Painting Doctor Jinhua

Chapter 192 Xiao Jiuniang's Regret, Change of Situation

After Gao Yanzong left, Xie Yuxuan cleaned Xiao Jinyu's wound again and applied medicine. Fortunately, after seven days of applying the ointment made by Xiao Jinyu, the wound gradually healed. However, the arrow wound pierced the body after all. Although it did not hurt the heart, it also caused great damage to the body. Xiao Jinyu still feels pain now, and looks pale and haggard.

Xie Yuxuan felt very distressed. After she changed her clothes into clean silk and clothes, she scolded her, "You are taking less care of yourself now. You have made such a precious and flawless body full of wounds..."

Xiao Jinyu seemed not to hear her words and interrupted, "Ah Xuan, have you mailed the letter I wrote to Chang Gong?"

"I have sent it! I know you are worried about your prince, afraid that he will be harmed by those treacherous villains!"

Xiao Jinyu said yes, and was silent for a while, then suddenly said, "Ah Xuan, please accompany me to the Dali Temple Prison!"

……

In the Dali Temple prison, Xiao Jiuniang, now known as Chen Rumeng, was imprisoned in an extremely dark and cramped cell.

Not far away, one could hear mocking and lewd laughter coming from other cells.

They were laughing at her, calling her a slut with no shame, and calling her a woman who even wanted to seduce His Royal Highness Prince Hejian. Prince Hejian was a nobleman in the royal family of Qi State, as precious as the clouds and the moon in the sky. There was a world of difference between him and a prostitute like her who was sold to Fengyue Tower!

Oh, what's the difference? But she was originally a noble lady of the State of Chen, and could have married into the royal family. There was no one she was not worthy of!

What changed all this?

Yes, it's all because of her!

Because of her appearance, because of the maid who returned to Jiankang from Qi State and was like a dazzling light no matter when and where she was, her life was completely turned upside down!

Obviously, that slave girl, that illegitimate daughter should be the one being trampled into the dirt, why did it become her?

But that woman was now standing at a height that she could not even look up to, living a wanton and proud life. Everyone doted on her, even the handsome Lanling King regarded her as a treasure. He even rejected the legitimate daughter of Zheng from Xingyang for her and would no longer accept any other woman.

Aren't these nobles in Qi all licentious and wanton? No matter how beautiful a woman is, she is still like a commodity that can be given away or exchanged at will!

Why can she meet different men?

Why does she have such a good life?

Why did all the misfortunes and bad luck befall Chen Rumeng?

Thinking of this, Chen Rumeng felt a pang of pain in her heart, her face was distorted, and she even felt a little crazy.

"I want to see Lanling Prince's Concubine Xiao Jinyu. I want to see her! Now I'm about to die. Can't I see her one last time before I die?"

She suddenly yelled at the jailer outside the prison.

The jailer outside whipped her severely, speaking with disdain and sarcasm: "Haven't you had enough of the punishment just now? You, a lowly concubine, still want to see Princess Lanling. She is a deity, not everyone can see her. I haven't even seen her, and you still want to see her!

Don't you even consider who you are?"

The jailer was muttering when two people suddenly appeared behind him. One of them was wearing a veiled hat and a dark robe. She was tall and slender and it was impossible to tell who she was. The other was a beautiful woman with a bit of heroic spirit. She was wearing a purple robe, which made her look cold and noble.

"You are?"

When the jailer saw the visitor's attire, he knew that he must be a person of extraordinary status, and asked respectfully.

The voice of Sima Maozong, the Minister of the Dali Temple, came from behind: "Someone from Lanling Palace, let them see this Chen. The two nobles have something to ask!"

"Yes!"

The jailer immediately nodded and stepped aside.

As soon as she heard that someone was from Lanling Prince's Mansion, Chen Rumeng climbed up to the iron railing and looked at the two people who were slowly approaching.

But I was disappointed that I didn't see the familiar person.

However, it was said that she was so beautiful that she shocked all the guests who attended her coming-of-age ceremony, but Chen Rumeng had never seen her true face.

"Are you Princess Xiao Jinyu of Lanling?" Finally, she turned her gaze to the person in black clothes and a veiled hat.

"I am!" Xie Yuxuan said first, and then asked sarcastically, "Are you the concubine of King Hejian, the spy who risked her life to frame King Hejian?"

Chen Rumeng laughed and said, "Spy? Oh, you think I want to be a spy. If I hadn't been forced into a desperate situation, I wouldn't have gone this far. I thought Gao Xiaowan would have a little bit of love for me when he brought me into the palace. In fact, if he had a little bit of love, I would not betray him.

I, Chen Rumeng, do not have high demands. Even if I become someone's concubine, as long as I can get a little bit of love and care, I will be satisfied. I will regard him as my husband and serve him carefully for the rest of my life.

Unfortunately, he is too cruel. Since he brought me into the Hejian Palace, he has never looked at me again and let me be bullied by the servants in the palace!"

