Chapter 65 "Let's hug a little longer."...
Pei Heng personally drove her back to the Pei residence.
Xie Yushu did not see Pei's mother, Li Huixian, in the carriage. He guessed that Pei Heng had sent her back first, so that the two of them would not feel uncomfortable being alone together.
They sped all the way to the Pei residence, where Pei Heng lifted the heavy curtain and helped her down from the carriage.
He held the umbrella in one hand and offered her his other arm for support.
Despite the strong wind and heavy rain, he was soaked to the bone without wearing a straw hat. Rain dripped from his robe sleeves. Xie Yushu, finding his arms too wet, barely managed to get off the carriage with just a few fingers.
He smiled helplessly, helped her to the porch, handed her the umbrella, and said, "I'll see you off here. Go back and rest."
She was neither instructed not to leave the residence unnecessarily, nor was she asked what had happened in the palace.
Xie Yushu was somewhat surprised. Wasn't he going to ask?
But after thinking for a moment, he took a jade pendant with a tiger pattern from his waist and handed it to her: "Take my jade pendant. My men all recognize this jade pendant. If you encounter any trouble, show them the jade pendant, and they will obey your orders."
As if afraid she would find it too wet, Pei Heng wiped the jade pendant with the not-too-damp lining of his robe sleeve.
Xie Yushu took it and heard him say in a low voice, "I've placed the knife in my yard. Go ahead."
She couldn't help but ask, "Now that Xiao Dao has been rescued, where are you going?" Is he going to capture the King of Song? Was the King of Song actually rescued by Song Jie?
"Go and finish the errands I haven't completed." Pei Heng only replied with this sentence before turning around and going down the steps. He instructed his deputy general Zhao Mingzhao to stay at the Pei residence with a dozen soldiers to take care of things.
Xie Yushu watched as he took Zhao Mingzhao's horse, mounted it, and then looked back at her from the horse, saying, "Go inside."
Zhao Mingzhao led soldiers to escort her into the mansion.
Upon entering the courtyard, Xie Yushu finally heard Pei Heng ride away on horseback. She looked down at the tiger-patterned jade pendant in her hand. He hadn't asked her anything. How was she supposed to act? How was she supposed to sow discord between the ruler and his subject?
The Pei family mansion was guarded by Pei Heng's soldiers.
Xie Yushu didn't return to his own courtyard, but went directly to Pei Heng's courtyard to see Xiao Dao.
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In the vast Earl Yongyi Mansion, Pei Heng lived alone in the east courtyard. For the past few years while he was away, the courtyard gate had been locked, and no one was allowed to enter or leave. It was only after he returned yesterday that he opened the gate himself and instructed his servants to tidy up a bit.
Although the courtyard has been cleaned up, it looks very desolate and lifeless, with some soldiers guarding the corridor.
Zhao Mingzhao led her inside and took her directly to Pei Heng's bedroom, explaining, "The general has only just returned to the manor and has only prepared this bedroom, so Xiao Dao is temporarily placed here."
Xie Yushu nodded and was about to push open the bedroom door when it was pulled open from the inside.
Xiao Dao stood inside the doorway, dressed only in his nightgown, looking at her with a pale face, and subconsciously called her name: "Yu Shu..."
Zhao Mingzhao coughed lightly and said to Xie Yushu, "Princess Pei, please wait a moment." He then stepped into the room, leaving the door slightly ajar, and said to Xiaodao, "Princess Pei is here to see you. Put on some clothes; what kind of appearance is this, dressed so disheveled?"
Xiao Dao had become familiar with them all in the military camp, but only Pei Heng knew about his relationship with Xie Yushu.
He was thinking of Xie Yushu and didn't want to keep her waiting, so he casually grabbed an outer robe to wrap himself in, opened the door, and stared intently at Xie Yushu as he invited her in.
Xie Yushu stepped into the room and saw Zhao Mingzhao tidying up Pei Heng's clothes that were hanging on the screen, presumably undergarments or something similar.
"Please sit, Madam Pei." Zhao Mingzhao said awkwardly, "The general is not used to being served by maids, and there are no servants in this courtyard. I'll go and make you a pot of tea."
After saying that, he walked out of the bedroom, but then he remembered that it was probably not appropriate to leave Madam Pei alone with Xiao Dao. Just as he was about to turn back, Xiao Dao slammed the door shut behind him.
Zhao Mingzhao frowned immediately. What was Xiao Dao doing? Madam Pei was the general's niece-in-law; he should be careful.
#
Xiao Dao didn't care about any of that. He already knew that the Emperor had summoned Xie Yushu alone, and as soon as the door closed, he immediately asked, "How are you? Did he do anything to you?"
"I'm fine." Xie Yushu glanced at the shadows moving outside the door, knowing that Zhao Mingzhao might still be outside. She then gestured to the chair next to her, inviting Xiaodao to sit down beside her, and asked him softly, "Are you badly injured? Let me see."
Xiao Dao obediently sat down, wanting to say that he was fine, but she reached out and gently opened the collar of his nightgown to see the wound on his chest. Her actions, her fragrance, and the icy temperature of her fingertips made Xiao Dao panic instantly. He forgot everything he wanted to say and stood there stiffly, staring at her.
"I heard Pei Heng say it's just some superficial injuries." Xie Yushu gently touched the corner of the gauze on his chest with her fingertips, then looked up and asked, "Does it hurt? What did the imperial physician say?"
When Xiao Dao met her gaze, his chaotic heart pounded as if it were about to burst, and he seemed speechless, just staring at her and shaking his head.
"Why are you shaking your head? Speak up!" Xie Yunshu looked at him with a smile. "Did the imperial physician make you stupid? Can't you speak anymore?"
