Chapter 201 Worried sick about her senior brother

"One condition?"

Su Xian glanced nervously at Wei Mei and Su Guo'er on his left and right, and said with a serious expression, "Please speak, my dear niece."

Xie Lingjiang stared at Su Xian for a while, then turned her head to look in the direction of the Plum Deer Garden outside the door.

He seemed to be keeping her in suspense, and didn't speak for a moment.

Actually, it was a spur-of-the-moment decision for her.

Since returning from Gezao Mountain, there have been some things that Xie Lingjiang has been constantly thinking about.

"...Let alone three golden pills, even if you just ask for one, the Taiqing Taoists of Longhu Mountain won't give it to you... It wouldn't be of any use even if your father went. This kind of life-extending substance for a sect is not worth the face of the Xie family of Chenjun..."

"What if it's... what if it's about the face of the Li royal family?"

"..."

The words and surprised pauses of the elder Chongxuzi that day were still vivid in her mind.

If we don't take this opportunity today to "ask for a price" from Uncle Su.

Xie Lingjiang felt a voice in her heart.

Her expression showed slight hesitation.

In the past, Xie Lingjiang was used to acting on impulse, always reasonable and without any burden.

This sudden exchange of benefits made her feel a little uncomfortable, and she didn't know how to start the conversation for a moment.

"It's not a condition. Uncle Su is just doing my senior brother a favor, something within his power. If it's done, my senior brother and I will be extremely grateful."

Xie Lingjiang changed her tune.

Su Guo'er suddenly asked:

“Ouyang Lianghan is indeed a great talent, and he might have a way to help us. But Sister Xie, can you really invite him here?”

He paused, then asked curiously:

“I’ve had some contact with him before. He doesn’t seem to be the kind of person who likes to meddle in other people’s business, and he doesn’t seem to be interested in politics.”

Xie Lingjiang glanced at Su Guo'er, smiled softly, and said nothing.

The only response was a soft "hmm" sound, which sounded a bit perfunctory.

Su Guo'er's expression changed slightly, as if she understood that proud little expression. She smiled gently and said calmly:

"It seems that Sister Xie has a good relationship with him, unlike us outsiders. But was this condition proposed by Ouyang Lianghan, or did you, Sister Xie, make this decision on your own?"

Xie Lingjiang turned her head, her brows slightly furrowed, and met Su Guo'er's unwavering gaze, saying:

"I already said it was just a favor, and Senior Brother doesn't even know about this. It wasn't a condition he set. It's just that as his junior sister, I feel that Senior Brother deserves Uncle Su's respectful and solemn treatment."

"If we can help, then we can see from this that Uncle Su's attitude towards my senior brother is not the kind that he can summon and dismiss at will, nor is it the kind of deliberate humility that a superior would show."

At this point, Xie Lingjiang turned to Su Xian and said seriously:

“Uncle Su, I know that public and private matters should be kept separate, but I would still like to remind you that if you treat your senior brother as a national hero, he will surely repay you as a national hero.”

Her eyes brightened as she said:

"That's just how Senior Brother is. Don't be fooled by his outward appearance. He seems indifferent to things outside of official duties, but if someone is kind to him, he'll repay them a thousandfold or a hundredfold afterward, even if he doesn't say anything at the time. The same goes for those who are unkind."

Xie Lingjiang's unusually earnest advice moved Su Xian, who said seriously, "I understand. My dear niece, please tell me how I can help?"

Xie Lingjiang nodded and calmly said in front of everyone:

"I hope that Uncle Su, in his capacity as the Prince of Xunyang or the former Prince of Ying, can personally write a letter and deliver it to the Taiqing Sect of Longhu Mountain, the head of the Sanqing Taoist sect."

"This can't be allowed!"

Upon hearing the first sentence, Su Xian blurted out, his face filled with fear and resistance. After a pause, as if realizing his reaction had been too strong, he lowered his voice and hurriedly explained:

“My dear niece, I have already been demoted to a commoner by the Empress Dowager. If I were to use my status as a prince to send letters privately and recruit various forces, once the news leaks out, it would confirm the accusation that the Wei family has pinned on me as a plot to rebel! This is no child's play! Absolutely not, absolutely not…”

For over a decade, in order to protect his family, he had cultivated a principle of being cautious in his words and actions in public, which made Su Xian immediately shake his head and refuse.

It wasn't until Wei Mei nudged him slightly from behind that Su Xian reacted, noticing Xie Lingjiang's darkening expression. His tone softened, and he pleaded a little:

“My dear niece, can we do something else? This handwritten secret edict is far too dangerous. If it's discovered, the consequences will be unimaginable. Helping your senior brother is fine, but publishing this handwritten secret edict is absolutely forbidden…”

He hesitated for a moment, then added another sentence:

"Besides, so many years have passed, and I... I've forgotten where the Noble Seal and other items are. I can't find them anymore."

