Wishful Things

A few days later, at the beginning of the morning, it rained in Ningyang City.

The rain was slight, but the chill was deep.

In the main courtyard of Prince Dingnan's Mansion, Princess Dingnan is doing morning class in the Buddhist hall, her back kneeling on the futon is still upright despite her age, the green fragrance is lingering, and the sandalwood rosary beads polished smooth by time are slowly falling between her fingers. Turning slowly.

On a cloudy and rainy day, the sight was dark, and the door of the Buddhist hall was not completely closed. From time to time, a gust of wind blew across the threshold, blowing away the green smoke slowly rising from the incense burner.

"Snapped!"

At this time, along with the wisps of fragrant mist, there was also the string of beads in the hands of Princess Dingnan.

For some unknown reason, the string of beads broke suddenly, and the beads lost their restraint, and fell to the ground and scattered in all directions.

Princess Dingnan, who was concentrating on silently reciting scriptures, was slightly startled.

The two nuns on the side quickly knelt down and picked up the rosary.

Holding the bead thread and the only two rosary beads in her hands, Princess Dingnan raised her head to look at the golden Buddha statue with a compassionate expression on the divine table, and gradually felt a bad premonition in her heart.

"This bead thread is supposed to be replaced..." The two nuns found the remaining one hundred and six rosary beads and put them into the jade plate.

Princess Dingnan put the two in her hand, and when she was about to say something, she heard a girl enter the hall and said softly: "Old Madam, the second master, the third master and the fourth son are here to greet you .”

Princess Dingnan nodded, raised a hand, and was supported by the nanny to stand up, and then bowed to the Buddha statue three times before leaving the Buddhist hall.

The three uncles and nephews waiting in the front hall saluted the old man.

"A Ling came just in time. Mother is about to send someone to look for you." Princess Dingnan sat in the chair and looked at the handsome man in the willow-yellow gown in the hall.

"I don't know what orders mother has?" Wu Jingling's tone was respectful, with a faint smile that seemed to be the same as before, but the tiredness in his eyes could not be concealed.

"Your father, your eldest brother, sister-in-law, and A Yuan, have there been letters recently? Ordinarily, they should have come back—" Princess Dingnan's tone contained a hint of uneasiness that could not be detected.

When Wu Jingling heard this, the smile froze on his face, and his eyes quickly dodged for a moment.

Wu Jingyi on the side also looked at him: "Yes, second brother, didn't you say that your father sent you a letter earlier, and the letter only said that you would be able to return home in about seven or eight days at most?"

He is Wu Jingming's younger brother, and he is also born of Princess Dingnan.

Wu Ran who came together also looked at his second uncle.

Ever since he learned that his grandfather, his parents, and his second brother were coming back together, he has been looking forward to it every day.

He still doesn't have a clear and profound understanding of the road ahead for his family, and he also knows that the situation in Ningyang is tense now, but as long as the family can be reunited in one place, the rest will be nothing to worry about.

It is undoubtedly a very happy thing for father, mother and second brother to leave the capital safely and return to Ningyang.

Under the eyes of several people, Wu Jingling could only force a smile and said: "I think it should be here soon. Two days ago, my son sent someone out of the city secretly to meet him."

"Two days ago?" Princess Dingnan faintly sensed that something was wrong, she stared at Wu Jingling closely, and asked, "Tell your mother truthfully, your father and the others...but what happened?"

As soon as these words came out, the demeanors of Wu Jingyi and Wu Ran changed immediately.

Looking at the second uncle beside him, Wu Ran realized the strangeness after a while——the second uncle's face, which was always fair, now had a light blue beard, which was rarely seen!

It should be known that the second uncle has always loved beauty. Everyday, there is no part of his body that is not delicate.

Wu Jingyi has also noticed this, but previously only acquiesced that his second brother was staying in the flower house, so he had time to take care of it in the future——

But now that I think about it carefully, my father, elder brother and A Yuan are not at home, and Ningyang is in such a situation. Lack of skills.

And during this gap, Wu Jingling lifted the corner of his robe and knelt down.

"It's the son's inability to do things well. Now...there is no news of his father and elder brother."

"No news yet? Second brother, what's the meaning of this?" Wu Jingyi was greatly surprised: "How could you lose the news when you return?"

Princess Dingnan had a premonition about this, and when she heard this, she slightly clenched the group blessing pattern embroidered on the edge of her cuffs, and said calmly, "Ah Ling, you don't need to worry about me, just tell me everything you know !"

Wu Jingling answered "Yes", bowed his head and said: "... I received a letter from my father before, knowing that my father will arrive in Ningyang in the near future, so my son sent someone out of the city to meet him in advance, but someone reported it early yesterday morning, but Dao did not accept it. I went to my father and the others, and...and found traces of chariots, horses and fighting in Longqi Mountain, as well as the corpse of a follower beside my father..."

