Chapter 45

Rong Tang felt his tongue ache even as he sat in the private room of Lanyue Pavilion.

Like a kitten drinking milk, he couldn’t help but stick out his tongue. It poked out little by little, and then he thought it was unsightly, so he withdrew it. He discreetly probed back and forth, subtly cussing out the villain in his heart.

Su Huaijing caught a glimpse of this scene from the corner of his eye. Earlier, he’d been so furious with his little Buddha that the evil thought of wishing that he could give him pills as big as a lion head meatball suddenly dissolved.

When he came to Lanyue Pavilion this time, he remembered to bring some tea, so he asked Shuang Shou to brew it and bring it over. He then placed it in front of Rong Tang in a flattering manner and softly coaxed him: “Tangtang, would you like some tea?”

Rong Tang glanced at him indignantly and asked, “Did you also put Coptis chinensis in it?”

He is so smart!

In the three lifetimes Rong Tang has traversed, he may not have eaten all the exotic delicacies, but he is exceedingly familiar with various medicinal soups and pills. The taste of Chinese medicine is extremely strange. Some are tart, some are sour, some are fishy, and some are spicy with a hint of sweetness. Anyway, none of them taste good.

But! In these three lifetimes! Not once! Has the medicinal soup he’s drank been as bitter as the ones Su Huaijing decocted for him these past few days!!!

He saw with his own eyes Su Huaijing breaking the long strips of coptis into pieces and putting them into the crucible for making medicine!

That’s too much!

As soon as Rong Tang started complaining, he couldn’t control that bit of temper. He asked with a sullen face, “Do you want to murder your husband so that you can acquire my inheritance?”

He didn’t know how many times he’d told him to wait until he died prior to and after getting married, but this was the only time Su Huaijing didn’t feel the least bit unhappy when he heard him speak like this. Instead, he appeared so cute that his eyebrows curved upwards, and he said softly, “How would I dare?”

Rong Tang let out a snort from his nose and looked away from him. Su Huaijing obediently poured him a cup of tea and put it in front of him, bent over, and blinked his eyes at him.

Rong Tang lost all his false bravado from being stared at by him. His mouth tasted so bitter that he wanted to drink something sweet. He shifted on the chair, angled half of his body to the side until he blocked Su Huaijing’s view, then took a few small sips of the tea.

The moment the sweet taste entered his mouth, Rong Tang’s eyebrows relaxed comfortably, and his feet on the ground couldn’t help but curl up. Sure enough, no matter how wonderful the environment in Song Garden is and how sumptuous the banquet is, the tea is still not as tasty as Su Huaijing’s.

The diminishing of the main villain’s favourability level for feeding himself Coptis chinensis also increased a bit!

Su Huaijing watched him drinking tea like he was burying his head in the sand and was overwhelmed by the cuteness that he didn’t know what to say. His hands itched, and he was somewhat afraid that he couldn’t resist pinching Rong Tang’s tea-moistened lips. He restrained himself and looked away, picked up a few lychees from the table, and peeled them silently to divert his bad thoughts.

There are always many people in Lanyue Pavilion at night, not to mention that this is the penultimate day of the flower-picking festival. Tomorrow afternoon, there will be people leaving, one after another, so tonight is especially lively. Even if they were sitting in the box, they could still hear sounds coming from outside.

Someone knocked on the screen, and Sheng Chengming entered together with Lu Jiaxi.

Rong Tang was stealthily drinking his third cup of tea. When he saw them, he raised his eyebrows to ask in surprise, “Did Your Highness and Young Master Lu hit off well from the start?”

Lu Jiaxi followed Sheng Chengming in. The moment he noticed the familiar faces, his expression became disgruntled, as if asking for help, but Sheng Chengming laughed loudly and said, “Hahaha, Xiao Lu is terribly interesting. His poetry and speech are all to my liking, so much so that I want to consider him a didi!”

Rong Tang’s hand shook, and some tea sloshed out of the cup. He secretly stole a glance at Su Huaijing’s expression and said, “Your Highness is too kind.”

Xiao Lu is so pitiful. He very nearly became one of Su Huaijing’s enemies for no reason.

Lu Jiaxi made a deplorable face, like a child noticing an adult, and kept giving meaningful glances at Rong Tang. But once Sheng Chengming turned around, he smiled and gave him a hard pat on the shoulder: “Xiao Lu is so cute!”

Lu Jiaxi immediately switched his expression, like mask-changing in Sichuan opera, and transformed his face into one beaming with joy: “Appreciate Your Highness for not forsaking me.”

He’d spent an entire day strolling around with Sheng Chengming, walking here and there, and sightseeing. He had even become familiar with the children of the aristocratic families in the capital, and his amount of social interaction was almost more than the previous five days combined.

Lu Jiaxi particularly missed the days of writing poems with Excellency Mu. At least, if he didn’t say anything, Mu Jingxu wouldn’t utter a word all afternoon!

Rong Tang watched them from the opposite side and wanted to laugh. He once again confirmed that this time, Su Huaijing had teamed up with Ke Hongxue to pave the way for Lu Jiaxi, but the road-paving seemed to be a bit in defiance of the natural order.