When she said this, she smiled with self-mockery but still resentful and malicious eyes.

"I was driven out of the Xiao family and was bullied while wandering outside. Later, I was sold to Fengyue Tower by my brother. Because I refused to sleep with those dirty men, I was whipped and humiliated. Now I have come to the Hejian Palace. I thought I had found a lifelong support, but I didn't expect that I would still be bullied and slaughtered in the end.

Why can Xiao Jinyu get the best things in the world, whether it is the love of her family or the cherishment and care of men, but I can't even get a little bit of sympathy! "

After hearing what she said, Xie Yuxuan was so angry that she really wanted to slap Chen, so she sneered and said, "Chen, have you ever heard of a saying, sow good seeds and reap good fruits, and vice versa, sow evil seeds and reap evil fruits? If it weren't for your impure intentions and your many evil deeds, how could you have ended up like this?

King Hejian is not a fool, how could he not see your selfish motives?

Why do you think that you can get what others can get?

The reason why Princess Lanling is respected and loved by others is because she herself has given something, but you don't want to give anything, you just want to get something, how can God grant your wish?"

Chen Rumeng was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"You want to get something without paying anything? How do you know I haven't paid anything?" She said with a ferocious face, looking at Xie Yuxuan, "You said you are Xiao Jinyu, but why can't I see her shadow in you? Who are you?"

Xiao Jinyu asked, "Why did your brother sell you to Fengyue Tower? After leaving the Xiao family, where did you go? What did you do?"

"You? Who are you?"

Hearing this voice, Chen Rumeng became nervous and frightened. She retreated into the cell and muttered to herself:

"Leaving the Xiao family... Yes, after leaving the Xiao family, we went to find His Majesty, our uncle, but he refused to see us. He only asked General Fan Yi to take the seal of the Xiao family's military governor from my brother, gave us some silver, and then ignored us.

Later, my brother took the money and ate, drank, gambled, and even hired prostitutes. It didn't take long before the money was all squandered. Everyone laughed at us for being bastards pretending to be members of the Xiao family. They beat and scolded us, bullied us, but no one was willing to lend us a helping hand.

I said I was the daughter of Princess Chen, but none of them believed me. They laughed at me, scolded me, and insulted me. My brother was a coward and just watched from the sidelines. He didn't even say a word to defend me...

Later, we met a nobleman who said that Lord Lu of Qi was willing to take us in and give us a good place to go, so my brother took me to Qi.

But after arriving in Yecheng, Qi State, he didn't have a penny on him, so he sold me for a few taels of silver... He sold me to Fengyue Tower as a toy for people's entertainment...

After that, I met Lord Lu’s son, Mu Ti Po, who taught me how to attract the attention of the King of Hejian, how to seduce him, and force him to take me into the King of Hejian’s mansion…”

Having said this, Chen Rumeng's face was already covered with tears, and there was a crazy and cruel smile in her eyes.

"This is everything I went through after leaving the Xiao family. Are you satisfied?"

"Xiao Jinyu, are you satisfied?"

"If it weren't for you, I would still be the daughter of the Xiao family that all the noble ladies in Jiankang City fawn over. It's because of you that everything I have is ruined!"

"It's all because of you, it's all because of you..."

Xiao Jinyu remained silent and did not say anything, but a deep sadness rose from the depths of her heart. Xie Yuxuan wanted to scold her again, but Xiao Jinyu stopped her, and the two of them left the Dali Temple.

"Minister Xie is really kind. How can such a lowly woman be qualified to receive the care and attention of Minister Xie during his prison visit?"

When sending Xiao Jinyu and the other two out of the Dali Temple prison, Bi Yiyun couldn't help but come forward and smile.

"Your Majesty has promised to allow her to leave with dignity, so before she dies, please give her some dignity, right?"

The implication of this statement is to warn them not to use any dirty means to humiliate Chen.

"Yes, we will obey Minister Xie's orders!"

"It's His Majesty's order!"

Xiao Jinyu corrected in a cold voice, and Bi Yiyun said yes.

The two of them walked out of the Dali Temple's gate.

After getting on the carriage, Xiao Jinyu didn't speak for a long time, but Xie Yuxuan kept muttering: "I didn't expect that the daughter of Chen's family would be so ignorant of right and wrong, selfish and vicious, and would only shift the blame to others. It's really hard for me to imagine how she treated you in the past, and how you managed to survive under the calculations of this group of vicious people?

Such people deserve to die, sister, please don't feel guilty towards them, right?"

Xiao Jinyu said in a deep voice: "No, I just think it is not easy for women to survive in this chaotic world. When someone holds you in their hands, you can be arrogant and do whatever you want, but once the protection of this identity is lost, you will become a floating duckweed, or fall into the abyss, or sink into the mud.

No one cares anymore, life and death are not up to me! "

Xie Yuxuan felt a pain in her heart, so she hugged Xiao Jinyu and cried, "Yes! But fortunately, you are still here!"

