Chapter 100 Heavy Rain
Wen Yao was dragged into the inn by Zhao Xuanxu, just as the innkeeper and his waiter were trembling as they climbed out of a water vat. The city was in chaos, and the rebels had sealed off the city. They couldn't leave their inn, so they stayed put, hiding in the backyard for the past few days, absorbing the remaining food. Terrified by the sight of blood and flesh flying outside, they had huddled in the water vat, unable to emerge. When the noise died down, they prepared to climb out to see what was happening. Unexpectedly, when they peeked out, they saw two blood-soaked figures approaching, leaving behind a trail of bloody footprints that were incredibly frightening.
The shopkeeper and several waiters were stunned, not daring to move. Zhao Xuanxu didn't even look at them. He took out a heavy piece of gold from his waist, threw it on the table, and continued to pull Wen Yao upstairs.
Wen Yao gripped the railing and turned his head. "Boss, one room upstairs. Is there any water in the shop? Boil some if you have."
The pure color of gold flashed across his eyes, and the shopkeeper suddenly came back to his senses. He nodded repeatedly when he heard this and said, "Yes, yes! There is a water team in the city that will go to Gaoyou to transport water. There is also a well in the backyard, so there is no need to worry about water! Quick, send the two of you up!"
The waiter was young, but still a little scared. He followed timidly, not daring to step past Zhao Xuanxu to go to the front. He said timidly, "The upper room is on the south side of the second floor. The water will be delivered immediately. Please rest for a while, my two masters."
Wen Yao noticed his discomfort and waved him off. While the innkeeper didn't know her and Zhao Xuanxu's exact identities, he knew they were two very capable individuals. He provided the highest level of service, quickly bringing up two large, half-man-high tubs of hot water, adding some boiling and cold water to the side, and placing fruit and snacks on the table.
The shopkeeper stood aside, rubbing his hands, and said politely, "Sir, Yangzhou City has been sealed off for a long time, and the vegetables from the nearby farms can't be delivered. We only have some surplus food in our store. Look..."
"It's good." Wen Yao looked at the small porridge pie on the table, and thought of the few baskets of pie that the bakery had taken out for sale before, and said comfortingly: "The city gate will be open tomorrow, and the vegetable farmers in the countryside will be able to send their goods in."
Zhao Xuanxu stood in front of the screen and took off his blood-soaked robe. He flicked his finger and threw a piece of gold, which hit the shopkeeper in the chest and landed in his outstretched palm. "Everyone get out."
The shopkeeper's eyes widened, and he laughed cheerfully as he quickly led his men out. As soon as they left, there were two knocks on the corner window. Wen Yao walked over, opened it, and found a small secret guard hanging outside the window like a bat, handing in two sets of clothes: "Master Qianying asked me to deliver these."
"Okay." Wen Yao took the clothes and said, "You've worked hard these days. I'll watch over here. You don't need to stay here. Go down and change clothes and go to bed."
The little secret guard nodded while hanging upside down, then stood up and flipped over to the eaves.
This bath was more relaxing than ever. Wen Yao washed quickly, half-wrapped in her clothes, and sat on a chair outside the screen, eating fruit and porridge, when Zhao Xuanxu, his long, wet hair loose, walked around the screen towards her. His long, jet-black hair cascaded down his face, his eyebrows like mountains, his nose high, his lips rosy red, and his eyelashes, especially dark, gave off a wicked and impertinent air.
The corner window was left open, as the heat of Yangzhou City had dissipated somewhat in the evening, and a rare breeze blew, causing the copper bells hanging by the window to ring intermittently. Zhao Xuanxu took the white handkerchief from Wen Yao's hand and slowly stroked the roots of Wen Yao's hair with his slender, powerful fingers. The scorching internal energy flowed out delicately, drying Wen Yao's hair bit by bit.
Wen Yao leaned against him with a piece of preserved fruit in her mouth and half-closed her eyes, and suddenly thought of the hair dryer.
Well, Zhao’s hair dryer is efficient in drying hair without damaging hair and has a massage function. There is only one in Tianshui and it is not for sale to the public.
No matter how you look at it, she makes the profit.
Zhao Xuanxu lowered his eyes until Wen Yao's hair was almost dry. Then he pressed Wen Yao's neck and let her tilt her head back and lean against him completely. He ran his fingers through Wen Yao's hair and gently touched her cheek: "What are you laughing at?"
