Chapter 130: You can have nourishing soup or not.

"Let me in!"

A fine drizzle fell, and the palace gates stood majestically.

Cui Ying shoved aside the guards who were trying to stop him, put his hands on his hips, and shouted in a clear voice, "Open your eyes and see who I am! How dare you stop me!"

The head guard looked troubled, and forced a bow, saying, "Miss Cui, please calm down. It's just that... given your appearance today, we dare not let you in easily."

Anyone who saw the usually cheerful Miss Cui suddenly become aggressive would instinctively stop her; otherwise, if they let her in and something went wrong, they wouldn't have enough heads to chop off.

The guard said, "Why don't you wait here for a while? I will go and inform them before letting you in."

Cui Ying frowned deeply, her tone unfriendly: "I'm just going to enter the palace, not cause a ruckus in the Heavenly Palace. Why are you all acting like this is a major threat?"

Since she could remember, she had never had such difficulty entering or leaving the palace as she did today.

The guards still looked troubled and were not easily swayed, which made Cui Ying so angry that she wanted to stomp her feet.

Normally, she would only argue with these people if she had nothing better to do. If they wouldn't let her in, she simply wouldn't go. The palace wasn't her lifeline, so she wouldn't bother going there anyway.

But today is different.

She searched everywhere Xiao Qiyu might have gone, but couldn't find him anywhere. Finally, she forced Jin Feng to speak, and Jin Feng hesitantly told the truth—Xiao Qiyu had actually entered the palace.

Cui Ying's ominous premonition suddenly intensified.

With the Turkic envoy about to enter the palace, Wang Shanxiao's plot to rebel is likely to be exposed, and the entire Wang family will be doomed. Even with the protection of the Duke of Wei's mansion and the Princess, his fate as a nephew of his sister's family, who is still connected by blood, is uncertain.

At a time like this, instead of quickly hiding far away, he voluntarily entered the palace?

What exactly does he want to do?

"I don't care! You have to let me in now!"

Cui Ying suppressed the intense unease in her heart and spoke with an increasingly forceful tone.

Just as the two sides were deadlocked, the heavy palace gates slowly opened a crack from the inside.

A tall figure appeared behind the door.

The young man was dressed in a black flying fish robe, with intricate flying fish patterns embroidered in gold thread over his shoulders. The fish scales were fine and shimmering. A black jade phoenix belt was tightly tied around his waist, which made his figure appear as upright as a pine tree, strong and slender, exuding a chilling murderous aura amidst his noble appearance.

"Xiao Qiyu!" Cui Ying's eyes lit up, and she immediately called out.

Xiao Qiyu's originally somber eyes finally stirred. The moment he saw Cui Ying, he strode towards her. Raindrops fell all over him, sliding down his profile. A few strands of his dark hair were wet and clung to his fair, jade-like face.

The imperial eunuch Ma Dequan followed, his face beaming: "Oh, my dear Third Miss, your status is different now. In public, you can no longer address Lord Xiao by his given name so directly."

Cui Ying frowned, instinctively retorting, "Why can't I—wait?"

She looked at Xiao Qiyu, who had come through the rain and was covered in damp clothes, and asked, "What's different about his status? What is his status now?"

Ma Dequan's smile deepened. He slowly took the jade scroll imperial edict from the palace servant behind him, cleared his throat, and said, "His Majesty has just issued an edict promoting Young Master Xiao Qi to Commander of the Northern Garrison."

Cui Ying was stunned.

Ma Dequan smiled broadly, weighed the imperial edict in his hand slightly, and exclaimed sincerely, "This is a powerful position of the third rank. Throughout history, has there ever been a military graduate who has received such special favor upon entering officialdom? I'm afraid Lord Xiao will be remembered in history from now on."

The color drained from Cui Ying's face little by little.

She looked at Xiao Qiyu again.

Xiao Qiyu's eyebrows were as black as ink, and his already pale face was made even more bloodless by the rain. His pupils were as dark as a cold pool, showing no trace of the joy one would expect from someone in a high position.

“If he is the commander of the Northern Garrison,” Cui Ying said blankly, “then where did the original commander go? And… what about Xiao Heng? Where did Xiao Heng go?”

