Ваше Величество

Глава 12

The young master's smile deepened: "That's why I said you're a smart kid."

“Chu Xia was afraid of dying… At the time, I thought that if bad people stole the painting, they would naturally kill me to cover it up… But if I destroyed the painting, they wouldn’t kill me immediately if they broke in…” She thought the young master would punish her for it, so she stopped speaking timidly and stared at him without blinking.

The young master was not angry. He looked directly at her and said, "Chuxia, if I am not by your side in the future, and you encounter a life-or-death situation, then just like today, living is the most important thing. As for other material possessions, they are irrelevant."

Chu Xia stared blankly at him, her eyes gradually reddening, and she said softly, "Yes."

The long night was silent.

The young master did not urge her to tell him about the two scrolls. He simply put his arm around her shoulder and patted her gently, as if he were coaxing a child to sleep, with extreme tenderness.

“Young master, one of those two places is Qingtian River near Luoyang… and the other place seems to be Jun by Dongting Lake—” Chu Xia said groggily, then suddenly woke up and sat up immediately, full of regret.

The young master slowly released her, a smile playing on his lips: "What's wrong?"

"Cash on delivery!" Chu Xia said regretfully, "You—give me the indenture first."

The young master gently patted her cheek, pressed her onto the bed, and firmly pulled the covers up for her. He said calmly, "You burned the painting I bought for ten thousand taels of gold, not to mention this entire courtyard. I can give you the indenture, but tell me yourself, don't you still owe me something?"

Lying in bed, unable to move, Chu Xia stammered, "But you said you didn't blame me—"

"It's not your fault." The young master sighed, but there was a smile in his eyes. "Since you can't pay back the money, I'll keep the contract. Redeem it when you have the money."

After the young master finished speaking, he gracefully departed, leaving Chu Xia alone with a frown, feeling that something was amiss.

After a long pause, she realized that she had indeed burned the paintings and the studio, but... why didn't the young master mention that he had almost been killed? It was a pity that she had carelessly revealed the place name, and now it was truly a case of the cunning rabbit being killed and the hunting dog being cooked!

"I told you you're stupid, and you still won't admit it." A dark figure climbed in through the window and lazily sat down on the armchair. "You dare to haggle with the young master? Be careful you don't get sold out and still happily help him count the money."

Chu Xia glanced at A Qing and thought of the phrase "happily helping someone count money," which was indeed very apt. She was momentarily stunned.

"Hey, are you alright?" Qinglong felt a little uneasy when he saw that she wasn't arguing with him like usual.

Chu Xia didn't answer, and her nose felt a little sore.

"Hey, stop crying!" Qinglong stood up. "Why do you always cry?"

"You all bullied me." Chu Xia wiped her eyes and buried her head in the blanket. "...And you all lied to me."

She recalled how she had spent the past month or so engrossed in painting, only to not get her indenture back and nearly be burned to death. She felt it was all for nothing and cried even more bitterly.

"Where did I lie to you?" Qinglong was at a loss for words and dared not say anything more. He could only say, "How about... I go and beg the young master to give you a contract of servitude?"

“He…he won’t agree,” Chu Xia sobbed. “He’s the most petty person ever.”

Qinglong scratched his head awkwardly, and finally said, "Then don't cry."

"Who exactly are you?" Chu Xia poked half her head out from under the covers, looking at the boy with teary eyes. "Why did you lie to me, and why did you dress up as a servant?"

"My name is Qinglong." This time, Qinglong answered honestly, "Young Master asked me to protect you."

"Azure Dragon? The Azure Dragon with the Azure Dragon on the left and the White Tiger on the right?"

"Yes. Baihu is also your guard, young master, but he's not here right now." The young man was pleased to see that she had stopped crying. "Alright, don't cry anymore. I won't bully you anymore."

"Qinglong, your martial arts are very impressive." Chu Xia's words came from the bottom of her heart. "Thank you very much today."

"I am one of the young master's leopard guards. Of course I am powerful." Qinglong said proudly.

"There must be many capable people like you around the young master, otherwise he wouldn't have asked you to protect me..." Chu Xia muttered to herself.

