Hearing this, Li Zhao fell silent for a moment. Then he sighed, "It's all my fault. If I had noticed those intrigues earlier, I could have protected your mother and kept her by my side forever."
Jiang Mian shook her head. "Father, don't blame yourself. The past is beyond our reach. Now that both you and mother are alive, and our family is reunited, that's the greatest blessing. Nothing could be more important than this."
Back in the cave where they took shelter, Jiang Zhiqing looked up at the sound. With a beaming smile, she held up a grass - woven puppy and let out a "woof" sound.
Tears welled up in Jiang Mian's eyes. She rushed forward and hugged Jiang Zhiqing tightly, silently shedding tears.
"Meow?" Jiang Zhiqing looked blank. Jiang Mian was holding her so tightly that she could hardly breathe. She instinctively struggled a bit, but when she saw Jiang Mian's tear - streaked face, she stopped and rubbed her face against Jiang Mian's.
"Ooh, don't cry, my child. Mother is here."
She even patted Jiang Mian on the back gently, as if trying to comfort her.
Unexpectedly, this made Jiang Mian cry even harder.
What kind of life had her mother endured all these years? She thought that after returning home, her family would treat her well because of the silver she had sent back over the years. But instead, she just jumped from one cage into another.
She endured the gossip and cold looks while giving birth to her. Then her child was taken away by others, and she ended up in a state of madness.
How could her mother have suffered so much?
Compared to her mother, what had she endured?
Something warm and wet was licking her fingers. Jiang Mian raised her tear - stained face. The yellow dog was squatting beside her, gently nudging her fingers with its nose. Maybe it was just her imagination, but she seemed to see comfort in the dog's dark, beady eyes.
The yellow dog barked at her and Jiang Zhiqing, then spun around in place. It stood on its hind legs and waved its front paws as if saying goodbye. Jiang Mian broke into a smile through her tears.
Yes, Big Yellow was right. Fortunately, Heaven had eyes and stopped tormenting them. They finally met in Dongli Town.
First, there was the crazy emperor's schemes, and then there were natural disasters and man - made calamities. But their family of three had survived tenaciously. Every day from now on would be lucky and happy. It had to be!
They were going to leave the next day, and the villagers were all excited. Many couldn't sleep at night. But Jiang Mian and Jiang Zhiqing slept soundly, with their heads touching and their bodies cuddled together.
At dawn, Jiang Mian was nudged awake. When she opened her eyes, she saw the enlarged face of the yellow dog. Seeing that the dog's tongue was about to lick her, she quickly grabbed its muzzle and put her finger to her lips.
"Big Yellow, don't wake mother up."
After getting up, she tidied her hair and clothes. She fetched a clay pot that she had placed in a shaded area the day before. Then she took the yellow dog to the cave where Xiao Jingcheng's body was placed.
The clay pot contained the juice of Tianli vine that she had brewed a few days ago. She had prepared it long ago for this day of departure.
She squatted down in front of the sleeping man. Jiang Mian picked up a piece of gauze, dipped it in the juice, and started to apply it to his face.
Xiao Jingcheng, controlling the body of the yellow dog, lay at her feet. He watched as his face gradually became sallow and rough in her hands. The juice of the Tianli vine covered his features, making his originally striking and handsome face ordinary.
However, if one looked closely, they could still see his sharp and distinct features, which set him apart from ordinary people.
So, Jiang Mian took out something black from somewhere and stuck it on his face. She even plucked one of his hairs and made a mole with hair on his face!
Xiao Jingcheng: "..."
So this was how the mole on his face came about!
No matter how many times she had seen it, Jiang Mian still burst into laughter when she saw the prominent mole on Xiao Jingcheng's face again.
With a mischievous look on her face, she said, "Cough, don't blame me. I'm doing this for your own good. We don't know what might happen on the way back to the capital. We'd better be careful. When we reach Tianyuan County and Priest Yuanzheng buys the yellow talisman paper and cinnabar, we won't have to worry anymore."
After disguising Xiao Jingcheng, Jiang Mian also applied the remaining Tianli vine juice to her own face.
Like Xiao Jingcheng, in a short while, Jiang Mian's originally fair and delicate face was also covered by the Tianli vine juice, and she returned to her previous unremarkable appearance.
When she finished all this, the sky outside had completely brightened. The villagers woke up one after another and started to pack their luggage. The mountain came to life with their noisy chatter.
There were many footsteps outside the cave. Zhao Hu said from outside, "We're going down the mountain today. We've come to take His Highness the Crown Prince down the mountain."
Jiang Mian took another look at the sleeping Xiao Jingcheng. She knew it was time to leave.
After getting permission, Zhao Hu led his men into the cave. When they saw Jiang Mian and Xiao Jingcheng, everyone was stunned, looking completely unfamiliar.
Zhao Hu scratched his head and tentatively asked, "Doctor Jiang?"
Jiang Mian stood up. "It's me. Please escort His Highness the Crown Prince down the mountain and place him in one of the carriages."
The familiar voice confirmed her identity. Zhao Hu let out a sigh of relief and quickly ordered his men to carry Xiao Jingcheng out. Jiang Mian followed them. On the other side, Mo Zhizhang and Qi Wen had backpacks on their backs. Li Zhao supported Jiang Zhiqing as they walked out of the cave.
It was the first time for Jiang Zhiqing to leave the cave where they had taken shelter after so many days.
At first, she was a bit uncomfortable. The bright light and the strange environment made her shrink back. She instinctively hid behind Li Zhao and tightly grasped his sleeve, whispering,
"My lord, I'm scared."
Li Zhao patted the back of her hand gently and coaxed her softly, "Yingniang, don't be afraid. I'll protect you."
Since they had made preparations in advance, the villagers had already carried their backpacks and were waiting outside. Xiao Wuchen and his guards were scattered around the villagers to protect them, and Priest Yuanzheng was standing beside Xiao Wuchen.
When Zhao Hu and the others carried a wooden board to the front of the line, all the villagers' gazes were immediately drawn to them.
"Is that... His Highness the Crown Prince?"
"And Doctor Jiang!"
The changed appearances of Jiang Mian and Xiao Jingcheng due to the Tianli vine juice made everyone stunned. But because Priest Yuanzheng was there and murmured something, everyone quickly averted their eyes and naturally accepted the change in their appearances.
However, this spell could only last for a short while. To maintain it for a long time, they still had to use talisman paper.
Xiao Wuchen glanced at the dense crowd and nodded secretly. He gave the order, "Go down the mountain!"
"Let's go down the mountain and head home!"