The crowd outside the carriage made a noise for a long time. The sedan bearers looked at each other and dared not move. Rong Tang sighed softly, lifted the curtain and said to Shuangfu: "Let's go back like this."
As a result, when several people nearby saw a groom leaning out of the carriage, they were slightly stunned, and the cheers became louder and louder.
Before Rong Tang realized what was happening, Su Huaijing had already leaned forward, grabbed his hand and pulled it back, lowered the curtain, and said softly, "Tangtang looks so good today."
Rong Tang: “?”
Su Huaijing said in a low voice, as if he was somewhat embarrassed and helpless: "I would want to dig out their eyes."
Rong Tang: “!”
He was startled and quickly opened his eyes wide to stare at Su Huaijing, but the villain smiled and raised his hand to gently comb the slightly messy hair on Rong Tangguan with his fingers: "I'm just kidding."
[He's not kidding.]The system said.
Rong Tang: "... I don't need you to remind me."
Su Huaijing would never joke, Rong Tang knew this better than anyone else. Whatever came out of his mouth, whether he wanted to kill someone, dig out their eyes, or cut up their bodies, or turn them into human pigs... all of it was true.
Because he actually did it.
The only difference from the previous two lives is that no one could persuade Su Huaijing to change his mind before, but now the big villain is at least willing to listen to him occasionally.
Rong Tang felt relieved a little, but he also thought of another sentence: Tangtang looks so beautiful today.
Rong Tang rarely fainted for no reason these days, but the illness in his body was still there, like a tree root rotten by insects, no matter whether it looked good or bad on the surface, it was rotten and stiff inside.
But today was a happy day, and before leaving, Wang Xiuyu forced Rong Tang to sit in front of the dressing mirror and personally painted his lipstick and eyebrows.
A light layer of rouge was applied to her cheeks, and the paleness of her illness was replaced by another healthier and brighter color.
Even though he had just coughed for such a long time, it was undeniable that Rong Tang looked quite good today.
Su Huaijing didn't let go, and squeezed Rong Tang's hand casually and naturally, as if playing with a piece of jade. His voice was so soft that it was almost completely drowned out by the loud noise outside the car, but every word was clearly transmitted to Rong Tang's ears: "I miss Tang Tang so much."
Rong Tang: “…”
Rong Tang's face was hot. He coughed lightly and looked away. He pulled his hand back and lifted the curtain a little. He changed the subject abruptly: "Didn't you ask me to see your inscription? What name did you choose?"
The cool touch in his hand disappeared, and Su Huaijing's expression darkened for a moment. His fingers paused in the air for a moment, and then he twisted his fingertips nonchalantly. He looked at Rong Tang, who had half of his body moved away and was almost sticking his head out. He chuckled with an ambiguous meaning, leaned forward, and his voice almost sounded close to his ear: "Tang Jing's house."
"The house that Brother Tangtang gave me should naturally have your name put in front." Su Huaijing said with a smile, his voice slow and soft, very much like the whispers between lovers.
Rong Tang was stunned. He turned his head awkwardly, curling his fingers again and again. He couldn't help it, so he bent his fingertips and pushed Su Huaijing's chest with the back of his fingers: "Stay away from me..."
Su Huaijing looked at the strength of his chest that was like a kitten scratching, his eyes dimmed, he hesitated for a second or two, stepped back, and said: "You are so shameless, Tangtang, how are we going to act like this?"
Rong Tang hadn't recovered from his uncomfortable feeling yet when he heard these words. He was stunned and looked at Su Huaijing with a little confusion.
Su Huaijing said: "I will live in your courtyard in the future. Do you have to push me away with a red face every time we get close to you?"
He smiled and asked, "Won't the princess be suspicious?"
Rong Tang was stunned for a moment, then he understood immediately and thought it made sense.
He struggled for two seconds and said, "Then come closer—not too close!"
Su Huaijing smiled brightly, and Rong Tang suddenly thought of the camellia on the desk.
The flowering period did not last for a few days after being picked, but fortunately there was no shortage of flowers in the yard. Once a flower withered, Shuangfu would take the initiative to replace it with a fresh one for Rong Tang. Every day he could see camellias in full bloom, which were also gorgeous and fragrant, placed in a basin of clear water, but not as beautiful as Su Huaijing's.
