Finally, I've been waiting for you.
Tang Qi didn't return to Luocheng. After confirming his mother was alright, he stayed in Jingzhou. Ye Qian arranged accommodation for him next to his own residence. Due to the risk of his identity being exposed, Tang Qi rarely went out, but he was also a restless person, so he often visited others and even stayed at Ye's residence. Shen Zhiqing, who was in Cangzhou, would occasionally return to his Jingzhou residence and see Tang Qi, and would always sigh:
"He's really hiding a beautiful woman in a golden house."
Tang Qi didn't hesitate at all; he lived like a king in Ye Qian's residence.
"Why are you back so early this time?" he asked Shen Zhiqing casually, cracking sunflower seeds along with his mouth.
"I brought you someone." Shen Zhiqing waved behind him, and a ragged, beggar-like person was helped into the courtyard.
"Hu Xingche!" Tang Qi suddenly jumped up and took two quick steps to stand in front of him.
Upon hearing Tang Qi call his name, Hu Xingche shrank back, his pupils unfocused, and his expression filled with terror.
"What's wrong with him?"
Shen Zhiqing shook her head and said, "I don't know. He was already like this when I found him. He must have suffered some kind of trauma."
Tang Qi never expected that Hu Xingche, whom he had sent out, would turn out like this.
"How did you find him?" he asked.
“Didn’t you draw his portrait? Ye Qian showed it to me, and I’ve been keeping an eye out for it while I was touring various places. My men found him in an extremely remote place, and I don’t know how he got so far away,” Shen Zhiqing said.
"Boss Shen, your intelligence organization is incredibly strong," Tang Qi couldn't help but exclaim.
Shen Zhiqing's expression was calm, but she couldn't help but smile and say, "This is nothing."
“Oh, right, there’s one more thing,” she said, looking at Tang Qi, “Ye Jin is coming back.”
Only she knew the details of that day. Tang Qi didn't have a chance to ask her about it at the time, so she naturally wouldn't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"Where is he?" Shen Zhiqing looked around and asked casually.
The "he" in this context refers to Ye Qian.
"He went to the morning court session."
Since Ye Qian and Deng Ning's last audience with the emperor, His Majesty has rewarded and punished accordingly. Even Tang Qi was rewarded with a large sum of money, which allowed Ye Qian to purchase him a piece of land. Although it's not large, it's at least a place to live. Ye Qian is now a civil official and has to attend the morning court every day.
Shen Zhiqing gave a soft "Oh," but her eyes lowered for once. Tang Qi naturally wouldn't miss this detail and teased her, "Boss Shen, you seem a little disappointed that you didn't see Ye Qian."
Shen Zhiqing glanced at him and teased, "You still have the mind to gossip? I've brought the person to you, the rest is none of my business."
"Don't worry, I won't let your efforts go to waste. I've taken her away. Oh, by the way—" He suddenly winked and smiled, "I reckon Ye Qian will be back soon, so I won't disturb your time together. When he gets back, I'll show Ye Qian what it really means to keep a mistress in a golden house."
Shen Zhiqing glared at him, but Tang Qi, seemingly unconcerned, led Hu Xingche back to the side as if his feet were on ice.
The creaking sound as he pushed open the door startled Hu Xingche.
"Don't be shy, make yourself at home," Tang Qi said as she fetched a basin of hot water.
Hu Xingche's eyes were hidden in his hair as he looked around. Seeing that he was not moving, Tang Qi put down the basin and pressed down on his shoulder.
Unexpectedly, as soon as Tang Qi touched the clothes, Hu Xingche suddenly grabbed his hand, and blood immediately flowed from the back of Tang Qi's hand.
"Alright, your strength hasn't diminished." Tang Qi chuckled dryly, wiping the blood onto the rag beside him. He then looked into Hu Xingche's eyes and asked, "Do you still remember your own name?"
Hu Xingche didn't answer, he just kept trying to shrink into the corner. Tang Qi had no choice but to follow him to the corner, carrying the basin. Tang Qi sat cross-legged opposite him, with the basin between them.
This guy's eyes were unusually wary, and he refused to let anyone get close.
“Look at me,” he said, reaching his hand into the basin in front of him and staring intently at the person opposite him.
Hu Xingche looked timidly at Tang Qi, but his hand remained motionless. Tang Qi then changed his expression, becoming fierce and deliberately threatening him.
Hu Xingche was indeed frightened, and he put his hand into the basin a little too hard, splashing water everywhere. Tang Qi, however, remained calm and continued to pull his hand out and rub it against his face: "Water, clean, no threat. My face is dirty, I'll wash it clean."
He tried his best to explain, and Hu Xingche, seemingly understanding but not quite, followed Tang Qi's domineering and coaxing manner, mimicking his actions and rubbing his face against Tang Qi's.
After finally getting him to clean his face, he suddenly went berserk when he saw his reflection in the water. He screamed, knocked over the basin, and backed away—even though he was already against the wall, he kept trying to hide behind it.
"Hu Xingche? Hu Xingche! Calm down!" Tang Qi tried to bring him back to his senses, struggling to control his emotions in the face of Hu Xingche's sudden loss of control.
He squatted down in front of Hu Xingche and clapped his hands, deliberately trying to distract him.
"Come on, don't be afraid, look here," Tang Qi continued, staring at his face as if coaxing a child.
"Do you recognize me?" he asked, pointing to himself.
Hu Xingche tilted his head, trying to understand what he was saying.
