Chapter 53

◎Ancestral hall.

That night, Ci Ying had a long dream. Many people’s shadows appeared in the dream, some familiar to her, some unfamiliar to her. Finally, the shadow stopped on Su Xueruo’s crazy face lying on the ground in the abandoned palace.

The moment she woke up from her dream, Ci Ying raised her eyes suddenly, looked out the window and found that it was still dark. After thinking about it, Ci Ying lifted the quilt and got out of bed. She bent over and lit the lamp on the table. After the candlelight flickered in her eyes for a few times, she sat down with the help of the table.

She picked up her pen, wanting to write something, but she couldn't. No one had told her in her youth that even her poetry and prose would dry up as she grew older. She slowly realized that inspiration is like a spring, drained by the long years of life, and will eventually dry up.

Her heart was beating fast, she felt something was going to happen, and she even had the urge to go out and look for Xie Huaijin.

But this thought was only a momentary one, and it could not support her to push open the closed doors one by one.

She had a feeling Su Xueruo would come looking for her. She paused for a moment, then put the brush back down. People often meet each other, and Su Xueruo had already come looking for her three times.

Everything she had heard in the abandoned palace today had left Ci Ying's heart pounding. She hesitated, unsure whether to go if Su Xueruo continued to invite her. This had already happened three times, starting with the last time after their wedding.

The next day, when Zhu Guang handed Ci Ying Su Xueruo's invitation, she felt a wave of "Is this true?" Her heart leaped at that moment. She clutched the invitation, pondering for a long moment before opening the vermilion, gilded envelope. Inside was Su Xueruo's handwriting.

"Ciying, my time is running out, I hope we can meet again."

Zhu Guang whispered beside him, "Ciying, do you want to go?"

Ci Ying didn't know. She slowly closed the invitation and asked Zhu Guang, "Where's Xie Huaijin?"

"Young Master?" Zhu Guang was a little surprised, but he still answered truthfully, "According to the secret guards in the palace, the young master has not returned since leaving the palace yesterday. I don't know where he is."

Ci Ying's thoughts stopped at Zhu Guang's words. She hesitated and asked, "Can you command the secret guards in the mansion?"

Zhu Guang said indifferently: "Of course, I have always been able to do so. In the past, only Mo Yu could control me. I can arrange for the other people in the mansion, but I don't usually need them when I go on missions."

Ci Ying frowned slightly and looked at Zhu Guang.

Zhu Guang couldn't help but become serious when he saw her eyes, and asked in a low voice: "What's wrong, Ciying?"

Ci Ying looked at Zhu Guang, who seemed completely unaware, and whispered, "Zhu Guang, according to what you relayed from Mo Yu, you're not a secret guard of the Xie Mansion, you've severed your master-disciple relationship with him, and you've even left the Xie Mansion. How can you command the other secret guards in the mansion?"

Zhu Guang was also stunned by the question, and she whispered even more quietly: "What's wrong?"

Ci Ying put the invitation aside, feeling her mind in a mess. She drank a cup of cold tea, suppressed the inexplicable irritation in her heart, and said softly, "No, maybe I'm overthinking it."

Zhu Guang added, "I helped train some of those people, so it's normal for me to get information from them. Ciying, did you sleep well? I see there's darkness under your eyes."

Ci Ying nodded: "Yeah, I had a dream yesterday."

Zhu Guang walked behind Ci Ying and began massaging some acupuncture points. "I've learned a few things. The doctor said that pressing these areas can help you sleep better at night. I'll have the maid light some calming incense in the room later. Then, dance with me with a sword tonight. I guarantee you'll sleep soundly tonight."

Ci Ying nodded and put the invitation away.

Zhu Guang saw it and asked, "Aren't you going?"

Ci Ying shook her head: "Well, I won't go."

No matter what Su Xueruo knew, based on what she saw in the hall yesterday, it certainly wasn't a good thing. Ci Ying felt exhausted. She wasn't familiar with Su Xueruo to begin with, and she didn't want to get involved in Su Xueruo and Xie Huaijin's affairs, no matter who was right or wrong.

For a moment, Ci Ying even felt that she was defending Xie Huaijin. According to what she saw yesterday, Su Xueruo was clearly full of faults, but she always felt... always felt that something was going to happen.

The invitations were pressed down by books, and Ci Ying focused her attention on writing the poem she had not finished yesterday. The plan in Jiangnan had achieved initial success. Now "Li Ci" was hated by everyone, and the name "Jiang Wei" had spread to Chang'an. She planned the next step, thinking about the upcoming imperial examination, and was hesitant in her heart.

The girls' school in the palace was just established, and although it was not yet well-established, it set a precedent once it was spread among the people. It would be smoother for other places to follow suit than the palace, but there would certainly be many twists and turns in the early stages. Ci Ying was thinking about whether she should use the imperial examinations and the girls' school to promote it while Jiang Wei's reputation was still high.