Rong Tang was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn’t notice the corners of his lips had curled up, and the expression in his eyes had become very gentle. It wasn’t until Su Huaijing came over, quietly stretched his hand behind his waist, turned him around, and asked glumly, “Are they nice to look at?”

Rong Tang was dazed for a split second and had a minor breakdown.

He was obviously furious just now, so what was going on with the main villain?

He sighed inwardly, took a lychee that Su Huaijing had just peeled from the table and stuffed it into the latter’s mouth, making his whole cheek bulge, and then coaxed, “You are the nicest to look at.”

Su Huaijing was a little taken aback, then smiled and ate the lychee obediently, feeling that it was extremely sweet.

Rong Tang couldn’t help but smile. It was difficult for him to remain upset with Su Huaijing for a long time, and speaking of anger, he felt that it was more like the grievance of being bullied.

But it wasn’t a terrible grievance, merely a bitterness in the mouth.

With this thought in mind, Rong Tang felt that the tartness that he’d struggled to suppress rushed straight into his mouth. He had no choice but to stuff lychees into his mouth again.

Until the moon rose to its zenith, the painted boats on Lotus Lake danced to the music, and the lively melodies echoed faintly. As the drums and gongs signalled the beginning of the opera downstairs, a burst of exclamations erupted from the crowd, as if someone’s entrance had astonished them.

Rong Tang’s eyes lit up. He spat out the lychee seeds in his mouth, excitedly took Su Huaijing’s arm, and walked out.

Su Huaijing didn’t react. He let himself be dragged out in a hurry, and they squeezed into an empty space at the railing on the third floor to look down. On the stage in the hall, the scene depicted the entrance of the female lead, dressed as a courtesan, with a figure as slender as a willow and shoulders that were delicately carved. Her eyebrows and eyes were fine, carrying deep emotions. When her amber-coloured pupils glanced casually at anyone in the audience, even a fleeting gaze could easily make one feel as if they had captured the admiration of a beauty.

Su Huaijing instinctively disliked it.

He furrowed his brows, glanced at Rong Tang beside him—who was clearly enthusiastic and focused—and felt an uncontrollable agitation rising in his heart. His fingers hung at his side, unconsciously fiddling with his waist tablet, while his gaze grew increasingly dark and obscure.

I want to take Tangtang back.

I want to lock him up.

I don’t want him to look at others.

I don’t want him to look so attentively at others in front of me.

I want to have a gold chain made.

……

The shadows of the upper floor were dense, the crowd was noisy, and the sounds of insects in the early summer night were drowned out by voices. Just as that wicked thought was about to ferment in his mind, Rong Tang turned his body and grabbed Su Huaijing, his eyes shining brightly as he said, “Huaijing, look!”

Su Huaijing paused. The sensation of his wrist being held was heated and real, like a warm ray of sunshine, surging in uncontrollably to dispel the evil thoughts in his heart.

He was silent as he held Rong Tang’s hand in return. He drew a little closer, lowered his head, and asked, “What are you looking at?”

“That actress.” Rong Tang said it with a smile. The next second, his wrist was gripped so painfully that he couldn’t help but let out a low hiss.

Su Huaijing was brought back to his senses by his soft cry and relaxed his hands. He hastily spread open Rong Tang’s hand, rolled up his sleeve, and noticed a few conspicuous finger marks on the pale skin.

Su Huaijing instantly felt regretful.

He lowered his eyes, appearing a little downcast as he rubbed Rong Tang, and said in a hoarse voice, “I’m sorry……”

Rong Tang blinked, not understanding why he was apologising: “It’s not like you did it on purpose, and it doesn’t hurt very much.”

“……”

Some people are like little Buddhas in heaven, always indulging people in this world, as if they will not be blamed for having many sinful evil thoughts towards them.

Su Huaijing thought, ‘I did it on purpose’.

He suppressed the emotions in his heart and asked softly, “What’s the point of looking at her?”

Rong Tang instantly regained his senses; his gaze brightened, and he gently hooked his hand, tugging him closer.

Su Huaijing leaned over, and Rong Tang whispered, “I want to make off with someone!”

“……”

Su Huaijing’s eyes darkened, and the tip of his tongue pressed against his cheek. He really wants to lock up this particularly disobedient prince, but this impulse was ultimately restrained by rationality. He suppressed his voice, looked down, letting his eyelashes block the undercurrent in his eyes, and asked in a deep voice, “Does Tangtang want to acquire a concubine?”

Rong Tang was in high spirits. When he heard this, he was alarmed, and his entire body stiffened.

Su Huaijing noticed the change in the person in front of him, and waves surged in his eyes, becoming more and more turbulent. However, the words that came out of his mouth became increasingly gentle: “If Tangtang intends to take her into the household, where do you plan to settle her?”

Su Huaijing asked it one word at a time.

“Should we also set up a study room for her?”

“What about the bedroom? Is it exactly the same as yours?”

“Do I need to give her a house and carriage as well?”

He even laughed softly as he spoke. Everyone around was looking downstairs. No one paid attention to this corner. They were so close that their ears and temples were rubbing against each other. Su Huaijing lifted his hand to straighten Rong Tang’s collar, but his thumb slowly and gently pressed against his neck. With a little force, a pink indentation was left above the pale and fragile throat.

