The more Ling Heguang talked, the more overwhelmed he felt.
When Mingming came over, he heard that he was going to pick up these two people, and his own Third Prince had been so wise as to keep them in Yue Kingdom. How come after meeting them, it turned into a different way of keeping them?
"I can't eat or sleep if I don't kill her." Yue Chen snorted coldly, took out an exquisitely crafted bamboo whistle from his pocket, and was about to put it to his lips.
Upon seeing this, the two elders quickly stepped forward to stop them.
"Master, please think it over. Jin Baozhu is no ordinary person. You must at least have a reason to kill her." Ling Heguang held Yue Chen's hand tightly.
“Yes, Master, we should at least wait until we see the Emperor tomorrow. If the Jin family really has some grudge against you, do you think the Emperor would just sit idly by?” Wei Tuo echoed, telling the guards who had gathered around after sensing the commotion to go cool off somewhere else.
During their journey from the border town to the capital, they had come to have a newfound respect for the rumored young lady of the Jin family, who was supposedly protected by gold and silver and knew nothing of the world.
Their riding skills were so good that even the two of them couldn't match them.
Moreover, she was diligent and hardworking. Upon their first meeting, they noticed a sliver of internal energy within the young girl and began to pay close attention to her. They discovered that when no one was looking, whether eating or sleeping, she was constantly practicing, making rapid progress. However, the awkwardness with which she secretly used her internal energy to strike trees when no one was watching made them think—
Perhaps this woman didn't have a master, but only learned the techniques by chance and became self-taught?
The thought even crossed their minds, and the two elders considered taking her as their apprentice. But when they glanced at the gold and silver that their daughter was staring at foolishly, they shuddered and quickly dismissed the idea.
If Jin Yin found out, he'd probably pelt them with gold.
Hearing their words, Yue Chen paused, as if suddenly waking up, and looked at them blankly: "Yeah, why did I kill her?"
The room was completely silent.
Wei Tuo and the other man froze, staring at Yue Chen in disbelief.
They thought their master had some kind of irreconcilable hatred with the Jin family's daughter, but it turned out their master himself didn't know why.
The two exchanged a glance, and seeing that Yue Chen had calmed down, they both let go of him.
"Master," Wei Tuo looked at Yue Chen hesitantly, "Are you—well—cough, under too much pressure lately?"
"Hmm?" Yue Chen was lost in thought when he heard Wei Tuo's words and looked up at him.
"Ahem, he meant that you've been attending the Hundred Flowers Banquet a lot lately, so—ahem, you've become—ahem, well, you know, when it comes to that woman." Ling Heguang stammered, trying to explain Wei Tuo's words, but felt that no matter how he said it, it wouldn't be appropriate.
Yue Chen looked at him intently. Ling Heguang hadn't explained it clearly, but Yue Chen understood immediately, and his face darkened instantly.
"You're overthinking it." Yue Chen's face flushed red, then turned purple, then turned even more so. He looked at his two subordinates, who were practically his elders, with a deep sense of helplessness. "I'm perfectly fine, very fine, and perfectly—normal."
Wei Tuo and Ling Heguang instantly looked enlightened. Seeing that Yue Chen was indeed alright, the two exchanged a relieved glance, put their arms around each other's shoulders, and went out. They found a corner and whispered to each other for a while, then gave each other a knowing look.
The next morning, Jin Yin, carrying Hua Cai, followed Yue Chen into the palace.
Yue Chen seemed to have slept poorly last night, as he appeared early this morning with dark circles under his eyes, startling everyone.
Wei Tuo and Ling Heguang, dressed in long robes and carrying swords, stared straight ahead with serious expressions. Unnoticed by the others, their peripheral vision was fixed on Yue Chen. Seeing him frequently glancing absently at Hua Cai, they both revealed expressions of "I knew it."
Therefore, after Jin Yin entered the palace to meet the Yue Emperor, formally reached an agreement, and left, the Yue Emperor, who had not yet left the Imperial Study, received a report from a eunuch that Commander Wei and Commander Ling were requesting an audience.
Wei Tuo and Ling Heguang were specially assigned by the Emperor of Yue to protect Yue Chen. When they heard that the two had arrived, they remembered Yue Chen's dejected appearance when they saw him earlier. Their hearts skipped a beat, and they thought something had happened to their precious son. They quickly summoned them.
"What did you say?" Emperor Yue stared in disbelief at his two old friends who had suddenly become so gossipy: "You're saying that Chen'er has finally come to his senses and is having a one-sided crush on the Jin family's daughter?"
"Yes, yes."
"That's right, that's right."
The two top experts nodded firmly in affirmation.
Emperor Yue poured himself a cup of tea with trembling hands and gulped down two large mouthfuls: "Wait, let me catch my breath. My Chen'er has finally come to his senses, but he's fallen for that brat Li Zheng's woman?"
“That was before, not now,” Wei Tuo corrected seriously.
"Pfft—" The Emperor of Yue suddenly spat out a mouthful of tea, instantly soaking the memorials laid out in front of him.
Emperor Yue picked up the memorial and shook it. Looking at the ink smudged and the handwriting illegible, he sighed and called out to the door, "Min'an, tell the Vice Minister of Rites that I don't like today's memorial. Have him rewrite it in a different font and send it up."
"Yes—" a shrill voice came from outside the door.
The Emperor Yue tossed the discarded memorial into the wastebasket, crossed his arms, and glared at Wei Tuo: "Little Wei, did that Jin family girl give you money? I've never seen you so eager to speak up for someone you've only known for a few days."
“Your Majesty—” Wei Tuo’s face darkened.
"Alright, Your Majesty, if you keep calling him by his nickname, he'll start to rebel again." Seeing the situation was turning sour, Ling Heguang hurriedly tried to smooth things over, but it was too late.
"Sit up straight! You've been emperor for so many years, and you still have no manners. I don't know what my sister ever thought of you, you little rascal." This was Wei Tuo's unchanging line. At first, the Yue Emperor would feel sad for a while, but now he couldn't even be bothered to chuckle.
The Emperor Yue sighed, making no attempt to conceal the fact that the two of them had gotten up, and took out an exquisite soft armor from a hidden compartment in the wall.
"When you go back, take this to Chen'er." The Emperor Yue stroked the delicate patterns on the soft armor and handed it to Wei Tuo.
"Mysterious Light Soft Armor!" Wei Tuo exclaimed in surprise.
"I've wanted to give him this for a long time, and now it's perfect timing. He's taken a liking to the Jin family's daughter, and things aren't going to be peaceful for her lately." Emperor Yue looked at Wei Tuo: "Now is not the time to confront the Li Kingdom head-on, but since Chen'er has taken a liking to her, I don't mind giving her a little help. Chen'er was born of Pingxia at great personal risk, and she's my life too. She can't be harmed, especially at crucial moments—"
After a moment of silence in the imperial study, Wei Tuo's calm voice rang out: "I understand."
Hua Cai was unaware of what had happened in the Imperial Study; she was currently in the Imperial Garden, staring wide-eyed at Yue Chen.
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