Xier had been busy pulling weeds during the day, which took up a lot of his energy. He was already very tired, but now that he felt relieved, he soon fell asleep.
Mu Fulan looked at her daughter who was sleeping soundly beside her and slowly closed her eyes.
It was dawn. In the early summer morning in the medicine room, a faint bitter aroma of decocted medicine floated in the air. Xi'er was still asleep. Mu Fulan got up quietly and walked out of the room.
The maid was already waiting outside the door. When she saw Mu Fulan come out, she immediately came over and whispered, "After I delivered the boiled medicine this morning, I turned back and quietly watched it according to the princess's instructions. The prince drank a few sips and poured out the rest."
Mu Fulan's doubts were immediately resolved, and she didn't say anything else. She just told her to have someone pack up and prepare to return to the city today. She came to the medicine house and asked someone to invite the steward of Prince Qi's mansion, saying, "I will be back today. After I go back, ask the chief physician to come here to replace me. You take care of the prince and tell him to take care of himself."
The steward immediately showed a reluctant look on his face and pleaded, "I just went to see the prince, and he is still not well. I was just thinking of asking the princess to go over and see him again. The prince has been weak since he was young, and this time he heard that Yao Weng is a miracle doctor, so he came here to seek medical treatment with all his heart, regardless of the long journey. The princess was reluctant at first, but the prince was determined, so she let him come. Before he left, he repeatedly warned me. If an ordinary doctor came, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to handle it. The princess is a disciple of the miracle doctor, and since the miracle doctor is not here, I'll trouble you to stay for two more days until the prince's condition gets better before leaving."
Mu Fulan said, "I know you are loyal. But firstly, the illness that the prince has had these past two days is actually quite common, and the chief physician is capable of handling it. Secondly, please tell the prince that if he does not follow the doctor's advice and does not take the medicine properly, not to mention me, even if the medicine man is here, I am afraid it will be of no use."
The steward was stunned: "What do you mean by this, my lady?"
Mu Fulan said: "You can ask him yourself."
How could the steward know that Zhao Xitai had poured out the medicine? In his eyes, the prince's illness, no matter how big or small, was not a trivial matter. If Yao Weng was not here, Yao Weng's disciples would have to take care of him. How could he trust others? But at this moment, he could hear that her tone seemed to have no room for maneuver. He hesitated, and was about to turn around and go back when he heard a burst of hurried footsteps behind him.
The steward turned around and saw Zhao Xitai hurrying over.
He seemed to be in a hurry. He stopped and breathed slightly. He avoided the steward's hand that was stretched out to help him and asked him to leave.
The manager had no choice but to leave.
Mu Fulan was the only one left at the door. Zhao Xitai, not caring that he was still breathing hard, stepped forward and said, "I just saw your maid packing up. Are you going back to the city today? Why don't I go back with you? Although the scenery here is beautiful, it's a bit deserted..."
"Prince, have you taken the medicine that was sent to you?"
Mu Fulan asked him back.
Zhao Xitai was stunned at first, then his expression froze as if he understood something.
About two months ago, the news that Mu Fulan was hated by Xie Changgeng and was sent back to Changsha from Hexi reached Shangjing.
Zhao Xitai was in Shangjing at the time. He was overjoyed and immediately decided to go to Changsha State.
Mu Fulan, Zhao Xitai's former palace playmate, has been like an illusion planted in his heart over the years. He often thinks of her. But if there is no chance to meet again, then in this life, she will probably be just an illusion.
But last year, he met her again in Shangjing.
After not seeing each other for many years, the illusion in his heart suddenly turned into a living beauty and appeared before his eyes.
Zhao Xitai could never forget her from the first moment he saw her. He only regretted that he met her too late, that he did not marry her before Xie Changgeng. Now that he finally knew that she had returned to Changsha, how could he give up this opportunity to be close to her.
Even if he can't do anything now, as long as he can see her often, it will be a great comfort.
His excuse, of course, was to seek medical treatment.
His mother did not have much faith in Yao Weng's medical skills, and was even more worried about letting him go on a long journey alone. At first she refused to let him go, saying that if he really needed medical treatment, she could just send someone to invite Yao Weng.
How could Zhao Xitai give in? He said that he had been detained like a prisoner since he was a child. This time he wanted to go out, both to seek medical treatment and to relax. If he was not allowed to go out, he would never treat his illness again. Life and death were determined by fate. Anyway, it was boring to live. The Princess of Qi could not persuade her son, so she agreed. Unexpectedly, after arriving, his condition improved, which was gratifying, but he found that he seemed to have no chance to meet her, so he took advantage of the medicine man going down the mountain and deliberately did not cover himself with a quilt when he went to bed the night before.
