Looking to the Nanshan Mountains
It took more than 20 days to drive from the capital to Yongzhou Emperor, and it took only 12 days to return to the capital from Yongzhou.
It was the most tiring trip for Nangong Jingnv in the past fifteen years. After finally returning to Princess Zhen Zhen's mansion, before she could shower and change her clothes, a maid walked over to Chuntao with a solemn look. report.
Chuntao was shocked when she heard this, and pulled Qiu Ju aside and whispered a few words, and the two discussed it. Qiu Ju came to Nangong Jingnu.
"Your Highness."
"Is Tang Quan ready? Ben Gong is exhausted."
"His Royal Highness... This servant has something to report."
"Go ahead."
"On the eve of the Qingming Festival, the Weiyang Palace walks through the water..."
Nangong Jingnu frowned: "How about the loss?"
Qiu Ju knelt on the ground and replied in a low voice, "All thirty-six palaces were burnt down..."
Nangong Jingnu suddenly stood up "Huo": "Have you rescued anything?"
Qiu Ju shook her head, and Nangong Jingnu's body swayed and rushed out.
…
The sedan car stopped in front of the Weiyang Palace, and the bright yellow building was not seen in the past, and even the surrounding walls were charred black.
Nangong Jingnv jumped off the sedan chair and walked in. There were more than a dozen servants cleaning the ruins. Seeing Nangong Jingnu, they all stopped their work and bowed down, "See Your Highness Zhen Zhen."
Nangong Jingnu stared blankly at everything in front of her, everything she could see was scorched black, and she couldn't even leave the frame of a palace!
She always felt that the Weiyang Palace was so large that it made people feel lonely.
"Where is the chief servant?"
A servant dropped his broom and walked quickly to Nangong Jingnu: "My servant sees Your Highness."
"Did you save any price?"
The maid had a look of embarrassment: "This..."
"Did you grab a painting?"
"Damn the slave."
"...you all step back."
"Yes."
Chuntao and Qiuju exchanged glances and silently backed out.
Time passed bit by bit, and Chuntao tried to go in several times but was stopped by Qiu Ju.
Nangong Jingnu stayed on the ruins for a full hour before coming out, and got on the sedan chair in silence: "Go back to the manor."
"Here."
Qi Yan finished bathing, washed off the dust, put on clean clothes, and walked out from behind the screen.
Suddenly I heard cramped footsteps from outside the hall, and the next moment, the hall door was pushed open.
"See Your Highness."
Nangong Jingnu's chest heaved and she stood two steps away from Qi Yan with red eyes.
Qi Yan's heart was like a mirror, suppressing the guilt in her heart, and looked at Nangong Jingnu with calm eyes.
It was not until Chuntao and Qiuju closed the door of the palace from the outside that Nangong Jingnu slammed into Qi Yan's arms.
Qi Yan's heart trembled, and she called in a puzzled tone, "Your Highness?"
Nangong Jingnu sniffed the faint fragrance of grass and water vapor on Qi Yan's body, and smeared all her tears on her clothes: "Weiyang Palace is gone."
Almost at the same time, several "reasonable" answers emerged in Qi Yan's mind. But when it got to the mouth, it turned into a silent sigh.
Fortunately, Nangong Jingnu was still immersed in the grief of losing the portrait of her biological mother, and did not notice it.
She tightened her arms around Qi Yan's waist, and said in a thick nasal voice: "Nothing was taken out, the portrait of the mother and queen is gone, and the night pearl that I want to give you after the concubine's mansion is built is gone..."
Qi Yan remembered: Nangong asked Nangong Jingnv to give Nangong Jingnu a Pearl of the East China Sea at the New Year's Eve palace banquet.
Qi Yan's lips twitched, and she finally squeezed out a "reasonable" sentence: "How can it be gone?"
Nangong Jingnu sniffed: "The Weiyang Palace is on fire, it's all burned."
Qi Yan raised her hand and stroked the back of Nangong Jingnu's head, touching the slightly raised bun.
This is different from the grasslands. Once a woman in Wei State gets married, she will tie up her loose blue silk and wear the hair style of a married woman for the rest of her life.
No matter how old you are when you get married, once your hairstyle changes, you are no longer a child.
From then on, you should pay more attention to your words and deeds, and don't do anything that is derogatory of women's morality.
Nangong Jingnu's hair was tangled because of herself, and the fire in Weiyang Palace was caused by herself. In the near future, everything she lost will be created by herself.
Qi Yan wanted to find a deep mountain to climb up, and asked the god who lived above the sky: Why? Why let the grassland be destroyed, why let yourself use such means to take revenge
Nangong Jingnu cried for a while, and called out in a muffled voice, "Qi Yan?"
"Um?"
She rubbed against Qi Yan's chest and raised her head: "Why don't you speak?"
Qi Yan lowered her eyes slightly, Nangong Jingnu read the faint sadness in those amber eyes, and listened to her deep voice: "I don't know how to comfort Your Highness, I hate myself for not being able to feel the same way, let alone sharing the burden for Your Highness. suffering."
Nangong Jingnu snorted twice, clutching the corner of Qi Yan's clothes: "Bengong is tired."
"My minister sends His Highness back to rest."
"Just here, Ben Gong doesn't have the strength to go that far."
"it is good."
Qi Yan helped Nangong Jingnv to sit on her bed, and squatted down beside the bed to take off her shoes and socks for Nangong Jingnv.
Nangong Jingnu blushed and hid: "Bengong can come by himself."
Qi Yan grabbed Nangong Jingnu's ankle and said softly, "Your Highness, sit down, I'll just come."
