SEC Chapter 120 Jiang Qingxue is gradually falling for him
Chapter 120 Jiang Qingxue is gradually falling for him
Inside Yuxiu Palace, the lights were warm and gentle.
Qin Mu leaned against the soft sandalwood couch.
Jiang Qingxue was kneeling on the carpet in front of the couch, pouring tea for him.
The moon-white ruqun skirt spread out like a lotus, and her long black hair was loosely tied up with only a jade hairpin, with a few strands falling around her cheeks.
Her movements were gentle and focused; her slender fingers gripped the handle of the celadon teapot, and the tea flowed into the cup like a thin thread, without splashing a single drop.
But Qin Mu could see clearly that her fingertips were trembling slightly.
Since the news of Xu Fenghua's entry into the palace came this afternoon, Jiang Qingxue has been restless.
Although she tried to remain calm, her feigned composure only made her attempt to cover up the truth more obvious.
"My beloved concubine," Qin Mu suddenly spoke, his voice gentle, "the tea is full."
Jiang Qingxue snapped back to reality and realized that the tea had overflowed the rim of the cup, leaving a small, dark stain on the rosewood table.
"I deserve to die!"
She hurriedly put down the teapot, took out a handkerchief to wipe herself, her movements flustered, and even the roots of her ears were tinged with a faint blush.
Qin Mu looked at her like this, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.
He reached out and took her hand as she wiped the table, his fingertips gently stroking the back of her cold hand.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked softly. "You've been distracted since this afternoon."
Jiang Qingxue's fingers stiffened almost imperceptibly. She forced herself to look up, meeting Qin Mu's gaze, and managed a strained smile:
"Your Majesty... I wasn't thinking anything. It's just that there are new ladies in the palace today, and I'm a little... a little uncomfortable."
She paused, lowered her eyes, and her long eyelashes cast trembling shadows beneath them.
"Your Highness Consort Hua comes from a prestigious family and is so radiant. I... am somewhat ashamed of myself."
These words were poignant and moving, perfectly capturing the fear and jealousy of a concubine in the deep palace when facing a newcomer.
Qin Mu seemed not to hear her words and continued speaking to himself:
"Speaking of which, besides handling some government affairs, there was another important matter on my trip to Jiangnan this time."
He put down his teacup, leaned forward slightly, and fixed his deep eyes on Jiang Qingxue:
"I... have found your former family."
"boom--!!!"
Jiang Qingxue's mind went completely blank for a moment!
She stared blankly at Qin Mu, opened her mouth, but couldn't make a sound.
Those usually calm and collected eyes were now churning with extreme shock, astonishment, and a hint of fear that even she herself didn't realize...
family?
Former family?
Qin Mu... found her parents?
How is this possible?!
Xu Longxiang had clearly told her that her parents had both died when she was a child.
Over the years, she had long accepted this fact, and even... had long since given up any hope.
But now, Qin Mu says, "I've found it?"
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."
Jiang Qingxue's voice was terribly dry, each word sounding like it was being forced out of her throat:
"What...what did you say?"
Her fingers unconsciously clenched the hem of her skirt, the moon-white fabric crumpling into a ball in her palm.
Qin Mu watched her lose her composure quietly, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.
well.
This is the reaction he most wanted to see.
"I say," he repeated, his tone gentle yet each word clear, "I have found your former family. Or rather... I have found the people closest to your parents back then."
He paused, then added:
"It's the clue you've always wanted to know about your background."
Jiang Qingxue felt her breath catch in her throat.
She stared intently at Qin Mu, trying to find even a trace of a joke on his face.
But Qin Mu's expression was serious, his eyes were focused, and there was even a rare hint of tenderness in them.
That tenderness, like a poisoned dagger, pierced the softest part of her heart.
fear.
A strong sense of fear surged into my heart like a tidal wave.
If Qin Mu really finds her biological parents, then the lies that Xu Longxiang wove for her will completely collapse!
What will happen to her once her identity is exposed?
How will Qin Mu treat her? What will happen to Xu Longxiang's plans? Will she... even survive?
But besides fear, there was also a hint of excitement that was hard to suppress.
It was a longing hidden deep within her soul, a longing she herself had never even realized.
