Chapter 23 Another Name

"vomit--"

A cool night breeze swept over a slightly awkward situation.

Green Ivy and Mu Geng, who were standing nearby, widened their eyes at the same time, looking at Shen You and then looking up at Chu Xiao, who had been vomited on by her.

The man's handsome face darkened slightly, his expression chillingly cold.

“Miss,” Green Ivy suddenly realized and hurriedly went to help Shen You, but Mu Geng stopped her again, “Don’t worry, my master has no ill intentions toward your young lady.”

After vomiting, Shen You felt as if all her strength had been released, and she completely went limp in his arms.

Chu Xiao closed his eyes tightly, enduring the sticky discomfort at his collar, and carried the person towards the small courtyard where the Shen family lived.

The banquet was not yet over, and almost everyone was still in the palace. The shadows of the trees swayed on the palace paths, and only the heavy footsteps of men could be heard.

Fortunately, the green ivy was clever and quickly ran back to the courtyard to have the wisteria boil water in advance.

When Chu Xiao carried the person into the house, hot water and clean towels were already prepared.

Zi Teng looked as if she had seen a ghost as she watched the Duke of Zhenguo casually carry his daughter inside.

But now was not the time to be curious about such things. She quickly stepped forward and said, "Lord Duke, please leave my young lady to me. There's no need to trouble you."

But Chu Xiao walked straight past her into the inner room and placed the already fast asleep Shen You on the bed.

"My lord..."

The wisteria and the pothos looked at each other, completely baffled as to what this close advisor to the emperor was up to.

Her daughter has already been returned, why hasn't the Duke of Zhenguo left yet?

Chu Xiao ignored their gazes, wrung out the towel in the basin, pulled Shen You's hand, and wiped her hand gently.

The movements were slow and gentle, as if it were the first time doing something like this.

Wisteria's heart pounded as she looked at her. She mustered her courage and stepped forward. "Your Excellency, my young lady is being looked after by my servants. This is the residence of the Marquis of Chengde. I beg Your Excellency to... reconsider."

Although most people are currently attending the palace banquet, there's no guarantee that someone won't leave early like Shen You and Chu Xiao. If Chu Xiao is seen leaving later, one can imagine how Shen You will be subjected to public condemnation.

Upon hearing this, Chu Xiao paused, his brows furrowing slightly, and his aura becoming somewhat subdued.

Wisteria and Green Ivy clenched their hands in their sleeves. Although they were afraid of the Duke in front of them, they would never back down in the slightest for the sake of their young lady.

Just as he was about to speak again to persuade her, Chu Xiao stood up, said, "Change your girl's clothes," and strode away.

"call..."

The two maids breathed a sigh of relief.

Green Ivy patted her chest and went to the bedside to help Shen You change her clothes, only to find that Wisteria was still standing there without moving.

She turned her head. "What's wrong?"

Zifang looked at her and said, "Don't you think this Duke looks familiar?"

"Familiar?" Green Ivy was lively and clever, but not as thoughtful as Wisteria. She frowned when she heard her words, unable to figure it out.

Zi Teng couldn't think of anything for the moment, so she could only shake her head and say, "Let's change the young lady's clothes first."

Shen You wasn't usually a heavy drinker, and this was the first time Zi Teng and Lu Luo had ever seen their young lady drunk.

Fortunately, Shen You didn't cause much trouble even when he was drunk. After vomiting, he fell into a deep sleep.

It was a quarter of an hour later when the two men changed her clothes and wiped her body.

The candles in the room were blown out, leaving only a floor candlestick by the bed. The two maids closed the door tightly, took the clothes they had changed out of, and left.

The room was dimly lit and very quiet, with only the girl's soft breathing breaking the silence.

——

On a path not far from the courtyard, Chu Xiao and his servant Mu Geng strolled leisurely.

Soldiers on patrol would occasionally stop and bow to Chu Xiao.

The man didn't speak, but nodded slightly. His sharply defined profile was hidden in the flickering light, looking overly sharp, but Mu Geng clearly sensed that his master seemed to be in a good mood.

So good that... even if their robes got dirty, they weren't in a hurry to go back and change.

Just as he was filled with doubt, Chu Xiao spoke up, "Did you hear that just now?"

Mu Geng looked bewildered. "What did you hear?"

"She insulted me," Chu Xiao's voice was low, the four words, though brief, carried a hint of pleasure.

Mu Geng was even more bewildered.

But after saying that, Chu Xiao didn't say anything more.

Night had fallen, the clouds were thickening, and the moonlight was hazy.

In the courtyard of the Duke of Zhenguo, a tall and upright figure was stretched out and cast on the ground.

In those strong, powerful hands, he held a pear-yellow handkerchief, the very same handkerchief that Shen You had discovered he carried with him at the Hundred Herbs Hall that day.

The handkerchief was made of superior fabric, smooth and slightly cool, but it was quickly warmed by the warmth of his palm.

Chu Xiao stared intently at the osmanthus flower on the handkerchief, his eyes deep and dark, with surging ink-like light. It was unclear whether he was truly looking at the handkerchief or recalling their brief time together in the pavilion through it.

He had been married to Shen You for two years, and she had never been drunk in front of him. He was also unaware that Shen You, when drunk, had such a charming and charming drunken state.

It was the first time I'd ever seen her swear.