"Boyfriend." Wen Yao stretched out her hand and stuffed a mouthful of fruit pulp into Zhao Xuanxu's mouth, poking the Prince of Yan's smile: "Blowing your hair is troublesome. I suddenly feel like I've made a fortune."
Zhao Xuanxu held her hand, swallowed the sweet and sour preserved fruit, lowered his head and kissed Wen Yao's eyebrows. He picked up the familiar peach-pink comb from the table and combed the ends of Wen Yao's hair. He didn't say anything, his mood was unusually gentle and relaxed, like a lion lying in his territory after finishing the hunt, lazily flicking his tail. The previous sinister and intimidating aura was gone.
Cats are indeed cats. After licking their fur and making it clean, their mood becomes better.
Wen Yao opened her mouth and was about to say something when a cool breeze blew in from the window and hit her cheek, feeling a little cold and a little moist.
"Eh." Wen Yao was surprised. She pushed Zhao Xuanxu's lean, firm belly and stood up. She walked to the window and held out her hand. The copper bell in the corner of the room was hit by the increasingly dense raindrops, making it jump randomly. It looked pitiful, and she covered it with her hand.
It was raining. After the battle, it was actually raining.
After a long drought, rain comes.
Rain had begun to fall from the dark sky at some point. Almost two months of rain hadn't fallen, and now it poured down from the heavens, swept along by the bloody wind that still carried the scent of Yangzhou City, and hurled down the streets and alleys. Thunder rumbled faintly in the sky, white snakes darted, and the rain stretched across the sky and earth, growing heavier and heavier, its crackling sound leaving no room for respite.
The dead silence of Yangzhou's streets and alleys was disturbed by the sudden downpour. Wen Yao closed his eyes and listened to wooden doors being pushed open one after another. Families moved tables and stools, took pots and pans outside to collect water, and there was a clamor of excitement and shouting.
Zhao Xuanxu draped his arm across her waist, pressing heavily on her from behind. "If the heavy rain doesn't stop tomorrow, we'll postpone our departure for a day."
"Finally it's raining." Wen Yao sighed, "Spring planting and autumn harvest, if we miss the time, no one will have a good life next year."
Zhao Xuanxu turned his head, put his lips on Wen Yao's cheek, and asked, "Don't you want to promote the rice-to-mulberry conversion?"
Wen Yao didn't know what to say. She'd studied science before, never studying history or politics. So, after some thought, she said seriously and cautiously, "People need food, and the government needs money. As long as there's no corruption or bribery at court, growing crops and mulberry trees makes sense."
Unfortunately, the corrupt officials in the imperial court were like wildfires on the grasslands; they could never be completely eradicated. One of the main reasons for opposition to the rice-to-mulberry conversion program was the enormous profits the court could manipulate. The imperial examinations couldn't test a person's moral character; with a piece of good meat dangling before their eyes, few could resist the temptation.
"I saw Feng Jimin today, and he got away." The rain was getting heavier, its patter echoing through the dim, sprawling Yangzhou City, and puddles of water quickly formed on the bluestone pavement. Wen Yao closed the window to block out the jubilation outside and slid to the bedside in his slippers. "But it doesn't matter. I've seen through his wicked ways. As long as Jiang Qiaosheng is around, he'll come over sooner or later and just give him another beating. And he might not even know that the Qin Wang Qiu family was behind the mob unrest; he's just going crazy. Oh, and there's the Qin Wang—"
Wen Yao kept on rambling, and Zhao Xuanxu followed closely, staring at her intently. He put the fruit in his hand aside, and when he reached the bedside, he naturally took the coat that Wen Yao was wearing and hung it aside, reaching out to grab Wen Yao's waist again.
It was obvious that Prince Yan was very dissatisfied with Bai Tianqian's kiss and felt unsatisfied.
Wen Yao stopped talking, pinched his wrist with his backhand, and looked up with a smile: "What are you doing?"
Zhao Xuanxu looked at her, opened his arms to both sides, and said softly, "Hold me quickly."
Hug me quickly.
"Hey, why are you so annoying?" Wen Yao wasn't one for sentimentality. She immediately gave her boyfriend a big, tight hug, then pushed him aside, picked up the fruit plate, and sat down on the bed. She continued, "The situation is chaotic right now. What's going on? The King of Qin is colluding with the Qiu family to incite riots. Is he planning to take advantage of the chaos to rebel? If so, is he considered a success now, or is he going to die before he even gets his chance?"
