Chapter 143: He tried to persuade her to stay, but she didn't push him away.
Yin Yi led his men to search for Xie Qingyu everywhere, but to no avail.
He was about to search again when someone called out to him from afar:
"Silver Archer".
Yin Yi paused slightly, turned around, and found that the person who called him was actually Yue Yining.
At this moment, Yue Yining stood on the street corner looking at him, with a familiar face on his thin shoulders. It was Xie Qingyu.
Yin Yi quickly went over, took Xie Qingyu who was hanging her head, and helped her lean on his shoulder to steady her.
Yue Yining looked at him and said, "I found him in that alley over there. He was already drunk."
"I don't know if he fell or tripped along the way. When you get back, remember to have the servants check him for any wounds."
Yin Yi bowed respectfully, "Yes, Your Majesty. I am truly sorry to have troubled you today, Lord Yue..."
As he was speaking, the person leaning against him shifted, suddenly reaching out to tug at Yue Yining's sleeve, and then holding on tightly.
Yue Yining was taken aback. Although he had stopped crying, his eyes, which looked like autumn water, still touched people's hearts.
He whispered, "Miss...Miss..."
"I'm sorry, don't go..."
Yin Yi's brow twitched, and his body suddenly stiffened.
The scene was incredibly awkward. He was supporting Xie Qingyu, so he couldn't escape, and being so close, he couldn't pretend not to hear.
Yin Yi didn't dare to breathe loudly, and could only lower his head, trying his best to minimize his presence.
Just as he was feeling extremely nervous, Yue Yining reached out her other hand and covered Xie Qingyu's hand with it.
"Xie Qingyu, you should go home," Yue Yining said. "Let go."
Xie Qingyu stubbornly held onto her.
Yin Yi thought Yue Yining was about to get angry, but the female official in front of him, dressed in a blue robe and white gown, only sighed and remained calm and peaceful.
She said softly, "Be good, okay? Otherwise, I really won't talk to you anymore."
Yin Yi was stunned. Even more unbelievable was that Xie Qingyu, who was drunk, seemed to understand what she was saying. She obediently let go of her hand and dared not ask her to stay any longer. She just stared at her longingly.
Yue Yining smoothed out the wrinkles on his clothes and looked at Yin Yi: "Then I shall take my leave. If possible, please do not tell him that I also helped with the search for him tonight, nor that I was the one who found him."
Seeing that Yin Yi was about to speak, Yue Yining waved her hand, indicating that he should listen to her. "You are Xie Qingyu's guard. You must obey his orders. I understand that. I will not force you to agree to this."
"But you should know why he went out for a walk today and was even drinking outside, right?"
Yin Yi was stunned. He noticed that Yue Yining was staring straight at him. She said calmly, "I know too."
“I won’t respond to him. It’s better to let him give up as soon as possible. If you tell him that I found him today, he might think there is still hope, and one day he will taste the bitterness and pain of today again.”
"You should know best what is good for him and what will only harm him."
After Yue Yining finished speaking, he left. Yin Yi, supporting Xie Qingyu who was leaning against him, stood there watching her go. Only after she was completely out of sight did Yin Yi help Xie Qingyu back to the carriage. He tentatively said, "Young Master, we'll head back to the manor now."
After waiting for a long time, Xie Qingyu did not respond.
Yin Yi was finally relieved.
In fact, he was never sure whether Xie Qingyu was truly drunk or only half-drunk.
But now it seems he might really have been drunk.
Before mounting his horse, Yin Yi recalled Yue Yining's words and realized how formidable this female official was. Her skill in speaking and her ability to adapt to changing circumstances impressed him greatly; he had almost been swayed by her.
He agreed with Yue Yining's words. Out of morality and personal motives, he also felt that it would be best if Xie Qingyu stopped going crazy. However, if Xie Qingyu was not completely drunk or remembered what happened today, he could not hide it from her.
Let's wait until Xie Qingyu wakes up tomorrow before making any plans.
Yin Yi drove back to the Xie residence, his wheels crushing the colorful carpet on the ground.
He reached the door, lifted the curtain, and saw Xie Qingyu, whose eyes had been closed, leaning against the brocade cushion, gazing calmly out the window.
Perhaps it was the bumpy ride that made him wake up. Although his neck was still abnormally flushed, the look in his dark eyes was much clearer.
Yin Yi was surprised that he could wake up so quickly, and quickly composed himself, "Young Master."
Xie Qingyu ignored him.
There was no response, and Yin Yi didn't dare to look up, so he could only hold his breath and wait.
After an unknown amount of time, Xie Qingyu finally spoke.
He kept his eyes half-open, not looking at anyone, his voice still hoarse from being drunk, extremely low and deep, more like talking to himself.
"...She didn't push me away."
When I opened my eyes, my mind was still a mess, with countless chaotic images mixed together like the contents of a blender. Only the moment the fireworks exploded and the sky suddenly turned white did Yue Yining's face, which was so close to me, become clear.
He lost his mind and actually kissed her.
