Three days later, Xu Yanqing was about to leave.
Early in the morning, only Mrs. Xie brought the second bedroom to see him off at the gate of Xu Mansion. When Xu Yanqing went south this time, she didn't bring much luggage, and only brought two strong servants by her side to serve her. Mrs. Xie has always been the most generalist, and never reveals anything easily on her face, but today she is still reluctant to let go, holding her son's hands, and said: "Yan'er, there is a lot of miasma in the south, mother asked the doctor to prepare some flavors for you. Take the medicine well. Going outside is no better than going to Beijing, remember that your own safety is the most important thing, and you must not force yourself to stand out."
Over the past half month, Xu Yanqing has lost a lot of weight, and the arrogance in her eyes seems to have subsided a little. He smiled at Mrs. Xie, and said slowly: "My son will." Then he said to the nurse next to him, "In the days when I'm not here, you have to take good care of Madam."
The servants responded one after another, and Xu Yanqing looked at Mrs. Xie hesitantly. Always said that mother and child are connected, Xie patted his hand and said: "Don't worry, mother will not make things difficult for him. Besides, there are two other wives, so he can't be wronged."
Xu Yanqing felt a little relieved at this point, but she didn't feel relieved on her face, it just seemed to be mixed with various things. He said goodbye to his mother, and when he turned around and got into the carriage, he suddenly saw me standing quietly by the gate.
"Respect..." Before he had time to call me, the coachman let out a "wow". The carriage walked slowly, Xu Yanqing poked her face out of the window and kept looking at me, but even though she had a thousand words, she couldn't express it.
"Young Master." The servant called me.
I slowly retracted my gaze, turned around and walked into the deep house.
Second Young Master Xu was appointed as an imperial envoy today, and he went south for a visit. If he went there, he would be back in three months. If something happened on the way and he was delayed, it would not be surprising to go for a year or so.
This whole autumn, I have been recuperating here in Sanfang. At first I couldn't even get out of bed, but after a while of recuperation, I was able not only to get down and walk, but also to step out of the yard. I looked at the buds on the plum tree with some ecstasy, and heard Jasper say innocently: "When winter comes, all the flowers in this garden will wither, and then there will be only this plum tree left. , but it's really pitiful to be alone." She suddenly fell silent, and then called out, "Young master."
When I heard this, I turned back.
I saw that handsome man walking towards me, his dark red cloak fluttering in the wind, which seemed to be the most colorful scene in this bleak place. But look, those eyebrows are like distant mountains and eyes are like deep pools, which originally gave people a sense of solemnity and majesty, but now his thin lips are pursed into a smile, turning that solemnity into tender fingers, which makes people feel secure in every possible way , and can't help feeling close to him.
"Officer." When he stood in front of me, I raised my head and looked at him and called softly. "En." Xu Changfeng responded to me.
These days, even though I am on the side of Sanfang, he will visit me every few days. Although he doesn't stay for a long time, it still makes me feel warm in my heart. The servants retreated tactfully, leaving only Xu Changfeng and I wandering in the yard.
"Recently, aren't you busy with the affairs of the yamen?" I walked up the small bridge with him, and now, I am no longer so reserved in front of him as when I first came here. Xu Changfeng and I are not talkative people, but no matter what I ask, he will answer me patiently: "It's still the same, when the military parade is held at the end of the year, it will not be as leisurely as it is now."
Xu Changfeng, as the left commander of the imperial guards, also went to the battlefield to defeat the bandits. When I heard the military parade, I couldn't help showing a trace of worry on my face. Xu Changfeng said: "In today's world, apart from the Xiadan people in the west, Wuxu in the north is more difficult to deal with." I asked subconsciously: "Then do we want to fight?"
Xu Changfeng laughed, and I blushed, and whispered: "Let... the officials laugh."
"No," Xu Changfeng shook his head, as if expressing his feelings: "I was just thinking that the world is peaceful today, and the country seems to be stable, but it is not. After all, it was a pack of wild wolves that were kept on their heads. As early as the time of the first emperor, I have intended to send troops to the north a few times, but I can't wait for the opportunity." He stopped, looked at the lake and said, "Since we can't wait, we have to make an opportunity."
I don't know the affairs of the court, let alone how to use troops, so naturally I can't give any advice.
Xu Changfeng sent me back to the yard, and asked abruptly, "On weekdays, what do you do when the third child is away?"
In the past two days, Xu Qihe was so busy that he hardly touched the ground, and he didn't see anyone until dark. In the inner house, I have long been used to being idle, so I shook my head: "I didn't do anything, just read a book for a while, and the day passed."
Xu Changfeng nodded lightly, and left without saying anything. I watched him quietly.
The next day, a servant came over with a birdcage. It was a singing thrush bird, very funny, I looked at it curiously, the boy servant said with a smile: "The young master said, let the young master raise this bird, it will relieve boredom at ordinary times."
