"If that's the case, why did Jun Qingcheng travel all the way to Shanghe Village?" Su Hua frowned slightly.
"Moreover, when you were still an infant, Xiao Zhong and his wife brought you to Shanghe Village. Jun Qingcheng should have never seen you before, so why does she act like she knows you well today?"
“I also find this a bit strange. I’ve never met her before, and this should be the first time we’ve met in Shanghe Village.” The man shook his head. “Unless, the Prince of Yan and his wife have shown her a portrait of Xiao Hongyu, after all, I look very much like Xiao Hongyu.”
Although they were reluctant to admit it, the reason why both his uncle and grandfather recognized him at first glance was precisely because of his face, which looked remarkably like Xiao Hongyu's.
When Xiao Hongyu was young, his appearance was one of the best in the capital, and many families kept his portrait.
"Very similar?" Su Hua raised an eyebrow. "How similar could they be? Could it be that Da Bai looks like his father, and Da Niu looks like her mother?"
When Xiao Jinhan saw that she compared herself to a tiger, he just smiled indulgently, "Perhaps that's right. After all, you can't have two different colors of tigers in one den. When Da Niu and Da Bai grow up, they will probably be just like their tiger parents. They will be very cute, just as cute as Hua'er."
The girl snorted softly, glancing silently at the four balls sprawled out and sleeping soundly in the space. "Big Girl and Big White aren't home right now, so you've really hit a brick wall with your flattery."
"Yes, then when Da Niu and Da Bai return, please have Hua'er tell the two little ones to make sure the flattery is on the right track." The man chuckled, then tightened his grip on his large, clenched fist.
"The timing is inconvenient today; the Emperor's men who were guarding the village's edge just left. Tomorrow at dawn, I will send someone to escort Jun Qingcheng back to the capital, is that alright?"
"His Majesty's men have been guarding the end of the village all this time?" Su Hua was astonished when she heard half of it.
"Didn't Eunuch Gao's messenger team return to the capital after delivering the imperial decree? But they secretly left someone at the end of the village. What is His Majesty trying to do?"
Xiao Jinhan shook his head helplessly, "His Majesty is good in every way, except that he is a bit gossipy. Because he has some doubts about the relationship between us, he sent two of his personal guards to observe at the end of the village."
Su Hua was slightly taken aback. "His Majesty is Princess Mingzhu's uncle. Could it be that he is trying to support Princess Mingzhu?"
Moreover, the martial arts skills of these Imperial Guards are simply too good.
Her five senses were always extremely sharp, yet she didn't notice anything. Fortunately, she was always cautious in her actions. This time, when she went to Fuhu Mountain to take out the wild buffalo and goat, she went to a cave to do so. Otherwise, she would have been caught red-handed without even realizing it.
“No.” Xiao Jinhan smiled. “His Majesty is not one to meddle in other people’s business, and he never interferes in the affairs of the younger generation. His actions today must be related to the older generation, but have nothing to do with Jun Qingcheng.”
Seeing that he was unwilling to say more, Su Hua did not ask any further questions. The emperor's thoughts were as deep as the sea, and she could not fathom them.
Then, he recalled the question he had asked earlier that day: "I asked you to exchange sweet potatoes for protection for the Su family, so why did it end up with me being made a county lord and being granted the entire Qingshui County as my fiefdom?"
The man's lips curled into a smile that deepened. "Because Hua'er deserves it."
Su Hua's lips twitched. "Did you put honey on your lips before you came?"
"Whether it's been coated with honey or not, Hua'er will know once she tastes it." The man smiled and moved a little closer to Su Hua.
The man's hot breath hit her face. Looking at his exquisitely sculpted face, Su Hua's heart skipped a beat. She quickly stood up and took a few steps to the side.
Changing the subject, "You just said that you would send someone to escort Jun Qingcheng back to the capital tomorrow, but I'm afraid that won't be easy."
"Her legs are her own; even if you knock her unconscious and stuff her into a carriage, she can still walk back. Although the capital isn't close to Shanghe Village, it only takes about half a month to get there."
Regardless of gender, anyone who is handsome is likely to attract attention. Before this man's leg was healed, Gao Ruhua from Gaojiatun had only seen him once and was already eager to cling to him.
Not to mention that his right leg has now recovered, and Jun Qingcheng knows his background, so how could she give up so easily?
In the time of Yu the Great, when girls were thirteen or fourteen, their families would start looking for suitable husbands for them. Jun Qingcheng was eighteen years old, but she was still unmarried, which was probably because of him.
Xiao Jinhan's hand was suddenly empty, and a hint of worry appeared between his brows. "If we don't send them away, then according to Hua'er's opinion, what's the best way to handle this?"
"I don't know about that." Su Hua waved her hand. "Never mind, let's not talk about that for now. You've come at the right time. I have something to give you."
After saying that, she turned around and walked behind the bed. She took out a letter box from the cabinet, which was actually from her spatial storage, and handed it to the man. She said slowly, "Not long ago, Xiao Jinyan was captured by Liu Lin's men. Old Mrs. Xiao came to our house to beg for help. This box is the exchange reward for saving Xiao Jinyan."
The box was full of letters. I glanced at them; they seemed to be correspondence between Xiao Zhong and Qu Feiqing. Take a look; you might find them useful.
“I’ve already seen all of these. Just burn them.” Xiao Jinhan glanced down at the wooden box, then looked at the girl again, his eyes filled with even more tenderness. “However, I’m very happy that Hua’er is thinking of me in every way.”
"You've seen it all?" Su Hua was taken aback, and shrank back the wooden box. It would be such a waste to burn it; it might come in handy later.
Anyway, she has plenty of space, so putting a mailbox in there is no problem.
The girl stroked the letter box with both hands, unable to contain her curiosity: "Tell me, why did Consort Qu go to such lengths to switch you with Xiao Zhong and his wife, and then keep writing letters to them every year? What was she doing all this for?"
"Hua'er wants to ask why Consort Qu would want to spare my life, right?" Xiao Jinhan looked at the light in the girl's eyes, a helpless smile playing on his lips.
Su Hua nodded noncommittally.
Indeed, in this world, only the dead are truly safe.
However, for Qu Feiqing, my death wouldn't bring her much joy. Instead, she would be content if I lived a mediocre, even miserable, life without family or love.
Su Hua pursed her lips for a long while, "Could it be that she has a grudge against your mother?"
“Hua’er really understands things immediately.” Xiao Jinhan lowered his eyebrows slightly. “Actually, to be precise, it shouldn’t be called hatred. At least, before my mother passed away, she and my mother not only showed no hatred, but their relationship was actually very good.”
My mother had only two close female friends in her life: one was the current Princess Consort of Yan, and the other was Consort Qu.
However, until her death, she never imagined that this close friend would marry her husband shortly after her death and take her child in exchange.
Su Hua was shocked to hear this; it turned out that her close friend had stolen her husband.
If Yu Heng knew this in the afterlife, he would probably not be able to rest in peace.
“Let’s not talk about these upsetting things.” Xiao Jinhan turned around, took out an exquisite wooden box from the windowsill, and said gently, “These are the clothes and jewelry I bought for you from Tianyi Pavilion and Tianshi Shop. I heard they are their new seasonal items. Take a look and see if you like them.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
