Chapter 21: Seeing Off at the North Gate (Part 2)

  "Who are you?" He Yan asked.

  " Pu Shangshu's daughter Pu Qing Sang" Qing Sang didn't want to sell Guan Zi, now the top priority is to think of a way to get in, and quickly reported her name x S m

  He Yan raised an eyebrow and sized up Qing Sang, immediately recalling the girl who had accompanied the crown prince on the day of the young lady's full moon celebration. At that time, he hadn't taken a close look, but now that he did, he understood why the crown prince was so infatuated with her - she was indeed such a lovely person.

  "What's wrong?" He Yan asked

  "I want to pay respects and see my sister's face." Qing Sang said straightforwardly.

  He Yan sneered: "Miss Pu doesn't want her life anymore, does she still want General Ben to die with her?"

  Qingshan said: "The little girl is not trying to drag down the general, but only begs the general to pass on a message to the prince, asking him to beg the emperor for mercy."

  He Yan sneered: "Miss Pu should know how the Crown Prince treats you, yet you still have the heart to implicate him. If he were to plead for you and provoke the Emperor's great anger, what would be the outcome? Furthermore, even if it were possible, only your family would receive leniency among the ten official families' daughters, and the high-ranking officials in court would inevitably discuss the Crown Prince, ruining his reputation. How could you bear to do this?"

  Qing Sang knew that her actions were somewhat selfish, but since she arrived at the imperial court, she had always been cautious and careful. However, this time Qing Bi was so selfless, she couldn't let her go to North Rong alone. Moreover, Qing Shao was secretly in love with Qing Bi, who already had plans in her heart, fearing that even before arriving at North Rong, they would be separated by life and death. Therefore, she must give Qing Bi the motivation to live on, she must see Qing Bi off.

  Qing Sang knelt down and begged: "I know this request is a bit abrupt, if there's any mistake, I'll lose my life. General and the Crown Prince have a deep relationship, Qing Sang feels ashamed, now she only asks the general to lend her the bamboo flute on his waist for a moment."

  He Yan was taken aback, never expecting her to make such a request.

  Hand over the flute to Qing Sang

  The green bamboo flute is placed on the lips, and a gentle blow produces a clear and crisp sound, just like the skylark flying in the white clouds.

  After a long time, an old man came running quickly and asked who was blowing the flute.

  "The maid replied: 'I was unable to see my sister who is about to leave, so I expressed my farewell sentiments through the flute.'"

  He Yan saw that the emperor had already been startled, and he couldn't stop it anymore. He said to the eunuch who came to ask: "Eunuch Cheng, this girl is Pu Qingsang, the daughter of Pu Shangshu from the Ministry of Revenue. Her second sister is among the women being sent to Beijiang this time, so she came to see her off."

  Cheng Gonggong still had some impression of Qing Sang, remembering that two years ago, Li Shangshu's recommendation made him look up and see her, although he couldn't see her whole face because she was lowering her head, but seeing her slender and delicate figure, he knew that what Li Shangshu said was true.

  Chao He Yan made a bow and hastily ran back to report to the Emperor.

  After a while, Cheng Gonggong came running again and said that the Emperor wanted to see Qing Sang.

  Jing Qing heard He Yan call this person "Cheng Gonggong", and roughly guessed that he was Cheng Liang'an, the imperial eunuch by the Emperor's side. With this, she knew she had taken another step closer to her goal. Sure enough, the Emperor soon ordered someone to bring her before him for an audience.

  As Cheng Gong walked closer to the North Gate, he saw from afar a faintly white figure standing between the gates, floating like an immortal.

  Qing Sang stepped forward, took a deep breath, and knelt down to pay his respects to the Emperor and Empress.

  After curtsying, the emperor ordered her to raise her head

  Qing Shu slowly raised his head, a pair of big eyes looking towards the emperor who was as noble as heaven.

  It turned out that this was the emperor, the real emperor. Qing Sang saw that the emperor had thick eyebrows and a stern face type, and felt that Tang Yan really looked like the emperor, except that the emperor was not tall, but the aura around him was naturally born.

  Yu Guang glanced at the Crown Prince, only to see him looking worriedly at her, while behind him stood the Seventh Prince Tang Yun, who was also gazing anxiously at her.

  The emperor saw her and his heart moved. Although he had seen her portrait two years ago, the real person was even more lively and spirited than the painting.

  Indeed a beauty with a lovely face and figure, outshining the moon and putting flowers to shame.

  "Are you here to see off your second sister?" The emperor's voice was like a bell, and an air of majesty suddenly arose.

  "It's true, I'm here to see you off because Second Sister is heading to Beijiang today and it will be as difficult as climbing the sky to meet again after this." Qing Sang replied with her head lowered.

