Hsieh Hyun-chen folded the jade hairpin that was full of stories into sections and casually threw it on the ground. Only then did he feel that it was much more pleasing to the eye. After Hsieh Hyun-chen disposed of the item, he asked, "Tell me, what happened between you and him?"
Mu Mingtang let out a sigh of relief. It was fine as long as she was allowed to explain before the execution. She immediately told him how she was adopted by the Jiang family, how she replaced Jiang Mingwei in accepting the engagement with Xie Xuanji, and how she was sent to the Prince of Qiyang's mansion after Jiang Mingwei returned. She told him everything in full detail.
Hsieh Hyun-chen listened for a while before he finally understood the relationship between these people. He nodded and said thoughtfully, "In other words, Jiang Mingwei and Xie Xuanji were engaged, but Jiang Mingwei ran away and the Jiang family sent you to replace him. However, Jiang Mingwei returned and the Jiang family had no place to put you, so they sent you to the Prince of Qiyang's mansion. "
"… … That's true." Mu Mingtang muttered, "But there's no need to say that about yourself, right? I always feel that the prince is scolding both yourself and me. "
Hsieh Hyun-chen sneered and said disdainfully, "I know very well what the father and son are capable of. By the way, who is the Jiang family? "
Mu Mingtang was stunned. She paused for a long time before she suddenly burst out laughing. After she accidentally laughed, she hurriedly covered her mouth, but she still couldn't help but laugh until her shoulders shook.
Mu Mingtang had scolded the Jiang family so many times these days, but none of them could compare to Hsieh Hyun-chen's words. Jiang Honghao would do anything to climb up the social ladder, but in Hsieh Hyun-chen's eyes, even this family name wasn't worth mentioning.
This was the biggest blow to the enemy. Hsieh Hyun-chen did not quite understand why Mu Mingtang was smiling, but this woman was more pleasing to the eye than he had imagined. Since he had woken up, Hsieh Hyun-chen felt that she was not bad and had no intention of killing her for the time being. Therefore, Mu Mingtang laughed. Although Hsieh Hyun-chen did not understand why, he patiently waited for her to finish laughing.
Finally, Mu Mingtang finished laughing. Wiping his tears, he said, "The Jiang Residence is the residence of the Third Department's Deputy Envoy, Jiang Honghao. He might be the Head Envoy now."
Hsieh Hyun-chen immediately understood. "Because he sent you here?"
Mu Mingtang did not dare to say anything and just nodded slightly. There was nothing Hsieh Hyun-chen did not understand. He had grown up in these kinds of lawsuits and schemes. He understood the subtle thoughts of the Emperor better than anyone else.
Hsieh Hyun-chen said with a smile that was not a smile, "It seems that they really think that I won't live for long and are already preparing for my funeral."
Hearing him say this, Mu Mingtang felt inexplicably sad. She said in a low voice, "Don't say that. You will definitely live to a hundred years old. "
Hsieh Hyun-chen sneered and said, "I know my own body better than you. I don't have long to live anyway. What's the point of saying all these empty words? How old are you this year? I'm afraid that you haven't even seen the outside world. How would you know what life and death means? "
"I know." Ever since Hsieh Hyun-chen woke up, Mu Mingtang had always been obedient. However, at this moment, she suddenly became stubborn. "Of course I know what life and death means. Although I was adopted by Madam Jiang in Chenliu, I am not from Yingtian Prefecture. I was originally from Xiangyang. "
Xiangyang? Hsieh Hyun-chen was surprised and also turned to look at her. Mu Mingtang pursed her lips and said, "Xiangyang was attacked by the Jie people in the third year of Hongjia. My parents also died in the chaos of war. Later, I followed the fleeing army and went all the way north to Chenliu. I am a nobody and naturally cannot compare to Your Highness's understanding of war. However, I am not an innocent and naive young lady who was raised in a boudoir. That year, someone told me that living is not easy, but dying is too easy. Thus, I struggled all the way to Yingtian and survived. That person is my benefactor. Now, I want to pass on this sentence to Your Highness. "
"Since you are not afraid of death, why don't you have the courage to live?"
