The wheels rolled forward, and the sound was scattered in the silent night sky.
The winter night was quiet, not as lively as the long summer night, with only the sound of the lights popping in the carriage. The pain from the side of the neck gradually dulled, more like a nibble than a bite, like a predator wrapping up the prey in its stomach, and in the end only a thin layer of temperature remained, as if it was a mark of ownership, and was kept in captivity for future enjoyment.
Rong Tang blinked uncontrollably, his crow-feather-like eyelashes hiding the panic in his eyes.
Su Huaijing asked again: "Tangtang, who am I?"
Rong Tang's Adam's apple rolled slightly, and the sound of swallowing was amplified infinitely in the car, overlapping with the rhythm of the wheels rolling outside the window.
Rong Tang was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to respond.
There are countless answers to this question, every one of them is true, and every one of them can be submitted as a perfect answer.
But the standard answer in Su Huaijing's hand seemed to be different from Rong Tang's, and he was not sure what to say.
[Just expose him! ]
The system was a little angry, and there was a hint of trembling in the mechanical voice. I don't know if it was angry that the villain bit its own host; or if it was angry that this person was clearly concealing something, but turned around and blamed it!
In short, Tongzi was very angry, and Tongzi instigated Rongtang!
[Just say it! Can he still kill you?! ]
Rong Tang: “…”
Indeed, not.
But if after he answered, Su Huaijing asked him how he knew that, what would Rong Tang say
The system has some restrictions on him. Some clear-cut sentences that exceed the time limit or involve spoilers cannot be said. Then how should he explain to Su Huaijing that a sickly person who has lived in the mansion since childhood not only knows the secrets after the civil strife in Dayu nine years ago, but also knows that the Seventh Prince is not actually dead
Even so, with Zhao Su Huaijing's keen sense, once anything gave him a clue to make sense of it, he could easily follow the clues and find the huge ship hidden deeper under the water.
For example, how could Rong Tang know that in the early spring of this year, Su Huaijing was drugged and sent to Fengyue Tower
These are all risks. He knows that Su Huaijing would never do anything bad to him, but what if
What if the villain turns evil again, suspects that Rong Tang has other intentions behind his approach, and judges his purpose and behavior? Then in which direction will everything develop afterwards
Having been through two lifetimes of political struggles, Rong Tang almost instinctively analyzes the pros and cons and every possibility. If he is not sure of a perfect path, he should not take it.
However, Su Huaijing sat opposite him. Although his eyes were filled with desire that needed to be satisfied and his posture was too oppressive to be ignored, Rong Tang still felt that he was very weak.
He is not angry, he is just acting coquettishly.
Because her demands were not met, she couldn't help but bite his neck to relieve the emotions in her heart, whether they were unspeakable or restless.
The answer he needed seemed to be written on his face.
Rong Tang looked him straight in the eyes and said softly, "You are Su Huaijing."
This was obviously not the answer Su Huaijing wanted to hear, but he still restrained himself and said in a hoarse voice: "Anything else?"
"He's my husband." Rong Tang said.
Su Huaijing was stunned for a second, and seemed to be comforted in an instant.
There was a hint of joy and confusion in his eyes. Rong Tang continued, "He is Li Changfu's nephew—"
The villain's brows immediately furrowed. He had never hidden his emotions in front of Rong Tang. His happiness, anger, and sadness were all clearly written on his face, like a completely spoiled child.
Before Su Huaijing could start to attack, Rong Tang immediately threw out a few more answers: "He is the grandson of Duke Xian, the younger brother of Mu Jingxu, and also my cousin in a sense."
The system encouraged Rong Tang to rush forward for a long time, but when it really heard Rong Tang's words, it got stuck instantly. The sound of electric current, so subtle that it was almost imperceptible, surged in the system space, and the car returned to silence again.
The coachman let out a surprised sound and whispered to the guards and servants beside him: "It's snowing!"
On the eleventh day of the winter month, it began to snow in Yujing. The snow continued to fall, gradually covering the capital and the raging fire in the north of the city.
Su Huaijing lowered his head and stared at Rong Tang quietly. After a long, long time, he suddenly laughed, stepped back, and showed a more relaxed attitude. In the dim light of the candle, he asked: "How did Tang Tang know?"
The shackles disappeared, and the breathing space expanded again, but Rong Tang did not feel relaxed at all.
Su Huaijing looked relaxed, but it was clear that all the muscles in his body were tense. It was not to compete with others, but more like...
Beware of his escape.
Rong Tang was puzzled, but Su Huaijing asked him a question and it was impossible for him not to have an answer.
But he couldn't tell the whole truth, so he frowned, thought about it, and decided to sell out his brother.
