Quick Wear: Under the Skirt, All Beings Are Equal

Chapter 181 Young General: It's getting late, and the mountains and rivers are already winter

Seeing that Chang Qing didn't say anything, the minister looked at Nangong Yunran for help again, but as soon as he turned his eyes, the icy spear came a little closer to him.

Chang Qing chuckled and said, "Disrespecting the princess is a violation of the royal dignity. According to the laws of our dynasty, the punishment is fifty strokes of the cane and a fine of one hundred gold coins, or even the death penalty."

When she just came in, she heard the minister from the capital being extremely disrespectful to Nangong Yunran and acting arrogantly, which led to the scene at the beginning.

"General, there's no need to get angry with this kind of person."

Nangong Yunran looked at the minister who was so scared that he almost peed his pants. A hint of disgust flashed in his eyes, and he pulled Changqing back to take back the gun.

No matter what, this person was sent by the capital to announce the imperial decree. If something unexpected really happened here, I'm afraid someone in the court would take advantage of the situation to target her general.

"The imperial decree was announced yesterday. Why don't you get out of here? If I see you disturbing the Fifth Princess again, I will not recognize you with my gun."

After hearing what was said, the minister took a deep breath and walked out in a panic, even tripping over his left foot and almost falling.

"Did you have a grudge against him in the past?" Chang Qing asked.

Nangong Yunran nodded gently: "This man is Nangong Xishuang's second uncle, and he is very close to the Crown Prince. After you left the capital, the Crown Prince came to see me, but I rejected him at that time because I didn't want to be involved in the fight between him and the Second Emperor."

"After the news of your death came, the capital city was undercurrent. I plotted against the crown prince once, and I think he must have hated me at that time. Now that he has the chance, he will inevitably come to me and add insult to injury."

Nangong Yunran briefly explained the general situation, with a slightly hesitant tone, drooping eyelashes, his eyes fell on Chang Qing's clothes, and said gently: "General, I am not as harmless as you think. I am scheming and I framed you step by step."

"At the Spring Court Banquet, I knew that Nangong Xishuang was going to humiliate me on purpose, so I played along and made her lose her father's love. I knew that your power could protect me, so I deliberately got close to you. Later, I schemed against my second brother, the crown prince, and Nangong Qingyang. Even when I left, I still schemed against the queen, using her feelings for me and her daughter who died young to get her to intervene in the fight for the throne."

After he finished speaking, there was silence all around.

Nangong Yunran had wanted to tell the person in front of him these things for a long time, but he had too many concerns, so he kept it in his heart.

She clenched her palms tightly, and her nails dug into her flesh without her feeling any pain. The biting cold wind brought more and more snow to her face, which scratched it painfully.

Nangong Yunran only heard a soft sigh from above his head. His heart suddenly tightened and his body shook unconsciously, almost falling.

In the end, I was disappointed in myself.

Her eyes gradually filled with tears, and the mist made it difficult for her to see clearly what was in front of her. She wanted to hold them back, just like she had done countless times when she was bullied as a child, but her heart ached so much that she almost couldn't breathe.

But she had to say these things. This man protected her everywhere and even stopped the marriage for her regardless of the emperor's will. She didn't want him to be deceived by her like this.

Suddenly, she felt a warm touch on her palm. Chang Qing gently opened her hand and said, "You pinched it and it's bleeding. Ask the doctor to come and prescribe some ointment. I already knew all this. I just feel sorry for you for having to do everything you can to protect yourself in that environment, even taking medicine all the time."

"I remember one time when we were out together, you looked at the kid flying a kite with envy in your eyes. In the end, you said that because of your health, you had never been able to run so freely. If you had a choice, I believe no one would make themselves take medicine all the time and suffer from illness."

Nangong Yunran was slightly startled, and tears rolled down her cheeks.

How could she not remember? The boy asked her to wait for a moment, and soon he bought a kite and put it in her hand. He ran forward with the kite, then slowly let go, turned around and smiled at her.

It was not March, but the bright sunlight poured down, illuminating the surroundings so brightly that her heart trembled uncontrollably.

"Xu Jin Huan."

"Well, don't cry."

There was a little bit of snow on the boy's head, and his eyes were like the shining stars in the night sky. He reached out his hand to help her wipe away her tears. There was a layer of calluses on his fingers, and when he gently stroked Nangong Yunran's delicate face, it felt a little itchy. The warm touch penetrated into Nangong Yunran's flesh and blood along the boy's fingers.

