41 Chapter 41
◎You wouldn't happen to...be planning to keep a mistress, would you?◎
The Martial Arts Division was pressing them urgently, and within a few incense sticks' time, they sent someone to urge them again. Su Lu glanced indifferently at the mountain of gift boxes before leaving and entrusted them to the family to store in the warehouse.
The princess's storeroom was Xie Yutang's private treasury, which meant that he gave everything to her.
The registration process alone took quite a while. Huaijin showed the completed register to Xie Yutang, and Woyu pointed to the astonishing numbers and clicked her tongue. Even though she felt that her young lady deserved the best things in the world, she couldn't help but sigh, "There is such a good thing as getting both wealth and beauty in this world."
The documents on the lacquered table seemed to still retain the chill of the snow. Xie Yutang pressed his fingertip on the Xuan paper: "Send some winter clothes and charcoal to the Imperial Guards in the name of the Crown Prince. Make sure that every soldier receives them."
With the harsh winter approaching, the most pressing need is for charcoal and winter clothing. With so many soldiers and layers of deductions, very few actually reach the ordinary soldiers. Providing timely assistance at this crucial time will surely earn them a good reputation.
This matter was entrusted to Huaijin personally. She is the most meticulous in handling affairs, which shows that her young mistress also cares about the young master.
Huaijin carefully put away the inventory register: "Miss can rest assured now. The young master belongs to you, and no one can take him away."
Xie Yutang shook his head: "This matter is not over yet."
"The princess came here not expecting to get anyone from me."
Woyu asked, puzzled, "Then... what else does she plan to do?"
Xie Yutang held up the teacup lid, tapping it lightly against the cup: "Just wait and see, we'll know in a few days."
Sure enough, on the third day, the emperor sent someone to summon Xie Yutang to the palace.
In the depths of winter, the wind seemed to carry snowflakes, stinging one's face. Xie Yutang, wrapped in a cloak, walked to the Hall of Mental Cultivation and suddenly saw a person emerging from the corridor ahead. The person was tall and had a somewhat familiar profile.
The other person also saw Xie Yutang and walked towards them.
Upon seeing the face clearly, Xie Yutang recognized him as Qiu Dunyue, the National Preceptor of the Northern Rong Kingdom. This man was extremely low-key, yet seemed to hold considerable status; even Tuoba Xiu and Helou Wulan showed him great respect.
"Your Highness."
The man greeted Xie Yutang, but his voice was low, harsh, and hoarse, as if it had been sanded.
They had never crossed paths before, but the voice sounded familiar.
Without time to think it over, Xie Yutang returned the greeting and followed the eunuch into the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Emperor Chongde was leaning back on the dragon throne with his eyes closed, resting his head on his right hand, his brows showing signs of fatigue. Eunuch Wei was bowing as he picked up the memorials that had been thrown to the ground.
No wonder the servants outside the palace were all trembling with fear.
Xie Yutang didn't even glance at the memorials. He walked straight over and sat down opposite Emperor Chongde, propping his hand on the table and waving it in front of the emperor. He smiled and said, "Father, I've studied a few more chess scores today. Shall we play a game?"
The moment that bright, clear voice rang out, it seemed as if even the dark clouds had been blown away a little. Eunuch Wei secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself, "Thank goodness, Xie Yutang has finally arrived."
Sure enough, Emperor Chongde's tightly furrowed brows relaxed, he opened his eyes, and finally became somewhat interested. Before he could speak, Eunuch Wei had already tactfully arranged the chess pieces and the chessboard.
After the two had been chatting for a while, Emperor Chongde's annoyance dissipated considerably. Holding a black chess piece in his hand, he casually asked, "This time you chose Tan'er as your partner. Has he been doing his job well?"
Xie Yutang specifically requested Lin Tan to be the deputy envoy, which pleased the emperor greatly. He had thought that since the incident at Happy Valley, the two could finally take this opportunity to mend their relationship. However, he later learned that the two seemed to have spent little time together in private, except for necessary official business.
Xie Yutang held the chess piece in his hand, puffed out his cheeks, and looked unhappy: "Father, what did he say to you this time?"
She only showed this girlish side of herself in front of Emperor Chongde, and Emperor Chongde was completely smitten with her and didn't take offense at all: "When you were little, you were close to Tan'er and always pestered me to grant you a marriage. How come you've become distant now that you're older?"