The wedding dresses of Dayu are in red and green. If it is a marriage between a man and a woman, the dress will be red for man and green for woman. If it is a same-sex marriage, the one who marries into the other half's house will wear a green robe.
Rong Tang was wearing a bright red wedding dress in the style of a phoenix rising to the sky, while Su Huaijing was wearing a dress in the style of a crane facing the clouds.
The phoenix is the king of birds and represents men. The meaning of this outfit is self-evident. The class status is so obvious, but when Su Huaijing wears it, he looks casual and unrestrained like a scholar.
Gold cloud patterns are embroidered on the collar and cuffs, and the bottom of the dark green robe is decorated with silver wave patterns. A slender crane seems to have stepped out of the sea of dreams of clouds and mountains, and it raises its noble head to look at the clouds in the distant sky.
The clouds were like surging waves, woven with silk threads of various colors. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, at first glance one of the clouds had a red tail, looking like a colorful phoenix flying in the sky.
Just as Rong Tang was about to take a closer look, Su Huaijing lowered his head, picked up a piece of Rong Tang's wedding dress, pointed at a pattern and asked, "Is this me?"
Rong Tang's attention was diverted, and he looked in the direction of his finger, and saw that there was a lake at the bottom of his robe, with the rising sun and the phoenix reflected in the water. Next to the phoenix's shadow, there was another creature's reflection. Looking closely, it had white feathers, a black neck, and a bright red head. It was sticking to the reflection of the phoenix in an extremely dependent and attached manner, almost in a pious submission.
Su Huaijing said with joy: "I like this little design."
Rong Tang's face couldn't get any redder. He began to feel fortunate that he had put rouge on his face before going out this morning. The light in the carriage was dim, so the blush on his face could not be seen clearly.
Why is the princess carrying private goods
And you really don't mind being a villain at all!? You are the one who will sit on the dragon throne in the future, how can anyone in this world make you submit!
Wake up!!!
The system said silently: [He made a great sacrifice. ]
"Indeed..." Rong Tang said, and in addition to the unnatural shame in his eyes when he looked at Su Huaijing, there was a bit of inexplicable pity.
Su Huaijing: “… ?”
The system said: [Host, according to the big data of the book, those who make the villains kowtow like cannon fodder in the early stage will not have a good ending. ]
Rong Tang didn't care: "I won't live to see the end anyway."
He was just a little heartbroken!
[…]
Having not seen each other for more than half a month, Su Huaijing seemed to be suffering from lovesickness. He stared at Rong Tang all the way during the carriage ride, looking at his face and pinching his hands. He also pinched his arm to see if he had gained weight, as if he was afraid that the palace would treat him harshly.
This is a candidate for an Oscar-winning actor. Rong Tang once again reminded himself that there was nothing he could do when he was being stared at. He rummaged through the secret compartment in the carriage and pulled out a bag of candied fruit: "Want to eat?"
The smile on Su Huaijing's face faded slightly, his eyebrows raised slightly, and he looked at Rong Tang in confusion.
Rong Tang said with a stiff upper lip: "Sweet."
"… "
"Heh." Su Huaijing chuckled, as if he was pleased. He took the bag of preserves, took out a plum and put it in his mouth. He chewed it slowly, and the sweet and sour fragrance overflowed from his lips and teeth. Su Huaijing smiled very sweetly: "Thank you, Brother Tangtang."
"You're welcome." Rong Tang turned his face away quickly.
When the wedding procession came, they stopped and walked to accept everyone's blessings. When they returned, they sped up in order not to miss the auspicious time. The sedan bearers carried an empty sedan chair out of the palace and carried an empty sedan chair back to the palace.
There was a matchmaker's voice outside the car. Rong Tang straightened his clothes and was about to get out. Su Huaijing's eyes stayed on his cheek for a moment, then slowly moved down to see the lip balm on his lips. Finally, he glanced at the teacup on the table, raised his eyebrows slightly, and didn't remind him anything, but just said obediently: "Then brother Tangtang, you have to hold my hand."
Rong Tang was about to lean out, but was a little confused when he heard that. He turned around and looked at him: "I will naturally hold your hand."
After all, he is the groom!
Su Huaijing smiled and said, "Okay."
Rong Tang got off the carriage and listened to the lucky words the matchmaker said beside him. Then he raised his spirits and knocked on the door: "Huai Jing?"
