Mu Lingsu was about to wrap up the ginseng nourishing pills when she heard Yu Linzhi's voice: "I'm kidding, I don't need these pills." She was startled and looked in the direction of the voice in fear and shock. Yu Linzhi stood in front of the window , looking at her with a smirk. She had never seen Yu Linzhi smile before, and this smile was so beautiful that she forgot to be angry with him for a moment.
Mu Lingsu could clearly feel that since the two of them accidentally slept together that night, Yu Linzhi's attitude towards her had become more and more intimate. Today he even smiled at her, which made her feel a little flattered.
"I wonder if she noticed you?" Yu Linzhi didn't come in from the door, but leaned against the window to talk to Mu Lingsu. The "she" in his words refers to his biological mother Gu Ruan.
Gu Ru'an's relationship with him is not as close as her and Mu Lingsu's.
When Mu Lingsu was in Fengzao Palace, she was always around the queen, serving the queen. When the queen planned to frame Mu Simiao, Gu Ru'an was most likely aware of it.
Hearing Yu Linzhi address her as her biological mother, Mu Lingsu was stunned for a moment at first, but then she realized who he was talking about and continued, "It doesn't matter whether she recognizes me or not. After all, Aunt An and I didn't have a very good relationship before. I'm afraid that when she remembers me, she will dislike me, the daughter of a traitor, for being with you all day and corrupting you."
Mu Lingsu had noticed that Gu Ruan didn't like her since she entered the palace. In addition, Gu Ruan had always been arrogant, so she didn't have a good impression of him. Later, she always suspected that Gu Ruan was the one who planned her father's frame-up, and she was even reluctant to even mention topics related to Gu Ruan.
"It's fine if he leads me astray." Yu Linzhi didn't care. He knew very well that Gu Ru'an had never thought of recognizing him as her son, and she would never have the time to care about his private affairs. Not to mention being with the daughter of his mortal enemy, even if he married a prostitute, she would not care.
This time, she was able to condescend to leave the palace and come to Yu Mansion because the Queen wanted her to accompany her all the way. After picking up Shen Hanyan, she could take care of Shen Hanyan's food and daily life on the way back.
"Your father hasn't been released yet. When do you plan to leave?" Mu Lingsu really didn't want to mention Gu Ru'an too much, so she turned to talk to him about the business at hand.
In fact, she wanted to remind him not to listen to the court's orders before the terms were agreed with the court. However, she was worried that there were spies around her, so she could only hint to Yu Linzhi in a tactful way.
Yu Linzhi was always alert and quickly understood Mu Lingsu's hint. He said, "I'm waiting for Shen Qingyu to come find me."
Before he finished speaking, they heard a calm female voice: "How can a commoner like me address His Royal Highness Prince Yi Yang by his name?"
As soon as Mu Lingsu heard it, she knew that the voice was from Gu Ru'an. She was startled and raised her hands to close the window and hide. Yu Linzhi quickly raised his hands and grabbed her hands on the window leaf to stop her from doing so. The two of them just held on to each other, neither wanting to let go, until Gu Ru'an came to the window and still kept this position.
When Gu Ru'an got closer, she saw clearly that the woman talking to her son was actually Mu Simiao's daughter. She couldn't help but frown: "Miss Mu, it's a honor for us to meet each other outside the palace after so many years." Although she was very polite, her face did not hide her inner displeasure at all.
Mu Lingsu saw all this, and Yu Linzhi couldn't just turn a blind eye. He turned around to face Gu Ruan, and subconsciously leaned towards Mu Lingsu. Although there was a window between them, his intention to protect Mu Lingsu was very obvious.
Yu Linzhi said: "Since it's a pleasure to meet you, why don't you show a happier face, aunt."
"Lin'er!" Gu Ru'an didn't expect that Yu Linzhi would embarrass her as soon as she opened her mouth. In anger, she called out his name harshly.
She had previously persuaded the Queen to let Princess Yongjia leave the palace because she wanted Princess Yongjia to have more contact with her son. If Princess Yongjia admired her son, the Gu family would have a prince consort, and the family's wealth and glory would be further enhanced.
