Entanglement
Her father had been displeased with her these past few days. He didn't want her to stay in the mansion and cause trouble, but he also didn't want her to go out and run around causing trouble. After thinking it over, he felt he should find her a husband to marry, but when he thought of Xie Heng, he lost his temper.
"Tell me, isn't it funny?"
Cui Yi gestured with her hands, "He doesn't care about his own crazy son, but he's meddling in my affairs. My mother has been dead for so many years, and he never cared about her before. Now he wants to be in charge of me. What a beautiful dream!"
That's what they say...
Before Xie Lingxi could offer any advice, Cui Yi cut her off again, saying, "I understand everything you're saying. Of course, I was just going through the motions with him. No matter what, I'm still a daughter of the Cui family. Why would I do something foolish?"
"That……"
"That's why I came to find you. Please take me in for a few days—no, a month will be enough!"
"..."
Cui Yi babbled on and on, finally tired, and downed her drink in one gulp. Xie Lingxi finally had a chance to speak: "I just wanted to ask you, which room would you like to stay in?"
The Liu residence was not large, but it had everything: ponds, pavilions, courtyards, and rockeries. According to Xie Lingxi, it was beautiful and exquisite.
However, there is one drawback: a military officer moved in next door a few days ago. He gets up at dawn every day to practice his martial arts, swinging his spear with a loud whooshing sound, making those who are asleep scratch their heads in frustration.
"Alright." Cui Yi waved her hand. "I'll stay there. I want to see what tricks that kid has up his sleeve!"
Xie Lingxi sighed and rubbed her forehead.
Cui Yi had poured out her troubles all day, but after Xie Lingxi reviewed and answered her questions one by one, she finally felt much better and could leisurely appreciate the scenery of the garden. Outside the courtyard, there were many figures, but she still couldn't see Liu Xu, so she asked, "Where's Liu Chengzhi? Isn't he home?"
Xie Lingxi replied, "He's busy today."
"What a convenient word 'busy'! I've noticed that many officials in the court have been slacking off lately. One is sick, another is injured, and nobody else cares. Why should they bother to be diligent?"
Strangely enough, many troubles occurred in the court that year. First, a group of officials were attacked from behind at the beginning of the year, and then an epidemic broke out, causing everyone to live in fear. Over time, rumors began to circulate that the fate of the Great Yan Kingdom was doomed, and the emperor was so angry that he suffered a stroke, plunging the officialdom into chaos.
Liu Xu was badly harmed by this "craze"—Xie Lingxi looked at Cui Yi and said coolly, "Guess why he's so busy? So busy that he doesn't even have time to have lunch with me?"
...Isn't this precisely what we need to do to clean up this mess?
"Ha ha--"
Cui Yi smiled wryly, "Is that so? Well, it just so happens that I've come to keep you company. Speaking of which, my old man has been staying in his study these days. I glanced at it once, and the documents and memorials on his desk were piled up like a small mountain, quite heavy indeed—"
"You know, receiving the emperor's bounty is really not an easy thing."
study?
While Cui Yi was still sighing, Xie Lingxi's eyes flickered, and a plan quietly formed in her mind.
So he agreed: "Yes. But I'm very curious, what is Lord Cui busy with these days?"
She bury her head in front of Cui Yi like an ostrich, "Why don't you go and investigate?"
Sure enough, Cui Yi said, "I never get involved in their affairs."
Xie Lingxi had only said it casually. She sighed, rolled up her sleeves to clean up the mess on the table, and then heard the woman's clear and bright voice, like a lit candle, easily revealing the depths of her heart.
Cui Yi whispered, afraid of disturbing any immortal who had descended to spread sweet rain, "Lingxi, if you want to investigate anything, don't worry about me, just do it."
These words surprised Xie Lingxi: "You knew all along?"
She had been pondering this question these past few days: No matter how indifferent Cui Wenying was to the Cui siblings, they were still family members bound by blood. If the Cui family really wanted to drag the Xie family down with them, then what exactly was her relationship with Ayi?
She considered herself a person who didn't show her emotions, and even when faced with this difficult situation, her behavior was perfectly appropriate.
Little did she know that in the eyes of her close friends and sisters, this beautiful lotus flower had inexplicably become weathered, her willow-leaf eyebrows often furrowed unintentionally, and her whole person was like a wisp of fleeting smoke.
When asked, Cui Yi innocently spread her hands: "I don't know."
"..."
I was really talking to a brick wall.
After settling Cui Yi in, Xie Lingxi saw that it was still early and was about to send a message to Pei Qian to explain that today's matter could be discussed again when she heard Cui Yi say softly, "The princess's birthday is in a few days. All the eligible ladies in Chang'an who are well-known have received invitations. You must accompany me to the event."
"Princess?" Xie Lingxi paused in her walk outside. "Which princess?"
There are many princesses in the royal family, some favored and some not, but only Yan Ying can command a large following. Xie Lingxi felt a headache coming on whenever she thought of this arrogant princess. "What kind of trouble is she planning now?"
"What kind of crazy thing is this?!"
Cui Yi pulled Xie Lingxi inside, covering her face with her hands, and said helplessly, "Speak more respectfully, lest someone with ulterior motives overhears you!"
"Respect?"
Xie Lingxi repeated Cui Yi's words, which were utterly unbelievable.
There are probably no people who care about such matters. At such a critical moment, who would care about the movements of a mere assistant minister in the Ministry of Revenue and his family? But to call Yan Ying "respectful" is a bit of an exaggeration.