In the third year of Hongjia, Xiangyang. Hsieh Hyun-chen immediately realized what had happened that year. When he entered Xiangyang, half of the city had already been destroyed. It was a scene of devastation that he could not bear to look at. She was actually from Xiangyang.
When he was in a coma, he vaguely heard Mu Mingtang say something like "benefactor". At that time, he thought it was just a formality.
Hsieh Hyun-chen was silent for a long time before asking, "Have we met before?"
Mu Mingtang was crying so hard that she could not make a sound. She could only nod her head vigorously. Hsieh Hyun-chen relaxed his body and leaned against the soft pillow that made him feel very feminine. After thinking for a long time, he finally found a similar vague figure in the depths of his memory.
At that time, she was so young that she fell to the ground and was so scared that she could not move. She was so weak that Hsieh Hyun-chen felt that if she left this street, she would not be able to survive. He did not expect that such a weak little girl would be able to walk out of the city and survive among the refugees. She relied on her own two feet to reach Yingtian.
He also did not expect that the little girl that he casually saved would be the person who accompanied him on his last journey. He grew up in a military camp. Later on, he dared to chase after the army with only a knife and a horse. Countless people died by his hands. There were also many people like Mu Mingtang who he casually saved.
It was just a casual remark, but she had remembered it for many years. Today, she gave it back to him in the same way.
Hsieh Hyun-chen sighed. For the first time, he felt that there were still people in this world who remembered him and hoped that he would live. Only a few years had passed since he went on expeditions, but those days seemed to be very far away from him.
It was rare for Hsieh Hyun-chen to recall the past. He did not speak for a long time. After a while, he smiled lightly and said, "It was not easy for you to live until now. When I die, I will leave a message for them to let you remarry." Hsieh Hyun-chen paused and changed his words, "Forget it. That father and son are hypocrites. I don't trust them. When the time comes, I will contact my old subordinates and secretly send you away. "
When Mu Mingtang heard about remarrying, her heart turned cold, "Are you making arrangements for your funeral?"
Hsieh Hyun-chen laughed indifferently, "Of course. People in the army do not fear death. I won't live to see next year anyway. "
"Next year hasn't come yet. How do you know that you won't live to see next year?" Mu Mingtang did not give up and said, "When I was on the run, there were many times when I felt that I would not live. In the end, didn't I still make it? As long as you want to live, you will always have a chance. "
"How old are you? You dare to lecture me?" Hsieh Hyun-chen raised his eyebrows. The mole under his eye moved slightly. His eyes were full of ridicule.
Mu Mingtang bit her lip and said, "When I first found out that I was going to marry, I did not know that you were the Marquis of Wu 'an. I only thought that I had been sold, so I pointed at Jiang Honghao's nose and scolded him for being a dog official. Later, I even cheated Madame Jiang of a large sum of dowry. Oh right, Xie Xuanji was also there that day. I scolded him and scolded him as well. "
Hsieh Hyun-chen raised his eyebrows in surprise. He thought that he was already very good at courting death. He did not expect that there would be new talents in every generation. Mu Mingtang was even more daring than him.
"So …" Mu Mingtang's eyes were filled with tears. She looked pitifully at Hsieh Hyun-chen, "Your Highness, you must live on. If you die, what will happen to me? The Jiang family will definitely punish me. "
Hsieh Hyun-chen was speechless for a long time. Finally, he stiffly threw a handkerchief in front of Mu Mingtang, "Don't cry. Wipe your tears. If you cry again, I will kill you. "
Mu Mingtang made an 'en' sound. She picked up the handkerchief and wiped her tears. Then, she slowly stopped crying. After she woke up, she realized that she had been crying in front of Hsieh Hyun-chen for a long time. She felt embarrassed and embarrassed. She stood up and looked outside, "Why hasn't the imperial physician come yet?"
"Imperial physician?" Hsieh Hyun-chen laughed. He leaned back and lightly said, "They won't come."
"But, when Prince Jin left, he clearly said …"
"You also said that he left from here. Does he dare to say what he came to Jade Qilin Hall for? "
Mu Mingtang was speechless. Thinking about it, she felt that it was reasonable. Hsieh Hyun-chen seemed to be very indifferent to his own life. He leaned against the bed frame and half-closed his eyes: "Today's matter, only you and I know. The emperor and the imperial physician will not know that I woke up. But this is also good. I can live a peaceful life for a few days. Otherwise, as soon as those old bastards appear, I want to wring their necks. "
Mu Mingtang thought of Hsieh Hyun-chen's extraordinary strength and silently shivered. When he said to wring their necks, he might really mean wring their necks.
