Mu Lingsu held the seal of King Yiyang in her hand like a hot potato. After parting with Yu Linzhi in his room, she wanted to go back to her residence through the back garden of the inn with her things, but she was stopped by Shen Qingyu as soon as she entered the garden.
She squeezed the topaz seal in her hand, then handed it back to Shen Qingyu and said, "Your Highness, what I want is not your promise."
If his promise could save her father's life, she would definitely accept the seal without hesitation, and would even marry him as he wished.
Not to mention the position of the principal wife, she would be willing even if she was just a close concubine who served him in his daily life.
Unfortunately, no matter how heavy his promise was, he could not change the Queen's will, let alone turn back time and bring her father back to life.
"Then what exactly do you want?" Shen Qingyu was a little anxious. He had never expected that Mu Lingsu didn't want these ordinary materials. He was a little at a loss.
After he gave the seal to Mu Lingsu yesterday, the two had not spoken to each other since then. Although he left first, intending to let her think it over, he did not get her affirmative answer for a long time, and he was anxious and decided to come to find her after hesitating again and again.
From the moment they met again, he noticed that Mu Lingsu was completely different from when she was a child, but he always believed that Mu Lingsu still had feelings for him, so he tried his best to ask her for his love. There was nothing he wanted in his life but couldn't get, except Mu Lingsu.
Mu Lingsu's repeated rejections were a big blow to Shen Qingyu, who always had everything at his fingertips.
He wanted nothing more than to have Mu Lingsu return to his world so that he could always relive the good old days of his youth.
There were no brothers competing for favor, no partial father, only worry-free life that always accompanied him.
"Your Highness, I, the common people..."
Mu Lingsu was about to respond to Shen Qingyu when she heard him suddenly shout at her: "Don't call yourself 'commoner' anymore!"
When Shen Qingyu heard her call herself that, he panicked. He felt that this was a signal that Mu Lingsu was deliberately distancing herself from him. He really didn't understand why Mu Lingsu always distanced herself from him when he was so sincere to her.
He always believed that Mu Lingsu and he were from the same world. Even if they had been apart for many years, they should soon become familiar with each other and be able to talk about anything like before.
But Mu Lingsu repeatedly rejected his kindness. Although she accepted his seal this time, she knew in her heart that she was extremely reluctant .
"Tell me, what have I done to offend you? We were so close before, but now you treat me like this?"
Mu Lingsu was frightened by his roar, but the resentment in her heart did not stop there. Instead, it was completely awakened.
She suppressed the resentment and dissatisfaction in her heart, forced herself to calm down and asked, "Your Highness, do you really think that you and I were very close in the past?"
If he answered "yes", Mu Lingsu would think he was really cold and hypocritical. Since they were so close, why did he ignore her back then? If he answered "no", then...
If he had nothing to say, the first contact between the two after a long separation would come to an end. Perhaps, after rescuing Shen Hanyan, they would never see each other again.
Mu Lingsu's eyes were red, and she didn't know whether she was angry or disappointed, furious or sad.
Shen Qingyu looked at her and inexplicably felt that there was a huge distance between them.
He never knew that he and Mu Lingsu had already been so far apart. No wonder she would rather be close to Yu Linzhi, who had a blood feud with her, than to him.
"I... Am I not good to you?"
When Shen Qingyu said this, he felt a little timid in his heart, which even surprised himself. This timidity frightened him, and after he caught this timidity, he suddenly realized that he was actually wavering about the "good" in this answer.
If Mu Lingsu hadn't asked him the question just now, he would never have asked himself this question.
Was he good to her? If he was good, why did she resent him so much now? If he was not good, why did he think he was good to her?
Mu Lingsu thought about how she had been looking forward to that day for so long, but he didn't even stop to look at her, and she felt sincerely ironic about the word "good".
Why, is being "good" to someone so superficial in Shen Qingyu's mind? Being good to someone means just adding icing on the cake on a normal day, and not caring about anything else when the wall falls and everyone pushes it down?
She grinned and smiled softly, a teardrop flowed into her mouth, and she realized that she was crying: "I knelt at the gate of Fengzao Palace for a day and a night, and everyone hid the news from you. You passed by me that day, and I didn't dodge at all. How could you not recognize that the person kneeling was me?"
No matter how Shen Qingyu explained, Mu Lingsu would not believe it.
