Chapter 135 [VIP] Lifesaver (Extra)
Three months later, Jin Xin resigned from his official position and returned to the mountains.
After all, he was a step late that day. After a little beggar came to inform him of the news, Jin Lili immediately rushed out of the city with the guards in the mansion. But when he finally arrived at the place, all he saw was Xiao Feihe who was in a state of disarray.
From a distance, he could see him covered in blood, in a terrible state, staggering forward. It seemed that the tears in his eyes had dried up, and he was in a trance. Jin Lili's heart immediately tensed up, and he had a very bad premonition.
But when he rushed forward regardless, he was shocked to see Nan Yan in his arms, whose face was pale and not even a bit angry.
The whole person felt as if he was hit on the head with a stick. He was immediately furious and spit out a mouthful of blood, then fell backwards on the spot.
Jin Li stared at it in disbelief, and he seemed to be unable to control himself and cried out in pain in his heart.
Why?
Why did it turn out like this?
He clearly gave her to him completely.
She was fine when she went out, and she said she was going to buy beautiful jewelry, so why, why did she become like this when she came back?
Blood flowed from Jin Lili's mouth. He looked at her falling fingers in pain and despair. His whole mood collapsed completely.
If he had known this would happen, he would rather she resented him for the rest of her life than hand her over to someone else.
He regretted it, so much!
He thought that as long as she and Xiao Feihe cleared up the misunderstanding, they would be happy and she would smile again. But now, why did it turn out like this?
He even had time to take one last look at her.
The girl he loved the most disappeared completely from then on! She just disappeared without a trace...
How could he accept this!
…
Three months later, when they met again, Lord Jin, who had been dignified, shrewd and vindictive in the court, seemed to have become a weak tiger without claws. How high and mighty and high-spirited he had once been, now he was so desolate.
Jin Shili came to resign and return home. The emperor was reluctant to let him go and wanted to keep this former good minister. However, this good minister had completely lost his fighting spirit. He looked like an old man who was about to die. Just seeing him standing there made people worried. They wondered if he could survive until tomorrow. The emperor could no longer use such a person and had to let him go.
Just like that, the noble and powerful official who was once second only to the emperor and above all others also disappeared. From that day on, his heart disappeared along with his sweetheart.
The day he left, it was sunny outside and the weather was exceptionally good. The winter of last year seemed exceptionally cold, so cold that his hands began to get frostbite again. Alas, what a pity, the sleeves that his sweetheart had knitted for him were not yet completely finished.
Later, Mr. Jin continued to sew by himself, stitch by stitch, much more carefully than that little lady.
Lord Jin had experienced hardships, and his needlework was quite good. In any case, it was definitely neater than that little lady's. He wove his thoughts about her into the cotton cloth, and then spent a cold winter holding the grey velvet sleeves, with a smile flashing in his eyes, overflowing with a dense and deep warmth.
Lord Jin left by boat. It was February, and the tips of the willow trees in the suburbs were beginning to sprout.
The spring breeze outside was as soft and warm as cotton wool, and it was particularly nostalgic when it brushed against people's faces. Lord Jin inadvertently recalled the scene when he and his sweetheart kissed for the first time. It seemed that the weather was just like this, and maybe it would be even warmer.
In the bright sunshine, he kissed me until I was dazed. I blinked my round, cute eyes, blushed, buried my head in his chest, and called his name softly and softly.
Sitting on the deck, Lord Jin leaned against the low tent with his long legs spread out and one hand supporting his head, as if he was lost in a hazy dream. In the dream, his sweetheart came to him late, then smiled and reached out to him, but this time, he pounced on her without a care.
Yanyan, are you finally here to take me home?
The hands seemed to grab at the air a few times, but unfortunately caught nothing in the end. They could only hang down powerlessly, and a tear fell from their chin onto the deck.
…
On the other hand, after Xiao Feihe brought Nan Yan's corpse back, he insisted on marrying someone, which shocked the court. The emperor had no choice but to decree the marriage between the two of them after seeing his nephew who looked neither like a human nor a ghost.
