After the emperor returned to the capital, Zhao Jingyu returned to his previous idleness. He had just finished his brother's wedding banquet yesterday, and today he went out to hang out with his friends all day, and did not return home until late at night.
Dinner was eaten at Cheng Zhiye's house. Cheng Zhiye and his father, Cheng Lin, the Minister of War, were the only two people besides the emperor and Marquis Dingyuan who knew Zhao Jingyu's identity. Firstly, Cheng Lin was Marquis Dingyuan's trusted general; secondly, Cheng Zhiye and Zhao Jingyu were of similar age and temperament, and both were illegitimate sons. So letting him act as a messenger between the emperor and Zhao Jingyu would not arouse other people's suspicion.
Usually, Zhao Jingyu could only take off his disguise in front of Marquis Dingyuan, and the only person he could talk to was the father and son. It just so happened that Minister Cheng got two jars of good wine from a friend today, so the three of them drank and chatted in the study.
Zhao Jingyu took Zhou Yuncheng's idea of recognizing relatives very seriously. After three rounds of drinks, he took the opportunity when Cheng Zhiye went out to relieve himself to tell Minister Cheng about it, and solemnly warned Minister Cheng that no matter whether he agreed or opposed, he was not allowed to tell anyone, including the emperor.
"If you dare to tell anyone a word, I will tell the Minister's wife about you drinking wine in Zuimenglou."
Minister Cheng was notoriously henpecked. He had fought on the battlefield for half his life and killed countless enemies, but he didn't even dare to speak loudly in front of his wife.
The Minister's wife hated to see men visiting brothels, and Minister Cheng never dared to go to such places. But there was one time when he was dragged there by several colleagues, and Zhao Jingyu happened to see him. From then on, Zhao Jingyu had this handle in his hand, and he used it to threaten him every time, and it never failed.
"I can keep it secret, but I really can't help you with this." Minister Cheng said bitterly, "The reason you can threaten me with this is because I'm henpecked. I'm afraid my wife would know even if I visit a brothel, let alone getting a daughter from outside with unknown origins. Wouldn't that be a threat to my life?"
Zhao Jingyu thought about it and said, "Then you have to help me find a suitable family, otherwise I still can't let you go."
Minister Cheng spread his hands and said with a bitter face: "Where can I find it?"
"I don't care. You'll have two months to get it done." Zhao Jingyu said.
"How can you say that wind will lead to rain? Two months is too hasty. It's not even enough time to lay the groundwork." Minister Cheng said.
"That's your business." Zhao Jingyu said shamelessly.
The reason why he was anxious was that Qin was going to arrange marriages for several young ladies next, and he was afraid that after Zhao Lanzhi's marriage was settled, Xiu'er would be asked to marry her.
He felt uncomfortable from the bottom of his heart when he thought that Xiu'er might follow Zhao Lanzhi and marry into another family.
But Xiu'er ignored him and he didn't want to force her. In addition, his current status didn't allow him to do whatever he wanted. So after thinking it over, he felt that Zhou Yuncheng's proposal was very reliable.
If Xiu'er could really find a good marriage partner, whether as a concubine's daughter or a goddaughter, she would be worthy of his current status as a concubine's son, and he could then come to propose marriage with legitimate reasons.
He didn't know whether he was crazy or stupid. Ever since he saw the little girl he saved when she was a child on the farm, he had been stuck in her dilemma and couldn't get out.
This girl was cunning, rude, and cruel. She was not a good person at all. He himself couldn't understand what he saw in her.
But now time is pressing and he can't care so much. Anyway, he can't let her go as a dowry.
Of course, Xiu'er might not be willing to give dowry to the fourth sister. With her scheming mind, she would probably find a way to escape from something she doesn't want to do. But no matter how capable she is, she is just a maid and cannot avoid being forced to do things against her will. Besides, what if the little girl suddenly gets angry and wants to go to another place to cause trouble
"Okay, okay, I'll try my best." Minister Cheng reluctantly agreed. After thinking for a while, he said, "I see that you are so concerned about this. I guess that girl is not easy to approach. She may not even be interested in you. You are so wishful in finding a father for her. Have you asked for her opinion?"
