After encountering a huge change, Luo Qin learned a lot of things in a short period of time that he had never touched before, including how to drive a carriage well.
Luo Qin never thought that one day he would hold the reins of a horse carriage, just as he never thought there would be another day to say goodbye to Gong Yi. Letting go of his hand, which wanted to touch the scar on his face at some point, covering up all the emotions in his eyes, he became the silent and awkward carriage driver who knew nothing but how to drive.
Skillfully driving the carriage to the designated courtyard, Luo Qin stood by the carriage, bowed his head and respectfully opened the curtain, saying, "Gong Sir, please alight from the carriage."
A hoarse voice rang in his ears, and Gong Yi, who was sitting inside the carriage with his eyes closed, couldn't help but furrow his brows slightly. He opened his eyes and looked at the other person, saying, "How do you know my surname is Gong?"
Without any hesitation, Luo Qin, who always maintained a respectful posture, replied, "It was told to me by the steward, he instructed me to take good care of the distinguished guest." Luo Qin did not think that Gong Yi, with whom he had only a few encounters, could recognize him, after all, sometimes he couldn't even recognize himself in the mirror.
If he couldn't even figure out who the people brought by the Crown Prince were, then Ouyang Ruo, the governor of Jiangdu, might as well resign. From this perspective, it was natural for a carriage driver who drove for him to know Gong Yi's surname. However, despite this, Gong Yi's tightly knitted brows did not relax at all; he always felt that something was not quite right.
"Raise your head."
Instructed with a cold tone to raise his head, Gong Yi unconsciously leaned forward, trying to get a clearer look at the other person's appearance.
Without any resistance, Luo Qin slowly lifted his head, exposing his terrifying face, and when he faced Gong Yi's gaze, there was no emotional fluctuation in his eyes.
Gong Yi's pupils contracted, completely unexpected that the other person not only had a scar at the corner of his eye. Realizing how unwise it was to let the other person expose his own unworthiness, Gong Yi ultimately could not bring himself to lower his pride. After a moment of silence, he did not apologize to the ordinary and unremarkable carriage driver who appeared to have gone through hardships and became awkward in appearance. Instead, he cleared his throat and got off the carriage.
Gong Yi, with his feet firmly on the ground, straightened his sleeves and smoothed out the wrinkles on his clothes. Only then did he look up at Luo Qin, who had always maintained a respectful posture in front of him, and asked as if nothing had happened just now, "Where are they, Your Highness?"
Once again, the hoarse and dry voice of Luo Qin was heard, "The courtyard cannot accommodate the carriage of His Highness. His carriage is parked in the adjacent courtyard."
Listening attentively, Gong Yi heard some lively noises coming from the adjacent courtyard, contrasting with the courtyard he was in - two guards, one carriage driver, not even a handmaid. Every detail indicated the fact that he had been carelessly dismissed by Ouyang Ruo.
Since everything had been arranged, why couldn't it be executed perfectly? Or was Ouyang Ruo testing something?
Gong Yi, who thought too much, furrowed his brows and fell into deep thought.
But before he could delve into this issue further, the sound that came from the adjacent courtyard once again told Gong Yi a fact - it seemed that the Crown Prince... no, had forgotten his existence.
It was perfectly normal for the Crown Prince to forget about him, and Gong Yi had learned to accept it as normal. But even the attendant Ye Xiao had forgotten his presence and had not even reminded the Crown Prince; it was deliberate, perhaps because back on the ship, Ye Xiao had heard the Crown Prince's seasickness and sneered privately.
— How petty are young people these days.
Sighing involuntarily, he didn't continue to ponder about Ouyang Ruo's intentions. Preoccupied with catching up with the Crown Prince and then proceeding to the banquet hall, he shook his sleeve and hurried in the direction of the sound.
Luo Qin, standing by the carriage, concealed himself in the shadow and gazed at Gong Yi, who appeared composed but was actually hastening away. He slowly lowered his eyelids, covering the trace of hope that had arisen in his eyes at some point.
As Gong Yi's voice disappeared from his sight, the hidden hope in his eyes was extinguished completely, like a smoldering fire, vanishing without a trace.
A low and hoarse voice only he could hear, escaped from Luo Qin's lips, "He, in the end, still couldn't recognize me." Indeed, who could recognize him in his current state?
Once upon a time, when he had his elder brother to take care of him, when he could pursue everything he wanted, when he followed his grandfather to the capital to broaden his horizons, he had met Gong Yi.
