Chapter 34 Misunderstanding "She's so good, are you really willing to let her go?"...
When Su Panyue came out after changing her clothes, she saw Xie Lanzhou standing under the eaves talking to Eunuch Tongfu.
Upon seeing her approach, the two stopped talking. Xie Lanzhou said "Go ahead" at the end, and then Eunuch Fu left.
He changed into a moon-white robe, and his hair was tied up with only a black hairpin, making him look somewhat like a frail scholar.
Su Panyue glanced down at her moon-white dress and said with a smile, "Your Majesty looks very handsome in this color. Why do you always wear black?"
Xie Lanzhou said calmly, "To make killing easier."
That's really twisted. I should have known better than to ask.
Su Panyue shrank her neck, feeling that his expression was a little off. Had something happened while she was changing clothes?
Upon closer inspection, he didn't seem to be acting strangely; he still maintained a blank expression.
Xie Lanzhou said, "Let's go."
Su Panyue quickly followed, "Your Majesty, will you come shopping with me?"
Xie Lanzhou suddenly stopped and said coldly, "Then who do you want to accompany you shopping?"
Su Panyue, puzzled, said, "I thought with so much happening today, you wouldn't have time..."
She felt a little wronged. [What's wrong with you now? It's not like I demanded you come with me, why are you being so mean!]
She was right. There was still a mess left from today's events that Xie Lanzhou needed to clean up, but he just wanted to steal a moment to spend more time with her.
"I'll stay with you." Xie Lanzhou's tone softened as he reached out to take her hand.
Su Panyue felt a little uncomfortable and tried to dodge, but the man still grabbed her wrist. She whispered, "Your Majesty, I can walk by myself."
Xie Lanzhou didn't let go, only saying, "Don't call His Majesty outside the palace."
Su Panyue said "Oh" and then said, "Then I'll call you Young Master."
Xie Lanzhou frowned, "Call me husband."
[Whose husband is so fierce?] Su Panyue thought to herself, but still answered yes aloud.
The two walked side by side down the street, while the accompanying Imperial Guards spread out, pretending to be passersby and protecting them.
It wasn't yet dinner time, and there weren't too many people on the street. Su Panyue strolled along, stopping to look at each small vendor she passed.
The Great Qi is truly prosperous; there are so many novel things I've never seen before.
Xie Lanzhou listened to her thoughts and felt something was strange, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why.
Remembering that she had said she was an orphan who grew up relying on the kindness of others, Xie Lanzhou felt more sorry for her than anything else. With a wave of his hand, he bought all the things she had seen, touched, and found interesting.
Before long, Feixue and Shouxi, who were following behind the two, were carrying a lot of things.
Su Panyue said somewhat embarrassedly, "Let's not buy it, shall we find a place to eat?"
After saying that, she turned to look at Xie Lanzhou, but the latter looked away and neither answered nor met her gaze.
Su Panyue said helplessly, "Husband, shall we go eat?"
Xie Lanzhou then gave a nonchalant reply, saying, "Let's go, I've already sent someone to reserve a table at Zuichunlou."
Su Panyue rolled her eyes the moment he turned his head. She had discovered along the way that if she didn't use the word "husband" when she spoke to him, he would ignore her completely.
She thought to herself, "What an awkward man! If it weren't for the fact that you've spent so much money on me, I wouldn't bother to coax you!"
Xie Lanzhou remained silent, but simply held her hand even tighter.
As she approached the entrance of Zuichunlou, Su Panyue looked up at the three-story restaurant, which was already brightly lit before nightfall.
Upon seeing their attire, the waiter immediately and attentively invited them inside.
Upon entering the lobby, Su Panyue was even more surprised to find that a platform had been erected in the very center, with sheer gauze hanging on all sides. On the platform, graceful women were dancing, creating a fragrant breeze.
This isn't a restaurant; it's like we've accidentally wandered into a celestial abode!
The waiter led them to a private room on the second floor, and Su Panyue looked back longingly.
Then a woman in red appeared on stage, and she became even more captivating.
Su Panyue gently tugged at Xie Lanzhou's sleeve and suggested, "Husband, shall we eat in the main hall?"
Xie Lanzhou didn't even turn his head, only saying two words: "No."
Calling for her husband was useless; Su Panyue was at her wit's end and could only take one last, reluctant look at the dancers on the stage.
Goodbye, my beauty. My wife is strict. I'll come see you again next time!
Hearing her thoughts, Xie Lanzhou felt conflicted. He didn't know whether to be happy that this girl finally considered him family or speechless that she addressed him, a dignified emperor, as "wife."
The two sat down, and the waiter enthusiastically introduced the restaurant's menu. Su Panyue even heard that several of the dishes were the same ones made in the imperial kitchen.
However, she was tired of the imperial cuisine and wanted to try something new.
While she was still hesitating, Xie Lanzhou made the decision for her: "Get one of each of the shop's signs."
The waiter smiled and agreed, but Su Panyue was even happier than him.
Seeing her radiant smile, Xie Lanzhou couldn't help but smile as well and asked, "So happy?"
Su Panyue replied naturally, "Yes, this is my first time going out for a stroll."
Xie Lanzhou was silent for a moment before saying, "If you're willing, I can accompany you out more often in the future."
Su Panyue didn't take it to heart, casually agreed, and then couldn't wait to start eating.
First, she picked up a piece of braised pork and placed it on Xie Lanzhou's plate: "Your Majesty, my husband, please try it."
Xie Lanzhou rarely ate such strongly flavored food, so he said, "You can eat your own."
Su Panyue then ignored him and buried herself in her food.
