She deliberately let him know that she was taking medicine, deliberately provoked him with her attitude when he was about to come back, deliberately exaggerated his reaction when he kissed her, and also deliberately undressed in front of him, making a peaceful gesture as if she was finally willing to accept it after struggling.
Mu Fulan knew that these tricks could not be hidden from him. Even if Xie Changgeng did not fully react at the time, he would be able to see through them later with his mind and cunningness.
But what does that matter
Not only does it not matter, on the contrary, it makes him see through it, which is what she wants.
That night more than a month ago, he left in anger. She originally thought that when he came back, he would let her go back immediately.
Unexpectedly, even though he was clearly irritated, he still endured it.
For the first time, she was surprised by the tolerance and patience he showed towards her.
Right after that failure, for more than a month, everything she did was to see who had more patience in this tug-of-war while avoiding a complete fall-out with him.
Mu Fulan firmly believed that a man like Xie Changgeng, even if he was interested in a woman, would not be able to show too much patience.
He has a big heart. To him, I am nothing more than a person who can add some relaxation and fun to his evening after a busy day.
He likes gentle and considerate women - for example, his wife in his previous life, the woman before she became a burden to him, whom he should like.
Now his interest in her and the patience born from that interest would sooner or later disappear with her various "troubles" that made him feel like a thorn in his throat, and it would not last long. Once that interest was gone, what was the point of keeping me by his side? And his pride would not allow him to tolerate the silent humiliation that he repeatedly inflicted on him indefinitely.
After more than a month of tug-of-war, tonight, he finally lost his patience with her.
She won.
Mu Fulan called her mother Mu and said that she could go back home, and packed her luggage that night.
Xie Changgeng did not return to his room that night, and Mu Fulan learned that he spent the night in the study. According to the maid, the lights in the study were on all night long.
The next morning, just after dawn, Mu Fulan prepared to leave. Before leaving, she asked her mother to go to the study.
Xie Changgeng seemed to have not slept all night. The candlelight at the corner of the desk was still on. He was sitting there, holding a roll of official documents in his hand. There were bloodshot eyes and a tired face.
Mother Mu said respectfully, "The princess is leaving now. The steward said that an escort has been arranged according to the governor's instructions. The princess asked me to pass on a message, thanking the governor for the arrangement."
Xie Changgeng looked indifferent, he didn't even raise his eyelids, let alone speak. He only showed an impatient expression on his face and waved his hands.
Mother Mu knew that he was urging her to leave, so she thanked him, bowed, and then went out. She came back and told Mu Fulan what had happened.
How could Mu Fulan care about his attitude
If she wasn't here this morning, it would be fine. But since she was here, it was her business to think about it. Since he had made arrangements for her departure, it was his duty to thank her.
The streets in the city were empty, but outside the Jiedushi Mansion there was a bustle of activity. Several carriages stopped at the door, servants loaded boxes onto the carriages, and the steward instructed the attendants who were escorting the princess back.
It was still the same group of people who sent her here from Shangjing last time. They were all well-trained and trustworthy people.
Mu Fulan stood at the door, watching Mother Mu and the maid put all the packages they brought with them into the carriage. She checked them one by one to make sure nothing was left out and made sure that not even a strand of hair would be left in the house before getting in the carriage.
The steward seemed to have not recovered from the surprise and embarrassment of the mistress being hastily sent away by the master overnight. He kept looking back, but he never saw the master show up. He had to give up, sighed in his heart, bowed to Mu Fulan and said, "Have a safe journey, my lady."
Mu Fulan thanked the steward with a smile, sat down, and then ordered his men to set off.
The carriage rumbled, carrying her on the road back to Changsha.
As soon as she left Guzang, she put all the previous events behind her and only wanted to get back to Changsha as soon as possible.
It has been several months since she was separated from Xier. She felt like every day was a year. She missed him so much that she wished she could fly back to him immediately.
At the end of February of that year, after nearly a month on the road, she finally went down from Hexi and returned to Changsha.
Mu Fulan did not return to Yuecheng first. Instead, she asked someone to deliver a message to Mu Xuanqing first, and then she changed her route and went directly to Junshan.
Xier is there now.
The reason why she didn't send the person directly to Yuecheng before was that she was afraid that Xier, who had been accustomed to a quiet and simple life since childhood, would not adapt to the environment of the palace when she was away.
In the letter to her sister-in-law at that time, she simply mentioned that Xier was her adopted son from outside, and asked her to send a few attentive maids to Junshan Medicine House to take care of him, and take him back when she returned.
She took a boat into the mountain and went up the mountain steps. In the evening, she finally stopped in front of the wooden door of the medicine house.
