Prince Consort

Chapter 20
Mutusu caught her firmly, and she returned to Mutusu's arms.

Mutusu laughed involuntarily, a little tenderness flickered in his eyes: "Zhi'er, you can't run away."

Bai Zhi was short of energy and blood, and fainted.

When Bai Zhi woke up, the first thing that caught her eyes was Qing He's red and swollen eyes.Bai Zhi was startled, and got up to get up, but Qing He forced her to press her down: "Miss, you should rest for a while."

Bai Zhi pinched her forehead and waved her hand: "It's still okay, nothing happened. How did I come back?"

"The prince sent you back."

really.Bai Zhi's last memory stays in Mutusu's gentle smile.Mu Tusu is a person who rarely smiles, except when facing the little princess of Nanzhao, she seems to have never seen him smile sincerely.But the smile just now was really a smile that she couldn't even hope for in her dreams.

Bai Zhi's heart couldn't help trembling.She asked Qinghe: "Is the prince gone?"

"Well, I sent the young lady back, and left after talking to the master. But..." Qing He hesitated for a while, deciding whether to say or not.Bai Zhi narrowed her eyes slightly, and asked: "If you have something to say, just say it, don't hesitate."

Qing He said: "It turns out that the armored brother who saved the young master is the eldest son."

"..." She already knew this, so it wasn't enough to surprise her.

Qing He continued: "And..."

"and also?"

"When the prince leaves, let me pass a message to the lady."

"Ok?"

"The original words are: raise your baby with peace of mind."

"..." Bai Zhi really wanted to faint again.

Where did her "fetus" come from?
That night, Bai Zhi was invited to the study by Bai Yuan again, but... this time was not a private conversation, it was called "discussion", and Liu Shi joined in.She thought it was about going to the capital, but unexpectedly, Bai Yuan said in the first sentence: "Your Majesty told me about you."

"What's the matter?" Bai Zhi pretended to be stupid, although she had already guessed what was going on.

Bai Yuan said: "The son will be responsible, you are fine, you can take care of your baby at ease."

"I'm not pregnant, I lied to the prince, so I asked my father to tell the prince, so as not to be guilty of deception in time, I can't afford it."

Liu Shi, who had been silent all this time, interjected excitedly: "I just said that Zhi'er would not do such a stupid thing."

It is false for a daughter to be pregnant out of marriage, and it should be a happy event to be innocent.Who would have imagined that when Bai Yuan heard this, he felt unhappy instead, and frowned: "Really?"

"Really. If Dad doesn't believe me, he can ask the doctor to take his pulse and test whether I am pregnant."

Bai Yuan blamed Bai Zhi: "It's really disappointing."

"Master." Liu Shi looked at Bai Yuan worriedly.

Bai Zhi had expected Bai Yuan to be like this a long time ago, so she wasn't surprised, but she didn't expect Bai Yuan to use her tricks: "Help it first, don't tell the son, when he marries you in, he will say that the child died accidentally. "

Bai Zhi was taken aback: "Father!"

Bai Yuan ignored Bai Zhi's resistance, and said to Liu Shi: "In two days, Ruosu (the second mother) and I will go to the capital first. After the arrangements are made, you, Zhi'er and Shu'er will come to the capital together. The matter of the old house's aftermath , leave it to you, no problem, right?"

Liu Shi nodded: "Master, don't worry."

"En." Bai Yuan looked at Bai Zhi again, "If you mess up the lost and regained marriage, you will be responsible for the consequences!"

Bai Zhi didn't want to marry Mu Tusu, so she continued to use the old excuse: "My sweetheart is Pei Jiu, and the person I want to marry is also him."

"Forget it, you are predestined." Bai Yuan glanced at Liu Shi, "Xin'er, take Zhi'er down, I still have other things to deal with."

"Yes." Liu Shi leaned over, patted Bai Zhi's shoulder, and pulled her down.Bai Zhi and Liu Shi left Bai Yuan's study, Liu Shi asked Bai Zhi to sit in her room and chat with her.Bai Zhi agreed.

Mother and daughter seldom sit together and talk.Entering the room, they sat facing each other, and the maid left after making tea.On a quiet night, in a quiet room, under the flickering candlelight, Bai Zhi looked carefully at Mrs. Liu for the first time.

Liu Shi is mostly quiet, if you don't pay attention carefully, she will be easily overlooked, even though she has a beautiful appearance.Erniang may not be as beautiful as Liu's, but she has a flamboyant personality, she is relaxed, and she can control people's hearts; Liu has a beautiful face, but her temperament is terrifyingly quiet, she does not complain, she is not happy, she always has the same mentality, and she is calm and not surprised.Bai Zhi has been Liu's daughter for so many years, but this is the first time they communicate face to face.

