Chapter 56 [VIP]
Chapter Summary: Daily Life.
"No...no," Gao Yong stammered, feeling a cold sweat break out on his back.
“Regardless of whether that caravan was the Empress Dowager’s imperial entourage or not, nearly a month has passed since the caravan was robbed and killed.” Su Siyang paused here, then slowly continued, “You haven’t even captured the bandits. Gao Yong, you’re quite the leisurely governor of Guizhou.”
Having said that, Gao Yong hurriedly kowtowed to Su Siyang's carriage and said, "Please grant me a few more days, Your Excellency, I will certainly be able to..."
Before Gao Yong could finish speaking, Su Siyang tapped on the carriage wall. The driver understood and drove the carriage into the city. He had come directly from the palace without changing carriages. The carriage was still of the standard for the Grand Chancellor, spacious and large, with several white cranes painted in white under the eaves. It was clearly not something an ordinary wealthy family could afford. With Qing Hong, Han Qingzhou, and their troops clearing the way, pedestrians on the road all gave way.
Upon arriving at the governor's mansion, Su Siyang made no attempt to stand on ceremony, going straight in and taking the main seat in the main hall. Gao Yong, seeing Su Siyang enter the city from outside the city gate, didn't hesitate and quickly seized a horse to follow behind.
After Su Siyang took his seat, Gao Yong hurriedly ordered a servant to make tea. Su Siyang had no time to pay attention to him at the moment; the most urgent matter was to find Sheng Hua, whether he was alive or... his body.
The maid quickly brought over the brewed tea, and Gao Yong hurriedly said, "Lord Su, this is the finest pear blossom Guanyin tea from Guizhou. Please have a taste."
Su Siyang slightly raised his eyelids and glanced at Gao Yong. His gaze was cold and filled with disdain. Upon seeing this, Gao Yong immediately fell silent, not daring to speak. Everyone below the hall was also trembling with fear. Su Siyang glanced at Qing Hong beside him, who understood and took out a scroll from the quiver on his back, unfolding it in front of Gao Yong.
Gao Yong looked up and saw a portrait of a woman. She was dressed in a magnificent phoenix and peony robe, her eyes were smiling, her demeanor was graceful and noble, and her beauty was beyond compare. But she was different from other women. Although she was smiling, her smile was distant and indifferent, and one could also see a bit of ambition and cunning in her.
"This is..." Gao Yong asked in confusion, though he already had a plan in mind and dared not speak rashly.
"This is a portrait of the Empress Dowager. We have commissioned an artist to make copies, which will be displayed throughout the city. Whoever finds the Empress Dowager will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold, a thousand acres of fertile land, and an official title." Su Siyang looked at the portrait he had been painting day and night on the road, feeling inexplicably saddened, and spoke to everyone present.
"This humble official is foolish. I heard that a man and a woman have fallen off a cliff. The woman is very likely the Empress Dowager. The cliff at Qian'an Slope..." The man below paused here, the meaning of his words self-evident.
Upon hearing this, Su Siyang picked up the scalding hot tea that had just been served. He slowly stroked the rim of the teacup and said, "I want to see the person alive or dead."
"Yes." Everyone immediately understood Su Siyang's meaning and bowed their heads respectfully in response.
“Lord Han,” Su Siyang said to Han Qingzhou.
"Lord Su." Han Qingzhou responded and looked at Su Siyang.
"We heard that the Empress Dowager fell off a cliff and ordered the governor's office to clear a path so we can go down to find her immediately." Although it was meant as a suggestion, the tone left no room for argument.
Han Qingzhou knew how anxious Su Siyang had been on the journey. He also knew that this matter had dragged on for so long and couldn't be delayed any longer, plus he was worried about Xie Xuan. He had no objection to going to find him now, but...
Han Qingzhou looked at Su Siyang with some hesitation and asked, "Does Your Excellency also wish to come along?"
“Of course,” Su Siyang replied without hesitation.
"We've been traveling day and night, sir. Why don't you stay here and rest? I'll take some men down the cliff to search," Han Qingzhou suggested. Aside from necessary rest, they spent the rest of their time traveling. Besides traveling, Su Siyang was also painting Sheng Hua's portrait after nightfall. He could sleep in the carriage during the day, but the bumpy ride meant he couldn't get much rest.
Su Siyang replied calmly, "No need. After lunch, I will go with you."
Since Su Siyang had said so, Han Qingzhou saw no need to insist, so he nodded and replied, "Okay."
"It smells so good." Yu Jing leaned closer to the pot and took a careful sniff. The steam from the pot, mixed with the sweet aroma of sugar, slowly wafted up from the edge of the pot.
Li Yun shook the sieve in his hand while instructing, "Guiyi, stay away, or the oil will splatter."
"Okay, okay." Yu Jing obediently replied and took a step back.
Li Yun lifted the golden and crispy fried candies from the sieve and poured them into a bowl that had been prepared beforehand.
Yu Jing had been watching intently as Li Yun poured out the candies, swallowed hard, and asked, "Big sister, can we eat them now?"
"That's enough." Li Yun was still busy with his hands.
Yu Jing reached out to take it, but the scorching heat made her pinch it and immediately put it down: "Hot, hot, hot."
"What's wrong? Are you alright?" Li Yun quickly put down what he was holding and picked up Yu Jing's hand to examine it.
