Chapter 60
When Wei Luo came to see Shen Yao, he specially wore a dark brocade cloak with silver fox fur trim around his chin at the collar, making his face look like jade and his eyes like bright stars.
This outfit was quite different from his usual low-key style, and Shen Yao couldn't take her eyes off him for a moment.
Wei Luo was secretly pleased with himself, and knowingly asked, "You've been staring at me, are there flowers on your face?"
Shen Yao smiled and took his arm. "Your Highness looks very handsome today, especially...beautiful."
"Beautiful?" Wei Luo was shocked, his smile freezing on his face. "What beauty? I'm not an actress, how can I be beautiful?"
He looked at Shen Yao with a strange expression, as if to say, "You're blind and clumsy."
Shen Yao tilted her head, and after thinking for a long time, she suddenly remembered that in this era, saying that a nobleman was handsome was not a compliment, but a way of teasing him for being frivolous.
As the crown prince, Wei Luo values etiquette and propriety even more. He should be praised for his temperament and talent using idioms such as "bright and clear-minded" and "handsome and elegant."
But she insisted on saying it was beautiful, which was exactly what he disliked.
Shen Yao couldn't stop smiling.
Wei Luo glared at her fiercely and strode forward angrily.
Shen Yao pouted and quickly ran after him, "Your Highness, are you angry?"
Wei Luo ignored him.
Shen Yao reached out and tugged at his clothes, continuing to ask, "Are you really angry?"
"No."
Wei Luo gritted his teeth.
Shen Yao covered her mouth and laughed, then continued, "So where are we going now?"
Wei Luo looked around, pointed to a small stall ahead, and said, "Roasted mutton, let's go there."
Shen Yao looked over and saw a banner hanging under a bamboo pole, several tables set up in a row, and customers steadily arriving; business seemed quite good. But, but it was a roadside stall!!
In an instant, Shen Yao recalled how in TV dramas, the female lead would always take wealthy young men to eat street food. She never imagined that, with the reversal of time, this kind of thing would actually happen to her and Wei Luo.
I was caught between laughter and tears.
While she was still hesitating, Wei Luo couldn't wait to pull her forward, but Shen Yao quickly stopped him, "Your Highness, look, there are many people over there. What if a thief sneaks in?"
While eating at a roadside stall together might seem romantic, the potential risks are still high. Shen Yao values her life and doesn't want to take that risk at all.
After she finished speaking, she looked at Liu Heng, signaling him to step forward and dissuade her. Unexpectedly, the man who always talked about Wei Luo's safety snorted and simply stayed out of it.
Shen Yao was immediately at a loss.
Wei Luo said, "Under the emperor's nose, how could there be thieves? Besides, I am traveling incognito from the palace, so naturally I have guards with me."
Shen Yao glanced sideways and saw several plainclothes guards standing not far away. These were the ones in plainclothes; there were probably also hidden guards. In short, the Eastern Palace was well-protected, so she didn't need to worry about them.
Shen Yao strode towards the barbecue stall.
As dusk fell, the restaurant was packed with customers. The two found a corner to sit down, ordered their barbecue, and the restaurant staff brought a jar of wine to the table.
Shen Yao asked, "Want some wine?"
"nature."
Liu Heng poured the wine, and the clear, cool liquid flowed into the bowl.
Wei Luo looked at it, puzzled, and asked, "What kind of wine is this?"
Shen Yao craned her neck to look, "Baijiu, also called shaojiu, is extremely popular among the people of the capital."
Liu Heng glanced at Shen Yao's face and nodded, saying, "It's baijiu. It's called 'Shaodaozi' because it's strong and feels like it's being cut by a knife. Your Highness has been living in the palace for a long time, so you probably aren't used to it. I'll change it to Shaoxing rice wine right away."
Just as he was about to take it, Wei Luo immediately reached out to stop him, "No need, since it's a common drink among ordinary people, I'll just have a taste."
Just as he was about to drink from the bowl, Liu Heng quickly advised, "Your Highness, this wine is strong and can easily make you drunk. Let's switch to yellow wine instead."
