Chapter 44 Chapter 44 Run away, don't look back
Winter has arrived, the cold wind whistles past, the dead leaves on the ground are swirled by the wind, and the ginkgo leaves gradually turn yellow, a bright spot in the bleak winter.
Xiao Ye untied Shu Yun's shackles and sent Bibiluo to follow her closely, allowing her to move freely in the house, but only within this house.
Shuyun went to the other side of the house, where the maid was serving Siqin medicine.
"Let me do it." Shuyun took the medicine bowl from the maid and sat down next to Siqin.
Siqin had white cloth wrapped around her head. After resting for ten days or so, she felt much better, but she still looked delirious and crazy, saying whatever she wanted to say.
She glanced at the maids in the room, then at Shuyun who was handing her the spoon, and said with a smile, "Your little girl is so pretty, prettier than my Niuniu."
Shuyun paused holding the medicine spoon, feeling a complicated mood. "Is your Niuniu's surname Tian?"
Siqin nodded, "Niuniu is missing."
She smiled and said to Shuyun, "You're prettier than Niuniu. Haha, you feed me the medicine, but I need to drink it myself."
Siqin took the medicine bowl from Shuyun, tilted her head back and gulped down the medicine. She held the empty bowl to show everyone, as if to show off that she had drunk it all.
Shuyun took the empty bowl and handed over the water for rinsing her mouth. Siqin took it and covered her mouth while rinsing it. Her manners were graceful and appropriate, without any rustic air at all.
Shuyun was looking at the woman from the side. Wang Huilan and Xiao Zhen looked alike, and one could tell they were mother and daughter just by looking at them. However, she felt that her appearance did not seem similar to that of the woman in front of her.
Shuyun had been in the room for quite a while. Biluo said, "Miss, we've seen everyone. We should go back."
It didn't sound like a request to the master, but more like an order. Shuyun reluctantly stood up, but Siqin suddenly grabbed her hand and said with a smile, "Come tomorrow too."
Shuyun did not agree. She didn't know whether she could come here tomorrow.
Biluo put the cloak on Shuyun's shoulders, and the master and servant left the house.
The winter wind was chilly. Shuyun gathered her cloak, returned to the dormitory, and took a sip of hot tea.
Biluo hung the cloak on the hanger and waited in the house for Shuyun's instructions.
Shuyun slowly put down the teacup and sat down at the dressing table. She touched the hairpin on her head and looked at her face in the mirror. It seemed that she and the woman did not look like mother and daughter.
Shuyun felt confused and glanced at Biluo in the mirror. She picked up the inkstone and carefully drew her eyebrows in front of the mirror.
Xiao Ye had been busy for some time and returned home very late. Shu Yun helped him change his clothes and said, "Brother, you haven't eaten yet, right?"
"No."
Shuyun asked the servants to set the table.
Xiao Ye washed his hands, took Shu Yun's hand and sat down at the table. Steaming hot food was served and Shu Yun served him a bowl of hot soup.
It was a cold winter day. After Xiao Ye drank a few spoonfuls of the soup she had prepared, a faint smile appeared on the corner of his lips. All the running around in the past few days was worth it.
There was wine on the table. Drinking a few sips of wine in winter would warm the body. Shuyun took the wine pot and was about to pour wine for Xiao Ye when the man held her hand. Shuyun looked at him puzzledly, blinked, and said, "Brother, don't you like wine?"
"Yun'er doesn't like the taste of wine, so don't drink it." Xiao Ye took the wine pot from her hand and put it aside.
Shuyun felt an inexplicable surge of emotion in her heart. She said "Oh" and picked up the chopsticks again to pick up some food for him.
But in just half an hour, Shu Yun also became his dish.
The fragrance of orchid rose from the bedside table, and the atmosphere in the tent was ambiguous, with two lips touching and their breath exchanging in their lips.
You are in me and I am in you.
On this winter day with howling north winds, Shu Yun was sweating profusely, her whole body was damp and sticky, mixed with the scent of a man. She raised one of her fair white arms and placed it limply around Xiao Ye's neck, her white wrist hanging down loosely.
