At night, Mu Mingtang came in with the food box and found that Hsieh Hyun-chen had already fallen asleep. He was now able to wake up for about four hours a day. Although it wasn't a long time, because of the nourishing food, he was much more energetic when he woke up. At least he wouldn't fall asleep while sitting.
Now he could sit up on his own, but he still needed someone to help him walk. Moreover, after walking a few steps, he needed to stop and rest. Mu Mingtang was very patient and never rushed him.
Perhaps because he had just woken up in the afternoon, Hsieh Hyun-chen was still sleeping. Mu Mingtang knelt by the bed and gently called out, "Prince, it's time for dinner."
She called out several times, but Hsieh Hyun-chen didn't respond. Mu Mingtang thought that he wanted to sleep for a while, so she put down the food box and went to the Eastern Hall to light the lamps.
Because Hsieh Hyun-chen had woken up, Mu Mingtang didn't dare to open the door or open the windows. Now the sky was still bright outside, but the room was already dark. Mu Mingtang lit the lamps from the easternmost side and lit up the Jade Qilin Hall one by one.
When Hsieh Hyun-chen woke up, he didn't see a familiar figure when he opened his eyes. He subconsciously felt a sense of unfamiliarity. He slowly propped himself up and sat up. His movements weren't small, but even after a while, the hall was still empty.
Hsieh Hyun-chen's heart suddenly turned cold.
She left?
Hsieh Hyun-chen didn't know why he suddenly felt a sense of desolation. He already knew that she was going to leave, didn't he? When he woke up, he found that Mu Mingtang wasn't sleeping next to him. Hsieh Hyun-chen didn't feel anything about it. He even felt that it was good that they didn't involve each other.
They were husband and wife in name, but in reality, they were just tenants living together. There weren't any filial children by the bedside for a long time, let alone a strange couple. Hsieh Hyun-chen didn't expect that Mu Mingtang would stay by his side forever.
For her to accompany him for these few days and unlock his shackles, she had already done her best. Now that she had left secretly, she didn't want to be implicated by him for the rest of her life. It could be considered the last good deed he did in his life.
Hsieh Hyun-chen understood everything logically, but his heart was empty. It was the same development and the same ending. He was abandoned by the whole world. Everyone stood against him, guarded against him, and doubted him.
It was as if he was no longer a human, but a mindless animal that only knew how to kill.
Hsieh Hyun-chen sat on the bed for a long time without moving. His eyes were calm and indifferent, like a barren desert. Mu Mingtang returned after lighting the lantern. Seeing Hsieh Hyun-chen was sitting motionless, he asked in surprise, "Wangye, what are you looking at?"
Hsieh Hyun-chen's eyes moved, and he looked back at her in surprise. "You didn't leave?"
"Yeah." Mu Mingtang was baffled by the question. "It's getting dark. I'll go light the lamp. Where can I go? "
Hsieh Hyun-chen looked at her. His eyes were deep and complicated, as if there were many meanings hidden in them. But in the end, he looked away and didn't say a word.
Mu Mingtang was used to Hsieh Hyun-chen's strange temper. She put down the lamp and went to the table to open the food boxes. "Today, I had them stew bone soup. Whatever you eat will be nourished. Bone soup is the best for your legs. It's a pity that Wangye can't see the light now. Otherwise, I'll take you outside to bask in the sun. "
Mu Mingtang prepared the dishes and brought them to Hsieh Hyun-chen as usual. Although Hsieh Hyun-chen had been awake for a long time, he still recuperated if he could, and Mu Mingtang took care of his meals. Mu Mingtang didn't think much of it. When she fed him the soup, Hsieh Hyun-chen quietly drank it. After feeding him for a while, Mu Mingtang found that something was wrong with Hsieh Hyun-chen today.
He seemed to have something on his mind. He was so quiet, unlike his usual self.
Mu Mingtang didn't mention it. After the soup was finished, she put the bowl and spoon back into the food boxes. Then she asked, "Wangye, when you woke up today, did you think that I had left?"
"No."
