Chapter 152: Rubbing Shoulders
When Zhiqiu saw that the Second Mistress was about to write a letter to the Prince, he picked up a pen and said to her:
"Second Madam, please think carefully. Just tell me and I will write it for you."
Mengxi saw Li Du and his son making faces as if they were killing a chicken and wiping its neck. How could she not know what they were thinking? She secretly felt ashamed of her big handwriting. Like Zhiqiu, she pretended not to see it. She pondered for a while , then walked with her hands behind her back and recited:
"The waning moon hangs over the sparse toon tree, the clock stops and people begin to quiet down..."
Li Du and his son saw that their master was pacing calmly and calmly, with a unique grace. Zhiqiu wrote carefully and thought to himself that perhaps this was the rule in all big houses. He shook his head and stood there without obstructing him.
As Mengxi finished reading, Zhiqiu had already finished writing and handed it to the second grandmother with both hands.
Mengxi took it, looked at it, nodded, and when the ink dried, she ordered Li Du to fold it and put it away, and send it out early the next morning. Then she and Zhiqiu changed into women's clothes and hurried back to the Xiao Mansion.
…
"…picking all the cold branches but refusing to rest, the lonely sandbank is cold"
The prince stood in front of the window of the courtyard with his hands behind his back, playing with a jade pendant in his hand and silently reciting the poem that Mengxi had written for him.
"Second brother, are you telling me your true feelings? You won't help me fight for the throne, nor will you help the King of Yan win the throne. You have worked so hard to treat my illness. Not to mention that you saved my life, just your love for me means that I have long recognized you as my confidant. We are brothers who know each other well, so how could there be any rift between us? Even if you are forced to help the King of Yan one day, I will not blame you, but only blame God's will. Second brother is so talented, why don't you want to serve as an official in the court?"
Thinking of this, the prince turned around and asked Xiao Zongzi:
"Where did you stay yesterday, when did you leave Pingyang, which direction did you go, and did we have anyone to protect you?"
"Your Highness, the people who were sent to secretly protect Master Li came back and said that Master Li went into the Yipin Teahouse as soon as he got off the car yesterday and went up to the private room on the second floor. They waited outside until dark, but Master Li did not come out. Later, they asked around and heard from the waiter of the teahouse that Master Li and his servant had left through the back door of the teahouse a long time ago. Because the teahouse business is usually bleak and there are not many people, there is no one guarding the back door of the teahouse. The people sent to protect Master Li actually lost sight of Master Li."
After Xiao Zongzi finished speaking, he saw that the prince looked unwell, so he hurriedly continued:
"But I heard from the people who were monitoring the Prince of Yan that because Master Li did not go to Yichun Hall last night, the Prince of Yan did not notice that Master Li had returned. I think Master Li also thought of this, so he did not go to Yichun Hall and met with the people from Yichun Hall at Yipin Teahouse. For some reason, the number of secret sentries sent by the Prince of Yan to Yichun Hall has increased significantly today."
The prince paused for a moment and said:
"Could it be that the King of Yan has already suspected that my second brother has returned to Pingyang?"
Xiao Zongzi was also stunned when he heard this, then he thought of something and said:
"When the prince said that, I remembered that yesterday, Master Li said that the poison that Your Highness was poisoned with was called a twin poison, and the male and female poisons live and die together. If it was really the King of Yan who poisoned Your Highness this time, then he must know that the female poison in Your Highness' body is dead. Although Your Highness has kept his mouth shut, looking at the world today, the only one who can cure this poison is the legendary medicine god - the owner of Yichun Hall. I think the King of Yan was suspicious and sent more people. Maybe he has the same idea as Your Highness, and wants to bring Master Li under his command and use him for his own purposes."
The prince nodded after hearing what Xiao Zongzi said, thought for a long time, raised his head suddenly, handed the jade pendant in his hand to Xiao Zongzi and said:
"Send this jade pendant to Manager Li of Yichun Hall and ask him to find a way to pass it on to my second brother. Also tell my second brother that if he encounters difficulties while traveling around the world, he only needs to go to the local government and show the jade pendant, and someone will definitely help him. Also inform all places that this jade pendant has my nickname on it, and seeing this jade pendant is like seeing me in person, and the person holding it must be treated with the same courtesy as I would treat him."
"Yes, I will arrange it right away. Is there anything else you want, Your Highness?"
"Send more people to protect Yichun Hall, and send a message to all places. If you find Master Li's whereabouts, don't alarm him, just protect him in secret."
Xiao Zongzi responded and turned to go out. The prince looked out the window absentmindedly for a long time. He put away Mengxi's letter, turned around and sat cross-legged in front of the low rock, and played the song "Swordsman" again.
…
When two people meet, no story happens, they just pass by each other. She and he, a prince of the dynasty and a mistress of a noble family, meet and many stories happen, but they are destined to pass by each other. Just like what Buddha said, you looked back five hundred times in your previous life to get a brief acquaintance, but the fate is not enough, so you can only pass by each other in this life.
Thinking back to the letters sent by carrier pigeons over the past few months and Shangguan's gentle smile, Mengxi was heartbroken. She could not help but think of the Qiqiao event on the night of the Qixi Festival. That night was filled with thunder and rain. It was a fate that could not be changed from the beginning. A good match for her was like the moon in the water and the flower in the mirror. The confidant who had poured so much affection into her for several months was actually the prince who was destined not to travel with her through the mountains and rivers and laugh at the world. All she had paid was so pale. There was endless joy in fighting against the sky, but she had fought and struggled for so long, where was the joy?
The red candle burns out, all thoughts naturally become cold, the dream is broken, and life is just a passing cloud. Mengxi now feels that he is just like the burnt red candle and the dried medicine residue, without a trace of energy to pursue what he wants.
Spreading out a piece of white paper, Mengxi silently practiced writing big characters, and even his revolutionary plan to leave the Xiao Mansion faded a lot.
Zhiqiu looked at the Second Grandma worriedly. The Second Grandma had been practicing calligraphy for a whole day. She didn't even have lunch. She just sat there writing and writing. On the paper full of words were the same two sentences:
"If the sky had feelings, it would grow old; if the moon had no hatred, it would always be full"
"Second Madam, it's time for dinner. You should take a rest. You can't learn calligraphy in one day. Second Madam is weak to begin with. She vomited blood yesterday. If you have any worries, don't keep them to yourself. Tell me and I will help you share your worries. If you keep going like this, even an iron man can't stand it."
Zhiqiu's eyes turned red as he spoke. After hearing what Zhiqiu said, Mengxi actually put down the pen in his hand, looked at Zhiqiu, pointed at the pile of papers on the table and said with a smile:
"Yes, life has to go on. Take all these out and burn them. Pass the meal!"
Zhiqiu saw the smile on Second Grandma's face, and he finally felt relieved after a day of worrying. He stared, trying to hold back the tears in his eyes, and walked up briskly, rolled up the paper on the table that was covered with words, and said:
"I will serve you food right away. Second Madam hasn't eaten for a whole day. I specially asked the kitchen to make some of your favorite almond, Sichuan Fritillary and lily porridge tonight. Madam, you must eat more to have more energy."
"I'm really hungry. Please pass it up."
Mengxi said this as he slowly stood up and walked towards the bed. Suddenly he staggered, a mouthful of blood spurted out, and he slowly fell to the ground.
Zhiqiu was so frightened that he rushed forward and grabbed Second Grandma, shouting like a pig being slaughtered:
"Second Madam, Second Madam, what's wrong with you? Zhichun, Zhichun... someone come quickly!"
