Chapter 57 [VIP]
Chapter Summary: The Search.
Xie Xuan choked up, unsure how to respond. It seemed raining; the air felt muggy and oppressive. After a long pause, Xie Xuan stammered, "It's nothing. It's getting late; let's get some rest."
Seeing Xie Xuan blushing and stammering, Yu Jing felt that he was hiding something from him. When Xie Xuan walked to the edge of the bed, she sat down next to him, leaned closer, and whispered, "Xie Xuan."
She suddenly leaned closer, the faint scent of soap wafting in the air, like an invisible hand hooking around his neck. Xie Xuan lowered his eyes to look at her; her eyes blinked, as lively as fluttering butterflies.
I'm thinking of you.
"Huh?" Yu Jing didn't react immediately and asked instinctively. After a while, she came to her senses, and her face gradually became hot.
Xie Xuan sat on the edge of the couch with his head down, having just finished bathing, his face still bearing some water droplets. His face was mostly hidden in shadow, indistinct and unclear. Yu Jing felt her heart pounding as she looked at him. After all, he possessed a beauty that even Zhe Lan would be ashamed of. Overwhelmed by his good looks, Yu Jing couldn't resist and leaned in to kiss Xie Xuan's lips.
Xie Xuan felt a soft warmth on his lips, and before he knew it, he was being pushed down onto the couch. Yu Jing was nestled in his arms, so small and delicate. Holding her, he felt his heart overflow with happiness. A sudden tingling sensation ran through his throat as Yu Jing's kiss landed on his Adam's apple. The fire he had struggled to suppress earlier was now completely ignited.
Yu Jing felt a sudden weight on her body as Xie Xuan pulled her onto the couch. They switched positions, and Xie Xuan looked down at Yu Jing, lowering his gaze to kiss her. Their long hair intertwined, making it impossible to tell whose hair it was.
The rain outside the window pattered down, hitting the thatched roof with a lively sound. Inside, the red candles flickered and the curtains swayed gently, creating a similarly lively atmosphere.
"Queque." Xie Xuan liked to call her at this time, which was the last thing Yu Jing could bear to hear. His voice was deep and seductive, and... well, Yu Jing just couldn't resist. But he always coaxed her to call him, and every time, Yu Jing felt like Xie Xuan was a completely different person.
"Magpie, may you call me husband?"
Xie Xuan had been thinking about this for a long time. He had only ever called Yu Jing "Madam," never "Husband." Yu Jing only ever called Xie Xuan.
"My lord." Her voice was soft and sweet, with a slight panting. Xie Xuan's Adam's apple bobbed, and his breathing became heavier. "Queque, if I cannot marry you in this life, I will never marry anyone else."
Xie Xuan spoke these words with great seriousness and solemnity, but Yu Jing, preoccupied with lust, did not take them to heart at the time.
"Sir, we've been searching along the river for three days now. With the rain so heavy, it's difficult to find anything in the river. Why don't we go back and rest for the night, and come back tomorrow morning when the rain stops?" Qinghong, dressed in a raincoat and soaked to the bone, said to Su Siyang. The rain was so loud that he practically had to shout.
Su Siyang wasn't in much better shape. His straw hat had been blown off by the wind several times, and his hair was now completely disheveled, clinging damply to his raincoat. Hearing Qinghong's words, Su Siyang turned slightly, looked at the torrential rain under the heavy night sky, hesitated for a moment, and then replied, "Okay."
Su Siyang hadn't had a proper rest for several days, and his head was spinning. Following Qinghong towards the carriages, he tripped over something and fell forward. Qinghong turned around and saw Su Siyang lying on the ground.
"My lord, are you alright, my lord!" Qinghong turned around quickly, and the people next to her, hearing Qinghong's voice, also rushed to Su Siyang's side.
Su Siyang felt a burning pain in his knees. Days had passed without a single clue—neither a person nor a body. The pent-up emotions of the past few days finally broke free, collapsing like a breached riverbank. Fortunately, the rain was heavy, and no one saw his tears.
He shook his head, took Qinghong's hand, and slowly stood up, his voice hoarse and tired: "Let's go."
"Alright." Qinghong felt a pang of sympathy for Su Siyang. Su Siyang, a high-ranking official, could have easily waited at his residence for them to relay the message, but for the sake of Shenghua…
Thinking of this, Qinghong lowered her head slightly to look at Su Siyang. He was wearing a bamboo hat, his expression hidden in the night, impossible to see clearly. She sighed softly and carefully helped Su Siyang into the carriage. The mountain road was narrow, and the carriage was small. Su Siyang took off his raincoat and sat in the cramped space. Now that no one else was around, his tears fell even more fiercely. In the days since he learned the news, he had been filled with regret every moment, wondering why he had been so angry with Shenghua and hadn't let anyone come along. She had just been assassinated a few days ago…
Assassination! Su Siyang suddenly paused, realizing he'd been too worried about Sheng Hua these past two days and had lost his composure. The guards Sheng Hua had brought were all capable of taking on ten men each; it would take many ordinary bandits to ambush and kill them. Besides, Gao Yong had mentioned that since His Majesty ordered the suppression of bandits, there weren't many left. So many merchant caravans passed through Guizhou City, why choose Sheng Hua's carriage? Sheng Hua had previously survived an assassination attempt in the palace; it was hard not to suspect that this was also premeditated.
