Chapter 21 Farewell
Chapter Summary: Questions that can't be asked.
"I'm laughing, Xiao Lü, you're paying my meal bill, it's like a husband paying his wife a stipend. I can't refuse!" Liu Shiyu's unintentional joke caused Xu Luchuan to cough repeatedly, and his ears instantly turned red.
Liu Shiyu took a while to realize what was happening and quickly changed the subject.
"By the way, Xiao Lü, I wanted to ask, when are you usually able to come for dinner? I mean, you always have to spend time with Master Xu and the others, plus you go out to gatherings all the time. Let me calculate..."
"How about we visit the princess's residence every five or six days? What do you think?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Luchuan lowered his eyes and said something that left Liu Shiyu completely puzzled: "No need. I will come every day from now on. If I don't come, I will let you know in advance."
"You come every day?" Liu Shiyu's hand holding the wooden chopsticks froze in mid-air. Xu Luchuan noticed but didn't look up. "Aren't you welcome?"
Liu Shiyu shook her head and continued, "It's not that you're not welcome. It's just why? If you don't come home for dinner, won't Mr. Xu suspect something? Won't he worry?"
"I paid for the meal, so of course I have to eat my fill," Xu Luchuan said, using the meal payment as an excuse, and choosing not to talk about anything else.
Liu Shiyu, unaware of the reason behind it, simply teased, "Oh, so you're going to try and get back at me after paying for the meal? You'd better pay more next time."
That's all, take it or leave it.
Seeing that Xu Luchuan seemed relaxed now, he even had the mind to refute. You see, during the more than half a month he was kept under house arrest by the Xu family, he appeared outwardly glamorous, but inwardly he was enveloped in endless fear and unease. This made him increasingly indifferent.
Liu Shiyu pursed her lips, and the two of them finished their dinner in this back-and-forth "argument".
Finally putting down her chopsticks, Liu Shiyu looked at the bowl and plate with almost no leftover food and said with a smile, "Xiao Lü, your appetite is really disproportionate to your appearance. Don't you ever gain weight?"
As Liu Shiyu spoke, she reached out and gently squeezed Xu Luchuan's arm, only to find it surprisingly firm. This truly surprised her.
"Good heavens! Where did all the food you ate go?"
Xu Luchuan shifted his gaze to the hand Liu Shiyu was holding, frowned, and said, "Can you please change your habit of touching me inappropriately?"
"What? I just pinched you a little? That's so petty!" Liu Shiyu said, deliberately pinching his arm twice more. "I won't change, I'll just keep pinching."
Xu Luchuan was stunned. In his eyes, Liu Shiyu's current state was no different from that of a hooligan. He looked at Liu Shiyu coldly and said, "Tit for tat. If you pinch me again, I'll pinch you back."
Upon hearing this, Liu Shiyu immediately let go and said obediently, "I was wrong. I won't pinch anymore, I won't pinch anymore."
But as soon as she withdrew her hand, Xu Luchuan stood up and said, "It's getting late, and I have to attend court tomorrow, so I'll head back now."
Liu Shiyu nodded and stood up without trying to stop her. "Okay, I'll see you off."
Xu Luchuan left Qihuating without a word, and Liu Shiyu followed closely behind. The two walked together down the same path they had come from.
Perhaps because this was the first time the two of them had sat together in this capacity, Xu Luchuan appeared quite reserved. However, he didn't feel the rejection he had imagined; in fact, he felt a sense of warmth.
For many years, Xu Luchuan never imagined that the person who could make him feel warmth again would be Liu Shiyu.
All was quiet. The fragrance of peonies wafted from the waterside corridor of the princess's residence, and the dim light of candles illuminated the corridor. Liu Shiyu moved closer and closer to Xu Luchuan's shadow, but she always missed him by a hair's breadth.
Such a beautiful night, such a beautiful moon. She wanted to say something, but hesitated before she could speak.
"Say what you want to say." Xu Luchuan seemed to sense something, and Liu Shiyu suddenly turned around and asked in surprise, "How did you know I wanted to say something?"
"It's all written on their faces."