On the wedding day, Xiao Feihe personally arranged her clothes and put her in a beautiful red wedding gown and combed her hair into a beautiful bridal bun. Red candles flickered above the wedding hall, but there was no one around, not even a maid to serve her.
The wedding was conducted like a funeral. Everyone said that Prince Xiao had gone crazy, but he was the only one who stayed quietly with the bride in his arms the whole night, whispering to her.
After the marriage came the funeral, which was also handled by Xiao Feihe alone. Looking at the tablet of Xiao Li, that was the only smile the prince showed during these days.
After doing all this, Xiao Feihe seemed to have no attachment to anything in this world, and lost the will to live. He then began to seek death, and he was discovered by servants every time he attempted suicide three times. After being rescued, the emperor personally issued a death order, asking people to watch him closely and never let him do those messy things again.
The emperor really had a headache. It was said that the royal family was heartless and that their royal clan members were the least concerned with friendship. But why were their descendants more loyal than each other? The second son was like this. He would rather give up his status as a prince for a prostitute. Now his own nephew was the same. He was willing to die for a woman and made himself look like a monster. It was really hateful and infuriating!
The emperor couldn't even blame anyone. The Li family had lost their only legitimate daughter, and he felt guilty watching them in the court every day. When he returned to the palace and took another look at his nephew, he saw how distraught he was, and he couldn't blame him.
In the end, we can only blame the group of thieves in the Jile Temple for being so bold that they even dared to capture and kill the children of officials, so they vented their anger by beheading several thieves who were originally scheduled to be beheaded in the autumn of next year.
But even so, the emperor could do nothing.
Three days ago, after Xiao Feihe tried to commit suicide again and was rescued, the emperor looked at his nephew who had regained consciousness in the inner chamber and could only use his deceased mother to pressure him, "Feihe, your mother only had you as her child. If you want to marry a dead person, I will let you do it. What's the point of you trying to commit suicide all day long?"
"Are you doing this right to your mother? If she knew about this, she would be so sad to see you risking your life for a woman. And I raised you as my own son. How can I be right to my deceased elder sister if you do this to me?"
Xiao Feihe's expression did not change. He exhaled lightly and said, "Your Majesty, don't feel sad for me. My mother died early, as did my father. Now my wife and children are gone too. They have been waiting down there for a long time. I guess they miss me a lot, so wouldn't it be good for me to go down there early to accompany them?"
The emperor was so angry that his face turned pale. He wanted to drag the unfilial grandson off the bed and beat him to death. He said angrily,
"You are such a jerk! How dare you say such a thing? Even if you don't consider yourself, you should think about the Queen Mother."
"Everyone says that the palace is ruthless and the emperor is ruthless, but who has not crawled out of the palace with wounds all over his body? Do you want the Queen Mother to experience the pain of losing a parent again? Your grandmother is old and can't stand this blow! When your mother died, it almost took away half of her life. If you are still so unfaithful and unfilial now, how can you be worthy of me and your relatives who miss you and love you in this world?"
The emperor became angrier and angrier as he spoke. He wanted to use a harsher tone to thoroughly scold this unfilial son, but seeing how pale his face was, he could only hold back his anger.
"Besides, since you married the eldest daughter of the Li family, the Li couple are now your in-laws. Their daughter just passed away not long ago, and there is no one to take care of her in the future. As a son-in-law, you have harmed their daughter, so shouldn't you take good care of their parents and elders?"
"Are you doing this to your dead wife?"
Perhaps these words really touched his heart deeply.
Under the emperor's merciless scolding and orders, Xiao Feihe seemed to have finally given up the idea of committing suicide, not for any other reason, but because he promised his wife before her death that he would take good care of his parents for her.
So after his health improved, Xiao Feihe went to the Li Mansion. Although he was nominally a son-in-law, no one in the Li Mansion liked him because he had an unclear relationship with the second daughter, which made the eldest daughter sad and broke off the engagement, and finally killed the eldest daughter. This grudge could not be resolved in his lifetime.
