It was not that Lian Yi did not consider his mother's words, if Manager Ling was not worried about the imperial court investigating, he would not have brought his wife and children's family out of the Baisha Town overnight, or perhaps they had some other reason.
The Ling Xiao Inn had always been mysterious and unfathomable. Lian Yi knew that she did not have to worry too much about it, but she still hoped that the Xiaowan and the others would be safe.
As for Ershan's letter, as expected, he asked about the situation at home. It seemed that Manager Ling had not contacted him for a long time.
But they treated Ershan as their own brother, no matter what, they would not leave him alone, and suddenly cut all contact, was it because they did not want Ershan to be involved, or was it because they were worried about his family, and did they not want him to delay his achievement?
Lian Yi was unwilling to let her actions spoil Manager Ling's painstaking efforts.
She thought about it a lot and wrote Ershan a reply, saying that she couldn't leave because she had something to do at home and hadn't been to an inn for a long time. Since she probably hadn't heard of anything, it should be that she was safe and sound.
Three days later, Ershan received a reply. After knowing that Lian Yi was alright, he was at least half relieved, and in the inn, with her brother present, he was not too worried. After all, there were no matters of injustice for Ling Chaofeng.
In the blink of an eye, it was already March.
Spring had returned to the earth, and all things had recovered. A hundred flowers bloomed in the Imperial City, and there was a luxuriant purple color.
Inside the Culture Hall, the Empress Wei Siyan was playing with the little princess who had just woken up.
A mama hurried in from outside the hall. The empress glanced back and asked, "Has the general arrived?"
The mama frowned, then shook her head. "Still not here yet. I heard that the thousand man team from Chuanyu stopped ten kilometers away from the capital. I don't know the reason."
Siyan was very uneasy in her heart. Even though her Chuanyu was far away, her brother shouldn't have been able to reach the capital after walking for such a long time.
She had asked the emperor twice, but the emperor always said he didn't know. There was also the Xiaowan.
"I feel as if the Emperor is hiding something from me. As the Middle Palace, I have my own untouchable responsibilities and also my own responsibilities for the Emperor, but I still do not know how to grasp them. " Siyan confided in her heart to the mama and let out a light sigh. "There seems to be a burden that I can't let go of on my body. He's the sovereign, so I'm afraid of him."
The mama said gently, "You're the original wife of the emperor, and the only woman to date. The emperor has also announced that you don't have six palaces under the heavens. If this servant says something inappropriate, who wouldn't be confident?"
The mama laughed and said, "After the Supreme Emperor passed away, your mother-in-law who was the successor to the Supreme Emperor and also had a beauties in the imperial harem. Even so, she lived a free and easy life. If the Emperor loves her, then she also loves the Emperor. If the Emperor abandons her, she can pretend that she has never met him. "
"Muhou, is it like this?" Siyan was stunned, "Imperial Mother dare to be so decisive towards royal father?"
The mama laughed. "Your mother-in-law said that her life is her own."
Hearing her words, Siyan suddenly remembered that Xiaowan had told her that the lives of countless women in this world were not hers.
Furthermore, she was the most respected woman in the Daqi Nation. If even she was not free, then what hope did the women of this world have?
Siyan suddenly stood up and instructed the mama, "You guys keep an eye on the Little Princess. I'm going to take a trip to the Qingming Pavilion, the Emperor can't possibly lie to me. He can't treat me like this."
Xiang Run was in the midst of reviewing the imperial reports. Seeing his wife barging in, he made a few guesses before putting down Zhu Chi and standing up to greet her. "Let's talk outside the window."
Siyan was startled. When she was brought here, the aura around her had decreased by half, and when she mustered her courage to ask the Emperor what had happened, the Emperor just smiled. "I know, I can't hide it from you."
The emperor took the initiative. Siyan pursed her lips, held in for a long time, then said, "Your majesty, please tell me everything."
Just like that, from the moment the villagers thought of his as a demon wanting to burn her to the moment Ling Chaofeng charged into the sea of flames to save his wife, he punished the commoners in anger and the people in the tavern disappeared in one night.