Xie Yutang tapped the chessboard with his hand, remaining silent.
"A profusion of flowers can be dazzling. When I was young, I also frequented flower gardens and was greedy for novelty. However, wild flowers are still wild flowers. It is the ones that you know well and have grown up with that can last and that you can trust with confidence."
If Xie Yutang couldn't understand that he was referring to her, she would be playing dumb. So she didn't respond to his words and said, "How does Father Emperor know that Lin Tan is worthy of entrusting his life to? What if he marries several women in the future and finds me an eyesore and stabs me with a knife?"
"You child, you're getting more and more outrageous." Emperor Chongde tapped her forehead. "Tan'er's character and personality are both acceptable, and he cares about you. You might as well spend more time with him."
After Emperor Chongde finished speaking, he ate one of Xie Yutang's pieces, was satisfied, and did not continue playing. He then turned his head to look out the window.
The sun wasn't shining brightly today; the sky was overcast and a cold wind was blowing through the bare branches, but it couldn't dampen the festive atmosphere of the approaching Spring Festival.
"There have been quite a few events in the capital recently. Princess Helou has just arrived in our Da Yan and said she wants to go and see the excitement. You are the escort, so why don't you take her to see the lantern market tonight?"
As Xie Yutang emerged from the Hall of Mental Cultivation and stepped out of the palace gate, he saw two huanghuali carriages parked at the entrance.
The interior was completely hidden by curtains adorned with subtle gold thread patterns.
The accompanying guards were all in place; judging from their uniforms, they were members of the Imperial Guard.
The reason for this display is self-evident.
It seems that the emperor's request for her to take Helou Wulan to the lantern market was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.
Xie Yutang raised an eyebrow at the leader of the Imperial Guards: "Young Master Su, is everything ready?"
Su Lu is currently in charge of the martial arts training of the Imperial Guards at the Martial Arts Training Division. He will soon be appointed as the head of the Martial Arts Training Division, so it is reasonable for him to be in charge of the safety of this trip.
“How could Prince Su possibly do all this?”
The carriage curtain was lifted from the inside with a folding fan, and Lin Tan smiled, "Tangtang, how are my preparations?"
Xie Yutang's face turned cold the moment he saw Lin Tan. He walked expressionlessly toward the carriage behind him. Just as he was about to get in, He Lou Wulan leaned out of the open window of the carriage and looked at Su Lu with a smile: "Young Master Su, the Third Prince is catching up with the Princess. They are traveling alone in one carriage, so we shouldn't bother them. Why don't you ride with me?"
What a fine way to put "the other people" and "us"!
In just a few words, the "closeness" and "distance" among the four of them were clearly arranged.
Xie Yutang laughed and looked at Lin Tan: "What do you mean by that?"
Lin Tan held a folding fan in her hand and slowly waved it. A hint of grievance appeared on her gentle face: "I also want to ask you what you mean. I have come to your mansion to look for you several times, but you always say you are busy. However, you spend all day hanging out with other people."
He paused, fanning himself with his hand. "Tangtang, you wouldn't happen... to be planning to keep a mistress?"
He spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice neither too loud nor too soft. Several ministers who were on their way to the palace for a meeting happened to pass by and overheard the phrase "outer chambers." They all looked over, their eyes subtly sweeping over the ministers.
Xie Yutang narrowed his eyes.
Emperor Chongde arranged for her to marry Lin Tan in order to firmly control the military power she held within the imperial family. Although he didn't explicitly say so in the hall just now, he had hinted at everything that needed to be said. If she insists on refusing...
Xie Yutang stood in the wind, the cold wind coming down from the palace eaves, blowing the fur on her cloak backward, and soon the tip of her nose turned red.
Su Lu remained unmoved, shielding her from most of the wind and frost: "Your Highness, there's no need to force yourself. I'll arrange another carriage."
In front of outsiders, Xie Yutang had instructed him not to address him as "master," so he used the manners due to a subordinate instead.
"No need."
Xie Yutang straightened his cloak, took a breath, and walked towards Lin Tan's carriage. As he brushed past him, he tilted his head and whispered, "Aren't you afraid that Father will really find a pretext to punish you for bewitching the Emperor?"
