After she entered the inner hall, Qin Yunuan felt stunned. She turned to ask the master of the shop, “This is our inner hall. How come you let strangers come in.”
Leng Changxi was leaning against an albizzia and had waited for her for so long. He looked at Qin Yunuan with a happy smile, and then walked towards her.
“Maybe, he think I am not a stranger.”
This man was talking about nonsense again.
Qin Yunuan lowered her voice, “How come you come here?” The master and Maner left tacitly to leave private time for the two people.
“Want to see you and then come here,” Leng Changxi answered with a smile.
Such straightforward words and frank eyes made Qin Yunuan lower her head with her long eyelashes blinking, which looked like a pretty pink butterfly. Leng Changxi felt touched by this girl. He could not specify which part of this hedgehog attracted him. He just wanted to see her, protect her, and let her stay beside him forever.
“Come in then,” Qin Yunuan raised the soft green curtain. They were in the small flower hall which was always used to receive guests. Now nobody else was here, so it was a convenient site for the two people to talk.
After he entered the room, Qin Yunuan made a cup of flower tea for Leng Changxi. When she was about to add a spoon of honey, she suddenly stopped and said with a smile, “I forget that you do not like sweet food.”
“Do you always add honey in your flower tea?” Leng Changxi said suddenly with a smile.
Qin Yunuan felt a little bit surprised, and just nodded gently, “Of course.”
“Then me too,” Leng Changxi said with a light smile, “I want to have the taste you like.” Qin Yunuan re-opened the pot containing honey with her slender hands whose fingers were like bamboo in snow.
Somehow, Qin Yunuan seemed to feel quicker heartbeats. A cup of fragrant flower tea was done and Qin Yunuan sipped it. She could taste its fragrance. Putting it down, she saw Leng Changxi was tasting the tea carefully. She asked him, “I heard that there was much big news recently in the Royal City, really?”
Leng Changxi was stunned a little. He tasted the flower tea with honey but felt overly sweet. There was actually big news successively, which involved many parties. And even this honesty second brother Leng Changxuan came to ask some inner information secretly. He knew that his second brother must have cheated or utilized by others, and he felt exhausted to handle those uncertain or highly confidential things and the feelers thereof.
In his busy life, the person he missed most was his hedgehog. But to his surprise, Qin Yunuan asked those confidential things first after he met with her. He felt a little bit upset and just looked at Qin Yunuan silently without a word.
But Qin Yunuan did not find anything special about the change inside Leng Changxi. She just thought that he could not accept sweet tea so she made another cup of Biluochun Tea. She put it down and sighed, “So as the First General in Qi, you must be very busy recently. You need to relax more and avoid overburdens in busy work.”
Her words were sincere, but he thought they were a little bit….
“Look at what you said. It seems that we are a couple who have got married for many years.” Leng Changxi held Biluochun Tea and saw that Qin Yunuan blushed quickly. He laughed, “Are you shy now? For what? I like it very much.”
Qin Yunuan felt more embarrassed about his words, but she seemed to have been accustomed to the way he spoke. And more, she liked it a little.
“There was much big news in the Royal City, indeed,” Leng Changxi sighed. All his pressure and fatigue in recent days now were vented. He trusted Qin Yunuan highly, “The North Di has sent emissaries to discuss the political marriage between the two country’s royal families. The Emperor thinks it feasible. Qi and North Di have battled for many years and now they are willing to compromise. The first selection is the Grand Prince.”
The Grand Prince, Sima Ruo?
Qin Yunuan rolled her eyes to think of something. She remembered his straight figure which likes a pine in the snow. Such a refined man would finally sacrifice for the politics?
Qin Yunuan sighed in a low voice. She also received such news. She heard that the Emperor had made up his mind, and the marriage date was on 23th next month, together with the marriage of Sima Ray and Qin Yunzhuang. That would be a big day for the country.
“Though the North Di is a desolate land. Their people are wild and unruly. But they may send a princess with both beauty and talent. She, as a member of their royal family, can have a good sense, and she may be able to be a good-mannered woman,” Qin Yunuan said, which seemed to be comforting herself and Leng Changxi.
“Actually, it is not a big deal. I seldom get involved in the issue of diplomacy. That is not what I worry about most,” Leng Changxi drunk the rest half cup of tea, “The second thing is the most urgent because it has something to do with your Qin Family.”
Something related to Qin Family would be the thing related to his hedgehog. It was the first time for Leng Changxi to be so worried about something like that, and it was related to Qin Yunuan.
