Chapter 63: Both Soothing and Punishing

Xie Zhuoning was stunned for a moment, somewhat surprised.

But she was not surprised by the conditions proposed by Ye Wuque, but was surprised that she hesitated the moment she heard that she had to stay away from Xiao Jinxuan.

What is there to be suspicious about?

She and Xiao Jinxuan were originally enemies.

Tease him on a whim, control him out of gratitude, all for the purpose of destroying him more thoroughly in the future.

If all she had to do was stay away from him in order to get Ye Wuque's cooperation, then it would be a deal that could not be beat.

"make a deal!"

The final word is the hammer.

When Ye Wuque heard this answer, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and slowly raised the corners of his mouth.

The fact that he gave up on Xiao Jinxuan without hesitation showed that the relationship between Xie Zhuoning and that gang was not as deep as he imagined.

It seems that he is not too late this time.

…

After a tiring whole day, Xie Zhuoning went to bed as soon as he got home.

It was a rare good dream that night.

In the dream, she was wearing her wedding dress and sitting on the wedding bed, anxiously waiting for the groom to lift the veil.

Through the gap in the red hood, she saw a pair of golden boots approaching and stopping in front of her.

The drawn-out word "madam" sounded so pathetic and lingering from his mouth.

The more she listened, the more itchy and curious she became. She even wanted to lift the veil to see the man's face.

Due to the custom and rules, he could only sit properly, but his tone was inevitably a little anxious, "Hurry up!"

"Don't worry, ma'am."

He chuckled softly, and it was a really pleasant laugh, like the spring breeze blowing across the water, with an indescribable charm.

Xie Zhuoning: No, I’m in a hurry!

Is he going to lift it or not?

All night long, she was arguing with someone in her dreams about whether to lift the veil or not.

The guy couldn't persuade her in the end, and sighed, "Since my lady can't wait any longer, I will grant your wish."

Having said that, he finally picked up the Ruyi scale and slowly lifted her red veil.

A bright light flooded in front of her eyes, and her vision became blurry. After a while, it finally focused on a face.

But when she saw who it was, she was shocked, "Fuling?!"

"Miss, you finally woke up!" Fuling breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing that her young lady could not be woken up no matter how she called her, she thought she was possessed by a ghost.

Xie Zhuoning placed his hands on Fuling's shoulders and shook her desperately, extremely upset. "Why? Why? I'm going to see her face soon!"

Why did you wake up suddenly?

Fuling was confused, "What face?"

"My husband's face."

"But Miss, isn't your future husband the prince?"

Xie Zhuoning was stunned for a moment.

The next second, she spat, "Pah! Why mention him? It's bad luck!"

In this life, she would rather marry a beggar than marry Xiao Bicheng again!

As soon as I thought of that guy, my good mood for the morning disappeared in an instant.

Xie Zhuoning snorted, looking grumpy, "Why did you wake me up so early?"

She often has nightmares and always has trouble sleeping at night, so the people in the hospital try not to disturb her in the morning and let her sleep until she wakes up naturally.

Fuling hurriedly poured a cup of tea for her young lady to refresh her mind, "The emperor's reward has arrived, and he asked you to go to the front yard to receive the decree."

When Xie Zhuoning finished washing, dressing and arriving at the front yard, all the members of the Xie family were waiting in the yard.

When the leading eunuch saw her, he immediately flicked his whisk and read out the imperial edict.

The whole article is full of praise and compliments, and is followed by a long list of rewards. It is no exaggeration to say that it is the emperor's magnanimous grace.

He Jinyun looked at the things that were being carried into the room like flowing water, her eyes turned red, and she tightly twisted the handkerchief in her hand.

Xie Zhiqing, who was standing behind her, couldn't help wondering, if she had been braver yesterday and took the initiative to stand up and dance, would she have been the one to be rewarded?

She has practiced dancing for so long, she may not be worse than her older sister.

The elder sister told her not to be blinded by the wealth and splendor of the palace, but she stood out and stole the show...

