The Splendid Brocade of the Painting Physician – Chapter 154

Chapter 154: The First Encounter with Lu Lingxuan

As soon as Xiao Jinyu said this, the men were terrified and retreated. At this moment, Ling Ye, holding a sharp sword, drew a cold light across the sky, illuminating the night with a chilling white. In an instant, one of the men was dragged by Ling Ye to stand before Prince of Lanling and Xiao Jinyu.

“Speak! Who ordered you to come here and falsely proclaim the imperial edict?” Ling Ye asked sharply.

The man’s face turned pale with fright, his whole body trembling. He stammered for a long time before uttering a few words: “It’s, it’s, it’s Grand Commandant Han… Spare me, hero! Spare me!”

“Go back and tell your master, if he dares to offend again, I will not show mercy!”

“Yes, yes!”

Ling Ye released his grip, and the man immediately stumbled forward, running away. The rest of the men fled in panic!

Gao Changgong ordered Zhao Wu to take a guard and follow the fleeing crowd.

Ling Ye picked up the imperial edict that had fallen to the ground and handed it to Xiao Jinyu.

After reading it, Xiao Jinyu’s eyes lit up with understanding. She then handed the edict to Gao Changgong.

Gao Changgong sighed and sneered after reading it: “Indeed, it is not Gao Zhan’s handwriting. These people even dared to forge an imperial edict!”

“Changgong, do not trust others easily!”

Thinking of the original host’s memories from her past life, Gao Changgong drank a cup of poisoned wine given to him by the later ruler, Gao Wei, without even thinking. His loyalty and bravery did not receive any reward, yet he stuck to his principles!

If she couldn’t change some of his thoughts, he would be easily targeted by those people!

Feeling her concerned and slightly worried gaze, Gao Changgong’s heart warmed, and he nodded.

“Don’t worry, A’yu. From now on, I won’t… It’s just that you just married me, and you have to face danger with me again and again.”

His eyes revealed a hint of guilt and distress.

“It’s not danger, it’s sharing weal and woe!”

As soon as Xiao Jinyu said this, the two looked at each other and smiled, leaving the dark clouds behind and heading towards the Southern City.

“The Southern City is the current capital and imperial palace of the Qi State. There are four gates on the east and west sides, and three gates on the south side. Since the capital was moved from Xinghe, the city has been bustling with people. There are over 400 wards in the city, with at least 400,000 residents.”

“Moreover, our Qi emperor and the people also believe in Buddhism. There are over 4,000 temples around Yecheng, with more than 80,000 monks and nuns…”

Speaking of this, Gao Changgong recalled the day of the debate at Mount Fahua, where Xiao Jinyu had criticized the harm that the proliferation of Buddhist temples brought to the country and the people. He couldn’t help but smile wryly and looked at Xiao Jinyu.

“The south of the Southern City is where the common people live. Zhongtan, Qidi, Tiangong, and Yuanzisi are where the nobles reside. Prince, Princess Consort, Yonghe and I will bid you farewell here. If you have any requests, you can send us a message. We live in Zhongtan, and the Prince’s Lanling Residence is in Tiangong, right?”

Cui Heng said politely, and Prince of Lanling nodded.

He then bid farewell to Li Mi and headed north, galloping on horseback. Li Mi turned back and shouted:

“Xiao Jinyu, I, Li Mi, have said that a single promise is enough for me to travel a thousand miles. Whatever you need, I will do my best! Don’t forget!”

“Take care!”

This time, he didn’t call her “Young Lady” or “Princess Consort” but addressed her by her name. In this era, after women married, they would take their husband’s surname, and even after death, only this surname would be recorded in the genealogy. They were not even worthy of having their names remembered. Li Mi calling her by her name was a sign of his sincere respect for her.

Li Mi truly treated her as a friend!

Xiao Jinyu was deeply moved and felt a sense of joy at being recognized.

Seeing the tears in her eyes, Gao Changgong held her hand tightly and said, “A’yu, let’s go home!”

“Okay!”

As soon as Xiao Jinyu said “Okay,” Gao Changgong stretched out his long arm, wrapped it around her waist, lifted her up, and placed her on his horse. He whispered in her ear, “I’m not at ease when you’re far away!”

“But, thank you for what you did just now!”