“Dou Family will be in big trouble,” Leng Changxi said shortly and Qin Yunuan felt confused.
“Your father may have known it and started to prepare,” Leng Changxi added.
“Dou Family? In Hangzhou?” that was exactly the backer base of Dou Qing’e, and that was why Dou Qing’e could be so arrogant and overwhelming.
“Yes,” Leng Changxi frowned, “Though Zhao Huijin had died, not all of his followers are dead. One of them failed to die by biting his tongue, and then he confessed by torturing. They could enter and leave Qi freely after the East Qin was collapsed, and that was because they had gained help from a family with superpower. He was just a lower member and did not know the big boss, and what happened then. But, humph,” Leng Changxi smiled, “But finally I have figured out all. Since they needed to communicate, they must have in-betweeners. And then the big new was found. All had something to do with this case, including the mayor of the Royal City, transshipment officer and the magistrate of a prefecture of Suzhou, after I investigated from the Royal City to the south. They have something in common, even though they have different rankings and positions.”
Leng Changxi stunned and looked at Qin Yunuan with expecting eyes. He added, “As usual, they will pray in the temple in the middle of each month, no matter what kind of weather condition.”
Leng Changxi could investigate specifically those different irrelevant, including those seventh-grade officials from thousands of miles away. Qin Yunuan admired in her heart his excellent leading ability.
“Temples contain various crowded people and Buddhism is the biggest religion in Qi. So it is hard to find them who hid in those temples.”
“But finally, they were exposed,” Leng Changxi laughed confidently. He unfolded his palms full of cocoons, “they were defeated by me.”
“Dou Family donated thousands of silvers to those temples each year, and then people hidden in the temple gained that money and contacted the killers respectively from East Qin under the rule of Zhao Huijin. And then those killers were dispatched to carry out various missions. They killed people for Dou Family. People who were not satisfied with or impeached Dou Family would be murdered in recent years. That’s why Dou Family can keep their high position until today. Dou Family always enjoyed the killing game,” Leng Changxi sneered, “But unluckily, though the origin was dug out, Dou Family had already prepared. They destroyed all the evidence. When we came there, nothing special was left.”
Hangzhou was thousands of miles away from the Royal City. The shadow guards of Leng Changxi could not go prior to Dou Family.
After some quiet time for a while, Qin Yunuan added some hot tea for Leng Changxi quietly. Though it was just a subtle behavior, Leng Changxi felt so warm.
“What goes around comes around. General, you don’t need to be so worried. It would be an end one day.”
Leng Changxi tasted the tea which was added new hot water. It was more fragrant. “I tell you these today and just want you to prepare well. After all, this issue is involved in many cases, especially your legal mother. I am afraid that you….” For the first time, Grand General Leng who was extremely ferocious towards enemies in battlefields showed his tender affection.
“She is not a qualified mother of mine,” Qin Yunuan said seriously, “She has been a female monster since she used chronic poisons to hurt my mom. I have never regarded her as my mother. She has no right to be my mother.”
Leng Changxi stunned and did not know in which way he could comfort Qin Yunuan’s heart. He just put one hand onto her back quietly and patted her lightly. And then he said gently, “I know. I won’t let her go.”
After a short silence, their eyes met slowly as soft as thawy streams in spring. The two people fell into an ambiguous and warm phenomenon. Qin Yunuan lowered her head slightly and then seemed to think about something. She asked him, “Last time you called the Fourth Prince as Han’er, so you are familiar with him? Now Imperial Concubine Duan was busy in the selection of the wife of Fourth Prince, right?”
Leng Changxi paused for a while and said, “Yes, so you feel good about him?”
Eh, such a jealous man.
Qin Yunuan burst out a laugh. After she noticed the face and mood of Leng Changxi, she could not help but explain, “No, I just know a girl and I think she is a perfect choice for the prince.”
Leng Changxi seemed to feel proud and secure, “I have some acquaintance with the Fourth Prince. I taught him horsemanship two years ago. He called me brother Leng so I called his nickname. Though he looks silly, he has a high comprehension. I am willing to teach him. I won’t waste any time in others.” Leng Changxi paused and added to Qin Yunuan seriously, “Of course, you are an exception.”
Qin Yunuan said coquettishly, “I didn’t say that I wanted to learn horse riding.”
Leng Changxi nodded, “Yes, you can just sit behind me when riding.” After the joke, he got back to the point, “So who is the girl you said just now?”
Qin Yunuan smiled, “She is my fourth sister, Qin Yuzhao.”