When Lingyue and Lingshuang came back to report what happened outside, Ciying was sealing the letter written to Li Sheng and Xie Ran. When she lowered her head, she heard a knock on the door outside. She said "Come in" and suddenly felt a little dizzy when she lowered her head.

Ling Shuang paused, and hurriedly took out a candy from her bosom and handed it to Ci Ying's lips, asking with concern: "Master, have you had your meal?"

Ci Ying supported her head and said softly, "I forgot."

Lingshuang went out to find someone to serve the meal. Lingyue stepped forward and suppressed Ciying's hand that was about to flip through the account book: "Look at it after dinner. My sister and I have sorted it out. There is nothing important recently."

Ci Ying was not stubborn and nodded gently.

During the meal, Lingshuang and Lingyue talked about what was happening outside. "A strange case happened a few days ago. A woman in a brothel was fought over by two wealthy businessmen, who spent a fortune on her. Neither of them was victorious, and one of them committed suicide in the middle of the night. The next morning, when the brothel owner went to look for the woman, she found her hanging in her room."

Ci Ying swallowed a mouthful of millet porridge and asked, "What did the government say?"

Ling Yue supported herself with her hands and said, "It didn't get out. At first, the news was all over the streets, but then it all disappeared. The madam who found the woman's body that day has been replaced, but the brothel is still running."

Ciying felt a little overwhelmed and put down her bowl and chopsticks.

Lingshuang glanced at Lingyue and said, "Alright, let the master eat."

Lingyue smiled embarrassedly, and Ciying shook her head: "It has nothing to do with Lingyue. It may be because the weather is too hot. I don't have much appetite." As Ciying said this, her heart wrinkled slightly, and she used tea to suppress the feeling in her heart.

Lingshuang and Lingyue looked at each other, and Lingyue asked carefully: "Master, are you pregnant?"

Ci Ying coughed down a mouthful of tea, choking a little. She leaned over and spit it out. With a complicated look in her eyes, she took the clean handkerchief handed to her by Ling Shuang and whispered, "Don't talk nonsense."

This made it seem even more like it. Lingshuang hurriedly stood up, and Lingyue went out to find a doctor. Ciying wanted to stop her but failed. She held Lingshuang's hand and said helplessly, "Really not."

Lingshuang wiped the sweat from Ciying's forehead with a handkerchief and said with a smile, "Then let the doctor take a look. The master doesn't look well." There was still a hint of disbelief in her words.

Ci Ying was helpless and embarrassed to say that she had never slept with Xie Huaijin in four or five years of marriage.

Ling Shuang put down the handkerchief and saw Ci Ying's blushing face. She said softly, "Master, being pregnant is a very normal thing. However, for a woman, pregnancy and childbirth are like walking through the gates of hell. If you are pregnant, Master must be careful."

Ci Ying's face flushed, and she whispered, "I know, but I really didn't."

Lingshuang saw that Ciying's words were sincere and realized that she and Lingyue might have misunderstood. She chuckled and said, "Then let the doctor come and check on the master. Lingyue and I will feel more at ease."

Ci Ying didn't know what to say and nodded lightly.

......

Xie Huaijin came back in the carriage and happened to see Lingyue hurriedly leading the doctor to Ciying's yard when he entered the mansion. Lingyue was so anxious that she didn't even see Xie Huaijin.

"Go and see what's going on." The young man instructed the person beside him in a gentle voice.

Zhu Er took the order and turned to go to Ci Ying's yard. After a while, he brought back the news. At that time, Xie Huaijin had already arrived in the study, and his white, slender, and bony fingers were resting on the lock of the red lacquered wooden box.

"Sir, I've found out that I went to check the lady's pulse for pregnancy."

The wooden box suddenly closed. The young man took out his finger without changing his expression. He looked up at Zhu Er and asked, "What did the doctor say?"

Mo Yu looked down at the ground, and Zhu Er said softly, "It's just that the Madam has a poor appetite due to the hot weather, and she's not pregnant."

The study was silent for a long time. After a long while, the young man said calmly, "Go out."

Soon, Xie Huaijin was the only one left in the study.

He looked at the red lacquered wooden box in front of him, gently stroking the pearl with his fingers, and after a long time, he slowly lowered his eyes.

Is it Mr. Li or someone else?

Actually, it doesn’t seem to matter.

The window of the study was blown open by the wind. It was already late at night. Xie Huaijin changed into a clean plain dress and walked to Ciying's yard.

The servants naturally didn't dare to stop him when they saw him. He quietly pushed open the door and sat down in front of Ciying's bed.

There was only a candle left in the room, calming incense was burning in the room, and a book was placed beside the bed. Ci Ying did not seem to be sleeping very soundly. Xie Huaijin carefully picked up the book, sat down, and looked at Ci Ying's frown.