"Zhi'er doesn't like Shi Zi, but Pei Jiu, right?"

"Yes."

"But I can see that Shizi likes Zhi'er."

Bai Zhi was taken aback.

"Emotions can't be forced, but you can make do with it."

Bai Zhi said: "Mother, you don't understand." She loves Tu Su, she can't do it anymore.Even if she is reluctant, she can't force it, her heart is like ashes, and she can't regain it.

Liu's family sighed: "Zhi'er, Mother never forced you to do anything, it's just that everything is done, so it's better to take things lightly."

"Is it easy to see like a mother?" Bai Zhi said this sentence inadvertently, and regretted it after she finished speaking, only to see Liu's eyes dimmed, her face turned pale, these words hit her old scar.Although the Liu family loves Bai Yuan foolishly and has a terribly quiet temper, but he is a person of flesh and blood, so it is inevitable that there will be "scars" in his heart.

Bai Zhi apologized: "Mother, I'm sorry."

"Zhi'er, after you marry Shizi, you will understand. You and Shizi are the same kind of people."

"Zhier doesn't want to marry."

"It's fruitless to resist your father, and the crown prince has the final say. The marriage between you and the crown prince is not just a verbal talk like last time. But we will discuss this matter later, and you have to think clearly. Besides, you Not long after my father was promoted to be an official in the capital, don't go against your father at this juncture, the gain outweighs the loss."

Bai Zhi thinks that Liu's is not blind, but just too careless, when he pays attention, his thinking is clear and his routines are clear.

This matter really has to be put aside, everything will be discussed after they go to Beijing.

In this way, the stone in Bai Zhi's heart was slightly lowered, although there was still a heavy feeling.

Bai Yuan went to Beijing in a hurry, and on the second day after the handover of duties, he took Er Niang and left excitedly.Bai Zhi stood at the gate, watching Erniang sitting in the carriage, holding Bai Yuan's arm, talking and laughing happily with her.Liu Shi stood there, looking at them with a smile.

Bai Zhi thought, Liu's heart is actually bleeding, seeing her husband's love for others increases.

The carriage gradually drifted away, Liu Shi watched the carriage leave until it disappeared.

Bai Shu standing next to Bai Zhi tugged at the corner of Bai Zhi's clothes: "Sister, I'm hungry."

Regarding the departure of Bai Yuan and Er Niang, Bai Shu doesn't seem to be sad, and can even be said to have no effect, as if it was a stranger who left.Bai Zhi was surprised by Bai Shu's attitude, and was startled. It was Liu Shi who came, stroked Bai Shu's head, and said with a smile, "Is that so, the mother will take you to eat? White chopped chicken? Crispy duck yellow cake?"

"Yeah." Bai Shu nodded with a smile, his face filled with impatient excitement.

Bai Zhi watched in a daze as Liu Shi led Bai Shu back to the manor. In her eyes, Liu Shi and Bai Shu didn't seem to mind being left in Sucheng.Maybe she cared too much about it herself?In fact, there is no need to worry about who Bai Yuan will bring to Beijing first.

After Bai Yuan and Er Niang left, Bai Zhi lived a very comfortable life, she didn't need to consider Bai Yuan's mood, and didn't need to look at Er Niang's face, she slept until she woke up naturally, sipped tea and embroidered flowers, enjoyed fish and read books, leisurely and contentedly.

Qing He is also about to leave the White Mansion, Bai Zhi is actually reluctant to part with it, but this is a matter of life and death, and she must be willing to part with it.She gave Qing He a lot of money, but she was afraid it would not be enough.

Afraid of attracting attention, Qing He chose to leave through the back door at night and disappeared without anyone noticing.

At the sound of the third watch, Bai Zhi said goodbye to Qing He at the back door.

"Are you going to join the child's father?" Bai Zhi asked.

Qing He shook his head.

"Is the child's father...cousin?" Bai Zhi always wanted to ask this question, but she put it on hold because of too many things before.

Qing He was startled, lowered her head and said nothing.

Silence is the default.Although Bai Zhi felt that this matter must have something to do with it, she didn't want to ask too much, since it was someone else's private matter after all.She just patted Qinghe's shoulder, and pondered for a while: "A child can't live without a father, he has to follow my rules of success, insist on being shameless."

Qing He was startled.

