Rong Tang and Su Huaijing stayed in the house on Yong’an Lane for another ten days, until the Dragon Boat Festival on the fifth day of the fifth month. As a rule, the two families in Duke Ningxuan’s Palace would go to the Eldest Princess’s Palace to celebrate the festival together. As the eldest son and the direct grandson, there was no way for Rong Tang to avoid it. Therefore, the two of them packed up and prepared to head out.
Neither of them mentioned locking up Rong Tang again, and they tacitly agreed that the abrupt fainting episode in Song Garden was over.
Rong Tang didn’t mention what had suddenly triggered his emotions, causing him to faint, and Su Huaijing didn’t ask him.
The two of them had lived in Tangjing Residence for nearly a month. Except for Ke Hongxue and Lu Jiaxi, who occasionally came to visit and dragged Mu Jingxu along for a meal, almost no one else would pass by this courtyard. Rong Tang was so happy that there were many times he was so energetic in the middle of the night and he didn’t want to sleep, so he tugged Su Huaijing up to admire the moon.
This kind of lazy-worm existence was so comfortable that when he left Yong’an Lane in a carriage, he released a faint sigh.
Fresh lotus seeds were available in the market. Su Huaijing had asked Shuang Shou to buy some from the street market in the morning and put them in the carriage. Now he peeled them slowly, carefully picking out the lotus seeds bit by bit, and eventually peeled a small dishful for Rong Tang. The fragrance of lotus seeds and lotus leaves filled the carriage.
Su Huaijing eyed him with a smile: “Why the sigh?”
Rong Tang grabbed a handful of lotus seeds and tossed them into his mouth one by one. He said disheartenedly, “I just feel like there won’t be any more leisure time.”
Su Huaijing lifted his gaze. “Why does Tangtang say that?”
Rong Tang pretended to be mysterious and shook his head. “You won’t understand.”
Su Huaijing: “?”
He tilted his head in amusement, observing at the melancholy and mysterious appearance of his little Buddha, and asked with a smile, “What kind of leisure time does Tangtang want to have?”
Rong Tang pointed back with his hand and said naturally, “Just like the past few days. Sleep until we naturally wake up, eat delicious food, play fun things, and then go out for shopping when we have nothing to do.”
He said, “I actually don’t want to go back to the palace at all.”
Although Duke Ningxuan’s Palace is large and his courtyard can be described as quiet and peaceful, like a paradise, it always felt like being trapped by bricks and tiles from all directions. When you look up, the sky that met his gaze is filled with gloomy hues, amid the intrigue and corruption. The officialdom of Dayu appeared peaceful on the surface, but beneath it was nothing but filth. The mere thought of it made Rong Tang feel fed up.
He automatically frowned in displeasure, chucked a handful of lotus seeds into his mouth with a hint of irritation, chewed them mechanically, and closed his eyes.
Su Huaijing put down the lotus seeds and wiped his fingertips with a handkerchief soaked in water. Then he took Rong Tang’s hand, squeezed it, and said warmly, “Don’t worry about it.”
He still hadn’t spoken the next part: No matter what it is, I’ll always be able to resolve it for you.
But the moment Su Huaijing’s finger touched the pulse and felt the pulsating blood vessels beneath the slender wrist, he fell silent.
Rong Tang leaned against the carriage and fell asleep. Peddlers are hawking their wares outside the carriage all along the street. The summer sun was like fire. The fragrance of lotus seeds filled the carriage, warm and subtle.
Su Huaijing held Rong Tang’s hand as they made their way together through the bustling streets of Yu capital until the carriage stopped in front of the Eldest Princess’s Palace.
Su Huaijing gave him a squeeze and woke him up by calling him softly, “We’ve arrived, Tangtang.”
Rong Tang’s eyelashes trembled, then he dazedly opened his eyes. He stared at Su Huaijing half-consciously and said nothing for a long while.
Su Huaijing couldn’t help but recall that morning after the night of heavy rain in Song Garden.
He smiled and asked, “Are you still dizzy this time?”
Rong Tang came to his senses and shook his head. Su Huaijing fished out two sour plums from the concealed compartment for him and asked him to keep them in his mouth to refresh himself. Only then did they alight from the carriage and walk into the Eldest Princess’s Palace.
