(The Hegemon is here again! Thank you for having a new Hegemon, see _ an! * * *, hug!)
When Xue Rui woke up, he was in the courtyard. The blanket on his body slipped to his feet. There was a wine pot next to his pillow and an open wine jar on the ground, reminding him how much he drank last night.
He groaned and sat up rubbing his forehead. He combed his messy long hair and squinted at the dazzling sunlight outside the courtyard. He called out, "Come in." Gui Ba, who was guarding outside the curtain, came in with a basin of water and a white cotton towel.
Xue Rui wiped his face with cold water and felt more refreshed. He smelled the strong smell of alcohol on his body and thought that Yu Shu would come later. He frowned and said, "Prepare warm soup."
Gui Ba said, "Why don't you have breakfast first? The kitchen is ready. I will serve it to you."
Xue Rui waved his hand, "What time is it? Leave it for lunch."
Gui Ba looked at his face and took the towel. He reported, "An hour ago, Prince Xiang's Heir sent someone to book a table. He said that Young Lord Rui and Second Young Master Qi would come at noon. What do you think?"
Xue Rui raised his eyebrows. He put on his coat and asked, "How many?"
If Liu Jiong and the others came for a banquet, it must be a first-class banquet. The dishes and wine cups must be carefully arranged. They must first agree on the number of people to avoid a mess.
"I said to prepare eight bowls and chopsticks."
Xue Rui calculated that if they brought a few female guests, Xi Wen would be missing. He suddenly had a headache.
It wasn't that he didn't know how his cousin felt about him. At first, he just thought that she was young and insensible, so he didn't care. But the last time she heard from somewhere that his grandfather intended to marry the Rui family, she came to Wang Ji Lou and said those words. It was hard not to take it to heart.
What's more, he almost met Yu Shu that time. He really couldn't stop worrying.
Fortunately, Yu Shu would come in the afternoon, so he could send this group of people away as soon as possible, lest Xi Wen was crafty and targeted her again.
Xue Rui wasn't afraid that Yu Shu would be at a disadvantage, but he was afraid that Xi Wen would blabber and cause a misunderstanding.
.....
Xue Rui washed away the smell of alcohol and smoked a pot of sandalwood. He sat in the study tidily and flipped through an account book that Yu Shu had corrected a while ago, waiting for Liu Jiong and the others to come.
It was less than a quarter to noon. The front building was full of customers, but the back building was still quiet. Gui Qi jogged to Xue Rui's room through the Drooping Flower Gate that led to the backyard.
Xue Rui put away the account book and walked out of the door. Liu Jiong and the others entered the backyard, talking and laughing.
"Brother Rui!" Feng Zhaomiao shouted first and jumped in front of Xue Rui in two steps, "I thought you were cooped up in the Supreme Court and wouldn't come out. Are you done with your work?"
Xue Rui nodded, patted his shoulder, and looked over there. He glanced over and noticed the three or four little girls in men's clothing following behind Liu Jiong, Rui, and Rui Lin. Their hair and faces were powdered. When he looked again, he noticed the person Xi Wen was holding intimately. His gaze paused, and the smile at the corner of his mouth faded.
"Brother Rui, today's meal is on you. Rui Lin got the official position in the Ministry of Justice yesterday. Now, he is also a fifth-rank official like you," Liu Jiong smiled and pushed Young Lord Rui, who was proud of his success, and said, "In the future, one of you will investigate cases in the Supreme Court, and the other in the Ministry of Justice. Zhaomiao no longer needs to worry about getting caught to see the officials if he gets into trouble, haha!"
"I'm not that troublesome. Didn't the Young Lord hear that I'm also in the military? Now I'm also a person who does big things." Feng Zhaomiao retorted angrily and shyly, causing everyone to laugh.
Xue Rui congratulated Rui Lin and led the crowd upstairs. A few ladies who were dressed as men lagged behind him.
Xi Wen was wearing a fiery red riding outfit. Her hair was tied up in a high braid, and she was holding onto a delicate girl dressed like a scholar. She whispered, "Little sister Zhu 'er, I told you to come. Are you happy to see me?"