Su Huaijing smiled as he looked at the pink mark and asked softly, “Tangtang…… since your health is better now, do you want to have an heir?”

The opera music downstairs was melodious, and the actress shed tears as she sang the heartbreaking parts. The atmosphere was rendered beautifully with the sound of drums.

A few lights upstairs were extinguished, and the lighting became dim and ambiguous. Rong Tang unconsciously rolled his Adam’s apple and pressed forward, almost docilely, to take the initiative to bump into Su Huaijing’s chest.

He raised his head slightly, drew close to Su Huaijing’s ear, and replied softly and obediently, “Is this how you see me?”

The darkness in Su Huaijing’s eyes billowed, but he didn’t respond.

Rong Tang sighed softly, his voice light but imbued with unconscious indulgence: “Huaijing, I’m selfish and find things troublesome. Meeting someone who I wholeheartedly care for in my lifetime is enough for me. If there’s another one, I’m afraid I’ll annoy myself to death first.”

“Is there something I didn’t do well? Why are you so unconfident?” Rong Tang asked with some confusion: “You are good-looking and intelligent, and you are gentle and considerate to me. Except for making the medicine a tad bitter, I can’t find anything bad about you. Why would you think I want to take a concubine?”

He continued: “I have told you that I want you to help me take care of my mother in the future. If I take a concubine and leave children, who should I find to take care of you after I leave? How are you going to gain a foothold in Ningxuan Palace?”

Rong Tang stepped back, raised his eyes, and looked steadily into Su Huaijing’s. A smile appeared on his lips, and he said, “You said it yourself; you only care about me in this world. Coincidentally, I only care about you and Mother. Why should I take another concubine back to the house to pile on more responsibilities for myself?”

“It’s so tiring.” He softened his tone with a hint of unconscious coquetry: “Marrying and taking concubines is tiring; having children is troublesome too. If they inherited all my illnesses, what kind of person would I be?”

Rong Tang’s lips opened and closed. “I can only harm you in this life; don’t think of pushing me away.”

He smiled gently at the dimly lit railing. For a moment, Su Huaijing felt that he appeared like a very romantic youth.

If they hadn’t met like this, if there had been other opportunities, maybe he would have invited him to taste wine and admire the moon upstairs at Liujin Parlour, watch the river lanterns floating down the Jinfen River, and secretly glance at his little Buddha through the night lights.

He didn’t have the slightest resistance against Rong Tang.

Su Huaijing was silent for a long time, and Rong Tang got anxious. He didn’t know if Su Huaijing had been coaxed, so he waited uneasily until the latter lifted his hand to gently stroke his neck. He said in a muffled voice, “I’m sorry.”

Rong Tang let out a sigh of relief, and the smile on his lips deepened. “Ng, I accept it.” He took preventative action: “Don’t be like this next time, oh.”

Su Huaijing didn’t reply.

Rong Tang swayed the hand holding his own and said, “Ng?”

“……” Su Huaijing was silent. The opera performance downstairs changed from one scene to the next. He said, “I can’t guarantee it.”

Rong Tang’s smile faltered. “?”

Su Huaijing: “I’ll get jealous.”

His voice was muffled, lacking the playful tone with a hint of laughter like when he talked to Sheng Chengming in the morning. Instead, it genuinely gave off an unusually serious intuition: “If you look at others, I’ll get jealous; if you like someone else, I’ll be angry. If you tell me you want to kidnap someone home, I might go crazy.”

Su Huaijing looked straight into his eyes and said, “Tangtang, if you want to be good to me, you can only be good to me in this life.”

You must always watch me closely, you must hold my leash properly, and you must always be by my side.

You should be nicer to me, in that case……

I’ll think of a prescription for you that isn’t bitter.

–

By the time Sheng Chengming hurried out, he felt that something wasn’t too right between Su Huaijing and Rong Tang.

If previously it was a sour and sweet green plum, now it’s a bit like an unripe, astringent plum. He couldn’t say what’s wrong with it, but it was just a bit……

He met Lu Jiaxi’s gaze again and caught the meaning of ‘I might as well go back‘.

But Rong Tang quickly discovered them and directly raised his hand in greeting: “Second Highness, Young Master Lu.”

Su Huaijing then looked over with a hint of displeasure.

Sheng Chengming: “……”

Lu Jiaxi: “……”

With a tacit understanding, the two of them each took half a step back and then walked forward together. They greeted Rong Tang with feigned smiles: “Biao xiong/ Prince.”

Rong Tang breathed a sigh of relief and stepped aside to make room for them: “It’s a bit crowded; you guys watch over here.”

Sheng Chengming hastily waved his hand: “No need, no need; I’m not that interested to begin with. Biao xiong, you should watch.”

Rong Tang smiled and said, “I didn’t come here just to watch this play.”

He was just trying to kidnap someone, but who knew that by casually uttering, he actually nudged the main villain’s “turn dark” button?

At that moment earlier, Rong Tang nearly assumed that Su Huaijing had collapsed on the spot. He was so frightened that he poked desperately at the system.

