Ouyang Shaochen was going to go out soon. She had no choice but to pull Gong Qianyu away when she failed to persuade him to leave.
When Gong Qianyu got pulled along, he felt the touch of Murong Xue’s warm soft hand on his. He said awkwardly, “Alright, there are some interesting places to visit in the capital.”
Suddenly, as the door of the room was opened, Ouyang Shaochen strode out. When he saw the two receding away, his flawless face became gloomy. He asked Murong Xue to persuade Gong Qianyu to leave, but she actually abandoned him and was going to have a tour around with Gong Qianyu.
Strong coldness from Ouyang Shaochen burst out and the temperature in the house instantly dropped to its lowest point. Murong Xue, who was walking fast on the flagstones, could even feel the coldness and it gave her chills. Looking at the sun in the sky, she knitted her eyebrows. It was sunny and hot. Why would she feel cold?
“Murong Xue, did assassins come here last night?” A nice male voice made its way to her ears. Murong Xue suddenly came to her senses and raised her head to look at Gong Qianyu. “Why do you ask?”
The bodies of the assassins had been thrown back to the Prime Minister’s Mansion, all the blood stains cleaned up and the destroyed houses repaired. The house remained the way it had been. How could Gong Qianyu tell that some assassins came here last night?
“The plants over there are chopped down. There seemed to be an intense fighting,” Gong Qianyu said.
Murong Xue followed the direction Gong Qianyu pointed at and looked up, only to see some were mutilated in the flowers. The mutilated parts could only be seen when people went close to them. Gong Qianyu had really sharp eyes!
At the mention of assassins in black, Murong Xue suddenly remembered that they were guards in the Prime Minister’s Mansion and Gong Qianyu would be the son-in-law of the prime minister in the future. It seemed that she had borne a grudge against Gong Qianyu’s fiancée and future father-in-law.
Murong Xue said unnaturally, “Does the prime minister belong to your faction? Do you have his support?”
Gong Qianyu shook his head. “No!”
Murong Xue was startled. “Why? Isn’t he your future father-in-law?”
Gong Qianyu flushed with shyness and stammered. “I got engaged to Cang Susu under the pressure of emperor when I was young. I just…”
“No more explanation. I got it,” Murong Xue interrupted him. Ancient adults liked to arrange child betrothals for their children when they were young. When she was just transported to the ancient time, she had also been engaged to Ye Yichen since childhood.
However, the ancients married for advantages and powers. Since Gong Qianyu and Cang Susu had an engagement, the prime minister and Gong Qianyu became stakeholders. The marriage would bring great benefits to the prime minister. Why didn’t the prime minister support his future son-in-law?
Looking at her smiling face, Gong Qianyu breathed a sigh of relief. “Prime Minister Cang, as the head of civilians, has always remained neutral.” He continued without emotions, as if it was something unimportant, “He has never bothered to participate in the battle for the future emperor!”
Murong Xue nodded. The Emperor of Nanjiang was only in his forties. With his strong body, he could live for at least another 20 to 30 years. Nobody knew what Nanjiang would look like in 20 or 30 years. So sitting on the fence and refusing to commit himself was indeed the best choice.
As was expected, the prime minister was cunning like an old fox.
Murong Xue originally thought that the prime minister would support Gong Qianyu. So if Cang Susu tried to plot her again, Murong Xue wouldn’t be ruthless to weaken her power in case they would lose the power to support Gong Qianyu. Unexpectedly, the prime minister chose not to help Gong Qianyu.
Such being the case, she had nothing to fear. If Cang Susu dared to send guards to kill her again, Murong Xue swore that she would not spare them.
“Let’s drop this boring topic. Where would you like to go?” Gong Qianyu said when looking at Murong Xue with gleaming eyes.
“I’ve just arrived in the capital and I want to experience the local customs. Maybe you could just show me around.” Murong Xue’s eyes flashed unnaturally as she walked along the flagstones. Having him show her around was just an excuse to send Gong Qianyu away in case he saw Ouyang Shaochen in her room.
“Alright.” Gong Qianyu nodded and a slight smile curled up the corners of his mouth. The capital of Nanjiang was very prosperous. She would definitely like it.
The picturesque capital attracted many people for its quaint atmosphere and cool evening breeze. What was more, the streets of flagstones were clean. It was a sight for sore eyes.
As the sun rose, the sunlight got increasingly scorching. Murong Xue was forced to head for the shade. Even so, beads of perspiration were still forming on her forehead. She took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat.
Gong Qianyu stepped forward and asked, looking at her sullen face, “Is the heat killing you?”
“Just a little.” Murong Xue smiled. Upon seeing Gong Qianyu who looked spirited in a long robe, she thought, “Internal strength can resist not only coldness, but also heat. No matter what season it is, the weather doesn’t bother those who can harness internal strength at all.”
“Let’s find a place to take a rest and prevent the sunstroke,” Gong Qianyu said softly.
Murong Xue raised her head and looked around, only to find themselves by a small lake. Around the lake stood many luxurious houses. But the doors of the houses were closed tightly, like a rejection sign to visitors.
Murong Xue frowned, “It’s not very hot. Don’t disturb others. Let’s go back to get some shelter.”
Watching the sweat oozing on her forehead, Gong Qianyu said, “Our mansion is far from here. I have a friend who lives nearby. Let’s go to his house and rest for a while.”
“I don’t think it’s appropriate.” Murong Xue said. It was daytime now, but doors of those houses were closed. Obviously, outsiders were not welcome to enter.
“Never mind. My friend is very hospitable,” Gong Qianyu said as he walked towards one of the houses in the southeast, grasping Murong Xue’s sleeves.
The house with gray bricks and red tiles was magnificent and the plaque with gold characters was grand.
Gong Qianyu walked over to the door and knocked gently.
