Chapter 241: How to Date When the Species Are Different?
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After a brief moment of silence, everyone blinked their eyes in unison, then gasped in astonishment.
“You guys!” Yan Ran pointed at the others, his face filled with shock. His mind, previously muddled by alcohol, suddenly cleared up. Then he remembered something and hastily pulled back the brocade quilt on the bed, wrapping Li Yuan inside. He glared at everyone with a dark expression and said, “You guys…”
“Hahaha, the moonlight tonight is really beautiful!” Xia Yuqing, supported by Feng Tingye, stood up from the ruins. She looked up at the half-collapsed roof caused by the broken beams, innocently pretending to be clueless.
“Hehe, the moonlight is nice, so you all specially came to this Grand Tutor’s new house rooftop to admire the moon, and incidentally, accidentally caused the collapse of the house?”
“…”
“Ahahaha, I suddenly remembered that I was too engrossed in admiring the moon and forgot to have dinner. Now I’m really hungry. I’ll go find Lu Rui to prepare some food first.” Yun Zhongyue, the self-proclaimed gentleman on the beam, excelled at making a quick escape in such situations.
Seeing Yun Zhongyue slip away, Xia Yuqing decisively brushed off the dust on her clothes, grabbed Feng Tingye’s hand, and prepared to run.
Feng Tingye smiled knowingly at her, holding her hand and said, “I suddenly remembered that there are some urgent documents from the border that need to be handled in the palace. I won’t disturb you anymore.”
“Yes, yes, cough, I also have to return to the palace to take care of my two children. The little ones can’t sleep at night and will only fall asleep if I’m with them. I’ll leave with the Emperor first. You guys continue, continue!”
“…” How can we continue in this situation? We’ve already been scared out of our wits, okay? Yan Ran’s face resembled Black Bao Gong’s, with only the whites of his eyes still showing some differences.
Xia Yuqing, dragging Feng Tingye as if escaping, ran out frantically, followed closely by Cui Er who calmly nodded at the two and followed suit.
Once Cui Er left, Su Wuduan naturally followed suit with an excited bounce, “Wife, wait for me! Don’t run so fast!”
In the originally lively new house, only Yan Ran and Li Yuan remained. From a distance, Yan Ran could still hear Xia Yuqing and the others shouting at each other in accusation.
“Second Senior Brother, how could you be so unfaithful? You just ran away like that? And you said you haven’t had dinner and wanted to go to Lu Rui for food. Eat, eat, eat, all you know is eating. Look at how fat you’ve become now! It was because of you that the beam broke. How dare you still eat?!”
“Sigh, I say! Junior Sister, not only are you deflecting blame, but you’re also launching personal attacks and defaming my character! Where am I fat? Where am I fat? I have the perfect three-body proportions, something that many people envy but can’t achieve. How dare you criticize me? You have no respect!”
“Envy?” Xia Yuqing snorted disdainfully, “Maybe only girls would envy your petite figure, but three-body proportions… Are you sure it’s not pancake-shaped?
“You!” Yun Zhongyue gasped in shock. “Even if I have a pancake-shaped figure, so what? It means I’m thin. Junior Sister, you just blamed me for breaking that beam earlier, but now you’re contradicting yourself, right? And you said I only know how to eat. Well, I think you know nothing but eating. Look at all that flesh on your face. Tsk tsk tsk, if it wasn’t for the fact that you didn’t break that beam, I wouldn’t believe it.”
“Second Senior Brother, you…”
Yan Ran listened to the intense quarrel outside, and the veins on his forehead burst one by one. After enduring for a while, he couldn’t take it anymore and shouted, “Xia Yuqing!”
“…”
The noisy voices outside suddenly stopped, and the people outside scattered in an instant.
With the annoying noise finally gone from his ears, Yan Ran took a deep breath and forced a strained smile on his stiff face. “Yuan Er, we…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Yan Ran felt the person beside him move, and Li Yuan, who had tidied her clothes without him noticing, stood up from the half-collapsed bed and prepared to leave.
Yan Ran’s face changed slightly, and he quickly grabbed Li Yuan’s hand and asked, “Yuan Er, where are you going?”
