flstandardbreds Chapter 133 Missing Him
Chapter 133 Missing Him
(This chapter has not been updated, but the preceding chapters have been significantly revised. Those who read the earlier chapters before January 24th can reread only chapter 131.)
The next morning, the honor guard continued its march.
Zhaoming Temple is located on the mountaintop. When the group reached the halfway point of the mountain, the sky suddenly changed and snow began to fall.
The road ahead was icy, so Li Zhijing led his soldiers to clear it.
All the carriages stopped and waited where they were.
The cold wind seeped through my clothes and into my skin, making it even more biting.
Wen Qian was already weak, and now her lips were turning purple from the cold. She huddled in the sedan chair, shivering.
The eunuch, accompanied by a group of servants, lit fires outside to boil water, which was then delivered to each sedan chair.
Not long after, Wen Qian's sedan chair was knocked on.
Jiang Mian opened the sedan chair door, only to see Duan Zhi'an instead.
"Miss Jiang?"
"Master?"
Both of them were somewhat surprised.
But they quickly realized what was happening.
"Miss Jiang and Qianqian have become quite close since they became sworn sisters."
Jiang Wan smiled politely, looked at the kettle in his hand, and said, "I'm sorry to trouble you to come in person, Grand Tutor. I'll just take it in."
Duan Zhian moved nimbly and said, "Now that I'm here, I'll come in and sit for a while."
Then, without any hesitation, he stepped onto the sedan chair.
But after taking a step, Jiang Mian called him back.
"Grand Tutor, this is probably not appropriate."
"What's inappropriate about it?"
"There are many people outside. If we enter a woman's sedan chair like this, people will probably gossip about us."
Duan Zhi'an raised an eyebrow, glanced around at the palace attendants inside and outside the palace, and then smiled disdainfully: "Besides your prince, who else dares to talk about this Grand Tutor?"
Jiang Wan paused, then said, "What do you mean by 'my prince'...?"
"Between you and him..." Duan Zhian glanced at Jiang Wan meaningfully, "...never mind."
He turned and got into the sedan chair.
Wen Qian squatted on the ground, curled up in a ball, her hands on her lower abdomen, afraid that something might happen to the child in her womb.
"Qianqian?"
Duan Zhian called out softly.
Wen Qian looked up, trembling, her teeth chattering, "Uncle... Uncle..."
"Quickly drink some hot water to warm yourself up."
Wen Qian, trembling, took the cup.
Duan Zhi'an covered her icy hands and frowned, saying, "How exactly does the Pingnan Marquis's mansion treat you? In this cold season, knowing that Zhaoming Temple is on the mountaintop, they still prepared such a large sedan chair to let the wind blow around. Knowing that you are weak, they didn't even put in more warm clothing."
"Uncle, please don't be offended... The young master meant well... He knows I sometimes get sleepy... and thought I'd sleep more soundly on the journey, so he did it..."
"Alright, don't say anything yet."
"..."
Jiang Wan looked at Duan Zhi'an's nervous expression, pursed her lips, and shook her head.
The cold-hearted and aloof Duan Zhi'an probably only shows a little bit of human warmth in front of Wen Qian.
She suddenly thought, why not tell Duan Zhi'an what she had heard last night?
He was thoughtful and considerate, yet he was also concerned about his limited knowledge.
We will definitely be able to handle this matter properly.
Thinking of this, Jiang Mian rubbed her hands together, stepped forward, took a small sip of hot water, and said, "Grand Tutor, may we move aside for a chat?"
Unexpectedly, Duan Zhi'an stood up and coldly replied, "If Miss Jiang wants to ask about His Highness, it is not convenient for me to do so."
“When did I say I wanted to ask His Highness? I meant to say…”
She glanced at Wen Qian, then lowered her voice, "The Marquis of Pingnan's residence..."
Duan Zhian paused, then looked at her properly.
Jiang Wan tentatively asked, "...Today at 5 PM, would the Grand Tutor have a quarter of an hour to talk?"
Duan Zhian responded with a soft "yes," which was taken as an agreement.
