Xie Ming

"General?"

"General——"

As mentioned earlier, Changting escorted Eunuch Liu out of the mansion.

After the troops had completely departed, Xiao Jiang, who was waiting anxiously for news from inside, dared not delay and hurriedly returned to the central hall. As soon as he emerged from behind the screen wall, he shouted a few words.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lang was also impatient. Hearing the commotion, he lifted the curtain and peeked out.

"They've left?" he asked urgently.

"Ah, yes, the people who followed us have been sent away."

The two met in the hall, their expressions quite solemn.

Seeing the general's state, Gu Changting, unusually quick-witted, preemptively spoke up.

"General, I... I feel like something's not right."

"Uh, this."

"Logically speaking, at this late hour, if the emperor's infant is sick, the imperial physicians should be able to treat him."

"Why did we have to come all this way to summon you to the palace?"

"To put on this show in the middle of the night, this is really outrageous."

"If word gets out tomorrow, it could sound terrible, and even something as trivial as nothing could turn into something."

"Besides, did you see that?"

"Just now, I felt that the eunuch's eyes were unfocused, and he seemed flustered."

"Do you think there's anything fishy going on here?!"

"There might be a trap."

"General, you'd better be careful."

Surprisingly, even Changting, a simple-minded and carefree fellow, managed to see through the deception.

After hearing his muttering, Xiao became even more convinced that this place was not simple.

He turned his head to meet her gaze and gave a sheepish laugh.

"Oh?"

"Hehe, even you noticed."

However, when he considered the serious matter at hand, he couldn't figure out the details or what the hidden story might be.
As his thoughts deepened, Xiao Ye clearly became thoughtful and composed.

After a long while, his son Fang Chang let out a long sigh, his expression still shifting.

"Never mind, since the Empress Dowager has issued an edict, there must be some urgent matter at hand."

"Besides, what if it's with Yuzhen?"

"Alas, the young emperor is still too young. If he were to fall seriously ill, he might panic and make mistakes."

"Enough said, let's go into the palace first and see, then everything will be clear."

Having put aside his thoughts, he finished speaking and, without further ado, turned and walked away, heading back.

They could travel along the border, but the border was impatient and they were being rushed.

"Hey, Hongyu, Hongyu, why aren't you out yet? What are you dawdling about?"

Without further ado, he turned back to the curtain and lifted it with his arm.

Clang—

In the gap between the curtains, Zheng Jihong Yuye hurriedly came out, holding Xiao Jiang's ordinary clothes in his chest.

Xiao and Hong, without warning, bumped into each other as soon as the curtain was opened.

Fortunately, Xiao Jingchuan was quick and agile. The impact was quite severe, and Hongyu fell backward. Xiao grabbed her hand and pulled her back into his arms.

"Oh, sir!"

"What's the rush? You're making it sound like you're killing me."

Having just suffered such pain, Hongyu was a little annoyed. She angrily broke free, picked up the clothes that had fallen to the ground, and walked out.

"What's the matter? You just got back from your studies, and you can't even stay for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before you're in such a hurry to leave again."

"Hmph, if this happens again, don't bother coming back."

Miao Hongyu, with her sharp tongue but kind heart, is never one to back down. She has a lot of complaints when she's with Xiao Lang.

But despite her words, she never stopped working.

After picking up his clothes, he futilely dusted them off in the dim light, stretched them out, and turned to run to Xiao Jiang, ready to help him change.

It's as if those words were meant for others, definitely not for Xiao Lang, his master. "Oh, alright, you're always trying to fool me."

"Quickly, help me put on my clothes as soon as possible."

Xiao Jingchuan stopped caring and, understanding the girl's feelings, smiled and busied himself with making arrangements.

When a man and a woman got together, Hongyu was quick and efficient, and didn't say a word.

Xiao Yu braced himself on his arms to stand still, when suddenly an idea flashed through his mind, and he said something while changing his clothes.

"Hey, right, why didn't we see Master Hongren come out today?"

“If they were going to cause a ruckus here, they would have shown up by now.”

"But isn't he at the manor?" Xiao asked casually.

Upon hearing the old monk's name, Hongyu paused for a moment, but didn't mind, and readily agreed.

"Yes, he is not at home."

"That blind old man went out this morning, saying he was going to Lingyin Temple outside the city."

"What? The abbot is sick? We need to go and see him."

"He hasn't come back all day, it must be quite late by now, he's definitely not coming back."

As she spoke, she helped Xiao put on his boots and then busied herself with tying the ribbons.

"It's good that they're gone; it's peaceful now that they're gone."

“These days at the manor, he’s been finding fault with everything we do. Go ask around and see if anyone has ever liked him.”

"Go away, all of you. Go out and don't come back. At least we can have some peace and quiet."

He keeps nagging and grumbling, it's all just complaints.

It was said that Hongren had entered the mansion and encountered him. Xiao suddenly frowned and spoke seriously.

"Oh dear, how could this be?"

“Hongyu, that old monk is an honored guest whom I specially invited to my residence.”

“I treated everyone with utmost courtesy and respect, but you guys… you guys…” Xiao Lang complained about Gui Daoyi.

Hongyu couldn't bring herself to say it, so she pretended not to care.

"Okay, okay, I got it."

"Why are you in such a hurry?"

"I was just complaining a little, is it really that big of a deal?"

"You're the master. If you give the order, how dare we not serve you with utmost care?"

罢矣
After such a long day of circumambulating the prayer wheel, Xiao Jingchuan was truly exhausted and had no energy left to argue with this little girl.

I gazed wistfully at the cold moon in the sky, and suddenly, I felt a chill.

"call--"

"Since he's not here, then... let's go into the palace first and talk about it then."

As soon as he finished speaking, he exhaled a deep breath, but still felt uneasy.

With a sharp, cold glint in his eyes, Xiao Yi suddenly turned back and changed his mind.

"Oh well, forget it, don't wear it."

"Let's put on our armor and enter the palace."

"Changting, put on all the armor and take it with you. We won't delay you. You can just wear one set on the way."

Without waiting for Hongyu's reaction, Xiao Lang swiftly tore off his clothes and walked out, leaving only his inner garments exposed. He was decisive and efficient.

"Hey, sir, you..."

"Slow down, what's the rush?"

"Your inner clothes are soaked through. If you go out like this and catch a cold, be careful not to hurt yourself."

Hongyu was confused. The clothes she had just helped put on were suddenly thrown to the ground, making all her efforts in vain.

However, before she could utter a word of complaint, the Duke turned and left without offering any explanation.

Looking at Xiao Lang, who was soaking wet after removing his armor, Hongyu couldn't utter a single angry word. All she felt was reluctance and unforgettable words of advice.

"Changting, go and wake up all the brothers. Come with me."

"Looks like I won't be able to sleep tonight."

(End of this chapter)