"What?!" Wu Jingyi's expression tightened: "Father and elder brother...could they have been attacked?"

Princess Dingnan's heart also sank, and she forced herself to be calm and said: "If someone from the imperial court, he must be assassinated... But have people searched carefully in the mountains? Are there any other traces left? "

In other words, if something really happened to Bendang, he should... also find someone!

This is the most feared thing, I have been very careful, can I still not avoid it?

"The mountain has been searched almost everywhere, and no trace of it has been missed..." Wu Jingling's voice became hoarse: "Based on the whereabouts of the vehicles and horses, or..."

"Or what?!" Wu Jingyi asked anxiously.

"Or... fell to the bottom of the cliff."

"..." Wu Jingyi's body shook.

—Fell off a cliff? !

"Impossible!" Wu Ran, who was listening all the time and was too shocked to make a sound, said suddenly, shaking his head with red eyes: "With grandfather and second brother around, such a thing is absolutely impossible. Happened!"—not to mention the father!

"I don't believe it!" The boy's eyes were full of tears, struggling not to fall down: "I'm going to Longqi Mountain to find my grandfather, my father, my mother, and my second brother!"

With that said, he turned around and ran outside.

"Quickly, follow up and take care of Azhang!" Princess Dingnan hurriedly ordered her servants.

A nanny and two maids hurried after her.

"My son has sent more people to search around the bottom of the cliff, but the area is too large and the terrain is complicated, so I haven't found anything for a while..." Wu Jingling knelt there, slowly clenched his palms by his side, and looked up. Xiang Dingnan Wangfei: "Although the carriage and horse fell off the cliff, the father and elder brother may not necessarily be in the carriage. There is no news or the best news at this time - the son is thinking about this possibility, so there is no accident." Immediately tell mother, fearing that mother will be worried about this, and drag her body down again, I originally planned to talk to mother in detail after I have a clear result..."

Wu Jingyi hurriedly nodded in agreement, and said, "That's right, the person may not be in the car! Ah Yuan is always the best at responding, and it's unknown if he escaped!"

Princess Dingnan nodded with a pale face.

Of course she would like to think so.

But things in the world often don't give people the best possible...

Still, prepare for the worst...

She slowly exhaled the restless and stuffy air in her chest, tried her best to calm down, and told the youngest son: "Pick up your second brother first."

"This matter is all due to my son's poor arrangement. If we can advance two days earlier so that there are enough manpower to respond, maybe it won't be..." Wu Jingling tensed up, insisting on refusing to get up. He lowered his head firmly and burst into tears They hit the ground one by one.

"I can't blame you at all." Princess Dingnan looked at him and said, "Your father returned to the city to avoid people's eyes and ears. You are all trustworthy people, I don’t know how many pairs of eyes are watching the troubles of the palace, if you move too much, or you will expose their whereabouts-no one can be sure about this matter, and get up quickly, the rest of you For this matter, you two brothers need to discuss the countermeasures together."

"Mother is right, second brother doesn't need to blame himself too much, the most important thing is to find his father now." Wu Jingyi raised his hand and pulled him up.

But at this time, a big maid who was guarding outside the hall came in.

After saluting, he said: "Wu Gui who is next to the second master has come, and said that he has something important to report to the second master, and let the maidservant quickly pass it on..."

Uncle Gui is an old man in the mansion, he has always been the most calm, but just now seeing his face, it seems that something serious happened...

"Wu Gui?" Princess Dingnan looked at Wu Jingling: "Is he responsible for this matter?"

Wu Jingling nodded: "Going back to mother, my son just entrusted the matter of Longqi Mountain to Uncle Gui—"

"Let someone come in!" Princess Dingnan ordered immediately.

Coming back at this time, there may be progress or even results.

I wish God had eyes...

Princess Dingnan was extremely calm on the surface, but she was praying all the time in her heart.

Those are her husband, her own son and daughter-in-law, and her only grandson... Even if the big picture is not mentioned, they are the most important people in her life.

And the Wu family's failure to protect Zhenzhen back then was the most painful thing in her heart, and now they can no longer protect A Yuan!

Wu Gui walked in quickly.

Concubine Dingnan looked at the saluting person and said: "I already know everything—is there any whereabouts of the princes?"

"Back to the old lady, it should be...found."

After Wu Gui answered, he knelt down.

This kneeling seemed to weigh a thousand catties, and it hit the hearts of Princess Dingnan and the others.

"What is 'should be'?" Wu Jingyi looked at Wu Gui firmly, his whole body tensed into a straight line: "Be clear——"

"The villain led people to search for a long time at the bottom of the cliff, and indeed found the fallen carriage and horse." Wu Gui's voice was muffled, with an uncontrollable tremor: "The carriage was smashed to pieces, and the horse's corpse was eaten by wild beasts. ..."