“…” Zhao Jingyu was stunned. He had never thought about this before.
"I'll go back and ask her." He picked up the wine glass in front of him, drank it all, stood up and walked out.
Cheng Zhiye happened to come back from outside and bumped into him. He stopped him and asked, "You're leaving now? I haven't had enough to drink yet!"
"I had a great time." Zhao Jingyu pushed him away and walked away without looking back.
Minister Cheng watched his figure disappear outside the door thoughtfully, thinking that since he said he would go back to ask, he must be in the Marquis's Mansion. Could it be that he likes the maid in the Marquis's Mansion
Hiss! A prince and a maid, the difference in status is too great, if the emperor finds out, they will be in big trouble!
…
Zhao Jingyu hurried back to the marquis's mansion without stopping. All the doors had been locked, so he didn't knock on the door. He and Wei Jun climbed over the wall and soon arrived at Yilan Courtyard.
"You keep watch for me outside, I'll be back soon." He instructed Wei Jun.
Wei Jun bowed in response and watched him fly over the wall and into the yard.
After entering the yard, Zhao Jingyu walked towards the room where Xie Nanjia lived with ease. Thinking of what happened in her room last time, his heart was a little overwhelmed.
She must have been aroused by that kiss, right
So, maybe she is not as resistant to me as she appears. Maybe deep down in her heart she has already fallen deeply in love with me, but she is just too stubborn to admit it.
Thinking this way, he felt that he should be 90% sure that he could convince Xiu'er. After all, no one would be willing to be a slave for the rest of their lives.
While cheering himself up in his heart, he turned around the corridor and arrived at Xiu'er's room. He didn't know if it was because of his eyes, but he seemed to see a figure floating down from the roof and landing in front of Xiu'er's door.
He suddenly stopped, hid behind a pillar, and looked over there intently.
Although there was a crescent moon hanging in the sky, the light was very dim and the shadowy figure could not be seen clearly, but it was certain that it was a person with disheveled hair, and it was unclear whether it was a man or a woman.
The man looked around, then lay at the door and fiddled with it for a while, and then he pushed the door open silently.
Zhao Jingyu held his breath, thinking that the man would break into the room and do something bad next, but he took out a fire starter and blew it.
With the faint light of the fire, Zhao Jingyu was horrified to find that the man had a pale face and blood was flowing from the corner of his mouth.
Just as he was surprised, the man with the ghost face flashed into the house and closed the door casually.
Xiu'er would have been frightened to death when she saw the image of this green-faced and fang-toothed man. Zhao Jingyu had originally thought of waiting for Xie Nanjia to call for help and then going in to be a hero and save the beauty, but now he could no longer care about anything else. He swayed his body and instantly reached the door. He raised his foot and kicked the door open with a "bang", then rushed in.
When the ghost-faced man was startled by the sound of kicking the door, Xie Nanjia was also awakened. Almost reflexively, he took out a dagger from under the pillow and sat up.
Just then, the man walked to her bed. The ghost face illuminated by the tinder made Xie Nanjia's heart skip a beat and she was really frightened.
The man was also startled. Knowing that he had missed the best opportunity, he did not dare to waste any more time and directly drew a dagger from his waist and rushed towards Xie Nanjia.
According to his original plan, he wanted to strangle Xie Nanjia to death, hang him from the beam, and then go to several courtyards to alarm other people so that they would see his ghost face and believe that it was an evil spirit claiming his life.
But now that the target has woken up and someone has broken in from behind, he can only risk everything and fight quickly and decisively.
