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  Chapter 13

  Ming Xuan looked at Li Linxiao with a serious expression, his tone filled with deep entreaty, "Can you help me find Fourth Brother?"

  Gu Yuanjing was the first person she saw when she woke up in this life.

  Although it has been three years, the time she spent with him was short, but in many sleepless nights when she first arrived, she would always remember that sad and haggard face, his eyes red as he repeated over and over again, "Sister, why are you so foolish? If something happens to me, how can I explain it to Father and Mother?"

  The repetitive words, said a thousand times, sometimes she thought, maybe she was just annoyed and woke up.

  Ming Xuan lifted her trembling eyelashes and gazed at Lin Yue, "The day before yesterday, I went to the Auxiliary Country Dukes mansion as a guest. I vaguely heard them say that the Emperor appointed Shen Er Ye of Dingxiang Houfu as the Protector of the West General, who set out last year to assist the Great General of the Western Garrison in defeating the Rouran. Lin Yue, can you help me ask Big Sister-in-law to find out about my fourth brothers whereabouts? Grandmother said that she didnt see my fourth brothers name in the funeral report, I think he must still be alive!"

  The fourth master of Yongning Marquiss manor, who was demoted to the Western Frontier Army by the Emperor himself, would attract attention wherever he went. If he really died in battle, General Zhenxi would not have omitted his name from the funeral report. The wife of the son of Pingchang Earl, Shen, is the younger sister of General Huxi. If she is willing to help, General Huxi will investigate and it should be easier!

  Lin Xue was taken aback for a moment, and after thinking for a while, she understood who Ming Huan was talking about. "Sister Huan, were all family sisters, and Ill definitely help if I can. Dont worry, Eldest Sister dotes on me the most. Ill write a letter right now, and tomorrow Ill ask Third Brother to take it back. Eldest Sister will definitely take it to heart!"

  She thought for a moment, and then said hesitantly, "But in recent years, the Rouran have repeatedly invaded, and the war on the Western Frontier has been at a stalemate. The garrison of the Western Regions has suffered heavy casualties. The current army of 400,000 is the result of several rounds of reinforcements. If we count all the previous and later ones, its likely that there are around 500,000 to 600,000 people. To find Fourth Brother among them would truly not be an easy task. Xiang sister, Im afraid it will take some more time."

  Ming Xuan hastily said, "If Elder Sister is willing to help, I would be eternally grateful. Finding someone is not easy, as long as we can get news of Fourth Brother, no matter how long it takes, its worth waiting for."

  Although her current situation is urgent, these words are also spoken from the heart.

  The Yongning Marquiss manor spent three years searching for someone who couldnt be found, and the Protector of the West General wouldnt possibly find him in a short time. When she made this request, her heart naturally hoped that Gu Yuanjing would appear as soon as possible, but more than that, she truly wanted to find this person back.

  She occupied Gu Ming Xuans body and should have inherited her love, hatred, and all the entanglements that came with it.

  But she didnt understand the intricacies of court struggles, nor did she have any political talent. She couldnt even distinguish between right and wrong in the case of the current emperors ascension to the throne. In this era where imperial power was supreme, if the emperor wanted someone dead, they had no choice but to die. Even if the emperor had wrongly accused Gu Changping, what could she do except try to clear his name and remove the heavy charge of treason? Could she possibly get revenge for her fathers death, her mothers grievances, and her sisters injustices from the emperor himself?

  As for that Han Xiu, the imperial courts claws and teeth were just carrying out their orders. Although his actions on the day of the new marriage were too unrighteous, he was simply a heartless and ruthless person. But from another perspective, in order to protect himself, he would be eager to clear himself, even if she despised him in her heart. If we want to talk about hatred and revenge, she doesnt even have the ability to protect herself now, so how can she do anything to that young and powerful nobleman?

  So, there was only Gu Yuanjing left.

  If we can safely find Gu Yuanjing and help him support the door of the third house, preserve the family business that Gu Changping and Lu Shi have worked hard to accumulate, the late Ming Huan will surely be delighted. The ancients valued posthumous honor the most, and if the third house has a male heir to inherit, it can also enjoy the incense fire of future generations, which is considered as her repayment for the kindness of this body.

  The road ahead, whether good or bad, will have to be borne by oneself from now on.

  On the second day at dawn, when the sky was still dark and had not yet brightened, Li Shaoqi set out to return to Longxi.

  Lin Xue wore a thick sable coat to see someone off, and Ming Xuan didnt need to go with her, but thinking of the letter in Li Shaoqis hand, she felt that she should also go out to send it off, and then sincerely thank San Biao Ge, this was the attitude of asking for help.

  Li Shaoqi had already bid farewell to his maternal grandparents and several older brothers the night before, so in the Huilong Temple, there were only Yuan Xianyuan Yi and a few younger ones left.

  Yuán Huì was the youngest, having just turned eleven a few days ago. She was the only child of Fourth Master Gu and Madame Xue. As Madame Xue had some old connections with the Lu family of Wudinghou Fu, she had been visiting Yushu Ge more frequently over the past few years. Therefore, Yuán Huì was very familiar with Mingxuan. Seeing her arrive, she eagerly jumped up and ran to her side, asking, "Seventh Sister, have you also come to see off Third Brother?"

  Ming Xuan felt a bit embarrassed, and she replied vaguely, "Uh-huh, yeah."