Shen Yao nodded in agreement, "The liquor has a high alcohol content. Your Highness should only take a small sip to taste it and must not overindulge."
Both of them stared intently at him.
Wei Luo felt displeased. He was being nagged at even though he was out of the palace drinking, and judging from the expressions of the two people, they looked like he would faint if he drank. He was even more dissatisfied.
"It's just a bowl of wine, how come other people are fine after drinking it, but I'm the one who gets sick?"
Just then, the shopkeeper brought over a plate of roasted meat. Hearing their discussion, he said, "This liquor is a specialty of our capital city, and all real men drink it. Young master, our liquor is made from sorghum. It's good for your health to drink in winter, as it helps to dispel cold and dampness."
"You all heard that, right? Drinking alcohol will ward off the cold."
Wei Luo took a small bite, and the shopkeeper asked expectantly, "What do you think, young master?"
"Uh, cough cough..." Wei Luo pursed his lips and said slowly after a long while, "The wine is really strong, but after drinking it for a while, a warm feeling will rise up... The wine is not bad... cough cough."
"Not bad my foot!" The man's expression clearly said "It tastes awful," but he stubbornly refused to admit it. Just as Shen Yao was about to tease him, the shopkeeper suddenly pointed into the distance and shouted, "Hey, there's a fire over there!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.
Across the rows of houses, flames were raging not far away, and thick smoke could be seen from afar. Soon, the air was filled with the smell of burning wood.
Shen Yao couldn't help but cough a few times, muttering, "Such a big fire, I wonder which family is so unlucky~"
"It looks like your study!!"
"……ah?"
*
Flames and thick smoke filled the air, accompanied by the sound of collapsing buildings. Xu Xuan lay on the ground, gritting his teeth and desperately trying to crawl out.
Because of his injured hip, he couldn't exert any strength and could only wriggle his body like an earthworm. The twisted and undignified posture made him feel ashamed and resentful.
When he looked up, his eyes were bloodshot. "Who are you? Why did you want to kill me?"
His voice was full of resentment.
Not far from him, a man came over in response, his black boots pressed against Xu Xuan's face. "Brother, you're about to die and you still don't know who you've offended. You're really stupid."
"you……"
Xu Xuan's chest heaved violently as she watched the blade of death being pulled from the man's waist, the cold dagger slowly pressing against her chin. Xu Xuan closed her eyes in despair, "Yes, I've always been a fool, a stupid person, so before I die, give me an explanation... so I can find my true enemy on the road to the underworld."
“Hmm…that works too.” The man tilted his head and thought for a moment before giving an affirmative answer. He leaned close to Xu Xuan’s ear and spoke softly, as if soothing a fussy child, “Listen carefully, the person who hired me to commit the crime is the son of the Marquis of Yongning. Now you can go in peace.”
As soon as the words were spoken, the door crashed to the ground with a loud bang, like a silver bottle shattering. The two people looked over in response.
"Thief, let him go."
Shen Yao, draped in a soaked cloak, rushed in. Her teeth chattered from the cold. "The officials are outside. If you know what's good for you, surrender now, or else..."
Her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, and her expression became increasingly incredulous. Although the person in front of her was wearing a black mask, those eyes were clearly those of Brother Zhao Liang!
Why did Zhao Liang kill Xu Xuan?
Shen Yao stepped forward, about to ask a question, but Zhao Liang slipped and quickly fled.
Are you alright?
What are you doing here?
Two voices rang out simultaneously.
Xu Xuan coughed violently a few times, and Shen Yao frowned and said, "Don't say any more, let's get out of here quickly."
The rescuers had arrived outside. Shen Yao had someone help Xu Xuan out, while she busied herself rummaging through drawers and cabinets, stuffing a handful of silver notes into her bosom.
Whatever you burn, you absolutely cannot burn money!
Xu Xuan glanced at her, then left in silence.
A large crowd of people gathered outside the gate, some fighting the fire, others watching. After Xu Xuan left, the soldiers of the Five Cities Garrison extinguished the fire.