The wooden door was half-closed, and a faint scent of medicine floated in the air. Mu Fulan saw Ah Da busy sorting herbs in the yard, his back busy and bustling.
She suppressed her excitement and anxiety and pushed open the wooden door.
The young man turned around and saw Mu Fulan standing at the door. He happily dropped what he was holding, ran over and bowed to her.
Mu Fulan asked Xier.
Ah Da Dao: "My young master is doing fine! Also, Master came back last month!"
Medicine Man came back last month and liked Xi'er very much. He often took him with him and taught him to identify various herbs. Medicine Man went down the mountain to see a patient today, and Xi'er was at home.
A Da said that Xier should be playing in the back right now, with a maid following her.
Hearing the words "all good", the heart that had been hanging in the air all the way finally settled down. The news that the master had also returned made me even happier.
Mu Fulan hurriedly walked through the hut and came to the medicine garden at the back.
Xi'er was not in the herb garden. She called out.
The maid was preparing dinner in the room. When she heard the sound, she hurried out. Suddenly, she saw Mu Fulan coming back and hurriedly greeted her.
"Where's the young master?"
"The young master was here just now, telling us not to accompany him..."
Mu Fulan looked around and saw that the door leading to the top of the back mountain was open.
"Yes! The young master must have gone to the top of the mountain by himself! He often goes there and sits there for half a day!" The maid thought about it and said.
Mu Fulan went up immediately, and climbed a winding mountain path without stopping. Panting, she finally reached the top of the mountain.
She stopped walking.
She saw a small figure sitting on a rock near the top of the mountain, facing the direction of Shangjing.
The golden setting sun shone from the side, the sun was setting on the treetops, and birds were waiting in their nests on the rocks. A group of birds were circling near his head, making bursts of chirping sounds.
The child, however, seemed not to hear anything. He sat quietly, motionless, looking straight ahead, as if in a trance.
Mu Fulan's eyes were filled with tears.
She knew why he climbed to the top of the mountain and why he looked towards Shangjing.
He thought he was still in Beijing.
She calmed herself down and called out "Xier".
The child hesitated for a moment, then slowly turned his head. The moment he saw Mu Fulan standing behind him, his eyes instantly became bright.
"Mother!"
He shouted in surprise, jumped off the rock, turned around and ran towards her, throwing himself into her arms.
Mu Fulan stretched out her arms and hugged her son tightly in her arms. She smiled, kissed his face continuously, and blamed him for coming here alone.
Xier's two little hands tightly hugged her neck, her face pressed against her chest, and she whispered, "I'm not afraid. I will be very careful."
Mu Fulan sat on the stone, holding Xier on her lap, and the mother and son talked in low voices.
"Xi'er, mother made you wait for so long before coming back, do you blame mother?"
Xier shook his head vigorously at first. After a while, he looked up at Mu Fulan and whispered, "Xier is just a little scared..."
"What are you afraid of? Tell mother."
He whispered, "One night, I had a dream. I dreamed that my mother disappeared and I was the only one left. I wanted to find my mother, but I didn't know where you were..."
His voice gradually faded away, and his hands tightly grasped Mu Fulan's sleeves, refusing to let go.
Mu Fulan stared at the familiar pair of eyes in her arms, which were bright and innocent with a hint of sadness. She couldn't help but think once again of the child in her previous life who had accompanied her through countless lonely mornings and evenings in the old house in Xie County. Her chest was filled with sour and hot emotions.
With red eyes, she kissed the little guy in her arms, tightened her arms around him, and didn't let go for a long time.
She said: "Xi'er, mother is going to take you back to the city. From now on, you will not only have mother, but there will be many other people in your life. But remember, in addition to those who love you and treat you well, there will also be bad people around you. You are still young now, mother will protect you. Mother tells you this because she hopes you will not be afraid. Remember, no matter what happens, from today on, mother will never be separated from you again!"
Xier snuggled quietly in her arms for a while, then suddenly broke free, crawled off her lap, stood on the ground with both feet, and said loudly: "I remember! I want to grow up quickly and protect mommy, and I will never let bad guys bully my mommy!"
His voice was still immature, but very loud. The sound startled the group of birds circling overhead, and they flapped their wings and flew high into the sky.
Mu Fulan was startled, then smiled and nodded: "Mother is waiting for that day!"
…
Yao Weng came back after dark and was very happy to see Mu Fulan. The master and the apprentice chatted and talked about Xier's origins. Mu Fulan said that he was an orphan and she met him by chance outside, got along well with him, and took him back as her adopted son.
