Chapter 036 Chapter 36 (Additional update)

My heartbeat thundered in my chest.

For the first time in his life, Xie Qingya realized that a person's heartbeat could be so fast.

He dared not speak, let alone move.

Xie Qingya's expression was stiff, and his hands fell to his sides like puppets that had lost control.

Xu Duanyi's hands held her waist tightly, and she couldn't break free.

There is also a hot steam jet around the neck.

Xie Qingya's brain had long ceased to function, and his mind was filled with thoughts of what was going on? Why would Xu Duanyi hug him?

The last time he was hugged by her like this was when he was very young.

That time, he was careless for a moment and caused Xu Duanyi to be taken away by traffickers. When he found her, he was anxious and scared, and wanted to put on a fierce face and say something to her... At that time, Xu Duanyi did the same, hugged him tightly, and then started crying.

Now, Xu Duanyi is also crying.

The sound of sobbing that never stopped still echoed in his ears.

However, he did not dare to hug her back and comfort her like he did last time.

He didn't know whether Xu Duanyi was awake at the moment, nor did he know who she thought he was.

Who has she been so close to in private?

So close that you can hug someone in such a situation?

Wen Zhao's cousin?

Or does she have someone else in love?

Just thinking of this, Xie Qingya's heart felt like it was suddenly set on fire, and his face became extremely pale in the dim light of the bed.

The hands that had been hanging stiffly on both sides of the body suddenly half-raised.

His hands were placed on Xu Duanyi's waist, with veins bulging, as if he wanted to hold Xu Duanyi's slender waist tightly to wake her up, or to throw her away.

He doesn't want to be used as a substitute!

But his expression changed several times, and he never made up his mind.

His hands were still just resting on her slender waist, reluctant to take the next step.

At this time, Xie Qingya was like a furious male beast who was unwilling to hurt his female beast. He tried hard to suppress his anger and wandered around in the dilemma...

Until I heard a sound other than sobbing.

"...Xie Qingya."

"What?"

Perhaps because he was too surprised, Xie Qingya responded to her subconsciously.

As soon as he said this, Xie Qingya regretted it deeply.

But it's no use regretting now.

Fortunately, Xu Duanyi was not conscious, and did not wake up the maid who was on guard in the second room outside. She just hugged Xie Qingya unconsciously, crying and calling his name: "...Xie Qingya."

Now you should hear everything clearly.

Xie Qingya, who was furious just now, suddenly let go of his anger.

There was a look of confusion on his face.

And beyond the confusion, the pair of eyes that should have been sinister and angry, gradually softened in this dim environment.

The pair of hands that were originally bulging with veins finally gently embraced her slender waist.

"Why are you crying? Did I make you feel wronged?"

Xie Qingya responded to her softly in the darkness.

He knew that Xu Duanyi must not be awake at this moment.

If she had been sober, she would not have hugged him.

But he didn't expect it.

When she was unconscious, she would cry and hug him.

What kind of dream did he have to make him feel so wronged? He usually pretends to be fine.

Xie Qingya began to think back to everything he had done to her recently. The more he thought about it, the more he felt like a worthless person.

No wonder she felt so aggrieved.

Xie Qingya lowered his eyelids and sighed softly.

"Shouldn't you have known that I'm a bad guy?" Xie Qingya said as he placed his hand on Xu Duanyi's back, stroking her back soothingly and whispering, "Okay, don't cry."

But how could Xu Duanyi, who was not sober, listen to him?

She seemed to have fallen into a vicious circle of her own making. She thought she was dreaming, and at this moment, all the aspects of herself that she usually dared not show in front of others were revealed without reservation.

She continued to cry.

While crying, she called out Xie Qingya's name and even started saying "I'm sorry" to others.

He looked like he had done something bad.

After Xie Qingya heard these three words, the hand that was originally caressing his back suddenly stopped.

He asked her hoarsely, "Why do you say sorry? What have you done to make me feel sorry?"

At this moment, many thoughts ran through Xie Qingya's mind.

But Xu Duanyi didn't answer him.

She just cried and hugged him, saying sorry over and over again.

Xie Qingya suddenly let out a deep sigh.

In the end, he didn't press her.

His originally frozen hands began to move again. He continued to stroke Xu Duanyi's back soothingly and whispered, "I don't blame you. Don't cry." This book is exclusively compiled for you by the LK team. I don't know if I was tired of crying.

This sentence still worked.