Li Yuan cast a disdainful glance at the half-collapsed and ruined new house and sneered, “How can anyone sleep in this broken place? Of course, I’m going to find a decent place to stay.”
Yan Ran was taken aback and glanced at the nearly open-air new house. Suddenly, he realized that this place was indeed no longer suitable as a new house. If they stayed here… wouldn’t it be the same as doing that “thing” in broad daylight?
Realizing this, Yan Ran awkwardly coughed twice and said, “Then let’s go somewhere else…”
“We?” Li Yuan glanced at him, her eyes narrowed slightly, and she emphasized her words, “I’m the one who will find another place, and you stay here… and reflect!”
With her words spoken, Li Yuan gave one last glance at Yan Ran, who was frozen in place. Out of Yan Ran’s sight, she curved her lips into a smile and walked away, showing no signs of the anger that had flared up moments ago.
Before getting married, the Empress Dowager had warned her that once a girl entered the household, she had to be assertive to keep her future husband in check and prevent him from being indecisive. Li Yuan had been wondering how to seize an opportunity to establish her dominance over Yan Ran, but she didn’t expect the opportunity to present itself so conveniently!
So, the mastermind behind the transformation of a meek little kitten into a fierce tigress overnight turned out to be the usually reclusive… Empress Dowager!
Yan Ran stood there with a blank face, watching Li Yuan slip away from under his nose. Reflect? Reflect on what? What did he do wrong? It was clearly those b*stards who deliberately caused trouble, wasn’t it?
Sobbing… The long-awaited grand wedding, the hard-earned bride, the eagerly anticipated bridal chamber and candlelit night…
“Ah…” In the dark night, everyone heard a thunderous crash like a house being demolished in the Grand Tutor’s residence, followed by a piercing scream resembling a wailing ghost. This frightened all the children who were originally sleeping in the city, and they woke up crying.
The butler and the household servants who had rushed over due to the loud noise heard Yan Ran’s scream from a distance and thought something terrible had happened. They hurriedly tried to go and see, but they ran into Li Yuan, who was wearing a bright red wedding gown, coming out.
“Madam…” Everyone stopped in their tracks and bowed in respect.
Li Yuan nodded politely and turned her gaze to the old butler. Knowing that Yan Ran had lost both his parents at a young age and that it was this old butler who had raised him, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of respect for him.
“Butler Uncle, no need for so much ceremony. You are an elder, just call me Xiao Yuan like Sister Qing and the others do.”
The old butler appreciated this seemingly obedient girl even more and replied with a hint of closeness but still with respect, “Madam is still Madam. Etiquette should not be disregarded.”
Li Yuan was slightly taken aback but didn’t insist, she simply smiled lightly and nodded.
“Madam, about Young Master…”
When the old butler mentioned Yan Ran, a subtle expression crossed Li Yuan’s face, and the smile on her face also faded a bit. She replied, “He’s fine. Butler Uncle, could you prepare another room for me? I’m a bit tired after all the commotion today and want to rest.”
“Another room? Madam won’t be staying with Young Master tonight?” The old butler was surprised and looked up at Li Yuan.
Li Yuan snorted coldly, “I’ll share the same room with him when he figures out where he went wrong.”
The alarm bells rang loudly in the old butler’s mind. Could it be that Madam found out about Young Master’s visit to the brothel before and today’s incident of snatching the bride, and in her anger… she didn’t want to share a room with Young Master anymore?!
“Butler Uncle?”
The old butler suddenly woke up from his thoughts and looked at Li Yuan, who seemed slightly puzzled. He cleared his throat and said, “This old servant will immediately arrange for a clean and comfortable room for Madam to rest.”
Ah, what a good girl! That stinky brat Young Master actually did such an irresponsible and despicable thing before, ruining that girl’s reputation. And now, after bringing the girl into the family, Madam has to worry about his previous flings. It’s really heart-wrenching. Hmph, let Young Master suffer for a few days and teach him a good lesson.
Thus, unbeknownst to him, Yan Ran became the collective target of the entire mansion due to his long-forgotten misdeeds from earlier years.
