"Brother Ji, I let you down back then. I was bewitched and deceived. Not only did I misunderstand you, I even abandoned my parents and ran away from home. Fortunately, you've been well this year. Otherwise, I really … "
The lady in green suddenly choked on her words. She didn't wear any makeup and was dressed simply. At first glance, she didn't look stunning, but the more one looked at her, the more beautiful she became. Her eyes were big, and her eyebrows were high. She looked strong and stubborn. Now that her eyes were filled with tears and she was trying her best to hold them back, it made one's heart ache.
Xie Xuanji's heart ached. He couldn't help but take a step forward and hold the lady's arms. He wanted to use force, but he restrained himself and didn't dare to be rude. "Mingwei, everything is fine as long as you're back. All these years, the position in the Jiang family has been reserved for you. As long as you're back, nothing will change. "
The lady called Mingwei's tears fell. "But, Brother Ji, I'm no longer worthy of you. I was deceived by the Rong people and somehow fell into bewitchment. I even suspected your intentions and ran away from the wedding during the Lantern Festival. I've thought a lot this year, but the more I understood, the more I didn't dare to come back to see you. Even if the Rong people kidnapped me, it's because I didn't know how to judge people. I brought this upon myself, and I can't blame anyone else. Knowing that you're well, I'm already satisfied. I don't dare to ask for anything else. I heard that you're already engaged to her. That's great. She'll definitely take good care of you for me. "
"No, Mingwei." Xie Xuanji seemed to be anxious. He took a step forward and was almost in front of Jiang Mingwei. He bowed and looked at Jiang Mingwei, his eyes focused and deep. "I've said before that as long as you're back, I'll always be here. The marriage was postponed to Jiang Mingtang because the imperial edict had been announced to the world. Uncle Jiang couldn't disobey the imperial edict, so he had to adopt a daughter outside and come back to replace you. But what's true is true, and what's fake is fake. Now that you're back, what's the use of a substitute? The Princess Consort of Jin will always be you. "
"But I was kidnapped by the Rong people and my whereabouts were unknown for a year. The royal family values chastity the most. I know that I'm still clean, but how can others believe it? If I marry you, won't I implicate you and make you a laughingstock? "
As Jiang Mingwei spoke, he seemed to be ashamed and ashamed. He couldn't help but lower his head, revealing a slender neck. Xie Xuanji, on the other hand, was overjoyed. He had always been gentle and calm, but now he couldn't help but laugh. He almost forgot himself and hugged Jiang Mingwei. "That's great, Mingwei. Do you know how happy I was when I heard what you said just now? You don't belong to another man. You're still a virgin. I'm overjoyed. Don't worry, other than you, me, Uncle Jiang, and Mrs. Jiang, no one else will know about your disappearance this year. If outsiders ask, you can just say that you're recuperating somewhere else. As for Imperial Father and Imperial Mother, I will talk to them. You just need to prepare for your marriage. "
Hearing Xie Xuanji's words, Jiang Mingwei's face turned red and her cheeks flushed red. After a while, she seemed to have thought of something. Her face paled, but she still gently pushed Xie Xuanji away. "Older Brother Ji, I'm very touched by your feelings for me, but I'm no longer worthy of you. Your fiancée has become someone else. She's more obedient and filial than me. She won't anger her parents like I do. My parents must have adopted her because they think that she's more considerate than I am and is more suitable to be a daughter. Since the engagement has already changed, I should be tactful and leave far away. If I appear again, not only will I delay your marriage, I'll also make Second Miss unhappy. "
"Mingwei, what are you saying?" Xie Xuanji said coldly without hesitation. "I never had any feelings for her. I've always treated her as your substitute. Uncle Jiang and the others are the same. If she didn't look a little like you, how could she have entered the Jiang Family with her lowly refugee status? She was originally someone who fled here. Now that she has enjoyed a year of wealth in the Jiang Family, it's already a great fortune. It's good that she knows how to be grateful. If she doesn't know her place and dares to go against you, I definitely won't let her off. "
Jiang Mingwei's eyelashes were filled with tears. Her usually strong eyes were filled with tears, but they didn't fall. "Older Brother Ji …"
"Mingwei." Xie Xuanji's heart was broken by her gaze. He couldn't help but hug her tightly. "It's good that you're back. Uncle Jiang and I have been waiting for you for a year. Now, it's time for everything to return to its rightful owner. "
… …
How touching. Mu Mingtang's lips curled into a faint smile. The more she smiled, the more she felt that she was a joke. They were childhood sweethearts and had no suspicions about each other. However, because of a misunderstanding, they brushed past each other. Now, after going around in circles, the two of them were finally reunited. They expressed their feelings to each other and resolved the misunderstanding. What would happen next was probably to enter a marriage with the blessings of their parents and live happily ever after.
