Upon seeing the aloe vera, Leng Yiqing jumped up excitedly, hugging his arm and bouncing around, muttering, "With this, I promise, in five days at most, in five days I'll be free!"
Although she didn't understand, she didn't have time to ask any more questions. Su Yunmo gently pulled the little fox from Leng Yiqing's arms and said with a smile, "It's for me!"
Perhaps Leng Yiqing had this intention from the beginning, perhaps it was originally meant for Su Yunmo. But having not seen him for so long, she gradually gave up on her initial idea. Now, since he doesn't mind, she'll give it to him.
"I need to trim it a bit more!" He then took the item back to do some minor touch-ups.
"No need, I'll trim it slowly when you get home." Su Yunmo didn't forget to give her some encouragement before leaving. He knew that it was really not easy for a woman to bear all this alone. "Remember, if you need any help, you can ask Jiang Yuelin." With that, he left in a hurry.
Chapter 43 Special Fruit Flower Tea
Leng Yiqing, who had been troubled, lit up her eyes upon seeing aloe vera. It wasn't actually because of aloe vera's beauty benefits; she had other plans. Lately, besides messing with Ahri, she'd been busy with this matter.
She had asked some kind maids to bring the leftover fruit that Su Zhengyang had used to entertain guests to Qingxin Pavilion. Then she carefully selected some fruit to keep, cut it into small pieces, put it in a teapot filled with water, added some dried flowers that she had prepared beforehand, symbolically added a few tea leaves, mixed in some honey, and put it on the stove to brew fruit and flower tea. However, one important ingredient was always missing.
She wanted to harm Jiang Yuelin's unborn child, but these cold-natured fruits couldn't possibly cause her any significant harm. She had been thinking of adding something potent to the tea. Su Yunmo was truly a godsend.
Leng Yiqing vaguely remembered that a female colleague from her previous company had mentioned that excessive use of aloe vera could cause miscarriage. Therefore, this time, Leng Yiqing had mashed aloe vera into juice and added a small amount to her tea, but even after careful smelling, she couldn't detect any scent. Moreover, judging from Su Yunmo's tone, aloe vera seemed to be a very rare plant here; she probably didn't even know what aloe vera was, let alone what it smelled like.
That's why Leng Yiqing dared to add so much more.
Everything was going as Leng Yiqing had predicted. Jiang Yuelin, as always, would come here to sit every afternoon. Compared to the hustle and bustle of the front hall, Jiang Yuelin loved the tranquility of this place. Every day after lunch, she would stroll over here slowly, watch Leng Yiqing do her handicrafts, and chat with her. They had become like good sisters.
This time, as soon as she pushed open the door, a pleasant fragrance wafted out. Jiang Yuelin walked over curiously to inquire, "What are you up to now?"
"Lin'er, you've come at the perfect time. This is fruit and flower tea, come and have a taste!" she said, pouring her a cup.
"Fruit flower tea?" This was the first time she had ever heard of such a strange tea, so she didn't dare to try it easily.
However, Leng Yiqing generously began to savor it. The aroma stimulated every cell in Jiang Yuelin's body, and she finally couldn't resist. She picked up the cup, took a small sip, and savored the lingering taste.
"Don't worry! This is a tea made by brewing fruit and rose petals together. It's good for your skin and complexion," Leng Yiqing reassured her.
"Fruit? Aren't fruits considered cooling? Can I drink it?" Jiang Yuelin was still worried. This child was very important to her, and she had to protect him well.
Leng Yiqing, however, avoided the main point and replied, "You don't know this, do you? Not all fruits are cold in nature. Some fruits are very good for the skin, whether you're pregnant or not. Rose petals are even better for nourishing and beautifying the skin. You don't know, I drink this all the time, so look at my skin now..." As she spoke, she deliberately flicked her cheek with her finger and gently pressed it with her index finger, "How fair and smooth, how elastic!"
In comparison, Jiang Yuelin, having spent her life in the martial arts world, inevitably suffered from wind and sun exposure, so her skin naturally couldn't compare to Leng Yiqing's, who always paid special attention to skincare. Hearing what she said, she took note. Unconsciously, she reached out and touched it; it was indeed much better than her own. Jiang Yuelin was filled with envy.
