Chapter 139 Approaching Closer: "Will you continue to stand by my side, or...?"
Given the current situation, Xiao Chengyan's chances of survival are slim if he stays in Jian'an.
Since he was put in confinement, even the Empress Dowager has no power over Zhao Yunfu. Who else can protect him?
Zhao Hua Ruo had also secretly tried to visit him and plead for him before the emperor, but to no avail. Instead, she angered Zhao Yunfu, who said that as a princess of Bei Ye, she only had an outsider in her heart and had disgraced the royal family.
In the past, Zhao Huaruo might have been able to influence her brother's decisions through the Gao family's influence.
Things are different now; everything changes too fast. Without any backing, she had no choice but to give up.
However, Zhao Huaruo also approached Yu Nie, asking her to think of a solution.
Just as Huan Xun asked at this moment, she did indeed intend to rescue Xiao Chengyan and return him to Nan Yin.
After a moment of silence, she spoke, turning her head to look at the person beside her: "Of course we should send him back."
Besides their respective identities, they also had a friendship, and she wouldn't abandon him just because of his current choice.
Huan Xun was not surprised by the decision made by those around him.
Right now, that's not what he cares about most.
The streets were brightly lit and bustling with people, while the moon was bright and the stars were few. Looking up, all one could see was the pitch-black night sky.
They walked side by side for a while longer. He turned to look at her and then asked, "Aren't you angry that Xiao Chengyan made such a choice?"
Yu Nie shook his head: "There's nothing to be angry about. What he said makes sense. Everyone has their own ambitions. I can't demand that he follow my plan."
Upon hearing this, he immediately asked the question he most wanted to ask: "What if it were me?"
The probing in his tone was not obvious, and Yu Nie did not notice it.
Not understanding the meaning behind his words for a moment, Yu Nie stopped and looked at him in confusion: "What?"
Following her steps, Huan Xun also stopped.
He gazed at her, smiling faintly: "What I mean is, if one day you discover that I never intended to negotiate, and that my goal from beginning to end was to overthrow Nan Yin, what would you do?"
"Will they continue to stand by my side, or... become my enemy?"
Although she didn't know why he would suddenly ask that question, Yu Nie still carefully considered the answer.
"I don't know." After a long silence, she honestly expressed her inner turmoil.
If he didn't actually intend to negotiate, she would definitely feel confused at first.
She said, "If what you say is true, I will ask you two questions first."
Huan Xun: "What's the problem?"
She pondered for a moment, then spoke: "First question, why didn't you tell me the truth from the beginning? Second, is your reluctance to negotiate for the sake of justice or personal grudges?"
“If your answer can convince me,” she looked up at him, her gaze firm and clear, “then perhaps my sword will not be pointed at you.”
Hearing her reply, his eyes, which held a hint of mockery, curved into two handsome arcs, and a few low chuckles escaped his throat.
He raised his voice: "It seems I still have a glimmer of hope."
Before she could fully grasp the hidden meaning in his words, he tilted his head slightly and looked at her with a hint of teasing in his eyes: "Those two questions you asked just now were so sharp, could it be... that you had already considered this possibility?"
Yu Nie immediately shook her head: "I didn't."
He knew, of course, that she hadn't thought that way; he was just joking with her when he asked.
She explained herself, "I only answered that way because you suddenly asked me that question."
He laughed, leaned closer, and lowered his voice, which carried a hint of flattery: "My wife is right, it was my fault, I will definitely not do it again next time."
He paused, then quickly changed his words, his tone as serious as if he were making a promise: "No, it should be, there will never be a next time."
When he spoke, his eyes and brows seemed to be covered with a layer of fine light, making him extremely gentle.
Gazing into his smiling eyes, Yu Nie's heart skipped a beat. Her ears turned red as she avoided his gaze, forcing herself to remain calm as she turned and continued walking forward.
She said in a haughty tone, "Who told you to admit you were wrong?"
Seeing this, Huan Xun stepped forward and followed.
As night deepened, after passing the busiest street, there were fewer people on the road than before.
They planned to change back into their own clothes first, and then he would take her back to her residence.
As they walked side by side toward the place where Xie Cheng was waiting for them in Cuiwei, Yu Nie pondered how to help Xiao Chengyan escape his predicament and return safely to Nanyin.
The two of them carefully considered every feasible plan.
As they were talking, Huan Xun's clothes were suddenly tugged gently.
He paused and looked down, and Yu Nie followed suit. He saw a little girl carrying a flower basket looking up and holding up a newly woven osmanthus bracelet: "Brother, buy a bunch of flowers, they smell so good, you can give them to your sweetheart."
Upon hearing this, Huan Xun glanced at the person beside him, but unexpectedly, their eyes met, and the latter quickly looked away.
He coughed lightly, bent down to be at eye level with the girl, and as he took the bracelet, a few clusters of delicate osmanthus blossoms fell into his palm.
"It suits your clothes very well today." He looked up at her.
As he spoke, he stood up, took her wrist, and his fingers brushed lightly against her skin, sending a shiver of slight tickling through her.
The sweet fragrance of osmanthus wafted through the air, lingering between them.
After tying the flower wreath, he lifted her wrist, looked her over, and said, "It suits you very well."
Yu Nie was embarrassed to take it off and was about to do so when he noticed her movement and reached out to stop her.
"Consider this my advance deposit." A sly yet gentle light flickered in his eyes. "If I offend you in the future, I hope that for the sake of this wreath, you will listen to me a little more."
