frightfiction Chapter 790 You Go to Qingshan Villa
Chapter 790 You Go to Qingshan Villa
The old prince glanced at the crowd and said in a deep voice, "You will pack up tomorrow. The day after tomorrow, I will send someone to send you to the manor. Ding Chun has already made arrangements for you."
"Are we going to Qingshan Villa? Is my sister back?" Ling'er didn't bother to pick up the chopsticks. She leaned forward with her hands on the edge of the table. Her round little face flushed with excitement, and her almond eyes sparkled with anticipation.
She recalled the happy times she had last year practicing martial arts and playing with her sister in the farm, and all the way to Jian'an County, and the smile on her face grew even bigger.
"Is there unrest in the capital?" Princess Jing keenly caught the deep meaning in her husband's words. Her brows were deeply furrowed and several wrinkles appeared on her forehead.
She knew the man who had been with her for decades too well. If it weren't for an emergency, he would never send his family away at this time.
"Yes, the Prince of Yan is back!" Prince Jing's voice was soft, but it stirred up a storm in the hall. Princess Jing's Buddhist beads clenched violently in her hands. Princess Hong took a deep breath and almost knocked over the bowl of soup in front of her.
"So fast?" The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law said in unison, their voices filled with surprise and secret anticipation.
Suddenly, they flashed back to that snowy night over a decade ago, when Prince Yan, after more than ten sleepless days, rushed back from the border, his face filled with sorrow and despair. They also remembered the situation when their family was forced to leave the capital; it was no exaggeration to say that they were escorting prisoners.
Now, thinking of the Prince of Yan returning, she felt that her great hatred would be avenged. Her skinny fingers trembled uncontrollably, and tears streamed down her fair yet slightly aged face.
"I won't leave! I will guard the palace and see who dares to come in." Princess Jing suddenly straightened her back, her silver hair shining like metal in the candlelight.
She slammed her hand on the table, making the teacup clink. In those eyes, which seemed to have seen everything in the world, burned with a fire of determination.
“Stupid!” Prince Jing slammed the white jade cup in his hand heavily onto the rosewood tabletop. The nectar in the cup splashed out, leaving a dark mark on the dark red tablecloth.
His eyes swept across his wife's stubborn face, but his voice softened a bit: "All three of you go, go to Qingshan Villa."
When he turned to Ling'er, his tone was already somewhat coaxing: "Ling'er, help your grandmother Wang take good care of your mother and aunt, and don't let your sister worry."
Ling'er straightened up when she heard that. She remembered her sister saying that her aunt had so much morning sickness that she couldn't even eat her favorite sour plums.
She thought of Sister Xi's gentle smile as she touched her head and said, "You're going to be an adult!" before leaving. The little girl suddenly felt a weight drop on her shoulders, yet an inexplicable surge of courage welled up within her. She nodded vigorously, the pearl hairpins in her bun swaying with the sound. "Don't worry, Grandfather Wang. Ling'er will remember this."
Prince Jing caught a glimpse of his wife's expression softening, and he took the opportunity to hold her withered hand. The calloused palms of their two people rubbed against each other, conveying the tacit understanding formed over decades.
"If the princess stays in the capital, the king and Bang'er will not be able to do anything freely." He lowered his voice so low that only his old wife who was standing nearby could hear it. "Maybe the grandchildren will be born in Qingshan Villa, and the princess will need to be there to take charge." As he said this, he pressed hard on his wife's palm, and the heat from his fingertips penetrated her skin and reached her heart.
Princess Jing was startled, a flash of realization flashing through her cloudy eyes. She looked at her daughter-in-law's bulging belly and thought of her second daughter-in-law, who was also pregnant.
If she insisted on staying, she would not only become her husband's weakness, but might also bring trouble to her two unborn grandchildren.
After realizing this, her straight back suddenly lost its strength, but in the next moment she regained her amazing spirit: "I will go, and I will definitely protect them well." She said this in a firm tone, as if it was not a promise, but a vow.
"Don't worry, everything will be as normal there. Just let them rest and take care of their pregnancy. Princess, please take care of yourself." Prince Jing looked at his wife's resolute expression, and suddenly the scene when they first met appeared in front of his eyes.
That spring, while hunting, his arrow strayed and struck a tree in front of her, thus introducing him to the princess. The willow leaves by her temples, her heroic presence, remained in his memory for the rest of his life. Now, in the candlelight, he seemed to see the shadow of that bright young woman again.
When he turned to Princess Hong, the old prince's tone softened a lot: "Those two manors and Daqing Mountain are all our people now. Don't be afraid, Qingshan Manor will not be affected by the disaster.
Ding Chun said in the letter that he had set up three layers of protection at Qingshan Villa, so not even a fly could get in.
"I understand, father. Your daughter-in-law is not afraid." Princess Hong took a deep breath and gently stroked her abdomen with both hands, as if to comfort the baby in her belly.
She remembered what her husband said in her ear the night before he left, "I'll come back and name the child," and suddenly she felt full of strength.
She picked up the now-cold chicken soup and drank it all in one gulp. When she raised her face, there was no trace of fear left. "I, your daughter-in-law, will take good care of my mother and my brother and sister-in-law, and wait for my husband's swift triumphant return. Please take care of your father, too. The two grandchildren cannot live without their grandfather."
Prince Jing nodded slightly and looked at the dark night sky outside the window.
The words on the secret letter from the night before were still fresh in his mind—the elite troops of Jian'an County had quietly stationed in Qingshuihe Village and Daqing Mountain. Everything was ready, just waiting for the east wind.
He stroked the jade ring on his thumb, which was a token given to him by the late emperor when he made military achievements in the northern border more than 30 years ago.
More than ten years later, this game of chess has finally come to an end.
...
The night dew from the grasslands dampened the tent's felt. Jing Chang'an sat cross-legged at the tent's entrance, the dagger in his hand gleaming coldly in the moonlight. The word "Jing" on the hilt had been rubbed to a shine by his caressing, yet it remained like a key, unable to unlock the locked door deep within his memory.
"Guard Jing, you don't want to sleep again?"
Shilifa, who was almost eleven years old, rubbed his eyes and crawled out from under the woolen blanket, running to him barefoot. The child had been particularly close to him since he brought him back to the tribe when he was dying in the swamp three years ago.
Jing Changan put away his dagger and wrapped his fur coat around the boy's thin shoulders: "You shouldn't have run out barefoot when you have the strength to do so."
"I dreamed you left." Shi Lifa, the boy who had once called himself "Heizi," squatted in front of him. "Just like the last time you had a headache and said you were going to fight the Tartars."