Chapter 58 [VIP]
Chapter Summary: Preparation.
"You just said that the man was with the Empress Dowager?" Han Qingzhou asked in surprise. "Just the two of them?"
"That's how it looks." The old man also realized something was wrong and stammered in response.
Han Qingzhou paused for a long while, then said to the two of them with a stern face, "You have found the Empress Dowager, and you will be rewarded accordingly. But you should have heard the saying, 'Disaster comes from the mouth.' I hope you will not end up with nothing this time."
The young man looked at Han Qingzhou with a blank expression, not understanding what Han Qingzhou meant, but the old man immediately understood. He reached out and tugged at the young man, bowing his head humbly and replying, "What you say is true, sir. I understand. Thank you for your guidance."
"Step down," Han Qingzhou continued.
"Yes." The two responded and withdrew.
Therefore, it seems Xie Xuan must be with Sheng Hua. A subject alone with the Empress Dowager for so long—even if they are innocent, if word gets out, it won't be good for either Xie Xuan or Sheng Hua. However, Han Qingzhou doesn't quite understand one thing: judging from their words, Sheng Hua and Xie Xuan seem to be fine. Why don't they reveal their identities to the state officials and return to the capital on their own? Why choose to stay in the village?
Han Qingzhou pondered for a moment, then beckoned to his trusted confidant.
"My lord." The man approached and asked in a low voice.
Han Qingzhou glanced around to make sure no one was nearby before whispering his instructions: "Take a few men and go to Jinzhu Village tonight to find the Empress Dowager and the General. First inform them that Lord Su is going to find them."
"Yes, I understand." The man replied and turned to leave.
"Hey, don't let anyone else know about this. Leave the manor quietly," Han Qingzhou added, still worried.
"yes."
Watching the group quietly disappear into the distance, Han Qingzhou secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He decided to have someone find them first and inform them, so they could be prepared.
The rain had been falling all night and showed no sign of stopping; in fact, it seemed to be getting heavier. Yu Jing was quite tired last night and hadn't woken up until very late this morning. Xie Xuan let her sleep a little longer and lay on the couch quietly watching her.
He had never felt so at ease before. He wished he and Yu Jing could stay like this forever. But he also understood that Yu Jing's injuries were almost fully healed, and staying at Sun Jun's house indefinitely was not a long-term solution. Moreover, she was the Empress Dowager; given enough time, the people in the capital would surely learn of their attack, and finding them would only be a matter of time.
Thinking of this, Xie Xuan felt inexplicably uneasy. He lowered his gaze to look at Yu Jing, who was sleeping peacefully, and reached out to stroke her soft, smooth hair with a touch of longing. Once she returned to her position as Empress Dowager, she wouldn't be so easily touched anymore.
Yu Jing felt the movement, opened her eyes and saw Xie Xuan looking at her, smiling as he asked, "What's wrong? Why do you look so sad?"
"It's alright. You must be hungry. I'll go to the kitchen and see what we have to eat," Xie Xuan said, stroking Yu Jing's hair.
"Okay." Yu Jing replied, watching Xie Xuan get up and push the door open to leave.
It rained for almost two days in a row, and it was still raining early on the third day.
When Xie Xuan heard the noise at the door, he was busy in the kitchen getting breakfast for Yu Jing.
"Yes, it's right here." The plump aunt's voice, mixed with the sound of rain and footsteps, drifted in. Xie Xuan's hand holding the bowl trembled slightly for no apparent reason. If Li Yun hadn't been quick-witted, the bowl would probably have shattered.
Xie Xuan looked up at the doorway, where Han Qingzhou's confidants and Aunt Pang appeared together. Aunt Pang put away the oil-paper umbrella in her hand, her face full of wrinkles from smiling, and came over to Li Yun and Xie Xuan, saying, "Sister Yun, from their description, these gentlemen must have come looking for your guests. They came to my house, so I brought them over."
Several people looked at Xie Xuan with surprise in their eyes. Xie Xuan looked at them and, just as they were about to kneel down to pay their respects, shook his head at them.
The leader understood and turned to the plump aunt, saying, "This is exactly the person we've been looking for. Thank you, Auntie!"
"No need to be so polite, it was just a small favor." The plump aunt smiled, covering her mouth as she carefully looked at each of them, and asked, "You are the young master's friends, right? Is any of you unmarried?"
The group was somewhat bewildered, but fortunately, Li Yun was quick-witted and immediately noticed that their identities seemed somewhat different. He then smiled and said to Aunt Pang, "Aunt Pang, Xie Xuan has been staying with us for so long, and now someone has come all the way from the capital to find us. If we want to arrange a marriage, we can trouble Xie Xuan to find a suitable match in the capital later. You're being a bit too hasty."
"Yes, yes, what Yun said makes sense," Aunt Pang agreed repeatedly when she heard Li Yun say that.
"Young master, when you return to the capital, don't forget to help Shuang'er find a husband. Whether Shuang'er can marry into a good family depends on you." Aunt Pang was worried and turned back to Xie Xuan to remind him before leaving.
