Chapter 041 Chapter 41

From the back of Xiao Yuanfu as he left, one could sense his anger and injustice.

The servant boy watched from the side and dared not to disobey, shouting "Erlang, slow down". The servant boy immediately wanted to chase after him, but he did not dare to leave like this.

He just found out about it today.

Their cousin turned out to be such a powerful person.

If it was any other cousin, the servant would have just left after saying a word. But after seeing how the cousin looked today, how could he still have the courage to do that?

Jilang can just leave like this.

But he couldn't.

So as to avoid offending my cousin later.

The servant turned around and was about to say goodbye to Xu Duanyi and leave.

Xu Duanyi spoke before him, "My second cousin drank too much today, so you don't have to go to the Liu family later. I will send someone to tell my sister-in-law about this. You should stay by his side and take good care of him later."

If this were in the past.

The servant naturally wouldn't think too much about it.

But now, he really dared not to think too much.

I just feel that the princess has more warnings to say.

Sure enough, soon, he heard the princess say again: "As for what happened before——"

Feeling the princess' gaze on him, the servant felt a chill in his heart.

Since he could become Erlang's personal attendant, he was certainly not a stupid person. Before the princess finished speaking, he hurriedly replied respectfully: "Erlang got drunk and accidentally fell into the lake. It was the prince who passed by and saved Erlang!"

Xu Duanyi nodded, quite satisfied with his answer, and said, "Okay, go and take care of your husband."

The servant hurriedly responded.

Before leaving, he bowed respectfully to the two of them and then ran away quickly.

Xu Duanyi watched the two people leave and let out a long sigh.

She was just about to turn around and talk to Xie Qingya.

She wanted to tell him that everything was fine.

However, he found that she and Xie Qingya were very close at this moment. It was also at this time that Xu Duanyi realized that she was still holding Xie Qingya's arm.

The five senses that seemed to be locked up before now came back to life.

My palms were burning and my heart was beating fast.

Xu Duanyi seemed to have just realized that he was holding a hot potato, and quickly let go of his hand, still whispering sorry.

How could she still look as calm and dignified as she did when facing Xiao Yuanfu just now?

He looked flustered and at a loss.

Xie Qingya was still dazed by his empty hand, but when he saw Xu Duanyi like this... maybe it was because he was so surprised by the way she looked when facing Xiao Yuanfu before.

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.

Xie Qingya had no idea that Xu Duanyi, who was always good-tempered and liked to make a big deal out of a small matter, could actually be a threat.

He looked at Xu Duanyi.

She kept her head down, looking embarrassed, and no longer had the momentum she had before.

Xie Qingya then slowly withdrew his hand and put it behind his back again.

Xie Qingya looked at Xu Duanyi.

He seemed to have a lot to say, but didn't know where to start.

Finally, he looked at Xu Duanyi and asked, "Is what you said just now true?"

Xu Duanyi was still a little flustered at this moment.

Her brain wasn't as sharp as usual. When she heard Xie Qingya's question, she didn't immediately react to what he was asking. She could only look up at him and asked.

"What?"

Xie Qingya looked at her and added to his previous words: "You said that after you were given a marriage, he wanted to bully you."

"Is this true?"

Xu Duanyi didn't expect Xie Qingya to be asking this.

Although she was surprised, she quickly replied: "Not true, he is not that brave."

Xie Qingya believed that Xiao Yuanfu was courageous.

Xiao Yuanfu is a person who tends to bully the weak and fear the strong.

Otherwise, he would never have let him go so easily just now.

But he couldn't help but want to confirm it again.

Only when he is sure that it is not true can he feel at ease.

Even so, Xie Qingya still looked at her and warned her, "Stay away from him when you see him next time."

The words fell.

Xie Qingya suddenly realized that Xu Duanyi, who had not dared to look at him just now, was now looking up at him.

Not knowing what she was looking at, Xie Qingya frowned and asked, "What are you looking at?"

Xu Duanyi came to his senses only after he questioned her.

