Aunt Xia moved a handful of straw and guarded it through the curtain.
Originally, she shouldn't have eavesdropped on the conversation between the madam and the master. It was not her turn to comment on what the master and his wife said.
But she was really worried.
There has been such a big change in the family, and Grandma Xia has seen all the ups and downs in Madam's mood.
I stayed in Guangde Temple these days, with Miss Ping accompanying me. The princess also comforted my wife. Although my wife's mood could not be lifted, it did not sink blindly.
Madam is trying to think more about the good things.
Today, the punishment was handed down.
The young master was exiled and the master was dismissed. To be fair, it was much better than the worst outcome they had expected.
Just...
Aunt Xia looked at the curtain worriedly, even thinking about opening a crack to take a peek inside.
Even though there was no quarrel, Grandma Xia couldn't imagine what it would be like for her wife to quarrel with others, but it was obviously not a good situation to be so boring.
Those words the master said, alas!
Yes, the master treats his wife very well, but what are you doing now by dragging out the old master and the master?
Madam, listen, how uncomfortable it is!
The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became. Finally, Grandma Xia couldn't hold it back. She reached out with her fingers and opened a small slit.
The oil lamp in the inner room leaked out.
Soon, it became dark again.
The wick is almost burnt, so the light is naturally insufficient.
However, neither of the two people sitting at the table had the intention to flick the wick, and of course, they had no intention of letting anyone in.
Xu Miao's hand was still covered by Liu Jing and he did not pull it out.
She just hung her head, her tears falling down and hitting the table, making it wet.
Crying hard but not saying a word.
Such a reaction made Liu Jing a little unsure.
Liu Jing was sobbing. The middle-aged man didn't know how to cry. He was sad and had tears. His tears were very restrained.
The pain he feels now is real, but at the same time he is extremely calm.
He is both a player and a bystander.
However, it was difficult for him to judge Xu Miao's state of mind at this moment.
Xu Miao's reaction was different from what Liu Jing expected.
She was sad, sad, and shed tears, but she had no unnecessary response to his long confession.
Neither deny nor agree.
I obviously heard everything, but it seemed like I didn’t listen.
"Madam," Liu Jing's voice was hoarse, "I have to go to the Yamen tomorrow to explain various official matters to other people."
"Resigned from office and returned home, the Holy Father left me a decent life, so I should finish the work. I don't know who will take over the position of Minister of Honglu Temple at the moment. I have to explain a few words, maybe after the latter takes office.
Get started.”
"Then I want to send Xun'er off again. I heard that the procedures are going very fast. He will leave the day after tomorrow. I don't know if I can see him again."
"After that, I will leave Beijing. Don't miss me and live peacefully with A-Ping. If you have any needs, just tell A-Jian and he will not ignore you."
"I used to think, I am a poor scholar, if you are willing to marry me, I must make a name for myself in the court. I must prove that you did not make a mistake back then. I must work hard and take advantage of the opportunity when I am much younger.
Hurry up."
"Ajian, you don't need to worry about me. When Xun'er gets married and starts a business, he can support the family business. When Aping marries a good man and lives a happy life. When I get old and retire, we still have a lot of time to live comfortably.
."
"But now I know that there is no such time. I want to grow old with you, but it seems that it is really impossible..."
Xu Miao's tears fell even harder, but she still didn't say anything.
Apart from tears, she did not give Liu Jing any response.
When Liu Jing saw this, his heart became heavier and heavier.
Something is wrong with Xu Miao.
"Madam," Liu Jing leaned forward again, getting closer to Xu Miao, "Madam, just tell me what you think. In a few days, you and I won't even have the chance to talk like this.
Already..."
The hand in my hand moved.
Liu Jing subconsciously relaxed his strength slightly.
Xu Miao took out her hands and took out the handkerchief, which she put on her eyes.
Tears wetted her handkerchief and made her eyes red. When she raised her head, her vision was blurry, and there was only an outline of Liu Jing in front of her.
She just stared at Liu Jing for a while.
When he spoke, his voice trembled very much. Xu Miao didn't try to stabilize it, and just said: "I also want to see Xun'er."
Seeing that she was willing to talk, Liu Jing felt slightly relieved: "Okay."
Xu Miao asked again: "Do you really plan to go back to your hometown alone? Leave me and A-Ping in Beijing?"
