Without the trouble of that rogue, King Ping went to bed early today, but he woke up from dreams from time to time and had an uneasy sleep.
In his dreams, there always seemed to be two babies chasing after him, calling them "Aye, yeah" affectionately. Strangely enough, he had never seen these two kids, one big and one small, before, but when he caught a glimpse of their figures chasing after him, he felt warm in his heart.
"Aye," the older boy dragged the little girl to him and ran to him, complaining, "The bad grandfather insisted on braiding my sister's hair just now. He made my sister cry on purpose!"
Shen subconsciously squatted down, raised his hand and stroked the girl's soft face. Her round and bright eyes were filled with tears, but she was so stubborn that she didn't shed a single tear.
As he felt a little pity for them, he also felt a strange sense of familiarity. Since the kid called him Aye, who was the "bad Aye"? Where was the mother of the two kids now?
"The kites that Grandpa bought for Silai and A-mei were also snatched away by the bad Grandpa," the boy complained to him with his cheeks puffed up. "It got tangled in a tree branch yesterday and Grandpa tore it apart. He also didn't allow Silai to tell Ye-ye, saying that he would return two identical kites to me and A-mei today. But when Silai asked about it just now, Grandpa clearly forgot everything."
After that, he cleverly touched the little girl beside him with his shoulder and arm: "Sisi, you should also talk to Aye."
The little girl was stunned for a moment, then said in a childish voice: "Xie Ling, bad!"
Si Lai was precocious. When he was over three years old, he was sent to school by Xie Shiguan. He heard his grandfather's name from somewhere, but he didn't have the courage to call out his grandfather's name, so he secretly taught it to his younger sister and encouraged her to call out his name.
However, His Highness Prince Ping was stunned, not knowing what was going on. Xie Ling...who was that?
Just as he was at a loss, a tall figure suddenly walked out from under the eaves behind the two boys. The man was wearing a brocade robe and a jade belt, and holding a folded fan in his hand.
He gently pulled Sisi's pigtail with one hand and knocked Silai on the head with a folding fan with the other hand: "You two are rebellious. You ran here to complain without telling me, and you even dared to call me by my name."
This voice... was deep and half stunned, and he looked up in confusion.
It was indeed Xie Shiguan.
Si Lai saw that the situation was not right, and wanted to pull his little sister to hide in Chen Que's arms, but unfortunately his reaction was still half a beat too slow, and the two were almost simultaneously picked up by Xie Shiguan behind them: "You want to hide in your Aye again."
"Tell me," he threatened, "who taught you that?"
He was clearly asking Sisi, but his eyes were fixed on Silai on his right. He could see through the kid's little thoughts at a glance.
"I don't remember either..." the kid stammered, "where I heard it from."
Facing his confession, Xie Shiguan's eyebrows slightly curved, but he still said in a solemn tone: "What book have you read these days?"
Thinking of this, he quickly responded, "I studied Qionglin when I was young."
"You must have read very well, so you have the leisure to fly a kite or file a complaint," he continued with a smile, "Come to the study room and recite it to me later. If you make a mistake in one word, I will punish you by making you copy the book again."
The kid's eyes were red and tearful, and he looked like he was about to cry.
Xie Shiguan put the two cubs down at the right time, and then they were freed from his restraints. The two cubs ran away, but Shen subconsciously chased them a few steps forward and raised his hand and said, "Tell them to slow down."
The man hooked his arm around his waist, then turned around to give his two sons some advice, and then hugged his waist and back again, leaning close to him intimately: "Tomorrow is my birthday, what are you going to give me?"
Shen Que got goosebumps. The man's voice was sticky and intimate, as if this scene had happened countless times before. He saw himself gently pushing him away, and then raised his hand: "If someone sees us later..."
"Who saw us?" Xie Shiguan immediately climbed back even harder and chased him down the corridor. "You are always so scared. You can't do whatever you want in your own yard."
Shen didn't answer, and Xie Shiguan asked again: "Have you asked for leave tomorrow?"
Shen nodded.
Xie Shiguan smiled with satisfaction and asked, "What gift did you prepare for me? Can you tell me a little bit?"
But Shen refused to speak, so he pushed her against a door under the eaves and tortured her over and over again...
When His Royal Highness Prince Ping woke up from the kiss, all he saw was a carved bedspread, goose yellow gauze curtains swaying gently, and an oil lamp in the corner, the flame of which flickered dimly.
How could he have such a dream? In the dream, he and the bad guy were so harmonious, and it seemed that they had a son and a daughter together. It was so absurd...
Shen turned over slightly and knocked on the carved wooden board beside the couch. There were several maids in his room who served him in daily life. On weekdays and nights, they took turns sleeping in the small room behind the curtain.
But he knocked several times, but no one answered in the small room. Shen Que then remembered that because of Xie Shiguan's harassment day and night, he had not allowed the maids to keep watch for some time.
Therefore, he had no choice but to get up from the bed and go to the table to pour himself a cup of cold tea. He had just taken two steps away when he caught a glimpse of a shadow out of the corner of his eye. He subconsciously turned his head and met Xie Shiguan's eyes.
This person seemed to have been standing in the snow for a while. Snow fell on his shoulders, frost formed on his eyebrows and eyelashes, and even the tip of his nose and cheeks were stained with a slight red blush from the cold.
It was rare to see this bad guy showing a hint of vulnerability on his face. If he hadn't pried open the window and squeezed in through the frame like a thief, that lovable look of vulnerability might have been more realistic.
Having just had such a strange dream, Shen felt a little upset when he saw him again, so he poured himself a cup of cold tea, drank it, and then returned to the couch.
"Why isn't there a maid in the room to serve?" Xie Shiguan touched the teacup with the back of his hand, "There's not even a cup of hot water when I get up at night."