Fortunately, he didn’t. He gave up his place to both Sheng Chengming and Young Master Lu. Downstairs, the group of actors switched. Su Lian’er exited and went to the small courtyard behind Lanyue Pavilion to change outfits. Rong Tang took Su Huaijing’s hand and followed the stairs to head outside.

Boyboy’s mood isn’t good and needs to be coaxed.

A child who has lacked love since childhood finally finds someone who cares about him wholeheartedly. If suddenly he discovers that the other person actually shares this care with others, realising that he may not be the only special one, this might result in shouting, crying, and throwing tantrums for an ordinary child. But for the main villain, this could lead to an imminent breakdown and he could turn dark at any moment.

If he turns dark, the consequences will be disastrous.

Rong Tang held his hand as they walked all the way out, heading along the gravel road on the island in the centre of the lake, just like the night he first arrived, letting the breeze from the lake gently breeze through his hair.

He turned around, looked at Su Huaijing with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, then asked, “Don’t I treat you well enough?”

Quite heartless, I must say.

In the past two lives, his treatment of Sheng Chengli didn’t seem to be as good as this, even if he was pressed by system tasks.

Su Huaijing pursed his lips and said nothing, while Rong Tang listed them one by one: “That night at Fengyue House, in the carriage on the way to the medical clinic, you actually wanted to kill me, right?”

Su Huaijing’s eyes twitched, his fingers instinctively clenched, and a dense amount of sweat exuded from his palms. A strange sense of panic and fear arose in his heart, which was unfamiliar and unsettling.

His lips parted, instinctively wanting to explain, but he was always good at sophistry and disguise, but when Rong Tang’s words were lightly uttered, he couldn’t even find an excuse to deny it.

And Rong Tang didn’t appear to need his excuse.

He only glanced briefly at Su Huaijing, and then his eyes fell on the road ahead: “You wanted to kill me, yet I brought you to see a doctor, gave you money and a waist tablet, and said I would marry you into my home. Don’t I treat you well enough?”

Su Huaijing pursed his lips and said nothing.

Rong Tang asked again: “In the first three months after entering the capital, you initially lived in Li Mansion and saw no outsiders. Later, I went to Yong’an Lane every day, and you only had contact with me. But when you left the palace on the fourth day of our marriage, who did you meet with?”

Su Huaijing’s heart trembled uncontrollably, and he looked at Rong Tang with a heated gaze.

Rong Tang: “My er di has a friendship with Sheng Chengming, so where would he have the prestige to get so many rare and expensive medicinal materials from him? He has parents and meimeis. Since he has received rewards from the prince, even if he doesn’t keep them for himself, shouldn’t he give them to them? Why would it come to me?”

“Sheng Chengming and I are, to put it nicely, biao xiong di, but in fact we are not even remotely related by blood. Rather than being xiong di, our relationship is more likely to be labelled as monarch and subject. My father is his Imperial Father’s minister, so I can naturally only be his subordinate. Why does he have to be so cautious around me and go out of his way to curry favour with me for everything as soon as we meet?”

Rong Tang said softly, “The one you met up with that day was Sheng Chengming, right?”

In fact, there is much more that can be said when looking into the matter.

For example, Su Huaijing’s sudden urge to kill after returning from his meeting with Chen Feiyi; for example, his friendship with Lu Jiaxi; for example, when he personally said, “Only I can benefit.”

But once you break it down, it will involve many matters that Rong Tang should not know of and would have no reason to be able to deduce.

Therefore, he only stated the facts that both of them could understand and see.

Rong Tang smiled, turned his head to look at Su Huaijing, and gentled his tone: “If I didn’t treat you well, I should have locked you up at home and had you clapped in chains after knowing that you were carrying out tasks on behalf of Sheng Chengming, instead of impatiently making Shuang Shou drive the carriage to pick you up from the Liujin Parlour late at night? Am I that idle?”

Rong Tang completely ignored that Su Huaijing had other viewpoints behind his back, nor did he inquire about the reasons for his actions. He just smiled and expressed that he was really, really good to him.

Yet, Su Huaijing wasn’t satisfied.

On the island, unlike inside the Lanyue Pavilion, the light was so dim that it was almost impossible to see people’s faces clearly, but one could accurately spot the bright and smiling eyes in the darkness of the night.

Su Huaijing couldn’t restrain himself. He took a step forward, hugged Rong Tang, and buried his head in his neck before asking hoarsely, “When did you find out?”

Rong Tang: “Rather early on. You didn’t want to hide from me, did you?”

Sometimes Rong Tang really felt that Su Huaijing was a difficult child. On one hand, he doubts himself; on the other hand, he doesn’t conceal anything and openly probes matters.

He bore no scepticism about himself, saying that if he truly had other intentions, he would have made the villain a widow long ago.

He found it somewhat amusing and said, “I have yet to feel wronged. What are you doing?”

Holding onto him like a pitiful little boy, burying his head and not lifting it. What’s with the coquettish behaviour?

Su Huaijing was silent for a long time and said in a low voice, “Then just lock me up.”

Rong Tang was dazed. “Ng?”