"Tang—Qi—do you remember this name?" he asked deliberately, drawing out the last syllable.
Hu Xingche frowned.
"Lin-Gyatso, what about this one?"
He frowned even more deeply.
Tang Qi, propping her head up, patiently continued trying: "Ye—Jin—"
"Deng Ning"
"Wu-Shun-Yi"
Mentioning the last name made Hu Xingche become sensitive and frightened, which Tang Qi naturally noticed, so she asked again, "Wu Shunyi? Do you remember this name?"
Hu Xingche shuddered, stared into Tang Qi's eyes, and actually nodded.
This surprised Tang Qi: "How are you feeling right now?"
After experiencing great grief and fear, Hu Xingche actually regained some of his rationality and continued to nod blankly at him.
Can you speak?
“…Yes.” Hu Xingche said hoarsely.
“It’s safe here.” Tang Qi pointed to the ground beneath her feet, then turned her hand and pointed to herself: “Me too.”
"Remember? Tang Qi, Wolf Strategy Army, you were under his command."
When Tang Qi mentioned the Wolf Army, he noticed that Hu Xingche's eyes lit up, so he continued the conversation by saying, "Katyu, do you remember Katyu? The Wolf Army was ambushed there, and you were sent out to find reinforcements. Do you remember that?"
Tang Qi began to guide him patiently, and thinking seemed to be very difficult for Hu Xingche. As Tang Qi's words went deeper, he felt as if his brain was being pricked by needles.
Seeing him clutching his head in pain, Tang Qi immediately waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, don't think about it anymore."
Don't spoil someone's child to the point of causing them harm.
Tang Qi felt a pang of sadness as he looked at him. He slowly stood up and said to Hu Xingche, "I'll get you a few buckets of water. Take a shower and change your clothes later. I'll also serve you some good food tonight. Just stay here for now."
"...I remember, I remember everything." Hu Xingche suddenly spoke, clutching his head, his voice still hoarse, just like when Tang Qi woke up in Cangzhou.
Tang Qi looked down at him, chuckled, and said, "So what if I remember? I remember I need to take a shower and eat too. It won't make a difference if I take a little more time."
"Wait."
When Tang Qi returned, Hu Xingche was already sitting properly, completely unlike his previous crazy self.
"Do you remember your name?" Tang Qi asked.
"Hu Xingche," he answered honestly.
"Okay," Tang Qi said with a smile, "You have a good memory."
He put down several buckets of water and pointed in a direction: "Go to the bathhouse that way, and come find me outside when you're done."
Tang Qi even thoughtfully provided him with a set of clothes.
Hu Xingche nodded blankly, picked up the buckets of water and his clothes, and went into the inner room. Tang Qi remained standing there, staring blankly at his retreating figure.
Wu Shunyi.
So, the vanished Jinbei has appeared here.
When he went to visit someone nearby, Ye Qian was already sitting in the house. He was used to Tang Qi climbing over the wall and sneaking into the yard, and didn't even bother to look up.
Sitting next to him, Shen Zhiqing took a sip of tea and looked at the approaching person, asking, "Is everything arranged?"
Tang Qi grunted and strode onto the stone bench. Ye Qian then asked, "What do you mean?"
"He must have run into Wu Shunyi."
"That general from Jinbei?" Shen Zhiqing asked.
Tang Qi nodded and continued, "At that time, the military report instructed Lang Ce to go and support them."
"It seems that Jin Bei and Sheng Hui are birds of a feather."
"Ye Jin was summoned to Katyu at the time and said that he had received a message from Sheng Hui. I guess Hu Xingche must have been intercepted by Wu Shunyi on his way to Xuanhe Army's garrison and his messages were cut off. He also secretly colluded with Sheng Hui at the time, and only sent a fake message to Xuanhe Army for help after Deng Ning finished his work."
"To be rewarded like this, our Emperor must be blind." Tang Qi curled his lip.
"Shh, tone it down and stop saying such disrespectful things." Ye Qian glanced at him and frowned.
"Yes, yes, yes," Tang Qi replied, then suddenly asked, "Is Deng Ning planning to hold a banquet at his residence recently?"
Ye Qian looked on in surprise: "You didn't leave the house, did you? How do you know everything?"
Tang Qi clicked his tongue and said mysteriously to Ye Qian, "You're late. Have you ever heard of the ancient records about a 'Sleeping Dragon' who, though he never left his mountain, knew everything under the heavens?"
Shen Zhiqing glanced at him: "What, are you going to follow in the footsteps of this Wolong and live in seclusion deep in the mountains?"
"Master Wolong is wise and resourceful; how could we ordinary people like us imitate him so easily?"
Ye Qian: "Then where do you get your information from?"
Tang Qi chuckled and winked at them: "I have connections."
In reality, this network of connections ultimately boils down to Cheng Junshi alone.
A few days ago, he met with Cheng Junshi, and he brought with him an invitation letter—sent by the Deng family.
It was said to be Deng Yu's birthday, and Deng Ning held a grand banquet for her at his residence. All of them who had met Deng Ning in Dong Shou were invited.
Especially Tang Qi. Although Deng Ning did not know his identity at the time, he specially sent him a letter. Moreover, because he did not know his background, he even asked Cheng Junshi, who was quite close to him at the time, to pass it on.
"A trap, indeed." Tang Qi waved the invitation in his hand and said with a smile.
"I heard Wu Shunyi will be going too," Ye Qian added.
"Ha—then we definitely have to go. It's true that enemies often meet."
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