Chapter 141 | Table of Contents
Chapter 141:
At the second watch of the night, snowflakes began to fall. (txt novel download )
At first, it was like sprinkling salt, but then it gradually grew bigger, and when the north wind blew it, it looked like drifting catkins.
Lu An stood outside the palace gate with his hands clasped together, quiet and motionless, his eyebrows and hair all covered in white.
As soon as the palace gates opened, Chu Yao and the others came out carrying lanterns.
He hurried forward: "Your Highness, how is it?"
Seeing that although he looked uneasy, he didn't seem anxious. Knowing what he was asking, Chu Yao changed the subject and asked, "Do you want to acknowledge your ancestors?"
That means it's done.
Lu Ansong breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "I have no memory of that home anymore. It makes little difference whether I go back or not. It all depends on whether my mother wants to reunite with... him."
"If that's the case, hurry back and let your mother know you're safe," Chu Yao said.
Lu An responded with a yes, immediately mounted his horse, and headed towards the Marquis of Runan's residence.
Seeing that he had gone far away, Chu Yao said to Lu Peng behind him, "Let's go too."
Lu Peng went to fetch the horse, and then, as if struck by a sudden inspiration, asked, "Are we going to the Marquis of Runan's residence?"
Chu Yao smiled upon hearing this, but said, "No, let's go back to the Prince of Ying's residence first. I also need to let my mother know that I'm safe."
In the main courtyard of the Prince of Ying's residence, the old princess had already retired for the night. Half asleep, she heard a commotion in the side room. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw the candlelight flickering and footsteps clattering as someone entered the bedroom.
The servants were still trying to stop him: "Your Highness, the old princess has already retired for the night. Please go back."
The footsteps did not stop, and a tall male figure was reflected on the screen. A deep and pleasant male voice sounded: "Mother, I have returned home from a long journey and have come to pay my respects. By the way, I would like to ask where my princess is?"
The old princess was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, her hair standing on end in anger: "Breaking in in the middle of the night, have you no manners?"
Chu Yao chuckled, "Mother, you've probably been away from home for too long and don't know what I'm like now. It's only because Shuangshuang and Wanwan are young and timid that they're afraid and take you seriously when you scold them. I'm always out and about, I don't even blink when I kill people, what's a few harsh words to me?"
How could the old princess not know that Chu Yao had been in charge of the Lingguang Guard for more than ten years, and that he had investigated and confiscated the property of countless nobles and officials, knowing exactly what the incidents were about and how they ended.
But Chu Yao didn't have the patience to wait for her to explain, and asked again, "I just want to ask you one question, where is my queen?"
The old princess scoffed, "Why are you asking me where your princess went? She has hands and feet; do you think I can stop her from going wherever she wants?"
Chu Yao suddenly laughed: "Yes, everything is predestined. Back then you couldn't stop me from inheriting the title, and now you can't stop my queen from going out."
Those close to the old princess knew that when the old Prince Ying passed away, she had been determined to have a son, who would inherit his title. This was obviously against protocol, but everyone assumed she had lost her mind after her husband's death and didn't hold it against her. Besides, Chu Wan gave birth to a girl, so the old princess's wish couldn't be fulfilled, and no one paid any attention to it.
At that time, Chu Yao was only eleven or twelve years old. He knew his mother's thoughts, but he never said anything. He did what he was supposed to do every day in an orderly and meticulous manner. As a result, he was especially praised by the Empress Dowager and Emperor Deqing.
Some things are fine when you know them in your heart, but you can't bring them up in the open and discuss them openly.
The old princess demanded sharply, "What do you mean by this?"
“It doesn’t mean anything,” Chu Yao said. “I just want Mother to know that I have never had a loving mother. Whether you are at home or away, it makes no difference to me. But I will spend my whole life with my princess. Anyone who dares to make her unhappy will be repaid tenfold or a hundredfold…”
The old princess was furious and interrupted him: "I am your mother..."
"Mother?" Chu Yao laughed loudly. "I've traveled all over the country and seen many mothers, but who is like you? You hate me, don't you? Otherwise, why would you have poisoned my yam porridge when Father passed away that year? If it weren't for my naughty pug that Father gave me spilling the porridge, I probably would have gone to the underworld with Father long ago. Is there really a mother like you in this world? Before Wanwan was born, you had high hopes for her, but she was born a girl, which didn't fulfill your wishes, so you abandoned her far away." Wanwan is thirteen years old and doesn't even know her own mother's height or weight. Is there really such a mother in the world? I will take care of you as my mother, as long as you are alive. I will forgive and forget what you did to me, considering it repayment for giving me life. But Shuangshuang is different. I've never told you this before, but I'm telling you now: if you hurt her again, even if you are my mother, I won't hesitate to let you experience the harsh realities of prison. I've said everything I needed to say. It's getting late, Mother, rest in peace.”
After saying that, he turned and walked out.
The old princess was so angry that her face turned pale and her hands and feet trembled.
She...she regretted it immediately. Otherwise, why would the little dog, which was being served by two maids and two servants, suddenly jump onto the table for no reason?
Wushuang had a nightmare and sat up with a scream.
Qiqiao, who was on night duty in the side room, heard the noise and ran in, still wearing her clothes. Seeing that Wushuang was alright except for being a little pale, she turned around, poured her a cup of tea, and fed her. She also reheated the hot water bottle to warm her hands and feet.
Then he helped Wushuang lie back down and tucked her in.
"Your Highness, please get some more sleep. It's only past midnight, and it's still early for dawn."
However, Wushuang couldn't sleep for a while, so Qiqiao said, "It's snowing outside, the first snow of the day. Would Your Highness like to go to the window and take a look?"
Wushuang looked listless. After thinking for a moment, she shook her head and said, "Don't worry about me, go to sleep." With that, she turned over, faced the inside of the bed, and closed her eyes to rest.
Qiqiao obediently lowered the bed curtains, blew out the candles on the table, and tiptoed back to the side room.
Wushuang lay quietly in the darkness, feeling that all five senses were sharper than usual. She seemed to hear the rustling of snow falling on pine branches and the sound of footsteps crunching on the snow.
How could that be? Every winter, Beijing gets several heavy snowfalls. There's nothing special about it. Nobody would stay up all night to play in the snow.
Wushuang rolled over with her eyes closed, a smirk playing on her lips, and began counting sheep:
One bad Chu Yao, two bad Chu Yaos, three bad Chu Yaos...
Before long, I counted to one hundred, and instead of feeling sleepy, I felt even more energetic.
She sat up, holding the hot water bottle, thinking she might as well go to the window and watch the snow for a while.
To everyone's surprise, when the bed curtains were lifted, before Xue could be seen, a figure appeared in front of the charcoal brazier at the foot of the bed. The figure had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs, clearly belonging to a man.
"Ah!" Wushuang screamed for help in fright.
The man pounced like lightning, covering Wushuang's mouth with his large hand: "It's me, don't make a sound!"