usatvline Chapter 90 Rootless Duckweed: Jiang Qingxue begins to doubt her own origins for the first time!
Chapter 90 Rootless Duckweed: Jiang Qingxue begins to doubt her own origins for the first time!
Night had fallen, and the silver moon hung like a hook above the majestic eaves of the palace.
Not long after the lights in the Hall of Mental Cultivation were extinguished, a figure in black, escorted by several silent Dragon Shadow Guards, passed through layers of palaces and arrived at the Palace of Elegance once again.
This is the residence of Consort Xue, Jiang Qingxue.
The eunuch on duty at the palace gate caught a glimpse of the figure from afar, and was startled. He immediately knelt down, forgetting even to announce it aloud.
His Majesty went straight to Consort Xue's place again tonight...
This favor is truly astonishing.
Qin Mu walked with ease, the moonlight flowing over his dark dragon-patterned robes, giving them a subtle yet noble sheen.
He walked straight into the main hall of Yuxiu Palace without informing anyone.
Inside the hall, Jiang Qingxue had not yet rested.
She had just come out of the bath, wearing only a plain white, soft silk nightgown.
She wore a moon-white gauze long robe, her wet, jet-black hair was loosely tied up with a simple wooden hairpin, and a few strands of hair clung to her snow-white neck, still carrying a misty vapor.
She was sitting in front of the dressing table, gazing absently at her cold yet haggard face in the bronze mirror.
Several days have passed since they returned to the palace, and the "initiative" they took that night in the carriage seems to have temporarily stabilized the situation.
Qin Mu treated her with the same intimacy as before, even showing more indescribable tenderness than when they were in the Northern Border.
She couldn't explain it.
But every time his gaze fell on her, she felt a chill run down her spine, as if he had seen right through her.
"His Majesty has arrived!"
Finally, a palace maid announced the news from outside the hall, her voice tinged with panic.
Jiang Qingxue was startled and hurriedly got up.
As soon as she turned around, she saw Qin Mu lift the beaded curtain and walk in.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."
She quickly curtsied, her voice tinged with barely concealed panic, "Your Majesty, I was unaware of your arrival and have failed to greet you properly..."
"No need." Qin Mu stepped forward and offered his hand in a gesture of support.
He was in a good mood today, a gentle smile playing on his lips. His gaze swept over her, finally settling on her slightly flushed cheeks and damp hair from her bath.
"Has my beloved concubine just taken a bath?" he asked casually, as if it were just a greeting between an ordinary couple.
"Yes……"
Jiang Qingxue lowered her eyes, feeling the heat in his gaze, her cheeks seemed to heat up even more, and her fingers unconsciously curled up slightly. "Your Majesty, I did not know you would come..."
"My arrival was quite sudden."
Qin Mu smiled, naturally put his arm around her shoulder, and led her to sit down on the soft couch by the window.
The soft couch was covered with a thick silver fox fur cushion, which felt soft and warm to the touch.
Jiang Qingxue was half-embraced by him and sat down. Her body was a little stiff, but she didn't dare to break free.
"You must be tired from your journey back to the capital from the northern border these past few days," Qin Mu's voice sounded above her head, carrying a rare tenderness.
Jiang Qingxue's heart trembled slightly, and she replied in a low voice, "Serving Your Majesty is my duty, and I dare not complain of hardship."
"Always so sensible."
Qin Mu seemed to sigh softly, his fingers gently brushing through her still damp hair.
"By the way, there is something I need to tell you, my beloved consort. I have ordered that Mr. and Mrs. Chen Feng be brought into the capital and settled in the bestowed residence in the western part of the city. All the formalities have been completed, and they will be settled in in a couple of days. If you miss them in the future, my beloved consort, you may summon them to the palace to see them at any time, or I may grant you permission to leave the palace to visit your family."
His tone was calm, as if he were talking about something extremely ordinary.
But to Jiang Qingxue, these words were like a thunderbolt!
