Chapter Fifteen: A Thunderclap on a Clear Day

  After dawn broke, Pu Ji Nian first went to see Shu Wan, comforting her for a whole hour before leaving to see Qing He.

  Qinghe remained silent as usual, not uttering a word. Pu Jiannian comforted him with a few words before leaving for Qing Sang's place.

  Looking at Qing Sang's small face, as white as sheep fat, with the remaining red swelling, Pu Jiannian was heartbroken and said: "Sang'er has always been steady, why did you want to compete with Shu Wan? If it was for your mother to vent her anger on Shu Wan, Shu Wan is also wronged."

  Qing Sang heard this and already knew that Shu Wan had bitten her tongue, and couldn't help but feel sad and indignant. She asked: "What is 'transferring anger'? What did the Fifth Daughter say? Does Father believe her?"

  Pu Jiannian sighed and said, "Why does Sangzi have prejudices against Shuluan? Although Shuluan has been drifting in the wind and dust, she is also forced by life. Her words and deeds may be frivolous, but her heart is good."

  Qingsang said: "Dad, you're telling the truth for once."

  Pu Ji Nian said, "Because Shu Wan's birth was not good, I was afraid that your grandmother would obstruct it, so I had to hide it. But on that day when you asked about it, I knew in my heart that I couldn't deceive you."

  Qing Sang coldly smiled and said: "What does Father like about Wu Niang, is it her subtle smile, or the fragrance of her lipstick when she speaks privately, or perhaps it's that particular skill of hers."

  Pu Jinyan knew that Qing Sang had a grudge against him when she started calling him "father" instead of "dad". But he didn't expect her to say something so outrageous, and he couldn't help but fly into a rage: "How can a well-bred young lady like you utter such indecent words? I don't know where you learned this kind of filthy language. As your father, I must go ask your mother how she taught you!"

  Qing Sang knew he had misspoken, but in his heart, he felt more disappointment and heartache. He resentfully said, "Father, why ask Mother? As the saying goes, 'like father, like daughter'."

  Pu Ji Nian suddenly remembered the events of yesterday in the study, feeling ashamed and speechless. He was stunned for a moment before calling out in anguish: "Sang Er!"

  Pu Jiannian felt both love and fear towards this 'daughter', but he couldn't quite put his finger on why he was afraid. He often felt that this 'daughter's thoughts were too deep for him to fathom, and Qing Sang had a clarity of thought that belied her fifteen years.

  Qingsang turned his head away and refused to talk to him.

  Pu Jinyan had no choice but to leave with a sullen face.

  Qing Sang saw her father leave, got up and walked out of the yard, only to see that the autumn wind had blown the leaves into a frenzy, dancing in the sky. Her heart felt an unbearable sense of desolation.

  Where is Tong'er now? Yu City has been damp and cold all year round, and Tong'er's hand injury has just healed. How can she bear the dampness? However, even if I'm worried to death, I still can't see her.

  What exactly happened during this time? Qing Sang suddenly thought that the prince must have known the truth.

  After having this thought, Qing Sang called Xue Pen and instructed her to find two sets of clothes for the young servants.

  The snow bowl is not solved, what's the use of asking?

  Qing Sang said slowly: "Go to Tai Chu Guan."

  Qingsang and Xueyan dressed up, brought some snacks, packed some pastries, sneaked out from the back door, hired a horse carriage and went to Taichu Pavilion.

  Arriving at the palace gate, Qing Sang falsely claimed that she was a person from the palace and had come to deliver some pastries that the Crown Prince particularly liked.

  I thought this matter would not be easy and would require some effort, but unexpectedly it went extremely smoothly. The little Taoist priest listened to the words and took the two of them away to a separate courtyard in the back mountain. After the gatekeeper and the guard passed on the message, Qing Sang and Xue Pen were led inside by the public official.

  "I pay homage to Your Highness the Crown Prince and to General Qian Niu of the Imperial Guard." The two men knelt down to make their obeisance.

  "Get up!" Crown Prince Tong Hao heard the eunuch say that someone had sent a food box to the palace, thinking it was Empress Dowager who had ordered it, and casually said: "Just in time, I'm having tea with General He, bring it over and let's take a look at what pastries they are."

  The maid with her head lowered hastily presented the food box.

  After opening it, there were some ordinary yuanyang cake and rose pastry. Perhaps due to the bumpy road, many of them had broken into pieces and did not resemble the delicate pastries served in the palace at all. There was no peach pastry, which was the crown prince's favorite snack.

  The crown prince looked at them with some confusion.

  He Yan also noticed that the pastry didn't seem to be from the palace, and wasn't even as good as those from their own general's residence. He looked at the two of them with some curiosity.

  Qingsang already knew that the crown prince had some doubts, but at this time there was General He Yan, and it was not convenient to reveal his identity. Just as he was hesitating, he suddenly heard the crown prince order him to raise his head.

  Qingsang slowly raised his head and stared straight at the prince.

  The prince gazed at them for a moment, then suddenly his eyes flashed with astonishment, but immediately he laughed and said: "You two have mishandled the food box, how can the crown prince and the general eat these scattered pastries? Punish you two to go to the kitchen and redo it quickly!"

