Although Jiang Mian downplayed her escape from Xuanzhou, Jiang Zhiqing, having experienced hardships herself, knew well the toil of constantly being on the run. Thus, she felt even more心疼 for Jiang Mian.
"It's all my fault, Mian'er. I was too incompetent to protect you," Jiang Zhiqing said sorrowfully, gently caressing Jiang Mian's cheek. "If I had been more vigilant back then and avoided Ling'an Temple, or if I hadn't drunk the water they offered, perhaps you wouldn't have been snatched away."
"How could this be your fault, Mother?!" Jiang Mian said immediately. "You've done nothing wrong. It's always been others who were in the wrong!"
"Those ill - intentioned and narrow - minded people separated us mother and daughter. They weren't satisfied with just taking me away from you. They also resorted to despicable schemes to drive you mad, put you under house arrest, and even try to poison you."
Jiang Mian said coldly, "Don't worry, Mother. One day, I'll make them pay for everything they've done and make them suffer the consequences they deserve."
She squeezed Jiang Zhiqing's hand, and her voice softened a bit. "Father and I will protect you. No one will ever hurt you again."
Jiang Zhiqing's eyes welled up with tears. "Silly child. It should be me protecting you from being bullied. And your father—"
Thinking of Li Zhao, Jiang Zhiqing said to Jiang Mian seriously, "Your father is an outstanding man. He used to be the most remarkable member of the Li family in Luozhou and once served as the Chief Minister of the State of Chu. You must listen to your father and don't act recklessly on your own."
This time, it was Jiang Mian's turn to be shocked.
"What? Father... was once the Chief Minister of the State of Chu?"
Jiang Zhiqing laughed. "What? You've known him for so long, yet you didn't know how glorious he was in the past? Back then, the name Li Bingjun was well - known throughout the State of Chu."
Jiang Mian's eyes lit up. "So Father is Li Bingjun!"
When she was at the Ye family, she had read many books about the State of Chu. The name Li Bingjun had been mentioned several times, but since her knowledge of the State of Chu was limited, she hadn't connected Li Zhao with Li Bingjun.
"Silly child. If the news that your father is still alive gets out, I'm afraid we won't have a moment of peace. Many people will come to ask your father to come out of seclusion," Jiang Zhiqing said, shaking her head with a smile.
From Jiang Zhiqing's words, Jiang Mian could tell that she still missed Li Zhao deeply. This also indicated that there was a hidden reason for their separation back then.
"Why did you and Father separate back then?" she asked.
Jiang Zhiqing lowered her head and smiled bitterly. "Do you know, Mian'er, that I used to be just a maid sold to the Li Mansion?"
Jiang Mian nodded. "Father has told me. But Mother, Father never looked down on you. He always wanted to marry you."
"It's not that simple," Jiang Zhiqing shook her head. "The Li family in Luozhou was so prominent that it could rival the Xiao family in Lingyang. Even if your father valued me highly, how could he go against the principle of 'a well - matched marriage'?"
"Back then, news spread in the Li Mansion that your father was going to marry the daughter of the Zhang family. Everyone was waiting to see my joke, and I was completely disheartened. Later, I was forced into the water by the Zhang family's daughter. They all thought I was bound to die, but no one knew that I grew up by the river and was an excellent swimmer. After floating downstream along the river that day, I quietly got on the shore and found a place to hide."
"Even when your father sent people to search carefully along the river later, I didn't show myself. At that time, I had already seen the huge gap in our social status. Even if I went back with him, the best outcome would be to be a concubine, and the worst would be to be executed by the Li family on the charge of seducing the master. Since I would have a hard time either way, I might as well go back home and be a simple country woman. At least I could live in peace."
Jiang Mian opened her eyes slightly in surprise. She never expected Jiang Zhiqing to have such thoughts.
Now it seemed that her personality was somewhat similar to Jiang Zhiqing's.
If it were her, she would probably do the same.
"After that, I disguised myself and managed to evade your father's men and headed south smoothly. But halfway through the journey, I heard the news that the Li family in Luozhou had been ordered by the King of Chu to be executed and their family property confiscated."
When she heard this news back then, Jiang Zhiqing felt dizzy and fainted on the street.
When she woke up, a doctor smiled and congratulated her, saying that she was pregnant.
What a ironic result. The entire Li family in Luozhou was executed, and not a single person survived. Yet the only bloodline of the Li family was in the womb of a maid like her.
Jiang Zhiqing cried bitterly. Then she turned around and went back to Luozhou and the Li Mansion again.
But by then, the Li Mansion was not only covered in blood but also set on fire. It was burned beyond recognition, and all the corpses were charred. There was no way to tell who was who.
Thinking that Li Zhao had also died in this catastrophe, she was extremely grief - stricken. She bought some incense and candles and quietly found a place to pay homage to Li Zhao and the old Lady Li.
After that, she left Luozhou and returned to her relatives.
She carefully took care of the baby in her womb. She didn't care about the cold looks and neglect from her relatives.
All she wanted was for the baby to be born safely.
"I see," Jiang Mian finally understood what had happened back then, and she admired Jiang Zhiqing even more.
Mother seemed gentle, but in fact, she was a stubborn and strong - willed person. Also, Mother was very intelligent. She saw through the sinister plots of Uncle Li and Aunt Li and helped Father avoid being framed. No wonder Father favored her.
"Mother, you don't have to worry anymore," Jiang Mian hugged her arm tightly and rubbed against it affectionately. "Father is just an ordinary civilian now. There is no longer a gap in social status between you two. If Father does something wrong in the future, Mother can just whip him with a willow branch and let him know how powerful his wife is."
Jiang Zhiqing couldn't help but burst out laughing and pinched her cheek. "I don't know who you take after with this mouth of yours."
The cave was filled with the laughter of the mother and daughter.
Under the shade of the trees, a fire was burning, and a pot of pheasant that Xiao Jingcheng had caught early in the morning was simmering. The soup was bubbling, and the aroma was extremely tempting.
Mo Zhizhang, Taoist Yuanzheng, and Li Zhao were all sitting around the fire, watching the heat, while Xiao Jingcheng was lying lazily in the sun.
His ears twitched slightly. He propped up his upper body like a yellow dog and looked ahead.
Two beautiful figures were walking from afar. Jiang Mian and Jiang Zhiqing were walking towards them hand in hand. The dappled sunlight shone on them. Li Zhao stared deeply at this scene. Although there was a smile on his face, there was a hidden sadness in his eyes that no one else could see.
He didn't know how many more times he could see such a scene.
However, no matter how much time he had left, he would do his best to protect the mother and daughter.