The Suzhou Imperial Mausoleum is far away from the emperor, and the guards who guard the mausoleum dare to say all kinds of obscene things when they have nothing to do. Xie Bufeng has long been numb to hearing them.
But now, he didn't even dare to mention a single ambiguous word to the person in front of him.
Xie Bufeng wanted Wen Qingci to know that his feelings for him were not simple.
But I was afraid that he would know and refuse.
In an instant, my mind raced through thousands of thoughts, and in the end I dared only to take a step back and carefully ask him what I should do.
But almost at the same time when he asked this question, Xie Bufeng remembered what Wen Qingci once said - I have no interest in so-called love affairs, and I am devoted to medicine in this life. I don't have any other thoughts at this time, and I won't have any other thoughts in the future.
The relief and vague joy that arose in my heart when I heard these words for the first time, now turned into a sharp sword and stabbed back at Xie Bufeng.
The blood in the boy's body was about to coagulate at this moment.
Saying nothing, maintaining the status quo, integrating into Wen Qingci's life, and staying by his side may be the best option.
But Xie Bufeng has never been such a content person.
He was unwilling to bury his desire deep in his heart forever.
While speaking, Xie Bufeng's eyes were always on Wen Qingci.
Wen Qingci instinctively wanted to pretend he didn't hear it and avoid the question, but the distance between them was too close.
It was so close that every word the boy said fell clearly into his ears.
The silence of just a few seconds caused a feeling of uneasiness to quickly spread in Xie Bufeng's heart.
He tightly grasped the hand of the person next to him, and the hand became slightly weak.
Only those amber eyes were always looking at Wen Qingci.
Xie Bufeng's words made Wen Qingci's brain go blank for a moment.
Xie Bufeng is not the kind of person who would ask such questions for no reason.
Unless, he really falls in love with a man.
This plot does not exist in the original book.
Xie Bufeng, the parachuted boss in "Fu Ming Tang", is a tool among tools, with only career and no feelings in his heart.
Let alone "liking men", he doesn't even have family affection.
The variables between the previous and next lives all depend on oneself.
Wen Qingci's breathing became disordered for a moment.
Unlike the original novel where she kept to herself, in this life, Xie Bufeng had been following her side since he entered the palace, and the two were almost inseparable.
Apart from himself, Xie Bufeng had not even come into contact with a few people.
Not to mention falling in love with someone.
stop!
Wen Qingci is not a narcissistic person, and he instinctively wants to refute this conjecture.
But the next second, he clearly saw his own figure in Xie Bufeng's eyes.
Along with this, there is a bit of caution hidden in the eyes and a subtle fragility.
Wen Qingci's heart ached.
Is it possible for me to escape from the plot
Is it possible that, unlike what is written in the original book, he personally sent Xie Bufeng to the battlefield
Everything that happened during this period quickly flashed through Wen Qingci's mind like a movie.
Then he realized:
Ever since that day in Ninghe Palace, when I chose to stand up and tell the emperor that the Third Prince really did bring a trapped animal into the palace on Community Day and used it to injure Xie Bufeng... I have been slowly drawn into the vortex of the court and have become the emperor's "confidant", and there is no turning back.
With his understanding of the plot, Wen Qingci can always "guess" the emperor's thoughts, give him satisfactory answers, and say what he wants to say but cannot.
Over time, the emperor has come to regard this as normal.
Not to mention that he couldn't stop the emperor from making any decision.
If he acted "abnormally" or "made an exception" just because of Xie Bufeng, it would be enough to arouse the emperor's greater suspicion and anxiety.
At that time, he would most likely change his plan and kill Xie Bufeng directly.
By then, the boy's last hope of survival was gone.
Wen Qingci realized belatedly that he seemed to have embarked on a path from which there was no turning back.
Maybe I shouldn't have been so nice to Xie Bufeng from the beginning.
That way, what happens afterwards won't seem so cruel to him.
In his previous life, Wen Qingci was already a sophomore.
But he was so focused on studying that he had no emotional experience.
Facing Xie Bufeng at this moment, Wen Qingci had absolutely no idea what to do.
As someone who is destined to betray him, maybe I should stay away from him
In just a short moment, countless thoughts popped up in Wen Qingci's mind.
He was forced to make the most rational decision.
But in the panic, he forgot to think about what kind of feelings he had towards Xie Bufeng.
Wen Qingci slowly smiled towards Xie Bufeng.
He pretended not to understand what Xie Bufeng meant and started to play Tai Chi: "Your Highness, there is no difference between liking the same sex and liking the opposite sex. You don't have to think too much about what to do. Just let it go."
"Let it be..." Xie Bufeng suddenly smiled and slowly loosened his fingers.
What answer were I hoping for just now
The boy's nose suddenly felt slightly sour.
He wanted to tell Wen Qingci that what he disdained most was to let things take their own course.
But facing the gentle gaze of the person in front of me, I couldn't utter a word.
A little bit of indescribable bitterness spread in his heart.
