Chapter 70 He doesn’t have the habit of eavesdropping. The vermilion palace in the palace…
The vermilion walls of the palace looked even more eerie under the shadow of the moonlight, and Yun Yang shuddered.
Xue Yu raised the corner of his lips, lifted the corner of his robe and squatted in front of her, "Come up, I'll carry you."
Yun Yang was stunned and quickly waved his hands. "No need, let's just walk faster. Or maybe run? It's so eerie, I think just running out should be enough."
"Yangyang may not know that there are many rules in the palace. You must be careful with your words and actions. This also includes walking steadily and not running." Xue Yu said, repeating, "Come up."
Yun Yang had no choice but to grit her teeth and climb onto his back.
He walked slowly, holding her arms tightly and letting her hug his neck.
The two of them were so close that the fear in her heart disappeared in an instant, and her eyes and heart were filled with him.
This kind of closeness seems stolen, and perhaps it will only happen this time.
She hugged him tight.
"Why are you still so light? Just like before." Xue Yu said gently, his black boots stepping on the stone pavement, and he wanted to walk slower with each step. "Don't hide from me."
Yun Yang rested her chin on his shoulder. "I'm not avoiding you. It's just like usual. Brother-in-law, you live your life, and I have mine."
"You have no conscience, yet you still call me brother-in-law." Xue Yu said this out of the blue, his words full of grievance. "You kissed me, and you still expect me to treat you the same as before?"
"...You kissed me!" Yun Yang said.
He weighed her, "Yes. How can a brother-in-law and sister-in-law be so affectionate? Yunyang, I no longer consider you my sister-in-law. I'm not trying to be frivolous with you, but I want to marry you. You saw tonight that if you became Madam Xue, not many people would gossip about you. They have never met your sister, nor do they know that the Yun family has two daughters. All I want is you, I want you to be my wife, the sister-in-law of Xue Jin and the others, and the granddaughter-in-law of my grandmother. It has nothing to do with your sister. I don't want to have two wives."
First, let her abandon the identity of his "brother-in-law", and then take it slowly. Tonight, he specially sat with her and showed her in front of everyone, just to let others see that she was by his side and that she was his future wife.
The night was thick and seemed to have no end. The aisles were quiet and it seemed as if they were the only two people in the world.
Xue Yu's confession was calm, with the casualness of an everyday greeting, and there was no intention of forcing her to express her feelings now. Yun Yang's anxiety calmed down a little, and was replaced by a surge of sweetness, but this sweetness was also shameful.
No one knew that the Yun family had two daughters, and perhaps no one would care to find out who he married.
But she knows.
She couldn't explain to her sister.
"Don't let your imagination run wild," Xue Yu said. She leaned obediently against him, her embroidered shoes swinging back and forth on either side of him. His heart was calmer than ever before. "When Yun Jia comes back, I'll marry you in a formal ceremony, okay?"
"Lu Jie has returned to Beijing, right? Can you arrange for me to meet him?" Yun Yang asked.
Xue Yu was stunned. He hadn't expected her to still be thinking about Lu Jie at this moment. Could it be that she and Lu Jie were truly in love and inseparable? Thinking of this, he felt an indescribable pain in his heart. He wanted to reject her outright, but his rationality, acquired through years of experience in the officialdom, told him he couldn't do that.
The more you don't let her see you, the more she will miss you. At this time, you need to advance before you retreat.
He didn't believe that he couldn't beat Lu Jie.
If she really saw him and Lu Jie standing together, the winner would be immediately apparent.
"Sure." Xue Yu said, his expression somewhat grim, and he said with great restraint, "When does Yangyang want to go?"
"...Now?" Yun Yang jumped off him and forced a smile. "Is it okay?"
Xue Yu turned away and closed his eyes, hiding his jealousy and resentment. After a while, he said, "It's too late tonight. It's hard to arrange it. Let's do it tomorrow."
*
On the second day, Yun Yang went to the Lu family early in the morning to ask Mrs. Lu for something to bring to Lu Jie, and then returned to the Xue Mansion and stood at the door waiting for Xue Yu.
The winter wind was biting, and Yun Yang shrank his neck due to the cold. The young man not far away dimmed his eyes and quickened his pace.
"Brother-in-law!" Yun Yang turned around, smiled and waved.
Hearing the word "brother-in-law", Xue Yu's face became even gloomier. He ignored her and got on the carriage. Yun Yang followed his pace and jogged all the way.
