Небо над реками и озерами очень чистое

Глава 82

"Who told him to be so reckless?" Bi Jun said with a hint of schadenfreude. "I bet he'll get a real beating."

"I knew it wouldn't be wise to step in, this place is like dry wood meeting a raging fire..."

"That's why you discouraged him from going."

Unaware that the sudden interruption was amiss, Yin Hu nodded smugly. "Otherwise, how would we know what's going on inside?"

"Third Brother..." Finally realizing she'd been used, Qinglan forced a fawning smile at the person standing before her. "I was just worried that you hadn't come home all night and might have been detained... I certainly didn't mean to interrupt your good time... uh..."

The handsome third brother revealed a murderous smile and whispered in her ear.

"Forget what you saw immediately, but if I hear even a single word..."

Qinglan shivered slightly and nodded vigorously.

After waiting in the side hall for a short while, servants brought in several braziers, which quickly dispelled the chill in the room. There was a roaring fire but no smoke, and none of the charcoal fumes that were unavoidable for heating in winter. It was unclear what kind of material they were burning.

Qinglan felt hot and muttered a message to have the brazier removed, but Xie Yunshu stopped her.

"This brazier wasn't set up for us," Bi Jun explained, having nothing else to do. "Doesn't Your Majesty dislike the cold and realize that everything here was arranged for this purpose?"

The room is equipped with a heater, hot spring, floor heating, brazier, warm jade, and even bearskin cushions. If you don't leave the house, you wouldn't even realize you're spending the winter in the north. Such meticulous attention to detail must have required a tremendous amount of manpower and resources.

"The Jun family is indeed incredibly wealthy, living up to its reputation." Silver Swan muttered to himself as he carefully surveyed his surroundings.

What's remarkable is that it didn't have an explosive momentum.

Unlike the excessive lavishness of the Tianshan Mountains, the Jun family's wealth lies not in the superficial jewels and jade, but in the subtle details that can only be seen upon close inspection. It is quite ordinary, yet its extravagance is enough to leave even the most imaginative person speechless.

Before I could finish reading, the light and shadow at the doorway shifted, and the person who stepped in had changed their clothes.

Her sky-blue Hu-style robe was woven with very faint patterns, and the collar, cuffs, and sleeves were trimmed with snow fox fur, which made her face appear rosy and fair, and her hair as black as ink. A bright pearl the size of a thumb hung between her smooth forehead, round and lustrous, but it could not outshine the clear light in her dark, black eyes.

Despite her simple attire, she possessed a captivating radiance that seemed to brighten the room, leaving everyone speechless for a moment. She herself seemed oblivious, her gaze sweeping over everyone before she finally sat down in the chair opposite Xie Yunshu and dismissed the maids from the room.

"It seems you're doing well." Originally, I wanted to talk to you alone, but now that Qinglan had come along, I could only inquire in front of a group of people.

“I’ve never been so relaxed.” Her long eyelashes fluttered, and she smiled faintly. “All I do every day is eat and sleep, without using my brain at all.”

"How long have you been taking the medicine?"

“Three years and seven months,” she recalled. “A lot has changed? I never thought I could actually grow taller.”

"He found Physician Fu for you?" Actually, it's obvious without asking that Jia Ye herself would never go to such lengths.

Seeing her nod, a slight pang of sadness welled up inside him. This was something he should have done, and he couldn't help but ask, "Why can he find you, but I can't?"

She paused for a moment, then smiled, a hint of playfulness on her lips. "Because I'm hiding from you, not him."

After a moment of silence, she continued, “Back then, when I left Yangzhou for the north, I thought it would be easier to hide if I stayed far from the south. I didn’t expect the winter to be so cold, and my old injury flared up… I almost froze to death, but he saved me.” She recounted that harrowing experience as if it were nothing. “Later, I arrived at the Prince’s Palace.”

"Your old injury..."

“Those medicines will lessen the pain considerably; it’s no longer a serious problem,” she answered casually, glossing over the unintentional details. “He… searched far and wide for medicinal herbs; Doctor Fu Tian put in a lot of effort, and most of them were very effective.”

"Who is he to you?" He suppressed his heartache, but his eyes betrayed his true feelings.

"It's nothing." Su Yan replied without hesitation. "He's very good to me, that's all."

"I heard you have another name now."

She gave a slight smile. "It's not appropriate to call her Jia Ye in public... so I just picked one."

"Who started this?" He stared at her, not missing a single expression.

She was taken aback by the question and turned her head away.

"I don't remember, it was probably him."

Fluttering... fluttering like a butterfly... a butterfly...

She glanced at it quickly, then lowered her eyelashes. "I'm glad you came, but unfortunately I'm asleep most of the time and can't keep you company. Or... please let Suiyu accompany you to see the scenery of Chang'an."

The atmosphere froze instantly, and Qinglan sat up straight, glaring at her.

He tried his best to ignore the last sentence: "I've come to take you away."

She looked quietly at her hands, her smile rather cold. "Thank you, but I won't leave. You've seen it yourself, I'm doing very well here."

"What he can give, I can do as well."

Gazing at the beaded curtain in the distance, she felt a pang of melancholy. "It's different."

"What do you want?" Gazing at her beautiful face, he tried to clarify countless questions, but what came out of his mouth was this spirited question.

She could tell from his words. "I don't want anything." She sighed softly. "You... will meet a better woman, don't waste any more time."

"What will you get by staying here?" Jealousy gnawed at her heart like a venomous snake, yet her tone remained calm and gentle. "He treats you well, what will you give in return?"