When the ghost-faced man pounced on her, Xie Nanjia quickly retreated to the back wall and pulled out her dagger. But before she could make a move, she heard the sound of a hidden weapon breaking through the air, and a dart flashed with a cold light and flew over, hitting the ghost-faced man in the back.
The ghost-faced man let out a cry of pain, the dagger in his hand fell to the ground, and his body fell to the ground with a thud, and the fire starter went out immediately.
Before Xie Nanjia could see who had thrown the dart, the room was plunged into darkness.
She pressed against the wall and asked in shock, "Who is it?"
"Besides me, who else?" Zhao Jingyu said softly in the darkness.
No matter how brave Xie Nanjia was, she was still a girl after all. After she recognized Zhao Jingyu's voice, she suddenly became excited, even more excited than when the evil ghost pounced on her just now.
"Second Young Master!" she called out in a trembling voice, got out of bed in the dark, and ran barefoot towards the place where Zhao Jingyu spoke.
He ran too fast and couldn't stop, and rushed into Zhao Jingyu's arms.
Zhao Jingyu froze, then put his arm around her waist and said jokingly, "You threw yourself into my arms this time!"
Xie Nanjia no longer cared about being angry or shy at this moment. She just wanted someone to ease her inner fear. Therefore, for the first time ever, she did not push Zhao Jingyu away, nor did she retort. She just quietly leaned against him and breathed.
It was rare for Zhao Jingyu to see her so docile, and his heart softened. If there wasn't a "ghost" lying on the ground, not knowing whether it was dead or alive, he really wanted to hold her like this all night.
No, I can hold you for the rest of my life.
Only when Xie Nanjia finally calmed down did Zhao Jingyu let her go and asked her to light the lamp.
Xie Nanjia was barefoot, afraid of stepping on the ghost, and hesitated and did not dare to go to the bed.
Zhao Jingyu sneered, "You are fearless, aren't you? How could a fake ghost scare you?"
Xie Nanjia remained silent.
Zhao Jingyu had no choice but to hold her hand and go with her.
Xie Nanjia groped for a long time before he found the tinder and lit the lamp.
The light filled the whole room, and the fear caused by the darkness just now dissipated. She immediately let go of Zhao Jingyu's hand, put on her shoes, and asked Zhao Jingyu: "What do you want to do in my room in the middle of the night?"
Zhao Jingyu: “…”
She is the kind of person who is willing to abandon the donkey after it has done its job!
"Shouldn't you first be concerned about who wants to kill you?" he said depressedly.
Xie Nanjia looked down at the man lying on the ground in a pool of blood, then bent down and tore off his ghost mask.
Zhao Jingyu: “…”
Now she was bold.
Under the mask was the face of a man in his thirties. Xie Nanjia stared at it for a moment and confirmed that she did not know this person.
"He was instructed by someone." She concluded, stretched out her hand to feel the tip of the man's nose, and said, "He is still alive. If we can save him, we can find out who is the mastermind."
Zhao Jingyu: “…”
Can't she give the man a chance to perform
Just as he was thinking about it, Xie Nanjia suddenly smiled at him ingratiatingly.
"What do you want to do?" Zhao Jingyu asked vigilantly.
Xie Nanjia said: "You are so powerful, you can definitely save him, right?"
"…" Zhao Jingyu shook his head decisively: "I can't."
"You can." Xie Nanjia smiled more humbly, "Second Master, please help me!"
Zhao Jingyu couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing: "I can help you, but you have to agree to one condition."
Xie Nanjia had a feeling that he had bad intentions, but since she needed his help at this time, she readily agreed: "Tell me, what are the conditions?"
"Give me a kiss." Zhao Jingyu said.
"I knew it." Xie Nanjia said bitterly, "How can you be considered a real man if you take advantage of someone's misfortune?"
"I don't want to be a real man." Zhao Jingyu smiled like a flower and said meaningfully: "I just want to be a husband."
Xie Nanjia: “…”
(End of this chapter)