47 Chapter 47
Let her play a little; as long as she knows to come home for dinner, that's fine.
Acting as a martial artist.
Song Zhen looked around to make sure no one was watching, then lowered his voice and said, "I checked on the person you mentioned, and sure enough, there's something wrong with him."
It's almost impossible for the assassins to have attacked Xie Yutang at Meishan Villa without an inside accomplice. Following Su Lu's instructions, Song Zhen staked out the city's censorate for several days and indeed discovered traces left by the assassins' retreat.
It must have been the Imperial Inspector Chen Bingliang who gave the assassins the patrol map of the city's outskirts, which allowed them to infiltrate silently.
"But Chen Bingliang has no grudge against His Highness, so what is the purpose of this?"
Su Lu succinctly stated: "He has already been bought off by the Northern Rong."
Although the Imperial Censor was not as important as the Imperial Guard, he was still responsible for guarding the capital. If even this position could be infiltrated by the Northern Rong, the Great Yan would be in grave danger.
Song Zhen gasped, "No, how did you know that?"
Chen Bingliang is extremely cautious. If Su Lu hadn't specifically mentioned him, even if he investigated, he wouldn't have found any flaws. Su Lu is always either at the Martial Arts Division or at Princess Ning'an's residence; he doesn't seem to have any spies. How could he have discovered Chen Bingliang's betrayal?
Su Lu said, "I knew it in my past life."
In his previous life, Chen Bingliang betrayed him at a crucial moment, sending an assassination squad into the capital to cause trouble. This frightened Lin Tan so much that he almost issued more than a dozen imperial edicts to recall him from the battlefield to capture the assassins.
...
Song Zhen's face darkened.
That's really funny.
He was unwilling to talk about it, and Song Zhen didn't ask any more questions. He just kept bragging about how hard he had worked by keeping watch for several days, and subtly reminded him that it was thanks to him "tipping him off" that Su Lu was able to arrive in time to save Xie Yutang. In short, he had worked hard and made great contributions, and deserved to be rewarded.
Su Lu, pen in hand, didn't even look up: "Speak, what do you want?"
Ever since that day when the two had their conversation, Xie Yutang had placed his complete trust in him. Matters requiring decisions would be sent to him first, and he would make annotations before presenting them to Xie Yutang. Of course, there were also some bureaucratic documents that required wrangling, which Xie Yutang also sent over.
Adding to his official duties at the Martial Arts Division, Song Zhen hasn't had a moment's rest these past few days.
But he wasn't exactly a considerate person: "I heard you're an amazing cook, can you make me some too? I'd like to try some."
Su Lu stopped writing and looked over with his long eyes.
Those eyes were stunningly beautiful, but when they weren't smiling, they only gave off a chilling feeling. Song Zhen swallowed hard: "Or...or maybe we should just..."
"Can."
After Su Lu finished speaking, he actually put down the brush in his hand, got up and went to the kitchen.
When the steamed sea bass was served, Song Zhen was stunned. With such knife skills, he was truly born to be a chef.
The fish is neatly incised, with a thin slice of ginger embedded in each cut. Scallion segments and ginger shreds are evenly spread on the fish.
Song Zhen picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks. The fish was snow-white and melted in his mouth. The spiciness of the rice wine and the scallions and ginger neutralized the fishy smell perfectly. Song Zhen ate with shining eyes and was about to praise it when he looked up and saw Su Lu bringing over another fish: "This one is oil-splashed. The rice wine has been replaced with Shaoxing wine. Try it and see which one tastes better."
Song Zhen understood.
So you're letting him taste the dishes, and then make the best one for your husband, right?
How can she be so virtuous?
Song Zhen slammed his chopsticks down: "With your attitude, are you really thanking me sincerely?"
Song Zhen looked at him with a disappointed expression, pointing to the tall stack of documents on his desk: "Your master only summons you for a few minutes a day, why are you so eager? I'm telling you, you're not... you're not trying to take a shortcut, are you?"
