Chapter 145
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“There are too many people here. Another day…”
Just as Xue Yao was about to decline, Lu Qian’s right hand had already lifted him by the waist and pulled him into an embrace!
“Your fiance wants a hug now.” Lu Qian tightly embraced his future bride, rubbing his cheek against the little reader-in-waiting’s head, instantly closing his eyes in contentment.
“Your Highness…”
“Call me Seventh Lord. Your fiance likes it.”
Xue Yao felt a bit dizzy in the arms of the black-hearted cub, but still sensed that something was off.
Wasn’t bargaining still too light?
If Lu Qian had started by saying he wanted to be a fiance, Xue Yao would at least agree to be his boyfriend. But the black-hearted cub immediately insisted on being a husband…
“How did it become fiance directly? Something’s not right…” Xue Yack came back to his senses.
“What’s wrong?” The black-hearted cub suddenly turned fierce.
Xue Yao broke free from the embrace and looked at Lu Qian with confusion. “Getting married should be a step-by-step process. We can’t start with an engagement. It’s not right.”
“Have you ever seen ‘Golden Regret’?” Lu Qian asked Xue Yao seriously.
Startled, Xue Yao thought Lu Qian was testing his knowledge and replied nervously, “I think I’ve heard of it, can’t recall. Why bring it up all of a sudden?”
“They’ve staged that play several times in the palace.” Lu Qian dangerously narrowed his eyes. “You’ve seen it once. Do you remember the fiance abandoned by Qiao Niang in the play?”
With this reminder, Xue Yao vaguely recalled. Several years ago, he did accompany Consort Xi to watch that play.
The story revolved around a woman named Qiao Niang who privately pledged a lifetime to her lover. Originally planning to elope, circumstances forced her to marry the son of a landlord due to her father’s debt. After Qiao Niang got married, she learned that her former fiance had drowned in the river where they had promised each other. She carried that regret throughout her life.
Xue Yao’s eyes widened!
Lu Qian smirked. “Remember now?”
“Your Highness, please don’t use such comparisons casually. This is just an experiment. It can’t be real.”
Lu Qian leaned to the side, pointing to the arched bridge they had just crossed. “What’s that?”
Xue Yao: “The bridge?”
Lu Qian pointed below the bridge to the river. “What’s that?”
Xue Yao laughed and evaded, refusing to cooperate with the scoundrel’s script, turning into the crowd.
Lu Qian didn’t stop him. He followed the little reader-in-waiting who played hide and seek.
Every time Xue Yao paused and looked back, he saw Lu Qian obediently stopping, watching him.
Feeling an indescribable sense of pride, as if he wanted the entire city to see his “Long Aotian little follower,” he walked with his head held high, disowning his connections.
Not far into the journey, his shoulder was grabbed by Lu Qian from behind.
“What’s up?” Xue Yao arrogantly shrugged off Lu Qian’s hand, still enjoying the thrill of escaping. “I haven’t finished browsing yet!”
Lu Qian, standing behind him, raised his hands to steady his head, slowly turning his face northward—
Unable to move, Xue Yao strained to glance backward, curious about what Lu Qian was up to. However, Lu Qian’s hand fixed the angle of his face, and his line of sight couldn’t reach far enough. In his limited view, he could only see approaching from the north… his mother and maid!
“My mother is here!”
Lu Qian, noticing the little reader-in-waiting’s discovery, let go and said to Xue Yao. “Your grandpa will go greet the River Tai.”
Xue Yao: “……”
River Tai, my foot!
This rascal actually knew to refer to his father-in-law and mother-in-law as Mount Tai and River Tai. How long had he been plotting this!
“Quick, hide!” Xue Yao raised his hand, trying to discreetly push the sizable fellow behind him into the crowd.
Lu Qian didn’t agree. “Your grandpa wants to meet the River Tai.”
“Stop fooling around. Do you want to scare my mother to death? Quick, find a place to hide!”