In such a situation, no one could calmly judge the authenticity of the imperial edict. Not only him, but even the guards around him were grateful that the Princess Consort could decisively kill the person who falsely proclaimed the edict!

Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable…

“Let’s go! Let’s all go home!”

The guards were also very happy. This trip as envoys to the Southern Chen Dynasty had been full of twists and turns and dangers, but in any case, they had finally returned home safe and sound.

They were home!

After entering the city, it didn’t take long to reach Lanling Residence. Gao Changgong gave the guards a holiday, allowing them to go home and reunite with their families.

Prince of Lanling carried Xiao Jinyu into the residence. The main gate was wide open, and Steward Liu, along with a group of servants and guards, came forward to greet them. At first glance, they were all stunned to see Xiao Jinyu and the personal troops she had brought.

Prince of Lanling smiled and said, “She is my wife, your Princess Consort of Lanling, the mistress of this house!”

The servants were all a little surprised. They hesitated for a moment before saying in unison: “Welcome, Princess Consort, to the residence!”

Only one person looked a little worried. He walked up to Gao Changgong and asked in a low voice:

“But Prince, marriage is a matter decided by parents and arranged by matchmakers. Have you informed your legitimate mother about this?”

“My own Princess Consort, I decide. Steward Liu, don’t say anymore. My father has passed away, and my mother is also missing. As for that legitimate mother, she doesn’t care about these matters. I have already proposed to her Xiao family in front of everyone and vowed to marry her. The ceremony has been completed. Tomorrow, I will take A’yu to inform her about this!”

After saying that, without waiting for Steward Liu to retort, he carried Xiao Jinyu to the bedroom. Lu Yu glanced at the still dazed Steward Liu and the servants and shouted: “Hurry up and prepare hot water for the Prince! The Prince and Princess Consort need to bathe and rest. We traveled day and night, rushing for more than ten days to get back to Yecheng from Pengcheng!”

“Yes! Yes!”

“Let me attend to the Princess Consort!”

A’xiu hesitated for a moment and then ran off with the other servants.

There were mostly men in this Lanling Residence. How could the lady do without a maid by her side?

Lu Yu also ordered some rooms to be prepared for Ling Ye and the dozen or so personal troops he had brought to settle in.

Fenghuang was still unhappy. After bathing, he, as usual, went to sleep on the roof.

This night finally passed without any incidents!

Those who returned fell into a tired sleep after bathing, and everything became peaceful and beautiful again!

…

But Lu Lingxuan in the Northern Palace did not have this peace and beauty. When she saw the group of timid people kneeling in front of her, a complex expression appeared on her face.

It was neither a smile nor anger.

She was also a person who was very good at hiding her anger, so often, unusual calmness represented unusual anger.

“A fifteen-year-old girl actually scared you all out of your wits!”

“Prince of Lanling didn’t kill you but let you all come back?”

Just these two extremely gentle and calm sentences made the people kneeling below lower their heads even further in fear.

“Mother—” A young man with his hair tied in braids walked out from behind the curtain and said in a low voice, “Prince of Lanling has taken his Princess Consort back to the residence. We couldn’t kill him along the way. Besides his Princess Consort being a ruthless person who knows how to use thunder fire bombs, there is also a group of personal troops that the woman brought with her. There aren’t many of them, but each one is a top-notch fighter!”

Lu Lingxuan glanced at her son, Mu Tipo, with a hint of surprise: “More personal troops?”

“Yes, Mother. And what should we do about tonight’s matter? We thought that with Prince of Lanling’s loyalty and bravery, he wouldn’t doubt the imperial edict. As long as he was willing to dismount and receive the edict, our people could kill him like they killed Prince Sima Yun of Huainan during the Western Jin Dynasty. Then we could find someone to take the blame for Prince of Lanling’s death. But his Princess Consort seemed to see through our plan and stopped Prince of Lanling from dismounting to receive the edict. She acted decisively and shot the person who delivered the edict!”

Lu Lingxuan raised her eyebrows, her eyes narrowed slightly, and an unfathomable smile appeared on her lips.

“Xiao Luan really left her a considerable fortune. She hid her daughter for so many years. I thought she was just an exceptionally beautiful woman who served others with her beauty. I didn’t expect her to be such a decisive and resourceful person…”

As she spoke, she suddenly stood up and said coldly, “Very well. After so many years, it’s good to meet such an opponent. Let’s see who can laugh last and become the most powerful person in the Northern Qi court!”