"Either find the biological father of the child, or find a man to marry."

Qing He blushed, and said timidly: "Isn't this asking the big guy to help me raise the child?"

"That's right, that's what it means to be persistent and shameless! At worst, I will give birth to a few more children for that wrongdoer in the future as compensation."

Seeing that Bai Zhi acted as she should, Qinghe felt that what she said was funny, and the sadness of separation suddenly faded a lot, so she chuckled twice: "Miss."

"Ok?"

"You like Mr. Pei, but you are entangled with the prince. If you can't get rid of it, you might as well attack the overlord Mr. Pei. You can solve yourself and escape the prince." It's already dark.

Bai Zhi also laughed, and pushed her head: "You girl, you have my demeanor."

Qing He chuckled twice, suddenly felt sad, hugged Bai Zhi, and her voice choked up: "Miss, Qing He hates you, but Qing He promises you that you will have a good life, and I will work hard to make myself live well."

"Qinghe, I still want to ask you, do you regret it? Maybe your life will be ruined because of this."

Qing He smiled with tears in her eyes, and shook her head decisively: "Qing He has never regretted it. That night was Qing He's happiest time."

"Are you satisfied with this?"

"I'm not satisfied, but I won't regret it when I took this step." Qing He took a deep breath, "Miss, I'm leaving."

Bai Zhi looked at Qing He's firm look, she no longer had the same determination to fly to the fire that she swore to keep the child to the death, although her eyes were still so firm at this time.

It turned out that Qing He was different from her.She was never satisfied, only wanted more.And Qinghe knows enough is enough.

Was she too greedy to cause the tragedy?

Qing He left, Bai Zhi went back to the house, undressed and went to bed.Life is still going on, she believes that women's tragedies are all caused by men, as long as she has no distracting thoughts and loves anyone in the future, she can live a happy life.

Qing He disappeared, and Bai Zhi's excuse was that she eloped with someone and could not be found.The Liu family also agreed and did not pursue further.It's just a maid, so if you lose it, you lose it.It's just that Bai Zhi can't do without a maid around her. On the second day after, Liu bought a maid and came back. She was 13 years old and named Er Niu.Bai Zhi immediately changed her name and called her Hongqiao.

Who would have thought that in just two months, Su City would be hit by a plague.

Just like in a dream, no more, no less, it was exactly that year, month and day.She thought that everything could be changed, but now she knew she was wrong, the power of nature cannot be changed, and she would only challenge with an attitude of "making the storm stronger".

The plague is spreading, and what Baizhi is most afraid of is of course that the plague will find Liu's.

Due to the plague, the Piansheng Liu family worshiped the Buddha more and more devoutly, and went to worship the Buddha every two days.Bai Zhi was very afraid that Mrs. Liu would go out, and she couldn't disobey Mrs. Liu, so she had no choice but to stay at every step, even when she came out to Gong.

Liu Shi didn't care at first, but seeing Bai Zhi became more and more clingy, she felt weird, and finally couldn't help asking: "Zhi'er, what's wrong with you?"

Bai Zhi shook her head: "It's nothing."

"You must have something to hide from me, tell me."

Bai Zhi pursed her lips and thought for a moment.She couldn't forget the plague in the dream.

The so-called people go to cool down the tea, in the dream Bai Yuan took his second mother and younger brother away, and at the beginning he promised to take them to Beijing after everything was settled.Unexpectedly, within a month, Bai Yuan actually cut off the money for living expenses, and they sent letters to the capital several times but to no avail, as if they had abandoned their wives and daughters.One month later, a plague took away her mother mercilessly. The people of Su City thought she was also infected, so they arrested her and put her in isolation, letting her stay with those dying patients.Fortunately, she ran fast and managed to escape from Sioux City, and took refuge in Bai Yuan with a few money.

After Bai Zhimeng woke up, Bai Yuan didn't cut off their expenses this time, although the expenses dropped sharply, it was at least enough for them to eat and wear.As long as Liu Shi can escape this catastrophe, she can feel at ease.

Bai Zhi said to Liu Shi: "Mother, this plague is fierce, we can't underestimate it. Just in case, let's come out to worship Buddha after this plague is over, okay?"

Mrs. Liu pondered for a moment: "Buddha bless you, how can such filthy things enter this White Horse Temple?"

"Mom, this matter..."

Before she finished speaking, a little monk yelled: "Brother, what's wrong with you?"