Although the queen had her own purpose, her words were not wrong. Shen Qingyu did like her, but not as deeply as he thought.
If he was truly sincere and willing to give up his wealth and fame and put her first, it would be impossible for him not to recognize her. He asked the queen for permission to marry her, but he was just sure that the queen would not agree and he was trying to impress himself.
This sentence made Shen Qingyu speechless. He knew that no matter how he explained , Mu Lingsu would never be able to untie the knot in her heart. Unless they both stopped talking about this matter, this knot would always be between the two of them. But he was unwilling to become strangers again after finally meeting her.
He opened his mouth and wanted to say something to Mu Lingsu, but found that he was at a loss for words.
Mu Lingsu raised her hand to wipe away the tears on her face and said coldly: "So, Your Highness Prince Yi Yang, between you and me, it is really not appropriate to talk about these old things. The past is the past, and I will never forgive the Queen for what she did. As her son, although I will not hate you, I will not let go of the grudges in my heart and marry you. Now that you and I have started a new life, why do you only know how to look back on the past and hold yourself hostage with the intimacy of the past?"
She bowed to Shen Qingyu, left the seal of King Yi Yang, and left.
"Xiao Mu."
As soon as Mu Lingsu came out of the back garden, she ran into Yu Linzhi at the hanging flower gate. Yu Linzhi seemed to have been here for a long time. It was unknown whether he was just strolling here or wanted to find Prince Yi Yang. When he saw Mu Lingsu coming out with red eyes, there was no surprise on his face.
Mu Lingsu knew that her voice when she spoke to Shen Qingyu just now was actually quite loud. Yu Linzhi was standing so close to her that he had probably heard every word they said. She did not try to hide it and just nodded and greeted him, then wanted to go back to her room.
Yu Linzhi noticed that she wanted to leave quickly, but he was still worried about her leaving alone, so he reached out and pulled her back: "Xiao Mu, I just felt a little uncomfortable, so I came here to find you."
How could he come here to wait for her because he was not feeling well? It was obvious that they met here by chance, and he saw that she was in a bad mood, so he made up this excuse to let her save face.
Mu Lingsu was touched and said, "Well, I understand. The medicine box is in my room, let's go there together."
The two walked side by side, each with their own thoughts, and were silent all the way.
Yu Linzhi pretended to glance at Mu Lingsu casually and found that although she was silent, her tears kept coming out. His heart seemed to be torn apart. After hesitating, he pulled Mu Lingsu back.
Mu Lingsu was unprepared and was about to move forward. She didn't notice Yu Linzhi holding her at all. She staggered and fell backwards into Yu Linzhi's arms.
"Ah..." Mu Lingsu felt a little embarrassed. Although there was no one around, she still felt that this was not a good idea. She wanted to break free from Yu Linzhi's arms and stand firmly.
Yu Linzhi hadn't thought about hugging her, but when Mu Lingsu threw herself into his arms, he was really happy. The feeling of holding her in his arms made it hard for him to let go. When he realized that Mu Lingsu wanted to break free, he held her tighter with a little force to stop her movement: "Wait a minute, I..."
Throughout his life, he was weak and sickly, so he didn't dare to linger on anything. But only at this moment, he secretly prayed in his heart that it could last longer. Maybe it was because, except for this moment, he could not find a better moment in his life.
"Xiao Mu, I... I clearly had a lot of things to say to you just now, but now I have forgotten them all." Yu Linzhi put his head close to her ear, "Regarding the matter of Imperial Physician Mu, no matter how sad you were at the beginning, you have let it go now, which is a good thing. The matter of Imperial Physician Mu was the Queen's plan, and it was the Queen's responsibility, and Prince Yi Yang..."
He clearly wanted Mu Lingsu to let go of her past hatred and live a more relaxed life, but when he said it, it turned into an excuse for Shen Qingyu and the Queen. He was a little annoyed. No matter how he said it, it seemed that he couldn't express his thoughts well.
Yu Linzhi was a little annoyed. He was afraid that Mu Lingsu was not in a good mood and misunderstood his meaning, so he continued: "Xiao Mu, I don't want to say good things for Prince Yi Yang and the Queen, I just..."
"I know." Mu Lingsu was actually very happy. She was so , and Yu Linzhi had something important to discuss with Prince Yi Yang, but he put aside his business to comfort her. She was very touched. Although she did not hug Yu Linzhi back, her body subconsciously relaxed, and her cheek rested on his chest.
