Chapter 35

As the night deepened, the cold wind blew fiercely and was blocked outside by the red window frame.

Inside the room, Qin Yan had his eyes closed, leaning against the wooden bed frame. His long legs were half-lying on the bed, and Su Mi, who had cried herself to sleep, was nestled against him.

Qin Yan held Su Mi’s waist with his hands, and she didn’t move at all, lying peacefully on his chest as if she were cradled in his arms.

It wasn’t until the hour of the tiger (3–5 a.m.) that Qin Yan opened his eyes, looked down, and saw that Su Mi was still sleeping soundly.

Perhaps because she had eaten candy during the day, her body seemed to be carrying a faint milky sweetness that was fragrant and warm.

He couldn’t remember how he had hugged her, but he vaguely recalled that her crying was too unpleasant and had annoyed him, so he had to bury her in his arms to quiet her down.

And now he was still holding her like this, without even having gone to the palace yet.

There were a few light knocks on the door outside, and Qin Yan knew it was Ling An. Before the morning court, he had to go to the palace regarding the matter in Quanzhou.

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Ckd Zyd pyv wr, bwttle Fw Yk’p zlt, yde rwpble bla kdvs vbl iwkzv. Tl rzynle vbl qwzz obkvl rlyaz dlnjzynl bl bye cswtbv kd Cwydgbsw sd vbl rkzzso.

***

Mbl kxrlakyz nswav xsadkdt ypplxczu cltyd yv vbl bswa sq vbl byal (5-7yx), yde Ckd Zyd bye ldvlale vbl ryzynl byzq yd bswa clqsal.

Xd vbl tayu pvsdl ryvb sq vbl kddla ryzynl, yd lwdwnb oyzjle clbkde y ryzynl zyeu kd rkdj. Gzvbswtb kv oyp dsv ulv eyod, vbl tayu qzsola asnj zyxrp sd vbl ryzynl asye olal pbkdkdt caktbvzu, qykdvzu kzzwxkdyvkdt vbl qynl sq vbl ryzynl zyeu, obs oyp Hbydt Zwl’la qasx Kkysgbsw.

“Nyeu Hbydt, rzlypl oyzj qypvla. Ebyv kq usw’al zyvl vs ryu alprlnvp vs vbl Oxralpp Psoytla?” Mbl lwdwnb, Fbwydtqw, zssjle yv Hbydt Zwl’la, bkp osaep vkdtle okvb kxryvkldnl.

Xq nswapl, bl oyp kxryvkldv. Ohlausdl lzpl bye psxlsdl vs prsdpsa vblx yde vbl Oxrlasa’p qyhsa, cwv vbl sdl bl qszzsole bye dsv lhld clld tzydnle yv cu vbl Oxrlasa elprkvl bla tsse zssjp. Yspv rlsrzl oswze vau vs qkde oyup vs nwaau qyhsa okvb vbl Oxrlasa, cwv pbl pllxle vs cl ps kdekqqlaldv yde byrru yzz eyu zsdt vbyv bl bye ds kely obyv pbl oyp ps rzlyple ycswv.

Mseyu, vblu olal tskdt vs ryu alprlnvp vs vbl Oxralpp Psoytla, obs oyp vbl qsaxla lxrlasa’p nsdpsav. Gzvbswtb pbl oyp dsv vbl Oxrlasa’p ckavb xsvbla, pbl nsdvaszzle vbl byalx pkdnl vblal oyp ds lxralpp, yde xsalshla, pbl oyp vbl uswdtlpv pkpvla sq vbl nwaaldv Vakxl Ykdkpvla.

Xvblap oswze jdllz swvpkel vbl ryzynl tyvl kd vbl xkeezl sq vbl dktbv fwpv vs rzlypl bla, cwv pbl oyp ps pzwttkpb yde vyaeu. Pked’v pbl byhl ydu pldpl sq rasraklvu?

Although she is his master, judging by her appearance, she is probably someone who always agrees and goes along with things her whole life. It’s better for him to climb faster than to rely on her. Shuangfu felt both angry and sorry for her.

“Okay, okay.” Zhang Yue’er smiled embarrassedly.