To make matters worse, after the old butler left with Li Yuan, the household servants who had accompanied him began gossiping incessantly. As expected, the once silent gossip circles within the capital city of Ye Country erupted like a volcano on the day after the Grand Tutor’s marriage.
Rumors spread that before his marriage, the Grand Tutor had a preference for visiting brothels, with countless courtesans and singing girls bowing at his feet…
Rumors spread that the Grand Tutor was notorious for his promiscuity, engaging in relationships with both men and women. On the day of his grand wedding, even men tried to snatch him away, creating an unprecedented spectacle…
Rumors spread that the Grand Tutor had a taste for male companionship and that his marriage was merely a façade. In reality, both the current emperor and the empress dowager were aware of his unconventional preferences…
Rumors spread that the Grand Tutor had committed so many sins that thunder struck his bridal chamber on the wedding night, reducing it to ruins, narrowly avoiding divine retribution…
Rumors spread that the Grand Tutor had countless romantic entanglements, and upon discovering his true nature on their wedding night, his wife regretted her decision and promptly moved to separate rooms…
Rumors spread…
A slew of random and chaotic rumors bombarded Yan Ran, leaving him stunned and a mouthful of blood stuck in his throat as he endured the chilling winds that blew throughout the entire night of his wedding.
What made matters even more miserable was that, due to these rumors, Li Yuan inevitably learned about some of his past misdeeds. As a result, she, who was becoming more and more like a dignified mistress under the guidance of her seniors, immediately extended the indefinite period in which he was banished to the study.
As a result, before succumbing to his wretched state, Yan Ran shouted the name of the main culprit, Xia Yuqing.
The unfortunate scapegoat, Xia Yuqing, felt innocent and had no idea that people in ancient times could come up with such wild imaginations, spawning numerous versions of rumors from the events of that day. It almost made her surrender.
Ahem, well, this matter wasn’t entirely unrelated to her, so she did feel a slight sense of guilt. However, with all the commotion in the palace recently, she temporarily didn’t have the energy to deal with Yan Ran’s chaotic rumors.
“Niang Niang, do you think Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai are enemies from past lives? It’s been going on for several days now, and it’s still so intense!” Lu Rui leaned closer to Xia Yuqing, watching a cat and a dog not far away baring their teeth at each other, and whispered.
“In my opinion, it’s probably because they belong to different species. You know that saying, ‘Dogs meddling in rat affairs’? In that case, Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai must be enemies.” Yun Xi timidly spoke while hiding behind Cui Er.
“Is that so?” Xia Yuqing pondered, rubbing her chin for a moment.
Suddenly, Yun Xi called out towards the two of them, “Xiao Hei, come here. Sister will take you to eat something delicious.”
The cat and the dog, who were previously confronting each other, both froze and then turned their heads toward Yun Xi, who was hiding behind Cui Er.
“Woof woof woof…” Xiao Long bao! Xiao Bai’s eyes immediately sparkled with hearts upon seeing Yun Xi.
Before it could pounce on Yun Xi, Xiao Hei, who had been observing its every move, swiftly turned around and leaped towards Yun Xi.
Seeing Xiao Hei approaching, Yun Xi forgot about her fear and took a step forward. She opened her arms and hugged Xiao Hei, stroking its fur gently, saying, “Xiao Hei, Xiao Hei…”
“Speaking of which, Xiao Xi, you seem to really like Xiao Hei.” Xia Yuqing and the others watched Yun Xi hugging and petting Xiao Hei, feeling a bit emotional.
“Yes, Xiao Hei is very cute, and it’s also well-behaved,” Yun Xi said with a delighted expression as she rubbed her round face against Xiao Hei’s soft fur.
Upon hearing Yun Xi’s praise, Xiao Hei promptly responded in agreement, “Meow…”
The intimate scene between the girl and the cat appeared heartwarming in the eyes of the onlookers. However, in the eyes of a certain… ahem, I mean, a certain dog, it was an entirely different story.
Xiao Bai watched helplessly as Xiao Hei rushed towards the xiao long bao sister that it had always wanted to get close to. Instead of rejecting it as she did with Xiao Bai, the xiao long bao sister willingly opened her arms and embraced the annoying black intruder, showering it with affection.
