Сун Синчжи жил во времена правления императора Хуэйцзуна

Глава 93

This time, his personal attendant, Xiao Zuzi, also came along. Currently, they are desperately trying to fend off the throngs of admirers on the street, including men, women, young, and old. The protected key figure, looking impatient, picked up a jade pendant from a nearby stall, examined it, hesitated, and put it down before someone else bought it. He then picked up another jade ornament, examined it, put it down, and it was bought again, and so on…

As he took a step to leave.

The stall owner fawned over him, saying, "Young master, feel free to browse around some more; it's fine if you don't buy anything."

Long Ming ignored her and impatiently strode away. As she walked, she asked Xiao Zuzi, "How do the girls in the capital compare to those in Suzhou?"

The young man, sweating profusely, replied in a disheveled manner, "The waves are even stronger. Young master, I can hardly hold on any longer."

Long Ming asked, "How was your earnings today?"

Xiao Zuzi laughed and said, "There's no room left to put it. I thought the capital was a big city, and the girls would be very sensible and reserved. I never expected this. If I had known, I would have brought a bundle and asked a few young and strong men to come with me."

Long Ming nodded, seemingly unconcerned.

The master and servant were strolling around when a sedan chair passed by. Long Ming didn't pay any attention at first, but as the sedan chair brushed past him, he suddenly saw Xi Ri's face appear right in front of him. His expression froze for a moment, and it was this moment that gave Xi Ri an opportunity.

Suddenly something was thrown at Long Ming.

Long Ming subconsciously reached out and grabbed, only to feel a warm, wet sensation in his palm. Looking down, he saw his hand covered in egg white. An already cracked egg had been crushed in his hand, while the yolk remained intact. He couldn't help but feel a little helpless.

I chuckled to myself yesterday.

Seeing this, Long Ming chuckled softly.

This is the first time they've met since their breakup, after so many days.

Long Ming was about to say something when Xi Ri lowered the sedan curtain.

There were many people around, so it wasn't wise to say much. Long Ming simply smiled and watched the sedan chair leave.

The incident happened in an instant, and few people witnessed the entire process. Most people didn't see it clearly. They only saw a sedan chair brush past the young master, and then the young master held a handful of egg whites, looking at the egg yolk in his palm with a sweet expression.

A woman tenderly and tremblingly offered him a silk handkerchief, but Long Ming seemed not to see it at all. Holding the egg yolk in his hand, he walked away sweetly. The woman murmured, "Does the young master like raw eggs?" The little girl following behind didn't think much of it at first, but then she suddenly heard someone else say, "So this young master likes eggs. Come on, let's go buy more and give them all to that young master."

Xiao Zuzi was terrified. "No! What if so many people start throwing eggs at my young master?!" She hurriedly grabbed Long Ming and said, "Young master, let's run!"

Long Ming was still lost in the delightful contrast of egg yolk and egg white, his face beaming with sweet infatuation, completely oblivious to Xiao Zuzi's words. Xiao Zuzi watched as the market's eggs were swept clean by the crowd. Many girls, unaware of the reason, had only vaguely heard others confidently say that this young master liked eggs, and had all followed suit. Looking at the girls before her, each holding an egg with tender affection, and then at the young master still lost in his own fantasy, gazing sweetly at his egg, Xiao Zuzi felt like crying!

Xiao Zuzi was a man of considerable experience, and in a moment of quick thinking, he shouted, "My young master prefers whole eggs as collectibles; he doesn't want broken ones!" With that one sentence, he managed to avert a major disaster.

After accepting and carrying dozens of baskets of eggs, Xiao Zuzi followed behind Long Ming with difficulty, thinking as she moved: This Tian Xiri is indeed the nemesis of his young master. Every time he sees her, nothing good ever comes of it!

I had just cursed Tian Xiri a few times in my heart when, without paying attention, I slipped and... *splat*—I was covered in egg white!

Now Xiao Zuzi was convinced that Tian Xiri was a witch reincarnated.

Afternoon is the time when people are most lazy, especially in autumn when it is easy to feel sleepy. Xi Ri was dozing off when she suddenly felt an itch on the tip of her nose. She opened her eyes abruptly and was surprised to see a face so beautiful that even she was jealous was close to her. Suddenly, the person lowered his head and, caught off guard, was kissed on the lips.

She was flustered and nervous, yet filled with a sweetness and longing she had never felt before. A light kiss, like a raging storm, stirred her already turbulent heart once more. He liked her; he had never said it, but she knew it.

Her cheeks flushed, and she dared not look him in the eye. His breath was still close to hers as he whispered, "Come with me. Leave this place. I'll help you resolve the engagement."

She suddenly looked up, her already confused mind becoming even more muddled, yet an overwhelming surge of sweetness and happiness welled up within her, almost overwhelming her.

She heard her cousin's words, but didn't quite understand them, nor did she take them to heart; she'd almost forgotten them by now. Her aunt, the Empress Dowager's words, didn't apply to her, and she didn't pay much attention to them either. She could disregard the expectations of Consort Shu and her father; she owed them nothing. She thought this, told herself this—she could do it, she could go with him, and she could believe in him, trust him, and rely on him for the rest of her life.

But why would he suddenly say such a thing? There are so many questions I want to ask him in person, and I want to hear his answers.

"What have you been doing these past few days?" She was clearly trying to change the subject.

Long Ming's heart, which had been held high, was suddenly shattered, much to his displeasure. However, he still replied, "You must have heard about the chaos in the canal transport. Unfortunately, this has always been our family's responsibility. This time, several elders in the gang were instigated to join forces and hoard private grain and salt while my father and I were away, hoping to profit from it. Originally, this was just an internal matter of the gang, but unexpectedly, the person who instigated this was a Jin man. There are many secrets involved, and I cannot say more. However, when I received the secret report, I could not confirm it. On the one hand, I was afraid that the news would leak and alert the enemy, and on the other hand, I was afraid that the news would not be accurate and would falsely accuse innocent people, so I did not tell you."

She knew the gist of the matter, and since it wasn't something she cared about, she didn't ask further. She simply said, "You promised to send a message by carrier pigeon, why didn't you!" Her question was sharp and pointed.

Seeing her like this, Long Ming smiled ingratiatingly and said, "I flew away, but the pigeon was roasted and eaten halfway through."

"Ha, how do you know the pigeon was roasted and eaten?"

"Hey, very likely."

Too lazy to pay him any attention, Xi Ri asked again, "What exactly is the feud between you and my cousin?"

"Your cousin? Oh, you mean Li Yu?"

He nodded in agreement.

Long Ming seemed to be pondering carefully for a while, then suddenly asked, "Do I have a grudge against your cousin?"

"No?" Why did you turn the question around and ask her that?

"Is there?" Long Ming asked.

He ignored him for a long time. He was obviously faking it; he must have known his cousin's hatred for him.

Long Ming suddenly burst into laughter.

After laughing, Long Ming said, "We haven't seen each other for many years since he lost a bet to me five years ago and has to obey me in everything. I miss him quite a bit."

This person... really.

"Do I have to obey your orders in everything?" Xi Ri asked in surprise.

Long Ming laughed and said, "Not long ago, I even asked him to treat my cousin's illness."

It's best not to mention this matter too much, I thought to myself in vain.

"What have you asked your cousin to do these past few years?" Xi Ri had a gut feeling that Long Ming wouldn't let go of such a good opportunity to use his cousin so easily.