Le Jianghu de Feng Qingcheng et Mo Xibei

Chapitre 67

"Because my elder brother, the Crown Prince, studies the way of governing a country. And the Empress Dowager doesn't want me and Yin'er to be exposed to those things, so we study poetry and songs to cultivate our character and martial arts to strengthen our bodies. So, in all things considered, Yin'er spends more time with me."

This answer didn't mean she hadn't answered; of course she knew they were childhood sweethearts. Leng Jie unconsciously rolled her eyes and asked again, somewhat annoyed:

"You mean when she was little? I'm asking about when you grew up, that is, after she became an adult, were she and the Crown Prince on good terms?"

Xuanyuan, as if suddenly enlightened, asked in surprise:

"Are you implying that Yin'er has been with the Crown Prince these past few years?"

He paused, not waiting for Leng Jie's reply, then sighed as if relieved:

"If that's really the case, that would be wonderful!"

This time, it was Leng Jie's turn to be caught off guard.

"You don't seem sad at all? What if she betrayed you?" Leng Jie asked in astonishment.

Xuanyuan shook his head and said:

“Xiao Jie, I may not be as smart as you, but I’m not stupid. If she really has been with the Crown Prince all these years, then how can there be any talk of betrayal? It’s not hard to guess why she’s back now.”

Seeing that Leng Jie was still in shock, Xuan Yuan explained:

"Back then, my brother, the Crown Prince, suddenly invited me to drink. I could easily drink three jars without getting drunk, but I collapsed after only a few cups. When I woke up, I was in Yin'er's bed. At the time, I was so focused on taking responsibility for Yin'er, and my mother had entrusted me with taking good care of her before she died. So I never suspected anything was amiss. Now, thinking back, I realize how naive I was. I naively thought my brother, the Crown Prince, wouldn't harm me, and I naively thought Yin'er truly loved me. But because of my naivety, my father was driven to his death by them!"

Oh! I see! She knew it. How could someone like him, who wouldn't even kiss a child, possibly do something like that while drunk?

"It seems you've truly come to your senses. I was worried you'd get hurt again like you did six years ago! In that case, should we still issue this imperial edict?"

Xuanyuan thought to himself, "In this world, no one but you can hurt me!"

"Since the play is already halfway through, how can it not be finished?" Xuanyuan replied, then solemnly added:

"Xiaojie, if something like this happens again, please let me know first. You have no idea how awful it is to feel guilty after being used."

Leng Jie gave an awkward, forced laugh:

"Hehe, don't worry, next time there's a play to perform, I'll definitely tell you the lines first. But could you tell me at which part of the play the mistake was exposed?"

Xuanyuan raised an eyebrow and said with a smile:

"Do you think I'd tell you? So you can improve and try to fool me again next time?"

Leng Jie immediately fainted dramatically on the bed.

"Alright, tell me about your plans with Ziying! I've noticed I'm always the last one to know about your plans. You used to always discuss things with Qingfeng, but now you talk to Ziying instead of me," Xuanyuan complained involuntarily.

Leng Jie was afraid that if he continued to be resentful, he would become a bitter man. She quickly got up and reported the details to him.

"That's how it is." After saying that, Leng Jie stretched lazily and yawned.

Thinking of how exhausted she looked that morning, Xuanyuan said with a pained expression:

"Look how tired you are. You should rest and leave the rest to me!"

"Okay! Now that you know, I'll leave it to you. I'm going to sleep. Please close the door behind you when you leave." With that, Leng Jie lay down on the bed.

Seeing how she treated him like family, a satisfied smile unconsciously crept onto Xuanyuan's lips. He got up and started to walk out, but after a couple of steps, he suddenly turned back and asked:

"Xiaojie, I'm coming to Qingfengju for dinner tonight. Will you be there?"

He worried that after she entrusted the matter to him, she would wake up one morning and leave the palace again.

"Just tell the housekeeper to cook your meal," Leng Jie replied groggily.

Xuanyuan shook his head helplessly and smiled wryly before leaving the room. He gently closed the door behind him and hurried towards the imperial study.

As soon as Xuanyuan returned to the Imperial Study, a guard came to report that the envoy from Xiping had come to visit Consort Yin, who had suddenly fallen ill.

