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" Bei Lin'er, this name sounds nice," the woman smiled with a hint of maternal affection, "You can call me Sister Fei."
"Thank you, Sister Fei," Yan Qing nodded, her heart in turmoil but choosing silence.
She knew that every one of her questions could potentially lead to a bloody past, becoming a new source of pain.
"Don't worry about where to go, child. After the injuries here are taken care of, I will take you back to Renyi Hospital," Sister Fei said.
Bei Lin'er did not respond, and Fei'er seemed to see through her exhaustion, gently advising her to rest. Yan Qing closed her eyes, but the storm in her heart grew more and more intense.
The terror on the battlefield, the despair of loved ones, and the helplessness of a girl her age, as well as the tragedy her mother had suffered, all seemed like ghosts in the night, lingering in her mind and refusing to leave. Her fists clenched tightly, nails digging into her palms and drawing blood, but the pain could not reach the depths of her soul.
"Why? Why? Why does my uncle treat us like this?" Yan Qing's whisper was full of incomprehension and indignation. This pain was something she had never experienced before in her life.
The night has deepened, and the oil lamp in the room emits a flickering light, illuminating Yan Qing's gradually calming face. Even so, her tears still fall involuntarily.
The outside world remains noisy, but in this small space, her soul has found a moment of peace.
However, this brief calm cannot diminish the burning anger in her heart. In this long dark night, the loyalty to her homeland and the desire for revenge in Yan Qing's heart is like a spark fanned by the wind, growing even hotter.
In the dim sea of consciousness, Yan Qing feels as if she has traversed time and space, returning to those carefree childhood days.
She saw her young self, chasing butterflies in the palace garden, her mother's smile gentle and peaceful, her father's eyes full of love. Those beautiful memories, like bubbles, gradually shattered in the face of reality.
"Princess... You were only gone for one night, how did you end up like this... Sob, how can this old servant face the Queen Mother in the afterlife."
A familiar and choked voice echoed in the darkness, filled with endless sorrow and self-blame.
Yan Qing's consciousness gradually became clear, feeling someone crying beside her. She slowly opened her eyes, and the first thing that came into view was a face filled with worry - the face of her grandmother.
"Grandma?" Her voice carried a hint of weakness and hoarseness, with a glimmer of confusion just awakened from a coma, like ripples gently stirred by the wind on the spring water in her eyes.
Grandma's tears kept falling from the corners of her eyes, and her trembling hand gently touched Yan Qing's face, a gesture filled with love and concern. "Child, you finally woke up. You scared Grandma. Grandma searched everywhere for you and finally learned from a kind-hearted White-clothed person that someone saved a disfigured girl, her face smoked like charcoal, similar in age to you." Speaking of the face, Grandma suddenly choked up with sadness.
"Grandma... don't be sad, the wounds on your face will heal. Besides, what use is my appearance now? It might even bring me trouble instead." Yan Qing comforted softly.
Grandma tried hard to hold back her tears: "Child, okay, Grandma won't be sad... Your appearance will always be the most beautiful in Grandma's eyes. When you're healed, Grandma will search for all the divine doctors, even if it exhausts all savings, I will definitely restore your face to its original state." Grandma said.
Yan Qing tried to sit up, but the intense pain made her involuntarily gasp for cool air, her face contorted with agony.
"Grandmother, those people... my home... my father and mother..." Yan Qing's voice trembled, and the overwhelming sadness made her eyes fill with tears again, as if a river about to overflow.
Grandma's face turned pale, she took a deep breath as if gathering all her courage in her chest, and then slowly spoke, "Child, your mother, Queen Yin, has passed away."
This simple sentence, like frost on autumn leaves, shattered Yan Qing's last hope. She wished so much that the person just now wasn't her mother, just a dream. Her mother, like her, had been replaced by someone else.
But unfortunately, there are no gods here, and no miracles. Only cruel reality.
Yan Qing's face instantly lost its color, the light in her eyes extinguished, and she seemed to have been drained of her soul.
"No... it can't be..." Yan Qing's voice was barely audible, her fingers weakly clutching the bedsheet, her fingertips turning white.
Grandma's tears finally couldn't help but fall. Her voice trembled as she tried to convey the sad news in the gentlest way:
"Child, the enemy's large army has invaded. Important members of the royal family must stay in the capital. Your mother, in order to protect you, dressed you in commoner's clothes and had me take you out of the city. Another little girl was dressed in your clothes... Queen Yin must have... she must have been harmed by the Later Tang army... This old servant has heard that His Majesty has successfully escaped to the northern area of the Xiongnu, but there has been no news about Queen Yin's safety."