She uttered a soft "ah", as if she had not expected to be caught in the act. She quickly looked away and whispered, "...Nothing."

But she was originally in a state of panic.

After listening to Xie Qingya's words, the worry gradually disappeared without me noticing.

She could feel Xie Qingya's concern.

Xu Duanyi was very happy.

She was not just happy, Xie Qingya cared about her.

But happy, himself.

She knew that no matter how dandy Xie Qingya looked now, he was still a good person at heart.

This book is exclusively compiled for you by the LK team. He is always the young man who will help others when he sees them being bullied.

Just like when we were kids.

Even though he was not familiar with her, he beat up Xiao Yuanfu for her.

The same is true today.

Although he was jealous of her status and did not like this marriage, he still followed her to the Duke's Mansion to save her face.

She would also come forward to protect her when Xiao Yuanfu bullied her.

Xu Duanyi's eyebrows and eyes were soft, and the corners of her lips unconsciously revealed a bright and soft curve.

Xie Qingya was close by, so he saw everything.

I don't know what she was laughing at, but I can sense her good mood at the moment, and Xie Qingya's mood has obviously become much more relaxed.

A smile seemed to appear at the corners of his mouth and in his eyes as well.

But after Xie Qingya reacted quickly, he pushed the upturned corners of his mouth back down.

I didn’t dare let Xu Duanyi see it.

He turned his face away and didn't look at Xu Duanyi again.

My mind is filled with a myriad of thoughts and is extremely complicated.

Actually, I should have left.

If Xiao Yuanfu hadn't appeared just now, he wouldn't even have shown up.

Now that the matter has been resolved, it is even more appropriate to just leave.

But I don’t know why.

Xie Qingya was reluctant to open his mouth first.

The image of her standing in front of him and protecting him just now seemed to remain in his mind.

Not wanting Xu Duanyi to see his thoughts, Xie Qingya deliberately turned his head to look at the lotus lake in front of him. It was not yet the season, and the lotus flowers in the lake were not in full bloom. There were only a few unknown water lilies floating quietly in the lake.

There was no sound of Xu Duanyi coming from the side.

Xie Qingya didn't find this strange. She seemed to have always been like this and would never take the initiative to disturb others.

Xie Qingya hesitated for a moment, then suddenly called out, "Xu Duanyi."

"What's wrong?"

When Xu Duanyi heard him calling her, she looked over and asked.

But Xie Qingya didn't look at her. Xu Duanyi could only hear him ask her, "Did I cause you any trouble today?"

"What?"

Xu Duanyi blinked, thinking he had heard it wrongly.

Even after Xie Qingya repeated it again, Xu Duanyi still looked confused.

She blinked again and asked Xie Qingya in bewilderment, "Why would the prince say that?"

She really didn't understand.

Xie Qingya still didn't look back.

He was still looking straight ahead, but he himself probably couldn't tell what exactly he was looking at.

He just didn't want to look back, and didn't dare to look back.

He didn't dare look into Xu Duanyi's eyes.

Under the gaze of those bright and dark eyes, it seemed as if all his thoughts would be revealed.

After a while, he whispered, "Actually, even if I didn't show up today, you could still handle it, right?"

Xie Qingya only just realized this.

Today's Xu Duanyi is no longer the pitiful and timid little girl she used to be.

She is of high status now.

Not to mention Xiao Yuanfu, even Cao Da probably wouldn't dare to offend her easily.

But he always remembered what she looked like when she was a child.

He always felt that she was still the fool who didn't dare to resist after being bullied and just hid away and cried. That's why he couldn't help but show up just now.

But think about it now.

It seemed as if his appearance only brought her more unnecessary trouble.

She could have handled it properly.

But now he has become an enemy of Xiao Yuanfu because of him.

If Xiao Yuanfu went back and told the Xiao family something, he, as an outsider, would naturally have no say, but what should she do?

They are family after all.

Problems that were previously ignored.

Thinking about it now, I can't help but feel secretly guilty and regretful.