At first, Mu Mingtang thought that the guards outside were cowards and made a fuss. Prince Qiyang was not an evil spirit. How could he be so terrible? Now that she thought about it, Prince Qiyang was indeed not an evil spirit. How could an evil spirit be as terrible as him?
Mu Mingtang saw that he closed his eyes and was exhausted. She gently helped him lie down, quietly put down the bed curtain, and went out. Mu Mingtang took two steps and looked back at Hsieh Hyun-chen. Through the bed curtain, his side profile was blurred, making him look more holy and innocent.
But such a person had extraordinary lethality.
No wonder he was invincible after he joined the army and was called a walking war banner. No wonder after he became insane, the imperial court acted like it was facing a great enemy. They not only sent so many soldiers to guard him, but also custom-made heavy black iron chains to restrict his movements.
Mu Mingtang sighed and quietly went out.
She didn't know how long Hsieh Hyun-chen could stay awake this time. But according to Mu Mingtang's short and subjective judgment, she felt that Hsieh Hyun-chen was not the indiscriminate killer in the rumors. He was not completely controlled by killing intent and lost his mind as a human being.
Perhaps, there was a hidden reason why he slaughtered his own people back then.
But no matter what, Mu Mingtang and Hsieh Hyun-chen were in the same boat. The emperor wanted him to die, Xie Xuanji wanted him to die, and even the soldiers guarding outside wanted him to die. Only Mu Mingtang wanted him to live for a long time. Based on this point alone, Mu Mingtang would do her best to help him get better as soon as possible.
The most important thing now was to nourish his body. At the very least, he should have the strength to sit up. Secondly, she had to open the black iron chains so that he could move freely.
For a proud person like Xie Xuanchen, he would rather die than wear such a pair of chains to live an ignoble life.
·
After Hsieh Hyun-chen woke up, there was another good thing, and that was that he could eat now.
At night, Mu Mingtang tried to wake him up and actually succeeded. Mu Mingtang was overjoyed. She immediately took her dishes and fed them to Hsieh Hyun-chen.
When she ordered the menu yesterday, she didn't expect Hsieh Hyun-chen to wake up, so today's dishes were not very suitable for a sick person. But to be able to eat fresh vegetables was better than to drink liquid food. Mu Mingtang said while feeding Hsieh Hyun-chen, "Your Highness, although the Prince's Mansion is yours, but now, you are really relying on me to eat. Fortunately, I deliberately pretended to eat a lot a few days ago. Now that there is a lot less food, people won't be surprised. "
Hsieh Hyun-chen didn't say anything. Mu Mingtang continued, "Speaking of which, I still have to think of a way to bribe the guards tomorrow. Fortunately, I brought a generous dowry to support you. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to withstand such a sale. "
The veins on Hsieh Hyun-chen's forehead throbbed. He raised his head and coldly glanced at her, "Shut up."
Just because he didn't mention it, it didn't mean that he didn't remember. He still clearly remembered that Mu Mingtang secretly called him a gigolo. He was magnanimous and didn't care, but she still wanted a yard after taking an inch?
The Emperor and Prince Qiyang were in an awkward position. As the Emperor's legitimate son, Xie Xuanji was also a little embarrassed to meet his cousin, who was once the Emperor's heir.
Especially when Prince Qiyang was still unconscious. They could easily get into trouble if they didn't do anything, let alone take the initiative to provoke Prince Qiyang's people. After all, if Prince Qiyang didn't wake up, the Emperor's family would benefit the most. Nowadays, Confucianism was popular, and men and women were increasingly strict. Uncle and sister-in-law should avoid suspicion, especially when her cousin was unconscious and paralyzed in bed. Although Prince Qiyang was alive, Mu Mingtang was no different from a widow. She was a young, lively, and beautiful widow. If she called out Xie Xuanji and touched her, Xie Xuanji wouldn't be able to bear it.
