flstandardbreds Chapter 154 Leaving
Chapter 154 Leaving
Chapter 154 154 Departure
The Northern Martial Prince's Mansion.
Mu Qiu dragged her soaking wet body back to her room, feeling utterly lost. The warmth inside instantly enveloped her, making her shiver violently.
Seeing this, Mingqiao quickly went forward to help her take off her soaking wet clothes, wipe her dry, find clean clothes for her to change into, and finally set up a stove to boil some medicine to dispel the cold.
Mu Qiu was thrown into the icy pool by Chunyu Yang, and the cold air had already seeped into her body. Coupled with the effects of the medicine from Yichun Tower, her body was alternating between hot and cold, which tormented her until she had no strength left. She could only wrap herself tightly in the quilt, lean against the wall, and tremble, making painful gasps.
Mingqiao prepared the medicine and hurriedly fed it to Muqiu. After the medicine expelled the cold from Muqiu's body, it also coincidentally neutralized the effects of Yichunlou's medicine.
However, Mu Qiu had no more energy to cause trouble at this point, and fell into a deep sleep on the bed.
That night, she naturally didn't sleep well either. She dreamed of the past that had been haunting her for years—the little things she did while serving the former princess Zhan Yinghong after she married into the royal family.
Former Princess Zhan Yinghong was the only daughter of Zhan Tao, the Flying Tiger General of the current dynasty. From birth, she was extremely favored by General Zhan, who never bound her with worldly etiquette. As a result, she not only became well-versed in military strategy but also inherited General Zhan's martial arts skills, becoming an expert swordsman. Back then, it was with this swordsmanship that she defeated half of the Xuanjia Army soldiers, thus catching the eye of Wenren Qi, the deputy general of the Xuanjia Army, who recruited her into the Xuanjia Army, where she met Chunyu Yang.
And what about Mu Qiu? Orphaned at a young age, she was forced to wander like a beggar. It was General Zhan who, seeing her struggling for food with wild dogs and her utter destitution, brought her into his mansion as Zhan Yinghong's personal maid. However, Zhan Yinghong was wild and rarely needed Mu Qiu's company, and was often away from the mansion. Therefore, Mu Qiu spent a long time alone in the general's mansion until Zhan Yinghong married into the Northern Martial Prince's household, at which point Mu Qiu became familiar with her.
Mu Qiu was extremely envious of Zhan Yinghong. She envied her excellent family background, her excellent father, and her cheerful and carefree personality, but she was also fiercely jealous of her.
—She spends her days brandishing swords and spears, neither considerate nor gentle, not at all like a woman, so why is she able to marry the Third Prince, who is known as the "God of War"? Marrying the Third Prince is bad enough, but the Third Prince even promised her that there would only be one woman in the Northern Prince's Mansion.
She should feel honored and happy to be able to marry such a devoted and majestic man as the Third Prince, but Zhan Yinghong was depressed all day long, as if marrying the Third Prince was a disservice to her!
Mu Qiu was filled with hatred and resentment. While serving the heavily pregnant Zhan Yinghong, she tried to take advantage of the situation to become Chunyu Yang's woman. However, Chunyu Yang rarely returned to the manor, and even when he did, he would dismiss everyone else after entering Zhan Yinghong's room, leaving only the two of them alone, making it impossible for Mu Qiu to find an opportunity.
Until that day—
The scene in the dream was dizzying, with large swaths of bright red blood gushing in from all directions. Mu Qiu saw Zhan Yinghong's beautiful and heroic face in the pool of blood, staring straight at her, while the cries of babies echoed all around.
Startled awake from his dream, Mu Qiu patted his wildly beating heart, still shaken, and could almost hear the sound of a baby crying.
"Madam, you're awake. How are you feeling?" Upon hearing the voice, Mingqiao lit a candle and came forward to inquire.
Mu Qiu sat on the bed in a daze for a moment before she came to her senses and suddenly gripped the blanket beside her tightly.
She couldn't just give up like that. She had waited so long for Zhan Yinghong to die, and now Chunyu Yang only had her by his side. How could she give up such a good opportunity to someone else?
Since she couldn't get anything out of the Third Prince, she naturally had other options!
Mu Qiu threw off the covers, jumped out of bed, quickly dressed, and ran outside.
