The next day, the snow and wind stopped and the sun was shining brightly.
Ling Qingwan had a good sleep and felt a little better.
She stretched herself and got up. Qiao'er helped her wash up and said, "The weather is very good today. Let's set off after breakfast."
Qiao'er looked as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
Ling Qingwan saw it and asked, "Is there something wrong?"
Qiaoer knelt on the ground and begged, "Miss, I didn't see Hongxiu when I got up today. I asked the people in the yard, but no one saw her. I only heard from people who got up early that there was a trail of footprints on the ground, and it seemed like she went to Luoan City. I beg you to send someone to bring her back!"
Luo'an City was the first big city they would pass through on their way back to Beijing. Ling Qingwan deliberately left behind that set of footprints yesterday so that everyone would think that Hongxiu got up in the middle of the night and ran away secretly because she was dissatisfied with the punishment she received yesterday.
She sneered: "Her temper is even worse than my master."
Nanny Park came in and saw Ling Qingwan sitting up. She said with a smile, "Miss, the prince is here and is waiting for you in the front hall."
"Prince?" Ling Qingwan's eyes were sore and she almost shed tears.
Madam Park noticed her strangeness and thought she didn't know who the Crown Prince was, so she explained, "The Crown Prince is the eldest son of our Hou Mansion, and your biological brother from the same mother."
Ling Qingwan nodded, suppressing the grief in her heart, and said, "Then let's go quickly, don't let brother wait anxiously."
In the front hall, Ling Xiao finished his second cup of tea. He couldn't suppress the excitement and anxiety in his heart no matter what. He turned around and asked Qing Feng: "Is my clothing okay?"
"My Lord, you look even more elegant in this outfit. Not only will the young lady like it, but even if you go to the capital, all the noble ladies will compete to give you sachets when they see you." Qingfeng said this for the eighteenth time today.
Ling Xiao nodded with great satisfaction, turned back to drink a cup of tea, and then turned to ask Mingyue: "Today I..."
"The prince is extremely handsome and elegant, and no one in the capital can match him. The young lady will definitely be delighted to see him." Mingyue didn't wait for him to finish and said the words she knew by heart without thinking.
Even so, Ling Xiao was still very satisfied with it.
He picked up the already filled teacup, raised his head and drank it all in one gulp. His eyes fell on the doorway and he saw a little girl in a moon-white brocade embroidered with red plums and a pomegranate-red horse mask standing there. She had no idea how long she had been standing there.
Ling Xiao immediately put the teacup on the table and stood up at a loss, fearing that the person in front of him would see what he had just done and think he was not steady enough.
As soon as he saw her for the first time, he knew that the person in front of him was his sister.
Those eyebrows and eyes are exactly the same as mine.
Ling Qingwan couldn't help shedding tears when she saw the young man who loved and protected her in her previous life but died tragically because of her, now standing in front of her in good health, so lively and full of vigor.
She lifted her skirt, trotted into his arms, hugged him and cried loudly, crying out all the humiliation and suffering she had suffered in her previous life, as well as the blood feud.
Ling Xiao's eyes suddenly became red as he listened to the little girl in his arms constantly calling him "brother" and relying on him like that, just like the scene he had imagined a thousand times in his mind.
He held the little girl tightly in his arms, his throat rolling, and it took him a long time to find his voice: "Don't be afraid, brother is here, brother will take you home."
"From now on, no one will dare to bully you anymore."
Qingfeng Mingyue and Nanny Pu, who came with Ling Qingwan, couldn't help but tear up when they saw this scene.
After a long while, hearing Ling Qingwan's crying gradually subside, Nanny Pu wiped her tears with a handkerchief and said with a smile: "My two masters, please take your seats first. I have asked someone to prepare breakfast. If you have anything to say, you can talk slowly at the table."
Ling Qingwan came out of Ling Xiao's arms, took the handkerchief handed over by Mingyue, wiped her tears, and smiled at her.
When Ling Xiao heard that Ling Qingwan had not had breakfast yet, he quickly asked someone to prepare it and took her aside to ask her all sorts of questions.
Ling Qingwan had cried before, and now she felt embarrassed when she thought about it. She lowered her head and secretly regretted that she had lived for thirty years after all, so how could she cry like a child
Therefore, she answered whatever Ling Xiao asked.
In Ling Xiao's eyes, she looked well-behaved. He wondered how much injustice she must have suffered outside with her personality. He secretly thought that he must protect her well in the future, give her the best things in the world, and let her be a carefree girl.
When the food was served, Ling Xiao watched Ling Qingwan eat slowly and chewed the food carefully, picking up some food for her from time to time.
He said to Nanny Pu who was standing by and waiting on him, "We don't need Nanny here. Go pack Wanwan's luggage. We will set off after breakfast. I have already sent someone to Changbai City to make arrangements. We will arrive before dark."
Hearing this, Ling Qingwan tightened her grip on the chopsticks.
Changbai City is where I met Song Zhiqing in my previous life. From then on, I made a mistake at first sight and received a bloody lesson.
"Brother, I have a favor to ask of you." Ling Qingwan put down her chopsticks. Her tone was a little stiff as she tried to suppress the overwhelming hatred.
"What's the use of begging? You are my sister, just tell me what you want. I will get it for you even if I have to go through fire and water!" Ling Xiao looked into her eyes and said with confidence.
After experiencing a lifetime, Ling Qingwan naturally knew that all the promises he made to her had been fulfilled one by one.
Thinking of her past life, she couldn't help but want to cry again.
Fearing that she might be discovered, she tried her best to hold back and said, "I punished Hongxiu yesterday, and this morning Qiao'er said she was missing. When I asked someone, they said they saw a set of footprints heading towards Luo'an City early in the morning. Shall we look for her along the way?"
"As a servant, the master's reward or punishment is a grace, and she dares to sneak away?" Ling Xiao scolded angrily, "She'd better not show up for the rest of her life, otherwise I will personally put an end to her!"
"Brother!" Ling Qingwan grabbed his arm, looked at him eagerly, and pleaded, "She left because of me. If she returns to the capital safely, it's fine. But if something happens to her, it's a life after all. I... I..."
Ling Xiao looked at her uneasy look and sighed.
He placed his big hand on her bony little hand, wanting to tell her that she was just a maid, and if she dared to do this in the mansion, she would have been beaten to death and thrown into a mass grave.
But when I saw her red, watery eyes, my heart softened. I had so many words to say, but in the end I just said "OK".
As long as it makes her happy and makes her feel at ease, everything is fine.
The journey was not fast. Ling Xiao abandoned the horse and sat in the carriage with Ling Qingwan. The two siblings talked about everything and laughter could be heard from the carriage.
The carriage stopped at the entrance of Huanpeng Inn, and Qingfeng respectfully reported that they had arrived. Ling Xiao jumped off the carriage first, and then reached out to help Ling Qingwan down.
Before I could ask her what she wanted to eat, I heard a familiar voice.
"Prince Ling? Long time no see!"