After Mu Lingsu turned to the hanging flower gate, Shen Qingyu was standing in the yard with his back to her, seemingly waiting for someone. After hesitating for a moment, Mu Lingsu knelt down and said, "I am Mu Lingsu, the humble servant, and I wish Your Highness the best of health."
Shen Qingyu then noticed her coming, turned around to face her, and said with a smile: "Ling Su."
"Yes." Mu Lingsu didn't know what to say, and she couldn't pretend to be relaxed in front of him. She could only wait for him to ask a question and then answer it. She was just an ordinary person now, and she couldn't just turn her face away to Shen Qingyu. No matter how unhappy she was, she could only hold back.
"I..." When the words came to his lips, Shen Qingyu suddenly felt his heart beating very fast. He looked at the woman who lowered her head to listen to him and found that he was actually a little shy. He coughed twice, pretending that his throat was uncomfortable, and continued after a moment, "When Yan'er returns safely this time, I will ask my father to grant you a marriage and make you the Princess of Yiyang."
This sentence was like a bolt from the blue to Mu Lingsu. She had never known Shen Qingyu to be such a stubborn person. Even though their relationship had deteriorated to the point where they were relatively speechless, he still wanted to marry her.
Mu Lingsu wanted to refuse outright, but she was worried that Shen Qingyu might be dissatisfied and insist on asking for her help. Even her sister Mu Yaoguang, who was in a precarious situation in the East Palace, might be implicated by her.
She racked her brains but couldn't think of any appropriate words, so she could only say to Shen Qingyu: "Your Majesty, I have never been the same as you, why are you so upset?"
If her fate is ultimately linked to the palace, she might as well offend Shen Qingyu early on, so that she and her husband can avoid having to see each other every day in the future.
"Lingsu, you... why do you say that?" Shen Qingyu was still intoxicated by the dream that Mu Lingsu still had feelings for him. He was so shocked that he couldn't believe it. After thinking about it, he could only conclude that she believed in other people's slander. "Did my mother ask Aunt Ru'an to say something bad to you?"
He didn't know why his mother only agreed to the prince marrying Mu Yaoguang, but not to him marrying Mu Lingsu. So, as long as Mu Lingsu disagreed, he subconsciously blamed his mother.
Mu Lingsu hesitated for a moment and decided to reveal all her true thoughts: "Your Highness, you know that you can only choose one between Yaoguang and I, a sister, and you and the Crown Prince, a brother."
In fact, it didn't matter who she and Mu Yaoguang married, nor did it matter who Shen Qingyu and the prince married. As long as the daughter of the Mu family married the son of the queen, the effect would be the same.
She understood this principle, Yaoguang understood it, the prince understood it, the queen understood it, and the emperor understood it. Only Shen Qingyu didn't understand it.
"Mu can marry into the royal family, but she can only have one identity."
There is no difference between being the Crown Princess or Princess Yiyang. However, neither the Emperor nor the Empress would agree to Mu Lingsu and Mu Yaoguang coming in one after the other. Everyone knows that being the Crown Princess or Princess Yiyang is a rare and beautiful thing, so how could it be possible that both of them would fall into the Mu family, which has lost its glory.
Mu Lingsu no longer wanted to talk about the palace, but she had to bring it up again when facing Shen Qingyu. If she wanted to completely break away from the concubines in the harem and the struggles of the previous dynasty, she could only stay away from Shen Qingyu. Perhaps, if she hadn't knelt in front of Fengzao Palace, it would have been a matter of time for her and Shen Qingyu to become estranged.
When Shen Qingyu heard her say this, he thought of the time a few years ago when the prince had just moved to the East Palace and asked his father to marry the second daughter of the Mu family.
Although the second daughter of the Mu family, Mu Yaoguang, and Mu Lingsu were cousins ​​in the family tree, she was actually Mu Lingsu's biological sister with the same father and mother. Mu Simiao never married, so the elders of the family decided to give Mu Lingsu, the eldest daughter of the second house, to Mu Simiao.
