Chapter 172 Seeing the Letter is Like Meeting
"Who's reluctant? If you want to go back, go back quickly. I'm busy too, okay?" Song Lingyi blushed, feeling embarrassed. She turned away and ignored him.
Xiao Mingyi looked at her profile, rubbed her head silently, and then turned and left.
Song Lingyi didn't turn around until she heard the creaking sound of footsteps in the corridor. She sighed softly until the tall figure disappeared around the corner.
…
The next day, the morning light was dim.
Song Lingyi sat in front of the basin rack washing her face with sleepy eyes. It was all Xiao Mingyi's fault for not being serious. She had been thinking about all sorts of things as soon as she closed her eyes last night and hadn't slept well.
There were hurried footsteps on the corridor. Hongju came in with a letter and said hurriedly, "Miss, the young master has left!"
The girl who was listless just a second ago turned her head in surprise: "What?!"
"The things that Nanny prepared for the young master disappeared at some point, leaving only this letter." Hongju handed over the letter.
Song Lingyi was surprised by Lu Qian's sudden departure. She opened the letter and found that the contents were very simple:
My dear cousin, reading this letter is like meeting you in person. By the time you read this, I was already on the road to Youzhou. It's said that sentimental people have always grieved separation, so there's no need for a personal send-off. Even though the road ahead may be turbulent, my heart is at peace. I hope you'll achieve success and fame someday. I hope you'll remember what I said and congratulate me. This letter was written in haste, so I can't say everything I wanted to say.
There was so much preciousness between the lines that Song Lingyi seemed to be able to glimpse the young man writing by lamplight at his desk through this short letter.
The carved lattice window is half open, and green willows are spread outside. The bright morning sunlight shines obliquely on the letter paper, and the surroundings are quiet and peaceful.
clatter--
At the end of the letter, there was a large stain of ink.
"Girl, why are you crying?" Hongqi was surprised.
Song Lingyi shook her head and put the letter away. "Nothing. My brother said he has left Huaizhou City." She raised her sleeve to wipe away her tears.
"Go back to Kyoto? Why not come with us?"
Hongju pursed her lips. Could it be that after the girl rejected the young master, the young master was heartbroken and didn't want to go with them?
"He's not going back to Kyoto. He has his own things to do." Song Lingyi said.
"What could the young master possibly do?" Hongju looked embarrassed.
For so many years, the young master has either been hanging out with bad friends or getting into trouble or on the way to getting into trouble.
Song Lingyi didn't say much, just said: "Don't worry about it. Is your fever gone? Why are you up so early?"
"I am in good health. I took medicine yesterday and had a good sleep. I feel much better this morning." Hongqiu patted her chest and smiled brightly.
"You have to take your medicine on time." Song Lingyi smiled. "By the way, where is the jade porcelain bottle that Madam Guo sent a few days ago?"
"It's in the warehouse. Can it be of any use to you, young lady?"
"Now that the prefect is seriously ill, this jade porcelain bottle is worth a fortune. Perhaps Madam Guo will find it useful, so we should return it in time." Song Lingyi said as she put the letter into the drawer of her dressing table.
Hong Qi hesitated and whispered, "Miss, Huaizhou City has been infiltrated by pirates, and the governor is bound to have made mistakes. Even if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince doesn't hold him responsible, Sima Wang injured him so badly that his career ends here."
Although Dayuan did not explicitly require a person to have a decent appearance to be an official, Prefect Guo had his mouth cut off. Not only will his appearance be damaged, but he may not be able to communicate normally with others for the rest of his life. He will definitely not be able to serve as a prefect anymore. Perhaps after a while, he will receive an order from the court to transfer him to a powerless and idle position.
"If you return the jade porcelain vase now, it will inevitably make the governor and Madam Guo think you are eager to distance yourself from them."
Song Lingyi thought for a moment and felt that what Hongju said made sense, but after thinking about it carefully, she felt that it was not quite right.
"I sympathize with the prefect's plight, but I have no control over the appointment and dismissal of officials at court. The jade porcelain vase is worth a fortune, and I don't know how much trouble will come of it. Your Highness is most taboo in governing the court, and corruption and bribery are the most taboos. How can I break the law knowingly?"
The master and servant were in a dilemma. Suddenly, Song Lingyi thought of a solution:
"Your Highness has recently been preparing to rebuild Huaizhou City, but the imperial government has not yet allocated funds. The money looted by the pirates is still being returned to each household. I'm afraid the prefectural government cannot come up with much money at the moment."
"Why not donate this jade porcelain bottle in the name of the governor? It will be considered a good deed and will also leave a good impression on His Highness."
Hongju's eyes lit up: "That's fine. If you can say a few good words for the governor, then this gift won't be in vain and the favor will be repaid."
The donation was finalized in the morning, and at noon, Song Lingyi went to the government office and donated the jade porcelain bottle. She also brought some cakes as a "bribe" to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
After Xiao Mingyi knew the purpose of her visit, he casually picked up a piece of peach blossom cake, sat down behind the table, and looked at her leisurely.
"Did he ask you to be a lobbyist?"
"Of course not." Song Lingyi waved her hands repeatedly. "Madam Guo gave me the jade porcelain vase, and I couldn't refuse it at the time. Now that the governor has been seriously injured, it would be unkind of me to return the gift."
"You also know that it's hard to repay a favor, so why didn't you be more resolute back then?"
Xiao Mingyi looked a little serious, and the girl in front of the desk lowered her eyebrows and eyes. The two of them looked like the head teacher scolding students.
Seeing her pursing her lips like a quail and not saying anything, Xiao Mingyi couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth, but his face remained expressionless as he took a light sip of the peach blossom pastry.
“Not sweet enough.”
"...How could that be? I specifically asked Madam to add two more spoonfuls of sugar."
After she finished speaking, her dark eyes met the man's teasing narrow eyes. Song Lingyi bit her lip, knowing that he was deliberately making things difficult for her.
"Come here." Xiao Mingyi beckoned at her.
There was no one else in the government hall, but Song Lingyi was still very uneasy and moved slowly. Just as she moved to the side of the table, the impatient man reached out and grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him.
Song Lingyi was horrified and looked around.
"What are you doing?"
Xiao Mingyi grabbed her waist and pressed her onto his thigh without saying anything. "Why are you so nervous? There's no one else here. Hiss... don't move. Don't blame me if anything happens."
The person in his arms immediately became obedient.
With a frown on his face and his hands on his knees, he sat in an awkward yet upright posture.
"You promised yesterday not to bully me."
"How is this bullying? Doesn't Ali need something from me? This pastry is not sweet enough. I have to bribe her with something more valuable." Xiao Mingyi lowered his head, his narrow and long phoenix eyes became darker, and there was a faint smile on the corner of his lips.
“……?”
Song Lingyi looked up in shock and said righteously, "This is the government office."
Stroking the hair by her ear with his long fingers, Xiao Mingyi's eyes were full of interest. "What are you thinking about? Of course I know it's the government office. I just asked you to feed me peach blossom cakes. What do you think it is?"
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