Due to the atmosphere, even though he knew it was a fake marriage, Rong Tang couldn't help but hold his breath. It felt like the few seconds passed so long.
Until the car curtain was lifted from the inside, a white hand stretched out from the car frame, Su Huaijing bent over and leaned out of the car, and handed his hand to Rong Tang.
Firecrackers went off, music started playing, Rong Tang was startled by the sudden bustle, his hands unconsciously clenched a little. When he came to his senses, Su Huaijing had already jumped out of the car lightly, saying that he wanted him to hold the hand, but in fact Rong Tang barely gave him any strength.
Rong Tang thought that his son was really considerate. He knew that he was not in good health, so he didn't let him do any strenuous work. But suddenly he heard the sisters around him moaning softly, and they covered their faces and giggled, whispering to each other.
Younger sister Rong Ning had always been favored by King Ning Xuan and had an outgoing personality. In public, she sweetly called out, "Sister-in-law!"
Rong Tang widened his eyes slightly and was startled. He immediately turned around to see if there was any displeasure on Su Huaijing's face, but he only saw him smiling at Rong Ning, nodded, and turned his face towards him.
Only then did Rong Tang realize what those half-sisters and cousins were laughing at.
Su Huaijing he, he he he…
He actually left an imperceptible red mark of lip balm on his lips!
Rong Tang immediately thought of the cup of tea he had drunk in the carriage.
Is this something a human being can do? Is this something a villain who wants to destroy the world should do? You don’t have any baggage at all! ! !
Rong Tang became more and more resentful, and the complex emotions in his eyes when he looked at Su Huaijing could not be summed up in words. He led her into the house, touched his sleeves at the corner, took out a handkerchief, and said in a low and quick voice: "Wipe it!"
Su Huaijing played dumb for him: "What are you wiping?"
Rong Tang: “…”
After today, neither of them will have any chance of fame!
The groom went to pick up the bride in a carriage. The bride couldn't wait to get into the carriage before she even saw him. The sedan chair was empty, and the bride and groom rode in the same carriage. The groom got off with a slightly red face, and the bride showed up with lipstick on her lips...
I'd rather die.
The look in Rong Tang's eyes when he looked at Su Huaijing was about to become real. Su Huaijing took the handkerchief with a smile, wiped the corner of his lips perfunctorily, and then put his face in front of Rong Tang: "Tangtang, help me see, is there anything else?"
There were constant giggling sounds behind him, and Rong Tang's face was burning. He took the handkerchief, glared at him fiercely, raised his hand and wiped the corner of his lips hard, and the trace of lip balm was replaced by another red.
Su Huaijing whispered in pain: "Tangtang is so fierce..."
Rong Tang turned his head away: "Shut up!"
The people who were welcoming the bride almost died of laughter. Rong Tang held people’s hands and took bigger steps than ever before!
-
In the hall, after listening to the maid's report, the nanny went to the upper seat with a smile, stood beside Queen Wang, and reported every word carefully about the interesting things that happened during the bride-picking procession.
Queen Wang covered her face and laughed halfway through listening, and glanced at Wang Xiuyu: "It seems that Tang'er really likes this daughter-in-law."
Wang Xiuyu also laughed: "Let me tell you, I have never seen him be so confident in anyone before. The way he protects his eyes is embarrassing to watch."
Rong Mingyu was the only king of a different surname in Dayu. He had been firmly on the throne for so many years since the beginning of the new dynasty, so he could not be said to be uncautious. Wang Xiuyu was reminded by him that she should be careful with her address even when speaking to her own sister.
Queen Wang was two years older than her. When she sat with Wang Xiuyu, they looked like twin sisters. Anyone who saw them would say that the emperor and the queen treated each other with respect, but only people in the palace knew the specific situation.
Queen Wang smiled and took a sip of tea, then said leisurely, "It's a pity that the auspicious beast fell ill just after I returned to the palace yesterday. Your Majesty was worried and personally asked the imperial physician to take care of it. Otherwise, he would have come to watch the ceremony with me today."
Upon hearing this, King Ning Xuan hurriedly stood up and saluted: "Your Majesty has taken the trouble to come to attend my son's wedding, which is the greatest honor for our Rong family. The appearance of the auspicious beast shows that our Great Yu is prosperous, and national affairs are of great importance. Your Majesty is wise, and I dare not delay Your Majesty because of my son's personal affairs!"