Back then, although the emperor arranged a marriage between the prince and the Mu family, he did not specify who would be the princess. It is said that before the prince met Mu Yaoguang, he originally wanted to marry Mu Lingsu, but after meeting Mu Yaoguang by chance, he decided to marry a woman from a branch family.
It is obvious that Mu Lingsu's background appears to be more suitable for the prince. The queen mother and the emperor could agree to let their brother, who is from the same mother, marry a member of a branch of the royal family, so why couldn't they allow him to marry Mu Lingsu?
He couldn't figure it out. Although he was not liked by his father, his mother had always liked him the most. He had requested again and again, and there was no reason for her to refuse.
"Lingsu, if you just hate the red tape in the palace and don't want to face my mother every day and visit her morning and evening, I can ask for a remote fiefdom and let my father send me to a distant place. In this way, we will only have each other and stay away from power disputes, okay?"
Shen Qingyu thought about it and concluded that Mu Lingsu was just tired of dealing with the etiquette and routines of the royal family, and thought that as long as he married her, he would stay away from the capital with her.
Mu Lingsu had a lot of pain in her heart, but she couldn't say it. She pursed her lips tightly, not knowing how to explain her concerns to Shen Qingyu. Facing Shen Qingyu's depression, she could probably guess why the emperor didn't like him. He was too stubborn and too sentimental. How could he have the ability to govern the country and bring peace to the world?
Mu Lingsu organized her words and said, "My Lord, if I marry you, I'm afraid your life of wealth and glory will really come to an end."
Putting aside other things, as long as Defei was unhappy in the Pixiang Palace, she could find a reason to kill her before the wedding. Besides, if Shen Qingyu married her, it would be estimated that none of the underage male members of the Mu family who were exiled in Qinghai would survive. Before the decree of amnesty came down, no one would be left alive.
"Lingsu," Shen Qingyu didn't know why she was so persistent in not agreeing to his request. He was so anxious that his mouth was faster than his brain. "I treat you well with all my heart and have never begged anyone so humbly. Why are you still unwilling?"
After the words were spoken, Mu Lingsu's expression changed several times, anger flashed across her eyes, and then she smiled and said, "In that case, I am truly honored, Your Majesty, to think highly of me."
She used to think that Shen Qingyu put aside his prejudice and gave her some money when she left the palace because he regarded her as someone close to his heart. However, she did not expect that in his world, she was just a commoner who received his favor and should not only accept it all but also be grateful.
"I..." Shen Qingyu regretted it deeply but couldn't think of any words to defend himself.
How could Mu Lingsu have time to listen to him? Although she didn't look angry, her resentment and resentment over the years were aroused by these words.
She couldn't accept that the person she once trusted not only didn't help her, but also secretly looked down on her and acted condescending and pitying towards her.
She wanted to force herself to forget those things, whether they were fake or real, she wanted to order herself to forget everything.
Because of that kneeling in front of Fengzao Palace, her self-esteem was almost shattered. If she hadn't knelt down to beg the queen, perhaps she would not have accepted Yu Linzhi's help...
No. In fact, she never regretted meeting Yu Linzhi.
If it happened again, and everything was the same as before, she might not ask the queen for mercy, but she would definitely accept Yu Linzhi's help. If she hadn't met Yu Linzhi, many things would have become boring in the end.
When her eyes fell on Shen Qingyu, she suddenly hated the fifteen-year-old Mu Lingsu. It might be because she was young and shallow, or it might be because the image of Shen Qingyu in her mind was too idealized. She gradually realized the imperfections of Shen Qingyu in the following years.
Although Shen Qingyu is a royal relative, there are many things he cannot do - although he is the emperor's son, he cannot disobey the emperor's order, nor can he ignore the emperor's face. To marry a woman, he has to kneel down and ask for permission.
"Your Highness Prince Yi Yang." Mu Lingsu was determined to tell him all the hidden secrets of the past.
She didn't want the topics between her and Shen Qingyu to always remain on those dark and dirty harem disputes. If she wanted to achieve this effect, she could only take action and actively end this page of the story.
"I have a question for Your Highness." Mu Lingsu looked into his eyes and said word by word.