Xu Luchuan was helpless. He seriously suspected that someone had impersonated her and stood in the Guiyuan Hall during the day.
"Nonsense, is it that obvious?"
Liu Shiyu smiled at Xu Luchuan with her eyes crinkling, then said nothing more. She swallowed the question, "Are you doing well in Liyang?" She didn't know how Xu Luchuan would answer. And what if his answer was no?
Eight years ago, when she woke up, Xu Luchuan had already been sent to Liyang by Xu Qinguo.
Liu Shiyu, feeling guilty for being powerless to change the situation, has kept this matter in her mind until now. But the timidity she showed when she spoke today stemmed from a fleeting moment of reluctance to lose it. Perhaps it was nostalgia for the past, or perhaps it was an escape from reality.
When Liu Shiyu looked back, the place was empty. It was Xu Luchuan's appearance that allowed her to find herself again after a long time.
Stopping in front of the secret passage, Xu Luchuan looked at the absent-minded Liu Shiyu and said in a deep voice, "We've arrived."
Liu Shiyu snapped out of her daze and smiled with narrowed eyes, "Drive carefully."
"Hmm." Xu Luchuan picked up the paper lantern by the door and turned to leave.
Liu Shiyu stared at the secret passage that gradually darkened, then suddenly reached up and grabbed the doorframe, shouting loudly inside, "Xiao Lü!"
"Although I don't know the meaning of the word 'lover,' from today onwards, no matter how long we are together, I hope we can enjoy every meal to the fullest. And, thank you for the lactose."
Hearing the sound, Xu Luchuan turned around, picked up his lantern, and looked at the dark corner. Hearing Liu Shiyu's clumsy but sincere words, Xu Luchuan stood there and couldn't help but laugh.
Turning around again, I heard him softly reply, "Okay."
...
The following day, it was drizzling in Nanjing.
Xu Luchuan walked across the square outside Wanshe Palace with an umbrella in hand, occasional drizzles of rain soaking his crimson official robe. Yet he continued walking towards the palace gate without stopping.
"Brother Luchuan."
Shen Ruoshi caught up, his muddy boots showing how hastily he had come.
Xu Luchuan stopped at the sound and looked back from the palace gate. Only after the person had caught up did he ask, "Lord Left Supervisor."
"Brother Lu Chuan." Shen Ruoshi felt a little guilty when she saw Xu Lu Chuan. "I really didn't mean anything by what happened yesterday. Please don't take it to heart, Brother Lu Chuan. I'm just not good at speaking. Even the boss says I'm clumsy with words."
Ultimately, Xu Luchuan had been harboring a lot of anger with nowhere to vent it yesterday, and Shen Ruoshi happened to touch a nerve, which provoked him to lose his temper. Xu Luchuan knew he was wrong and nodded in apology: "Your Excellency, you are too kind. I was just being overthinking things. Please forgive my rudeness yesterday."
Shen Ruoshi was truly flattered by Xu Luchuan's attitude. Unexpectedly, Xu Luchuan then said, "And that day you helped me out of a predicament in front of Her Highness the Princess, and I haven't had a chance to thank you yet. It was truly my fault."
"Brother Ruoshi, thank you very much."
By calling out "Brother Ruoshi," Xu Luchuan had clearly put aside his grudges.
Shen Ruo was taken aback at first, then smiled and squinted, "I wouldn't dare say that. As colleagues, we should support each other. This little thing is nothing. As long as Brother Lu Chuan doesn't hold it against me, everything is negotiable, very negotiable."
Xu Luchuan smiled, looked up at the misty sky, and said, "It's getting late, Brother Ruoshi, let's go to court together."
After speaking, Xu Luchuan opened his umbrella, turned around, and stepped into the gate of Wanshe Palace with Shen Ruoshi.
...
Before the Guiyuan Hall, all the officials stood solemnly.
Plain paper umbrellas lay scattered below the steps. Xu Luchuan and Shen Ruoshi, due to their low official ranks, could only stand at the end of the line.
