As Ying Xu’s words fell, Xie Jingchen first froze in place for a moment. After reacting, he hurriedly chased after Ying Xu, who was already about to reach outside the door, following closely behind her like a little dog.
Xie Jingchen actually did not really like the Qiqiao Festival, and the reason was also not much different from Ying Xu’s, feeling that ever since that one emperor of the Da Qi Dynasty, this Qiqiao Festival was like a joke.
—The love between an emperor with three thousand beauties in the harem, who was never someone who took only one ladle, and the empress, especially separating the Qiqiao Festival as a commemoration for such a relationship, was truly very ironic.
Although in Xie Jingchen’s heart he had many things he looked down upon about the origin and meaning of this festival, being able to go out together with Ying Xu still made him feel happy in his heart. It was just that…
Obediently and quietly following behind Ying Xu all the way, until the moment they were about to leave the palace gate, Xie Jingchen finally could not hold back and opened his mouth to ask, “Why did A Xu suddenly want to go out in winter?”
He clearly remembered that in the past, Ying Xu most hated going out during the season of cold winter fierce winds. One year, when Father Emperor had a sudden whim and said he wanted to go on a winter hunt, the little girl did not even think and had someone reply that she would not go, directly and without any avoidance saying that it was simply having a problem.
—In the middle of heavy snow sealing the mountains in the dead of winter, insisting on doing some winter hunting, if that is not having a problem then what is it?
And her personality was also somewhat domineering, not only did she herself not go, she also did not let him go, saying in a milky-fierce way, “If you go, then don’t appear in front of me!”
Naturally, along with him, the one she stopped from going was also Ying Zhao.
The two people the little girl ordered around most smoothly, one was him, the other was her elder brother who was of similar age and had always doted on her.
Hearing his question, Ying Xu just replied casually, “I just thought of how it’s been a long time since I went out, so I wanted to go out.”
“He doesn’t let you leave the palace?”
When he asked this, Xie Jingchen’s heart suddenly felt a little sad. He had never known that Ying Xu lived this poorly in Jinling City, that she did not even have such a small bit of freedom. He was truly too derelict in his duty. If he could have come back earlier…
“It’s not really like that.” Seeing Xie Jingchen seeming to fall into some strange imagined thoughts, Ying Xu said, “Before, he would also accompany me out, it’s just that he was always telling me this is not good and that is not good, a bit annoying.”
Before the argument with the emperor that had made their relationship completely freeze, when Ying Xu wanted to go out to play, the emperor had always followed her wishes and accompanied her.
It was just that the emperor’s way of doing things really made Ying Xu feel turned off. Sometimes when outside the palace she saw something she wanted to buy, the emperor would always pick at that thing, saying it did not match her, and in the end conclude with something like if Ying Xu liked it, he would have people in the palace make one for her.
After such things happened two or three times, after scolding him and disliking him and apologizing nicely, yet still not changing the next time, Ying Xu no longer wanted to go out together with the emperor. But he also did not want Ying Xu to leave the palace alone, so later Ying Xu also no longer had the desire to leave the palace— or it could also be said that she felt it ruined her mood and was too lazy to go.
However, during the Mid-Autumn Festival before, Ying Xu did openly sneak out together with her elder brother to play.
Thinking of Ying Zhao, the beautiful-featured girl’s lips could not help but curve into a shallow arc, and her beautiful phoenix eyes also softened in an instant, her smile like a flower.
In an instant, Xie Jingchen was somewhat dazzled by this gentle smile, and at the same time could not help but feel a bit of jealousy.
—He thought this was Ying Xu recalling the good memories between herself and the emperor.
For a moment, he did not dare to look at her eyes, afraid that because of that gentleness he would give rise to some bad thoughts, slightly lowering his eyelids and hiding all the emotions in his eyes.
But in his heart he could not help but think that the methods he used to kill the emperor were still too merciful, that he should not only have let him die ugly, but should have dismembered him into eight pieces.
If not, how could he be worthy of Ying Xu who was sad and hurt because of him?
And after one sentence fell, Ying Xu, who did not notice such details at all, directly continued walking outward.
Only after walking a distance and realizing that behind her seemed to be no movement did she turn back to look at the handsome-faced youth who was standing in place as if thinking about something, and called out to him with two parts of dislike in her tone, “Xie Jingchen, what are you standing there for?”
Hearing this, Xie Jingchen came back to his senses. Then he hurriedly followed, explaining, “I just suddenly thought of some things.”