She tilted her head slightly, looked at the boy's clear jawline, reached out her hands to hug his waist, and put her ear against his cold clothes.

"General, will you marry me?"

"it is good!"

Chang Qing agreed with a smile. She knew what Nangong Yunran was afraid of. The imperial court ordered them to return to the capital, and they must be holding her accountable for destroying the marriage between the two countries.

Nangong Yunran leaned in Changqing's arms, feeling the embrace gradually warming up. She was afraid that this man would face a bloody storm when he returned, and she would not be able to have anything to do with him until her death.

She gently closed her eyes and said, "General, I like you, whether you are a rock or a rush."

Nangong Yunran smiled and felt that he was a little greedy.

In fact, she knew that this man treated her so well only because she was his fiancée. If she had not gotten this marriage by accident, she would have been like Nangong Qingyang, unable to attract this man's attention.

Nangong Yunran had no answer in her heart as to the word "like", and she had never expected it. She had even found it difficult to survive, so how could she have the mind to think about love between men and women?

She just felt, or even thought, that someone as inconspicuous as herself would not be liked by others. There were too many women who were better than her, and there were countless women with stronger family backgrounds than her. But there was one person who came with a tender heart.

He is not a gentle person, but he always thinks carefully about himself.

Chang Qing listened to Nangong Yunran's words for a while before he hummed softly.

"Ranran, I will protect you."

Xu Jinhuan likes you too.

As for Chang Qing himself, even though he was just a passer-by, he truly felt pity for this woman and wished her happiness and health, and that someone would understand her and care about her well-being.

"Go and rest first. We'll be leaving later."

The people sent from the capital this time were just to ask the two to go back, and there was no mention of any punishment they would receive after returning.

After Changqing and Nangong Yunran simply packed up, they set out on their journey back to Beijing. After leaving the border, the wind and snow gradually subsided. Since Nangong Yunran was in poor health, Changqing asked someone to escort her back slowly, while he went ahead.

The crisp sound of horse hooves echoed throughout the streets and alleys, and with a ding, they stopped at the gate of the general's mansion.

The Shen Ce Army surrounded the General's Mansion tightly. Now seeing Chang Qing coming back, the person in charge of supervising the General's Mansion stepped forward and bowed slightly.

"General Xu, I am following your orders. I hope you won't blame me."

Chang Qing nodded slightly and stepped into the general's mansion.

The servant who was sweeping the yard saw Chang Qing and rubbed his eyes in disbelief, fearing that he had seen it wrong. Only when he was sure that this person was standing in front of him did he throw away the broom in his hand, jump up happily and run to the back, shouting as he ran:

"The general is back, old lady, two ladies, the general is back..."

Chang Qing bent down, picked up the broom, and gently swept away the remaining snow in the yard.

The capital city is different from Yangzhou. Although there is snow, it is always more poetic and picturesque. The sparse snow prints the rouge color all over the city. You can always hear the voices of girls playing and scholars gathering together to recite poems and compose couplets. Even the wind does not hurt people's faces like it does at the frontier.

After a while, Xu Qiongyin was seen running out in a hurry. Her black hair spread out and drew beautiful arcs in the air with her movements. She was not wearing any gold hairpins or jewelry. She must have just woken up and was wearing very thin clothes.

She stood not far away and slowly stopped. Looking at the boy sweeping the snow with a broom, her eyes instantly became wet and she shouted with a choked voice, "Little brother."

The young man turned around slowly, holding the broom with his jade-like fingers, and then swept it one last time, then walked over with the broom in his hand.

"Second sister, this is not like your usual image as a lady in the boudoir." Chang Qing said jokingly.

"It's really you. You're really still alive. Do you know how worried my elder sister and grandmother are about you? When the clan sent a message to me, they said that mother almost cried her eyes out."

Xu Qiongyin walked forward, stretched out her fingers and gently rolled up her sleeves, then slowly clenched her green fingers into fists and swung them towards Changqing.

"You bastard boy, I haven't beaten you for so many years, I think you don't know your own limitations."

When Xu Qiongyin heard the news of her brother's death, she almost fainted. She couldn't believe it at all. She even wanted to rush to Wancheng with her weapon in hand to kill all the bandits to avenge her brother. It was her grandmother who stopped her.