Xie Bufeng was once grateful and happy that Wen Qingci treated him as "an ordinary person among millions of people", but now he feels unwilling about it.
He wanted to be the most special one in Wen Qingci's heart.
Wen Qingci's words were like a gust of wind.
Not only did it fail to extinguish Xie Bufeng's anger, it even made it even more crazy.
“… It’s getting late,” Wen Qingci raised his eyes and looked towards the horizon, “I’m going to see His Majesty in a while. If Your Highness has nothing else to do, I’ll leave first.” Wen Qingci said softly.
Wen Qingci exerted a little force and freed his wrist from Xie Bufeng's shackles.
He didn't dare look back at the boy behind him and hurriedly walked out of the garden.
From the corner of my eye I could see the boy's hand still suspended in the air, and I could vaguely see the wool bracelet hidden under his sleeve.
Xie Bufeng seemed to cherish it very much, and until now, the bracelet has not been stained with any other color.
As white as the clouds in the sky.
Wen Qingci subconsciously touched his wrist. He wanted to hold the medicine jade tightly to cover up the nervousness and uneasiness in his heart.
Then he remembered that he had just used it to tie up Xie Bufeng's hair.
There was something missing from his wrist, and Wen Qingci's heart suddenly felt empty.
He was determined to keep a distance from Xie Bufeng, so of course he couldn't go back and ask for the medicine jade back.
After much thought, I can only wait until I return to the Divine Doctor Valley in the future to make another string.
*
After arriving at Songxiu Mansion, Concubine Lan felt a little unwell.
Not only did I suffer from insomnia, but I also had a loss of appetite.
Wen Qingci was not the only imperial physician accompanying the emperor on his southern tour, but he was the only one living in this mansion.
After taking the emperor's pulse, Wen Qingci was taken to Concubine Lan's residence by Ming Liu.
"… Concubine Lan is fine, she just has some difficulty acclimatizing to the local climate," Wen Qingci put his finger down and started writing a prescription. "She should feel better after taking the Lipi Quezao Decoction," he said softly.
Concubine Lan nodded and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
After hearing Wen Qingci say that it was nothing serious, the wet nurse standing beside her finally handed Xie Fuyin, who was babbling non-stop, to her.
Although the little princess is young, she has a good memory.
She seemed to recognize Wen Qingci and smiled at the imperial physician dressed in moon-white.
Concubine Lan poked her cheek with a smile and chatted with Wen Qingci casually: "Now that we have arrived at Songxiu Mansion, Mr. Wen, why don't you go home to visit or pay your respects?"
Without waiting for Wen Qingci to answer, she asked again: "By the way, I still don't know where Mr. Wen's home is in Songxiu Mansion?"
During the southern tour, Concubine Lan always seemed to ask about his family situation intentionally or unintentionally, which really made it difficult for Wen Qingci who had no memory of the past.
Fortunately, Wen Qingci can still answer this question.
He smiled and said, "It's a small village near Eryan Mountain."
Wen Qingci once saw the scene when the original owner went up the mountain to collect herbs with his family when he was a child, while he was in a coma.
Before coming to Songxiu Mansion, Wen Qingci didn't know where it was.
Only after arriving here did he realize that there was actually only one mountain nearby, Eryan Mountain.
After saying that, Wen Qingci lowered his head and continued to write the prescription.
He didn't notice that Concubine Lan's face suddenly turned pale because of his words.
It was not until the little princess in her arms cried out that Concubine Lan realized that she had unknowingly used too much force and hurt the little girl in her arms.
“It’s okay, it’s okay…” Lan Fei rubbed the little guy’s arm and smiled, hiding the strange expression on her face just now.
When Wen Qingci was leaving with the medicine box, he happened to meet Xie Bufeng who was called here by Concubine Lan.
When they passed each other, he nodded gently to the boy as usual.
Then he quickly left here.
Just like a breeze, it leaves no trace when it comes or goes.
Hearing the footsteps, Ming Liu put down the cake in his hand and said to Concubine Lan: "Your Majesty, the prince is coming down."
Concubine Lan looked up at the door, paused for a moment, and said with a smile: "This is the cake sent by Songxiu Mansion. Your Highness, come and try it and see if you like it."
When they were in Taishu Palace, Xie Bufeng had deliberately told Concubine Lan to keep his distance so as not to arouse the emperor's suspicion.
But after his southern tour, the emperor had no time to care about this matter.
Vaguely sensing the changes in Xie Bufeng, Lan Fei is also trying to change her relationship with the boy bit by bit.
"Yeah." The young man walked up slowly. Only then did he notice that what Concubine Lan had just looked at was the map of Songxiu Mansion.
Seeing Xie Bufeng looking over here, the smile on Lan Fei's face suddenly fell.
"Please sit down, Your Highness," Concubine Lan said with a sigh, "I just happen to have something to tell you."
After Ming Liu served the tea, he led his people out and slowly closed the door.
The light dimmed, and soon only Concubine Lan and Xie Bufeng were left in the hall.
Concubine Lan handed over the map in her hand, and Xie Bufeng saw that she had drawn a semicircle on the southwest side of the map with a red pen.
