Chapter 88 Chapter 88 Isn't kissing natural? ...
"really?"
The beaded curtain made a crisp sound when it was lightly knocked against the wall. Lord Xie quickly emerged from the inner chamber, his sleeves stirring with a gentle breeze. "Is Tingyu truly awake?"
"yes!"
Wei Fenghua smoothed his sleeves and bowed solemnly, "My Lord, would you like to move to the Changhao Courtyard immediately?"
"That's natural."
Lord Xie put on his robe, straightened himself up briefly, and then hurried out, ordering as he walked, "Send someone to inform my wife of the good news immediately."
Entering the inner room of Changhao Courtyard, as he passed the screen, Lord Xie saw Xie Tingyu leaning against the bed. Although his face was pale, his eyes were clear, without any sign of the lethargy of days of sleep. He looked again—
Ji Lian also sat beside the couch, keeping a slight distance, but it was a bit too close. Ji Xun, on the other hand, stood obediently to one side.
When Master Xie raised his hands to salute, Ji Xun hurried forward, extended his small hand, and gently pressed them. "Uncle Xie, there's no need to be so polite. The teacher has just woken up and needs to rest well."
He shook his head and bowed solemnly to Ji Lian and Ji Xun. "Thank you, Your Highnesses, for coming to visit me. I also want to thank you, Your Highness, for playing the zither for several days. Otherwise, Tingyu might not have woken up so early."
"Uncle Xie, there's no need to do this."
Ji Lian unconsciously stroked the pattern on her sleeve, feeling a strange sense of embarrassment, like a new son-in-law meeting his father-in-law. She bit her lip and stole a glance at Xie Tingyu. He had clearly not yet agreed to marry her. That "lifelong eloquence" was just another way of saying a close friend was supposed to be.
Humph, Xie Tingyu is always good at playing tricks with words.
He stood up a little awkwardly to offer his seat. After Xie Zhujun sat down, his eyes reddened before he could say anything. He sighed three times, "It's good you're awake, it's good you're awake, it's good you're awake."
Ji Xun tugged at Ji Lian's sleeve and whispered, "Uncle, let's go back to the palace."
Hearing this, Ji Lian felt a pang of bitterness in his heart, and he couldn't help but glare at Xie Tingyu, who was talking to his father with his eyes lowered. He took a deep breath, lowered his eyes, and replied softly, "Let's go."
After saying this, he slowly walked out. When he reached the door, he happened to meet Xie Tingyu's raised eyes. He paused slightly and couldn't help but look at her a few more times, his fingertips lingering on the vermilion door before turning and leaving.
"Uncle." Ji Xun held Ji Lian's hand, "I'm going to tell Daddy that the teacher is awake when we get home."
Ji Lian paused, the tips of her ears burning and red. After a moment's hesitation, she whispered, "You only need to tell Xie Guijun that she's awake. You don't need to tell her anything else."
"Um?"
Ji Xun raised his little face and asked innocently, "Don't tell Daddy that you kissed the teacher?"
The heat instantly burned up Ji Lian's cheeks, from his ears to his heart. He looked away with a vague look, "Yes... From now on, this will be a little secret between the three of us."
"But it's okay to tell Daddy that you and the teacher kissed. Aren't we a family?"
Ji Xun counted on his fingers, logically and logically, "Teacher is Daddy's biological sister, and my uncle is the Queen Mother's brother. Since we are family, isn't it natural for us to kiss each other?"
At that moment, Ji Lian's tongue seemed to be tied, and after a long while, she managed to squeeze out a few words, "It's not what you think."
Ji Lian's sudden silence left Ji Xun bewildered. She tugged at her sleeve several times and called out to her uncle, but received no response. The two of them boarded the carriage in a rare silence.
The coachwoman whipped her whip and shouted softly, and the four-horse carriage turned around, drove out of Wuyi Lane, and headed along the palace road towards the imperial city. At this moment, a BMW carriage with a flag with the word "Xie" on it passed by, the bronze bells on the eaves ringing, and finally stopped in front of the gate of Xie Garden.