But what she didn't expect was that Princess Yongjia was kidnapped by the evil cult in the Western Regions. And at this moment, her own flesh and blood actually contradicted her for the sake of Mu Simiao's daughter, which made her even angrier.
When Yu Linzhi heard Gu Ru'an calling him like that, he felt her voice was harsh and heart-piercing, and asked coldly: "Aunt, are you looking for someone? I don't know who you are looking for. If you need anything, I will definitely help you."
Mu Lingsu's hands were still tightly held by Yu Linzhi. She could neither retreat nor walk away, and could only stand by the window awkwardly. She secretly regretted in her heart that if she had let Yu Linzhi enter the pharmacy just now, she would at least not have to stand by the window like a fool with her hands held by someone, listening to a mother and son who had a very bad relationship quarrel.
She wanted to pull her hand out of Yu Linzhi's hand, but he was much stronger than her, so there was no way she could do it.
“Don’t be rude!” Gu Ru’an was completely enraged by Yu Linzhi’s cold attitude. He pointed at the two people’s tightly clasped hands and said, “How can a man and a woman be alone together? She is the daughter of a guilty minister. His Majesty has personally issued an order that three generations of the Mu family are not allowed to serve as officials in the court. If you get too close to her, it will only hurt you!”
"In your heart, you will only remember that you are the prime minister's daughter. How can you remember that you are my mother?" He let go of Mu Lingsu, stared at Gu Ru'an, and asked her word by word.
In Yu Linzhi's heart, Gu Ru'an was a person who could only use the family's responsibility to numb herself, and completely forgot about her identity as a "mother" who could not bring her any benefits and him, the son who could only hold her back.
What he hated most was her standing on the moral high ground to accuse him. It was obviously she who was irresponsible first, but she turned around and accused him of being ungrateful and not recognizing his biological mother.
He took Mu Lingsu's hand again: "You only know that Xiao Mu is the daughter of Mu Simiao and the eldest daughter of the Mu family. Do you know that I have been to the gates of hell several times in places you can't see in the past few years, and it was she who saved me every time?" Yu Linzhi's eyes were red with anger. He looked at the middle-aged woman in front of him who was connected to him by blood. Originally, they should have been a loving mother and a filial son, but she was blinded by greed and didn't need him at all.
"Mu Yaoguang is also a daughter of the Mu family. Why don't you persuade the Queen to depose her as the Crown Princess ?" Seeing that Gu Ru'an was speechless, he continued to question, "Don't you dare to say it directly? You just want to control me, you just hate the decline of the Mu family, and you just don't want me to marry a 'Queen's Party' as my wife?"
After these words were spoken, there was silence all around.
If it weren't for this opportunity, Yu Linzhi might never know that his deep resentment towards Gu Ruan was so great. It might be because when he was young, he had too many extravagant hopes for maternal love, and after all his extravagant hopes were dashed, only resentment remained.
But he didn't ask for much.
When he entered Fengzao Palace to accompany his studies, he only hoped that his mother would look at him and smile at him every time he accompanied Prince Yi Yang to pay his respects to the Queen. However, he went in and out of Fengzao Palace thousands of times over the years, but she had never looked at him straight in the eye.
He never knew that the love between mother and son could be so cold and indifferent.
After Yu Linzhi finished speaking, he calmed down a little. After regaining his senses, he realized that he had been holding Mu Lingsu's hand with great force. He was worried that he might hurt Mu Lingsu, so he quickly let go and checked Mu Lingsu's wrist. As expected, there was a circle of deep red fingerprints on it.
His heart ached, and self-blame and shame quickly filled his heart. Gently stroking the circle of fingerprints on her wrist, he said softly, "I'm sorry."
Mu Lingsu glanced at Gu Ru'an who was stunned, then looked at Yu Linzhi and shook her head to indicate that she was fine.
Yu Linzhi confirmed that she was safe and sound, then turned his back to Gu Ruan and said, "If the court doesn't release my father in advance, I won't save Shen Hanyan. Send someone to tell the queen that since she needs help, she must show her sincerity."
