Chapter 87 Going to Xuzhou is never in a rush; let my senior sister see me first…
Xu Cai, who had just returned from the Censorate, had an inescapable weariness and dejection between his brows, as if he had not had a proper rest for many days, or as if he had suffered a defeat and his heart was ashen, his face carrying a sense of stagnation.
His eyes were sunken, and his cheeks had become much thinner. Even if he wanted to hide it, he couldn't.
Seeing the familiar and intimate manner between the two, Ah Hui was not surprised.
This was not the first time he had met Xu Cai, and he was well aware of the relationship between Xu Cai and Lang Xi.
Two years ago, Xu Cai and his elder brother Xu Jingyang would make two trips to Huaiyuan every year, specifically to visit Langxi.
They had known each other since they were infants, growing up together as childhood sweethearts. Langxi had always treated Xu Cai with great affection, almost like a younger brother.
Therefore, Ah Hui didn't think much of it, but a look of surprise clearly crossed Lang Xi's face.
Her marriage to Xu Jingyang had already been arranged with the witness of their elders. Now that her birthday had passed, she was just waiting for Xu Jingyang to find the time to choose an auspicious day for the wedding.
Although she and Xu Cai had known each other for many years, they were both quite young when they were children, so some formalities might not have been necessary.
Now that they are both adults, the difference between men and women must be respected. Moreover, she is his future sister-in-law, so the two of them should be mindful of their boundaries and maintain an appropriate distance.
She raised her hand and placed it against Xu Cai's armored chest, using her wrist slightly to push him away a little, subtly widening the distance between them.
When she looked up at him, she had switched to an older sister's tone, half reproachful and half serious: "You little rascal, if you dare to call me by my name again, I'll really teach you a lesson."
Xu Cai naturally noticed her deliberate distancing, and a hint of disappointment flashed across her eyes, but she quickly put on her usual relaxed demeanor, concealing her inner emotions remarkably well.
He suppressed the pain he had been carrying all along, his brows furrowed with a roguish air, completely devoid of the stern look he had given as the leader of the camp. A smile played on his lips: "Axi, it doesn't matter if you want to punish me. You're only a month older than me. Didn't I often call you that when we were kids?"
“But that was when we were little. Now we’re both adults, and it’s time to call her ‘elder sister’.” After saying that, she noticed that his complexion wasn’t good, so she softened her tone and asked considerately, “You look much worse than before. Is something wrong at the camp?”
Xu Cai's gaze faltered for a moment, then vanished in an instant, so fast that even someone as perceptive as Lang Xi didn't notice anything amiss.
"I've been busy in the palace since yesterday, and I'm so tired that my back aches. I probably haven't slept well." He greeted Ah Hui and replied to her casually, as if he had been in the palace for a long time.
Xu Cai was not good at deception, but after years of working in the palace, he had seen many demons and monsters, and had honed his skills in feigning sincerity to perfection.
He can now speak against his conscience with a calm demeanor and steady voice, as if he were telling the truth. This skill of deception has long been his means of survival.
In Jian'an, the more open and honest you are, the faster you will die.
Langxi did not doubt his statement.
It should be known that the Wuwei Battalion is the Imperial Guard, specifically responsible for guarding the palace. Last year, he was promoted to General of the Palace Guard, a fifth-rank military position, but for someone from a humble background to achieve such a rank was already a remarkable honor. The palace is a crucial place, requiring tireless work day and night, and being overwhelmed with paperwork is to be expected.
To prevent her from asking further questions, he changed the subject, saying, "Why didn't you write to let me know in advance that you were coming, Axi? I could have come to pick you up."
Langxi stopped joking with him and stated her main purpose for coming.
She said, "You've met my junior sister Qiqi. She was kidnapped and brought to Jian'an on her way to Longdao to buy saltpeter..."
After speaking for a moment, she glanced around, cautiously pulled Xu Cai aside, and continued the sentence she hadn't finished saying.
"The person who abducted her to Jian'an was Gu Xiangzhi, the Junior Supervisor of the Imperial Horse Administration. Does Wenji recognize this person?"
