Chapter 63
With a face full of relief, Cuizhu called over a maid and gave her a few instructions. Then she herself moved a chair and sat down at the courtyard gate to keep watch.
She wouldn't trust anyone to take on such an important task. The young lady was easily embarrassed; if some clueless maid offended her again, she would be incredibly ashamed.
"Have you found out?" Xiao Yu asked.
Song Luoning glanced at it and said indifferently, "Let's go inside first and talk."
The two exchanged a glance and went into the study together. The young lady's caution seemed to confirm their suspicions.
As soon as he entered the study, Xiao Yu hurriedly closed the door and asked in a low voice, "Is this General Li?"
Song Luoning nodded, a hint of worry appearing between her brows: "My father's men saw him yesterday, claiming to be inspecting the military camp on behalf of the Emperor, going to the Imperial Guard's camp."
“Then you must have come into contact with General Li.” Xiao Yu touched his nose.
Song Luoning glanced at the untouched breakfast on the table, curled her fingers, and sat down in the armchair: "Does my husband have a solution?"
As for a solution, she did think of one. Since in the original plot, General Li sided with the male lead because he married his daughter, why would someone as principled as him suddenly side with the male lead? It just shows that General Li dotes on his daughter. Perhaps she could start by talking to General Li's daughter.
Xiao Yu raised an eyebrow, a smug look on his face. He leaned closer and whispered mysteriously, "I've decided to start with General Li's daughter."
Starting with General Li's daughter, Song Luoning's expression hardened, and she said coldly, "How does my husband intend to proceed?"
"We need to find a way to get to know her first. We can't let Xiao Chengze get the upper hand," Xiao Yu said truthfully.
The female lead is already his wife, so why would he be afraid of not being able to break up Xiao Chengze and Miss Li?
Xiao Yu was confident about this matter.
"So, my husband is going in person?" Song Luoning asked.
“Hmm, I wouldn’t trust anyone else with this kind of thing,” Xiao Yu replied.
Very well, this lecherous scoundrel. Song Luo Ning clenched her palms, raised her eyes, and asked coldly, "When does my husband plan to marry you?"
Marry him?
Xiao Yu stared wide-eyed at Song Luo Ning in disbelief. Although she wanted to sabotage the male lead's marriage to General Li's daughter, it didn't mean she had to sacrifice herself.
After a while, he blinked and came to his senses. A bold guess popped into his head: Could it be that the young lady was jealous?
Xiao Yu stared intently at Song Luoning, then suddenly laughed.
Song Luoning frowned and remained silent.
"My wife, what are you thinking? How could I possibly marry her? I already have you, and given my status, it's impossible for me to marry her."
"You mean you'd marry her if she didn't mind your social status?"
? !
No, what's wrong with this young lady's thought process? She was just using an analogy, how did it suddenly become about marrying her?
Although she enjoyed seeing the young lady jealous of her, she understood the principle that a little jealousy is good for the soul, but too much jealousy is harmful.
Xiao Yu scratched her head, about to explain, when a knock on the door interrupted her: "Miss, the snacks have arrived. Shall I take them in for you now?" Cui Zhu's voice rang out.
Song Luoning's face darkened, and she remained silent.
Xiao Yu blinked at her, suppressed a laugh, and cleared her throat: "Bring it in."
The door opened, and Cuizhu came in carrying a tray with two plates of delicate pastries and tea. Cuizhu curtsied and placed the pastries on the tea table next to the young lady. She glanced at Xiao Yu, wondering, "Didn't the young lady come to reconcile with the young master? Why does the atmosphere feel even colder than before, especially with the young lady practically freezing cold?"
What's wrong with this son-in-law? The young lady has come over to coax her like this, why can't she just go along with the young lady a little more?
"You can go down now," Song Luoning said.
Cui Zhu lowered her head, secretly glancing at Xiao Yu and then at Song Luo Ning. She couldn't help but feel anxious for the two of them. She sighed softly, curtsied, and left the room.
The room fell silent again. Xiao Yu glanced at the snacks, rubbed his hands together, sat down in a chair, and continued to explain, "My wife, that's not what I meant just now. I meant to befriend that Miss Li, not to marry her. It's not that I can't marry her because of my status, I..."
