Who says the prince is weak and can't take care of himself?

Chapter 143 A thief broke in

After playing chess with His Majesty for two days, Tang Ling received a piece of calligraphy by Monk Huaisu and a house. Such a reward made many people in Yuanjing City speculate countless times, and even Tang Ling herself pondered His Majesty's intentions over and over again.

Tang Ling was copying the calligraphy, her mind was unsettled.

Huang Zexian asked in bewilderment, "I've heard for a long time that the Emperor of Chen is obsessed with chess. Could it be that it's simply because of your superior chess skills?"

"If that's the case, why not reward me with gold, silver, jade, silk, satin, treasures, and fine clothes? Why did you choose to reward me with my calligraphy and house?"

"Is this... just a spur of the moment?"

Tang Ling shook his head. Perhaps it had something to do with Qi Xiao. Tang Ling looked at the black jade inkstone beside him, then at the cursive calligraphy in front of him. His Majesty was clearly hinting at something, but he couldn't guess what it was.

Currently, Tang Ling and Qi Xiao both live in the same guild hall, although they live in separate east and west courtyards. Qi Xiao is free to come and go and has been staying in Huaxi Villa for many days. Your Majesty probably knows about this and wants Tang Ling to move out?

But if that was truly what he meant, wasn't His Majesty being too subtle? He could have simply reprimanded and scolded Qi Xiao, or issued an imperial decree granting the marriage, making it impossible for Tang Ling to marry. Granting a marriage for Qi Xiao would have been much easier, and even if Qi Xiao resisted, he wouldn't have been able to escape.

Your Majesty knows everything, but until now, he has done nothing.

Tang Ling took a deep breath. Perhaps His Majesty just wanted him to lose his temper?

"Why are you so worried, young master? The Ministry of Rites should have presented the memorial to His Majesty today. The conditions you proposed are impossible for the State of Chen to agree to. Yet, His Majesty not only did not mention them, but instead offered you a reward. This attitude is quite beneficial to the peace talks."

Tang Ling shook her head. "It's really puzzling, and it may not be beneficial."

"How do you say this?"

"I wrote in Chengming Palace about returning a favor, but Your Majesty said I wanted to stay in Yuanjing for a long time, so he gave me a house. It's clear that he wants to detain me and control my father. It seems that he is trying to maintain peace between Chen and Zhou, but he also has a threatening intention."

Huang Zexian frowned and asked, "Should we ask the Marquis's opinion?"

Tang Ling shook her head again. "Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. There's no need for that for now. I'll send a letter to Father once we've made some progress on the peace talks."

"okay, I get it."

"Uncle Huang has been working hard recently, go back and rest early."

"Well, the same goes for you, young master. Don't worry too much."

***

Chi Yue was left in Yangxizhai and was stared at by Zong Sheng. Qi Xiao's distrust was so straightforward that it made him unhappy and discouraged.

"Your prince is really hard to guess. Did I do something wrong?" Chi Yue propped up his chin and stared at Zong Sheng.

"If you make any mistakes, I will tell you."

Chi Yue thought about it and found that this was true. When he first came to Yangxizhai, he was taught a lesson by Qi Xiao because of a joke he made to Zong Sheng.

"Since I have done nothing wrong, why does Your Highness treat me like this?"

"I treat you well."

"Where is that?" Isn't it unfair to let Zong Sheng look at him?

"Do what the master tells you to do, and don't ask about things he doesn't tell you to do."

Chi Yue smiled when he heard this. This was indeed the usual rule of the Tian Ce Camp. However, Qi Xiao was not yet the true master of the Tian Ce Camp. If one day, he really became the master but did not trust Chi Yue, that would be the end of Chi Yue.

Chi Yue sighed: "Forget it, I can't explain it to you."

The two had nothing to do and suddenly had nothing to say. The room was silent, and only the sound of wind and rain could be heard outside.

Suddenly, Chi Yue's eyes flashed and he moved his ears.