He stretched out his hand and touched Ci Ying's eyebrows, and the small stream between her eyebrows disappeared.

But this time, the young man's cold fingers lingered on the girl's furrowed brows, and after a while, they turned into gentle caresses.

Ci Ying was not sleeping soundly to begin with, and the cold touch on her face made her shiver and open her eyes, and then she saw Xie Huaijin.

The young man seemed a little surprised that she woke up suddenly.

Moonlight streamed in from the window, and Ci Ying subconsciously shrank back. When she looked at Xie Huaijin again, there was no more surprise in her eyes. The young man looked at her shivering body and said softly, "You're awake."

Ci Ying looked at the window, then at the door, clutching the quilt tightly: "Why are you here?"

Xie Huaijin looked at Ci Ying and said calmly, "Zhu Er said you hired a doctor. I came to take a look."

Ci Ying then thought of the misunderstanding during the day and her face turned red: "I'm fine." She didn't even want to argue with him about him spying on her. She just thought it was late, so forget it.

But Xie Huaijin didn't seem ready to let it go like that.

During the confrontation between the two, it was rare that Xie Huaijin spoke first, but Ci Ying soon understood what it meant that it was better not to say anything, because the next moment the young man's handsome lips uttered words that Ci Ying really couldn't understand.

"Pregnancy is harmful to your body. You are still young, so be careful not to get pregnant if you have sex."

Ci Ying thought for a long time before she understood what Xie Huaijin was saying. She looked up at Xie Huaijin. The candlelight in the room was dim, but she could still see the young man's eyes.

He seemed to notice her gaze and touched her head, as if he had returned to the past.

In fact, there were rarely such gentle moments between them. If... if what they were talking about was not so strange. The young man looked at Ci Ying. There were still marks of sleeping on the girl's face. He reached out and touched it gently, trying to smooth it out bit by bit.

In the middle of the night, the young man said in a gentle voice, "Don't listen to everything the doctor says. The book says that you can get pregnant even on your period. Taking birth control pills will damage your body. Just let someone else take the medicine."

Ci Ying didn't understand a word she heard. Her eyes slowly drooped, and the slight blush on her face disappeared.

The young man said in a gentle and generous voice, "I asked the old doctor in the palace to write a prescription. I will ask Mo Yu to send the prescription over tomorrow. Remember to have them take it before we have sex."

Ci Ying's eyelids twitched. She was frightened when she heard it for the first time. Now, maybe because she was used to it, she actually felt that it was not surprising that the person who said this was Xie Huaijin.

She looked up at Xie Huaijin and saw that the young man was still smiling gently.

Sometimes she really admired Xie Huaijin. Why could he always pretend that nothing had happened? The quarrel with An Huai that day was still between them, but he just seemed to have forgotten it.

She laughed sarcastically: "Will the medicine be bitter? They are afraid of bitterness."

As expected, the young man's face froze for a moment, but he quickly whispered, "No matter how bitter it is, they deserve to drink it."

If possible, Ci Ying really wanted to ask “their” names, but at this moment she just looked into Xie Huaijin’s eyes and said gently, “But I can’t bear it. If the medicine is too bitter, forget it.”

Ci Ying saw Xie Huaijin was stunned for a moment, then lowered her eyes: "I will ask the imperial physician tomorrow.

Ci Ying half-supported herself against the bed railing, looking at Xie Huaijin, and said word by word: "If I really do have a child, Xie Huaijin, what should I do?"

The young man looked at the girl's flat belly and whispered, "If you really want—"

"If I really want it." Ci Ying interrupted Xie Huaijin.

After a long time, the young man's low voice came from the room: "Well, then."

Ci Ying's heart trembled, and Xie Huaijin's gentle voice came to her ears again: "It's just that you are still young, when you grow up, wait..."

Ci Ying slapped her in the face, then she threw back the quilt, opened the door and was about to go out, not knowing what she was doing.

Xie Huaijin stayed in the house and did not chase after him. The maid outside had already lit the lamp. Xie Huaijin sat on the edge of the bed and gently touched the quilt with his hand. The thin quilt buried the young man's cold hand, and a faint fragrance came from it.

The mattress still retained the warmth of the girl.

Xie Huaijin lowered his eyes and stood up to leave, but saw Ci Ying coming back.

The door was closed. Ci Ying took off her clothes bit by bit in front of him and said coldly, "The medicine is very bitter... How bitter is it? Have you tried it yourself? Try it first. When you think it's not bitter anymore, I'll give it to them."

Every time she spoke, a hole was opened.

Xie Huaijin stood there in a daze, watching Ci Ying walk towards him step by step. Her hand rested on the collar of his plain clothes, and she whispered, "Should I ask someone to boil some medicine first?"

