mtl008 Chapter 288 Tian Xiang is Sick
Chapter 288 Tian Xiang is Sick
Chapter 288, Tian Xiang is Sick
Since Tian Tian was at the mansion, she got up early to take Tian Jinghe to Qingya Academy.
Of course, she had her reasons for doing so.
"Jinghe, did you mention it to your third sister last night?"
Tian Jinghe looked exhausted and yawned repeatedly. "What should we talk about?"
"It's about that lovesickness thing," Tian Tian reminded him.
"Oh..." Tian Jinghe remembered, "I mentioned it."
"What did your third sister say?" Tian Tian asked patiently.
Tian Jinghe thought for a moment, "Third Sister asked me to tell Commander Cui that she wants to meet Young Master Cui."
Upon hearing this, Tian Tian breathed a sigh of relief.
Youyou finally... figured it out.
She looked at Tian Jinghe and gave him a light tap on the head. "What time did you go to sleep last night? Why are you yawning so much?"
"Didn't your second sister always tell you not to stay up too late at night?"
Tian Jinghe cried out in pain, clutching his head, looking extremely aggrieved. "Second sister, do you think I wanted this?"
“Qian’er usually sleeps with his mother, but yesterday he waited and waited for her to come back, so he went to sleep at my place.”
"I told him to sleep with his older sister, but he said his mother was very sad..."
"He's a restless sleeper, which makes it hard for me to get a good night's sleep either."
Tian Tian grasped the key point, "Big sister is sad? Why is she sad?"
"I don't know, Qian'er can't explain it either."
"Second sister, I'm going to take a nap, otherwise I'll get sleepy while reading and the teacher will hit me on the head."
Tian Jinghe quickly shrank to the side and tried to catch up on his sleep.
Tian Tian frowned as she heard Tian Xiang's sadness.
Why would my older sister be sad?
No, she has to go back and ask.
Today is her last day at the mansion; tomorrow she will have to go to the palace.
After sending Tian Jinghe to Qingya Academy, Tian Tian couldn't wait to turn the carriage around and return home.
Tian Jinghe, however, was forcing his head to stay upright...
"Jinghe." Commander Cui and others were waiting by the study hall. When they saw him, they quickly waved him over.
"How about it?"
Tian Jinghe struggled to open his eyes. "Commander Cui."
"I asked my third sister about what lovesickness is."
"Even my third sister couldn't explain it."
Commander Cui was stunned. "What else did your third sister say?"
No way... Princess Anping should understand.
Tian Jinghe shook his head. "My third sister didn't say anything more about lovesickness."
Commander Cui could not hide his disappointment...
Tian Jinghe continued, "However..."
“My third sister said she wants to meet Young Master Cui.”
Commander Cui was overjoyed, "Really?"
Tian Jinghe nodded. "Mm."
Commander Cui gently patted Tian Jinghe's head. "Jinghe, thank you. I'll go and inform Mingyi right away."
I believe Mingyi will recover immediately once he finds out.
*
When Tian Tian returned to the mansion, she went to Tian Xiang's courtyard.
Chu Yao had already gotten up and was taken to Lu Tao's place by Ying'er.
But Tian Xiang fell ill and was bedridden.
"What's wrong with Big Sister?" Tian Tian asked Ying'er, who was guarding outside.
Ying'er told Tian Xiang about how she was saddened and cried when she discovered Qin Qingyun was not there yesterday.
"As a result, the county princess felt unwell when she woke up in the morning... complaining of dizziness and weakness..."
"This servant wanted to fetch a doctor, but the county princess wouldn't allow it."
"Princess, please go in and see the County Princess."
Upon hearing this reason, Tian Tian's lips curled slightly.
Qin Qingyun's departure... was her decision.
I originally intended to tell Tian Xiang, but because Jing He came back yesterday, she forgot...
Unexpectedly... Tian Xiang misunderstood.
But this misunderstanding... might allow her relationship with Qin Qingyun to take a step forward.
Tian Tian waved her hand, signaling Ying'er to go down first.
Ying'er glanced into the house again, still feeling uneasy, before slowly leaving.
Tian Tian pushed open the door and went inside.
"Miss?"
Tian Xiang leaned against the bed, looking dejected.
Hearing Tian Tian's voice, I felt a sense of disorientation.
"Sweetie?" she asked, her voice hoarse.
His gaze toward Tian Tian was somewhat unfocused.
This surprised Tian Tian.
It's only been one night, how did it get so serious?
"Big sister, what's wrong with you?" Tian Tian sat on Tian Xiang's bed, holding her hands and looking at her expression.
Tian Xiang leaned against the bed, covered with a thin blanket, making her look exceptionally frail.
Her once gentle almond-shaped eyes now looked as if they were covered with frost, with a faint red tinge at the corners.