Yu Linzhi knew that Mu Lingsu understood what he meant, and he finally put down the heavy stone in his heart. He thought for a moment, let her go, looked into her eyes and said, "Do you still like him?"
This question had been on his mind for a long time, but in the past, they had always been friends, so this question was a red herring between them, and even if he wanted to ask, he didn't dare to ask it. But now he was determined and had a new plan, so he just spoke out the question.
When Mu Lingsu heard this question, countless expressions flashed across her face in an instant.
Thousands of words welled up in her heart, and countless emotions were difficult to sort out in her heart. She didn't know why this question made her feel surprised, happy, shy and flustered at the same time in an instant.
She looked up and met Yu Linzhi's eyes, and said, "How can I be so magnanimous as to forgive the son of my enemy who destroyed my family?"
After saying this, Mu Lingsu realized that what she said seemed a bit inappropriate. Although she was referring to the Queen and Prince Yiyang, Yu Linzhi was also the descendant of her enemy in a sense. She looked at Yu Linzhi nervously, raised her hand to climb onto his sleeve, and wanted to explain something.
"It's okay." Yu Linzhi knew that she was worried that she was thinking too much, so he smiled and comforted her, "I understand."
Although he said so, Mu Lingsu's words sounded a big alarm in his heart. If she hadn't mentioned it, he would have really forgotten that it was his grandfather who made wedding clothes for the queen, which led to the emperor's imperial decree to exile Mu Simiao.
It had been so long that he had actually forgotten that things were not all smooth sailing between him and Mu Lingsu.
If they cannot take the initiative to resolve the hatred between them, even if they truly love each other, it will be difficult for them to overcome the hurdle in their hearts and be together calmly and freely.
He always felt guilty about the death of Mu Lingsu's father, because he could not change the fact that he was Gu Cheng's grandson, nor could he thicken his skin to make Mu Lingsu forget these things. After all, the person who reported to the emperor that he wanted to kill Mu Simiao was his grandfather.
Yu Linzhi never had the courage to take the initiative to confirm whether Mu Lingsu was really open about the past, so he could only choose to avoid the topic. But today, he has new expectations for their relationship, and avoiding it is no longer the best way. It is better to let the scars between the two be exposed to the sun again. If we talk about it, everything will be fine.
He would rather Mu Lingsu wanted to kill her after knowing the truth than spend the rest of her life continuing in this hopeless hatred.
She is still so young and deserves a happier and more relaxed life.
He said, "The Empress Defei had hinted to my grandfather that she should use the Empress' suspicion of Doctor Mu to eliminate this useful helper in the harem. There was actually another hidden story behind the poisoning of the Empress Defei. Do you know?"
At that time, the emperor wanted to appoint a crown prince, and he preferred the eldest son born by the queen, but the queen favored the eleventh prince Shen Qingyu, so she kept advising the emperor to make the eleventh prince the crown prince. Mu Simiao was devoted to the country and knew that Shen Qingyu was not qualified enough, so he advised the queen not to indulge in selfishness, which would harm the country in the future.
After hearing this, the queen flew into a rage and no longer trusted Mu Simiao. She distanced herself from him and sent him to Xianfu Palace, where the lower-ranking concubines lived, to treat their illnesses.
Because the two of them were arguing over the choice of the crown prince, the emperor was also angered by the queen and wanted to appoint the third prince born to Concubine De as the crown prince. The queen and Concubine De had a long-standing grudge against each other, and the dispute over the crown prince created a new hatred. The queen then wanted to kill Concubine De.
Later, Concubine De accidentally got caught in the rain and caught a cold. The Queen thought the time had come, so she recommended Mu Simiao to treat Concubine De, and recalled the little medicine boy beside Mu Simiao to replace the prescription prescribed by Mu Simiao. In this way, even if Mu Simiao's actions were exposed, the Queen would not be implicated. Because the person who poisoned Concubine De was Mu Simiao.
After taking the first dose of medicine, Concubine De vomited blood in the Pixiang Hall of Guanju Palace that night, and her whole body was covered with sweat. Her life was in danger several times.
