Finally, the vibrating jade pendant quieted down, falling still at last.
Xu Ge breathed a sigh of relief, but the hand placed over his chest never lowered.
Upon hearing this, Wei Zichen’s eyes flickered with conflict and resentment.
He wished he could cut Xu Ge into a thousand pieces and scatter his remains right then and there.
What did Xu Ge lack? Whenever the emperor obtained some rare treasure, his first thought was never of his consorts or his sons—it was always Xu Ge.
Power, all manner of exotic treasures—they flowed like water into Xu Manor.
He couldn’t imagine what else Xu Ge could possibly want from him.
After a long while, Wei Zichen slowly raised his head, a forced smile on his face, and ventured cautiously, “Lord Xu, what do you want from my Chen Prince Manor?”
“What I want…”
Xu Ge leaned back in his chair, shifting his gaze from Wei Zichen’s face to the massive parasol tree outside the door.
Suddenly, his ink-dark pupils brightened, completely devoid of their usual sternness.
Wei Zichen, who had been observing him closely, was taken aback.
“I heard you recently spent a fortune to acquire a set of white jade and red coral double-knot Ruyi head ornaments to please a favored concubine.” Xu Ge’s fingers, resting on his chest, gently stroked once. He withdrew his gaze and glanced sidelong at Wei Zichen.
“Deliver it to Xu Manor before the day is over.”
It wasn’t a tone of negotiation but a direct decision.
Wei Zichen had expected Xu Ge to make some outrageous demand, but he never imagined what he’d ask for was merely a set of women’s jewelry.
How simple—he’d suffer no loss at all. At most, he’d have to listen to the favored concubine weep in his arms for a while, then buy her another piece of jewelry to placate her.
His rigid body relaxed slightly, and Wei Zichen bowed even lower. “Thank you, Lord Xu, for your assistance. This set of white jade and red coral double-knot Ruyi head ornaments will certainly appear at Xu Manor today.”
“Lord Xu, I won’t disturb you any further and will take my leave now.”
With that, he prepared to depart—he needed to hurry back and order someone to deliver the jewelry set.
He had staked all his hopes on Xu Ge. If Xu Ge suddenly changed his mind, he truly wouldn’t know where to go to cry.
“Ashu.” Seeing Wei Zichen about to leave, Xu Ge merely went through the motions, raising a hand to summon Ashu inside. “Escort Prince Chen back.”
Ashu acknowledged the order and immediately stepped to Wei Zichen’s side, extending an arm toward the door. “Prince Chen, this way.”
Wei Zichen turned and clasped his hands toward Xu Ge. “Thank you, Lord Xu.”
Only after the two had completely disappeared from sight did Xu Ge stride toward the Frost Chill Pavilion in Xu Manor’s inner courtyard.
He paid no attention to the path, his gaze fixed on his chest the entire time, as if eagerly anticipating something, unable to wait any longer.
Finally arriving in the courtyard before the Frost Chill Pavilion’s entrance, Xu Ge reached into his deep gray robe and retrieved the jade pendant along with several letters.
Unfolding them in order, he finally saw the contents on the paper.
Tie Jun Sister: [Hahaha, I just fed Tie Jun some water boiled with medicinal herbs. He finally looks like he has some yin energy now, not like a frost-beaten eggplant anymore.]
Tie Jun Sister: [Poor Tie Jun, not only did he not get relief during his mating season, but he also got injured and caught a chill. o(╥﹏╥)o]
Tie Jun Sister: [Our great Chinese herbs are still the safest. I wouldn’t dare give Tie Jun any of those Western pet medicines I found online.]
Three sheets of paper, and the more Xu Ge read, the darker his expression grew.
Three sheets of paper, all about her pet Tie Jun, without a single mention of Xu Ge.
The dark-faced man hadn’t yet realized the change in his own emotions. He casually tossed the papers in his hand onto the desk, which was arranged with brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.
Then, he picked up the broken string beside him, turned, and walked into the Frost Chill Pavilion.
Just as he turned, the familiar vibration sounded again.
Xu Ge paused mid-step, standing still for three seconds, before finally turning back to the desk.
He picked up the newly delivered paper and slowly unfolded it.
Tie Jun Sister: [And thank you so much, thanks to you, big brother. You are my god! (^▽^)]
The expected joy did not appear. Xu Ge’s brows furrowed so tightly they seemed about to twist into knots.
He remained silent, but the low pressure around him noticeably dropped the temperature in the entire courtyard by a degree.
The man’s gaze was cold as he pulled out a clean sheet of paper, lifted his brush, and began writing.
Tang Zhiwu, sitting beside Tie Jun, stroked its head with one hand while scrolling through her phone with the other.
She glanced sideways at Tie Jun’s condition, which had improved significantly since five in the morning.
It was now fully daylight, close to seven or eight o’clock.
Tang Zhiwu planned to take Tie Jun back to its own room soon, then head to school to work on her research project.
Her darkened phone lit up, and Tang Zhiwu casually opened the chat window.
123456: [I am not your elder brother. There is no need to address me as such.]
Tang Zhiwu was a bit confused, unable to make sense of his reply, and muttered blankly, “Is this guy angry?”
Clueless, Tang Zhiwu replied foolishly.
Tie Jun Sister: [Then what should I call you?]
The reply came quickly.
123456: [Jin Zhi. That is my courtesy name.]
Tang Zhiwu clicked her tongue and chuckled to herself.
Even she didn’t quite understand what was funny, but the thought of that serious, rigid, straight-laced man having such a name felt oddly amusing.
With a smile on her lips, Tang Zhiwu politely replied.
Tie Jun Sister: [Alright, I understand, Jin Zhi. My name is Tang Zhiwu.]
No further messages came from the other side, and the conversation ended pleasantly.
Tang Zhiwu opened his profile—completely blank, including his social feed.
She tapped the three dots in the upper right corner to set a note and label.
In the note field, she typed two large characters.
Jin Zhi.
Having learned the girl’s name, Xu Ge’s mood finally shifted from stormy to cloudy to clear.
He carefully gathered all the papers on the desk.
Deliberately stepping out of the Frost Chill Pavilion, he ordered someone to fetch an exquisite gemstone box from the storeroom and placed all the papers inside.
His expression was inexplicably gentle, startling the young attendant who delivered the box, leaving him on edge.
Even after returning to his own quarters, the attendant hadn’t recovered. When another attendant sharing the room asked why he looked so lost, he widened his eyes in disbelief and exclaimed,
“His Lordship was possessed by a ghost today.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he covered his own mouth.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed?” the other attendant asked nervously, glancing at the door. Only after confirming it was tightly shut did he slowly lower his hand.
“Really!” The young attendant, still shaken, nodded frantically. “I just saw the lord smile!!”