“You said you’d lock me up at home.” Su Huaijing reminded him, “So, just do that.”

That’s fine, too. If I can’t bear to lock him up, he can just lock himself up.

Rong Tang: “?”

He was somewhat in disbelief: “Are you serious?”

Su Huaijing took a deep breath and inhaled the sandalwood scent on Rong Tang’s body. His state of mind calmed down, and he ground his teeth in frustration. He especially wanted to take a bite out of Rong Tang’s neck.

He released his hand and stepped back. “Fake.”

Rong Tang felt relieved, but then glanced at him in displeasure and said, “Don’t say such things in the future.”

“Oh.” Su Huaijing said, and he asked, “So what did you mean just now when you just said you wanted to make off with someone?”

In front of them was a small courtyard temporarily loaned to the Purple Jade Troupe on the island, with the front hall converted into a dressing room, where many actors were currently applying makeup.

There was a servant boy standing at the door. Rong Tang allowed him to go in and invite Miss Su Lian’er to come out. Then he turned to Su Huaijing and said, “Second Prince is sometimes too reckless and does things haphazardly. I always worry that you will be very tired having to assist him, so I want to find you an intelligence officer to share some of your hard work.”

Su Huaijing was stunned. After pondering for a moment, he realised the meaning of his words, and his eyes instantly widened.

Someone with a graceful figure and a beautiful face emerged from the moon gate. The moonlight made her appear even more radiant and captivating. Despite her actress’s costume, it couldn’t conceal her innate charm. Instead, it enhanced her allure.

Just when the other party was about to arrive before him, Rong Tang raised his hand and said with a smile, “Milady, your reputation is important; please approach no further.”

Su Lian’er was slightly taken aback, remaining in place, and gracefully curtsied: “This young lady greets these two young masters. May I ask who you are and what have you sought me out for?”

Rong Tang tugged off a jade pendant from his waist, hung it on a branch on the side, and said, “Rong Tang, Duke Ningxuan’s Palace. If Miss finishes performing tonight’s play and accidentally catches a cold, ruining your throat, you will need to rest well and won’t be able to go to Lanyue Pavilion again.”

Su Lian’er frowned. “What is your meaning, Young Master?”

Rong Tang: “Has anyone mentioned to Miss that you look very similar to a deceased imperial concubine?”

There was a pause in Su Lian’er’s expression, and she eyed Rong Tang with a bit more vigilance.

Rong Tang then knew that she had been told something similar.

He released a soft sigh and said, “If Miss doesn’t want to be used as a pawn and have to live in fear every day in the future, then heed my words and go back to rest early. Don’t go on the stage again.”

In the original novel, Su Lian’er was indeed a member of the male protagonist’s harem. However, even before Sheng Chengli left the palace and established his own residence, she died on the bed of a certain playboy who’d gone to Pear Garden.

In this era, the life of an actor is as insignificant as a weed.

Sheng Chengli later avenged her, but what was the use? The dead cannot be resurrected.

In his previous two lives, Rong Tang wanted to change her predestined death, but everything turned out against his wishes.

In the first life, Su Lian’er was disfigured and died in the midst of a plague; in the second life, she died innocently and suddenly without even traversing the plot of the original work.

With the matter of Nanny Yue ahead, Rong Tang always felt that if Su Lian’er were to have contact with Sheng Chengli again, she might—like in previous lives—die even earlier.

After reminding her, he pointed to the jade pendant hanging on the tree and said, “After Miss returns to the city, if you no longer wish to make a living by singing, you can take this jade pendant to Tangjing Residence in Yong’an Lane and inform someone there; they’ll find a place for you to settle down, and then you can do other things to make a living.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a servant hurriedly ran over from the path behind him. Rong Tang froze, but before he could say anything, Su Huaijing pulled him to the side, and Su Lian’er stepped forward to take the jade pendant. Before she could even thank him, the person had arrived in front of her, smiling as he said, “Miss Su, your singing just now was really wonderful. His Highness invites you to return; he said there’s a reward waiting for you.”

Rong Tang frowned and wanted to obstruct her, but Su Huaijing tugged on his sleeve, signalling him to calm down. The next second, he saw Su Lian’er cough delicately twice, and the words came out like a strand of air, so light that if one didn’t pay attention, they wouldn’t be able to hear what she said.

“Thank His Highness for his kindness, *cough*cough*…… It’s just that this young lady has caught a cold. I sang for too long just now; my strength actually, truly, cannot endure—”

Before she finished speaking, there was a “bang”. Rong Tang watched helplessly as she stumbled backwards and fell straight to the ground, closing her eyes.

The servant who came to deliver the message instantly panicked, and noisy footsteps sounded in the small courtyard. Rong Tang was dumbfounded, but Su Huaijing laughed softly beside him. His emotions were indiscernible as he tugged on his hand to lead him out.

After walking a long way, Rong Tang finally came to his senses and pulled Su Huaijing’s sleeve: “Compared to you—” She can act better.

Su Huaijing: “What?”

Rong Tang changed his words: “She is more ruthless than you. Falling like that—if she hits her head, it’s possible that she might even lose her life.”