"Lingyue!" Ci Ying shouted, and the lights in the yard outside lit up little by little.

Lingyue knocked on the door and asked, "Master, what's wrong?"

Ci Ying looked at Xie Huaijin with a raised eyebrow, feeling that she would not be able to bear it any longer. She did not care about Xie Huaijin's expression, did not want to look at his face or his eyes, and directly unbuttoned his plain clothes with her hands.

The knocking on the door outside was getting quieter and quieter. Ci Ying had taken off her clothes until only her last piece of underwear was left. There was nothing inside except her bellyband.

Xie Huaijin wasn't in much better shape either. His clothes were wrinkled by Ci Ying's hands. He frowned and squeezed Ci Ying's hand. "I just asked them to take the medicine for your own good. What are you angry about?"

There was a hint of her being unreasonable in her words. Ci Ying didn't know if she was angry enough or what, but she actually laughed out loud: "I just want to sleep with my husband, Xie Huaijin, what are you angry about?"

Xie Huaijin felt somewhat helpless, his tone softened, his eyes gentle as if he was looking at a child who was being unreasonable: "Ciying, I'm not angry."

"Then let's sleep together." Ci Ying said concisely.

Xie Huaijin was stunned for a moment, gently touched Ciying's head, and whispered, "You don't have to go to such lengths to make me angry." As he spoke, he carried Ciying to the bed and bent down to take off her shoes.

Ci Ying raised her eyes and looked at the young man who bowed.

She felt her feet being gently placed on the bed by the young man, followed by the quilt. Xie Huaijin sat in front of her bed and looked at her gently: "It's late at night, are you going to sleep or what?"

Ci Ying said softly, "How?"

Xie Huaijin rubbed his fingertips for a moment before saying softly, "I've found someone who has already taken the medicine for you. If you think that's insulting Mr. Li, you can do it with someone else. I heard from the doctor that women can also..."

Ci Ying slapped him again. Xie Huaijin's voice was very low, not as gentle as before. He asked, "Is it because I mentioned Mr. Li?"

Ci Ying didn't know what her relationship with Li Sheng was, but she gritted her teeth and said, "So what?"

The young man was silent for a while, and when he looked at Ci Ying again, his eyes had returned to gentleness: "Then I won't mention it anymore."

After saying that, Xie Huaijin was about to leave. Ci Ying grabbed Xie Huaijin's hand and said calmly, "But I'm already angry."

Late at night, the young man raised his beautiful eyes, as if to say "what do you want to do".

Ci Ying lay on the bed and motioned Xie Huaijin to come up.

The candlelight in the yard dimmed again, and the moon in the sky was gradually hidden by the clouds. The lush candlelight in the room illuminated the girl's tearful eyes.

......

Xie Huaijin had a blank expression on her face when she came out from under her skirt.

Ci Ying lay limp on the bed, not caring about her disheveled clothes. She softly asked Xie Huaijin, "Did you forget to take your medicine?"

Her voice was intermittent, with a little panting, but her eyes were terrifyingly cold.

Xie Huaijin's fingers were stiff, and the bitter taste between his lips and teeth made him speechless. He looked down at Ci Ying lying on the bed, and the girl looked at him with cold eyes.

The room was silent for a long time, and neither of them spoke.

After a while, Xie Huaijin sat down on the edge of the bed again and wiped the remaining body fluids on Ci Ying's legs with a handkerchief. Ci Ying bit her lip when she was touched, and felt the young man's cold, slender, bony fingers wrapped in the handkerchief and exploring a little.

Under the dim candlelight, the young man lowered his eyes, without a trace of passion.

Ci Ying groaned, looking at the young man with tears in her eyes. Knowing that he did it on purpose, she deliberately said, "Then remember to take your medicine when you go back."

The young man's face was obviously a little cold. He stopped wiping her and leaned over to kiss her.

Ci Ying didn't want him to kiss her, but the young man grabbed her chin and kissed her.

Xie Huaijin didn't want to kiss too deeply, so he just let Ci Ying taste it lightly before moving his lips away. Ci Ying wiped her lips with her fingers and stared at the young man hatefully.

The quarrel was definitely going to end. Xie Huaijin glanced at Ci Ying, stood up, poured a cup of tea and handed it to her, saying softly, "Rinse your mouth."

Ci Ying picked up the water cup, drank some water and rinsed her mouth.

Xie Huaijin looked at her quietly and said softly, "I'll have Mo Yu bring you the booklet and the contraceptive pills tomorrow."

His words were actually mocking her for not understanding that she couldn't get pregnant this way. Ci Ying held back and said sarcastically, "Then remember to take the medicine."

The young man looked at the girl leaning down. He didn't say anything else, but just said "hmm" softly.