Yan Qing's heart felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer, her breathing became rapid, and the world before her began to spin. Her ears were filled with the sound of her grandmother's crying and the echo of her own heartbeat. Her tears finally burst forth uncontrollably, like a flood breaking through a dam. She cried out loudly, her wails filled with endless grief and despair.
Her grandmother held Yan Qing tightly, and the two clung to each other, their crying voices intertwining like the desolate wind of winter, penetrating every corner of the wooden house.
Grandma's tears fell on Yan Qing's hair, her voice choked with guilt: "Princess, it's grandma's uselessness, I couldn't protect Queen Yin..."
Yan Qing lifted her head, her eyes filled with redness, her tear-stained face marked with deep pain: "Grandma, it's not your fault, it's the cruelty of this world, it's the ruthless heart of Emperor of Later Tang!"
Grandma shook her head, her sorrow overflowing in her words: "Child, your mother, in her final moments, was still worried about your safety. After you've safely left the city, let Grandma tell you, she loves you."
Yan Qing's tears once again rolled down like broken beads, her heart filled with longing for her mother and mourning for the departed loved one. Her voice trembled as she cried, "Mother, it's unfilial of your daughter to not be by your side."
In the wooden house, only the sound of two people crying and the faint crackling of burning firewood remained.
As time passed in this heavy sorrow, the old grandmother's sobbing finally became subdued. She lifted her head and, with her bloodshot eyes, looked firmly at Yan Qing, her tone carrying an unquestionable determination: "Child, we must seek justice for your mother's wrongful accusation. But at this moment, what you should do most is to live on strongly for yourself and for your mother."
Yan Qing nodded slightly, the confusion in her eyes replaced by determination: "Grandma, I understand. I will live on for the sake of my mother."
Grandma gently stroked Yan Qing's hair, her eyes filled with love: "Good child, your mother will be proud of you even in the afterlife."
Yan Qing took a deep breath and wiped away the tears on her face with determination. From this moment on, she would no longer be the beloved princess of Ba-Shu by everyone, but a avenger burdened with deep-seated enmity.
"And we cannot just surrender like this," Yan Qing's voice was faint yet resolute, as if she had found a glimmer of light in the darkness.
Grandma stared at Yan Qing: "Princess, what do you want to do?"
Yan Qing gently wiped away the tears on her cheeks, her eyes shining with a newfound determination: "I want to go find Li Zhao." Her voice no longer carried just sadness, but also contained an unwavering resolve.
Grandma's eyes flashed with a hint of complex emotions. She sighed softly, as if struggling with a decision deep in her heart. Yan Qing's determination both surprised and worried her.
"Princess, it's no use for you to go find Li Zhao now," the old lady's voice was low, tinged with a hint of helplessness. "Li Zhao... they may have difficulty protecting themselves."
Yan Qing's gaze hardened, though she had a thousand thoughts in her mind, she knew the old lady wouldn't dissuade her without reason.
Grandma slowly sat down, rubbing an old piece of cloth in her hand, a habit she had developed over the years. Whenever she felt unsettled, she would do this.
"The Empress mentioned in our last conversation that she received a letter from Emperor Later Yan Lan, in which it was mentioned that Consort Guo had been demoted to a lower rank. Fortunately, her son Li Zhao is still favored, so Consort Guo, who was demoted, was not sent to the cold palace."
Yan Qing listened, feeling the burning anxiety in her heart. "Then I should go find him, if he's also in danger..."
The old lady shook her head, her firm gaze silencing Yan Qing. "Emperor Li Chang's treatment of Consort Guo was due to the deep love between husband and wife, and his friendship with Empress Yan. That's why he only demoted her to show his reprimand. If you appear now, it will only make Li Zhao and Empress Yan's situation even more difficult."
Yan Qing's eyes flashed with a hint of hesitation, but it was quickly replaced by determination. "Grandma, but I can't just sit and wait for my fate."
Grandma sighed. She knew Yan Qing's personality - once she made up her mind, she wouldn't easily change it. "You, child, always act on impulse. You must understand, there are some things in this world that can't be helped just by wanting to help."
Yan Qing fell silent for a moment, then asked softly, "Grandma, do you have any way to at least let me know about Li Zhao's news?"
There was a glint in Grandma's eyes, as if she had already calculated in her heart. "I'm afraid it will have to wait until after the war, Grandma can try to inquire through the palace channels. But during this time, you must promise me that you will not act rashly and take good care of your injuries."
Yan Qing nodded, understanding the deeper meaning in the old granny's words. "I promise you, Granny."
Granny stood up, her figure elongated in the lamplight, appearing particularly resolute. "Alright then, Princess, it's settled between Granny and you."
Yan Qing Looking at the old grandma, my heart is filled with gratitude. Suddenly, she felt that in this chaotic world, having a familiar relative by her side is so rare and precious.
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