Chapter 312: Chapter 312: She Hasn’t Gotten Up Yet, Still Sleeping in My Room
The next day.
Xie Xun woke up very early and secretly met with Ji Teng.
"You fell out of the formation yesterday, yet no one noticed."
Ji Teng, however, took it lightly: "Being ignored once or twice is nothing new, no need to fuss over it."
Speaking of which, he fetched some wine hidden in the room and threw a jug to Xie Xun.
"Seeing you still have the heart to buy wine, I take it yesterday went smoothly."
Ji Teng rarely smiled: "Indeed. Previously, it was Uncle Zhou who helped contact my uncle’s old subordinates, yesterday was the first time I met them and they all wished to follow me."
Even... these people had always been waiting for his return.
To seek vengeance.
"Excellent, it’s like adding wings to a tiger."
As Xie Xun spoke, he remembered something serious: "Cui Yun might know about you and me."
Ji Teng uncorked the wine and guzzled it generously. The strong wine warmed his whole body.
"If he knows, he knows. It’s impossible to hide it from such a person as him."
"I also have no desire to waste effort trying to conceal it from him."
"Six years ago he secretly began amassing power, likely all these efforts were just to protect the Cui Family, unwilling to wait idly by, just to keep a retreat when pushed to a dead end. Over the years, his spies everywhere have only increased, not decreased, more formidable than you and I can imagine."
His estimation of Cui Yun was undoubtedly high.
"It’s good that he knows, I was even worried that he wouldn’t know."
Xie Xun heard Ji Teng say.
"If later on we encounter difficulties that we can’t extricate ourselves from, we could still seek his protection when necessary."
Upon hearing this, Xie Xun shook his head.
"He’s the type who’d malfunction but not leak secrets. Watching his demeanor, as long as it doesn’t involve the Cui family, no matter how big a scene our people make afterward, he would only stand by and watch; and to get him to act, I fear, would be difficult."
"You still don’t understand him well enough." Ji Teng spoke meaningfully.
"He may seem dispassionate and detached, but if there’s a real crisis, expecting the fire isn’t lively enough, he’ll probably secretly fuel it."
"Cui Yun’s covert actions are probably done with consummate skill."
Over the years, any slight disturbance in Shengjing, eight or nine times out of ten, was caused by Cui Yun’s little gestures, causing quite a headache for the useless Emperor.
And yet, he does it all under the guise of easing the sovereign’s worries, then smoothing things over.
It’s simply... taking enjoyment in it.
Ji Teng cheerfully tugged at the corner of his mouth, his hand once again fiddling with the golden lock: "He, General Cui, and Cui Bai are indeed different; the Cui Family has been loyal for generations, only he turned out to be the rebel."
Xie Xun didn’t believe it.
Although Cui Yun devoted his attention to Yangyang, he shouldn’t be so ruthless.
But Ji Teng’s expression was unmistakably genuine.
And Ji Teng had no reason to exaggerate.
Soon after, Ji Teng said: "To my knowledge, he also owns quite a few properties. He leaves them to be managed by his subordinates and never shows his face. I fear no one knows he’s the real Boss behind them."
He sighed: "Pretty good."
"If I run short of silver in the future, I’ll borrow from him."
If Cui Yun refuses to lend, he would help Xie Xun pursue Miss Shen.
Ji Teng planned it well, upon seeing Xie Xun stunned, he paused, then nonchalantly asked.
"About the matter with the Fourth Prince Consort, did he say my methods were cruel?"
Emperor He intended to investigate thoroughly, but Ji Teng was not the least bit worried.
The useless Emperor, he definitely won’t find any clues.
Xie Xun: "Not at all."
Cui Yun didn’t even mention it.
Xie Xun softly looked at Ji Teng: "Although one shouldn’t involve innocent women, you were merely returning the favor."
To think, before Ji Teng’s birth, Shao Jinhui had borne a daughter.
Ji Teng actually had an elder sister.
