Chapter 111 Come and Welcome Guests
The ground in front of the courtyard was in a mess. Lang Er was shaking with pain, but he didn't dare to make any noise for fear of attracting the attention of the Grand Princess.
Yuqing knelt on the ground and looked at Yunniang for help.
Yunniang had no time to care about her, her heart was completely on the Grand Princess. She was angry and anxious, and kept stroking the Grand Princess's chest, hoping to help her calm down.
Yuan Heng never expected that after hunting geese all day, he would end up getting his eyes pecked by a goose.
For many years, she had been spying on the loyalty of princes and ministers in the court for the emperor, but she had never thought that she would be completely outwitted by a little bastard and in the end she was sold out and had to help count the money.
The tiles of the courtyard in front of her were up and down, and the figures were far away and near. She felt dizzy and nauseous, and her chest was burning with anger. She suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, and then she felt clear-headed. She shouted sternly: "Kill these two slaves and throw them out to feed the dogs!"
Immediately, the maids and guards came forward to drag the two people. Lang Er was fine, because he knew he would not be able to escape death, but at least he did not implicate his family, so he could still endure it. Yu Qing was so anxious that she kept crying and begging: "Master, please spare my life! I have no second thoughts about you... Aunt Yun, please say a few good words to the master and spare me, please?"
Yunniang said coldly: "Why don't you deal with it quickly? Why are you making so much noise?" She helped Yuanheng back to the room to rest.
The maids in charge of the punishment came to drag Yuqing away. One of them looked at the back of the eldest princess and sneered, "Madam, take a rest. The master asked you to serve the young master, but you tired him so much that he lost his life. Yurou has already gone to accompany the young master. I tell you to get on with your journey and save everyone from embarrassing yourself."
Yu Qing was struck by lightning: " Young Master lost his life? When did this happen?" She had lost her freedom for a long time, and this was the first time she heard news about Huan Yanbo.
"The young master has been buried for a long time, and you still want to save your life." The old woman took out a greasy handkerchief, stuffed it into Yuqing's mouth and dragged her away. Soon, Lang Er and Yuqing both died.
Life in the Grand Princess's mansion had been depressing and dull since Huan Yanbo's funeral, as if being turned upside down in a black pot. Neither the master in Yuanheng nor the servants could lift their spirits. Only when the Second Prince came did the master feel better, and the servants around her could relax a little.
Yunniang helped Yuanheng back to her room to rest, and sent someone to invite the imperial physician to prescribe medicine. She also arranged for people to secretly dispose of the bodies of Lang Er and Yuqing, and instructed the servants in the mansion not to leak the news. After doing all this, she sat on the footstool beside Yuanheng's bed in a daze.
The four of them had been serving the Grand Princess since they were young. Yao Niang had gone to Zhulin Temple, Chun Niang was eating royal meals in the inner prison. They had been in contact before, but Xin Niang was escorted back to the capital after the winter hunt. Yun Niang had been turned away when she visited them several times. She had originally wanted to ask her to spare Xin Niang's life for the sake of serving the master together, but she had not expected that after the New Year, the people from the inner prison of the Forbidden Cavalry Division would deliver Xin Niang's body.
Now she is the only one left among the four to serve the Grand Princess. Not only does she have to take care of all the affairs in the mansion, but she also has to consider things outside. But the Grand Princess can't leave her for a moment. Yunniang has never thought of herself as a capable person who can stand on her own, but now she has to bite the bullet and move forward.
The eldest princess fell ill after Tang Ying "sent the gift". At night, dark clouds gathered and it started to rain heavily. When the sky cleared up, it turned into a drizzle, which lasted for three days in a row.
During these three days, Yuan Heng lay on her bed listening to the rain, waking and sleeping, her mind was hazy. Sometimes she felt like she was just married, with her husband caring and her parents loving her. Sometimes she felt like she was back to the time when her husband passed away, holding her young son in her arms and feeling grief-stricken. Suddenly, she felt like she was back to the time before Huan Yanbo was exiled. In her sleep, she pulled her son's neck and cried, refusing to let go, "Yan'er, don't go. If you go and lose your life, who will your mother depend on?"
Countless faces kept flashing around like a revolving lantern , and he kept talking in his sleep. Yunniang was anxious and gave him a lot of medicine. Only when the rain stopped and the sky cleared up did he gradually get better.
Two days later, Yuan Lang came to visit her. Hearing that she had not been feeling well again, he asked her with concern, "Didn't you feel much better a few days ago? How come you can't get up again?"
Yunniang answered perfectly: "The weather in spring is unpredictable, two days cold and two days hot, which is why the master can't stand it. When summer warms up completely, he will probably be well again."
The voice behind the screen could be clearly heard. Hatred flashed across Yuan Heng's eyes, and he quickly whispered, "Is it Lang'er? Come in quickly."
Yuan Lang's gentle face quickly turned from behind the screen and said with a smile, "I thought Auntie was asleep. I guess it was your nephew who woke you up?"
He didn't notice Yunniang's gloomy look behind him.
Yuan Heng waved to him: "I have also slept for a long time, and I have been confused all the time. It's time to wake up. It's a good thing that you are here, so please talk to me."
Yunniang brought a stool over, and Yuan Lang sat down. "I hope you don't find me annoying, Aunt. I've been really busy these past few days. I don't know what's wrong with my mother. She brings a bunch of portraits every day and asks me to choose a wife and concubine. It's really annoying. It's quiet here, Aunt. Let me go."