What's most heartbreaking is the faint smile on her lips. Even though her eyes are already brimming with tears, she stubbornly tries to raise an arc, which is even more distressing than crying out loud.
Seeing this, Tian Tian couldn't wait to tell her the truth.
"Big sister, what's wrong with you?" Tian Tian asked again.
This question completely broke Tian Xiang.
She covered her face with her hands and began to sob, "Sweetie, Qin Qingyun is gone."
Tian Tian thought to herself, "He's gone, but not gone forever."
It was she who gave him the idea to have Ling Yao place him in the military command as deputy commander.
Countless people are eyeing this position; Qin Qingyun got in purely through connections.
Tian Tian originally thought that as long as Qin Qingyun could stay in this position, it would at least give Tian Xiang peace of mind.
This shows that he was willing to stay in the capital and stay by her side.
Perhaps, Tian Xiang can resolve her inner conflict.
Upon hearing her words, Qin Qingyun immediately agreed. That very evening, he packed his things and went to the Military Command to report for duty.
I wonder which street in the capital they're patrolling right now.
"Didn't my older sister... not want to be with him?"
"So what if he's gone now?" Tian Tian said, while keeping an eye on Tian Xiang.
She couldn't see Tian Xiang's expression because Tian Xiang had covered her face, and even her voice was muffled.
"I..."
"It's not that I don't want to."
Tian Xiang took a sneeze.
Suddenly, she looked up at Tian Tian and asked, "Tian Tian, how can our mother be so brave?"
Tian Tian thought to herself, "That's because... the Duke is willing to speak, and my mother is willing to listen."
But Tianxiang and Youyou...
They just wouldn't listen to what others had said.
“I want to be as brave as Mother, but…” Tian Xiang lowered her head, tears falling… “I don’t dare, I’m afraid.”
Tian Xiang groped for Tian Tian's hand and pulled it up. "Before... I married into the Chu family."
"Actually... he's been pretty good to me too."
Tian Tian knew that she was referring to the eldest son of the Chu family, the biological father of Chu Qian and Chu Yao.
"He told me he didn't care that I grew up in the village, that he thought I was good..."
"At that time, I thought to myself, I've married the right person."
"But his good fortune didn't last long, he..."
"Things have changed."
"Every day when I come home, they complain that I'm a country bumpkin and that I don't know how to dress up..."
"I was so sad back then."
Tian Xiang held Tian Tian tightly, "That's why I'm afraid, I'm afraid that one day Qin Qingyun will end up like Chu Xing..."
"I can't accept it, I can't accept it."
"because..."
Tian Tian knew without Tian Xiang saying it.
Because Tian Xiang developed genuine feelings for Qin Qingyun.
A deeper feeling than Chu Xing.
That's why she can't accept that one day Qin Qingyun will despise her and regret marrying her, just like Chu Xing did back then.
Tian Tian sighed and pulled Tian Xiang into her arms.
"Sister..."
"Don't let others negate your self-esteem; you are wonderful."
"You're the Princess of Qingping now! How many princesses are there in the entire Great Qi?"
"Qin Qingyun should be the one worrying that he's not good enough for you, and that one day you'll leave him."
"To be honest, elder sister, how about I have Ayao find you more portraits of young talents in the capital? You can choose again. It's not that you have to choose Qin Qingyun."
Tian Xiang chuckled and punched Tian Tian in the chest. "You're talking nonsense."
"Even if I were the county princess, I couldn't really choose whatever I wanted, could I?"
"You girl."
Tian Tian helped her wipe away her tears, "Big sister, Qin Qingyun is gone, and you're so heartbroken. Do you regret... that you should have agreed to be with him sooner?"
After talking for so long, Tian Xiang no longer held back in front of Tian Tian.
She nodded. "I was planning to talk to him and clear things up in the next couple of days, but I didn't expect him to leave."
She forced a sob, trying to appear strong, "So be it, he belonged to the martial world anyway..."
"From now on, I will take good care of Qian'er and Yao'er as they grow up."
Tian Tian rolled her eyes, "If Qin Qingyun is just temporarily away on urgent business... will he come back?"
Tian Xiang scoffed indignantly, "Then let's just ignore him."
Tian Tian smiled awkwardly. Could it be that she had done more harm than good?
No, she still had to find time to talk to Qin Qingyun and ask him to come back and comfort her older sister.
"Big sister, perhaps he really just has something to do and has to leave for a few days."
"Once he comes back, you can clear up the misunderstanding and everything will be fine."
*
Tian Tian returned to the palace and began fertilizing the rice paddies and drying them in the sun.
The officials didn't understand. Rice, rice, since it's grown in water, why drain the water and let it dry for a few days?