The Eldest Princess’s Palace is located on Xuanwu Street. The mansions on the street are all occupied by relatives of the emperor or senior statesmen of many dynasties who have made contributions to Yu dynasty. The imperial guards also take their patrolling very seriously, and a small team will pass by almost every quarter of an hour.
When Rong Tang came back last time, he was contemplating how to get Princess Duanyi to accept the fact that he wanted to marry a male wife. He didn’t have the energy to notice the small guard squads on the street. At this time, he got out of the carriage in his still-muddled state from having just woken up, with Su Huaijing accompanying him at his side. Rong Tang inwardly felt no sense of urgency. He stood there to compose himself, then caught a glimpse of the person’s face as he glanced around. He was stunned for a second or two before his eyes unconsciously widened.
He wanted to turn his head to look at Su Huaijing, but he knew that doing so would be too obvious, so he firmly suppressed the urge until the patrol team leader on Xuanwu Street noticed him. He too was obviously startled, and then said something to the deputy team leader next to him. After that, he bound over to stand in front of him. “Benefactor!”
In his heart, Rong Tang grasped his forehead, but before he could respond, Shuang Fu caught sight of Chen Feiyi’s face; his eyes widened, and he involuntarily stood in front of Rong Tang, eyeing the spear in his hand.
Chen Feiyi was bewildered for a moment, then realised what he was doing and took half a step back. Shuang Fu let out a snort and stepped aside, but most of his body was still blocking Rong Tang.
Su Huaijing asked at the right time, “Does this captain know my dear husband?”
Rong Tang’s ears instantly turned red.
These days that they lived in Yong’an Lane, Su Huaijing would occasionally jokingly address Rong Tang as ‘husband’ or ‘dear husband’. Even if he wasn’t used to it, he tried to force himself to get used to it. But in front of Chen Feiyi…?
Rong Tang itched to ask the main villain: Are you really not afraid of your subordinates acting disrespectfully towards you?
And what’s with the “does he know me”? You don’t think he doesn’t recognise you?!
Rong Tang sensed a slight ache in his neck. He glanced at Su Huaijing with a hostile expression and then heard Chen Feiyi say, “Greetings to this young master. This subordinate is Chen Fei. Previously, I was injured and couldn’t afford the treatment. It was your husband who noticed me when he passed by and invited a doctor to call upon me, saving this life of mine. This subordinate can’t thank you enough for the life-saving grace!”
Rong Tang: “……”
Acting.
You, master and subordinate, are acting in front of me.
The system appeared, released a snort, and said, [Host, you have to get used to it.]
Rong Tang said, “I’m very used to it. Performances that I don’t have to spend money on look pretty good.”
He just feels so ashamed! ! !
Why the heck do you need to refer to me as ‘dear husband’ and ‘your husband’ aaa? You guys can act however you want; just don’t drag me into it!
Rong Tang cursed in his heart and grumbled for a long time. Su Huaijing’s gaze shifted, carrying a hint of questioning and confirmation. Rong Tang paused and couldn’t help sighing quietly. He faced the gazes of both the suspicious individuals and said, “Yes, that’s him. I mentioned before that I sought a doctor for him, and he even gave me a slit at my neck.”
Chen Feiyi’s whole body stiffened instantly, revealing a hint of panic in his eyes, and he subconsciously glanced at Su Huaijing.
Su Huaijing’s expression immediately turned chilly. Even Rong Tang couldn’t tell whether he was acting or if it was real. He stared at Chen Feiyi and said coldly, “Master Chen’s eyes don’t seem to be very useful. Whether he is a good person, a bad person, kind-hearted, or sinister, you can’t seem to tell the difference at all. Ng?”
Chen Feiyi swallowed silently and could barely control the urge to drop to his knees. He opened his mouth and apologised to Rong Tang: “This subordinate is blind and failed to recognise a good heart. I misunderstood Young Master’s intentions. If Young Master wishes to punish me, please do as you see fit.”
Rong Tang was stunned for a moment and intuitively recognised that the two of them weren’t acting.
Su Huaijing looked like he really wanted to vent his anger. Rong Tang glanced at Su Huaijing. The latter had lowered his eyes and wasn’t saying anything. He appeared to be saying, “Tangtang can punish however he wants.” Whereas, Chen Feiyi’s head was also lowered, showing no intention of resisting.