That day, I was very happy, teasing the thrush, and before I knew it, it was night.
After Xu Qihe came back, when he saw the bird cage, he asked curiously: "Where did this come from?" Before I could answer, Biyu said: "Back to the third young master, this is given to the young master by the eldest young master, our young master Jun he likes it, he has been playing all day."
"Oh?" Xu Qihe came over, I looked at him, he had a smile on his face. He looked at the bird in the cage, and said lightly: "...it's quite cute."
For some reason, I always felt that there was no smile in his eyes, so I couldn't help asking him: "He Lang, are you tired?"
The expression on Xu Qihe's face eased, he came over and held my hand and said, "Well, it's a little bit." He looked at me again, and said softly, "It's my fault that I haven't been with you these few days."
I shook my head smilingly, and then had dinner with him. After nightfall, Xu Qihe fell asleep with his arms around me. For more than a month, he was very careful and never touched my body.
It was getting colder.
The servant was arranging the contents of the master's closet, at this time, Bi Luo came over and brought me a sachet: "Young Master, I found this from your closet, but I have never seen you have such a thing. "
I took the sachet and looked at it carefully. Suddenly, something flashed through my mind...
"Young Master?" Bi Luo called me.
I immediately came back to my senses and said, "Yes, it's my property, you can do something."
After Bi fell, I sat in front of the case and looked at the sachet silently. The embroidery is exquisite and delicate, and it looks like it was used by the master. If it is accidentally dropped, no one will pick it up in the courtyard where people come and go. Unless, when I picked it up, its owner had just dropped it...
I was walking in the yard, and the servants told me that Xu Qihe had returned to the mansion early in the morning, and I thought he was discussing with others. Before I realized it, not long after I left, I saw a familiar figure under the gazebo.
Now that it was about to enter the early winter, Xu Qihe was wearing a snow-white crane cloak. He has creamy skin and a beautiful face, with slender fingers twisting a sunspot, sitting alone in front of the chessboard, like an exiled immortal. I walked towards him, and when I was about to make a sound, I saw other people in the pavilion.
A strange middle-aged man bowed his waist. It was a cold day, but his forehead was covered with cold sweat. His face was ashen, his shoulders trembled, and suddenly, his knees bent, and he knelt down straight to Xu Qihe.
"...Cousin, you must help me this time! If you hadn't said, said—"
But Xu Qihe interrupted him: "You can't say that." He smiled lightly, without even looking at the man, "Brother Xu, there was a flood this year, and there was a food shortage in the north and south. The He Xu family is in charge of the Tianxia Granary, dared to hoard new grain privately and sell it at a high price, and gave it away with old rice mixed with sand and stones. It's okay to do such a stupid thing, and he was so stupid that he was caught out..." He lowered his voice He raised his voice, "You teach me, how can you help me?"
The man was trembling: "But, but, at that time, you..."
Xu Qihe's eyes were extremely cold, and with a "click", one piece landed lightly on the chessboard, and only said, "Zhang Yuan, see off the guests."
Manager Zhang raised his hand, and the servant dragged the man out. When the man was dragged down, he was still crying and begging to see Mrs. Jiang, but when he couldn't hear the voice, I heard Xu Qihe say quietly: "This man is clean, won't he talk nonsense?"
"Yes, Third Young Master." Zhang Yuan didn't change his face, and there was some deep meaning in his words, "Everything is done."
Xu Qihe tapped his chin in satisfaction, still looking as if he was otherworldly. Until he stood up from his seat, walked to the railing, and saw me suddenly.
His face changed slightly, and then he seemed to change his face again in an instant, and he called me with a smile: "Sanxi." He walked out of the pavilion quickly, walked towards me, and said, "Why are you here, and how long have you been here?" gone?"
I looked at his face, and replied in a daze, "Yeah, not too long."
Xu Qihe took my hand, rubbing it in the palm of his hand, and said with lowered eyes: "Look at you, you didn't even take a hand warmer when you came out. How cold this hand is..."
"I..." I looked at him speechlessly. Xu Qihe didn't expose me, he only looked at me for a while, then wrapped his hands around my palms, and said softly, "Go, I'll take you back."
On that day, everything was as usual, as if nothing had happened.
Until the evening, Xu Qihe and I shared the same bed. I lay with my back to him, and in the dark, I felt an arm reach out from behind and wrap around my waist. Then, he slowly came over, hugged me, and kissed the back of my neck tenderly. I turned around slowly, and Xu Qihe had already got up, pressing on my body.
His fingers gently brushed the ends of my hair away from my face, and in the blurred moonlight, I saw the desire in those eyes. He asked in a hoarse voice, "Tonight... will it work?"
That hand had already penetrated into my clothes, I didn't speak, just leaned back and kissed his lips gently.
After all, I couldn't ask him about the sachet.