Sangsang often lowered her head. She didn't like to look at people, but she was good at it.
In the words of the Great Divine Priest of Light, Sangsang was transparent from the inside out, like a crystal in the deep mountains. She could reflect the truest colors of the world, so she knew for sure who was good to her in this world. Unfortunately, after so many years, she had only met one person like Ning Que, and he had died not long ago.
But she could feel Mrs. Zeng's kindness, so she followed her advice and followed her into the inner chamber. She untied her dirty cotton dress, took off her shoes, and put her feet into the warm water.
Sangsang's feet were very small, and her skin color was different from the rest of her body. It was as white as snow, and looked like two small white flowers slowly rippling in the clear water in the pot.
(See my book for more details … Hahahaha … The Coming Night, Volume One, The Empire in the Morning, Chapter 25, The First Dream.)
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Mrs. Zeng hadn't blinked since she entered the bedroom. When Sangsang undid her cotton dress, she clenched her fists nervously in her sleeves. When she took off her shoes, her nails almost dug into her palms. When she saw Sangsang's delicate feet in the basin, she almost fainted.
Mrs. Zeng didn't faint, but she had been in a state of slight dizziness since then.
When Sangsang returned to the dining table, Mrs. Zeng carried a pot of pigeon soup to her with trembling hands. She said in a trembling voice, "You must have suffered a lot these years. Take this opportunity to nourish yourself."
Sangsang looked at the appetizing oil flower in the pot and the tender pigeon in the soup and was slightly stunned. She thought to herself that she seemed to have heard it once before, but why did it sound a little different this time?
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In the evening, Grand Secretary Zeng Jing returned to the mansion.
Mrs. Zeng straightforwardly, even rudely, drove away the subordinates who came to see the Grand Secretary. Then, she walked up to him. Before she could say anything, her eyes turned red and two streams of tears flowed down her cheeks.
Grand Secretary Zeng Jing was also a ruthless man. Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken only one night to divorce his wife from Qinghe County, kill his three stewards, and join the Empress's camp. However, he was very clear that his current position in the court depended on Furen's position in front of the Empress. Adding on the old matters of the past, he had always doted on his wife. Seeing her cry before she spoke, he couldn't help but jump in fright.
"Madam, what happened at home?" His voice trembled as he asked. He thought that with Madam's temperament and temperament, she would not have lost her composure like this unless it was a tragedy that she could not bear.
Mrs. Zeng wiped the tears off her face and forced a smile, "Master, it's a good thing."
Zeng Jingyi asked, "What is it?"
Mrs. Zeng looked at his face and said with a smile while crying, "I found our daughter."
After learning about what had happened in the palace on the night of the Lantern Festival and what had happened in the mansion today, Zeng Jing looked at his wife in disbelief and asked, "You mean that little handmaiden is our daughter? Are … are you sure? "
Mrs. Zeng glared at him and said, "She is my daughter, of course I can confirm it."
Zeng Jing was also surprised by the sudden news. He stood up and asked, "Do you have proof?"
Mrs. Zeng said unhappily, "I already said that she is my daughter, why do I need proof?"
Zeng Jing smiled bitterly and said, "My good wife, don't hide it from your husband anymore. With your temperament, you wouldn't tell me if you didn't have proof. You must have poured the pigeon soup today on purpose. "
Mrs. Zeng covered her mouth and laughed. She said, "I really can't hide it from you. I asked Chunlan to cool the pigeon soup so that I could pour it on the child's feet so that she would take off her shoes and let me see her feet. Guess what? Her feet are still the same as when she was born more than ten years ago, white and tender like two lotus flowers! "
Zeng Jing was slightly startled and asked, "Other than this, do you have any other proof?"
Mrs. Zeng said, "After I gave birth to that poor child next to the woodshed, I was worried that she would be swapped. I checked her carefully before I passed out. There was indeed no birthmark on her body, but her body was as black as charcoal and her feet were white and tender. Isn't this proof? I don't believe that anyone could look like that poor child. "
Zeng Jing thought of that day that he would remember for the rest of his life. He thought of the blood across the alley and the chaos in his mansion. He remembered that his fierce wife had used the color of the baby girl's body as an excuse to accuse her concubine of giving birth to an evildoer. Then, she had secretly ordered a few stewards to steal the baby girl out of the mansion … Could that little handmaiden from the Old Brush Pen Shop really be his long-lost daughter? But shouldn't she have died long ago?
He seemed to be thinking of something as his brows relaxed and furrowed, looking very troubled.
Mrs. Zeng still felt a dull pain in her palm. She said, "Why are you hesitating, Master? Hurry up and inform the Chang 'an Local Government, then think of a way to bring our daughter back! I tried my best not to tell her, thinking that everything would be fine once you came back. I can't bear to see my daughter being someone else's handmaiden for another day! "
"You haven't seen that child. Her little hands are so rough that even I feel flustered when I touch them. I don't know how much she has suffered over the years. I heard from her that she does all the laundry, cooking, boiling water, and making tea in the shop. She even has to repair the shop door when it is broken. People like us don't order their servants around like that. I really don't know what kind of wicked thing her young master is to order her around like a cow! No, I have to go now … "
As she spoke, she thought of the evil young master of the Sangsang family. Her tears flowed again and she could no longer control her emotions. She walked out of the study, looking like she was going to the Old Brush Pen Shop to pick up her daughter.