Queen Wang was used to his appearance, but she still couldn't help but turn her head and glance at Wang Xiuyu: "Mingyu is still so rigid."
Wang Xiuyu stood with her husband. When facing her elder sister, she seemed to be both angry and flattering. She smiled and said, "The prince only wants to assist Your Majesty and relieve Your Majesty's worries. It would be more painful to let him waste Your Majesty's time than to kill him."
As the ceremonial procession passed through the moon gate and was about to enter the hall, Queen Wang waved her hand and said with a smile, "It's a great day, why are you talking about death and murder? Quick, quick, take a seat, so that I can also see the young man that Tang'er has been protecting in her heart."
Su Huaijing happened to hear this sentence, and raised his head presumptuously, looking at Rong Tang's profile, and seeing that he was pretending to be calm with his lips tightened and his eyes straight ahead, he laughed, then lowered his head obediently, only clenched his palms much tighter, acting like a little wife.
Queen Wang was sitting alone in the main seat in the hall. The eldest princess sent someone to deliver a gift, but she had not arrived yet. The next seat was Prince Ningxuan and his wife.
The older clan members had seats, while the younger ones stood on both sides with the guests, looking at the two newlyweds with smiles on their faces.
The best man waited for everyone to stand still. After Queen Wang carefully looked at him, the servant whispered in his ear that the auspicious time had arrived. He then cleared his throat and shouted, "I bow to heaven and earth—"
The two men turned around, knelt down facing the door, and kowtowed firmly.
"Bow to your parents twice—"
Rong Tang had confirmed with Wang Xiuyu the day before that since the Queen was coming, she would be the one to receive the courtesy. Before bowing, Rong Tang glanced at Su Huaijing's expression out of the corner of her eye.
Apart from the pretended nervousness and shyness, he was more of a graceful and elegant person. He did not look like a young master from a small family or a small place. On the contrary, his temperament was three points stronger than most people in the hall. With the heavy suit, he had a very pleasing beauty.
When they stood up, Queen Wang smiled and said "OK" three times in a row.
Rong Tang then let out a sigh of relief and loosened the red silk in his hand.
Su Huaijing looked at him with some confusion.
I don't know why, but I always felt that Rong Tang was a little nervous when the best man sang "Second Bow to the Parents" just now, and he even secretly glanced at him a few times.
Are you afraid that he won't behave well in front of the Queen
Su Huaijing couldn't help laughing. He didn't doubt at all that someone would speculate about his identity. Unless Rong Tang was a god, it would be impossible for him to guess that he was the seventh prince of the late emperor.
Therefore, he could only understand Rong Tang's little action as his concern that he would lose his manners in front of the Queen Mother.
When Su Huaijing realized this, he felt a little itchy and couldn't help himself.
The best man sang: "Husband and wife bow to each other—"
Su Huaijing bent over with his hands clasped, and bumped into Rong Tang in mid-air. Amid the cheers of the guests, he smiled and asked in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "Tangtang, do you want to spend the wedding night with me?"
The best man sang the last part of the ceremony: "Send her to the bridal chamber!"
Congratulations came one after another.
"Happy New Year!"
"Happily ever after!"
"Grow old together!"
"Forever and ever!"
There was a little kid who had just learned about the situation. He was young and ignorant, so he also shouted loudly along with the others.
But what they shouted was: "Have a baby soon!"
The hall was suddenly filled with joy. Rong Tang followed Shuangfu's instructions and walked out, still holding the red silk in his hand. When they passed the Moon Gate and the elders could not see him, Su Huaijing moved closer and directly grasped his hand again along the red silk.
Rong Tang was burned and subconsciously wanted to shrink, but he held back and asked the system in his mind: "Did you hear what Su Huaijing said when we were bowing just now?"
The system froze for two seconds, then said with difficulty: [Forget it, host.]
Rong Tang: “…”
Ouch!
He wasn't hallucinating!
The villain actually asked him if he wanted to have a wedding night!
Rong Tang couldn't help thinking, if you dare to ask, do you think I dare to answer? He pretended to be dead all the way, and seriously suspected that the villain's personality had collapsed in another direction.