Thin lips tightly pursed.

Xie Qingya couldn't say anything else, he could only lower his eyes and said in a low voice: "If they ask and blame you, don't worry about it, just put all the blame on me."

"Originally, I was the one who caused the trouble today."

Xu Duanyi finally understood why Xie Qingya had just said that.

His previously confused heart now became extremely soft. Xu Duanyi still looked up at Xie Qingya beside him.

They stood together and she had to look up at him.

She was used to looking at him like this.

The afternoon sun shone on Xie Qingya's body, and his tall and slender figure was shrouded in this halo of light.

This made Xie Qingya look like a god descended from heaven.

Or maybe, this is Xie Qingya in Xu Duanyi's eyes, a god who will always appear to save her when she is in danger.

Her eyes unconsciously revealed tenderness and admiration, and even her voice was as soft as flowing water.

"But I am glad that the prince showed up earlier."

Xu Duanyi could feel Xie Qingya's body trembling suddenly after she said this, and his head was about to turn towards her.

Although in the end, for some unknown reason, it did not turn around.

But Xu Duanyi's mood at this moment was more relaxed and gentle than ever before.

When she saw Xie Qingya looking at the lotus lake in front of him, she also turned her gaze forward and stood and looked with him.

"I was able to deal with Xiao Yuanfu just now."

"But the prince also knows my temper. Even if I want to resolve it, I can't wipe away my face. Doing so won't give Xiao Yuanfu a blow. He will continue to pester me in the name of my cousin."

“如今這樣挺好的。”

“蕭元福如今被我氣成這樣，日後也就不會再來繼續打擾我了。”

徐端宜是真覺得這樣挺好的。

她早就厭煩透了她這位二表兄，也早就不想繼續與他虛與委蛇下去了。

如今讓蕭元福徹底讨厭上她，日後，他也就不會再如此大膽，繼續來她面前折騰了。

“王爺先前說，你的出現給我帶來麻煩，我并不這樣覺得。”

徐端宜再次仰頭看向身邊的謝清崖：“若非王爺先前在我身邊，我也沒法下定決心，與之割離，我很感激王爺今日的出現。”

有些話。

她沒法直接與謝清崖說。

但剛才他擋在她面前的那一刻，替她出手教訓蕭元福的樣子，足以令她心動萬分。

就像從前，每一次，他出現在她面前時一樣。

只要看着他，她便忍不住心動。

只是這一份心動，徐端宜并不敢令他知曉，她怕這會影響他們之間，好不容易才擁有的平靜。

何況她本身，也沒想過，讓他知曉。

因此徐端宜在說完先前那番話之後，便又收回視線，繼續望着前方，語氣平靜地同謝清崖說道：“王爺也不必擔心我。”

“蕭元福還是知道輕重的。”

“今日之事，他不敢說的，即便說了，我外祖母他們也不會相信的。”

比起從小就惹是生非、愛拈花惹草的蕭元福。

她在外祖母他們的眼中，始終是那個乖巧好脾氣聽話的孩子，就算他們再心疼蕭元福，也絕不會相信蕭元福說的那些話。

恐怕還會想法子替他遮掩，來讨好她。

免得她回頭真去跟姨母說什麽。

因此徐端宜并不擔心這個。

何況她對外祖母和舅舅他們，本就不如對姨母那般在意。

人的感情本就是有限的，總有輕重之分。  本書由LK團隊為您獨家整理　　即便他們真的不喜歡她，那也沒事，她并不在意這些。

她在意的是——

“王爺。”

