Reborn, the daughter of the Marquisate went crazy

Chapter 279: It is better not to see each other than to see each other. How can love be compared to

Yingxueju on Jinxiu Street.

Inside the bedroom, the scent of agarwood curled up, and the candlelight flickered red. Xie Qingli had finished her bath, and her moon-white, soft, smoke-lined nightgown loosely wrapped around her slender figure.

She leaned against the incense burner in the warm room, her mind racing back to the mass graves she had seen during the day. She reflected on Xie Jingyuan, the top-ranked scholar, a noble and a prominent official, while Xie Jingcheng, a fellow clan member, remained unknown and later fell ill, a life of madness. Why did the powerful Xie Jingyuan hate the downtrodden Xie Jingcheng so much, given the vast difference between the two men?

She opened her red lips slightly and whispered, "Leng Shuang, send a message to the shadow guard who stayed in Qingzhou to investigate two old things: one is Xie Jingcheng's childhood experience, and the other is the cause of his mother's death." Leng Shuang took the order and left.

Xie Qingli walked over to her desk, pen in hand, about to continue writing the unfinished homework she hadn't done that day. Just as she was about to put her pen to paper, she suddenly paused, shocked to realize that she hadn't seen Chu Yuncang since that fleeting glimpse outside Taoist Lingxu's room.

Her brows furrowed slightly, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the jade penholder. Although they exchanged secret letters daily, and he fully cooperated with her in court, following her schemes to deal with Minister Zhou, Chu Yuncang always found a thousand excuses to see her. Now he was acting so strangely. Could it be... that his master had said something to him that day? Or... that he was injured?

As he was thinking, the beaded curtain rustled softly, and Leng Shuang was already standing quietly in front of the desk. Xie Qingli raised his eyes, wanting to say something but stopping himself, and finally asked softly, "Leng Shuang, in the past few days... has there been any news from Liu Guang?"

Seeing Leng Shuang shake her head, Xie Qingli's fingertips trembled, and the wolf hair brush spread a trace of ink on the rice paper. Still unwilling to give up, she asked again, "Is everything really normal at the Prince's Mansion?"

Leng Shuang still shook her head, but she saw a hint of worry in her young lady's bright eyes. Just as she was about to comfort her, she heard three soft knocks outside the window.

The corners of Leng Shuang's lips curled up slightly. She took the cloak and tidied it for Xie Qingli, and said in a cold voice: "Since Your Highness is here, I believe he can personally answer the young lady's questions." After saying that, she stepped out without waiting for a response.

Xie Qingli suddenly realized the teasing in Leng Shuang's words, and a blush suddenly appeared on her cheeks. She rubbed her hot cheeks, calmed herself down, and then quickly moved to the window and gently pushed open the carved window frame.

Outside the window, the moonlight was melting. Chu Yuncang, dressed in a dark brocade robe, stood under the moon, his figure as graceful as a pine tree. Seeing the window slightly open, his thin lips, which had been tightly pursed, unconsciously lifted slightly, and a gentle smile spread in his eyes.

Everything seemed the same as usual, but Xie Qingli felt that there was something strange about that smile. She calmly stepped aside and Chu Yuncang climbed in through the window with familiarity.

"Li'er." Chu Yuncang spoke hurriedly as soon as he stood still: "I've been busy with government affairs recently and haven't been able to come to see you. Are you okay?"

Xie Qingli suppressed the doubts that were surging in his heart and said gently, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I am fine."

The candlelight flickered, casting a dark shadow between the two of them. Silence spread across the room like a tide, with only the sound of the clock ticking.

"I will leave Beijing tomorrow..."

"That day, Master said..."

The voices rang out and stopped abruptly at the same time.

Xie Qingli raised her eyes, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes: "The New Year is approaching, why did His Highness suddenly leave the capital?" She subconsciously took a half step forward, her voice filled with a hint of urgency: "Is there any danger?"

Chu Yuncang stared at her intently, his eyes gleaming with shimmering light, like a galaxy falling from the sky. Li'er had finally taken the initiative to show concern for him, and his heart warmed. But then he recalled Taoist Lingxu's words from the previous day, and a wave of sadness settled over him...

He wore his usual smile and spoke softly, "Several northern states have been hit by blizzards, leaving the people homeless. Father has ordered us brothers to go to various locations to provide disaster relief."