Perhaps because she had been standing outside for too long, her nose was frozen red, and as soon as she got into the carriage, she rubbed her hands and breathed out.
Xue Yu stared at her and said calmly, "Have you been waiting for a long time?"
"No, I went to the Lu family first and asked Mrs. Lu for some things to give to Lu Jie." Yun Yang said casually.
Xue Yu's face turned even worse, and he remained silent all the way.
When they arrived at the imperial prison, several officials in green robes were already waiting at the door. Among them was a man with a thin and tall figure, and was actually a head shorter than the others. Upon closer inspection, he had delicate skin and tender flesh, like a girl.
"Sir Xue, these cases were solved thanks to Sir Cao's presence. We didn't expect those serious criminals would suddenly attack. Sir Cao is really brave. He immediately drew his sword and held the most powerful one hostage, thus suppressing the momentum of those people." One of the officials said.
Xue Yu praised, "Master Cao is indeed capable."
That Lord Cao was shorter and was actually a woman.
Yun Yang looked at Lord Cao, who was neither humble nor arrogant, and felt fascinated. This was her first time seeing a female official.
Although they were both women, Lady Cao had an indescribable aura, an aura she had never seen before, not in her mother, not in Old Madam Xue, not in the princess. This aura allowed her to straighten her spine and speak calmly.
Xue Yu was surrounded by these officials, pointing at something on the file with a focused expression. His red official robe was extremely dazzling.
She thought of what Xue Yu had said to her and that irresistible bloody kiss, and felt depressed.
There must be many outstanding people like Lord Cao around him. He could obviously fall in love with someone else, so that she could justifiably scold and resent him, and would not be entangled in this illicit relationship.
However, it was her he liked.
From the beginning to the end, even though she realized her feelings for him, she never dreamed of getting any response, because Xue Yu was special to her, like a sister, a close and admired person, and to her, he was like the bright moon that was not affected by dust, a true gentleman who was pure and desireless and could not be desecrated.
How could he like her...
Yun Yang looked at the young man surrounded by people from afar, wondering what he was thinking.
"What are you thinking about?" A slender hand waved in front of her.
It’s Xue Yu.
Yun Yang came back to his senses. "I didn't think much of anything. It's just that I came to the capital, entered the palace, and now I'm going to be imprisoned. This is really eye-opening."
"...Follow me closely." Xue Yu said.
As we went down the stairs, the light became dimmer and the long passage seemed to have no end. There were eternal lamps burning on the walls on both sides, and crackling sounds of sparks and explosions were emitted from time to time.
Going further down, you can hear some sounds, including wailing, wild laughter, and crying, accompanied by the sound of iron chains dragging on the ground.
Yun Yang was wearing very warm clothes, but he still couldn't withstand the coldness of the imperial prison, and he shivered.
The young man walking in front slowed down his pace, as if waiting for her, but she always kept a distance and did not get close.
"There are many snakes, insects, rats and ants in the imperial prison." Xue Yu walked in front and said lightly.
"Don't be afraid." Yun Yang said.
"They used torture two days ago. The executioner was a novice and didn't control the severity well. It seems that some of the severed limbs have not been found yet." Xue Yu said casually.
The young man stopped and looked back at her forced calm expression, as if she didn't want to show weakness in front of him, or was deliberately keeping a distance. But the panic in her clear eyes was about to overflow, how could she hide it?
Yun Yang felt uneasy and quickly caught up with Xue Yu, grabbing his sleeve tightly. "Is this true?"
"Really." The young man raised his thin lips, holding her slender, white, and soft hand tightly, and caressed her trembling back with his palm. "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
After turning left again, he finally arrived at the door of a slightly more spacious cell. When the jailer saw someone coming, he quickly took out a bunch of keys.
Xue Yu stopped and casually glanced at the person with closed eyes in the prison. He coughed twice and said to Yun Yang, "You two can talk. Once you're done, call the person over."
Yun Yang nodded.
After Xue Yu left, Yun Yang lifted her skirt and walked into the cell, calling out, "Master Lu, it's me."
A beam of sunlight filtered in from a small window high up in the cell wall. Lu Jie's hair was a little messy, his tall body leaned stiffly against the wall, his shoulders and back were straight, his face was a little pale from the cold, his deep eyebrows were drooped, his expression was impossible to tell, he looked cold and desolate.
