Chapter 54 Chapter 54 I really don’t know whether you are stupid or I am stupid. …
Xie Zhi handled the matter almost as quickly as possible.
The Shen Ce Guards had captured the general outside the city. When he hurried over, Mo Jiu and other secret guards of the crown prince had already been confronting the Shen Ce Guards for a long time.
The general was badly wounded, and it was obvious that the attack was going to kill him.
"How dare you!" Xie Zhi glanced at them coldly. "The Divine Strategy Guards are carrying out their duties, and you dare to stop them? Was this an order from the Emperor?"
Mo Jiu didn't dare say anything more, only bowing and saying, "Your Highness, please calm down. His Highness, the Crown Prince, upon hearing of the whereabouts of the remnants of Prince Jin, has asked us to come and help the Divine Strategy Guards capture them, and he has no intention of stopping us."
"This is a matter for the Divine Strategy Division. If you want to arrest someone next time, just notify the Divine Strategy Guards."
Xie Zhi lowered his eyes, looking at him expressionlessly. His calm voice carried an air of unquestionable authority. "As for the rest of you, it's best to protect our royal brother."
He ordered his men to take the general away, and then instructed Ling Zhu, "Send him to the Shen Ce prison. Order the Shen Ce guards to keep him under strict guard. No one is allowed to approach. Including the Crown Prince."
"Yes." Ling Zhu looked hesitant, "But... it seems like the Crown Prince has a strong desire to kill her. If Your Highness isn't here, I'm afraid we won't be able to prevent someone from secretly attacking her..."
Xie Zhi's eyes flickered slightly, as if he remembered something. "Go and ask Master Pei to come over. If anything goes wrong, he'll be held responsible."
As he said this, he jumped on his horse and was about to leave.
"Boy," the general suddenly called out to him. Her tone wasn't exactly respectful, as if she were just addressing an ordinary neighbor.
Xie Zhiyu immediately looked down at her condescendingly. The face of this woman in her fifties was full of traces of time, but her eyes were unusually sharp.
Even though the wounds on her body were still bleeding, she didn't hunch over at all. She just looked up at Xie Zhi with a smile on her face.
"Do you know why the prince wants me to die?"
Her words made Xie Zhi even more certain that she must be hiding some unspeakable secret.
Xie Zhi raised his eyes and glanced at the darkening sky. "I don't have time to know now."
When he arrived at the city's lantern festival, it was exactly the time of the dog. A crowd surged, young men and women, some shy, some lively, brushed past him, and the countless bright lanterns dazzled his eyes.
The lights in the flower market were as bright as day. He had never seen such a Lantern Festival.
Every year during the Lantern Festival, he stood indifferently on the city wall, like a clay statue with no joy or sorrow, looking down at everything from high above.
He looked at the person next to him and couldn't help but think of whether it was the same when Nie Xiangyi met Xie Chengxin that day. Under this extremely beautiful light and shadow, she handed him the white jade mask with a blushing face.
The thought of this made him extremely jealous. "Young Master, are you waiting for someone? Would you like to buy a lantern?" A small vendor approached enthusiastically. "We have all kinds of lanterns. Girls love them the most!"
"No." Xie Zhi refused decisively.
He didn't want to give Xie Chengxin something he had already given him. This would make him feel more and more like he had stolen everything from Xie Chengxin.
But when his eyes lingered over the dazzling array of lanterns, and finally fixed on a Heavenly Palace lantern, he said, "Wait."
He called to the vendor, "Leave all the others except this one."
He held a lifelike catkin lantern in his hand and looked for Nie Xiangyi in the crowd, but she never appeared.
His heart sank little by little.
Thousands of lights could not illuminate his dark eyes. He thought that she might have accepted Pei Jue's invitation, or she might not want to come again.
In short, he missed the Lantern Festival again.
He could actually return to Liuyun Temple and bring Nie Xiangyi with him, but for some reason, he was still waiting here.
He was gambling, gambling that she would be soft-hearted and willing to come forward on her own initiative.
It suddenly occurred to him whether Nie Xiangyi was waiting for him with the same mood when the fireworks at the temple fair were set off that day.
I was filled with disappointment, yet I couldn't help but look forward to it, hoping that she would show up.
As the lights went out one by one and the crowds gradually dispersed, Xie Zhi, dressed in crimson clothes, gradually became a lonely point of light in the crowd.
"Sir, is the person you are waiting for coming yet?"
Xie Zhi pursed his lips, "Maybe... not anymore."
"So what are you waiting for?"
The cat-shaped lantern in his hand gradually dimmed. Xie Zhi lowered his eyes and silently watched the lantern sway slightly in his hand.
Perhaps it was an illusion, but when he looked up again, he saw Nie Xiangyi coming towards him amidst the hazy outline of the city.
The silver fox scarf framed her small face, and the lanterns around her made her look like a fairy, shining brightly.
"It's so annoying! I don't want to come here!"
She pursed her lips, met Xie Zhi's inky black eyes, turned her face away, and muttered as if reluctantly.
Xie Zhi's heart couldn't help but beat violently. She finally came.
He suddenly reached out and hugged her tightly, burying her little mumblings in his chest.
Nie Xiangyi's eyes widened in shock at his sudden action. She leaned against his chest and could vaguely hear the beating of his heart.
The noise around seemed to quiet down.
His clear voice was a little dull as he whispered in her ear, "I'm sorry."
I'm sorry for making you wait so long, and I'm sorry for not getting to know you first.
Nie Xiangyi didn't know he was apologizing, and her cheeks suddenly burned. She pushed Xie Zhi's chest away, "Xie Zhi! What are you crazy about?"
Xie Zhi sniffed the unique gardenia fragrance that belonged to her as if he was greedy, and only let her go slowly after a long time.