Xie Xuanji let go of her with a livid face. Mu Mingtang felt relieved and happy when she saw this. A nobody didn't know what was called strength of character and etiquette. She was neither servile nor overbearing. She only knew that if she had the upper hand, she should pursue the victory. If a drowning dog fell into the water, she should quickly beat it.
Mu Mingtang stretched out her hand to pull up her sleeves and brushed her hair behind her ear with one hand. She said sarcastically, "Your Highness Prince Jin has a good reputation and is as gentle as jade. You should pay attention to your behavior. After all, I'm your future sister-in-law. You know your brother's situation. If anything happens to me, or if something happens to me, others can drown you with their saliva. "
After Mu Mingtang finished speaking, she squinted at Xie Xuanji and swaggered out. When she went out, she met the maid who was guarding outside. The maid seemed to stop her. She sneered and said fearlessly, "Why don't you get out of the way? I'm Princess Qiyang, who was personally approved by the Emperor. Can you afford to offend me? "
She was intoxicated by her success! Xie Xuanji had always been gentle and courteous. When everyone saw him, they would respectfully call him "Prince Jin". The women he came into contact with were all scholars like Jiang Mingwei, who was noble and elegant. When had he ever met a scoundrel like Mu Mingtang?
Xie Xuanji was so angry that his face was as black as the bottom of a pot. Jiang Honghao's expression was also very ugly. Jiang Honghao really didn't expect Mu Mingtang to be such an evil creature. If he had known, he wouldn't have called Mu Mingtang to Prince Jin. Now, Mu Mingtang ridiculed the Jiang Family in front of Prince Jin. Not only did Jiang Honghao lose face, but she also caused Prince Jin to be blackmailed.
Jiang Honghao was embarrassed and frightened. When Mu Mingtang's movement was far away, he quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and bowed deeply to Xie Xuanji. "Prince Jin, please forgive me. My adopted daughter was rude and offended Your Highness. She was originally a merchant's daughter. She didn't come from a high family and didn't have much knowledge. Her mind was empty. Prince Jin is magnanimous. Please don't argue with an idiot like her. "
Xie Xuanji nodded. It wasn't easy for him to endure. In fact, he couldn't do anything about it. As Mu Mingtang said, the Emperor had just praised the Jiang Family in the morning court for being righteous and taking the initiative to marry the Second Miss to Prince Qiyang. This time, the Emperor personally pointed out that the Jiang Family was the Second Miss of the Jiang Family. Now, even if the Jiang Family was suddenly hit by a meteorite, they couldn't let Mu Mingtang make the slightest mistake.
Jiang Honghao said a lot of good words before he invited Xie Xuanji back to his seat. The maidservants served tea again. The father-in-law and son-in-law modestly invited each other to sit down.
Jiang Honghao stroked his beard and said, "Today's matter is thanks to Prince Jin for pulling the strings for the Jiang Family in front of the Emperor. If it weren't for Prince Jin, the marriage between my adopted daughter and Prince Qiyang wouldn't have been settled so quickly. Prince Jin, please rest assured. Mu Mingtang is indebted to the Jiang Family. The Jiang Family's kindness to her is as heavy as a mountain. It's only right for her to repay the Jiang Family. Now, it's best that she knows what's good for her. If she dares to resist, even if she dies, she will die in the Prince Qiyang's mansion. "
Jiang Honghao was beating around the bush to appease Xie Xuanji. After all, Jiang Mingwei had set a precedent. If Mu Mingtang ran away from the marriage again, the Jiang Family would have no face to see others.
Xie Xuanji nodded and said, "Father-in-law's words are too serious. Mingwei is my fiancée. The Jiang Family's business is my business."
When Jiang Honghao heard these words, he felt relieved. As a father, seeing that his unmarried son-in-law had such deep feelings for his daughter, his infatuation remained unchanged, and he even ran around for the Yue Clan without any complaints or regrets, there was probably no father-in-law in this world who would not be happy. Jiang Honghao was also quite proud. For the sake of Prince Jin, Jiang Mingwei dared to run away from the marriage and put the Jiang Family in a disadvantageous position.