The concierge hurriedly set up the horse stool and offered Xie Qingyan a hand to help her out of the carriage. She had clearly just arrived from the Imperial Court, her official hat tilted slightly, and she hurried, holding onto the brim of her hat as she hurried to Changhao Courtyard. Seeing Xie Tingyu conversing energetically with her father, a heavy weight finally settled in his heart.
"Don't worry, my dear girl. I will definitely get back at you."
A cold glint flashed in Xie Qingyan's eyes. "Since the night you were in trouble, the Imperial Court has gathered numerous pieces of evidence against the Yingchuan Yu family, from smuggling Xianbei male slaves to the docks, forging official documents, to hiding the slaves in Buddhist temples. I submitted this report directly to the Fengge the other day, and now the arrest warrant has been issued."
As she spoke, she pulled out a scroll of documents from her sleeve. "I will never let the Yingchuan Yu family go. Even if there are people from their clan in the palace, I will tear off a layer of skin from them this time!"
Xie Qingyan had intended to head straight to the Buddhist temple to apprehend Yu Rong, but he had unexpectedly fled that night, leaving only a few young men trembling in fear in the city. Having finally secured a warrant, he was about to arrest her when Xie Yuan reported that Xie Tingyu had regained consciousness, forcing him to hasten back. Seeing his daughter safe, the weight of his heart finally settled, and the desire to eradicate the Yu family was unstoppable.
Xie Tingyu looked at his mother in astonishment. This civil servant who usually read papers and talked quietly suddenly took down the long sword that was used as a decoration on the wall, straightened his official hat, and walked out the door as fast as the wind while his official robe was rolled up.
This Grand Tutor Xie came and went like the wind. He stayed in Changhaoyuan for less than two quarters of an hour before leaving in a hurry with a murderous air.
"This... this... it's rare to see this unusual side of my mother." Xie Tingyu couldn't help but marvel at it.
Lord Xie sighed softly, "Do you know how worried my wife was during the time I was unconscious? This matter concerns your life, how can we tolerate any disrespect?"
Xie Tingyu chatted with his father for a while. Seeing that his daughter looked tired, Master Xie told her to have a good rest and then left.
At this moment, a servant announced that Cen Xiu was outside requesting an audience. After receiving permission, the man hurried in. Upon seeing Xie Tingyu, he immediately knelt on both knees and pounded his forehead against the ground. "Cen Xiu was unable to protect me that night. Please punish me, young master."
Xie Tingyu saw that Cen Xiu was still wrapped in layers of gauze, her clothes were disheveled and smelled of medicine, and asked, "Why don't you rest for a few days before coming back?"
"Ever since the young master fell into danger, Cen Xiu has regretted day and night that he failed to see through Yuan Wangshu's scheme. That's why..."
Before he finished speaking, a servant suddenly came from behind the screen and reported, "Young Master, the second lady of the Runan Yuan family is here to visit and is waiting in the corridor."
"It's quite a coincidence."
Xie Tingyu tapped the edge of the bed with his fingertips. "It's really lively here in my Changhao Courtyard today, with people coming in one after another. Let Wangshu come in."
As soon as Madam Yuan Er stepped over the threshold, she heard Cen Xiu's angry shouting from the inner room, "Young Master! Yuan Wangshu pretended to send someone to protect her, but she was actually colluding with the villains and stabbing you in the back. Why bother seeing her?"
As his left foot stepped into the inner room, he heard another harsh voice, "Such a treacherous person is not worthy of the young master's true love!"
A tall figure quietly fell upon Cen Xiu. The two looked up and saw Yuan Wangshu standing quietly beside the screen, his face calm and composed, not looking like he had caught someone talking behind his back.
"You're here."
Yuan Wangshu glanced at Cen Xiu calmly and took a few steps forward. "I heard you woke up, so I came to visit you. I just happened to have something to explain to you."