Mrs. Xie looked relieved.

As a grandmother, she was naturally honored that her granddaughter could win honor in front of the emperor.

Xie Zhuoning took the imperial edict with a smile on his face, but the smile did not reach his eyes.

Emperor Zhaowen gave her such a generous reward, probably not only because she saved face for Daye at the night banquet yesterday, but also because the prince lost his composure for Bai Yingxue several times.

These rewards are both a comfort and a warning.

"Fuling." She winked.

Fuling immediately stepped forward and handed the purse to the eunuch who came to convey the imperial edict.

The eunuch took it in his hand and weighed it quietly, then smiled and said, "Thank you, Miss. Your good fortune is yet to come."

"I would like to borrow your good words, father-in-law."

After seeing the person off in a friendly manner, the smile on Xie Zhuoning's face disappeared in an instant.

Madam Xie was very happy, "Jinyun, quickly, ask the kitchen to prepare a few banquets. We must celebrate today."

"We have to celebrate. It's been a long time since I've seen my grandmother so happy."

He Jinyun is used to coaxing old lady Xie, and no matter how reluctant he is in his heart, he will appear to be obedient on the surface.

The servants got busy after receiving the order.

The gifts were carried into Fenghua Pavilion. Xie Zhuoning took a quick look at them and asked Fuling to pick out some items without the royal seal and send one to each person in the family.

Fuling received the order and went there immediately.

Xie Zhuoning called Xia Ju over again, "I specially kept these things. They are all things that were brought into the palace by the vassal states. Take a look. Do you like any of them?"

Xia Ju looked at her in surprise, "Give it to me?"

"Um."

"I don't want it."

They are all too expensive.

She doesn't want anything, as long as she can follow the lady, it's enough.

"If you hadn't been pulling the strings from behind yesterday, I wouldn't have been able to fly into the sky with my flying dance. So you have made an invaluable contribution, and you deserve everything you have achieved."

Xie Zhuoning knew what she was thinking and deliberately said, "And you also know that I, your lady, have always been clear about rewards and punishments. If I reward you and you refuse, how can I establish myself in front of other people in the future? You don't want me, your lady, to be unable to control the people under my command, do you?"

Shaking her head repeatedly, Xia Ju hurriedly said, "I choose!"

She looked at them all and finally picked out a bracelet inlaid with red, blue and green gemstones and put it on her hand.

Xie Zhuoning's face was filled with disdain. "Are you sure you want this?"

Although this gemstone bracelet looks expensive, the bright red and green are a bit too tacky.

Xia Ju didn't say anything, but pressed a protruding gem, and instantly an almost invisible thin thread shot out from the bracelet.

Xie Zhuoning was a little dumbfounded, "This is... golden silk?"

She had read in a book that golden silk was as thin as ox hair and as tough as black iron, and could be used to make soft armor that was indestructible by knives and impervious to water and fire.

Just as he raised his hand to touch it, Xia Ju grabbed it nervously, "It will hurt."

As she spoke, she threw a fruit over, and it was instantly cut in half by the thread.

Xie Zhuoning immediately withdrew his hand, took two steps back, and patted his chest, "That was a close call!"

If she stretched out her finger, wouldn't it be broken into two pieces?

Xia Ju pressed the gem, put away the golden silk, and stroked it like a treasure, obviously liking her new weapon very much.

Xie Zhuoning curled his lips and wanted to persuade her to choose another one.

Forget it, as long as she likes it.

After the selection was made, He Jinyun sent someone to invite us and said that the banquet was ready.

When Xie Zhuoning arrived, Madam Xie and the others were already there.

Even her great uncle Xie Heng, her eldest son Xie Mingyuan, and her younger brother Xie Minglang came back.

The family was chatting and laughing happily, but Xie Zhuoning always felt that the scene was a little too harmonious.

After looking for a long time, she finally found the crux of the matter, "Where is Xie Wanyin?"