In Lu Jinxi's impression, Xue Tingzhi was at the border when he was a child, and he lived with Xue Kuang and his biological mother who was Hu Ji. He was brought back to the capital by Xue Kuang after he was five years old.
As Orchid's biological mother, he is innocent.
As the son of Hu Ji and Xue Kuang, he is also innocent.
But Lu Shi is also innocent.
In the final analysis, it was the emperor who slapped his head and issued an edict, which led to this tragedy.
Now that she mentioned his biological mother, Xue Tingzhi's reaction was really expected.
So Lu Jinxi didn't think about it when he saw that his expression was not quite right. Instead, he naturally thought of the emperor and the culprit of this series of tragedies.
She quietly withdrew her gaze, as if she didn't notice the faint depression and sadness on Xue Tingzhi's face, she just kept walking forward and changed the subject naturally: "I heard that the General's Mansion has already begun. Did you say kiss?"
"… Yes."
The sudden change of topic was obviously beyond Xue Tingzhi's expectations. More unexpected, of course, was the turn of the topic itself.
Lu Jinxi nodded and asked again, "Which girl are you talking about?"
"I heard that she is the young lady of the Lord Sun's family in Shuntian Prefecture." Xue Tingzhi's tone suddenly became colder, "But Tingzhi didn't ask any more questions."
"Lord Sun, Yin of Shuntian?" Lu Jinxi suddenly became interested when he heard it, "If I remember correctly, the governor of Shuntian has not changed over the years, and Mrs. Sun's family is just a young lady who has not married yet. I've seen it before, it's called Sun Huihui..."
On the street, dusk has come.
The dark twilight covered the long streets, shrouding the capital in a cold wind with a dash of bleakness.
Xue Tingzhi didn't wear much, and felt a biting chill at this moment. He looked at Lu Jinxi, and his eyes fell on the exquisite tortoiseshell and begonia hairpin on her temples.
Lu Jinxi didn't realize it yet.
She just recalled that Sun Huihui back then, and her eyes softened a little: "She's a very cute girl. If this marriage can happen, it's really appropriate."
"Do you think she's fine?"
Xue Tingzhi's expression also slowly cooled down, and he didn't even have the honorific title of "Mrs.", but instead he said the word "you".
Lu Jinxi immediately noticed the change in this moment.
Because it's too obvious.
Even with an almost willful displeasure, he really wanted her to know that he was not happy.
Raising his brows slightly, Lu Jinxi stopped again, but the smile on his face did not diminish by half, and his eyes as clear as ice and snow cast him again.
No more gentleness this time.
On the contrary, it is full of a sharp scrutiny, even with a hint of sarcasm.
She replied Xue Tingzhi's very direct sentence: "I don't need to think, she is really good."
A simple sentence is like a simple and neat knife.
It was so easy to wedged into the bottom of Xue Tingzhi's heart, and a hole was stabbed in an instant.
So suddenly became embarrassed.
There has always been such a subtle feeling between him and this former mother-in-law. It's just that neither he nor she ever mentioned it clearly.
only…
He chose to hide it, and she made it very clear that she rejected him.
Just like that.
Xue Tingzhi actually felt that he should hate her.
I hate her thoroughness, she hates her insight, she hates her indecency, I hate her for being likeable, I hate her for never getting close to me when she leaves my sight...
All the complex emotions rolled over the rocky beach like a wave on the shore, and finally subsided in the icy crevice.
Xue Tingzhi's smile had a strange indifference.
He took a step back, looking unfamiliar and polite: "Since the first mother also feels good, then Tingzhi will marry her."
It really doesn't sound like that.
Lu Jinxi's brows furrowed, and his eyes were suddenly filled with undisguised displeasure. Just like when he was in the General's Mansion, he didn't even care about the name he suddenly changed back to.
"I think she's very good, but I didn't force you to marry her. If you don't like her, you should be careful about marriage, and don't delay the lifelong affairs of the girl's family."
"It's you who said she was good, and it's you who told me not to harm anyone." Xue Tingzhi let out a sarcastic smile, and asked coldly, "Could it be that the high-ranking lady thinks there is still room for me to object?"
"… "
Sharp, spicy and full of targeting.
This is what Lu Jinxi heard from his tone, but she just looked at him and didn't speak.
Xue Tingzhi also suddenly felt that there was no need to accompany her or continue talking. He knew from the beginning that some of the most secretive feelings were always delusions.
She knows, but she never responds.
From the moment when ghosts and gods followed her out, it was a mistake of a single thought.
Lowering his eyes, the sarcastic smile disappeared perfectly, as if the sharp words didn't come out of his mouth, Xue Tingzhi bowed and said, "It's getting late, Tingzhi still has something to do, and You have remarried, and you have no blood relationship with Tingzhi. Lixia in Guatian has caused criticism. Tingzhi will leave first, and I hope you will forgive me."
After he finished speaking, he turned around and walked towards the other side of the street without waiting for Lu Jinxi to say anything.
Lu Jinxi frowned and stood looking at him.
Although he has grown a lot over the years, perhaps because the twilight has elongated his figure, he still feels a little sickly tall and thin.
Very straight.
It's just that the slightly lame left foot is the only tiny flaw on the snow-white jade, which makes his figure sway a bit more.
"Oedipus..."
Lu Jinxi looked at it like this, and suddenly murmured.
The wind chimes standing behind only heard her voice, but did not understand: "What did you say?"
"nothing."
Lu Jinxi shook his head, only to say that Xue Tingzhi looked calm, but there was a lot of stuff inside.
Judging from what the old lady Gu Chengqian had said to her in the past two years, he was the one who had a sword in his heart but couldn't hold back.
This sword is hidden in my heart, and sooner or later—
hurt.
Or hurt yourself.
"Forget it, I won't continue shopping anymore. It's time for the eldest son to go back to the house. Let's go back." She sighed softly and turned around to go back.
Unexpectedly, when he turned around, he saw an unexpected person.
Suddenly a little surprised: "Old lady, why are you here?"
At the entrance of the alley a dozen paces away in front of the long street, at some point, Gu Chengqian's figure, with white hair, was still leaning on the crutches he took when he left the Grand Master's Mansion.
When Lu Jinxi called him, he didn't respond at all.
The whole person seems to have turned into a stone sculpture, standing there rigidly, a wrinkled face, there is an unprecedented trance!
With his eyes straight, he stared at Lu Jinxi's back, at the swaying figure that had gradually disappeared...
It was as if he had encountered some terrible nightmare.
In a trance, it is even more disbelieving, a little confused!
"Master Taishi, Master Taishi?"
When Lu Jinxi saw Gu Chengqian's expression, he felt that something was wrong, so he hurried up and asked with some caution.
But Gu Chengqian stared at the direction in front of him, until the person disappeared into the corner, and he didn't look back, but asked in a voice that suddenly became difficult: "Who is he..."