She carefully observed Xiao Da for a moment, and seeing that her expression had softened somewhat, she continued, "I believe in one person for life. Now that I've chosen you, I won't bother with anyone else. My meeting with Miss Li was purely to prevent Xiao Chengze from getting his way. Besides, there are many ways to stop Miss Li from marrying Xiao Chengze; it doesn't necessarily have to be marriage. I can show her that Xiao Chengze isn't a good person, or I can befriend her and find an opportunity to sabotage the marriage, or many, many more..."
Song Luoning pursed her lips, looked away, and pinched her fingertips. She couldn't describe the feeling in her heart. One life, one love, how many ordinary people can achieve that, let alone the feelings of an emperor? She felt a sense of melancholy.
With Xiao Yu watching her intently, Song Luoning snapped back to reality and discreetly tucked a stray hair behind her ear.
The person before her had clear, burning eyes, filled with the sincerity of a young man. Song Luoning sighed, her ear tips, hidden beneath her dark hair, burning slightly. After a long while, Xiao Yu's gaze remained fixed on her. Song Luoning was secretly annoyed, wondering how long this lecherous man would keep staring at her. A light pink tinge crept onto her fair skin.
"Wife?" Xiao Yu called out, wondering why she was lost in thought.
Song Luoning bit her lip and gave a faint "hmm". What time is it? Why is this lecher staring at her endlessly? It's so embarrassing. Song Luoning picked up a pastry and stuffed it into his mouth, changing the subject: "When does my husband plan to go? Luoning will go with you."
Xiao Yu quickly caught the pastry in her mouth, chewed it, and said in a muffled voice, "Let the servants go and find out Miss Li's whereabouts before we go. Otherwise, if we suddenly appear like this, we might startle her."
Song Luoning's lips curved slightly, and she didn't hesitate to praise, "My husband is so thoughtful." After saying that, she stood up, opened the door, and found that even though it was already summer, the courtyard, like the Prime Minister's residence, was rather monotonous, with only greenery and no flowers or plants.
Xiao Yu swallowed the pastry in his mouth and his gaze fell on the woman. The woman's slender waist was accentuated by the thin gauze dress, making her look even more delicate and frail, which made one want to bully her. With that thought in mind, Xiao Yu walked over, hugged her from behind, and closed the door behind him.
"Stop messing around~" Song Luoning's body stiffened, and in her haste, she pressed down on the hand that was causing trouble in her abdomen.
That lecherous scoundrel!
It was still daytime, and Song Luoning's ears burned with embarrassment. She bit her lip, turned around, and looked up to face her, barely able to contain herself: "We must not engage in lewd acts in broad daylight."
"..." Xiao Yu was stunned. He had only hugged his wife and hadn't done anything else. How could it be considered daytime debauchery?
"Weren't we supposed to send someone to investigate?"
Xiao Yu knew she was easily embarrassed, so he reached out and tucked the stray hairs that had fallen across her face behind her ear, saying in a sweet, affectionate voice, "I'll go arrange it now."
"Yes, husband, go ahead."
"Wait for me to come back." Xiao Yu sighed softly, resisting the urge to kiss her, released her, reopened the door, and walked to Liang Chengqiu's courtyard.
Not long after, Liang Chengqiu hurriedly left. Xiao Yu didn't go anywhere but stayed in the courtyard talking to Jiang Wan. A summer breeze brought a bit of coolness. She called a maid to set up a tea table and chairs in the courtyard. They chatted and laughed for about half an hour before Liang Chengqiu returned.
Jiang Wanrou smiled and said, "Going out in this weather? Come and have some herbal tea to cool off."
"I'm going out to take care of some things." Liang Chengqiu took the tea that Chen Yu handed him and drank it down in one gulp.
Jiang Wanrou waved her hand and continued to wave the round fan in her hand: "What are you officials busy with all day long? You're already out here, why are you still dealing with official business?"
Liang Chengqiu: "..."
Xiao Yu: "..."
Seeing everyone staring at her, Jiang Wanrou glared at Xiao Yu and said, "Why are you all looking at me? Sit down quickly. Where's the little girl? Hurry up and find a fan for Officer Liang."
“No need, I have a few more words to say to Young Master Xiao,” Liang Chengqiu said.
"Don't call me Young Master Xiao, just call me A-Yu like we do," Jiang Wanrou said with a smile. This child is so polite. He has helped them so much since coming to the capital. The more she looks at him, the more satisfied she is. She only regrets that she doesn't have a son.
Liang Chengqiu paused for a moment, then replied, "Okay."
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