Chapter 224

The carriage rumbled along, the driver cracked his whip, and passed through the crowded Changwu Street until it stopped at the gate of the palace.

There was already an elderly female official waiting at the palace gate. Lin Xuan got off the carriage and bowed to her. The female official returned the greeting and said, "Madam Lin, follow me into the palace."

"Sir, can you please wait a moment and allow me to say goodbye to my brother?" Lin Xuan looked back from time to time, and the female official only then noticed the two graceful people in the distance, "Greetings, Sir Xie, Sir Lin."

Lin Xuan got the permission and trotted over, "Brother, Erlang, after this separation, I don't know when we will see each other again."

After she finished speaking, she looked at Xie Chen again, "Erlang, I'm sorry to my elder brother. I hope you can take good care of him for me in the future. He always neglects his health when he is busy. He caught a few severe colds in Ganzhou. Since then, he always coughs and has a fever when the weather gets cold. You must take good care of him."

"Okay." Xie Chen responded.

"Brother, that day I..." She always felt that she had hurt her brother's heart that day, and had been looking for an opportunity to apologize, but she couldn't open her mouth. Now that they were about to part, she finally couldn't help but say, "I was wrong that day, I shouldn't have spoken to you like that."

Lin Shuge took out a handkerchief and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I know why you entered the palace, so how could I be angry with you? Be careful in the palace. When you are not capable enough, you should avoid him. When you have enough ability, you can slowly deal with him. If you really encounter any problems, you can ask Madam Ruan for help, or send a message to your aunt. I will know, and then you can make him pay for it."

No matter how calm and composed Lin Xuan was, at this moment, hearing that he had already made sufficient preparations for her, she could no longer hold back and threw herself into Lin Shuge's arms, crying bitterly, "Brother, I don't want to be separated from you..."

Lin Shuge ruffled her hair and took something out from his arms. It was a crystal clear red gem that sparkled in the sun. "Erlang has some shops in Yandu. This is a token of trust. It's a gift from Erlang and I to you. The master is still waiting for you. Be good and go."

He ignored the rejection on Lin Xuan's face and pushed her out cruelly, watching her walk into the palace, looking back every step of the way.

The palace walls were towering, the palace gates gradually closed in front of him, and Lin Xuan's figure gradually became blurred. Lin Shuge turned his back and burst into tears.

Xie Chen raised his hand to wipe away the tears from his eyes, "Let's go, A Yuan is already waiting for us at Xie's house."

"good."

Lin Shuge leaned against the carriage and didn't say a word all the way. Xie Chen knew how he felt, so he just held his hand with one hand and helped him calm down.

After a long while, seeing that Lin Shuge's expression had eased a little, Xie Chen said, "I had someone build a hot spring in the mansion. Brother, do you want to try it tonight?"

"Hot springs? You know how to enjoy it."

"I invited my brother to join me." Xie Chen moved closer to him. "I haven't had barbecue for a long time. I also prepared venison. Tonight, my brother will have a taste of my cooking skills."

Lin Shuge understood in his heart that Xie Chen saw that he was in a bad mood these days and did this to please him. He smiled and said, "Of course, I remember the last time I tasted your cooking was in Ganzhou."

"Brother has a good memory. That time, it was an official from the Duwei Mansion who came to test my strength." After he finished speaking, he secretly glanced at Lin Shuge's expression. Seeing that he did not show any displeasure, he continued, "When we return to the northwest, I will take brother to go hunting. I will also invite Zhou Du and Lu Yuechuan. It will be lively and exciting."

Hearing his generosity, Lin Shuge deliberately said, "There are also Taran and Ale. I don't know if Taran is married yet. I still owe him a gift. And Master Wei, I wonder if he..."

The smile on Xie Chen's face faded, and his expression immediately changed. He said in a gloomy tone, "Brother has a wide range of friends. He knows so many people."

"You." Lin Shuge poked his forehead, "Zhongxuan, His Majesty's decree should be issued soon, right?"

Xie Chen held him in his arms with one hand and hummed softly.

The carriage drove all the way to Xie's house, and the servant outside said, "Sir, we have arrived at Xie's house."

Xie Chen came down first and stretched out his hand. Lin Shuge helped him get off the carriage.

The two men walked towards the mansion, and suddenly a man rushed out. He was in tattered clothes, with messy hair, and looked skinny under his greasy torn sleeves.

Xie Chen immediately protected Lin Shuge behind him, and his servants also stepped forward to capture the man. But I heard the man struggling and shouting, "Young Master, Young Master, have you forgotten me?"

As soon as she spoke, Xie Chen's face instantly became cold, but Zou was still shouting, "Young Master, the Ding family threatened A Bao that day, so I went to identify you. I was also forced to do so. How could I bear to let him die?"

So you just had the heart to watch Zhongxuan die, right? Lin Shuge also realized who she was. He and Zhongxuan didn't settle the score with her, but she actually dared to come to him on her own initiative.

Xie Chen stood there without moving. Zou thought that she was still thinking of their old friendship, so she threw away the servants and rushed over to him, saying, "Young Master, you were raised by my breasts. You can't ignore my kindness. Please save Abao. Abao is dying."

"Throw her out." Xie Chen's voice seemed to carry the cold frost of a northwest winter month. There was no emotion in his eyes when he looked at Zou, as if she were just a stranger.

"Yes, sir." Just as the servant was about to step forward, Zou rushed to Xie Chen's feet, knelt down and said, "Young Master, have you forgotten who stayed up all night to take care of you when you had a fever? Now that you are a high official, you have forgotten us old friends. Yes, I did something wrong, but can't you just be well? Poor my Abao, he is going to die at the hands of those evil people."