Medicine Man smiled and said, "I felt that this child looked familiar the first time I saw him. I felt that I had seen him somewhere before, but I couldn't remember where. It seems that you have a deep connection with him. This child doesn't talk much, but he is very smart. I taught him to identify herbs when I had nothing to do, and he remembered them as soon as I told him. If you cultivate him well, he will become a great man in the future."
Mu Fulan thanked the old man.
She did not return to the city that night, but stayed in the medicine house, sleeping together with her son.
The hut was simple, with only one lamp, but she was content. She held her son, who was sleeping soundly in her arms, and looked at his appearance over and over again until midnight, when she finally fell asleep and slept until dawn.
The next morning, the person sent by Mu Xuanqing to pick her up arrived, and Mu Fulan took Xier into the city and returned to the palace. When the family met, Mu Fulan took Xier's hand and brought him to his brother and sister-in-law, smiling and saying, "He is Xier. Although he is my adopted son, he is better than my own son. I hope that my brother and sister-in-law will take good care of him in the future. I will be very grateful."
Xier bowed respectfully to Mu Xuanqing and Lu, and called them "uncle" and "aunt" as Mu Fulan had instructed.
Lu smiled and helped Xi'er up. When they met, she was stunned for a moment, thinking it was just a coincidence. Then she called her daughter A'ru and asked her to take the new brother to live. Knowing that her husband and sister-in-law must have something to say, she stayed for a moment and then left.
Mu Xuanqing dismissed his followers and immediately asked, "Sister, I learned that Empress Liu wanted to take you hostage, but later you were taken to Hexi by Xie Changgeng. Half a month ago, I didn't know you were on your way back, and I was really worried. At that time, Han Ding happened to be back, so I sent him to Hexi."
The iron production in the Ruzhou iron mine was smooth, and the arsenal began to take shape. Craftsmen began to work in shifts day and night to forge weapons and armor. After the initial settlement, Yuan Handing handed over the matter to his subordinates. Half a month ago, he returned to Yuecheng and learned that Mu Xuanqing wanted to send someone to Hexi to bring Mu Fulan back, so he proposed to lead the team.
Mu Xuanqing was determined to bring the princess back, but he knew that he had offended Xie Changgeng before, and he was not sure why he took his sister out of the capital. After thinking about it, he was really worried, so he wanted to send someone to Hexi. One is to find out the truth, and the other is to find ways to bring the princess back. But my sister is in the hands of the other party. Even if I am willing to humble myself and make amends, I don’t know what the other party’s attitude is. It is not an easy thing to bring someone back. The leader originally wanted Lu Lin. But Lu Lin fell ill again these days, and Yuan Handing happened to come back.
He was steady and brave, and he grew up with the brother and sister. He took the initiative to speak, which was exactly what Mu Xuanqing wanted. So he prepared a thank-you gift, selected a good person, and gave some instructions, and then Yuan Handing set off for Hexi.
"I think they are already halfway there. Even if we send people to chase them now, I'm afraid we won't be able to catch up!"
Mu Fulan was surprised and very touched.
Brother Wang has long disliked Xie Changgeng, but now, for his own sake, he is willing to humble himself and send someone to beg Xie Changgeng for mercy.
She pondered for a moment and said, "My king, it's good for Brother Yuan to go. I was just about to tell you that Xie Changgeng promised that if Empress Liu attacks Changsha again, he would protect us. We don't expect anyone to really protect us, but our country is not strong yet, so if he doesn't make things difficult for us if something happens, that would be a good thing. Brother Yuan has received your instructions, and when he gets there and knows that I'm back, he will adapt to the situation and send a thank-you gift, which will be your thanks to him."
Mu Xuanqing was surprised.
The last time Xie Changgeng came over, he said he left with a grudge, which was not an exaggeration. Later, when Mu Xuanqing learned that he had taken his sister out of the capital, he was already puzzled and didn't know what his motives were.
Hearing this now, I am even more confused.
Since Ah Mei said so, it must be true. But how could Xie Changgeng be so magnanimous
He couldn't imagine it.
He looked at his sister, his face suddenly changed, he stood up abruptly, and said sternly: "Did Xie bully you?"
Mu Fulan looked calm and said, "Don't be impatient, my brother. He and I are husband and wife, so there is no question of bullying or not. I did it voluntarily. Now that I'm back, he shouldn't deliberately embarrass us in the future, which is a good thing."
Mu Xuanqing was stunned for a long while, then slowly clenched his fist, gritted his teeth, and said word by word: "Sister, I swear that if Changsha rises in the future, I will never let you suffer any injustice again!"