Volume 2: Case within a case, the granary of the world Chapter 44: The Departed Song

  "Except for that... there's no difference." Hou Xuan placed his hands on his thighs, rubbing them together as he continued to think hard about the question I had asked.

  "Alright, I'll tell you now. Except for the fact that I won't marry you, everything else will remain the same. Are you feeling better now?"

  "Really!" It seems that he didn't even need to think about it, and Hou Xian immediately grasped my arm: "Madam, are you saying I can still hold your arm like this?"

  "Okay, just don't do it in front of Yifei."

  "Then... can I still return to the palace and have dinner with the madam?"

  "Can..." Look, he's thinking of eating as soon as he gets back to the palace.

  "Can I still practice with Madam?"

  "May..."

  "Can I still use my wife's money?"

  "It's possible!"

  "What's the difference with before, anyway? Fine, I'll just marry someone else and go back." Hou Xian let me go and I stood up, suddenly feeling invigorated. The previous sense of loss was gone.

  "It's just that previously, my wife was mine alone, now there's this little brat added to the mix. Fine, I'll give him some face since he's the emperor." Hou Xuan said with great reluctance, his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze slanting out the window. Just then, Xuan Yi flew back in and immediately, Hou Xuan hastily turned his head back, flashing a brilliant smile at me.

  I'm speechless, this is obviously an Oedipus complex!

  "Right, I came here today for something else besides eating."

  "What?" Seeing Hou Xian suddenly lower his voice, he felt something was amiss.

  "I... want to see you."

  "Not in sight." Closing his eyes, the pair of narrow and long eyes that were full of curiosity towards me appeared in his mind, with a dangerous gaze that was exceptionally charming.

  "What are you afraid of? He doesn't even know who you are, he just doesn't want to owe you a favor, so he wants to repay you."

  "No need! This is payback for you!"

  "Really!" Hou Xian licked his lips and rubbed his hands together, "Then thank you, madam." I glanced at him with a sideways glance, how could he have ill intentions towards Nan Gong Qiuyue with that delighted expression?

  He seemed to feel my strange gaze, hastily collected his smile and nervously said: "Madam, don't misunderstand, I didn't mean it that way."

  Raise an eyebrow. Decide to tease Hou Xian: "What's the point?"

  "Madam, madam..." Hou Xian's smile began to stiffen, "Don't think wildly, I, Hou Xian, am a normal man, who will inherit the leadership of the martial arts alliance, marry a wife and have children. Not, not what you're thinking, Madam... Hehe..."

  "Why are you laughing so nervously?"

  "What's wrong with me? Me, me, me!" Hou Xuan's face turned red, unable to speak, his eyes darting around randomly. Suddenly he said, "Oh no, it's too hot, I need to go out and cool off." After saying that, he slipped away. Interesting, Hou Xuan has also learned how to change the subject.

  Close your eyes and regulate your breath again. The surroundings become quiet, and the outside sounds become clear.

  "Hey, surname Xuan Yuan! I'm calling you!"

  His eyebrows twitched, and this guy was really fearless.

  "Madam, I'll just give you a little, just a little. If I find out that you've bullied Madam, my younger brother will definitely teach you a lesson!"

  "Back off!" It turned out that Chun Yu Zi Chen was also there, "Don't even think about making a move!"

  "Hmm. If it weren't for my current lack of internal energy... Ah, what are you doing! Ah——Madam, save me——" He twitched his eyebrows again, stood up, walked to the door, and when he looked up, Xuan Yuan Yifei was actually holding Hou Xuan in his arms, patting his head, with a loving expression.

  Speechless. Xuan Yuan Yifei somehow tortured Hou Xian just now.

  At this moment, Hou Xian was also honest. He stood obediently beside Xuan Yuan Yifei and let him "caress" his head, saying... why did I feel so twisted?

  On a beautiful summer day. Xuan Yuan Yi Fei wrapped his arms around Hou Xian's shoulders, and the slender Hou Xian leaned against Xuan Yuan Yi Fei's side... no, no, not like that.

  Xuan Yuan Yifei turned around with a faint smile, "Hou Xian is leaving, saying goodbye to you."

  "Uh... okay..."

