Chapter 144 Acting
Various thoughts flashed through his mind: Did he save him for another reason?
Are they birds of a feather?
However, the expected frivolity did not materialize.
Xiao Yongjing raised his hand, but his index finger did not touch her skin. Instead, he gently placed it on his lips, making a shushing gesture.
They maintained that extremely close distance, but his eyes were clear and devoid of any desire.
He lowered his voice and whispered in her ear:
"Don't move, and don't draw your sword. There are people watching outside the door."
Shen Yiqiu realized that he was an informant from an unknown location.
She suppressed her discomfort and pressed for an answer:
"How long are they going to maintain this stance? When will he finally leave?"
Xiao Yongjing smiled slightly, his warm breath brushing lightly against her earlobe:
"That depends on... when that determined person outside the door will get the answer he wants."
Shen Yiqiu frowned: "What kind of answer?"
Xiao Yongjing's gaze swept meaningfully over the ambiguous posture between the two:
"Naturally... it's to confirm that our feelings for each other are irresistible, like dry tinder igniting a raging fire. If he doesn't hear some commotion and see with his own eyes that we truly have feelings for each other, how could he willingly leave?"
Shen Yiqiu immediately understood that maintaining a passive stance was not her style.
If you're going to act, then act realistically, so realistically that the other person has no complaints.
To Xiao Yongjing's surprise, Shen Yiqiu beneath him suddenly moved.
Instead of pushing him away, she stretched out her jade-like arm and took the initiative to hook her arms around Xiao Yongjing's neck, pulling him even closer.
Using a languid, coquettish voice, as if just awakened, deliberately raised the tone:
"Your Highness... I am yours..."
As he spoke, his other hand began to make circles on his chest.
Xiao Yongjing's body stiffened visibly, and his ears turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye.
He only intended to put on a show, but he didn't expect Shen Yiqiu to be so dedicated and bold, turning the tables on him.
He took a deep breath to barely steady his voice, then lowered it in an ambiguous manner to match:
"My beloved... do not be anxious, the night is long..."
The faint figure outside the door paused for a moment, then finally disappeared into the distance.
As soon as the person left, Shen Yiqiu immediately let go of his hand, regaining her usual aloofness. She sat up, straightened her clothes, and distanced herself from Xiao Yongjing.
Xiao Yongjing coughed lightly to cover his embarrassment and teased:
"Thanks to your dear childhood sweetheart, we now have a legitimate reason to stay in the palace."
Shen Yiqiu looked around, knew who he was talking about, and asked:
"What about the other two?"
Xiao Yongjing gestured with his chin to the screen in the corner of the room.
Shen Yiqiu walked over and saw that Fu Langxing and Song Sangyu were tightly bound with hemp rope, their mouths stuffed with cloth, and they were still unconscious.
How did you find me?
"After you went out to change, Fu Langxing and Song Sangyu left the table one after the other in a furtive manner. I felt that something was amiss and that it must be related to you. I followed them and found that it was indeed the case."
"Fu Langxing is a man who only knows how to use such despicable means. He tries to achieve his goals by ruining someone's reputation, which has completely disgraced the Fu family. Doesn't he realize that this trick might work on an ordinary woman, but what does it mean to you, Chen Yiqiu?"
He looked at Shen Yiqiu and smiled:
"To General Shen, the body is merely a vessel for the soul, a mere shell; it has never been able to bind your actions or will."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yiqiu was slightly taken aback:
"My husband, you really understand me."
She could sense that Xiao Yongjing's words were not meant to flatter her, but rather that he truly saw through her indomitable spirit.
This feeling of understanding is especially precious compared to the discipline she received in the Song family regarding "how a woman should behave".
Her smile faded slightly as she recalled the earlier spying and asked curiously:
"Who was that person eavesdropping and monitoring outside the door just now?"
Xiao Yongjing showed little reaction upon hearing this:
"Whose people are they?"
He shook his head, looking completely numb.