Xiao Jie was right again. A smile involuntarily appeared on Xuan Yuan's face. He casually replied:

"Granted!"

Watching the guards hurriedly leave after receiving the imperial decree, Eunuch Fu muttered to himself in bewilderment:

"The Xiping envoy was at the post station outside the palace when Consort Yin was injured. How did he find out so quickly?"

“Because they can predict the future!” Xuanyuan replied casually.

Upon hearing the Emperor's answer, Eunuch Fu was taken aback. The Emperor, who had just been looking dejected, had suddenly returned looking radiant and full of energy. Eunuch Fu blurted out:

Did His Majesty just go to Qingfeng Residence?

Ignoring Eunuch Fu's question, Xuanyuan unfolded the imperial edict of investiture, took out the imperial seal, and slapped it down. He then tossed it to Eunuch Fu and said:

"Take this and read it aloud while the Xiping envoy is here."

"This old servant obeys the decree!" Eunuch Fu replied respectfully, accepting the imperial edict with both hands.

Leng Jie woke up to find it was already evening. Soft moonlight streamed in through the window, casting a warm glow on the room. Almost three years had passed since she left the Leng residence in Qizhou, and she hadn't had a truly relaxing night's sleep since leaving. Tonight, however, she slept especially soundly.

She stretched and got out of bed. Although the scene inside the room was clearly visible, she still wanted to turn on the light. Just as she lit the tinder in her hand, Xuan Yuanxin's joyful voice came from outside the door.

"Xiaojie, are you up yet?"

What a coincidence? She had just gotten up, and he was already here. Leng Jie lit a candle, went over, and opened the door. She saw Xuan Yuan sitting on the railing of the porch by the entrance. She couldn't help but ask in surprise:

"You're not going to stay here the whole time, are you?"

Xuanyuan said with a smile:

“I didn’t watch over you the whole time. It was only two or three hours! But you slept for a full eight hours.”

Sixteen hours? Can she really sleep that much? Leng Jie asked incredulously.

"Is it the middle of the night now?"

“Just past midnight,” Xuanyuan replied confidently.

"Then why aren't you sleeping? Why are you guarding this place? You could have woken me up if something happened!" Leng Jie asked, puzzled.

Xuanyuan replied matter-of-factly:

"I said I'd have dinner with you. So I'm waiting here for you to wake up so we can have dinner together."

Waiting six hours just for dinner? Leng Jie broke out in a cold sweat! This person is truly unreasonable. She shook her head and said:

"It's time for midnight snacks now. You've been waiting all night anyway, so just wait a few more minutes. I'll wash my face first."

Xuanyuan remained seated, smiling and nodding as he said, "No rush, take your time washing!"

Leng Jie quickly and efficiently tidied herself up. Xuan Yuan got up and walked alongside her to the dining room.

The housekeeper had already prepared a sumptuous meal for them. Leng Jie, seeing the roast pigeon and four-happiness meatballs she hadn't had in a long time, sat down without ceremony and began to eat. Xuan Yuan smiled and ate with her, and seeing that she was almost finished, he thoughtfully filled her plate again.

"Xuanyuan, stop putting food on my plate. I'm not a pig, how can I eat that much? You haven't eaten anything yourself either."

"Xiao Jie, will you still leave?" Xuan Yuan held back in the morning, but now he couldn't help but ask.

Leng Jie was completely taken aback by his sudden question and was momentarily stunned. She abruptly looked up and met Xuan Yuan's expectant gaze. Her heart involuntarily trembled. She put down her chopsticks, taking the opportunity to compose herself, and replied calmly:

"This place does not belong to me."

"Then where does it belong to you?" Xuanyuan pressed.

"I don't know either? It seems like nowhere belongs to me, yet everywhere also seems to belong to me!" Leng Jie murmured in reply.

Chapter 101 A Passionate Kiss

Seeing Leng Jie's dazed expression, Xuan Yuan seemed to see her walking alone on the road. His heart clenched involuntarily. His hand instinctively grasped Leng Jie's delicate hand. Words of emotion naturally escaped his lips:

"Xiao Jie, let me take care of you!"