Gu Ru'an didn't know whether to agree or not, and left without saying a word.
"I'm sorry..." Yu Linzhi still didn't let go of Mu Lingsu's hand. He stroked the red marks on her wrist with his fingertips over and over again. The inexplicable pain in his heart suddenly melted away. He raised his eyes to see if Mu Lingsu was crying, but found that she was looking at him.
There was a gleam in her eyes, and it seemed as if she was filled with a myriad of emotions.
"Xiao Mu..." Yu Linzhi's heart was beating fast. He stretched out his hand and brushed her face, "Did I hurt you?"
Mu Lingsu shook her head and kept silent.
Yu Linzhi glanced at the yard. A breeze was gradually rising. Although it was almost noon, the heat in the wind was not as oppressive as before. Perhaps autumn was really coming.
Since things that are within reach cannot be easily obtained, he must hold on to everything that may be lost.
Gaofu City, the capital of the Kushan Empire.
Tang Rudai held a lamp in her hand, opened the vermilion curtain on the door and walked into Sutijia's room. She had just returned from Dunhuang and went to the Kushan Palace to report to the Queen Mother, and then rushed to Sutijia's private residence.
She wanted to rest in the palace, but someone came to the house to tell her that Sutija had brought a woman back. When she heard the news, she had no intention of staying in the palace and rushed back without stopping.
"Your Highness." She placed the lamp on the table at the side and knelt on one knee towards Sutija who was sitting with his back to her.
When she was ten years old, she got lost from the Tang Clan's home and was sold all the way to the Western Regions. If Sutijia had not saved her when she passed by, she might have been a prostitute in a brothel now.
Although she only liked her senior brother Yu Linzhi when she was at home, and never paid attention to Sutijia. But after following Sutijia for nearly ten years, she was the only one by his side, and she was looking forward to him reserving a place for her in the harem after he ascended the throne. She didn't dare to hope to be his main wife, but only hoped to be his most favored concubine.
Now there is a woman he has never met by his side , how could she not be nervous?
Sutija could have thousands of women, but she wanted to be the most important one in his heart. She would be cautious with every woman who approached him, and if there was any threat, she would act quickly.
"Why are you here? Why are you not staying in the palace with that old woman? Why are you in such a hurry to come back here?"
Su Tijia has always been reluctant to interfere with Tang Rudai's whereabouts and let her come and go. He just came from Shen Hanyan's room and wanted to rest for a while, but Tang Rudai suddenly came back.
"I heard that you brought someone back, and I wanted to meet him." Tang Rudai did not stand up, but crawled to Su Tijia's side, rested her head on his knees, and looked at him quietly.
She has eyes full of autumn water, is as beautiful as a peach and plum, and has a pretty and charming appearance. Ordinary women can't help but feel pity for her when they see her.
"There's nothing good to see." Sutijia reached out and gently touched her face, as if he was touching some rare treasure.
He knew that Tang Rudai was jealous by nature and would not tolerate anyone being above her. If Shen Hanyan did not do what she wanted, she would be killed. Although he did not care about Tang Rudai's life or death, he was worried if he was not careful, Shen Hanyan would die at Tang Rudai's hands.
Su Tijia bent down and held Tang Rudai to sit on his lap, and gently kissed her neck: "She is not an ordinary Central Plains woman, don't act impulsively and send her to prison casually."
Su Tijia did not intend to tell Tang Rudai directly about Shen Hanyan's identity , because as a subordinate, she already knew too much. No matter how close someone was, he would be wary. Even if Tang Rudai had had sex with him, it did not prevent him from doubting her loyalty.
How could Tang Rudai be satisfied with such an ambiguous answer? She felt a little jealous and said coquettishly, "Your Highness, are you really thinking about making this woman your queen in the future?"
"She is indeed worthy of such a position." Su Tijia expressed his approval of Tang Rudai's "proposal". Indeed, a princess of a royal palace and a future king are a perfect match. It is also appropriate to make Shen Hanyan the queen.
