Chapter 308 Longing
Xiao Jue's cheeks flushed with anger. He guessed who this girl was. He knew from what others said that her brother was the youngest third-ranked scholar in the imperial examination.
Rumor has it that Xie Tingzhou has a half-sister, and this must be the one.
He thought that even if the Xie family's daughter wasn't as well-read and gentle as Xie Tingzhou, she wouldn't gossip or cause trouble behind his back. But when he happened to run into her, he overheard her and several others spreading rumors about his sister!
Xiao Jue: "Miss Xie, please have some self-respect. A woman's reputation is of utmost importance. You have no evidence, yet you make baseless accusations and slanders behind her back. Aren't you afraid of affecting your brother's career?"
How did it come to affecting her brother's career? Xie Yunyun was taken aback.
Besides, how did this person know her surname was Xie? Did he know Xie Tingzhou?
Seeing that more and more people had been drawn to their argument, and that several of them were huddled together whispering and guessing who she was, Xie Yunyun began to panic.
Could it be true, as this meddlesome man said, that she was just gossiping and that it would affect her brother's career?
Xie Yunyun rolled her eyes at the man, didn't say anything more, and hurriedly left with her arms linked with those of her girlfriends.
They left, but those conversations pierced Xiao Jue's heart like needles, keeping him tossing and turning for the past two days, causing him great pain and making it difficult for him to eat or sleep.
With the person missing for so long, no one can guarantee that Princess Chang Le is safe. Now, everyone in the capital is on edge because of the war. Even sending a portion of the Qilin Guard to search for her would be criticized as a waste of effort.
Xiao Jue looked at Xie Tingzhou, who was half a step ahead of him, and after thinking for a moment, he called out to him.
They were all young, so staying up all night was nothing to them. The time for the court assembly was approaching, and there was a distance between the East Palace and the main hall of the court assembly. No one wanted to be late and displease their superiors, so they all kept their heads down and walked quickly.
Hearing a shout from behind, Xie Tingzhou paused, recognizing Xiao Jue's voice.
Having served in the same court for less than half a year, he had come to know some of the talented young men around his age, especially the Xiao family.
Xiao Jue had done some foolish things in the past, but fortunately he reformed himself and did not make any major mistakes in handling official business. His colleagues would not be too harsh on him because of his past mistakes.
But Xie Tingzhou is different.
He didn't stop, but only lagged behind by half a step, walking beside Xiao Jue, his voice neither warm nor cold: "Lord Xiao, is there something you need?"
Xiao Jue: "Lord Xie, it's something I haven't had a chance to say until two days ago. I ran into your sister after I finished my shift and overheard her saying a lot of things that slandered the princess... Although I tried to stop her at the time, I don't know if anyone overheard her. If you have time, Lord Xie, you might as well explain the details to your sister to prevent her from saying anything that could cause trouble."
Princess Chang Le has no connection with the Xiao family anymore, a fact Xiao Jue is well aware of. If he wants to stand up for the princess, he can only do so from the perspective of how it might affect Xie Tingzhou's career. Otherwise, he has no standing and his words would be untenable.
However, after listening, Xie Tingzhou did not immediately apologize and promise to restrain his family as he had expected. Instead, he coldly said:
“I will discipline Xie Yunyun, but when did Lord Xiao become so nosy? The princess has experienced similar things before, so why didn’t Lord Xiao speak up to stop or advise her then?”
"Instead of worrying about the princess, Lord Xiao should think more about how to handle his own duties."
After saying that, Xie Tingzhou quickened his pace and walked forward.
He no longer cared about Xie Yunyun; he wished she would dig her own grave and get herself into trouble. He didn't care about the official position anymore; he didn't care if she took it or not. If he lost his position because of Xie Yunyun's words, he would be happy to be free.
Since being officially appointed to an official position, Xie Tingzhou has also realized that to realize his ambitions, he either needs a strong family background or powerful superiors to support him; his personal skills and abilities are actually the least important.
During the month or so that Princess Chang Le was missing, he tried to numb and drown his sorrows with a large amount of official business, but in the end, every time he heard that name, he still felt a tightness in his chest and felt so suffocated that he couldn't breathe.
Xiao Jue stood there, silently clenching his fist.
He never expected Xie Tingzhou to say such sharp words, which was completely different from the usually refined and gentle Lord Xie.
The border between Qi and Yue.
Qi Yuxuan followed Ren Shun along a little-known path, traveling from the capital of Yue all the way to Qi.
Avoiding crowded towns and official roads where soldiers occasionally appeared, the two lived like refugees fleeing a disaster. They endured hardships and slept in the open, and at their most dangerous moment, they snatched food from the mouths of wild wolves. Their lives were even worse than those of refugees.
Now, once you cross that mountain range, you'll reach the State of Qi.
Thirty miles to the west lies the battlefield where the two armies clashed.
Ren Shun found an abandoned, dilapidated temple.
The mountain temple has been completely invaded by vegetation, with weeds growing everywhere, walls collapsed, and only a small half of the roof remains, which is about to collapse. Every now and then, half a tile will fall down after being landed on by a bird.
Ren Shun walked around the temple before letting the little girl in. "No one has been here for at least a few months. Wait for me inside while I go find something to eat."
At first, the two were relatively well-off on the road, and they could replenish their food and drink in the city. However, seven days ago, Ren Shun encountered a group of soldiers who were looking for Qi Yuxuan.
Looking at the portrait the other person was holding, Ren Shun thought to himself, "Just as I expected."
It would be strange if Xuanyuan Ze could so easily give up someone he could have had so easily.
However, ever since he threw the cloth in the opposite direction and led his men out of the city, he had already prepared himself to confront Xuan Yuanze.
He won't give up, and neither will I.
Now that Qi Yuxuan is following him, why can't he compete with her?
Qi Yuxuan nodded and walked into the temple quite consciously.
The shattered walls and beams were covered with grass and trees, making it almost impossible to step on. Qi Yuxuan threw her small bundle into the corner and started clearing a small, relatively clean space, using the area where the roof still existed as a starting point.
This was almost an unspoken understanding between the two of them.
After ten days of detours and escapes, Qi Yuxuan felt that she was probably no different from a beggar now. Without caring about whether the ground was dirty or not, she sat down on the ground and lay down on the grass.
However, Qi Yuxuan waited from dusk until twilight fell, and a bright moon hung high in the forest, but Ren Shun still did not appear.
The forest was eerily quiet, without even a whisper of wind.
She slowly sat up straight, hugged her knees, leaned against the corner of the wall, and quietly listened to the sounds around her.
Has Ren Shun gotten into trouble?
Should she go out and look for someone?
As she pondered, she seemed to hear a slight rustling of grass and trees coming from her right. Qi Yuxuan tensed up, and her palms slowly began to sweat.
After waiting for an unknown amount of time, finally, a flickering firelight appeared on the ground outside the temple.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com