She also learned from other refugees that the young man who saved Xiangyang was Wu 'an Marquis. Wu 'an Marquis was ordered by the Emperor to conquer Later Shu. When he was retreating, he found that Xiangyang had been conquered. Emperor Wu of Zhou had actually prepared reinforcements for Xiangyang, but the governor of Xiangyang was a coward. He ran away without any resistance.
Wu 'an Marquis, who had just finished conquering Later Shu, found that something was wrong on his way back to the capital. He was actually in a hurry to return to the capital, but he couldn't just sit by and watch as a city was destroyed by the Jie people. Thus, he took his most elite soldiers and left the main army to kill the Jie people who were causing trouble in Xiangyang.
Mu Mingtang was just a commoner who fled with the crowd. How could she know that Wu 'an Marquis was in a hurry to return to the capital because Emperor Wu of Zhou, Guo Rong was seriously ill and the Xie family wanted to replace him. Thus, Hsieh Hyun-chen had to return to the capital as soon as possible. Mu Mingtang didn't even know that Wu 'an Marquis was Hsieh Hyun-chen.
Wu 'an Marquis was a title given to Hsieh Hyun-chen by Guo Rong. Later, the Xie family replaced him and Hsieh Hyun-chen became Prince Qiyang. After that, Xie Yi died and Xie Rui ascended the throne. No one even knew about Prince Qiyang's past, let alone a title from the previous dynasty, Wu 'an Marquis.
Mu Mingtang went all the way to Chenliu and decided to settle down in Chenliu with Granny Zhou. She remembered her savior, Wu 'an Marquis, along the way. However, the class oppression was too strong. As a commoner in Mu Mingtang, how could she know what the upper circle officials and nobles were doing? At most, she would think about Wu 'an Marquis' name. When she couldn't hold on any longer, she would think about it twice and then grit her teeth and continue on.
Later, she was adopted by the Jiang family. She entered the circle of officials in the capital, but she didn't have the ability or status to match it. The Jiang family didn't raise her as a daughter from the beginning. She was locked up by Madam Jiang and trained daily. No one taught her about the relationships in the capital, and no one let her come into contact with the social circle. What she knew about the capital was all from the idle chatter of the maidservants.
What the maids and older women cared about was naturally the family affairs. They exaggerated how serious Prince Qiyang's mental illness was and how many people he had killed last time. As for the political meaning behind this, they themselves did not know.
Therefore, in Mu Mingtang's mind, Prince Qiyang and Marquis Wuan had always been two different people. She had secretly inquired about Wu 'an Marquis's whereabouts, but the maidservants did not know anything. She also did not dare to ask Jiang Taitai. Later on, the Disciplinary Mammy had been beaten with a ruler, so Mu Mingtang did not dare to ask any random questions.
She could only pray for her benefactor's safety in her heart. She did not have any wild thoughts about the Wu 'an Marquis. Some people stood at the peak of the mountain, but even more people crowded at the foot of the mountain, looking up at the hero. Mu Mingtang had such humble and ordinary admiration for Wu 'an Marquis.
That was the belief of a commoner towards a hero in a chaotic world. It had nothing to do with love, but it was a spiritual pillar. She had thought more than once that her benefactor was young, handsome, and powerful. He did not look much older than her, but he had already become a Marquis. Thinking about it, her benefactor's life must have been peaceful and smooth. He must have made great achievements and left his name in history.
She had never thought that he would turn out like this.
After Mu Mingtang finished crying, she wiped her tears and immediately rolled up her sleeves to think about what to do next. Her father had said that people could owe anything in life, but they could not owe favors. The Jiang family had only taken her in, but Wu 'an Marquis had truly saved her life.
So it was him. Since it was him, she should be at her benefactor's beck and call and serve him for the rest of her life since he was in a coma.
Mu Mingtang was no longer afraid. This was her benefactor, the heroic youth in her heart. He was not a crazy murderer. Mu Mingtang wiped her tears and looked around, thinking about what to do now.