She usually pays the most attention to her image. She looks gentle and just like a lady who has never been involved in worldly affairs. However, her personality is even more explosive than the eldest sister of the Xu family. The main point is the sense of contrast.

Chang Qing dodged easily, occasionally letting Xu Qiongyin punch him a couple of times to vent his anger.

"Brat." Xu Qiongyin cursed with a smile, then withdrew her hand and slowly straightened her dress, acting like a lady from a noble family again.

Immediately afterwards, Changqing saw the eldest sister of the Xu family walking out supporting her grandmother.

After a brief reminiscence, Old Lady Xu said, "A few days ago, news suddenly came that you had snatched the Fifth Princess back and then threw out the people of Jiang State. His Majesty then sent the Shen Ce Army to surround the General's Mansion, allowing only entry but not exit. Even the daily necessities of the mansion had to be delivered by others. I think they wanted to use us as hostages to force you to come back."

Chang Qing was not surprised by this, as this was a tactic often used by the imperial court.

Even though Chang Qing came back, the Shence Army still had no intention of leaving.

At night, the moonlight became increasingly colder, and the sky was dotted with stars. Grandma pushed open the door of the study with her cane, holding a bowl of steaming porridge in her hand.

"Grandma, why are you here?"

Chang Qing stood up with a little surprise, and turned the charcoal fire with a stick. The flickering flame flickered like an ever-burning candle, and then the study gradually became warmer.

Grandma smiled and said, "I can't sleep at my age. I saw that your study was still lighted, so I went to make a bowl of porridge for you."

Chang Qing also smiled knowingly, then picked up the bowl and drank the porridge mouthful by mouthful.

"The Xu family's ancestral motto is to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country, but we never emphasize blind loyalty to the emperor, nor will we participate in any struggle for imperial power. What we have protected for generations are the people living on this land."

"Since the first Duke Xiao, the children of the Xu family have been buried in the battlefields for generations, some with thousands of arrows piercing their hearts, some fighting alone, and no one has ever retreated. Even in the ancestral temple, where there are densely packed ancestral tablets and plaques representing honor hanging above them, there have been female officials who have held the fourth rank.

They were once extremely prominent, with military generals fighting on the battlefield, being granted titles of nobility and appointed as prime ministers, and civil officials in charge of the official salt power of three provinces and six states. They were powerful and once as rich as a country, but they also declined. However, no one has ever been weak-willed. The ancestral teachings have become more and more profound, and the family rules have become more and more numerous. The only thing that has not changed is that they learn martial arts to defend their country, and learn literature to plead for the people, and they are worthy of heaven and earth. "

"Child, you are just like the ancestors of the Xu family. Grandma knows that you don't want to be involved in the imperial power, but she has to. The marriage between Li and Jiang is ruined. Liangzhou is the land of my Li country. The people of Li have lived there for generations. Even if we sow seeds, what grows is the food of Li. How can we let it be a shame for another country to occupy it and force the princess to marry."

“No matter what the cost, the Xu family will follow you.”

Grandma didn’t know what the final outcome of the Xu family would be. It was even possible that the current emperor would be furious and the family would be confiscated and exterminated.

But just like grandma said, they are worthy of heaven and earth, and worthy of the people.

It is said that having an old person in the family is like having a treasure. Grandma seldom takes care of things on weekdays, but she knows everything very well. After chatting with Changqing for a while, she went back to rest, yawning.

In just a short while, a layer of snow had fallen on the eaves and the ground outside.

"I'm old, and my old bones can't take it anymore."

The old lady spoke while leaning on a cane. Her gray hair looked even paler in the moonlight. Her back was slightly hunched. The sound of the cane hitting the snow one by one was somewhat suppressed.

She also talked to the old lady who followed her into the Xu Mansion, saying that she was going to visit some of her old sisters and occasionally chat about some old friends, and there was inevitably regret in her tone.

Old Mrs. Xu's life was quite eventful. She was born into an extremely noble family, had a generous personality, and was very capable. She could be said to have the script of a heroine in a cool novel.

Even if you pick any one of her sisters, you can't finish telling their stories even if you spend three days and three nights telling them.

Chang Qing watched her figure gradually disappear. The insignificance of human beings is like a drop in the ocean in the long river of history. Every understatement may be a person's magnificent life. How many people want to leave this understatement, and the successive pursuers want to be recorded in history, which is heavier than Mount Tai and lighter than a feather.

So many things from ancient times to the present are all talked about and laughed.