In an instant, Xiao Bai felt that everything was going wrong! This despicable black cat not only stole the love of its owner and the little master but now it even targeted the xiao long bao sister! Uncle could tolerate it, but even Aunt couldn’t tolerate it anymore!
Furious and unable to contain its anger, Xiao Bai happily dashed towards Yun Xi, barking incessantly along the way.
Yun Xi stiffened when she heard Xiao Bai’s barks. As soon as she turned her head, she saw Xiao Bai rushing towards her at lightning speed. Startled, she quickly picked up Xiao Hei and ran away.
Seeing Yun Xi running off, Xiao Bai was taken aback for a moment, but then it sped up, chasing after her even faster.
“Woof woof woof…” Xiao long bao sister, don’t run away! Wait for this master!
Unfortunately, the more Xiao Bai barked, the faster Yun Xi ran. So, Xia Yuqing and the others could only watch as Xiao Bai chased Yun Xi, who was carrying Xiao Hei, around the room.
“Go away, don’t come any closer!” Yun Xi screamed at the top of her lungs as she ran, tears welling up in her eyes. Unable to run any further, she climbed onto a tall table nearby.
“Don’t come near me, don’t come near!” Yun Xi pressed herself against the wall, and when she saw Xiao Bai still trying to approach her, she couldn’t help but scream, “I told you not to come near!”
Silence fell as Xiao Bai’s steps came to a halt. Its cheerful barks abruptly ceased, and its whole head drooped down.
Wuwuwu, xiao long bao sister truly doesn’t like this grandpa. Not only does she not like him, but she also hates him. She’s willing to hold that ugly, pathetic black cat, but she refuses to hold Xiao Bai. What’s wrong with Xiao Bai that it can’t compare to that dumb cat?
Yun Xi felt a slight relief when she saw Xiao Bai stop, but then she noticed its pitiful expression with its head drooping down. She couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt. However, that deep-rooted sense of fear prevented her from uttering any comforting words for the dog.
Xiao Hei, having observed Xiao Bai’s reaction, saw a faint emotion flickering in its mismatched eyes. Just as Xiao Bai was about to turn and leave with its head hanging low, Xiao Hei lazily uttered, “Meow…”
To the onlookers, it was just an insignificant low meow. However, it made Xiao Bai abruptly pause, all because it heard someone utter a word: “Idiot…”
“Meow…” Stupid.
“…”
“Meow…” Moron.
“…”
“Meow…” Fatty dog!
“!” Xiao Bai, with its large round body turned away from the crowd, slowly turned around, and a dazzling light burst from its shiny black eyes.
D*mn it, don’t think this grandpa is like hellokitty! Take this!
“Xiao Bai, no!”
“Xiao Xi, be careful!”
No one anticipated this turn of events, and with a cry of alarm, everyone rushed towards Yun Xi.
Yun Xi didn’t expect Xiao Bai to come back for another round. Startled, she let out a scream and instinctively closed her eyes and threw what she had in her arms forward.
And so, tragedy… happened!
Becoming a shield, the poor little Xiao Hei collided unpreparedly with the oncoming Xiao Bai. The cat and the dog collided head-on in mid-air, and after a muffled bang, the two dazed and cute pets fell from the sky.
“Xiao Xi, are you okay?” Xia Yuqing rushed to the edge of the table and grabbed Yun Xi’s hand.
Yun Xi’s heart almost stopped from fright. Now that she saw Xia Yuqing and the others gathered around the table but couldn’t see Xiao Bai, she let out a sigh of relief and immediately hugged Lu Rui, crying, “It scared me, it scared me! I thought it was going to bite me again, wuwuwu…”
Seeing that she wasn’t seriously injured, everyone couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief and whispered words of comfort, “It’s alright now, it’s alright.”
Yun Xi had been afraid of Xiao Bai for quite some time now. Although Xiao Bai often chased after her, it had never been as excited as it was today. Therefore, none of them expected things to turn out like this.
“Xiao Bai, what were you thinking today…” After comforting Yun Xi, Xia Yuqing decisively turned her attention to the culprit behind this chaos.
