Chapter 742 Don't worry, my love, I'm the best at running away.
Zhao Qingxiu's face turned very red.
If the carriage curtain were opened at this moment, allowing the sunlight to stream in, one would see that her cheeks were flushed, and her expression was a mixture of shyness and shock. The changes in her expression on her small face were quite fascinating and complex.
The girl, who had finally mustered the courage to confess, looked like she wanted to disappear into a hole in the ground.
[Did Tanlang know? He already knew? He already knew all along?]
She wrote with trembling fingers.
Ouyang Rong stared at Zhao Qingxiu for a moment, then said softly:
"I previously thought you might just be an ordinary female ruler of Yunmeng Sword Marsh. When I met you, you were blind and mute. Who would have thought you were Yue Chuzi?"
He shook his head slightly and spoke with a nonchalant air:
"However, after a few things happened, I became 70 or 80 percent certain. One thing was that I had already learned from the government that Yue Chuzi was in the city and was very likely hiding in Chengtian Temple, which was where we met."
"Another thing happened on the day the Fang sisters left. I actually dealt with them along with that eccentric Zen Master One Finger. But those two sisters really couldn't keep secrets."
"There's another thing that's related to Junior Sister. She probably already knew about it, right? She knew about it back in Dragon City. I was unconscious at the time, and you saved me. She must have seen you before and knew of your existence. Otherwise, she wouldn't have accepted you so easily when we met in the quiet courtyard that day, and she wouldn't have repeatedly told me not to let you down."
"Junior Sister must have been prepared to speak frankly to me several times, but by this point I was already mostly certain in my heart, so there was no need for her to say it. Junior Sister's hesitation just confirmed my thoughts once again. However, it's better to keep it unspoken and not say it outright for now."
"If I'm not mistaken, something unspeakable must have happened during the time I was unconscious in Longcheng, otherwise Junior Sister wouldn't have kept it from me. It's very likely that the Prince's Mansion also knows about this, and it's related to you, Embroiderer..."
"However, since they chose to keep it from me after I woke up, they must have had good intentions, which is why they concealed the truth. I don't really want to ask them directly."
Ouyang Rong was surprisingly calm as he spoke slowly and deliberately, without anger or annoyance. However, his words carried an indescribable meaning to Zhao Qingxiu.
As Zhao Qingxiu listened to each of the stories, her body gradually began to sway.
Upon seeing this, Ouyang Rong paused briefly, bent down, and took out a sky-blue satin ribbon that he always kept in the dark compartment under his seat.
He reached out and pulled off the ribbon that had already become damp around Zhao Qingxiu's eyes, replacing it with the clean one.
Following his pulling motion, Zhao Qingxiu gently turned her face to the side and leaned on his shoulder.
"Actually, there's something else you might not know, which is also very important."
Ouyang Rong's movements were extremely gentle as he tied the ribbon around her neck, making a bow at the back of her head. He continued,
“I knew you were the embroiderer all along. You were that child bride back then. From Longcheng County to Jiangzhou, from the Pure Land Palace of Donglin Temple to the quiet courtyard outside Chengtian Temple, you 'coincidentally' appeared by my side time and time again, pretending to be a passerby, a fellow patient, or a cook. I know your feelings, and I also know that you are unwilling to reveal your true feelings. So I might as well pretend to be a new acquaintance with you as well…”
"By the way, Zhao Qingxiu, is this your current official name? Yue Chuzi of Yunmeng Sword Marsh, the newest swordsmanship champion on the mountain."
“But I didn’t know that at first. I only knew that you were a female ruler. But you are from the same clan and share the same surname as my mother, so naturally you are also surnamed Zhao. A female ruler with the surname Zhao… um.”
Overwhelmed with emotion, Zhao Qingxiu heard the scholar in the scholar's robe murmur her name and softly murmured:
"Child bride Xiu Niang... Yue Chu Zi Zhao Qing Xiu... Xiu Niang... Zhao Qing Xiu... If Zhao Qing Xiu had a nickname, wouldn't it be the same as Xiu Niang? I don't know who gave you the proper name, it's really fitting."
"Also, your family members, well, your senior sisters, when they forged the signature on the roster of the Beitian Aid Home in Longcheng to take you away, they actually slipped up and filled in the words 'Xiuniang'. Xiuniang is an embroiderer, isn't it? That's how it should be... Embroiderer, wife, don't you think so?"
Ouyang Rong stared straight ahead, talking to himself, asking and answering his own questions. When he finished speaking, he looked down and asked the pretty girl on his shoulder with a smile.
Zhao Qingxiu listened intently, her face showing a mixture of embarrassment and excitement, and she couldn't help but write:
[Tanlang is absolutely right, I didn't guess wrong. I am the embroiderer, first and foremost the embroiderer, then Zhao Qingxiu.]
