Cry of the Midnight Jackdaw

Chapter Ninety-two,
Dead Inside

“The things your Highness had this subordinate investigate has some fruition to it.”

He Xuan lifted his eyes up from the pile of memorials half-a-person tall, slightly wearily pressed the bridge of his nose, and nonchalantly turned his head and looked at Fang Zhao in front of him, then indifferently made a response, “Say it.”

“That time Xiao You Ci escaped from the palace, she went to the Jiang residence, and headed south together with Jiang Han. When they encountered Liu Guang Yuan at the south gate’s entrance. Jiang Han was killed by Liu Guang Yuan’s people, and Xiao You Ci was also……”

Fang Zhao paused, “Xiao You Ci was brought into the residence by Liu Guang Yuan, that Liu Guang Yuan is lecherous by nature, Xiao You Ci probably could not evade disaster. And after when Qing Ling was in unrest, Xiao You Ci took the chance to escape from the Liu residence, met with Consort Ru Yang, then Consort Ru Yang brought her all the way south to Ding Province……”

“I(g) understand.” He Xuan pushed the candlewick, and the jumping fire reflected his eyes with a flicker, “Jiang Han had an engagement with her, right?”

“Yes, it’s heard that the two were childhood friends, and had quite deep feelings for each other.”

He Xuan slightly narrowed his eyes, “That’s enough, you can go now.” The frosty winds outside hit the windowsill, while the shrill whistling was unceasing.

“Liu Guang Yuan…… the Liu family……”

He Xuan propped his chin up with one hand, while the other folded the few pages of news on He Yang he received just now and tossed it into the fire pan, then coldly watched as the tongue of the fire greedily rolled up, and quickly burned that piece of paper into ashes.

On the other side, Xiao Zuo went together with Xiao You Ci to the Jing Xing Temple to offer a votive, and when returning to the residence, the lanterns just went up. These days, the temperature had gone down, the lanterns hung at the entrance swayed left and right along with the big winds, and the red tassels got covered with a layer of thin frost.

Xiao Zuo was covered thickly, the neck was wrapped with a white fluffy fox fur coat, making his cheeks all tender like jade. Xiao You Ci followed behind in smiles, and occasionally repeatedly telling him to walk a bit slower.

“We’re back.” He Xuan was sitting in the front reception reading, seeing them come in from the outside, he indifferently glanced at Xiao Zuo, paused when his gaze fell to his neck, then slid away.

“Your Highness.” Xiao You Ci gathered her sleeves and bowed, He Xuan put down his book and said, “I(g) already had them bring the meal in, Lady Xiao, go eat first.”

Xiao You Ci hesitated for an instant, she looked at Xiao Zuo beside her, Xiao Zuo nodded his head at her, then Xiao You Ci followed Tao Jin out the door.

“Brother Xuan, I missed you a lot today.” Xiao Zuo removed the fur coat, then curved his eyes as he made his way beside He Xuan, the right hand traced the needlework on the chest He Xuan’s outer robe, brazenly acting spoiled.

He Xuan lightly laughed, and lifted his hand up to grab at Xiao Zuo’s earlobes red from the cold, and lowly said, “How much?”

“When I was praying to Bodhisattva, I asked for Bodhisattva to bless us.” Xiao Zuo muttered, “…… to be together forever.”

He Xuan glanced at the hem of a dress in the turning corner, and hung his eyes down, “Alright, go eat.”

“So half-hearted.” Xiao Zuo unhappily mumbled, He Xuan seemed like he didn’t hear it, and only lifted his legs and walked outside. Xiao Zuo knitted his eyebrows, and opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but in the end, did not say anything.

For the entire dinner, He Xuan was constantly absentminded, even when Xiao Zuo secretly scooped a spoon of sickly sweet pea soup he did not like the most, he even swallowed it.

“I’m finished, I’m going back first.” Xiao Zuo disinterestedly took a few bites, then placed his chopsticks down.

“This little?” He Xuan looked at the remaining dishes in his bowl, “Eat some more.”

“No, not hungry.” Xiao Zuo did not know what he himself was angry at either, and stiffly left these words, then got up and left.

He Xuan did not call out to him either, and only casually lifted up the cup of wine on the table, and stroked the patterns on the lip of the cup, “Is Lady Xiao not leaving too?”

Xiao You Ci’s pupils contracted, the hand she was clutching her clothes tightened, “Doesn’t your Highness also have something to say to me too?”

“Lady Xiao is wise as expected.” He Xuan curled his lips, his two fingers lightly grasped the wine cup, and took a sip, “Why won’t Lady Xiao take a guess, what I(g) want to say?”

Xiao You Ci hung her eyes down, the wine in her cup already cooled down, reflecting her pale face, “Between your Highness and I, other than being able to use Liu Guang Yuan, what else is there?”