"Stop right there!"
Zeng Jing shouted. After a moment of silence, he frowned and sighed. He said, "It would be easy if our daughter was really a handmaiden in an ordinary family. But do you know who the young master she is serving now is?"
"That Ning Que is not an ordinary person. He is the legendary owner of the Flower Blooming Calligraphy. He is highly favored by His Majesty. I just remembered that the name at the beginning of the Chicken Soup Calligraphy was Sangsang."
Mrs. Zeng was slightly startled. She had been distracted when she saw Sangsang in the palace that night and had forgotten about the Empress's introduction. It was only now that she realized that the immoral thing she had been cursing was not just any son of an unscrupulous official in Chang 'an, but the person that the Old Master had often mentioned a few days ago.
"I remember now. The Empress did mention Sir Ning's name."
Mrs. Zeng said, "But so what? Even if His Majesty likes his calligraphy, it is only right and proper for us to bring back our daughter. Who would be unscrupulous enough to stop us? I think His Majesty would be happy to see this. "
Zeng Jing frowned and said, "But do you know Ning Que's other identity?"
"What identity?"
"He is a student of the Second floor of the Academy."
Mrs. Zeng asked blankly, "There is a Second floor of the Academy?"
Zeng Jing said in a low voice, "There are many floors in the Academy."
Mrs. Zeng frowned and did not explain further, "What is the Second floor?"
Zeng Jing replied, "Those who can study on the Second floor of the Academy are all core disciples of the Headmaster of the Academy."
Mrs. Zeng was even more confused as to why her master mentioned these completely unrelated things. She asked, "Who is the Headmaster of the Academy?"
Zeng Jing looked at her and shook his head, sighing, "What a foolish woman. The Headmaster of the Academy is the Headmaster of the Academy."
Hearing the words "Headmaster of the Academy", Mrs. Zeng finally understood the severity of the situation. However, the strong desire to bring back her long-lost daughter was more important than anything else. She said angrily, "Even the Headmaster of the Academy has to be reasonable. Besides, my daughter is just a little maidservant now. What can he say if we give him more money? "
Zeng Jing shook his head slowly. As an important official of the imperial court, he was no stranger to the name of Ning Que. He first heard about the disturbance caused by the Blooming Flower Invitation, and then the shock caused by the Academy's ascension of the mountain. However, what the officials in the imperial court were most concerned about was this person's identity as the Wayfarer of the Academy.
Ning Que was the person who brought the Academy into the human realm. Therefore, his opinion would be very important when it came to the succession of the Tang Empire's throne. Zeng Jing knew that this person had a close relationship with the Princess. As a member of the Empress's faction, he was very worried that bringing back his long-lost daughter would affect the Empress's arrangements.
However, it was not convenient for him to say these words to his wife. After a moment of silence, he said, "Go to the palace tomorrow and listen to the Empress's opinion."
Mrs. Zeng had never been to school and was not very knowledgeable among the first-rank noblewomen in the imperial court. However, after the tragedy in her early years, she had been taught and nurtured by the Empress. She had already changed from a weak and incompetent concubine to an opinionated housewife. Hearing her master's words, she raised her eyebrows and said in a low voice, "No matter what the Empress says, I must bring back my daughter."
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"Mr. Thirteen, Ning Que … the Academy … why?"
In the depths of the Qing Palace, the golden bricks emitted a trace of warmth in the air. The Empress looked at the letter in her hand and muttered to herself. Her beautiful and slightly charming brows could not hide the confusion and vigilance.
This letter came from the General's Mansion in Tuyang City. In the letter, Xia Hou mentioned some of the recent events in Tuyang City. He also said that he had decided to resign from all the official positions in the army and was ready to retire. He asked her to tell His Majesty his true intentions.
Only a few people in the world knew the real relationship between the Empress of the Tang Empire and Xia Hou.
The Empress was very clear about the stubborn and unyielding temperament of her brother who loved her dearly. What did the two people from the Academy do in the Wilderness and Tuyang City that made him so determined to admit defeat and retire?
She was very willing to let her brother stay away from those bloody things. Retiring was also an excellent ending. She was very pleased after reading the letter, but the process of this matter was a little confusing to her.
At this moment, Mrs. Zeng arrived.
After listening to Mrs. Zeng's tearful and smiling story about Sangsang, the Empress was silent for a long time. Then, a gentle smile appeared on her lips and she said, "This is a good thing."
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(This is the fourth chapter. There is still one more chapter. Let me eat a bowl of noodles first.) (To be continued.) If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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