Chapter 20
◎They really pushed him to the limit◎
Xie Yutang helped the person off the boat. The patrol soldiers were already lined up on the shore, and there was even a sedan chair that had been hastily brought over.
Even with such an absurd, impromptu request, the subordinates were trembling with fear and mobilized a large force.
They were afraid that if they were not careful, they might offend the arrogant and difficult Princess Ning'an.
Xie Yutang supported Su Lu, who had been drugged, her eyes slightly closed.
What she wanted was this unexpected surprise. The more flustered the other party was, the easier it would be for them to reveal their weaknesses. She might as well solidify this arrogant and domineering reputation to the end.
With a flick of his whip, a sharp crack echoed through the air, startling the smiling soldier who was approaching. Xie Yutang strode over the ostentatious sedan chair adorned with bright red silk, snatched a horse from the nearest guard, turned, grabbed the rider, and mounted the horse with fluid, effortless movements. By the time everyone had recovered, a man wrapped in red sleeves had already ridden away around the street corner.
...
The soldier, who was about to bow with his hands clasped, was bewildered by the dust kicked up by the horse's hooves.
It has always been said in the capital that Princess Ning'an is an expert in both riding and archery, but now that I've seen her... she's even able to carry a man with such ease!
Before the thought could even finish, someone suddenly slapped him on the forehead. Wei Xianxi, panting as he chased after them from the boat, mounted his horse and shouted urgently, "What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and chase after them!"
It's impossible to catch up.
The gatekeeper shuddered when he heard the clatter of hooves outside the gate; it was so fast!
The servant came out with a stiff smile, but hesitated and refused to open the door. Xie Yutang lashed him with a whip, which startled him so much that he knelt down with a thud, his head hitting the ground with a loud bang.
"Princess, please forgive me! Your Highness, spare my life! I'm just a gatekeeper, it's nothing I did, I really didn't do anything—"
"presumptuous!"
A sharp shout interrupted the servant's incoherent ramblings.
Wei Xianxi arrived just in time, beaming with smiles as he bowed respectfully to Xie Yutang, his tone incredibly humble: "Your Highness, please forgive me. My subordinate is inexperienced and his loud manner may have disturbed Your Highness."
Xie Yutang scoffed, though he didn't say anything, but the meaning was clear—he wondered who was making such a fuss.
Wei Xianxi's smile froze for a moment.
Xie Yutang's decision to dock was too sudden, and he couldn't let the messenger say too much. He could only hastily notify his subordinates to prepare to welcome the princess. These useless men probably thought that things had been exposed and the princess was coming to hold them accountable.
Luckily he arrived quickly; if he had been even half a moment later, who knows how much more he might have been exposed by this useless fellow.
It's just that he raised his voice a little in his haste.
...How did it become "loud and boisterous"?
Wei Xianxi was usually a sycophant who extorted money and favors from his superiors and never treated his subordinates well. Now that he had suffered a setback, it was something to be happy about. However, no one was in the mood to watch the show. They were all as guilty as the gatekeeper.
Xie Yutang pretended not to notice the strange expressions on everyone's faces, focusing only on the beauty in his arms. Wei Xianxi was very considerate: "Young Master Su has been drugged, and the princess was anxious to save him, which is why she chose this place to stay." He paused, then raised his voice, "Is the room ready?"
These words, ostensibly expressions of concern, were actually meant to reassure the servants.
Sure enough, everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they realized that the princess hadn't come to "demand accountability."
As for how the princess was "eager to save people"... the subtle gazes that fell on Su Lu became more and more frequent.
Wei Xianxi bowed obsequiously and said, "Your Highness, this way please."
Xie Yutang subtly withdrew his arm from Su Lu's waist and stepped into the inner room.
Wei Xianxi had been chattering away the whole way, talking about the finest incense, the newly changed brocade quilt, and the boiling water. He was about to follow Xie Yutang into the house when Xie Yutang glanced at him, causing him to freeze and stop dejectedly at the door, touching his nose.
Xie Yutang's mood was really ruined by this guy surnamed Wei, so he lost his temper and didn't even realize how hard he was pinching the waist of the person in his arms.
It didn't hurt, but it was a tingling, numb, and itchy feeling that he couldn't escape or push away. It was making the little Muqing King, who wouldn't even groan when being stabbed in the face of blood on the battlefield, almost unable to bear it.
Xie Yutang closed the door and casually glanced at the person in her arms. She felt that something was wrong, but before she could figure it out, her arms suddenly felt empty. The boy who had been obediently held in her arms just a moment ago was now kneeling on one knee, looking down and pleading for forgiveness: "This subordinate only thought of using a scheme against His Highness and offended him. Please punish me, Master."
...If it weren't for the table and chairs in the back, this person could have retreated to the base of the wall.
I was just holding her so tightly.
Xie Yutang calmly adjusted his sleeves: "Your Highness, and Master, you certainly know how to distinguish right from wrong."
The boy froze.
Xie Yutang stepped forward, grabbed his chin, and forced him to look up: "I clearly see you—"
He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.
The tip of my chin, which she was pinching... is so red.
