Chapter 55 "May I kiss you?"...
In the dimly lit carriage, Xie Yushu was held so tightly by Xiao Dao that he could hardly breathe. His arms and cheeks were burning hot, as if a surge of love was filling his body.
He must have missed her terribly, thinking that he had held her for a long time without saying a word, not knowing where to begin.
Xie Yushu hugged him back, her fingers stroking his tense back. She was happy because in this world, most people only noticed her because of Xie Jianing, while Xiao Dao was the only one who knew her first.
She picked up the beggar's knife and watched his wounds heal little by little, his thin body growing strong, like raising a fledgling bird.
"Are you doing well?" Xiao Dao asked, hugging her thin back. She was still so thin. Had she been sleeping well these days? Eating well? Had the Pei family caused her any more trouble?
He had so many questions he wanted to ask, but ultimately he wanted to know how she was doing during their time apart.
"I'm fine," Xie Yushu replied softly. "Don't worry about me, Xiaodao. You've seen that everyone likes me now, and apart from Xie Zhian, no one bothers me anymore."
He noticed that even the Meng family seemed to like her very much now.
That's how it should be. She's good this way. Once people get to know her, they'll like her. Apart from Xie Jianing and Xie Zhian, who just returned, almost everyone will speak up for her.
"You don't need to worry about Xie Zhi'an," Xiao Dao said softly. "I'll make sure he doesn't have a chance to cause you any trouble."
Xie Yushu released him, held his shoulders and looked at his face, and said seriously, "Don't touch Xie Zhi'an for now."
She was worried that Xiao Dao would kill Xie Zhi'an. It wasn't that she didn't want Xie Zhi'an to die, but rather, "I just had a conflict with him. If he suddenly dies in some accident, Xie Jianing will definitely suspect me."
That would be too troublesome. She didn't want to clash with the female lead for the time being, fearing it would cause unnecessary trouble. Besides, Xie Jianing was just a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl, and even if she was bad, it would only be those superficial "face-slapping tactics".
All she wants now is to restore Xiaodao's status as a prince as soon as possible.
"I'll handle these things. What you need to do now is come back openly and honestly as soon as possible." Xie Yushu gently cupped Xiaodao's face with his fingers: "Tell me about it, okay? What happened to you?"
Her fingers were gentle and soft. Xiao Dao held her hand and pressed his cheek against her palm. He told her everything without hiding anything, completely disregarding Pei Heng's words that he was not allowed to reveal his identity to anyone.
Yu Shu is no one else; Yu Shu is the only person he truly belongs to in this world.
He started his story from when Pei Heng brought him into the palace, mentioning the blood test to prove kinship, and then he talked about his master, the Prince of Song.
He told Xie Yushu about his true origins, explaining that he was unsure if he was a real prince. Even now that they had captured the Prince of Song, the Prince still refused to reveal the truth about his background.
He even whispered to Xie Yushu, "When we return to the capital this time, Pei Heng will bring the Prince of Song to the palace to see the Emperor. Perhaps then we will be able to find out my identity. Pei Heng has sworn that if I am not a prince, I can return to your side as long as I keep this secret."
He grabbed Xie Yushu's hand and slipped it inside his attendant's clothes.
Xie Yushu touched a hard token.
"This is the deputy general's token." Xiao Dao's eyes shone brightly in the dim light, as if he were looking forward to the future. "I have made meritorious contributions in the army and have been appointed as the deputy general of the vanguard. Even if I am not a prince, I am still the deputy general of the cavalry. I can take you and Granny Xizhi away from the Pei family and buy a house to support you."
He didn't even dare to let Xie Yushu marry him; he just wanted to buy her a house so she could live a good life and have a good life with her.
But he heard Xie Yushu say in a low but firm voice, "Xiao Dao, you must be a prince."
She withdrew her hand from the token, gently straightened his clothes, and placed it on his chest: "If I wanted to live that kind of life, I would have done it long ago. Xiao Dao, you should be a prince, a crown prince, and the future emperor."
Xiao Dao stood there, stunned. He had never imagined that she would say such things. It was already so difficult to get the emperor to accept him as his son. Even if he was a prince, the emperor probably wouldn't like a prince who couldn't even read many words. How could he possibly be made crown prince? Let alone emperor.
But he saw an undeniable certainty in Yu Shu's eyes. She wasn't joking; she genuinely thought so and believed he could definitely do it.
Suddenly, a loud bird song rang out outside the carriage.
This is Pei Heng's men summoning him.
Xiao Dao glanced out the car window, knowing he couldn't linger any longer, and then reached out to hug Xie Yushu again: "I have to go, you..."
"Don't worry about me." Xie Yushu hugged him tightly, knowing full well how difficult it had been for Xiaodao to return to see her this time. He had fought bravely on the battlefield and returned with his medals to find her...