This scene left the little girl speechless with astonishment.
At this moment, Yu Nie is still disguised as a man; in the little girl's eyes, she is clearly a man.
Even though she had seen homosexuals in brothels, she didn't make a big fuss about it.
As if seeing a business opportunity, the little girl handed the last flower wreath to Yu Nie and said, "Brother, buy one for this brother too, so you can make a pair."
They knew that the little girl had clearly mistaken Yu Nie for a boy.
Huan Xun took out a silver ingot from his waist to pay, then took the last flower wreath from her hand and solemnly explained, "This is not an older brother, but an older sister."
The little girl blinked her big, dark eyes and tilted her head in confusion as she looked at Yu Nie.
A moment later, her face flushed red, and she scratched her head sheepishly, muttering softly, "I made a mistake. I saw you were dressed as a boy and thought you were a young man. I'm so sorry..."
Yu Nie smiled gently and patted the little girl's hair: "It's alright, it's all because of this outfit."
The little girl held the silver in her hands, apologized repeatedly, and then ran away with her small flower basket.
Holding the osmanthus bracelet, he watched the little girl walk away, then turned and took her wrist, placing the bracelet in her palm.
"Please, my lady..." He gazed at her, offering his wrist to her, his voice low and alluring, "Would you please put it on me too?"
Yu Nie lowered her eyes to look at the wrist he was offering her, and let out a soft hum.
She took the osmanthus blossoms, but didn't rush to do anything. Instead, she met his smiling gaze and waved them in front of him.
"Help you put it on, sir?" She raised her eyebrows, mimicking his tone from before: "There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. I wonder how much I'll get paid from you, Vice Minister?"
His smile deepened at her "counterattack," and he readily replied, "What reward does my wife desire?"
She didn't give an immediate answer, keeping everyone in suspense.
She lifted his wrist and slowly wrapped the flower around it.
After securing the last knot, she clapped her hands and said cheerfully, "All done."
Huan Xun looked at the already tied flower wreath, then at her: "My lady hasn't named a price yet."
Yu Nie crossed her arms and said, "This one I'm wearing is worth a thousand gold pieces. My lord owes me a thousand taels of gold."
"Is this a forced sale?" He laughed at her "honey trap" tactic.
Someone held up one finger and shook it from side to side: "No, no, this is a clearly marked price."
She thought he was going to say something more, but all she heard him say was, "Isn't it a worthwhile deal to exchange a thousand pieces of gold for my wife to personally put flowers on my head?"
Upon hearing that he accepted all of this, she added, "You'd even accept a rich man?"
"To have my wife wear this herself..." He gently grasped her outstretched fingers and leaned closer, "I wouldn't trade it for a fortune."
His hands were dry and hot, and she couldn't pull them away for a moment. She turned her face away, her ears burning slightly, and said in a deliberately indifferent tone, "...You're so glib. Interest will be calculated separately. You'll owe me a lot of money."
He chuckled softly, and instead of letting go, he gently pulled her hand as she tried to pull away, pressing their wrists, both adorned with osmanthus bracelets, together.
Golden flower shadows intertwine and sway in the night, making it impossible to tell which fragrance is more alluring.
He looked at their intertwined wrists and said slowly and deliberately, "Since my wife wants to be my wife, why should I worry about owing you this little debt?"
The blush on the tips of her ears and cheeks became more pronounced, and the distance between them was so close that he could see the fine downy hairs on her face.
“No matter how much I owe, I will repay my wife some every day.” His warm breath brushed against her eyelashes: “In this way, I can see my creditor every day.”
The moment he finished speaking, Yu Nie heard his heart pounding faster and faster, each beat striking his eardrums.
A gentle breeze carries a sweet fragrance.
Huan Xun's deep eyes had calmed down at some point, transforming into a focus she had never seen before, leaving a deep imprint on her eyes.
His gaze moved slowly, like invisible fingers, tracing her slender eyebrows, clean eyes, and delicate nose, finally settling on her full, rosy lips, which were lightly coated with lip rouge.
The burning heat in his gaze made her cheeks involuntarily flush.
As she looked back, he gently raised his hand, his knuckles brushing against her cheek, a subtle itch spreading through her skin as he touched her cheek.
He approached slowly, giving her ample room to retreat, but her feet seemed nailed to the spot by the thick night and the fragrance of flowers, unable to move at all, only able to see the handsome face in front of her getting closer and closer.
His warm breath drew closer, mingling with her slightly disordered breathing, and the sweet fragrance of osmanthus in the air became even more intense and intoxicating.
With her free hand, she nervously gripped her sleeve and lowered her eyelashes.
Just as their lips were about to touch, the sound of hurried carriages and horses suddenly rang out from the street corner. The thunderous hooves, coming from afar, shattered the tranquility of the place.
Huan Xun reacted quickly, instinctively pulling Yu Nie into his arms and retreating swiftly to the roadside under the eaves, using his body to shield her in a safe corner.
A horse-drawn carriage with a command flag flying over it sped past them.
After the person left, silence returned to the surroundings.
The intense, almost palpable ambiguity was shattered by this sudden interruption.
He turned to look at her. Yu Nie looked slightly flustered, coughed lightly, and came out from behind him.
As if to ease the awkwardness, she looked in the direction where the horses had disappeared and asked, "That was...?"
Hearing her say this, Huan Xun felt a pang of disappointment and followed her gaze: "An urgent battle report, the direction it's heading is straight for the palace..."
He paused for a moment, then said, "It seems something has happened in the northern border region."
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