Gong Yi, who was still without a beard at that time, had patted his head and said with a smile, "This young man has a promising future."
A simple "promising future" had strengthened his belief and made his grandfather believe that his choices were not wrong.
Unfortunately, circumstances had changed, and he had destroyed his own face and his own voice. Luo Qin closed his eyes and withheld the tears that had almost rolled out, as well as the weakness that had been revealed. Under the instructions of the two guards, he unloaded the carriage and squatted in a visible place, quietly waiting for when he would be needed.
Standing under the tree, the two guards looked at each other, and at the silent and uncooperative carriage driver before them, they sneered in unison. He couldn't even converse with them or please them; such a person still wanted to take on good tasks another time?
"This is just a dream."
One of the guards actually said it out loud and even spat at the carriage driver crouched in the corner. Luo Qin, crouched in the corner, showed no reaction, not even lifting his head.
The guard, feeling bored, sneered again and turned back to continue chatting and joking with his companion. They even agreed on which flower boat to go to after their shift.
The life of ordinary people was always so trivial and mundane, even appearing somewhat crude, unlike the bustling and surging atmosphere in the banquet hall on the other side.
Finally feeling better after a period of relaxation, Huo Ling's facial expressions softened quite a bit, to the point where Ouyang Ruo, the governor of Jiangdu, who was constantly paying attention to him, thought that he had buttered him up sufficiently.
Feeling inexplicably pleased, Ouyang Ruo stroked his beard, and with pride in his tone, he showed the places they had passed by, even though Huo Ling's attention was not fully engaged, he said, "My wife doesn't usually have much to do, so she can only fuss over these things, never did I expect that she would gain the approval of so many people."
"Many people even make a special request to my wife to use our garden for their banquet." Showing his left and right connections indirectly, Ouyang Ruo continued to complain in a boastful tone about his wife's management, "It's just too much trouble to deal with, but she does things her way, and I can only go along with it."
Ouyang Ruo's attempt to get closer was successful. Regardless of its authenticity, Ouyang Ruo's attitude at that moment towards his beloved wife made Huo Ling have a good impression of him. As a result, when Huo Ling spoke to him, he restrained his previous casual attitude and chatted with him in a carefree manner.
By the time Huo Ling and Ouyang Ruo and the others arrived at the banquet hall, they had already shifted their conversations from "how to raise peonies" to "Qiji's snacks are superb", and the trivial and everyday topics made Ouyang Ruo unintentionally let go of his guard. As for what Huo Ling could glean from these trivial and mundane conversation topics, it relied on Ye Xiao, who remained silent behind him but constantly kept an eye on them.
After all, Ye Xiao was omniscient.
Formulating a plan before disembarking, with Ye Xiao creating a scene to attract attention, Huo Ling confidently restored his spirits. Ouyang Ruo, who apparently didn't have his wits about him, even started to get an illusion - if it weren't for the constraints of their positions, maybe he could consider himself as a confidant of the Crown Prince and "address each other as brothers"?
But illusions would always remain as illusions. As Ouyang Ruo thought that the Crown Prince had dropped his guard and started to probe, Huo Ling would always use unexpected methods to neutralize his probing and even give the impression that the Crown Prince didn't know anything, as if the Crown Prince had come to Jiangnan without knowing anything about it.
Ouyang Ruo, who had long investigated the situation, naturally knew how the Crown Prince had performed in Yanchi County; he would not make the same mistake as the former magistrate Li. This welcoming and cleansing banquet was simply a banquet, prepared with care by Ouyang Ruo's wife, with distinctive Jiangdu cuisine, which left Huo Ling, who needed a light meal, satisfied.
Unable to contain his satisfaction, Huo Ling couldn't help but praise Ouyang Ruo, "Lord Ouyang, you are not bad. The seed shows promise."
Ouyang Ruo: "..." Not knowing what to make of Huo Ling's strange praise, he could only maintain a smile, "Thank you for Your Highness's praise."
Amidst the clinking of glasses, the atmosphere gradually became lively. However, Ouyang Ruo had been unable to probe out what he wanted to know.
Unable to judge whether the Crown Prince had come to Jiangnan solely for an inspection, unable to gauge how much the Crown Prince knew about Jiangnan, and unable to discern the Emperor's attitude from the Crown Prince's demeanor, Ouyang Ruo increasingly felt that the inscrutable Crown Prince was deep and impenetrable. Temporarily giving up, Ouyang Ruo instead attempted to probe the people around Huo Ling.