The boy's eyelashes fluttered, but Xie Yutang walked past him without looking at him, leaving only one sentence that fell straight into his ears.
"Remember this: if anyone is to be punished, only I can punish you."
Snowflakes were faintly swirling in the wind, making it extremely cold, but the subtle floral fragrance emanating from her added a touch of gentleness to the chill, soothing the soul.
Su Lu stood in the windy spot for a while before going to He Lou Wulan's carriage.
He Lou Wulan watched the whole thing, her gaze lingering on the thin red mark behind his ear before looking into the boy's amber eyes and smiling, "Young Master Su, we've finally met."
She had naturally met him before, and when she said "finally," she meant that the two of them could finally be alone together in a room without any third party interfering.
The Helou family is the head of the eight major clans of the Northern Rong, and has a significant influence on the situation in the Northern Rong. Even the crown prince Tuoba Xiu has to show her respect.
Whether in the Northern Rong or the Great Yan, no man with ambition could ignore her obvious affection.
Except for Su Lu.
She sat on the far left, with charcoal fire in front of her, a hot water bottle tucked into her arms, and hot tea beside her—the warmest spot.
After he came in, he sat down on the opposite side, with a drafty curtain to his left and a drafty window behind him, which was the farthest seat from her.
He Lou Wulan glanced down at the distance between the two that seemed to encompass the entire palace, and sneered, "Why don't you ask a palace maid to draw a 'virginity mark' on your arm so you can prove to your master that even though you're riding in the same carriage as me, your heart is entirely with her, and you always keep your distance from me, remaining chaste for her?"
The sarcasm and mockery in those words couldn't be clearer, but the boy seemed not to hear them. He closed his eyes, leaned against the carriage to rest, and his jawline was clearly defined.
Without Xie Yutang, the warmth in his body visibly dissipated. Although his eyebrows, eyes, nose, and lips were still the same, a sense of aloofness emanated from his very bones, keeping people at arm's length.
It wasn't that he deliberately put on an intimidating superior attitude in front of others, but rather that he revealed his tenderness only to Xie Yutang, willingly humbling himself to the dust.
Extreme cold and frigidity are the true nature of this person.
He Lou Wulan stared at his face without any hesitation, once again marveling at his boundless beauty: "Isn't it hard to pretend?"
The boy's eyelashes fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes to look at her.
"Tell me, should I be glad to see the real you, or should I feel sorry for your master who has been deceived by you all along?"
"You're clearly shrewd and calculating, cold to everyone, yet you act all innocent in front of her—why do you pretend? Are you afraid she'll dislike you for being like this?"
Helou Wulan leaned forward, her eyes seeming to see right through you: "You're having a hard time pretending, aren't you? Why don't you come with me? In front of me, you'll never have to pretend. I know what your true self is like, and that's what I like..."
The rest of the conversation ended abruptly, replaced by a barely audible cry of pain.
He Lou Wulan's fingertips stopped an inch from the boy's cheek, her wrist as if it were being held in place by cold iron, unable to move an inch. She had no doubt that if she wanted to use force, this man would not hesitate to break her wrist bones.
The young man's voice was extremely cold: "Princess, please have some self-respect."
He Lou Wulan finally managed to pull her wrist back, only to find that her back was soaked in cold sweat. Sisi gritted her teeth and stubbornly held her back, refusing to be at a disadvantage.
Even though she was prepared, the ferocity that the boy displayed when he crossed the line still startled her. She had never experienced such a powerful aura from anyone her age, one that could easily evoke fear in someone with just a glance.
Eventually, some commotion arose, and the carriage stopped. The guard in the front carriage, having received instructions from Lin Tan, knocked on the window: "Princess, is something the matter?"
"It's nothing."
He Lou Wulan took a slow, light breath, composed herself, and opened the window. "The carriage was bumpy just now, and I lost my balance. Let's continue."
The guard glanced at the smooth, blue-brick road behind him, paused for a moment, and then nodded.
She had devised countless schemes and had a thousand ideas, determined to use them all on the boy during their shared carriage ride. But she never expected that when she tentatively poked him with the tip of her tail, she would almost burn off his eyebrows.
He Lou Wulan didn't say another word until he got off the carriage.
With the Spring Festival approaching, Dengshikou is filled with a festive atmosphere.
