Shen Qingfeng watched Xia Chuli lying on the bed. He was leaning against the shadow at the head of the bed. In the huge room, only the intertwined and calm breathing sounds of him and Xia Chuli echoed, painting a picture of silence and desolation in the darkness.
There were a few soft knocks at the door. Shen Qingfeng paused and melted into the darkness. Only to see Qi Mengmeng holding some medicine bottles in her hand. She quietly opened the door a crack, poked her head out, looked around inside the room. After making sure there was no one there, she gently closed the door, walked to the bedside with those bottles and jars in her hand, and knelt down.
It was Shen Qingfeng who sent people to call her. But not with the excuse of asking her to take care of Xia Chuli. Instead, he asked several maids to drop some hints to her, saying that Xia Chuli had been rescued from the Sikuo Tower, seriously injured and in a coma, lying in bed for recuperation.
Unexpectedly, Qi Mengmeng came soon after hearing the news.
Immediately afterwards, a maid came in carrying a basin of hot water. She also knelt down in front of the bed. She looked at Xia Chuli with a frowning brow on the bed, then at Qi Mengmeng, and said in a trembling voice, "Miss... Why don't we go back?"
Qi Mengmeng was silent for a while and gently shook her head. Although she had a cute and innocent face, there was a hint of determination in her eyes. She slowly lifted the brocade quilt on Xia Chuli. Although she had been mentally prepared, she couldn't help but let out a soft scream when she saw the blood - soaked bandages all over Xia Chuli's body.
She didn't expect Xia Chuli's injuries to be so serious. The delicate fingertips of the young girl began to tremble. As a young lady from a noble family, she had never seen such a bloody scene before, which made her tremble all over and feel at a loss.
"Miss, what if His Highness the Crown Prince wakes up?" Xiao Qing reminded Qi Mengmeng again, with uneasiness in her tone.
Qi Mengmeng paused and said, "So what if he wakes up? I just hope he won't drive me back to the Qi family and leave me homeless."
Xiao Qing watched Qi Mengmeng who had started to slowly untie Xia Chuli's bandages, and said softly, "Miss, if we go back to the Qi family, aren't we already home?"
Qi Mengmeng gave a soft smile, with a hint of desolation in her eyes. "The Qi family... How could they want me?"
Qi Mengmeng's words were as light as catkins, but the helplessness and resentment in them were clearly heard by Shen Qingfeng in the darkness.
Things had come to this point. The two forces in Lige City had completely fallen out. In two days, it would be Xia Chuli's wedding. According to the current situation, whether the wedding would be held or not all depended on the attitude of King Xia Jie towards last night's incident in the morning court in a while.
Qi Mengmeng was just a means for the Qi family to tie Xia Chuli down. She was just a poor woman used as a pawn.
Although she had the blood of the Qi family in her veins, the Qi family didn't regard her as one of them. Just like Qi Siyu, both she and Qi Siyu were discarded pawns of the Qi family.
Perhaps in Qi Shuhuan's eyes, the most useful person to him now was Qi Yan, who was already the queen. He had used all his resources to push Qi Yan's son to be the king of Lixia. After that, he hoped that Xia Yonglin would grant him the title of Duke Protecting the Country. That would be a worthy life for him.
But did Qi Shuhuan really just want the title of Duke Protecting the Country? In Shen Qingfeng's view, Xia Yonglin was not yet an adult. If King Xia Jie passed away and Xia Yonglin ascended the throne, Qi Shuhuan's ambition was most likely to be the real power - behind - the - throne in the name of Qi Yan, as the grandfather of Xia Chuli.
On this ambitious path, Qi Siyu and Qi Mengmeng were just pawns to help him succeed, items that could be discarded at any time.
Qi Shuhuan was a ruthless man. He knew that Xia Chuli wouldn't treat Qi Mengmeng well, but he still asked Qi Yan to whisper in King Xia Jie's ear, asking the king to bestow a marriage on Xia Chuli and Qi Mengmeng, in order to use Qi Mengmeng to monitor and threaten Xia Chuli.
But what about after they brought down Xia Chuli? At that time, would they kill Qi Mengmeng, the Crown Princess, or not?