Ci Ying, who was soundly asleep, would never have thought that Xie Huaijin actually drank the medicine after returning home.

The young man vomited for a long time, drank the medicine, and vomited it out again. Everything he had been holding back burst out after returning to his yard. He vomited until his face flushed and he felt so weak that he had no strength left. Only then did he stop.

There was still half of the medicine left on the table. Xie Huaijin sat on the stool with his eyes half-closed, his eyes sunken into the black medicine soup.

The next day.

Mo Yu brought the things over.

Ciying smiled.

So funny.

Xie Huaijin asked Mo Yu to deliver two things, one was contraceptive medicine, and the other was an erotic book.

Ci Ying put the contraceptive pills aside and slowly opened the erotic book with her fingers.

Seeing the contents of the booklet, Ciying's fingers stiffened for a moment, and her eyes felt sore for some reason. She didn't know if it was because of anger or something else, but she couldn't turn the page anymore.

......Everyone's pornographic book is filled with annotations.

Xie Huaijin's handwriting was easy to recognize, so Ci Ying continued reading. With the sound of the book turning pages, the anger on Ci Ying's face turned into a very complicated emotion. She looked at the dense annotations on each page, and only came to her senses when the book was closed.

She didn't know what kind of mood Xie Huaijin was in when he wrote this annotation, which was so detailed that it even said that spraying it in the mouth would not cause pregnancy, that men would not get pregnant, and which postures might cause injury.

Ci Ying threw the erotic book aside, saw the medicine beside her, and buried herself in the quilt.

Seeing this, Zhu Guang wanted to pick it up and look at it, but Ci Ying blushed and said, "Don't look!"

Zhu Guang put the book back, looked at the medicine beside him, and asked softly, "Ciying, are you sick?"

"No." Ci Ying's muffled voice came from under the quilt.

Zhu Guang asked again: "Then who is this medicine for?"

There was silence under the quilt for a while, and then Ci Ying said, "Give it to Xie Huaijin."

Zhu Guang didn't ask any more questions. He just told Ci Ying that he would be going out for a while. Ci Ying got up from the quilt and asked, "Did he assign you a mission?"

Zhu Guang shook his head, a rare silence between his brows: "I have found out some things and want to go and see. There is nothing going on in Chang'an recently. I am relieved that you are in Xie Mansion."

Ci Ying said softly: "Well, don't worry about me."

Zhu Guang added, "Su Xueruo, please be careful and stay as far away as possible."

Zhu Guang said this because Su Xueruo handed him another invitation.

Ci Ying repeated what she had said before: "You seem to hate Queen Su very much."

Zhu Guang paused for a moment, then looked at Ci Ying and lowered his voice, "I think it should be considered disgust. She killed someone who was very kind to me and the young master before."

Ci Ying said the name "Xie Qingyu" in her heart and whispered, "Have you ever thought about revenge for him?"

Zhu Guang nodded, but quickly shook his head: "I don't know if I've thought about it. Revenge is too simple, but even if we take revenge, that person can't come back, and that person doesn't want us to take revenge. Not to mention me, over the years, if the young master blew a breath, Su Xueruo would have been gone long ago. If the young master didn't have it, I won't have it either."

Zhu Guang was still a little angry as he spoke, and he warned Ci Ying again: "You must stay away from Su Xueruo. She didn't have much time left to live the way she was last time."

Ci Ying nodded but didn't answer. Then she heard Zhu Guang say, "I don't know why, even though she's dying, I don't feel like I've achieved great revenge. Ci Ying, I'll tell you that man's story someday. Maybe one day the young master will tell you too. He's the best person I've ever met besides Mo Yu."

"No, there's also Ciying." Zhu Guang smiled and hugged Ciying.

Mo Yu came out of the yard at this time. Zhu Guang didn't know why he had a quarrel with Mo Yu again. He snorted and said loudly, "I'm leaving Chang'an." After that, he bumped into Mo Yu's shoulder and walked over.

Ci Ying had been feeling a bit depressed, but now she felt much better. She asked gently, "Did you make her angry again?"

Mo Yu coughed lightly and shook his head.

Ci Ying didn't believe it. She swung her legs and looked at Mo Yu: "Why don't you talk to her nicely?"

This is how it should be for two people who clearly care about each other.

Ci Ying could see Mo Yu's feelings for Zhu Guang. She was not sure if it was definitely love, or if it was definitely more than just love. Love seemed to be the lightest thing between Mo Yu and Zhu Guang. The two had been together since childhood and had come all the way to now. How could there be no feelings between them?

But for some reason, Mo Yu has been avoiding Zhu Guang. Ci Ying just thought that it would be good for Zhu Guang to leave Mo Yu alone for a while, but it was a bit too deliberate. However, it would be good if Zhu Guang went out for a while.