As for the fact that someone like Yue Huaiyin, who wasn't even worth mentioning had died, the Emperor didn't care at all. However, he continued, "On the day when the villagers were going to burn the Xiaowan to death, Ling Chaofeng had already applied to the imperial government for leave. He had also moved all the gold and silver away. His decision has nothing to do with Xiaowan being burned to death by the villagers. Something must have happened inside the Ling Xiao Inn, causing him to have no choice but to leave with his wife and children. "
Siyan's heart felt like it was being suspended by a huge boulder, heavy and painful. As the most respected girl in the world, so what?
"No matter what happened to them, he doesn't owe the Imperial Court anything. The Emperor and I shouldn't interfere in their private affairs." But setting fire to the Baisha Town … " Wei Siyan got up from her seat and knelt towards the Emperor, imploring him solemnly, "Your Majesty, can you spare them?"
"Over a dozen people were killed or injured. Whether they deserve to die or be innocent, they are all lives." The Emperor had a cold expression. "You're called me, how can you be merciful?"
"Your Majesty …"
"Yan'er, it was because Ling Chaofeng knew his own limitations that he was able to escape in one night." Xiang Run reached out to support her, "We can not arrest him, but the crimes he committed cannot be ignored."
Siyan said tearfully, her eyes lightly trembling. "They are my friends, and Xiaowan is my good sister."
Xiang Run's eyes were brimming with the aura of a monarch, but he still maintained his prestige, "And you, are still the empress of Daqi."
He paused and ordered, "Get up!"
Siyan trembled, but it revealed that she was a bit stubborn. In the end, she was pulled up by the Emperor, so she avoided his gaze and didn't want to look at him.
The emperor lightly shook his head. Ever since their marriage, the empress had been proper and proper in front of outsiders, talking and laughing generously, able to cleverly resolve diplomatic awkwardness even when facing foreign envoys. She truly had the demeanor of a Daqi Nation's mother, being impeccable.
But unloading all that, just to face him, she was his lovely wife. She had a temper, a personality, bold ideas, and was very stubborn.
Xiang Run understood that he could only force Siyan to accept this matter because it was her responsibility. She had no choice but to agree to it.
"If fate wills it, we will naturally meet again. If fate wills it, it is also the best memory of this life." The Emperor said coldly, "In the future, you will meet many other people and even more good sisters and friends. This life of yours and mine has only just begun."
Siyan didn't say anything, she just silently walked away. When she reached the door, she suddenly remembered to ask: "Where's my brother? "Why hasn't he arrived in the capital yet?"
Xiang Run was obviously angry, but he did not come for the empress. Instead, he said snappily: "Who knows where he went to."
There were no wars in the world, and Daqi were flourishing and powerful. With the Chuanyu in his hands, for over a dozen years, Wei Tengfei had never dared to slack off even a single bit.
But now, in order to find a person, he threw his group to the capital. He ignored his little sister who was waiting for him in the palace and unhesitatingly followed the river for her.
He wanted to take a look at Xiaowan. No matter whether she was safe or severely burned, he would only look at her once.
He'd left White Sand last spring and spent the whole year thinking about that sweet, smiling face of a man in his early thirties who had never been tempted by a woman and who, damn it all, had taken a fancy to a married woman.
If Xiaowan was still an unmarried big girl, he would definitely bring his great Chuanyu army to propose marriage, marry her into their family, and then love and cherish her for the rest of his life.
But she was Ling Chaofeng's wife and sister's friend, Wei Tengfei could not hurt anyone, he could only wish Xiaowan a good life from afar.
In this year, in his little sister's letter, he mentioned that the Emperor had treated her well, just like how the Manager Ling treated the Xiaowan. Seeing those words, Wei Tengfei did not know whether to laugh or cry, but his heart hurt.
Today, Wei Tengfei came to an unfamiliar town. The town was a little smaller than Baisha Town, but the people on the streets were all dressed neatly and all of them had smiling faces. It was obvious that the people here were living a life of ease and prosperity.
At this moment, it was like there was a market, it was bustling with noise and excitement. The young and beautiful young lady people, dressed in bright red, shuttled around the crowd.