Although it was early summer, the nights in the mountains were cool, and when he was in the palace, the room was often heated until late spring. Even now, he was still covered with a warm silk quilt. After a night, he felt unwell the next day, deliberately saying that he was seriously ill, sent the steward into the city, and finally invited Mu Fulan as he wished. How could he bear to let her go back so soon
Mu Fulan looked at Zhao Xitai and said, "My prince, you have come from afar and your health is precious. If something happens to you in Changsha, I will have a hard time explaining to your father. From my prince to the servants here, everyone in Changsha has taken you seriously and tried their best to hope that you would get better soon. But you did such a ridiculous thing. If I don't go back, what else am I going to do?"
She said, and took a step to leave.
Zhao Xitai hurriedly stopped her.
"It's all my fault! I shouldn't have lied to you! I'll just be honest with you. I got this disease because I froze myself! I came here not only to seek medical treatment, but also to see you again! I've been here for so long, and I can't think of any other way to see you again except this..."
Mu Fulan looked at him and frowned slightly.
Zhao Xitai's face turned red.
"I was wrong. Please forgive me this time since we have known each other since childhood. I won't dare to lie to you again next time."
Mu Fulan was silent for a moment, then said, "Forget it, let's leave it at that. Take your medicine on time, and I'll call the chief physician over when I get back."
"Princess, please stay!"
Zhao Xitai looked at her back and suddenly called out again.
"My Lady, I came here to tell you something important. It's about Xie Changgeng!"
Mu Fulan hesitated for a moment and stopped.
Zhao Xitai walked quickly to her.
"How confident do you think the Queen Mother is in this guy surnamed Xie? She is just looking for someone to hire. As long as there is a talented person who can be replaced, the guy surnamed Xie will be finished sooner or later!"
He looked around and lowered his voice.
"My Lady, I really consider you my own, so I won't hide it from you. My father is not only looking for talents for the court to relieve the worries in the future, but also sending people to Hexi to spy on the situation. Xie Changgeng secretly stored grass and grain in the name of fighting against the northerners, bought people's hearts, and usurped his position. The soldiers in Hexi knew him but didn't know the court and the Queen Mother. All these things are treason. When we get the evidence and hand it to the Queen Mother, there is no need to worry about not being able to bring him down. When he is finished, you can rest assured that my father will be able to keep your Changsha country safe in the future!"
If the King of Qi was really as mediocre as he appeared to be, he would not have been able to stand on his own and almost replace the position of the court and become the enemy of Xie Changgeng.
He was secretly recruiting talents, and Mu Fulan was not surprised at all.
The imperial court was already in decline, and state affairs were controlled by external relatives. At this point, it was not surprising that anyone with a little ability and ambition would have some ideas.
What she didn't expect was that in order to get rid of Xie Changgeng, the King of Qi had actually sent people to Hexi to collect evidence.
With Zhang Ban in front and the King of Qi behind, even Empress Liu might not be completely confident in Xie Changgeng.
But she didn't need to worry about Xie Changgeng's situation.
She looked at Zhao Xitai and laughed.
"Thank you for your honesty, my Lord. But I don't understand, even if Xie Changgeng fell, how can your father guarantee the safety of Changsha from Empress Liu?"
Zhao Xitai said, "My lady, I have already thought about it for you. Your country Changsha has been married to Xie Changgeng for many years, and you have long been aware of his ill intentions. That is why you have been alienated from him for these years. When my father has evidence, you will come forward, follow my father's arrangements, and help to testify, then your chances of winning will be greater. Once he is eliminated, the only person that Empress Liu can use will be my father. What can Empress Liu do to you?"
"As long as you are willing to surrender, I will introduce you! My father is eager to seek talents. Changsha is a country with outstanding people and beautiful scenery. As long as you are willing to surrender sincerely, my father will certainly accept you with pleasure!"
"In the future, let alone that bandit named Xie, even if it's someone else—"
He paused, implying something else.
"As long as they have a grudge against your Changsha nation, no matter who they are, it is not impossible for you to take revenge."
Zhao Xitai said this and walked towards her.
"My lady, your aunt was once the queen. You were born noble, but you were forced to marry that man surnamed Xie and suffered great injustice. When Mr. Xie dies in the future and you are completely free of him, I will marry you!"
"After I came here, I heard that there are gods in Junshan. I, Zhao Xitai, am willing to swear to the gods that every word I say today is from the heart. If I say even a single lie, I will not have a good death in the future!"
He stopped in front of her, stared at her, and spoke word by word.
Mu Fulan said: "I am honored that the Crown Prince thinks highly of me, but the Crown Prince will have his own marriage arrangements, and it will definitely not be with my Changsha Kingdom."
