Chapter 64 When Waking Up: Who said that you can't wake someone who's pretending to be asleep?
Following Xie Qinghe's gaze, one could see the jade belt at his waist.
Looking around, he saw that everyone was avoiding his gaze.
Ning Lu licked her lips, unsure whether to go forward or retreat.
"You dared before, why don't you dare now?"
"Who says I wouldn't dare?"
Provoked by him, Ning Lu immediately retorted, "I'm only concerned about your reputation."
With a soft laugh, the person turned their head to the side and held a handkerchief to their lips.
After a while, he finally mustered his strength, straightened up, and grasped her wrist.
Xie Qinghe leaned most of his weight on her, making Ning Lu, who was already short, appear even shorter.
"Xie Qinghe, although your reputation is ruined, your integrity remains."
Are you trying to persuade me to reform myself?
As she boarded the carriage and leaned against the soft couch, Xie Qinghe smiled faintly, glancing at the jade pendant that had somehow ended up in her palm.
Just as he could easily distinguish between Ning Lu and Liu Yunying's souls, he could also discern which of her habits belonged to Ning Lu and which belonged to Liu Yunying.
For example, at this moment, someone secretly takes something from his waist without him noticing.
This is Liu Yunying's skill, and also evidence of Ning Lu's claims about time travel and soul swapping.
Xie Qinghe's expression darkened slightly, and he unconsciously rubbed his fingertips.
Ning Lu, of course, had no idea what he was thinking. She turned the jade pendant over and over for a long time, but couldn't figure out the secret. Finally, she gave up and looked at Xie Qinghe with longing eyes.
"I'm not trying to persuade you to reform, I just want to borrow your brain for a bit."
Leaning against the pillow, fingertips lightly raised.
She immediately understood and brought her head and the jade together in front of him.
Seeing that she had come to him without any defenses, Xie Qinghe didn't stand on ceremony. He reached out and pinched her fingertips, sliding them downwards.
"There's... a bump here. Can you feel it?"
"Hmm? Hmm!"
Ning Lu nodded in surprise, and then exerted her strength.
The tassels snapped open with a clatter, revealing a scroll of writing.
"Can such a small piece of paper even fit a person's name?"
Before she could even lay it all out, she couldn't help but start complaining.
She went to great lengths to find this item simply because Xie Qinghe had shown great interest in it when they first met, which made her feel that the jade pendant was important as well.
Having witnessed the hardships faced by the people of Pingcheng in paying taxes and the disparity between the rich and poor in Changzhou, I personally believe that if the list involved in this matter could serve as evidence, it would be beneficial to everyone.
But at this moment, this thing was so thin and flimsy that it clearly couldn't bear her expectations, which made her nervous.
Seeing her hesitation, Xie Qinghe raised his chin, gesturing for her to read the words inside.
"Then I watched it?"
The note, about the length of an index finger, was slowly unfurled, revealing its contents. Ning Lu's expression suddenly turned serious.
As she expected, the list of traitors could not be written on the short note, which was only an inch long and two fingers wide.
There are only four large characters.
Brotherly love and respect
"What does this mean?" Ning Lu felt her breath catch for a moment as she tried to understand: "Was this written by the Wise Prince? Does it mean that the brothers have a harmonious relationship and there is no rebellion?"
"Or...is he alluding to something or being sarcastic? Is his good older or younger brother helping him?"
Which one do you think is better?
Very satisfied with Ning Lu's clever response, Xie Qinghe turned slightly to the side and actually began to think.
"What do you mean by 'I think which is better'? This can't be just about me thinking which is better... that's it..."
The sound grew softer and softer, while her mouth opened wider and wider.
"What are you planning to do?"
Amused by her bewildered expression, he took the note, rolled it up, put it back on the jade pendant, and restored it to its original state.
"The wise king is dead, and how to interpret the words he left behind is a question for the living to consider."
"So you came to see Pan Xingxue today to try and extract more information from him?"
The person opposite her gave her a knowing smile, and Ning Lu felt she had never been so smart before.
You can play it like this?
This is something she didn't learn during her nine years of compulsory education in the 21st century.
Xie Qinghe's approval and new knowledge did not make Ning Lu happy at all. Instead, she lowered her head and looked dejected as she fiddled with the note.
Despite all her efforts, she did not obtain the so-called crucial evidence.
It was all for nothing.
“The Prince Xian has been on good terms with the Prince Jing since childhood and listens to his every word, so his actions are understandable.”
However, Xie Qinghe had not expected that he would be willing to cover up for Prince Jing to this extent.
Seeing that Ning Lu was still looking down, he leaned forward and said, "It's all up to us. Some things are better to have than not to have."
The cool fingertips touched her brow, pulling her back from her emotions.
"You get it for me; how to make it work is my skill."
The person was physically exhausted and spoke slowly, with many pauses in between.
Words of comfort rang in her ears, and Ning Lu suddenly looked up.
Ignoring her embarrassment and mixed emotions, she focused intently on him, her eyelashes falling beneath her eyes, blending into the dark shadows.
His chest rose and fell slowly and laboriously, but as soon as he sensed her gaze, his tense jaw relaxed slightly, and he quietly looked back.
Ning Lu was momentarily dazed.
She could no longer tell whether Xie Qinghe was a gentle person at heart or simply too exhausted from his illness to continue.
"Now that Pan Xingxue is dead, and this note doesn't point to anything, are you still going to target Prince Jing?"
“The Prince Xian is young and ignorant, brave but reckless. He must have been acting under someone else’s orders. Prince Jing must be eliminated.”
He was calm and composed, as if he were discussing ordinary things like the weather and food with her.