It was late autumn, and he was still wearing a thin undershirt. Unlike other prisoners, his clothes were not stained with blood, but were only stained with dust. In this chaotic and filthy prison, with his eyes closed, he still had a sudden sharpness.
Yun Yang stared at Lu Jie quietly, and suddenly an idea emerged in his mind. If he had not been separated from his mother because of saving her that year, he would definitely not have such a gloomy and aloof temperament. He should be like those noble young men in the capital, handsome and elegant.
"Lord Lu..." Yun Yang called him again.
Her voice rang in his ears. Lu Jie lifted his thin eyelids and frowned. His eyes gradually brightened from dimness. After a long while, he uttered a few words, "Miss Yun?"
Imprisoned in the dark prison, his heart was actually more at peace than when he was outside, as if he had already expected such a day to come.
However, his father had someone bring him a message these days. In addition to telling him to stay calm, he also said that Miss Yun had been running around to save him and had even delayed her originally arranged marriage. This made him feel uneasy.
"Master Lu, you're not in any trouble, are you?" Yun Yang took a few quick steps, squatted down in front of Lu Jie, and handed him the basket. "This is what Madam Lu asked me to give you. It's cold, and you're wearing thin clothes. Be careful not to catch a cold. I don't think there will be any doctors here to see you."
"As for those rumors in the capital, don't listen to them. Don't worry about them. When the truth comes out, those people will change their stories again."
"Lord Lu, I've heard that those officials recently caught in corruption cases were all exposed by you in secret letters to His Majesty. This embezzlement of military supplies has been going on for a long time, and because so many people are implicated, no one is willing to petition for King Hui's army. But some people say that Lord Lu is truly resolute. I admire you."
The bitter autumn wind blew on the two of them with a bone-chilling chill.
Yun Yang didn't feel cold. Instead, when talking about Lu Jie's actions, he felt a kind of warmth coming from within.
She chattered incessantly while Lu Jie watched quietly. The clear and bright eyes of the woman in front of him showed her careful concern for him. He had dreamed of these eyes many times. As a young boy, he could not remember what she looked like, but he always remembered these eyes with distinct black and white.
After all these years, she hasn't changed.
Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Lu Jie's dry lips.
"Master Lu, have you had your meal? The food in prison must be hard to swallow, right?" Yun Yang asked.
Lu Jie said, "It's OK."
It was indeed acceptable. When he was begging on the streets, he only ate leftovers.
From then on, no matter what he ate or how it tasted, it was just to fill his stomach.
He sat down, his eyes sweeping over her embroidered shoes that were stained with mud. Suddenly, he leaned over and carefully wiped the dust off her embroidered shoes with his sleeve. If there was any mud, he would wipe it off bit by bit with his fingers, revealing the white plum blossoms originally embroidered on the shoes.
Yun Yang stared at him with his brows lowered, bending down to wipe her hair, and for a moment she forgot what to do.
The sky through the small window was gray and gloomy. After a while, Lu Jie looked at the dust in the air and said, "Miss Yun, you don't owe me anything."
His voice was low and calm, gentle and low, and in such a dark and decadent environment, it had a calming power.
"I, I..." Yun Yang opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but seeing him like this, she felt uncomfortable and couldn't say anything for a while.
She came to the prison to comfort him, so why did she become sad when she saw him?
He saved her. If it weren't for him, she would have died many years ago. Because of saving her, he had to live alone and miserable for twelve years. With such a great favor and such a cause and effect, how could he just say that he didn't owe her?
Lu Jie looked at the woman in front of him who was hesitant to speak and said softly, "I'm fine."
Yun Yang didn't say anything. He just wondered how a good person like him could be wronged like this. He clearly did the right thing, but everyone wanted him dead.
She had done her best to run around for him, but he was still in jail, staying in this place. It was as if there was an invisible wall blocking her way, unable to move forward even a little bit.
Lu Jie looked at her slightly red eyes and said, "Miss Yun, I'm really fine."
He was a man of few words and had never comforted a woman before. At this moment, he felt helpless and at a loss as to what to do. He stood up and moved closer to her, whispering, "Don't cry."
It would have been fine if he hadn't said it, but as soon as he did, Yun Yang started crying.
Lu Jie was stunned. Was she crying because of him? Although he had heard before that she was trying to find a way out for herself, seeing her tears at this moment made those words become completely concrete.
He couldn't describe the feeling in his heart.
