good season

Chapter 181 Redrawing a Painting (Two chapters combined)

Princess Huiming was the last daughter of Emperor Xiaokang. Emperor Yongjia's ascension to the throne was illegitimate, so he had to put on a show of respect, especially towards the princess who was helpless and posed no threat. Even if he ignored her, he still had to give her the respect due to others.

Although he disliked the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince was still his own flesh and blood. The Crown Prince had done something against morality, and the Crown Prince was Princess Huiming, whose status was sensitive. Even if Emperor Yongjia was determined to depose the Crown Prince, he would give the Crown Prince another crime, rather than accusing him of having an affair with his cousin!
Otherwise, in the annals of history, not only the crown prince would be remembered with infamy, but also his father and uncle.

Emperor Yongjia not only wanted himself and his descendants to sit on the throne with dignity and integrity, but he also wanted a good reputation after his death. If he couldn't be a great emperor for all time, he wanted to be a virtuous monarch praised by later generations.

It is conceivable that after such a scandal, the person most eager to cover it up was not the distraught Crown Prince, nor the Princess Huiming whose fate was unknown, but Emperor Yongjia!
Having been the second young lady of the Prince's mansion for ten years, Zhao Shiqing knew perfectly well that everyone present today, except for the Empress, Consort Qiao, the Crown Princess, and their confidants, would die, and might already be under surveillance.

Zhao Tingluo and the Yan brothers would never bring up this matter at a palace banquet.

The incident had only lasted half an hour, and even Zhao Tingluo, who was an expert on the palace, only guessed who was inside at the last minute.

So how did those people find out in such a short time?
People at the palace banquet are already talking about it, and it won't be long before the scandal spreads out of the palace and throughout the capital.

Zhao Shiqing didn't need to think too much to guess that all of this had been planned long ago.

Regardless of the prince's alcohol tolerance, he must get drunk today;

No matter where the Crown Prince wants to rest, he will be taken to Yujing Palace today;

Regardless of whether the Crown Prince is lecherous or not, he and Princess Huiming will be caught in bed together today!

No matter how many people Emperor Yongjia killed or how many witnesses he silenced, this scandal would spread rapidly and become common knowledge!

Zhao Shiqing subconsciously searched for Yang Shengqiu's shadow in the crowd. She knew it was futile, but she still wanted to see him, to see him huddled together with a group of officials who were unaware of the truth, discussing what might happen with a mix of trepidation and curiosity.

Unfortunately, she saw many young faces, but none of them were Yang Shengqiu.

Zhao Shiqing sneered. As the instigator, he wouldn't be here right now.

A faint sadness lingered in her heart; her beloved, academically gifted little lamb brother had finally left her far behind.

will never return.

At this moment, Zhao Shiqing was more grateful than ever that her memories were fragmented. Because they were incomplete, "Little Sheep Brother" was just a title, not a living person to whom she had given emotions.

She didn't feel any attachment to the little lamb brother, so she wasn't sad.

But I still feel uncomfortable, like when I open a painting I like, I find a stain in one of the spots.

Zhao Shiqing lowered her head and looked at her toes.

Xiao Zhen noticed her sudden drop in mood and asked softly, "What are you thinking about?"

After a long while, Zhao Shiqing raised her head, her eyes no longer clouded: "I want to paint a new picture, a clean one, without any stains."

The painting depicts a small courtyard filled with blooming roses, a red swing, young parents, a kind grandmother, and a little girl gossiping with birds.

If the old man is willing, she will also draw him in.

They are a family, the best family in the world.

Although Xiao Zhen didn't know why she suddenly wanted to paint, he didn't ask.

"Okay, if you'd like, I can draw it for you."

He had witnessed Zhao Shiqing's painting skills, learned from them, practiced them, and could paint, but that was all he had learned.

But as soon as he said it, he suddenly realized that perhaps the painting Zhao Shiqing was talking about was not an ordinary painting.

For no reason at all, my face turned red.

Fortunately, it was a fake face, so no one saw it.

Even after the palace banquet ended, Zhao Shiqing didn't see the three little ones again. However, eight-year-old Yan Twelve ran over and asked, "Brother Abao, where do you live?"

“My home is in Tianjing Hutong, the Zhen residence,” Zhao Shiqing said with a smile.

"Okay, Brother Bao, I'll come find you later, and we'll go watch the chest-breaking boulder together."

After Yan Shier finished speaking, he ran away. Zhao Shiqing looked up and saw Yan Xia standing not far away. Yan Shier ran towards him.