Mrs. Li refused to see him. Ever since her daughter's death, she had been ill for quite some time, and only a few days ago did she feel better.
She felt more resentment than sympathy for her son-in-law, but as a relative of the deceased, Mrs. Li finally softened her heart. She met with Xiao Feihe and then agreed to let him go to take a look at the house where her daughter lived before her death.
Xiao Feihe seemed to have calmed down a lot after returning from Li's house. Because they were afraid that he would commit suicide, the servants followed him wherever he went.
The sunshine was bright that afternoon. Prince Xiao sat under the tree in the yard, daydreaming about the sky. The golden sunlight shone on him through the gaps between the leaves. He raised his head and saw that the sunlight above his head was a little dazzling, so he blocked it with his hand.
又看到一旁滿臉謹慎小心的小厮，突然沒忍住笑了一聲道，“周財，你說本世子剃個光頭的話，是不是一如既往的風流俊氣。”
小厮被問的瞬間一呆，不知道世子為什麽會有這個想法，好好的，剃光頭做什麽？又不是和尚！
不過這話還真被他說中了。
之後，世子爺果真不尋死了，只是他突然想去當和尚了，還說什麽當年跟世子妃在一座寺廟定情，所以現在要去還願去喽。
小厮聽得頭都疼了，原本想着把人看緊一點絕對不能再讓世子胡來了，結果第二天世子爺就給他下了一碗巴豆，害他鬧了一上午的肚子，再回來時，世子爺人就不見了。
之後将這事情告訴皇帝的時候，皇上立馬派人去找，然後在極樂寺山下的一間小院子裏找到了把自己剃成了光頭模樣的蕭非鶴。
皇帝最後也是無奈，算了算了，随他去吧，只要不再成天想着尋死，當和尚就去當和尚去吧，好歹人還活着不是嗎。
後來啊，這燕雲城裏再無從前那個散漫不羁的世子爺了，只有那極樂寺山下有個清修苦行的年輕僧人無妄師傅。
年輕的小一輩的姑娘們偶爾還能從前輩們嘴裏聽到一些當年的風流韻事，說這燕雲城裏啊，從前也熱鬧着呢，有個癡情的世子爺娶了一個死人當媳婦，後來還出家了……
還有人去極樂寺燒香拜佛的時候遇到過他，有個住在山下別院的年輕和尚，生的是一副眉清目秀、芝蘭玉樹的高僧模樣。
平日裏總是念經誦佛，渾身上下散發着一股超然脫俗的仙人模樣，還引得不少年輕姑娘對燒香拜佛一事變得格外熱衷。
不過這高僧有一個很奇怪的習慣，每年的七八月份總要去山下坊市裏買一大包的胭脂水粉跟漂亮首飾，惹得一衆信徒奇怪不已，好好的一個和尚買這些東西做什麽？難不成是有什麽不可告人的秘密嗎？
無妄師傅也不在意那些人疑惑的目光，自顧自地拎着包袱往山下走，走了很遠的一段距離，然後走到那座墳前，将那一盒盒的胭脂水粉在娘子的墳前一一擺好，還有各種好吃的點心，再在那墳前坐上一整天，東扯扯、西講講，啰嗦的模樣跟往日那個平淡如水的無妄師傅一點也不一樣，做完這一切之後，和尚摸摸墓碑，這才又眷戀不舍地離開了。
後來有一次再去祭拜的時候，他撿回了一個棄嬰，那棄嬰跟他一樣也成了和尚。
每日晨起，大和尚就帶着小和尚一起念經誦佛，有一日，小和尚問師傅：
他長大能不能不當和尚啊？他都跟山下小翠姑娘約好了，長大了要給她當相公的，當和尚就不能娶媳婦了。
師傅摸着他的腦袋，笑着同意了。
說人生在世，若是能遇到一個你願意為之改變的姑娘，自然是要倍加珍惜的，你喜歡那個姑娘自然是可以跟她在一起的，不過要切記，往後做什麽都可以，就是絕對不能說謊騙人家姑娘，不然為師饒不了你。