Shen Qingfeng had never thought that Qi Mengmeng, who looked small and cute and seemingly innocent, could see these things so clearly.
Qi Mengmeng and Xia Chuli were in the same boat.
Although Qi Mengmeng might not see this layer yet, and she would still be entangled and wavering between being loyal to the Qi family and being loyal to her future husband, bringing all kinds of information and news to the Qi family, just like in the past.
Shen Qingfeng watched Qi Mengmeng who was being extremely careful not to make a sound in front of the bed. Hidden in the darkness, he was as silent as a dark silhouette, quietly watching her re - bandage Xia Chuli's wounds, and then kneeling in front of Xia Chuli's bed in a daze.
This poor woman could never have imagined that although she had figured out many key things, subconsciously, she still regarded the Qi family as her home. That was why in her past life, although she had protected Xia Chuli in many cases, she still had to set many obstacles for him under the pressure of Qi Shuhuan.
Was it because she still had a glimmer of hope that the ruthless Qi Shuhuan could once again become the kind and generous father in her heart?
Her indecisive personality ultimately doomed her to be imprisoned in the Cold Palace and end her life in torture and pain.
"Miss... Let's go back quickly..." The maid advised again.
Qi Mengmeng finally made some movements. She slowly nodded and said, "Okay, Xiao Qing, let's go."
They slowly backed out and closed the door tightly again, just as they had come.
Shen Qingfeng didn't show himself from the darkness until the two of them had gone far away. He slowly walked to the head of Xia Chuli's bed and sat down.
The first ray of sunlight in the morning suddenly pierced through the dawn.
Shen Qingfeng turned to look. His eyes, which were used to the darkness, squinted slightly at the moment he saw the sunlight.
He seemed to have never thought that the sunlight in Lige could be so dazzling.
Too many things had happened last night. Now, the morning court had already started in the Shanhe Hall. He could almost guess the fierce verbal battles in the court. Although he had already told Shan Chenghuai many things and was fully confident.
In this life, he didn't give up on saving Xia Chuli. For this reason, he had to be different from his past life. He needed to do a lot of things.
For example, he asked Shan Chenghuai to draft a memorial to the throne, sentencing Gu Mingde to death on the charge of treason.
In the Shanhe Hall not far from the Eastern Palace, the people from the Prime Minister's Mansion were united against the outside world, forcing the memorial for "lingchi" to be approved. For a moment, Gu Mingde's screams and pleas became the most intense embellishment in the court.
As a result, no one paid attention to the sudden death of the deputy general of the Bingshi Banner last night. After all, everyone thought that the old man had died of internal organ failure due to excessive drinking.
No one had the mind to wonder why Xie Yun had been promoted two levels in a row, won the favor of the main general of the Bingshi Banner, and took over the position of the deputy general.
Lu Yan watched coldly in the court as Gu Mingde was dragged out screaming. Immediately afterwards, Su Huanyu presented a memorial, saying that there were too many matters in Dongzhi and he urgently needed to go back to preside over the overall situation, and requested to return to the vassal state first.
King Xia Jie granted his request.
Lu Yan closed his eyes. The letter from Xiao Qi in his sleeve seemed to be burning hot. Xu Ruhui's dissuasion still echoed in his ears, but he stepped forward and asked King Xia Jie to approve Wei Yan's dispatch of troops to support Chu Jietian.
King Xia Jie granted his request again.
Chen Luo, who was standing beside him, suddenly let out a soft laugh. The sound was soft and low, only reaching Lu Yan's ears.
Lu Yan tilted his head slightly and saw Chen Luo looking at him.
The two remaining vassal kings in Lige City looked into each other's eyes. Chen Luo's lips moved a few times, and he said in a voice that only Lu Yan could hear, "Then I'd like to ask the Marquis of Dingbei for more advice."
In the Eastern Palace, the morning sun slowly rose, and the fragmented sunlight scattered on Xia Chuli's closed eyes.
He suddenly opened his eyes. A complex look flashed across his eyes. He looked at Shen Qingfeng who was holding his hand in a panic. He was stunned for a moment, as if he had suddenly crawled out of the darkness. Immediately, tears filled his eyes, and he showed a smile that was uglier than crying.
"So you're by my side... Qingfeng..."