徐端宜忽然仰頭看着謝清崖，輕喊了一聲。

謝清崖沒說話，臉卻朝徐端宜那邊看了過去，他那雙濃密的眼睫微微垂落，視線恰好落在她的身上。

他以無聲問徐端宜做什麽。

心緒還未徹底平靜。

這一刻的四目相對，謝清崖那看似平靜的神情下，亦掩藏着一份他未曾停止的悸動。

這悸動，産生于她先前的那番話後。

在此時與她那雙望着他時，純粹幹淨黑亮的眼睛相對時，更是抵達了頂峰。

心跳如擂。

謝清崖忽然握緊了背在身後的手。

徐端宜不知他心中作何感想，只認真看着他說道：“我今日與蕭元福這樣說過，他大概是不會再對王爺出手了，但假若他真的死性不改，日後冒犯了王爺，王爺請記得與我說。”

徐端宜心裏到底還是有一份擔心的。

她說完之後，卻很久都沒有聽到謝清崖的回答，反倒是他的眼睛始終望着她。

他漆黑的眼底幽而深邃，情緒難辨。

徐端宜難免還是有些，受不住他這樣的注視。

她本就扛不住與他這樣四目相對。

心跳似乎比先前又快了一些，就在徐端宜準備低下頭，離開他的視線時，謝清崖終于說話了。

“徐端宜，你這是在保護我嗎？”

熟悉的詢問，再次傳入徐端宜的耳中。

青年的聲音，此時聽來，有些低啞。

徐端宜記得來時他們在馬車裏，謝清崖也曾這樣問過她，只是彼時，她心生猶豫，不知他喜不喜歡，也不敢明确回答。

如今其實，她還是不知道，他喜不喜歡。

但她這次只是遲疑了一會，就跟謝清崖認真點了頭：“畢竟此事因我而起，我有責任對王爺負責。”

她說起正事的時候，倒是又不緊張了。

認認真真的。

臉上沒有一點多餘的表情。

看着這樣的徐端宜，謝清崖竟忍不住有些想伸手，摸一摸她的頭，掌心有些癢，但謝清崖自然不會真的昏了神智，真伸手去摸她的頭。

他要真這樣做的話，那就真說不清楚了。

他與她如今——

本來就夠不清不楚的了。

悸動仍在。

似乎還平添了其餘一些，說不清道不明的情緒。

謝清崖也不知道自己究竟該怎麽辦了，本該離她遠些，最好讓她自己避開他、讨厭他，他們倆就像之前似的，日日不見面、不說話，最好。

卻總是做不到。

亂了自己的心，也害了她。

謝清崖忽然捏緊拳頭，薄唇也用力緊抿了起來。

“不用。”

他突然，毅然決然地回絕了徐端宜，聲音都因為內心的糾結，而變得冷漠了不少。

只餘光瞥見徐端宜眼中的怔松。

似乎不明白，這短短一會的功夫，他這又是怎麽了。

謝清崖微垂眼眸，背在身後的手，卻攥得更緊了，他不願她胡思亂想，下意識補充了一句：“蕭元福還不夠我放在眼裏的，你不用擔心我。”

見她神情恢複如常，謝清崖便也轉開臉，收回了視線。

但他能說的，也就只有這個了。

他怕再這樣下去，他的心，就真的要亂了。

可如今這樣的時候，不管徐端宜，究竟有沒有問題，他都不該把心思放在這些男女之情上。

如今的他，也沒資格，再去喜歡誰了。

到此為止吧。  本書由LK團隊為您獨家整理　　該到此為止了。

“——徐端宜。”

清風陣陣，謝清崖忽然，又很輕地喊了她一聲。

徐端宜聽他喊她，自是忙輕聲應了一聲“我在”，又問謝清崖：“王爺要與我說什麽？”

可謝清崖卻沒有立刻回她。

他沉默着，遲遲未語。

徐端宜也不着急，就這樣靜靜等着，不知過了多久，她終于才聽到謝清崖的聲音。

“……你以後，能別再管我的事嗎？”