Su Huaijing’s lips curled up, but there was no smile in his eyes: “If she suffers a knock, she might lose her life, but if she is really taken to Lanyue Pavilion, she will really die.”

Rong Tang was startled but pretended not to know: “What does this mean?”

Su Huaijing looked at him with a bit of a smile and said, “Tangtang truly doesn’t know?”

Rong Tang: “……”

He was silent, feeling that the main villain was terribly annoying.

Su Huaijing: “As an actress dragged into the machinations of the princes, how could she escape unscathed? Moreover, Sheng Chengming also mentioned that she bears a striking resemblance to Concubine Shu, resembling the Prince’s concubine mother. Does Tangtang know what this implies?”

Rong Tang: “What?”

Su Huaijing: “First, being despised or even being killed by the Prince himself, because he could not accept his already-criticised concubine mother being ridiculed as a plaything again; second, to be noticed by the Emperor.”

Su Huaijing tilted his head and asked, “Which of these two paths do you think is beneficial for her?”

Rong Tang was startled, and a chill ran up his spine.

Su Huaijing smiled and asked him, “But I’m puzzled. Why did Tangtang want her to go to my house bearing your jade pendant?”

Rong Tang blinked hard to digest what Su Huaijing had just casually said.

He had never suspected it before, but now he has reflected on it.

He clearly has divine perspective and the ability to teleport, but why, in his two lives, couldn’t he save Su Lian’er? Unless—

Unless her death is what the protagonist hoped to see.

If this hypothesis is true, and if it is reversed, then Mu Jingxu’s death……

“Tangtang?” He hadn’t responded for a long time, so Su Huaijing pressed him.

Rong Tang licked his somewhat dry lips and said, “Even you suspect that I want to take a concubine. If she goes to the palace to find me, what am I going to do if my mother also thinks that I am someone who is capricious and fickle?”

Su Huaijing paused briefly, then smiled, holding Rong Tang’s hand. As they passed by the Lanyue Pavilion, he asked if he still wanted to go back. When he received a negative answer, they headed towards the ferry crossing, where Shuang Fu and Shuang Shou were already waiting.

There are painted pleasure boats and smaller skiffs on Lotus Lake. New lotus leaves are revealing themselves on the surface of the lake, their sharp corners pointing upwards. There are ferries coming from the garden, and there are also people returning in that direction.

Rong Tang bent over and dipped his hand into the lake waters to drift along the waves, feeling a little bored.

Su Huaijing asked him, “Is this also Tangtang’s gift to me?”

Rong Tang was slightly stunned, angling himself as he lifted his gaze to eye him doubtfully.

Su Huaijing said, “Is Su Lian’er also Tangtang’s gift to me?”

Rong Tang zoned out for a moment. His first reaction was that the main villain was asking him if he had gifted the male protagonist’s harem to him as his harem, but as soon as the idea arose, the system tittered at him.

He regained his senses and nodded. “I fear you’ll be worn out. She has been in the capital for many years and knows many dignitaries. If she still wants to sing, you can arrange it for her; if she doesn’t want to, you can open a teahouse, restaurant, or even a gambling house or music house for her, which are all good news channels. It depends on your wishes.”

Rong Tang then added, “If there is insufficient money, you can go get it from the warehouse. No need to inform me.”

Su Huaijing was awestruck for a moment.

He originally wanted to say, Is this also Tangtang’s gift to me? Same as Chen Feiyi?

In one night, Rong Tang revealed so much about him. Su Huaijing couldn’t resist the urge to test him and see if he would reciprocate with some sincerity. However, what he got in return were these sentences, leaving Su Huaijing unsure of how to respond at that time.

There was a warmth in his heart. He followed Rong Tang to bend down, dip his hand into the lake to hold the latter’s hand, and squeeze it. He asked hoarsely, “Aren’t you going to ask me why?”

Rong Tang: “What?”

“Sheng Chengming.” Su Huaijing replied.

Rong Tang gave a resolute shake of his head and said, “Not asking.”

But Su Huaijing asked him instead: “Why is that?”

Rong Tang lowered his head and swirled his hand in the lake, feeling the resistance of the water.

He said, “You can do whatever you want. If it’s dangerous, I’d rather you not tell me.”

Su Huaijing’s voice became increasingly drab. “Why?”

Rong Tang said seriously, “Huaijing, don’t hand over your handle to others.”

Even if I treat you the best of the best, you wouldn’t want to trust me too much.

“I just want you to be safe. You can do whatever you want. Anyway, you won’t harm me.” Rong Tang said.

Su Huaijing stared at him intently. For a moment, he had an incredible impulse and wanted to ask, What if I want to harm your family?

Except for your mother and you, what if I want them all to die—your entire family from top to bottom?

There shouldn’t be anything that Su Huaijing is afraid of. Before he met Rong Tang, he stayed in Sichuan for nine years. After returning to the capital, he stayed at Li Mansion for two months. He witnessed too many dark schemes and has been plotted against countless times.

He shouldn’t be afraid of anything in this world.

But he couldn’t bear to ask this question.

He was afraid of hearing Rong Tang’s answer.

He was afraid of seeing the fear in Rong Tang’s eyes.

