Kiyomi Tsuki et son renard

Chapitre 3

"Is it that you refuse to forgive my brother, young lady?" Suoge's voice was soft, but it carried an unassailable authority.

"no."

"Then why?" Soge's questioning was suffocating in the darkness.

Xi Ri turned her head away, gazing faintly at the dark place in the distance, and replied, "That's all for today. I don't want anyone to know. I also hope that Prince Xi and your brother will not mention this matter again from now on. That would be my way of giving an explanation to this young lady. I'm a little tired and want to go back to the villa."

Suoge nodded and extended his hand to Xiri. "Don't worry, young lady. Neither my cousin nor I will mention today's events to a fourth person. If you don't mind, may I personally escort you on your way?"

Under the moonlight, the outstretched hand was large and calloused, clearly not that of a pampered young master. Xi Ri looked at that hand and said, "Thank you, Your Highness. I dare not trouble you. I only hope you can summon my servant to take me back."

Without hesitation, the large hand withdrew. "Long Ming, go and call Miss Tian's servant over."

Long Ming remained silent throughout, quietly observing Xi Ri. Upon hearing his cousin's instructions, he did not hesitate and flew towards the eaves.

It happened in the blink of an eye. Just as he was plummeting through the air, another figure swiftly pounced on him, landing perfectly on Long Ming's back. Long Ming never dreamed someone would suddenly fall on his back. His inner energy suddenly dissipated, and he plummeted downwards, landing face-first on the ground with his limbs flat on the floor. With someone still on his back, he was almost dying. With all his might, he lifted his face, which was covered in mud, and tremblingly pointed a finger at the woman who had just climbed off him. With a cracking sound—either his throat or his teeth—he managed to utter a single, difficult syllable before his head slumped to the ground.

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Memories of Last Night

Looking at Long Ming, who was lying on the ground, barely alive and utterly powerless.

Xi Ri was in a great mood. She clapped her hands, then brushed the dust off her clothes. She squatted down in front of him, watching him gasp for air, dirt falling from his face. She laughed and said, "We're even now."

Looking back at the tall man standing on the rooftop under the moonlight, she said loudly, "Your Highness, remember not to spread what happened today!" She raised her hand and waved it casually in the air, her figure disappearing swiftly into the night.

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The next afternoon, Xi Ri had just woken up from her nap when Tian Shuang was combing her hair in front of the mirror. Tian Yong came to report from the door: "A letter has been sent from the Long residence. Please take a look, Miss. The servants of the Long residence are waiting for your reply outside the hall."

Tian Shuang opened the door and took the invitation.

A hint of mockery appeared and disappeared in the mirror. I opened the post a few days ago and suddenly couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Tian Shuang was taken aback when she saw her mistress's smile. It had been a long time since her mistress had smiled so happily, except for last night...

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Yesterday afternoon, after Long Ming used acupressure on her and Tian Yong, they stood in Yipinxuan for two whole hours, until dusk.

After the acupoints were released automatically, the two of them, disregarding the anxious waiter, the shopkeeper, and the group of tea drinkers who had been pointing and whispering, and ignoring their own poor blood circulation, were only concerned about the young lady. They immediately rushed out of Yipinxuan, hurriedly asked passersby for directions, and headed straight for the Long Mansion.

By the time they found the Dragon Mansion, it was already dark.

Just then, they saw Young Master Long greeting people at the gate. It was night, and four large red lanterns were already hanging high in the Long mansion, making the red-lacquered gate look solemn and majestic. Two large stone lions stood on either side, and the white stone paving at the gate was swept clean. It was clear at a glance that this was not an ordinary family. Between the two stone lions, two sedan chair bearers had just lowered a sedan chair. A servant in a blue jacket hurriedly stepped forward and respectfully lifted the sedan chair curtain. A young master stepped out of the sedan chair. Others did not recognize the young master, but Tian Yong felt that he was familiar with him.

That young master seemed to be the Prince Suoge, whom Miss had asked him to investigate two years ago. Tian Yong, thinking of Miss's relationship with that man, hesitated slightly. Tian Shuang, however, didn't know who he was and went straight to Long Ming, demanding his mistress's release. Impatient and quick-tempered, Tian Shuang disregarded the presence of others and blurted out, "How dare you! In broad daylight, in full view of everyone, you dare to kidnap my young lady! You'd better release her immediately, or else..." Tian Yong stopped her from finishing her sentence.

Long Ming was smiling and talking to Suo Ge when he heard Tian Shuang's words. His expression immediately turned cold, and he narrowed his eyes, facing Tian Shuang's angry rebuke with a mocking look. Just as he was about to speak, he heard his cousin Suo Ge's deep voice: "Little Long? You've caused trouble again?"

Long Ming smiled lazily and said casually, "Brother, this is just a small personal matter. You don't need to worry about it. I will handle it myself."

