Thirty-three
Ying Si and the other three retreated in disgrace under the prince's death gaze, and without exception, they did so by climbing through the windows. Their movements were uniform and it was obvious that they had done this many times.
Xiao Weixin watched them leave with cold eyes, and said sarcastically: "Why, climbing through windows is also a tradition of your Shadow Guard Battalion?"
"No, no." You Shu didn't dare to provoke him now and stood obediently.
Although he also didn't understand why this person came all the way here in the middle of the night without sleeping, could it be that he wanted to scold him
Knowing that the two had something to say, Hua Chun tactfully left and tactfully closed the door.
The atmosphere in the room was very low. You Shu felt suffocated by Xiao Weixin's superior aura. His mind was full of thoughts on how to comfort him, but he did not notice the ambiguity in Xiao Weixin's gaze on him.
Xiao Weixin was indeed very angry just now. Hua Chun had reminded him many times not to drink alcohol during the recovery period, and he also asked people to take good care of him. Who could have thought that this disobedient guy would suddenly drink secretly at night, not taking his own body seriously at all!
But as he got more angry, his attitude changed.
The ancients liked to look at beauties under the lamp. You Shu was good-looking, and the dim light in the house was not as strong as the daylight, which made his facial lines look softer and gentler than in the daytime. He looked as if he was shrouded in a golden veil.
From Xiao Weixin's perspective, she was absolutely stunningly beautiful, and no matter how beautiful she was, she would not catch his eye.
He uncontrollably stretched out a hand to touch You Shu's face, but before he could touch her, he regained his senses and retracted his hand halfway, coughing lightly as if to cover up: "You are injured, sit down."
"Yes." You Shu sat down on the stool obediently, fidgeting under Xiao Weixin's scorching gaze.
If it was Shadow Four or Shadow Nine, they would be able to see the desire and affection in Xiao Weixin's eyes without having to guess too much. After all, they are both veterans in the love field. However, You Shu has never had any serious love experience in his two lives. He has only eaten pork but never seen pigs run. He can analyze other people's feelings on paper very well, but when it comes to himself, he is like a blind man. He did not understand the deep meaning in Xiao Weixin's eyes and just thought that it was the rage of anger.
It was just a drink secretly, why are you so angry
If Xiao Weixin wants to plot, he must have a strategy. Even though he has no experience, he is self-taught. For someone as stupid as Xiao Yingwei, the best strategy is to be roundabout. If he makes his intentions clear now, he will definitely think he is crazy.
The two sat opposite each other at the table. Xiao Weixin finally took her eyes off his face and looked at the half-burned candle on the table. After a moment's hesitation, she asked, "Don't you want to live here?"
You Shu hesitated whether to nod or not. He really didn't like living here, but he was afraid that Xiao Weixin would be angry.
"Tell the truth." Xiao Weixin said softly, "Don't lie."
Hearing what he said, You Shu simply made up his mind, stood up from the chair and knelt down again: "My Lord, it's not that I don't want to... It's just that I'm used to the old days, and my skin is too thick to enjoy the good life."
Although it was good to live here, he was always worried. In the Shadow Guard Battalion, he could train, go on missions, and be on duty according to the routine, but here, he could do nothing but be watched over and recuperate. Wherever he went, someone followed him, and everyone treated him like a glass treasure, guarding him tightly for fear that he would get hurt. But he didn't think his body was weak enough to need such care, and after a while, he actually had the illusion of being a "bird in a cage".
In comparison, life in the Shadow Guard Camp was actually better. Could it be that he was born to like hard work
Xiao Weixin was not surprised by his answer at all, he had noticed his unhappiness in the past few days, he had originally wanted to be nice to him, but now he realized that was just his wishful thinking, maybe the little shadow guard had never really understood it from the beginning to the end.
He is really a blockhead.
Xiao Weixin waved his hands in a headache: "I told you not to kneel, stand up."
