Xiao Ze remained silent for a long time after hearing Xiao Yi’s topic, then heard his own voice: “They, how is their relationship?”
Xiao Yi could hear the sadness in Xiao Ze’s heart. He hesitated to tell Brother Ze, but he still did.
“Sister Xiao Qi and Lord Shen have a very good relationship, a very good one!”
There was no one better than them.
Xiao Ze felt a stab in his heart, as if pierced through by a long sword from front to back.
After hearing this, he couldn't bear it for a moment longer.
He wanted to come see her.
To ask her face to face what she was thinking.
Up until this point, Xiao Ze still held onto a sliver of hope for Su Xiao Qi.
He couldn't believe that his more than ten years of affection for Su Xiao Qi was less than her one and a half years of feelings for a poor scholar.
Because of his sensitive identity, he couldn't let anyone know he was here, so he arrived in a tightly shuttered carriage.
Before entering the Zhuangyuan Residence, he quietly lifted the curtain to glance at the three dazzling golden characters above the lintel:
“Zhuangyuan Residence.”
It was indeed an impressive place.
The top scholar in the civil service exams, what a great title!
Xiao Ze had been brimming with confidence.
He had relied on his own abilities, starting from the very bottom, and had reached his current position through painstaking effort, risking his life with every step.
It was like dancing on the tip of a sword.
He felt that with his current status and position, he was absolutely capable of rivaling that poor scholar from back then.
Unfortunately, the other party wasn’t idle either.
He hadn’t stood still waiting for Xiao Ze to surpass him.
To think he was a top scholar.
Xiao Ze hesitated, already foreseeing how much pain this meeting would bring him.
But upon meeting Su Xiao Qi, he realized the pain was far greater than he had imagined.
Not only did Su Xiao Qi have no feelings left for him, she didn't even recognize him.
Ten years of shared time.
The two of them had been together since they could remember, supporting each other through so many years.
Even when she had orchestrated his exile, he had still trusted her in his heart.
He believed it wasn't her true intention.
It must have been those damned dogs from the Su family forcing her to do it.
Coupled with the great opportunity he gained from it.
From a street urchin who lived by begging and doing odd jobs, he had become a fourth-rank general in the Great Liang Dynasty.
He was spirited and proud, just waiting to assist General Huang in completing his grand undertaking, then return home in glory to marry the woman he loved.
But no matter how much he cherished her in his heart, how much he held her dear,
He could never overcome the fact that she didn't even recognize him.
Xiao Ze absolutely refused to believe this was true.
She was faking it.
Because in front of her husband, Shen Yun.
He was furious, wanting to shout, even wanting to rush forward and force her eyes open so she could see him clearly.
But a tall, upright figure blocked his view of Su Xiao Qi.
He could no longer see her, and the anger in his heart gradually subsided a little.
But whenever he saw Shen Yun, he would be reminded that Su Xiao Qi was married to this man.
They must have already shared the most intimate moments.
These were enough to make his heart ache to death.
Xiao Ze, with red eyes, stared fixedly at Shen Yun.
His eyes blazed with palpable anger.
Shen Yun, however, remained unfazed, his expression calm and detached, as if the person before him wasn't someone who had stolen his beloved, but merely an ordinary military officer.
He spoke directly: “You are a guerrilla general in the Western Border Army? If I recall correctly, your border army is not permitted to enter the capital without a summons.”
Listen to how his words immediately struck a blow to Xiao Ze’s heart.
Xiao Ze snorted dismissively, “This is this general’s business and has nothing to do with you, a mere civil official.”
Military men who had experienced life-and-death battles on the battlefield like them looked down upon these bookworms who only knew how to pore over books.
Shen Yun was equally unyielding: “Then, General, what is the purpose of your visit to the Zhuangyuan Residence, public or private?”
Xiao Ze looked confused, “What if it’s for public service, and what if it’s for private reasons?”
“If it’s for private reasons, I will regard you as my wife’s elder brother and treat you with the respect due to a brother-in-law.
If it’s for public service, you are a border general who entered the capital without a royal decree, which is a grave offense.
As an official in the Ministry of Rites, now that I am aware of this, I will naturally submit a memorial to report it truthfully to His Majesty.”
“Hmph, a grave offense. Since the moment this general stepped into your Zhuangyuan Residence, do you know that you are now an accomplice and complicit?