Even if there’s the slightest possibility, he becomes flustered.

Su Huaijing closed his eyes. He took Rong Tang’s hand out of the lake, lowered his head, and wiped him dry with a handkerchief. He said softly, “Be careful of catching a cold.”

Rong Tang meekly allowed him to dry his hand. Upon returning to the courtyard, he glanced up at the painted red loft and instantly felt an uncontrollable feeling of lethargy and boredom.

He called out softly, “Huaijing.”

“Ng.”

“Let’s go back tomorrow.” Rong Tang said.

Su Huaijing naturally asked in response, “Go back to where?”

Rong Tang thought for a while and said, “Yong’an Lane, your house. Let’s go laze off there.”

Participating in one flower-picking festival event had very nearly vexed him to death. Apart from altering both Ke Hongxue’s and Mu Jingxu’s standpoints, there hasn’t been anything good about it.

You plot against me, and I plot against you. It’s annoying to death.

Rong Tang inwardly said, Managing Emperor Renshou and his sons—go to hell!

Su Huaijing emitted a laugh when he heard his answer and asked softly, “Tangtang, you’ve decided?”

Rong Tang: “What?”

“If you come back with me, I’ll lock you up and won’t let you go out.” Su Huaijing said with a smile. It was clearly a threat, yet his tone wasn’t intimidating at all and could even be called gentle.

When Rong Tang heard this, he thought that it was fantastic: “Then remember to prepare more food and amusements for me. Best not to let me get bored.”

Su Huaijing was slightly startled, not expecting him to answer like this. After pausing for a few seconds, he laughed out loud: “Okay.”

I’ll also have a cage of gold made for you, with roses and rose hips climbing up the frame. I’ll catch singing birds and cats with fur as satiny as water, and amuse you with them.

–

Rong Tang didn’t sleep well the entire night. As soon as he shut his eyes, he couldn’t help but think back to what Su Huaijing said to him after meeting Su Lian’er.

From the moment he was killed by Sheng Chengli, he believed that this world’s Heavenly Way was flawed.

If Sheng Chengli wanted to kill Nanny Yue as part of a ruse, Rong Tang felt nauseated. But it wasn’t unfathomable.

Although Yuerong is the nanny who has taken care of the male protagonist since childhood, she is essentially a little cannon-fodder villain. It is therefore normal for Sheng Chengli to get rid of her.

It was hard to criticise when killing her would be in exchange for some benefits for oneself and, furthermore, maximising one’s interests.

But Su Lian’er was completely devoted to Sheng Chengli, whether in the original work or based on Rong Tang’s understanding from his previous two lives.

Not to mention Mu Jingxu.

If they’d indeed died because of Sheng Chengli……

Rong Tang closed his eyes, and his mind swirled with the thoughts of the people he’d been acquainted with in the past two lives but were not fated to meet in this life.

He lay in bed, recalling how many times he’d braced this body of his, that would readily collapse at any moment, as he helped bury the dead and sweep their graves.

As he mulled about it, Rong Tang felt chills all over his body. He still couldn’t warm his hands and feet while buried in the quilt, only feeling the chill emanating from his bones and flowing through his limbs. It was practically akin to dragging him into the darkest depths of hell.

Rong Tang intended to crawl up and transcribe Buddhist scriptures, but when he grasped the brush, his hand experienced involuntary trembling due to physiological reasons.

He found it ironic.

Yet he didn’t know who to blame.

He initially thought that in no more than four years, he would die. After Su Huaijing ascends the throne, he kills Sheng Chengli, and then the world collapses and ceases to exist.

This has nothing to do with him, but now he thinks, why not?

Why should thousands upon thousands of flesh-and-blood souls in this world be bound to a so-called Heavenly Law male protagonist who lacks the moral qualities expected of his position?

Rong Tang couldn’t figure it out. He even wanted to drag the system out to ask: Is it alright as long as Sheng Chengli doesn’t get killed by Su Huaijing?

Is it alright that he’s turned into a human pig, just like his father, to be hauled out to the city walls every day for exhibition, for the public to see, and for Heavenly Law to see, not letting him die, dangling on a breath? Then this world wouldn’t collapse, and Su Huaijing could become emperor?

Countless unspeakable vile thoughts abruptly surged in Rong Tang’s heart.

In the first place, he…… wasn’t someone who was outstandingly virtuous.

He’s never literally had blood on his hands, but many people have died because of him.

There are dozens of methods recorded in the punishment book of the Imperial Court of Justice if you want to torture a person without letting him die, and there are countless more in the Deputy Imperial Censor’s confidential scrolls.

Rong Tang’s eyes remained open as he let those thoughts tear through his mind all night long. Once the sky brightened, he got up and changed his clothes. After washing up, he ascended the loft and stared dazedly at the distant sky while waiting for Shuang Fu to pack their luggage for them.

There were footsteps approaching the attic. Rong Tang originally assumed it was Su Huaijing, but upon turning around, he caught sight of Ke Hongxue’s figure.

The other party was carrying a food box and gave a light smile when he saw him: “Did Prince enjoy watching the show yesterday?”