He said no, so Mu Mingtang didn't want to force it. She could only tactfully say, "Don't worry, I'm now tied to the same boat as you. We're bound together for good or ill. I won't leave. What's more, there are so many guards outside. Even if I really wanted to, I can't escape now. "
Hsieh Hyun-chen turned his head to look at the lights in the hall. The seven main halls of Jade Qilin Hall were connected. Although there were many barriers in the middle, one could vaguely see that the lights extended all the way to the easternmost study. Hsieh Hyun-chen's eyes reflected the flickering candlelight. After a while, he asked, "There's no one in the other rooms. Why are you lighting the lamps?"
"Lighting the lamps makes it feel like home. Although there's no one in the other rooms, this is still the main hall of the Prince's Estate. There should be some prestige."
"The prestige of the Prince's Estate?" Hsieh Hyun-chen laughed and said, "There's no need. It's just a waste of effort."
"That won't do. Although I'm just a Wangfei without much prestige, I still have to show off. What's more, I don't have much to do all day. I'll just walk around the hall a few times and treat it as exercise. "
Hsieh Hyun-chen was silent. After a while, he leaned against the pillow and said, "If you hadn't married me, you wouldn't have been unable to leave the house. I was imprisoned because of the previous Emperor's decree. It's fine if I'm locked up, but you have nothing to do with this matter. There's really no need to waste your life with me. After a few days, when the patrols outside have relaxed, you can quietly leave. "
"You're saying this again." Mu Mingtang was really angry this time, "Why do you always send me away? Am I such an eyesore to you? "
"Don't try to argue with me. I won't fall for it. Let's talk about the facts. The Jiang family has brought you a lot of dowry. You can choose some gold and silver that can be easily sold and take it with you. If you're afraid that someone will find out about it in the future, then take it from the Prince's Estate treasury. Although I've become an empty shell these past few years, I still have some savings. I can guarantee that you won't have to worry about food and clothing for the rest of your life. "
"Why?" Mu Mingtang's stubbornness also came up. He asked, "We've already gone through the wedding ceremony and are officially husband and wife. If you want me to leave my husband's family, then it's either that my husband will die and I'll take another dowry and remarry, or I'll be divorced by my husband and have nothing to do with him. Your Highness, you're perfectly fine now. If you're not remarrying, then you're divorcing me? "
"If you want to think of it that way, then fine." Hsieh Hyun-chen said, "If you're still worried, then take a divorce certificate with you. If the imperial court finds out about it in the future, you can say that it was me who let you remarry. Go to the drawer under the Treasure Pavilion in the study and take out a brush and ink … "
"You're not done yet!" Mu Mingtang was furious. He flung his sleeves and stood up. "If you're so capable, then go and write it yourself. I won't wait on you anymore."
After Mu Mingtang finished speaking, he picked up the food box and went back to his room. Hsieh Hyun-chen sat in his bedchamber for a long time before he finally realized that someone had just thrown a tantrum at him.
Growing up, he had lost count of how many people he had thrown a tantrum at. He had been the young master of his family since he was young. Even his father couldn't control him with a rod, so there was no hope for him to restrain himself in front of the Emperor. But just now, Mu Mingtang had thrown a tantrum at him?
Hsieh Hyun-chen was so shocked that he couldn't recover for a long time.
After a while, Mu Mingtang finished his meal and placed the food box outside the door. The head imperial bodyguard asked him a routine question, but Mu Mingtang glared at him fiercely.
The head imperial bodyguard was baffled by the glare. What's wrong? He didn't do anything?
After Mu Mingtang came back, he angrily went back to his room. After a while, she seemed to hear some movement outside. She ran out and saw Hsieh Hyun-chen standing up while holding onto the bed frame. Mu Mingtang went forward to support him and said in a businesslike manner, "It's not convenient for you to move right now. If you touch anything, it will alert the people outside. It's better if I help you."
Hsieh Hyun-chen gave a low "un" sound. The two of them didn't say anything. After walking slowly for a while, they both awkwardly left the stage.
Hsieh Hyun-chen always had to walk around after eating. He walked and stopped, and when it was about time, Mu Mingtang supported him back to his room. Mu Mingtang supported him to sit down, while his other hand quickly placed a pillow for him. His movements were smooth and agile.
After Hsieh Hyun-chen sat down, Mu Mingtang sat by the bed and didn't immediately leave. Instead, he paused for a while and said, "Your Highness, I remember there's a saying in the manor, but I forgot how to say it. The general idea is that two people are watching fish on Haoliang … "
It was too obvious. Hsieh Hyun-chen couldn't bear it and said, "If you have something to say, just say it."