Jiang Honghao felt a little conflicted when he thought of this. He was a father. It was not appropriate for him to ask too much about his daughter who was already of marriageable age. However, his daughter had been away for a year without any news. On the day she disappeared, it was said that she left with a man from the Northern Tribes … Jiang Honghao really couldn't help but think more about it. Mrs. Jiang naturally said that her daughter was innocent. After all, he had personally raised Jiang Mingwei. Jiang Honghao wouldn't suspect that his daughter was shameless. However, when a gossipy woman talked about family matters, she didn't care about your character.
Jiang Mingwei's whereabouts were unknown for a year. This was indeed a serious injury.
Moreover, as a father, Jiang Honghao didn't mind that his daughter was young and ignorant and did something wrong. But what about Xie Xuanji? Which man wouldn't mind that his fiancée eloped with a man from another clan and even lived together for a year?
Jiang Honghao didn't dare to mention it, but Xie Xuanji was still a member of the Imperial Family. If Xie Xuanji wasn't dispelled, he was afraid that sooner or later, there would be a disaster. Jiang Honghao paused for a moment, then casually said, "Prince Jin, you and Mingwei have hit it off since you were young. Out of all the children in Jian 'an Alley, the two of you were the best friends. Later, when you moved to the capital, your neighbors no longer lived together, and you gradually grew distant. Only the two of you were never estranged. When I saw the two of you today, I was truly moved. However, Mingwei was a stubborn child since she was young. When she was fourteen or fifteen, she was at a sensitive age. I had just moved to the capital and was busy dealing with the matters of the Imperial Court. Her mother couldn't leave and neglected the change in her mentality. I don't know why she was so stubborn, but she actually left home to seek freedom. This is because I, as a father, didn't discipline her well. Prince Jin … "
"Father-in-law." Xie Xuanji reached out to stop Jiang Honghao's unfinished words and said, "Our two families have lived next to each other since we were young. I remember that I often ate at the Jiang Family's house. Mrs. Jiang also took care of me a lot. I am sincerely close to the Jiang Family, and Mingwei and I are childhood sweethearts. How could I doubt Mingwei's character? Father-in-law, don't say such words again in the future. This is not only humiliating Mingwei, but also humiliating my feelings for Mingwei. Let bygones be bygones. Mingwei was just distracted for a moment. As long as she is back, it is enough. "
When Jiang Honghao heard these words, he was immediately relieved. He cupped his hands to Xie Xuanji and raised his cup, saying, "Prince Jin's conduct is noble and upright. This lowly official admires you very much! This lowly official uses tea in place of wine to toast Prince Jin. "
"How can I accept this?" Xie Xuanji slightly avoided and raised his cup, saying, "It should be me toasting Father-in-law."
In the study, Jiang Honghao and Xie Xuanji were being modest and giving way to each other. They were happy and harmonious, but the atmosphere in the main room of the Jiang fu was the complete opposite.
"Why!" Jiang Mingwei threw the pearl hairpin to the ground with a bang and turned his back, saying, "She is just a lowly refugee. Why should she marry Hsieh Hyun-chen and be the Princess of Qiyang?"
"Ai, you child!" Jiang Furen looked at Jiang Mingwei reproachfully. She bent over to pick up the exquisite pearl hairpin and put it back on the low table, "This is Linlang Pavilion's newest design. How many people outside can't buy it even if they line up? Just the price of this pearl hairpin is equivalent to a year's worth of food for a commoner's entire family. "
After Jiang Mingwei and Jiang Furen smashed things, they regretted it. Clearly, before her rebirth, her greatest dream was to return to Tokyo, to return to the time when she was not yet married, and to enjoy the pleasures of her parents.
Jiang Mingwei could not help but think of those dark and desperate days. A simple and crude bed and an obviously exotic palace had locked her in for the rest of her life.
In fact, not long ago, Jiang Mingwei was not the daughter of a high-ranking official in Tokyo. Instead, she was the Han concubine of the Yelv Yan, the Emperor of the Northern Tribes.
Originally, the Jiang Family was not a prominent family in the capital. Jiang Honghao's official position also did not rise to the position of Deputy Prime Minister. In the beginning, the Jiang Family was just an ordinary small official's family in Lin 'an. Jiang Honghao was a seventh-rank civil official in the government office. Although he was more stable than a commoner's family, he was not rich and noble. The surrounding streets were filled with people of the same family background.