Xiao Dao pursed his lips, slowly took her fingers in his hand, his heart was warm, his eyes were hot, and his Adam's apple bobbed several times before he could finally speak, "It doesn't hurt, the imperial physician said it will get better soon."
He just kept asking questions and answering them in a daze.
Xie Yushu lifted his chin again, looked at the wound on his neck, and asked him in a low voice from close range, "How is the Prince of Song?" She just wanted to know if the plan had been successfully completed.
“He jumped off the cliff himself.” Xiao Dao replied in a low voice, “We don’t know if he’s dead or alive, and no one has found him yet.”
He jumped off the cliff himself? This is different from the escape route arranged by Song Jie. Did Song Jie have anyone to find him?
Xie Yushu frowned. Who could have predicted that the Prince of Song would suddenly assassinate Xiao Xu...
"Why is one of your earrings missing?" Xiao Dao cupped her cheeks and asked her softly.
Xie Yushu raised his hand and touched his earlobe: "It must have fallen into His Majesty's bedroom."
It sounded like a casual answer, but Xiao Dao paused and immediately asked her again, "Did the old man bully you? He...did he bully you?"
Looking at him like this, Xie Yushu's heart softened. She pressed her cheek against his palm and smiled, saying, "No, he hasn't had time yet."
"What do you mean by 'not having time yet'?" Xiao Dao frowned, annoyed. "Does he have feelings for you that he shouldn't have? We should have taken his life while the Prince of Song was trying to assassinate him."
"Keep your voice down." Xie Yushu covered his mouth, glanced at the door, and didn't continue talking to Xiao Dao about becoming emperor, because she knew very well that there was no need for her to say anything more now.
So she simply told Xiaodao, "Don't think about anything, just focus on recovering. At least for now, Pei Heng won't hand me over."
Xiao Dao could no longer feel at ease. Even a fool could tell something was wrong from the way Xiao Xu looked at Yu Shu at the palace banquet today. And that old man actually took advantage of the chaos to summon Yu Shu into his bedchamber. He had become so blatant. If Pei Heng hadn't rushed into the palace and brought Yu Shu out, the old man probably wouldn't have let Yu Shu leave the palace.
But how long can Pei Heng resist? If the emperor really issues an edict ordering Yu Shu to enter the palace to serve him, will Pei Heng disregard the safety of the entire Pei family and defy the edict to protect her?
He didn't know that anyone could be trusted, that everyone had their own difficulties and their own bigger picture, and that he couldn't wait for someone else to defy orders and protect her.
He is destined to be the crown prince and the emperor. Only when he becomes the emperor can Yushu be free from being bullied by anyone.
"I'm sorry, Yushu. If I were as smart as Xiao Zhen and could read and write, perhaps the old man would have accepted me more quickly." Xiao Dao hated himself. If he had worked harder when he was young and secretly learned to write and read, perhaps he could have "pleased" the old man and become a prince much faster now.
Yu Shu didn't blame him. She even stroked his face and said gently, "It's not your fault. You're not stupid. You just weren't raised properly."
He looked at her and felt a love he had never felt before. No one had ever spoken to him like this, and no one had ever loved him like this. Only Yu Shu.
His chest was filled with too much love for Yushu, but he was too clumsy with words to express his feelings. He could only hug her tightly, calling her name over and over again: "Yushu, Yushu... Can I hug you?"
"Weren't you holding me?" Xie Yushu smiled and looked up at him, only to see that his ears and cheeks were completely red. He lowered his eyes to look at her, his burning eyes hidden under his thick eyelashes.
“It’s not like this.” His voice became as soft as a mosquito’s buzz: “It’s like how we hugged by Xuanwu Lake… I can’t really explain how it was…”
He recalled the scene by Xuanwu Lake, where he and Yushu hid inside a narrow artificial hill. Yushu's entire body was enveloped in his arms as he held her... but he couldn't quite describe what kind of embrace it was. He just felt that the two of them were inseparable, almost melting into one. Then, in a daze, he kissed her cheek. Yushu wasn't angry; instead, she turned her face to allow him to kiss her lips...
His mind was wandering into fantasies, but then he felt that thinking about these things was too sordid and would make Yu Shu dislike him, so he said, "It's good to hold you like this. It's good that you came back safely and came to see me."
Yeah?
Xie Yushu saw that even his neck was completely red, so how could he not know what he was thinking?
She pulled away from his tightly clasped hands, stood up, and sat sideways on his lap under his gaze. She wrapped one arm around his neck and pulled his stiff hand to her waist, making him hug her. She gently smiled and asked him, "Is it okay to hug like this?"
He stared at her blankly, as if in a daze, his warm hands tightening around her waist. He seemed overwhelmed with gratitude, yet also at a loss for what to do with his other hand.
Xie Yunshu smiled and lowered his head to kiss him. Before he could speak, Xie Yunshu instinctively kissed him.
Their lips met, and his hands, as if guided by instinct, rose to cup her cheeks, gently brushing through her hair to grasp the back of her neck, before pressing their lips deeper into hers...
He was no fool; his kiss made Xie Yushu want to reach inside his shirt...
There was an untimely knock on the door.
Zhao Mingzhao said from outside, "Madam Pei, I've prepared the tea."
Xie Yushu turned her head to end the kiss, then leaned on Xiao Dao's shoulder and breathed rapidly for a few moments before Xiao Dao's hot arms held her waist even tighter.
His face was pressed against her cheek, his breath coming in heavy gasps, and he whispered, hot and damp, "Let's hold each other a little longer."
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Author's Note: Zhao Mingzhao: What are you doing locking the door? What kind of behavior is this? I'm going to have a good talk with Xiao Dao when the general comes back.
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