pretend
"A telepathic connection!"
Liu Xu stood up and tried to grab Xie Lingxi's sleeve, but Xie Lingxi yanked him away, leaving him empty-handed. He immediately adopted a humble posture, lifting his lower robe to kneel down—
But Pei Zhao, who was quick-witted and agile, stopped him.
Liu Xu turned his back to Xie Lingxi, revealing a section of his handsome back, winked at Pei Zhao, and then grabbed the corner of Xie Lingxi's emerald green dress, "Lingxi, I was wrong!"
The apology came like a timely rain. Xie Lingxi picked up the prescription and sneered, "What did you do wrong?"
The incident happened suddenly, and after weighing the options, staging this play was out of necessity. But for Xie Lingxi, it was like sitting peacefully at home when someone suddenly knocked on her door in a great hurry to tell her, "Your husband has died suddenly!"
The separation of lovers by death is cruel enough, let alone for newly engaged and sweetly in love.
Liu Xu mentally slapped himself twice, and said softly, "I shouldn't have scared you."
These words are more effective than any high-sounding or righteous explanation. No matter how kind-hearted and resourceful Xie Lingxi may be, at this moment she is just a wife who worries about the life and death of the person she cares about.
She concealed her barely visible unease and carefully examined the prescription in her hand. "Sanqi, safflower, salvia miltiorrhiza... why are they all herbs for treating bruises and sprains, and for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis?"
Is this prescription to be delivered to the mansion in full view of everyone?
If what is said to be true is true, Liu Xu should be half-paralyzed and unconscious at this moment. When she returns to the manor later, should she pretend to be extremely grieving?
Before her, General Pei, dressed in casual clothes, was chatting happily with her husband. A bizarre thought popped into Xie Lingxi's mind: "On the eve of your trip to Jingzhou, is your mission... a clever escape?"
"Yes," Pei Zhao said gently when he saw that the two had stopped arguing. "His Majesty ordered us to go to Jingzhou. In addition to building a platform and controlling the floods, there is another matter."
Seeing Xie Lingxi's suspicion, he explained: "The governor of Jingzhou has been in office for three years, and the officials and people are happy and have abundant food and clothing. But this year, this sudden change must have some hidden story."
There are many days with continuous heavy rain, but this year's commotion is either a natural disaster or a man-made one.
"It just so happens that Chengzhi is from Jingzhou, and the prefect is an old acquaintance of his family. Let's take this opportunity, Ling Shuang will go through the main road, and we'll go through the secret passage to meet this gentleman."
"Ling Shuang?"
Xie Lingxi frowned: "Ling Shuang is going too?"
Could it be that the case of the Tsuruta Terrace in my previous life took place here?
She vaguely remembered a major case involving the royal family that was uncovered, in which a large number of officials were involved in embezzlement and bribery, and their positions were so widespread that they even covered criminal justice departments in the north and south of the mountains.
The father was later found guilty of forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices, and Yan Ji dismissed him from his post as a matter of course.
But everything is different now. Tang Zexue was not buried in the horrific cheating case. After that, she rose to prominence and was helped by good friends. She would not die while carrying her mother through the snow.
In the past, drops of water strung together formed rivers; now, clear streams converge. Xie Lingxi's mind flashed through a series of names, all of them notorious gamblers in officialdom. If this time everything is set right, there will surely be no worries in the future.
Looking around the inner room, another patient arrived, and the old doctor quickly covered his ears and hurried downstairs.
The screen swayed with the shadows of flowers. Xie Lingxi carefully folded the prescription, stamped a bright red personal seal on the back, and after doing all this, she looked up and said, "Then Chengzhi and I will pretend to be a wealthy merchant couple who are taking advantage of the situation to make money, and first offer that official a box of gold ingots."
...
Prince Jin and several other officials have set off in great fanfare. The Emperor has bestowed upon them a waist token that signifies absolute authority, making them the dignified "Imperial Envoys".
Upon hearing that as soon as they entered Jingzhou, spies from various government offices reported to the people sitting in the main hall, they immediately changed their extravagant and ostentatious ways, closed several calligraphy and painting shops overnight, and leisurely awaited the arrival of this distinguished guest from Chang'an.
Meanwhile, Liu Xu and his entourage had just set foot on the waterway when they lavishly spent gold and silver to hire a whole ship full of singing girls and dancing girls. Their red dresses and silk robes were all stained with wine and dirt. They sang and danced for three days and three nights straight off the shore, as if they were in a golden dream.
Xie Lingxi had just applied three layers of thick makeup to her face, covering up her lip color, when she emerged from Huichuntang with a deathly pale face and clutching a greasy prescription.
When she boarded the carriage, she was so overcome with grief that she almost lost her balance and fell off.
However, this woman was born into a prominent family and had been taught from a young age not to show her emotions. Yet, her thin, slightly trembling back and the sparse veins bulging in her neck from rapid breathing still revealed her unease.
Upon entering the Liu residence, Xie Lingxi washed off her pale mask and resumed her usual indifferent expression.
She then transformed into a wealthy merchant's wife, dressed in a magnificent brocade robe, with heavy, elaborate makeup and her hair styled in a high bun, piled high with kingfisher feathers and pearl hairpins, making her face exceptionally stunning.
The water was slightly cool on the summer night, and people's shadows drifted on the river.
On the boat, crimson lanterns hung high, and the air was filled with cheerful singing and warbling.
Unlike the commoners on the boat, in the elegant pavilion, Liu Xu, carrying a golden goblet of fine wine, fell drunk on the chaise lounge, his other hand intimately embracing Xie Lingxi. After a tender song was sung, the two, who were drinking merrily on the lounge, disregarded those around them and began to kiss.
