Zi'an was feeling restless tonight and couldn't fall asleep no matter how hard he tried, tossing and turning in bed.
Murong Jie frowned and asked, "What's wrong? It's almost midnight, why aren't you sleeping yet?"
Zi'an simply sat up, hugged the quilt and said worriedly: "I don't know, I'm confused."
"Because of Zhuangzhuang's matter?" Murong Jie also sat up and looked at her.
"Yes, I always felt that when Zhuangzhuang came to return Scarlett tonight, there was a sense of desperation."
Murong Jie was stunned. "Are you saying that Zhuangzhuang will be depressed?"
"I have no idea."
Murong Jie shook his head, "It's impossible. So many years have passed. It's impossible for her to be depressed about this matter. She thought Xiao Xiao betrayed her back then, but she endured it. Now that she knows Xiao Xiao didn't betray her and still loves her deeply, how can she still be depressed? You are overthinking it."
Zian felt that what he said made sense. He had gotten through such a difficult time, so why was he so depressed now? Zhuangzhuang's ability to withstand pressure shouldn't be so weak, right
She lay down again, "I hope I'm just worrying too much."
Murong Jie hugged her and said, "Go to sleep, it's okay."
Zian closed his eyes, but he couldn't fall asleep. He didn't feel sleepy at all.
She tried to put herself in Zhuangzhuang's shoes. If she were Zhuangzhuang, what would she do at this moment
However, she found that her sense of empathy was very weak because she was not Zhuangzhuang and had not experienced those heart-wrenching injuries.
Zhuangzhuang returned to the princess's residence and called Qinzhi and Qionghua, "You have been following me since I entered the palace. Although we are master and servant in name, we are closer than sisters. I know how you treat me, and you also know how I treat you."
Qin Zhi felt that her expression was a little strange, and couldn't help but ask worriedly: "Princess, why are you suddenly saying this? Where did you go just now?"
"I met Xiao Xiao." Zhuangzhuang did not hide anything from the two.
"You went to see the general?" Qinzhi and Qionghua looked at each other, both a little surprised.
Zhuangzhuang smiled and said, "Yes, I met him and talked to him for a long time."
"Then..." Qin Zhi looked at her, "What did you talk about?"
"It's nothing more than what happened in the past. It's just that after eleven years, we have been talking so closely together again. I feel that life is unpredictable. So, I called you here tonight to tell you a few things. I don't know how long I can live. Of course, I hope I can live a hundred years, but as I said just now, things in the world are unpredictable, and life and death are even more difficult to predict. If I leave before you, you can take a sum of money from the mansion. I have already told the accountant. You can get married or do some business. As long as you want, do it. Don't worry too much."
After hearing this, Qionghua got goose bumps all over her body and her eyes turned red. "Bah, nonsense, nonsense, why are you saying these things for no reason? If anything happens to the princess, I, Qionghua, will be the first to follow."
Zhuangzhuang's eyes were filled with tears. "You are talking nonsense. If I die, you have to live and visit my grave."
"Don't say these things. It makes people feel creepy. Did the general say something to you?" Qin Zhi said angrily.
"No, don't blame him, he is a good person, he and I are just not destined to be together." Zhuangzhuang still maintained a calm smile, hiding his broken heart.
"Then stop talking and go to bed, okay? Don't scare us!" Qin Zhi said with red eyes.
Zhuangzhuang held their hands and whispered, "Listen to me, if something happens to me, you tell Xiao Xiao to live well, find a good woman, get married and have children, and live the smooth life he wants."
Qionghua jumped up and said, "Don't say it, don't say it. I don't want to listen to it. These words are very unlucky. Don't listen to them."
Zhuangzhuang smiled and said, "Look at you, you are so impatient. I am just talking casually."
"You can't say these things casually. Isn't this just trying to scare us?" Qin Zhidao said.
"Okay, I won't say any more. I'm sleepy too. I drank a little tonight. By the way, you guys should go to bed early tonight. You don't have to stay up all night. Get up early tomorrow and we'll go somewhere."
"Where are we going?" Qin Zhi asked.
"I want to live in Tangshan for a while. You can pack your things first and come back to pack for me tomorrow morning." Zhuangzhuang said.
Qionghua nodded, "It's good to go to Tangshan to relax."
They breathed a sigh of relief. If the princess was willing to go out and leave the capital, perhaps she would feel better.
"Well, go ahead. I'm sleepy and need to go to bed early." Zhuangzhuang said.
Qinzhi stood up and said to Qionghua, "I'll go tell the driver first. You go back and pack your things, including mine. Bring some extra clothes. We'll stay here for a few more days."
"Okay." Qionghua said.
The two men helped Zhuangzhuang to sleep before leaving.
Zhuangzhuang listened to the footsteps of the two people gradually fading away. She slowly sat up, hugged the quilt, and sat for a long time before slowly walking down.
There was a candle lit in the bedroom, and the flame was jumping. She stared at the flame, and the light was reflected in her eyes, but she couldn't tell whether it was tears or the flame.
There was a teapot and water on the coffee table. She poured a cup and drank it.
She walked to the desk, spread out the rice paper, ground the ink, and wanted to write something, but after holding the pen for a long time, she still didn't know what to write.
The past scenes replayed before my eyes, happy, sad, laughing, crying, all seemed calm.
Like a straight line.
All the twists and turns in her life will eventually become straight lines.
She put down her pen and sighed heavily.
There is nothing much to write about. There is nothing worth writing about in her life, and there is no one to answer to.
What she was thinking about and what she wanted to forget seemed unimportant no longer.
Then she opened the cupboard and took out a wedding dress.
This wedding dress was not the one Xiao Xiao gave her. That one was already worn by Han Qingqiu. She watched with her own eyes as Han Qingqiu wore it and married the man she loved deeply.
Later, she ordered someone to make another one, and called back those embroiderers to imitate the one Xiao Xiao gave her, stitch by stitch.
After it was finished, she didn't dare to look at it, let alone wear it, so she kept it at the bottom of the cabinet and locked it up.
What was locked up was not just a wedding dress, but also her daughter's heart that wanted to marry Xiao Xiao.
She took off her clothes, and her smooth and flawless body was reflected in the bronze mirror. I am ready to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you. Even if you abandon me mercilessly, I will not be ashamed!
She put on her wedding dress layer by layer. In the candlelight, the gold thread shone brightly, and the intricate embroidery formed auspicious patterns of dragons and phoenixes, just like her beautiful wishes for the future.
After putting on her wedding dress, she sat in front of the dressing table and carefully applied her makeup. She wanted to be an extremely meticulous bride and would not allow any mistakes in her makeup.
She drew her eyebrows several times, but was never satisfied. She wiped them off and drew them again. Finally, she was satisfied. She smiled, stuck a yellow flower on her eyebrows, and gave herself a charming smile in the mirror.
She had a lot of jewelry, all kinds of priceless jewelry, but she picked out a set of silver head ornaments that Xiao Xiao gave her on her fourteenth birthday. He said he had made it himself with a silversmith.
It was very beautiful and was the best gift she had ever received in her life.
No, that's not right. The best gift she had ever received was given to her by God, that man with picturesque features, her Xiao Xiao.
(End of this chapter)