What a touching scene. What an enviable relationship. And Mu Mingtang was the one who interfered in this pair of childhood sweethearts. She was the one who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth. She was also the only outsider in this entire incident.
The "her" that Jiang Mingwei mentioned, and the "substitute" that Xie Xuanji mentioned, was Mu Mingtang.
Just as Xie Xuanji said, Mu Mingtang's background was indeed not high. Especially when compared to the two people in front of her. Xie Xuanji was a prince and had already been conferred the title of Prince Jin. The other person, Jiang Mingwei, was the daughter of a high-ranking official. She and Xie Xuanji were childhood sweethearts and had grown up together. As for Mu Mingtang, she wasn't even from the capital.
She was originally from Xiangyang. Her family wasn't a scholarly family, nor was it a family of officials. Instead, they were merchants who reeked of the stench of money. Although her background was not high, fortunately, her parents were harmonious and her family was wealthy. Under the love of her parents, Mu Mingtang grew up smoothly until she was 12 years old. Originally, her life should have followed the path of many ordinary girls in small cities. Her family was ordinary, her parents loved her dearly, and she would grow up step by step. Then, when she reached marriageable age, she would marry another ordinary man, have children, and form an ordinary family.
The first half of Mu Mingtang's life was exactly the same. However, when she was 12 years old, all the peace was broken.
In the third year of Hongjia, Xiangyang was besieged. After resisting for a few days, the governor saw that the people of Jie were coming aggressively. The governor was greedy for life and actually abandoned the huge Xiangyang City and all the commoners in the city to escape in the middle of the night. When the governor left, he took with him all the elite soldiers and weapons in the city. Without weapons and command, Xiangyang fell by itself. The people of Jie entered the city and massacred. Mu Mingtang's parents were killed by the people of Jie in order to protect Mu Mingtang's escape.
Unfortunately, even so, Mu Mingtang didn't manage to escape Xiangyang. After all, there were many ordinary people in the world. Mu Mingtang didn't have the martial arts to leap over roofs and vault over walls, nor did she have the wisdom to remain calm in the face of danger. Halfway through, she was discovered by the people of Jie. She almost died with her parents. Fortunately, Wu 'an Marquis entered the city and saved her life.
After that, Mu Mingtang followed many refugees north to find a place to settle down. After her hometown was destroyed, Mu Mingtang went from a well-off young miss of a merchant family to a penniless refugee who could be stepped on by anyone. She was a girl, and a beautiful girl of 12 or 13 years old. It was obvious what she would have experienced on the road.
Mu Mingtang's journey was very difficult. Fortunately, she met Granny Zhou, whose family was also destroyed. Granny Zhou protected her in the name of her granddaughter, so she was able to survive and reach Yingtian Prefecture in one piece.
After that, Mu Mingtang and Granny Zhou stopped in Chenliu and planned to start a new life. Although Mu Mingtang and Granny Zhou didn't know each other, after escaping north, Mu Mingtang really treated Granny Zhou as her grandmother. She planned to take care of Granny Zhou in the future. The two of them depended on each other. They did needlework, washing clothes, weaving bamboo strips, and anything else. In the end, when their life finally got better, Granny Zhou fell ill due to overwork.