Do you think you can wash your hands of this?”
Xiao Ze had previously mixed with people in the marketplace, and after joining the army, he had learned many tricks of the military ruffians’ sophistry.
In his debates with Shen Yun, who was known for his eloquence, he didn’t fall behind.
However, Shen Yun wasn’t in a hurry, he simply looked at him and said lightly,
“General, your words are too harsh. You say this perhaps because you don’t understand that you are new to the capital and do not grasp that our factions are different. How would His Majesty believe your words?”
This was indeed the truth.
The Western Border Army belonged to Duke Huang, and had always been a natural faction of the Crown Prince. Shen Yun, on the surface, remained neutral.
But in reality, he belonged to the faction of Prince Duan.
Furthermore, Emperor Xingzhao now placed immense trust in Shen Yun.
How could a mere guerrilla general from the border be swayed by a few words from Xiao Ze?
“Hmph…” Xiao Ze fell silent.
He was new to the capital and did not understand the political landscape well.
In fact, those who acted under orders like them didn’t need to understand too much.
They only needed to do as their superior generals instructed.
His orders were to remain hidden for a few days.
Then, upon hearing the command, they were to gather and act.
Originally, their movements had been very discreet. The only unexpected events were encountering Xiao Yi and being unable to resist coming to see Xiao Qi.
He hadn’t paid much attention to it at first.
But upon hearing Shen Yun’s words, a hint of contemplation suddenly arose in his heart.
So, what was General Huang’s purpose in ordering them to secretly infiltrate the crucial area of the capital?
Xiao Ze was still pondering the mission that his superior had deliberately concealed.
Meanwhile, Shen Yun had already figured it out.
Xiao Ze had come from the Western Border, and it was certain that many others had also entered the capital disguised like him.
Recalling the period when the decree to depose the Crown Prince was drafted, coinciding with the major event of the imperial seal, the Crown Prince’s reactions had been excessively compliant.
He had long suspected something was amiss.
It was just that the other party was very vigilant this time and had hidden themselves well.
Despite sending out many people to inquire, they had not obtained any information.
Unexpectedly, what they sought everywhere without success, they now found effortlessly.
He thought he knew the Crown Prince’s intentions.
Very well, he feared the Crown Prince’s inaction; as long as he made a move, his downfall would not be far.
Shen Yun rose to see him out.
But although Xiao Ze was angry, he was determined to speak with Su Xiao Qi alone.
Shen Yun disagreed. He had important matters to attend to and didn't want to give Xiao Ze an opportunity to be alone with Xiao Qi.
However, Su Xiao Qi stopped him.
“Husband, you go attend to your business first. Xiao Yi and Xiao Ze and I haven’t seen each other in a long time, and there are indeed some things that should be clarified.”
“Wife, aren’t you afraid he…” Shen Yun worried that Xiao Ze might harm Xiao Qi in a fit of rage.
Su Xiao Qi had no such concerns, “Isn’t Zhang Yu here? Besides, I believe he isn’t that kind of person.”
Moreover, she was not someone who could be easily harmed.
Shen Yun left, looking back at her step by step.
When he reached the door, he turned and made a gesture, leaving Zhang Lei, Zhang Feng, and Zhang Dian behind.
He instructed them to closely monitor the situation in the flower hall.
He added with a stern expression, “If that person makes any move towards Madam, kill him!”
The three acknowledged in unison, immediately retreated, and each found their positions on the eaves of the walls inside and outside the flower hall.
After Shen Yun left, there was no disturbance in the flower hall.
The three sat facing each other, silence stretching between them for a moment.
Finally, Su Xiao Qi could no longer bear Xiao Ze’s gaze, which was filled with condemnation, sorrow, and a hint of longing, and spoke first:
“Xiao Ze, that, I was wrong about what happened before, but at that time, I…” Su Xiao Qi couldn’t continue.
Those were the actions of the original host, what did they have to do with her?
Even if she wanted to apologize for it now, there was no way to start.
For the original host, those things were indeed done, and an apology wouldn't change the essence of the matter.
But for her, as herself, she had done nothing.
To apologize for something she hadn’t done, she found it difficult to say from the heart.
Xiao Ze, however, didn't want to hear about their past conflicts. He simply stared at Su Xiao Qi and said word by word,
“You don’t need to say sorry. If you truly feel you owe me, come with me!”