amaotonovel Chapter 696 The Childhood Sweetheart Used as a Shield (6)
Chapter 696 The Childhood Sweetheart Used as a Shield (6)
When I met Luo Mengyao yesterday, I noticed that she had two bracelets on her wrists, which made her look very precious.
That bracelet was made of highland blood jade, which is extremely rare in the world. The few pieces available were kept in the imperial palace and used as dowry for princesses.
Very few rewards were given to meritorious officials.
The king from a different surname had one back then.
Unexpectedly, after the Blood Jade came into Qin Yansi's hands, he immediately gave it to Luo Mengyao.
She wore it without any hesitation.
Looking at the gold hairpin in her hair, although it was not inlaid with jewels, its design was intricate and novel, and lifelike. It must have been specially made by a craftsman and could not be bought at all.
Not to mention the fabrics of her clothes, earrings, necklaces, and other accessories, all of which exude understated wealth.
Qin Yansi wished he could present all the most precious things in the world to Luo Mengyao.
They used her as a shield, exploiting her so much, but aside from what was presented to the Empress Dowager, they didn't put any effort into it privately.
Mu Zhou threw down the bracelet, turned around, and saw his mother walking towards him.
With a choked voice, she held Mu Zhou's hand, marveling at her good fortune.
Mu Zhou, however, grasped her hand in return, his expression serious:
"Mother, there's something you absolutely must listen to me about."
After hearing the story, Madam Mu was stunned, tears welling up in her eyes:
"Zhou'er..."
"Mother, listen to me."
*
The day after the marriage proposal, Qin Yansi led his troops out to war without saying a word, without even waiting for Mu Zhou to see him off.
But no one blamed him.
Excuses are readily available.
Worried that Mu Zhou would be sad, she quietly left first.
However, Mu Zhou was too lazy to deliver it.
She has more important things to do.
Two days after Qin Yansi left, an imperial edict arrived from the palace, bestowing upon Mu Zhou the title of Princess of Rongxiang County and ordering her to enter the palace to accompany the Empress Dowager.
Meanwhile, Mu Zhou's mother claimed to have had a dream, and when she went to a temple to seek answers, she received the ominous sign of bad luck.
The divination slip says that General Qin's expedition will open up an unprecedented territory for the Great Xia Dynasty, but the process will be fraught with danger and his life will hang by a thread.
If one wishes to ultimately turn misfortune into good fortune, an elder in the family must go to Dingshan Temple for seclusion, devote oneself to Buddhist practice and prayer, until General Qin returns victorious.
However, General Qin had lost his father, brothers, and elders, so Mu's mother, worried, decided to go there herself.
It just so happened that my husband was at home due to illness, so we decided to go to Dingshan Temple together to pray for General Qin and the soldiers of the Great Xia Dynasty.
It was just a dream, yet Lord Mu and his wife took it so seriously that the entire capital was moved by their sincerity.
And the temple on that mountain has quite a history.
Dingshan Temple was originally just a small temple. Emperor Qing, the founding emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty, abdicated the throne in his old age and went to Dingshan Temple to cultivate himself.
From then on, the status of Dingshan Temple rose sharply.
Furthermore, because Emperor Qing brought many secret guards and bodyguards with him, they later became monks and trained in martial arts, and the temple became filled with many martial monks, forming an impregnable fortress.
Emperor Qing had a rule that once someone went into seclusion for cultivation, even the emperor could not enter.
With his parents sent there, Mu Zhou could feel more at ease.
At least, they can hold out until news of Qin Yansi's victory returns.
Moreover, everyone knows that cultivation is arduous, and if people are rashly arrested, it may discourage the people.
Mu Zhou originally thought it wouldn't be easy to persuade her parents, but to her surprise, they agreed to her idea after only one night of thinking about it.
Although Mu's father was not very capable, he had a strong instinct for survival.