Xie Lingjiang frowned and shook her head:

"No, it must be something that can prove your identity, Uncle, and there must be something convincing to guarantee it. Otherwise, those old Taoists from Longhu Mountain won't give up until they see a real benefit. They won't give away a Transcendent Golden Pill so easily."

"Transcendent Golden Elixir?"

Wei Mei couldn't help but ask:

“My dear niece, you made Qilang risk his life to write a secret edict, hoping to obtain this item from the Taiqing Sect of Longhu Mountain so that you could give it to your senior brother. What is the use of this pill?”

Xie Lingjiang hesitated for a moment before succinctly recounting some information about the Six-Winged Summer Cicada and the matter of her senior brother Ouyang Rong's leaky temperament.

Because the conversation had started about Xie Lingjiang, the senior disciple, Mr. Yuan voluntarily stepped aside, leaving only Su Xian, Wei Mei, Su Guo'er, Su Dalang, and others in the study.

At this moment, they all had a dazed and enlightened expression.

"So what you wanted our help with was Ouyang Lianghan's Qi cultivation."

The Su family members looked at each other, and for a moment no one spoke. The atmosphere was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Sensing the silence, Xie Lingjiang glanced at Su Xian, Wei Mei, and the others, then turned away to avoid their gazes. Her heart sank slightly.

"Uncle, what's your decision? Can you help?" she suddenly asked.

Su Xian remained silent for a moment.

Su Dalang couldn't help but say:

“Father, why don’t you write a letter to help Brother Lianghan? He is weak and has a chronic illness. I often hear his maid mention this matter. If we can obtain the Transcendent Golden Pill to repair his deficient Qi and successfully cultivate Qi, it will be of great benefit to Brother Lianghan.”

"I'm not saying you have to live to be a hundred, but at least you shouldn't overwork yourself and die young. I guess Miss Xie is concerned about this because of this worry."

"Young Master, you mustn't interrupt when the master is speaking," Wei Mei said, turning around and scolding Su Xian on his behalf.

Su Dalang silently shut his mouth. Su Guo'er, standing to the side, frowned slightly, looked down at the embroidered shoes peeking out from under her skirt, and said softly, "Father, please consider this carefully and try your best to help."

Wei Mei couldn't help but glance at his youngest daughter, who was always very sparing with words. This time, however, he didn't scold her from an adult's perspective.

Su Xian, who had been lost in thought, glanced at Xie Lingjiang, then stopped himself from speaking.

Wei Mei spoke up on behalf of her husband:

“My dear niece, your eldest brother has a good relationship with Dalang. He often comes to our house for meals, so we have met him quite a few times. He is a polite, sensible, and talented young man. He is also an honest official. He is very capable in disaster relief and flood control. Qilang and I have always liked him very much.”

"If it's any other kind of help, we'll help if we can. Even without your relationship as fellow disciples, Qilang and we would still treat you with courtesy and seriousness."

Xie Lingjiang heard the woman in the long dress pause for a moment in her mature and magnetic voice.

She listened intently for a moment, and sure enough, she heard the expected "but".

"However, everything has its limits, and every family has its own difficulties, including your uncle."

“You know our family’s current situation. A handwritten secret edict is far too dangerous. This is also the main concern of Seventh Brother. The risk is too great. Can you guarantee that the handwritten secret edict will be safe once it falls into the hands of the Taiqing Sect at Longhu Mountain?”

"If it falls into the hands of bad people and is used for rebellion or to frame others, the consequences would be unimaginable. It's better to be safe than sorry, so please understand, my dear niece."

Wei Mei glanced at Xie Lingjiang's calmed expression and spoke cautiously in a low voice.

Su Xian looked embarrassed and said with a hint of guilt:

“My dear niece, those past titles and identities really can’t be used anymore. It’s been like this for the past ten years. Besides, I don’t know where those seals went.

With a melancholy look between his brows, Master Su said hesitantly:

"How about this? If a secret edict by hand won't work, then I'll write a letter under the name 'Su Xian of Jiangzhou' to ask for pills on behalf of my nephew Ouyang. You take this letter there and see if they can give you some leeway. To be honest, the two methods are about the same..."

"never mind."

Xie Lingjiang suddenly interrupted Su Xian's mocking words, her expression unchanged and her tone indifferent:

"Pretend I didn't mention it. I'm sorry to have bothered Uncle Su and Aunt Wei. This request may have been a bit excessive. I hope you won't take it to heart and will just treat it as a joke."

In front of the Su family, she shook her head, stood up, and politely poured tea for everyone.

It was as if nothing had happened.