Nangong Jingnu lay down on the bed and looked away: "Thank you."
Qi Yan pulled up the quilt for Nangong Jingnu: "This minister brought a clean cloth and wiped His Highness's face."
"Um."
Qi Yan washed the cloth and came over, Nangong Jingnu was already asleep. There was still a full, sparkling teardrop in the corner of his eye.
Nangong Jingnu has always been coddled. She hadn't slept a full night in the past ten days, and she had already reached her limit after crying for so long.
Qi Yan clenched her hand holding the wet cloth tightly, and carefully sat on the edge of the bed, wiping Nangong Jingnu's face carefully, and then took her hand and wiped it.
I'm sorry, Your Highness.
I don't count on your forgiveness, and I'm not going to stop there.
If what you owe is not clear during your lifetime, you should go to the underworld to pay it back.
"Tuk Tuk Tuk."
Chuntao's voice came: "Master Consort?"
Qi Yan walked quickly to the door, opened the hall door and made a silent gesture: "His Royal Highness is asleep, come here and talk."
"Yes."
The two came to the side hall, Chuntao took out a folding fan from her bosom and handed it to Qi Yan: "The housekeeper of the private house came just now, and asked the servant to hand it over to the concubine."
Qi Yan shook off the folding fan, and her own words were on the fan. Although there were two fans, only Gongyanghuai would find her in this way at this time.
"I'm going out. If Your Highness wakes up, I'll trouble Sister Chuntao to report it on your behalf."
"Yes."
Sitting on the carriage back to Qi Mansion, Qi Yan roughly guessed what Gongyanghuai would say.
It was also difficult for him. Gongyangzhong had the highest official position in the entire Gongyang Mansion. The eldest son, Gongyangbai, had an idle position in Hongxueguan, and Gongyanghuai was a sixth-rank petty official who did not even have the qualifications to face the Holy Spirit.
When such a big thing happened, the ministers of the DPRK and China would not dare to intercede for Gong Yangzhong...
Qi Yan didn't want to do anything to Gongyangzhong, and left his personal friendship with Gongyanghuai. Gongyangzhong was not involved in the grassland affairs.
It's just that blood is bound to be shed on this road of revenge, and she won't go far in order to bypass anyone.
Qi Yan weighed in secret: What would she gain if she helped Gongyanghuai? What are the risks.
…
"Master Consort, the private house has arrived."
Qi Yan jumped out of the carriage, and the doorman greeted him: "Master is back?"
"Well, what about the guests?"
"In the main hall, Steward Qian is entertaining."
Qi Yan turned to the driver and said, "Go back first."
"Yes."
When he came to the living room, he saw Qian Yuan, the housekeeper, standing beside him with his head down and shoulders down, Gongyang Huai spun around in a hurry.
"White Rock."
As if seeing the savior, Gongyanghuai rushed in front of Qi Yan: "Tie Zhu! You are here!"
"Baishi calm down and don't be impatient. Butler Qian, you should take people down first, and leave no one to serve."
"Yes."
Qian Yuan withdrew, and Gongyanghuai said anxiously: "Today, a decree suddenly came from the palace, saying that my father was sent to the prison for 'dereliction of duty'. In the afternoon, my father's old friend came over in a hurry, and when I met my eldest brother, he said let us I 'prepared' and left early. My mother couldn't bear the blow and was already bedridden. Big brother didn't let me bother you, but I still came after thinking about it. My father has always been cautious, how could he be 'dereliction of duty'? "
Qi Yan sighed softly: "Baishi sit first, let me elaborate."
"it is good."
Under Gongyanghuai's anxious gaze, Qi Yan pondered for a long time and said softly, "Everything I say next is confidential, I hope Baishi won't reveal a single sentence."
Gongyang Huai raised his palm: "I, Gongyang Baishi, swear to the sky..."
"Baishi doesn't have to be like this, I can trust you. But, let me say something disrespectful, this time my uncle is afraid that it will be more fortunate than good..."
After listening to what happened, Gongyanghuai's face was pale, and he almost slipped off the chair.
Although the emperor did not call the ancestral tomb the emperor's mausoleum, it was just a name.
When the Emperor Mausoleum caught fire, it was a big crime to punish the Nine Clan, and it was already a great grace for the emperor to take down only three people.
Gongyang Huai finally sat on the ground with tears falling like rain. Covering his face with his sleeves, he cried in despair.
He also thought that the phrase "prepare early" that his father's friend said was to let them get through the door and find someone to ask for mercy.
Never thought that it was to let them prepare for the funeral in advance...
The eldest brother, a scholar, didn't think about going any further when he arrived at Hongxueguan, and he had a relatively high starting point among his friends.
It seems impossible...
Even if Qi Yan and Gu Nian were willing to help, how could he dare to speak
Qi Yan lifted Gongyanghuai from the ground: "Baishi..."
Gongyanghuai wiped away tears: "Forgive me for being abrupt, thank you for coming here. I'm back..."
Qi Yan raised her arm and stopped it for a while: "Baishi stay."
Gongyanghuai covered his face and waved his hands: "Your Majesty Hong En is mighty, I'll go back and prepare..."
Qi Yan grabbed Gongyanghuai's arm and said sincerely, "There is still a slight change in this matter."
In the past, Master had taught Qi Yan that the hatred of the country and the species should be repaid by heaping corpses into mountains and rivers of blood.
Qi Yan has always thought so, but Gongyanghuai's cry reminded her of her desperate self, how good it would be if someone could help her back then
Looking at Gongyanghuai's hopeful eyes, it's too late to regret...
Qi Yan had no choice but to convince herself that the Gongyang Mansion was still worth using.