Born beautiful and delicate.
Later on, Shao Jinhui was banished to the Cold Palace and could not protect her comprehensively. The little princess was literally killed by the joint efforts of Empress Zou and Princess Consort Jing.
At that time, Emperor He needed the support of the maternal clans of Empress Zou and Princess Consort Jing, and since it was not a prince who died, he painfully refrained from interfering.
One retribution calls for another.
Though it’s said that calamity should not befall the innocent, Xie Xun has a sister, putting himself in others’ shoes.
He could not maintain kindness in his heart.
It was merely karma and the cycle of gratitude and resentment.
————
After returning from Ji Teng, Xie Xun accompanied Xie Yinong for breakfast. He couldn’t help but give numerous admonitions.
"The official is furious, the Empress Dowager’s illness has worsened; considering the circumstances, it’s probably not good. Don’t wander around today."
Xie Yinong obediently nodded her head.
Xie Xun’s gaze fell on the embroidery basket not far away, which contained needles and threads.
He knew all too well that Xie Yinong feared strangers, disliked going out, and usually spends her time reading, embroidering, and playing the piano.
This time Xie Yinong traveled a long distance, so she also brought them along. However, these past few days, she seldom let go and was with Cui Rong, the little girl, spending all day following Shen Hua and indulging in play.
"If you embroider, you might also want to seek Miss Shen. She has been learning since childhood, her embroidery is only good and not bad, there are too many experts in this world, I dare not comment, but in the entire Shengjing, probably no one can match her."
Xie Yinong was slightly surprised.
Seeing her reaction, Xie Xun thought she didn’t believe it.
After all, Shen Hua’s personality is unrestrained, also really not seeming like a girl who could settle down to embroider.
"If you don’t believe it, just go and see for yourself."
Xie Yinong believes.
Shen Hua being such a good girl, even if it was said she could ascend to heaven or suddenly become a Buddha on the spot, she would believe it.
She just doesn’t understand why Xie Xun knows so clearly?
Could it be that Sese, Yangyang, and Huahua are not enough?
Do we need another Huahua?
Xie Xun was uneasy about her leaving the room alone and wanted to see if Shen Hua was obediently taking her medicine. Thus, he picked up the embroidery basket.
"Come on, I’ll accompany you."
Xie Yinong, with many thoughts, followed behind Xie Xun.
The two quickly arrived at Shen Hua’s room.
Xie Xun raised his hand and knocked on the tightly closed door.
’Bang bang bang’
There was no movement inside the room.
Xie Xun gently knocked again.
Still, there was no movement inside.
Seeing this, Xie Yinong genuinely breathed a sigh of relief. Her brother is good, but he has too many beauties around him; he shouldn’t have too much involvement with Miss Shen.
"Brother, Miss Shen might not have gotten up yet. I’ll come back later. You go ahead with your work."
Xie Xun was about to agree, but somehow felt something was amiss and immediately turned to knock on the door again. Seeing no one responded, his brows furrowed, and he raised his leg intending to kick the door open.
At that moment, the neighboring door opened.
Cui Yun, dressed in casual attire, eyebrows extending into his temples, exuding a clear and noble temperament. Noble and distant, he stood between heaven and earth.
His indifferent gaze lightly fell on Xie Xun.
"Princely Heir, it would be good to be gentler."
Cui Yun’s thin lips moved: "She hasn’t woken up; she’s still sleeping in my room."
Xie Xun also breathed a sigh of relief: "It’s fine as long as nothing happened. I knocked on the door for a long time, but there was no response inside; I feared something had gone wrong. It seems she again went to bed late last night, this habit should—"
Suddenly, his voice completely stopped.
The man’s gentle expression visibly stiffened. His head turned extremely slowly toward Cui Yun.
Xie Xun, word by word, as if the next moment might completely erupt into a terrifying hysterical outburst.
"Your, room?"
The last syllable, carrying a clearly noticeable tremble.