“Not everything comes at a price.” Her slender fingers lightly tapped the hard, smooth armrest, her dark eyes slightly self-deprecating, before she suddenly smiled faintly. “Or you could say… some prices are ones I willingly pay.”

true and false

After going around in circles, the stalemate has returned to what it was four years ago.

I should have known better; she was never a docile or obedient person.

The difference this time is that another person is involved, a force that cannot be ignored. When I withdrew, I didn't go to see Jun Suiyu, because I knew too little about him and couldn't figure out how to deal with him.

What is the relationship between him and Jia Ye? Why does he act so generously and detachedly?

Jia Ye... refused to leave without hesitation. What was she thinking?

Is the last veiled hint true or false?

A surge of jealousy overwhelmed his mind, making rational thought almost impossible. If he could, he would rather knock her unconscious, take her away, imprison her somewhere no one could find her, and force her to answer his questions, than sit upright and watch her give him empty, perfunctory answers without batting an eye… He was always helpless when it came to her.

Jia Ye was gone for four years. What happened during that time that allowed Jun Suiyu to gain her trust? How could that woman, whose wariness was so extreme, accept someone so easily…?

The winter chill filled his lungs, but he couldn't feel the slightest bit of cold.

"She must be vain. Seeing that the King's Mansion is wealthy, famous, and powerful, she looks down on the poor and doesn't respect Third Brother." Xie Qinglan was indignant ever since she came out, feeling sorry for her brother.

"Is the Xie family very poor?" Bi Jun asked lazily. "They wouldn't be considered poor by any measure."

The Xie family's influence in the martial arts world might be comparable to that of the King's Mansion, but their wealth couldn't match the accumulated riches of the Jun family over generations. Qinglan was well aware of this. "It's obvious that the King's Mansion is much richer. She must be after that. The Xie family would never allow her to live such a luxurious life."

Silver Swan glanced at him with pity, while Jade Falcon looked at him strangely, leaving Qinglan completely bewildered.

"What kind of look is that?"

Bi Jun rarely put his arm around his shoulder. "Fifth Young Master Xie, are you treating us people from Tianshan like beggars?"

"What do you mean?" Qinglan asked warily, trying to dodge, afraid of being tricked by the two again.

Silver Swan hooked its paws onto his other side. "You know that our lord was originally one of the four envoys of Tianshan, right?"

"I know, so what?"

"The so-called Four Envoys are already in a position second only to the King of Pop, above all others," Bi Jun explained patiently.

“Thirty-six kingdoms share one religion, and the residences, clothing, and food of the four envoys are all extremely noble, surpassing even most kings,” Yin Hu added.

"The standard of living she was provided for at the King's Palace today was roughly the same as it was back in Tianshan," Bi Jun said with an expression that said, "You should understand by now."

“I know, she must want to regain her former status and enjoy life.” Qinglan’s answer almost made the two of them speechless with anger.

"Are you sure he's really the boss's brother?" Bi Jun suddenly asked, digressing from the main topic.

"I don't really believe it now," Yin Hu said, looking at her suspiciously.

"As expected, the dragon has nine sons."

"Luckily, it wasn't him who was captured and taken to Tianshan, otherwise we would have died many times over." The two felt a deep sense of unease.

"What exactly do you mean?" Even the slowest person would know that the other party was being sarcastic. Qinglan raised her arms and jumped more than ten feet away to glare angrily.

"Not bad internal strength, it seems to have some strengths." Yin Hu finally discovered an advantage.

"What we mean is, if Xue Shi wanted fame and fortune, she wouldn't have needed to come down from Tian Shan; she already had everything in her grasp." Bi Jun stopped teasing; it wouldn't be fun if she really angered her.

"There must be another reason why she refuses to leave; it's definitely not as simple as you just guessed."

"Third Brother searched for her for so long, couldn't it all be over with some baseless excuses?" Qinglan thought back with resentment. "She still has an ambiguous relationship with Jun Suiyu, how could she be worthy of Third Brother's sincere heart?"

“This is a bit strange.” Yin Hu agreed on this point.

“Indeed, in the past, only the eldest brother could get within three feet of the Lord.”

"I really can't figure out how Jun Suiyu did it."

"Could it be...?"

"Could it be...?"

As they were whispering and speculating, the person in front suddenly stopped.

"Silver Swan!"

"Yes." The murmur quickly subsided; no one dared to anger the person whose face was extremely grim at this moment.

Xie Yunshu remained silent for a long time before suppressing his irritation and giving the order.

"Go and investigate Jun Ruoxia, the previous head of the Jun family, focusing on whether he had any dealings with other women. Also, investigate Fu Tianyi and find out his current whereabouts. He must be somewhere in Xijing."

"Bi Jun, Jiu Wei sent word a few days ago that he has entered the Central Plains. Go and bring him here."

"Qinglan, go write a letter and ask Second Brother to come to Xijing. I have important business to discuss."

The two men bowed respectfully to receive the order, but Qinglan looked troubled.

"Third brother, it's not that I don't want to help you, but eldest brother asked me to come to Xijing to keep an eye on you. He told me to keep a close eye on you. I've already disobeyed eldest brother's orders and even asked second brother to come. If I go back, Father will definitely skin me alive."

Xie Yunshu glanced at it and patted his fifth brother on the shoulder.

"Fine, I'll write it myself. I've already put you through that." He sighed deeply, his brow furrowed with unresolved anxiety. "This matter is very important to me."

The Lantern Festival had just ended when it started snowing heavily.

Snowflakes, as white as goose feathers, fluttered down, covering the sky and the earth, turning the entire Xi'an into a pristine white wonderland. Bare branches transformed into jade trees and jeweled twigs, and long icicles hung from the eaves like clear crystals.

She rarely had a few hours of lucidity, and she sat quietly under the eaves admiring the snow.