Shen Qingyu's eyes were very beautiful, light brown, and came from Empress Lu's Xianbei ancestry. When Mu Lingsu was a child, her favorite part was his eyes, and she always liked to find her own reflection in them, but now she has lost interest in the reflection in them.
"Go ahead, I will tell you everything I know." Shen Qingyu had never seen Mu Lingsu look so serious and was a little scared by her.
He didn't know why Mu Lingsu treated him like this, he just wanted to express his true feelings as soon as possible so that all the rifts between them would disappear.
"The day you went to Fengzao Palace to ask the Queen to make me her consort, did you see a woman in front of the gate?"
woman?
When Shen Qingyu heard this suggestive word, his memory quickly went back to his memory.
That day, he was thinking about getting the imperial edict granting marriage before the emperor issued an edict to punish Mu Lingsu, and he indeed saw a kneeling woman in front of the main hall of Fengzao Palace...
He thought about it and tentatively guessed: "Isn't that woman a palace maid who was punished?"
Hearing this answer that was both reasonable and unexpected, Mu Lingsu's sadness suddenly melted away. She felt so bitter in her heart, but she couldn't cry. Instead, she put on a bitter smile.
"The one he likes is just Mu Lingsu, the daughter of the imperial physician and the sister of the Crown Princess."
The queen was indeed his biological mother and knew his temper and personality very well.
"Your Highness, actually..." Mu Lingsu was still smiling, the pain in her heart spreading from the tip of her heart to all parts of her body. She didn't dare to speak loudly, fearing that she couldn't hold back her tears, so she could only slow down her speech and said softly, "In fact, I am kneeling there, asking the Queen to forgive the sinner Mu Simiao."
This answer made Shen Qingyu feel like he was struck by lightning. He was at a loss and couldn't react. He could only stare at the sad-looking woman in front of him in silence.
He had clearly been looking for her everywhere before going to the main hall of Fengzao Palace, but he had never thought that she was right in front of the Queen of Fengzao Palace. He actually missed her right in front of him. But no matter how much he regretted, it would be useless. He knew very well in his heart that Mu Lingsu would never forgive him again.
Never again, never again.
Mu Lingsu's cheek muscles were stiff from laughing, but she still refused to relax her expression. She continued, "The Queen asked me to see you after you left. She told me that if you really loved me, how could you not recognize me? It's a pity that I was exhausted at that time. I was only thinking about rescuing my father and had no time to appreciate the Queen's good intentions."
Now she understood that the Queen's words had no other meaning. They were just telling her that when faced with love, one should also know when to retreat.
Shen Qingyu was too difficult for her. He would make her lose her true self and her soul that did not belong to the imperial palace.
She and he would never be mentioned as husband and wife by others.
It was just like when she was in front of Fengzao Palace, openly waiting for the Queen to summon her, but secretly waiting for Shen Qingyu to come to her. She was in deep danger at the time, and did not expect anyone's warmth and concern, but only hoped that Shen Qingyu would come and ask her a question.
The funny thing is that he clearly walked past her but couldn't recognize who she was.
Shen Qingyu grew up in a palace with a cold human touch. It was normal for her to overestimate her emotional investment. But she could not be satisfied with these superficial care and love. In her eyes, love between men and women should be like a moth to a flame, and they should devote themselves to each other without reservation.
Mu Lingsu sighed, put the anger in her heart back into her stomach, put on a smile and said to Shen Qingyu: "Your Majesty, it would be better for you and me to be strangers now. It would be best to keep a distance, live our own lives, and leave some good memories for each other."
Although she knew that Shen Qingyu was stubborn by nature and might not be persuaded, she still chose to tell him her true thoughts. She told him that she could forget the pain and only remember the good things, as long as he didn't mention it deliberately.
She really didn't want to live her life thinking about hatred all day long. It was too tiring.
There must be something else to fill the remaining decades of her life so that it won't be too monotonous.
Mu Lingsu's frankness made Shen Qingyu extremely miserable. He felt as if his heart had been plucked out of the eighteen levels of hell and fried in oil. He felt extremely uncomfortable.