Glistening water droplets hung down, staining the crimson hem with a touch of hue.
The passengers seized the opportunity and happened to encounter this incredibly extravagant couple traveling by water to Jingzhou. They paid their way onto the boat and, to their surprise, were taken aback by their dissolute behavior. But after a moment of astonishment, they burst into applause.
The lady sitting on the wealthy man's lap was also startled by this action. She covered half of her face with her sleeve, and her peach-blossom cheeks and lotus-root arms could be vaguely seen, with a rather jade-like complexion.
"good--!"
"Spring River Flower Moon Night, grant me eternal life... Then play a piece of music and dance!"
On the elegant boat, all was carefree, the leisurely river carrying a full boat of absurd ferrymen, a chaotic and decadent scene of vibrant colors.
But on this side, Liu Xu's kiss just now was only light, like a dragonfly skimming the water, yet it startled Xie Lingxi, who exclaimed, "What are you doing?"
She was so startled by his sudden action that she almost dropped her gold hairpin. She rolled up her sleeves and was about to get up from Liu Xu when the lecherous man grabbed her and whispered in her ear, "Lingxi, if you're going to put on an act, you have to go all the way."
The young man exhaled warm breath, which touched Xie Lingxi's ear.
Another wave of shock washed over her, and Xie Lingxi frowned and pushed again, "Get up."
The final words were enunciated heavily, already revealing a hint of anger.
Unexpectedly, Liu Xu seemed like a completely different person tonight. The self-disciplined and virtuous gentleman had fled in panic, and now the person in front of her was the greedy and lustful rich man, Liu Si.
Liu Si stretched out his wicked hand: "Don't move, they're all watching—Lingxi doesn't want our scheme to fall apart at the very first step, does she?"
The tone, half threatening and half coaxing, made Xie Lingxi frown.
She wasn't buying it at all.
Rather than marrying a man who is good at sweet talk and loves to play role-playing games with her, Xie Lingxi would rather marry a mute man!
After much thought and restraint, Xie Lingxi finally couldn't resist pinching his acupoint before Liu Xu could utter another teasing remark. The pain brought tears to the young man's eyes.
Finally freed from her restraints, Xie Lingxi casually tidied her hair, which Liu Xu had disheveled, holding a butterfly hairpin in her hand, and said with a forced smile, "Liu Lang—"
She drawled, "Your acting is truly superb."
Liu Xu sat up straight, pulling his half-open, gold-embroidered robe, which revealed his fair chest, inside to cover himself, and said without any modesty, "You flatter me, you flatter me."
But then Xie Lingxi grabbed him by the collar, her cheeks flushed red, whether from the commotion or from anger, she said, “You’ve turned a perfectly ordinary couple’s boat trip into something like a brothel!”
"It's just a little extravagance and debauchery, how come you're already thinking about going to a brothel right now?!"
After saying this, Xie Lingxi fell silent. Seeing that Liu Xu had completely lost his previous arrogance and licentiousness and had returned to the elegant gentleman she often saw, with a humble and receptive expression, her anger subsided by half.
Yes.
Liu Xu was never born into a wealthy family, and his extravagant and dissolute lifestyle could only be glimpsed in books. Moreover, there were many absurd young noblemen in Chang'an, so how could they not act in the same way when they traveled?
But... but he just kissed me like that without saying a word, wasn't that a bit too...
Xie Lingxi couldn't help but touch her lips, still able to feel the warmth of their lips touching.
Her heart was pounding just as fast as before, and the melody of a startled bird in her mind inadvertently stirred the shimmering moon reflected in the water.
Looking back at the dimly lit place, it's truly... unforgettable.
While she was pondering, Liu Xu came closer again, this time carrying two boxes adorned with jewels. "Lingxi, the person we've been waiting for has arrived."
Xie Lingxi followed his gaze and looked back, where a fat coal mine owner with a big head and fat ears was looking at her meaningfully.
Seeing that the couple seemed to be sulking and were both looking at him, he pushed through the crowd and approached. Before he had even stopped, he unconsciously grinned and stared at Xie Lingxi with lustful eyes, but he was speaking to Liu Xu: "Young brother, I find your wife interesting—why don't you lend her to me for a couple of days?"
"You can discuss any kind of business."
Liu Xu immediately asked with delight, "Really?"
"Any kind of business deal is fine?!"
He glanced at Xie Lingxi with disdain, then casually shoved her in front of the fat, fleshy merchant. "I'm already tired of this woman. You can borrow her for a few days, brother, as long as—"
Liu Xu stretched out his right hand and flipped his five fingers in a flowing motion, "—As long as you give me this."
He emphasized, "The money is not needed; it doesn't circulate in the North."
On the murky river, the boat swayed gently. The coal miner had indeed harbored evil intentions, but it was just a casual question. He hadn't expected the man to so readily give him the beautiful woman. He paused for a moment, then clapped his hands and laughed heartily: "Good!"
“Since you put it that way, brother, I’ll give you a 30% discount,” Zhao Xianzong glanced at the gold ingots behind Liu Xu and shook his head. “However, with so little money, you can’t buy much rice!”
Liu Xu didn't seem to mind, and casually unfolded the gilded frame of the fan. "It's alright, I'm new to this, let's see how it goes."
Meanwhile, Xie Lingxi calmly leaned against the red pillar, pretending to sob softly as she noticed the words spelled out on the fan. In an unnamed spring poem, the word "kill" was revealed.
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