"Your Highness, do you dislike me?" Tang Rudai's hatred instantly overflowed, covering up her disappointment. She pretended to be disappointed and said to Sutijia, "You promised me before that you would make me the concubine of the Eastern Palace, you..."
She never thought that one day, she would be easily defeated by a woman she had never met. Although she knew that Sutija was not sincere to her, she still could not accept this sudden change. She would rather Sutija be cold and heartless forever and not love anyone, but only trust her.
Sutijia wanted to further use Tang Rudai to stabilize other royal nobles, so he would not tear his face with her at this time. He could only smile and kiss her, and then coax her patiently: "When have I ever lied to you? I will naturally fulfill my words. You will become the most outstanding concubine in my harem and enjoy all the love."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Tang Rudai's heart felt as sweet as honey.
She was about to say some sweet words to Sutijia, when Sutijia suddenly brought up a topic: "What was your relationship with Yu Linzhi like when you were in the Tang Clan's house?"
Tang Rudai was stunned by this question, not knowing whether she should answer truthfully. Although she was only eight or nine years old at that time, she had admired Yu Linzhi for a long time.
Although Yu Linzhi was not good at dealing with little girls, because she was the daughter of the head of the sect, he would not directly reject her request and he always played with her.
How far can the relationship between two people go?
"You were also in the Tang Sect before, so you should have the answer yourself." After thinking it over again and again, Tang Rudai said so.
Sutija tried to recall the past carefully, but there was no memory in his mind: "I only knew how to practice my master's skills, so I didn't have the extra energy to pay attention to these details."
Tang Rudai knew she couldn't avoid this question, so she could only answer ambiguously, "It's considered close."
"That's perfect." This was the answer Su Tijia wanted. He needed Tang Rudai to help him tear a hole away from Yu Linzhi and steal information from the Wulin League and even the imperial court.
He smiled gently, and the tenderness in his eyes almost strangled the helpless Tang Rudai: "I have even thought of your title. Your eyebrows are so beautiful that nothing can compare to them... You are the one and only Mei Fei in my palace."
"You don't need to paint your eyebrows, God has made them grow long into your temples..." Su Tijia raised his hand to undress Tang Rudai, stroking her skillfully while saying, "My concubine, when can you satisfy me completely? I need you to give me good news..." He buried his face in Tang Rudai's chest and seduced her insatiably, "Perhaps, I will let you give birth to a prince for me..."
Tang Rudai couldn't resist his temptation at all. She catered to him and agreed: "I, Mei Fei, will obey your order."
When Shen Hanyan woke up, she found herself in a completely unfamiliar room, the decoration and structure were completely different from those in Zhongyuan. Just as she was about to call someone, a woman with deep eyes and a high nose opened the door and came in. Seeing Shen Hanyan awake, she was overjoyed, put down the basin in her hand and ran out .
"Where are you going?" As soon as Shen Hanyan saw the maid's appearance, she knew that she was in a foreign land and the situation was not good. She quickly got out of bed and tried to stop the maid, but found that when she ran to the door, the maid had disappeared.
Shen Hanyan was filled with fear. She could only stand at the door and look around timidly. The houses built of loess were low and compact. When the wind blew, the sand and dust were blown up. It was obvious that the climate here was dry. It should be in the Western Regions.
She was clearly in the Central Plains yesterday, so how come she was in the bitter cold of the Western Regions today?
The panic disturbed Shen Hanyan's mind. She couldn't think for a moment and could only try her best to hold the door with her hands to support her weak body. She wanted to calm down and think about who brought her here?
"Yan'er." Sutijia was dressed in brocade and had a crown the size of a chicken egg on his head. He walked over and hugged Shen Hanyan, who was about to fall to the ground, and said gently, "You have slept for nearly ten days and finally woke up."
Shen Hanyan looked at Sutiga in disbelief, as if he had two faces. She carefully recalled every little detail about him, and then she realized that she had woken up once before, when they were still in Chang'an.
At this moment, she didn't know where she was.
