Shen Qingfeng was smart enough to detect the hint of jealousy in Lu Yan's tone. A smile tugged at his lips as he said, "Oh? When someone recommended him to me, they even said, 'If you have any problems, just turn to Gong Tan. He's an old acquaintance of mine.' Now, are you having second thoughts?"
Just then, Xu Ruhui, who had just finished counting the miscellaneous soldiers and was being grabbed by the collar by Yu Shuang while grumbling and was about to go to Shen Qingfeng for an explanation, happened to walk into the courtyard. Looking up and seeing the two of them talking, Xu Ruhui, who always loved to tease Lu Yan, raised his eyebrows and shouted without a care, "Oh~ Senior brother~ Why are you getting jealous just at the sight of your lover? That's not allowed!"
Lu Yan's face darkened. "Xu! Ru! Hui!"
"What? Can't I point out your jealousy?"
Seeing that Lu Yan was about to punch Xu Ruhui instinctively, Shen Qingfeng quickly stepped in between them and brought the topic back. "Oh! A Yan, you're overthinking. I just think Gong Tan is a capable man. Capable people should be put to good use, right?"
Lu Yan let out a cold snort.
Shen Qingfeng smiled and reached out to touch Lu Yan's face. His voice suddenly softened. "A Yan, after this is all over, I'll give you a surprise, okay?"
Lu Yan covered Shen Qingfeng's hand with his own and leaned forward slightly. "What surprise?"
Just thinking about the red wedding dress sent by A Man that day, Shen Qingfeng's smile became even brighter. His eyes sparkled with clear, tender love. "Since it's a surprise, how can I tell you now?"
Lu Yan let out a soft laugh and looked down at Shen Qingfeng. "Oh? Feng'er is starting to keep me in suspense."
Shen Qingfeng laughed a few times. A blush crept onto his face. Then, as if in a coquettish manner, he said nervously, "A-Anyway, just wait."
"Okay, I'll look forward to it." Lu Yan smiled and grabbed his hand, kissing it gently.
Shen Qingfeng looked up at him, his eyes full of tenderness. After a while, he tiptoed and touched Lu Yan's lips in front of everyone. Softly, he said, "A Yan, later, lead your troops into the palace from the Dongzhi Gate. I've already talked to Gong Tan. He'll meet you there. You can enter the Bian Palace from there. I'll go and bring Xia Chuli here from another route."
Lu Yan wrapped his arms around Shen Qingfeng's waist and pressed him tightly against his chest. In a deep voice, he asked, "Feng'er, why aren't you coming with me?"
"I'm not good at martial arts," Shen Qingfeng said. "I'll only be a burden if I go with you."
Lu Yan frowned. "Nonsense. Only when you're with me can I make sure you're safe."
"A Yan," Shen Qingfeng let out a soft sigh. "I haven't told Xia Chuli much about this plan. Now that time is running out, I have to go and calm him down."
Lu Yan was taken aback. "Do you suspect that Xia Chuli will turn against us?"
Lu Yan was right. Because of his past life experience and his observation of Xia Chuli in the past month, Shen Qingfeng was starting to have trouble understanding Xia Chuli's character. So, just in case, he planned to take the people from the Listening Wind Pavilion with him to the East Palace. He would control Xia Chuli during the palace coup. After Lu Yan succeeded in the coup in Xia Chuli's name, he would bring Xia Chuli to the Mountain and River Hall. From start to finish, Shen Qingfeng didn't plan to let Xia Chuli get any information or power.
Although he didn't dislike Xia Chuli in this life, Xia Chuli from his past life had caused him a great deal of trauma. So, in this life, he wouldn't trust him completely.
After Shen Qingfeng told Lu Yan his thoughts, Lu Yan nodded. "In that case, we'll split up. Once I've attacked the Mountain and River Hall, I'll send you a signal. Then you can bring Xia Chuli here."