Yan Xia nodded to Zhao Shiqing. At that moment, Zhao Shiqing even suspected that Yan Xia had recognized her.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. She came with Young Master Zhen. She could fool others, but she couldn't fool Master Yan, who was skilled in criminal investigations. When he saw Young Master Zhen, he guessed who she was, even though she was disguised as a man.

Zhao Shiqing was right; Yan Xia had indeed figured out her identity.

The second young lady of the Liang Prince's Mansion, his future sister-in-law!

Zhao Shiqing's first visit to the imperial palace thus came to an end.

Zhen Wuduo sat in the courtyard, dozing off with Sanqianliang. Ah Huang and Xiao Ye were also asleep, one by the door and the other under the eaves. As for Xiao Yao and Da Pang, the moment Zhen Wuduo started to doze off, they began to run around the courtyard, jumping up and down.

This is what Zhao Shiqing saw when she stepped into the courtyard.

She suddenly realized that, as an orphan herself, she was much happier than Princess Huiming.

Although she wasn't a princess, she had met many good people over the years: her adoptive father, brother, sister, master, her maternal grandfather, and Xiao Zhen.

They were all very kind to her; she had always grown up surrounded by warmth.

Zhao Shiqing suddenly jumped in front of Zhen Wuduo, startling the old man. He and Sanqianliang exclaimed in unison, "Which troublemaker (idiot) is it?"

Zhao Shiqing grinned at the old man: "Your precious granddaughter is back!"

The old man said, "Are you hungry? You must not have eaten enough. Aunt Ji steamed some buns, but it's best not to eat them tonight, as they can cause indigestion. I left some porridge for you on the stove, and it's been kept warm. Lingbo, come quickly and bring the porridge over." The courtyard immediately became lively. Lingbo went to heat up the porridge, Wan Ruyi went to the pickling jar to get some salted vegetables, Shen Wangxing put down his storybook, Niqiu brought out a few small stools, Xiaoye spun around biting its own tail, Ah Huang was eager to report the gossip it had heard today, and even Xiao Yao and Da Pang ran over. Zhao Shiqing watched them busy with a smile, feeling very happy and content.

At this time, Princess Huiming was still in Yujing Palace.

She's still in that bed!
She stared blankly at Cheng Chen above her head, biting her hand again. Her hand was already covered in blood, but she didn't care.

The pain returned, and she was once again certain that this was not a dream, it was real, and everything that had happened today was real.

She and her sister hadn't originally planned to attend the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, and no one wanted them to come either. They were just being polite and waiting for them to find an excuse to refuse.

But that day, Yang Shengqiu said he would come, and that he would wait for her in the palace.

The word "wait" filled her heart with anticipation. Even though she knew there was no future for her and him, she still wanted to come, even if she could only watch him from afar. A gentle look from him, a considerate word from him, could make her fall in love with him, like a moth drawn to a flame.

But when she arrived at the palace banquet, she found that she couldn't even see Yang Shengqiu's shadow.

Men and women were seated separately. Although the sisters were marginalized, they were still princesses, while Yang Shengqiu was just a low-ranking official who had just entered officialdom. Their banquets were not even in the same place.

She was anxious and couldn't eat. A senior member of the royal family pulled her sister aside and asked about Princess Jiarou's recent situation. Her sister was better at handling such situations than she was. Bored, she looked up and met Princess Qingchuan's sharp eyes. She turned her face away in fear.

At this moment, a palace maid came over and whispered in her ear, "Princess, Scholar Yang requests that you wait for him at Yujing Palace. He will be there shortly."

Jade View Palace?
Last year, the palace was flooded and two rooms were burned down. After being renovated, they have remained vacant, with no master living there.

Where will Brother Qiu go?
When the maid Chunying saw a palace maid approaching, she looked over warily. She quickly said to Chunying, "I just left my handkerchief in the latrine. Go and look for it."

If Chunying hears Qiu-gege's name, she will definitely tell her sister that her sister doesn't like her thinking about Qiu-gege.

Chunying was somewhat reluctant, but she still went to the latrine to find a handkerchief. This back and forth took at least the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Seeing that she had sent the maid away, the palace maid whispered, "Scholar Yang saved my life, and now Eunuch Zhang, who guards Yujing Palace, is my godfather."

As she spoke, a wooden hairpin appeared in the maid's hand.

Princess Huiming grabbed the wooden hairpin, which she had carved herself as a gift for Brother Qiu.

"Why are you here?"

The palace maid's voice was very low: "He is waiting for you to insert it for him yourself."