Lin Shuge couldn't bear it any longer and was about to roll up his sleeves when Xie Chen smiled at him and said, "Brother, don't get angry over irrelevant people."

Then he said to the servant, "What are you standing there for? Do you want me to do it myself? Block her mouth and throw her away."

Zou's eyes were red with anger. "Xie Chen, you watched my son die without saving him. If anything happens to my son, I will not let you go even if I become a ghost. You are unlucky with your blood relatives. The Xie family is all because of you... woooo"

Xie Chen watched coldly, and when he saw her being dragged away, he smiled at Lin Shuge, "Brother, let's go in."

Seeing that he was calm and didn't take the matter to heart, Lin Shuge was delighted and went into the mansion hand in hand with him.

Lin Qingyuan had already brought his servants to prepare everything, and they could start as soon as the two arrived.

Lin Shuge hadn't been so relaxed for a long time. He leaned back in the recliner. When he was hungry, a skewer of sizzling meat was handed to him from his left hand. When he was thirsty, he drank the iced plum wine on his right hand.

When Xie Chen came in, he saw him looking so relaxed and contented. He smiled and sat down beside him, then took a sip from the cup in his hand. He waved his hand, and the servants around him retreated.

"Have you finished?" Lin Shuge simply stuffed the cup into his hands.

"It's over. Her beloved son owed a huge gambling debt. In order to pay him off, Zou sold all her family property but it was still not enough. The Ding family happened to know about it, so she promised to help her son pay off the debt if I could help the Ding family identify me."

"It's a pity that a gambler will never turn back if someone backs him up. This time he owes the gambling house tens of thousands of dollars, and the gambling house has threatened that if he can't pay it back, they will chop off one of his son's hands first. It's a pity that there is nothing left in the house to sell."

Lin Shuge sat up and asked, "So she set her sights on you?"

"Yes, Zou's son used my name to buy on credit at the beginning. The gambling house didn't know the relationship between him and me, so they didn't dare to act rashly. I have sent a message to them, telling them to do it." A trace of murderous intent flashed in Xie Chen's eyes, "I want to make him and his mother wish they were dead, but they can't live."

Lin Shuge took the cup from his hand and refilled it, "Another cup, to calm you down."

Xie Chen chuckled and turned around to squeeze in with him. Lin Shuge was afraid that the wine in the cup would spill out, so he quickly steadied his hand and glared at him: "The wine is about to spill out."

Xie Chen stretched out his arms, picked him up, and sat on the recliner, the two of them sitting together in an overlapping manner.

"What are you doing? Ayuan will be here soon." Lin Shuge held the wine glass in his right hand and could only use his left hand to hold back Xie Chen who was getting closer and closer.

"Brother, don't move. Let me hold you for a while." Xie Chen hugged him tightly, and his breath as he spoke fanned over Lin Shuge's slightly red neck. Lin Shuge moved uncomfortably.

Xie Chen held his waist, his voice a little hoarse: "Brother, don't move. If you move again, I can't bear it."

Lin Shuge's face suddenly turned as red as the clouds in the sky. He turned around to look at a shameless person, but was kissed by Xie Chen. The two exchanged an extremely passionate kiss.

After the kiss, Lin Shuge leaned in Xie Chen's arms and closed his eyes to rest, but Xie Chen stood up uncomfortably and said casually: "Brother, what else do you want to eat? Let me grill it for a while."

Lin Shuge didn't notice his discomfort. He picked out two skewers of venison for him to eat, and continued to lie in the shade of the tree to enjoy the cool. The next moment, he saw Lin Qingyuan walk in.

"You've come just in time. I'll try Zhongxuan's cooking later."

After Lin Shuge finished speaking, he did not see any happy expression on Lin Qingyuan's face. He restrained his expression and said, "Ayuan, you look worried."

"Brother, I..." Lin Qingyuan rubbed his clothes unconsciously, leaving several marks on his neat sleeves, "I don't know how to tell you."

Lin Shuge smiled and said, "Why are you sweating so much? Drink a glass of water to cool down first."

Lin Qingyuan felt more and more embarrassed. He opened his mouth again and again, but still couldn't say anything.

Lin Shuge sighed heavily, took something out from the side and gave it to him, "Take a look."

Lin Qingyuan took it and took a closer look. It turned out to be a document of appointment, appointing him as the military officer of the Arsenal Department, in charge of the clerical and archival work of the Arsenal Department.

"Brother, you..."

"I've wanted to give it to you for a long time. Didn't I promise you that if you have a talent for gunpowder, I would recommend you to His Majesty and Zhang Lingcheng. However, you can only start as a minor official. This is also good, because my elder brother also started as a minor official in the past." Lin Shuge said.

"Brother, I'm sorry. I can't bear to leave Axuan alone, but I also can't bear to leave you. I don't know what to do." Lin Qingyuan's tears were streaming down his face and he couldn't stop crying.

"Don't cry, I won't coax you. If you stay in Yandu, you must not only achieve something, but also help me protect Axuan, do you understand?" Lin Shuge said, moving aside.

"The Lin Mansion will be left to you to take care of. Axun will also follow you. Yandu is far away from the northwest. Take good care of yourself while my elder brother is away."

Lin Shuge turned around and patted his shoulder.

Lin Qingyuan couldn't hold back any longer and burst into tears, "Brother, I will come to find you in a few years... I'm sorry for letting you go back alone."

Lin Shuge didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and could only coax him softly and gently, and finally managed to make him stop crying.