Hearing that it was Gu Xiangzhi who had done such a thing, Xu Cai was not surprised. Everyone knew that the Imperial Horse Administration was the emperor's lackey; they only served the emperor and didn't care about anyone else.
But what could the Imperial Stables do by kidnapping a monk?
He didn't hear his subordinates say that a Taoist had entered the palace.
Langxi knew he had questions, so she told him everything that Wuxiang had overheard.
Upon learning that Gu Xiangzhi had dared to replace the princess, Xu Cai was astonished, never expecting that he would dare to commit such a heinous crime as the extermination of three generations of his family.
However, he then thought that Prime Minister Gu was all alone and didn't have that many people in his family to kill.
Although he had always disapproved of the way the Imperial Horse Administration operated, at this moment he was somewhat envious of Gu Xiangzhi. With nothing to his name and no ties, he didn't need to worry too much and could do whatever he wanted.
Knowing that Yu Nie is now an imposter Princess Shunhe, he could easily find her for Lang Xi and the others based on that alone.
He reassured Langxi, saying, "I heard that Princess Shunhe is staying at Hongzheng Pavilion, which is a bit far from the Wuwei Camp. It's almost curfew, and if we go looking for her now, it will inevitably attract attention."
He discussed with them, "How about we go again tomorrow? Ah Xi, you and Ah Hui, see if that's feasible?"
Jian'an was, after all, under the emperor's nose, so the security was naturally stricter.
Langxi found his reasoning sound and, along with Ahui, agreed.
It always feels a bit strange to talk from outside the camp.
Xu Caiyan said, "Look at me, I was so excited that I forgot to lead you inside to sit down." As he spoke, he stepped aside to lead them inside, saying, "Axi, Ahui, come in quickly. I have some excellent Longjing tea after the rain, which was bestowed by the Empress Dowager. I originally intended to send it to Huaiyuan, but since you are here, you can cook it and have a taste together."
Before Langxi could utter her refusal, seeing Xu Cai's high spirits, she hesitated to speak, always feeling soft-hearted towards her younger brother.
She didn't refuse, but something was on her mind: the curfew was strictly enforced. She and Ah Hui still had to return to the inn together, and if they were late, they might get into trouble.
Xu Cai understood her best and knew her concerns. Before she could voice her worries, he said, "Axi, don't worry. I have a pass token here, and the patrolling soldiers are all familiar brothers. I will personally escort you back to the inn later. I guarantee everything will be safe and sound."
Hearing him say that, Langxi's hesitation finally dissipated.
She turned and exchanged a glance with Ah Hui, who nodded in agreement. Without further hesitation, she followed Xu Cai into the camp.
The position of General of the Palace Guard was responsible for both the palace guards and the outer defenses of Jian'an. Xu Cai frequently traveled back and forth between the two.
In the places where they were stationed, the generals all had their own sleeping tents, which were divided into office and living areas, and Xu Cai was no exception.
However, when it was not his turn to be on duty, or when the affairs of the camp were not so busy, he could go back to his home in the capital to rest.
He led Langxi and the others into the tent, and ordered the soldiers to brew some tea and remove the fruits from the table, replacing them with fresh ones.
After receiving the order, the soldiers quickly left the camp.
Langxi sat down in the tent, his gaze slowly sweeping over his surroundings. The tent was furnished very simply, with only a wooden bed covered with a mattress, a few everyday items, a desk for work, and a weapon rack placed against the right side of the tent.
The top was densely covered with all kinds of weapons: fire-tipped spears over ten feet long, sharpened longswords, and gleaming short swords. In the corner, there were also several crossbows, with the white feathers of the arrows in the quiver faintly visible.
It's called a weapons rack, but it looks more like a small armory.
After Xu Cai sat down opposite him, Lang Xi looked at the weapons gleaming coldly on the weapon rack and recalled the past.
She smiled gently and said softly, "I still remember how you loved to play with these swords and spears when you were little, using wooden poles as spears and chasing the chickens and ducks in the yard. And now you've become a general in the Wuwei Battalion, which can be considered as fulfilling your childhood dream. If Uncle Xu is watching from heaven, he will surely be happy for your writings."