Xu Duanyi, who had been sobbing non-stop, actually stopped crying.

Xie Qingya felt a sudden weight on his shoulders, he lowered his eyes and saw that the person who had just been crying like a tearful person had fallen asleep again.

Xie Qingya put the person back on the bed.

Under the moonlight, Xu Duanyi's face was covered with tears, and the corners of her eyes and nose were red.

Even with his eyes closed, he still looked pitiful.

Where is the usual dignified appearance?

It was unknown what Xie Qingya was thinking, but he stretched out his hand towards the person, using the soft sleeve as a handkerchief.

He gently wiped the tears from Xu Duanyi's face. As he wiped, he said, "You did something wrong to me, and you're still feeling wronged?"

"Xu Duanyi, you are getting more and more coquettish as you grow older."

A person who was sleeping naturally couldn't answer him, and Xie Qingya saw that she was still frowning even in her sleep. He suddenly reached out again and helped her to relax her frown. While relaxing her frown, he said, "I don't blame you."

After a while, he said softly, "I don't blame you."

This night.

Xie Qingya sat beside Xu Duanyi's bed for a long time before leaving.

No one knew that he had come to this place in the middle of the night. Bixi only got up in the middle of the night and came in to check on her master's sleep. She murmured in confusion, "Strange, why is the master's quilt so obedient today?"

But I never thought much about it.

After muttering, she yawned again and went out to sleep with sleepy eyes.

And Xu Duanyi——

She would never have thought that Xie Qingya came here.

Everything that happened last night was just regarded by her as another dream.

It’s not like she hasn’t had dreams like this before.

Since entering the palace, she has often been troubled by nightmares. In her dreams, she is always torn between her aunt and Xie Qingya.

The two men stood at each end, and she stood in the middle.

They all let her go and asked her to choose who she wanted to be with, but she was caught in this dilemma again and again and could not move forward.

The only thing that surprised her was Xie Qingya's reaction in her dream last night.

In her previous dreams, Xie Qingya, who was full of disappointment towards her, not only hugged her last night, but also spoke out to comfort her.

This is simply nonsense.

Xu Duanyi just felt that he was really crazy and that was why he had such a dream.

Why did Xie Qingya hug her?

If he knew, he would probably just want to kill her.

Even if he didn't kill her because of their past relationship, he would never hug her. He would only hate her and stay away from her.

Wake up the next day.

As expected, Xu Duanyi's eyes were swollen from crying again.

Bixi was no longer surprised by this, and she knew the reason, so she didn't ask what was wrong.

Just tell Xiuyu.

Ask the kitchen to prepare two more boiled eggs.

So that I can keep a close eye on the master later, so that outsiders won't notice anything.

Xu Duanyi would not take it seriously at all.

She hadn't slept well, so she sat in front of the dressing mirror, letting Bixi comb her hair while she pressed her temples. She asked in a hoarse voice, "Did Xuefu go to Fushuiju?"

Bixi replied, "Yes, I asked Xiuyu to take her there last night."

Xu Duanyi hummed and asked, "They didn't say anything, did they?"

Bixi knew who they were talking about, so she said quickly, "No, I looked quite envious."

After all, dowry is a leisurely task. This book is compiled exclusively for you by the LK team. Generally, only those who are deeply trusted by the host family can do such a job.

Today, when people learned that Xiao Xuefu had this job in the past, most of them were envious, and there were a few who were secretly jealous, but no one seemed to have any other thoughts.

Bixi knew that her master had another reason for asking this, so she added softly, "I have carefully observed and have not found any clues among the people in our courtyard."

Xu Duanyi hummed softly.

The uneasiness in my heart has not diminished.

She looked at herself in the mirror for a long while before she asked softly, "The people in the palace..."

Xu Duanyi added in a hoarse voice: "Did you notice anything?"

Bixi had sent Shiyu out to investigate this matter early in the morning, so she had not concealed it: "Don't worry, I have asked Shiyu to check it out, and there is nothing unusual."

Xu Duanyi felt relieved when he heard this.

But the uneasiness deep in my heart has not completely disappeared.

It is still there.

Xu Duanyi knew that it would always follow her until the matter was completely over.

She lowered her eyes and did not let herself be immersed in this emotion, but continued to talk to others.

"Draw everyone down and go to the Marquis' Mansion later." Xu Duanyi instructed Bixi, and then added, "Be careful and don't let anyone see it."