Unexpectedly, before Xia Yuqing could finish scolding, they heard a low cry from the nearby little palace maid, “Oh no…”
The group of people were taken aback and thought that another accident had occurred. They quickly turned their gaze to the two forgotten pets, and when they saw the situation…
“…” The posture of these two animals seemed a bit * no matter how you looked at it! This was the collective thought of the onlookers led by Xia Yuqing.
Not far away on the ground, little Xiao Hei’s whole body was pressed against Xiao Bai’s round belly. The two dazed animals didn’t realize how ambiguous their current position looked.
Xiao Hei was the first to recover from the dizziness. Its front paws kept groping in front of it, and its beautiful cat pupils flickered with a hint of confusion. Soft?
“…” Xiao Hei, can I understand that you’re now taking advantage of Xiao Bai? And you’re touching that area… If it were on a human, it would be the chest, right?
A long scream suddenly erupted from Xia Yuqing’s inner evil thoughts. Does this mean that their Xiao Bai just got attacked on the chest?!
At this moment, Xiao Bai also slowly regained consciousness from the impact. As soon as it raised its head, it met the equally perplexed gaze of Xiao Hei. Please note that at this moment, Xiao Hei’s paws were still in a position that could be easily misunderstood.
“…”
“…”
The cat and the dog stared at each other for a few seconds, and Xiao Bai let out a miserable scream that sounded like a girl being violated. Before Xia Yuqing and the others could react, Xiao Bai opened its jaws wide and bit down on Xiao Hei’s paw.
Xiao Hei felt the pain, and in order to free itself from Xiao Bai’s teeth, the unbit paw fiercely scratched at Xiao Bai’s head.
“Ow…”
“Meow!”
Under the dumbfounded gaze of Xia Yuqing and the others, the cat and the dog became completely entangled with each other.
“Xiao Bai, let go quickly!”
“Xiao Hei, release your paw!” Xia Yuqing and the others snapped back to their senses and hurriedly stepped forward to separate the two.
After a chaotic struggle, Xiao Bai squatted sadly in a corner of the table by the window, with a missing tuft of white fur on its head, silently shedding tears in the breeze.
Wuwuwu, my purity has been tarnished. From now on, I am no longer pure. Let this master be alone… um… let this dog be alone for a while.
Xiao Hei, on the other hand, thoughtfully held its bitten paw and blinked its eyes, a faint glimmer shining in its mismatched eyes. It didn’t expect the chubby and foolish dog to be quite enjoyable to touch.
Xia Yuqing stood by quietly observing the interaction between the two, while howling like a wolf. How did she not notice before that Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai were a perfect match?! Xiao Bai seemed aloof and tsundere on the surface but was actually pure, silly, and cute, while Xiao Hei seemed unattainable and noble but was actually haughty and charming. Tsk tsk, this couple is so cute that it’s making her blush!
“Niang Niang, what’s the matter?” Lu Rui asked helplessly, trying to distract Xiao Bai from the table. She watched as Xiao Bai jumped down and pretended to roar at Xiao Hei a few times before slipping away to the side. Then she turned to Xia Yuqing and noticed her shining eyes.
Lu Rui’s question brought Xia Yuqing back to reality. Xia Yuqing held Lu Rui’s hand tightly and excitedly said, “Lu Rui…”
“Hm?”
“There was once a very cute and adorable cp right under my nose, but I didn’t cherish it. Now, the heavens have finally given me a chance, granted me a pair of eyes to rediscover their existence. Don’t you think I should cherish this opportunity and aim for divine assist?”
Lu Rui looked puzzledly at Xia Yuqing. She understood every word she said, but why did it become such a long sentence that she couldn’t understand? What is “cp”? What is a “divine assist”? What is all this?
“Niang Niang, please speak in plain language.”
“Lu Rui, don’t you think Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai make a perfect match?” Xia Yuqing asked with a cheerful smile.
“Niang Niang.”
“Yes? I’m listening.”
“Xiao Hei is male, and Xiao Bai is also male,” Lu Rui said speechlessly.
“I know that. It’s precisely because they are both males that I said they make a good match,” Xia Yuqing pouted, with an expression of “Lu Rui, you don’t understand me.”