Xie Qingyu's hands, which were resting in front of her, trembled slightly uncontrollably.
He clearly remembered that when he kissed her, Yue Yining placed her hand on his chest, but hesitated to apply pressure.
She could have pushed him away, but in the end she accepted the kiss.
I won't respond to him; it's better to let him give up sooner rather than later.
Yue Yining's resolute voice echoed in my mind again.
Xie Qingyu's eyes flickered with tears for a moment. He pursed his lips, slightly raised his chin, and prevented the heat from flowing down.
If only I could give up.
If he could easily let her go.
He wouldn't be where he is today.
Yue Yining boarded the carriage and returned to the princess's residence.
On the way, Nonghe kept a close eye on Yue Yining's expression.
Ever since the man from Yue returned, he has been absent-minded, and it's unclear what he's thinking about.
Yue Yining lowered her eyelids, opened her palm, and revealed her five fingers, which were white and soft with clear palm lines. Suddenly, she felt her fingertips burning again. The temperature emanating from her fingertips and the violently pounding heartbeat she felt intertwined and enveloped her senses once more, while a faint aroma of fruit wine wafted in the air.
She knew that no matter how much the heart beneath her palm pounded for her, she had to push him away. She knew what she should do, what to choose, what was right, and what was best for both of them.
She knows it all, she understands it all.
But for some inexplicable reason, she didn't press harder, letting him kiss her even deeper.
Yue Yining leaned back on the cushion, closed her eyes, and sighed softly, this time sighing for herself.
As soon as the carriage came to a stop in front of the mansion gate, Yue Yining lowered her head and got off. When she looked up, she found that the chief eunuch was actually guarding the gate. Seeing her get off the carriage, he immediately rushed forward and said, "Your Majesty Yue."
Yue Yining paused, her heel striking the ground. "What is it?"
"Lord Zhou has arrived."
Yue Yining was taken aback. The chief eunuch respectfully said, "Since it is Lord Zhou who has come to request an audience, in accordance with your usual instructions, this servant will take him directly inside and wait for him in the side hall."
"I understand, I'll be right there."
Yue Yining hurried back to her palace. The moment she stepped into the side hall, she saw Zhou Congyi behind the desk. Her slender figure was hidden between the lamplight and shadows, looking desolate and thin.
Yue Yining walked over. "Why is Lord Zhou looking for me? Is there something urgent? It's so late, and I have to go to work tomorrow..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Congyi turned his head away.
The smile that had been spreading across Yue Yining's face froze.
Zhou Congyi stood up, and Yue Yining immediately rushed over, grabbed her hand, and asked anxiously, "What happened? What exactly happened?"
Zhou Congyi's eyes were red and her expression was gloomy.
This upright and invincible female official, who had been proud and unyielding since the first day she met her, revealed such vulnerability in front of her for the first time.
“…I originally came to see His Highness,” Zhou Congyi said in a low, hoarse voice, “but they said His Highness went to the palace and won’t be back until tomorrow. I asked them, ‘What about Lord Yue?’ They said Lord Yue went to see the lantern festival. I thought you wouldn’t be back too late, so maybe if I waited here for a while, I could see you.”
Zhou Congyi looked at her and pursed her lips.
"...I'm sorry, I acted without permission."
Yue Yining looked at Zhou Congyi, and after calming down, she recalled what Zhou Congyi had been busy with recently, and it was just a few things.
She roughly knew what had happened.
Yue Yining: "Did you find something out about Zuo Yingfeng?"
“…Hmm.” Zhou Congyi said in a low voice, “Before, I used Cui Yan’s connections to place a clerk next to Zuo Yingfeng without him noticing. So when Zuo Yingfeng’s order came down at the beginning of the first month, I received the news in advance.”
"This time, Zuo Yingfeng deliberately bypassed the Ministry of War's normal procedures and secretly raised a batch of military equipment from the Imperial Treasury and several small workshops under the guise of special allocation. I have seen the procurement list, and the price is not low. The raw materials and finished products used are of very high quality."
Yue Yining frowned. "At this time, why are you secretly preparing to transport military equipment out of the capital?"
Zhou Congyi shook her head. "I don't understand either."
"It is precisely because I do not understand that I am eager to find out why I should do this."
"The news came suddenly. They only gave me a rough time and a map of the escort team's route. They were about to set off at that time, and I couldn't leave the capital, so I had to go find someone immediately," Zhou Congyi said. "Zuo Yingfeng gave the order in secret, and the whereabouts of the weapons are unknown, so there must be something wrong. Opportunities are fleeting, but if we can seize them, we might find new clues and find a breakthrough."
"They initially traveled by water, so—"
"So, you didn't inform anyone and used your undercover agents in the Grand Canal Transport Bureau." Yue Yining understood and continued.
The Qingliu faction had planted spies throughout the court. She had heard Zhou Congyi mention before that a considerable number of people in the Grand Canal Transport Office actually belonged to the Qingliu faction.
The Grand Canal Transport Office was in charge of waterway transportation and some land transportation. With informants everywhere, tracking goods was their forte.
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