newbobooks Chapter 456 Turning danger into good fortune
Chapter 456 Turning danger into good fortune
"who are you?"
Miaomiao looked at the woman opposite her.
After all, she came out of the palace with her, and her behavior was suspicious, so it wouldn't be unreasonable to ask her.
Consort Shen did not reply to her, but stared at her intently.
so similar!
The little girl looks just like Princess Yuqing.
Especially those phoenix eyes.
She not only resembles Yuqing and King Jing, but also somewhat resembles her deceased child, Xiaoba.
Is she of royal blood?
Then look at Lu Qingyao, who is calling for her mother.
The mother and daughter didn't resemble each other at all, and they didn't seem to look like Jiang Yunze either.
Consort Shen quickly came to a conclusion.
This little girl is either Princess Yuqing or the illegitimate daughter of Prince Jing.
No wonder the Emperor often asked her to play chess and even bestowed upon her the title of Princess Mingzhu.
No wonder the Empress valued her so much and even entrusted her with taking the young imperial grandson out of the palace.
It all made sense.
They are clearly blood relatives.
Looking at the little girl whose eyes resembled her son's, Consort Shen thought of her son's tragic death.
Thinking that although he had survived and left the palace, he realized that...
But he was all alone and homeless.
I felt sad again without realizing it.
Lu Qingyao looked at Shen Zhaoyi, who was staring at her daughter, seemingly lost in thought.
He coughed and said, "Your Highness, Consort Zhao..."
Then realizing he couldn't address her that way, he immediately changed his address and asked, "Madam Shen, I've already had someone send out the letter and tokens you gave to General Shen. Shall I send you back to the Shen family now, or do you have somewhere else to go?"
“No, I will not go back to the Shen family.” Consort Shen immediately refused.
She bit her lip and remained silent for a while before speaking: "There is no more Shen Yue or Consort Shen in this world. You can call me Sixth Sister. I don't want to go back to the Shen family, nor do I want them to know that I am still alive. Can you take me in for a few days? I want to wait for an answer."
She couldn't avenge her son herself, but she would wait and see what would happen to them.
That night, she really wanted to stab Consort Chen to death and then die together with her.
Ultimately, reason prevailed.
She died just like that, without avenging her family. Prince Chen might even use this as an excuse to cause trouble. What about her brother? Will he really turn against her because of her death?
She cannot die; she must help Princess Yuqing escape.
She wanted to see the fate of that mother and child with her own eyes.
She couldn't risk returning to the Shen family; that would be a crime of deceiving the emperor. She didn't know how her father would view his daughter, who had faked her death and escaped, now that she was worthless.
They changed her name and married her off far away.
Still fearing discovery by outsiders, they sent her to the estate, where she would never leave for the rest of her life.
She dared not gamble on how much love her father truly had for her.
In that family, the only person she could trust was her brother, Shen Lu.
Perhaps she can never be a daughter of the Shen family again.
That's fine too.
Miao Miao's eyes widened as she stared blankly at her mother and the woman who claimed to be Consort Shen, her jaw nearly dropping in shock.
Consort Zhaoyi?
Consort Shen!
She actually brought back the imperial concubines from the palace.
She looked at her mother and blurted out without thinking, "Is she the one who died in the fire last night?"
Lu Qingyao quickly covered her daughter's mouth and gave Shen an awkward smile.
“My child is a bit naughty, please don’t mind him, Sixth Sister. If you don’t want to go back to the Shen family, come back to Lu Garden with me. I’m living independently in an outer house with my child. There are only a few people in my family, so no one will bother you. You can stay here with peace of mind.”
"Thank you!" Consort Shen nodded slightly, her eyes full of gratitude.
That's what she thought too; she'd stay here first and then make other plans after seeing her brother.
Another point is that she is very curious about this Lu Qingyao, as she has never seen a woman like her before.
How did Lu Qingyao manage to raise her child and start her own business, even after the Lu family's decline?
Before entering the palace, she was also a lively and active person.
After being sent to the palace by her father, she became a caged bird and a parasitic flower. It had been five or six years since her last visit home, and she had almost forgotten what the outside world looked like.
In the palace, she was quite capable, assisting the Empress in managing the six palaces.
But once she came out, aside from her status as a daughter of the Duke's mansion, she was just a helpless orphan who knew nothing.
Looking out from behind the curtain lifted by the breeze.
The city is bustling with activity, with a constant flow of traffic and faces lining the streets.
It felt like we'd met in a past life, as if from another world.
It's so close, yet so far away.
She felt lost and confused, unsure of what to do next.
Turning around, his gaze met Lu Qingyao's.
For some reason, she seemed to see a light in the mother and daughter.
The look in Lu Qingyao's eyes was something she had never seen before.
Even in the eyes of the bright and flamboyant Princess Yuqing, she had never seen warmth, confidence, carefree spirit, or resilience...