"I remember Sir Gong once served as the governor of Jiangdu, and as the current governor of Jiangdu, it's a privilege for me to meet you and feel 'lucky'."
As Ouyang Ruoyu spoke, he also smiled and raised a toast to Gong Yi.
As his eyes scanned the side, where Huo Ling was concentrating on eating, accustomed to the Crown Prince's demeanor of knowing everything and nothing at the same time, Gong Yi, with an expression devoid of any fluctuations, smiled and returned Ouyang Ruoyu's toast, saying, "It's also our fate."
With this toast, Ouyang Ruoyu started chatting with Gong Yi.
One spoke of the past scenery of Jiangdu, while the other talked about the current hustle and bustle of Jiangdu. Both were anticipating the future prosperity of Jiangdu, and the attitude they displayed, reminiscent of "dying for Great Zhou," was clearly noticed by Ye Xiao, who couldn't help but glance over, thinking how these old foxes excelled in acting. Meanwhile, Huo Ling was still trying to pick up a small round pearl rice cake with his chopsticks.
The palm-sized rice cake in the plate was stacked in the shape of a cat, with an adorable appearance that was quite tempting. Huo Ling tried a few times but couldn't pick it up, so he simply used a soup spoon to scoop the rice balls into his bowl.
After finishing these actions, Huo Ling finally found the opportunity to observe the surroundings, to see if anyone had noticed his recent "embarrassment."
He found that no one had noticed, and he relaxed. After diverting his attention, he noticed the conversation between Ouyang Ruoyu and Gong Yi. "Oh? So, Lord Gong, you were once the magistrate of Jiangdu?"
Huo Ling was full of doubts, but Gong Yi was even more puzzled. He didn't bother to answer Ouyang Ruoyu's question and turned to look at him. "Your Highness, isn't it because of this that you asked me to accompany you to Jiangnan?"
"Not really," Huo Ling blinked, "Among the civil and military officials in the court whom I can remember by both their face and name, my father-in-law is definitely one. The rest are Zheng Yangwen, Li Gongming, and you."
With only a handful of people he could name, why would he bring anyone but Gong Yi to Jiangnan? Who would possibly offend his father-in-law there? Or Zheng Yangwen, who seemed to have ill intentions toward him?
Without thinking, Huo Ling firmly stated, "Being remembered by me is your honor."
Gong Yi, completely unimpressed, said, "..." He had the biggest misunderstanding of his life when he initially felt guilty.
Ouyang Ruoyu, who seemed to have a hint of insight, said, "..." Is there something not quite right with the Crown Prince?
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【A scene without any responsibility】
Huo Ling proudly puffed out his chest, "What? Isn't being remembered by me enough for you to say that? Those who couldn't make me remember their names are simply not trying hard enough and don't deserve to leave a mark in my memory as 'idle individuals'."
Gong Yi: "Being remembered by you is really unfortunate..."
Huo Ling: "Hmm?"
Gong Yi: "I mean, being remembered by you is truly fortunate."
While Ouyang Ruoyu quipped from the side: "What happened to the noble and mysterious Crown Prince?"
Both Huo Ling and Gong Yi turned their heads at the same time, "Who said that?"
Ouyang Ruoyu: !!!
Huo Ling: "......" I... oh no, my last mochi! The most delicious mochi!
Huo Ling stared at Ye Xiao intently. As Ye Xiao chewed, the small and cute glutinous rice mochi disappeared between his lips and teeth, and the dark purple soup also stained Ye Xiao's lips, as if dyed with blood.
After chewing carefully, Ye Xiao swallowed the mochi, and the graceful curve of his throat, so attractive that one couldn't help but want to touch it, undulated as the mochi entered his stomach. Huo Ling's gaze followed the mochi, gradually becoming dim as he had to accept the fact that the last mochi had fallen into the other person's abdomen.
Suppressing the nausea that rose due to the overly sweet taste, Ye Xiao didn't understand what attracted Huo Ling to the child's food, but there was no trace of difference on his face.
As if unaware of Huo Ling's changing gaze, Ye Xiao took out a handkerchief and wiped his mouth, then tilted his head lightly towards Huo Ling, "Hmm?"
As Ye Xiao tilted his head, his long neck was exposed, and the undulating collarbone lines shimmered under the interplay of lights and moonlight, even with a faint glow.
The moonlight was alluring, and the man was seductive.
Noticing him at that moment, the lively chatter gradually faded from his mind. All that remained in his vision and mind was Ye Xiao's figure. The attendants around blushed unconsciously, but the shyer they were, the more they couldn't resist the urge to look.