Yuan Heng's heart was bleeding - if Yan'er was alive and well, it would be time to choose a wife for him.
But she looked sad and said, "Aunt really envies your mother. But you can't be careless in choosing a wife. She has to be someone who can be helpful to you." She was obviously thinking about him.
This statement is exactly in line with Yuan Lang's code of conduct. He never gets up early without profit, and can use the marriage in his previous life as a stepping stone. However, this life is slightly different. He always thinks of Tang Ying and the short three-year marriage life.
Sometimes we don’t realize how precious something is until we lose it.
Unfortunately, Tang Ying clearly had no interest in him, and had even less interest in marrying him.
Yuan Lang smiled and said, "How can it be that easy?" He changed the subject and said, "Yesterday, General Yang, who was stationed in the northwest, returned to Beijing to report on his work. I heard that he brought his family with him. My mother also mentioned that I should have the opportunity to get close to General Yang."
Yuan Heng looked down at the embroidered butterfly on the quilt, but he couldn't help but think of Tang Ying in his mind. He even encouraged Yuan Lang: "The man named Yang is Tang Yao's right-hand man. He is very good at spearmanship. He is now stationed in the northwest. It would be good if you could get in touch with him."
For some reason, she had a hunch that if Yuan Lang was trying to establish a relationship with General Yang, the girl surnamed Tang might interfere.
Yang Wei is nearly forty years old. He learned both marksmanship and military tactics from the Tang family and served under Tang Yao for many years. Last spring, he was transferred to Qingzhou in the northwest in the name of rotation. He fought a tough battle in the winter. The northwest was hit by snow disasters, bandits and border troubles that had not been eliminated. Otherwise, he should have appeared at the funeral of the late crown prince.
Yang Wei, whom the aunt and nephew were talking about, had already met the emperor yesterday. Today he stayed at home to rest and to welcome the guests who came to his house.
The Yang family has a three-story courtyard in Beijing. It’s not big, but it’s spacious enough for them to live in.
Just after lunch, someone came and knocked on the door. The old gray-haired man guarding the gate was frightened when he saw the man was wearing the official uniform of the Imperial Cavalry Department. He thought to himself that his master had just entered the capital, so he would not be targeted by the Imperial Cavalry Department, right?
While signaling the servant to run and report, he took advantage of his old age and slowly invited the person in.
"Please come in, sir."
The female officer of the Imperial Cavalry Department, who was wearing a black official uniform and carrying a long sword, asked, "Is your Hu Niu here this time?"
The old man was stunned: "The eldest lady is here too."
Miss Yang's nickname was Huniu. She grew up strong and sturdy. Her crying voice was as loud as that of boys. She could eat, sleep well and was very strong. When she grew up, she became a tomboy. Her appearance... was not at all like a lady.
But not everyone knows Miss Yang's nickname and can call it out casually, let alone in such an intimate tone.
Lao Cang looked the lady up and down. Seeing her smile, he could not help thinking of something. Suddenly his eyes lit up and his worries disappeared. "Miss, your last name is Tang, right?"
Tang Ying blinked her eyes: "Did the old man guess it?"
The old man had a limp in his legs. When he was young, he served in the army in Baicheng. Later, he was injured and retired. Although he had no chance to meet Tang Ying, he knew the friendship between the two families. He immediately wanted to salute: "I didn't know Miss Tang was coming. I am sorry for being rude."
Tang Ying hurried to help him up: "Uncle, there is no need to do this!"
The two of them had not gone far when Yang Wei came out to greet them. His voice sounded like thunder from afar: "Yingzi - yesterday when I saw the emperor, I heard his majesty say that you are now temporarily in charge of the Forbidden Cavalry Division. You have made great progress!" He strode over and slapped Tang Ying on the shoulder, making her grimace.
"Uncle Yang, are you trying to take my niece's shoulders off? Can't you be gentler?"
Yang Wei was tall and strong, with a dark complexion. He stood in front of Tang Ying like an iron tower, but his eyes and eyebrows were already red. "Good boy, I'm sorry for your hardship."
What he was talking about was the fall of Baicheng and the death of the Tang father and son and the Yu father and son in battle.
Tang Ying then dragged his arm and shook it like a naughty child: "Uncle Yang, you came from the northwest. Did you forget to bring me a gift?" Yang Wei slapped her hard again: "Bad girl, you are still as naughty as before!"
However, both of them knew in their hearts that they could never go back to the past, and the "bad girl" in front of them was no longer as naughty as before. She was wearing the black official uniform of the Imperial Cavalry, her hair was tied up high with a small crown, she had a long sword on her waist, and she didn't have any pearls or jade jewelry on her body. At first glance, she looked like a handsome young man. Both her dress and temperament were tainted with "official air", and she .
Tang Ying smiled and said, "I haven't seen Uncle Yang for a long time. Uncle Yang, why didn't you invite me in to sit down? And now that I'm here, why didn't you ask Hu Niu to come out?"
Yang Wei turned around and scolded the attendant beside him: "Why don't you hurry up and call the young lady over and tell her that Xiaoying is here and is clamoring to compete with her. Hurry up and ask her to bring her weapons to greet the guests. If you are any later, this girl will run away."