Mu Mingtang used up all of her family's wealth to seek medical treatment for Granny Zhou, but Granny Zhou didn't make it. She died before spring arrived. After Granny Zhou died, Mu Mingtang cried loudly and wanted to bury Granny Zhou with dignity. Heroes were born in troubled times, but they were just ordinary people. They didn't have the martial arts to charge and break through enemy lines, nor did they have the talent to raise their arms and call for help. They could only live like weeds. Granny Zhou didn't have any dignity when she was alive, but after death, she was able to leave with dignity.
She didn't expect that the heavens wouldn't let Mu Mingtang realize such a humble wish. After Granny Zhou died, the pawnshop owner saw that Mu Mingtang was quite beautiful and had bad intentions. He told everyone on the street that Mu Mingtang was a thief. Otherwise, how could a weak woman like her take out things to pawn from time to time?
Mu Mingtang was so angry that she cursed at the pawnshop owner on the street. Mu Mingtang had already trained her body to be as strong as copper muscles and iron bones during her escape. She was fierce and fierce when she scolded people. The pawnshop owner was so angry that he couldn't help but hit her. Mu Mingtang was able to survive until now. Her naivety and reserve in the boudoir had long been tempered. Seeing the situation, she also bit and scratched at the pawnshop owner. In the end, they were stopped by a group of well-dressed imperial bodyguards.
When Mu Mingtang and the pawnshop owner were pulled apart by the imperial bodyguards, she didn't know what was going on. However, when she saw the clothes of the other party, she knew that they were people she couldn't afford to offend. People who made a living were the most sensible. Mu Mingtang immediately restrained her arrogance and lowered her head, not daring to say a word. At this time, a maidservant came down from a carriage that was parked far away. That maidservant was wearing a clean blue dress. Her hair was tightly pressed and the soles of her shoes were cleaner than Mu Mingtang's face. When the maidservant saw Mu Mingtang's appearance, she seemed to dislike her for a moment. Then, she pinched her nose and said, "Your ancestors were lucky. Come with me. Our mistress wants to see you. "
Someone who could be called mistress must have an important status. Moreover, the other party had a carriage and could order imperial bodyguards around. She might even be someone from the government. Mu Mingtang followed with trepidation. Later, she discovered that not only did her status limit her knowledge, it also limited her imagination. The person who stopped her that day wasn't just someone from the government. Moreover, it was the wife of the Deputy Commissioner of the Third Bureau.
The Third Bureau was in charge of salt, iron, and revenue. It was also known as the "Planning Department" and was the highest authority in charge of the nation's finances. The Deputy Commissioner of the Third Bureau was the second-in-command of the Planning Department. If Mu Mingtang could understand it, then it was the deputy to the Prime Minister who was in charge of the nation's finances.
Mu Mingtang didn't expect that she would bump into the Deputy Prime Minister's wife just because she had a fight. Madame Jiang looked at Mu Mingtang for a while and then had someone take her back. Mu Mingtang muddleheaded and trembling as she arrived in the capital. That night, she took a long bath. The next day, she changed her clothes and was brought in front of Madame Jiang and Lord Jiang.
Lord Jiang looked at her for a long time before nodding slightly at Madame Jiang. "We'll do as you say."
Do what? What did Madame Jiang say?
Mu Mingtang didn't understand, but she soon found out.
Her life was turned upside down. She was adopted by Madame Jiang and became the second daughter of the Deputy Commissioner of the Third Bureau, Jiang Honghao, Jiang Mingtang. That was the daughter of a government official, the daughter of a prestigious family. How could Mu Mingtang, who had struggled among the refugees, imagine that she would have such good fortune? Officials, commoners, and merchants were like a natural moat. In the past, even if it was the daughter of a private advisor in the Xiangyang government, the Mu family would have to run away with their tails between their legs, let alone the daughter of a Deputy Prime Minister.
Mu Mingtang's rise was too fast. Even she was afraid of it. As the saying goes, the children of prestigious families are neither servile nor overbearing. But when a villain achieves success, they become rampant. Mu Mingtang could understand this mentality very well. She was too afraid of losing everything, so she did whatever Madame Jiang told her to do. She did whatever the servant girl told her to do.