"Fortunately, Xuan can protect herself! I feel relieved!"

Xie Yuxuan burst into laughter again and suddenly changed the subject: "However, Chen's fate today is not only due to her parents, but also to that hypocritical man Chen Xu. I will never forgive him for what he did to my sister..."

As she spoke, she looked at Xiao Jinyu seriously and said,

"Ever since Ling Ye told me this news, I have been thinking about it all the time. One day, I will lead my army south to destroy Chen. I swear to kill Chen Xu with my own hands and avenge my sister!"

When saying this, Xie Yuxuan's eyes seemed to be burning with hatred and anger, but when she saw Xiao Jinyu, her gaze became as thoughtful as a little deer.

Xiao Jinyu felt her heart tremble.

"Sister, please don't tell me about loyalty to the emperor and the country! Our Xie family has been loyal to the emperor for hundreds of years, but we didn't get a good ending. In this chaotic world, whoever can give the people of the world a stable home is the monarch who is truly worthy of loyalty. I don't think Chen Xu will be a qualified monarch. Just look at what he did to my sister, Princess Yunyin, and even his nephews and nieces... How can such a cold-hearted person love the people of the world?"

Chen Xu is indeed a cold-hearted person. How can he be considered to have a kind heart if he can even kill his own sister?

Xiao Jinyu smiled and said, "Axuan is right. I can't teach you now. Axuan has her own ideas and ambitions. I won't stop you from doing anything you want to do!"

"Really? Sister, you are so kind!"

……

At the grand court meeting the next day, Gao Zhan announced three imperial edicts in the Taiji Hall. Each one was like a thunderclap that caused an uproar in the court.

The first was to appoint Xie Zhen as the Prince's Guard Commander-in-Chief and the Prince's Junior Tutor, and to grant him a mansion and 100 taels of gold and twice as much silver.

Secondly, he ordered Hejian King Gao Xiaowan to serve as the right chancellor of Heyang Xingtai, and together with Xingtai Shangshu and Luozhou Governor Dugu Yongye, he built a military town to defend Luoyang!

The third was to strip Lu Lingxuan of her title of Princess and forbid her to enter the Eastern Palace without an imperial decree.

There was a lot of discussion in the court for a while. Although the Prince's Guard Commander-in-Chief was a fifth-rank official, he was in charge of the Eastern Palace guards and had certain military power. He was also the Prince's Junior Tutor. This meant that Xie Zhen was to be trained as an assistant minister of the Eastern Palace. It could be seen that His Majesty favored him very much.

Although sending Gao Xiaowan to Heyang made it hard to guess the emperor's intentions, depriving Lu Lingxuan of her title of Princess made people wonder whether the situation in the court would change again!

The events that happened one after another in Yecheng spread to Jinyang at the fastest speed.

Especially when he heard the news that the emperor was assassinated and Xie Zhen blocked an arrow for the emperor Gao Zhan, Gao Changgong felt a tightness in his chest and a pain as if thousands of arrows pierced his heart. An uneasy premonition had been lingering in his mind for several days, and when he actually learned the news, this fear and uneasiness made it even more impossible to sleep.

But at the same time, Lu Yu sent him another letter!

"Prince, this is a letter from the princess. I heard that Xie Zhen is fine now. Prince, there is no need to worry too much!"

Gao Changgong opened the letter eagerly and saw the following words:

"Chang Gong, winter is approaching. To protect the soldiers from the cold, Ayu has concocted a medicine that can effectively treat frostbite and knife wounds. Hejian Prince Gao Xiaowan will arrive in Luoyang soon. Ayu will hand this batch of medicine to His Royal Highness Hejian Prince and ask her to deliver it to Jinyang.

In order to prevent Yuwen Hu from breaking his promise and tearing up the alliance, Chang Gong needs to be more cautious and take care of himself.

Although Ayu blocked an arrow for the emperor, she is safe. Moreover, Ayu has gained the emperor's trust. This is a blessing. Changgong does not need to worry!

May we live long and share the beauty of the moon, even though we are thousands of miles apart. Ah Yu will wait for you to return when the New Year is approaching, and drink and have fun together with you!"

After reading the letter, tears welled up in Gao Changgong's eyes. After reading it over and over again and making sure that she was really fine, he slowly let go of the fear in his heart.

"I said that the young lady is very capable. Good things happen to people with good fortune. Moreover, she has now become the Prince's Guard Commander and the Prince's Junior Tutor, and is highly regarded by the Emperor.

Prince, don't be too scared. Believe that she will protect herself. Besides, His Royal Highness Prince Ande is here. She also has sword masters like Ling Ye and some private soldiers around her. She will be fine!"

Gao Changgong didn't speak for a long time. Although he was happy and relieved, he was secretly filled with endless regret in his heart.

If I had known this, should I really have brought A Yu to Jinyang?