I want to know who I really am.
I want to know what my parents look like.
I want to know where she comes from and where her roots are.
For so many days, whenever she sat alone by the window of Yuxiu Palace in the dead of night, gazing at the northern starry sky, only she herself understood the deep-seated loneliness and confusion she felt.
She was like a rootless duckweed, drifting in this deep palace, not knowing where she came from or where she was going.
Now, Qin Mu has given her an answer.
An answer that may reveal all the mysteries.
Two completely opposite emotions clashed wildly in her heart, almost tearing her apart.
Jiang Qingxue bit her lip hard until she tasted a slightly metallic, sweet flavor, which forced her to calm down.
Don't panic.
Do not panic.
Whatever Qin Mu knows, whatever the truth is, she now has to play the role of "Jiang Qingxue" well.
That orphan girl who knew nothing about her origins and longed for her parents.
"R-really?"
Jiang Qingxue slowly raised her head, her eyes already brimming with tears.
That wasn't a pretense, but a genuine reaction to extreme emotional shock.
Her voice trembled, filled with unbelievable excitement and cautious hope:
"Your Majesty...you really...found my family?"
She crawled forward two steps on her knees, her hands tightly gripping the hem of Qin Mu's robe, her upturned face filled with humble pleading:
"Are they...are they still alive? My parents...are they alright?"
Anyone who sees this would be moved.
The almost desperate hope of a woman who lost her parents at a young age and was all alone when she learned that there might be news of her family.
Qin Mu stared at her quietly for a long time.
So long that Jiang Qingxue almost thought she hadn't acted well enough and that he had seen through her act.
Then, Qin Mu sighed softly.
The sigh was soft, yet it carried a complex emotion.
He reached out and gently brushed away the tears that had slid down her cheek with his fingertips, a gesture so tender it was almost pitying.
"I had people investigate for a long time."
His voice was calm, yet every word struck Jiang Qingxue's heart:
"From the northern border to the south of the Yangtze River, from official household registration records to oral traditions among the people, I mobilized the most elite spies of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to visit dozens of prefectures and counties and examine tens of thousands of dusty documents..."
He paused, his gaze deep and unfathomable:
"My beloved consort, do you know why I went to such great lengths?"
Jiang Qingxue stared at him blankly and shook her head.
She really didn't know.
In her opinion, Qin Mu had absolutely no reason to go to such lengths for a woman like her.
unless……
"Because I promised you."
Qin Mu's voice was soft, yet as heavy as a thousand pounds:
"That day you were in Yuxiu Palace, gazing absently at the plum tree in the courtyard. I asked you what you were thinking about. You said you were thinking about what your parents looked like, and where you came from."
He reached out and lifted Jiang Qingxue's chin, forcing her to look him in the eye:
"At that moment, I was thinking that everyone in this deep palace wears a mask and everyone says things against their conscience. But only at that moment, the confusion and loneliness in your eyes were real."
Jiang Qingxue's heart clenched suddenly!
She stared blankly at Qin Mu, at the rare, almost genuine tenderness in his deep eyes, her mind a complete mess.
He... he actually remembered?
Do you remember something she said casually?
Do you remember the fleeting emotion that crossed her eyes?
How is that possible?
How could an emperor, a ruler with a harem of three thousand concubines and countless affairs of state, remember such subtle emotions of a concubine?
"So I went to Jiangnan."
Qin Mu continued, his voice carrying a strange tenderness:
"On the surface, it's for political affairs and inspection, but I know in my heart that the most important thing... is to find the answer for you."
Jiang Qingxue was completely stunned.
She stared blankly at Qin Mu, at his handsome and serious face, at his deep eyes that seemed to absorb all light.
At that moment, the ice in her heart unconsciously cracked open.
An unprecedented and extremely complex emotion surged forth like a flood bursting its banks.
Moving?
absurd?
fear?
hope?
She couldn't tell the difference.
All she knew was that no one had ever said such a thing to her.
No one had ever cared so much about her feelings or gone to such lengths to find answers for her.
Even Xu Longxiang, the man she once trusted wholeheartedly, never truly cared about the confusion and loneliness deep within her heart.