"My mother taught me all of this. I remember she said that it was because she drank a lot of fruit tea like this when she was pregnant with me that I have such good skin. I have a good foundation, I have a good base." Leng Yiqing spoke eloquently, completely acting like a beauty consultant.
These cryptic remarks finally captivated Jiang Yuelin. Following Leng Yiqing's example, she savored the tea, finding it increasingly pleasant to have such a fragrant cup of hot tea during the cold winter, with the two women chatting casually.
Only after watching her slowly drink down a whole cup of tea, or even a whole pot of tea, did Leng Yiqing feel a little more at ease. Sure enough, women are most clueless at this time.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner? Sigh, do you still have any? Teach me how to cook it, I want to cook it myself!" Jiang Yuelin pleaded.
Leng Yiqing had no intention of entrusting these matters to her. If someone with ulterior motives noticed anything amiss, it would be a loss: "You are now everyone's top priority for protection. Why should you do these things yourself? If you want a drink, just come here. Don't make a fuss about going to the front. If Su Zhengyang finds out, he'll come looking for trouble with me again."
"Alright!" Their respective interests bound them together. Jiang Yuelin was now quite at ease with Leng Yiqing, after all, she was Leng Yiqing's only hope for getting out. She firmly believed that this woman would never do anything to her.
The two women smiled at each other and sat by the fireplace, chatting idly. When the pot of tea was empty, Jiang Yuelin rose to take her leave.
The cottage returned to its tranquility. Leng Yiqing leaned quietly against the window, watching the snowflakes gently fall, landing on the cracked earth beside the gravel path. In the soft sunlight, they shimmered with silver light, gradually diminishing as the snowmelt seeped into the soil, nourishing the parched earth and also soothing Leng Yiqing's long-parched heart. Now that things were halfway done, Leng Yiqing could almost see her happy future.
To paraphrase a line from the TV series "My Own Swordsman"—Winter is here, but can Leng Yiqing's spring be far behind?
Chapter 44 Something Big Has Happened
Days passed, and Jiang Yuelin would come here every day to sit, drink a pot of tea, and chat. Leng Yiqing, however, was anxious. She wasn't sure how much aloe vera was excessive, so she tried to include as much aloe vera as possible in the tea. Five days had passed, and she hadn't seen anything unusual from Jiang Yuelin. Today, she simply replaced all the fruit in the tea with aloe vera; she was going all out.
Whether it would work or not, she had to find a way to provoke her from the outside. So, when Jiang Yuelin came again, Leng Yiqing mysteriously pulled her to her side and whispered in her ear, "I've thought of a way to deal with Xiao Xiang!"
"Why do you still care about her? She seems to have been quiet for a long time!" Jiang Yuelin was very confused.
“That’s because we haven’t made any moves. But once we do, she definitely won’t stay like this. She said she just wants to see me make a fool of myself,” Leng Yiqing persisted relentlessly.
"I really don't understand you guys. You should be on the same side, so why are you so hostile? What's going on between you?" Jiang Yuelin was unwilling to accept this and wanted to find out the truth behind the feud.
She muttered angrily, "I'm starting to doubt if you're even here to help me." Her eyes were lowered, and her luscious red lips were pouting high. This was her trump card, effective on both men and women.
Jiang Yuelin, filled with maternal instincts, immediately agreed.
Leng Yiqing whispered in her ear for a while, and Jiang Yuelin's expression changed repeatedly before she finally couldn't help but ask with concern, "Then what are you going to do? What will you do if you get involved?"
"Don't worry! He wouldn't dare do anything to me. Even the Emperor gives my father some face, so I don't think he would dare!" Leng Yiqing said confidently, already having a sure thing.
Jiang Yuelin then remembered that she had such a strong backing, so she had nothing to worry about. After some calculations, the two reached an agreement. Suddenly, Leng Yiqing shouted, and after hesitating for a moment, Jiang Yuelin also suddenly got up and ran towards the door, flung it open, and bumped right into Xiao Xiang, who had just dared to eavesdrop outside.
"Ah!" Jiang Yuelin screamed exaggeratedly and fell to the ground.
"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Leng Yiqing ran out of the house upon hearing the noise.
Everyone heard the loud scream and the fall, but no one understood what had happened. Jiang Yuelin collapsed next to Xiao Xiang. The maids and guards who had come with Jiang Yuelin rushed over and immediately took Xiao Xiang away. No matter what, this person couldn't be let go, because they were afraid that if Jiang Yuelin suffered any harm from the fall, they wouldn't be held responsible.
