Vaguely, she still remembered.
It was that early morning.
When Dongfang Yinuo and her entourage were leaving.
The sky was a hazy gray.
Amidst the misty rain.
Xia Jingning only saw them off to the city gate.
Going any further.
It would be beyond the boundary she should abide by.
This outcome.
Was it not the best?
Watching the backs of that group of people fading away in the distance.
Xia Rui looked at his son beside him and merely let out a soft sigh.
"Let's go back. Your legs have endured a lot in the early years. If you stay any longer, your leg injury will flare up again."
Xia Jingning nodded.
He turned his horse around.
And rode back into the city.
His back.
Fully showed his dejection.
Xia Rui lowered the curtain of the carriage.
When he turned around, he saw his wife who seemed to have something to say but hesitated.
"My lady, I know what you want to say. It's all in the past. It's our Jingning who didn't have the fortune. Now that things have come to this, just as the elder said, it's all his own doing. He deserves it."
"Jingning is such a poor child. His leg—"
"Jingning is a proud child. It's just one leg. He would never show his weakness to others."
"My lord, why don't you plead with the elder? The elder is extremely powerful. Look, she was able to find Ning'er for us. If the elder helps, Jingning's leg should be saved."
Xia Rui gave his wife a deep look.
Seeing that his wife still looked confused.
He could only say, "You're so stupid."
"My lord?"
"Do you think that a person like the elder can't tell that there's something wrong with Jingning's leg? Even though he seems normal on weekdays, he still reveals some clues when walking occasionally."
"My lord, what do you mean?"
"My lady, if this elder were really a kind - hearted but ineffective person, do you think she could be written into the genealogy of the first clan of our Hailing Country?"
"The elder is kind, but not foolishly kind."
"Look at the elder. Although she sent Ning'er back to us, she has also paid the price she should pay. From now on, Ning'er has no choice but to rely on us for the rest of her life. The elder let Ning'er live. Firstly, it's to fulfill our old couple's dream. Secondly, it's to let her spend the rest of her life in remorse."
The woman was shocked.
"How could the elder?"
Xia Rui quickly shook his head.
"We should be content, my lady."
So.
Even if the elder knew that there was something wrong with Jingning's leg and even if she had the means to cure it, she didn't interfere.
The woman sighed.
Her voice was a bit hoarse.
"Maybe it's all fate."
The duke was right. They should be content.
For them, this was already the best outcome.
Zhao Shuning and her entourage.
Took a waterway.
After they all got on the boat.
Dongfang Yinuo had been in a low mood and rarely spoke. But fortunately, although she was willful, she still showed respect to Zhao Shuning as a senior.
Since she didn't feel well, Zhao Shuning asked Dongfang Yinuo to go into the cabin to rest first.
She herself stood on the deck at the front of the boat, staring blankly at the boundless sea.
Luo Qiu walked closer.
She said, "Miss seems to be quite kind to the little princess of Dongzhou."
Zhao Shuning glanced in the direction of the cabin.
She smiled and said, "It's not really kindness. I just think she's pitiful. Besides, we all have our own agendas on this trip to Dongzhou. Helping her is just a matter of convenience."
"I don't think there's anything pitiful about the little princess of Dongzhou. She has been doted on by her mother and uncle since childhood. Even her father is in awe of her. She has lived a life of luxury since childhood. Compared with those who struggle to make a living in the mansion, the little princess is quite lucky."
When Luo Qiu said this.
Her thoughts seemed to go back a long time ago.
Zhao Shuning naturally understood that the person Luo Qiu was comparing with the little princess of Dongzhou was herself in the past.
"Xiao Qiu, you only see the surface."
Zhao Shuning shook her head.
Her expression was serious.
"I don't understand, Miss."
Zhao Shuning said, "You've lived for so long and have been focusing on making plans. Naturally, you don't know much about the intrigue in the palace."
"Dongzhou is different from the other seven countries. In Dongzhou, men are respected. But among the direct descendants of the Dongfang Clan, the little princess of Dongzhou is the closest one. So the people of the Dongfang Clan naturally dote on her."
Luo Qiu was puzzled, "Miss, doesn't this just prove that she's living a happy life?"
"Of course not. I've learned something about the situation in Dongzhou from Dongfang. In Dongzhou, everyone thinks that the Dongfang Clan is extremely powerful. But the king of Dongzhou doesn't have the surname Dongfang. The common people also think that the king of Dongzhou is extremely cowardly. Even his own daughter doesn't take his surname but follows her mother's. Xiao Qiu, think about it. Even in an ordinary family, a man can't accept this, let alone in the royal family."
"But I heard that the king of Dongzhou really dotes on the princess of Dongzhou."
"Dotes on her? In my opinion, it's not. Dongfang Yinuo is not so much the most beloved little princess of the king of Dongzhou as the most useful chess piece of the king of Dongzhou, the most useful move for the king of Dongzhou to bring down the Dongfang Clan."
In recent years in Dongzhou.
It has become more and more chaotic.
Although Luo Qiu also played a small role in this.
But the key lies in the king of Dongzhou. The Dongfang Clan is cautious but powerful. He can't bring them down directly, so he can only use the power of the common people.
So.
After the queen gave birth to the little princess, he took the initiative to let her take the surname Dongfang. On the one hand, he flattered the general of the Dongfang Clan. On the other hand, he also made the common people in the world think that the Dongfang Clan was being overly arrogant and didn't put the royal family in their eyes.
"After Dongfang Yinuo was born, the king of Dongzhou really treated her very well. He almost gave her all the best things in the palace. I heard that even if the crown prince in the Eastern Palace liked something, as long as the little princess of Dongzhou took a fancy to it, the king of Dongzhou would take it away and give it to Dongfang Yinuo."
"If he didn't do this, how could he create enemies for the Dongfang Clan?"
"And if the queen hadn't failed to give birth to a son, do you think the crown prince in the Eastern Palace would have fallen into the hands of people with other surnames?"
"Miss, do you mean that even the crown prince in the Eastern Palace was arranged by the king of Dongzhou long ago?"
Zhao Shuning nodded.
"I just think so. The more I learn about Dongzhou through Dongfang Yinuo these days, the more in awe I am of the king of Dongzhou. I hope these are just my wild guesses."
Otherwise.
The water in Dongzhou was too muddy. If they wanted to find out the news of the spiritual soul, they might be greatly disturbed.
"The human heart is really terrifying."
"Xiao Qiu, you should know that the hidden arrows in the gentle embrace are far more hurtful than the arrows in the open fire."
Killing with kindness.
It was the most unoffending but also the most hurtful method.