Shen was too lazy to pay attention to him, and turned his back to lie on his side facing inwards.
Xie Shiguan pushed him in with ease, forcing him onto the couch. He then turned sideways with him and stroked the back of his neck with his fingertips: "You are so cruel. We have been husband and wife for several times, but only I am worried and heartbroken, while Your Highness has put on the shackles and turned his back on me."
His fingertips were cold, and they gave the mute goose bumps all over his body.
But Shen didn't answer, so Xie Shiguan lowered his head and used the top of his hair to touch the back of his neck: "You only know how to treat me coldly, you heartless man."
But Shen felt itchy, turned around and sat up, and said in sign language: "It has always been you who forced me to humiliate me, how can you have the nerve to always say these things?"
"Does Your Highness hate me?"
He replied decisively: "Yes!"
"But if you hate me, why did you promise to buy me a house and marry me a virtuous wife?" Xie Shiguan looked at him, "If I had always forced you, why would Your Highness twist your waist to please me when we were deeply in love?"
"Shut up..." He gestured tremblingly.
Xie Shiguan never obeyed orders and continued to question him: "Your Highness clearly feels happy. Apart from me, no one else in this world can give you such happiness. Why don't you admit it?"
However, Shen was unwilling to listen. His words immediately made his eyes red with anger. He subconsciously raised his hand, wanting to teach this lowly slave a lesson.
However, Xie Shiguan quickly grabbed his wrist and moved closer. His narrow and charming phoenix eyes were slightly curved, and he was clearly smiling, but there seemed to be a sharp blade in his eyes.
"Your Highness is so angry," he said firmly, "because I have found out what you are thinking."
As he spoke, he took out a long key from his sleeve. It was brass in color and shiny, not like the style from the Central Plains. It was the key that was hidden in the secret compartment behind the wooden shelf in the study.
Chen Que instinctively wanted to reach out and grab it, but Xie Shiguan almost immediately pressed the key on the couch with his palm. He smiled so shamelessly: "What I find should be mine."
This bad guy has been raising horses in other places since he was a child. He can easily control an out-of-control horse, and his hands have amazing strength. However, Shen has suffered losses from him, so he knows very well that if he wants to snatch something from him, it is almost impossible.
But what he didn't expect was that Xie Shiguan had clearly got the key, but he didn't tear open his pajamas as usual, revealing a glaring desire.
But Shen knew what he was thinking, his eyes were naked, as if he wanted to strip him naked, but he did nothing, instead he handed the key into his hand.
"If I don't force you anymore," Xie Shiguan asked, "will you still love me?"
Shen was stunned, he knew he should shake his head and say no, he should be resolute and ruthless, but he was so lonely, without any friends, even his closest relatives in the hall avoided him, looked at him with disgust, and regarded him as a horrible demon.
In this world, only his mother treated him sincerely, but unfortunately she died young, leaving him all alone.
Seeing him in a daze, Xie Shiguan took advantage of the situation and asked, "If I am honest with Your Highness, will Your Highness still keep me by your side?"
He continued in Shen Que's blank gaze: "Your Highness, do you still remember that I once said that I was humble and illiterate, and this was actually not false."
"So that short note..." Xie Shiguan stared at Chen Que's slightly widened eyes, "is completely fictitious."
"I am only a low-ranking driver, just like you. I just moved to Yingchuan a few years ago. How could I be so familiar with the people in the governor's mansion here?"
Shen Que was finally awakened by his words. Yes, what this man said that day was clearly full of loopholes, but he was too confident and too fearless. That kind of natural sense of oppression made him unable to help but believe him.
But now that he revealed all of this, he undoubtedly entrusted his life to Shen Que's hands.
"I have nothing," Xie Shiguan suddenly changed back to his original self-proclaimed name, "I am not as good as the 'deceased' princess, who gave up her wealth and splendor to follow that humble scholar."
"This is the only life I can give to you."
Ever since his first wife, who was in name only, left, Shen Que often felt dazed. He couldn't really say that he was familiar with the princess, and was not even as close as any of the maids in the room.
That inexplicable trance had nothing to do with lust. He was just envious of the poor scholar who was banished from the capital. He clearly had nothing, but he was able to make the princess give up everything to follow him.
For a moment, he thought that if someone was willing to give up everything and firmly choose to stand by his side, he would also be willing to give away everything he had.
Reason told him that he should not leave Xie Shiguan behind, but the villain's gaze was too determined, forcing his reason to begin to waver.
Just as Shen Que was hesitating, a hurried voice suddenly came from outside the house. It was Wang Chengfeng's shrill voice: "Your Highness, a secret letter was just delivered from the capital overnight."
Outside the courtyard, there were bursts of winter thunder and heavy snow.
Shen Que went to answer the door with his clothes on, and received a wax-sealed secret letter with no special mark on it. He closed the door and turned around, and saw that Xie Shiguan had already lit a few candles.
Shen was extremely upset and hastily opened the secret letter, only to see that it was written by his grandfather himself: I am very ill, and I hope you will return soon.
At the end is the emperor's personal seal. He had seen it several times on the scrolls given by the emperor to his mother, so it could not be fake.
But it's clear that Grandpa doesn't like him, so why at this moment... would he send a secret letter to summon him back to the palace?
"A letter from the palace?" Xie Shiguan suddenly asked.
Shen tilted his head to look at him, the obvious question in his eyes was self-evident: Aren’t you illiterate?
Xie Shiguan smiled slightly and said calmly: "On the way here just now, I heard someone saying that things are going to change in Kyoto."
He gently pressed Chen Que's shoulder and slowly moved closer to her: "But you don't have to worry..."
"Your Highness, please stay with me," he said patiently, "I will protect you."
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