In stark contrast to her usual aloofness and indifference, she displayed a slightly spoiled and pouty demeanor, making her incredibly lively.

Chu Xiao's heart stirred slightly, and the urge to hear her scold him a few more times suddenly grew stronger.

Even insults were better than her cold, aloof attitude towards him since their reunion.

As a well-mannered and knowledgeable woman, the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Chengde had an extremely limited vocabulary when it came to cursing. The two words she used most often were "bastard" and "scoundrel".

Looking back now, every word she uttered was right.

If it were possible to hear her scold him a few times while she was sober next time, that would seem pretty good.

Thinking of this, Chu Xiao's eyes flickered.

A gentle night breeze blew, and Mu Geng saw his lord sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard, his expression solemn. He assumed that the lord was pondering the matters to be discussed with His Majesty that night.

Little did he know, the man was merely plotting what excuse he could come up with next time to get another scolding from Shen You.

***

The next day.

As dawn broke, light streamed through the slightly closed window, falling on the blue bed curtains beside the bed.

When Shen You slowly woke up, she felt a headache and discomfort. She brushed aside the bed curtains and was about to call for someone when Zi Teng came in with a basin of water. "Miss, you're awake."

"Hmm," Shen You said. He had returned home late last night and was still half asleep from being drunk. He was not yet fully awake.

With the help of the wisteria, he sat up.

After a night, the girl's nightgown collar was slightly loose, her long hair fell to her shoulders, and a few strands of black hair slipped into the collar, unable to conceal her fair and soft skin.

After drinking water, Shen You finally became more awake. Just as she was about to get up and wash, certain scenes from last night suddenly flashed through her mind.

She paused, her expression suddenly changed, and she turned to look at the wisteria as if seeking confirmation, "Who brought me back last night?"

Zi Teng dared not hide it, "It is the Duke of Zhenguo."

The woman's cloak, which had been left behind but was later retrieved and was now useless, was draped over the screen.

Everything in the pavilion came to mind clearly, including the incident where he later vomited all over Chu Xiao.

Shen You rubbed his forehead, feeling that his head seemed to hurt even more, perhaps because of a hangover.

Wisteria stood behind her and gently pressed her forehead with her hand.

"Young lady, are you feeling any better?"

"I'm feeling much better," Shen You nodded, then heard Zi Teng speak again, "Miss, I have some questions..."

"What's your doubt?"

"This servant feels that the Duke of Zhenguo looks somewhat familiar."

look familiar...

Since Zifang asked, Shen You didn't intend to hide it from her and Luoluo, and said calmly, "He is Weicheng."

Wei Cheng was the name Chu Xiao used when he was in Qingxi Town.

Wisteria and Green Ivy accompanied Shen You to Qingxi Town after her marriage, but Chu Xiao disliked having other people in the house at the time, so Wisteria and Green Ivy rarely saw Chu Xiao.

Moreover, back then, Chu Xiao had a horrifying fake burn scar on his cheek. Now, several years later, it's normal that even if Zi Teng and Luo Luo saw him again, they wouldn't recognize him.

"Weicheng..."

Even the usually composed Wisteria is finding it hard to process this news.

So, the Duke of Zhenguo was actually her daughter's ex-husband?

Thinking of this, Zi Teng pursed her lips, her face filled with indignation, "Miss..."

She hadn't forgotten how heartbroken Shen You had been by Wei Cheng back then.

Shen You understood the meaning behind her words, and instead smiled to comfort her, "It's over, it's all in the past."

Seeing that she didn't want to talk about it anymore, Zifang didn't bring it up again, but changed the subject, "I heard that there is a grove of osmanthus trees on Yuhua Mountain. Miss likes osmanthus, would you like to go and see it?"

Upon hearing that there was a grove of osmanthus trees on Yuhua Mountain, Shen You became interested. "Is it far?"

Wisteria: "It seems a bit far. Perhaps taking a carriage would be faster."

"Then let's go in a few days."

Yesterday, Qi Zhaoyan said she wanted to play with her, so she should at least keep the little princess entertained.

Just then, Qi Zhaoyan's joyful voice came from outside the door, "Fairy Sister!"

A smile lit up Shen You's almond-shaped eyes as she rose and went to the door. "Your Highness..."

But the next moment, her smile froze on her lips.

because...

Standing next to Qi Zhaoyan was Chu Xiao.

Upon seeing him, those unpleasant scenes from last night flooded back into my mind.

For the first time in his life, Shen You felt embarrassed. He lowered his head and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Duke."

Chu Xiao nodded slightly, his expression as cold and stern as ever, but his deep eyes stared straight at her.

His gaze was intense and aggressive.

Qi Zhaoyan tilted her head back excitedly and said, "Fairy sister, let's catch fish together!"

Shen You: ......

"Catching fish?"

“Yes,” the little girl nodded emphatically, her bright eyes sparkling, “it’s over there by the river.”

Shen You hesitated, "Your Highness, how about we play something else?"

She doesn't know how to catch fish.

Qi Zhaoyan seemed to know what she was thinking, turned around and took Chu Xiao's hand, "Uncle Chu knows, he can teach us!"

The man stood in front of her, his tall figure blocking the sunlight, casting a shadow over her entire body.

His gaze remained fixed on her face, but he didn't respond to Qi Zhaoyan's words. Instead, he asked, "Miss Shen, how did you sleep last night?"