“I am one of the four Leopard Guards by Young Master’s side. I am not just anyone,” Qinglong emphasized. “Among the four Leopard Guards, Baihu is good at attacking, Zhuque is a divine physician, Xuanwu is good at intelligence, and as for me… I specialize in defense. Young Master asked me to protect you, which shows how good he is to you.”

Chu Xia tilted her head and thought for a moment: "Are they all like you, secretly staying in the Jun Mansion, without letting anyone know their identities?"

Qinglong shook his head and said, "Of course not. Unless something extremely important happens, I wouldn't be called back by you, young master. Actually, of the four of us, I've only seen Xuanwu before... Come to think of it, only you, young master, have ever seen the four of us."

Chu Xia was getting a little tired of listening, so she rubbed her eyes and said, "A Qing, I understand."

"Then go to sleep." Qinglong nimbly turned over, blew out the candle, and whispered before leaving, "Chuxia, don't worry. I will definitely persuade the young master to set you free."

The day after early summer, I was summoned to the study. On the way, I passed by the courtyard where I had lived for more than a month. Now it was a scorched earth, which was truly shocking.

A huge map of mountains and rivers hung on the wall of the study, and the young master was looking up at it carefully.

"Young master, are you going out?" Chu Xia stood behind him, glancing at him curiously.

The young master turned to look at her, paused, and then said, "What's wrong? Did you cry last night? Your eyes are swollen like walnuts."

Chu Xia remained silent.

"Early Summer, I need to ask you about this." Seeing that she didn't answer, the young master didn't press further. "Would you be willing to come with me to the Azure Sky River?"

"Are we going to find 'Ballad of Mountains and Rivers'?" Chu Xia thought for a moment, then shook her head vigorously. "I'm not going."

The young master hummed in agreement, but did not ask why. He simply said, "Then you may stay at the Jun residence."

Chu Xia was momentarily puzzled, then glanced at the young master… Why was he being so agreeable? But treasure hunting was never that simple. She wasn't willing to go and die…

"You must be careful while you stay in the Jun residence," the young master said calmly. "Now, only the two of us know the location of 'The Ballad of Mountains and Rivers.' You saw the assassin's methods yesterday, and such things may happen every day from now on."

The young master paused intentionally, noticing her pale face, and smiled, "However, I will have the head steward take good care of you."

Chu Xia's throat began to ache, and she timidly said, "Young master, then please leave A Qing here to keep me company..."

“He naturally came with me.” The young master turned away, no longer looking at her. “Oh, by the way, did A-Qing tell you about the inside mansion?”

A moment later.

"Young master, I'd better go with you! There will be someone to take care of you on the way!" Chu Xia said righteously, "Chu Xia is not afraid of hardship, nor is she afraid of death!"

"Are you really not going to regret it?"

No regrets.

"If this comes up in the future, will it be because I forced you?"

"This servant is willing."

The young master remained with his back to her, not letting her see the smile that had been twitching: "Alright, then go and prepare."

Chu Xia responded and was about to go out when she heard a guard outside the door announce, "Young master, Miss Bai Xue is outside the door."

The young master frowned slightly, and after a moment said, "Let her in."

Chu Xia glanced at the young master, and seeing that he had no intention of letting her leave, she could only stand aside.

As Bai Xue entered, she gracefully bowed to the young master and whispered, "Is the young master leaving Cangzhou?"

The young master did not tell her to get up, but only said, "How did you know I was going to leave the Jun residence?"

"While strolling around the manor, Bai Xue noticed servants preparing the saddle for Young Master's 'Lightning' horse in the backyard stables." Bai Xue looked up, her beautiful eyes sparkling. "If Young Master wishes to leave the Jun manor, could you please take Bai Xue with you?"

Chapter Twelve

The young master's gaze was extremely deep. He tapped the table lightly with his slender fingers and said, "Wandering the martial world is not the same as living a life of luxury in a brothel."

Bai Xue smiled and said, "Simple food... as long as I'm by your side, young master, that's all that matters."

