A trace of horror flashed across his eyes, and then his face was gradually covered with icy coldness. He clenched his fists until veins popped out, and dragged Yao Chuang to him. His eyes were full of hostility, and he gritted his teeth and ordered: "Seal the city immediately."
five
When Shang Rui was a few years old, he had a cat and loved it so much that his mother wanted to take it away several times, but he stubbornly stayed. Finally, during one play, the cat's claws scratched his neck, leaving several bloody marks.
He was injured but dared not to speak out, so he had to hide the wound secretly. Later, when he was sleeping, his nurse found it and told his mother.
His mother was furious and immediately ordered the cat to be drowned in front of him.
He was still very young at that time, and he cried and made a fuss about it and was sad for a long time.
His mother then told him that this was just spoiled bratness, and that the cat's fate was all his fault.
His mother also warned him that if he fell in love with a girl in the future, he must never let her know, otherwise the girl would feel confident and take advantage of his love.
Shang Rui sat in Xia Yue's room without saying a word, with the notes she had made while reading the medical records in the morning still in his hand.
The people below checked Xia Yue's room over and over again, leaving out no clues, but found nothing.
He looked coldly at He Xiang who was kneeling on the ground.
He Xiang fell to the ground, shaking all over.
At this time, Ming Lian presented the Gao Xin jade that Xia Yue had buried under the tree to Shang Rui.
Shang Rui rubbed the jade cicada in his hand with the tip of his thumb and calmly recalled the incident again.
She didn't plan it. From the look in the maid's eyes when she learned that Xia Yue was missing, she knew it wasn't premeditated.
It was impossible for her to disappear right under his nose so easily by herself.
Someone must have taken her away secretly.
This person knew about her grudge against Wang Gan, so he killed Wang Gan first and made it known to the whole city. Moreover, this person knew her very well and calculated that if she could escape, she would definitely go to the scene to take a look, and then he would approach her and teach her to say such words to disturb his mind and take the opportunity to take her away.
Shang Rui narrowed his eyes slightly.
There is no one else in the world who can understand her so well and know her personality and temper so well.
He regretted being too careless. Today was still a few days away from the date he had agreed to meet with Yu Ranyu, so he thought that the other party had not arrived in the capital yet.
Shang Rui closed his eyes, anger surging from his chest. In addition to resentment and unwillingness, there was actually a hint of jealousy in that anger.
Xia Yue's last words pierced him like a thorn.
Was it a ploy to deliberately disturb his mind, or was she telling the truth
Wang Gan was already dead, and there was no evidence. However, he would investigate this matter to the bottom even if he had to turn Jin Luo over.
Shang Rui glanced at He Xiang in front of him with eyes as if he was looking at an ant that could be crushed to death at any time.
That cold gaze frightened He Xiang so much that she almost fainted. Judging from what Shang Rui did that night, she thought that even if Shang Rui didn't kill her, he would peel off a layer of skin from her and pry out the information about how Xia Yue disappeared from her.
However, Shang Rui was too lazy to even ask a question. In the end, he just said to the person next to him: "Take her back to the palace and ask her about Wang Gan."
After receiving the order, the men quickly dragged her out.
After the strangers left, the room became even quieter.
It was already noon, and the sun was shining brightly in the yard. The windows and doors were open, and the golden warm sun and the gorgeous spring light were blowing in. Outside the door, the dog named Amo was still frolicking in the grass.
However, he sat alone in the house, watching the scorching sun, and felt cold from his eyes to his heart.
six
Shang Rui only guessed half of it, but Xia Yue didn't react until she was taken away. When everyone was attracted by the sound of catching a thief, Xia Yue was pulled over.
Before Xia Yue could exclaim, she saw Chu Qin's face.
Chu Qin whispered, "Miss, I'm sorry." Then he reached out and plucked the jade hairpin on her head, and her black hair cascaded down. Then Chu Qin quickly put a soap-colored coat on her back and dragged her into the dense crowd.
As a result, Xia Yue's clothes and hairstyle were completely different from before, and her back view changed drastically.
The two of them took advantage of the chaos and followed the crowd at a leisurely pace.
After finally leaving the crowd at the gate of the Prime Minister's Mansion and turning into a small alley, Xia Yue couldn't wait to ask, "Why are you in the Imperial Capital?"
"It's a long story." Chu Qin looked around and made sure there was nothing unusual before asking Xia Yue to follow him through the narrow alley to a carriage at the other end.
"Zijin he..."
"Your Highness is naturally here too."
Xia Yue's breathing stagnated: "You mean he is in the Imperial Capital?"
Chu Qin nodded.
When Xia Yue heard that Zi Jin had also come to the Imperial Capital, she became a little timid: "You came to me so blatantly. If you get caught, will it implicate him?"
Chu Qin whispered, "Miss, relax. If you look more natural, you won't arouse suspicion. They will definitely seal the city gates first, and then search the city with the portrait after a while."
She was thinking about Zi Jin in her heart and didn't notice who Chu Qin was referring to when he said "they".