Ning Lu's heart tightened. Suddenly, she recalled Fang Hong's harsh words and accusations in the dungeon, as well as all the past insults and accusations. She felt a swelling in her chest and was filled with indignation.
"Is pardoning Fang Hong and appointing him to an official position one of the ways to maximize benefits?"
"Didn't you also say that what he said was insightful and had merit?"
“But the Emperor’s edict would take at least half a month to travel from the capital to here and back.”
Ning Lu grasped the key points.
The request for permission on behalf of Cen Fang and the other person must have been made much earlier.
Perhaps he was already prepared when he rescued her from the Changzhou dungeon.
Her lips pressed down, her smile vanished, and Xie Qinghe was rendered speechless by her keen observation, unsure how to explain.
"Xie Qinghe."
She didn't know why, and was only confused.
"Did you already plan to promote Lord Cen and then pardon Fang Hong?"
"Do you think I'm that upright?"
"What does this have to do with integrity? Unless you think they are both very good people, then you would feel that helping them is a righteous thing to do."
She had never felt her logic was so clear before, and gradually sat up straight.
"Changzhou may seem respectable, but it's actually on the verge of collapse. Lord Cen has been an official in Changzhou for a long time and knows the situation best. You promoted him to prefect and put him in charge of Changzhou. Pingcheng is in great chaos and needs a ruthless person who doesn't care about the consequences or take responsibility. That's why you chose Fang Hong, who has been imprisoned for many years and is particularly good at cursing. Ying County was previously well managed by Lord Cen, so it wouldn't matter if you replaced him with a normal person or an ordinary person... right?"
Who says she's not smart?
Who says she doesn't understand politics?
He saw that she understood perfectly.
Before Xie Qinghe could give her an approving look, Ning Lu lost her confidence and began to stammer softly.
"But... Lord Cen has an old grudge against you because of Lord Sima, and Fang Hong also spoke ill of you because of your grandfather..."
"You knew all along?"
Xie Qinghe did not argue. He turned his head slightly, leaned back against the soft pillow, and closed his eyes to rest.
"I only heard it secondhand."
The longer she stayed in this world, the less she dared to comment on his past.
She couldn't tell the difference between what was real and what was fake.
After a long silence, Xie Qinghe opened his eyes, his interest piqued: "Tell me, what have you heard?"
Didn't you get enough of being scolded in the dungeon?
Ning Lu bit her lip, blinked rapidly, and carefully chose her words.
“I heard that you were imprisoned when you were young and suffered a lot, which is why you developed this illness.”
She downplayed the issue, but Xie Qinghe wasn't about to give up easily and wanted her to continue.
"They say you saved yourself by apologizing to the late emperor. But... the entire Xie family..."
"No need to be so careful, I won't be so upset that I vomit blood in front of you."
"This isn't funny."
She pursed her lips and frowned, displeased with his self-deprecating humor.
Seeing this, Xie Qinghe had no choice but to suppress his teasing smile, press his knuckles against his brow, and continue speaking in accordance with her words.
That's the truth.
He spoke frankly and calmly: "I was servile and betrayed the Xie family, considering myself the son of a disgraced official, thus preserving my lifelong wealth and honor."
"As for Lord Sima, he was unlucky. He couldn't understand the political situation. With the change of the old and the new, he chose the late emperor and could not stay."
"You see, there are no hidden secrets, and there's not much justice either."
Xie Qinghe spoke in a deliberately relaxed tone, but the wrinkles between his brows were already incredibly deep.
Ning Lu saw this, bit her lip, poured a bowl of hot tea from the table, and handed it to him.
The warmth of the touch brought Xie Qinghe back to reality from his memories. He looked at the teacup in his palm and ran his fingertips along the rim of the bowl.
Why aren't you saying anything?
"I don't know what to say."
She rarely found herself speechless, but at this moment she felt utterly powerless.
The carriage was silent, while the hawkers on both sides of the road were noisy and bustling.
The everyday life of the city was like a spark falling into frozen soil, illuminating the brilliance in Ning Lu's eyes.
She looked up and muttered softly, "I just feel that now, looking back, those difficult days, whether in Zhujia'ao or Ying County, didn't seem so bad."
At least, it's better than it is now.
His heart and lungs tightened, half of his body went numb, and Xie Qinghe choked, unable to swallow.
The air seemed to freeze, and the fingertips hanging by the side were faintly white.
He was completely exposed to her keen insight and soft heart, utterly defeated.
Just like every time before, but even worse than every time before...
Xie Qinghe struggled to compose himself and asked with a smile, "Ning Lu, do you know that kindness isn't always a good thing?"
People with soft hearts are the easiest to manipulate.
"Of course I know. Kindness without the ability to protect oneself will only bring harm." She didn't seem to care: "I understand that."
"However, for me, being a good person is an option."
Ning Lu shrugged and spread her hands.
She considers herself not someone who can withstand the torment of her conscience, and therefore chooses to confront her conscience at all times.
Thinking he had answered fluently and without any flaws, he suddenly felt a tightness on his wrist and was pulled in front of Xie Qinghe.
Their eyes met, and his eyelashes almost poked her face.
She instinctively held her breath and stammered, "Thank...thank you, sir..."
"Since that's the case, Ning Lu, you've been so attentive and caring towards me these past few days..."
"Can I also interpret these actions as your choices?"
Xie Qinghe deliberately emphasized the words "your choice".
He looked serious and focused, as if he were waiting for an important answer.
Startled by the sudden interrogation, Ning Lu tried to back away, but the man had already made up his mind not to let her escape and held her tightly.
"Xie Qinghe..."
Who said you can't wake someone who's pretending to be asleep?
Like a bucket of cold water poured over her head, a sudden and sharp rebuke, Ning Lu shuddered slightly, instantly realizing what he meant.
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