kvmb Chapter 275 has now come true in 11 of them.
Chapter 275 has now come true in 11 of them.
Their eyes met, and as they looked into each other's eyes, the emptiness in their hearts was finally completely filled, as if they had gained infinite power.
Sheng Junyao took out a silver hairpin from his pocket, the end of which was a cluster of pear blossoms.
He gently pressed on one of the pear blossoms, and the hairpin separated, revealing that it was hollow.
He closed the silver hairpin again and personally inserted it into her hair.
"This silver hairpin contains a special material, making it much harder than ordinary silver hairpins. It can be used for self-defense. When I ordered this hairpin, I only thought I could give it to you on your coming-of-age ceremony, but I didn't expect it to be a few days late."
Li Duan reached out to touch the silver hairpin in her hair, a smile unconsciously playing on her lips. She asked softly, "So, is this considered a token of our love?"
"Yes, but this is only the first one. There will be many more to come."
"Really?"
"Of course it's true."
Li Duan's lips curled up even higher, but she couldn't help but lower her head, not wanting him to see her reddened eyes.
Sheng Junyao looked down at the slight redness in the corners of her eyes, then lowered his head and placed a light kiss on her hair.
I wish time could stand still at this moment.
No matter how reluctant we are to part, we still have to say goodbye.
The guards sent by the emperor to accompany Li Duan are still there, so Sheng Junyao cannot stay any longer.
After Sheng Junyao left, Lu Yangyang returned from the Princess's courtyard. Li Duan dug a heavy box out from under her bed.
"What is this?" Lu Yangyang asked.
Li Duan laboriously opened the box, revealing a thick stack of silver notes, land deeds, and house deeds inside.
She pushed the box towards Lu Yangyang, "This is my dowry from my mother. Besides banknotes, there are many shops and lands, some in other places, but most of them are near the capital."
“If I can stay in the capital, I could spend all this money in several lifetimes. But if I leave, even if the Princess’s mansion isn’t seized, the assets under my mother’s and my names might be taken back. It’s hard to say what I can keep. Help me sell everything I can, and keep the money with you. You might need it in the future. When I go to Northern Yan, the Ministry of Rites will provide a dowry, and the palace will also give me rewards. That will be enough for me.”
Having made her decision, Li Duan no longer hesitated. "My mother once told me that if I ever faced a real predicament, I should first try to hide money, as much as I could, just in case I needed it. Back then, all I could say was, 'With my mother here, I will never have that day!'"
“But you see, life is unpredictable. Now I understand why my mother, even though she thought I was incredibly stupid, always talked to me so much, telling me that it didn’t matter if I didn’t understand, but that I had to remember it. She probably already guessed that one day I would have nowhere to go because of my background, and that even she wouldn’t be able to protect me.”
"Now they have all come true."
It's hard to imagine that just a few days ago, Ritsu was the enthusiastic and spoiled young lady, but now, facing such a predicament, she is able to calmly and rationally think about how to leave herself a way out.
Growing up is always painful.
Lu Yangyang took the box and gave her a razor blade.
“This is the first knife I bought with the money I saved up. It has accompanied me through many, many things. Because of this knife, I was not afraid of anything back then. But this is not a knife to kill people; it is a knife that has saved countless lives.” Lu Yangyang placed the blade in Li Duan’s hand: “I don’t know if luck exists, but as the saying goes, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. This knife has saved many people and should have a lot of luck. You take it with you and wait for me to come find you.”
Li Duan looked at the blade in her hand. She had seen Lu Yangyang's knife before, and she said it was called a scalpel.
It was her most treasured possession.
Li Duan gripped the knife handle tightly, her nose stinging with tears, yet she felt incredibly at ease.
In this room, all the little moments she shared with her mother over the past ten years seemed to flash before her eyes. Mother, can you see? I will be fine. I am not alone. I still have friends and loved ones. I will listen to you and bravely move forward. Don't worry about me too much, just a little bit.
……
On the Emperor's birthday, the Emperor had an imperial edict read aloud, bestowing upon Li Duan the title of Princess Zhaohe and marrying her to Helian Jue, the Prince of Northern Yan, as his queen. The marriage procession traveled north with the envoy.
Princess Nalan Yunyan of Beiyan was left in the capital, and a wedding was arranged on a chosen day.
The marriage procession was about to depart, and the Ministry of Rites rushed to prepare the dowry. Finally, on March 20th, they set off from Beijing to head north.
With the departure of the foreign missions, the Northwest Smallpox Case was fully launched.
His Highness Zong Ke has been under house arrest in the Ministry of Justice's prison for some time. The Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review are jointly investigating the case. There are witnesses and physical evidence, and all the evidence points to Steward Ji in His Highness's residence. This is enough to prove that His Highness is indeed involved in this matter. However, His Highness has refused to admit it from beginning to end. He insists that Steward Ji is using his name to do wrong things outside and that he was unaware of it.
Despite having already admitted that His Highness had instructed him to do everything, Steward Ji suddenly recanted his confession during the confrontation between the two. He burst into tears, saying that he had been forced to do everything and begged His Highness for forgiveness. Then, he suddenly bit into the poison hidden in his mouth and committed suicide.
The case has thus reached a stalemate.
The emperor was furious and had no choice but to order the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice to continue the investigation. However, the prince was found to have misjudged people and was suspected of being involved, so he was placed under house arrest in his residence for half a year.
The case caused quite a stir in the early stages, but ultimately it just fizzled out. Although many people involved in the case have been convicted, the Crown Prince, who was most deeply implicated, was only placed under house arrest for six months due to insufficient evidence.
Many people in the government expressed their dissatisfaction, but the case is still under investigation, and there is nothing they can do even if they are dissatisfied.
……
In the residence of the Crown Prince.
The weather was already quite warm in early April, but the Crown Prince was still wrapped in a fur-trimmed cloak as he sat on the railing and threw fish food into the lake.
Watching the fish in the lake rush over to snatch the food.
A pretty palace maid came over, holding a bowl of medicine in her hands. She knelt down beside him and presented the medicine to the prince: "Your Highness, it's time to take your medicine."
The prince glanced down, pinched some fish food, and threw it into the medicine bowl. "After drinking this for so many years, I'm still a cripple."
"Sister, how do you think Ah Que has been feeling these past few years?"
The palace maid reluctantly put the medicine bowl aside, reached out and took the prince's cold hand, gently massaging it: "It is my lack of skill that prevents me from curing Your Highness. Your Highness, let's return to Miao territory. Beyond Miao territory, beyond Crescent Mountain, it is no longer part of the Great Zhao. There are exotic flowers and rare herbs everywhere there; perhaps we can find a cure. I went there briefly last time and heard some news."
"What news?" the Crown Prince asked.
"It is said that there is a celestial physician on the fairy island in the East Sea, but no one has ever seen him. I heard that the little fairy physician on the fairy island has been to Crescent Moon Mountain."