Chu Qin sent Xia Yue to the front of the car, lifted the curtain, and asked Xia Yue to get in.
There was a woman sitting in the car, probably around 40 years old.
Chu Qin explained in a low voice: "This is Madam Zhou, Miss, please listen to her arrangements."
After the curtain was lowered, Madam Zhou took out a set of men's clothes for Xia Yue to wear, and tied her hair into a man's bun. Then Chu Qin asked Xia Yue to pretend to be Madam Zhou's servant and sit in the front of the carriage to drive with him.
Their car drove onto West Street and drove for a while before stopping at the gate of a house. Mrs. Zhou got out of the car with her luggage, and Xia Yue followed her into the house.
Chu Qin continued to drive the car somewhere else.
Xia Yue was very nervous and didn't dare to say much. She followed Mrs. Zhou around the flower hall and into the backyard.
Then, she saw Zi Jin waiting in the yard.
Zi Jin walked towards her almost as fast as lightning.
As soon as Xia Yue's gaze touched his face, she was instantly petrified.
He was tanned, but not thin, and seemed stronger than before, with his boyish look gone and a mature man's charm between his eyebrows. However, the look in his eyes when he looked at her did not change, but was full of eagerness.
He rushed to Xia Yue, quickly pulled her over, and pressed her hard against his chest.
"Yue'er, Yue'er..." Zi Jin muttered. He almost didn't know how to breathe. He just felt his heart trembling. Apart from that name, he couldn't make any sound. There was an emotion stuck in his chest, shaking his whole body.
"Yue'er." He called out again. At this moment, he not only wanted to hug her, but also wanted to kiss her, wanted to crush her and hide her in his heart, but he was afraid. She was so thin-skinned and cared so much about their former brother-sister relationship. Now, in front of others, he didn't dare to hurt her like a reckless man.
That long-lost voice fell on the softest place in Xia Yue's heart.
Xia Yue was hugged tightly in such an embrace, and tears welled up in her eyes.
She finally saw him, and he was fine.
The people around looked at each other and retreated, leaving only the two of them in the backyard.
After an unknown amount of time, she raised her face from his chest and asked him, "How are you doing?" As soon as she finished speaking, she realized that Zi Jin's hand holding her was still shaking.
He realized his own mistake and quickly put his hands behind his back, turning his face away in embarrassment.
Xia Yue stretched out her hand and turned his face towards her, then changed the subject and said, "I... I'm hungry." She was indeed hungry. She had stayed up all night last night and hadn't drunk a drop of water since this morning. Now that her heartstrings had relaxed, she really felt hungry.
He didn't respond, knowing that she was just using the topic to calm him down.
She looked up at him, her hands still cupping his cheeks.
Since childhood, many people have envied his face, but she is the only one who dares to do this to him. He does not get angry when she rubs it at will, but enjoys it.
Our eyes met, after not seeing each other for so long, there were so many things I wanted to say, but it seemed as if there was nothing to say.
He stared at her for a long time before the emotions in his eyes slowly softened. After he calmed down, he took her into the house, personally brought some snacks, and told someone to prepare the meal.
Xia Yue took a bite of the candy in her hand and said, "I want to eat soup noodles."
He responded obediently and poured her another glass of water.
Not long after, Jinluo's soup noodles were served. Xia Yue buried her head and ate a large bowl of soup noodles, even drinking the soup.
After finishing her meal, she calmed down from the joy of seeing him again and asked, "Did you kill Wang Gan?"
Zijin looked into her eyes and said, "You know, I swore an oath back then to wait for this day."
"But why bother?"
"Now that I can kill him, I am not afraid. Don't worry. Wang Gan has committed many evil deeds and deserved this fate long ago."
"Did you deliberately dump Wang Gan's body in front of the Prime Minister's residence, attracting crowds and making the whole city know about it?"
"Time is tight, and Chu Qin has no idea where they hid you, so he had to resort to this desperate measure. I should have gone to pick you up in person, but Chu Qin is a stranger and it would be easier for him to sneak in."
Xia Yue asked again: "If I don't have the opportunity to see Wang Gan, won't you all lose everything?"
Zi Jin said sadly: "Then I will naturally think of other ways."
She looked at the bowl and blamed herself, "He Xiang is still there. If I run away like this, they won't let her go."
She added, "And your jade."
Zi Jin replied: "Yu is not a big deal, but they must be on guard today, and they can't use the same trick to rescue He Xiang. As long as she can survive these few days, there will be a glimmer of hope."
"Why?" Xia Yue was puzzled.
He gave her a comforting smile: "This is something men worry about, you don't have to think too much about it."
The two of them chattered on and on. Xia Yue wanted to ask him about what had happened in the past few days, but when she thought about what had happened to her, she didn't know where to start.
The two sat face to face, and Xia Yue was still dressed like a man.
In Zi Jin's heart, he naturally thought that Xia Yue was the most beautiful woman in the world. Now that he saw her wearing men's clothes for the first time, he couldn't help but feel novel. He couldn't help but reach out and pull off the wooden hairpin used by men on her head and messed up her bun.