Chen Feng and his wife...were brought into the capital?
Are they still living in the bestowed residence?
Can I be summoned at any time?
She felt as if half of the blood in her body had instantly turned cold!
The couple who, as arranged by Xu Longxiang, staged a "gratitude for raising" scene with her at Tingxuelou!
They didn't know her at all!
The so-called "childhood details" and "parental affection" are all pre-rehearsed lines!
If it were only separated by the distant northern border, with occasional communication or being secretly controlled by Xu Longxiang's people, this lie could still be maintained.
But now, they've been brought right under the emperor's nose, right under Qin Mu's nose! And they're even to be "summoned at any time"?
You might be able to get away with it once or twice by preparing in advance, but what if it happens repeatedly?
In conversation, oversights are inevitable.
What a shrewd man Qin Mu was!
Even the slightest unnaturalness, or a fleeting glance, could arouse his suspicion!
Moreover, the couple were just ordinary people who suddenly entered the capital and received the honor of being "favored by the Imperial Noble Consort".
Can one keep a secret in the face of true divine power and wealth?
Could I say something wrong in a moment of pride or fear?
Cold sweat quietly soaked Jiang Qingxue's back, and the thin nightgown clung to her skin, bringing a cool and sticky feeling.
She forced a grateful smile, but her voice was a little dry:
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty's great kindness... Your humble servant... On behalf of Uncle Chen and Aunt Chen, I thank Your Majesty for your great favor."
She paused, trying to make her tone sound more sincere, "They are quite old, and suddenly leaving their hometown, I fear they will not be used to life in the capital, and will be filled with anxiety..."
"My dear concubine, you are overthinking it."
Qin Mu seemed oblivious to her unusual behavior and continued speaking gently.
"The residence I have bestowed upon them is spacious and comfortable, with a full complement of servants, and the Imperial Medical Bureau will regularly check their pulses. Since I have brought them here to enjoy this luxury, I will naturally make proper arrangements for them. How could I let them feel uneasy? If my beloved consort is worried, I will accompany you to see them personally once they are settled."
Go see for yourself?!
Jiang Qingxue's heart tightened again.
"Yes... Your Majesty is very thoughtful. I was overthinking it."
She could only respond to his words, but her mind was in complete turmoil.
We must inform Xu Longxiang as soon as possible!
No... Xu Longxiang probably already knows. His people in the capital might try to contact, control, or even... silence them?
The thought of this possibility sent another chill down Jiang Qingxue's spine.
Qin Mu seemed not to notice her sudden pallor and slight trembling.
Suddenly, the tone shifted, carrying a perfectly placed hint of regret:
"However... this trip to the northern border, although it helped my beloved consort find the old friend who raised her, ultimately failed to find her true blood relatives, nor was it able to ascertain her ancestral home. Whenever I think about it, I always feel a little regretful."
Jiang Qingxue was in a state of unease at the moment. Hearing about "blood relatives" and "ancestral homeland" touched another taut string in her heart.
She barely suppressed her worry for Chen Feng and his wife, and responded in a low voice, her voice carrying genuine weariness and a hint of confusion:
"Your Majesty has gone to great lengths for my sake, and I am deeply grateful. Knowing that Uncle Chen and Aunt Chen are well is enough for me... As for my biological parents, my place of origin... perhaps it is not yet time, and I cannot force it. Thank you, Your Majesty."
She was telling the truth, at least part of it.
She had no memory of her "biological parents" and had little desire for them.
At this moment, what I feel most is a deep sense of powerlessness.
However, Qin Mu gently shook his head, tightening his arm around her shoulder slightly, his voice low and earnest:
"No, we still need to find it."
He paused, gazing out the window at the deep night sky, as if staring at some distant place:
"My beloved consort, do you know that the people of our Great Qin value their roots above all else, believing in returning to one's origins? If a person stands between heaven and earth and does not even know where his family is or where he came from, wouldn't he be like a rootless duckweed, drifting with the wind, with nowhere to return?"