The emperor always regarded Concubine De as his favorite, and quickly ordered the Xigong Bureau, Shanggong Bureau, and Ye Ting Bureau to work together to investigate this major case. Soon, Mu Simiao was detained by the Xigong Bureau on charges of murdering the harem. However, a few days later, Gu Cheng submitted , requesting that Mu Simiao be beheaded. It was only after Concubine De, who was still ill, pleaded with the emperor that the sentence was changed to exile.
But as soon as he left the capital, Mu Simiao was assassinated.
Afterwards, the empress cried and remonstrated with the Purple Palace to keep her eldest son's position as the crown prince, but from then on she was no longer in charge of the harem and became the head of the palace in name only. Concubine De was very successful all the way, her family received generous gifts, she took control of the harem, and even gave birth to a princess at the age of 37.
"The Queen really lost more than she gained." Mu Lingsu continued to walk side by side with Yu Linzhi towards her residence.
After listening to Yu Linzhi's words, she felt a little happy that her revenge was successful. Knowing that the queen had been frustrated in the harem was enough for her. The position of the crown prince was not stable before the emperor's death, and the queen had to live in fear for at least several years.
Thinking of this, Mu Lingsu felt much better.
Yu Linzhi looked at the gradually dimming light and said to her, "Xiao Mu, if the Queen still favored your father, would you have already married into the Yiyang Palace?"
"Why do you say that?" Mu Lingsu was caught off guard by his question and didn't know how to answer. She and Shen Qingyu did have feelings for each other when they were young and ignorant, but she could never have guessed that Yu Linzhi cared so much about it.
Seeing that Mu Lingsu did not answer immediately, Yu Linzhi pretended to be relaxed and said, "It's just a joke, don't take it seriously."
He just wanted to know whether Mu Lingsu still had a place for Shen Qingyu in her heart.
If so, even though they can't be together now, one day in the future they will put those things aside and be together.
He expressed it so obviously, how could Mu Lingsu not know that he only said half of his words, so she asked: "Do you have anything to say to me?"
"Hmm..." Yu Linzhi was still hesitant in his heart. After Mu Lingsu said this, he didn't want to hesitate any longer and said, "Although, although I am weak and sickly and may die of illness at any time, I still want to ask you."
"Mu Lingsu, are you willing to marry me?"
Yu Linzhi's ten crisp and clear words seemed to have drained all the strength from Mu Lingsu's body.
She concentrated her mind, trying to see the nervous and expectant expression on Yu Linzhi's face, but she couldn't see it clearly. She blinked, and a hand covered her cheek. Then, she heard Yu Linzhi say, "You seem to be very tearful today. What are you crying about? A sickly person likes you, and it scares you like this?"
Yu Linzhi wanted to use his fingers to wipe away Mu Lingsu's tears, but her tears kept falling like a broken thread, and he couldn't wipe them away at all. He simply used his sleeve to cover her face: "Don't cry, Xiao Mu."
Mu Lingsu was amused by his action: "Your makeup is going to be ruined, don't wipe it off randomly, you still have to meet people in broad daylight."
Yu Linzhi didn't care: "Why should I be afraid? This isn't a palace selection." Seeing that Mu Lingsu didn't cry anymore, he asked again, "Are you willing to marry me?"
"Then...I..."
Mu Lingsu was about to answer him when Gu Ru'an's voice rang out from the other end of the corridor: "I don't agree." She walked quickly towards them under their gazes, her expression still arrogant and unapproachable.
Gu Ru'an looked at Mu Lingsu with a hint of : "If you are engaged to be a concubine, you will be a concubine. Miss Mu comes from a famous family, so it is impossible that she doesn't know this, right?"
Before Mu Lingsu could refute him, Yu Linzhi coldly said, "Aunt Ruan is the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister. Her family background is much higher than that of Xiaomu. Didn't she also elope with someone when she was young, gave birth to a child, and became a concubine? I don't know how Aunt Ruan has the right to scold us."
Yu Linzhi said this very seriously, and Gu Ruan was so angry that she couldn't speak. Mu Lingsu was shocked and could only stare at him blankly, a little at a loss. She witnessed every time when Gu Ruan and his mother fell out, and she felt helpless.
Although she had a bad relationship with Gu Ruan, she couldn't bear to see Yu Linzhi contradicting Gu Ruan for her.