He knelt between her knees, wrapped her legs with his long arms, and rested her knees on his elbows. Xiao Ye leaned over, his snow-white knees brushing against her slender waist. Shu Yun's breath held, and his hot and wet lips fell on her ear, gently biting her ear.
Shuyun hugged him tightly, almost pressing that majestic body into her arms.
The fragrance of ylang-ylang floats on the wings of the nose, igniting the hot emotions. They follow the most primitive impulses and explore each other.
Whether in terms of energy or exploration, Shu Yun was no match for Xiao Ye. The man's slender fingers brushed and rubbed the instrument, like an outstanding musician, tuning the strings and putting together the most pleasing tune.
The man held Shuyun's slender waist and turned her over. She pulled the quilt over and hugged him helplessly, but found that the quilt was wet.
Xiao Ye pressed his hot palm on her shoulder, and with one hand he lifted her slender waist. The next moment, his lips landed on her snow-white shoulder.
Shu Yun hugged the quilt tightly, her back pressed against his sweaty chest. Xiao Ye grabbed her chin, turned her head around, and kissed her neck.
Shu Yun didn't like lying like this very much, as he would always do it for a very long time. She didn't do anything wrong, but Xiao Ye still held her waist and lifted her up, making her kneel on her knees, with her back hitting his arms.
The winter night wind whistled past, shaking the branches and slapping the window frames. The fog settled and the eaves looked like they were coated with silver frost.
Drops of water hung under the eaves, swaying precariously, and everything was wet.
==========
As the days passed, Siqin's wound scabbed over, and Shuyun went to see her every few days.
Biluo was probably following Xiao Ye's orders not to let Shuyun stay any longer, and took her away after an hour at most.
"This is mung bean cake, and this is poria cake," Siqin pointed at the two plates of hibiscus cake and osmanthus cake on the table, which made no sense at all.
"Wrong, wrong, none of them. They are lotus pastry and osmanthus cake."
Shu Yun corrected her, picking up two different kinds of pastries. "This one looks like a flower, it's a Hibiscus Pastry."
Siqin was stunned for a moment, then laughed, "How did you know Madam likes crab roe cakes?"
She took the lotus cake from Shuyun's hand and put it back on the plate, then asked, "Can you make crab meat cake?"
Shuyun was stunned by the question. She had heard her ask the maid the same question before, and she became even more curious about the lady she was talking about.
"Come with me to the kitchen to make crab cakes. Madam will need them later." Siqin pulled Shuyun up, but instead of going outside, they walked into the house.
The maids stopped Siqin.
"Why is she sick again?" a maid said to Shuyun, "She is always like this. She is talking nonsense all day and disturbed the young lady. Please don't blame her."
Biluo stood between Shuyun and Siqin, preventing Siqin from getting any closer, and said, "Miss, let's go. We'll come back tomorrow."
Shuyun was taken out by Biluo, and Siqin walked around the room like a child with a childish heart, avoiding the maids' pursuit. Finally, she sat back on the stool and ate the lotus pastry.
Siqin ate the crispy pastry in small bites, thinking about something in her mind.
…
The next day, Shuyun was still outside the house when she heard the commotion inside. Biluo opened the cotton curtain, and Siqin ran over with a soft pillow in her arms. She grabbed Shuyun's cold hand under her cloak and said, "Sleep with me."
Shuyun was stunned, and the maid explained, "Miss, she just made a fuss and wanted to go to bed."
Siqin held the soft pillow in one hand and held Shuyun tightly with the other, shouting, "Niuniu, be good and go to sleep."
"Go to sleep, go to sleep." Siqin took Shuyun to the bed. Shuyun looked at Biluo and said, "I'll accompany you for a while. You all go out."
The room was warm. Shuyun followed Siqin to the bed and took off her cloak for Biluo.
Siqin was noisy like a child and was sleeping on the bed holding Shuyun's arm.
Shuyun pulled the quilt over Siqin. Biluo stayed by the bed for a while and then left with the maids in the room.
After a while, Siqin opened her eyes. Shuyun was stunned and full of questions. She put her finger to her lips and gestured to Shuyun to be quiet.
Siqin took Shuyun's hand and wrote on her palm.
The fingertips write on the palm of the hand, and the first word gradually takes shape.