-
After the newlyweds were sent to Tanghua Courtyard, Rong Tang still had to go out for a formality.
Normally he should have stayed until dark before coming back, but everyone who came knew that Prince Ning Xuan was in poor health. At today's wedding, except for picking up the bride, he had to go there himself, and all other things that could be done by his younger brothers were left to Rong Zheng and Rong Yuan.
The servant urged outside the door. Rong Tang placed Su Huaijing in his room. There were several plates of dried fruit snacks on the table. "You eat first. Shuangshou, I will stay and take care of you. If you are hungry, ask him to get you some food from the kitchen."
Su Huaijing smiled, his eyebrows curved: "Then I'll wait for you."
Rong Tang frowned: "Not good, they might make trouble for me."
Su Huaijing was very determined: "I'll wait for you to come back and have dinner together."
Rong Tang hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded: "Then I will come back as soon as possible."
Su Huaijing watched him go out. Shuangshou knew that his groom liked quietness, so he also retreated out of the room after Rong Tang left.
Su Huaijing sat alone in the bridal chamber which was hung with red silk and covered with window paper-cuts, feeling quite unexpected and curious.
He looked around the room with great interest. The last time he came here was at night and he was angry, so he was in no mood to observe.
The gold-painted mirror frame, the bronze mirror, the screen embroidered with landscape paintings were made of brand new silk, the embroidery thread was mixed with gold powder, shining brightly, and the tables and chairs were all made of the finest huanghuali wood. There was nothing ordinary in the whole room, even the teacups were made of dragon kiln Jianzhan, which was hard to find in a kiln.
Su Huaijing's eyebrows moved slightly, he supported his chin with one hand, tapped his cheek with his fingers a few times, and murmured in a low voice: "What a precious prince."
There were two oriole calls outside the window, and someone knocked on the window gently. Su Huaijing stood up and opened the window. Xingfeng was hiding there: "Master."
"Yes." Su Huaijing responded, "When we go back, there is a box on the desk in the study. There is some gold and silver in it. You can distribute it to everyone."
Xingfeng was confused: "Huh?"
Su Huaijing said: "It's a red seal."
Xing Feng: “…” For a moment, he didn’t know whether he should be glad that his master was willing to give him an explanation, or be sad that his master was so willing to compromise and put on a show as to even prepare a red envelope for the wedding.
Xing Feng could only grit his teeth secretly, feeling sorry for his master, and said, "I understand."
Su Huaijing glanced at him, not knowing what he was thinking about, but he did not correct him. He just said suddenly on a whim: "Buy those restaurants in the west of the city as soon as possible."
Xingfeng looked a little more serious.
The master had started to set up business in Beijing when he was still in Shu. He had his own plans for which store to buy, whether it was a wine shop, tea house, bookstore or clothing store, and he took every step very carefully.
Although the restaurants in the west of the city are very profitable, according to the plan, there is no need to sell them so early.
Fortunately, except for matters related to Rong Tang, Su Huaijing would follow orders for all decisions and practices, so he agreed upon hearing the words. However, he didn't know that what their master was actually thinking at this moment was: The young master is too pampered, and I think I have to earn more money to support him.
Xingfeng waited for a while, and when he saw that Su Huaijing didn't give any other instructions, he reported, "Master, the Second Prince wants to see you."
The relaxed expression on Su Huaijing's face gradually changed. He asked sarcastically, "Did he defeat Ding Weishan or tame the white tiger? How dare you see me if you haven't accomplished either?"
Speaking of the White Tiger, Xingfeng said, "I have a strange thing to report to my master."
Su Huaijing raised his eyes: "Oh?"
Xing Feng: "The white tiger refused to eat or drink after entering the palace. Even Shen Feiyi was unwilling to get close to it. Last night, I heard that someone fed it a rabbit."
Su Huaijing looked at him lazily, and Xingfeng lowered his voice: "It's the fifth prince Sheng Chengli."
"The little prince who just came out of the cold palace?" Su Huaijing asked.
"That's right." Xingfeng nodded.
Su Huaijing was silent for a moment, then said, "Find something for him to do, don't let him delay the plan."
"I understand." Xingfeng said, "What about the Second Prince...?"
There was a noisy sound outside the courtyard again. Su Huaijing's expression softened for a moment, and he waved his hand, a little anxiously: "Tell him to meet at Liujin Tower in three days."