A look, a sweep, even the terrifying flying fish pattern became a backdrop to make the other person more out of the ordinary.
Some people's eyes were in chaos, some people's hearts were in chaos, but only Huo Ling, who faced the seductive man, could only think of his mochi. "Ye Xiao, how can you be like this? Clearly you don't like sweet things and yet you have to compete with me. It's not like you're a child anymore, you should be more mature."
Huo Ling raised his head with a calm face and made a dispassionate "oh," directly silencing the rest of his words, muttering to himself in secret, "Doesn't even give a bit of face to me, the Crown Prince. Not cute at all."
"What did Your Highness say?"
Huo Ling flatly denied and changed the subject, "Nothing. I just said the mochi is delicious." His gaze shifting, Huo Ling could feel Ye Xiao's anger, but he didn't know what Ye Xiao was angry about. Nonetheless, unable to resist Ye Xiao's gaze, Huo Ling reached out and patted Ouyang Ruo's shoulder, who had been drinking with someone nearby, "Lord Ouyang, don't you agree?"
"Hmm?" blinked, Ouyang Ruo hesitated for a moment before realizing what Huo Ling was asking. Recalling the feeling of swallowing the pearl glutinous rice mochi whole, even with his thick-skinned nature, Ouyang Ruo was at a loss for words, "Well... yes, Your Highness is right."
In the end, Ouyang Ruo's conscience was suppressed. Under Ye Xiao's unwavering gaze, he reluctantly went along with Huo Ling, perfectly playing the role of someone who always flattered Huo Ling.
Feeling acknowledged, Huo Ling lightly lifted his lips, removed his hand from the other's shoulder, "Alright, you continue drinking with Lord Ouyang." Turning his gaze back, he shrugged at Ye Xiao, "Since the mochi is so delicious, I won't hold it against you for taking the last one from me."
The kind and generous Crown Prince proudly straightened his chest, and also poured a cup of tea for his cousin, whose expression had inexplicably turned colder.
Ye Xiao slowly lowered his eyelids, his long eyelashes leaving a silhouette on his lower eyelids, hiding his expression that had changed in that moment—whether Huo Ling was foolish or not was none of his concern.
Picking up the cup of tea that Huo Ling had poured for him, Ye Xiao took a sip. When he raised his eyes again, he had returned to his initial calm demeanor.
Whether it was the excited Ouyang Ruo and the inebriated Palace Attendant, or the Crown Prince who knew he was angry but didn't understand why, or the people at the banquet who glanced at them from time to time, none of them could stir Ye Xiao's emotions.
Although in the midst of a bustling banquet, Ye Xiao seemed to be sitting in a secluded courtyard under the moon, enjoying his own peace.
Only when someone who was completely unaware intruded did this person who could attract attention, and yet could also go unnoticed, raise his head and react.
Ye Xiao sat quietly until the end of the banquet, becoming the only one still sober.
Ouyang Ruo and Palace Attendant stumbled, their faces flushed and walking unsteadily, while when Ye Xiao wasn't paying attention, Huo Ling's face turned red from a dish of drunken prawns. He obediently followed behind Ye Xiao, echoing whatever he said.
Facing a clear-headed Ouyang Ruo who was drunk but still rational, the image of the Crown Prince in his heart became even more unspeakable. Ye Xiao stood in front of Huo Ling, blocking his view from the Crown Prince.
Concealing his frustration, Ye Xiao politely exchanged a few words with Ouyang Ruo, and then, with one hand supporting Huo Ling and the other gripping Palace Attendant's collar, he walked towards the direction of the courtyard arranged for them under the guidance of the attendants.
The night wind brought a hint of coolness.
Standing in the wind, Ouyang Ruo watched the departing figures of Huo Ling and the others. His previously blurry gaze suddenly cleared, showing no sign of intoxication.
He continued to watch silently.
...
On the other hand, Ye Xiao supported Huo Ling, and accompanied Palace Attendant into their courtyard.
Dismissing the attendants arranged by the Ouyang family, Ye Xiao personally helped the extremely obedient Huo Ling to bed. Then he turned to look at Palace Attendant, who still seemed groggy by the window, "Palace Attendant, you don't need to pretend."
As Ye Xiao's words fell, Palace Attendant, who had been leaning against the window, straightened up. When he turned his head to look at Ye Xiao, his eyes were clear, without a hint of drunkenness.
"Ouyang Ruo wants to surrender."