【recognize】
Siqin looked up at her, and Shuyun nodded, knowing what she wrote.
Siqin lowered her eyes, held Shuyun's palm, and continued to write. The remaining three words together were
[Recognize the thief as your father]
Shuyun's heart suddenly trembled, and it was as if a thunder exploded in her mind.
She wrote in her palm with trembling hands
【who I am】
【Father Chen Yanzhi】【Enemy Xiao】
Shuyun's head buzzed and she sat on the bed in shock. Her heart felt like it was being gripped by a big hand, so painful and tight that she gradually couldn't breathe.
Her surname is Shen, and her biological father is Lord Shen, the former doctor of the Ministry of Works.
Shuyun's mind suddenly became confused. She took out the jade pendant she was wearing. The jade was warm and still carried her residual warmth.
Siqin recognized the jade pendant. She had lost her memory at the time and thought the child was her daughter. So she used the jade pendant as a token of trust and found a marriage for her daughter so that she could escape from the rotten Tian family.
Siqin didn't know what happened during this period. The jade pendant that was supposed to be at Tian's house returned to the girl and wrote on her palm:
[The pendant given to you by your brother]
…
The cold wind whistled past, and it got dark early in winter. However, at the hour of You, lanterns were hung under the eaves and lights were lit in the house.
Shuyun sat on the couch in a daze, her mind full of thoughts.
"What are you thinking about?" Xiao Ye sat down beside her, stretched out his long arm, put his arm around her waist and held her in his arms.
Shuyun slowly came back to her senses and collected her thoughts.
Shu Yun looked at the man. In front of him, she had learned to hide her emotions. A faint smile appeared on the corner of her lips and she asked, "When did my brother come back?"
She stretched out her arms to wrap around his thin waist and snuggled in his arms. Xiao Ye said calmly, "Just now."
Shuyun lowered her eyes and looked at the shadows huddled together on the ground, and suddenly felt sick.
She forced herself to hide her emotions, and said in a somewhat coquettish tone, "Brother, I'm a little hungry. Let's eat."
Xiao Ye ordered dinner.
Shu Yun actually had no appetite, but in order not to arouse Xiao Ye's suspicion, she ate the dishes he picked for her as usual, picked up dishes for him, and exchanged glances with him.
After dinner, the maids took the food away.
The intimate shadows beside the table are reflected on the screen.
Xiao Ye hugged her from behind, and Shu Yun sat in his arms. He took out some ylang-ylang incense with a silver spoon. The man and she mixed the incense together and made the incense powder into the elegant shape of a flower.
Xiao Ye lit the incense, and the flower burned slowly, with the scent of ylang-ylang lingering in his nostrils.
Love is floating, ambiguous and lingering.
Shu Yun was picked up by Xiao Ye, who put her arms around his neck, pressed his head down slightly, and kissed his lips.
With her skirt piled up under her body, Shuyun sat on the table, her slender legs raised to hook around his thin waist. The man's lips fell on her collarbone. She supported the table with one hand, and her slender neck was raised to create a beautiful curve.
The disordered breathing was out of control.
The cup on the table fell over, and warm water flowed out, wetting the table top and the skirt on the ground.
The rim of the cup was still imprinted with the woman's lipstick. He moved closer and put his lips against hers, as if he was also holding her mouth. There was still warm water in the cup. He tasted it slowly. It was sweet, it was her scent.
Her legs trembled weakly, and Shuyun suddenly hugged Xiao Ye tightly. The man slowly raised his head, kissed her lips, and soothed her emotions.
Her mind was in a mess and Shuyun didn't know what time it was. Her loosened lips were held by Xiao Ye, as if no matter how much he kissed her, it would never be enough.
When the love was deep, Xiao Ye hugged her tighter, as if she would disappear if he loosened his grip.
His voice was hoarse as he whispered in Shuyun's ear, "Yun'er, we will get married next year. Next year."
Shu Yun's slender waist was held by him, so was the Miss Shen that Xiao Ye mentioned also her?
How could she marry her enemy?
The heat grew stronger, and the fragrance of ylang-ylang filled every corner of the room. Shuyun let him fiddle with the table.
