20demayo Chapter 178 Ingratitude and Deceit (13)
Chapter 178 Ingratitude and Deceit (13)
Seeing Shen Xuntang holding the Tenth Prince's hand, Shen Shenwei sighed.
They quietly began to cover for their two ancestors.
Gu Yao didn't pay too much attention to it. Looking at the boy beside him, he felt a little regretful.
"Your Highness, all the officials are on their way out of the palace, so I'm afraid you'll have to share a carriage with me."
Bu Shaoluan's gaze was fixed on the clasped hands, his expression inscrutable.
He shook his head. "I'm not upset. I'm very happy to be with the palm print."
Looking at the boy's gentle and harmless profile, Gu Yao smiled but said nothing.
He led the boy to the carriage at the palace gate.
Then, in front of a group of officials walking out of the palace, it drove past them.
His posture was incredibly elegant.
Watching the carriage, with copper bells hanging from its four corners and made entirely of golden nanmu wood, jingle and clatter as it ostentatiously depart.
Some people who disliked Shen Xuntang silently spat.
In the eyes of those who look down on Shen Xuntang, he is nothing more than a eunuch in power.
But even if they are angry, they will not be able to do anything to him in the future.
As Bu Shaoluan sat in the carriage, listening to the clear, ringing sound of the copper bells at the four corners, he felt somewhat at a loss for the first time in this luxurious carriage.
Everything in sight displayed the man's considerable wealth.
The carpet on the footstool was made of the finest black fox fur.
Even the seat cover is made of Shu brocade embroidered with bamboo leaves.
Each one is extremely valuable.
Bu Shaoluan lowered his head, somewhat afraid to move.
Gu Yao picked up the teacup on the low table, took a sip of tea, and smiled gently as he looked at the child's uncomfortable expression.
She reached out and pushed the hibiscus cake in front of the boy.
"Your Highness, there's no need to be nervous. This formal attire is too conspicuous. Let's go to my residence later to change into something else, and then we can go to the lantern festival. Your Highness probably hasn't left the palace before, has he?"
The young man's voice was gentle, with a hint of reassurance.
The boy shook his head. "I'm just a little happy because I've never left the palace before."
Bu Shaoluan looked up at Gu Yao, a gentle and harmless smile appearing on her lips.
"I'd be even happier spending New Year's Eve with the Chief Seal."
Gu Yao looked at the little wolf cub with burning eyes, a hint of expectation in his gaze.
He pressed down on his teacup, took a small sip, and did not respond.
Those caramel-colored eyes were somewhat blurred by the rising steam from the warm tea.
Before the young man could respond, Bu Shaoluan tightened his grip on the hem of his clothes, his knuckles turning white.
Leaving the palace gates and entering the streets, one is greeted by bustling activity.
The surroundings went from quiet to noisy. Gu Yao seemed to have heard something and put down his teacup.
He gently lifted the carriage curtain, revealing the capital city illuminated by the lights of countless homes.
The streets were packed with people, and the sound of gongs and drums filled the air.
The young man turned to the side, his well-defined knuckles gently parting the beaded curtain and the cloth curtain.
Colorful, translucent glass beads meandered down from the young man's wrist.
The delicate hand bones are so beautiful they are mesmerizing.
Bu Shaoluan looked at the young man as he glanced sideways at Wanxiang Street, his amber eyes reflecting the lights of countless homes.
Her exquisite profile appeared exceptionally soft against the bright candlelight.
Those lips, which were usually taut and had a hint of coldness, were now softened.
As the young man watched the people coming and going on the street and listened to the festive laughter, a smile slowly bloomed on his lips.
Unlike the fake smiles he usually wore to appease people, the young man's smile at this moment was so genuine.
It contains absolutely no impurities.
He was as innocent as a naive young boy.
They have an absolute love for this world.
But a hint of envy lingered in his joyful eyes.
Amidst the laughter and joy, he was filled with loneliness.
The glass lamp reflected the laughter of countless families, yet it couldn't squeeze in the figure of Shen Xuntang.
He was like a venomous snake lurking in the darkness, only daring to glimpse a sliver of light in this corner at times like these.
I want to embrace the warmth of humanity.
But no one came to his rescue.
Bu Shaoluan lowered his head and shook it violently a few times to shake this impractical idea out of his mind.
How could you have such a thought?
The boy mocked himself inwardly.
He already held immense power, and the court was almost entirely under his control.
What more could I ask for?
Could it be something that happened before he entered the palace?
Bu Shaoluan was unaware.
Shen Xuntang has too many secrets.
But he never told anyone.
The boy had a desire to explore this, but didn't know where to begin.
In what capacity should I ask this question?
He is now entirely under Shen Xuntang's protection.
Whether he lives or dies is entirely up to Shen Xuntang.
Gu Yao was so engrossed in watching that he didn't stop until the carriage stopped in front of the mansion gate, when the coachman's voice brought him back to his senses.
He lowered the carriage curtain with some regret.
She turned to look at the boy who had his head down and reached out her hand to him.
"Your Highness, we have arrived. Please come with me into the mansion to change your clothes."
Bu Shaoluan looked up and met the lingering tenderness in the young man's eyes.
A lake of spring water rippled.
The hand in front of me was still as white and jade-like as the hand that had reached out to me in the snowy light of last winter.
Bu Shaoluan placed his hand on Shen Xuntang's hand.
He didn't say much.
She obediently followed the young man off the bus without the slightest resistance.
Gu Yao looked at the ridiculously well-behaved boy. He smiled slightly, led the boy into the main room, and pulled out a new set of clothes from the bottom of the wardrobe, which he then had the boy change into.
Those were the vibrant colors that Shen Xuntang usually liked.
When Bu Shaoluan changed his clothes, his ears were a little red, and he could almost smell the unique sandalwood scent on the clothes.
Looking at himself in the mirror, he thought the clothes looked pretty good.
He wanted to show Shen Xuntang, but a single sentence from the young man who had changed his clothes before him completely dampened his spirits.
“Your Highness, this is a new dress I made this year. Your size is not much different from mine now, so you should be able to wear it.”
Bu Shaoluan's slightly agitated thoughts quickly returned to calm.
He looked at the clothes in his hand and felt that the clothes he had just praised in his mind didn't seem so good after all.
Gu Yao failed to discern the complex thoughts swirling within the young man's mind.
He looked at the gold-embroidered patterns on the red dress and thought it was extremely beautiful.
He patted the boy on the shoulder; the eighteen-year-old boy had grown to be almost as tall as him.
"Your Highness, let's go."
The flickering candlelight and the solitary figure were reflected in the young man's bright eyes.
Bu Shaoluan smiled gently and reached out to straighten the man's collar. "Young Master Shen, let's go."