As Chu Xia watched the beautiful young woman from the side, and thought of the corpse that had been cut in two yesterday and the charred housekeeper, she couldn't help but feel anxious for her... Miss Bai Xue, do you think you're going to see the flowers with the young master?

The young master, however, was kind and gentle. He got up and personally helped Bai Xue up, and even nodded in agreement.

Bai Xue was delighted, and after giving a graceful bow, she left.

"Young Master, you're leaving like this? Will the Jun family be in trouble?" Chu Xia looked at the Shu Garden, which was just beginning to show signs of green, and felt uneasy.

“It’s safe here now that we’ve all left.” The young master called Chu Xia to his side and said gently, “I know you’re reluctant, afraid that this trip might be dangerous, isn’t it?”

Chu Xia, having her secret exposed, gave an embarrassed smile: "This servant would be very willing to go and see for herself."

“Bai Xue is willing to come with me, so you see, she’s not afraid.” The young master’s smile was somewhat meaningful.

This time, Chu Xia did not argue, but only sighed softly and said, "Young master, don't you know that as long as you are with the one you love, you are not afraid of any danger or obstacle?"

The young master gave an "Oh," his tone slightly raised, a half-smile playing on his lips, and said, "It sounds like you're envious?"

Chu Xia paused for a moment, but did not deny it: "Yes."

The young master put down his pen, stared at her intently, as if he were re-evaluating her, and remained silent for a long time.

This early spring trip, from Cangzhou westward to Luoyang, was indeed filled with beautiful scenery.

The young master seemed unhurried, riding alongside Bai Xue, occasionally pointing out the scenery, quite content. Chu Xia and Qing Long followed behind, constantly bickering and arguing, until finally one of them would ride forward to complain. The young master, observing their indignant expressions, never took sides, making their journey quite lively.

"Young master, there's a town ahead. Shall we have lunch there?"

Although winter has passed, these past few days have been a "cold snap," and early summer is already huddled up on horseback, really looking forward to having a cup of hot tea.

The young master glanced at the sky and pondered, "It looks like it's going to rain."

Bai Xue chimed in, "Yes, this spring is really strange."

"Ouch—" The horse beneath her slipped and swerved, causing Chu Xia to fall to the side, half of her body already tumbling to the ground.

But the young master did nothing; with a light lift and a sweep, he had already brought Chu Xia to his side.

Chu Xia turned pale with fright. Qinglong dismounted and carefully examined the horse's forelegs. Sure enough, an iron shoe had come off.

The sky was grayish-white, and a fine drizzle began to fall. The young master frowned as he looked at the sky and said to Qinglong, "Let's hurry to the town ahead first. You take this horse and catch up later."

Qinglong responded, and the young master gave a clear shout, braving the drizzle to continue forward.

In early summer, I felt quite uncomfortable sharing a horse with the young master.

The young master held the reins in one hand and the other hand around Chu Xia's waist. Although he was carrying two people, Dian Guang was still extremely fast and had already galloped ahead of another horse in a short while.

"Young master, shall I switch with Miss Bai Xue?" Chu Xia shouted loudly amidst the wind and rain.

The young master seemed not to hear her, but leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Don't move."

The warm breath caressed her ear, and the young master, intentionally or unintentionally, wrapped his cloak around her body, holding her even tighter.

Chu Xia suddenly realized how warm this embrace was… perhaps even warmer than that priceless fox fur coat? After a long while, she softly said, “Young master, I can’t breathe…”

This time, her voice was so soft, yet the young master heard it. He loosened his grip on her slightly, his thin lips brushing against her cheek almost imperceptibly. Chu Xia's body stiffened even more, and sure enough, she stopped moving.

After traveling for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they arrived at a small town. The town was very small, with only one restaurant. When the young master dismounted, he naturally reached out his hand to Chuxia. However, Chuxia glanced at Baixue, who had arrived later, and silently climbed down to the other side.

The servant led the horses to feed them, and soon Qinglong caught up as well. The young master glanced at him and casually asked, "All done?"

Qinglong scratched his head, his expression meaningful: "The blacksmith shop in this town is not easy to find... It took a little effort."

The young master hummed in agreement and said calmly, "Let's eat first."