==========
That day, Liang Meng made an appointment with Xiao Ye to meet in a private room in a teahouse.
It was a cold winter day. Xiao Ye took off his cloak after entering the private room, revealing a faint kiss mark the size of a fingernail on his neck. Liang Meng quickly looked away and took a sip of hot tea.
"How's the matter?" Xiao Ye sat down and asked first.
Liang Meng put down his teacup and talked about business. "A while ago, Tongtian Tower received a new batch of wood. I secretly checked the list and found that some of the wood was indeed problematic."
Xiao Ye: "Just having this list isn't enough."
Liang Meng said, "I understand that at the beginning of next month, each department will submit its account books as per the rules. This will require General Xiao's intervention."
Xiao Ye played with the teacup leisurely. Of course he was going to go, waiting for the day when the truth would be revealed.
After coming out of the teahouse, Xiao Ye went to the laundry lane and knocked on the closed door.
"Who is it?"
Liu Bo, leaning on his cane, limped to open the door. Seeing that it was the son of Marquis Anlu, he frowned and was about to close the door, but Xiao Ye held up his hand to stop him. "Let's talk, General Liu, the supervisor of the works."
The Chief Works Supervisor was in charge of the construction of royal buildings such as palaces, ancestral temples, and mausoleums. There were 3,000 craftsmen in the Chief Works Supervisor of this dynasty, and Liu Bo was one of them.
Inside the room, Xiao Ye took a seat without being asked. He stated his purpose frankly, "Seventeen years ago, the Tongtian Tower collapsed. Engineer Liu knows why. Lord Shen's case was overturned, and the emperor cleared him. The one being executed was merely a scapegoat. Cooperate with me and identify one of the perpetrators."
Uncle Liu scoffed, "That's your father."
There is no one in the world who would kill his own relatives for the sake of justice. He did not believe Xiao Ye and was about to drive Xiao Ye away with his crutch.
Xiao Ye's eyes grew darker, "He is not worthy of being a father."
Uncle Liu put away his crutches and slowly sat down on the chair.
Many craftsmen died that year, and he almost became a ghost downstairs.
…
An urgent memorial, sent over a distance of eight hundred miles, was presented to Emperor Wucheng. The princess of the Prince of Huainan had died, and the Prince of Huainan requested permission for his son, Li Ce, to return to his fiefdom to attend the funeral.
Emperor Wucheng naturally had no reason to detain anyone, so he agreed to let Li Ce leave the capital.
Li Ce came to the capital from his fiefdom when he was five years old, but he never expected that he would go back to attend a funeral this time.
He didn't even see his mother for the last time. When he heard the news, his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground. Shock followed by grief.
He hadn't completed what his father had asked him to do, so he wasn't needed to do it now.
Suddenly, a hand was placed on his shoulder. Li Ce turned back stiffly. Lin Yunxi patted his shoulder and comforted him, "Prince, I am in deep sorrow."
Li Ce was stunned. He didn't expect her to come. She was the first person to come to the palace.
Lin Yunxi asked, "When will the prince return?"
Li Ce said: "We will set off early tomorrow morning."
Lin Yunxi understood that this matter could not be delayed, and naturally the sooner she returned the better. However, she felt uncomfortable when she thought about the fact that they would not know when they would meet again after he returned to his fiefdom.
Lin Yunxi hesitated for a moment, then took off the pink sachet from her waist and stuffed it into Li Ce's hand. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she said shyly, "It's too late to make a new sachet. Please accept it, Prince. Don't despise it."
Li Ce held the sachet tightly. He treasured the gift she gave him and asked, "Will you come and give it to me tomorrow morning?"
Their eyes met, Lin Yunxi looked into his eyes and nodded.
There was a hint of sweetness in Li Ce's sad heart.
After Lin Yunxi left the Huainan Palace, Li Ce asked Xiao Ye to come out and meet him.
Li Ce did not complete the task assigned by his father, and before leaving, he did not forget to win over Xiao Ye. "I will return to my fiefdom tomorrow. I really want to make friends with you, but after all these years, it has not come true. When you are desperate in the future, come to Huainan."
Xiao Ye frowned, not liking the last sentence.
"My prince, accept my condolences."
