Chapter 42
The moonlight is beautiful tonight; its silvery glow softly bathes the entire courtyard.
Tan Xiaoque swung her slender legs and sat on a sycamore tree not far from the study, holding a sugarcane in her hand, happily munching on it, her eyes fixed on the study.
When she saw the fourth brother carrying Yuan Liu Niang out, she chuckled and spat out the sugarcane residue in her mouth, her beautiful cat eyes filled with mockery.
"What an idiot."
After saying that, he ignored them and continued to gaze at the study.
"Chief, wouldn't it be better to just stay put and guard the stronghold, to protect Fengyunxu? Whether it's the Yuan clan or the Yuwen clan, they're both destined for destruction. Why do you insist on getting involved in this mess? This is putting me in a difficult position..."
After muttering to herself, she took another bite with a "snap!" and then, as if remembering something, her round cat-like eyes narrowed and smiled again.
"Hehe, actually this is quite interesting~"
When Lin Qiang came out of the study, he felt someone watching him. He looked up at the top of the sycamore tree and sure enough, he saw Tan Xiaoque sitting there with a smile, swinging her legs.
"Boss~"
She laughed heartily, the pink tassels tied in her double buns swaying gently, exuding innocence and charm.
Lin Qiang beckoned to her, and Tan Xiaoque immediately flew forward, pretending to throw herself into his arms, but Lin Qiang grabbed her by the back of her collar and restrained her.
She twisted her body in dissatisfaction, and the bell at her waist jingled.
He chuckled and flicked her forehead lightly: "You silly girl, it's so late, why aren't you resting yet?"
"I was going to rest, but then I heard Sister Yuan crying, so I came to check." She handed over the sugarcane with a grin, and asked slyly, "Did Sister Yuan do something wrong and get punished by the headmaster? I just saw Fourth Brother carry her out. If Sister Yuan did something wrong, headmaster, don't be angry, okay? Eat this sugarcane to calm your temper, it's especially sweet~"
"I'm not angry." Lin Qiang pushed her sugarcane away with disgust: "How old are you? You're still acting like a child. You're eating sugarcane and your mouth is all over the place."
"Go and rest. Come back to the village with me the day after tomorrow."
"Back to the village?" Tan Xiaoque's eyes lit up. "Is the chief no longer an official in the capital? Doesn't he care about Sister Yao anymore?"
"Why does this little brat have so many questions? Go wash your hands and go back to your room to sleep!"
"Okay~"
**
The next morning, Yuan Liu Niang was awakened by the howling of the wind.
"Sixth Sister~~"
"Sixth Sister~~~~"
"My poor Sixth Sister~~~~"
"Tell me, I was only gone for one night, how did you get like this?!"
Feng Zhi pounded on the door and howled. The fourth brother next door, looking annoyed, quickly came out of his house, grabbed a stick from the yard, and started beating Feng Zhi.
"Damn it, try yelling again! I'll kill you!"
Then, a series of loud crashes and thuds filled the air, and the whole yard was in chaos.
"......."
Yuan Liuniang rubbed her temples as she got out of bed, opened the door, and saw the two of them fighting and jumping around.
The corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up, and her mind, which had been in turmoil for some time, gradually settled back down, and her gaze became clearer and clearer.
With her hands on her hips, just like countless mornings before, she yelled at them, "You two, if you want to fight, don't fight in my doorway! Get the hell out of here, I want to sleep!"
Just then, the sound of a bell jingling came from behind her back. Tan Xiaoque walked into the courtyard with her hands behind her back, looking at them with a smile.
"Fourth Brother, Wind Brother, keep it up!"
After speaking, he turned his head to Yuan Liuniang and saw that her eyes were clear, unlike the dazed look she had shown a few days ago. A smile with an ambiguous meaning flashed across her lips.
"Hehe, Sister Yuan, you're awake? I heard you crying in the study yesterday, and I thought something had happened to you. But it seems like nothing's wrong today~ So what happened to you yesterday?"
She asked innocently, but Yuan Liu Niang frowned.
All these years have passed, and she still can't bring herself to like Tan Xiaoque. She always feels that there is a strange aura about her that makes her uncomfortable.
That's my business, it's none of your concern.
Feng Zhi, who had stopped fighting, quickly stepped forward: "Sixth Sister~ I heard you fainted yesterday, come quickly let me take your pulse, lest you suffer any aftereffects and have trouble getting married in the future!"
The fourth brother grabbed him and said, "Stop making sarcastic remarks and get out of here."
Yuan Liu Niang ignored them and went back to her room to change her clothes before heading to the study.
"Sixth Sister, are you going to find Eldest Brother?"
The fourth brother blocked her way, his gaze complex, and said, "My eldest brother left the manor early this morning. He said that if you stay in the manor today, we can go back to the village together tomorrow. But if you leave the Lin manor today..."
"Can't I go back to the stronghold with the chief?" Yuan Liu Niang interrupted him: "Little Tiger, do you want me to go back to the stronghold or stay in the capital?"
"........"
Is there even a question? After so many years of working together, naturally we still hope she can stay and help out.
"Is that even a question? Of course, we're going back to the village!"
The wind suddenly darted between the two.
"Sixth Sister, come back with me. Mountain Eagle is waiting for you to return to the village so he can propose to you! You can't keep him waiting in vain, can you?"
The fourth brother kicked him: "Didn't you hear me tell you to get out of the way? Get out, get out!"