Jade Qilin Hall was big, but no one had taken care of it for a long time. Many places were covered in dust. In particular, there were many curtains hanging in the hall. Not only did they accumulate dust, but they also blocked the light. The entire hall looked gloomy. Mu Mingtang went forward and pulled up all the curtains and tied them to the pillars. The hall was much brighter.
After that, Mu Mingtang went outside to fetch water for Hsieh Hyun-chen to wash her cheeks and body. Hsieh Hyun-chen had been in a coma for a long time. Her three meals a day and her hygiene were all taken care of by professionals. However, the maids and servants in the Prince's Residence had changed several times. Now, the ones standing guard outside were all soldiers. How could these boorish old men take care of someone? Hsieh Hyun-chen's basic hygiene was not a problem, but there were blood stains on her cheeks and body.
Mu Mingtang had wandered outside before, so she was very efficient in her work. When Granny Zhou was seriously ill, it was Mu Mingtang who took care of her. Therefore, she was very experienced in taking care of patients. Fortunately, the imperial bodyguards outside did not dare to approach, nor did they let her out. However, they did not dare to neglect her orders. Not long after, the imperial bodyguard brought in a bucket of hot water and placed it at the entrance of Jade Qilin Hall. Then, he retreated far away to continue his duty.
Alright, Mu Mingtang could only bring the water in herself. During the half year she was in Chenliu, she had done all kinds of work in order to earn money. Carrying a bucket of water was nothing difficult for her. In order to save a few trips, she brought the bucket of water to the innermost bedchamber. Then, she brought in a basin and mixed the cold water to just the right temperature. After that, Mu Mingtang took out her handkerchief and soaked it completely in the water. She wrung out the excess water and knelt on the edge of the bed to carefully wash Hsieh Hyun-chen's face.
First, she wiped Hsieh Hyun-chen's entire face. Then, she rubbed the handkerchief again, wrung it dry, and slowly wiped the bloodstains on his face. The bloodstains looked like they had been there for a long time. They had already turned black and hardened. Mu Mingtang did not dare to imagine whose blood this was.
Mu Mingtang wanted to wipe the blood on his face, so she could only move her body closer. Looking at him from such a close distance, Mu Mingtang found that Hsieh Hyun-chen was really good-looking. Perhaps because he had not been exposed to the sun for a long time, his skin was extraordinarily white. In the dim palace hall, he seemed to be shining. Moreover, the bones on the side of his face were smooth. His eyebrows were high, his eyelashes were long, his nose was high and straight, and his lips were very thin. Perhaps because he was weak, there was no color on his face at the moment.
After Mu Mingtang finished wiping his face, she sighed from the bottom of her heart. This person was really good-looking and his skin was really good. The famous Prince Qiyang, Hsieh Hyun-chen, was much better looking than those pretty boys who relied on their faces to make a living. Mu Mingtang washed the handkerchief again. Next, she planned to wipe the pretty boy's face, oh no, Prince Qiyang's limbs.
As for taking off his clothes, she did not have the courage to do so at the moment.
Mu Mingtang climbed back onto the bed. After she lifted the quilt, she found that Hsieh Hyun-chen's arms were chained.
Mu Mingtang was very surprised. She immediately pulled the quilt away and found that there were chains not only on his hands, but also on his feet.
These chains were pitch-black, rough, and cold. Just by looking at them, one could tell they were very heavy. And these chains were placed on Hsieh Hyun-chen, a patient.
He was so weak, and his wrists were so thin that they were only a section. How could they put chains on him?
Mu Mingtang suddenly could not hold back her tears. "How could they treat you like this? You are the hero who saved Xiangyang, and now you are seriously ill in bed. How could they treat you like a prisoner? "
Mu Mingtang cried as she looked at Hsieh Hyun-chen's wrists. The injuries on his wrists were shocking. It seemed that he had struggled against these humiliating chains more than once. However, he was weak and did not have the key. He could only struggle with brute force, and there were bloody marks on his wrists. Layers of black blood covered his wrists, and scabs had formed on some parts of his wrists, sticking to the quilt.
Mu Mingtang felt pain just by looking at it. She wanted to tear away the cloth that was sticking to his wrists, but she was afraid of hurting him. She could only use a handkerchief to moisten the scabs, and gently remove the fine hairs and cloth.
