DLWAV CH36
Ao Ruize only felt a sudden chill on his back.
It was only then that he realized the person pouring water for him wasn’t his personal guard, but a young lady.
Ao Ruize subconsciously turned his head to look around, and when he found Xia Jingyao’s figure, he saw Xia Jingyao raising those beautiful peach blossom eyes, looking at him with a faint, ambiguous smile.
Ao Ruize: “…”
If he was initially just worried that Xia Jingyao might be angry because he found himself a bit too close to this young lady, now he was certain that Xia Jingyao was angry.
He immediately wanted to go over and explain.
Unexpectedly, just at this moment, the young lady turned around to take a cloth towel from her maidservant and hand it to Ao Ruize.
Ao Ruize’s hand collided directly with hers. She lost her balance and fell towards Ao Ruize’s direction.
Ao Ruize hurriedly stopped and reflexively reached out to steady her.
Seeing this scene, the eyes of those generals lit up instantly. After all, who doesn’t like to watch a spectacle?
”Oh wow, I didn’t expect our Prince An to be so lucky in love.”
”I said she was interested in Prince An, didn’t I?”
”Do you think Prince An will accept her?”
”Does that even need saying? With this lady’s beauty, any man would be moved, right?”
”Besides, what man wouldn’t want to live a heavenly life with a beauty by his side, red sleeves adding fragrance?”
Little did they know, seeing this scene, Xia Jingyao’s expression completely froze.
Especially upon noticing Ao Ruize’s upright figure and the lady’s shy demeanor, the two of them ‘holding hands’, standing together looking truly well-matched.
Ao Ruize: “…”
Ao Ruize only felt his scalp go numb.
He immediately turned his head to look at Xia Jingyao again, just in time to see him mount his horse, crack his whip hard, and leave aggressively with his personal guards.
Ao Ruize: “…”
This is bad!
Ao Ruize immediately wanted to follow, but the next second, his sleeve was caught by the young lady again.
Ao Ruize could only ask politely, “Miss, I don’t seem to know you?”
The young lady was stunned, and immediately explained, “Your Highness, my father is Song Jiyang, the Marquis of Linzhou, cousin of Concubine Xian. The year before last, I even went to the palace with my mother to visit you, do you remember?”
”The reason I appear here is because next month is my grandmother’s eightieth birthday, so my father specially sent a team to escort me back to our hometown to celebrate her birthday. Unexpectedly, we encountered bandits on the way.”
”Thanks to Your Highness bringing troops to suppress the bandits at this very moment. And just now, if Your Highness hadn’t protected me behind you and killed those bandits who wanted to hold me hostage with just a few moves, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have the chance to stand here and talk to Your Highness now.”
Speaking of this, Miss Song couldn’t help but glance at Ao Ruize’s chiseled face again, her cheeks instantly flushing redder.
She knew about Prince An’s infertility, but she didn’t care.
Her mind was now full of Prince An’s heroic and extraordinary back figure when he protected her just now.
She summoned up her courage: “Your Highness, they say saving a life…”
Ao Ruize subconsciously interrupted her: “Repay kindness with enmity?”
Because in just this short moment, Xia Jingyao’s figure had completely disappeared from his sight.
Miss Song: “…”
How could Ao Ruize care about her? He directly said, “I’m sorry, Miss Song, I already have someone I love, so I’m afraid I cannot accept your kindness.”
”I believe you will definitely meet someone better than me in the future.”
After finishing speaking, he shook off Miss Song’s hand and hurriedly chased after Xia Jingyao.
Miss Song: “…”
Those generals watching: “…”
Leaving aside how disappointed Miss Song was and how much those generals doubted life, over here, Ao Ruize finally managed to almost catch up with Xia Jingyao. But the next second, Xia Jingyao, who had returned to the post station, went straight back to his room, leaving Ao Ruize with a closed door.
The housekeeper, who was also shut out, said with a strange expression, “Prince An, our Duke said he has a lot of official business to deal with tonight, so he doesn’t need your service.”
Ao Ruize: “…”
So all this time, Xia Jingyao only treated him as a gigolo to come and go at his command?