Su Lu put the plate on the table and began wiping his fingers one by one with a handkerchief.
"You...are you planning to become her mistress?"
Song Zhen looked him up and down and said, "You know what, he suits you quite well."
"What kind of mistress should she be? Gentle, obedient, not competitive, and understanding. You can't get angry when she's giving you the cold shoulder. She can just wave you away. Women are like that, let her have her fun. As long as she knows to come home for dinner..."
Song Zhen got more and more excited as he spoke, and then a voice called out from afar, "Lord Song."
Song Zhen thought it was Xie Yutang who sent someone to summon Su Lu, and raised an eyebrow: "See? He came as soon as I waved his hand."
The man bowed to Song Zhenzuo: "Lord Song, Her Highness the Princess has sent word that the lanterns on Taihe Gate are being strung with beads, and there are not enough people to help. She requests your assistance."
Song Zhen: "..."
The Northern Rong delegation will soon be returning home. The peace talks went smoothly, and the farewell lanterns stretched all the way from the delegation's lodging at the Huitongguan to the Taihe Gate.
As the deputy escort, Song Zhen didn't need to do odd jobs even if there weren't enough people.
As for the reason behind this—
"Petty."
Song Zhen left, cursing and swearing.
After Song Zhen left, the man bowed respectfully to Su Lu and said, "Your Highness, please come over as well."
That night, Xie Yutang was overcome with emotion and rushed into someone's arms without even realizing it. When she came to her senses, she felt it would be too embarrassing to push him away immediately, so she simply vented her emotions on his shoulder. After crying and hugging him, she finally realized that she was a little embarrassed.
It's one thing to hug someone, but why are you crying in their arms?
In her past life, she was alone in the harem. She had seen all kinds of open and hidden attacks and the dark side of human nature. Even if the sky fell, she would not utter a sound and would just fight. How could she cry like that in his arms just because of a few words from him?
Xie Yutang prides himself on having lived two lives. He may not be considered cunning, but he is at least calm and collected. How could he possibly do something like crying until his eyes and nose turn red in the arms of a boy who is younger than him?
I can't think about it, it's so embarrassing I'll want to dig my toes into the ground.
So Xie Yutang, like a coward, buryed his head in the sand, refusing to see Su Lu unless absolutely necessary, and even if he did see him, he would have Huai Jin and Wo Yu accompany him, not saying a word outside of official business.
This even led Woyu to secretly gossip, asking her if she had quarreled with the prince again.
She couldn't say whether things had turned sour or not, but Song Zhen was clearly too idle.
Not only does he keep running to the Martial Arts Division for no reason, but he even made Su Lu steam fish for him. Does he think he can just order around Xie Yutang's people around like that?
Su Lu knocked on the door and entered the room, but was slightly taken aback when he saw the scene inside.
Neither Huaijin nor Woyu were present; only Xie Yutang was at his desk handling official business.
The charcoal fire blazed brightly inside the room. She was only wearing a plain-colored dress, her cheeks were lightly flushed from the smoke, and her long, black hair hung smoothly down her back.
Su Lu withdrew his gaze, lowered his head, and presented the organized annotations. The pen strokes on the small note were sharp, and a few words could point out the key points. Xie Yutang looked at it, his brows relaxed a little, and although he didn't say anything, he seemed to be very satisfied.
Su Lu's eyes narrowed into a slight upward curve.
This has been the case for the past few days, and next it will be time to ask him to leave. He lowered his eyes, about to take his leave tactfully, when he heard Xie Yutang say, "Does the Director have any important matters to attend to?"
She was asking about the Military Training Division.
Su Lu was taken aback: "No."
"Then let's do it here."
The young man looked up in surprise, only to see that Xie Yutang did not look up, but simply handed over a stack of folded documents. He paused, then took them, a faint smile appearing in his eyes: "Yes."
Xie Yutang kept the person behind, but then felt a little regretful.