"Yes." Xingfeng disappeared outside the window in a blink of an eye. There was laughter coming from the front yard. Rong Tang came in again surrounded by the matchmakers. Su Huaijing was originally sitting on the bed waiting for him with a smile. The moment the door opened, his nose twitched slightly, and his expression unconsciously became a little gloomy.
Rong Tang felt that the atmosphere in the air seemed to be stagnant and his steps slowed down.
The matchmaker pushed him unconsciously: "The prince is going to drink the wedding wine with the groom!"
Rong Tang stumbled a step, and just as he steadied himself, Su Huaijing stepped out from behind the screen, held his waist with his hand, and looked down at the matchmaker: "Madam, you should be more careful. The prince is delicate. If he gets bumped or falls, how are you going to compensate him?"
The matchmaker's face froze, and in an instant her nosy expression became awkward. She looked around, only to see Shuangfu and the maid in the princess' room looking at her with a very subtle look.
She immediately panicked and clutched her wedding veil. Rong Tang spoke up to help her out at the right time: "I was distracted and walked slowly."
Su Huaijing turned his gaze over, and the expression in his eyes changed instantly, with some disapproval and some resentment: "Tangtang is too kind."
The head maid Huaqin looked at the groom with a look of relief.
Their eldest young master was just too kindhearted, and he had been ill for so many years, so the young masters and young ladies in the mansion had bullied him since he was a child. If it weren't for the princess's secret manipulation, who knows how badly the eldest young master would have been bullied by them.
Now, the bridegroom is a capable man with a young master in his eyes, so the princess can rest assured.
Huaqin walked forward with a smile and took the place of the matchmaker: "My dear, you are right. You should listen to me. But it is a big wedding day, so we should not worry about this. My dear, it is time to drink the wedding wine."
Rong Tang couldn't understand how it had only been a few hours, how come even his mother's maid had betrayed him and sided with Su Huaijing!
It was not unfair that he lost in his previous two lives. He might not be able to learn this method of winning people's hearts even if he tried ten times.
Rong Tang glanced at Su Huaijing sadly, but Su Huaijing lowered his head and said in a deep voice: "Did you drink?"
Rong Tang panicked, and an inexplicable sense of fear quickly rushed up his back. He considered for a moment and whispered, "Just a little."
Su Huaijing nodded and took his hands away from behind him: "Oh."
Rong Tang panicked even more, and subconsciously reached out to grab Su Huaijing's sleeve, saying weakly: "It's really just a little bit, a small sip."
Su Huaijing looked down at the hand that was pulling on his clothes. His fingers were white, his joints were soft, and his nails were pale. It did not look healthy at all. When pressed against the dark green wedding dress, the color contrast was too strong, and for a moment it gave rise to some strange thoughts.
He wanted to pinch it, to dye it red, and he also wanted him to hold something tightly so that the veins and bones would stand out.
Su Huaijing was confused by his own thoughts for a moment, but quickly suppressed them, held Rong Tang's fingers with his backhand, and said with a smile: "I don't blame you, Tang Tang, why are you panicking?"
Rong Tang thought to himself, you haven’t blamed me yet, just look at yourself in the mirror!
A stinky man who says one thing and thinks another!
The system watched for a long time and couldn't help but complain: [Host, you are a little delicate...]
It has followed its host for seven years, and this is the first time it sees Rong Tang like this, so it feels a little uncomfortable.
Rong Tang immediately refuted it: "You are blind."
System: […You are still angry because of shame.]
Rong Tang: “…”
Rong Tang decided to ignore it and was pushed to the side of the table by the crowd. The matchmaker came back to her senses at this time and became much more cautious. She said auspicious words in a proper manner and asked someone to bring the wedding wine.
The alcohol content was not high, and it was more like fruit wine than alcohol. The princess had specially ordered someone to prepare it. After Su Huaijing smelled it, his expression slightly improved. However, when Rong Tang took a sip and wanted to take a second sip, he slightly pressed his arm and interrupted him.
Rong Tang immediately put down the cup obediently.
After receiving the reward, Huaqin led everyone to leave, and Shuangshou served the dishes one by one. There were only two people in the room, and Su Huaijing's wild energy that had lasted for the whole day was withdrawn, and he returned to being a cold and aloof young man.