Yuan Liu Niang glanced at Tan Xiao Que, who was watching the commotion from the side, then ignored them and turned to walk towards the gate of the mansion.
She remembered his last words: he said he wouldn't abandon her. With those words, it didn't matter whether she went back to the village or not.
Suppressing the negative emotions welling up inside her, Yuan Liuniang smiled. There were some things that needed to be done, and they still had to be finished...
Someone once said: We can't see all the snow that falls in a person's life; everyone spends their winter alone in their own life.
For Yuan Liuniang, she had endured one bitterly cold winter after another, and now she finally saw spring, a place where the wind was gentle and the sun was warm, making her want to live forever.
The experience of suicide was too painful; she didn't want to experience it a second time.
Although both Lin Qiang and she were reborn in another world, their pursuits were different.
He grew up in a wealthy family, but his family went bankrupt when he was young. His father was forced to jump off a building, and his mother remarried and went abroad. As a teenager, he shouldered the huge debts of his family and experienced too many ups and downs and the coldness and warmth of human relationships.
At an age when he should be loving and being loved, he could only carry the burden alone. Wearing a gentle mask, he spent his days running around among all sorts of people, never daring to relax for a moment.
By the time he had reached a certain level and become a powerful figure, he was already middle-aged.
In his middle age, when he looked back, he found that he had lost the ability to trust and love.
From arrival to departure, from beginning to end, though surrounded by flowers and admirers, he remained utterly alone. He lived alone, and he died alone. With his eyes closed, at the end of his life, he had no regrets.
"Big Beard, what are you thinking about?"
Inside Zhaoyang Palace, a woman dressed in an apricot-yellow casual dress looked through the carved window at a man sitting on a tree with a sword in his hand, lost in thought. Her slightly narrowed fox eyes held a hint of doubt.
Why is the big black bearded man so quiet today? That's unusual.
She rose, her slightly trailing hem brushing against the jade bricks in the hall, and followed her master into the courtyard, to the tree.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the ground. Yuan Qiong raised her head, her delicate face beautiful and pretty.
"Is it fun up in the trees?"
Since their reunion, it seems they've always maintained this distance, neither too close nor too far, unable even to embrace. Lin Qiang looked down at her, feeling a thousand cat claws scratching at his heart, a sensation both tingling and itchy.
"It's not fun."
The man's deep voice was like the finest wine, intoxicating all five senses when drunk from the ears.
Seeing her made his pursuit very simple, just as Kerouac said: "I am very happy that you let me sit next to you. I am very lonely, I have been traveling for far too long."
She tilted her head to examine him, and her keen intuition told Yuan Qiong that this man was definitely hiding something from her.
"Big Beard, is Yuwen Jing's improved health related to you?"
"have."
"......."
His overly frank tone left her speechless. How could this bandit not even try to deny it?
"So many physicians were helpless, how did you manage to do it?"
"Because..."
Lin Qiang looked down at the petite woman, chuckled, and said in a flippant tone.
"I am a celestial being, carrying all sorts of elixirs. Saving a mortal is a piece of cake for me!"
"Pooh!"
Shameless!
What is your purpose?
"This... I can't say now, you'll find out tomorrow."
"tomorrow?"
Sure enough, the bandit was hiding something from her. Yuan Qiong's mind raced, trying to piece together everything that had happened in the past few days, but she still couldn't figure out what the bandit was up to.
She turned and went back into the palace, summoning Xiaoyu and asking, "Was anything unusual happening in Weiyang Palace today?"
"No. His Majesty is still discussing state affairs with the Prime Minister."
"What about the other palaces?"
"Besides the Prime Minister secretly searching for someone to treat His Majesty, there was also the fact that Prince Cheng went to the Cold Palace to see Consort Yuan yesterday... I was unable to find out what they talked about."
Yuwen Zhe? His fox tail can't be kept in check anymore?
Yuan Qiong sneered.
"Ignore them for now, keep a close eye on Weiyang Palace, and report any unusual activity as soon as possible." The bearded man's behavior made Yuan Qiong uneasy. "Also, keep a close watch on all parts of the palace, and don't miss the slightest movement."
"promise."
In fact, Lin Qiang was also puzzled by Yuwen Jing's lack of reaction.
He considered various possibilities, such as Yuwen Jing sending heavy troops to guard Zhaoyang Palace, hiding Yuan Qiong, or telling Yuan Su to strengthen the palace's defenses.
As a result, apart from Yuan Su returning to look for him, there was no other news about Yuan Qiong!
Didn't Yuwen Jing hear what he said yesterday?
How could I not have heard it?
In fact, Yuwen Jing had heard it, but he thought he was dreaming and didn't take it to heart at all!
In addition, Yuwen Ting had returned yesterday, and the border was short of funds. Yuan Su pulled him aside and began to tell him about his difficulties, while also denouncing General Guan for embezzling military pay. This left Yuwen Ting overwhelmed and naturally he forgot about the matter.
Yuan Su's attention was focused on Yuwen Jing's sudden improvement in health, and he never imagined that someone was eyeing his granddaughter.
Therefore, Lin Qiang successfully knocked Yuan Qiong unconscious and took her away that night, and then set fire to Zhaoyang Palace.
As flames soared into the sky and the imperial palace was ablaze, he had already led his men out of the capital...
From this day forward, Yuan Qiong is dead, and such a person no longer exists in this world.
Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the [nutrient solution]:
Damn it, one bottle!
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com