Although these dishes were inferior to the imperial cuisine in terms of both appearance and taste, many of them were spicy and flavorful, which would never be found in the palace, so she ate to her heart's content.
After the two had finished eating, Xie Lanzhou ordered a few skilled members of the Imperial Guard to escort her back to the palace.
Su Panyue glanced at the darkening sky, lifted the carriage curtain, and asked, "Your Majesty, aren't you going back?"
Xie Lanzhou gave her a meaningful look and said, "I have to go see someone."
Su Panyue gave an "oh" and closed the carriage curtain without any hesitation.
[Finally, I can go back and rest!]
Hearing her thoughts, Xie Lanzhou stood there watching the carriage drive away, sighed, and couldn't understand how there could be such a heartless person in the world.
The carriage disappeared at the end of the road. Xie Lanzhou withdrew her gaze and said to Eunuch Fu, "Let's go and see her sickly husband."
Grandpa Fu lowered his head and dared not speak, following quietly behind.
As they entered a secluded courtyard, Seventeen stood waiting at the gate. When he saw him approaching, she tried to bow, but he gently helped her up.
Xie Lanzhou asked in a deep voice, "How is it?"
Chapter 17 states: "My subordinate found him and said that the heir of the Duke's mansion in the capital appreciates his talent and invites him to the capital."
Xie Lanzhou nodded. Ji Hongmiao, the heir of the Duke's mansion, was his cousin. Although he had been suppressed by the late emperor and was not given important positions, he still managed to become the top scholar in the imperial examination and was now working in the Ministry of Personnel.
Remembering something, Xie Lanzhou continued, "What about the little girl?"
Seventeen said, "The child is almost two years old, and he is quite clever and adorable. Lü Jiade was worried about the child, so he brought him along."
"His illness worsened on the way, which caused a delay of a few days."
Xie Lanzhou asked, "Have you seen a doctor? What's wrong?"
Seventeen replied, "I saw a doctor on the way, and he said it was tuberculosis, and it seems to be the kind that can't be cured."
Xie Lanzhou nodded, standing outside the door without making a move.
"Your Majesty, won't you go in and check on the child? The child is in the room next door and has already been put to sleep," said Seventeen.
Xie Lanzhou lowered his head, straightened his moon-white robe, and pushed open the door.
A thin man was sitting at the table reading by candlelight. When he saw him come in, the man was stunned for a moment, but then quickly reacted.
He rose and bowed respectfully, saying, "This humble subject, Lü Jiade, pays his respects to the Crown Prince."
Xie Lanzhou glanced at the man in front of her. He was dressed in faded coarse cloth clothes, with a handsome face, tall and thin, and a gloomy look in his eyes.
Xie Lanzhou waved his hand and sat down at the table. "I've read your article from three years ago. The writing was decent. Why did you resign and go home?"
Lü Jiade replied, "My family was poor. At that time, my wife was pregnant and it was really difficult for us to stay in the capital and raise a child. So after discussing it, we decided to return to our hometown and become a teacher."
Hearing the jarring word "Madam," Xie Lanzhou closed his eyes briefly before asking, "Where is your wife now? Why didn't she come with you?"
Lu Jiade's expression grew increasingly desolate: "She passed away a little over a year after giving birth."
“But I don’t blame her. My illness got worse and worse. She had to take care of me and the children all by herself. She’s still young. She can’t afford to spend her whole life like this.” He coughed as he spoke and quickly turned away to cover his mouth with a handkerchief.
Xie Lanzhou grasped the key point and asked, "How old was she when you married her?"
Lu Jiade was somewhat puzzled as to why this young master cared so much about his departed wife, but he still answered honestly, "She was seven out of ten when we got married."
Xie Lanzhou fell silent. He had previously checked the place of origin written when Su Panyue entered the palace, and her age was listed as twenty-four. Could it be that she had also lied about her age?
Xie Lanzhou clenched his fists and remained silent, his eyes deep and unreadable.
Lü Jiade spoke again: "Your Highness, although I am in poor health, I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse, I only ask for..."
Xie Lanzhou's tone turned serious as he asked, "What do you want?"
Lu Jiade was somewhat intimidated by his imposing manner, and after hesitating for a long time, he finally said, "I only ask that you protect my daughter and let her grow up safely."
Xie Lanzhou nodded, "Sure, I can also help you find your missing wife."
Lü Jiade refused, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but two years have passed, and she should have found a new home. I do not wish to disturb her any further."
Xie Lanzhou's face darkened, and his tone turned cold, sending chills down one's spine: "She's so good, are you really willing to let her go?"
Hearing the anger in his tone, Lü Jiade suddenly asked, "Does the Crown Prince know my wife?"
Xie Lanzhou had calmed down and took out a small painting from his sleeve, handing it over.
Lu Jiade's hands trembled slightly as he took the painting, but upon seeing the woman in the painting, only confusion remained on his face: "May I ask, Your Highness, who is this woman?"
Xie Lanzhou frowned: "You don't know her?"
Lü Jiade shook his head: "I don't know him."
Xie Lanzhou kept staring at the expression on his face; the confusion didn't seem fake, but he still asked again to confirm, "Isn't this your wife?"
Lü Jiade: "No, has the young master misunderstood something?"
Xie Lanzhou remained silent for a while, then took the small painting from his hand and put it back into his sleeve.
He left hastily after saying "Something came up" with a "suddenly came up".
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Author's Note: Zhou: Your wife is so good, why don't you cherish her?!
Lü Jiade: ? Whose wife?
Zhou: Oh no, there's a mistake, it's my wife!
Rushing back to the palace.jpg
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