Alright, Mu Mingtang also felt that it was too sudden. She awkwardly coughed and said, "It's that saying, 'if you're not a fish, how can you know the joy of a fish'? You think that I've been imprisoned and want to arrange for me to leave. But how do you know that I'm not willing? What if I'm someone who doesn't have great ambitions, and I especially enjoy the life of a worm who doesn't have to work? "
She actually said it so confidently. Hsieh Hyun-chen raised his eyebrows. Mu Mingtang moved his pillow and continued to boast shamelessly, "I really like this kind of life where I don't have to work hard. Your Highness, just let me stay in the manor and eat. I have the imperial court to support me. How nice is that? I don't want to run out and rely on myself at all. "
Hsieh Hyun-chen didn't fall for her trick and said, "When I was playing mind games with others, you were probably still drinking milk. If you want to eat and wait for death, you can take your gold, silver, and jewels and find a beautiful place to squander them. Why do you want to stay here and wait for death? "
"Sooner or later, I'll run out of money. Right now, as long as I stay in the manor, I'll never run out of money."
Her reason was so simple that Hsieh Hyun-chen didn't know how to respond. Mu Mingtang smiled triumphantly and said, "That's why I'm willing to do this. My dream since I was young was to not have to work hard, to eat and wait for death. Now that I've finally achieved it, Your Highness, you can't destroy other people's dreams. "
Hsieh Hyun-chen was speechless. After a while, he asked, "Why?"
"What?"
"Why are you so determined to stay? Xie Xuanji is right. If you follow me now, I can't give you anything else. "
"It doesn't matter." Mu Mingtang's eyes curved into crescents as she smiled. Her eyes reflected the candlelight and sparkled like stars. "Because you're my savior and a hero in my heart. As long as I can stay by your side, I'm already very, very happy. "
Hsieh Hyun-chen was stunned by this answer. He was in a daze for a moment, but when he reacted, he immediately sneered, "You're only saying this because you haven't seen my crazy appearance yet. In the past, those people were all like you, saying that they didn't ask for anything in return and would follow me to death. But I've only had two outbursts and they all scattered. "
Mu Mingtang knew how determined she was, but she didn't know how to tell Hsieh Hyun-chen. She could only repeat, "Your Highness, all illnesses can be cured. Look at you now, you've been so gentle and easy-going for the past few days. "
It was amazing that Mu Mingtang could say something like "gentle and easy-going". Hsieh Hyun-chen sneered when he heard this, "Not all outbursts will happen when I'm awake. This is a matter of probability. If you really insist on staying, I'm afraid that when I go crazy, the first one to die will be you. "
"I'm not afraid." Mu Mingtang agreed. After she finished speaking, she carefully looked at Hsieh Hyun-chen, "So you're saying that you agree for me to stay? In the future, you won't drive me away again, right? "
Hsieh Hyun-chen didn't say anything, so Mu Mingtang took it as a yes. Mu Mingtang happily stood up and said, "It's getting late. Your Highness should sleep first. See you tomorrow. "
After Mu Mingtang finished speaking, she left with the candlelight. Mu Mingtang didn't dare to leave any open flames in Hsieh Hyun-chen's room. She had to watch all the candlelight extinguish with her own eyes before she dared to leave.
Mu Mingtang blew out the lights in the bedchamber before walking east. The lights went out one by one. Outside Jade Qilin Hall, the patrolling imperial bodyguards saw that the lights in the hall were gradually extinguished and knew that night had arrived.
The lights that Princess Consort Qiyang lit every day became the dividing line between day and night, between light and darkness.
The green-robed woman suddenly choked with sobs and couldn't speak. She didn't wear any makeup and her clothes were plain and clean. 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 very strong and stubborn. Now that her eyes were filled with tears and she was trying hard not to let them fall, it made people's hearts ache.
Xie Xuanji's heart ached. He couldn't help but take a step closer and hold the woman's arms. He obviously wanted to use force, but he restrained himself, not daring to be rude to the beauty, "Mingwei, it's fine as long as you're back. All these years, the Jiang family's position has been reserved for you. As long as you're back, nothing will change. "
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