Her hair was long and thick, soft and smooth in his palms, and had her own unique fragrance.
This was the touch and smell he had missed for a long time.
He leaned over and rested his forehead on her neck, lost in her hair. After a long time, he said softly, "Yue'er, do you know that I can't find you in the capital. I'm going crazy. If I don't succeed today, I can't think of any other way. I can only break into the palace to find Uncle Jiu and ask him to return you to me. He can give me anything he wants." He murmured again, "Really, anything." He said the last two sentences very softly, and his voice only echoed in his throat, almost inaudible, as if he was only talking to himself.
She listened to his words with some doubts in her heart. She was about to ask again, but she didn't expect Zi Jin to raise his head from her shoulder.
He held her hand, his dark eyes sparkling with water, and he said softly, "Now that you're full, let me hold you for a while longer."
Xia Yue immediately stood up and replied awkwardly: "I'll take the dishes out."
She was about to run away when he pulled her slightly and she fell on his lap. He couldn't help but raise his face.
She stiffened slightly.
Unexpectedly, he didn't really kiss her, but just touched the side of her face with his lips.
Xia Yue grabbed his chest, not daring to push or respond.
She has very fair skin and a pair of lips set on her face like petals.
Seeing that she didn't resist, he hesitantly held her chin with his hand and kissed her lips. Unlike the immaturity and eagerness at the beginning, he was cautious and unfamiliar in his exploration, fearing that she would be disgusted. He just gently stroked her lips with his lips, which didn't seem like a kiss, but more like an intimate touch.
Then, he opened his lips slightly. She was sensitive to this movement and her breathing stagnated. She mistakenly thought that he was going to take her lips into his mouth in an ambiguous way. When she was hesitating whether to stop him, she heard him just open his lips and ask, "Have you missed me these days, Yue'er?"
Their noses touched, their breaths intertwined, and an intoxicating fragrance wafted through the air.
She nodded slightly.
I'm not lying, there's not a day that I haven't thought about him. I've always been concerned about whether he's doing well, whether he's in danger, whether he's well fed and clothed, and whether anyone's bullying him.
When he got the answer, he smiled with his eyes narrowed, like a child who had eaten honey. That smile was so clear and pure that anyone who saw it would be heartbroken if there were others around.
She thought of Li Ji, grabbed Zi Jin's wrist and wanted to take her pulse.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I met that Li Ji, and he taught me how to cure your ear disease, but unfortunately..." Xia Yue frowned, her eyes darkened, "I haven't learned it yet."
"Li Ji?"
"It was Li Ji from the Imperial Hospital. I had been living in his mansion before."
"He is an imperial physician who goes in and out of the Forbidden Palace. How come you are living in his house?" Zi Jin couldn't help but become curious about Xia Yue's experience.
The matter was of great importance, so Xia Yue did not hide it from him and told him how she met "Hongwu" and how she went to Li Ji for treatment, omitting the embarrassment of that night with "Hongwu".
Zi Jin looked at her face quietly and let her continue to narrate, but his heart was growing colder and colder.
Xia Yue couldn't guess, but for him, it was clear who this "Hongwu" was. However, he never expected that Shang Rui would actually have a romantic relationship with her.
"What's wrong?" She sensed his emotion.
Zi Jin shook his head, and covered her lips with his lips again, gently rubbing the softness: "Yu Zhaoyang." He uttered these three words slowly from his lips.
"Hmm?" She responded suspiciously because Zi Jin had never called her that before.
"If someone could clear your father's name, clear the Yu family's name, and allow you to live uprightly in the world again, would you be happy?"
Xia Yue was stunned for a moment, then slowly answered: "That depends on how much the other party wants you and me to pay."
He held her face and touched his forehead to hers with a smile: "Do you want to sleep for a while? You haven't slept for several days and nights."
After hearing what he said, Xia Yue felt tired. She didn't dare to sleep on that bed in Li's house at all. She would have nightmares as soon as she closed her eyes.
She shook her head: "My head hurts, but I can't sleep."
He thought she was frightened because she saw Wang Gan's body, so he advised: "Then lie down and rest for a while, I will stay in the room with you."
She thought about it and decided not to pretend in front of him, so she lay down on the couch with her clothes on.
Then, Zi Jin tucked the quilt for her and sat at the head of the bed, watching over her.
Time slowly passed between the two people.
He held one of her hands and rubbed her palm with the tip of his thumb, gently drawing circles. This was a method her parents often used when she was sick and couldn't sleep as a child. It made her feel relaxed and at ease.
After a moment, she called out, "Zi Jin."
He lowered his head and was looking at her fingers intently, as if he was thinking about something else and didn't hear her talking at all.
She closed the five fingers he was holding in her hand and pulled them.
Zijin then realized it and raised his head: "Huh?"
"We are here. What if someone comes to search? Will it be dangerous and implicate others?" She said worriedly, "What if they use a trick to release me today and then catch you?"