Rong Tang felt that this was right, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel a little scared. He didn't pay attention to how much he ate during the meal, and was only thinking about whether the villain had eaten the dishes he liked. Su Huaijing's bowl and plate were piled up with his serving chopsticks.
Su Huaijing's eyelids twitched slightly, and he thought about telling him directly that he was not angry. But he felt that he still had to scare him, otherwise he would have no idea what his body looked like.
He actually dared to drink. The wine prepared in the palace was all aged for many years, strong and powerful. Even if he only drank a little, his body, which was full of holes like a broken ship, could not withstand it.
So the meal was quite depressing.
After they finished eating, Rong Tang looked at him, frowned, thought for a while, and suddenly remembered something. He clapped his hands and said, "Wait for me!"
As he said that, he ran out at full speed. Su Huaijing wanted to remind him to slow down, but he disappeared before he could finish his words.
Su Huaijing has rarely felt so frustrated in his life.
He shook his head, quite helpless.
Fortunately, Rong Tang came back with his hands behind his back after a while, dragged a stool and sat in front of him, and said softly: "Huai Jing, are you angry?"
Su Huaijing looked at him: "Why am I angry?"
Rong Tang: "I was mad at you for drinking."
Su Huaijing deliberately said, "Everyone must drink the wedding wine when they get married."
Rong Tang was sure that this man was angry, so he lowered his voice and confessed the crime honestly: "He was angry that I drank outside."
Su Huaijing looked at him for a moment, and finally asked, "How much did you drink?"
Rong Tang held up a finger and this time didn’t say a little bit: “One cup.”
Su Huaijing almost laughed out of anger. His eyes turned cold as he looked at him. After staring at him for a while, he was about to stand up. Rong Tang quickly held him down: "I was wrong!"
He admitted his mistake very quickly. Before Su Huaijing could respond, Rong Tang took out his hands that had been behind his back, spread out his palms, and said in a cute way: "I said I would ask for a peace amulet for you. I knelt in front of the Buddha for an hour and recited a whole sutra on the first day of the new year to get it. I even collected the incense ash myself! The abbot said that I asked for the first one this month, and it will surely bless you to be safe and everything will go well in the future."
Su Huaijing's expression was blank for a moment, and he seemed a little confused. Rong Tang took advantage of the situation and used the same strength he had used on Wang Xiuyu: "Huaijing, don't be angry. I promise I won't drink next time, okay?"
The pure and innocent eyes like a little animal appeared again, and Su Huaijing suddenly realized that Rong Tang was very good at apologizing.
He will deliberately put himself in a relatively low position in the spatial environment. Even if he is sitting level, he will subconsciously bend his body, look at you obediently and gently, with his eyes raised, and his voice will be light and soft, each word sounding like an annoyance, and he will not stop until you have softened your ears.
Su Huaijing was silent for a long time. Rong Tang frowned and struggled. He was already considering whether to say directly, "Today is our wedding day, are you still angry?" At this time, Su Huaijing sighed softly and looked down at him.
There was some helplessness and resignation in his eyes, and he called out, "Tangtang."
When the villain called him "Tangtang" in this tone, Rong Tang's skin tightened and he swallowed his saliva: "Huh?"
Su Huaijing raised his hand and wiped off the last bit of lip balm that had gotten on his lips from eating. His voice was very soft and gentle: "You can't come and coax me every time you do something wrong."
"You know I'm soft on you, right?"
There was a little man in Rong Tang’s heart, shaking his head like a rattle, shouting: I don’t know!
In his previous life, he had heard people talk about Su Huaijing being soft-hearted, saying, "Master Su is still soft-hearted. That old man was so rude and openly humiliated him, but he only let him go to jail and beheaded him. I think he should be executed by slow slicing."
But a few days later, Rong Tang heard that rats had entered the prison. The official, who should have been executed in the autumn, had half of his calf flesh bitten off by rats in the prison. When he was carried out, his bones were dangling with blood and tendons.
Su Huaijing was still 'soft-hearted', and went to take a look himself, and said with some melancholy: "The imperial decree said that he would die by the beginning of autumn. If he died now, it would be considered as disobeying the imperial decree. Why don't you find a doctor to treat Lord Li?"