Zong Sheng looked at him, he must have heard something. Zong Sheng held his breath and listened carefully. There seemed to be something mixed in the sound of wind and rain, like footsteps.

Chi Yue gestured for silence and gently pushed the window open before leaving. Zong Sheng followed closely behind him, and when he reached the window of Qi Xiao's study, he saw someone entering.

A girl dressed as a maid came into the study. Because the ground was wet from the heavy rain, she took off her shoes before entering the room and tiptoed around to look around.

Chi Yue smiled and thought, there must be a thief in Yangxizhai.

Zong Sheng was about to take the man down, but was stopped by Chi Yue, who shook his head.

The maid searched for a while but seemed to find nothing useful. She didn't dare to stay any longer and hurried away.

Chi Yue and Zong Sheng followed the maid and watched her pretend to clean the side hall and outer courtyard of Yangxizhai before leaving with the other servants.

Zong Sheng wanted to follow, but Chi Yue stopped him again: "The rain is too heavy, let's go back."

"You go back by yourself."

"Didn't you just say that you would do what His Highness ordered and not ask about anything he didn't order?"

Zong Sheng didn't want to argue with Chi Yue, so he just waved his hand and was about to follow the others. Chi Yue stopped him and said, "Listen to me and go back. That little thief will come back. Oh, trust me. If she doesn't come, I will bear the punishment from His Highness alone."

Zong Sheng was dragged away by Chi Yue and asked, "How do you know she will come back?"

"I haven't seen that girl in Yangxizhai before. She came here with the others to clean today. She didn't find anything in the study, and it would be difficult to explain if she goes back, so she will definitely come again. Besides, even if you follow her now, at most you can catch a small manager from the same guild. He may not even know who ordered him to do this, so why waste your energy?"

"We can't just leave it alone."

"It's not that we don't care, but we have to ask His Highness what he thinks before we do anything about it."

Zong Sheng stared at Chi Yue and said nothing more.

Chi Yue pulled Zong Sheng back to the room, took off his soaked clothes, and said as he wiped himself, "Take off your clothes quickly and wipe yourself well."

Zong Sheng looked at Chi Yue's smooth back, his mind still tangled in the scars that should have remained on his body, and he couldn't help but grit his teeth.

Chi Yue felt Zong Sheng's gaze, slowed down her movements, became more leisurely, tied up her hair to expose her neck, and let Zong Sheng see enough.

Chi Yue turned to Zong Sheng and walked towards him. The towel was wiping his body, only covering a little. Zong Sheng was stunned by what he saw.

Chi Yue leaned close to Zong Sheng's ear and whispered, "There will surely be more and more people coming to Yangxizhai to inquire about things recently. This isn't Fuzhou after all, and Your Highness can't keep out those mosquitoes. It's better to let some in and feed them the news Your Highness wants to spread."

Chi Yue's words were serious, but the way he stuck close to Zong Sheng said something completely different. Zong Sheng's eyes fell on Chi Yue's ears, neck, and shoulders. He seemed to be entangled by the smooth lines and couldn't move away. Even his breathing seemed to be pulled into a mess.

"Why... are you blushing? Did you get caught in the rain and become sick?" Chi Yue raised his hand and touched Zong Sheng's forehead, moving closer to him.

Zong Sheng was startled and hurriedly took two steps back: "I'm fine." He ran away as he spoke.

Chi Yue burst out laughing: "Still want to run?"

At noon, the sky was dark, the rain was pouring down, and the wind was blowing wildly.

Chi Yue changed his clothes, but Zong Sheng still hadn't returned. He was soaking wet, so where could he go?

Chi Yue walked out of the room and walked half a circle along the corridor. From a distance, he saw a person sitting in a small pavilion in the courtyard. Who else could it be but Zong Sheng?

"Idiot." Chi Yue chuckled, went back to the room to get an umbrella, and went to the pavilion to pick someone up.