Xie Tingyu chuckled, "It's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. It's just right for you two to confront each other face to face."
"Did you guess that I came here to clarify this matter?"
"What else?" Xie Tingyu pointed at the dust on Yuan Wangshu's clothes. "Seeing how dusty you are, I guess you must have rushed all the way here. Given your personality, you would either say something cold or put your hand on the sword at your waist."
Yuan Wangshu lowered his head and glanced at his waist, then immediately untied his sword and threw it aside. "I'm here today to apologize and to explain what happened that night."
"Xie Tingyu."
She took a deep breath. "Ever since you fell into a coma, I've been restless day and night, feeling overwhelmed with guilt. Now that I see you've woken up safely, I can finally feel a little relieved. There's something I must explain to you."
She suddenly pulled out the jade hairpin and held it in her hand, her black hair hanging down loosely. She lifted the front of her martial arts robe and knelt on the ground.
This is exactly the etiquette of the nobles of the Great Zhou Dynasty performing the highest ceremony of apology.
He spoke sincerely, each word clearly, "I absolutely did not order the assassination that night. Ever since you risked your life to save me during the bandit suppression campaign, I have only admired you and will never repay kindness with enmity. The night you were injured, I personally gave you an antidote to remove the poison. If you don't abandon me, I will accompany you on every campaign in the future to prove my innocence."
"Young Master, how can you trust her so easily just based on her words!" Cen Xiu said anxiously.
"actually……"
Xie Tingyu said calmly, "You don't need to come here to tell me, I can roughly conclude that it was not you who did it—"
"First, among those who accompanied us that night, besides the ones you appointed, there were also those who volunteered to go. Although it was dark, those you personally sent were indeed risking their lives to protect us. Secondly, if it was really you who sent the assassin, why would you have sent medicine for treatment and even invited Master Yuan San to perform acupuncture? Such a self-contradictory statement seems like a complete waste of time."
She turned to Cen Xiu and said gently, "Cen Xiu, get up. I was hasty and thoughtless that night, so it's not your fault. Wangshu Niang is not the culprit, so don't hold a grudge against her anymore."
Cen Xiu was about to speak again, but Xie Tingyu raised his hand to stop her. "Have you told your mother about what happened that night?"
She shook her head and said, "I have been seriously injured and bedridden. The Grand Tutor has been busy with official duties and has not yet reported to you."
"Mother is currently preoccupied with the trial of the Xianbei male slaves at the Imperial Court. Please don't bring up this misunderstanding with Wangshu's mother; it will only cause more trouble."
Xie Tingyu waved his hand, "Since you are seriously injured, go down and heal first, and don't blame yourself for what happened that night."
After Cen Xiu's footsteps faded away, Yuan Wangshu spoke solemnly, "What I just said was absolutely true. If you need anything in the future, just let me know. If you need to go on another expedition, I will definitely escort you and clear all obstacles for you."
"Why..." Xie Tingyu was also very surprised, "You suddenly have such a strong conscience. When did I become so close to you?"
Yuan Wangshu's face froze, and he coughed lightly. "I'm the one who offered my services unilaterally. You don't have to worry about it. I never like to owe favors to anyone, let alone someone who saved my life. Even if I die, I won't regret it."
"Ah...okay...I..."
Before Xie Tingyu could finish, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door, accompanied by Cui Yuanying's clear voice, "Xie Er, I heard you woke up, so I came to see you." She walked in quickly and turned back to urge, "Wang Lanzhi, hurry up! I have to tell you——"
His voice stopped abruptly when he saw Yuan Wangshu kneeling on the ground to apologize.
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The author has something to say:
…
I'm really at my wit's end. After I finish writing this book, I'll definitely write a reflection, reflecting on everything from the plot, to the title, to the rhythm of the writing, the plot, the emotions, etc. I'll write a reflection report then. I'm really at my wit's end. I'm stuck like this. (God will punish everyone who doesn't write a good outline.)
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