The man managed to hold on with his last breath and was thrown into the Sky Prison. Not long after, a spotted snake entered the prison. Its venom was not fatal, but it was extremely painful to endure. Lord Li lost half of his life again, and only a layer of skin was left on his body.
Even at the very end, when he was being pushed to the execution ground, a wild dog that came out of nowhere went mad, rushed to the execution vehicle, and bit half of his face through the cage, even causing one of his eyeballs to fall out. Rong Tang happened to see this scene, and he was so scared that he had a fever when he returned home that night.
Fortunately, Su Huaijing was not "soft-hearted" this time. He looked at him coldly for a while, confirmed that the man was still alive, curled up in the cage and groaned in pain, and said, "Keep on going, don't miss the time."
The person who was sentenced to beheaded in the autumn indeed died in the end. However, Rong Tang suspected that he did not hear the whole story about how much inhuman torture was involved in the process.
By the way, this Mr. Li is Li Changfu, Su Huaijing’s distant uncle.
So when Rong Tang heard him say that he was soft-hearted, he felt a little PTSD and his body trembled.
Su Huaijing thought he knew he was wrong, so he sighed softly, reached out to take the amulet, and poked his palm with the tip of one corner: "Don't do it again."
Rong Tang was slightly stunned, and suddenly raised his head, just in time to see Su Huaijing looking at him with an expression that was almost helpless, indulgent, and happy: "Thank you, Tangtang, this is the first time I have received a peace amulet."
Rong Tang suddenly felt sad, thinking that the scene he just recalled was not the cub in front of him at all. He secretly despised himself and said hot-headedly, "Then I will pray for one for you every year in the future!"
Su Huaijing was slightly startled, and an indescribable feeling of warmth filled his heart. But before he could ponder it carefully, Rong Tang quickly patched it up: "Until I die!"
Su Huaijing's face fell.
He looked at Rong Tang with hatred, and for a moment he wanted to sew his mouth shut. Su Huaijing turned his head away from him and squeezed the amulet as if to vent his anger.
Seeing that the man seemed to be coaxed, Rong Tang happily wanted to lead him out.
A banquet was being held in front of them, and the high officials in the court were using this occasion to get close to each other, and the children of the aristocratic families were making friends for their future. Everyone was running around and doing business, and they were very busy.
In the courtyard at the back house, Rong Tang didn't care about that. He presented everything he had prepared to Su Huaijing one by one as if they were treasures.
The bedroom was constructed and decorated in the same way as his room, except that the folding screen was replaced with a sea of clouds and mist. In the vase by the window was placed a branch of apricot blossom that had been picked this morning, and in front of the small couch there was a white jade chessboard.
The study room is connected yet separated, so the two sides do not disturb each other. The best inkstones, ink sticks, and wolf-hair brushes are hung in front of the desk. Even the paper is the best-selling style in Beijing, piled in dozens on the shelves.
On Rong Tang's bookshelf, there were storybooks and Buddhist scriptures, while on Su Huaijing's, there were books on astronomy and geography, historical collections, political memoirs and administration, water control and road construction, Pingjiang Bridge Construction, brief military strategies, incomplete chess game records... He had collected almost everything he could find.
Because of these books, Su Huaijing's side occupied almost two-thirds of the entire room.
For the first time, he truly understood what the words Xingfeng handed back meant.
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The prince cleaned up a room with the best light in his courtyard. He wanted to paint the wall to look like a pepper room but was stopped. He ordered the craftsmen to make the most luxurious furniture. He almost bought out all the books in all the major bookstores in the capital...
Seriously, not a single word of falsehood.
The letters he asked Shuangshou to bring back these days were sealed by Rong Tang and put in a box inlaid with gold beads.
That should be the treasure box that the princess used to store precious jewelry, but he used it to hold a few pieces of paper...
Su Huaijing hadn't had this feeling for many years, a feeling... similar to returning home and being cherished.
From Yong'an Lane to Tanghua Courtyard, it began when Rongtang broke into his world without any explanation.
It seemed as if he finally had a way home and a place to rest.
Rong Tang was still staring at him with a smile, with an expression that seemed to be asking for credit. Su Huaijing turned his head away, not daring to look at him, and said in a hoarse voice: "Thank you."
"You're welcome! It's my duty!" Rong Tang laughed even more happily.
(End of this chapter)