Mu Mingtang later found out that the reason Madame Jiang appeared in Chenliu that day was because she went out to look for the missing Eldest Miss, Jiang Mingwei.
The servant girls all said that the Lantern Festival was too crowded, so the Eldest Miss went out to look at the lanterns and accidentally got lost. Even if Mu Mingtang had never been to the government, she could feel that something was wrong with this statement. She was originally a merchant's daughter. When she went out to look at the lanterns, her parents would arrange for servant girls to guard her. Eldest Miss Jiang was a dignified daughter of a noble family. How could Madame Jiang neglect her guards? But Eldest Miss Jiang just had to get lost. No matter how she got lost, Madame Jiang said so. Madame Jiang went all the way to Chenliu, but she didn't see any trace of her daughter. Instead, she saw Mu Mingtang on the street.
At that time, Mu Mingtang was scolding and hitting people, so she was very conspicuous. Madame Jiang looked for a while and found that Mu Mingtang was about the same age as her lost daughter. Even the shape of their faces was somewhat similar.
That was why Madame Jiang brought Mu Mingtang back. After Jiang Honghao saw her, he felt that it wasn't a good idea, so he agreed. Later, Mu Mingtang was adopted by the Jiang family. She changed her surname to Jiang and was recorded as the Second Miss. She was to be the substitute for the lost Eldest Miss Jiang Mingwei.
Mu Mingtang knew her identity from the beginning. Her parents missed their beloved daughter and couldn't find her for a long time, so they put someone who looked like her in front of them to comfort them. Mu Mingtang understood very well, so she was willing to be another person's shadow. She wore Jiang Mingwei's favorite colors, lived in Jiang Mingwei's former house, learned how to speak like Jiang Mingwei, and learned how to walk like Jiang Mingwei.
She erased Mu Mingtang's characteristics bit by bit. Madame Jiang despised her for being vulgar and disliked her for fighting on the street. Mu Mingtang broke the claws and teeth that she had honed in troubled times. She became gentle, obedient, and didn't show her teeth when she smiled or walked. No matter what she said, she spoke softly and slowly.
She hid her true personality completely and forcibly changed into another person's appearance. She was afraid of being thrown out of the Jiang fu. She was afraid of going back to those precarious days where she had to fight with wild dogs for food. In troubled times, dignity was useless, let alone imitating another person.
Mu Mingtang was locked up and trained intensively for a year. Finally, she transformed into the virtuous lady that Madame Jiang wanted. It was easy to have a thin skin, but difficult to have a thin bone. She couldn't compare to Jiang Mingwei, who was born rich. Whether it was knowledge or speaking skills, they were too far apart. But when she didn't speak, Mu Mingtang already had some of Jiang Mingwei's shadow.
Madame Jiang was reluctantly satisfied. In March of this year, she officially brought Mu Mingtang out. Afterwards, Mu Mingtang truly understood why the Jiang family wanted to adopt an adopted daughter and why Madame Jiang was so anxious to train her well.
As it turned out, the glory of the Jiang fu was not only Jiang Honghao's position in the province, but Jiang Mingwei had also been bestowed a marriage to a prince.
There was no reason for the Emperor to take back his words, let alone an imperial edict bestowing a marriage. Jiang Mingwei had disappeared during the Lantern Festival last year. It was easy for her to find her freedom, but it was difficult for the Jiang family to step down. Madame Jiang had personally chased after Chen Liu. On one hand, she was worried about her daughter. On the other hand, she was also worried about the marriage between the Jiang family and Prince Jin.