He paused, his voice even softer, "I'll bring enough people with me and be extremely careful! Besides, everyone's not in the Imperial City this time, so they'll threaten each other. So, Li'er, don't worry."

Xie Qingli's worry faded slightly, and he suddenly remembered something else. A faint smile played on his lips. "Your Highness, Lord Ding has secretly set up thirty-six shops in various northern states, providing free porridge and medicine, and settling the refugees."

She pulled out a scroll of silk from a desk drawer and handed it to Chu Yuncang. "When Your Highness needs us in the future, just spread the word that you are the owner of these shops. When the time comes, the people will remember your timely help and will surely become your help."

Chu Yuncang took the scroll and flipped through it gently, realizing that Xie Qingli was planning a strategy for him as an ally. He looked up at Xie Qingli and praised him, "Li'er is both sympathetic to the suffering of the people and well-versed in the dynamics of the court. This plan is truly thorough!"

Before he finished speaking, his peripheral vision caught sight of the pile of homework on the desk. His slender fingers gently picked up the top layer of rice paper and said, "I heard that Taoist Lingxu has found a teacher for you?"

The small calligraphy on the paper caught his eye. Though the writing style was still immature, the theory of statecraft was insightful. When his eyes fell on the last four words, "People are the foundation of the country," the corners of his lips curled up. "This gentleman is a rare talent. Li'er, learn from him well. He will surely be of great use in the future..."

Chu Yuncang's words echoed those of his master that day. Xie Qingli's heart sank, her fingertips unconsciously clenching around her sleeves. She couldn't understand why her master wanted her to learn these statecraft strategies. After all, she was only a woman, and even if she was brimming with knowledge, how could she possibly pass the imperial examinations and become an official like a man?

And Chu Yuncang…had confessed his feelings to her several times. If she had agreed to his will, she would one day be the mistress of the six palaces, the mother of the nation. Why would she need to understand all these court politics? Unless…what he said now was no longer what he had meant before?

Xie Qingli felt a pang of bitterness in her heart, as if it had been twisted. She didn't know when, but she had become accustomed to his gentle care and protection. Now that this gentleness was being withdrawn, she should naturally restrain her inappropriate thoughts and retreat into the tactful ally she had been in the beginning.

She took a deep breath calmly, forcing back the tears in her eyes. When she raised her eyes, a decent smile was on her lips, but anyone could see the bitterness in that smile.

Chu Yuncang's eyes darkened. This little girl, whom he cherished like a treasure, he knew every nuance of her expression. His Adam's apple rolled, and his hands, hidden in his sleeves, tightened and unclenched. There were some things he couldn't say, at least... not now.

He pursed his lips and smiled casually, "Li'er, I only found out when I met Taoist Lingxu that day that it was him who went to the ruined temple to collect the fragments of my soul in my previous life. He led me to have that strange dream in order to help me avoid death."

His voice suddenly dropped, with a hint of childish grievance: "In my previous life, my soul was completely destroyed, just like Li'er... I only have this life to live."

When he looked up, a glint of light flickered in his eyes: "Fortunately, in this life, I am no longer obsessed with power and position like before. Instead, I met you..."

Xie Qingli felt bitter. If he had decided to distance himself from her, why did he continue to say such suggestive words? She forced a smile and whispered, "In this new life, Your Highness will surely...get what you wish for."

Chu Yuncang gazed at her drooping eyelashes, his hand tightening and unclenching in his sleeve. He longed to hold her in his arms, soothe her softly, and tell her the secrets she couldn't bring herself to express. In the end, he simply pulled out a white jade hairpin from his bosom. The head of the hairpin was carved with a budding pear blossom, which shimmered in his palm. "When I saw this hairpin that day... I thought it suited you very well."

Seeing that she still lowered her head, he gently placed the hairpin on the table, stood up and walked to the window, suddenly stopped and looked back: "General Jiang and Brother Tingyu will return to the capital this year to report on their work, and will arrive in Beijing soon."

He paused slightly, his eyes full of tenderness: "Li'er, take care!"

Xie Qingli's dim eyes suddenly brightened. She looked up suddenly. The jade hairpin on the table was reflecting the moonlight, while in front of the window there was only a patch of clear light...