He handed her the lantern in his hand.
The kitten's fluttering gesture was vivid and adorable. Nie Xiangyi took the lantern and said with a pout, "It's just okay. I don't really like it!"
The lanterns that had gradually dimmed as the crowds dispersed suddenly lit up, and the entire long street was as bright as day, like a reflection of the sky, with stars twinkling here.
There is no night sky brighter than this one.
Nie Xiangyi was almost stunned by such a beautiful scene. The flickering lights reflected on her cheeks, and suddenly there was hot air blowing past her ears.
"Do you like it now?"
She felt as if she was frozen in place, her whole body suddenly numb, and she almost didn't dare to look up at Xie Zhi's deep eyes.
She turned her face away in a somewhat embarrassed manner, stiffening her neck and saying, "I didn't give you any gift in return!"
Xie Zhi only pursed his lips and chuckled softly, "Asi's gift has been given to me."
Nie Xiangyi was a little confused, but Xie Zhi just stared at her steadily under the light.
It was probably a pleasant surprise that she could come today.
The midnight bell rang at this moment, and a Kongming lantern suddenly rose in the sky, followed by two, three, and countless Kongming lanterns floating high and low in the dark night sky, with bright stars and the sky and the earth were the same color.
"Asi, make a wish." At some point, Xie Zhi took out a Kongming lantern and placed it in front of her.
The lights blocked their view, and she couldn't see Xie Zhi's expression, but she could see his intentions.
Her heart moved slightly, and she suddenly felt a soreness in her nose.
She thought of the white jade mask she had given to the wrong person four years ago, and it seemed as if all her regrets had vanished at that moment. This was perhaps the most unforgettable Lantern Festival she had ever experienced.
She thought, she didn't blame Xie Zhiliao.
Even if he was after the military power of the Zhong family, even if he hid many things from her, there was a moment like this when she seemed unable to blame him.
She looked up at the Kongming lantern gradually rising into the sky and said softly, "Xie Zhi, go find your uncle. He will help you."
From now on, the bridge is the bridge, the road is the road, and Xie Zhi no longer needs to do these things for the military power of the Zhong family.
She didn't look at Xie Zhi, her voice was vague, just like the Kongming lantern slowly rising into the sky.
Xie Zhi's expression suddenly changed slightly, "Ah Si, what do you mean?"
Nie Xiangyi's tone was filled with a hint of loss and relief. "I'm saying, you don't have to try to please me anymore. I'll write a letter and persuade my uncle to help you."
Xie Zhi's eyes suddenly turned cold and fierce. He approached Nie Xiangyi, reached out and grasped her wrist, the light in his eyes almost devouring her.
"Nie Xiangyi, do you think what I did was just flattery with ulterior motives?"
He had just recovered from an illness, and his voice was low and hoarse, filled with questions from an uneasy mood, and even the corners of his eyes were a coral red.
Nie Xiangyi's tone faltered. She seemed a little afraid to look him in the eye. She only lowered her eyes to stare at the tip of her shoes and whispered, "Isn't it?"
It seemed like he was asking Xie Zhi, but also like he was asking himself.
Xie Zhi seemed to be laughing out of anger, his chest heaving violently, "I really don't know if you are stupid or I am stupid."
"You!" Hearing his words, Nie Xiangyi was about to look up to refute, but met his dark eyes, and for a moment he looked at her and wanted to say something.
"Nie Xiangyi, what do you take me for?" He frowned. "The court's support isn't limited to in-laws."
"But they all say so!" Nie Xiangyi looked up at him, his eyes suddenly red. "I don't understand the court, but I do know that in-laws are the greatest help! If Your Highness thinks I'm stupid, why not explain it to me more clearly?"
Xie Zhi seemed somewhat helpless, and could only sigh silently. He reached out and gently stroked the corners of Nie Xiangyi's eyes, where traces of unshed tears were visible.
There are many things that are inconvenient to tell her openly, but he knows where her heart is now, so he can only say softly: "Even without you, the Zhong family will help me."
Nie Xiangyi stared at him in amazement.
"Would you help your enemy?"
She didn't know why he said that and shook her head blankly.
"The same is true for the Zhong family," Xie Zhi said. "The prince killed your grandfather, so how could Zhong Qianyue possibly help him?"
Nie Xiangyi seemed to finally react, "So, uncle will only choose to help you?"
Xie Zhi nodded helplessly.
He looked at Nie Xiangyi, his eyes dazzled by the lights in the sky. "Ah Si, I'm doing this not because of your relationship with the Zhong family, nor because of anything else. It's just because of you. Do you understand?"
Nie Xiangyi's heart suddenly leaped with joy, and she became suddenly delighted because of his simple words.
But she was still uneasy and still couldn't believe it, "I don't quite understand..."
Her voice was low, like a lost kitten. "It was you who said you hated me, and now it's you who's saying these things. How can I tell which is true and which is false?"
As soon as the aggrieved voice fell, it was blocked by Xie Zhi's fierce kiss.
The long-awaited kiss was almost breathless, even the breath was swallowed by Xie Zhi. Nie Xiangyi felt the root of her tongue numb, and even her whole body softened.
She whimpered, asking Xie Zhi to let her go, but he only pressed harder. His tongue swept across every corner of her lips, entwining them as if to leave a mark that belonged only to him.
After an unknown amount of time, Xie Zhi finally let her go. He leaned over to look at her, very close to her, his voice slightly hoarse and low.
"When you took the initiative to kiss me under the fireworks, did you hate me?"
The illusion of lack of oxygen made Nie Xiangyi's mind dizzy, and her ears had already turned crimson. She could only shake her head blankly.
Xie Zhi placed a gentle kiss on her lips again, which was fleeting. "Then I will do the same."
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