It's rare to see such a look in a woman's eyes.
It's both unpredictable and reassuring.
Lu Qingyao felt a little embarrassed by Shen Zhaoyi's gaze.
It seemed as if Consort Shen had lost her soul.
She looks like a delicate beauty, but she's not very lively. Her spirits and complexion aren't good, and she likes to stare blankly at people.
They were in a daze.
It seems the palace is no place for humans; it has ruined a perfectly good girl like this.
Fortunately, this former imperial concubine no longer needs to set foot in the imperial city.
It should be fine after some rest.
As for not wanting to return to the Shen family, she could understand.
Even if the Duke of Shen were to send his beautiful daughter to the palace, he probably wouldn't dote on her that much.
Not all parents in this world are as good as her parents.
……
Miaomiao pricked up her ears to listen to the two talking.
The carriage suddenly stopped.
It wasn't until a commotion came from outside that she snapped out of her daze and lifted the curtain to peek out.
"Mother, there are so many soldiers outside, so many..."
They lined up neatly, each carrying a weapon, and headed towards the palace gate.
The people on the street couldn't get out of the way in time, and several of them were thrown out.
That's the style of a traitor.
What is this going to do?
She had been in the capital for so long, and this was the first time she had ever seen such a scene.
It's like going to war.
Something big is going to happen...
She quickly released the little red bird and shrank back to her mother's side.
"Mother, will the princess and the others be alright?"
"No." Lu Qingyao was very certain.
She traveled thousands of miles, transforming her elite troops into a caravan to bring them back from the border, all for this day.
Prince Chen finally lost his temper.
Consort Shen clutched her handkerchief tightly, her heart pounding with anxiety, fearing these people had come to arrest her.
She was even more worried that her brother might not have received her letter, or that something might have happened to him.
Because she had just seen that among the group of rebels, there was actually a contingent of imperial guards.
She recognized the Imperial Guard's armor at a glance.
The Imperial Guards appeared, but his elder brother, who was the deputy commander, was nowhere to be seen.
Consort Shen grew anxious: "Madam Lu, have the letters been sent out? Is the person who sent them reliable? Did they personally deliver them to my brother?"
"Don't worry, it's been sent out." Lu Qingyao was anxious inside, but she didn't show it on her face.
Logically speaking, regardless of whether Shen Lushou received the news or not, Mu Yunji has returned, and the Imperial Guards shouldn't cause any trouble.
Judging from this situation, either someone in the army has rebelled, or Mu Yunji has other plans.
The carriage was stopped on the side of the road and could not move.
Only after the soldiers left did the streets begin to move again.
The carriage suddenly stopped.
Xiuxiu caught up on horseback, tossed the reins to Jiang Ziyan, and stepped onto the carriage.
"Auntie, there are other people inside..."
Before Jiang Ziyan could react, a figure lifted the curtain and entered the carriage.
They didn't even have time to mention that the lady from the palace was inside.
"Sister, something terrible has happened! General Shen has been poisoned! There's a traitor in the army! A detachment of the Imperial Guards has defected!" Xiuxiu said in one breath, lifting the curtain to meet Shen Zhaoyi's gaze.
She then discovered that the younger sister of General Shen, whom she had just mentioned, was still in her older sister's car and had not yet been sent back to the Shen family.
"What kind of poison? How is my brother? Take me to him quickly!" Shen Zhaoyi rushed forward and grabbed Xiuxiu's arm anxiously.
"I beg you."
“He’s not dead… General Shen isn’t dead.” Xiuxiu pried her fingers apart.
I can't stand seeing women crying and looking pitiful.
Xiuxiu patiently comforted him, "Your brother is fine. Someone poisoned General Shen's tea, but coincidentally, Zhou Mu noticed that the person was acting suspiciously and followed him. That's how he stopped General Shen from drinking the poisoned water. I heard that he only drank one sip and then spat it all out. Lord Mu even found a doctor for him. He should be alright, so don't worry."
After hearing this, Shen Zhaoyi sat back down with relief: "Good...it's good that everything is alright..."
But then she suddenly realized something.
Lord Mu?
Has the Duke of Shen, who holds military power, returned?
It's not that there are constant battles on the frontier; Lord Mu was also poisoned and injured.
Looking at Lu Qingyao, whose face was as calm as still water, she asked in surprise, "Has the Duke of Shen really returned to the capital?"
"Mm." Lu Qingyao nodded.
She didn't know about Mu Yunji and Prince Jing's plan at first; she was only asked to help lead the three thousand elite troops back to the capital.
Thus, a large and impressive caravan was formed.
Along the way, they dealt with many bandits and outlaws, and even recruited a band of bandits who robbed the rich to help the poor.
It wasn't until the day of departure that Mu Yunji was spotted.