  "Do you know I once decreed that no one is allowed to see me off today?" The Emperor asked again.

  "The slave knows that Her Majesty is kind and does not want the various ladies' families to suffer the pain of separation, but Her Majesty only said that they cannot meet to bid farewell, and did not say that they cannot play a tune to send each other off. The slave will stand two miles outside the North Gate, using the sound of the flute to express my feelings, hoping that the clear wind will carry the slave's thoughts and blessings to her sister."

  The emperor burst out laughing and said: "Pu Jiayuan has taught a good daughter, clever and bold, but also reckless."

  Qing Sang hastily knelt down and said: "I dare not disobey the imperial decree, so I can only resort to cleverness and hope that Your Majesty will pardon my crime."

  The emperor ordered her to stand up, and with a glance, he saw the double butterfly jade hairpin on her head and asked: "Is the hairpin you are wearing something that belongs to Yu Fangyi?"

  Qing Sang lowered her eyes and said sorrowfully, "It was indeed a gift from Elder Sister. On the day Elder Sister was pregnant with the dragon child, Mother and Second Sister entered the palace to attend to her. Elder Sister thought of our sisterly bond and asked Mother to bring this hairpin to me."

  The emperor's eyes flashed with a complex expression, and he muttered: "This hairpin was actually given to you"

  The empress dowager said, "Your Majesty, this girl is also deeply devoted to her sister and only took this shortcut because of it. I hope Your Majesty will take into consideration the early death of Yu Fang's beauty and the hard work and great contributions of Pu Shangshu, and spare her punishment."

  The emperor fell silent for a moment, then said to Qing Sang: "Do you know that under the overturned nest, there are no intact eggs?"

  Qing Sang was shocked and knew that the Emperor was blaming himself for not recognizing the bigger picture, so he said: "The Holy One's benevolence extends to all eight directions, it is truly a blessing for the people of the Manchu and the northern tribes, but there will be a day when they will be destroyed."

  His Majesty gazed at her for a long time before saying, "Cheng Liang'an, take her to meet someone."

  Gratefully kowtowing down

  Cheng Gonggong took her to a horse carriage and saw Qingbi wearing a veil.

  Qingbi's veil fell down, revealing a faint smile, wanting to comfort Qing Sang, but tears still fell down reluctantly.

  "Two young ladies, let's make it brief, lest we miss our departure time," said Old Master Cheng in a soft voice.

  The green jade and green mulberry have both responded

  Cheng Gong finally left

  Qingbi held Qing Sang's hands and suddenly saw the red color of her wound, looked at Qing Sang's heart and saw that the wound was quite deep, blood had already coagulated.

  Qingbi saw this and couldn't help but redden her eyes again, saying pitifully: "Sister has suffered!"

  Qing Sang grasped Qing Bi's hands and said, "Sister, there is no need to say such things, it is you who are suffering."

  Qingbi silently shed tears and said: "Sister, you risked coming to see me off today. With this kind of sentiment, I am already satisfied."

  "Sister, you also said that as sisters we should support each other like branches on the same tree. My younger sister has already agreed to marry the prince, and one day she will definitely find out who was behind your death and rescue you from that desolate place. I hope you can hold on until then, don't give up, and wait for that day." Qing Sang stared at Qing Bi firmly, wanting her to agree to keep living rather than giving up halfway.

  The blue jade nodded heavily and repeatedly.

  Qing Sang seemed to have a thousand words to say, but Cheng Gonggong came to urge him.

  Qing Sang saw that all the other girls were dressed in bright red, but Qing Bi was wearing a plain white dress with a pure white cloak draped over her shoulders. Her hair was simply styled without any adornments, and this made him feel even more heartbroken.

  She took the pink crystal peach blossom hairpin from her head and put it on Qingbi's hair, then untied the package and took out a large red cloak to change into. She said softly: "This peach blossom hairpin was given by eldest sister before she entered the palace, today second sister wears it, hoping that eldest sister's spirit in heaven will bless and protect second sister on her journey."

  Qingbi hugged Qing Sang, and the two of them cried for a while. Then, with the help of the palace maid who had accompanied her to the wedding, she got into the carriage.

  Qing Sang saw the horse carriage heading north, and suddenly felt a sharp pain in her heart. She only felt that the day of their reunion was far away, and with one thought after another, she stepped forward to chase after the horse carriage, running and crying out: "Sister must live a good life, sister must live a good life!"

  The road was littered with sharp stones that tripped up the young tongue, heartbroken and desperate. No longer feeling pain, he simply lay on the ground wailing in anguish.

  Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around her and pulled her into an embrace.