng Qingluan put down the medicine, realizing that she had never asked Xiao Luobo Ding's name in her dreams.
Upon leaving, he returned the medicine to Zhu Qing'an.
"Thank you," Meng Qingluan said, her gaze carefully examining his face.
Zhu Qing'an did not take it, but instead gently pushed it back.
“I don’t need medication anymore. My sister’s neck injury hasn’t fully healed yet; it’s not too late to return it to me once the bruising has subsided.”
"..."
Meng Qingluan did not refuse and took back the medicine.
That evening, Shen Yan did not return; instead, she sent a subordinate to deliver a message to her.
Meng Qingluan lay on the couch that night, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep as quickly as she had in the previous days.
After tossing and turning until midnight, Meng Qingluan finally closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
But when I opened my eyes, it was already the next morning.
The pain in her neck had disappeared. Meng Qingluan touched her neck and subconsciously thought: The medicine is working quite well.
Meng Qingluan did not enter the dream that had appeared a few days ago. Instead, she saw Shen Yan, who still smelled of wind and frost on his body.
Pulling back her somewhat disappointed thoughts, Meng Qingluan threw off the covers, jumped off the bed, and lightly landed in his arms.
Shen Yan caught her, his large hand supporting her thigh, his voice hoarse with extreme exhaustion.
Did I wake you up?
Meng Qingluan buried her head in his neck, and the frost on his clothes, which he hadn't yet changed, sent a shiver down her spine.
"No, I woke up on my own. I miss you a little."
Shen Yan's heart softened, and the exhaustion he felt was almost completely washed away by her brief words. He picked up Meng Qingluan and placed her back on the bed, then pulled the blanket that had been thrown aside and wrapped her up again.
"I miss you too. I was too busy with work last night and couldn't come back to be with you."
Chen Yan squatted in front of the bed, resting his head on Meng Qingluan's lap, and offered an apologetic explanation.
“I know,” Meng Qingluan stroked his head, “Don’t change your clothes, come up and rest for a while.”
Chen Yan lay motionless, his head, which was resting on her lap, swaying slightly.
"I'm going to lie down for a while. I'm leaving the capital at noon to conduct an investigation in the northern border. I came back specifically to say goodbye to you."
Upon hearing this, Meng Qingluan felt a pang of anxiety.
In the original novel, after Shen Yan took office in the capital, he never left the capital and always handled affairs in the capital.
The only time he left Beijing was to the northern border.
It was only when Li Zhanjue personally led his troops into battle and found himself in danger that Shen Yan brought out the soldiers he had secretly trained to the northern border.
Li Zhanjue was rescued, but Shen Yan almost lost his life in the northern desert.
This incident successfully warmed up the relationship between the two and also made Li Zhanjue realize his own feelings.
But where is this timeline?
Meng Qingluan felt uneasy. "Is the Fifth Prince going too?"
“Of course he won’t go,” Shen Yan replied in a muffled voice, tilting his head and gently biting her crotch.
The skin between her legs was delicate, and when Chen Yan bit her through the fabric, Meng Qingluan felt both itchy and painful, and couldn't help but gasp.
Shen Yan gently massaged her hands, his words dripping with jealousy.
"Why are you asking him? He didn't get the job, and he doesn't dare to take it, so naturally he's staying far away."
A surge of anger rose in Meng Qingluan's throat. She reached out and twisted his ear, the force causing him to gasp for breath.
"Isn't it because I care about you? What if someone tries to frame you behind your back if Li Zhanjue doesn't go?"
Shen Yan begged for mercy repeatedly, "Good Luan Luan, I was wrong, please let go? I'll tell you a secret."
Upon hearing the secret, Meng Qingluan's heart stirred, and she released her grip.
"What secret?"
Shen Yan brought her reddened ear closer to her and said, "My ear hurts, I can't hear clearly. Rub it for me and I'll be able to hear clearly."
"..."
Meng Qingluan narrowed her eyes and dangerously reached her hand downwards.
"Can't you hear? Should we distract yourself from the pain? If Xiao Shenyan's pain gets worse, he won't feel the pain in his ears."
Shen Yan's back stiffened, his eyes widened, and he squeezed his legs together, springing off her thighs.
"Good Luanluan, please don't, I'll tell you."
Meng Qingluan smiled with satisfaction.
Sure enough, men only behave when the steering wheel is in their hands.
Shen Yan said mysteriously, "The people behind this are so powerful that even if Li Zhanjue accompanied them, it would be of no use."
Meng Qingluan's curiosity was piqued. "Do you know who this person is? If you do, why don't you just go and tell the Emperor?"
Meng Qingluan was puzzled.
She genuinely didn't want Shen Yan to go to the Northern Border; the plot had deviated too drastically.
Moreover, without Li Zhanjue going with her, Meng Qingluan was genuinely afraid that something might happen to him.
Shen Yan shook his head. "The Emperor values him the most and loves him the most. What I can do is not to expose him, but to help him cover it up."
"who is he?"
Meng Qingluan's heart pounded. Who was the mastermind behind the embezzlement of the Northern Border Army's funds? And why did they have such powerful connections?
Chen Yan whispered in her ear.
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