Ouyang Rong nodded solemnly and emphasized it again:
“Me too. I was Tanlang first, and then Ouyang Lianghan. They came in order, and they should come in order.”
Zhao Qingxiu took a deep breath and lowered her head to write:
Will my lover be angry that I hid it from him?
Ouyang Rong shook his head:
"No, everyone has their own difficulties, and so do I. I also have things to hide, and it's not just about Ouyang Lianghan's identity. But even if I do, so what? We're still together now, so it doesn't matter."
Zhao Qingxiu burst into tears of joy, lowering her head to rub the corners of her eyes beneath the ribbon.
Ouyang Rong reached out and rubbed her head.
At this moment, Zhao Qingxiu seemed to realize something. Ouyang Rong saw her face change, turning pale. He grabbed her hand and immediately wrote:
[I almost forgot, my love, besides revealing my identity, there's another important thing I need to tell you.]
Ouyang Rong said calmly and serenely, "Embroiderer, you write, and I'll read it."
Zhao Qingxiu lowered her head, and from the side, her small face, no bigger than a palm, was full of seriousness and earnestness.
She wrote, word by word:
My second senior sister has arrived.
"Where is it? Next to the Xunyang Grottoes?"
Ouyang Rong looked around, his expression not surprised.
Zhao Qingxiu shook her head.
She was coming, and the senior sister was coming later, but she approached me first, coming alone. She knew about our situation, and she was the one who told me about your official identity.
Ouyang Rong nodded and asked:
"What does your second senior sister mean?"
[My second senior sister, representing the sect, gave me two choices... She even suggested that I come and talk to you, telling me not to make a hasty decision, but to let you choose as well, so we could choose together.]
Ouyang Rong narrowed his eyes and asked softly, "What choice? The embroiderer should speak first."
Zhao Qingxiu's chest heaved slightly.
[Second Senior Sister said, "I...we only have two paths. One is that I can stay, but she won't be able to explain herself when she goes back. More people will come, and we don't know what the Eldest Senior Sister and the sect will do to you and us later..."]
She wrote on Ouyang Rong's palm at a slower and slower pace towards the end.
If she still had her eyes and hadn't gone blind, Zhao Qingxiu would have already turned to look at Ouyang Rong's expression.
Ouyang Rong lowered his head and watched silently.
Zhao Qingxiu gradually noticed the silence of her lover in front of her, and the more she wrote, the more uneasy she became.
As if awaiting some kind of final judgment, she didn't know what she was afraid of. Was it his agreement after weighing the pros and cons, or his long silence before his refusal, indicating inner hesitation and struggle?
Zhao Qingxiu was also unsure. She suddenly realized that, in fact, some things, once spoken, could be interpreted in a mere three breaths of silence from the other party, even if they were just seriously considering them.
Zhao Qingxiu used to really enjoy quiet and silence, and she also enjoyed the quiet and silent time she spent with Tanlang, that tacit understanding and unspoken time.
But at this moment, she had never been so afraid of Tanlang's habitual silence that would follow.
Zhao Qingxiu suddenly looked up, her small face trying to put on a bright smile.
The pretty young woman leaned against the shoulder of the scholar-robed youth, and continued writing towards him as if happily presenting a treasure:
"Well, this is Jianze's final warning, it's quite serious, but they don't seem to have much ill intent. Don't be afraid, Tanlang, we have another option. I think it's not bad. Second Senior Sister said that as long as I go back with her today, I won't need to get involved in the matter of the Great Buddha. We'll leave today, just temporarily, just to go back to Jianze. If Tanlang agrees, Second Senior Sister guarantees that no matter what happens in the city today, she and the sect will protect your safety, and will even give you an extra big benefit..."
"Stop talking."
Zhao Qingxiu was writing when Ouyang Rong immediately interrupted her.
She smiled charmingly, tilted her head, and wrote a question:
"My lord, won't you let me finish explaining the benefits? Don't speak yet, read it first... Senior Sister said that choosing the second path will grant you a political achievement. If Jianze conquers Shuangfengjian and Xunyang City, they can stage a scene for you to reclaim lost territory, allowing you to accumulate merit for turning the tide. In addition, you will also receive a special Yunmeng Token, ensuring that no one in the Tiannan Jianghu will harm you in the future, and making it easier for you to govern Jiangnan. Actually, it's fine for me to go back for a while. That place can't hold me back. I'll escape again later. Don't worry, my lord, I'm the best at escaping..."
Before Zhao Qingxiu could finish writing, she heard the young man in the scholar's robe chuckle lightly, seemingly nodding slightly towards Xunyang City. Just as her heart sank and she was about to force a smile again, the young man's resolute voice interrupted her:
“I’ve already said it, there’s no need to say it again. You don’t need to run away. Embroiderer, you’re not allowed to leave, and I’m not leaving either. We’ll stay together.”