His presence was so strong that he was impossible to ignore, even just sitting there quietly. Her gaze couldn't help but wander above his waist; every glance brought to mind the long red mark on his Adam's apple where her hairpin had scratched him, every glance brought to mind the shoulder soaked with her tears. It was just that her memory was too good; even the slight trembling in the boy's arms and the faint scent of snow seemed to still linger in her nostrils…
I can't see anything above my waist, and I can't see anything below my waist either... It's so annoying, this can't go on forever.
My fingertips unconsciously caressed the pen, and a drop of ink fell from the suspended tip, spreading out in a blot on the rice paper.
The calligraphy brush was gently taken from his hand and placed on the brush holder, replaced by a steaming cup of longan and red date tea. The boy held a neatly folded handkerchief in his hand.
"Your Highness has been busy for so long, please take a rest."
Jujube slices float on the surface of the cup, their aroma wafting into the nose with the steam.
Xie Yutang hadn't rested since morning and was feeling quite tired. The tea was at the perfect temperature and tasted sweet. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but it seemed to taste better than the tea brewed by Huai Jin and Wo Yu.
Su Lu took the teacup she had finished drinking from, placed it on the table, and gently massaged her wrist with his fingers.
His body temperature was low, and Xie Yutang breathed a sigh of relief as his cool fingertips touched her wrist.
A boy's clear and pleasant voice came from inside: "What would you like to eat tonight? I'll make it for you."
With a hot towel draped over her face and her head resting on the back of the chair, Xie Yutang's voice, damp with steam, carried a hint of laziness as she rattled off a string of dishes.
There was a moment of silence.
Xie Yutang belatedly belatedly hooked his finger: "...Isn't that a bit too much?"
Some things you only learn to cherish after you've lost them.
Xie Yutang had been eating the food prepared by the imperial kitchen since he was a child. The head chef was a top imperial chef specially appointed by Emperor Chongde, so his skills were beyond question. Xie Yutang didn't feel particularly fond of any particular dish.
But Su Lu had only been here for a few months, and her tastes had been spoiled by the gradual process of being boiled like a frog in warm water. In the days after Su Lu was kicked out of the mansion, Xie Yutang didn't say anything, but in fact, she was uncomfortable with many things.
The boy's smiling voice came from behind: "No, I'll do it later."
The person was standing right in front of her, the tea was still the same, the fingers massaging her wrist were unchanged, and she could eat the dishes she wanted that evening.
Everything was the same as always.
Xie Yutang felt like a piece of paper soaking in water, and the initial embarrassment and discomfort were all smoothed out.
With some time before dinner, the two rested briefly before resuming their official duties.
But soon, Xie Yutang realized that something was wrong.
Even though he was handling official business, why did his fragrance keep wafting into her nose? Why did his porcelain-white wrist keep dangling in front of her? And why could she occasionally see the crescent moon pattern on his wrist when he picked up a pen?
She was writing something when she suddenly remembered something and called him over. He bent down and put his ear close to listen, which was fine, but why did he pull his collar down so low? She could see his neck and collarbone as soon as she looked up, and the most prominent part of his Adam's apple was still covered in red marks from her hairpin.
Finally, when Su Lu helped her take a book from the shelf, the movement of her raising her hand accentuated her slender waist, and when her fingertips seemingly unintentionally touched her palm while handing the book over, Xie Yutang could no longer bear it and slammed her pen on the table with a loud bang.
"Su Lu, don't go too far."
She rarely called him by his full name like that. The boy looked up in surprise, his eyes filled with innocent astonishment, his face showing a blank expression that seemed to say, "What's wrong with me?"
Before Xie Yutang could figure out how to start, he had already readily admitted, "It was my fault, please punish me, Master."
Looking at the boy kneeling in front of him, Xie Yutang choked again.
"...Tell me, what did you do wrong?"
Su Lu paused for a moment, then composed himself and said solemnly, "There is something I have been wanting to tell you, Master."
"Your assassination attempt was because of me."
Xie Yutang raised an eyebrow in surprise, not expecting him to bring up this matter on his own initiative.