Consort Shen took a deep breath, thankfully she had believed Yuqing's words that night.
Fortunately, she is still alive.
Otherwise, the Shen family might really be on a path of no return.
However, it was Zhou Mu who saved his brother.
She remembered the man's name.
It was because of that illegitimate daughter of the Jiang family that Zhou Mu broke off the engagement with Ninth Sister, causing her to be ridiculed by all the noble ladies in the capital.
She was too afraid to even leave her house on ordinary days, so she had no choice but to marry down or marry far away.
I don't know if we'll ever meet again in this lifetime.
Miao Miao was also surprised by her godfather's return to Beijing.
Whenever a commander-in-chief of an army secretly appears in the capital, or in situations like today, something big is bound to happen.
Although I don't know what will happen next.
But with his godfather, a great general, and his father, the chief minister, around, those rebels couldn't cause any trouble.
This should be called "the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."
She has only been in this world for a few years, she hasn't grown up yet, she hasn't had enough fun, she doesn't want to die, and she doesn't want any of her relatives to die.
The newly appointed princess has not yet had the chance to act with impunity in the capital.
Xiuxiu didn't have time to explain and directly told the driver to leave quickly.
She continued telling her elder sister what she had found out: "I just passed by the Lu residence and saw Prince Chen's men arresting people. They were arresting the families of important officials in the court. Prince Chen led his troops and those officials to the palace, under the pretext of 'purging the court of corrupt officials.' Right now, the palace gates are probably completely surrounded."
"How is the Lu family? What about my parents and sister-in-law?" Lu Qingyao was shocked.
Miaomiao also worriedly went over to her.
Since my maternal grandfather returned, the Lu family's defenses have become extremely tight, especially the guards and servants, who are constantly being made to practice martial arts by my maternal grandfather.
My maternal grandfather couldn't fight by himself, so he would watch them fight and give them pointers when he had nothing else to do.
It's not so easy for rebels to get in.
Xiuxiu: "They are all fine. I saw that the soldiers trained by the old master are comparable to those in the military camp. Those rebels didn't even enter the gate, and their target wasn't the Lu family."
"That's good. Did you see which direction they went?" Lu Qingyao breathed a sigh of relief.
It shouldn't be the Lu family. My father has retired from the military and handed over his military power. There are no Lu family members in the court. My eldest and second eldest brothers are guarding the border.
The Prince of Chen arrested her family members; who can he threaten?
If she were Prince Chen, her targets should be the Mu family and Prince Jing.
The Mu family!
Lu Qingyao and Xiuxiu exchanged a glance.
"Quickly, let's go to the Duke's mansion." Lu Qingyao didn't care about anything else and prepared to have someone send Consort Shen and the two children to the Lu residence, while she herself got off the carriage.
Shen Zhaoyi had no objection; she trusted Lu Qingyao's arrangements.
She had heard people say before that even the servants in the Lu family were skilled in martial arts, so there was probably no safer place than the Lu family.
Miaomiao didn't want to be left at home again, so she clung to Lu Qingyao's sleeve and wouldn't let go: "Mother, I want to go, I'll go wherever you go."
Lu Qingyao hesitated for a moment, but still lifted her daughter onto her horse.
The streets were already in chaos, with children crying, shouts for help, and even curses.
A group of people, whether real or fake rebels, took the opportunity to rob and kill people.
Xiuxiu lashed out with her whip, sending the man flying a great distance, blood splattering everywhere.
Seeing this, the others fled in panic.
Miao Miao was terrified, having not seen such a bloody scene in a long time.
She gripped her mother's hand even tighter.
Although she always manages to escape danger, she is still a child at heart. Without Xiaobai, if she were to try to escape, she probably wouldn't even be able to outrun a dog.
She regretted coming along, feeling that she would be a burden to her mother.
I'm thinking about how I can help them.
How can she fully utilize her special abilities? She's been using them for so long that she's almost forgotten how.
"Miaomiao, don't be afraid, your mother is here." Lu Qingyao subconsciously wanted to cover her daughter's eyes, but it was too late.
Xiuxiu's movements were too fast.
And the little girl, who was clearly trembling just now, suddenly opened her eyes wide and looked around, and even started blowing her bamboo flute.
"What are you doing?"
"Mother, do you think I can summon the little white wolf like this? Or summon something else to bite these people to death?"
Lu Qingyao: "...What is that?"
It's broad daylight, and we're in the city. Even if Xiaobai heard us, she wouldn't come.
but……
What's that dark, heavy thing on the horizon?
Are those dark clouds? They're moving so fast, and they're heading towards the imperial city.
Getting closer and closer.
Lu Qingyao unconsciously pulled on the reins and stopped.
Look up.
Birds, so many birds!
It flew towards them.
It hovered and circled in the air.
There were even little red birds chirping among them.
……