Time will teach a person how to miss someone. When Mo Yu figures it out, Mo Yu has ignored Zhu Guang for so long, and Zhu Guang should also ignore Mo Yu for a while longer. Thinking about it, Ci Ying began to laugh and felt that she was terribly childish.

Mo Yu left without saying anything. Ci Ying was a little confused, but didn't think much about it.

The sunlight shone on the girl's squinting face. Lingyue and Lingshuang were talking about the last incident in the brothel. Ciying's eyes occasionally glanced at the booklet and medicine beside her. Everything was like a sunny afternoon.

When the wind blew through the pearl hairpin on Ciying's head, Ciying looked up at the sky. It was cloudless and there was no sign of rain.

No one expected that fate would be so cruel.

Zhu Guang flew up from the roof with his hands folded, and went to Huainan area to investigate things related to his life experience without even looking at Mo Yu's back. In fact, he missed Mo Yu a little as soon as he left the house, but thinking about Mo Yu's attitude, Zhu Guang felt that he really couldn't be so good-tempered.

Wait for her to come back...Even if Mo Yu said "I was wrong" many times, she would not be moved at all. After walking another ten miles, Zhu Guang sighed and thought forget it. She smiled and thought, as long as Mo Yu said "I was wrong", she, Lord Zhu Guang, would be magnanimous and forgive him. After all, he was her master. Once a teacher, always a husband. The ancient books are indeed right.

Sunlight shone on Zhu Guang's face. She hadn't changed her appearance yet, so the blush on her face was particularly noticeable. An emerald green bird flew past Zhu Guang, and she thought it looked a bit like Ciying's "Happy" bird. She glanced at it for a moment before being scratched by a branch.

She snorted softly, threw a dart in her hand, and the branch was cut in half. She threw the dart back and continued on her way...

Su Xueruo's invitation came again.

Ci Ying didn't even open it this time and just put it aside.

Ci Ying opened the letter written by Li Sheng and others. Xie Ran said in the letter that there is now a college willing to invite "Jiang Wei" to teach there. Although it is not one of the most famous academies, it is also well-known.

The news of the establishment of a girls' school in the palace spread to Jiangnan. Because of the reputation of "Jiang Wei" and the secret support of the governor, there was now a trend of recruiting female students in Jiangnan. However, there were very few places, and most of them were only open to young ladies from families of poetry and literature.

Ci Ying wasn't surprised by this development. She'd pondered the previous imperial examination and decided that taking too big a step wouldn't be a good idea. She'd originally intended to use this year's exam topic as a gimmick to boost "Jiang Wei's" influence. The new emperor was mediocre, and with the support of the Wang, Su, and Lin families, this year's exam wouldn't be too difficult.

Before this, she had been exploring the possible direction for this year from the topics of the imperial examinations in previous years. She also sent people to collect the essays of the people from the Wang, Su, and Lin families who took the imperial examinations this year, and roughly determined the direction. If this could be used to enhance the reputation of the women's school, it would be of great help to the development of the women's school in Jiangnan.

But the risk is too great and the steps are too fast, which will inevitably cause trouble.

Ciying thought about it for a long time and decided to take it slow.

Ciying wrote a reply to Xie Ran, then read the letter once more before burning it as usual. After the flames had licked away the letter, Ciying went out to wash her hands and instructed Lingyue to prepare some high-quality medicinal herbs to be sent to Jiangnan.

Ling Yue remembered them all and whispered, "Is it for Master Li?"

Ci Ying responded: "Well, Xie Ran said that his health has improved recently."

Lingyue smiled, pulled Lingshuang over and said, "That Mr. Li is said to be feeling better. When my sister and I first met him, he was coughing up blood. We were terrified."

Ci Ying was stunned for a moment. Li Sheng had never vomited blood in front of her, but Zhu Guang told her privately that he had seen Li Sheng's handkerchief turn red several times.

"It will be fine." Ci Ying said.

Lingyue and Lingshuang both laughed and said together, "It will be fine."

The sun is shining.

At night, it suddenly rained outside.

When Ci Ying was closing the window and preparing to go to bed, she suddenly saw a tall, white figure. The young man was standing in her yard with an umbrella, like a ghost in the middle of the night.

In fact, Ci Ying had not seen Xie Huaijin for several days, or rather, she had not seen Xie Huaijin since that day.

The rain was quite heavy, and Ci Ying couldn't see Xie Huaijin's expression clearly, but she felt a little cold.

She hesitated for a while, opened the door from the inside, and said softly, "Come in first."

The young man seemed not to hear, but because he saw her walking towards him, Ci Ying turned around to pour a cup of hot tea, she was hugged by Xie Huaijin.

The umbrella fell to the ground, and the tassels on it scattered in the rain. Ciying was held in her arms, and rain kept dripping under the eaves.