The Xie Family, or more accurately, Xie Rui's family, lived next door to the Jiang Family. The alley they lived in was called Jian 'an Alley. The adults in the family did not allow the children to interact with the children of commoners and peddlers. Therefore, the children could only look for playmates in the alley. Jiang Mingwei and Xie Xuanji were similar in age and lived close to each other. The adults also wanted to matchmake them, so the two of them were familiar with each other since childhood.
When Jiang Mingwei was young, she had a good face and stood out among her peers. She was very popular among the youths in the neighborhood. On the other hand, Xie Xuanji was good at studying, tall, and knew how to recruit followers at a young age. He was the king of the children in the area. The two of them were similar to a gifted scholar and a beautiful woman in the circle, a golden boy and a jade girl. Due to the pride of young people, Jiang Mingwei would get angry at anyone who made jokes about her. However, when others joked that she was going to marry Xie Xuanji, Jiang Mingwei would run away with a red face.
The adults in the family also wanted them to marry. At that time, the Jiang and Xie Families were just small rich families. Marriage between neighbors was the best choice. They did not think about the longer road ahead. Moreover, there was another reason why Jiang Mingwei tacitly agreed that her friends would make jokes about her and Xie Xuanji.
There was a rumor in the alley that Xie Xuanji had a very high-ranking uncle in the capital and an outstanding cousin.
However, no one in the Xie Family had ever seen him. This rumor was only spread among the adults. No one knew whether it was true or not. However, for the children, having an uncle in the capital was already something to be proud of. Therefore, Xie Xuanji had the highest status in the circle and was the most respected. Jiang Mingwei had a high temperament. Only such a person would be worthy of her status as the number one beauty if he were to be her husband.
The incident happened when Jiang Mingwei was 12 years old. In the third year of Hong Jia, Jian An Alley was suddenly filled with carriages. A row of majestic guards stood in front of the Xie Family's door and said that General Xie had orders to bring his younger brother, Xie Rui, and his family to the capital.
It turned out that the rumor in the Xie Family was true. Xie Xuanji really did have a high-ranking uncle! Xie Xuanji boarded the carriage under the envious eyes of a group of children. He was surrounded by attendants and drove to the capital. Not long after, the people in Jian An Alley were promoted. Jiang Mingwei's father was one of them and was transferred to the capital.
Only then did Jiang Mingwei understand what it meant to be a high-ranking official in the capital.
On the day Jiang Mingwei arrived in the capital, Xie Rui's family and Xie Xuanji personally waited at the city gate to welcome them into the capital. While the two families were exchanging greetings at the city gate, there was a sudden commotion outside the gate. A youth riding a white horse nimbly moved left and right among the crowd without slowing down.
When the people on duty saw the commotion at the city gate, they loudly shouted for the people entering the city to dismount. However, when they got closer and saw the youth's face, everyone fell silent. Jiang Mingwei was shocked speechless by the imperial atmosphere in the capital. When she suddenly saw the tyrannical scene of a rich and powerful young master, she was so scared that she couldn't speak. At this time, Xie Xuanji beside her ran forward and loudly shouted, "Second Brother."
The youth turned around and casually glanced at them before disappearing into the street.
Jiang Mingwei remembered that glance to this day. For the rest of her life, she could never forget the shock that the Vermillion Bird Gate gave her. She also couldn't forget the scene at the Vermillion Bird Gate.
That youth was Hsieh Hyun-chen. Later, Jiang Mingwei found out that Xie Xuanji's uncle was indeed a high-ranking official in the capital. However, the Xie family's current power was not solely due to Xie Xuanji's uncle, Xie Yi.
Half of the Xie family's power came from that arrogant and beautiful youth, Hsieh Hyun-chen. Jiang Mingwei later found out from others that when she met Hsieh Hyun-chen at the city gate, he had already been conferred the title of Wu 'an Marquis. At the age of fifteen, he was conferred the title of Marquis and walked in front of the Emperor. The number of soldiers under his command was comparable to that of his father, Xie Yi.
That time had a huge impact on Jiang Mingwei. She thought that she was a rare talent and beauty, but in reality, she was just a young miss from an official's family. Her heart was higher than the sky, but her life was thinner than paper. At best, she was just a princess.
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