The carriage swayed and bumped along the winding mountain road. Lost in thought, Su Siyang was suddenly thrown to the side by the carriage, his head hitting the side wall, wincing in pain. Although he was wearing a raincoat and a straw hat, the rain was so heavy that he was almost completely soaked. Fortunately, the weather had warmed up considerably; though still a bit chilly, it wasn't too cold.
After an unknown amount of time, the carriage gradually became steady. After traveling for a while longer, Qinghong's voice rang out from outside: "My lord, we have arrived at the governor's mansion."
"Okay." Su Siyang replied, wiping his face with his sleeve as he made sure there were no tear stains before getting up and leaving. Qinghong stood by the carriage, waiting for Su Siyang to come out, and helped him down from the carriage.
Before Su Siyang could dismount, he heard Gao Yong's voice beside him: "Lord Su!"
"We have news!"
Su Siyang was startled, his legs went weak, but fortunately Qinghong caught him quickly, otherwise he would have fallen again. Su Siyang was stunned for a while, his heart pounding wildly, his throat bobbing, and many thoughts raced through his mind in that instant. When the result was right in front of him, he felt a little timid, both eager to know and afraid to know. After a long pause, he finally asked, "What news?"
Gao Yong was somewhat surprised to see Su Siyang in such a disheveled state. He hadn't expected Su Siyang to have gotten himself into such a mess. Only after Su Siyang asked did he reply, "Someone took down the portrait during the day, claiming to have seen the Empress Dowager."
"To live or to die..." Su Siyang hesitated for a moment before asking the question that concerned him most.
"Alive, alive!" Gao Yong realized he had forgotten to mention the most important thing when Su Siyang brought it up, and hurriedly said.
Hearing those two words, Su Siyang finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Where is he? Where is he?"
"Reporting to Your Excellency, it's in the back hall," Gao Yong said obsequiously. Su Siyang ignored him and strode quickly into the mansion.
"Bring the person out quickly!" Gao Yong called to his attendants as he followed behind.
As they passed through the path, before even entering the main hall, they saw a servant leading two men out from the back hall. One was an old man, and the other a young man. Upon seeing Su Siyang, the two looked uncertainly at Gao Yong. Gao Yong said, "This must be the Grand Secretary."
Both men panicked and were about to kneel down to pay their respects when Su Siyang stopped them: "No need for formalities. I ask you, have you truly seen the woman in the portrait? Where is she? Is she alright? Is she injured anywhere?"
Su Siyang asked a barrage of questions, leaving the two of them bewildered and unsure which to answer. Su Siyang, realizing his own fluster, calmed himself and said, "Tell me carefully."
“Your Excellency, my nephew and I are puppeteers. Some time ago, when I went to Jinzhu Village, I saw the woman in the portrait. She had an extraordinary temperament and outstanding appearance. I have been to many places and met many people, but I have never seen a woman whose appearance and temperament surpass hers. Therefore, I have a deep impression of her and I would never mistake her.”
"Is she alright? Is she injured?" Su Siyang continued to ask.
"He looks alright, doesn't seem injured," the old man replied truthfully.
"That's good, that's good." Su Siyang murmured twice, then asked in return, "Where did you say you saw her?"
"Jinzhu Village".
“Let’s go now.” Su Siyang turned around. “Gao Yong, go and arrange for someone familiar with the route to take us there.”
"Lord Su," Gao Yong called out to Su Siyang. Su Siyang looked up at him. "Jinzhu Village is about sixteen or seventeen li from Guizhou City, and it's all mountain roads, inaccessible by carriage or horse, requiring walking. It's late tonight, and the rain is so heavy; you haven't had a proper rest for several days. Judging from what these two say, the Empress Dowager seems to be alright, and now that we know her location, finding her shouldn't be difficult. Why don't you rest here tonight, and we can set off early tomorrow morning after I've made all the necessary arrangements?"
Upon hearing the words "Empress Dowager," both the old man and the young man's brows twitched, and they exchanged a glance. They had previously discussed that the woman must be from a noble family, but they never imagined that her status would be so high.
“My lord, what Lord Gao said makes sense,” Qinghong echoed from the side.
Su Siyang looked himself up and down, thought for a moment, and realized that it was indeed inappropriate for him to meet Sheng Hua in his current disheveled state, so he agreed and went to the back room to bathe and change.
Han Qingzhou was right behind Su Siyang. After hearing them say they had seen Sheng Hua, Han Qingzhou asked after Su Siyang and Gao Yong left, "Have you seen a young and handsome man?"
It's highly unlikely that Sheng Hua, a woman with no strength whatsoever, would be the only one still alive. Furthermore, Xie Xuan's body wasn't among the corpses found at the government offices, meaning he is very likely still alive.
"Yes, yes, yes, that young man was with that woman... oh no, the Empress Dowager."
Upon hearing this, Han Qingzhou breathed a sigh of relief, but her heart jumped again.
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