Chapter 56: They avoided the crowd and stole a kiss...
Stupid?
Jiang Yueying was completely speechless. It was obvious that this was a lie. He was taking her for a fool.
On the other side, Xie Yuting and Zhou Luan were chasing and fighting.
Looking at the two people chasing each other in front of her, Jiang Yueying couldn't help but say to Yu Lang behind her: "Do these brothers always get along like this?"
She didn't know much about the people in the martial arts world. The only one who had spoken a few words to her was the Han Yi Swordsman. However, the Han Yi Swordsman gave people a cold and sharp feeling, making people think that all the martial arts heroes were so unruly and cold. In fact, it was not the case. Zhou Luan was very mixed up.
Yu Lang nodded: "Yes, Your Highness and Senior Brother Zhou often compete with each other. Last time, they even made a bet that whoever paid attention to the other first would be a dog."
What a childish bet, only Xie Yuting could do it.
Jiang Yueying asked in a low voice: "Who won in the end?"
"Senior Brother Zhou won," Yu Lang said honestly, "but he lost because His Highness asked him to make medicine for frostbite."
Hearing this, Jiang Yueying was stunned at first, then slowly raised the corners of her lips, and a touch of spring breeze gently brushed against her.
The lights are as bright as day, and the river is flowing.
Not long after, Xie Yuting came back and held her hand.
Maybe it was because Xie Yuting was too clingy, Jiang Yueying had long been accustomed to ordinary hand holding and hugging. If the other party didn't stick to her, she would feel empty, as if something was missing.
She was still a little curious: "What is your nickname in the martial arts world?"
Xie Yuting smiled and said, "Kiss me and call me husband, and I will tell you."
"Nothing serious."
They walked along the river bank, admiring the various lanterns. When they saw a red phoenix lantern, Jiang Yueying stopped and paid for it.
The moment she saw the red phoenix, it reminded her of the Empress, who was bright, bold, and heroic. If she gave it to her, she would probably like it.
The Thousand Lantern Festival seemed to last endlessly. Xie Yuting suddenly asked her if she wanted to see more beautiful scenery. Jiang Yueying nodded subconsciously.
Suddenly, the world spun around, and she was caught off guard when a man picked her up. He used his lightness skills to jump up, holding her steadily, and climbed all the way to the top of the tall locust tree, landing on a branch.
The moment she sat on the tree trunk, Jiang Yueying's heart almost jumped out. The wind was stronger at high altitude. Xie Yuting squeezed beside her, stretched out his long arms, and embraced her thin shoulders. Warmth instantly enveloped her whole body.
After being surprised, she took a deep breath and said, "You, why did you suddenly carry me up the tree?"
"Shouldn't little birds climb trees?"
"I'm not Xiao Que'er." Jiang Yueying puffed out her cheeks.
Xie Yuting laughed teasingly: "That's not what you say when you're drunk, jiujiu."
“…” Jiang Yueying wanted to cover her face with her wings.
"Look down, isn't it beautiful?"
Jiang Yueying was a little afraid of heights and didn't dare to look down. She felt the other person's hand move to her waist and hold it tightly, then she relaxed her body and moved her eyes downwards.
Just one glance and I was stunned.
Looking around, a large area of bright orange lights spreads out like undulating mountains. There are scattered gaps between the stalls, and clusters of lights gather into hydrangea-like flowers. The crowds of people walking through them are like leaf veins blown by the wind.
Thousands of river lanterns are floating on the Qingting River, like the Milky Way pouring down from the sky, and each river lantern is like a star falling into the world.
The constant shouting, sometimes far and sometimes near, adds a touch of homely atmosphere.
The thousand-lantern festival is breathtakingly beautiful.
It turns out that only by overlooking the lantern festival can you enjoy the most extreme beauty.
Jiang Yueying was stunned, with the lights and stars reflected in her eyes.
Suddenly, a black shadow flashed before her eyes, and her lips were touched by something warm. Xie Yuting held her cheek and kissed her gently.
The sweet aroma flowed around, and Jiang Yueying was dizzy. She put her hands on his shoulders and indulged in it unconsciously.
The wind blows gently, making the branches and leaves of the locust tree mottled.
The leaves blocked the charming figures, and under them were the red and gilded lights. The night wind gently blew their clothes. In the bustling and lively lantern festival, they avoided the crowd and stole a kiss.
"Aying." He gently rubbed her lips, like a lover whispering.
"Hmm..." She responded with a soft nasal voice.
After the kiss, they separated a little.
Neither of them spoke first, letting the wind flow quietly across their hot cheeks.
Jiang Yueying felt a little embarrassed. Although they were sitting high up on the locust tree, most passers-by would not look up, let alone notice that someone was kissing in the gaps between the pitch-black leaves, but... what if.
There were crowds of people below, so it was hard to guarantee that no one would notice.