Rui Zizhu heard her words and looked at the tall figure in front of her. Her face was red, and she hung her head helplessly and said, "Princess, don't make fun of me. I, I'm here to accompany my brother."
"Hehe," Xi Wen curled the corner of her mouth, and her eyes flashed with ridicule, but her hand was affectionately holding Rui Zizhu upstairs.
.....
At the wine table, everyone was enjoying themselves. The table was full of delicacies, but they didn't eat much. Instead, two jars of wine went back and forth. Feng Zhaomiao had one foot on a stool and was gesticulating as he talked about the strange things he encountered in the military camp.
When he talked about a centurion who woke up in the middle of the night to urinate, he met a ghost and was strangled. The girls at the table were frightened. Although they were scared, they still listened to him with trepidation.
Xi Wen drank the wine in the cup in front of her in one gulp, stood up, and said, "I'm going outside to get some fresh air. You guys continue to listen to his nonsense."
Feng Zhaomiao smiled sinisterly and said to her, "If you don't believe me, be careful. You'll bump into it later."
Xi Wen spat at him and said, "The sun is clear, how can there be ghosts? I'm not afraid."
As soon as she finished speaking, she swiftly glanced at Xue Rui before turning around and leaving.
Xue Rui was secretly pouring the wine in his hand into the spittoon under the table, so he didn't notice her look.
After Xi Wen left the table, she didn't go far. She stood in the corridor for a while and saw a waiter passing by with a dish. She stopped him and handed him a rolled up note with a golden bean on it. She whispered, "Give it to Eldest Young Master secretly. Don't let others see it."
The waiter was none other than Gui Ba. He looked at the thing in Xi Wen's hand and took it. He nodded and carried the dishes into the room in front of him.
In the private room, Xue Rui had just stopped Liu Jiong from drinking a cup of wine. He put down the wine pot and saw the waiter bringing the dishes to his side. In a flash, a small paper ball appeared in his hand. He whispered in his ear, "Master, it's the Princess."
Xue Rui held the paper in his hand as if nothing had happened. He opened it and looked at it. The next moment, his face turned cold.
"Three years ago, in the Sea-view Tower, I saw it."
Clenching his fist, Xue Rui straightened the corner of his mouth. There was a storm in his eyes. When he looked up again, there was a gentle smile on his face. He picked up the chopsticks and picked up a piece of lung slice. His hand trembled and it fell on his clothes, attracting the attention of several people.
"I'm going to wash up, you guys drink first."
He put down the chopsticks, got up and walked out. No one at the table noticed his strange behavior just now. Only one person shyly peeked at his back.
Xue Rui went outside and glanced at the empty corridor. He took a few steps forward and went up to the third floor. When he turned the corner of the stairs, he saw Xi Wen, who was dressed in fiery red clothes, pacing back and forth outside the patio. When she saw him coming, she smiled sweetly at him.
Xue Rui expressionlessly pushed open the door of a nearby room and walked in. Xi Wen followed him and didn't forget to close the door. When she turned around, she saw a pair of dark and threatening eyes. Her heart skipped a beat. She was clearly aware of the danger of the man in front of her at this time, but there was no turning back. She couldn't take half a step back.
"Brother Rui, you read the note, right? Let me tell you, three years ago in the palace, the Tenth Princess was killed by Cousin Jinxun. I saw what happened with my own eyes. Don't you want to know the truth?"
Xue Rui stared at her face and asked in a deep voice: "What did you see?"
Three years ago, the Tenth Princess, who was born by the Empress, was greatly favored in the palace. The Emperor favored the young and promising Eldest Young Master of the Shang Shu fu. Who would have thought that before the Tenth Princess could be betrothed, she slipped and fell from Guan Hai Lou and fell into the lake. Afterwards, she died of a cold. At that time, a little eunuch in the palace identified that it was the young lady of the Xue family who entered the palace to accompany the Tenth Princess. Because she had a quarrel with the Tenth Princess, she accidentally pushed the Tenth Princess down the stairs.
In a rage, the Emperor asked the seven members of the Xue family, including Noble Consort Xue, to kneel in front of Su Liu Palace for a whole night to admit their guilt for the death of the Tenth Princess. The Emperor almost confiscated their whole family.