Not just her chin, but also her neck, collarbone, and all the way down to behind her ears, her porcelain-white skin was covered with a light pink. Her slightly rapid breathing hit the back of her hand, burning her so much that she abruptly pulled her hand away.
The boy turned his face away somewhat awkwardly, his thick eyelashes trembling violently.
"You..." Xie Yutang was at a loss for words, and even felt a little uneasy, "Really Chinese medicine?"
Just as he was about to test the other's temperature, the boy stepped back slightly, and after a moment he whispered, "...No, I'm fine."
Xie Yutang belatedly recalled that the man had been kneeling respectfully before her, his attitude and posture impeccable, but—
Her head was bowed, her gaze dared not meet hers, her ears were red, her chest was heaving, and even the way she addressed him as "Your Highness" and "Master" was trembling upon closer listening.
Once Xie Yutang realized what was happening, the subtle displeasure in her heart instantly vanished.
"I never imagined that our Prince Su would be so thin-skinned."
Su Lu's breath hitched.
They even said he was thin-skinned, but does she even know what she just did?
The belt was fastened so tightly around his waist that there was only a thin layer of clothing between them, and the ride on horseback was so bumpy.
When his owner is in a bad mood, she unconsciously rubs her fingers, but has she forgotten that her hand was on his waist at that time?
Xie Yutang increasingly felt that the young Prince Muqing in front of him was an unfathomable person.
He is now under her control only because he is willing to be controlled, but she is not entirely clear about the reasons behind it.
But just now, she seemed to see a crack suddenly appear in this perfectly sealed seashell.
Xie Yutang got excited and reached out to lift the person up.
But she had been bent over for too long, and her legs were already numb. As soon as she moved, she lost her balance and swayed.
"careful!"
With a loud "thud," the sound of his back hitting the door panel startled Wei Xianxi, who was eavesdropping outside the door.
Inside the door, Xie Yutang pressed down on Su Lu, his hands instinctively bracing themselves on either side of the door, forming an unconscious restraining posture.
The boy, who was pinned beneath her, looked at her anxiously: "Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?"
He was the one who shielded him in his arms and took the impact with his body.
Xie Yutang suddenly couldn't look directly into those dark, jade-like eyes, and turned her face slightly away: "Even at a time like this, you still care about me."
He was the one who got hit, wasn't he?
The boy said, "I didn't—"
He lost his voice after saying just two words.
Xie Yutang's hand touched his shoulder.
"Let me see, where did you bump into?"
...
"Here? Or here?"
...
"You must have bumped yourself here too, let me rub it for you—"
My wrist was grabbed.
His fingertips were trembling, and his temperature was much higher than usual, but even in this state, he still remembered to control his strength and didn't hurt her at all.
The boy's voice was slightly hoarse: "...Master."
It was impossible to tell whether he was begging for mercy or had reached his breaking point.
"Shh-"
Xie Yutang braced his other hand against the door panel, stopping him from getting up, and breathed seriously into his ear: "The play isn't over yet."
Wei Xianxi also disembarked. Whether it was at Lin Tan's behest or he himself was worried, he was now definitely standing guard outside the door with others, listening for any movement. This charade had to be played out to the very end.
...
As soon as the pressure on his wrist eased, Xie Yutang couldn't wait to touch him again. The boy's body tensed up once more, but he was too caught up in "acting" to break free. He could only turn his head away in a disheveled manner, biting his lower lip and trying to control his breathing, futilely trying to cover up his uncontrollable emotions.
That guy surnamed Wei isn't always up to no good.
"Don't hold it in, relax."
Xie Yutang's hand touched the boy's lower back again, his fingertips scraping against the belt. "Young Master Su, you should at least hum once. Everyone outside can hear you."
"..."
"You didn't say a word, so all this suffering was for nothing."
His breathing almost stopped, his eyelashes were wet and trembling.
In the short time it took to get from the ship to Yingkou, countless eyes were practically glued to him.
But what's the point of hiring more people? She's still the only one who can see this state of affairs.
Xie Yutang's hand finally took pity and left the lean waist, but instead slid down the boy's arm, determined to make a sound: "You didn't even touch a girl's hand, did you?"
The boy's sleeve was rubbed up by her mess, so she held his forearm without any clothing to obstruct her view.
...The texture was even better than she had imagined.
Despite being a martial artist, her skin was as smooth as mutton fat jade, with a thin layer of muscle stretched taut over her bones. Her fingertips traced the slightly protruding veins downwards.
"Young Master Su will get married in the future, so it won't do to be so thin-skinned."
"I've heard that General Su is known for his romantic and unrestrained lifestyle, with at least five or eight beautiful concubines in his household... How come it's you who—"
Before she could finish speaking, her restless hand was suddenly grabbed, and her forearm tightened. Xie Yutang gasped in surprise, and before she knew it, she had been forcefully pressed against the bed frame post.
It doesn't hurt.
But the bed frame couldn't withstand a bump; it wobbled violently with each impact, causing the wooden joints to creak and groan. Combined with her startled cry, it sounded...
Outside the door, Wei Xianxi and the guards looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Was that...the princess's voice?"
The guards stared at each other blankly.
There's no third person in this room... right?
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