“…Alright, Niang Niang, you win! It’s one thing for you to come up with all sorts of pairings for the Emperor and the others, but now you’re even targeting Xiao Bai. Is it really appropriate for you to do this as their owner?”
Lu Rui struggled to find words for a while, took a deep breath, and said, “Niang Niang, besides the fact that Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai are both males, one is a cat and the other is a dog! They belong to different species…”
Lu Rui had difficulty finishing her sentence because it was quite an embarrassing response. As a proper young lady, it was a bit… cough…
Xia Yuqing fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, then let out a long sigh and patted Lu Rui’s shoulder, speaking with deep meaning, “Lu Rui, you are still too young. You don’t understand the intricacies of love and affection, let alone the passionate intensity of inter-species romance.”
“…” Niang Niang, I may not understand, but could you please not squeeze my shoulder so hard? It hurts! QAQ
“Think about it. Throughout history, there have been many tragic and beautiful love stories between gods and mortals. From Bai Niangzi and Xu Xian to Dong Yong and the Seven Fairies, so many well-known tales. Have you forgotten them? Forgotten them? Forgotten them?”
“…” What are all those? I’ve never even heard of them! And Niang Niang, even if gods and mortals fall in love, at least both the gods and mortals are in human form, right? How can you expect sparks to fly between a cat and a dog? And Niang Niang, please stop shaking me, if you keep shaking, I’m really going to ascend to heaven!”
“Sister Qing… It’s better to let go of Sister Rui.” Yun Xi finally calmed down and couldn’t bear to watch anymore. She reached out and patted Xia Yuqing’s shoulder, signaling her to look at Lu Rui, who was already exhaling a wisp of soul while being squeezed.
Xia Yuqing took a sharp breath and quickly released her grip. Before she could say anything, a voice came from outside, announcing, “The Emperor has arrived.”
“Hmm?” Everyone looked at each other in confusion. The Emperor usually didn’t come until noon to have lunch with Niang Niang. Why was he here so early today?
As Feng Tingye walked into Xiefang Palace, he immediately noticed the mess all around. His eyebrows unconsciously twitched, but the smile on his face remained unchanged. It seemed that he was already accustomed to such scenes.
“What’s going on? Why is it so lively here?”
“Greetings, Your Majesty.” Everyone finally realized that Emperor Feng Tingye had indeed arrived and quickly greeted him, albeit belatedly.
Feng Tingye approached Xia Yuqing and his gaze lingered on Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai, who were playing nearby. He asked again, “What are you all doing? Why is the hall in such a mess?”
“We were just playing around, causing a bit of a mess.” Xia Yuqing replied casually. Then, as if she remembered something, she looked up at Feng Tingye with anticipation and asked, “Your Majesty, do you know where Little Shuyan is right now?”
Although Xia Yuqing knew that Little Shuyan was several rounds older than her in reality, every time she saw his baby face, she couldn’t help but address him as “Little Shuyan.”
Feng Tingye’s eyes slightly narrowed upon hearing Xia Yuqing inquire about Little Shuyan’s whereabouts. He calmly asked, “Why are you looking for him?”
Naturally, Xia Yuqing replied nonchalantly, “I think it’s necessary to have a good talk with him about the marriage between his Xiao Hei and our Xiao Bai.”
“Pfft…” The people nearby couldn’t help but burst into laughter at her words. But as soon as Feng Tingye’s gaze swept over, they quickly returned to their original state, looking at the sky, the ground, or the scenery—anything but Xia Yuqing and Feng Tingye.
Feng Tingye twitched the corner of his mouth and glanced at Xiao Hei, Xiao Bai, and the messy hall. Combined with Xia Yuqing’s words, he had already guessed the whole story. Awkwardly clearing his throat, he changed the subject, “Well, I don’t know where he has been recently. You can wait until you see him to bring up this matter. It’s not urgent. The reason I came here today is that I want my Ai Fei to accompany me to visit the Grand Tutor.”
As expected, Xia Yuqing’s attention was immediately diverted by Feng Tingye’s words. “Oh, visiting the Grand Tutor? What happened to the Gorgeous Grand Tutor?”