"Are you worried about my father and mother? Don't worry, wait until I recover. Be patient and I will be able to make my own decision sooner or later!"
"That's right!" He seemed to remember.
"If you marry me, I will treat your adopted son Xier as my own son in the future!"
He looked excited and reached out to her.
Mu Fulan moved aside.
"Prince Zhao, I am very grateful for your kindness to me, but I have no improper thoughts about you. Please do not mention marriage again in the future to avoid unnecessary trouble. I will return to the city first, Prince, you should take good care of your health."
She walked away.
Zhao Xitai looked at her back, unable to hide the disappointment in his eyes. He stood there in a daze for a moment, then caught up with her.
"Well, since you don't want to, I won't say this. But my proposal just now will only benefit your Changsha State and will not cause any harm. You don't have to refuse it because of me."
Surrendering to the King of Qi has two meanings.
In addition to cooperating in testifying against Xie Changgeng in the future, when the King of Qi makes plans, Changsha will naturally have to contribute money, food and manpower in exchange for protection.
"Believe me, the situation has deteriorated to this point. Apart from joining my father, you really have no better way to go. I won't harm you. I'm telling you this for your own good!"
Zhao Xitai looked at her with anxiety in his eyes.
Mu Fulan stopped, pondered for a moment, and thanked him: "Thank you for your kind words, Your Highness. I am very grateful. But this is not a trivial matter, and I cannot make the decision. I will tell my brother and give him a reply."
Zhao Xitai said: "Okay, I'll wait!"
Mu Fulan smiled and nodded at him, then left.
The maid packed up the things. Mu Fulan asked Ada to prepare Zhao Xitai's medicine, and then she took Xier down the mountain.
At the foot of the mountain, across the intersection, there was a row of temporary barracks where Zhao Xitai's followers all lived.
When Mu Fulan was about to reach the foot of the mountain, she heard a voice nearby: "Princess, please stay."
Mu Fulan turned her head.
Suddenly, a man dressed as Zhao Xitai's attendant emerged from behind a clump of trees beside the mountain path. He saluted respectfully and then came closer, saying in a low voice, "Neishi Zhang has a letter and asked me to bring it to the princess."
Mu Fulan suddenly realized.
This is Zhang Ban’s man.
She hesitated for a moment, asked her attendant to take Xi'er down first, and she stayed where she was, waiting until there was no one around, and said, "Bring it here."
The man looked around, took out a letter from his pocket and handed it over.
Mu Fulan opened the letter.
It turned out that Zhang Ban also knew that she was driven back to Changsha by Xie Changgeng, and he was very dissatisfied. In the letter, he accused her of breaking her promise and asked her to find a way as soon as possible and go back to help him. Between the lines, there was a threat, saying that if she gave up, he would not let Changsha have an easy life.
After reading it, Mu Fulan returned the letter to the man and said, "It's not that I don't want to, but he wants to drive me away. What can I do? Tell Zhang Neishi to forget that he has received so many benefits from us and has said countless good things for us in front of the Queen Mother. He has long been a family member of our Changsha State. If he deliberately makes things difficult for us, he won't be able to live well either."
The man was stunned, hesitated for a moment, and reluctantly said, "Please tell me something clearly, my lady. Otherwise, how can I reply to the Internal History?"
Mu Fulan said, "Forget it. You are just a messenger. I don't want to embarrass you. In addition to the few words I just said, you can tell him that there is a long time to go. I remember that I told him to be more patient. I will tell him when I have evidence."
The man was helpless and afraid of being discovered, so he didn't dare to stay too long. He took back the letter and hurried away.
Mu Fulan watched the man's back disappear into the bushes beside the mountain path, then continued down the mountain to the ferry.
Xier had already boarded the boat and was sitting quietly in the cabin. When she saw Mu Fulan come in, she called her "Mom".
It was almost noon and the boat was parked by the lake. After being exposed to the sun for half a day, the cabin became a little stuffy.
Mu Fulan asked the maid to open a window, then she held Xier on her lap, took out a handkerchief, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
As the boat reached the water surface, a cool breeze blew and the cabin gradually became cooler.
Seeing that he didn't say a word, sitting in her arms, staring at the water, as if he was lost in thought, Mu Fulan asked him, "Are you hungry? Do you want some cakes?"
Xi'er shook her head and suddenly asked, "Mother, what does giant bandit mean? Who is Xie Changgeng?"
Mu Fulan was stunned for a moment.
Xier said: "When I woke up in the morning, they said they were leaving, so I went to find my mother and heard what the prince said to my mother..."
"Is he a very bad person? Why do you all want him dead?"
Xier looked up, opened her eyes wide, looked at Mu Fulan and asked.