6kv Chapter 14 Let them wait
Chapter 14 Let them wait
Back in my courtyard, the moonlight, like water, spilled onto the bluestone ground, giving it a cool, clear glow.
Ye Qingqiu stood quietly under the corridor, her hands hanging naturally at her sides, her back straight.
The cool moonlight shone on her, giving her an ethereal, otherworldly air, like a solitary orchid growing on a cliff edge.
When Xu Ming returned, she simply nodded slightly without saying a word.
"Go and warm the bed."
Xu Ming walked straight past her, his steps leisurely, as if he were instructing a maid.
Ye Qingqiu's body stiffened for a moment.
His fingers, hanging at his sides, were slightly curled, and the tips were white.
She turned away silently and went into the bedroom.
The pale white hem of her dress flashed by the door frame and disappeared into the shadows.
Xu Ming stood in the courtyard and looked up at the sky.
The moon was round and bright, hanging above the courtyard wall like a cold eye watching the world.
He took a deep breath and went into the bedroom.
Ye Qingqiu was already lying on the bed, turned to her side, facing the wall, leaving him with a quiet silhouette. The blankets were neatly draped over her, revealing only the back of her head and a small section of her fair neck.
Her breathing was light and even, as if she were already asleep.
But Xu Ming knew she didn't.
Her ears were slightly red, revealing her inner turmoil.
Xu Ming took off his coat and hung it on the clothes rack by the bed, then lifted the quilt and lay down.
The bed wasn't big; the two people lay together, with only a fist's width between them.
He could feel the stiffness in her body, like a taut bowstring.
He reached out and put his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.
Ye Qingqiu's body stiffened abruptly, then slowly, bit by bit, relaxed.
"Go to bed early, you have things to do tomorrow."
Xu Ming closed his eyes.
Ye Qingqiu remained silent.
The night was as still as water, and moonlight seeped in through the gaps in the window paper, drawing a thin, silvery line on the ground.
Xu Ming did not sleep well that night.
In his dream, he returned to the imperial palace. The faces of all the officials had transformed into distorted masks, and the emperor sat on his dragon throne, his expression unreadable. Everyone pointed at him and cursed him—a traitor, a beast, a disgrace to the family.
He stood there, drowned out by the insults.
Then, he woke up.
The next day.
Xu Fu cried out, "Young Master! Young Master! Something terrible has happened!"
Xu Ming was sitting at the table, being served breakfast by Ye Qingqiu.
A bowl of plain porridge, two small dishes of side dishes, and a plate of steamed buns.
He sipped his porridge slowly, taking a spoonful, blowing on it, and putting it in his mouth. He chewed it a couple of times without lifting his head or even blinking.
"What's wrong? Is it urgent?"
"The Embroidered Uniform Guard! The Embroidered Uniform Guard has surrounded our gate!"
"The leader is a commander of a thousand men. He says he's here on His Majesty's orders, to await the command of the 'Imperial Envoy' and assist you in searching the residences of the two traitors, Huang and Qi!"
Xu Ming paused in his porridge-drinking motion.
"Oh? So rushed?"
He put down the bowl, wiped his mouth, and continued his unhurried movements.
A playful smile appeared on his face.
"It seems His Majesty is even more eager to kill than I am."
"This is hatred to the core."
"Young Master, then...then you should leave quickly?" Xu Fu urged. "Those Imperial Guards are not to be trifled with. What if they..."
"What's the rush?"
Xu Ming slowly stood up, stretched, and raised his arms above his head, his joints cracking like a string of firecrackers.
"Let them wait."
He glanced at Ye Qingqiu, who stood expressionless beside him.
"I haven't finished breakfast yet. After I finish eating, I'll take a nap. I'll go whenever I feel like it."
"Make them wait?"
Xu Fu's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and his mouth was agape enough to fit an egg.
Are we just going to leave these living devils waiting at the door?
This... isn't this like provoking the gods?
After Xu Ming finished speaking, he sat back down at the table and picked up his rice bowl again.
"Uncle Fu, the porridge is cold, go heat it up."
"Huh? Oh... Oh oh!"
Xu Fu was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening, quickly stepped forward, picked up the bowl of porridge, and turned to walk out.
Outside the gate of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
Dozens of Imperial Guards, dressed in flying fish robes and carrying embroidered spring knives at their waists, stood solemnly on both sides of the street like statues.
The morning light fell on their flying fish robes, and the cloud and fish scale patterns embroidered with gold thread shimmered in the sunlight, as if they were alive.
The scabbard of the Embroidered Spring Blade gleamed coldly in the morning light, and the red silk on the hilt fluttered gently in the wind.
The chilling aura of killing intent caused all passersby to detour around it.
Several people who had gotten up early to go to the market saw the sea of flying fish robes in the distance and were so frightened that their faces turned pale and their legs went weak.
The leader, a commander of the Imperial Guard, had high cheekbones and deep-set eyes.
His hands were behind his back, and his back was straight, like an old pine tree that had taken root.
He stood in front of the mansion gate, maintaining this posture, and had been waiting for a full half hour.
One of the centurions behind him finally couldn't hold back any longer, stepped forward, leaned close to the commander's ear, and whispered.
His voice was filled with suppressed anger, like a volcano about to erupt at any moment.
"Lord Commander! This Xu Ming is utterly despicable!"
His cheeks puffed out, and his jaw clenched.
"How dare this young punk make so many of us wait for him? When have we, the Imperial Guards, ever been treated like this?"
"Exactly!" another junior officer chimed in, his voice full of resentment. "We Imperial Guards are acting on imperial orders, and he's just a temporary imperial envoy with no rank. Why should we wait?"
"Does he really think the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is what it used to be? Now the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion only has one son left, what's he so arrogant about? He really doesn't know his own limitations."
"Or, I could just go in and drag him out! Who cares about being an imperial envoy or not, just get him out first!"
"Yes! Find him! Let him know what we're capable of."
"Does an imperial envoy with no official position really think he's so great?"
……
Listening to his subordinates' complaints, the commander's brows furrowed.
His two thick eyebrows were almost squeezed together, forming a deep "川" (river) character between his eyebrows.
He took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in his chest.
He slowly raised his hand, his five fingers spread open.
The moment the gesture was made, the surrounding noise instantly disappeared.
Qianhu's voice was forced out through clenched teeth, chillingly cold: "Calm down."
Four words, like four icy blades, pierced the heart of every Imperial Guard.
No one dared to utter another word.
In the morning light, dozens of Imperial Guards still stood motionless on both sides of the street.
They looked like a row of executioners waiting to be executed.
They also resemble a pack of hunting dogs waiting for their master.
The vermilion gates of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion were tightly closed, and the copper nails on the gates gleamed dimly in the morning light.