"Where's the person?!" Wu Jingling got up from the chair, and didn't dare to blink his red eyes: "It must be... there is no trace of the person, right?"

But Wu Gui knocked his head on the ground.

"I waited near the carriages and horses, and found several corpses...the corpses were already broken after falling from the cliff, and they all showed signs of being eaten by wild animals and birds...but they can be distinguished from the general description and clothing. It is indeed like the prince, the sons and grandsons, and the wife of the son..."

His voice became deeper and lower as he went back, almost making it difficult for people to hear clearly.

There was a moment of dead silence in the hall.

"Even if it looks like it, it doesn't necessarily have to be it!" Wu Jingling came back to his senses and said in an almost evasive tone.

Wu Jingyi asked, "Did you bring it back?"

"All have been transported back, entered the mansion through the back door, and temporarily placed in the backyard..."

"Mother..." Wu Jingyi reluctantly raised his hand in salute, and said, "Son... I want to go and see."

"..." Princess Dingnan nodded slightly.

"In addition to the corpse... I also found some personal belongings nearby, and I have brought them all back." At this point, Wu Gui paused, and then asked: "I don't know, old lady... do you want to take a look at it?" ?”

"Bring it here, take it all here..." Princess Dingnan closed her eyes and her voice was very soft.

"Old madam..." The nurse on the side uneasily supported the old man's shoulders.

The things were quickly brought in by a maid.

In the black lacquer tray, some objects were placed on a piece of white cloth.

There is a sachet embroidered with asparagus, a girdle embroidered with auspicious clouds, a jade hairpin that has been broken into several pieces, and a piece of jade pendant that is still completely stained with blood...

Princess Dingnan held the jade pendant in her hand tremblingly.

Wu Jingling also looked over and muttered to himself in a daze, "Father..."

This is my father's jade pendant...

The jade pendant that my father never left!

"when!"

The jade pendant slipped from Princess Dingnan's hand and hit the ground.

"Old lady!"

"Mother!"

"Quickly ask the doctor to come here!"

Princess Dingnan was already suffering from an old illness, and she got better last year because of the prescription prescribed by the doctor Qiu. Now she was greatly stimulated by this, although she did not shed a single tear, she did not show any signs of losing her composure, but she kept everything locked in her heart , in the end is unbearable.

After a faint, he fell ill.

But when Wu Jingyi inspected the corpse himself, and walked out of the room where the corpse was kept, his whole body seemed to sink down.

Seeing that his complexion was like snow and his feet were sloppy, his attendants hurriedly stepped forward to help him.

"The third master..."

"I don't know..." Wu Jingyi shook his head and said in a daze, "I don't know..."

The follower's eye sockets were sour, and he didn't say much.

After Wu Jingyi left, the servants guarding the backyard couldn't help discussing in peace.

"Is it really the prince and his descendants..."

"It's not what it looks like... but it can be seen roughly, it should be true."

And the body of the coachman was also found, it was indeed the person next to the prince...

Can't there be other people at the bottom of the same cliff, and they all happen to be exactly the same?

Then Wu Jingling and Wu Ran also arrived.

Although the two uncles and nephews have never asserted it, but under these premise, as long as it is not denied, it is equivalent to confirmed.

This matter is destined to be hidden, and there is no reason to hide it at all.

The news quickly spread among the Wu clan, like thunder, no, thunder——

Something happened to the owner!

Something happened to Shizi and Shizi's wife too!

Even the grandchildren who have established prestige in the clan in recent years, have long been in charge of their own affairs, and are regarded as the next patriarch by the clan directly beyond the sons... are gone!

Losing the head of the family, the eldest son and the grandson overnight at the same time, for any family, the blow it brings is unimaginable.

After just a few days of fermentation, the entire Wu family has been firmly shrouded in grief, uneasiness and even panic.

But they know better than anyone else that the current situation will never allow them to be immersed in grief blindly...

Right now, in front of them is a thorny and severe problem——

Goodnight everybody.

(Haha, I would like to share a little thing about Zai Zai before going to bed. Recently, my whole family has known that I love durian. After dinner tonight, Zai Zai will drink Xiang Piaopiao milk tea. We don’t want him to drink it. Uncle and grandpa Tell him: Your mother said you are too full to drink!

Because he had been looking forward to it for a long time and wanted to drink it very much, he was very angry with me. He turned around and found a durian core from his snack box, crying and said to his father: Then I don’t want to plant a durian tree for her, woo woo woo!

Hahahahaha I burst into laughter, it turned out that he hid the durian core and wanted to plant a durian tree for me. At that time, I was moved and felt that the love and threats of children were very cute. )