"Ouch!" Jiang Yuelin clutched her lower abdomen, groaning incessantly. Even Leng Yiqing could hardly tell if it was real or not.
Seeing the situation was dire, everyone looked to Leng Yiqing for help. The only witnesses present, besides themselves, were this nominal Crown Princess. Leng Yiqing, without hesitation, immediately helped Jiang Yuelin head straight for the main hall.
All the witnesses followed closely behind, and Xiao Xiang was kept under guard the whole time. She still didn't understand what was going on.
As they walked quickly through the winding corridors, Leng Yiqing helped Jiang Yuelin along. Jiang Yuelin, panting, said, "Slow down, slow down, or we'll turn this fake act into a real one."
"I'm sorry!" Leng Yiqing realized that she had indeed been walking too fast, and Jiang Yuelin's face had turned pale. In fact, from the beginning, Leng Yiqing felt guilty about doing this to Jiang Yuelin, but for the sake of her future, sacrificing one of her children shouldn't be a big deal. After all, they could have more children. Thinking of this, Leng Yiqing comforted herself by deceiving herself, "I thought you had kung fu skills, and that this speed was nothing!"
"Sigh, things are different now!" Jiang Yuelin said helplessly.
Leng Yiqing nodded and said, "Okay, let's slow down!" But she still deliberately quickened her pace, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Su Zhengyang, who was receiving guests in the front hall, saw a group of people rushing towards him. Jiang Yuelin, who was walking at the front, was pale and covered in sweat. He had abandoned his guests—today's guests were none other than the powerful Prime Minister Fu. Without turning around, he hurriedly stepped forward to help them up, asking with concern, "What happened?"
Jiang Yuelin calmed down slightly, then angrily pointed at Xiao Xiang behind her: "It's her!" She spoke decisively without the slightest hesitation. "Every time I went to Qingxin Pavilion, her eyes were always full of resentment when she looked at me, especially after I became pregnant, it got even worse. She can criticize her own master, let alone me! She deliberately bumped into me just now, they... they can all make decisions! Zheng Yang, you have to stand up for me!"
Hearing her series of accusations, Xiao Xiang suddenly realized that the two of them had really gotten together, and that she was actually part of their plan. Leng Yiqing's shout earlier was to lure her over, and then arrange for Jiang Yuelin to deliberately rush out of the house.
In reality, there was absolutely no physical contact between them, yet Jiang Yuelin was already sitting on the ground. But now, does anyone still believe her? Terrified, she knelt before Su Zhengyang, filled with regret. If she had left then, or if she had remained aligned with Leng Yiqing, perhaps things wouldn't be like this today.
Su Zhengyang glared at Xiao Xiang, then asked pointedly, "Who gave you the guts! Tell me! Who ordered you to do this?"
Chapter 45: The Great Savior Appears Out of nowhere
This sudden turn of events gave Xiao Xiang a glimmer of hope amidst her despair. Taking advantage of Su Zhengyang's lingering hatred for Leng Yiqing, she could add fuel to the fire: "It's her!" Xiao Xiang was no less assertive than Jiang Yuelin had been earlier, and she confidently pointed directly at Leng Yiqing behind her.
Jiang Yuelin hurriedly tried to protect her, saying, "No." Her words came out so weakly that no one heard them. But then she thought again that she shouldn't have said it; if she stood up to protect Leng Yiqing at this moment, it would seem like she was being deliberately obsequious. She swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
Leng Yiqing remained calm and composed, as everything was within her plan.
"Ouch!" Perhaps due to the intense emotional fluctuations, or perhaps because the aloe vera was working its magic, Jiang Yuelin suddenly clutched her lower abdomen, doubled over in pain. Almost everyone could see that her pale face was now covered in cold sweat.
Seeing the situation was dire, Su Zhengyang picked up Jiang Yuelin and headed straight for Yueming Pavilion. His clever little maidservant also went to fetch the imperial physician. The whole group followed.
Guarded by the guards, Leng Yiqing quietly watched the commotion around the bed. Although she had repeatedly reassured herself that this incident wouldn't harm Jiang Yuelin—they could have more children in the future, and she might even gain sympathy and be promoted to Crown Princess—she felt a pang of guilt. She herself would be permanently divorced and expelled from the manor. It was a win-win situation; anyone would be happy with that! But deep down, she felt a sense of guilt, after all, Jiang Yuelin trusted her so much.