Xu Cai smiled, a touch of youthful nostalgia in her eyes: "Axi remembers it clearly. Back then, my father always scolded me for being uneducated and good-for-nothing, saying I'd never amount to anything by dabbling in martial arts. He hoped I would study hard and become a wise and virtuous scholar."
“Back then, I always went against him, and several times I provoked him to use family discipline on me, leaving me covered in bruises. If it weren’t for my brother protecting me, I probably would have been beaten even more badly…”
He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, a wave of pain washing over him and despair seeping into his bones like the wind.
Langxi and Ahui both looked at him, as if waiting for him to continue.
He secretly clenched his fist under the table before continuing, "If it weren't for my brother protecting me, I might have been beaten to death long ago."
Langxi was unaware of his abnormality, but the mention of Xu Jingyang revealed her unease.
As she recounted her trip to the Secretariat yesterday, she was filled with doubts: "Speaking of which, I went to look for him at the place where he was in office yesterday, but the guard outside told me that he was no longer in the Secretariat and had gone somewhere else."
With hope in her eyes, she looked intently at Xu Cai opposite her: "Does Wenji know where your brother has been transferred to?"
I can't answer that.
This was a question that Xu Cai couldn't answer.
He couldn't tell her where Xu Jingyang had gone.
This was too cruel for her.
He looked into her eyes, his throat extremely dry as he moved his throat up and down.
At first, he opened his mouth but no sound came out. It wasn't until the second time that a sound escaped from his throat.
“My brother was sent to Xuzhou to collect historical materials a few days ago, so he has not been in the Secretariat these days.”
Fearing she wouldn't believe him, he quickly added, "What do the subordinates know? They've seen that my brother hasn't been there for several days, so they must think he's been transferred."
He comforted her, "Axi, don't worry. I'll quickly write a letter and have someone send it to Xuzhou by fast horse so that he can finish his official business and come back as soon as possible."
Upon hearing that Xu Jingyang had gone to the distant Xuzhou, Lang Xi's newly ignited hope was instantly extinguished, and his heart was filled with disappointment.
They were already separated for long periods of time, and each time they met, they had to wait across vast distances.
Having finally arrived in Jian'an, she was filled with anticipation, hoping to meet him and tell him everything she had been holding back. But things turned out so unfortunate.
Ultimately, business was the priority, and all disappointment had to be suppressed.
She only hoped that by the time she found Yu Nie, he would have returned from Xuzhou and she could see him.
She shook her head: "Let's forget it. Compiling history is a matter of merit and demerit for generations to come, and we can't be careless in the slightest. I'll just wait for him in Jian'an and wait for his return."
Feeling uneasy, Xu Cai quickly changed the subject upon hearing her words, asking, "So, Axi, how long will you be staying in Jian'an?"
Ah Hui made a gesture: "Once we find Qiqi, we'll go back."
After finishing the competition, he looked at Lang Xi and then made a gesture: "But it doesn't matter. There's no rush. We can go back after Senior Sister has met Brother Jingyang."
After saying that, he laughed, his handsome face showing a hint of naivety: "It just so happens that I've never been to Jian'an before, and I was just thinking of taking a good look at the liveliness of this imperial city."
"Moreover, I heard from the storyteller in the teahouse that the palace is very magnificent. Since we're here, we should at least go and see it. Even if it's just a few glances from afar or a stroll around, it will make the trip worthwhile and give us a feast for the eyes."
When Xu Cai heard him say that, she asked him, "Ah Hui, do you want to see the palace?"
Ah Hui nodded.
Xu Cai said, "I may not have any other skills, but now that we're in Jian'an, taking you into the palace is no problem for me."
He was originally the leader of the Imperial Guard, in charge of the palace guards. Bringing someone into the palace was as easy as picking up an ant.
Ah Hui looked somewhat embarrassed, thinking that she didn't want to bother him too much.
Xu Cai was very enthusiastic, and her tone was so earnest that he couldn't refuse any longer, so he finally smiled and agreed.
-----------------------
Author's note: I originally wanted to write 6,000 words, but I missed it. I'll try to write 6,000 words tomorrow.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