Fortunately, the fire only burned the front yard, and the surrounding neighborhoods were not affected, with no casualties.
Xiao Yang, the commander of the military command, also arrived. He ordered his guards to disperse the crowd.
"Thieves commit murder and arson, do you know who wants to kill you?"
Xiao Yang walked over and looked at Xu Xuan.
Xu Xuan pondered for a moment before raising her eyes and answering, "I don't know."
"Don't know? You don't know who you've offended recently?"
Xiao Yang shook his sleeves, a look of doubt flashing in his eyes.
"I haven't offended anyone."
Xu Xuan avoided his probing gaze and scanned her surroundings. Had the man in black, who had just fled, still lurked in the shadows, watching her?
He felt a chill run down his spine.
Shen Yao also scanned her surroundings. However, she wasn't looking for the thief, but for Wei Luo.
At that moment, a fire suddenly broke out, and the surroundings were chaotic. She could see nothing and hear nothing, and she couldn't just sit and wait to die. Ignoring Wei Luo's advice, she picked up a basin of water and poured it over herself.
Wei Luo could only watch helplessly as she rushed into the sea of fire to save people, to save Xu Xuan!
The powerless sound howled in the wind, then vanished mercilessly without leaving a trace.
But Chen Yao heard it, she heard him say, "Don't go, come back."
But she went in anyway, leaving Wei Luo's voice behind. Now she came out safely, but in the night, only charred wood and lingering smoke remained; Wei Luo's figure had long since vanished.
Shen Yao suddenly felt a pang of panic.
*
"Your Highness, I've said it before: women are unreliable, especially a woman like her—"
"What kind of woman is she?" Wei Luo stopped in his tracks, his cold eyes glaring at Liu Heng.
Liu Heng's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly shut his mouth and lowered his head in silence.
This time, however, Wei Luo wasn't going to let him off the hook. "Tell me, what kind of woman is she?"
They pressed on relentlessly.
With nowhere to retreat, Liu Heng raised her head and resolutely met his gaze. "Since Your Highness has asked this servant, this servant will dare to speak frankly, Miss Shen—"
"Forget it, you don't need to say anymore." Wei Luo turned his head and interrupted him. "You're just repeating the same old things over and over again. There's nothing new to say. I'm tired of hearing it."
Liu Heng followed behind, nodding repeatedly and saying, "Your Highness is right. How could a lowly person like me comment on Miss Shen?"
Wei Luo snorted coldly, his voice still icy, but with an unusual stiffness.
Having followed Wei Luo for decades, Liu Heng could easily see that Wei Luo was in a bad mood—not just bad, but practically murderous. Therefore, it was best not to invite further abuse at this moment.
A cold wind howled through the streets, ruffling people's clothes. Wei Luo casually took off his cloak and tossed it to Liu Heng, saying, "It's all show and no substance, throw it away."
This cloak was specially worn for Shen Yao, but now, it's better to do without it.
Liu Heng took it and held it in his hand without moving it.
Wei Luo then asked, "Why didn't you lose it?"
Liu Heng said, "If Your Highness is not pleased, you may take it back to the palace and burn it." His gaze swept over the clothes in his hand, and he added, "The clothes of the Crown Prince's Palace cannot be discarded at will."
“You remember it clearly.” But Wei Luo insisted on throwing it away. He looked at a beggar squatting by the roadside, pointed at him casually, and said, “Give it to him… This is an order.”
The beggar's eyes lit up; he'd met a benefactor tonight! He kowtowed repeatedly, showering the ground with compliments, "Young master, you're such a kind person! Thank you so much, young master! May you pass your exams with flying colors and marry a beautiful woman with many children!"
Wei Luo's gaze fell on him, then she smiled, "Marrying a wife means having children? Is that what you always say to everyone?"
The beggar was puzzled and looked up with a puzzled expression. Liu Heng coughed a few times, threw the clothes at him, and said loudly, "Hurry up and leave."
The beggar stood up in response, and just as he was about to turn around, a clear female voice drifted in on the cold wind, "Wait."
Hesitating, they all squinted and looked over.
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