"A rootless duckweed..."
These five words, as if possessing some kind of magic, gently knocked on Jiang Qingxue's heart, causing her to tremble violently!
She had always regarded the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion as her home and Xu Longxiang as the closest person to her, someone she could even entrust her future to.
She knew she was the "daughter of an old friend" adopted by Xu Xiao, and she had asked, in a daze, who her parents were and where her hometown was.
The answers I received were always vague: "It's far away," "She passed away," or "Don't bother asking."
In her childhood, she accepted this as a given fact, regarding her dependence on the Xu family and her feelings for Xu Longxiang as her entire destiny.
But now, Qin Mu's words, "a rootless duckweed," are like a sharp ray of light, suddenly illuminating a corner she had never thought about deeply.
Yes... the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion is a home, but it is the Xu family's residence, a symbol of the power of the King of the North.
Her surname is Jiang, not Xu.
Xu Longxiang was a close friend, but first and foremost, he was the heir apparent of the Prince of Zhenbei, with his own ambitions, schemes, and... weighing of options.
When he sent her to the palace, did he ever think that she would become a "rootless duckweed"?
Who are her parents?
Why has no one ever explicitly told us this?
Why are they so secretive about even their names and hometowns?
Is it really just a simple matter of "old friends" and "traveling far away"?
Why would Xu Xiao, a powerful and ruthless figure, adopt an orphan girl with no background and treat her so kindly?
Was there a reason behind Xu Longxiang's extraordinary care and affection for her that she was unaware of?
Some previously overlooked details are now coming to light.
The complex looks in the eyes of some of the old servants in the Prince's mansion when they occasionally glanced at her, and Xu Longxiang's hesitant expression at certain moments.
Even when she occasionally looked in the mirror, she sensed a slightly different, aloof profile compared to those from the North…
Could it be... that there's more to her background than meets the eye?
Once this thought arose, it grew wildly in Jiang Qingxue's heart like weeds.
Suddenly, she felt an overwhelming urge to know the truth!
I want to know who I really am and where I come from!
Qin Mu keenly noticed the stiffness in the woman's body and the subtle changes in her breathing in his arms.
He looked down and saw that Jiang Qingxue's originally lowered eyelashes were trembling violently, and her pale lips were slightly pursed.
A barely perceptible smile curved his lips, but his voice remained gentle and concerned:
"My beloved concubine? What's wrong? What are you thinking about?"
Jiang Qingxue snapped back to reality. She quickly lowered her eyes, concealing the emotions that were almost overflowing within them, her voice trembling slightly:
"No, it's nothing... It's just... Your Majesty's words just now... touched my heart."
She paused, her voice lower, almost a whisper, "A rootless duckweed... Your Majesty is right. Sometimes I do feel adrift, not knowing where I came from..."
This was the first time she had shown such genuine emotions, beyond any pretense, in front of Qin Mu.
Qin Mu looked at her quietly for a moment, without asking any further questions or pointing out any problems.
He just smiled suddenly, and the smile appeared particularly clear and bright under the halo of palace lanterns and moonlight, even carrying a hint of youthful interest.
"Alright, the moon is beautiful tonight, let's not think about these distressing things."
He released his grip on her arm, stood up, and extended his hand to her. "Come on, I'll take you to a fun place."
Jiang Qingxue stared blankly at his outstretched hand, then looked up at his smiling eyes, momentarily unable to react.
Fun places to go?
In the dead of night, inside the imperial palace?
But she had no choice but to temporarily suppress her doubts, panic, and trembling about her origins.
Then, hesitantly, she placed her slightly cool hand into his warm palm.
Qin Mu gripped her hand firmly and led her quickly out of the bedchamber and through the quiet courtyard, without calling any palace maids or eunuchs to follow.
"Your Majesty, we are going to..."