"From now on, you don't have to kneel unless I pay attention to you."
Why
You Shu's ears moved slightly, and he sat back obediently, his mind a mess.
These days are as exciting as riding a roller coaster. The male protagonist has a new idea every day. Wasn’t he angry just now? Why is he so gentle to him suddenly
It’s no wonder that You Shu has so many thoughts. The main reason is that Xiao Weixin is really moody and most people can’t guess what he is thinking.
Xiao Weixin sighed helplessly: "Forget it, I just wanted you to take good care of yourself at first. Since you are not used to living here, you can decide for yourself tomorrow. It's up to you whether to leave or stay, do whatever you want."
"Yes." You Shu nodded, and after a slight hesitation, he asked, "Why hasn't Your Majesty gone to bed yet at this late hour?"
Xiao Weixin's eyes were somewhat complicated. He didn't want to answer this question, but for some reason he blurted out: "Of course I can't sleep."
"Let me ask you, do you have someone you like?"
You Shu never thought that one day he would be able to talk about personal feelings with Xiao Weixin. After being stunned for a while, he immediately replied: "No. I only want to serve the prince and have never considered my own personal affairs."
This answer should not be wrong, right? You Shu thought so. He did think so. A good man should have a career first and then a family. This way, he can give his future partner a sense of security. He has to wait until he is free before talking about love or not.
These words moved Xiao Weixin a little. Although this was the iron rule of the Shadow Guard Battalion, he had gradually gotten used to double standards: "Really... This is good."
"Keep."
You Shu: “…”
What does keep mean
Xiao Weixin got a satisfactory answer and felt refreshed. He didn't want to embarrass him anymore and stood up and walked to the door: "No need to see me off, go to bed early."
Even though he said that, You Shu was still considerate enough to insist on sending him to the gate of the courtyard. In the end, he still didn't understand why he came there so late at night.
The next morning, You Shu got up and made his bed on his own initiative. He had not asked the maids to help him during the days he had lived here. He was not used to being served by others, and except for washing clothes, which was inconvenient, he did almost all the other chores by himself.
After a simple cleanup of the room, You Shu did not touch anything inside. He just carried the meat rabbit that Xiao Weixin had given him back to the Shadow Guard Camp.
It was just time for breakfast, so he happily went straight to the cafeteria, as if he had returned to his own world, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Because his injury had not yet fully healed, Xie Feiyuan did not assign him any tasks for the time being, nor did he have to attend daily training. He only asked him to go on duty so that he would not be delayed in anything. "The prince said that you have made great contributions this time, so he specially increased your salary."
"The prince thinks highly of you. You must perform well in the future."
Xie Feiyuan was happy and liked him no matter how he looked at him: "Then your foster father will rely on you for his old age."
You Shu was also happy. The prince was a good person after all. What could make people happier than getting a raise
He felt that his future was promising and everything was fine again.
Xie Feiyuan nodded, and when he looked up, he saw a meat rabbit running all over the ground in the training camp, and asked in confusion: "Where did the rabbit come from?"
"It was a reward from the prince." You Shu said helplessly, "I don't know what to do with it, so I had to bring it back."
Xie Feiyuan stared at the fat rabbit's big butt for a while, nodding his head: "It looks good, and should taste good too, if you want to go with wine..."
"Absolutely not." You Shu said seriously: "The prince has ordered that if this rabbit enters the basin, I will be skinned alive."
Xie Feiyuan: “???”
What does this mean
The rabbit is not allowed to eat it. Is it used as a token of love
Xiao Weixin sneezed unfortunately in the study and looked around vigilantly.
This year's spring hunting was not smooth. Not only did they not hunt any rare animals, but they also encountered assassins. All the civil and military officials in the court were worried. They had never encountered such a thing in previous years. They all felt that this year was a bad start and wondered if it meant something.