Seeing Xie Lingxi's expression, Cui Yi knew she was lost in thought. She slapped her forehead and said, "Have you become such a virtuous wife and mother, never stepping out of the house? The Emperor's own sister, the mother of Prince Xiao—the current Princess—is returning to Chang'an in a few days!"
Yan Mingfu. Xiao Yin's biological mother.
But didn't His Highness retire to Jiangnan a few years ago and stop caring about the troubles in Chang'an?
Cui Yi wasn't sure either, and whispered, "I've only heard that the situation is unstable right now. The Emperor is ill, the Prince of Pingnan is still far away in the southern border, the Prince of Jin is staying at home and not coming out, and the remaining few sons are all useless. Can you guarantee that he doesn't have any selfish motives at all?"
Xie Lingxi pondered.
...
Have you thought it through?
The man was half-squatting, fighting crickets. When no one answered, he looked up and saw that he was surrounded by rich and powerful people. The lady Xie, who had been sitting elegantly with a teacup just moments before, was nowhere to be seen.
Pei Qian: "?"
He put away the cricket box, called over a servant, and gestured with a sidelong glance, "Where is he?"
"Just now, someone suddenly came to report, and Madam Xie got up in a hurry as soon as she heard it. There must be something urgent that can't be delayed. Before she left, she specifically told us not to disturb you, sir—"
— Cricket fighting.
Pei Qian coldly cut him off, "When did she leave?"
The child, dressed in green and wearing pink boots, couldn't even answer clearly, rambling on and on without getting to the point. His body was trembling like a sieve, and his face, covered in powder, looked like white flour and mud, with sweat dripping down his face.
Is Pei Qian some kind of man-eating demon? Why is he so afraid?
Then the child stammered, "An hour ago."
"..."
OK!
Pei Qian expressionlessly packed away his belongings, placed the cricket girl Xiao Cui and the cricket boy Zhi Yuan in a brocade box, and had someone carefully carry them away. With a "whoosh," he opened his folding fan with its intricate floral design and leisurely fanned himself through the landscape.
It turns out that Xie Lingxi didn't hear what he was saying at all. Not only did he lack any cooperative spirit, but he also changed the meeting time several times. He might have even shamelessly said some bad things about him to others before leaving.
Pei Qian felt increasingly uneasy as he thought about it, and noticed that the way people around him were looking at him was strange. He immediately wrapped his outer robe around himself and went out.
Meanwhile, Xie Lingxi had barely settled down in Songxiang Pavilion, with her tea still steaming hot, and before she could exchange more than a few words with anyone, someone rushed in to report that her husband had encountered an accident.
She was startled for a moment, and the image of Liu Xu dying and withered like a dead grass involuntarily floated into her mind. Her heart skipped a beat, and she didn't have time to think about whether it was a natural disaster or a man-made one. She immediately flicked her sleeves and left the pavilion.
Last year, when Liu Xu was about to go to Jingzhou, he pretended to be seriously injured and tricked her. It would be impossible for Xie Lingxi not to suspect that this was another "crying wolf" scenario.
She knew her husband's temperament perfectly well. Once he shed his gentlemanly facade, he was someone no one could do anything about.
But now the court is treacherous, and Liu Xu works in the Ministry of Revenue, so he is bound to be the target of jealousy and sabotage from others. Thinking of this, he quickened his pace. "What happened to you, young master?"
Shiraishi stammered, a rare occurrence for him: "This... is a bit hard to say..."
"Is it difficult to explain, or is it inconvenient to say?"
Xie Lingxi had been busy since morning without a break, and now, traveling like this, she felt a little dizzy. She wiped a few drops of sweat from her forehead, closed her eyes to catch her breath, and asked, "Is my lord's life safe?"
Although Bai Shi was usually carefree and simple-minded, he wasn't the type to speak carelessly when it came to serious matters. Hearing his ambiguous answer again, Xie Lingxi's heart sank, her chest ached, and her voice became heavier: "Is there something wrong, or nothing wrong?"
If it were a matter of life and death, why wasn't Baishi anxious? But if it wasn't anything serious, why did this person stammer and become a stutterer, unable to speak clearly and explicitly?
If they call her in such a hurry, I'm afraid that by the time Liu Chengzhi is fully recovered, Xie Lingxi will have fainted on the ground and lost consciousness.
Looking down, Bai Shi inadvertently caught a glimpse of Xie Lingxi's profile, where a string of cold sweat trickled down her face, glistening in the sunlight—a face that was clearly both delicate and aloof, yet revealed a hint of alluring beauty.
He knew Xie Lingxi was in trouble and understood that he shouldn't have taken her to that chaotic scene. Meanwhile, Liu Xu was isolated and helpless, and things were likely going to get worse. He was hesitant and could only shout, "Someone is plotting to tarnish the princess's reputation, young master!"
Xie Lingxi's swaying body steadied itself for a moment.
Her eyebrows shot up. "Then why aren't we leaving?"
Bai Shi wanted to walk quickly, but considering the health of the person beside him, he dared not take long strides.
Having spent several months at the Liu residence, he naturally understood that it was nothing for Liu Silang to suffer a little, but if Xie Sanniangzi were to suffer any harm, even several of his lives would not be enough to atone for it.
Xie Lingxi, however, did not cherish his health as much as he thought. Seeing the sun slowly dimming, and still not knowing how Liu Xu was doing, he was anxious and ordered Bai Shi, "Go and find a horse."
"horse?"
Bai Shi was taken aback, then heard Xie Lingxi repeat, "I can't walk anymore, go find a horse."
Seeing that Bai Shi remained motionless, as if frozen in place by a glacier, she was about to speak when a soft, lingering laugh suddenly came from behind her. "Third Miss is unwell. Where are you going? Why don't you take my carriage?"
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