He never knew that Mu Lingsu was living in such pain where he couldn't see her, nor did he know that he had made her lose confidence in him because of his unintentional mistake.
Didn't he love her? No, he gave her his heart, and he hadn't fallen in love with anyone else for eight years. How could he not love her and only love her family background?
He wanted to say something, but found that he had nothing to say. He wanted to defend himself, deny Mu Lingsu's point of view, and prove that his love was real, but he didn't know where to start.
"Lingsu." Shen Qingyu took out a yellow jade seal from his sleeve and handed it to Mu Lingsu. "This is the most precious thing I carry with me. Thousands of words are too light in front of it. Now that you no longer believe in me, I will give it to you as a token of trust."
Mu Lingsu reached out to take the seal in confusion, and after turning it over, she discovered that it was actually the seal of Prince Yi Yang.
"When Yan'er is rescued, I will make you my concubine."
The road from Gaofucheng to Dunhuang is always covered with yellow sand. The Western Regions are always windy, and even if there are many horse teams on the road, they can easily be lost in the yellow sand.
"We will arrive in Dunhuang tomorrow." Tang Rudai entered the carriage and reported to Sutijia.
When she came in, she saw Sutija feeding Shen Hanyan with a spoonful of food. She had never seen him so patient before, and although she was not very happy in her heart, she could not show it obviously. She sat next to Shen Hanyan, intending to support her and make it easier for Sutija, but before she touched Shen Hanyan , Shen Hanyan suddenly turned her head and glared at her fiercely.
"What's wrong?" Su Tijia also noticed Shen Hanyan's turning of her head and immediately stopped to ask. He followed Shen Hanyan's gaze and glanced at Tang Rudai, subconsciously thinking that Tang Rudai had looked for Shen Hanyan when he was away.
He raised his hand to cover Shen Hanyan's eyes, turned to look at Tang Rudai and asked, "What did you do?"
Tang Rudai never expected Su Tijia to ask her this question. She was stunned for a while and said, "I didn't do anything. She just looked at me. Why don't you believe me?"
She used to think that Sutijia's feelings for Shen Hanyan were just like that, and that he was just attracted by her beauty. Only at this moment did she truly realize that she was probably no match for Shen Hanyan. She suddenly felt weak in her heart, and waved her hand softly, saying, "Forget it."
Tang Rudai stood up and walked to the other side of the carriage and sat down. She lifted the curtain and looked at the yellow sand flying in the air outside.
She suddenly felt very pathetic. Nearly ten years later, she realized that the man she had always wanted to entrust her to had never loved her - not only had he never loved her, but when he chose other people, he didn't have the slightest bit of nostalgia or hesitation towards her.
It would be fine if he didn't have love, but he was so stingy with even a hint of pity.
After coaxing Shen Hanyan, Su Tijia finally had the extra energy to talk to Tang Rudai. He only wanted Tang Rudai to get close to those Central Plains martial artists, so he said, "Tomorrow you will ride a fast horse to Dunhuang to meet up with Yu Linzhi and the others, and provide me with information at any time. I'll be waiting for you."
Tang Rudai just felt desolate.
He seemed to have forgotten that she was just a concubine's daughter born to a servant and the eldest son of the Tang Clan, and was not valued at all. Otherwise, when she was lost, the Tang Clan would have started to inquire about her whereabouts. She was just an unfavored daughter, and she might not be able to help much when she returned to the Tang Clan.
Ordinary wealthy families have always treated their children differently. How much can she, a concubine's daughter who has been missing for several years, say?
Tang Rudai's heart was filled with anxiety and hesitation. She said hesitantly, "I... I'm just worried that I can't help you."
"Why do you say that ?" Sutijia had known Tang Rudai for many years, and he had never received such an uncertain promise from her since he saved her. He was a little surprised that Tang Rudai's usual willingness to respond to requests suddenly disappeared.
He looked at Tang Rudai who looked embarrassed and said, "You and Yu Linzhi were childhood sweethearts. Even if your father didn't recognize you, Yu Linzhi would always give you some face. It's the same for everyone."