It was a hug that was a little heavier than usual. Although the young man was holding an umbrella, the part between his wrists was completely wet. When he hugged Ci Ying, he buried his head in Ci Ying's shoulder, a posture he had never done before.

The damp and cold rain made Ci Ying's nose itchy. She sneezed and saw the young man slowly loosen his hand.

The lanterns were damp in the rain. Under the last faint light, Ci Ying heard the young man say with his eyes lowered, "I'm sorry." The young man lowered his eyelids, straightened the corners of his lips, pushed Ci Ying back into the room, and left.

Ci Ying looked at Xie Huaijin's back and clenched her hands.

She had rarely seen Xie Huaijin like this. The neat young man bent down to pick up the umbrella that had fallen in the rain. The pale yellow tassels wrapped around the young man's wrist wetly. The young man's voice and figure quickly disappeared in the rain. A quarter of an hour later, warm ginger tea was brought over.

Ciying actually felt that Xie Huaijin needed it more.

She rubbed her forehead, looked at the teapot on the table, and gently stroked the cup with her hand.

never mind.

It rained all night, and at daybreak the eaves were still dripping.

Ci Ying coughed, and Ling Yue and Ling Shuang asked if she had caught a cold. Ling Shuang replied, "It rained all night in Chang'an, and the weather has suddenly turned cold. I don't know if it will rain again today. Master, please take care of yourself."

Lingyue handed a hot water bottle to Ciying: "I'll ask the kitchen to make some soup to dispel the cold."

Ci Ying just had an itchy throat and didn't have a cold. She originally wanted to stop Ling Yue, but then she thought of something and let Ling Yue go.

The rain was not heavy at the moment, but Lingyue still went out with an umbrella.

Ci Ying suddenly thought of Xie Huaijin's tall figure holding an umbrella yesterday. She didn't notice it yesterday, but now when she thought about it, she felt that the young man's body was very stiff. Ci Ying lowered her eyes, not knowing what to think.

The relationship has become much softer these days, but it is indeed just softer. She still can't figure out what she should do with him.

Too many things happened, all mixed together. She could not forget Ru Zhen, nor could she forget Xie Huaijin's wound in the carriage that day. The gurgling blood flowed in the moonlight. Every time Ci Ying thought of it, she felt like it was a nightmare.

The sudden increase in the rain made Ciying turn around. When Lingyue came back, she was holding something in her hand.

Just when she was almost there, she fell and the invitation card fell to the ground and got covered in mud. It wasn't a serious fall. Before Ciying and Lingshuang could rush over, Lingyue got up by herself and frowned as she looked at the invitation card covered in mud in her hand.

Ci Ying shouted from under the eaves: "Come back first."

Lingyue ran back immediately: "My apologies, Master. I accidentally dropped the invitation and it got covered in mud. I'll think of a way."

Ci Ying patted Ling Yue's sleeve, and seeing that Ling Yue didn't fall down, she felt relieved. When she saw the invitation, her eyes were complicated: "No need, just burn it."

"Okay, please, sister." Lingyue handed it to Lingshuang and jumped up and down a few times: "Master, don't worry, I'm not hurt. I practiced martial arts for two days when I was a child, and I'm in good health."

Ling Shuang ruthlessly pointed out from behind: "Master, don't listen to her nonsense. She cried and quit after holding the wooden sword for two days."

Something was burning in the brazier. Ci Ying looked over and saw that the invitation, covered in dirt, was not burning well. It took a long time for it to burn completely. Ling Yue then talked about the prostitute who had hanged herself. "It's rumored outside that two wealthy businessmen were fighting over it that day, and one of them was that person."

Ci Ying didn't react immediately. Ling Yue pointed in the direction of the palace and said softly, "That person."

Ci Ying frowned slightly and said softly, "Absurd."

Ling Shuang came over and said, "Don't keep telling your master all the nonsense you heard in the teahouse. Who knows who those tea drinkers belong to?"

Ci Ying didn't know why her heart was beating fast. She felt a little depressed looking at the incessant rain outside. She turned around and looked at the invitation in the brazier. She took an oil-paper umbrella and said to Ling Yue, "You rest in the room first. Ling Shuang, come out with me."

Lingyue wanted to say that she was fine, but was stopped by Lingshuang's look.

Ling Shuang stepped forward: "Master, where are we going?"

Ci Ying said softly, "Leave the house."

It was raining and there were many people in the teahouse.

Ci Ying and Ling Shuang were sitting in a private room, and whispers could be heard from time to time. Just as Ling Yue had said, rumors were circulating that the emperor was responsible for the brothel girl's affair. It was said that the emperor had sneaked out of the palace, spent a fortune on a brothel girl, and even shared a girl with another wealthy businessman, causing the girl to commit suicide out of shame.