"What is this place?" he asked.
Concubine Lan took a sip of tea and said, "Doctor Wen's house is right here."
When he suddenly heard these three words, Xie Bufeng's heart trembled.
He suppressed the strange emotion and looked at the map carefully.
The map in Concubine Lan's hand is the most standard and detailed version available at the moment.
In addition to the mountains and rivers, the location of every village, town and post station is also marked in detail.
But where she had outlined, there was nothing.
The boy couldn't help but frown.
Seeing Xie Bufeng's expression, Lan Fei knew that he also realized that something was wrong.
Then, Concubine Lan took out the county annals from the side and quickly flipped through them: "Your Highness, look, not only is it not on the map, there is no record of it here either."
Her tone of voice couldn't help but rise several degrees, and her voice suddenly became tense and sounded a little nervous.
In the past few days, Lan Fei has been looking through maps and county annals, and has already memorized most of the contents.
In her impression, there was no one living near Eryan Mountain.
After Wenqing left, she immediately looked through the books to verify this.
Perhaps infected by Concubine Lan's mood, Xie Bufeng suddenly became anxious.
Countless messy thoughts flooded into his mind at once, but the young man could hardly grasp the key points from them.
"… What does mother mean?"
Lan Fei closed the book in her hand with a snap.
"Your Highness, do you remember that I asked Doctor Wen about his family?"
Xie Bufeng nodded: "Remember."
"… I mentioned it to him several times later, and it was only then that I confirmed that all of Doctor Wen's family members had indeed passed away, with only him left."
"Today, we discovered that there is no trace of the village or town he mentioned," Lan Fei said, and a light sweat appeared on her palms. "This means that not only his family, but even the people in the entire village are all dead, and even all traces of their existence have been completely wiped out..."
Speaking of this, Concubine Lan couldn't help but become excited.
She took a sip of tea and slowly calmed down: "Only Your Majesty can do this kind of thing."
In other words, the deaths of Wen Qingci's family were all related to the emperor.
"I'm afraid a lot of big things happened in Songxiu Mansion..."
Having said this, Concubine Lan stopped talking.
"Then why did he feel comfortable inviting Wen Qingci into the palace?"
The "he" Xie Bufeng mentioned is the current emperor.
Concubine Lan shook her head and said, "When Doctor Wen entered the palace, he only said that he was from Songxiu Mansion. The Divine Doctor Valley is near Songxiu Mansion. Your Majesty must have subconsciously regarded him as someone who has lived in the valley since childhood. After all, the Divine Doctor Valley does not interact with the secular world most of the time, and the Valley Master will not accept outsiders as disciples."
Speaking of this, Concubine Lan, who didn't know that "Wen Qingci" had a new core, was also a little confused.
The emperor was suspicious by nature. Regardless of whether he regarded Wen Qingci as his disciple who had lived in the valley since childhood as he said, he would investigate the other party's background.
Wen Qingci must have disguised himself when he entered the palace.
But how come he told the truth after I tried to ask him a few times
After a moment of silence, Xie Bufeng suddenly asked, "Did mother call him here just now to ask about this matter?"
He didn't realize that his voice had become a little gentler at this moment, and was filled with great concern.
Xie Bufeng seemed to be overly dependent on Wen Qingci.
Wen Qingci saved her life, so Concubine Lan was of course grateful to him.
But in comparison, it is only natural that she cares more about her own flesh and blood.
Concubine Lan gently handed the cake to Xie Bufeng. She did not answer the boy's question, but shook her head and said to him, "I just want to remind your Highness that Doctor Wen's purpose of entering the palace is definitely not simple, and his mind is even more unfathomable. Your Highness, you... after all, are the son of His Majesty, so you'd better be careful when interacting with him on a daily basis."
She sounded very embarrassed when she said this.
After he finished speaking, he looked at Xie Bufeng cautiously.
The boy's expression didn't change at all.
He just silently stroked the chain around his wrist.
Xie Bufeng instinctively wanted to refute Lan Fei's words, but the next moment he suddenly remembered... From beginning to end, he had only heard Wen Qingci's voice once.
And even at that time, he was only targeting the matter, not the person.
Having known him for such a long time, I have never noticed that he has the slightest hatred towards the emperor.
Even Wen Qingci was diligently taking care of the emperor's health.
—This is someone who has an irreconcilable feud with him.
Even if he hated someone so much, he could get along with him calmly.
I can pretend to be ignorant of what happened back then.
Even when he revisited the old place, there was no abnormal reaction at all.
What kind of person is Wen Qingci
Concubine Lan was only giving a kind reminder, but her words instantly made Xie Bufeng extremely uneasy.
It seemed as if something was gradually getting out of control.
The medicinal jade tied in her hair always gave off a faint bitter fragrance, which was blown to the tip of the young man's nose by a gust of wind at this moment.
At least for now, nothing happened...
Smelling the familiar scent, Xie Bufeng's uneasy heart finally calmed down a little.
(End of this chapter)