“My dear niece, that’s not what Qilang and I meant.”

“My dear niece, please let your uncle explain…”

"Alright, Uncle Su, Aunt Wei, let's not talk about this anymore." Xie Lingjiang shook her head, ignoring him.

Su Xian looked embarrassed, Wei Mei frowned slightly as if she wanted to speak, and Su Guo'er remained silent.

Whether it's due to lack of experience or her personality and laziness, anyone could see that Xie Lingjiang, despite saying she didn't care, still harbored resentment.

After this noble lady from the Xie family came to the Su family in Longcheng, she always did her best to protect the Su family and never asked for anything in return. In fact, the Su family had a very good impression of her.

However, even the best friendships become complicated once interests are involved, making it difficult to address the issue objectively while satisfying all parties.

However, compared to Xie Lingjiang, who admired and revered the relatively idealistic aristocratic virtue of "a scholar will die for one who understands him" since childhood, Su Xian and his wife were much more pragmatic and rational.

During the subsequent conversation, Su Xian and the others noticed that Xie Lingjiang spoke less and her attitude became much colder.

Young and impulsive Su Dalang blushed, wanting to say something, but Wei Mei silently pulled him back.

Su Guo'er sighed inwardly.

At this moment, Xie Lingjiang stood up, walked to the desk, and said without turning her head:

"Uncle and Aunt, Dalang, Sister Su, let's stop here for today. I'll write a letter to report to Father about Uncle's concerns and the movements of the Wei family."

Wei Mei stepped forward, took Xie Lingjiang's hand, patted the back of her hand, and smiled as if an elder and a younger person were having a casual chat:

"No rush, let's go have dinner together first. It's good to have Guo'er with you. Your uncle caught a big fish today. The fish in the pond are the freshest this season, which is good for a girl's fair skin."

Xie Lingjiang shook her head and politely declined.

Wei Mei felt the force with which the woman in front of him silently withdrew her hand, and the smile on his face became somewhat awkward.

Xie Lingjiang suddenly said:

"Aunt Wei, Uncle Su, don't worry that if this conversation turns unpleasant, I will simply walk away or fail in my duty. Everything that was agreed upon before will remain the same. If the Wei family harbors murderous intentions or the situation becomes unfavorable, I will do everything in my power to escort you away."

"In addition, the sixth-rank palace maid sent by Empress Wei will not arrive in Longcheng for several days. Uncle Su, you don't need to worry all the time. Just rest well and be prepared to adapt to any situation."

After saying this, Xie Lingjiang turned away without looking back, went to the desk, laid out paper and ground ink, clearly indicating that she was seeing her guest off.

Su Xian and Wei Mei exchanged a glance, their expressions showing some emotion and gratitude.

But then, Su Xian turned away dejectedly, shook his head in frustration, and seemed to recall his wife's question just now. He murmured to himself:

"To be reduced to this state of destitution, not even daring to write a letter... I have failed Emperor Taizong and Emperor Gaozong; my descendants are utterly worthless..."

The woman in the long dress silently reached out a hand and grasped the back of the hand of the down-on-his-luck middle-aged rich man, a sense of warmth passing between them.

Su Guo'er and Su Dalang also huddled around Su Xian, offering some comfort.

The Su family prepared to leave the study together.

Just then, the panicked voices of the maids guarding the gate of Yilan Pavilion suddenly came from the courtyard:

"Hey, hey, young master Ouyang, you can't go in! You can't go in!"

"Why? Isn't Junior Sister inside? I saw that her study window was open, and she seemed to be writing. I need to talk to her about something, so please don't come in and disturb her."

Ouyang Rong's seemingly casual tone came through the phone, followed by the sound of his footsteps.

The maids hurriedly said, "But Miss Xie said that no one is allowed to enter the study without her permission."

Someone seemed to pause, and then a laugh rang out:

"Uh, is that so? Why are you being so vigilant about thieves in broad daylight? Okay, please go in and inform them... just say that I have urgent business to attend to."

"Yes, Young Master Ouyang, please wait a moment," the maidservant replied hastily.

Soon after, the sound of footsteps of a maidservant announcing her arrival came from the courtyard.

Inside the study, Su Xian, Wei Mei, Su Guo'er, and Su Dalang were all taken aback. They turned to look at Xie Lingjiang, who was staring at them with a surprised expression from the direction of the desk.

Xie Lingjiang immediately lowered her head to tidy up the letters on her desk, hesitated slightly, and then gave a word of advice:

“If our eldest brother sees Uncle Su like this, it might be hard to explain. And what about Dalang? You've all been gathered here this morning… How about this, let’s go inside and wait a bit. I’ll go deal with our eldest brother…”

The Su family: "..."

(orz First day of abstaining from pornography)

(End of this chapter)