“Why?” Lu Qian became displeased. Wasn’t he, as the fiance, qualified enough? Why did his fiancee seem so reluctant and disdainful?
Seeing his mother and maid searching around, Xue Yao quickly softened his tone and coaxed, “I haven’t told my mother yet, have I? Look, in other engagements, don’t the parents need to know first? If we skip over them, the River Tai might not be happy! Hurry, let’s hide!”
Lu Qian squinted. “Your Highness?”
Xue Yao, with a flushed face, muttered softly, “Seventh Lord…”
Lu Qian chuckled softly, leaning his face close to his fiancee’s mouth. “Then kiss.”
Xue Yao quickly pecked him on the lips, feeling a mix of embarrassment and secret delight.
Fortunately, Lu Qian was obedient. After the kiss, he stepped back, maintaining some distance. However, his eyes lingered on Xue Yao, as if every person on the street was plotting to snatch away his little reader-in-waiting
•••
Early in the morning, in the slightly secluded hall of Nansan Hall, Lu Xiao gazed sadly at the falling leaves outside the window, his heart entwined with emotions.
Why did A’Yao request leave in the first place?
Was it to avoid him?
Lu Xiao never liked being pushy. Originally, he intended to maintain a gentlemanly relationship with Xue Yao for a lifetime. Blame it on Seventh Brother’s overly aggressive tactics, forcing him to become more assertive.
Now, it had come to this — A’Yao was scared away by him.
“Sigh…”
The nearby attending eunuch furrowed his brows. His master’s continuous sighs weighed heavily on his heart.
Afraid that this young prince might end up like his Mother Consort, turning into a wooden figure at a young age, he couldn’t help but softly advise, “Forgive the impertinence, Your Highness. If there’s something on your mind that can’t be resolved in the short term, why not leave the palace to relax? Sitting like this isn’t a solution.”
“No.” Lu Xiao stood up, straightening his front and adjusting his robes. In a low voice, he said, “It’s time to go to the study.”
Maybe A’Yao would come today?
Stepping out of the palace gates, Lu Xiao happened to run into Lu Qian.
Seeing Seventh Brother’s expressionless and cold face, Lu Xiao knew he hadn’t fully woken up yet. He must have just gotten out of bed.
“Seventh Brother didn’t sleep well last night?” Lu Xiao speculated whether this guy, like himself, was restless, yearning for A’Yao.
Lu Qian, with an emotionless face, turned to look at Sixth Brother. “Came back late.”
Alarm bells immediately went off in Lu Xiao’s mind!
“Came back late? Where were you last night? You didn’t go and bother A’Yao, did you? He took a leave of absence just to see us, you can’t force him to see you!”
This was cheating in the competition!
Lu Qian yawned. “No, Yaoyao is very happy to see your grandpa.”
“What!” Lu Xiao was furious. “You really went to find A’Yao last night!”
“Uh-huh.” Lu Qian calmly admitted with a face that seemed not to have woken up.
“How can you be so willful and reckless?” Lu Xiao gritted his teeth. “If he doesn’t want to see you, even if he looks happy in front of you, it’s just an act.”
“Did you see it with your own eyes?” Lu Qian, even if not fully awake, didn’t hesitate to mock back.
“I don’t need to see it with my own eyes to know that A’Yao is pretending,” Lu Xiao confidently said, “I understand A’Yao better than you do.”
Lu Qian snorted.
“A’Yao told me this himself,” Lu Xiao delivered a fatal blow, “He said I am one of the rare confidant he has in this world.”
Lu Qian’s eyes suddenly sharpened. Drowsiness instantly turned into determination as he narrowed his gaze at Sixth Brother. “A’Yao said that in person? Or is it your interpretation of the implied meaning?”
Sixth Brother, adept at understanding sentiments from rich emotions in poetry and literature, always thought poets and writers didn’t think that deeply.
