74 Chapter 74
◎ She finally took the initiative.◎
However, after entering the city gate, before the two of them had time to go to Xu Zhuangyuan's residence, they saw Xu Zhou at the corner of the long street, who was obviously heading to the Duke's Mansion.
Wei Che hurriedly called Xu Zhou to stop. No one in the Duke's Mansion knew what he and Xu Qinghe were doing, and it was better not to know.
Wei Che glanced at Xu Qinghe and said to Xu Zhou, "Let's talk somewhere else."
Xu Qinghe also nodded to him and ordered Nanzhi to guard the door. The three of them went to a private room in a nearby two-story teahouse.
As soon as he closed the door, Xu Zhuangyuan bowed deeply to the two of them and said, "Please, Prince and Princess, help me avenge my younger brother!"
Xu Qinghe and Wei Che frowned at the same time and looked at each other, both seeing some doubt and inquiry in each other's eyes.
Both of them tacitly gave up the idea of providing clues to Xu Zhou and remained inactive.
Xu Zhou said briefly, "Ever since my younger brother disappeared, I've seen no news from the government, so I sought out the 'Yufeng Pavilion,' a place in the martial arts world known for its expertise in gathering intelligence. A few days ago, news came from the Yufeng Pavilion claiming that the fourth son of the Wei family, out of anger for his brother, had injured my younger brother and buried him north of the city."
Thinking of his younger brother's tragic fate at such a young age, Xu Zhou's eyes welled up as he choked up a little, "My younger brother and I both lost our parents when we were young. We relied on each other and had a deep bond. I never imagined that my winning the title of top scholar would ultimately lead to his own death, causing him to die suddenly in the wilderness at such a young age... Had I known this, I would have preferred never to come to Beijing and spend the rest of my life with my younger brother in the countryside. I wouldn't have traded my younger brother's life for the title of top scholar."
He then sighed deeply and pleaded, "Kai Zhou comes from a humble family and has no one to rely on in the capital. So far, only the Crown Prince and the Princess have offered a helping hand. So I beg you two to save him and help me avenge my younger brother's death on the Wei family. Xu Zhou is deeply grateful and wishes to repay you in the next life!"
After saying this, he bowed deeply to the two of them, then lifted his robe and knelt down. The earnestness of his words and the sincerity of his expression were very touching.
Xu Qinghe immediately turned sideways to avoid the courtesy. Seeing that Wei Che was still in a daze, she took his wrist and pulled him away.
Wei Che came back to his senses, and the girl beside him quietly pushed his lower back. He immediately understood, and hurriedly helped Xu Zhou up and exchanged some pleasantries.
All in all, I finally accepted Xu Zhou's commission.
"The princess has lived in the palace for a long time and has never seen the things happening outside the palace. I also don't like to get involved in these things, I just like to eat, drink and have fun. Last time, the princess heard that Brother Xu's younger brother was missing and the official portrait was not allowed. Since she is particularly skilled in painting, she softened her heart and took the initiative to help. However, this matter was secretly agreed by the two of us and has nothing to do with the Prince of the State Mansion or the palace. Brother Xu, do you understand?"
Xu Zhou nodded repeatedly: "I understand, I understand. There is no prince or princess here today. There are only my two benefactors and friends."
During these days in Beijing, he has already figured out the style of these aristocratic families. Everything is about interests, and most of the time it is the interests of the entire family.
He was already extremely grateful to the two people in front of him for taking the initiative to help him, so why would he involve the Prince of Fuguo Mansion or even the Imperial Palace? He repeatedly promised that he would never reveal a single word of this matter to anyone else.
After bidding farewell to Xu Zhou, Wei Che helped Xu Qinghe onto the carriage and continued riding towards the Prince of Fuguo's Mansion.
According to the original plan, Xu Qinghe wanted to explain the situation to Xu Zhou by saying to Wei Che that he "accidentally saved a little beggar and learned the truth about Xu Ji's death", but he did not expect that Xu Zhou would actually find an organization in the underworld.
She has lived in the deep palace for a long time, and even these noble families and government officials in the capital have not figured it out. How can she know what is happening in the martial arts world?
Just when I was about to ask Wei Che, I looked up and saw him leaning against the front of the car with his head tilted back, the reins loosely grasped in his hands. His royal blue robe made him look a little bleak.
Xu Qinghe looked at his back and pursed her lips unconsciously.
When she got out of the car, she stumbled a bit because of the hem of her skirt. Wei Che quickly reached out to hold her hand and helped her step steadily onto the footstool and toward the ground.
He was extremely calm throughout the whole process, just holding her wrist through her clothes, and letting go immediately when they were walking on flat ground again.
He was rarely so silent and reserved. Most of the time he was always outspoken and passionate, and his handsome thin lips never stopped moving, as if that mouth was borrowed from someone. If he said less, he would be at a disadvantage.
But today was particularly abnormal. From the time he met Xu Zhou to the time he returned to Fengheyuan, he didn't say a word.
After all, after running around outside all day and it was a hot summer day, Xu Qinghe went to the bathroom to take a shower after returning to her room, and then changed into a refreshing, clean, loose dress and walked out.
However, Wei Che was still sitting on the couch, holding the poetry book she usually read, but he was in a daze.
Xu Qinghe walked over and pulled the poetry collection out of his hand: "Since you don't want to read it, then give it back to me. Why ruin my things?"
She herself didn't notice that there was a hint of girlish anger in her voice.
Wei Che raised the corner of his lips and chuckled: "It's just a book. The princess is too protective of her."