Later, the Emperor's anger subsided, so the Supreme Court intervened. However, the little eunuch committed suicide by jumping into a well. After all, there was no evidence and it became a headless case.
Xue Lingnan was the backbone of the court and had served three generations of emperors. After the Emperor's anger subsided, he only thought that the Tenth Princess slipped and fell from the building, so he didn't pursue the responsibility of the Xue family.
The Xue family didn't decline from then on and kept the prosperity of the Xue family. However, First Madam Xue, who was originally blind, became seriously ill and almost died because of this. Xue Jinxun's temperament changed greatly because of excessive shock. He was timid all day, hiding in his room and didn't dare to go out. He became half mute.
.....
As soon as Xue Rui thought of what happened that year, a chill began to rise from the soles of his feet and slowly climbed up his spine to his neck. It was as if there was a pair of invisible hands strangling his neck, making it hard for him to breathe.
When he opened and closed his eyes, he saw his gentle and kind mother madly slapping him and biting his arm. It was as if she couldn't wait to eat his bones and eat his flesh.
"You asked me what I saw? I can tell you. Not only can I tell you, but I can also help you testify to prove Jinxun's cousin's innocence. But you have to promise me one thing. "
Xi Wen's eyes flickered. She was thinking about how to take this opportunity to negotiate with Xue Rui. She didn't notice that his whole body gradually became gloomy and his dark eyes were frighteningly deep.
"Since you saw it, why didn't you say anything that year?"
Xi Wen's face stiffened and she lowered her head. "I was still young at that time. I saw the Tenth Princess fall from the building. I was scared. Later, when I mentioned it to my father, he asked me to keep my mouth shut and not to mention it to anyone."
"What do you want me to promise you?"
Xi Wen's ten fingers intertwined in front of her chest. She bit her lips and resisted telling him her plan. Instead, she said, "I can't tell you now. When I think of something, I'll tell you."
Xue Rui was silent for a moment. Then he said in a low voice, "Then when you think of something, you can tell me."
Hearing his words, Xi Wen secretly let out a sigh of relief. Unknowingly, a layer of sweat appeared on her forehead. Only now did she feel that the stuffy atmosphere in the room was uncomfortable.
"Then, then I'll go down first."
Xi Wen was afraid Xue Rui would go back on his word, so she opened the door and walked out with quick strides, and when she breathed in the fresh air outside, her mood abruptly eased up, causing her to stride briskly. When she arrived at the second floor, she just happened to encounter Yu Shu who was walking up from the first floor.
When the two met, they were both stunned. Xi Wen was the first to react. She sneered and snorted. Without even saying goodbye, she walked down the corridor with her hands clasped behind her back.
Yu Shu had heard from Lin Fu that this group of people came to drink, so she didn't find it strange to see Xi Wen here. It was just that —
She looked up and felt suspicious. She didn't return to the room to wait for Xue Rui like she originally planned. Instead, she used the handrail to go up to the third floor.
She easily found the second room that was half open. She pushed the door open and entered. When she saw Xue Rui sitting on the chair in the hall, she felt that there was something wrong with him. Thinking about Xi Wen, who she had just met downstairs, she frowned. She guessed that something had happened between the two of them and walked forward.
"Big brother, why are you sitting here?"
When Xue Rui heard Yu Shu's voice, he slowly raised his head and watched her approaching.
When Yu Shu walked two steps in front of him, she could clearly see that his eyes were bloodshot. His lower jaw was stretched into a straight line, as if he was trying his best to endure something. His tall body was actually trembling slightly, and his lips were purplish, without a trace of blood.
She was startled. She couldn't care less and stepped forward to hold his face.
"What's wrong? Don't scare me, hey! "
As she spoke, she patted his shoulder to soothe his chest. After a moment of fluster, she was about to go out and call for help in a moment of desperation. Her hands had just left him, and before she could turn around, he suddenly hugged her.
Xue Rui's arms were tightly wrapped around Yu Shu's waist and back. His arms were so tight that they almost broke her. He hugged her like that and felt the warmth from her body. He finally took a breath from his chest, like a survivor struggling to swim to the surface of the water.
"… Shu, don't go."
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