Rong Tang looked into Su Huaijing's eyes and used all the acting skills he had learned throughout his life: "Ke Hongxue told me."
The system jammed more severely for a moment, and a small pixel question mark almost appeared above my head.
Even Su Huaijing tilted his head in surprise and blinked at Rong Tang.
Rong Tang remained calm, but his heart was pounding.
He himself found it strange. In his previous two lives, when he was mediating with so many court officials to help Sheng Chengli, he had no idea how many lies, truths, and half-truths he had said. But there had never been a time when he could almost feel his heart jumping out in protest after he finished speaking, as if it was accusing him of lying.
Rong Tang even suspected that this heart might be remotely controlled by Master Ke because of his blame-shifting.
Su Huaijing looked at him for a long time, then smiled softly. It was unclear whether he believed it or not, but he just asked again, "Who is Sheng Chengli?"
Rong Tang: “?”
He frowned in displeasure, and his heartbeat suddenly stabilized: "What does it have to do with him?"
Su Huaijing snorted softly and glanced at Rong Tang: "I'm also very curious, what does this have to do with him?"
The carriage accidentally went over a protruding stone and there was a bump. Rong Tang moved in the blanket and subconsciously put his feet forward, touching Su Huaijing's legs. In an instant, he was pinned under his legs and could not move.
Su Huaijing lowered his voice to a low and deep tone, as if trying to seduce people: "Tangtang, tell me the truth, who is he to you?"
What kind of person are you that would make you blurt out his name before you even meet him, that would make you instinctively resist him from the bottom of your heart, that would make you vomit and cry and tell me it hurts the first time you see him, that would make you keep an eye on his whereabouts even though you hate him
Who is he to you? Why is he so special? Why do you have such great emotional fluctuations towards him
You don't have such big changes in emotions towards me.
After the jolt, his feet were pressed down by someone and he couldn't move at all. Suddenly, Rong Tang felt a sour feeling in the air coming from somewhere.
He looked up suspiciously and happened to meet Su Huaijing's deep phoenix eyes.
His eyes were watery and clear, with a hint of smile, and he seemed well-behaved and obedient, giving people the illusion that he was extremely gentle and lovable.
Rong Tang blinked, and was smart enough to see the hint of jealousy and comparison in his eyes.
Young Master Rong was very confused. He didn't understand why Su Huaijing wanted to compare himself with Sheng Chengli.
In his eyes, the villain is ten thousand times better than the hero.
Rong Tang thought about it and tried to comfort her: "He is an insignificant person."
Rong Tang immediately added: "To be honest, he might be my enemy."
Su Huaijing paused for a moment, his eyebrows became sharp, his voice tone naturally dropped, and a bit of the innate pressure was unconsciously leaked out. He slowly repeated: "Enemy?"
Rong Tang froze, realizing belatedly that he had revealed some great secret in order to appease Su Huaijing, but now that the topic had come to this, he could only bite the bullet and admit it: "Yeah."
Su Huaijing slowly sat up straight, twirled his fingers, and asked, "What did he do to you to become your enemy?"
Rong Tang opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but the feeling of blockage that he hadn't felt in a long time came over him again, and he still had no way to be honest with Su Huaijing.
Rong Tang recalled in frustration that Su Huaijing was waiting for him on the side, not rushing or anxious, but playing with the waist badge chain with his hands faster and faster, revealing his inner impatience and urgency.
After a long while, Rong Tang finally spoke in a low voice, and asked nervously: "Huai Jing, do you often dream?"
Su Huaijing was stunned. An unknown image appeared in his mind and his face froze slightly.
Rong Tang tried to put it in another way, using a very mysterious but untraceable direction: "I have had a recurring dream since I was very young."
He paused, not feeling any obstruction or punishment from the system, and was slightly delighted. He continued, "Strictly speaking, it should have started when I was nine years old. At that time, I hadn't met Sheng Chengli yet."
[You are becoming more and more skilled at lying.] The system couldn't bear to watch it anymore and said coldly.
Rong Tang paused for a moment, and was furious: "Then tell me what else I can say so as not to arouse the suspicion of the villain!?"
[…] The system resolutely kept silent, not daring to extinguish the host’s desire to survive.
Rong Tang began to think of ways to make up for this lie: "It seems like the dream is about another world, but every time I wake up I feel very tired, as if I have really been through it."
Su Huaijing leaned against the carriage: "What do you mean?"
The continuous fine snow hit the roof of the car. Rong Tang was in a dim environment, holding a hand warmer in his hands, and his feet were pressed by Su Huaijing.