Feng Tingye raised an eyebrow, his eyes filled with mischievous glee. “That little brat Yan Ran was left in the drafty new room by his newlywed wife on their wedding night and spent the whole night in the cold breeze. The next day, he fell ill.”
“Pfft…” Xia Yuqing suddenly remembered the farce from a couple of nights ago. She wanted to laugh but felt a little embarrassed. Trying to appear calm, she said, “It’s quite pitiful that the Gorgeous Grand Tutor fell ill right after his joyous occasion. Let’s visit him together.”
Feng Tingye knew that Xia Yuqing would be interested, so he didn’t say much. He embraced her and they left the palace.
The sedan chair leisurely made its way towards the Grand Tutor’s residence. Xia Yuqing sat inside the sedan, patiently fidgeting with her fingers and mumbling to herself.
Noticing her actions, Feng Tingye couldn’t help but ask, “What are you calculating?”
Xia Yuqing glanced at him and smiled slightly. “I’m calculating the marital status of the gentlemen around you, Your Majesty. The Gorgeous Grand Tutor and the Prime Minister have already gotten married. General He only needs to wait for Yun Xi to grow up a bit more before they can be together. That leaves only… the little Shangshu. I heard that Miss Yan has temporarily stayed with the little Shangshu because she doesn’t have a place to stay for now. Doesn’t that mean they are also close…?”
Before Xia Yuqing could finish her sentence, she saw Feng Tingye remain silent, only staring at her with deep eyes. It scared her, and she immediately shut her mouth. “What’s wrong?”
“They probably won’t be that easy.”
“Wait, why?” Xia Yuqing asked, puzzled. She had seen how well the little Shangshu and Miss Yan got along. Besides, with his personality, would the little Shangshu have temporarily taken her in if he didn’t have any intentions?
Feng Tingye stared at Xia Yuqing for a while and sighed softly. “Zitang didn’t grow up like Yan Ran, whose parents passed away when he was young. And his parents aren’t as open-minded as Ruofeng’s.”
“What does their situation have to do with the little Shangshu’s parents? Could it be that they don’t like Miss Yan?” Xia Yuqing asked.
Feng Tingye reached out and gently stroked Xia Yuqing’s head, feeling somewhat helpless. “Zitang’s parents are more conservative. And my Ai Fei, don’t forget, what was Miss Yan doing during those years in the Kingdom of Ye?”
“What was she doing?” Xia Yuqing was momentarily stunned, as if she understood something. She immediately grabbed her clothes tightly. “Your Majesty…”
Just as she was about to speak, the sedan chair stopped, and at the same time, a familiar voice came from outside.
Xia Yuqing was taken aback and quickly lifted the sedan curtain. In front of her was the man who had tried to snatch the bride at the wedding banquet a couple of days ago. And standing next to him was a decent-looking woman.
“Sister, you finally came to pick me up,” the man scratched the back of his head sheepishly and smiled foolishly.
Oh, so this girl must be Cuihua from the Yichun Courtyard! Wait, why does the name Yichun Courtyard sound familiar? Xia Yuqing touched her chin and examined the woman beside the man, lost in thought.
“Wait, something’s not right. Wasn’t it said that they would come to pick him up the next day? Why did they come today?” Xia Yuqing suddenly remembered something and exclaimed, successfully capturing the attention of the siblings who were engaged in conversation.
As Xia Yuqing saw the approaching duo, she realized her slip of the tongue but didn’t feel embarrassed. She directly jumped off the carriage.
Feng Tingye followed closely behind and walked up to the siblings with Xia Yuqing.
Cuihua, upon seeing the two well-dressed individuals approaching them, felt a sudden pang of worry that they might be causing trouble. After all, she had learned to observe people’s expressions and reactions during her time in the brothel. The attire of these two individuals clearly marked them as important figures, and if they were to trouble her brother and herself, they would have no means to defend themselves.
Before Cuihua could inquire about their intentions, the old housekeeper of the Grand Tutor’s residence came out and respectfully greeted the two, “Greetings, His and Her Majesty.”