Ma Dequan's smile froze slightly before he replied, "It's a long story. His Majesty has already granted Lord Xiao Heng permission to go on an expedition to the northern desert, and they will officially set off in three days."

Cui Ying was completely stunned, a chill instantly spreading from the soles of her feet throughout her entire body.

She opened her mouth, wanting to ask something more, but her wrist was gripped tightly by a cold, strong hand.

Without saying a word, Xiao Qiyu pulled her towards the carriage they had come in, picked her up, and half-forced her into the carriage.

"Cui Ying."

He stood beside the carriage shaft, raindrops streaming down his brow and nose, and parted his thin lips slightly: "Promise me one thing."

Looking at him in the rain, Cui Ying felt as if the rain had intensified his features, making his eyes and brows appear even more profound and unfathomable.

"From now on, you can still just be yourself, play when you want, make a fuss when you want, just like before, and prioritize your own happiness in everything you do."

Xiao Qiyu pursed his lips slightly, his long, raven-feather-like eyelashes were damp with moisture, and his eyes were fixed on the anxious girl: "Don't ask about other things, don't worry about them."

“But…” Cui Ying instinctively retorted, but her throat felt like it was blocked by something, and she couldn’t utter a single word.

But what is it?

But she couldn't bear to watch him get caught up in the vortex. But she worried that this flying fish suit would become his death warrant.

Reason told her that Xiao Qiyu was right.

Not to mention Xiao Qiyu encountering trouble, even if the Marquis's mansion were to encounter trouble one day, she would have plenty of ways to escape unscathed. Even if the sky were to fall, she could still continue to be the carefree Cui San Niang.

But she couldn't control herself.

I can't help but worry about him, feel sorry for him, try to find solutions for him, and try to understand his situation.

I couldn't even control the tingling, unfamiliar, throbbing pain coming from my chest.

The misty air blurred Cui Ying's vision, and the light that had flickered in her eyes with doubt gradually faded. She looked into Xiao Qiyu's eyes and nodded gently: "Okay."

Xiao Qiyu raised his hand and, as usual, ruffled Cui Ying's damp hair, saying gently, "I still have things to do. You go back first and remember to drink ginger soup to ward off the cold."

Cui Ying nodded again, her voice as soft as a whisper: "Okay."

The carriage curtains fell, blocking their view of each other.

The wheels turned slowly, rolling over the wet road surface.

Xiao Qiyu stood still, watching the carriage disappear into the depths of the rain, remaining motionless for a long time.

After that day, Cui Ying did not see Xiao Qiyu for two consecutive days.

When they met again, they were already in the bustling city center.

After the rain, the sky cleared and the sun shone brightly.

Xiao Qiyu sat upright on a jet-black steed, his face calm. A dozen or so imperial guards, also dressed in brocade robes and with embroidered spring knives at their waists, followed closely behind, surrounding several heavy prison carts—the prison carts transporting the Wang family.

Wang Shaolin, dressed in filthy prison clothes, his hair disheveled and his appearance emaciated, bore no resemblance to the former young master of the Wang family. He gripped the bars of the prison cart tightly and, facing the dark-clad figure, screamed hoarsely, "Xiao Qiyu! You ungrateful, inhuman wretch! You have the blood of the Wang family flowing in your veins! My parents treated you like their own child, I considered you my brother! How dare you falsely accuse my Wang family of treason! Have you lost your conscience?!"

Foul language, every word is piercing to the heart.

The surrounding crowd immediately erupted in uproar, craning their necks and pointing and whispering.

"The Wang family has really rebelled? Good heavens, this is a serious crime, at the very least punishable by the extermination of three generations of their family, right?"

"Tsk, no matter how serious the crime, it's too cruel for a nephew to personally send his uncle's whole family to jail."

"What do you know? This is called putting righteousness before family! Didn't you hear that he himself exposed it to His Majesty?"

Amid the discussions, there was contempt for the Wang family's crimes and shock at the major treason case, but more than anything, there were sighs and disapproval of the young commander on horseback, who was considered far too cold-blooded.