At first he just wanted to get around Su Huaijing's persistent question, but as he spoke, he seemed to be trapped in it. An extremely faint atmosphere of sadness emerged around him, and Su Huaijing found that he could not get involved.
"It was around this time. It started with a heavy snowfall. On New Year's Eve, I fell into a pond. When I woke up, everything was different."
"The emperor invited my father and mother to the palace for a banquet on the Lantern Festival. I had just recovered a little, so I went with my mother. In the middle of the banquet, I felt bored and left my seat to walk around. Before I knew it, I got lost and ended up in a dark cold palace."
Rong Tang spoke slowly, his eyes naturally drooping. He didn't know which specific point he was looking at. The focus was sometimes clear and sometimes blurry. In the end, all he could see was the halo reflected by the candle and the fluffy blanket.
"The cold palace was dilapidated and dark. I walked in and saw someone with a high fever lying on the bed, unconscious. I took one look and wanted to go out to find a doctor for him, but he grabbed my sleeve. The man was very young and unconscious. He thought I was his mother and cried to me."
Su Huaijing's expression was slightly stiff. He pursed his thin lips slightly and stared at Rong Tang without blinking.
"I coaxed him for a while, pried his hands apart, and found a doctor to cure his cold." Rong Tang said softly, "After a while, he went to the palace again and thanked me respectfully, saying that I was his savior and asked me if I could save him one more time."
Su Huaijing asked, "Is it Sheng Chengli?"
Rong Tang nodded: "He asked me to teach him how to get out of the cold palace, how to win the favor of His Majesty, how to cultivate his own power, and even asked me to teach him how to be a king."
"I actually didn't know a lot either, but I learned while teaching him, so we supported each other and walked together for three or four years."
Then resentment arose, fear and suspicion began to grow between them, and they became alienated and estranged from each other, until finally, they completely fell apart in an unknown, dilapidated temple.
Rong Tang didn't go into detail, only saying, "He betrayed me in the end and did some bad things."
"What's the matter?" Su Huaijing asked softly.
Rong Tang shook his head: "I can't remember clearly. The things in the dream are unreal to begin with. After I woke up, they started to become blurry."
Su Huaijing held the badge in his hand, looked down at him for a long time, and finally nodded gently: "It should be so."
He asked: "Does Tangtang hate him?"
"It's not hatred." Rong Tang frowned, "I just hate him and don't want to have any contact with him."
Su Huaijing: "Do you want to kill him?"
Rong Tang was suddenly startled and looked up at Su Huaijing. He was about to refuse, but when he saw the dark currents in his eyes, the words got stuck at his lips.
Su Huaijing took it seriously.
He had murderous intentions.
The system was frantically sounding an alarm. Rong Tang swallowed his saliva and did not give any perfunctory answers such as "It was a dream". He directly gave the answer that Su Huaijing wanted to hear: "Yes."
As soon as he finished speaking, Su Huaijing smiled softly: "Then I will kill him for Tangtang, okay?"
He didn't care whether it was a dream or not. Sheng Chengli's existence made Rong Tang feel fear and disgust. In Su Huaijing's eyes, he should be a dead man.
He made this suggestion happily, but Rong Tang shook his head.
Su Huaijing was surprised: "Tangtang doesn't want him to die?"
Rong Tang held the hand warmer tightly and said something that he couldn't tell whether it was true or false: "I want to."
Su Huaijing: "Then why don't you agree?"
"I'll do it myself." Rong Tang said softly, his voice a little hoarse and trembling: "Let me do it, you are not allowed to do anything."
Su Huaijing was stunned and looked at Rong Tang in disbelief, but he only saw a calm and clear look in his eyes, as if nothing he said was false, only his body was trembling slightly uncomfortably.
He stared at him for a long time, and finally nodded: "Okay, I'll leave his life to you."
With a swish, Rong Tang's tense body suddenly relaxed, a fine layer of sweat seeped out of his palms, and the alarm that had been blaring in his mind finally stopped.
When the carriage arrived at Ningxuan Prince's Mansion, Su Huaijing got off the carriage first, reached out his hand and caught Rong Tang.
The moment they held hands, snow fell from the door, the lantern swayed, and Su Huaijing suddenly asked, "What am I like in Tangtang's dream?"
Rong Tang had just relaxed from the sense of urgency that seemed to make the mission fail and the world collapse, and he heard it without thinking: "You are not in my dream."
Su Huaijing frowned slightly, and a light jumping sound came from the side.
Rong Tang stood beside him, with the snow that had not yet piled up under his feet, and an unextinguished fire in the distance.
He stood in the midst of the snow and fireworks, and whispered, "You are my reality."
(End of this chapter)