  Qing Sang opened her big eyes and stared at the prince, she was convinced that the prince had just recognized her, but he actually told her to go to the kitchen to make pastries? Had she misheard?

  Qing Sang saw that the crown prince did not look at her again, and she had to follow Gong Gong to the kitchen while he was chatting with He Yan.

  "Miss, let me do it?" Xue Pen saw Qing Sang's face covered with flour and quickly put down the firewood in his hand, washed his hands and helped to knead the dough.

  "Miss, didn't the prince recognize you? Otherwise, why did he punish us to make pastries and not even let the kitchen staff help?" Xue Pen asked while kneading the dough.

  Qingsang said angrily while beating eggs on the side: "He must know, it's probably intentional!"

  The snow lantern didn't understand and rubbed the doughy face asking: "Why?"

  Qing Sang was stunned, why? She really didn't know. Anyway, today she had a request for him, since he wanted to make things difficult for her, she could only let him have his way. Besides, he was the crown prince, if she didn't obey, she would be in trouble.

  It's just that making pastries isn't really her strong point. Although in her previous life she could make some simple dishes, in this life she was a lady who stayed at home and didn't need to learn how to do this. Now she can only force herself to try. Moreover, seeing Xue Pan clumsily knead the dough, she despaired of knowing that Xue Pan also wouldn't be able to do it. This is no wonder, as Xue Pan was a maid in the house and was usually good at dressing up and embroidery.

  Two people were busy making a batch of egg cakes, but out of over ten cakes, only two looked barely acceptable, while the rest were all burnt to charcoal.

  "It's really nostalgic for smart ovens." Qing Sang looked at the labor results of himself and Xue Pen, and suddenly felt sentimental, forgetting that he was now in ancient times.

  "Miss, what is a smart oven?" Snow Pan asked in surprise.

  Qing Sang coughed twice and said, "My intention is that you should think more about how to use the stove better. Tomorrow, go to the kitchen and learn some skills, just in case."

  "Oh!" Xue Pen was still in a daze, looking confused and perplexed.

  "Alright, let's get started then." Qingsang had made egg tarts a few times in his past life and thought he could still do it well, but he forgot the most important part of making egg tarts - baking. In his past life, he had a smart oven that only required setting the time, but in this ancient era, he had to start a fire and add wood himself, controlling the heat. Qingsang and Xuepen, two kitchen novices, naturally couldn't do it well.

  At this time, there were only two people in the house: the Crown Prince and Qing Sang.

  The prince looked at the two yellowish round cakes on the table, slightly raised his thin lips and asked slowly: "Miss Pu, what is this thing?"

  "Almond cake!"

  The prince directly picked one up, took a bite and chewed slowly, saying: "Although the appearance is not great, the taste is still passable."

  Qing Sang let out a sigh of relief.

  "Is Miss Pu here this time for the Seventh Prince's matter?" The Crown Prince asked with a smile.

  Qingsang nodded slightly.

  The prince told her to sit down, but didn't directly tell her about Tong's matter. Instead, he asked her where the wound on her face came from.

  Qing Sang just said it was an accidental injury.

  "Who slapped him?" The prince suddenly reached out and lifted Qing Sang's chin, taking a closer look. The red swelling on his face was clearly from being slapped, with the finger marks still visible.

  Qing Sang wanted to turn her head and shake off the prince's hand, but unexpectedly, the prince saw that she wanted to avoid him, so he added force to his grip, making Qing Sang have no choice but to look straight at the prince.

  "Is it Old Lady?" The prince recalled the time at Puzi Temple when Qing Sang's grandmother hit her with a stick and guessed.

  "No, it's Wu Niang, the slave girl." Qing Sang knew she couldn't deceive him, so she told him the truth.

  The crown prince's clear eyes floated with a layer of gloom, and he loosened his grip on the hand holding the green mulberry chin. In a low voice, he said: "You don't have to worry about the emperor's younger brother, I've already been planning, and in a few days, he will be back."

  Qing Sang Xi said: "Really?"

  The prince saw her and heard Tong'er's words, he was overjoyed, but his heart couldn't help but feel a little sour, yet he still replied: "Really."

  Qing Sang was secretly delighted in her heart, but still curious about what had happened that day, so she continued to ask boldly what had actually happened on that day.

  The crown prince said that what Pu Jiayear said was similar, but Qing Sang raised some questions. The crown prince saw that she was thinking carefully and knew that this answer would not work, so he said: "That day, after the hour of Chen, the seventh brother did not know what to do, and he jumped over the wall and left the mansion, but was discovered by the guards. At that time, the seventh brother did not make it difficult for them, and returned to the mansion. After the hour of You, the seventh brother's personal attendant, Lu Sheng, secretly sneaked out of the mansion, but was unfortunately caught by the Left Thousand Cow Guard who was sent by the emperor to guard the Qing Wang Mansion. A letter was found on his body, and Lu Sheng took advantage of their carelessness and snatched the letter and swallowed it. Several thousand cow guards were unable to get it out of his mouth, and they felt that the matter was important, so they reported it to the emperor. The emperor ordered the seventh brother to enter the palace that night to ask about this matter. The seventh brother kept his mouth shut and refused to explain the reason, and Lu Sheng was also a loyal person who did not want to reveal anything. In his great anger, the emperor ordered Lu Sheng to be cut open alive and take out the letter from his stomach, but the words in the letter had already been dissolved and could not be recognized.