Cuihua and the man were startled, looking at Xia Yuqing and the others with disbelief. They had long suspected that these two were not ordinary people, but they never expected…
“So, you are the Emperor and Empress,” the man chuckled foolishly, speaking candidly. Although he said so, Xia Yuqing and the others couldn’t be sure if he truly understood the identities of the Emperor and Empress.
But his lack of understanding didn’t mean that Cuihua, an experienced sister who had seen the world, didn’t understand. Immediately, she grabbed her brother’s hand and knelt down in sincere fear, pleading, “Your Majesty, Niang Niang, please forgive us. My brother has grown up in the Stronghold and is ignorant of the world. He has offended Your Majesties unknowingly. I beg Your Majesties to spare his life.”
Xia Yuqing was startled by her sudden kneel and was about to step forward to help, but she was stopped by Feng Tingye.
Narrowing his eyes, Feng Tingye glanced at the kneeling siblings and repeated Xia Yuqing’s previous question, “My Ai Fei just asked you, wasn’t it decided that you would come to pick him up on the day after the wedding? Why did you come today?”
Cuihua looked at her younger brother and felt a bit embarrassed.
“…” There was silence in front of the gate of the Grand Tutor’s residence for a few seconds.
“Hahaha…” Xia Yuqing couldn’t hold back her laughter any longer. She laughed for a while before finally saying, “I have to marvel at how fitting you two are as siblings. One oversleeps after stealing a bride, and the other can even forget the appointed day to pick someone up. You two…”
Cuihua’s face turned red, clearly embarrassed by her own blunder and at a loss for words.
Feng Tingye, seeing that the siblings didn’t appear to be deceiving them, let down his guard slightly and said in a low voice, “Rise.”
Cuihua trembled as she glanced at Feng Tingye, and seeing that he no longer had the hostility he had initially displayed, she cautiously stood up with her brother’s support.
After Xia Yuqing had laughed enough, she leaned on Feng Tingye’s shoulder and looked at the two of them, saying, “Look at the two of you, so absent-minded. How could you think of stealing a bride? It’s absolutely hilarious.”
The man scratched the back of his head in embarrassment and said, “It’s all because my sister has been distracted these past few days. I heard that the Grand Tutor recently got married, so I thought my sister was…”
“What? You did it because of that?” Cuihua exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise as she looked at her brother, “I knew there had to be a reason why you suddenly went to the Grand Tutor’s residence to steal a bride…”
She blushed even more and continued, “Sister… Sister was frequently absent-minded not because of the Grand Tutor, but because… because…”
“What?”
“It’s because… because not long ago, Master Xie expressed his intention to marry me.”
“Master Xie? Is it the one who often helps at our house and has made you quite sad, Sister, not the Grand Tutor?”
“…” It was evident that these two siblings had completely misunderstood the situation and caused such a huge misunderstanding. Xia Yuqing was dumbfounded and didn’t know what to say.
“But isn’t it a good thing that Master Xie wants to marry Sister? I can see that he truly cares for you, Sister. Why are you always gloomy every day, making me think…”
Cuihua couldn’t help but wear a bitter smile on her face. “He does genuinely care for me, but so what? His family is from a prominent household in the city, with a clean background and a scholarly heritage. How could they accept a woman like me who has lived in a brothel?”
Xia Yuqing’s body suddenly trembled, about to say something, when she heard footsteps approaching from behind. Instantly, everyone’s attention was drawn to the source.
Everyone gathered near the sedan that had just come to a stop not far away.
Before long, they saw Shao Zitang stepping out of the sedan, accompanied by Yan Tingfang and an elegant old lady whom he was supporting with his hand.
“You… He Fang?!” Before Xia Yuqing and the others could greet Shao Zitang, they heard an astonished exclamation.
Xia Yuqing’s raised hand froze in mid-air, her eyes suddenly narrowing as she looked back at Cuihua, who had spoken, and then turned her somewhat stiffened head to look at Yan Tingfang, whose face had turned pale at her shout.
Holy cr*p, I knew the name Yingchun Courtyard sounded so familiar!
Yingchun Courtyard… Yingchun Courtyard… Isn’t that the secret den with hidden spies where Miss Yan stayed in the past? This is bad, something big is about to happen!
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