They looked at the source of the sound together, and a monk from the White Horse Temple fell down. His face was pale, his lips were even paler, his forehead was sweating, and his whole body was trembling. It was very similar to today's plague.Bai Zhi was shocked.

The abbot of Baima Temple came and ordered the monks and pilgrims to back off and not to approach.

But within a few quarters of an hour, the monk, who fell to the ground and twitched, died.After a while, the official came.

When the new official took office, he encountered such a major event. In addition, the new official took office three fires. The newly appointed Zhizhou ordered vigorously to block the entire White Horse Temple, and neither the pilgrims nor the monks in the temple could leave.

Bai Zhixin was shocked!What kind of tricks does Zhizhou want to do?
The new governor's name is Zheng, and his courtesy name is Zicheng. He used to be a county magistrate in a frontier county, and now he is transferred to Sucheng as the acting magistrate.

Frontier officials are no different than those in the capital, and the changes are minimal.Just like Bai Yuan, he has served as governor of Sioux City for [-] or [-] years, if it wasn't for Bai Shao's recommendation, he doesn't know when he will be the head.

Bai Zhi was extremely worried, Zheng Zicheng might be planning to take the monk from the White Horse Temple, and the pilgrims would also be implicated incidentally.

They, a group of pilgrims and monks, were imprisoned in the big temple. Most of the pilgrims were women, and the young girls all wiped their tears with handkerchiefs.

Compared to them, Bai Zhi was surprisingly calm, sitting on the seat and playing with the oil of the lamp, looking bored.Liu's scolded: "Zhi'er, don't touch your hands."

Bai Zhi withdrew her hand in dismay: "Mother, do they really want to lock us up?"

"I don't know." Liu said with a trembling heart.

Soon, the gate of the great temple opened, Zheng Zicheng looked around, and turned to Liu Shi, startled.Liu seemed to be looking at him for a while, but she lowered her eyebrows, not daring to look at him again.

Bai Zhi was taken aback.It was the first time for my mother to have such a reaction.

Zheng Zicheng brought a doctor to check all the people present one by one.Bai Zhi sighed inwardly, the new magistrate made sense.If this happened to her father, he might have done something like "I would rather kill a hundred by mistake than let one go".

Bai Zhi passed the inspection naturally and safely. When it was Liu's turn, the doctor gave the conclusion: "The pulse is chaotic, the face is flushed and hot, the veins are slightly protruding, and the eyes are bleeding, like a plague."

Mrs. Liu quickly defended: "I just feel a little cold."

The doctor nodded: "It's not just a cold. You need to observe it for a few more days."

Before Bai Zhi had time to tell them not to lock Liu Shi up with those identified as plague patients, Zheng Zicheng, who was standing aside, said, "Stay in the east wing of the White Horse Temple for a few days, and I've ordered the National People's Congress to clean it up." once."

Liu Shi was a little uncomfortable and said: "Thank you, my lord."

Zheng Zicheng nodded, but when he looked at Liu Shi, his eyes were burning.

Bai Zhi's heart was terrified, and she didn't know if she was too sensitive, she always felt that her mother and Zheng Zicheng knew each other, and...very close.

Because Liu's family is suspected of suffering from the plague, Bai Zhi, a normal person, is not allowed to live with Liu's family and has to go back to Baifu.Sure enough, when she returned to the White Mansion, the servants and maidservants in the mansion did not see Mrs. Liu, and they were terrified. In one afternoon, they resigned one after another, leaving only some prostituted maidservants.

Bai Yuan dismissed the servants back then, almost all of them were from the older generation, and those left behind were all young, and their wages were deducted, which was comparable to the wages of casual workers outside.Everyone was dissatisfied in their hearts, and Liu's matter added fuel to the fire, so they left decisively.

Although Bai Shu is a child, her mind is already mature, she doesn't cry or make trouble, she just asks Bai Zhi occasionally: "Sister, when will mother come back?"

Bai Zhi replied: "Soon." In fact, she didn't know what to do in her heart, especially when Liu Shi died of the plague in her dream, she was even more worried.Bai Zhi would go to the White Horse Temple every day to inquire about the situation and use money to clear things up, and only then did she learn some information about the Liu family.

But those were trivial matters, and she returned without success.

The newly appointed Zheng Zicheng really kept the news tightly sealed, and she didn't know what was going on in the White Horse Temple.

Her uneasy mood lasted for half a month.One morning, Hongqiao came in with a copper basin, and Bai Zhi was lying on the bed and sleeping.Hongqiao lightly placed the copper basin on the stand, arranged the face towel, closed the door and retreated.

(End of this chapter)