Chapter 265 Yue Kingdom
This shop used to be rented out outside the Princess's residence. Last month, the tenant's lease expired and they didn't want to renew it. They wanted to take it over directly, but the price they offered was too low, so Qi Yuxuan didn't sell it and simply bought it back.
The shop had been empty for almost half a month, and now there was a dusty smell inside. Bihui wiped a table for the two of them to sit down.
On rainy days, the streets are almost deserted, and it's stuffy even with the doors and windows closed. So, the doors and windows are all wide open, and the strong wind carrying rain blows through, making the cool air refreshing.
Another hour passed during their conversation.
When Zhao Mei finally finished speaking, she looked up and, lo and behold, the disbelief in her eyes deeply stung Qi Yuxuan.
"oops!"
Qi Yuxuan raised her hand, as if to say, "Don't look..."
"I've never seen anything so big before—"
Zhao Mei's words were cut short as the light at the doorway was suddenly blocked by a figure.
"May I ask, sir, are you open for business right now?"
The group turned their heads to look. Qi Yuxuan paused slightly; it was the man in the straw raincoat who had just been on horseback.
And that voice… she remembered it!
It's Ren Ze!
She stood up excitedly, her gaze fixed on the face beneath the straw hat.
Sure enough, he was wearing a mask.
Qi Yuxuan smiled and teased him, "Brother, we're not open for business today. Besides, this will be a shop selling cosmetics from now on. If you need to buy some for your wife or mother, you can come and browse around more often."
Zhao Mei blinked, puzzled. She took two steps back, somewhat embarrassed, and half-hid behind Qi Yuxuan.
"...This guy is so tall and imposing, should we just close the door and see him out?"
Ren Ze, with his sharp ears and keen eyesight, easily heard the whispers of the little girl behind Qi Yuxuan. He took off his straw hat and held it in his hand, revealing the unassuming bronze mask on his face.
"Young lady, there's no need to worry. I'm not a bad person. I just have some things I'd like to discuss with Princess Chang Le. Is that convenient?"
His voice was slow and gentle, which calmed Zhao Mei down a little. She looked at Qi Yuxuan, who must have recognized him as an acquaintance to make such a joking remark.
“He’s my old neighbor, I know who he is.”
Qi Yuxuan patted her hand reassuringly, "As we just agreed, this shop will be in your care. I won't be coming back."
The rain outside had lessened considerably, and more people were coming and going. Ren Ze rode his horse in front of the carriage, which stopped at the back door of a restaurant.
"This is my property, and this is the only place I am safe."
Ren Ze said this without any context, and Qi Yuxuan didn't understand it. However, there were many customers coming and going, buying and drinking wine, and they weren't walking side by side, so she suppressed her doubts and didn't ask.
After following the people up to the third floor and entering a room without a nameplate, she finally understood.
The layout of this room is exactly the same as Ren Ze's room in Tianji Tower.
"Brother Aze, what exactly did you do in Southern Vietnam this past year?"
Only two people remained inside. Even Bihui could only stand outside the door and wait, and was not allowed to enter without permission.
Qi Yuxuan was curious but also a little worried. If they didn't know what was happening in Nan Yue, it would be fine, but both of them knew from their past and present lives that Nan Yue was not peaceful at the moment. Ren Ze insisted on going there and left Ren Shun behind.
Ren Ze did not answer. He placed his long fingers on the mask and then slowly removed it, revealing a handsome and clear face to Qi Yuxuan.
She stood there, stunned.
Because Ren Ze's eyebrows and eyes were clean and the once hideous and winding scars had disappeared, he returned to the image of her brother next door in her memories before she was fourteen years old, that gentle, upright, and humorous boy next door.
"Brother Aze, what's going on..."
She tried to reach out and touch it, but then realized it was impolite and tried to put her hand down. However, the other person grabbed her wrist and gently pulled her towards him.
She touched it; the man's brow bone was deep and prominent, his skin warm and delicate, and his brow peaks and eyelashes trembled slightly at her fingertips. It was real.
The scars on Ren Ze's face are gone.
"Brother Aze, did you go to Southern Vietnam to remove your scars?"
She withdrew her hand, somewhat puzzled.
In her memory, Ren Ze didn't seem like the kind of person who would care about these things. He wore a mask simply because the elderly and children who saw his face were always frightened, and he found it troublesome, so he just covered it up.
"Yes and no." He casually tossed the mask aside, his gaze fixed on the girl opposite him. "Xiao Ye, I don't have much time. I've come to you today to ask if you'd like to come with me?"
"What?"
Qi Yuxuan was confused.
"Qi is not a peaceful place. You will encounter countless troubles here. Come with me to Yue. Only I can protect you."
“…Brother Aze, what are you saying? I am doing very well now. I have a mother and good friends. Why would I go to the Southern Yue Kingdom with you?”
The Southern Yue was simply located to the south of the Qi Kingdom. Qi Yuxuan understood Ren Ze's intention to protect the Yue Kingdom, respected his choice, and also changed her address to the Yue Kingdom.
"I know everything that's happened to you this past year. To give you an example, just a few months ago you and that scholar surnamed Xie were locked up in Zhuangshan overnight. If it were him..."
"Brother Aze!"
Qi Yuxuan raised her voice and hurriedly interrupted him, "So Ren Shun is a pawn you planted next to me, just to monitor me and transmit my every word and action to you?!"
She was furious; her chest heaved and her cheeks flushed crimson.
She had considered this possibility, but both she and Ren Ze had the opportunity to start over, and their ties from their past lives were deep, which was why she chose to trust him unconditionally. But now he was saying that he knew about what had happened to her, even though he was far away in Yue Kingdom…
Ren Ze paused for a moment before saying, "...That's secondary. The most important thing is to have him protect you."
"I can only stay here for one more day. By tomorrow at the latest, I have to go back. Xiao Ye, don't you even trust me anymore?"
Qi Yuxuan frowned. "Brother Aze, you're still hiding things from me now. What did you do in Yue Kingdom? And why do you want me to go back with you now? You won't tell me any of this. How can I believe you?"
The rain intensified again, with dense raindrops pounding against the windowpanes, creating a disturbing sound.
Ren Ze clenched his fist, then suddenly released it, as if he had made a great decision. He pulled the token from his waist and placed it on the table.
The token is engraved with the characters "Xuanyuan," which is the royal surname of the Yue Kingdom.
“My mother was a dancer in the Yue Kingdom’s palace. She had a one-night stand with the Yue emperor and I was born. But that dog of an emperor mistook me for someone else, so she came to the Qi Kingdom to marry another man while pregnant with me. In my past life, I was injured and went to the battlefield to earn military merit, which is how the people of Yue found me and wanted me to be recognized as their ancestor…”
Qi Yuxuan stared at the token for a long time with a complicated expression, and said softly, "So, I should address you as the Second Prince of Yue, is that right?"
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