Mingqiao hurriedly caught up, asking anxiously, "Madam, where are you going again?" She hoped he wouldn't cause any more trouble and anger the Prince! Besides, the Night Guard was still watching…
Sure enough, as soon as Mu Qiu stepped out of the courtyard, she heard Ye Cangqiong's voice: "Miss Mu, it's late. Where are you going?"
Mu Qiu turned to look at her, a hint of coldness in her eyes: "I just had a dream that the young master was very ill. I wanted to go and see if he was sleeping soundly and if he had kicked off the covers again."
"Oh?" Ye Cangqiong, dressed in black, sat on the rooftop, the moonlight bathing him and making him appear even more ethereal and ghostly. "Miss Mu is truly devoted to the young master."
Mu Qiu gritted her teeth, turned around, and walked towards Jingxuan's house.
Ye Cangqiong did not stop her, nor did he follow her. Instead, he leaned back and lay down on the roof: "Miss Mu, please walk slowly and don't rush."
Upon arriving at Jingxuan's room, Mu Qiu looked up and saw the night watch maid standing outside the door. She wondered why the maid wasn't serving inside, so she pushed the door open and went in as usual.
Before her hand could even touch the door, the maid stepped forward and blocked her way, saying:
"What brings Miss Mu to the young master's room so late at night?"
Upon hearing the address of "maid," Mu Qiu's face contorted instantly, and she clenched her fists tightly. She hadn't expected that in just a few hours, the news of Chunyu Yang's expulsion from the Prince's residence had already spread throughout the entire manor!
"I just had a dream that the young prince was very ill. I wanted to go and see if he was sleeping soundly and if he had kicked off the covers again," Mu Qiu said, bringing up the same excuse once more.
The maid said, "The young master has been taken back to his room by the prince. With the prince taking care of him, things shouldn't be as Miss Mu thinks. Miss Mu, please go back."
What? The Third Prince took them away?
Mu Qiu stared wide-eyed in disbelief. The Third Prince had never slept with the young prince before, so why was he making an exception today? Had the prince become so wary of her?
Having missed her target at Jingxuan, Mu Qiu had no choice but to turn back the way she came. As she walked, a sudden thought struck her as she stepped onto a long flight of stairs. She stopped, looked around, and tentatively called out:
"Night Guard? Are you there?"
Only the endless night responded to her.
Great! Ye Cangqiong isn't here! Mu Qiu was overjoyed and immediately turned and rolled down the stone steps.
If she broke her leg, given the Third Prince's temperament, he certainly wouldn't let her leave like that! That way, she could legitimately continue to stay in the Prince's residence!
Mu Qiu closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the excruciating pain to strike him, but what he received instead was a long sword.
Ye Cangqiong pressed the hilt of his sword against her back and said, "Miss Mu, I have warned you before, you must be careful when you walk."
The plan failed again, and Mu Qiu nearly collapsed on the spot. She had no idea how she got back to her room. Once there, she just sat there in a chair, too exhausted to do anything more.
The rooster crows three times, the water clock drips, and it's dawn.
At the same time, the voice of the night sky also arrived:
“Miss Mu, it’s dawn, and the money is ready. Let’s set off now. I’ll personally see you off.”
Mu Qiu shuddered and finally couldn't hold back any longer, bursting into tears.
Ye Cangqiong didn't urge her, and stood outside the door with his sword in his arms, waiting. After a long time, long enough for the sunlight to fall on the eaves and reflect a dazzling light, she finally came out of the house carrying a small bundle.
"Have you packed your luggage?" Ye Cangqiong glanced at the bundle in her hand and asked.
"I don't have much to take with me anyway, so... let's go," Mu Qiu said in a hoarse voice.
Mu Qiu and Ming Qiao left through the back gate of the Prince's mansion. She had been in the mansion for seven years, rising from a maidservant to a concubine—a significant transformation she had always been proud of. However, only now did she realize that she hadn't changed at all since seven years ago.
She was never accepted or acknowledged by the Northern Martial Prince's Mansion.
Looking back one last time at the eaves and green tiles of the Prince's Mansion, Mu Qiu, though filled with reluctance, ultimately had no choice but to step out of that door.