"Okay," Xie Xuan replied, then turned and left.
Yu Jing naturally heard the commotion inside the house. At first, she thought it was Aunt Pang bringing some people over for a visit, so she didn't pay any attention and went straight to the kitchen. It wasn't until she saw several tall figures wearing raincoats and straw hats at the door that she realized something was wrong.
Hearing the commotion, the group of people in the kitchen all turned around and looked over. When they saw Yu Jing, they were taken aback at first, and then they all knelt down and bowed to Yu Jing, saying, "Greetings, Master."
They could not bow to Xie Xuan, but they could not bow to Yu Jing.
Seeing the entourage of these men, Li Yun was immediately puzzled by their identities. The men who came were well-trained and did not seem like guards that an ordinary family could afford.
Yu Jingxin's heart sank. She roughly knew their identities and looked at Xie Xuan. Xie Xuan's eyes also showed some surprise.
"Who sent you?" Yu Jing asked directly.
"It was Lord Han. He asked us to come and inform you first, and Lord Su personally led people to look for you."
Su Siyang! I haven't heard this name in a long time, and I was a little taken aback when I heard it again.
"You can go out first," Yu Jingning said to them after a long pause.
"Yes," they replied and left.
Yu Jing looked up at Xie Xuan. It was raining heavily outside, and the sky was dark. The light in the kitchen was dim, and even Yu Jing's expression was not very clear.
"Xie Xuan, you should go out and wait here too."
"Okay." Xie Xuan hesitated for a moment before walking towards Yu Jing. He walked slower than usual, step by step, because he knew that once he stepped out of this door, their relationship would never be the same again.
Xie Xuan stepped aside and left, while Yu Jing looked at Li Yun, who remained in the kitchen. For the first time, Li Yun felt that the way Yu Jing had spoken just now seemed somewhat unfamiliar.
"Guiyi, what... what's going on?" Li Yun asked Yu Jing after they all left.
"Big sister, there's something I want to make clear to you," Yu Jing said after hesitating for a moment.
Li Yun looked at Yu Jing, waiting for her to speak.
“Xie Xuan and I are not actually husband and wife. We lied about being husband and wife back then to avoid arousing your suspicion. I’m really sorry for only telling you now. There are some things that are inconvenient to say about our identities. If anyone asks you about Xie Xuan and me, you must say that because of the injury, you and I have been sleeping in the side room, while Xie Xuan and Brother Sun are sleeping in the main room.” Yu Jing’s expression was very serious when she said this, and she didn’t seem to be bluffing.
Actually, when they were talking just now, Li Yun had a vague idea that her and Xie Xuan's identities were probably not ordinary.
"Okay." Although surprised, Li Yun nodded in response.
"Remember to make sure you explain this clearly to Brother Sun as well," Yu Jing repeatedly reminded him.
She wasn't worried about anything else; her only concern was Su Siyang. Han Qingzhou had sent someone ahead to inform them, so she probably knew something.
“Elder sister, Xie Xuan and I are returning to the capital today. I will have everything I promised you delivered here.” Yu Jing paused, then continued, “Or, if you wish to come with me to the capital, you may do so. I will have a house prepared for you in the best location in the capital.”
Hearing this, Li Yun smiled and replied, "Although I yearn for the capital, I also understand where our roots truly lie. It would be fine to visit, but if we were to stay there, I'm afraid Lao Sun and I wouldn't feel comfortable. It's better to stay in Jinzhu Village, where we're familiar with everything."
"Alright." Hearing Li Yun say this, Yu Jing did not insist. She simply replied, "I will have someone send a jade pendant in a few days. If you change your mind someday, you can come and find me."
"Big sister, please remember what I told you," Yu Jing reminded her again.
"Yes, I understand," Li Yun replied solemnly, and Yu Jing finally felt relieved. Sun Jun had gone to Li Er's house in the next village for a wedding today and probably wouldn't be back until nightfall. Thinking that she wouldn't be able to say goodbye to Sun Jun before leaving, Yu Jing felt inexplicably disappointed. After today's parting, it seemed unlikely they would see each other again.
She came out of the kitchen, where a group of people were waiting under the eaves. Upon seeing Yu Jing, they all bowed to her. Xie Xuan stood at the front; he didn't bow, but looked directly at Yu Jing. After a long while, he finally bowed to her.
"I'm going inside to tidy up my things."
"Yes." Everyone responded and followed Yu Jing to the door of the side room.
She and Xie Xuan didn't own much. The clothes they wore when they fell off the cliff were long gone, and Li Yun had washed, cut, and sewn them together. Their hairpins and jewelry had all sunk in the water. Yu Jing looked around, then stroked the magnolia hairpin she wore. The only thing she wanted to take with her, belonging to them, was this hairpin. But she didn't really want to return to the palace, so she sat in the room for a long time.
Xie Xuan stood under the eaves, looking at the heavy rain, his thoughts in turmoil. When he saw a large group of people approaching, his gaze settled on Su Siyang.
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