Yu Linzhi?
When Tang Rudai heard him mention this name, it took her a long time to remember what her former senior brother looked like.
Yes, she had never looked at Sutijia seriously before, and she was always with Yu Linzhi, the son of the leader of the martial arts world. Because she knew from a young age that only by clinging to the strong could she be proud in the big house of the Tang Clan.
Although the descendants of the Tang Clan were all children of the Jianghu, after becoming wealthy and powerful, they would inevitably be influenced by some of the habits of the aristocratic families, and would place more emphasis on bloodline and family background. She was born in a humble family, and she only had the title of a young lady, so few servants really treated her as their master.
Tang Rudai couldn't understand for a moment why she liked playing with Yu Linzhi so much at that time, but now it takes her a long time to recall every little thing between her and Yu Linzhi .
The sky outside the window was cloudless and the moon was bright. The nights outside the Great Wall were always like this: the sky was still bright, but the moon always came out first. Line after line of caravans headed towards the gate of Dunhuang. The cars of each caravan gathered in one place, and once they entered that gate, they would be led to the land.
That used to be her hometown, but unfortunately she no longer had any reason to go back. She could only listen to the sound of the Qiang flute and enjoy the moonlit night outside the Great Wall.
What a night it is, to see this good man? My dear, what a good man!
When the news that the lost third lady of the Tang Clan had taken the initiative to seek refuge in the Wulin Alliance reached Mu Lingsu's ears, the third lady of the Tang Clan, who had already informally recognized her ancestry with the head of the Tang Clan, was chatting and laughing with Yu Linzhi in front of him, reminiscing about the old times.
Mu Lingsu held the medicine box in her hand and watched the intimacy between the two. She felt that Miss Tang San was quite hypocritical. Not knowing whether it was true or not, the head of the Tang Clan hurriedly recognized this daughter.
When Yu Linzhi turned around, he saw Mu Lingsu standing far away. He was immediately very happy. He stopped joking with Tang Rudai and walked towards Mu Lingsu.
When Yu Linzhi was about to speak after he came up to Mu Lingsu, Mu Lingsu spoke first, "Is she really your lost junior sister?"
"No matter what her origins are, the head of the Tang Clan has already acknowledged this daughter, and we outsiders should just treat her as the real one." Yu Linzhi saw the medicine box in her hand and knew that she was probably here to check his pulse and his physical condition, so he raised his hand and pointed in the direction of his room, "Let's go there."
Before he finished speaking, Tang Rudai came from behind Yu Linzhi, grabbed his arm and asked, "Brother, who is this sister?"
Without even asking who is older or younger, you just call her sister?
Mu Lingsu was very disdainful of Tang Rudai, but she didn't want to get angry in front of her, so she glanced at Yu Linzhi and turned away.
"This is the eldest daughter of the Mu family in Suzhou, Mu Lingsu." Yu Linzhi was frightened by Mu Lingsu's eyes just now. He didn't know how he suddenly offended her and made her glare at him. He just wanted to get rid of Tang Rudai as soon as possible and run away with Mu Lingsu as soon as possible.
Tang Rudai nodded, and said to Mu Lingsu, "Hello, Sister Mu."
Mu Lingsu was forcing herself not to be so rude, but when she heard Tang Rudai actually calling her sister and saying hello to her, she instantly felt disgusted. She had a bad first impression of Tang Rudai, and always felt that she was up to no good. Now that she called her "sister", Mu Lingsu felt that Tang Rudai was being nice, and she felt very unhappy.
She turned around and looked at Tang Rudai very coldly, and said distantly, "Hello, Third Miss." After thinking for a moment, she said coldly to Yu Linzhi who was watching the show, "Are you leaving yet?" After saying that, she didn't even wait for Yu Linzhi and walked away in big strides.
Yu Linzhi didn't have time to say goodbye to Tang Rudai, and hurried to chase Mu Lingsu. After finally chasing to the corner of the corridor, Mu Lingsu stopped. She raised her chin in the direction of Tang Rudai and asked, "Do you really think she is your junior sister?"