Li Ce said goodbye to him and on his way back to the Prince of Huainan's Palace, he sent someone to deliver a letter to the Marquis of Anlu at his residence.
"This was sent by the Prince of Huainan, and the Marquis opened it personally."
The butler delivered the letter to Marquis Anlu, who was confused. "Why would a little brat like him send a letter to me when he's about to leave?"
Marquis Anlu thought that Li Ce had sent the letter to the rebellious son Xiao Ye to the wrong person, and it was mistakenly delivered to him.
Marquis Anlu opened the letter, read ten lines at a glance, and his face suddenly darkened, like a dark cloud covering a city.
Shuyun was hidden in a private residence by the rebellious son, and the two of them had become husband and wife.
"Rebellious son! Rebellious son!" Marquis Anlu slammed the letter on the table with a loud and deafening voice.
Marquis Anlu stood up with his hands on his hips, his chest heaving with anger, and he almost fainted from breath.
Marquis Anlu was furious and shouted angrily, "Come here, call Xiao Ye back to me! Call him to the ancestral hall!"
No wonder the men he sent out failed to find Shu Yun for so many days.
No wonder wherever his men went to look for someone, Xiao Ye's men also appeared in the same place. It was not a coincidence, but they were paying attention to his movements.
Surprisingly, the brother and sister were together before his triumphant return. Anlu Hou was furious. The woman he was about to get became his son's. He suddenly felt that Shuyun was boring. She should have been a pure flower, but she was tainted.
Marquis Anlu felt uncomfortable, as if he would never get that person.
…
Two months later, Xiao Ye returned to the Marquis' Mansion again and appeared in the solemn and dignified ancestral hall.
Marquis Anlu glared at Xiao Ye and scolded him, "Rebellious son, kneel down in front of the ancestors of the Xiao family!"
Someone from the mansion had just come to the Marquis's residence and said that the old lady was seriously ill and hurriedly asked Xiao Ye to return home. As soon as Xiao Ye entered the mansion, he was taken to the ancestral hall. He later realized that it was the Marquis of Anlu who wanted to see him.
Xiao Ye has a clear conscience, and the person in front of him should be the one who repents in front of his ancestors.
"May I ask, sir, what mistake have I made?"
Marquis Anlu was so angry that he put his hands on his hips. This rebellious son had really grown up and he could no longer control him. "How dare you be so stubborn? You know what you did to your sister Shuyun!"
Marquis Anlu bent his knees and kicked Xiao Ye in the back of his knees, forcing his rebellious son to his knees on the mat. He angrily shouted, "Yun'er is your sister, how could I have given birth to a beast like you? How could you have done such a thing to Yun'er!"
Although Xiao Ye was kneeling, his back was straight as he said, "Sister Shuyun's surname is not Xiao. The one who was driven away to the manor by the Marquis is the third daughter of the Marquis's manor, the legitimate daughter of the Xiao family."
"You, you, you're just making up stories! You're a disgrace to our family. You're talking back to your superiors, disrespecting your elders, and violating common ethics. You have no moral integrity!"
"In terms of lack of moral integrity, how dare I compare myself to the Marquis? The Marquis covets his friend's wife..."
"Bastard!" Marquis Anlu scolded, interrupting him.
His son knows everything.
Marquis Anlu was furious, his face flushed red as he sternly shouted, "Come here, bring the whip and stick. I will personally punish you with the family discipline! In front of our ancestors, this is the proper etiquette of our family!"
=========
The night was quiet and Xiao Ye was carried back to the house.
Marquis Anlu already harbored a grudge against his son, and the remark about coveting his friend's wife touched a sore spot. He was so furious that he used the family rules to punish Xiao Ye harshly. If it weren't for Madam Cui's persuasion, Xiao Ye would still be kneeling in the ancestral hall to be punished.
Xiao Ye's back was torn and bleeding from being beaten with whips and sticks, and he couldn't even straighten his back.
Xiao Ye instructed Fu Feng, "Don't go back to the bedroom, go to the study, and don't let her know."
The wound was bloody. Shuyun was timid and might be so scared after seeing it that she couldn't sleep at night and was worried about his injury.
Fu Feng said hurriedly, "Let me tell Doctor Wen."