小和尚懵懂地點着頭，眨巴着黑珍珠一樣的眼睛說知道了，然後又摸着光溜溜的腦袋問他，師傅為什麽要當和尚啊？當和尚都不能吃肉了，徒弟最愛吃肉了，尤其是師傅那天帶下山的那只燒雞，可香可香了！
師傅輕笑了一聲，然後也拍着自個兒光禿禿的腦袋感嘆，說為師跟你不一樣，為師天生就是英年早禿的命啊。
嗯，這話是誰說的來着？
哦，他想起來了。好像是某個脾氣不太好的暴躁小娘子說的，那天她好像是氣急了，說不過人就武力壓制，趴在他的後背上使勁咬他脖子，然後扯着他的頭發，兇巴巴地說要把他變成一個禿子。
和尚搖了搖頭，然後眼裏不自覺露出一絲笑意，嗯，現在他變成禿子了，也不知道她瞧見了會不會笑話他？
……
李府遭此巨變之後，李清柔也是徹底老實了，李南嫣的死給她帶來的沖擊也不算小，她真的沒想過她會死！
她是怨恨她從前做的那些事情，但心底真的從沒想過要置她于死地的。那段時間裏，每到午夜夢回的時候，她總是會被夢裏的場景驚醒，夢裏的李南嫣滿身是血，哭着喊着質問她到底為什麽要這麽做？為什麽要這麽恨她！李清柔被吓得失聲尖叫，躲在丫鬟的懷裏放聲大哭，精神崩潰，甚至很長一段時間裏都夜不能寐，頭發大把大把地掉，最後更是陷入了深深的自責愧疚之中。
她知道李南嫣的死與她脫不了幹系的，如果不是她，不是她摧毀了她跟蕭非鶴之間的婚事，李南嫣不會這樣含恨而終的。
可她當時完全是氣昏了頭，一時沖動之下才想着讓她跟自己一樣，讓她一樣痛苦的，但是她真的沒想到，她會就這麽死了啊。
如今事情弄成這副模樣，她也真的是後悔了啊。
就這樣，在李南嫣去世之後，李清柔也生了一場大病，病得形銷骨立，花了大半年的時間才終于從那場陰影中走了出來。
病愈之後，又在李府的安排下，嫁給了同年新晉的一位二甲進士生。
那進士姓陳，不過二十幾歲的年紀，頗有才學，為人又是謙遜溫和，是個不可多得的好男子，只是那陳進士家境略微清苦，且無父無母，只有一個年邁的祖母操持家務。
李清柔嫁過去之後，倒也和那陳進士算得上是一對相敬如賓的夫妻。
只是李清柔心中早已有了喜歡的人，所以對丈夫總是清清淡淡的，好在那陳大人真的是個極溫和耐心的男子，對她極為照顧，平日裏也是體貼細致，十分周到。
每逢節日總會帶着她去集市上逛一逛，看一看，給她買一些精致小巧的小玩意兒啊，不過去哪兒總要緊緊牽着她的手，生怕她被行人沖了撞了。
後來一不小心，還真被一個滿身髒污的小乞丐給撞着肚子了，李清柔疼得直皺眉，丈夫心疼地将她摟在懷裏，然後一把抓住了那偷錢的小乞丐，要送那乞丐去見官。
乞丐被吓得趕緊磕頭求饒。
李清柔看着那小乞丐哭得實在可憐，又被吓得渾身發抖，渾身上下瘦巴巴的幾乎沒點人樣，一時就心軟放過她了，之後又将這小乞丐帶回了府裏。
丈夫自然也是依着她了。
兩人這樣相處了大半年的時間，李清柔也也終于打開了心房，慢慢喜歡上了這個溫柔耐心的男子，對待這個丈夫也變得溫柔小意了起來。
尤其是上次回府之後肚子微疼，讓大夫過來檢查一番之後才知道，原來自己是有身孕了，且已經一月有餘了，如今胎像不穩，正是要緊的時候，往後可不能再碰着撞着了。
聽到這話，那日帶回來的小乞丐又趕緊跪下磕頭認錯，當初就是她那一撞才害得夫人差點有事，此刻心中更是惶恐不安，生怕夫人就這麽不要她了。
李清柔倒是沒生什麽大氣，說這事不怪她的，自己也是頭一次身懷有孕，很多事情都不知道，又看那小乞丐手腳伶俐、人又機靈，往後就在外間伺候灑掃吧。
于是這小乞丐就這麽留了下來。
這小乞丐從小就在市井小巷長大，見識過的趣事、奇事頗多，經常就給李清柔講那些市井小巷裏發生的有趣事情，哄的李清柔心情都好了不少。
時間久了，小乞丐也就不叫小乞丐了，李清柔給她取了個名字，叫春芽。
春芽成了李清柔的貼身丫鬟，盡心盡力地伺候着她，李清柔喜歡聽她說那些有趣的故事，也喜歡她口中說的那種市井小巷裏家家戶戶的那種煙火之氣。
尤其是春芽身上那種幹淨純粹的氣質，和深宅大院中養出來的女孩們不一樣，她身上有種未被馴服的氣質。
李清柔把春芽當做妹妹一樣照顧，偶爾也會教她讀書寫字，而春芽也對這位心懷仁善的夫人更是尊敬，尤其是看她跟大人之間夫妻恩愛，心中更是格外歡喜羨慕，總盼望着某一天自己也能過上這樣的好日子。
八個月後，李清柔的肚子老大了，春芽也從從前那個黑黑瘦瘦的小乞丐長成了如今這副亭亭玉立的模樣。
原來她都已經十六歲了，只是從前在乞丐堆裏摸爬滾打的，總要把自己弄得灰頭土臉一些才安全，再加上乞丐是沒吃沒穿的，又經常餓肚子，所以總一副沒長開的模樣。
如今在陳府養了大半年的時間，倒也終于成了一副水靈靈大丫頭的模樣了。
後來陳府管家的兒子瞧上了春芽，就想請夫人做個主，看能不能将春芽許配給他兒子做媳婦。