He would only say, "Qingxue, don't think too much. With me here, this is your home."
And now, Qin Mu, the man she once hated, feared, and regarded as a demon, is saying to her—
"I want you to truly feel at ease."
How ironic.
How absurd...
Jiang Qingxue's tears fell silently.
This time, it's not a disguise, it's not a performance.
Rather, it was a genuine and uncontrollable outpouring of emotions.
"His Majesty……"
She choked back tears, her voice broken and incoherent:
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, what virtue or ability do you possess...?"
Qin Mu gently pulled her into his arms, his movements as tender as if he were handling a fragile piece of porcelain.
"Don't cry."
His voice sounded above her head, deep and gentle:
"I do not like to see you cry."
Jiang Qingxue leaned against him, motionless.
Tears soaked the front of his shirt, warm and damp.
She could hear Qin Mu's steady and powerful heartbeat, smell the faint scent of ambergris on his body, and feel the undeniable strength of his arms around her.
All of this feels so real.
It was so real that it frightened her.
"Then...then them..."
After a long while, Jiang Qingxue finally found her voice and asked cautiously:
"Are my parents... still alive?"
When she asked that question, her heart nearly jumped out of her chest.
A mixture of anticipation and fear caused her to tremble slightly.
Qin Mu remained silent for a moment.
That brief silence felt like an eternity to Jiang Qingxue.
Then, he spoke slowly, a hint of regret in his voice:
"Based on the clues we've found, they... should already be gone."
"boom--"
Jiang Qingxue felt her heart sink to the bottom in an instant.
Although she had expected it and had long since given up hope, the deep-seated sense of loss and sorrow she felt when she heard the answer still almost overwhelmed her.
But at the same time, a sense of relief also rose in my heart.
Is gone.
That's good.
That means her identity will not be exposed, Xu Longxiang's lies will not be revealed, and she can continue to play the role of "Jiang Qingxue".
Although thinking this way is selfish and cold-blooded, it is her most genuine thought at this moment.
In order to survive.
In order not to disappoint Xu Longxiang's expectations.
For... that unattainable hope.
"Is...is that so...?"
Jiang Qingxue's voice lowered, tinged with suppressed sobs:
"Your Majesty... I guessed it long ago. If they were still alive after all these years, they would definitely come looking for me..."
As she spoke, tears welled up again.
This time, it's real sadness.
For her parents whom she never met, for the unsolvable mystery of her blood ties, and for her own absurd and tragic fate.
Qin Mu held her quietly, offering neither comfort nor speaking.
He simply patted her back gently, his movements tender and patient.
After a long while, Jiang Qingxue's emotions gradually calmed down.
She slowly raised her head, her red and swollen eyes looking at Qin Mu, her voice still nasal:
"Then... what Your Majesty found is..."
"The person who was closest to your parents back then."
Qin Mu picked up where she left off, his tone gentle:
"He was an old friend of your father's."
He paused, then added:
"I have already settled him outside the palace and assigned people to take good care of him. After a few days, when you are more emotionally stable, I will arrange for him to come to the palace to see you, what do you say?"
Jiang Qingxue's heart jumped again.
An old friend?
Wouldn't that mean...they might recognize her?
Did they realize that she wasn't the person they were looking for at all?
No.
calm.
Jiang Qingxue forced herself to calm down and forced a grateful smile onto her face:
"Really? That's...that's wonderful."
She paused, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes at just the right moment:
"But... I'm afraid seeing them will only make me more heartbroken. After all, my parents are gone, and seeing old friends will only bring back painful memories..."
"I understand."
Qin Mu gently stroked her long hair, his voice soft:
"So I won't force you. Tell me when you're ready and want to see me."
"Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty," Jiang Qingxue said softly, secretly relieved.
At least, we've avoided this hurdle for now.
But Qin Mu's next words made her heart jump into her throat again.
"Oh, right."
Qin Mu seemed to suddenly remember something, and said in a relaxed tone:
"Since we've brought up old friends, we should also visit Chen Feng and his wife. After all, they are your benefactors who raised you. Now that I have brought them into the capital, it is only right and proper that you visit them."
"boom--!!!"
Jiang Qingxue felt her mind go completely blank for a moment!