Yi Xin as a concubine

Chapter 205 Different thoughts

Xin Baoer had dinner before she got on the carriage and went home through the small gate.

The reason why she took the small door was that she didn't want to have a conflict with the person in front. It was meaningless and a waste of time. Any one of the things in her hands was more worthy of her attention than that little bit of trivial matter.

As soon as he came back, Chu Xingchen received the news. Although they were free to move now, the danger had also increased accordingly. There were many guards in the whole manor, both openly and secretly.

Xin Baoer had just finished packing and was about to lie down when Chu Xingchen came over.

Chu Xingchen felt a little uneasy. He had his own considerations for what happened in the morning, so he did not punish Xiang Qing openly. He only warned her in private. The little girl had not been around for the whole day, and he had not found a chance to explain to her yet. He didn't know if she had heard anything.

"Why are you here now? You've already had dinner." Xin Baoer asked casually in her pajamas.

Hearing Xin Baoer's tone as usual, as if she didn't care at all about what happened in the morning, Chu Xingchen began to feel awkward, and thought sourly in his heart: Does she look down on a stupid opponent like Xiang Qing, or does she not care about his attitude towards her.

"I've eaten. I heard you were back, so I came to see you. It's nothing. I'll go back now. I have something else to do..." Chu Xingchen didn't know what he was doing. After thinking about the explanation, he suddenly didn't want to speak.

"Are you busy? If it's not urgent, I'll deal with it tomorrow. You can stay here tonight. I just happened to have something to talk to you about. I wanted to find you tomorrow, but now that you're here, I don't have to make a trip."

Xin Baoer's words didn't mean anything, but Chu Xingchen got even angrier after hearing them. How could she act so nonchalant? But when he saw that she had already stood up and asked Lancao to prepare a midnight snack, he felt strangely warm in his heart.

Having lived in the front yard for so long, Wangchuan was efficient but not careful. His food, clothing and daily expenses were much worse than when he lived in the small yard.

"It's nothing urgent. Just tell me what you want to say." He was still feeling uncomfortable in his heart, and his words were somewhat cold.

Xin Baoer acted as if she hadn't noticed. She called Lianrong over and gave her some instructions before taking out a pile of clothes from the closet. She walked up to Chu Xingchen and said, "Try it on to see if it fits. I made it according to your previous size. I haven't seen you much recently, and you seem to have lost some weight, but there's no one around to take care of you carefully."

Chu Xingchen silently let the girl change his clothes, feeling mixed emotions. He knew that the girl didn't dislike him, but for some reason, she was always so distant from him, making their relationship always confusing.

"Well, it's OK. It shouldn't need to be altered. This is a new nightgown. Lianrong has gone to prepare some water for you. Go wash it first and we'll talk about it when you come back."

The little girl's voice was as gentle as water, which had a fatal temptation to him, but she was just casual and teasing without knowing it.

"Okay." Unable to bear the thought of giving up such tenderness, he sighed in compromise and obediently went to the bathroom.

Looking at the man's tall and majestic back, Xin Baoer was stunned for a while, then slowly smiled, but there was a hint of inexplicable loss and bitterness in that smile.

"If life is just like the first sight, what is the autumn wind and sad painting fan."

You will eventually become an emperor and a king, and she doesn't want to be as resentful as Ban Jieyu who was abandoned one day. If the future is predictable, she would not be the unfaithful person.

Looking at the few lines of words on the table, I crumpled them into a ball and threw them towards the trash can as if to vent my anger, then continued to spread paper and dip it in ink as if nothing had happened, thinking about the questions I would ask in a while. All the bad emotions were slowly dissipated in these questions one after another.

Chu Xingchen tidied himself and his mood, and when he returned to the bedroom, Xin Baoer had already written a full sheet of paper.

Seeing him coming back, she put down her pen and walked over, "It looks good. Mother Lin's craftsmanship is getting better and better."

Chu Xingchen responded to her words with a gentle smile, just like when they were together in the small house in the courtyard.

"Sit down first. I learned from them at my father's place today and have some ideas in my head, but I need to understand the arrangements on your side before I can make a specific plan."

The past is gone, and people always move forward and look forward, so Xin Baoer didn't let herself worry too much. After they sat down, she got straight to the point.