Ao Ruize laughed angrily… Well, Ao Ruize couldn’t get angry at all, and even thought Xia Jingyao was somewhat cute.
After all, Xia Jingyao was this jealous, how could he dare say he was only treating him as a casual fling before?
So the urgent task was how to make Xia Jingyao cool down.
Ao Ruize thought for a moment and only said, “Alright, then I’ll go back first. I happen to be tired too.”
While speaking, he waved his hand at the housekeeper, signaling him to leave first.
Housekeeper: “…”
If this were in the past, how could he possibly act according to Ao Ruize’s orders.
But now—
The housekeeper looked at Xia Jingyao in the room, then at Prince An in front of him.
Didn’t their Duke say that after he got tired of playing with Prince An, he would kick him out?
But what’s going on now?
Are they really not just having a lovers’ quarrel?
The housekeeper fell silent for a moment, then obediently retreated.
Hearing these words, Xia Jingyao, who was sitting at the desk inside trying to deal with some official business to divert his attention, had a completely dark face.
That bastard, that bastard…
Not long after, a voice sounded outside the door again: “Duke, the barley and pig stomach soup is ready. Should I send it to Prince An?”
Because at Ao Ruize’s age, his energy was most vigorous, so he easily got hungry at night. Plus, most of the servants in Prince An’s residence were spies sent by the Eldest Prince and others, so he didn’t bring a single servant when he went out. Therefore, the Duke’s residence had become accustomed to preparing a late-night snack for Ao Ruize every night.
But now, Ao Ruize ate his food, used his things, yet flirted with other women right in front of him. In that case, why give him anything to eat?
Xia Jingyao said coldly, “Pour it out, feed it to the dogs.”
But the next second, he changed his mind: “Bring it in, I’ll eat it.”
His Duke’s residence’s things had already fed one dog, they couldn’t feed another one.
”Yes.”
After speaking, the door was pushed open, followed by footsteps approaching from far to near. Then, a bowl of barley and pig stomach soup was placed in front of Xia Jingyao.
Xia Jingyao immediately picked up the spoon next to it and started eating.
Only until he finished the bowl of barley and pig stomach soup, he didn’t taste what flavor it was at all.
”Alright, take it away.”
Xia Jingyao became more and more frustrated.
Unexpectedly, after the servant collected the bowl and spoon, he just put them aside, and then there was no movement.
Xia Jingyao frowned. He immediately turned his head to look, and the next second he met a neck curve he was all too familiar with, on which was the Adam’s apple he had played with countless times.
But at this moment, Xia Jingyao didn’t feel even a bit of romantic feeling in his heart.
Because he knew who this person was without guessing.
Xia Jingyao directly withdrew his gaze and said coldly, “Your Highness isn’t accompanying your beauty at this moment, what are you doing here at my place?”
Ao Ruize: “…”
How did she become his beauty?
Ao Ruize: “But saying it like that doesn’t seem wrong.”
Xia Jingyao instantly tightened his grip on the brush in his hand.
Out of anger.
But the next second, he heard Ao Ruize say again: “She is the daughter of my mother’s cousin, Marquis of Linzhou Song Jiyang. According to blood relations, she is my cousin.”
Isn’t this exactly family?
So putting aside issues like his sexual orientation, they couldn’t be together anyway, could they?
”Really?”
Xia Jingyao smiled insincerely: “Concubine Xian is also the Emperor’s cousin, and the deceased Empress was also the Emperor’s cousin.”
Didn’t they still end up sleeping in the same bed?
Ao Ruize: “…”
He just remembered this is ancient times where close-kin marriage is allowed.
Then he remembered another thing: “No wonder the Eldest Prince and Fourth Prince are so stupid.”
Xia Jingyao: “…”
Suddenly felt a bit sorry for the Eldest Prince and Fourth Prince.
Now the fact that they are extremely stupid has become deeply rooted in people’s hearts.
Then he realized he was almost led astray by Ao Ruize.
”So what if close kin are prone to producing foolish children? At worst, just don’t have children.”
”After all, what man wouldn’t want to live a heavenly life with a beauty by his side, red sleeves adding fragrance?”
What could Ao Ruize do?
Ao Ruize could only continue to change the topic: “So, the Duke also wants to live a good life with a beauty by his side, red sleeves adding fragrance?”