She really didn't want Xie Qingya to know.

She was afraid that the scene in her dream where Xie Qingya accused her with disgust would really happen again.

Even if this scene is possible, it may really happen in the future.

Xu Duanyi couldn't help but hope that this scene could come as late as possible.

"It's saved for me."

Bixi responded softly.

…

Afternoon.

Shuntian government office.

Xie Qingya received the news brought back by Changfeng while he was resting in the public housing.

"Early this morning, the princess's personal maid, Bixi, suddenly returned to the Marquis's residence. Our people did not dare to go in. We only know that not long after Bixi left, a guard took a book and went to Jinjizhai in the east of the city."

"Kin Kee Zhai?"

Xie Qingya didn't sleep well last night, so he has a severe headache now.

He pressed his forehead and asked, "What is that place?"

Changfeng had already investigated this point in advance, so his answer was smooth: "It is nominally a cosmetics shop, but in fact it is a shop jointly opened by some wealthy and powerful eunuchs and palace maids in the palace. I think this place should be used by outsiders to communicate with people in the palace."

Xie Qingya paused for a moment, and looked up at Changfeng.

This place——

They didn't know it before.

But it was only for a moment, and he lowered his eyelids again, pressed his forehead and said, "What else did you find out?"

After saying this, thinking of the "I'm sorry" that Xu Duanyi said yesterday, Xie Qingya was silent for a moment, and before Changfeng could answer, he asked again: "Did the guards go to Jinji Zhai to deliver the news?"

When he asked this question, his expression was calm, as if he would not be surprised no matter what Changfeng answered.

After all, I heard people say sorry dozens of times.

Even if he was really betrayed by Xu Duanyi now, he would not be surprised.

Maybe the man cried so pitifully last night that he even forgot to be angry.

Just curious.

At this time, what can she find out and what information can she send back?

He wondered if he had revealed anything that would allow her to pass on the message back to the palace.

Unexpectedly, Changfeng's next words still surprised Xie Qingya.

"I didn't explain it clearly before. The guard didn't go directly to Jinji Zhai. He just looked outside for a while and then booked a room at an inn near Jinji Zhai."

Xie Qingya had not expected this answer.

He raised his head again and looked at Changfeng, waiting for him to continue.

"Our people followed him in and heard from the guard and the innkeeper that he intended to live there permanently. And the booklet in his hand..." Changfeng paused when he said this.

Xie Qingya followed his words and asked, "What is it?"

Changfeng looked at him and answered, "They are the portraits of the people the princess brought."

Xie Qingya was completely silent now.

He re-examined what Changfeng had said before. This morning, Bixi took this booklet to the Marquis' Mansion, and then a guard from the Marquis' Mansion went to Jinjizhai and booked a room there. The portraits in this booklet turned out to be the people brought by Xu Duanyi...

No matter how smart Xie Qingya was, he was still confused at this moment. He didn't know what Xu Duanyi was going to do.

Or maybe...

In fact, he already had some guesses in his mind, but he just didn't dare to believe it.

How can I believe it?

The person who cried so bitterly in his arms last night, as if she had betrayed him, was doing these things in private.

Why?

What exactly does Xu Duanyi want to do?

"My Lord, you said that the princess... doesn't know about this matter. Is she doing this to help us?"

Changfeng thanked Qingya first and said what was in his heart.

His brows were furrowed, and he looked obviously distressed.

Otherwise, he really didn't understand why the princess did this.

If she had known that there was something wrong with the people around her, or if she had come in with a mission, why would she do all these things?

Asking for a maid from the Marquis's Mansion clearly shows that he does not trust the people around him.

People were also dispatched from the Marquis' Mansion to watch around Jinji Zhai... It was obvious that they were trying to find out who was in contact with the palace.

And there was Xue Fu yesterday.

Before he even got close to the prince's study, he was captured by Shi Yu first, and then he was dispatched from Linfeng Pavilion to Fushui Residence where no one would go...

Could it be that the princess deliberately moved the person away from her side to prevent her from getting close to the prince and gathering information?

This was before today.

Changfeng certainly wouldn't think so.

But combined with the information they found out today... Changfeng really thinks this is very likely.

Of course, there is another possibility.

That is, the princess actually did it on purpose for them to see, in order to paralyze them and make them believe her in the future.

Therefore, Changfeng still retains some doubts in addition to trust.

But, is that so?

He looked at the prince in front of him, trying to get an accurate answer from him.