The incident at Meishan Villa was inextricably linked to the Northern Rong, and she had already vaguely suspected it, so she sent her secret guards to investigate.
In the eyes of the Northern Rong people, Su Lu's unwillingness to return with them was entirely due to Xie Yutang. If Xie Yutang no longer existed, then there was no need for this young marquis to remain in Dayan.
Su Lu said, "I have already gone to the Huitong Hall to investigate, and this matter was not done by Qiu Dunyue and Helou Wulan."
The Huitongguan was where the Northern Rong delegation stayed. All the officials who went there had to register and report to Xie Yutang. She had never seen Su Lu's name before.
When did you go?
Su Lu hadn't expected her to ask this question, and after a pause, he replied, "Five days ago."
Five days ago... it was the night he woke up after falling into a coma. He wasn't fully recovered yet, and she didn't even dare let him drink alcohol. She made sure he rested early. But he went and sneaked into the Huitong Hall at night. You can imagine how he "sneaked" it.
She also believed that Qiu Dunyue and his group were not responsible for the incident.
If Su Lu truly didn't want to return to Bei Rong, killing her would only backfire, and even their young marquis would become their enemy.
Furthermore, assassinating the reigning princess on the territory of Dayan would not only lead to the cancellation of peace talks, but also raise questions about whether the delegation could return alive. These people are not stupid, and there is no need for them to take action at this time.
So, at this point, the Northern Rong people had both the reason and the ability to arrange all of this...
"Does Master still remember Helou Batu?"
Xie Yutang raised an eyebrow. In his previous life, this person had successfully overthrown Tuoba Xiu, the crown prince of the Northern Rong, and become the new emperor of the Northern Rong. He personally led his troops into battle and had been defeated by Su Lu several times. Xie Yutang had some impression of him.
"Although he did not go to Beijing with the delegation this time, there were many of his cronies in the delegation. The gunpowder at Meishan Villa was his doing."
Success! Xie Yutang died, and the blame was shifted to Tuoba Xiu and others. By using the power of the Great Yan, they eliminated their rivals in one fell swoop.
Failure could be attributed to an overzealous desire to please the young marquis, leading to impulsive actions; at most, one would receive a mild criticism.
He Loubatu has certainly made a clever plan, making huge profits without any initial investment.
More importantly, this person, being from the Northern Rong, was able to grasp the situation within the capital of Dayan so accurately. He acted swiftly and ruthlessly, and seems to be a formidable character not to be underestimated.
"This matter was handled poorly by me, and it has implicated you, Master." Su Lu knelt on the ground, his eyes lowered. He was still terrified every time he thought about how he had almost put her in danger. Even so, he did not want to leave. He still wanted to shamelessly beg her to stay by his side. The young man lowered his eyes and said softly, "As long as you don't send me away, you can punish me however you want."
No wonder he's been looking like he wants to say something but can't.
Looking at the boy in front of him who seemed ready to accept any punishment, Xie Yutang remained silent.
She had misunderstood. She thought he was trying to make fun of her embarrassing moment when she cried in his arms that day, which was why she always sent him away quickly, not giving him a chance to say another word.
How has he been getting through these past few days?
Su Lu felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and then his head was half-forced down and pulled into a soft embrace.
The scent of the crabapple blossoms under the moon overwhelmed him like a tidal wave.
The boy's eyes widened in shock. He struggled to lift his chin, but Xie Yutang pressed it back down before he could speak.
He paused for a moment, smiled, and then relaxed, letting Xie Yutang pull him into her arms.
That day, Xie Yutang rushed into his arms like this, and now he is being held by Xie Yutang in almost the same way.
How is this your fault?
He had considered all sorts of consequences, devised foolproof solutions, and prepared to accept any punishment. But he never expected his master to comfort him like this.
So gentle.
The tingling sensation from Xie Yutang's vocal cords, mixed with her hot breath, came from above her head. She was like a resilient tree, stretching her shoulders and back, as if with her there, there was always someone to rely on, someone to support you.
"I can protect and keep my people."
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