"Aunt Ru'an, although I don't need to tell you, but since you are watching here today, I will tell you reluctantly." Yu Linzhi took Mu Lingsu's hand and looked at Gu Ru'an firmly, "I, Yu Linzhi, only want to be with Mu Lingsu."
Deep in Mu Lingsu's heart, it was as if a thunder had roared. She looked at Yu Linzhi's resolute profile, with mixed feelings in her heart, but in the end, she was happy.
Gu Ru'an pointed at Yu Linzhi, her voice trembling with anger: "You rebellious son! How dare you contradict your biological mother!"
Yu Linzhi has always been annoyed by Gu Ruan for not fulfilling any responsibilities but flaunting her identity as a mother everywhere. Hearing her say this, she felt even more disgusted. Without responding to Gu Ruan, she took Mu Lingsu's hand and left.
Yu Linzhi dragged Mu Lingsu all the way to his own residence. Perhaps because he was still angry, he walked very fast. Yu Linzhi was tall and strong, and Mu Lingsu was much shorter than him, so he couldn't keep up with his pace. But Mu Lingsu didn't dare to talk to him about these things when he was angry, so she could only reluctantly keep up.
Mu Lingsu tried hard to catch up while looking at his back in deep thought.
The tense and never-easy atmosphere between the mother and son made Mu Lingsu a little worried. Gu Ruan had made it clear from the beginning that she didn't like her, and Yu Linzhi had known this since childhood. Could it be that because Gu Ruan didn't like her, he repeatedly stood in front of Gu Ruan...
If Gu Ruan wasn't there, would Yu Linzhi still think of marrying her?
"Yu Linzhi." Mu Lingsu turned her head and looked back, making sure that Gu Ruan was no longer there, before calling Yu Linzhi. When Yu Linzhi looked at her, she asked, "If Gu Ruan was not your mother, would you still want to marry me?"
She had to ask this question clearly. If Yu Linzhi's answer was uncertain or even negative, she would have to prevent herself from falling into it and be alert.
Her life has lasted for twenty-three years so far, which is neither long nor short. However, if she makes a hasty decision due to a momentary impulse, she will probably regret it.
"Do I look like the kind of person who would do anything to piss her off?" Yu Linzhi found Mu Lingsu's question a little unbelievable and looked at her with a little surprise.
"No, no." Mu Lingsu was happy to get this answer, but she was also a little ashamed of asking this question. She and Yu Linzhi had known each other for so many years, and she knew his temper very well. She didn't know why she suddenly doubted him today.
She explained: "It is a great misfortune for a woman to trust the wrong person."
Yu Linzhi finally understood her true thoughts and smiled to comfort her: "Since I proposed to you, I must want to be responsible for your life. I will do my best to live a long, long time, and strive to die after you and take care of your funeral."
As his doctor, Mu Lingsu knew that his weakness was brought from his mother's womb. If he was not careful, he would be dead. Now he said this to her, not only to show her his determination to protect her, but also to assure her that he would stay with her forever.
Perhaps no one in this world would promise his or her loved one "I'll try to die behind you".
"I understand." Mu Lingsu smiled at him.
Just as Yu Linzhi was about to say something else, a whistling arrow shot from the air towards the two of them. He reacted quickly, holding Mu Lingsu and dodging to the safe side. The archer's archery skills were extremely superb, and his arm strength was amazing. The entire arrow was deeply embedded in the pillar. He carefully observed the surroundings until he was sure that the ambushers had left, and then he walked over to observe the whistling arrow.
There was a note tied to the arrow. Yu Linzhi untied the note and unfolded it. In addition to a few lines of words, it also contained a portable flute of Sutijia. Yu Linzhi recognized this flute, which seemed to be the only relic of Sutijia's mother. Although it was only one finger long, the music it played was very beautiful.
"Among the think tank of this group of kidnappers, there must be someone who is deeply influenced by Han culture. He is either a Han scholar or a Western foreigner who grew up in the Central Plains." Mu Lingsu also came over. As soon as she saw the flowing and powerful handwriting on the note, she knew that there was a very unusual person behind this group of people.
Yu Linzhi and Mu Lingsu looked at each other and agreed with her conclusion. He read the note and said, "We should not continue to rest. We must rush to Dunhuang and rescue Princess Yongjia and Sutijia as soon as possible."
The note stated that Yu Linzhi agreed to meet outside the Dunhuang city gate seven days later.