Chapter 73 "Yaoyao, take me to see..."
Xue Mingyao was puzzled. "If it wasn't you who sent it, then who was?"
"Did the person who sent the gift impersonate me?" Xie Zhuo asked suspiciously.
“No,” Xue Mingyao recalled, “He sent someone to deliver the fan to the gatehouse without giving his name, and left with a lucky message.”
"Then how did you guess it was me?"
Yes, why did we conclude it was Xie Zhuo back then?
Xue Mingyao thought about it again and again, and finally vaguely remembered it. "Because the sentence he left was about how the general wished his wife well, which is you! Besides, no one else would give me a wedding fan."
“General, Madam…” Xie Zhuo suddenly said, “Cen Zongjing is also a general, he can call you that too.”
Xue Mingyao was taken aback. "But he was still trapped in Wuxi at that time. How could he deliver him?"
Xie Zhuo pondered for a moment, "This matter is quite strange. I will go to the gatekeeper of the Xue residence tomorrow to ask him. By the way, where is that fan? Show it to me."
Xue Mingyao shrugged, "I shredded it and threw it away."
"Is this how you treat the gift 'I' gave you?" Xie Zhuo said sullenly.
"You're still blaming me," Xue Mingyao said unhappily, slapping his leg. "You've never given me a birthday gift! On the contrary, I used to cook longevity noodles for you and give you gifts on your birthday."
On Xie Qinglang's eighteenth birthday, before Xue Mingyao had taken him away, she chased after him to the academy and gave him a valuable inkstone with inscriptions on it.
Xie Qinglang refused to accept it, but she forced it on him. He put the inkstone on the ground in front of her and turned to leave.
The inkstone was a fine one, worth a fortune. Unable to give it away, she couldn't throw it away either, so Xue Mingyao angrily took it back to her house. Later, after getting Xie Qinglang, she still gave him the inkstone. A while later, during an argument, Xue Mingyao knocked the inkstone over, shattering it into pieces, ink splattering everywhere.
On Xie Qinglang's nineteenth birthday, Xue Mingyao prepared longevity noodles for him, gave him a jade pendant as a gift, and also made him new clothes and boots. Later, Xie Qinglang was beaten up by Xue Xingtai. Filled with anger, he threw the jade pendant back at Xue Mingyao, and it broke.
Recalling the past, Xie Zhuo sighed deeply. He had been wandering with his father since childhood and had never properly celebrated his birthday.
Xue Mingyao was the first person to celebrate his birthday.
He looked out the window; the bamboo was still green, while in the distance, the autumn trees were already shedding their red and yellow leaves.
"Winter is just around the corner," he said.
Xue Mingyao was puzzled.
That means next spring isn't far off, as Xue Mingyao's birthday falls in the spring.
Xie Zhuo said gently, "Winter is coming, and it will be difficult to go out. While there are still a few days of warmth, how about we go out for a walk? You used to say that Zhongjing has many places to visit and enjoy in all four seasons, which is incomparable to Xichuan. Yaoyao, take me to see them."
Xue Mingyao smiled brightly, "Okay, my husband."
Xie Zhuo's heart skipped a beat.
"Do you remember—" he said slowly, "that's where we consummated our marriage here?"
"Of course." Xue Mingyao tilted her head. "You really wore me out."
"Then I'll be gentler this time..."
Xie Zhuo leaned down and kissed her, his hand touching the sash of her skirt.
Spring tides bring continuous rain, and peonies sing sweetly.
The rustling of bamboo in the bamboo pavilion gradually faded away.
......
Xie Zhuo still couldn't figure out who sent Xue Mingyao's birthday gift after asking the gatekeeper of the Xue residence. He originally wanted to go and ask Cen Zongjing, but after a few thoughts, he felt uneasy and hesitated for a long time before finally stepping into Qifeng Palace.
"You suspect there's more to Cen Qing's return to court than meets the eye?" Emperor Deyuan asked, frowning after hearing his account.
Xie Zhuo thought about it more and more and felt that the fan was sent at Cen Zongjing's behest. If that was the case, it meant that Cen Zongjing's life in Wuxi was not as difficult as he claimed. It was worth considering what his relationship with Wuxi was and whether he had any ulterior motives for returning to the capital.
He nodded. "I have no suspicions out of personal bias. King Wuxi found it difficult to persuade General Cen to surrender, so he simply released him to Zhou to show his sincerity. However, I heard that General Cen presented 'Ten Strategies for Wuxi,' which are very helpful. In the strategy, he also stated that if war breaks out between Zhou and Wuxi again, he is willing to go to Xichuan and lead the army to conquer Wuxi. In this case, for Wuxi, releasing General Cen is tantamount to aiding the enemy. King Wuxi is not an incompetent person; how could he allow such a thing to happen?"
"I have had the same doubts as you," Emperor Deyuan said slowly. "But Cen Qing showed me his injuries, and he had indeed been severely tortured. I also had people interrogate the prisoners who were released with him, and their accounts confirmed that what Cen Qing had experienced was true."
Xie Zhuo lowered his head and said, "If one has ulterior motives, all of these can be fabricated. I have no evidence, but I can only dare to remind Your Majesty that you cannot be too cautious in dealing with General Cen's return to court."
The ambergris incense lingered quietly in the hall, and the emperor pondered for a long time.
"I understand. I will send people to secretly investigate this matter again. Minister Xie, you are very kind. You may leave."
Having fulfilled his duty as a subject, Xie Zhuo felt somewhat at ease and said no more before gathering his robes and leaving.
......