At this moment, Tian Yong stared at Suo Ge, confirming that he hadn't mistaken him for someone else. Suddenly, he pulled Tian Shuang to kneel on one knee and loudly proclaimed, "Tian Yong and Tian Shuang, servants of Minister Tian of the Ministry of Rites, kneel before Prince Xi. We beg Your Highness to grant our request and implore Young Master Long to release our young lady as soon as possible." Tian Shuang, who had been pulled to her knees and was already somewhat displeased, was startled upon hearing this. She couldn't help but glance at the man beside her, whom she had previously ignored. It turned out he was Prince Xi, the one who had caused her young lady's constant melancholy. A pang of sadness shot through her, and she glared angrily at Tian Yong. She disliked kneeling before this man.

Upon hearing Tian Yong's account of his origins, Suoge noticed Tian Shuang's displeasure towards him. He looked at Long Ming, who seemed equally surprised that the woman was the daughter of a high-ranking official in the capital. Looking at the kneeling man and woman, Long Ming couldn't help but sneer, "I never intended to keep her. Humph, arresting her would be troublesome. I released her long ago. Whether she goes back or not is none of my business." Of course, he didn't mention that he had released her, but simply placed her on the rooftop.

Tian Shuang and Tian Yong exchanged a glance. They had rushed to the Long Mansion to demand the release of the young lady as soon as their acupoints were released, and had not returned to the Suzhou Villa to check whether the young lady had returned safely. It was their oversight. They couldn't help but wonder if the young lady had really gone back.

Tian Yong thought to himself: Long Ming is so aloof, and he's quite a figure in Suzhou. Now that he knows Miss is the daughter of a high-ranking official in the capital, he probably won't dare to be presumptuous. Besides, with Prince Xi as a witness, it shouldn't be false. Even so, Tian Yong still said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Thank you, Young Master Long and Prince Xi, for not making things difficult for my young lady. We will immediately return to the villa to check if Miss has returned. If she hasn't, then Young Master Long, I will spare no effort to make you release her! And I will seek justice for her. Farewell!" His words also implicated Suo Ge.

Tian Shuang and Tian Yong rushed towards the villa. Of course, they found nothing. Their current frustration and anger are another story; let's turn to the Long residence.

After Tian Shuang and Tian Yong disappeared, Suo Ge asked, "What did you do to Miss Tian?"

"Miss Tian? Hehe, brother, didn't you once say she was a virtuous woman?" Long Ming said jokingly.

"What exactly did you do to her?" Soge frowned; he was at a loss with this cousin of his.

Long Ming fiddled with his thumb ring and chuckled softly, "I left her on the stage in the backyard of the Long residence."

"Nonsense!" Suoge flicked his sleeve and strode into the Long Mansion, heading towards the backyard.

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Last night, when Tian Shuang and Tian Yong returned to the villa, they found that Miss had not returned at all. The two of them immediately returned to the Long Mansion to forcefully demand her return. Just as they arrived at the entrance of the Long Mansion, they saw Xi Ri push open the gate and come out with her head down.

Tian Shuang was the first to call out, "Miss!" She rushed over, grabbed Xi Ri's sleeve, and looked her over from left to right. Only when she saw that her mistress was alright did she feel relieved. When she looked up, she was surprised to see that Xi Ri's eyes were full of smiles. It was a smile that came from the heart. It was a very happy and warm smile. Her mistress had not smiled like that for two years.

"I'm fine, go home," Xi Ri said with a smile.

Tian Shuang withdrew her hands, suppressing her doubts and not asking any further questions. She simply replied, "Yes!" Over the past two years, she had developed the habit of not asking any questions. As long as her mistress told her to do something, she would do it.

Tian Yong responded from behind, "Yes!" and followed behind them.

But after taking only a few steps, Xi Ri couldn't help but burst into loud laughter. In the dark night, with a gentle breeze and quiet surroundings, the joyful laughter immediately carried far and wide. Tian Shuang and Tian Yong exchanged a glance, and then heard Xi Ri waving her hand and saying, "It's nothing, it's nothing, don't worry. I just remembered something really funny that happened and couldn't help laughing. Don't worry, go back quickly, I'm starving. Did you tell Aunt Liu about what happened today?"

Tian Shuang replied, "No, but we rushed back to see Miss once, so I believe Mama Liu already knows."

"Oh no—we need to think of a good way to deal with her questions." Even though it was a troublesome matter, Tian Shuang and Tian Yong felt that their young lady was very different tonight. She seemed very happy, very happy.

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Xi Ri put down the invitation in her hand and instructed, "Tian Yong, go and tell the servants of the Long family that I will keep my appointment with Young Master Long on time."

Tian Yong accepted the order and went down to his post.

Xi Ri waved to Tian Shuang, "That's enough, no need to do anything else. Go prepare something, and come with me in a bit."