Perhaps it was because she hurt him, or perhaps it was just the exposed chains that touched Hsieh Hyun-chen's bottom line. His hands suddenly moved. Mu Mingtang was shocked. She hurriedly retreated and fell to the ground. "Don't kill me!"
This fall was very hard. Mu Mingtang rubbed her waist in pain and stared at Hsieh Hyun-chen for a long time. When she saw that Hsieh Hyun-chen did not move, she slowly and carefully crawled back. "I am … uh, the new princess. I am here to take care of you. I can swear that I will not harm you no matter what. "
Mu Mingtang was too embarrassed to say that she was Hsieh Hyun-chen's wife in front of him, so she could only change her words. Fortunately, Hsieh Hyun-chen did not move after that. Mu Mingtang carefully cleaned his wounds, and he fell asleep peacefully.
Mu Mingtang silently breathed a sigh of relief. The basin of clear water quickly became dirty. Mu Mingtang ran out to pour it out, and then she added warm water to it. During this time, there was a place that was not easy to clean. Mu Mingtang tried to lift the chains, but it was just a lock that was used to heat his hands. Mu Mingtang had to use all of her strength to lift it.
She used all of her strength to move the iron chain up Hsieh Hyun-chen's arm, and finally exposed the wound. Just this movement made Mu Mingtang so tired that her whole body was sore and weak, and she gasped for breath.
Mu Mingtang held her waist and could not help but look at the iron chain. "What kind of iron is this made of? It's actually so heavy?"
Mu Mingtang looked at it for a while, and then she looked at Hsieh Hyun-chen's scarred hands. Such a heavy chain, no wonder his injuries were so serious.
She suddenly felt a sour and bitter feeling in her heart. The high-spirited young general in the past was now treated like this.
Mu Mingtang changed several basins of water, and even went out to ask the imperial bodyguards to boil a bucket of hot water. With great difficulty, she cleaned the blood on Hsieh Hyun-chen's wrists and ankles. Fortunately, Hsieh Hyun-chen was unconscious, and there were all kinds of medicines in the palace hall. Mu Mingtang took out some medicine from the box and carefully sprinkled it on his wrist. "The wound is so deep. It must have hurt a lot. They are really too much. Your hand is so badly injured, but no one bandaged it for you. You are a person who wields swords and spears, and has fought for the world. Your hand is precious, so you must not be injured. "
It was August, so Mu Mingtang did not dare to bandage him. She was afraid that it would not breathe, and it would be even more troublesome if pus developed. Fortunately, Hsieh Hyun-chen could not move. She diligently cleaned and changed the medicine, so it did not affect him.
By the time she finished sprinkling medicine on all the wounds on his hands and ankles, Mu Mingtang was so tired that she was about to collapse. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and laughed self-mockingly. "After being a rich young lady for a few days, even my body has become delicate. This is such a small matter, and I'm actually so tired that I'm sweating. "
Today was her wedding day. She did not sleep well last night, so she was woken up early in the morning and was tormented by all kinds of wedding ceremonies. At night, she was still busy alone. After doing so much physical work, Mu Mingtang could not bear it anymore. At this moment, she really wanted to bury her head and sleep. However, she looked at the messy water stains on the floor and the messy dirty cloth. In the end, she got up, threw away all the dirty cloth, and found a dry cloth to dry the floor.
Fortunately, there were laborers outside. She only needed to carry the water and trash to the door. If Mu Mingtang did everything by herself, she would not be able to sleep tonight.
After everything was tidied up, Mu Mingtang carried a brand new red brocade quilt and gently covered Hsieh Hyun-chen's body. She adjusted Hsieh Hyun-chen's quilt and sighed. "Fortunately, I can't afford such a big house in the future. Otherwise, it would be too tiring for me to tidy it up alone."
She covered the quilt and gently climbed down from the bed. She picked up the lamp stand on the side and turned around to smile at Hsieh Hyun-chen. "Today is our wedding day. Although you don't know and probably don't agree, it is still a good day. Newlyweds should cover themselves with a red quilt so that they can be healthy and prosperous in the future. "
After Mu Mingtang finished speaking, as expected, no one responded. She did not care. She blew out the lights in the bedroom one by one. Holding a small lamp, she groped her way outside.