Shen Qingfeng nodded and took out a small firework made of bamboo tube from his bosom and handed it to Lu Yan. "Okay, then we'll use the firework as a signal."
Lu Yan nodded and pulled Shen Qingfeng out of the courtyard.
Xu Ruhui, who had watched the whole lovey - dovey scene, let out a "tsk" sound. He nudged Yu Shuang's chest with his elbow. "See that?"
Yu Shuang didn't understand what he meant and looked down at him.
Xu Ruhui's cheeks flushed slightly. He scolded, "Did you see what they just did?"
Yu Shuang blinked.
"Damn it, if you don't understand, forget it!" Xu Ruhui's face turned even redder. Then, as if his tail had been suddenly yanked, he got angry and was about to leave.
But he had only taken a few steps when Yu Shuang grabbed him back. Yu Shuang turned his face and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.
Xu Ruhui was stunned. Then, the eternal frost on the man's face in front of him seemed to melt quietly.
A slight smile played on Yu Shuang's lips. Softly, he said, "I saw."
-
A young girl pushed open the wooden gate and slowly walked into the room with a bowl of tea in her hands. She timidly glanced at the man sitting by the window, who seemed a bit anxious. This man had brought a group of people to the outskirts of Liange City a few days ago and rented this empty small courtyard. Then there had been no further action.
She didn't know the reason why this man had come to Liange City. Although he said he was here for business, in reality, a merchant probably wouldn't be this idle, right?
The girl shook her head. She looked at the tea bowl in her hand and slowly walked into the room. "Young Master Mo, have some tea."
The man called was Mo Yunchen, who had received Shen Qingfeng's letter a few months ago. He turned to look at the girl, politely stood up, and took the tea bowl. "Thank you, miss."
"N-No need to be polite," the girl said, stealing a glance at him. Because Mo Yunchen was very handsome, she couldn't help but feel shy. Boldly, she asked timidly, "Y-Young master, you've been here for quite some time. Is there... something inconvenient? Although this is the suburbs, I'm very familiar with Liange City. If you need any help, I..."
Mo Yunchen was taken aback. Looking at the flustered girl in front of him, he didn't know how to react for a moment. He could only cough awkwardly and say, "Thank you for your concern, miss. I actually have my own arrangements."
Hearing this, the girl seemed a bit disappointed. Maybe she was also blaming herself for her rudeness. She suddenly lowered her head and said nervously, "O-Oh... I see. Then I won't bother you, young master. If you need anything, just call me."
With that, the girl turned around and ran away without looking back. But as soon as she pushed open the wooden gate, she bumped into a guard who had come with Mo Yunchen. The girl was very light - built. She lost her balance and sat down on the ground.
Mo Yunchen was startled and was about to help her up. But the guard didn't even look at the girl who had been knocked down. Instead, he walked straight to Mo Yunchen and whispered, "Young master! The matter of the Shen family!"
Mo Yunchen was stunned. The next second, he invited the stunned girl out of the house and slammed the wooden gate shut. Poor girl, her budding love had just blossomed and then shattered into pieces. She ran away crying.
"What's going on!? Where are the people from the Shen family?" Mo Yunchen frowned tightly. He had brought these people here at Shen Qingfeng's request, waiting to welcome the Shen family members who would come out of the city. But after waiting for so long, no one from the Shen family had appeared. The guard he had sent to check the situation had come back in a hurry, which made him even more anxious.
The guard wiped the sweat off his forehead. "The Shen family's house is tightly shut. I pretended to ask for water and knocked on the door for a long time, but no one answered. I peeked through the crack of the door and there was no one inside. They should have already left."
"They've already left?" Mo Yunchen was surprised. A sense of unease welled up in his heart. "But how could they not have passed by here? Have you checked other places?"
The guard said, "I've checked, but I didn't see any of the Shen family members."
Just then, the guard paused for a moment and then said, "Besides, young master, when I was coming back, I noticed that several empty small courtyards next to ours are now occupied. Are there really so many merchants coming during the spring in Liange City?"