"Princess Zhenbei actually had an affair with another man under the prince's nose?"
"Yes! Now the whole capital is full of rumors, saying that the man used his identity as an aide of the palace to behave intimately with the princess in the palace, and they were so incompatible!"
A gentleman-looking scholar was holding a bamboo fan and sitting in the busiest restaurant in the capital, talking matter-of-factly with the diners around him.
There was something unexpected about this in his look and demeanor, as if he too was shocked by the rumor.
The scholar at the table next to him, whose clothes were washed and faded but still neat, interrupted, "That's a bad statement."
The scholar gently shook his bamboo fan, raised his eyebrows and asked, "What does this brother have to say?"
"A few days ago, the prince and the princess went to Youzhou to control the flood. It can be seen that the friendship between the two is very good. Moreover, with the methods of Zhenbei King, how could he not know that the princess has two intentions?"
"Brother, I also said that the prince is very clever. How could he know that the prince was not thinking about his face and took the princess with him to kill her quickly?"
…
The talk in the capital about Princess Hongxing's affair with Princess Zhenbei became more and more intense, even Mu Wanjing, the Duke of Jingguo who said she was ill and could not leave home, also listened.
Mu Wanjing sat in the tub taking a medicinal bath, and the room was filled with a bitter medicinal fragrance.
Mu Liu found a folk remedy from nowhere, saying that tallow seeds can relieve itching and detoxify when used together with several other weakly toxic medicinal materials.
After using it in the past few days, the red rash on the skin has subsided, and the itching has gradually reduced, which can be considered to be somewhat effective.
"I might as well add fuel to the rumors in the capital. Even if the prince takes her out not to find a place to dispose of her as he pleases, then I will let her be accused by thousands of people when she returns to the capital, and she will be shameless to live anymore!"
Mu Wanjing was in a very good mood, swaying the bath water that had been dipped in medicine and turned dark brown, with a faint smile on her face.
"Go to the mezzanine under my jewelry box and get five taels of silver. Find an eloquent storyteller and tell a story about Mu Nanxi's private meeting with someone on the eve of her wedding. The witchcraft and the rain left traces on her skin. "Mu Nanxi softly ordered Fangxiang, who was now serving her personally.
Fengxiang is a maid born in the family. She is the daughter of Mrs. Zhang, the head of the Mu Liu Family Courtyard. She is a cautious and smart girl. After careful training, she was sent to Mu Wanjing.
"Fei'er was forced into the Bingquan Pavilion by her mother a while ago, is there any news about her?"
"I reported back a few days ago and said that she could only do the work of sweeping the yard. Aunt Mei never let her come to serve her. Aunt Mei's food and clothing expenses were personally inspected by the family owner and the people around the old lady. There was no Opportunity to strike."
A flash of anger flashed in Mu Nanxi's eyes, "Where did her enthusiasm to please Mu Nanxi go? Tell her that she can only keep one of the children in Aunt Mei's belly!"
"Yes." Fangxiang bowed in agreement.
The afterglow of the setting sun fell on the room of Hexian Inn. Mu Nanxi sat quietly by the bed, holding a small bowl of soup in his hand.
She carefully scooped up a spoonful of the soup and gently fed it into Chu Ning's mouth.
Chu Ning leaned against the bed and looked at her, her eyes slightly moist. She asked softly: "Xi'er, do you still remember what happened when you were a child?"
Mu Nanxi nodded and brought the decoction to Chu Ning's lips.
Chu Ning's eyes stayed on Mu Nanxi's face for a moment, as if looking for the shadow of the past.
"My mother used to take you alone, and those people always talked about it." Chu Ning said softly, with feelings that could not be concealed in her voice.
Chu Ning's eyes were full of sadness, "When you were six years old, the children in the village laughed at you for being a child without a father. They pushed you into the river. You choked on a lot of water and struggled for a long time before climbing onto the bank. "
Mu Nanxi can find the memories Chu Ning mentioned.
It was painful for the original owner in her memory, but when she thought of those moments of being insulted and excluded, she didn't feel much at all.
"Mom still remembers how you looked when you came home. Your face was pale, your clothes were covered with water plants, and your hands and face were scratched by stones. You only said that you accidentally fell into the river. You had a fever that night. I I stayed by your side all night, worried that you would leave me..." Chu Ning's voice and expression revealed her worry about Xiao Nanxi in her memories.
"You had a fever all day and all night. After the fever subsided, you were very weak. You only said that you accidentally fell into the river, or those children knew that you were too sick to get out of bed, and they were so scared that they told the truth. Mother. I know the whole story.”
There were tears in Chu Ning's eyes, and her slightly trembling mouth revealed distress and apology. She reached out her hand and gently touched Mu Nanxi's cheek, and an indescribable emotion surged into her heart.
Mu Nanxi cooperated with Chu Ning and smiled softly. She didn't have any trouble in her heart. She just continued to feed Chu Ning the blood-replenishing soup according to her sense of responsibility.
"In the winter when you were nine years old, I contracted a serious cold. My family had no money to hire a doctor, let alone medicine. In order to make money, you worked in taverns, washed clothes for rich families, washed dishes and chopsticks in restaurants, and worked hard to make money. I was so cold that I got frostbite..."
Tears slowly slid down Chu Ning's cheeks, and her voice was choked with sobs, as if she was recalling a heavy past event.
She took a deep breath, her voice was low and hoarse, as if she was trying to control her emotions, "And when you were ten years old..."
…
Every word Chu Ning said was like opening old boxes one after another, filled with memories of their past.
Mu Nanxi listened. At first, she only felt that she was listening to a distant story. Those old fragments that did not belong to her slowly emerged in her mind.
Those memories were like blurry pictures, gradually becoming clear in Chu Ning's words.
Mu Nanxi seemed to have seen the days she spent with Chu Ning when she was young, the laughter, tears, disputes and reconciliations. The memories in her mind slowly overlapped with the stories told by Chu Ning, as if she had experienced it herself. .
Mu Nanxi gradually began to feel a strong resonance, and her heart was deeply touched by Chu Ning's words.
Those memories are no longer fragments of the original owner's past life, but become vivid and real.
She gently put the empty medicine bowl aside, held Chu Ning's hands tightly, her eyes were slightly red, "Mom, I will protect you, and we will never have to suffer like that again."
Chu Ning smiled slightly, looked deeply at her daughter, and the last sadness in her heart also dissipated.
Thinking about it, her daughter also made thousands of choices for her, so she should not let her daughter worry.
Mu Nanxi was about to continue speaking, but was interrupted by the noise coming from outside the door.
"Song Yanei, there are really guests in this Tianzi Room. I can't kick them out!"
The door was kicked hard by someone outside and it was shaking.
"The people inside immediately pack up their things and get out of here, otherwise don't blame me for having someone tie you up and throw them out!"