Xiao Qiyu ignored the surrounding discussions, clearing the way without looking to the side, his eyebrows not even twitching.

Behind the throng of people, Cui Ying stood quietly at the second-floor window of a teahouse.

The sunlight fell on her face, and its scorching brightness made her eyes sting.

Looking at the man on horseback who was being condemned by everyone, her heart felt like a wet cloth that had been wrung out, tightening with pain.

Those people didn't know that if Xiao Qiyu hadn't entered the palace to expose the truth, and instead the Turkic envoy had been allowed to reveal it, the Wang family would be in an even worse situation now.

His Majesty's apparent intention was to promote a newly appointed scholar, which is why he appointed a young man who had just entered the military as the commander of the Northern Garrison. In reality, he was using this to force him to pledge allegiance. Since you, Xiao Qiyu, want to uphold justice and eliminate your own family, then eliminate them more thoroughly and sever all ties with the Wang family forever, making them irreconcilable enemies.

Cui Ying felt a chill run down her spine just thinking about it, unable to understand where Xiao Qiyu got the determination to so resolutely break with his mother's clan.

The clatter of hooves faded into the distance, and the dark figure disappeared from sight. The street returned to its usual bustling and peaceful state, filled with the fragrance of summer lotus blossoms.

Cui Ying finally looked away, and could only sigh.

Upon returning to the Marquis's residence, Cui Ying first visited the old lady at the Bodhi Hall. The news of the Northern Garrison's raid on the Wang family was kept well-hidden, but it was hard to guarantee that no one would gossip. She could rest assured that she was keeping watch over her at all times.

He kept watch until the third watch of the night, and only after seeing that the old lady had fallen asleep did Cui Ying leave the Bodhi Hall and return to the Qiyun Pavilion.

Madam Xue felt sorry for her health, so she specially instructed the kitchen to stew a nourishing soup for her. Before she could drink it, she took it back to Qiyun Pavilion.

All was quiet, the cicadas' chirping had faded away, leaving only a few scattered insect chirps from deep within the grass, making the courtyard even more silent. A plain silk lantern hung under the eaves, its dim yellow light swaying slightly, pushed by the night breeze.

Xiao Qiyu sat under the eaves, still wearing his official robes, but he lacked the sternness he had during the day. His face was glaringly white under the lamplight, and his pupils were dark. He looked like a homeless male ghost, exuding a chilling aura and a sense of grievance.

Cui Ying strode over: "Why don't you go in?"

Xiao Qiyu raised his eyes, his dark eyes appearing even more unfathomable and profound in the lamplight, and said in a low voice, "Waiting for you."

Instead of waiting inside, you waited at the door. Are you a dog?

Cui Ying muttered this to herself, but when she saw the countless blood vessels in his eyes, her heart softened involuntarily.

Thinking of the nourishing soup that Madam Xue had prepared for her, she turned and took it from the maid, handing it to Xiao Qiyu: "Drink it, and nourish yourself properly."

Xiao Qiyu stood up and took the bowl, quickly and deftly lifting the lid. A glimmer of light appeared in his usually quiet eyes, clearly indicating that he regarded the soup as one that Cui Ying had personally prepared.

But when he saw what was in the soup, Xiao Qiyu fell silent.

He looked up at Cui Ying and said, "I've been busy lately and neglected you. It was my fault."

His tone was solemn and extremely serious.

Cui Ying was truly exhausted, talking while walking, and all she wanted to do was go back to her room to sleep. She casually waved her hand and said, "Why are you saying all that? Just drink it while it's hot."

The atmosphere became somewhat tense.

Xiao Qiyu coughed lightly: "Although I'm not really interested, I'm available anytime if you need me."

You don't have to drink the soup.

"Enough with the nonsense!" Cui Ying turned around, snatched the soup bowl from his hand, and glared at him fiercely. "If you're not going to drink it, then drink it!"

Cui Ying tilted his head back to drink.

By the light of the lantern, she saw what was at the bottom of the bowl before she drank it—

Round chicken eggs, large chunks of pork kidneys, dark black sea cucumbers, and countless red goji berries.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Fellow villagers, I, Hu Hansan, am back!!!