sbdcsierra Chapter 234 Questioning
Chapter 234 Questioning
Chu Qing hadn't played seriously last time, and Xiao Han secretly thought to himself that he should have her play a few pieces at his residence when he had some free time, so he could really appreciate them.
Consort Shu sat quietly to the side, observing Xiao Han. She noticed the corners of his mouth that were unconsciously turned up, and the gentle smile that he inadvertently revealed.
At first, she was filled with confusion and suspicion, but she quickly realized what was going on and had a knowing look on her face.
"Han'er," Consort Shu called softly.
However, Xiao Han was still lost in his memories and did not hear Consort Shu's call.
Seeing this, Consort Shu raised her voice slightly: "Han'er?"
Xiao Han's hand, which was plucking the strings, suddenly stopped, and the strings emitted a buzzing and vibrating sound from under his wrist.
He came to his senses and suddenly turned to look at Consort Shu: "Mother, you just called me."
"Yes! I called you twice! What were you thinking about? You were so engrossed!"
"N-nothing..." Xiao Han replied somewhat guiltily.
Consort Shu's eyes lit up with curiosity. She leaned closer to Xiao Han and asked with a smile, "Han'er, tell your mother, do you have a girl you like?"
Faced with Consort Shu's sudden question, Xiao Han's lips parted slightly, and he froze for a moment. Consort Shu stared at him intently, waiting for his answer.
A moment of silence fell over the warm room, then the crackling sound of the charcoal fire in the basin suddenly rang out, sending up sparks that then slowly dissipated.
Xiao Han's Adam's apple bobbed, he pondered for a moment, and then nodded slightly, acknowledging that it was indeed true.
Upon receiving Xiao Han's affirmative answer, Consort Shu's face immediately lit up with a joyful expression, while also carrying a hint of gossip.
She asked with a hint of excitement, "Tell Mother quickly which family's daughter you've taken a fancy to."
"Whether or not she is on the list your father sent, I've been bored these past few days and have looked through it several times. If she is on the list, then Mother Consort will surely know who she is."
"Or you can bring the person to the palace another day and let Mother Consort take a look. Mother Consort can give you her opinion."
Seeing Consort Shu's gossipy expression, Xiao Han really couldn't do anything about it.
"Mother, the zither is tuned. Please test its tone."
"Stop interrupting." Consort Shu's upturned lips immediately fell. "Answer Mother's question honestly."
"The girl I love is my mother! In my heart, my mother will always be a beautiful young girl."
"Don't use me as an excuse." Consort Shu glared at him and lightly patted his arm.
"Hmph..." She turned her face away and snorted softly, continuing in a wronged tone, "Fine! You've really grown up. You don't even want to talk to your mother about this anymore. It's one thing to move out, but now even I am an outsider."
"Look at what you're saying, how can you call yourself an outsider! If you're willing to leave your father, you can move into the Prince's residence anytime."
"It's not that I don't want to go." Consort Shu revealed a hint of pride on her face: "It's your father, the Emperor, who can't live without me. A short stay is fine, but a permanent stay is out of the question."
"Then you may stay in the palace to keep Father Emperor company. I will come to see you more often when I have time."
"You've interrupted me again."
Xiao Han hesitated for a moment, then explained helplessly, "Mother, it's not that I'm unwilling to tell you about this, it's just that things are still undecided in matters of the heart."
Upon hearing this, Consort Shu asked incredulously, "What? My son is a prince, and so handsome and outstanding. Could any girl possibly refuse him?"
"As my mother, of course you think I'm perfect in every way."
Xiao Han comforted her, "Alright, Mother, I will inform you when the time is right."
"Never mind, never mind." Consort Shu waved her hand. "Actually, I didn't necessarily have to ask, I was just concerned about you." She then sighed softly.
At this moment, Aunt Yu entered, bowed, and reported, "Your Highness, lunch is ready. Would you like to enjoy it in the warm pavilion?"
Consort Shu smiled slightly. "Yes, it's cold outside, so we'll put it in the warm pavilion."
After Aunt Yu withdrew, Consort Shu turned to Xiao Han and said, "I won't rush you, but don't just spend all your time busy with the affairs of the Prince's Mansion and the army. If you really meet a suitable girl, bring her to meet me as soon as possible."
Xiao Han respectfully agreed, "Your subject will remember."
After having lunch and chatting with Consort Shu for a while, Xiao Han took his leave of the palace.
城郊
Long Chuqing provided emergency treatment to the injured guards.
After helping them expel the miasma from their bodies and giving them antidote pills, the less seriously injured guards gradually regained consciousness.
"Thank you, young lady." Lu Beizhou thanked her again.
Long Chuqing held out his palm: "Two bottles of antidote pills, two hundred taels."
Lu Beizhou was stunned for a moment when he saw Long Chuqing's outstretched hand. Then he realized what was happening and patted himself all over, only managing to pull out a small silver ingot, which weighed about five taels.
He reluctantly placed the loose silver in Long Chuqing's hand: "I'm sorry, I only brought these few taels of loose silver with me today."
"I wonder where the young lady lives. I will send two hundred taels to her residence after I return home."
Long Chuqing held the broken silver in her hand and put it back: "Fine, whatever, I'll take the loss."
"What?" Lu Beizhou muttered to himself: "Two hundred taels reduced to just a few taels? Is this girl setting the price arbitrarily?"
After dealing with matters here, Long Chuqing headed back towards the mass grave.
Looking at the thick miasma floating in the air, she decided to try again.
She glanced behind her to make sure Lu Beizhou hadn't followed, then raised her bow and arrow again, this time focusing her spiritual power into the arrow.
Several arrows shot out like meteors, carrying a fierce momentum straight towards the miasma below the mountain valley.
After a short while, the miasma subsided slightly, but not as quickly as she had expected.
Long Chuqing's expression turned serious. She carefully observed the surrounding environment and found that the plants and shrubs around the mountain valley were all affected by the miasma, either growing slowly or turning withered and yellow.
After a while, although the miasma dissipated more slowly, the surroundings became much brighter after being dispersed by those few miasma-breaking arrows.
Lu Beizhou and two slightly injured guards walked towards her.
"Miss Long, why are you standing here? This place stinks and is so creepy. Aren't you afraid?"
"It's alright! But it was definitely creepy. You should take your people and leave quickly!"
"Lu will continue to track down the thieves along the way!"
"We've already wasted so much time," Long Chuqing said calmly. "The thieves are probably long gone by now!"
"The subordinate who had just woken up told Lu that the thief had lured them here and then ran down the mountain. Lu wanted to follow this trail to investigate."
After saying goodbye, Lu Beizhou, accompanied by two guards, bypassed the mass grave and chased after them down the hillside on the other side.
Long Chuqing watched Lu Beizhou and his two companions disappear into the distance, feeling quite puzzled. Why would they risk their lives for just an ordinary thief?