"I can't bear to leave you behind," Liu Jing paused and sighed, "Ah Jian won't agree to your leaving Beijing with me. There is nothing in the countryside and life is poor, which is not as good as in Beijing. Besides, Ah Jian has lived
After two years of marriage negotiation, what can I say about a good marriage when I go back? With Ah Jian protecting her, it will not be difficult for her to arrange a serious marriage in Beijing."
"That's the truth..." Xu Miao's voice softened, "Master is right. You have been working hard to be a good official and a good husband these years.
You have done nothing to me, and I do not regret the choice I made back then. Even if one day I go underground and see my father, I will tell him that I have not regretted my marriage in the past twenty years."
When Liu Jing heard what she said, his feeling that something was wrong with her became less intense.
This is the Xu Miao he knows.
Meek, obedient, and considerate.
He is now powerless to reverse or change anything.
What he can do is to leave a few more holes in Xu Miao's heart, making Xu Miao feel extremely sad later, and Xu Jian is not satisfied.
With Xu Jian's temper, he may not have that much patience for Xu Miao, nor may he have that much time to accompany her.
Just like the old Mr. Guo, in the end, all he could say was "Let her go".
She is always reluctant to let go of those who hurt her first.
Then, Xu Miao will look for him and leave Beijing for a foreign country.
This way can cut off the connection between Xu Miao and Xu Jian, which is more effective than asking Xu Miao to go with him directly.
"With these words from Madam," Liu Jing took a deep breath, "I'm very happy, I'm really happy..."
Then, he heard Xu Miao's "turning point".
Her voice was still very soft and still unstable. What Xu Miao said was "But you lied to me."
Liu Jing was stunned for a moment.
Xu Miao's lips murmured: "But you lied to me."
Liu Jing's breath stagnated and he said: "Madam, are you referring to those things that Xun'er had done before? I did hide it from Madam at that time. It was my fault. We talked about this at that time. Now that I think about it, I feel even more regretful. If I had done that at that time,
If we had thought more carefully, or if we had not hidden Madam from the beginning, we could have solved Xun'er's problem earlier, maybe, maybe we wouldn't have the disaster today."
"When I bring this up, I don't mean to settle old scores with the master," Xu Miao said, "I'm just thinking that if the master asked the whole family to hide this from me, is he hiding something else from me?"
Liu Jing's expression became much more serious: "Why do you think so, madam? She knows best how I treat her."
Xu Miao was silent.
She looked at Liu Jing for a while.
Her vision was still blurry, and all she could see was the outline.
She curved her lips and smiled softly. The smile was very light, but it was full of sadness and disappointment.
"I am a very thoughtful person," Xu Miao said, "but tonight, I am not very thoughtful."
Liu Jing was slightly startled.
"It's inevitable. It's inevitable when encountering such a big event." Xu Miao blinked her eyes, tears making her eyelashes stick together, which was very uncomfortable. "I cried. I cried very sadly. Master, look.
, from beginning to end, you never thought of wiping my tears, you wouldn’t have done that before.”
Liu Jing's throat rolled.
For a moment, he almost laughed out of Xu Miao's anger.
Why is Xu Miao’s focus in such a remote place?
"Madam, I just..."
Xu Miao shook her head and interrupted Liu Jing: "You are just very tired, the changes have been too big, and you don't have the energy to deal with these small things. I understand, I am the same, my heart is in a mess, and I can't take care of many things.
”
Speaking of this, Xu Miao paused, but did not let Liu Jing interrupt.
Then, she continued: "But I cried. I cried because of what the master said. You are blaming A Jian. Every word you say is piercing my heart. You want me to cry. You are not blamed.
Xun'er, you are blaming Ah Jian..."
Liu Jing's chest felt extremely tight.
He suddenly understood where the something wrong with Xu Miao came from.
The root lies in Xu Jian.
Thinking again of what the monks in Guangde Temple had mentioned, some clues instantly connected in Liu Jing's mind.
Princess Ning'an.
Behind the princess is Xu Jian.
"What did the princess say to you?" Liu Jing frowned.
Xu Miao read a flash of fear in Liu Jing's mood, which made her realize that the master was afraid that the princess would say something that shouldn't be said.
But in fact, some of the things Xu Miao knew did not come from the princess, but from Aunt Xia.