Mu Zhou was suddenly granted the title of county princess and summoned to the palace. He felt flustered and worried that something might change.
Upon hearing Mu Zhou mention Dingshan Temple, he disregarded the hardships of his arduous cultivation days and immediately decided to take his wife there.
Before leaving, she tearfully urged Mu Zhou to be careful in the palace.
On the day he entered the palace, Mu Zhou had just stepped out of his carriage when a woman rushed to him.
"Miss Mu, Miss Mu, please wait! How can you be so heartless..."
Mu Zhou paused as she got into the carriage. She slowly lifted her eyelids and looked at Luo Mengyao, who was being stopped by the servant and looked somewhat disheveled.
Mu Zhou looked at her with a puzzled expression:
"Who is this young lady, and why is she blocking my carriage?"
Luo Mengyao felt a lump in her throat, angry that she was being ignored, but there were more important things to do at the moment.
She pulled away from the servant's hand, straightened her skirt, and looked up at Mu Zhou with her head held high:
"Why is Miss Mu selling the rouge shop? It's Lord Qin's private property. How could you sell it off while he's away? What are your intentions?"
She appeared frail and delicate, yet her imposing presence remained undiminished.
This immediately attracted a crowd of onlookers.
Mu Zhou remained unusually calm, showing no shame whatsoever.
She smiled indulgently:
"So that's what happened. You must be a clerk at the rouge shop, so it's understandable that you don't know the details."
Luo Mengyao felt that every word she said was unbearable.
By referring to her as a shop assistant and excluding her, was she deliberately showing off that she was already engaged to Lord Qin?
For a fleeting moment, Luo Mengyao even wanted to mock her mercilessly.
That's just wishful thinking on my part; Lord Qin has never had her in his heart.
The one unaware of the details is clearly Mu Zhou!
Of course, Luo Mengyao wouldn't say that.
“Miss Mu, I am the manager of the rouge shop. This shop is my life's work. Miss Mu sold it without saying a word. Did you even consider us? Yes, you are a high and mighty young lady, and we, the common people, deserve to be abandoned!”
Her words instantly stirred up the anger of many people around her.
Upon hearing this, the maid Fenyu was so angry that she was about to retort, but Muzhou held her down, signaling her to calm down.
Mu Zhou's tone became increasingly gentle:
“Brother Qin gave me the entire shop, and I will certainly manage it well, but…”
She paused, a hint of pity appearing on her face:
“Recently, there have been many refugees in the capital, traveling on empty stomachs. I couldn’t bear it, so I sold some shops and donated the proceeds to pray for Brother Qin’s well-being. If Brother Qin knew, I would surely agree. Brother Qin and I have always been of one mind.”
As soon as Mu Zhou spoke, someone among the people around immediately said:
“I know about this. Miss Mu set up a porridge distribution point outside the city in the name of the Mu family and the Qin family for three consecutive days. This is a great act of kindness.”
"Miss Mu is truly a kind person, as are Lord Mu and Madam Mu; they are both pure and virtuous."
Fenyu couldn't hold back any longer; she pointed at Luo Mengyao:
"You're trying to slander our young lady with nothing but empty words. I think you're the one with ulterior motives. The war at the front is critical. Our young lady sold her betrothal gifts to donate clothes and supplies to the soldiers, and also distributed porridge to the refugees. She herself is so frugal that she doesn't even wear a gold hairpin."
Fen Yu looked Luo Mengyao up and down, then snorted coldly:
"Yet you, a mere steward, are adorned with gold and silver, and act so arrogantly that you think you're above everyone else. My young lady was once your master, yet you show her not the slightest respect!"
Luo Mengyao pursed her lips, her face was pale, and she clenched her teeth tightly.
What a sharp-tongued and cunning servant!
Like master, like servant.
Hmph, she disdained arguing with Mu Zhou; she would handle it herself when Lord Qin returned.
Seeing that she wanted to leave, Mu Zhou gestured to the servant to stop her.