Uh! Leng Jie suddenly looked up, meeting Xuan Yuan's gentle, almost watery phoenix eyes. A shiver ran through her involuntarily! Just as she was about to drown in that deep spring, a gunshot suddenly flashed through her mind. She abruptly pulled her small hand away from Xuan Yuan's grasp, quickly averting her gaze. She shook her head violently a few times, forcefully suppressing the churning emotions within her, and swallowed hard. Feigning ignorance, she said:

"You've always taken care of me!"

Still can't accept him? Xuanyuan stared blankly at the hand that had been flung away for a moment. Suddenly, his expression softened, and he smiled, saying:

"Hehe, I mean, let me continue to take care of you from now on! Okay?"

Leng Jie turned around and saw that the deep glint in Xuan Yuan's eyes had faded, replaced by clarity. Her heart returned to its place. To ease her own awkwardness, she joked:

"To receive His Majesty's favor is my daughter's great fortune. How could it be anything but good!"

Xuanyuan could only lament inwardly that his feelings were unrequited. He knew Xiaojie's personality all too well; if he put pressure on her, she might just get up and run away to a place he could never find again. What he needed to do now was try his best to keep her here, not scare her away.

"Xiao Jie, it's really as you said. This morning, the Crown Prince of Xiping went to the palace to see Yin'er under the pretext of visiting her in the hospital," Xuan Yuan said, changing the subject.

Upon hearing about serious matters, Leng Jie immediately perked up. Her previously evasive gaze instantly became fixed intently on Xuan Yuan. She asked eagerly:

"So, what did you find?"

He knew she'd react this way! A bitter smile involuntarily crept onto Xuanyuan's lips. At the same time, he was relieved that he'd found a topic she was interested in. He nodded in agreement.

"Ying said their purpose in coming today seems to be to confirm that I have acknowledged their status as mother and son. The act you put on with her this morning has made them completely convinced of the important place Yin'er and her son hold in my heart. I believe they will take further action soon. However, in order not to arouse their suspicion, we must continue our charade. So next time in front of outsiders..."

"I understand, I understand. I'll continue to be jealous, and you can continue to yell at me!" Leng Jie interrupted Xuan Yuan and answered quickly.

To be honest, she preferred his fierce and menacing demeanor towards her. It made her feel more comfortable. It wasn't that she was being pathetic; she was simply afraid of his sickeningly sweet and affectionate ways.

But to make him pretend to dislike the person he loves, and to feign deep affection for someone with ulterior motives—this might be a piece of cake for Leng Jie, who has received professional and systematic psychological training. But for Xuan Yuan, it's an absolute challenge.

Seeing Xuanyuan's head drooping and his dejected look, Leng Jie knew he was troubled. She couldn't help but smile.

"Hehe, do you find it a bit difficult to pretend to be affectionate in front of Lin Yin'er? The reason I told Brother Ying not to tell you this was because I was worried that you wouldn't be able to get over it psychologically if you knew the truth."

"But I'd rather be unhappy like this than be kept in the dark and played like I was this morning," Xuanyuan complained, glaring at the gloating Leng Jie.

Seeing his persistence, Leng Jie's smile deepened. After she had finished laughing, she gave him her advice:

"However, I can teach you a method. When you are facing Lin Yin'er, don't think of her as Lin Yin'er in your mind. Instead, imagine her as someone you like. That way, you won't feel so uncomfortable."

What kind of method is this? Can I imagine Yin'er as you? Impossible, that would be a desecration of you! Xuanyuan replied in his heart.

Seeing that Xuanyuan remained silent, Leng Jie assumed he had accepted her suggestion. She continued:

"As for that little boy, no matter how wicked his parents are, the child is innocent after all. Moreover, he is your nephew by blood. It is a wise decision for you to separate the mother and son now, because a five- or six-year-old child still has a lot of potential."

"What is plasticity?" Xuanyuan asked, puzzled.

"Malculability generally refers to the potential for things or people to be molded. In the case of people, it refers to the possibility of continued development and improvement, and the potential for advancement," Leng Jie explained professionally.

"What I mean is, if you just separate that child from his abusive parents, and then guide and nurture him properly, he might just grow up to be a great person!"