After saying that, she looked at Mu Tipo.

“Leave those who falsely proclaimed the imperial edict to Palace Attendant He. He will know what to do!”

✿✿✿

Mu Tipo’s face lit up with joy: “Yes!”

“Also, it’s time to let the Yingyang Zheng Clan give them some trouble!”

“Mother, you want that Zheng girl to…”

“The Yingyang Zheng Clan was originally considered a strong supporter of Gao Changgong. Zheng Daozhong even wanted to marry his eldest granddaughter to Prince of Lanling to form an alliance. But now that the news of Prince of Lanling marrying the Xiao girl has spread from the Southern Chen Dynasty to our Qi State, the Zheng family will definitely be angered. The friendship in this world is born out of interest. Since they can’t become in-laws, they can only become enemies!”

“This is Gao Changgong cutting off his own arm. We can’t be blamed!”

“Yes! Mother!”

Thinking of Gao Changgong’s extraordinarily handsome face, Lu Lingxuan felt a pity. She had thought of winning him over and making him one of her admirers. Even Empress Hu had had such thoughts. But a person like Gao Changgong was simply unyielding. Not only was he not interested in women, but he also looked down on them.

Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but chuckle: No, now it seems that he is not completely uninterested in women.

✿✿✿

After a dreamless night, a new day arrived quickly. As soon as Gao Changgong opened his eyes, he habitually looked towards the person beside him. But seeing the empty bed, he got up in a panic and searched around the bedroom.

He rushed to the dressing table and was pleasantly surprised to see Xiao Jinyu sitting in front of it, with A’xiu helping her wash and comb her hair.

Hearing the footsteps, Xiao Jinyu turned to look at Gao Changgong.

“Changgong, you’re awake!”

Gao Changgong nodded with a smile and strode over, embracing her in his arms: “I thought you were gone again! It’s good that you’re here!”

“Sorry for worrying you, Changgong!” She didn’t expect that incident to leave such a deep shadow in his heart. Xiao Jinyu felt even more guilty. She reached out and stroked his face, saying, “We’ve just arrived in Yecheng, and there must be many people who want to see us. I want to dress up well, at least not lose in terms of presence.”

Gao Changgong found it amusing and couldn’t help but feel touched. He then noticed that she had indeed dressed up today, different from usual.

At this moment, she was wearing a long, light purple dress made of soft silk gauze. Her long black hair was adorned with only a single hairpin given to her by Xiao Xian, revealing her graceful and fair neck. She looked both elegant and gentle like a Southern woman and possessed an unyielding aura.

“You’re beautiful even without dressing up!” He couldn’t help but say.

“You’re going to enter the palace to see your Qi emperor today, right?” She asked and then suddenly requested, “Changgong, let me go with you!”

“No—”

Seeing the worry in his eyes, she added, “Don’t worry, I won’t let your Qi emperor fall for me! Trust me!”

“Today, I’m going to settle the score with your Qi emperor for what happened along the way and seek justice for you.”

After saying that, she added,

“And by the way, I’ll take a look at your grandmother, Empress Dowager Lou’s, illness…”

Hearing the words “look at illness,” Gao Changgong’s eyes lit up.

“A’yu, you’re saying that my grandmother’s illness might still be treatable?”

“I haven’t seen her yet, but where there’s a will, there’s a way. I’ll do my best!”

Gao Changgong couldn’t help but embrace her again and kissed her cheek, which still bore the scar from the arrow wound. He said in a hoarse voice, “A’yu, thank you!”

“So, Changgong, let me go to the palace with you!”

A’xiu watched from the side, feeling both embarrassed and touched. She thought: The lady finally married a good husband who treats her well, unlike her who chose the wrong person and ended up regretting it for life.

But, who wouldn’t love someone like the lady?

…

As Gao Changgong led Xiao Jinyu by the hand towards the gate of the residence, he saw a dozen or so armored soldiers standing outside. The gate was also crowded and bustling with noise. It seemed that the news of his return to Yecheng had spread, attracting many people to come and watch.