Her heart softened, and she turned her head to kiss his cheek, murmuring, "Whether you are a prince or not, you are my little knife."
That kiss and those words were like a flame illuminating Xiao Dao's thin, bony heart. No one in this world cared about him or loved him. His master had beaten and scolded him since he was a child, treating him worse than a dog. Even if he found his biological parents, they would find it hard to accept him. Only she, only Miss Yu Shu, took him in when he was dirty.
He felt like crying again, and couldn't help but ask, "Can I kiss you?"
Xie Yushu gently rubbed her cheek against his and answered him softly, "Okay."
It's like giving a clear instruction.
Only then did he dare to cup her face in his hands, gaze at her, and kiss her cheeks and lips with his eyes, but when he actually kissed her, he only kissed her forehead very carefully.
Xie Yushu received a very precious kiss.
"I'm leaving." He released her, reluctantly jumped off the carriage, and left.
Xie Yushu touched his forehead and heard the system report: "Host, you have gained another point of Popularity Value, from Xiaodao. Your Popularity Value has now reached 48 points, only two points less than the female lead Xie Jianing."
Xie Jianing's current "charm value" is 50 points. According to the original plot, her charm value will only reach 100 points after she slaps the face of the female supporting character Xie Yushu, regains her lost ground, and wins the love of all the men and women in Song Jie and Xiao Zhen's lives.
The system warned her to be careful with so many "popularity points," as her current popularity was even higher than that of Wan Susu back then.
What's the use of having such a high "popularity rating"?
Xie Yushu increasingly felt that the "charm value" was useless, because men's affection was also useless, and it would be better to let her complete the entire plot of the drama.
Just like now, she doesn't remember the plot about "King Song" and Xiao Dao in the original drama at all, because that was the revenge and power struggle line of the male lead and the male supporting character. It wasn't filmed with them. Her storyline as the female supporting character was about to be slapped in the face and written out of the show when the female lead returned, so she didn't know about this side plot.
She could only speculate based on the known plot: In the original drama, the subplot involving the King of Song and Xiao Dao seemed to end in the finale, just before the emperor was about to be killed by Song Jie, when Song Jie told the emperor: "You killed your own son."
In other words, in the original drama, the emperor suspected that his biological son had been switched, but he did not find his biological son or any evidence to verify whether Xiao Zhen was his bloodline.
Only Song Jie knew from beginning to end that Xiao Dao was the real prince.
In the original drama, both the King of Song and Xiao Dao fell into Song Jie's hands, which allowed him to investigate Xiao Dao's background and deliver the final blow to the emperor.
She suddenly wondered if, if the King of Song were handed over to Song Jie for interrogation, would it be possible for Song Jie to uncover the truth and discover Xiao Dao's background, just like in the original drama?
Outside the carriage, Jin Ye reported in a low voice, "Miss, Prime Minister Song's carriage has followed us."
Did he follow us the whole time and not leave?
Xie Yushu helped Jin Ye down from the carriage. Wang An and Zhao Feng came from the alley entrance and whispered to her: Song Jie's carriage has been waiting at the alley entrance.
She turned her head and looked out, and saw a carriage parked in the shadows under the dim moonlight. Song Jie was standing under the carriage, his figure as thin as a shadow, and she could hear his muffled cough from afar.
"Do you want to have a talk with Prime Minister Song?" Jin Ye asked. Prime Minister Song had been wanting to talk to Miss Song ever since the birthday banquet ended.
Xie Yushu shook her head. She knew what Song Jie wanted to talk about. He wanted to express his feelings to her and tell her that he no longer regarded her as a substitute, and that even if Jia Ning came back, it would not change.
What's the point of saying all this?
What she wants is for him to do something for her, something of tangible use. Let's talk about it after he's thought it through.
She withdrew her gaze and helped Jinye and Yinya into the mansion.
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Under the moonlight, Wang An hurried over to Song Jie and said, "Madam says she is tired, please return to the manor first, Prime Minister."
Song Jie said nothing, but stood there for a while, looking at the tightly closed back door, feeling indescribable emotions. He used to only send Cang Shu to fetch her to the manor, and she would always appear in his bedroom with a smile. But he didn't know when it started, but now he was the one begging to see her. And now that Jia Ning has returned, she probably will never get on his carriage again...
A chill crept in, and he couldn't help but cough, his shoulders trembling.
"Prime Minister, please get in the carriage." Cang Shu couldn't help but help him up, wanting to comfort him that Miss Yu Shu might just be tired. But he also knew very well who Miss Yu Shu had met in the carriage. She could meet other people, but she didn't want to say another word to the Prime Minister.
Song Jie, however, first comforted himself, saying, "Perhaps she really is tired."
What right does he have to be jealous now? How can he have the nerve to tell Xie Yushu that he no longer sees her as a substitute for Xie Jianing?