"I ask you questions and you answer them, or you just speak directly." Xin Baoer waited for a while, but the man didn't speak, so she spoke again.

Chu Xingchen was a little out of shape tonight, and didn't know where to start, so he said, "Just ask."

Xin Baoer nodded, and without being polite, she asked, "When do you plan to become king?"

Chu Xingchen frowned. He was still planning this matter and had not mentioned it to anyone else. However, he did not suspect that Xin Baoer was trying to trick him. He just had a deeper understanding of her sharpness.

"Not so fast. The situation is still unstable. If I declare myself king now, I will definitely become the target of public criticism. I cannot give other forces an excuse to use us as a pretext."

"End of the year?" Xin Baoer asked.

"About the same." Chu Xingchen replied.

"Now it's the end of September, which means for the next few months, we are in a passive state and can't do anything. We can only use money and food to support the remaining people in the three prefectures and more than 20 counties in the north." Xin Baoer raised her voice a few degrees.

"At least on the surface, I must synchronize with other forces, recruit troops, and appease the refugees."

Chu Xingchen was also helpless. It was no secret among all the major forces that new crops had been grown in the North. He could only create the illusion that the North was already running at a deficit to confuse other forces and prevent the North from becoming the target of public criticism.

In fact, it was not an illusion. Xin Baoer's account book was always in two copies, one for her and one for him. So after arriving here, he knew clearly that money was spent like water but there was not much income.

"The Xin family has decided to consolidate its industries and will be able to recover some of the funds in a month or so. I would like the Xin family to take the lead in the economic development of the North in the future." Xin Baoer said after thinking for a while.

"What about you?" Chu Xingchen asked almost subconsciously.

"I'm a woman living in the inner chamber, so I'd better stay out of the spotlight as much as possible." Xin Baoer smiled frankly. As for her thoughts, they haven't been formed yet, and she doesn't want him to see them.

Chu Xingchen felt mixed emotions, the world was unsettled, he was unsure of his future, whether he would live or die, so how could he make any promises to her? If she had been his wife from the beginning, he could still ask her to face the storms and thorns with him, but in reality, they didn't even have a formal status now.

Chu Xingchen's mind became increasingly silent. Xin Baoer asked him many questions in succession, and he answered them one by one. As he continued to ask and answer questions, the night grew deeper.

"Miss, Second Master, I'll bring you some soup." Lianrong's voice came from outside the door. Xin Baoer then put away the paper and pen she was scribbling on and let someone in.

"Sister Lancao said that we should let the young lady and the second master drink some hot soup to warm their stomachs first. The midnight snack will be ready soon." Lianrong said with a smile.

"Okay, let her take her time, don't be in a hurry, let her do more, you can eat something before going to sleep if you are hungry." Xin Baoer handed a bowl of soup to Chu Xingchen and said with a smile.

Lianrong was naturally happy to hear that, and she jumped and ran away.

The door was closed and the room suddenly became quiet. The two of them were each thinking about their own things and drank the soup in their bowls in silence for a while. The only sound in the air was the sound of the spoon hitting the porcelain bowl.

After finishing the soup, Lancao brought over the midnight snack, which included two bowls of thick rice porridge, four plates of crisp and refreshing side dishes, and two plates of exquisite pastries. The food looked delicious just by looking at it.

"Try it. Lancao's cooking skills have improved recently, and the side dishes she makes are becoming more and more delicious." Xin Baoer took the lead in picking up a piece of food with chopsticks for Chu Xingchen, urging him to try it quickly with her eyes.

The little girl's expression of presenting a treasure finally made Chu Xingchen laugh. The ups and downs of his mood that night were finally released. As she wished, she picked up the chopsticks, tasted every dish, and gave positive comments without hesitation.

Xin Baoer smiled brightly upon hearing this, and she was even happier than if she had received the praise herself.

Because of this episode, the awkward atmosphere between the two finally dissipated. They talked and laughed while eating. A simple midnight snack actually took them half an hour.

Before they knew it, they had eaten all the food prepared by Lancao. They were so full that they walked around the yard several times. When they felt better in their stomachs, they went back to the room and fell asleep in each other's arms as usual.