Ouyang Rong cupped Zhao Qingxiu's dazed face in his hands and said, word by word:
"Go and talk to this second senior sister... well, just because she's somewhat decent and even made you come over to ask me honestly, I'll temporarily address her with the same respect... Go and say two words to this second senior sister, but don't even think about it. Don't even bother discussing this matter. What's the point of choosing?"
Zhao Qingxiu heard her usually refined, gentle, and courteous husband utter a curse word, and he even seemed to hold up two fingers to her:
"First, I won't allow you to leave, not even temporarily. I absolutely refuse. Second, I don't like making choices. Only children make choices. Embroiderer, did you hear me? You can't choose either."
Zhao Qingxiu's mouth was slightly open, as if each of her ribbons was "gazing" at him. She remained silent for a while, and a breath was rapidly gathering in her chest.
She tilted her head back and made two forceful "ah ah" sounds, then continued writing without lowering her head:
【My dear, won't you reconsider? If you don't choose, your senior sister and the sect won't let it go. Your eldest senior sister has a fiery temper and might take action. In the Tiannan Jianghu, almost no one can stop her... I know your feelings, but my dear, you need to calm down and think about it again.】
Zhao Qingxiu immediately heard Ouyang Rong's resounding voice, almost without hesitation:
“I, Ouyang Lianghan, disagree.”
With just one simple sentence, Zhao Qingxiu felt it could rival a thousand words; all the words she had written had vanished into thin air.
Zhao Qingxiu was stunned, her heart filled with deep emotion.
The index finger resting on his palm curled up, its emotions beyond words.
Ouyang Rong said seriously:
“We’ll face whatever happens together, Embroiderer. I don’t like the advice you gave me when you wrote those words, your so-called good intentions. Have you forgotten what I told you that day? Have you forgotten how to write the word ‘home’?”
Zhao Qingxiu turned her head away, sniffed, wiped her face, and hugged him tightly again:
[I haven't forgotten, but... but I am indeed very good at running, and I can run away silently. It's not a big deal if I go back, as long as you don't abandon me. No, even if you abandon me, I will still run out to find you...]
Ouyang Rong sighed helplessly, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Halfway through his speech, he noticed that Zhao Qingxiu, who was wiping her face, was lost in thought as she wiped her face and began to choke up. Her mouth was open, and her chest heaved violently.
Silent weeping.
The pretty young girl was crying for some unknown reason, and she was crying very hard, but she covered her mouth with the back of her hand and didn't make a sound.
Ouyang Rong was at a loss for what to do and asked a question, but Zhao Qingxiu did not answer.
He had no choice but to hold her.
The two embraced.
After a while, Ouyang Rong felt Zhao Qingxiu begin to write in his palm:
My love, I do feel the same way you do, but I'm afraid, I'm afraid, I'm afraid of so many things that it's hard to change in a short time. I've been paranoid, and I'm sorry.
Ouyang Rong shook his head firmly:
“You’re right. The embroiderer is already very brave, braver than most women in the world. You knew to come to me for advice and seek another person’s opinion. You didn’t hide anything from me. You’ve already surpassed most people in the world.”
Zhao Qingxiu was overjoyed and wept, hugging him tightly. Her vision was filled with darkness, yet also with light.
As if remembering something, Zhao Qingxiu immediately broke free from the embrace and wrote with a serious expression:
"My love, now that we've both made our choices, we must work together to devise a strategy..."
Although the situation is difficult at the moment, my senior sister is too strong. Once she has free time, she will definitely come looking for me. With the cooperation of the other senior sisters, we will have nowhere to hide in the entire Tiannan Jianghu. I am currently at the sixth rank of cultivation. I don't know if you know anything about cultivation. However, my senior sister is at the fifth rank, a genuine high-grade Qi cultivator.
Zhao Qingxiu analyzed the situation calmly, but couldn't hide a hint of pessimism. She forced a smile and began to comfort Ouyang Rong:
So it seems that a hard approach won't work, so let's try a softer one first. I was originally planning to try persuading Senior Sister... Don't worry, let's try this method first. Senior Sister is kind-hearted, just a bit short-tempered. We'll try our best not to upset her and treat her well...
【But don't worry, my love, I will absolutely not let them hurt you. Just stand behind me. If things get really bad, we'll run away together. I might not be able to beat Senior Sister, but I'm the best at running away.】
His eyes were fixed on Zhao Qingxiu's resolute expression, and he could hear her firm words, which seemed to indicate that she was ready to take charge and make him step back and live off her.
Ouyang Rong's expression became slightly strange.
(End of this chapter)
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