“A’Yao said it with his own words. If you don’t believe me, you can ask him directly.” Lu Xiao gained the upper hand and continued with a forceful jab, “Oh, by the way, A’Yao mentioned last time that he wouldn’t agree to your pursuit.”
Lu Qian’s eyes slightly widened, his Adam’s apple moving up and down.
Rarely did he show such a surprised expression. Swallowing indicated emotions he couldn’t digest.
If Xue Yao were here, he would know that Lu Qian had been provoked too harshly and would surely retaliate.
“A’Yao considers us good brothers.” Lu Xiao looked disheartened. “It’s good this way. Seventh Brother, as long as you treat him like we did when we were kids, without any ulterior motives, you won’t scare him away.”
“Is that so?” Lu Qian raised his hand, touching his cheek, then turned to the young eunuch beside him. “Why is it damp? Get a wet wipe for me.” Before the young eunuch could respond, the black-hearted cub smirked. “Ah, I remember now. It’s from the kiss by Yaoyao, no need to wipe it.”
Lu Xiao took in a sharp breath!
His mind went blank for a moment, then surged with sudden realization. He dashed over, grabbing Seventh Brother’s front. “What exactly did you do last night?”
Lu Qian was forced to step back repeatedly but didn’t retaliate. He continued stepping back until his heels touched the door threshold. He forcibly stabilized himself, looking down at Lu Xiao’s hand. “Let go, Big Brother.”
“Did you force A’Yao?”
“Isn’t Big Brother a good brother?” Lu Qian raised an eyebrow, looking at him. “Who could force Yaoyao?”
Lu Xiao’s heart skipped a beat.
Yes, he understood Xue Yao better than anyone. That person, externally gentle but internally resilient, such an action crossing boundaries wasn’t something Xue Yao could be forced into.
So…
“Impossible!” Lu Xiao dared not delve deeper, gripping Seventh Brother’s front tightly and scolding, “It’s because you don’t follow the rules, bothering him in the middle of the night!”
“Your grandpa went in the morning.”
“You!” Lu Xiao was about to erupt, but his wrist was grasped by Seventh Brother, who slowly and powerfully removed it.
He resisted with unwilling strength, but all his efforts couldn’t stop Seventh Brother from slowly placing his hand back at his side.
“What are you doing! You brat!”
Gu Qingyuan’s voice suddenly came from the south, and in an instant, he had swept to their side.
Before Lu Xiao could react, his wrist was snatched away from Seventh Brother’s hand, a forceful pull causing him to stagger backward.
When he came to his senses, he found himself protected behind Gu Qingyuan.
“Who allowed you to bully him?” Gu Qingyuan scolded his Junior Brother, raising his chin and pointing behind him with his thumb. “Can you really be so heartless to such an interesting little guy? I think you owe Master a dish of braised tofu.”
This intervention was not at all well-received.
The young eunuchs present all saw it. Just now, it was clearly the older brother bullying the younger one.
Lu Qian, with his front pulled out of alignment, tilted his head. “Is your eyesight bad?”
The one being bullied was Seventh Lord.
“Who are you calling a little guy!” Lu Xiao forcefully patted Gu Qingyuan’s shoulder.
“Aiyo!” Gu Qingyuan deliberately exaggerated, covering his shoulder and turning around with teary eyes, looking at the little trickster. “I risked my life to stand up to the master for you, and you hit me?”
Lu Xiao was momentarily stunned, realizing that Gu Qingyuan did indeed stand up to Seventh Brother. He quickly turned and pleaded, “Seventh Brother, he didn’t mean to offend you. Spare him, please.”
Lu Qian: “Spare who?”
“Me!” Gu Qingyuan quickly pointed at himself, winked at his Junior Brother, and said, “I just offended you, how would you like to punish me?”
“Oh.” Lu Qian understood his senior brother’s intention. “Deal with it on the spot.”
“Yes.” Gu Qingyuan, “tearfully,” accepted the punishment.
“Don’t!” Lu Xiao was stunned!
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