Xia Jingyao: “…”
He didn’t think that way—
Unexpectedly, the next second, he heard Ao Ruize say again: “It’s not that I can’t help the Duke realize this wish—”
”However, I probably can’t do red sleeves adding fragrance, but blue sleeves adding fragrance is still possible.”
After speaking, Ao Ruize reached out, took the ink stick from the side, and started grinding.
Xia Jingyao only then discovered that Ao Ruize had changed into a blue robe with gold trim. A piece of entirely green jade hung on the belt of the robe, looking exceptionally dazzling.
Looking further up, was his broad chest and still handsome-beyond-words jawline and profile.
For no reason, most of the anger in Xia Jingyao’s heart directly dissipated.
He calmed down as well, and understood one thing more clearly: if Ao Ruize really wanted to have something with that Miss Song, how could he flirt with Miss Song right in front of him.
Now, the anger in his heart was completely gone.
But soon, his brow furrowed again.
Because he suddenly sensed something wrong, that is, he seemed to care a bit too much about Ao Ruize.
But just at this time, the ink was ready.
Ao Ruize immediately said, “Try it.”
Xia Jingyao subconsciously dipped the brush in the ink.
Then he realized what Ao Ruize had just said, and instantly threw all other thoughts in his heart to the back of his mind.
Blue sleeves adding fragrance?
Because it was already very late, the surroundings had completely quieted down. The servants outside the door were also silently on duty, not daring to make even a tiny sound.
Therefore, at this moment, the only sound Xia Jingyao could hear was Ao Ruize’s breathing, which was much calmer than when he was wearing armor, tightening the reins, and holding his spear on horseback.
The scenes he saw on the battlefield in the afternoon replayed in his mind right then.
——It was really that Ao Ruize at that time was too dazzling.
Making him inevitably parched.
Xia Jingyao’s mind wasn’t really on handling official business to begin with. After thinking of this, he couldn’t write anymore.
Ao Ruize: “What’s wrong?”
Unfortunately, Ao Ruize’s voice was unusually magnetic.
Xia Jingyao was silent for a moment, then suddenly closed the official document in front of him.
Ao Ruize: “…”
Then he heard Xia Jingyao say, “The ink is ground too thick, not suitable for writing on paper.”
Ao Ruize: “…”
My mistake.
It seems he is still far from being a qualified “blue sleeve.”
Ao Ruize touched his nose: “Then I’ll grind it again.”
He immediately reached out to take the ink stick.
Unexpectedly, the next second, his hand was blocked by Xia Jingyao’s brush handle.
Xia Jingyao looked back at him: “No need.”
”Just write somewhere else.”
While speaking, the brush handle in his hand slowly slid diagonally upwards along Ao Ruize’s arm, and following the brush handle upwards were his beautiful peach blossom eyes.
Ao Ruize also couldn’t help but follow the brush handle with his gaze.
Finally, accompanied by a crisp tapping sound, both the brush handle and the gaze landed on his belt.
The meaning therein was self-evident!
Ao Ruize: “…”
What Xia Jingyao didn’t expect was that Ao Ruize’s body seemed to be much more attractive to him than he imagined.
What Ao Ruize didn’t expect was that Xia Jingyao seemed to be much easier to coax than he imagined.
What Emperor Yuanxi didn’t expect was that Ao Ruize was even more powerful than he thought.
Ao Ruize was out for a whole year this time.
In this year, he and Xia Jingyao took the ten thousand soldiers of the Left Division of the Five Armies Battalion, fighting from the capital to Haizhou, from Haizhou to Lizhou, then from Lizhou to Suizhou. They toured all nineteen prefectures of the Dayang Dynasty, wiped out the bandits and water thieves within Dayang’s borders, killing over twenty thousand bandits and capturing over thirty thousand.
Finally, after collecting enough evidence, he directly used the charge of colluding with bandits to catch over thirty salt merchant families in Lianghuai in one net. The gold, silver, and jewelry confiscated from their homes amounted to over forty million taels of silver, equivalent to the tax revenue of Dayang for five years in the past.
When the news reached the capital, it surely caused another uproar.
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