Chapter 39: What's the point of continuing this drama?
"Go on?" She stared at him quietly, letting out a soft sigh, her breath barely wiping out. "Since we all know it's fake, what's the point of continuing this show?"
A hint of coldness flashed across the depths of Xiao Chengjing's eyes.
The force between his fingers suddenly loosened, releasing his grip on her, and he sat down beside her.
The next moment, he stretched out his arms, put them around her shoulders, and without saying anything, he pulled her stiff body towards him.
The other hand immediately covered her temples, and with a bit of firmness, he pressed her head against his shoulder.
These…” His voice was calm, without any emotion. “You don’t need to worry about them.”
After saying that, he reached his fingers into her bosom and soon touched the red flower she was hiding close to her body.
His face was as calm as still water. He picked up the color and turned to move it to the candlestick.
He loosened his fingertips, letting the flames lick the flower filaments, and watched them curl up and turn black.
Finally, it turned into a few pieces of ashes and slowly fell down.
Shu Yao originally thought that after such a quarrel, Xiao Chengjing would ignore her for at least ten days or half a month.
Who would have thought that after that day, he would always keep her by his side no matter how big or small the matter was.
If there was something important to discuss, he would go in alone, leaving Cui Jinzhong and Yunxiu to guard her and wait in the carriage outside the courtyard gate.
I always go back as soon as the work is done, without exception.
In short, he would never let her stay out of sight for more than half an hour.
After several attempts, Shu Yao roughly understood what was going on.
It turned out that the wealthy family in charge of grain transport in Jin had tampered with the accounts, turning the imperial grain into private grain, in order to manipulate grain prices, raise private soldiers, and bribe court officials, rendering the court's orders ineffective.
Xiao Chengjing came in person this time, probably to find a reason to legally and reasonably take back the lifeline of the canal transportation from the hands of local tyrants.
After finishing the work that day, Xiao Chengjing lifted his robe and boarded the carriage. After he sat down, he said indifferently, "There will be a banquet at the Cao family. You will dress up as my wife and go with me."
Shu Yao hadn't spoken to him for several days. When she first heard his voice, it seemed a little strange, and then she felt impatient.
Now that the cards have been laid bare, why pretend to be docile?
She simply raised her eyes and asked bluntly, "Okay. But the banquet sounds like a Hongmen Feast. Isn't Your Majesty afraid that I'll take advantage of the chaos and run away?"
Xiao Chengjing simply curled his lips slightly, his tone flat and even, simply stating a fact: "Go ahead and give it a try."
After saying that, he suddenly realized that she had just mentioned the Hongmen Banquet. Could it be that she was worried about him?
He sighed secretly, thinking that it seemed...good that she was willing to speak to him in such a lukewarm way?
The night banquet was held in a waterside pavilion, with gauze curtains rolled up on all sides.
The moonlight is like a silver thread, pouring down all over the room.
When Cao Gong saw the two men enter, a warm smile immediately spread across his face. He tapped his knuckles on the long-prepared register on the coffee table and leaned forward, saying, "I heard that you are a distinguished person from the capital. As it happens, I have a lucrative business opportunity..."
Shu Yao stood quietly aside, and her heart sank as she heard the amount of silver and money increasing all the time.
This wasn't a business negotiation at all. It was obvious that they saw that Xiao Chengjing was a powerful figure and wanted to bribe him.
On the other end, Xiao Chengjing pretended to be silent, shook his head and sighed, "Mr. Cao is so kind... I am really flattered..." He muttered some excuses, but Shu Yao didn't listen carefully.
Just as she was in a trance, she suddenly felt a sticky gaze sweep across her face.
She suddenly raised her eyes and saw a man in brocade clothes staring at her.
That man with those frivolous eyes and eyebrows was actually one of the playboys who had surrounded her in the corridor of the Jin Palace back then?!
Shu Yao's heart suddenly tightened, and she didn't care about anything else. She gently tugged at Xiao Chengjing's sleeve, then raised her hand to cover her lips and whispered in his ear: "The one over there is the one who made things difficult for me in the Jin Palace in the past. His appearance here, I'm afraid the collusion between officials and businessmen here is not ordinary. It's not advisable to stay here for a long time, why not... leave first?" After she finished speaking, she looked up at him, her eyes unconsciously filled with a bit of worry.
Even though she hated Xiao Chengjing very much, she knew better than anyone else that if something happened to him, she would not survive.
Her breath brushed against my ear, and her eyes were filled with worry.
Xiao Chengjing's depression of the past few days seemed to be blown away by a breeze, and most of it dissipated in an instant.
She cared about him after all.
As for the red flower... there must be some hidden reason...
Thinking of this, a smile appeared in his eyes. He leaned closer and said in a relaxed tone, "Why, are you scared now?"
Shu Yao glanced at him, feeling that she was meddling too much. She turned away angrily and muttered softly, "Yes, you must have made arrangements long ago. I'm sorry for being nosy." After a moment of silence, she finally felt uneasy and moved closer to him with a frown. "You've only been showing up as an imperial merchant for a few days. Even if there is a mastermind behind this, he wouldn't show up now given his cunningness. It's better for you to leave first..."
When Xiao Chengjing heard these words, every word was filled with undisguised concern. Far from refuting them, he actually felt a certain enjoyment. He only hoped that she could stay close to him, whispering in his ear, for a little longer.
Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. Seeing Shu Yao whispering to the man beside her, the dandy man's anger flared up. He straightened his robe, picked up a glass of wine, and sauntered forward, feigning surprise. "Huh? This lady looks so familiar. Have we met before?"
Xiao Chengjing's face darkened, and he immediately stretched out his arms to bring Shu Yao into his arms, and protected her by moving sideways without leaving any trace.
His eyes were like knives, and he said firmly, "You've got the wrong person." Then he turned to Cao Gong and nodded slightly, "My wife suddenly feels unwell, so I'm sorry I can't stay with you for long." After that, he gave Cui Jinzhong a look, and he understood what he meant, and he protected Shu Yao and left the table.
Return to the official ship.
The river outside the window was broad and calm, yet Shuyao felt an inexplicable tightness in her heart.
She immediately summoned Cui Jinzhong. "Steward Cui, the river is unusually quiet today." She spoke quickly and quietly, "I'm feeling uneasy. Quickly, pick the most experienced swimmer and have him steer the boat to the center of the river. The rest of you, follow me off the boat immediately!"
Cui Jinzhong looked embarrassed and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me for being too talkative. Your Majesty repeatedly instructed you to wait in the cabin before leaving. The river is calm now, perhaps it's just too early and the boat hasn't arrived yet..."
"It's definitely not a coincidence!" Shu Yao interrupted abruptly, her eyes piercing Cui Jinzhong, "Go and make arrangements quickly, there must be no mistakes!"
Seeing she was determined, Cui Jinzhong knew it was useless to persuade her. With guards everywhere and the Empress alone, he figured nothing could go wrong. He said no more, bowed his head, and replied, "Yes," before immediately passing on the order.
Shu Yao hurriedly got off the boat with several guards.
The group had just walked out of the dock and was only a stone's throw away when they heard a loud noise like muffled thunder coming from the center of the river.
Looking back, I saw that the tall official ship had tilted.
But in the blink of an eye, the ship sank into the water, leaving behind only a huge whirlpool that kept rolling.
A chill suddenly ran over my head.
The other party acted so cruelly...
On Xiao Chengjing's side...
She seemed to be standing at a crossroads, one road led to Cao's mansion, and the other road led to freedom.
Remembering what happened to her when she saved him twice before, she bit her lip hard and almost tasted a hint of blood.
Shu Yao's face turned pale, but she forced herself to hold her voice steady as she said to Cui Jinzhong in a decisive tone, "Go to Cao's mansion! Quickly!"
The Cao Mansion was brightly lit with candles.
Xiao Chengjing's hand with distinct knuckles was pressing a military token.
Cao Gong opposite him was sweating profusely, but he just wiped his forehead with his sleeve and agreed in a trembling voice.
Suddenly, a soldier came hurriedly to report that the lady's carriage had arrived outside the mansion.
When Shu Yao rushed to Cao's house.
A large number of palace guards have surrounded the entire mansion like an iron barrel.
Just as he was about to order the guards to clear the way, he saw a red-robed official walking towards him quickly.
Only then did they realize that Xiao Chengjing had already deployed an internal supporter and had quietly taken control of the entire Cao Mansion.
Shu Yao secretly gritted her teeth and regretted it.
She missed the perfect opportunity to escape.
Just as he was reluctantly entering, he was led to the study.
Xiao Chengjing looked up and saw that it was her. A trace of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then they lit up faintly, and he blurted out: "What are you..."
Before he finished speaking, the restrained dandy in the corner suddenly struggled and jumped up, staring at Shu Yao intently, and shouted hoarsely: "It really is you! Back then in the Jin Palace..."
A flash of cold light appeared.
Before he could finish the rest of his sentence, the scabbard of the imperial guard beside him slammed heavily into his knee. He groaned and fell to the ground, his jaw hitting the tile so hard that he could not make another sound.
Xiao Chengjing's eyes flashed, as if his words reminded him of something.
He raised his hand and drew the sword from the palace soldier's waist, walked slowly forward, and placed the tip of the sword precisely against the throat of the dandy in brocade clothes, and slowly pushed forward.
A faint whimper came from the throat of the dandy man in brocade clothes, and blood gushed out from the corner of his mouth.
Soon, his head drooped limply.
Xiao Chengjing then drew back his long sword and calmly wiped the blood off the blade with the help of the opponent's brocade clothes.
Shu Yao subconsciously took a half step back.
A fishy-sweet taste surged in her throat, but she forced herself to swallow it.
Seeing life disappearing before her eyes was certainly frightening to her.
But what shocked her even more was that she completely understood why Xiao Chengjing wanted to kill people.
She began to fear that one day she would become indifferent to life and death.
"Why?" She raised her eyes, her voice trembling slightly. "...Why take his life?"
Xiao Chengjing did not answer immediately.
He wiped the blood from his fingertips with a silk handkerchief and casually threw the blood-stained handkerchief on the corpse.
His eyes passed over Shu Yao's pale face, but he didn't linger for a moment. He just ordered those around him lightly: "Clean it up." It seemed as if her questioning, along with the life that had just disappeared, were so insignificant that they were not worth his attention.
Everyone is out.
The room suddenly became quiet.
He stood in front of her, his figure taller in the candlelight, completely enveloping her.
"Such a great opportunity." He spoke in a slow, emotionless voice, only his hands unconsciously clenched behind his back. "Why didn't you run away, but came back instead?"
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