After all, as of today, the riots in Huainan East Road have been suppressed by half.
"The Supervisory Office will investigate for evidence of his contact with the Qiu family," Zhao Xuanxu said.
Wen Yao wasn't near him, and her mind wasn't on him. Zhao Xuanxu lowered his eyes, took the fruit plate, and fed it to Wen Yao mouthful by mouthful.
Wen Yao's tone was vague: "Northern Liao is still eyeing us, and Qin Wang Feng Xiang has military power and plenty of money. If we expose this now, do you think he will just turn against us and rebel?"
Unexpectedly, Zhao Xuanxu actually said: "As long as the emperor is not dead, Zhao Xuanshuo will not rebel. He still has some sincerity towards the emperor as a father and son."
"Wow." Wen Yao swallowed the last bite of fruit pulp and listened to these words in surprise: "Is this true?"
"Um."
Wen Yao, leaning against Zhao Xuanxu, unknowingly sat down deeper into the bed curtains. Zhao Xuanxu threw the fruit plate onto the table a few steps away and was about to kiss Wen Yao's lips again. At this moment, the corner window, which had already been closed, was knocked on again with long and short knocks.
Zhao Xuanxu knelt on one knee on the bed, still motionless, lowering his head and kissing Wen Yao's face closely and closely.
"Your Highness." Wen Yao turned his head slightly to look at the window and called him with a slight smile: "Someone is shouting outside."
Zhao Xuanxu muttered, "Don't worry about it. I'll be leaving soon."
Wen Yao laughed, pulled his face over for a big kiss, and quickly pulled his clothes over. Zhao Xuanxu's brows were unreadable, his lips curled. He rolled over and sat on the bed, his long legs resting on the window step, a hint of volatile anger evident. He scowled, listening to the increasingly faint knocks on the window.
He thought angrily, who is so tactless?
Wen Yao opened the window and saw Qian Ying, who had changed his clothes and looked particularly energetic, hanging upside down outside, in the same posture as the little secret guard before. In the past few months, Qian Ying had obviously become more popular than before. Wen Yao smelled the scent of sweet pastries on him, probably because he had just eaten and hurried over.
It was raining outside. Wen Yao took a step back and did not give Qianying a chance to refuse. He easily carried her in.
"What did you eat just now?" She twitched her nose and said, "It smells good."
Qianying was stunned for a moment, lowered her head to smell herself, and subconsciously answered: "Honey sugar cake, sweet, with fruit powder on top."
“Is it delicious?”
"Yeah." Qianying nodded: "It's delicious."
Zhao Xuanxu walked slowly from the dimness behind the curtain to the bright candlelight. He glanced at Qianying with a cold look, and Qianying immediately knew that she had said too much.
He felt a little hairy on his back, and took out the two envelopes from his arms: "One is from Mr. Zhang, and the other is from the Three Departments."
He handed the letter to Wen Yao, then took two steps back and turned around, eager to leave through the window. Most people who are good at Qinggong have this problem, and Wen Yao herself is somewhat prone to it. She pulled Qianying, pointed at the door, and told him to take the right path and not crawl outside into the rain. Qianying felt his master's gaze still on him, and his heart tightened. He didn't dare to make any unnecessary movements and pushed the door open at lightning speed.
It rained heavily in Yangzhou in June, the night was dark and everything was silent.
Wen Yao, holding a candle, walked to the bed in her slippers, sat cross-legged on the bed and opened the mail. She first opened the letter from Zhang Yun. As she unfolded it, she saw a line of large, flamboyant characters written in ink: "Northern Liao Incident. Your Majesty is coughing up blood and unconscious. Prince Yong has appointed the Crown Prince to govern the country. Incident, return quickly!"
Wen Yao's fingers twitched, and just as a white light exploded outside the window, illuminating half of Yangzhou City, thunder rumbled across the heavens and earth, and the candlelight beside her flickered. Zhao Xuanxu sat across from her, his arm resting diagonally on her waist, his scorching warmth transmitting through the chilling rainy night.
He was also looking at the paper. After reading it, his eyes moved away from the powerful handwriting on the paper and met Wen Yao's eyes.
"You just said that Zhao Xuanshuo is somewhat filial to the emperor and would not easily rebel." Wen Yao said slowly: "What about now?"
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