Finally, Xie Zhuo's day off arrived. It was a fine autumn day with clear skies and gentle breezes. He and Xue Mingyao traveled together to a place called Tianjin Valley on the outskirts of the capital to admire the autumn leaves.
This was chosen by Xue Mingyao. This place is one of the royal gardens. In autumn, the maple leaves turn red like fire, and the scenery is picturesque. Because it is a royal garden, outsiders cannot come here, which also has the advantage of being quiet.
"Outsiders aren't allowed in, but you are?"
Inside the carriage, Xie Zhuo asked, puzzled.
Although Xue Mingyao frequently visited the palace, she was not a true member of the royal family.
"I used to come here to play with the princes and princesses a lot when I was little, so naturally no one dared to stop me," Xue Mingyao said matter-of-factly.
Once the car reached the valley entrance, Xue Mingyao took Xie Zhuo's hand and led her straight into the valley along the familiar mountain path. The guards, as expected, allowed them to pass.
It was late autumn. After walking a few dozen steps along the path, the two came to a grove of persimmon trees laden with fruit. The gnarled, dark branches stretched out in all directions, cutting the azure sky into hundreds of pieces. The persimmons hung densely on the branches, like little red lanterns, each one heavy and ready to fall and burst open, spreading their sweet fragrance across the ground.
Seeing Xie Zhuo look up at the persimmons, Xue Mingyao said, "The persimmons here look nice, but they don't taste sweet."
"You must have already eaten."
"I was a glutton when I was little," Xue Mingyao said with a smile.
Now Xie Zhuoxiang is also craving something sweet.
Suddenly, a familiar, childish voice came from the other side of the persimmon tree, "Father, please teach me how to shoot arrows."
"No rush, let's wait until we get through this persimmon grove to the valley floor. There's plenty of space there," the man said gently.
The childish voice hummed a few words and then said, "Father, I want to eat persimmons."
"These persimmons are very astringent and don't taste good."
"How does Father know it doesn't taste good?"
"It's because Father has tasted it."
Xie Zhuo and Xue Mingyao walked quickly through the persimmon grove and met the Crown Prince and the young grandson of the Great Zhou.
The valley was enchanting in autumn, and Zhao Jingyun and his son came to visit. The young prince, holding a slingshot in one hand and a small wooden bow in the other, was particularly excited to see them, calling out loudly, "Aunt Yongning!" and "General Xie!"
Xue Mingyao smiled and patted his head. After exchanging a few pleasantries, the young prince couldn't wait to say, "General Xie, please teach me archery! I remember you won first place in the Yan Archery Competition!"
"Now that you have General Xie, you look down on your father, huh? You were just now clamoring for your father to teach you." Zhao Jingyun said, pulling his ear.
The young prince cried out in pain, but declared confidently, "With General Xie around, of course I don't care about Father anymore!"
Xue Mingyao chuckled beside her.
Zhao Jingyun had no choice but to bow to Xie Zhuo, saying, "General Xie, my son is naughty, I'm sorry to trouble you."
Xie Zhuo hadn't seen the little prince for a while and wanted to play with him, so he agreed. The little prince tugged at his sleeve and ran down the valley with his short legs. Xie Zhuo was pulled along for a few steps, then looked back at Xue Mingyao.
"You and the young prince go first, I don't want to walk so fast," Xue Mingyao said.
Xie Zhuo wanted to say something more, but the little prince wouldn't wait and called out to him loudly.
Xie Zhuo then turned around, strode after the young prince, and pulled him by the hand, quickly walking towards the bottom of the valley.
The valley floor is extremely open, surrounded by bright red maple leaves that sway gently in the autumn breeze, and nestled among several simple and rustic cottages where nobles could rest.
Xie Zhuo patiently helped the little prince adjust his posture. Although he was small, he was very strong. He easily drew the small wooden bow to its full length, and the wooden arrows shot towards the maple leaves. The branches swayed and the leaves shook, and the red petals shimmered.
Xie Zhuo showered him with praise, but the little prince lost interest, saying, "It's not even as fun as a slingshot."
He threw down his bow and arrows, picked up a slingshot, and exclaimed, "I want to play with a slingshot!" Then he ordered his servants to fetch him some stones.
Xie Zhuo played with him while frequently glancing back at the way they came.
Finally, after a long time, Xue Mingyao arrived.
She walked side by side with Zhao Jingyun, her eyes fixed on him, her face flushed red by the autumn leaves, and she was all smiles.
Xie Zhuo lowered his eyes slightly.
On the way back to the manor, the carriage traveled at a leisurely pace. Xue Mingyao rested her head on Xie Zhuo's lap for a nap. Xie Zhuo stroked her back, his mind heavy with unspoken thoughts, like the stagnant gray-blue sky outside the window.
"Yaoyao," he called softly.
"Hmm?" Xue Mingyao did not open her eyes.
"You said you used to come here often, always with His Highness the Crown Prince?" he asked.
Xue Mingyao hummed in response, then mumbled incoherently, "And my cousin Jingchen too."
The eldest prince, Zhao Jingchen, was born to the former empress and was the biological brother of Princess Yi'an. He was also the prince who was rumored to be competing with Zhao Jingyun for Xue Mingyao.
Xie Zhuo listened again to the ambiguous rumors about Xue Mingyao and them that sparked so much speculation, but his mood remained calm.
He looked down at her and said, "Yaoyao, next time take me to a place you've never been with other men."
Xue Mingyao slowly sat up from his lap, rubbing her eyes. "Are you jealous again?"
Xie Zhuo didn't answer. After a moment of silence, he asked, "You used to like them, didn't you?"
Xue Mingyao thought for a moment and said truthfully, "It can't be said that I never liked anyone."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