Xiao Jinyu couldn’t help but brace herself. At this moment, a young man in white, wearing a black-patterned narrow-sleeved Hu attire, ran up to her and looked her up and down with great curiosity.

“Fourth Brother, this is the woman you brought back from the south. She is indeed extremely beautiful, but it’s a pity that there’s a flaw in this beauty. Why is there a scar on her face? Was she injured along the way?” After saying that, his tone revealed great regret.

Gao Changgong immediately stepped forward, blocking the young man’s view.

“Yanzong, she is your Fourth Sister-in-law!” His tone was stern and warning. Then, he introduced Xiao Jinyu, “This is my Fifth Brother, Gao Yanzong, whom I told you about!”

Xiao Jinyu nodded. The original host’s memory of this young man’s appearance was very vague, but she had a certain impression of his name: When Gao Changgong was given the poisoned wine, the original host had asked Gao Yanzong to quickly plead with Gao Wei to retract the order. Unfortunately, his tearful plea did not gain Gao Wei’s sympathy.

After the Northern Zhou conquered the Northern Qi, Gao Wei fled, and Gao Yanzong’s generals made him the new ruler of the Northern Qi.

Unfortunately, he was also defeated and died in the end!

Seeing Gao Changgong’s nervous look, the young man couldn’t help but click his tongue, sighing inwardly: Fourth Brother is really protective of this woman. At first, when he heard those rumors from the south, he didn’t believe them. Now it seems they are true!

“Fourth Brother, you really used the entire Cizhou kiln as a betrothal gift to marry her? That’s…” He lowered his voice and whispered in his ear, “That’s the emperor’s property. You’ll be inviting death upon yourself! And, you married her, what about the Zheng girl? That young lady has admired you for a long time and insists on marrying only you!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a young woman in a long emerald green gauze dress ran out from among the guards, her eyes gazing at Gao Changgong with affection.

“Xiaoguan, you’re finally back!”

The young woman smiled brightly, and when her eyes glanced at Xiao Jinyu, a hint of amazement and gloom flashed through them. However, when her gaze fell on the arrow scar on Xiao Jinyu’s cheek, a subtle, almost imperceptible smugness appeared.

As she looked at Xiao Jinyu, Xiao Jinyu also looked at her.

This was Zheng!

Gao Changgong’s legitimate wife in his past life, who had accompanied him throughout his life.

After Gao Changgong’s death, she became a Buddhist nun and never cared about worldly affairs again.

In her past life, Zheng had always played the role of a virtuous wife, but after the original host entered Lanling Residence as a concubine, she repeatedly made things difficult for her and even tried to sell her to Empress Dowager Hu while Gao Changgong was away. Fortunately, one of Gao Changgong’s guards sent him a message, allowing him to arrive in time and save the original host’s life.

This showed that Zheng was a woman who was very good at pretending.

Gao Changgong was completely unaware of this. He just nodded politely and then took Xiao Jinyu’s hand: “We returned to Yecheng at midnight last night and haven’t seen the emperor yet. We’re going to enter the palace to see him now! If you don’t have anything else to do, please disperse.”

Just as they were about to leave, Gao Yanzong stopped in front of him and asked, “Fourth Brother, you’re taking her with you?” He then reminded him in a low voice, “Fourth Brother, don’t take her. She’s too beautiful! Just leave her in the residence! Don’t worry, Fourth Brother, I can help you protect her!”

“Xiaoguan, Yanzong is right. She’s too beautiful. Taking her to the palace will bring trouble. It’s not good for you or her!”

Zheng Yue also ran over and said with concern.

Her words sounded particularly sincere. Gao Changgong was already worried that entering the palace would cause trouble for Xiao Jinyu. After thinking about it for a while, he said to Xiao Jinyu, “A’yu, why don’t I go to the palace alone? I know you’re actually worried about me. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine!”

Xiao Jinyu thought for a moment and saw that more and more people were gathering outside the residence. She nodded.

“Alright. But, Changgong, if the emperor makes any requests, just agree to them for now!”

Gao Changgong nodded and then rode towards the Southern City’s imperial palace with Lu Yu.

Note: Gao Changgong, name: Gao Su, also known as Xiaoguan, courtesy name Changgong

Many people should know this, but I’m still afraid that some might not, so I’ll explain it here, hehe.