"There are too many people who want to find fault with me and hope that I will make a mistake. My father's princes, their maternal families, and powerful ministers in the court with their own agendas... perhaps they are all involved. Sometimes I am too lazy to distinguish which group they are."
He walked to the window, his gaze falling upon the palace's many upturned eaves:
"Since the day I moved into this Eastern Palace, open and covert attacks have never stopped. Within these palace walls, apart from Mo Yu and Hong Lan who have followed me since childhood, I... have long forgotten the meaning of the word 'trustworthy'."
He turned around and looked at Shen Yiqiu:
"I'm used to living a life of constant danger. It's just a matter of responding to their moves and making them unable to find a way to attack."
Shen Yiqiu listened quietly, watching him, who, despite his high status, seemed to be standing on a precipice.
She recalled that when she was on the frontier, she at least had tens of thousands of comrades she could rely on, while he, in the most prosperous palace in the world, was even more isolated and helpless than she was.
She walked to his side and stood beside him, gazing at the same sky outside the window:
"I don't care about what happened before. Now that we're allies and husband and wife, count me in when you're behind you."
She turned her head to look at him, her eyes resolute:
“From now on, if anyone puts their ear to your door again, I’ll help you twist their ears off one by one.”
Xiao Yongjing suddenly turned to look at her and saw that she was serious and not joking. A warm feeling flowed into his heart.
He gazed at her intently for a moment, then finally revealed a genuine and relaxed smile:
"Very well. Then I... will respectfully comply."
...
"There is indeed something I need your help with, Madam. What do you think?"
Shen Yiqiu: ...
You're really not being polite.
Xiao Yongjing needs Shen Yiqiu to go to the Cold Palace to help him find someone.
The Crown Prince's identity is too conspicuous, and his frequent visits to the Cold Palace would easily alert the enemy. As a female member of the palace, Shen Yiqiu's getting lost and ending up near the Cold Palace would be less likely to arouse suspicion.
He explained:
"The Marquis of Yongjia, who is also your grandmother, had a maid named Lvtao who served her closely during the time she lived in the palace. After she left the palace, the maid was punished for theft and sent to the Cold Palace to serve. It is unknown whether she is alive or dead. I need to find her or any clues about her."
"also,"
He hesitated for a moment
"I have heard that Su, the midwife who delivered my mother's baby, may also be in the Cold Palace. For so many years, I have been investigating in secret, but the Cold Palace is like a barrier, and no information can get out."
Shen Yiqiu noticed the gloom that settled on his face:
"Your mother...?"
Xiao Yongjing remained silent.
Shen Yiqiu immediately replied, "If it's inconvenient, you don't have to answer."
Xiao Yongjing looked into Shen Yiqiu's clear eyes, sighed, and finally spoke:
"It won't hurt to tell you. Her name is Tang Renjing, a daughter of a military family who...is not skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, or painting, but only loves raising horses and shooting arrows. Later, she was taken as Consort Jia by my father, and she is my birth mother."
He gave a wry smile:
"To my shame, apart from her title and name, and the vague impression that she was free-spirited and disliked restraint, I could find almost no other information about her."
"All traces of her in the palace seem to have been deliberately erased. After my mother disappeared, I was given to the Imperial Concubine to be raised by my father. The Imperial Concubine treated me as her own son, and I have always been very grateful to her."
"I heard that she had a son who did not live past his first birthday, and she had no more children after that. She treated me as her own son."
Shen Yiqiu looked at the usually cold and ruthless man in front of her and showed a hint of confusion. Her heart softened, and after a moment of thought, she realized that since this matter was also related to her grandmother, it might not be such a bad clue.
"Okay, I'll help you."
Xiao Yongjing raised his head, took out a bone whistle, and placed it in her hand:
"Don't worry, I won't let you go into danger alone. Mo Yu and Hong Lan will protect you from the shadows. If you encounter danger, blow this whistle, and they will appear immediately, and I will arrive as soon as possible."
He held her hand tightly:
"We don't have much time; we must get out before the banquet ends. Be careful in everything..."
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