Xiao Weishen was also upset. He killed all the people in charge of the spring hunt, turned Quzhou upside down, and hunted down possible traitors across the country, but he still couldn't feel at ease.
"If I were to say, this might be because of the bad luck this year." Queen Mother Xia said solemnly, "Why don't you invite some experts from outside to do the math?"
Because of Yu Sheng, Empress Dowager Xia became more radiant despite her old age, with a rosy complexion and charming eyes. At first glance, she looked like a young girl who had just fallen in love. She was completely intoxicated in the sweetness of love. She was more tolerant towards the people in the palace than before, and almost neglected her own son.
"What kind of experts can there be among the common people? There are astrologers in the palace." Xiao Weishen didn't take it seriously and said stubbornly, "It was just an accident."
How could Queen Mother Xia not understand his irritability? She was now contented by Yu Sheng's coaxing, and her heart was tied to him, almost obeying him in everything. She was also annoyed for a long time because of the assassination of the emperor two days ago, and it was Yu Sheng who comforted her for a long time before she calmed down. Yu Sheng said that their troupe had traveled far and wide and met many people. They knew that there was an expert among the people who was proficient in fortune-telling, physiognomy, and alchemy. If he came to the palace to check the feng shui, maybe he could change his luck.
When Empress Dowager Xia thought about the unrest in the past two years, she began to think about something.
"It's just a visit, it won't be a big deal." Queen Mother Xia advised, "If he really is a liar seeking fame, just drag him out and kill him, you won't suffer any loss."
Xiao Weishen still hesitated: "If the civil and military officials knew that I was superstitious, wouldn't they say something about me?"
"They dare!" Queen Mother Xia said disdainfully, "Since ancient times, has there been any minister who dared to interfere in the emperor's affairs? If anyone dares to say a word, you can drag them all out. You are the one who makes the decisions in the court."
"Let alone the imperial court, the whole world belongs to you. Do you need other people's permission to do anything you want?"
This sentence touched Xiao Weishen's heart. He thought about it and felt that it was right. After all, he just asked someone to take a look, so why should he care what others said.
He was still thinking about this when he heard Queen Mother Xia say, "Speaking of which, the most important thing right now is the issue of offspring. The Queen and you have been married for so many years and there has been no movement. You should not always pamper that bitch surnamed Luo. If the royal heir really comes out of her belly, your uncle will be unhappy."
"I know." Xiao Weishen was even more annoyed when he mentioned this matter. "The Queen's belly is not doing well, what can I do?"
Queen Mother Xia sighed deeply, "It's a pity that your uncle's second daughter is only twelve years old this year. If she were older, I would have brought her into the palace. If Lingwei can't give birth, I can just replace her with another one."
"But I think Xia Yinxiu is pretty good." Xiao Weishen suddenly remembered the pretty and lively girl. He had forgotten about her because of his annoyance recently.
Queen Mother Xia's face immediately fell: "Don't mention her! How can a lowly child born of a lowly maid be worthy of coveting the empress? I won't allow you to bring her into the palace, it's not decent."
"This prince must come out of the belly of the Xia family's daughter!"
Xiao Weishen frowned, but swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth. He actually didn't want the woman of the Xia family to give birth to a child. His uncle's power was already very great, and if the prince was to hinder him, it would be even more difficult for him to be the emperor.
But he didn't say these words after all. He knew how he got this position. If it weren't for his uncle's help, he would have been kicked out long ago.
A few days later, Xiao Weiming hurried to see his seventh brother, and this time he did not cheat him again.
"What did you say?" Xiao Weixin turned around and stared at him, frowning.
Xiao Weiming hurriedly repeated, "It's true! I just came out of Uncle Liu's house, and the Queen Mother said in person that she would marry Xia Yinxiu to you. She said she was afraid that our brother would miss her all the time, so she might as well marry her off to save her from worry."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Weixin crushed the inkstone in his hand with an expressionless face, and his hands were covered with black ink.