Ling Shuang explained, "That woman was a prostitute. She was originally the daughter of a minister's concubine. Later, the minister's wife found out and sold both the concubine and the daughter to a brothel. The concubine committed suicide, and the madam was afraid that her daughter would also commit suicide, so she coaxed her daughter into becoming a prostitute, but a brothel..."

Ci Ying suddenly thought of something and whispered in Ling Shuang's ear: "Do you think that woman is..."

Ling Shuang was startled: "Master, are you saying——"

Ci Ying nodded solemnly. The woman probably recognized the emperor who had sneaked out of the palace to visit a brothel. The people in the palace wanted to silence her for the emperor's reputation, but somehow the news got out.

Even Lingshuang, who was always cold and aloof, couldn't help but curse: "This is really ridiculous."

Ci Ying, however, thought of things further in the future. The emperor was not a man of caliber; he was not merely mediocre, but incompetent. He relied on the Wang, Su, and Lin families for support, using the connections within the harem to maintain imperial power. How long could this last? Ci Ying saw the future almost at a glance.

But where does the future lie?

The current emperor has only one son, the crown prince, and it has only been a month since the full moon. The other forces are not strong enough. If a war really breaks out, the world will definitely be divided into several pieces. The only one who is strong enough is Yuwen Shu... Ci Ying frowned, not knowing where to go.

If Xie Huaijin had his eyes on the throne, the whole world would have changed its name long ago.

He obviously didn't have one. If Xie Huaijin had one, Ci Ying would definitely support him. Without delving into many things, Xie Huaijin was a man of outstanding strategy, talent for governing the world, and a benevolent heart. If Xie Huaijin came to power, he would definitely do much better than the current emperor.

Not entirely. Xie Huaijin is actually not very suitable. He is too smart and almost a demon, but Xie Huaijin only has the appearance of a gentleman but not the bones of a gentleman. If Xie Huaijin becomes the king, Ci Ying is not sure what the world will become like, but probably... it won't be a good thing, and the Xie family is an example.

A few years ago, when the young lady and the lady were still alive, she had talked to her about the Xie family. After talking for a long time, they could only shake their heads in the end. In fact, they didn't say anything. They always mentioned it briefly and then stopped. Naturally, Ci Ying wouldn't ask.

The young lady once said something else. At that time, she cried so hard that her eyes were red because the young lady was seriously ill. After the young lady got better, she comforted her and said that if it were not for the accident, she would not have been born into this world.

She asked why, and the young lady said that the lady didn't want to have a child.

She then asked the young lady why. The young lady touched her head and said gently, "Because my last name is Xie, and every child in the Xie family has the last name Xie. What's more terrifying than this high wall is the word 'Xie'."

As Ci Ying was thinking, the sounds of quarreling below also reached her ears.

The storm was coming, but she couldn't see the way forward.

She thought of the Xie family and the files she had seen in Xie Huaijin's study, and her brows furrowed even deeper.

I don’t know if it was her illusion, but in this chaotic world, the Xie family always “keeps out of trouble” and stays out of it, as if all the chaos has nothing to do with it, and no matter who is the master of the world, it does not hinder the Xie family’s behemoth.

Everything Xie Huaijin did in Anhuai and at the palace banquet far exceeded the level publicized by the Xie family in history books. Ci Ying rubbed his eyebrows and stopped to think.

Ling Shuang said softly, "Master, are you okay?"

Ci Ying nodded: "I'm fine."

On the way back to the mansion, the rain still didn't stop. Ci Ying thought of Xie Huaijin standing outside her door in the middle of the night yesterday. She slowly lowered her eyes, stroked the embroidery on the handkerchief with her fingers, and looked at the rain outside.

When I returned to the mansion, it was already dark.

Lingyue brought a warm and refreshing cold-dispelling soup, and Ciying and Lingshuang each drank a bowl.

Late at night, Ci Ying went to close the window as usual. This time she did not see Xie Huaijin. Her hand pressing on the window frame paused for a moment, and then she gently closed the window.

......

In the cold and bright ancestral hall, a young man dressed in white stood tall and slender in front of many seats.

The bright candlelight reflected the young man's cold face. The bright light shone on it, like a silent, snowy valley in the dead of winter, indifferent, cold, and penetrating.

The young man's beautiful eyes were extremely cold at this moment, and his gaze moved up along the tablet little by little. After a long time, a light laugh came from inside the ancestral hall.

Very light, very faint.

In the sky full of flames, become a part of the bright flames.

The cold and icy ancestral hall turned blood red. Xie Huaijin wiped his hands with a handkerchief and walked out of the fire slowly. He did not look back, but just looked at the sky where it no longer rained.

It was very dark, very dark. The tall and handsome young man stood in front of the ancestral hall, as if he was trapped and became a part of the firelight.

【Author’s words】

[Cat's Paw][Cat's Paw][Cat's Paw]