He laid out the dishes one by one. Rong Tang didn’t know whether it was because he hadn’t slept all night or was overly hungry. Detecting the smell of those foods made him a little nauseous.

He covered his nose, moved a bit to the side, and said, “I only watched bits of it.”

“Is that right?” Ke Hongxue smiled. “But I heard that the really good show hadn’t started yet, and Sheng Chengxing later threw a major tantrum.”

Rong Tang felt a little acid reflux in his stomach and didn’t respond.

Ke Hongxue laid out the dishes, raised his head in confusion, and looked at him with his chin propped up: “But I’m terribly curious. Prince, you clearly don’t appear to like my senior’s little student at all. Why do you want to help him?”

Rong Tang’s brain felt like it was lodged in paste, and his reaction was a little sluggish. After lagging for a while, he frowned and asked, “Help?”

Ke Hongxue raised his eyebrows. The look of surprise remained on his face for a moment and then dissipated. It was as if he understood something because he smiled and said, “It seems there are other reasons.” He said, “But Prince, what’s to be done now? The person involved feels that you are helping him ne.”

“From the time my senior clearly discovered the huanli grass but didn’t report on it, to the carefully prepared show in Lanyue Pavilion that didn’t happen, all this in the eyes of His Highness the Fifth Prince are you helping from behind the scenes.”

Rong Tang felt increasingly frustrated as he listened, until he simply couldn’t listen anymore. He spent the whole night feeling annoyed. When facing Ke Hongxue, even the slight familiarity he had retained at the beginning seemed to vanish. His temper was quite bad, with an unprecedented hostility: “Help? I can’t wait to grab a pan and chuck him in to be deep-fried. Why should I help him?”

He was vexed to death and displeased with the smell of the food. He was too lazy to talk anymore and got up to go downstairs, leaving Ke Hongxue alone in a daze. After deliberating carefully for a while, he couldn’t stop himself from emitting a laugh.

He sat in the loft, waiting for Mu Jingxu. With a glance, he caught sight of a person breeze past on the flower path outside the small courtyard door.

The person who approached was wearing an apricot-yellow robe, and there was no servant or nurse behind him. He coughed three times with each step, walked a little, and rested for a while before advancing into the courtyard with great difficulty.

Ke Hongxue stared, and the smile on his face suddenly turned cold.

Rong Tang was still a little annoyed after going downstairs. His stomach felt like it was churning with gastrointestinal fluid. The aftereffects of a night without sleep surfaced, causing him to tremble everywhere he looked.

He instinctively wanted to seek Su Huaijing out.

Even to the extent of feeling a little aggrieved.

He was very, very uncomfortable. Where did Su Huaijing go?

Why isn’t he accompanying him?

There was no one in the house, so Rong Tang automatically wanted to go out and find him. But when he turned around, he bumped head-on into someone.

Light-coloured pupils, a fair complexion, and a cinnabar mole in the corner of his eye, adorning the youthful face like a small and delicate red fruit, evoking a sense of endearment just by looking at him.

The young man’s eyes lit up the moment he saw Rong Tang, making his entire face appear bright and beautiful, like a rare beauty in the world.

Rong Tang hasn’t seen him for a long, long time.

They had once spent days and nights together, engaged in candlelit conversations. Rong Tang once felt that if they were to go into battle, he would be the one he’d willingly entrust his back to.

But he’d thrust the sword into his chest before his very eyes.

The nauseous feeling reached its peak at this moment. Rong Tang looked around. He couldn’t explain the reason. He wanted to see Su Huaijing immediately.

He suppressed the nausea and planned to move around Sheng Chengli to leave.

But the other party cupped his fists, bowed, and said weakly, “Chengli thanks biao xiong for helping me many times!”

At this time, the male protagonist’s voice has changed. The original work stated that his voice resembles a phoenix’s cry, crisp and clear. Anyone who hears it can’t help but feel close to him.

But Rong Tang seemed to have been ignited by something. He couldn’t hold it back and tipped his head. “Urgh!”

He doubled over and vomited for a long time, throwing up a stomachful of digestive juices. His face turned red, and tears welled up from the corners of his eyes. At first, he only felt fed up, but when he looked up, he vaguely saw someone carrying a food box entering from outside the courtyard. The moment he saw him, his expression changed, and disregarding decorum, he ran over.

In an instant, Rong Tang’s faint sense of grievance in his heart broke through the dam.

It feels aggrieved to not be able to sleep all night.

The people who wanted to compete with Sheng Chengli were misunderstood as helping him, which felt terribly unjust.

It feels utterly unfair that the male protagonist, whom I have helped for two lifetimes, turns out to be a rotten person.

I’m aggrieved about lying hungry in bed all night and to the point of almost starving, but I vomited out a stomach full of digestive juices.

I’m aggrieved from being nauseated by Ke Hongxue’s pile of immensely oily breakfast.

I’m aggrieved at seeing Sheng Chengli.

I’m aggrieved at not being able to see Su Huaijing.

Rong Tang vomited for what seemed like an eternity, until his nose was filled with bubbles.

Su Huaijing ran over to him in a panic, and a part of his sleeve was grabbed. He heard his little Buddha sobbing to him: “Huaijing, I’m suffering.”