Lanterns adorned the street from one end to the other, creating a festive atmosphere. Crowds thronged the streets, and the area on both sides was bustling with activity, lined with stalls selling hairpins and jade ornaments, displaying colorful flowers in bamboo baskets shaped like horse heads for people to adorn their hair with, and selling steamed buns, steamed cakes, candied fruits, and chilled fruits.
There were also troupes of beggars who would deliberately choose crowded places, clearing the way with firecrackers, striking the night watchman's clapper, and asking for lucky money.
Everywhere was bustling with the sounds of everyday life, but Xie Yutang and the others were preoccupied with their own thoughts and had no time to join in the fun. So they booked the most luxurious private room on the roof of Guyue Tower for dinner first.
Before the dishes were served, He Lou Wulan, who was sitting by the window, suddenly became interested again and said that there were many people gathered around the hairpin shop downstairs, and she wanted to go and take a look.
Xie Yutang, the "accompanying envoy," naturally couldn't neglect the guest, so he insisted on accompanying him. However, Lin Tan, who was sitting on the outside, refused to let him go, saying, "Did you bring any money? Then come along."
Xie Yutang: "..."
She was brought here by carriage as soon as she left the palace. She didn't have to pay for anything she liked herself, so she naturally didn't carry any money with her.
After that meal, He Lou Wulan had already left the private room.
The crowd at the lantern market was a mixed bag. Although they were traveling in a low-key manner, their carriages and clothing indicated that they were either rich or noble. In addition, He Lou Wulan had an obviously exotic appearance. If something were to happen to him, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Su Lu grabbed the hanging sword from the table: "I'll go."
Xie Yutang pondered for a moment and then instructed, "Make sure to ensure safety."
The waiter brought over wine and several plates of cold dishes and desserts. Lin Tan placed a piece of plum blossom steamed cake on Xie Yutang's plate and said gently, "These are fresh plums picked this morning. I know you love them the most, so I specially ordered the cook to pick them from the plum garden this morning. This is the only plate we have today, so please try it."
Xie Yutang looked at the exquisite pastries on the plate, but what came to mind was the pine nut and lily pastry that Su Lu had made for her. She didn't touch her chopsticks, but only looked up at Lin Tan, who was smiling, and said in a calm tone without any ripples: "I don't like them anymore."
The smile on Lin Tan's lips slowly faded, turning into a straight, suppressed line, like a fire that burned tenaciously and persistently in the snowy night, extinguished by a handful of snow.
"Tangtang, is it because of him?"
Xie Yutang remained silent.
Lin Tan gave a bitter laugh: "Tangtang, how much more do you want to do for him? At Happy Valley, you took him away from me, treated his wounds and applied medicine; on the cruise ship, you didn't hesitate to change course and disembark halfway to give him an antidote; on Yingkou Mountain, he was recuperating in the house, and you shielded him from arrows and knives..."
Xie Yutang listened without any emotion, but his expression suddenly hardened when Xie Yutang mentioned "Yingkou Mountain".
Yingkou Mountain. The Bearded Guest. The Red-Robed Woman. Nannan.
His voice was low, harsh, and hoarse, like a voice that had been sanded.
...
It was him.
The bearded man who conspired with Cui Hu of Weixianxi in Yingkou that day to smuggle military equipment was actually Qiu Dunyue, the national teacher of the Northern Rong Kingdom.
He was so eager that he didn't hesitate to abandon his weapons in order to bring Su Lu back to the Northern Rong.
The Northern Rong delegation, whose personnel have changed from those in the previous life...
Xie Yutang suddenly stood up, about to chase after He Louwulan, when a person rushed up the stairs—it was Huaijin.
Huai Jin glanced at Lin Tan, Xie Yutang shook his head slightly, and Huai Jin swallowed back the words in his mouth, only bowing and presenting an envelope.
The patterns on the sealing wax were unique to Xie's secret guards.
"Miss, the letter just arrived today."
The messenger, a secret guard, traveled 800 li (approximately 400 kilometers) by express courier, killing several horses in the process, before finally managing to deliver the letter. Knowing the matter was of great importance, Huaijin had it sent directly from the princess's residence.
The letter contained only one sentence: "Red Buddha Girl is actually the daughter of the Northern Rong King, Tuoba Shu, whose childhood name is Nannan."
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