"Little Pei, if you keep running, dad will get angry." Suddenly hearing the familiar voice, Wei Tengfei's heart shook, he followed the voice and looked around. In front of the windmill stall, a petite wife wearing a white blouse and green skirt picked up a child and gave him a windmill.
Wei Tengfei walked closer, and then heard a familiar voice laughing: "If you blow, he'll turn around, is that fun? What mother do you want? You're not allowed to run around, you'll end up spanking your father if you chase after him. "
"Xiaowan?" Wei Tengfei could not help but ask.
When he first met her, he remembered that she was wearing a white gown and a green skirt at the Baisha Town Market. At that time, he was so angry that his head went blank because of his sister.
When Xiaowan heard this, he turned around. She was initially afraid that she had met someone, she did not expect them to be from General Wei.
"It's really you!" Wei Tengfei's eyes quickly sized her up. She wasn't burned, Ling Chaofeng must have saved her in time, he could be at ease now.
"General …" Xiaowan said half of her sentence and did not dare to continue. Seeing Ling Chaofeng slowly walking over from the back, she held Little Pei and ran over to her husband's side.
Seeing Wei Tengfei, the center of his brows twitched, he had a bad premonition, he looked around cautiously, and the people that were moving ahead understood the meaning of his gaze, and he immediately said: "Don't worry, I came alone."
They found a place with less people to talk. Wei Tengfei said that he had come to the capital to visit the empress and wanted to give some green bean cake to Siyan to eat. He never thought that when she was empty and only a pair of unfamiliar young people were cleaning the place, he would know that such a big thing had happened. He was worried and afraid that he wouldn't be able to explain it to his sister, so he came looking for her.
Of course, not giving Siyan an explanation was his excuse.
"Those villagers are crazy." The Xiaowan laughed in a sad and cold manner, "No wonder I was beaten up when I was young. No one came from the Qingling Village to save me. But it doesn't matter, we'll never go back. "
Ling Chaofeng then said to Wei Tengfei: "I should have left before the news arrived at the Chuanyu, I have resigned from my job for the imperial government, and have sent people to deliver the money related to the Chuanyu to you, I presume I have not met you."
Wei Tengfei nodded his head: "We did not meet, but you all …."
He thought for a moment. Since they had met, he had been the one who had been speaking the entire time. Ling Chaofeng and Xiaowan only listened, but didn't say anything about what had happened to them.
And then there was the child, about two years old, who knew how to talk, called him uncle in a childish voice, and then played by himself.
He called his father, but... Wei Tengfei knew from his sister's letter that Xiaowan was also pregnant, but no matter how he looked at it, he couldn't be two years old.
"Little Pei." When Xiaowan saw his son struggling wildly on the side of the road, she pulled him into his embrace and wiped his hands.
Ling Pei leaned into his mother's embrace, looked at the tall and big Wei Tengfei, and smiled with narrowed eyes, which was extremely likeable.
"This child …" Wei Tengfei really didn't know how to ask.
"We adopted it." The Xiaowan said, "My own child is gone. In order to comfort me, my husband brought me this child."
Wei Tengfei suddenly stopped struggling, thinking that the child in Xiaowan must have died from the shock of being burned by the villagers, causing him to feel even more heartache.
They talked while they walked, and they gradually left the town. Ling Chaofeng did not want to bring Wei Tengfei to the valley, although someone would find the place sooner or later, he felt that there was no need to get involved with the General Wei anymore.
Therefore, together with the Xiaowan, they sent Wei Tengfei on his way, and asked him to pay respects to the empress, saying that they were fine. As for the emperor, Ling Chaofeng didn't say anything, he believed that Wei Tengfei would think things through on his own.
Wei Tengfei did not want to create trouble for them, and furthermore, he did not want to cause the Xiaowan any trouble.
Xiaowan heaved a sigh of relief: "Why did General Wei come here?"
Ling Chaofeng did not say anything, he brought his wife and child back to the valley, and turned to the other side. But after walking a few steps, he suddenly felt the killing intent around him, and his heart tensed up, he carried his wife and son and hid under the carriage.
In the blink of an eye, a rain of swords flew over, densely covering the carriage. After that, dozens of people rushed out from the trees on both sides.