After Tian Tian explained the reasons, everyone understood.
These officials knew many farming techniques, but most of them were passed down from their ancestors. No one could explain the reasons behind them; most would just say, "Just remember it."
"At this time, the rice begins to tiller. If there is enough water, it will tiller wildly. However, in the later stages, the lateral branches that tiller cannot grow into rice ears due to insufficient nutrients, and instead disperse the nutrients."
"So we release the water and let the land dry out slightly so that it can't tiller later on, and when the rice ears grow, it will have enough nutrients to support it."
"Moreover, if rice is flooded for a long time, its roots will not grow downwards. Once the water is drained, the roots will grow downwards to find groundwater, so they will not be afraid of wind and rain."
"Sun-drying the fields can also reduce humidity and kill pests and diseases."
However, the situation regarding drying the fields also needs to be considered.
"The soil in Shazhou Prefecture has poor water retention, so it doesn't need to be dried for too long; three to four days is usually enough."
"For fields where the crops are growing poorly, they can be lightly dried."
"Those that are growing particularly well can be sun-dried again."
"When refilling, the water should be added slowly, gradually deepening the depth..."
*
When Cui Mingyi heard that Qin Youyou wanted to see him, he immediately perked up.
He couldn't wait to go find Qin Youyou.
But when he saw himself in the mirror, looking haggard and disheveled, he was afraid of scaring Qin Youyou, so he immediately took a bath, changed his clothes, ate, and went to sleep.
After resting for three days, I felt I could barely be seen in public.
He dressed up specially before arriving at the entrance of the Princess's residence to request an audience with Princess Anping.
The gatekeeper at the Princess's residence saw him and stared in surprise, "Young Master Cui?"
How could you have lost so much weight in just a few days?
The gatekeeper didn't dare delay and quickly went in to report.
After an incense stick had burned, Qin Youyou's maid came out. She was also taken aback when she saw Cui Mingyi. "Young Master Cui, please come with me."
Cui Mingyi followed...
The maidservant would occasionally turn around to look at him, her face filled with disbelief.
Upon arriving at Qin Youyou's courtyard, Cui Mingyi remained outside while a maid went in to announce their arrival.
"Princess," the maidservant cautiously reminded Qin Youyou, "when you see Young Master Cui later... please don't be surprised."
Qin Youyou also dressed up specially...
"what happened?"
The maidservant repeated, "Please don't be surprised, Your Highness."
Qin Youyou blinked suspiciously, took a deep breath, opened the door, and went out.
When she saw the boy standing in the yard, she was completely stunned.
Cui Mingyi stood in the courtyard, his figure much thinner than usual.
A gentle breeze swept over his clothes, which once fit him perfectly but now looked utterly empty.
Her waist, cinched by the belt, was even thinner than the green bamboo.
His face looked extremely haggard, with slightly sunken cheeks and faint dark circles under his eyes.
But at this moment, her face flushed slightly with nervousness.
When he saw Qin Youyou come out, his Adam's apple bobbed up and down several times, and he sighed a few times from his chapped lips, only to swallow it back down.
Qin Youyou was stunned; she couldn't believe it...
"You've finally agreed to see me?" Cui Mingyi asked...
Qin Youyou was stunned.
She still couldn't believe that the person in front of her was the same spirited young man from before.
She thought she had been troubled by love for many days and had become a little thinner.
But he...
Qin Youyou felt a sharp pain in her chest, her hand clutching it. "You, how could you..."
You've gotten so thin?
Cui Mingyi slowly walked forward, "Youyou..."
"I'm sincere to you."
Cui Mingyi couldn't wait to express his true feelings.
"If you have any concerns, you can tell me."
"Please... don't refuse to see me, okay?"
Qin Youyou's nose tingled, and tears fell.
She felt she had gone too far, torturing a boy to this state.
All the knots in her heart seemed insignificant in front of Cui Mingyi.
Qin Youyou walked up to him, reached out and took his hand, "I, I want to read a storybook, I, I want to play pitch-pot... Are you still willing to stay with me?"
Cui Mingyi's pupils slowly widened, and the joy in his eyes surged like a tide.
"Yes, I do!"
"I'm willing to stay with you, Youyou."
He stretched out his arms and hugged Qin Youyou tightly. "I'm willing, I'm very willing."
Qin Youyou giggled...
Why think about all that nonsense?
Her mother was a Lady of Imperial Decree, her Aunt Lu was a Duchess, her eldest sister was a County Princess, her second sister was the future Crown Princess, and her second sister's husband was the Crown Prince.
She herself was a county princess.
She still has such a large fortune.
Cui Mingyi is the youngest son of the Cui family, and he doesn't need to take on the responsibility of the family's business.
They could have lived carefree and free lives, so why worry about those problems?