All of this is just his own doing.
Something cold drifted down from the night sky and landed on his face. Song Jie looked up and realized it was raining.
"Your Excellency should return to the mansion." Cangshu was afraid that if he got wet in the rain, his illness would relapse.
Song Jie closed his eyes and sighed in response. As he turned to get into the carriage, he heard someone call out to him again: "Your Excellency, Prime Minister."
He turned around in surprise and saw Jin Ye quickly come out of the back door, walk towards him, bow to him, and hand him the oil-paper umbrella in her hand, saying, "It's raining. Madam asked me to bring an umbrella to the Prime Minister. Please return to your residence as soon as possible, lest you get caught in the rain and fall ill."
Song Jie slowly reached out and took the umbrella. A sour and bitter feeling welled up in his throat, flowing into his numb heart and making it ache.
He thought almost desperately that he was really pathetic, knowing that she didn't like him, but he would always be moved and infatuated by the little bit of sweetness she gave him, and fall into it again and again.
※
Is it raining?
Xiao Zhen pushed open the window and saw the dark, rainy night wetting the floor tiles.
The guards behind him whispered to him, "Consort Zhang has sent word that Pei Heng has also captured a person alive from a prefecture and sent him to His Majesty's alchemy room tonight. The number of imperial guards inside and outside the alchemy room has now doubled."
"Did she say who that person was?" Xiao Zhen asked. Was it the secret order issued by the Emperor? Pei Heng's sudden disappearance on the battlefield was because of that secret order from the Emperor, wasn't it? What kind of person could be so important?
The guard initially answered no, but then added, "Consort Zhang also brought a message saying that the missing eldest daughter of the Yong'an Marquis's mansion was escorted back by Pei Heng along with that person."
Xie Jianing.
Xiao Zhen's eyelids twitched; he knew Xie Jianing had returned today.
It's miraculous that someone who has been missing for several years can return safely. Even more miraculous is that Xie Jianing not only has her reputation intact, but she also gained a godfather, the king of a prefecture, and was escorted back by Pei Heng as a princess of the prefecture.
She seems to possess some inexplicable aura; perhaps she truly knows who the emperor brought into the alchemy room that night.
Now it seems that Xie Jianing is a viable piece.
Xiao Zhen thought for a moment, then ordered his attendants to find the purse that Xie Jianing had given him in the Taoist temple years ago, and also ordered someone to fetch a box of rice cakes from the small kitchen and send it to the Yong'an Marquis's residence for Xie Jianing.
To pave the way for meeting Xie Jianing tomorrow, which is the day Pei Heng returns to the city in triumph with his army. Accompanying Pei Heng to Bianjing is the heir of the prefecture or kingdom.
In this war between states, Pei Heng not only won a great victory, but also saved the fallen prefectures. The ruler of the prefecture was willing to surrender to the Great Xun Kingdom as a vassal king and sent his son as a hostage.
The Emperor was overjoyed and sent him and Song Jie to the city the next day to welcome Pei Heng and the Crown Prince of the County, and to hold a banquet in the palace to reward the victorious generals.
As a princess of the county, Xie Jianing would naturally go to the city to welcome her sworn brother, the Crown Prince.
Xie Jianing's return is truly a hundred times more glorious than before. She is now a princess and the sworn brother of the crown prince. Tomorrow, she and her sworn brother will ride into the palace from the imperial street with the victorious General Pei. I wonder if Xie Yushu, who is also a daughter of the Xie family, will be sad? Will she feel that fate is unfair?
As Xiao Zhen looked at the rain, Xie Yushu's face kept appearing before his eyes. He couldn't help but ask the guard, "Did Xie Jianing cause trouble for Xie Yushu at the Lady of Yong'an's birthday banquet today?"
The guard hadn't expected him to ask about Xie Yushu at this time, and paused before answering, "There was some conflict." He then gave the Fourth Prince a general report on what had happened at the Yong'an Marquis's residence that day.
When Xiao Zhen heard that Song Jie had stopped Xie Jianing from attacking Xie Yushu, he couldn't help but be surprised. Had Song Jie actually fallen for Xie Yushu? Between Xie Jianing and Xie Yushu, Song Jie chose Xie Yushu.
He suddenly became agitated. Was Xie Yushu moved? Was she touched by Song Jie's sincerity? Would she be going to the Prime Minister's residence again today?
He waved for the guards to leave, and not long after, Consort Zhang's men came to say that Song Jie had been summoned to the palace by the Emperor and was in the alchemy room.
What exactly does Father mean? Who is hiding in the alchemy room?
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Author's Note: We're about to enter an important plot point, and Pei Heng is officially returning! So I organized the plot yesterday, and today I'm giving out red envelopes to everyone~ [Let me see!]
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