謝清崖頭也不回地說道。

這一次，他沒看徐端宜，他怕再看到她眼神的變化，又得心軟。

他就這麽死死捏着拳頭，看着前方。

明明前方風景秀美，可他的內心卻一片荒蕪，眼底也是空茫茫的一片，好似一切事物都化作黑白，變成了水墨色。

身邊仍是一片安靜。

但謝清崖能感覺到徐端宜在看他，這令他更加不敢回頭。

他沒法去看徐端宜此刻的模樣。

徐端宜的确在看謝清崖。

她也的确沒想到，謝清崖會說這樣的話。

她的心裏其實還是有一些失落的。

但也僅此而已。

這很正常。

她與謝清崖只是名義上的夫妻，并非事實夫妻，他們是賜婚，是奉旨成親，并非因為相愛才在一起。

名義上的夫妻罷了。

謝清崖不想讓她管他的事，自然是再正常不過的了。

她也只是有那麽一點點的失落，一點點的傷心。

她只是想盡自己的能力，幫一幫他，就像小時候，他總幫她一樣。

但早在進府之前，她就已經預料到了她與謝清崖的未來，說句實話，今日能看到這樣的謝清崖，已是意外之喜了。

人不該貪心。

徐端宜也從不貪心。

她沒有堅持，很快收拾好心情，就跟謝清崖輕輕應了聲“好”，一點猶豫都沒有。

也不見難過。

左右日後蕭元福，要是真敢對謝家兄妹做什麽，她自然有法子知曉，倒也沒必要因為這點小事，去惹謝清崖不快了。

徐端宜很快便沒再想這事了。

出來這麽久，她也該回去了，寶珠那邊還得去看着。

再過會，也該到她出門的時間了。

何況今日發生的事，旁人那邊該瞞，但嫂嫂和大表兄那，卻還是得提前與他們知會一聲的。

他們也不可能，真的什麽都不知道。

蕭元福那邊，她也得拜托嫂嫂和大表兄看着，這樣也保險一些。

也得找時間，再去找嫂嫂一趟，與她說下今日的事。

時間緊急。

徐端宜便想與謝清崖告辭了。

走之前，徐端宜忽然又想起，之前自己讓碧溪去找昌豐，就是為了跟謝清崖說一聲。

如今不知碧溪有沒有找到昌豐。

但正主就在這，倒也無需舍近求遠了。

徐端宜便與謝清崖說：“王爺，我今日還要跟着去柳府，恐怕得晚些才能回王府，你回頭吃完午膳便先行回去吧，不必等我。”

謝清崖心跳忽然一滞。

他回頭看她。

見徐端宜面上神情坦然，不見一絲異樣的情緒。

甚至在他看過去的時候，還笑着同他說了一句：“王爺不必擔心，蕭元福今日去不了柳府了。”

謝清崖看着她，見她并非與他賭氣。

他輕輕抿了下唇。

過了一會，他又轉開臉，往前方看去，嗓音低啞地應道：“……知道了。”

徐端宜看着他輪廓分明的側臉。

便也沒再多說旁的。

怕自己在這會打擾了他，徐端宜又與謝清崖說了聲：“那我便先回去了。”說完，聽謝清崖說好，徐端宜便也沒再繼續逗留，只與人欠了欠身，就先轉身離開了這邊。

謝清崖是等人離開之後，才回頭朝身後看去。

腳步聲越來越遠。

徐端宜也已經離他越來越遠了。

她走得毫不猶豫，一步也未停留。

But he watched her walk further and further away. When he saw that she was about to leave his sight, he couldn't help but follow her and walked forward a few steps.

But after only a few steps, Xie Qingya stopped again with a frown.

He watched Xu Duanyi leave, and only looked away when he saw that she had finally completely left his sight.

He walked over with his eyes lowered and picked up the wine cup that had fallen on the ground.

When she was about to go back to the pavilion, she suddenly found that in her right palm, which had been clenched tightly, there was a handkerchief embroidered with black orchid.

The originally smooth handkerchief was now full of creases from being grasped by him, and one corner of it was already wet.

Very ugly.

Xie Qingya just stared with a frown, not knowing what to do with the handkerchief.

It would be bad to give it back to her like this.

But it can't be lost.

Xie Qingya looked at it for a long time, and finally folded the handkerchief carefully and put it away.