"It's nothing, it's nothing, I just got burned."
"Be careful," Li Yun said, seeing that nothing was wrong, before turning back to continue frying the candy.
"Mmm," Yu Jing responded with a smile, picking up a strip and putting it in her mouth. The sweetness of the sugar and the crispness of the flour swirled in her mouth. Before she had even finished one, Yu Jing exclaimed, "Big sister, this is so delicious!"
"Eat as much as you like," Li Yun replied with a doting smile.
Yu Jing suddenly thought of Xie Xuan: "I'll give some to Xie Xuan to try."
"Okay, go ahead."
Xie Xuan was chopping wood in the backyard, so engrossed in his work that he didn't notice Yu Jing approaching. Xie Xuan was still dressed in his coarse cloth clothes, a light blue color, the sleeves rolled up slightly to reveal his well-defined forearms. Yu Jing stood on the veranda, and an image inexplicably flashed through her mind of Xie Xuan's hands on the couch…
"Daytime debauchery!" Yu Jing was startled and quickly shook her head, trying to shake the images out of her mind.
Xie Xuan noticed Yu Jing, stopped what he was doing and looked at her. He saw Yu Jing standing alone under the eaves, lost in thought, her face flushed.
"Queque," Xie Xuan called out.
Yu Jing looked in the direction of the sound, smiled and walked to Xie Xuan's side.
"Big sister just made some candy, here, freshly fried!" Yu Jing handed over the candy. Xie Xuan raised his hand holding the axe, indicating it was dirty. Yu Jing then fed it to Xie Xuan.
The weather was much warmer than before, and Xie Xuan was sweating profusely as he chopped firewood. Yu Jing noticed the sweat on Xie Xuan's forehead, took out a handkerchief from her bosom, and tiptoed slightly to wipe it away.
Xie Xuan was eating when Yu Jing suddenly leaned closer. She was wiping his sweat with such seriousness that Xie Xuan was momentarily stunned. Suddenly, an impulse surged within him.
By the time Yu Jing realized what had happened, Xie Xuan had already finished stealing a kiss and retreated. His eyes and brows were filled with the joy and smugness of success. Yu Jing suddenly wanted to tease Xie Xuan, so she immediately frowned.
Seeing Yu Jing suddenly frown and lower her head, Xie Xuan assumed she was angry. He quickly put down the axe in his hand and looked down at Yu Jing: "Queque."
Yu Jing pressed her lips together, and after Xie Xuan leaned closer, she looked up and quickly kissed Xie Xuan's lips. Xie Xuan was taken aback, realizing he had been tricked, and chuckled to himself.
"When did magpies learn to scare people?"
"I learned it from you," Yu Jing replied quickly, like a child who hadn't quite shaken off his childishness. Xie Xuan couldn't resist reaching out and patting Yu Jing's head.
She was undeniably beautiful, and she was clearly older than him, but standing before him without makeup, she looked so innocent and childlike, truly like a little kid.
"Are the candies delicious?" Yu Jing asked Xie Xuan, raising an eyebrow.
"Delicious," Xie Xuan replied, putting his hand down.
"Then I'll go get you some more." Yu Jing said, turning and running away. Xie Xuan watched her retreating figure, a smile involuntarily creeping onto his lips. The longer he spent with Yu Jing, the more he felt that she was kind-hearted and not at all like the ruthless person she was rumored to be.
As night fell, Yu Jing realized after bathing that she had forgotten to take her change of clothes. She thought that calling Xie Xuan would surely alert Li Yun and Sun Jun. If she alerted them, that would be too…
Xie Xuan waited in the room for a while but Yu Jing didn't return after bathing. A little worried, he decided to go check on her in the bathhouse. As soon as he stood up, he saw a neatly folded change of clothes on the chair. He immediately understood, picked up the clothes, and went outside.
"Knock, knock, knock." Startled by the knocking, Yu Jing asked softly, "Who is it?"
"It's me." Xie Xuan's clear voice came from outside the door. Yu Jing breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt inexplicably nervous. Before she could speak, she heard Xie Xuan continue from outside the door, "Queque, you didn't bring your change of clothes, so I brought them to you."
"Oh, okay." Yu Jing replied somewhat nervously, standing up from the bathtub.
Xie Xuan stood outside the door, hearing only the sound of water inside. The water seemed to splash onto his heart, causing it to tremble violently. He seemed to see Yu Jing rise from the water. She was completely naked, her skin as smooth as ice and her bones as delicate as jade, her jet-black hair plastered to her smooth back, hanging down to her waist.
The wooden door creaked slightly, presumably Yu Jing had unbolted it. Then, the door opened a crack, and a slender, damp hand peeked out. Xie Xuan handed the clothes to Yu Jing, then turned and left without lingering. He feared that if he stayed any longer, he would lose control.
When Yu Jing returned after her bath, she sensed that Xie Xuan seemed a little uneasy. Seeing her enter the room, he quickly stood up and walked to the door, leaving her with the words, "I'm going to take a bath first."
Before Yu Jing could respond, he had already disappeared. By the time Xie Xuan returned, Yu Jing had already dried his hair.
"Thank you, Xuan."
"Hmm." Xie Xuan responded naturally when he heard Yu Jing call him.
"You took a bath today, why did it take you so long?"
As soon as Yu Jing finished speaking, Xie Xuan's face turned quite red.
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