She had marked out her territory and did not plan to sleep in the same bed as Hsieh Hyun-chen. After all, she was a young girl. She was embarrassed when she did not know Hsieh Hyun-chen's identity. Now that she knew that this was the person who saved her, she was even more embarrassed.
After Mu Mingtang left, the room returned to silence. Because the light was suddenly extinguished, Mu Mingtang's eyes did not adapt to the darkness and was dizzy for a while. Naturally, she did not see Hsieh Hyun-chen's finger twitch slightly.
Xie Xuanji let go of her hand with a livid face. Mu Mingtang saw this and felt relieved and happy. A small person like her did not understand the meaning of strength of character and etiquette. She was neither servile nor overbearing. She only knew that if she had the upper hand, she should pursue and attack. If a drowning dog falls into the water, she should quickly beat it.
Mu Mingtang stretched out her hand and pulled up her sleeves. She brushed her hair behind her ear and said in a strange tone, "His Royal Highness Prince Jin has a virtuous reputation and is as gentle as jade. You should pay attention to your usual behavior. After all, I am your future sister-in-law. You also know your brother's situation. If anything happens to me, or if something happens to me, outsiders can drown you with their spittle. "
After Mu Mingtang finished speaking, she glanced at Xie Xuanji from the corner of her eyes and swaggered out. When she went out, she met the maidservant who was guarding outside. The maidservant seemed to stop her. She sneered and fearlessly said, "Why aren't you getting out of the way? I am the Princess Consort of 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, 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 did not expect Mu Mingtang to be such an evil creature. If he had known earlier, he would not have called Mu Mingtang in front of 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 hurriedly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and bowed deeply to Xie Xuanji. "Prince Jin, please forgive me. My adopted daughter was insolent and offended Your Highness. She was originally a merchant's daughter. She did not come from a high family and did not have much knowledge. Her mind is empty. Your Highness Prince Jin is magnanimous. Please don't argue with an idiot like her. "
Xie Xuanji nodded. It was not easy for him to endure. In fact, he had no choice. As Mu Mingtang said, the Emperor had just praised the Jiang Family in the morning court for being righteous and taking the initiative to betroth the Second Miss to Prince Qiyang. This time, the Emperor had 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 could not 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 declined each other and sat down one after another.
Jiang Honghao stroked his beard and said, "Today's matter is thanks to Prince Jin for pulling strings for the Jiang Family in front of His Majesty. If it were not for Prince Jin, the matter of my adopted daughter and Prince Qiyang would not 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 is only right for her to repay the Jiang Family. Now, it is best for her to be tactful. If she dares to resist, even if she dies, she will die in 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 matter is my matter."
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 was a little conflicted when he thought of this. He was a father. It was not good 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, he heard that she left with a man from the Northern Tribes … Jiang Honghao really could not 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 did not suspect that his daughter was shameless. However, when a gossipy woman talked about family matters, she did not 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 did not mind that his daughter was young and ignorant and did something wrong. But what about Xie Xuanji? Which man would not mind that his fiancée had eloped with a man from another clan and had even lived together for a year?
Jiang Honghao did not dare to mention it. However, Xie Xuanji was still a member of the Imperial Family. If Xie Xuanji was not 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 have never been estranged. When I saw the two of you today, I was deeply moved. However, Mingwei was a stubborn child since she was young. When she was fourteen or fifteen, she was a sensitive young person. I had just moved to the capital and was busy dealing with the matters of the Imperial Court. Her mother was not free 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, did not 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, raised his cup, and said, "Prince Jin's conduct is noble and unsullied. This lowly official admires you very much! This lowly official uses tea in place of wine to propose a toast to Prince Jin. "
"How can I accept this?" Xie Xuanji slightly avoided it and raised his cup, "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 around, "She is only a lowly refugee. Why should she marry Hsieh Hyun-chen and be the Princess of Qiyang?"
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