Prince Jin was a legitimate prince and had a virtuous reputation. He was the most popular candidate for the position of heir apparent in the imperial court. If it weren't for the fact that the Emperor had been neighbors with the Jiang family before he ascended the throne, he would never have bestowed such a great honor on the Jiang family. Jiang Mingwei had run away from the marriage — of course, that was Mu Mingtang's own explanation. Madame Jiang had always insisted that her daughter had been kidnapped — this recognition from the Emperor became a death sentence for Jiang Honghao. When Jiang Honghao learned that Jiang Mingwei had disappeared, he was furious and immediately said that he did not have a daughter like Jiang Mingwei. He even refused to send people to chase after Jiang Mingwei. Madame Jiang loved her daughter dearly and was saddened by her husband's heartlessness. Her husband didn't care, so she could only take care of it herself. Later, by chance, she met Mu Mingtang. Madame Jiang was at her wit's end and came up with a plan to substitute one person for the other.
Madame Jiang only hoped that Jiang Mingwei had acted on a whim and would return when his emotions dissipated. If he didn't return, or if he didn't make it in time, then letting Mu Mingtang take his place was a way to remedy the situation. After all, the Emperor didn't say that the daughter of Prince Jin and Jiang Honghao had to be Jiang Mingwei. After adopting Mu Mingtang, Mu Mingtang could be considered Jiang Honghao's daughter.
In March, Madame Jiang completely gave up on Jiang Mingwei and officially introduced her second daughter, "Jiang Mingtang", to the wives of the officials in the capital. In April, Mu Mingtang and Prince Jin, Xie Xuanji, looked at each other through a screen under the care of their elders. Even if they met before the wedding, they tacitly agreed to the marriage.
In Mu Mingtang's opinion, Prince Jin was truly infatuated with Jiang Mingwei. Jiang Mingwei ran away from the marriage and was suspected to have eloped. Prince Jin, as the prince and fiancé, didn't fly into a rage. Instead, he quietly helped Madame Jiang look for Jiang Mingwei. Later, seeing that the wedding date was approaching, Xie Xuanji didn't say anything and accepted the imitation that the Jiang family arranged for him.
Even Mu Mingtang was moved by his infatuation. As a substitute, Mu Mingtang knew her position very well. She knew that in Madam Jiang's eyes and heart, she had always been thinking about her daughter. Even the way Prince Jin looked at her was looking for something similar to Jiang Mingwei's. Mu Mingtang could enjoy a life of luxury in this lifetime and even become a princess in the end. She was already in fear and trepidation. She wasn't greedy and didn't expect Prince Jin's love.
She was already prepared to exist as Jiang Mingwei's shadow for the rest of her life. Before she got married, she would be a good daughter who was similar to Jiang Mingwei but more docile than Jiang Mingwei. After she got married, she would be the projection of the white moonlight in Prince Jin's heart. As for who Mu Mingtang was, what she liked, and what kind of person she used to be, it didn't matter.
Who would have thought that today, at the birthday banquet that the Jiang couple had arranged for Mu Mingtang, the main character, Jiang Mingwei, would actually appear?
Jiang Mingwei didn't appear in front of anyone, but Mu Mingtang discovered that Prince Jin had suddenly disappeared. Her inexplicable intuition told her that something was wrong. Mu Mingtang quietly followed them. She didn't expect to hear such a touching play.
She stood behind the shadow of the tree and listened to the sincere confession of the affectionate prince and the white moonlight for a long time. She felt that their love was really great.
Prince Jin's deep love and single-mindedness for his lover were touching.
So what about her? She was a poor substitute, a lowly refugee. How was she going to deal with this?
Mu Mingtang didn't want to listen anymore, so she turned around and walked back. Halfway through, the maidservant who came out to look for her chased after her. When the maidservant saw her, her eyebrows immediately raised in disdain. "Second Miss, Madame said that you can't wander around. Why can't you remember?"
The maidservant stood in another direction and didn't see the figure behind the bushes. When Xie Xuanji and Jiang Mingwei heard the sound, they both stopped talking. Xie Xuanji's expression changed. He quickly bypassed the cover and saw a light blue figure slowly moving away from the corridor. Her outer cover was printed with silver frost. When it covered the light blue silk, it looked like a frost cloud.
She always wore light and high-class green and jade white. She always carried the alienation of a passerby who didn't know her. From Xie Xuanji's point of view, this figure really looked like Jiang Mingwei.
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