The two had just stopped when Xu Qinguo and Xu Lu approached from behind, holding umbrellas for them. But as soon as they reached their vicinity, the Imperial Censor Fu Zheng stepped forward from the ranks to greet them. Fu Zheng, whose rank was one level below Xu Qinguo, greeted him politely, saying, "Lord Xu."
Xu Qinguo replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Your Excellency, the Censor."
Xu Luchuan disliked their insincere pleasantries, so he lowered his umbrella and turned his face away. Xu Luwei, being the face of the Xu family, tactfully bowed to the person in front of him and said, "Lord Taichang, Lord Censor. Please continue your conversation. I will take my leave first."
Fu Zheng nodded symbolically, and Xu Lu then withdrew.
After the man left, Xu Qinguo preemptively asked, "Your Excellency, is there something you wish to report?"
Fu Zheng smiled and lowered his voice, saying, "Since Lord Xu speaks frankly, I won't keep you in suspense any longer. The Eldest Princess has been in power for two years. In these two years, how many loyal ministers left by the late emperor have she killed? How many colleagues who stood shoulder to shoulder with you and me have she killed? Lord Xu has been in court for many years, so he must be more heartbroken than I am."
"The court is in a state of panic, everyone is in danger. If this continues, won't Shaoyuan be ruined by such a vixen!"
Xu Qinguo remained silent. Having weathered many years of ups and downs in officialdom, he was acutely aware of the self-inflicted consequences of those people's actions. Xu Qinguo had always revered his ancestors' teachings, diligently and frugally performing his duties without ever slacking off. This was precisely why he had remained in a high position for so many years without falling from grace.
However, given the immense power of Prime Minister Chang Andao, he had to be wary of him.
Thus, with Liu Shiyu's fierce power ahead and Chang Andao's wolfish ambitions behind, Xu Qinguo, who had vowed to protect the Xu family's legacy for a century, was walking on thin ice.
"His Majesty's birthday is approaching, Wei Jingshan has not yet returned to the capital, and Liu Shiyu's support is weak. It is time for us to unite against this common enemy and seize the opportunity to force him to relinquish real power. We must not allow Liu Shiyu and the Tang family to continue to erode Shaoyuan's empire." Fu Zheng spoke with great emotion, but Xu Qinguo only said calmly, "Is this the Prime Minister's intention?"
"Lord Xu is a wise man, and there are some things I won't say more about, Lord Xu..." Fu Zheng was interrupted by Xu Qinguo before he could finish speaking, "This matter is agreed upon by this official."
Upon hearing this, Xu Luchuan was taken aback.
In his memory, even though Xu Qinguo was not a responsible father, he was a loyal and honest courtier.
He truly couldn't understand why his father had agreed this time. Could it be that the world's misunderstanding of Liu Shiyu was really so deep-rooted? Even though Xu Luchuan despised Liu Shiyu in every way, he absolutely refused to believe that Liu Shiyu was a ruthless and merciless female demon.
As the palace doors opened, the eunuch official on the steps called out, "Open!"
The procession slowly made its way towards the Guiyuan Hall. Xu Luchuan subconsciously raised his umbrella and glanced at Xu Qinguo's indifferent profile before stepping onto the path to the hall, filled with doubt and disappointment.
Xu Luchuan is gone.
Looking at the advancing procession and the long, winding steps, Fu Zheng said in a deep voice, "Lord Xu is righteous, and the Prime Minister will remember your kindness."
Xu Qinguo's gaze was serious, his back straight beneath his crimson official robe. "I trouble you, Censor, to convey to the Prime Minister that I agreed to this matter not for personal gain, nor to be a dispensable feather on a full wing. The court is currently out of balance, and I am doing this simply to restore the proper equilibrium."
After saying this, Xu Qinguo cupped his hands in farewell, turned around, and ascended the steps to leave.
Fu Zheng went from laughing to angry in just three seconds.
Watching Xu Qinguo walk away with a fierce gaze, Fu Zheng then looked up at the majestic palace reflected in the puddles on the ground and said in a sinister voice, "Without these dispensable feathers, how could the wings have become so full..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Fu Zheng stepped on the water palace, shattering it, and resolutely walked towards the main hall.
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