But what good answer could Xie Qingya give him?

He was even more confused than him.

After a long silence, Xie Qingya could only utter one sentence: "Let's wait and see... At least now we have the clue of Jin Ji Zhai, which will make it easier for us to investigate in the future."

Changfeng answered yes.

"I will give them instructions when I return."

Seeing the prince nod but not saying anything else, and seeing that the prince was silent, he knew that the prince was also thinking about the princess... He didn't want to disturb the prince, and was about to bow and leave, when he suddenly heard the prince's voice behind him.

"It's still unclear what she's going to do. You and Lingji should be more respectful to her, especially Lingji. He can't hide things, so don't let him show his true colors." Xie Qingya instructed Changfeng.

As he said this, his expression did not change at all.

It seemed that he was simply afraid that his followers would lose control of their emotions and ruin his plans.

But Changfeng grew up with him and knew his thoughts when he was young, so he could naturally hear the hesitation and consideration in his words when he said this.

In fact, he already had this idea in mind.

Regardless of whether the princess is good or bad, at least now it seems that she has not done anything to let the prince down...so it is reasonable for them to be more respectful to her.

Otherwise, if the princess is a good person, she would be too pitiful.

He clasped his hands and replied, "I will report to Lingji when I get back."

Xie Qingya said nothing more, just waved his hand and let the people go.

…

Here, Xie Qingya and his servant were puzzled.

On the other hand, Xu Duanyi was also frightened for two days.

In the past two days, she was always worried that Xie Qingya would come over suddenly, or that Xue Fu's affair would be discovered by him. Xie Qingya came to question her, why did she come to the mansion?

This went on for two days.

This book is exclusively compiled for you by the LK team. She didn't even dare to see Changning and Ping'an. She just said that she was a little tired in the past two days and didn't want to have dinner with them.

Wait until the third day.

Then it was the tenth day of April.

This day was the wedding day of Xiao Baozhu and Liu Xun.

Xu Duanyi got up early in the morning.

Xu Duanyi would not let anyone notice her abnormality as she was going out today. After changing into a purple dress suitable for meeting guests and looking dignified and solemn, she sat on a chair and let Bixi and Xiuyu put on makeup for her.

"I guess Aunt Deng will be here again soon." Bi Xi said as she put on makeup for her.

In this palace, the person who comes most frequently is Aunt Deng. Even if there is nothing to do on weekdays, Aunt Deng will come to express her condolences, for fear of neglecting her master.

Not to mention at a time like today...

Aunt Deng would definitely not let the master go to the Duke's Mansion alone.

It is estimated that Aunt Deng will come over to explain later, and then run to the study to persuade Prince Nan'an.

If it had happened in the past, she would have been very happy that Aunt Deng did that.

Even if Prince Nan'an really cannot be allowed to come along, it would be good to let him be reprimanded by Aunt Deng.

But now——

Ever since the Xuefu incident, the master...

I glanced down at my master and could see the helplessness on her face.

Xu Duanyi was indeed helpless.

She knew that Aunt Deng was worried about her and wanted to bring her together with Xie Qingya...but she had never let her do that before, let alone now.

She really didn't deserve it.

I also don't want to make Xie Qingya feel embarrassed.

So these days, no matter what Aunt Deng said, she never agreed, let alone delivering the letter to Xie Qingya herself.

Compared to the discussions of outsiders, she didn't want Xie Qingya to be discussed.

Moreover, at this time, she really didn't dare to have any more contact with Xie Qingya.

Just then someone came in and replied, "Princess, outside..."

When Xu Duanyi heard this, she thought it was Aunt Deng who came. Although she felt helpless, she still said, "Please let Aunt Deng sit for a while. I will pack my things and leave."

After saying this.

Xu Duanyi also began to think in her heart, how should she tell Aunt Deng later?

Unexpectedly, the maid did not leave, but said, "No, it's not Aunt Deng."

Xu Duanyi frowned.

If it’s not Aunt Deng, who could it be?

Changning?

She should have gone to school by now.

Peace is even more impossible.

Could it be someone in charge?

Xu Duanyi was about to ask when he heard the maid reply, "It was someone sent by the prince. He said the prince is waiting for you at the screen wall. If you are ready, you can go directly over."

As soon as these words came out.

Not to mention Bixi and the others, Xu Duanyi also turned around suddenly. She looked at the maid in disbelief and asked in shock, "What did you say?"