He hurried to find Wen Rong with a lantern in hand and knocked on the door outside Wen Rong's house.
The loud knock on the door startled the musician next door.
Wen Rong opened the door. Fu Feng panted and said, "I haven't rested yet. Doctor Wen, please follow me to the study. The master was seriously injured and was carried back. Come on, follow me to the study."
Fu Feng helped Wen Rong carry the medical box and hurried to the study.
In the room, Siqin looked through the crack in the window at the two anxious figures walking away, seeming to be lost in thought.
Only during the day were there maids guarding her. Now that Xiao Ye was seriously injured, the house seemed to be in chaos.
After a while, Siqin went to the kitchen in the dark.
…
As the night deepened and became quieter, a flash of fire streaked across the sky, dispelling the gloomy darkness.
The raging fire grew stronger and stronger, the flames shot up into the sky, and the kitchen and the rooms on both sides of the kitchen were burned.
"Oh no, there's a fire! Help come quickly!" shouted the maid who first discovered it.
Servants came out one after another, fetching water from the well and the pond, carrying bucket after bucket of water to put out the fire.
Maids and servants came and went, and the house was in a mess.
Shuyun was still awake. Outside the window, flames shot up into the sky and there was a lot of noise. "Why did the fire suddenly break out?"
Xiao Ye had not returned by this time, and there was a sudden fire in the house. The kitchen was not far from the yard. Shu Yun's heart was in turmoil, and she felt uneasy and hurried out.
Biluo stopped Shuyun and said, "The night wind is cold. I'll go out and check. The young lady is in the house."
Fu Feng just came to tell them that Xiao Ye was seriously injured and Wen Rong was recuperating in the study. Shu Yun must not be allowed to know that Xiao Ye was injured. Bi Luo could only let Shu Yun stay in the room.
Shuyun was nervous and asked Biluo to go and come back quickly.
"yes."
Biluo leaves the house.
Suddenly, a dull sound came from outside, and then the closed door was opened. Siqin changed into a maid's clothes and hurriedly handed the clothes in her hand to Shuyun.
Siqin said, "Miss, hurry up and change. Everyone is busy putting out the fire. This is a good time for you to escape."
Want to escape? Shuyun wanted to leave even in her dreams. She quickly took off her outer clothes and changed into a maid's clothes.
"I knocked Biluo unconscious, let's go." Siqin pulled Shuyun out of the house.
There was a raging fire in the house, the flames lighting up half the sky. Most of the servants in the house went to the kitchen to put out the fire, and the scene was chaotic.
Servants came and went to put out the fire along the way. Shuyun and Siqin carried buckets of water and pretended to put out the fire. Fortunately, everyone's attention was on putting out the fire, and the sky was dark, so no one noticed the two people mixed in.
Shuyun lowered her head to cover her mouth and nose, and she and Siqin slowly moved away from the crowd of people fighting the fire and went to the back door.
Even the servant guarding the back door went to put out the fire. Shuyun was overjoyed. She dropped the bucket and ran over holding her skirt.
"Where are you two going?"
Suddenly, a female voice was heard behind her, and the maid who came over with a bucket of water saw the two people running away.
There was a big water tank at the back door. The maid didn't want to run far, so she came here to fetch water.
Shuyun and Siqin paused suddenly. Siqin held Shuyun's cold hand and signaled her not to worry.
Siqin calmly turned around and went to deal with the maid. She raised the bucket in her hand and walked over and said, "Come over here to get some water."
As soon as she finished speaking, Siqin quickly covered the maid's mouth to prevent her from making any sound.
Siqin said: "Go away, young lady! Don't look back!"
Someone could come here at any time. If they delayed any longer, neither of them would be able to leave. Shuyun didn't dare to delay. She whispered in Siqin's ear that she would wait for her in Nanzhou, and then ran towards the door in a hurry.
Shuyun heard from Aunt Bai that Lord Shen was demoted to Nanzhou.
Her parents and brother are all in Nanzhou.
Siqin said: "Miss, remember, you are a child of the Shen family."
Shuyun remembered it, ran as fast as she could, and finally touched the door latch.
With flames blazing behind her, Shuyun opened the door that was locking her.
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