When Xun'er fell into the water in Zhangping Garden, the master once said in the Jinluan Palace that Xun'er admired the princess.
That's not admiration, but enmity...
"The princess just comforted me," Xu Miao said, "The princess only talked about A Jian, she didn't say anything about the master."
Liu Jing doesn’t believe this.
"Accusation" itself has many angles and techniques.
There are no fierce words, but there may not be no intention in it.
Xu Miao couldn't tell these apart for a while...
Thinking of this, Liu Jing pursed his lips heavily.
Yes, Xu Miao is very pure in his views on some things. He takes advantage of this purity, and of course the princess can too.
However, this shortcut that should have been taken by him was taken by others, and Liu Jing felt panicked.
Analyze the princess carefully with Xu Miao?
Definitely not!
Liu Jing could only concentrate, then turned around and explained: "Madam, I didn't mean to accuse A Jian."
The oil lamp dimmed a lot again, leaving only a little glimmer of light.
Faintly, Xu Miao suddenly thought of her nightmares, those nightmares that were fragmented and had no before or after.
She stabbed the master's dagger like crazy; she was carried away by Ah Jian, and they were greeted by long knives and Xun'er who refused to save them; she hugged her parents' memorial tablet, and what Ah Jian saw when I took her last breath
Jane's tears...
Those pictures were intertwined together, mixed with sadness, pain and madness, like a violent snowstorm, whirling in front of her eyes.
Tears welled up from Xu Miao's eyes again.
"In twenty years, I have not regretted my marriage." She shed tears, her vision became increasingly blurred, and the room was so dark that she could hardly see Liu Jing's outline clearly. "I don't want my twenty-one
Years later, I began to regret it."
Liu Jing's face was full of astonishment, and he looked at Xu Miao in disbelief. He couldn't believe that these words came from Xu Miao's mouth.
After a few moments of confusion, he realized that he could not let Xu Miao think like this.
Following his usual habit, he wanted to hold Xu Miao's hand again.
Poof——
The inner room fell into darkness.
The wick is completely out.
Without the light, Liu Jing's outstretched hand failed to grasp the distance and fell straight on the table.
He did not find Xu Miao's hand, but only felt a patch of dampness.
Those were the tears that Xu Miao had shed earlier.
"Madam..." Liu Jing's voice trembled, and he had to say something to save her.
Xu Miao stopped listening.
The chair made a sound as it scraped against the ground. She stood up and turned her head to look outside.
She is so familiar with this home that she can determine the direction even in the dark.
Soon, the curtain picked up a corner.
Aunt Xia, who was outside, noticed that the lights in this compartment were dark, and was hesitant to come in and take a look.
The light from outside came in, only a little, but it was enough for Xu Miao to walk over without touching anything.
When Aunt Xia saw her, the curtains were raised higher.
Liu Jing also saw these lights at this moment. He hurried forward a few steps to stop Xu Miao: "Madam, why did you say this? These words are too hurtful."
Xu Miao smiled: "I don't know, I just think I should say this."
Liu Jing frowned and stared at Xu Miao closely.
Xu Miao said to Aunt Xia: "Light up the lamp."
Aunt Xia glanced at Liu Jing, then went in to light the oil lamp again.
There is light again in the inner room.
Xu Miao adjusted to the light, didn't bother to wipe her face, and turned back to look for the things she wanted to take away for Liu Xun.
Liu Jing watched her busy, her mind fluctuating.
Many words went through his mind several times, and he was not sure whether he should say this to Xu Miao.
At this moment, Xu Miao may not be able to listen to what he said.
Xu Miao packed up some banknotes and arranged them one by one. Then, she silently went to Liu Xun's house.
Liu Jing followed her without saying a word.
Zheng Liu has left.
The couple's house was turned into a mess.
Xu Miao sighed and picked up all the things scattered on the ground. She also wanted to get some more clothes for Xun'er.
Then, she saw a few pieces of paper among the mess.
There are words on it, and the handwriting is Zheng Liu's.
"Your sister doesn't know how to show appreciation, what does it have to do with me?"
"Your father didn't give you any advice? If he wants to be the head of the country, he should do something on his own!"
"Shout to your mother if you can!"
"To please the prince? Does the prince treat you like a turtle?"
Xu Miao blinked her eyes. For a moment, she thought her eyes were covered with tears. But when she looked at it carefully, every word on it was true.