Before He Xuan opened his mouth, Xiao You Ci lightly laughed, and poured the cooled wine into her mouth and drank it all in one go, “Your Highness is right, I certainly hate Liu Guang Yuan, he and I have an absolutely irreconcilable grudge, I……”

XIao You Ci paused, and her voice lowered down, “Whatever your Highness wants me to do, I will be willing, the only thing I am concerned about…… is only a’Zuo, he……” This crown prince in front of her able to sit in his position as heir steadily in the ever-changing and torrential courts, was far from some benevolent man or woman. People like them only have authority and the throne in their hearts, the love of the world was merely as transient as fleeting clouds, only her silly little brother, willingly became a silkworm weaving itself in, in the end, it was their Xiao family’s blood, each and every one of them were love-crazy people……

Speaking of which, wasn’t she one too? Xiao You Ci long already left together with Jiang Han the day he died, she submitted herself to the foe to live on her last breath up to today- other than taking revenge, she had no other intent. But unfortunately for a’Zuo, in the future should there be any dangers and hardship, he will have to walk alone.

Xiao You Ci’s fingernails were gripped into the palm, piercing with pain, and she then came to, “Can your Highness promise me, no matter what, to keep a’Zuo at peace.”

“Of course, naturally.”

“Do not go back on those words, your Highness.”

He Xuan sneered, he calmly looked at Xiao You Ci in front of him forcefully holding up her back, and slowly opened his mouth, “Do you feel, you have a choice?”

Xiao You Ci bitterly smiled while frozen on the spot, He Xuan put down the wine cup, and his voice turned a bit soft, “Do not worry, I(g) typically am a man of my word, and will treat him well.”

“Then thank you, your Highness.” Xiao You Ci moved her eyes away, but her palm was already full of cold sweat.

❀

Xiao Zuo was sitting at a small couch soaking his feet, and casually picked a random book and flipped through it, it was a novel that was quite famous recently, two days ago, he heard Tao Jin mention it.

It was certainly written not badly, Xiao Zuo was absorbed in reading it, when a shadow suddenly came down over the page, he lifted his head to look, He Xuan was bending his head looking at that cover of his book.

“The Records of Longevity in the Path of the Sword?” He Xuan sneered, he gathered two fingers together to grab the book in his hand and tossed it to the side, then bent down and flicked his forehead neither strongly nor lightly, “Is it better looking than me?”

Xiao Zuo rolled his eyes at him, “What good is there to look at you?”

“Angry?” He Xuan removed his outer robe, then used the hot water in the pan to soak both hands hot, then pressed them on Xiao Zuo’s feet.

Xiao Zuo widened his eyes, and unnaturally moved back, “What…… what are you doing?”

“Serving my Li Nu, of course.” He Xuan originally wanted to copy those maids’ hand gestures and help him press on some acupuncture points, but when he tried it, he then discovered it was not as easy as he imagined it to be, so he could only make do, and slightly clumsily kneaded Xiao Zuo’s good-looking feet, then took up a towel from the side, and brought his feet up from the water and propped them on his own leg, and dried them for him.

He Xuan hung down his head, with his thin lips tightly pursed, and his expression particularly serious. He was only dressed in an inner robe, outlining the firm lines on his arms, Xiao Zuo swallowed his saliva, then went at odds with him, “No need for you to coax me.”

“Li Nu, be good, don’t be angry anymore.” He Xuan lifted him up, then stuffed him into the blankets, while he sat on the bedside, leaning on the bed pillar, “Today, the ministers brought up a memorial together, asking Father to punish you.

Xiao Zuo froze, both his hands clutched the blanket, and hung his head down to ask, “You…… was it because of this?”

“My(g) Li Nu, naturally is not allowed to suffer any grievances.” He Xuan lightly laughed, and reached out to part the loose hairs on Xiao Zuo’s forehead, the thin calluses on his fingers occasionally stroked by his face, creating a trembling itch.

“Speak seriously.” Xiao Zuo grabbed the hand in front of him, “What…… will you do?”

He Xuan’s gaze emerged with some darkness, “It’s all He Yang and Née Liu at the back pushing it, since they still have spare power to do these things…… it’s about time to prepare a big present for them.”

“Don’t worry, it’s just some small fish.” He Xuan kneaded Xiao Zuo’s palm, and pulled it to the side of his lips and rubbed it, “Don’t worry about it and sleep, Li Nu.”

“Brother Xuan.” Xiao Zuo bit down on his lower lip, then reached out and wrapped around He Xuan’s neck, and buried his head into the dip of his neck, his body was still left with the faint incense from after bathing, Xiao Zuo could not help but take a sniff, and sigh in satisfaction.