Hoping for a lucky break, she peeked down quietly. Fortunately, the people were all concentrating on visiting the lantern festival and no one paid attention to the locust tree.
Just as she breathed a sigh of relief and looked away, she suddenly caught a glimpse of Yu Lang's figure.
The young man had a cold figure, leaning against a stall holding a black knife. He raised his face slightly, staring at where they were sitting, his eyes sharp, silent and focused.
What a personal bodyguard! He has to keep an eye on the master's intimates, right? Didn't anyone tell this kid to stay away...
Jiang Yueying's ears were burning, and she felt guilty for leading a child astray.
I thought this was bad enough, but when I turned my attention, I saw Qing Ge and Pu Ling standing under another tree, glancing over from time to time.
There was still a hint of blush on Pu Ling's cheeks.
Jiang Yueying: "..."
Taking a deep breath, she said angrily, "Everyone saw it."
Xie Yuting looked satisfied: "It's not an affair, what are you afraid of."
I almost forgot, the shameless Crown Prince wouldn't care at all.
There was no other way, so Jiang Yueying had to talk about something serious to try to divert her attention: "I'm leaving for Beijing tomorrow."
Although returning to the East Palace means returning to the chess game of intrigue and deception, she is not afraid at all. She has an intuition telling her that Xie Yuting will not lose.
With him by my side, I am not afraid of any danger.
More importantly, it’s time to go home.
…
It was a bright spring day, with wild flowers blooming on both sides of the official road, and the fragrance was overwhelming.
The winter fumigation cages were removed from the carriage, and the curtains were replaced with breathable silk cloth. When the curtains were opened, one could look out at the picturesque scenery in the distance.
Jiang Yueying leaned against the car window to look at the scenery, and Xie Yuting also leaned on her shoulder to look at the scenery.
She couldn't stand it any longer: "The carriage has two windows, can't you go to the other side?"
"I just want to lie on you," he said confidently, "it's soft and comfortable."
The man's breath was very close to her, and he would occasionally bend down to kiss her earlobe. She had to pretend nothing happened and continue to look at the scenery. In fact, her ears were pink, more brilliant than the wild flowers on the roadside.
Qiqi circled around the two people's feet a few times, quietly jumped onto the soft couch, snuggled into Jiang Yueying's arms, and lay down for a nap.
The little black cat followed suit and jumped onto Xie Yuting's knees, curling up into a ball with its tail facing Jiang Yueying. It fell asleep with its eyes closed, like a soft little piece of coal.
Jiang Yueying felt like she was surrounded by three clingy people.
Not long after, we arrived at Zhubei.
Since the accompanying officials had already returned to Beijing, Xie Yuting did not continue to stay in the simple post station, and simply took Jiang Yueying to stay in an inn.
They got off the carriage and suddenly heard vicious and obscene words coming from not far away.
Xie Yuting was quick to act and immediately covered Jiang Yueying's ears to prevent the dirty words from defiling her peace.
Jiang Yueying opened her eyes wide and looked over, seeing a tall and clumsy man whipping a horse. The horse was a little short and reddish-brown in color. Its back was covered with blood marks, and its ankles were still shackled with iron chains, which rubbed the ankles so hard that blood was dripping from them.
The pony was beaten until there was not a single spot on its body left, but it still refused to surrender and kept neighing and struggling, trying to break free from the chains.
Seeing the horse struggling hard, Jiang Yueying's eyes became wet and her heart ached.
That's too much.
She strode forward and demanded, "What did it do wrong to deserve such torture?"
The burly man glanced at her impatiently and shouted, "What's wrong with whipping a disobedient animal? A horse is born to be ridden. It deserves to be beaten if it doesn't obey."
Jiang Yueying clenched her fists and held her breath and said, "How much is your price for this horse? I'll buy it."
When the burly man heard there was money to be made, he immediately opened his mouth and said, "Fifty taels."
The people passing by were shocked. What a shame! This bastard is so shameless that he dares to sell a horse for fifty taels.
Jiang Yueying was not unable to give fifty taels, but she didn't want the man to take advantage of her at all. She felt uncomfortable when she thought that such a cold-blooded person could get rich.
At this time, Xie Yuting walked forward, fanning himself, raised his eyebrows and smiled: "Oh, you're taking advantage of my wife. A horse is only worth fifty taels, why don't you just rob her?"
The burly man immediately looked Xie Yuting up and down, convinced that this lavishly dressed peacock must be very wealthy. He was secretly delighted and slowly raised the price: "I've changed my mind now. Sell it for one hundred taels."
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a sudden chill on his neck. A long knife was pressed against it. The cold-faced young man said expressionlessly: "Five taels, if you don't sell it, I will chop you down."
"Who are you?"
Yu Lang raised the knife, his eyes darkening slightly: "Your grandfather."