She knew that Sutijia must have drugged her, otherwise she would not have been unconscious all the way from Lin'an to Chang'an. When she tried to escape in Chang'an, she must have been drugged by Sutijia again, so she was unconscious for ten days.
However, this medicine must be very strong , otherwise she would not be in a trance. Until now, she forced herself to recall what happened in Chang'an that day, and her memory was fragmented. She only remembered that she ran to the stairs and was knocked unconscious by someone.
Unfortunately, she was now completely powerless and could only let Sutiga carry her back to bed.
"Yan'er, what do you want to eat?" Sutijia's eyes were only on her, and there seemed to be an inextricable tenderness in them.
Shen Hanyan didn't dare to look into his eyes, and trembled in his arms. She didn't know what Sutijia's purpose was, but she knew that she was in danger and was wary of everyone. She didn't know if her eleventh brother had been implicated by her over the past few days. Her father didn't like him in the first place , and now that she was kidnapped, did her father blame him...
She doesn't want to see anyone else now, she only wants to see her eleventh brother.
Sutijia noticed that something was wrong with her, so he asked, "Yan'er, are you feeling unwell?"
Shen Hanyan didn't want to pay attention to him, but was afraid that he would get angry, so she shook her head to show that she was not feeling uncomfortable. Although he was gentle and obedient to her, she knew that she was actually a hostage or a trophy in his hands. If she wanted to survive, she had to look at his face.
"That's good." Sutijia was not afraid of anything except Shen Hanyan's discomfort. He hugged her tightly and thought of the good news he wanted to tell her, "I have ascended the throne and become king. I can take you to live with me in the palace today."
Become a king? Palace?
Shen Hanyan was shocked. She looked up at Sutijia from her arms and asked, "Who are you and where are we?"
"This is Gaofu City, the capital of the Kushan Kingdom in the Western Regions. I am Sutiga, the illegitimate son of the former king of Kushan." Sutiga had a big smile on his face, but it made Shen Hanyan's hair stand on end.
The former king of Kushan was born out of wedlock.
Shen Hanyan stared at Sutijia's smiling face in shock, savoring his words in her heart. Then, her brain worked quickly, and she roughly guessed that he had usurped the throne - how could there be such a coincidence in the world? Sutijia returned to Kushan only a few days ago, and the throne was passed from his father to him, a bastard? I'm afraid he had planned every step to get to this day.
She was the daughter of Princess Duanjing, and she had never known any difference in the lives of illegitimate children, but her intuition told her that Sutijia was not the legitimate heir to the throne. He traveled between the Central Plains and the Western Regions for many years, on the one hand to accumulate wealth, and on the other hand to make various preparations for the throne.
"Did you kill your father?" Shen Hanyan hesitated again and again, but still chose to ask this question. She knew that she would probably anger Sutijia, but she had to make a prediction about the current situation and had to ask.
The smile on Sutijia
Shen Hanyan was frightened by his smile: "Why...why did you catch me?"
"I love you." said Sutija.
These three words were like a poison that killed people instantly, strangling Shen Hanyan's neck and making her unable to breathe. In her opinion, killing one's father and usurping the throne were extremely treasonous, but the person in front of her who was holding her in his arms described the matter as light as a breeze. How could she not be afraid?
He said he loved her. Would he get tired of her one day and brutally kill her?
The more Shen Hanyan thought about it, the more frightened she became, and her body couldn't stop shaking.
Sutijia thought she had caught a cold and immediately panicked: "Yan'er, Yan'er, did you catch a cold?"
He turned around and told the attendant beside him in Kushan language to invite a doctor, then hugged Shen Hanyan and gently comforted her: "It's okay, the doctor will be here soon, and you will be fine after taking the medicine."
"I..." Shen Hanyan was shocked and scared, "I'm not sick..." She stared blankly at the complicated embossed patterns on the bed curtains, "I won't marry you, just kill me."
Sutija was determined to win her over and thought she was joking. He lowered his head and was about to say something to her when he found that his clothes were stained with a glaring red.
"Someone come quickly, Miss Shen is injured!"