Jiang Wan wasn't too surprised by his cold attitude.
In his previous life, Duan Zhi'an was a cold-hearted person. His previous patience with her was only because she was somewhat useful.
But after so many things happened later, I mostly felt that she wasn't very reliable.
This person, who always puts profit first, naturally wouldn't give her any more kindness.
They were even more indifferent.
Jiang Mian sat on the other side, not wanting to make a fool of herself.
After a while, Duan Zhian helped Wen Qian walk out.
"Where is the Grand Tutor taking her?"
“I have a heater in my sedan chair, take her there.”
"How can this be appropriate? Even if the Grand Tutor is Qianqian's uncle, those who don't know the situation will inevitably gossip..."
Before Jiang Wan could finish speaking, she saw Duan Zhi'an leading her out of the sedan chair and even using his own cloak to shield her from the wind.
Sure enough, all the soldiers around him looked surprised.
But when Duan Zhian glanced at them, everyone lowered their heads.
Except for one person.
The clatter of horses' hooves grew louder as they approached.
Li Zhijing dismounted from his horse.
"Greetings, Grand Tutor."
Duan Zhian nodded, noticing the thick blanket in his hand.
Li Zhijing asked, "Where is the Grand Tutor taking my wife?"
When Wen Qian saw him, she softly called out, "Husband..."
Her nose was red from the cold, and her little face was rosy; she looked both cute and pitiful.
Upon seeing Li Zhijing, that feeling of dependence welled up inside her again, and she reached out to take his hand.
Li Zhijing pulled her to his side and asked, "Where's Moping? Why didn't she go and get some things to keep warm?"
"She went, but the water is heating up slowly... she hasn't come back yet. Luckily, my uncle came over..."
Li Zhijing was wearing a cold military uniform, and she could only feel some warmth by holding his hand.
Li Zhijing turned his head and said, "Thank you, Grand Tutor. It's better to leave Qianqian in my care."
"General, are you neglecting your duties by not protecting the Emperor?" Duan Zhi'an asked calmly.
"I have informed the Emperor, and he, knowing that the Lady is pregnant, has granted me permission to return for a short while."
Duan Zhian gave a soft "hmm" and said nothing more.
When the two returned to the sedan chair, he turned to look at the blanket that Li Zhijing had been holding and felt a strange displeasure.
If you truly care about her, why would you hold the blanket in your hand instead of immediately draping it over her?
He suddenly remembered the other person in the sedan chair.
As if suddenly realizing something, he turned and left without saying a word.
Jiang Mian sat in the sedan chair, watching Li Zhijing help Wen Qian onto the soft couch.
She stood aside and said, "Qianqian is weak and might catch a cold. It would be best to ask the abbot to prescribe some herbal medicine after we get to Zhaoming Temple... Sigh, I don't know when we can set off."
"The road sweeping is more than halfway done, and we should be able to get there before dark today."
After Li Zhijing finished speaking, he handed the blanket to Jiang Mian and casually said, "Put this on, don't catch a cold."
Jiang Wan paused for a moment, then reached out and took it: "That's fine, if I get sick, I'll inevitably pass on my illness to her."
Soon, Mo Ping returned with a hot water bottle, and the Pingnan Marquis's residence also sent servants to deliver a thick velvet blanket.
With careful care, Wen Qian's complexion gradually improved.
Jiang Mian sat on the edge of the bed, and for some reason, she thought of Xiao Hengzhi.
He used to take care of her in the same way, always busy with her needs, afraid that she would get cold.
At that time, he was looking after a shop for someone, and he could earn some money in a month.
But occasionally he would be seen with an injury, saying that a shop was being renovated and he had accidentally run into it.
Sometimes she would ask him if he was in pain or cold.
But she only asked, and if he shook his head, she would pretend that everything was fine.
He could handle anything, and over time, she became less and less concerned about his feelings.
Jiang Wan sneezed.
I wonder if Xiao Hengzhi is thinking of her.
In short, at this moment, she was truly thinking of him.
But Jiang Mian felt that she was just thinking about him, not missing him.