Jiang Qingxue couldn't help but ask in a low voice, as the night breeze brushed against her thin nightgown and gauze shirt, bringing a slight chill.
"Shh—" Qin Mu turned around and gestured for her to be quiet. "Just follow me."
He took her hand and led her through a maze of turns, avoiding the patrolling guards, until they arrived at a relatively secluded spot behind the Yuxiu Palace, beneath a palace wall.
A sturdy wooden ladder, usually used for pruning tall flowers and trees, leans against the wall.
Qin Mu tested the ladder's stability, then turned to Jiang Qingxue and smiled, "Dare you come up with me?"
Up...on the wall?
Jiang Qingxue was stunned. She looked at the wooden ladder, then at Qin Mu's noble dragon-patterned robe.
She simply couldn't associate the word "climbing" with the emperor before her.
But Qin Mu didn't wait for a moment and nimbly climbed up first.
He climbed onto the wall, squatted down, and stretched out his hand to her: "Come here."
The moonlight shone on him, gilding him with a silvery edge, and his handsome face wore an encouraging smile.
He seemed more like a young man sneaking out with his beloved to admire the moon than an emperor ruling the world.
At this moment, Qin Mu was unfamiliar and strange, having shed much of his usual solemnity and majesty.
It made Jiang Qingxue momentarily dazed.
As if guided by some unseen force, she lifted her skirt and grabbed the wooden ladder.
The cold touch brought her to her senses, but since things had come to this, she could only climb upwards.
As they neared the top, Qin Mu firmly grasped her wrist and gently pulled her up onto the wall.
The palace walls were wide enough for people to sit side by side.
The night wind suddenly picked up, making their clothes flutter loudly.
"Look." Qin Mu helped her sit down on the wall and pointed into the distance.
Jiang Qingxue looked in the direction he was pointing and instantly held her breath.
The entire vast palace resembled a giant beast lurking in the night, with lights twinkling and outlining the contours of its many halls, stretching to the horizon.
Further away, the myriad lights of the imperial city resembled a galaxy on earth, echoing the dazzling Milky Way in the sky.
Looking up, there is a vast, boundless deep blue night sky, with a silver moon like a boat and stars like diamonds, so clear that it seems to wash away all the dust.
Without the obstruction of palace walls, the view was so open and exhilarating that the night breeze carried the scent of freedom.
This was a sight she had never seen before. Deep within the palace walls, all she could see was the sky above and the endless rows of palaces.
Sitting atop these high palace walls, I feel as if I have temporarily broken free from all constraints, and the world seems so vast.
"This is the best view. When I was a child... I often sneaked up here."
Qin Mu's voice rang in my ears, carrying a hint of distant reminiscence, "When you're troubled, look at this world, look at these lights, and you'll realize... it's not such a big deal after all."
Jiang Qingxue turned her head to look at Qin Mu's profile.
The moonlight softened his angular features, and his gaze was fixed on the distance, his eyes deep and calm.
It seemed to hold the entire starry sky, and also reflected the everyday life below.
At that moment, she suddenly realized that she had never truly understood the man who had dragged her into the abyss.
He was not only that lazy, profound, and sometimes cruel emperor, but also a boy who would secretly climb over the wall to look at the stars and the moon.
A complex and indescribable emotion welled up inside me.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Qin Mu turned his head and smiled at her.
Jiang Qingxue nodded and softly replied, "Mmm...it's beautiful."
This is her most genuine feeling at this moment.
The two sat quietly on the high palace wall, neither of them speaking again.
A night breeze swept by, carrying the coolness and fresh scent of grass and trees unique to early summer nights. Below lay the sleeping palace and the bustling human world, while above, the eternal moon and starry river shone brightly.
Jiang Qingxue hugged her knees, rested her chin on her knees, and stared blankly at the distant lights.
Qin Mu's words still echoed in her heart.
"A rootless duckweed"...
Where exactly are her roots?
.........