Xu Qinghe replied coldly: "If you don't know how to speak, just shut up."
There is a slight redness behind the ears.
What kind of metaphor was he using? Books are books, people are people. How could he use the phrase "protecting a child" to describe her and her book?
Seeing her shyness, finally losing her pure and innocent appearance, Wei Che smiled: "That won't do. You don't like to talk anyway. If I shut up, won't we just sit here staring at each other? How can we be husband and wife then? We'll be more like enemies."
"Weren't you also silent just now on the road? I think we get along pretty well."
Xu Qinghe lowered his head to flip through the book in his hand, but his eyes did not read a single word in the book. Instead, he secretly glanced at the person beside him with the corner of his eyes, but was afraid of being discovered by him.
Wei Che was stunned for a moment, pondering her words in his mind for a while, and then laughed: "Princess, are you indirectly saying that I'm noisy and want me to shut up, or are you subtly asking me why I was in such a bad mood and didn't say a word the whole time?"
Xu Qinghe quickly denied it: "I didn't say that."
But the blush on her face deepened.
She didn't say this out loud, but that's what she really thought in her heart.
She just didn't expect that the person in front of her could guess what she was thinking with just a few words.
She had clearly covered it up so secretly.
She finally revealed some curiosity about herself, which made Wei Che very happy.
When men and women are attracted to each other and like each other, the word "curiosity" is always the cause. But this girl used to be cold and aloof, and seemed to care about nothing.
That day, when he returned home after a short absence, he specifically told her the news that "I attended a party hosted by colleagues and was stained with women's makeup." However, she didn't take it to heart and acted as if nothing had happened. She even talked to him seriously about business.
Now, just because of a little abnormality on her way, she was probing him in a roundabout way: What were you thinking about just now? Why were you unhappy?
Like a stray cat that has just been picked up, after spending several days together, it finally reveals its soft belly to its friend. When its friend is unhappy, it will lean over to lick his fur and ask subtly: What were you thinking about just now? Why are you unhappy?
This made Wei Che very satisfied, even complacent.
This means that the girl has begun to care about him, is curious about him, and even cares about him.
"Just now, when I heard Xu Zhuangyuan talk about the deep brotherly love between him and his younger brother, I couldn't help but think of my own brother." Wei Che simply moved closer to her, stood up and sat beside her, shoulder to shoulder with her.
Xu Qinghe didn't move or hide, he just lowered his eyes and listened.
Wei Che is the third child in the Duke's Mansion. He does have two older brothers. I heard that they are six, seven or eight years older than him and have already started their own families.
However, his two elder brothers were stationed in the southern border after the Duke of Fuguo took over the southern border army. At that time, Wei Che was sent by his parents to a Buddhist temple in Zhangzhou to practice Buddhism. The brothers probably rarely saw each other.
Wei Che continued, "My eldest brother was born weak and couldn't learn martial arts, so he became a military strategist. My family worried that his wisdom might harm him and often tried to dissuade him, but he played it easy and often joked with us to show that he was fine and that he enjoyed it."
"My second brother is only three years older than me, but because of my eldest brother's frailty, he took on important military duties. He didn't even have time to pursue the girls he liked, and instead often helped me avoid my father's scolding. It was because they shouldered the burden of the family that I was able to be so unrestrained, doing whatever I wanted and following my heart."
Just five years ago, the Xie family was falsely accused of collaborating with the enemy, and troops were sent from the capital to capture them, but they killed everyone they met, and only Xie Qi escaped from the Xie family.
Both of his brothers were killed by arrows, crossbows, swords and guns, and they never had the chance to unload their burdens and be themselves.
Xie Qi often thought that there was no other man in the world as lucky as him. He was protected by his brother when he was young, and after encountering misfortune, he was still able to be with the girl he loved.
"Qinghe, I miss them so much."
He missed his brother, parents, brothers in the army, and his former self.
But those things can never be returned.
Xu Qinghe could hear the sadness and helplessness in his voice.
She is the only daughter in the family and has no brothers or sisters. Her parents are her closest relatives.
But her closest relatives were often busy with military affairs, which made her more familiar with her brothers from the neighboring Xie family.
She knew very little about the Wei brothers, but every word Wei Che mentioned made her think of the two older brothers from the Xie family.
If those two elder brothers were still alive, they might be the same age as the two young masters of the Wei family, and would have married, had children, and established their own families and careers.
"Wei Che, Xu Zhuangyuan's younger brother has passed away, but your older brother is still alive." Xu Qinghe felt sad, not knowing whether it was for the two brothers of the Xie family, for Xu Zhou who had lost his younger brother, or for the man beside him.
"You will have many opportunities to meet them in the future. Return everything they have given you, and let them do as they please."
Wei Che's hands were slightly warm.
He lowered his head and saw the girl's scallion-like fingers resting on his. Her fair and delicate skin was many layers lighter than his own, soft and tender, like a handful of freshly made tofu, smooth to the touch.
She actually reached out to hold his hand.
The girl who used to be indifferent to him, actually reached out to hold his hand today, and melted the ice in her voice, speaking to him in such a gentle tone, comforting him.
Wei Che suddenly realized that something had changed between him and this girl since he didn't know when it started.
【Author’s words】
I'm late again today QAQ
Thank you to every little angel who has seen me here, and thank you to myself for sticking to it until now, hahahahahaha
New writers' writing is full of loopholes and deficiencies, so every reader who can read it is precious.
But I still want to say something here
Our National Day holiday is over.
There are little angels giving me nutrient solution, I am so happy!!
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