李清柔便把這事跟春芽說了，春芽當時低着頭，沒說答應也沒說不答應，只是眼圈有些微紅，說這輩子只想陪在夫人身邊伺候，其他的便什麽都不想了。
Li Qingrou just smiled and touched her head, then said, "Silly girl, who wants to be a slave for the rest of your life? The housekeeper's son is not a slave, he can read a few words, and he manages several shops outside. If you can marry him, you will have no worries for the rest of your life."
So Chunya stopped talking.
This was originally agreed upon, but half a month later, something terrible happened in the mansion.
——Chunya climbed onto the adults’ bed!
It was the day when the master came back from a banquet. He was a little drunk that night and came back a little late. After washing up, Master Chen was still worried about his wife's increasingly poor health in recent days, so he slept in the outer room without saying a word.
As a result, when he woke up the next morning, Mr. Chen was a little dazed. He saw Chunya lying in his arms, and both of them were naked.
When Li Qingrou saw this scene, she was stunned, her face lost all color, and she had a miscarriage on the spot.
Lord Chen had a complicated and guilty look on his face. He had no idea why he slept with a maidservant beside his wife, and even caused her to have a miscarriage.
Afterwards, Li Qingrou went through untold hardships to give birth to the baby safely. It was a very pretty little girl, but she suffered damage during the birth. She was afraid that it would not be smooth sailing for her to have children in the future.
Because of this miscarriage, my daughter's body has been weak, much more fragile than a normal baby. It was not until she was out of the confinement period, two months later, that her complexion gradually improved.
But not long after, she heard even more disgusting news: the beggar Chunya who had climbed into bed was also pregnant, and it was almost three months pregnant. Counting the dates, it was the same thing that happened when she had a miscarriage.