All the surrounding sounds disappeared, except for the girl's pounding heartbeat.

The shackles that had weighed on her for over a decade seemed to have vanished. She forgot the heavy palace rules and the dangers of the world. The words kept repeating in her ears: He is waiting for you to put them on for him yourself.

Brother Qiu, I'm coming! Wait for me, I'm on my way!

While her elder sister was still chatting with that senior female relative, Princess Qingchuan said something that made the two young ladies next to her roll their eyes. Princess Huiming breathed a sigh of relief. No one was paying attention to her. She tiptoed and followed the palace maid out quietly.

Contrary to Princess Huiming's expectations, the gates of Yujing Palace were not locked. Instead, one of the gates was open, and a palace maid led her in with ease.

Although Princess Huiming grew up in the palace, this was her first time visiting Yujing Palace. It was very close to the Imperial Study, a place not open to women from the inner palace.

As expected of a newly renovated building, the walls and pillars were recently painted, white and red, bright and eye-catching.

A faint fragrance wafted over. Before Princess Huiming fainted, she saw several pots of autumn chrysanthemums placed under the eaves. Was this the fragrance of chrysanthemums?

Unfortunately, she didn't have time to determine if it was Juxiang before she lost consciousness.

She was awakened by screams and shouts, and at the same time, the Crown Prince also woke up!

Princess Huiming didn't want to recall what happened next: cries, curses, accusations. The Crown Princess's long fingernails scratched at her face. The usually gentle and dignified woman screamed, "Why you? Why you? We have no grudge against you. Why did you harm us? You did it on purpose, didn't you? Did you?"

She shook her head frantically, her mind a complete mess. She didn't know how to defend herself; she could only subconsciously repeat, "No, I didn't, no, I didn't."

She said she was brought by a palace maid, but she couldn't say the maid's name. She wanted to say that Brother Qiu had invited her, but she swallowed the words back.

At that time, she thought, "I'm already in this situation, why should I involve innocent people?"

Besides, no one believed her. She saw the helplessness and sympathy in the eyes of the Empress, who had always been kind to her, and the mockery on Consort Qiao's lips. Later, when the Emperor arrived, he said nothing, but simply raised his leg and kicked the Crown Prince repeatedly. The Crown Prince was kicked to the ground, like a dying wild dog, motionless and silent.

Later, they all left. She heard the sound of the door being locked, followed by her sister's crying. But soon, the crying stopped, and then came the sound of hurried footsteps. Her sister had come and was taken away again.

Everyone else left, but she remained in the room, on that bed, like an abandoned rag doll.

Tears silently slid down her cheeks. There were no lights in the room, and the moonlight shone through the window, casting dappled shadows on her face and body.

Princess Huiming groped around on the bed, hoping to find a pair of scissors so she could prove her innocence by dying.

Suddenly, her hand touched something sharp and hard—the wooden hairpin. After the commotion, the hairpin had been left on the bed.

Her heart ached suddenly. Brother Qiu, does he know what has happened to her?
Did that palace maid really know Brother Qiu?
If you don't recognize it, how would you have this wooden hairpin?
But if they know each other, then
Princess Huiming suddenly realized something, something she dared not believe and did not want to believe.

It was Brother Qiu who sent this palace maid to lead her here!
No, no way, how could that be?
Brother Qiu is as beautiful as the bright moon. He is so gentle and considerate. How could he possibly harm her?
Princess Huiming tried hard to convince herself, but in the end she found it was all in vain.

She slumped down and hugged her head. No, there must be something she didn't know. Brother Qiu was forced, or maybe it wasn't Brother Qiu at all. Brother Qiu's wooden hairpin was stolen. Yes, the hairpin must have been stolen!
But no matter what the truth is, she is no longer worthy of Brother Qiu; she doesn't even deserve to live.

She picked up the wooden hairpin and pressed it against her neck; if she stabbed it hard, she could be free.

Just then, the sound of a lock being opened came from outside. The carved wooden door opened from the outside, and two crystal-covered lanterns illuminated the room as bright as day.

"By imperial decree of the Empress, Princess Huiming shall go to Ci'en Temple to practice Buddhism while still keeping her hair, effective immediately."

Two burly old women rushed over and tried to snatch the wooden hairpin from Princess Huiming's hand. Princess Huiming struggled and refused to give it to them. One of the old women used too much force, and the hairpin broke in the middle. The old woman threw the pointed end away, and the two dragged Princess Huiming off the bed.

At this moment, Princess Huiming was still holding half a wooden hairpin in her hand. She held it tightly, as if she were holding her entire life.