Rong Tang: “……”
What the heck is wrong with you two?
He felt that all the energy for this year had been exhausted today. He’d been enjoying himself for more than half a month, and now he was about to experience a calamity.
What he said in the carriage was indeed correct, but Rong Tang never expected that this episode would happen to him before he’d even set foot inside the Eldest Princess’s Palace.
Rong Tang felt a little weary. He sighed inwardly again, then put on airs and snorted arrogantly, saying, “This Prince won’t bother to quibble with you.”
Chen Feiyi looked up, staring at him in astonishment. Su Huaijing was also dazed for a moment and eyed him with a lowered gaze.
Rong Tang glanced at the two of them, pretended that he was performing a stage play and said, “This Prince didn’t go there just for you. If it weren’t for that kid kneeling on the road and crying so pitifully, I probably wouldn’t have taken a single step in your direction, let alone care if you were dead or alive, or whether you still had a chance of surviving.”
Chen Feiyi seemed to have been frightened by him, and he looked straight at Rong Tang without doubting his presence. However, Su Huaijing couldn’t help but smile a little after clearly seeing Rong Tang’s expression. He reached forward and held Rong Tang’s hand, which was tightly clenched behind his back due to nervousness or bluffing. Then he gently pried open his fingers little by little and placed his own palm inside.
Rong Tang felt that he was being mischievous behind his back, but he couldn’t muster the energy to glare at him. He continued to speak to Chen Feiyi: “Whether you are stupid, dull, reckless, or negligent has nothing to do with me. This Prince is benevolent and doesn’t care if you hurt me by mistake. Now that you are on duty on Xuanwu Street, if one day you accidentally bump into a nobleman, let’s see how many heads you’ll lose!”
Su Huaijing couldn’t hide his smile after hearing what he said. He threw a covert look at Chen Feiyi. The latter immediately understood and thanked him repeatedly. After asking for the address of their Yong’an Lane house, he made it clear that he would go to thank them before turning around and hastening back to the group.
Rong Tang’s palms were almost filled with sweat, but Su Huaijing wiped them all away. For such a mysophobic person, he didn’t seem the least bit bothered by his sweat getting on his fingers.
Rong Tang discreetly considered his expression and wanted to take his hand back to wipe it himself, but Su Huaijing refused to let go and stubbornly secured his palm in his, making it appear as if it was Rong Tang who insisted on holding it.
Then he smiled and said, “Tangtang might be too kind-hearted.”
Rong Tang: “?”
I just finished playing a high-class cannon-fodder villain!
He firmly refused to admit it and said righteously, “I’m too lazy to quibble with him; he doesn’t deserve it!”
“Ng, he doesn’t deserve it.” Su Huaijing followed his words to respond, but asked with a smile, “But why does Tangtang gege still want to give him a pointer?”
Rong Tang stiffened his neck. “When did I give him a pointer?”
Su Huaijing looked at his blatantly covering-it-up appearance and said indulgently, “Ng, if you didn’t, then you didn’t baa.”
It’s an utterly unconvincing appearance!
Rong Tang raised his eyes to stare at him. Su Huaijing kept his eyes still, observing the path in front of him, and led Rong Tang calmly into the hall of the Eldest Princess’s Palace.
Rong Tang was silent for a while, still feeling that his earlier performance was pretty good. He squeezed Su Huaijing gently and repeated earnestly, “I totally didn’t.”
Su Huaijing almost couldn’t hold back his laughter and nodded seriously to him: “Ng, you totally didn’t.”
Only then did Rong Tang feel a little better. A smile appeared on his face, and his steps became lighter.
But Su Huaijing was a very peculiar person. One moment he feels like he needs to coax his little Buddha, and at other times, when he sees his little braided tail sticking up, he can’t help but tug at it.
He leaned close to Rong Tang’s ear and whispered, “But Tangtang…… what you said made me really want to eat persimmons. Is there a variety called “dumb persimmon”?”
Rong Tang: “?”
Young Prince Rong: “?!”
Is that necessary?! I don’t usually refer to myself in that way!
Rong Tang exerted his strength and angrily flung Su Huaijing’s hand away, his ears red as he strode forward!
The author has something to say:
At this time, Tangtang never thought that there were other ways to eat ‘persimmon’ (tsk)