  At this point, the prince also felt a chill and glanced at Qing Sang, seeing her pale face, beautiful eyes filled with tears, knowing that she was frightened, hesitating whether to continue speaking.

  Qing Sang did not expect that Lu Sheng would die so miserably. That young man with a clear brow and bright eyes, who seemed to be only thirteen or fourteen years old, had died unjustly like this.

  Qing Sang's letter from the past must have 'provoked' Tong, which led to a disaster and implicated Lu Sheng.

  "It turns out I am the mastermind behind all this." Qing Sang said with a sorrowful cry.

  The crown prince's face was calm as water, and he continued to say: "I heard about the matter in the seventh brother's mansion, and I immediately entered the palace. After listening to Qian Niu Wei's explanation of the previous cause, I guessed that it had something to do with you. The seventh brother refused to confess your relationship with him, also wanting to protect your reputation. However, recently the Northern Rong has repeatedly invaded our borders, and several times predicted our military deployment, so the emperor suspects there is a traitor. The matter of the seventh brother's private correspondence with someone was also questioned by General Zuo Qian Niu whether it had major hidden circumstances. The emperor and I naturally trust the seventh brother, so we used that day's disturbance to plan an 'out of the snake's hole' scheme, pretending to exile the seventh brother and confining me, waiting for that person to let their guard down and reveal themselves. Therefore, you don't have to worry, it won't be long before the person is exposed, and the seventh brother will return."

  Qing Sang finally put her mind at ease, but Lu Sheng's death still made her extremely sad.

  The prince slightly comforted her with a few words, then ordered the meal to be served and instructed someone to bring the best wound medicine for Qing Sang to apply.

  Qing Sang was in a great appetite at this time, gobbling down his food with gusto, his amusing appearance making the prince smile and purse his lips.

  "Why doesn't Your Highness eat?" Qing Sang asked as she saw the Crown Prince staring at her, but not touching his food.

  "The beauty is worth a meal." The prince smiled and said.

  Qing Sang almost choked when she heard this, and hastily said: "I, a servant girl, have already overstepped my bounds by eating at the same table as Your Highness. My unrefined eating habits have also ruined Your Highness's appetite; I am guilty of an offense and will withdraw now." After speaking, she put down her chopsticks, stood up, and was about to leave.

  The prince hastily invited her to sit down, seeing that although she said she wanted to leave, her eyes were still fixed on the food on the table. Suddenly finding it amusing, he couldn't help but burst out laughing "Haha" several times.

  Qing Sang knew he had already seen through her inability to leave the delicious food on the table, and she was no longer pretending, so she started eating with gusto. She was really hungry, having not eaten for days, and today she had been running around for several hours, even being teased by the prince into going to the kitchen to stir-fry, now that Zhi Tang was safe, she felt extremely hungry.

  After dinner, the prince had already ordered someone to prepare a horse carriage. Taking advantage of the fact that it was not yet completely dark, he wanted someone to send Qing Sang back.

  Qing Sang thanked the palace and was about to get on the carriage, but seemed to recall something, so he turned back.

  "Miss Pu is reluctant to leave?" The prince saw her turn back from beside the carriage, somewhat unexpectedly, and teased.

  Qing Sang muttered to herself: "Self-inflicted infatuation." But she said aloud, "Today, I saw General He was also there. I wonder if he suspected anything at the time?"

  The prince didn't think she was worried about this, but only felt that this little girl's thoughts were too meticulous, surpassing those of men. He said in a soft voice: "You two entered the 'door' and paid homage to him together. He must have thought you were people from the palace, otherwise he wouldn't have recognized him as the Grand General of the Thousand Cow Guards. Although he had some doubts about the pastries you brought, seeing me punish you to redo them, he didn't think much of it."

  Qing Sang nodded and said: "Thank you very much to Your Highness and the Princess for this matter. If I hadn't had the good fortune to attend the wedding banquet, I wouldn't have recognized General He."

  "It's fortunate that you still recognize me, after all, it was just a brief encounter. From this, I can see that you have a deep impression of General He." The prince said calmly, but Qing Sang felt a hint of sourness in his tone.

  As the sky's color gradually darkened, Qing Sang stopped talking and got on the carriage back to the mansion.

  Fortunately, only her mother found out that she had secretly gone out with Xue Pan, and covered for her. When she got back, she was scolded a few times, but it was let go at that.

  The Crown Prince's words indeed came true. More than ten days later, I heard that the Crown Prince had returned from his trip to Taichu and that the Seventh Imperial Son had been summoned back.

  But before they could rejoice for a few more days, Pu Jiayuan suddenly fell into prison, causing the entire Pu Manor to be in an uproar.