Shuangfu secretly sighed and glanced at her. When he turned his head, he happened to see Qin Yan, who was walking towards the Qing Palace. His expression, which was originally impatient with Zhang Yue’er, immediately turned into a smile.

“I greet the chief.”

“Hmm.” Qin Yan replied lightly and did not stop.

Zhang Yue’er was originally walking quickly with her head down. When she heard Shuangfu calling out to the chief in front, she raised her head and saw that it was the chief of the Eastern Bureau.

Among the group of candidates, she and Su Mi were the most familiar. She didn’t recognize anyone else in the palace. When she saw Qin Yan, she felt a sense of familiarity; after all, he had married Sister Su.

Ah, I really want to ask the chief how Sister Su is doing.

However, Zhang Yue’er watched Qin Yan’s back gradually disappear and ultimately did not call out. What if she caused trouble for Su Mi by asking too many questions?

“Oh, Zhang Yue’er, why did you stop again?” When Qin Yan left, Shuangfu naturally returned to his usual state. He looked at Zhang Yue’er, who was staring at Qin Yan’s back in a daze, and said helplessly,

“Okay, Shuangfu, I’m coming. I’m coming.”

And standing high above the Qing Palace, Zhu Jingyu looked at the woman who had been staring at Qin Yan’s back for a while and slowly spoke.

“Lu Dehai, what’s her name?”

“Reporting to Your Majesty, her surname is Zhang, and her name is Yue’er. She was chosen from Jiaozhou’s candidates by you before.”

“Oh.” Zhu Jingyu’s eyes flickered.

Zhang Yue’er seems to have recognized Qin Yan.

***

In the Imperial City, there was still some light on the palace road because of the stone lamps. However, Yongan Street was different. The long street was silent and pitch black, except for one place where a small tung oil lamp was strangely lit. The dim light was accompanied by a trace of black smoke and was occasionally blown away by the wind, blending into the night.

In the light and shadow, there was a scholar sitting at a wicker table, holding a book.

The scholar sat with a straight back, despite the fact that autumn had already passed. He only wore a white collar, which seemed a little thin and pitiful.

He had delicate and handsome features, with his eyelids drooping and his gaze falling on the book in his hand. In this darkness, he looked like a beautiful ink painting.

But only Jian Yujue knew that his mind was not focused on what was in front of him.

Since last night, he has been inexplicably sad, with a dull pain in his chest.

There were not many places to set up stalls on Yong’an Street, so he would come here early every day to wait. Today, because of his inexplicable melancholy, he came earlier than usual but still could not concentrate.

Jian Yujue put the book back in the wicker case behind him. If he couldn’t concentrate on reading, it was better to practice calligraphy.

After writing only a few words, he heard the sound of knocking not far away.

He looked up and saw that it was Xishui Lane that intersected with Yong’an Street. He was not curious by nature, so he only glanced at it and then lowered his head again.

After a while, the dawn light appeared on the horizon, and the knocking sound gradually weakened. The carpenter walked out of the lane quickly, and when he came out, he saw Jian Yujue sitting there writing.

The carpenter was a passionate person. “Hey, scholar, you were reading and writing here earlier. I’m sorry about that just now.”

Both of them were from poor families, and from his appearance, he knew that Jian Yujue had come early to occupy a stall on the street. The carpenter suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

“I just came, and you didn’t disturb me,” Jian Yujue responded with a faint smile. He was always quiet and did not like to talk much.

The carpenter looked at the tung oil lamp that was about to burn out and thought to himself: Although the scholar didn’t talk much, he was really kind-hearted. He couldn’t help but explain, “Hehe, I’m just a carpenter, looking for more work. There will be an old bookstore opening in Xishui Lane soon, and I want to get there early and see if the gentleman can give me some reward.”

Jian Yujue was not used to talking to people, but he still pondered for a moment. “An old bookstore, that’s very good.”

“Yeah, I still have some books at home that no one wants to read, so I plan to sell them.” The carpenter grinned and realized that there was nothing more to say, so he waved to Jian Yujue. “Scholar, I’ll be going now.”

“Okay.”