  "Madam... farewell..." Hou Xian smiled and raised his hand.

  "Uh... goodbye..."

  Xuanyuan Yifei released the rear string, and the rear string retreated while waving at me. In the end, it disappeared among the red walls and green tiles.

  "Yì Fēi, what did you do to him?" I leaned against the door frame and asked softly. Xuān Yuǎn Yì Fēi still had a faint smile at the corner of his lips, while Chún Yú Zǐ Chén stood beside him with her head bowed, not daring to look up.

  Xuanyuan Yifei walked towards me and helped me back to the house: "You need to rest." Xuanyuan Yifei's smile always made me feel like it was full of conspiracy, he must have threatened Hou Xuan again.

  After that, he was still outside discussing something with Chun Yu Zi Chen. During the pause, I could clearly hear their conversation.

  "Have you checked clearly?"

  "Yes, I've checked clearly, on the map several places except for the Imperial Palace and the Protectorate General's Office have all undergone construction."

  "Hmm..." The air was filled with Xuan Yuan Yifei's deep sigh, his low voice a testament to the turmoil he was currently in.

  "Is it genuine?"

  "It's also possible."

  "Why don't you go and ask Shadow Palace for information?"

  "Ying Gong is the eyes and ears of the Feng family, if it were in the past when the Feng family listened to the imperial court, this matter would be easy to handle, but now Feng Xueyin's ambition is too great, I'm afraid..."

  "Is there something hidden in the Shadow Palace?"

  "Alright, let's give it a try."

  "Yes."

  "Zichen, I heard that Shanshan has left the capital?"

  "Yes, I took Princess Yu Yao out for a stroll."

  "Is it...?"

  Then there was a moment of silence, and before I knew it, the sound of cicadas had spread out like an explosion, and my heart felt a few more notes of emotion. Time really flies by in the blink of an eye.

  "Xan Xan is not here, the dishes that Xiang Xiang loves to eat are no longer made... " Yu Fei's words seemed to be a sigh, coming from amidst the noisy cicada sounds. My lips slowly curled up, Xan Xan has passed away.

  The days spent with He Yi were like a honeymoon, and when I "recovered" and was about to return to the Imperial Palace, it just so happened that it had been a month since entering the palace. No one expected that I would break the record of being an unknown concubine, and the heat of favoritism only rose and never fell.

  "Shu'er, you don't have to go to the Hu Guo Fu now, but Fēng Xuě Yīn might get suspicious. You should know her intention of sending you to the Hu Guo Fu is to get you close to Lí Gē. At least so far, you're the first person Lí Gē is willing to talk to for a sentence or two. And Lí Gē is a crucial person, if there's an opportunity, observe him carefully..."

  His words still echoed in my ears, Xuan Yuan Yifei told me to go to the Hu Guo Fu to get close to Yuanchen, find an opportunity to persuade Yuanchen to give up his plan to betray the country. And Fengxue Yin was telling me to get close to Lige, she hoped I could become her eyes, help her take a look at Lige, chat with Lige and relieve his boredom.

  Unfortunately, this handsome guy didn't think much of me and wasn't willing to teach me how to play the sheng... Why did Lige like playing the sheng so much? Couldn't it have been a flute instead?

  Xiao Fei Fei asked me to learn how to play the Xiao, but Xiao Fei Fei is naughty.

  So, when people are bored, even aliens can daydream. My daydream ended after Yuandeng and Lige appeared; I looked at them in confusion as they walked towards the pavilion by the lake, with Yuandeng pushing Lige's wheelchair, Lige quietly gazing in my direction, a gentle breeze lifting Yuandeng's hair that had reached his waist, and Lige's curly bangs.

  Still wearing a simple white robe, with a warm smile on the corner of his mouth, while he was wearing a long gown embroidered with blue cloud patterns under his feet, the deep blue hem was lifted in the summer breeze, revealing the beige thick pants under the robe.

  In Lige's gaze, there was no longer the hostility he had previously shown towards Fuguo's wife, nor was there any joyful expression. The clear and cold Lige and Yuanchen formed a strong contrast, but it was precisely this contrast that made the scene vivid and harmonious. As if telling us: Ah, these two people should stand together.