  Li Shaoyi understood that Ming Xuan had come because of the letter, so he smiled and helped her out of the situation. "No wonder Mother heard that my sister was living with my cousin and felt at ease letting her stay for a few more days. It turns out that my cousin really cares about my sister. On such a cold morning, my cousin didnt feel at ease sending my sister alone, Im very grateful."

  He stretched out his hand to gently touch the top of Lin Yues head, "Mother said, let Duo follow Xuan sister to learn her generosity, understanding and gentle care, like this mischievous little monkey, what will happen when she gets married in the future!"

  Lin Xue was about to retort, but her eyes swept across Gu Yuanxians gentle face. She glanced over lightly and found that Yuanxian was also looking at her. In the midst of their four eyes meeting, they both discovered affection and tender feelings in each others eyes. The two peoples faces suddenly turned red.

  She turned her head away with some embarrassment, lightly stomping her feet, "Brother, what are you talking about!"

  Li Shaoqi couldnt help but laugh out loud, "Alright, alright, no more teasing. Its getting late and I should get going. Just stay at your maternal grandmothers house and wait for your older cousin to send you back to Longxi next month."

  Ming Xuan thought to herself, next month when the young master sends Lin Yue back, it must be for the engagement, it seems that Third Uncle has already discussed everything with Eldest Uncle. She couldnt help but turn her head to look at Li Lin Yue and Gu Yuan Xian, what a perfect pair of jade-like beauties!

  But in her heart, she still had a lingering worry, if this blood relationship was not so close, it would be much better.

  Everyone braved the cold weather and saw Li Dongqi off at the gate. Mingxuan found an opportunity to personally thank Li Shaoyi.

  Li Shaoyi was polite for a while, but suddenly said with deep meaning, "The same rice can raise different people, it can be seen that everyones fate is determined by their heart. Lin Xue has the wisdom to recognize people and make friends, Im happy for her as her brother. Cousin, my sister Lin Xue will be troubling you in these days, please take care of her."

  The words were full of strange implications, and Ming Xuan was momentarily at a loss as to why San Shu had sighed.

  Li Shaoyis carriage sped away, and everyone was about to return to their own homes. The two tall gatekeepers were just about to close the majestic gates of Yongning Hou Mansion when Ming Xuan suddenly remembered that she had never seen anything outside the mansion since her arrival in this world. She hastily called out, "Wait! My hairpin is gone, perhaps it fell outside."

  The little servant girl followed closely and quickly ran out to look for her.

  In the faintly lit sky, the east had already revealed a pale white light, and through this dim and unclear light, Ming Xuan opened her eyes to gaze at the small street scene outside the door.

  This is a wide bluestone road, about ten meters wide. At the entrance of the mansion, two majestic stone lions are squatting, just like those seen in the gardens of the Forbidden City in previous lives. Opposite seems to be another household, and judging from the scale of the house, its not small, probably a noble or aristocratic family. The crimson walls and dark green tiles, with two flying large characters on the wide eaves above, she silently recited "Han Mansion".

  Ming Xuans heart slightly trembled as she carefully counted the number of high-ranking officials in the imperial court with the surname Han, secretly speculating whether there was any familial connection between this family and that Han Xiuyu.

  At this time, the official gate opposite "creaked" open, and a sedan chair came out from inside, swaying back and forth as it headed in the direction of the imperial palace. At this point, there was still half an hour until the fourth watch, and indeed, officials with real power in the court should have started to arrive at the imperial court one after another.

  Ming Xuan was curious about the street scene, and it was the first time she had truly seen the official power of a high-ranking official. She couldnt help but look up several times. Suddenly, she felt a sharp gaze piercing through the sedan chair towards her, with an eye that was both accurate and swift, like a sword being unsheathed, striking her with no chance to defend herself. Yet, amidst this sharp blade, there were clearly some other emotions mixed in, including fervor, complexity, and entanglement...

  She had already vaguely guessed who was living in the Han Mansion opposite, and didnt dare to act rashly anymore. She quickly said to the little maid searching for hairpins outside, "Maybe I remembered wrong, I was in a hurry earlier and didnt wear my hairpin when I came out. Lets go back inside quickly, dont let others see us."

  The gate of Yongning Marquiss mansion closed with a bang, and the person in the sedan chair let out a low sigh, which seemed so desolate under the clear and cold sky.

  After returning to the Xiyu Pavilion, Linxue climbed back onto the bed and fell asleep again. However, Mingshuang couldnt sleep no matter what.

  On the desk, the wonderful lotus Guanyin picture painted for the old princess of Dongping had been completed and framed, just waiting to be taken from the warehouse and put in a suitable brocade box before being sent to the Dongping Wangfu.

  Ming Xuan carefully stroked the work that had taken her dozens of days to painstakingly carve out, and her face was somewhat disheartened. She had originally hoped that Princess Dongping would be able to help her, which is why she had brought out all her skills from past and present, but now it seemed like she had been busy for nothing.

  She suddenly shook her head slightly, and it wasnt a waste of effort either. If the old princess liked her, she would have married into the Jianan Marquiss household, and if Liang Jun dared to lay hands on her, she would at least have someone to appeal to for justice, unlike now when she had no one to rely on and was at the mercy of others.

  The courtyard gate of Yu Ge was suddenly knocked by a dense drumbeat, and Xue Su rushed into the house with a surprised expression, "Miss, its Dou Zhu sister from Madame Hous side, saying that she has come to pass on Madame Hous orders, asking you to prepare your clothes immediately, seemingly... seemingly going to Jianan Bo Fu!"

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