Suddenly, the door slammed shut, blocking her view. Only a few maids and midwives remained in the room to handle the aftermath. Su Zhengyang was standing right next to her. She could clearly see the murderous intent emanating from his bloodshot eyes.
The imperial physician's words just now were not only a blow to Su Zhengyang, but also to Jiang Yuelin, who was sleeping inside, and herself. A simple sentence—the child is gone—was enough to make Su Zhengyang want to kill everyone present.
Su Zhengyang suddenly grabbed a handful of her long hair that was draped behind her back and said angrily, "You can't bear me children, and now you're killing my unborn child, you fickle woman!" He forcefully pulled her to the ground and retaliated by stomping hard on her lower abdomen.
No matter what, Leng Yiqing hadn't anticipated that Su Zhengyang would be so ruthless towards her. She endured the waves of pain, tightly closing her eyes to hide her tear-filled gaze and prevent the tears from falling. She had to maintain her composure in front of him, no matter what. Now, she could only pin her hopes on Duan Feng, who was lurking in the shadows.
Blood slowly trickled from the corner of her mouth before Su Zhengyang stopped his torment of her. He then suddenly drew a sword from one of the guards beside him, the blade pointing directly at Leng Yiqing's neck: "You must pay with your life!"
At the critical moment, Duan Feng suddenly leaped down from the tree, instantly drew a soft sword from his waist, and knocked Su Zhengyang's sword away more than ten meters away.
This sudden turn of events threw Su Zhengyang into a panic, and he shouted, "Kill them!"
Duan Feng wielded his longsword with ease. Originally, he could easily deal with the approaching guards while also taking care of Leng Yiqing beside him. However, he could not ignore Su Yunmo's orders.
Su Yunmo told him that as long as he brought Leng Yiqing back to the Prince Yun's mansion safely, he would be fine, but he must not harm anyone in the Crown Prince's mansion and was not allowed to go on a killing spree there.
But could he have foreseen this moment? Was he truly powerless to resist in the face of such a situation? The more Duan Feng hesitated, the fiercer the guards' attacks became. After several rounds, Duan Feng found himself unknowingly at a disadvantage.
Without thinking, he grabbed Leng Yiqing's hand and said, "Come with me!"
Just as he leaped to his feet, a shrill voice pulled him back to his senses: "Your Highness, Your Highness's Consort, receive the imperial decree!"
Su Zhengyang looked at the sudden imperial edict and the two people who were trying to escape with a puzzled expression. Everyone else also looked confused.
The visitor was none other than Eunuch Guo, who served Su Haotian. He arrived in a hurry with the Emperor's decree. However, upon seeing them, he spoke calmly and unhurriedly: "The Emperor summons the Crown Prince and Crown Princess to the palace. There must be no delay!"
The Emperor had never invited them to the palace before. If it weren't for Eunuch Guo's message, Su Zhengyang would never have believed it. But now, he could only stop and silently follow Eunuch Guo straight to the majestic and solemn hall.
Leng Yiqing was quite pleased with herself. It turned out that she also had the ability to divine. All of this was within her expectations. What she wanted was to meet the Emperor directly, hoping that he could help her break free from this shackle.
Inside the carriage, Leng Yiqing could occasionally hear whispers outside the window. She didn't know when it had started, but her story had become the talk of the town, embellished with fantastical tales by certain gossipy people. They were all talking about her—a promiscuous, venomous woman who, after failing to seduce her own uncle, took her anger out on Consort Lin's unborn child.
Leng Yiqing knew deep down that she had gone too far this time. But as the saying goes, "Every man for himself." She never thought that a good person would be so selfless as to risk everything for their love. As long as Su Yunmo still accepted her, she was willing to do anything.
On her first visit to the palace, Leng Yiqing had no time to appreciate its beauty. The chatter of people in the market swirled in her mind, and she constantly reviewed the scenarios she had envisioned and rehearsed her prepared scripts. This opportunity might only come once, and she was determined to seize it, having risked her life for it.
The carriage stopped directly in front of the Qianfeng Hall, a majestic building where the emperor and his ministers discussed state affairs. Even Leng Yiqing, who had never been to the palace, knew a little about it. But why did their family matters need to be resolved here this time?