Finally, her husband had no choice but to take Chunya as his concubine and keep her in his house until she gave birth to a child.
When Li Qingrou heard the news, she felt so disgusted that she wanted to vomit. She didn't know how to describe the feeling in her heart. She just felt as if her chest was pressed down by a huge stone. She was full of resentment and hatred in her heart. She resentful so much that she wanted to rush out and strangle that bastard to death.
Why? Why do you do this to her?
Is she mean to Chunya?
She saved her life without caring about the fact that she stole money on the street, taught her to read and write, provided her with food, clothing, shelter and transportation, and even gave her a salary so that she would not have to associate with beggars for the rest of her life. But in the end, is this how she treated her?
Climbing into her husband's bed right before she was about to give birth!
This feeling of having something stuck in my throat is really disgusting.
Li Qingrou wanted to have someone beat the bastard who climbed into her bed to death, but she had to watch the concubine take her husband away.
From now on, her children will have to share the love that belongs to her daughter, and she will have to pretend to be the mistress of the house and treat her children and her daughter equally.
Disgusting, really disgusting!
Is this retribution?
This was a retribution for her disrespecting her mistress and bullying her elder sister in the past, so was God going to let her have a taste of this disgusting feeling?
Li Qingrou couldn't help but wonder, what if the child born to that concubine bullied her daughter in the future?
Could she bear it? Could she watch the child born by that bastard overshadow her daughter?
Impossible, no way! No one can bully her child! If anyone dares to touch her daughter, she will never let her go even if she dies.
Li Qingrou couldn't help crying as she thought about it. It was not until this moment that she finally understood how her mother felt back then.
Sorry, she really knows she is wrong!
But there are some things that she cannot change just because she knows she is wrong. Her elder sister has died. She could have had a very happy family, her own husband, and her own children in the future, but all of these were ruined by her. Every time she goes back to her parents' home, her mother even refuses to see her, and she still refuses to forgive her to this day.
…
In the void, Nan Yan floated out of the body slowly. The system stopped in mid-air and asked her, "Host, your mission has been completed. Why don't you just return to the system space?"
Nan Yan stroked her chin and asked back, "You know that my mother had a miscarriage when she gave birth to me, which resulted in a difficult birth, causing a loss of Qi and blood, and she has been in poor health ever since, right?"
"Yes, the medical technology in ancient times was not perfect. Giving birth was like stepping into the gates of hell. The host's mother had a difficult birth and suffered from uterine infection. She has not recovered from the disease for many years, which is why she is suffering from illness."
Nan Yan asked it again, "Is there any pill that can completely restore my mother's body? I can mix it with the supplements my mother takes every day to help her regain her health."
The system thought for a moment and replied, "Yes, it is, but it's quite expensive. Do you want to buy it?"
Nan Yan was not fooled by it, "How much do you want to say first?"
The system replied rudely: "Half of the points for this mission. Don't try to cheat me, poor idiot."
No matter how rich and powerful Nan Yan was, she couldn't help but glare at it at this moment, "I'm poor because of you guys, what a joke, why don't you go and grab half of the points for this mission?"
The system shook its legs and snorted twice in a very human way, "Isn't this just a snatch? Are you going to buy it or not? If you miss this opportunity, you will never see this store again."
Nan Yan rubbed her forehead, put a ball of flour created by the system under her feet and stepped on it a few times.
"Buy, buy, buy. Hurry up and button up. Then go home."
After deducting the points, the system pointed her to a white-robed monk who was sitting in a trance in a small courtyard at the foot of the mountain. There was no incense table or Buddha in front of him. The monk had his eyes closed and was muttering something calmly.
Nan Yan passed by the courtyard, took a glance and turned back.
In the dark, the monk only felt a light breeze blowing past his ears, staying on his forehead for a moment, and then disappearing without a trace.
Wuwang opened his eyes, his gaze was clear and peaceful. He looked at the empty courtyard, then looked at the empty sky in the distance. Suddenly, he had a very strange feeling in his heart.
Did something touch his head just now?
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