Jiang Yueying didn't know whether to cry or laugh: "..."
The strong man tried to remain stubborn, but a drop of blood oozed from his neck. He panicked and realized that this kid really dared to chop him!
He immediately changed his tone: "Sell, sell, sell! No, I'm giving it to you! Take it away quickly!"
Xie Yuting reached out to grab the reins, and Yu Lang raised his knife and cut the chain cleanly, leading the horse back to the stable of the inn.
Along the way, the horses were very quiet, without a trace of frenzy, as if they were a different horse.
"Oh, can this wound heal..." Jiang Yueying felt pain just looking at it.
"Don't worry, it will be fine after taking the medicine a few more times." Xie Yuting comforted.
Jiang Yueying felt relieved and moved closer to touch the horse's head. She found that the horse actually lowered its head slightly, just to make it easier for her to touch it.
So spiritual.
"It seems that it is very grateful to you for saving it."
"The three of us rescued him together." Jiang Yueying corrected.
"I suddenly realized that this horse is very suitable for you to ride. It happens to be a short horse. Didn't you say before that you were not used to riding the tall horses of Liang State?" Xie Yuting smiled.
Jiang Yueying couldn't laugh. If she hadn't been told, she would have forgotten about it. She didn't know how to ride a horse at all!
She stammered, "I haven't ridden a horse for so long, I'm not very good at it..."
"That's fine. Didn't the emperor reward us with a villa?" Xie Yuting said excitedly. "The suburbs of Beijing are big. No one will bother you if you practice horse racing there."
Jiang Yueying pondered and thought that she should indeed practice, otherwise she would be exposed sooner or later. But if Xie Yuting followed her... wouldn't he find out that she knew nothing?
Being unfamiliar and not knowing at all are two different things.
"...You want to come with me?"
"Although my official duties will be even busier after I return this time, if you, little princess, are truly lonely and beg me, I can go with you."
"No need, I'll go by myself." Jiang Yueying refused decisively.
It was a good thing that Xie Yuting didn't go. She could ask Qingge to teach her how to ride a horse, and then practice it to perfection without anyone noticing, which would reduce one more flaw.
Xie Yuting scolded bitterly: "You are so heartless."
Jiang Yueying stroked the horse's mane, her eyes softening as an idea struck her: "Let's call you Xiaohong."
Phew.
A man laughed and teased, "The black wolf is called Qiqi, and the reddish-brown pony is called Xiaohong. Little princess, why do you always name your children after colors?"
"I'd love to."
"By the way, what's the name of that little black cat? It can't be Qiqi too, right?"
Jiang Yueying said seriously: "Its name is Xiao Hei."
Xie Yuting laughed even louder: "How about this, I also give you a name in this way?"
"What's the name?"
He suddenly leaned over and placed a light kiss on her cheek, his voice low and hoarse: "White with a hint of rosy."
Jiang Yueying's face turned red instantly.
Humph, annoying, not steady at all.
…
Just a few months after leaving the capital, rumors about the Third Prince's destiny became more and more intense, and were spread all over the streets and alleys.
Sitting in the carriage, Jiang Yueying pricked up her ears to eavesdrop on the rumors outside.
"Could this rumor have been spread by the Third Prince?" Jiang Yueying wondered. She vaguely remembered that before leaving the capital, the people were discussing it in low voices. It had only been a few months, and how could it have fermented so openly?
Xie Yuting downplayed the situation: "I was the one who initially spread the news, but I didn't expect it to spread so widely. It seems someone else is behind this."
Jiang Yueying was surprised. It turned out that this guy did it.
She didn't understand, but everything Xie Yuting did was right.
I continued to lie on the small window and eavesdrop, and the discussions of the people outside became louder.
"Have you heard? The tomb of Imperial Noble Consort Xiaoyun was robbed, and the priceless golden phoenix crown inside was sold on the black market. After an investigation by the Dali Temple, it turns out that it's not just this tomb that's missing!"
"Nonsense! Now everyone is saying that it was done by the Swordsman in Cold Clothes. Some say that the Swordsman in Cold Clothes is all-powerful and is even a master tomb robber!"
"How could a swordsman in cold clothes rob the imperial tomb? It must be fake."
"Yes, otherwise where would he get so much money to help the disaster victims?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yueying's expression changed drastically. Based on her understanding of the Hanyi Swordsman, this man would never do such a despicable thing and must be innocent.
When she looked up, she noticed that Xie Yuting opposite her also had a strange expression on his face.
"What’s wrong with you?"
Xie Yuting's eyebrows throbbed, and he was filled with anguish. "The Cold-robed Swordsman hates getting his clothes dirty, so how could he possibly go digging for burial objects? Is the rumormonger jealous that the Cold-robed Swordsman is more handsome than him, so they're deliberately trying to smear him?"
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