"We talked a lot about our childhood. It was her." Yu Linzhi carefully recalled Tang Rudai's every move after she came back. The details connected in his mind and found the reason for his initial vigilance. "But the timing of her return was too coincidental. She appeared just when we were rescuing Princess Yongjia this time."
What Yu Linzhi couldn't understand was that Tang Rudai was only eleven years old when she went missing. Now ten years have passed. Why could she still ask about the latest situation of the Yu Mansion and have a general idea of ​​some changes in the Tang Clan?
When they were chatting just now, she asked him whether the banana tree in the Yu Mansion had died. However, the banana tree was planted by him by accident five years ago, and only a few people knew about the tree.
Who told her this?
Yu Linzhi thought about it for a long time, and suddenly a name flashed through his mind. He was a little shocked. He didn't know why his intuition led the answer to that person, and he didn't know why he subconsciously denied this answer after it emerged.
"Perhaps, I have been being too clever for my own good, and now my cleverness has finally backfired." Yu Linzhi was a little frustrated, but this simple and hasty guess was not enough to destroy him.
Mu Lingsu was confused by Yu Linzhi's sudden judgment and asked in confusion, "What?"
Yu Linzhi sighed: "I also make mistakes in judgment, and this judgment has affected the overall situation."
"She's just your childhood sweetheart, is she that important?" Mu Lingsu thought he was talking about Tang Rudai and didn't take it seriously.
Tang Rudai's scheming was too obvious, even a stranger could see it, so it was not a threat. Although there must be someone behind this Miss Tang San, she didn't think it would cause any trouble.
One thing is certain, the mastermind behind the scenes must be very familiar with Yu Linzhi and Tang Rudai's past, which is why he came up with the idea of ​​letting Tang Rudai get close to Yu Linzhi.
Mu Lingsu looked up at Yu Linzhi, who was full of worries, and took his wrist to feel his pulse. She said, "You have been traveling a lot recently. You should not overwork yourself. It's not good."
Yu Linzhi, who always had sharp eyes, could see a seal hidden in her sleeve, and he held it in his palm with a flick of his finger. When he saw the words on it clearly, he felt a little unhappy, but he did not show it immediately, but asked her: "Isn't this the seal of the prince of Shen Qingyu?"
"Yes." Mu Lingsu didn't think about it and admitted it directly and frankly, "He insisted on giving it to me, and then he ran away. I couldn't catch up with him. He didn't come out these few days, and it's not easy for me, an unmarried woman, to break into his house."
She could interact openly with Yu Lin, but she couldn't ignore the boundaries between men and women with Shen Qingyu. On the one hand, she was a commoner, and he was the son of the emperor. On the other hand, if the news of their frequent meetings reached the Queen of Fengzao Palace, the Crown Princess would be inexplicably troubled.
"Hmm..." Yu Linzhi seemed to be listening absentmindedly, but his fingers were always stroking the five words "Yiyang King's Seal". In his heart, he was still very clear about the gap between him and Shen Qingyu. But he didn't dare to ask, nor did he have the courage to listen to Mu Lingsu's answer.
If there was only Yu Lin in front of Mu Lingsu, she might have followed him without hesitation. But Shen Qingyu was born into a royal family, had a healthy body, and a legitimate identity, leaving him thousands of miles behind.
Yu Linzhi didn't want to hear Mu Lingsu's dilemma, and even more didn't want to know that she actually always had a place for Shen Qingyu in her heart.
He stretched out his hand as if to return the seal to her, but when she reached out to take it, he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms.
"If I give you this humble life, is it worth this seal of King Yiyang?"
Yu Linzhi's question was clearly echoing in her ears, but Mu Lingsu didn't want to answer it immediately.
She looked up at the sky in Yu Linzhi's arms. The stars were sparse and only a faint moon shadow could be seen clearly.
The night is so beautiful tonight.
she thinks.
Although Yu Linzhi was holding her, he must have known it, right?
To her, even the emperor's seal could not compare to Yu Linzhi's embrace.