"They all turned a blind eye to the matter, afraid of getting into trouble..." Yun Yang choked up, "Wow, I'm so afraid that I can't save you!"
The cold and distant look on Lu Jie's face completely disappeared, and he even had a youthful innocence. He raised his hand to touch her dark hair, but hesitated and withdrew his hand.
Yun Yang knew that time in prison was precious, and she didn't dare to let herself cry any longer. She raised her hand and wiped her face, blushing, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Lord Lu..."
"It's my fault. I didn't make it clear to Miss Yun that I didn't need to repay her. That's why Miss Yun had to run around for this matter, and she lost a good marriage opportunity in vain. Now that things have come to this, there's no point in saying more. Miss Yun, please just pretend that I don't know you and live your life well." Lu Jie sat back down. "Please leave your things here. Miss Yun, please go back."
"I've delayed you for so long, and I owe you a great favor. Don't worry, I will rescue you. The King of Nanzhao has already entered the palace to marry the princess. If we have his testimony, it will prove that you haven't colluded with the enemy and committed treason. This matter is not hopeless." Yun Yang said anxiously, squatting in front of Lu Jie. "You have to live, so I can live."
"If you die, and your parents, whom you just recognized, are implicated, won't I be tormented by regret and guilt day and night? So, Lu Jie, saving you is saving myself."
"Once this disaster is over, I will consider it my repayment. Only then will we be even in debt from now on."
"As for the Zhang family's marriage, Young Master Zhang wasn't a good match to begin with. It's right to cut losses in time. I have nothing to regret."
The voice ringing in my ears was gentle and crisp. The young man lowered his eyebrows and no emotion could be seen. Only his thin hands were inserted in the messy straw, and the knuckles were white.
How could the King of Nanzhao defend him?
This little girl is still too naive.
"Put on your clothes. Look at this one. Madam Lu made it for you herself." Yun Yang took out a red dress from the basket and handed it to him. "This color will look good on you. It's festive."
"Put it on now. Madam Lu said that she wants me to watch you put it on." Yun Yang said seriously, then remembered something, "Oh, no, if you put it on, I won't peek."
Lu Jie had no choice but to take the clothes and wait until she turned her back before changing his thin and dirty inner clothes.
"Can I turn around now?" Yun Yang asked in a low voice.
"Um."
He had changed into that dark red silk shirt, and the blue-gray light from the sky shone on him, outlining his tall and slender figure.
Yun Yang walked over and stood on tiptoe, straightening his collar. "Lord Lu, please lower yourself a little."
Her fingertips felt soft and warm, gently sliding across his neck and Adam's apple.
She carefully arranged it for him, then checked it up and down, nodded and praised, "It really looks good."
"I'll leave when you're released, but don't worry, it's definitely not because of you." Seeing no one was urging her, Yun Yang simply found a pile of straw to sit down and began to ramble to him, "I've been in the capital for almost two years. I came here to look for my sister, but I couldn't find her, and I'm tired of staying here for so long. My parents are gone too, so at first I felt like I had no place to go, but now I think, isn't this whole world a place for me?"
"Master Lu, have you ever been to any place that's particularly worth visiting? How do you get there?"
Yun Yang didn't know what was wrong, but she felt a natural closeness to Lu Jie. Maybe it was because he saved her life, so she just had a good impression of him.
When she saw him, she thought of the summer when she was six years old, the green water plants washed by the water in the river, the cool water flowing slowly through her fingertips, the strong hands that held her up when she was about to suffocate, and the beating her parents gave her after she ran home.
It really feels like a lifetime ago.
Lu Jie smiled, and all those complicated thoughts disappeared. His mind flashed through many places he had been to...
"I'm telling you..."
Outside the cell, ghosts howled and chains dragged on the ground.
Lu Jie talked to her about the scenery in his memory, and he felt very calm.
On the other side, the jailer wiped the bench clean, bowed and placed it in front of Xue Yu, and handed him a cup of hot tea, "Master Xue, please."
Xue Yu lifted his robe and sat down, staring dimly at the cell at the end of the corridor. He disdained to eavesdrop.
The jailer immediately understood and said, "Don't worry, sir. Those outside the cell are all our brothers. What they heard will not be spread. I will ask him to come over and report the truth to sir Xue."
Xue Yu nodded and stroked the edge of the teacup with his fingers. The porcelain white glaze was not a good one and there were small bumps on it. It hurt when his fingertips touched it.
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