However, in his heart he still had not put down the matter of the emperor he had already killed, and was even seriously considering whether to have someone crush his bones and scatter his ashes.
However, just like what she said to the system, Xie Jingchen was the follower who had been by her side the longest, and she could tell at a glance what was different about Xie Jingchen, so his distraction, Ying Xu naturally could also detect.
So she could not help but immediately frown at her good-looking brows upon realizing this, and said with some displeasure, “If you don’t want to accompany me, then just say it directly, no need to act like a wandering ghost by my side!”
Ying Xu was truly in a bad mood now. It had to be said that although it was the same thing of going out together and making her unhappy, when Xie Jingchen did this, it made her even more angry than when the emperor did it.
—The emperor not knowing her likes and habits could be excused, but what about Xie Jingchen?
He was her follower of the longest time.
Thinking of this, Ying Xu felt anger rise in her heart, and she forcefully pushed open the high-ponytail youth behind her, then quickly left without looking back.
Xie Jingchen had never taken any precautions against Ying Xu, and so was pushed away by her like this. When he came back to his senses, he happened to see Ying Xu’s figure disappear into the street. In that moment, he did not even have time to react, and before his mind returned, his feet had already chased in the direction where Ying Xu disappeared.
Only, although he did not like it, today was after all the Qiqiao Festival. On such a special festival, the streets outside the palace were brightly lit, countless young men and women or married couples coming and going, passing by one another, extremely crowded.
Even though Ying Xu was beautiful, an existence like a fairy that could be seen at a glance even in a crowd, it still could not withstand how many people there were on this day.
Coming and going crowds, unending. It made Xie Jingchen’s heart inevitably give rise to worry.
In such an environment, A Xu would surely not like it. It was all his fault for making her unhappy. He was stupid, he should just die.
Cursing himself in his heart as a fool, Xie Jingchen followed the direction where Ying Xu had disappeared to look for her.
And at this time on the other side, Ying Xu had already passed through that street just now and arrived at another street.
Because it was the Qiqiao Festival, the long streets and small alleys were covered with bright red lanterns, red dazzling, and bright dazzling, reflecting the snow that had fallen two days ago and had not yet melted, creating instead a special kind of scenery.
Ying Xu had never come out on the day of the Qiqiao Festival before, and naturally did not know what fun things there would be on this day. This time, it was only because she had been stifled for too long and recently there would not be any other special activities that she made do with coming to this festival whose meaning she did not like, so she wandered around aimlessly here.
She was beautiful enough to topple a city and a country, and was someone who drew attention wherever she went. What’s more, on such a special festival, she had come out wearing the hairstyle of an unmarried girl, so along the way she naturally could not avoid either examining or astonished gazes. Many young masters were just dazzled after seeing Ying Xu once, marveling that there was still such a stunning beauty in the world.
But although there were many people looking at Ying Xu, from beginning to end there was not a single one who dared to come forward to strike up a conversation—the clothes made of cloud-brocade fabric, whether one could recognize it or not, one could tell that this fabric was extraordinary, something only noble families could use.
Ying Xu was used to the gazes falling on her, after all from childhood to adulthood she had always been looked at like this, so as long as it was not malicious or something that made her feel disgusted, she would not bother with it, and just wandered on her own.
On both sides of the street, there were peddlers selling river lanterns, which for Ying Xu was somewhat fresh—not fresh about the river lanterns, but that now after all it was winter. Compared to some northern places, Jinling City’s winter could not be considered bone-piercing cold, but the moat outside the city would still freeze over.
This could not help but make Ying Xu become interested, somewhat wanting to buy two river lanterns to see how one was supposed to release river lanterns in winter.
However, just as she was about to step forward, she suddenly realized one thing—she did not have money.
When Ying Xu went out, she never needed to carry money herself. If such things required a young lady like her to personally do them, then what were those servants and followers for?
Yet at this moment, she had no follower by her side, and no servant either.
Dimly realizing this, Ying Xu could not help but bite her lip and resentfully scold her heart, it was all Xie Jingchen’s fault, that fool!
Thinking of the person who had just angered her, Ying Xu immediately turned and left in anger.
In her heart she was thinking she would give him half an hour. If Xie Jingchen could not appear in front of her within that time, then he should never come out again in this lifetime!
And at this moment, a somewhat surprised voice suddenly came from behind, “Em… Miss Ying?”
It seemed someone was calling her. Ying Xu turned her eyes. It was a man who looked like a rich young master, but after seeing that completely unfamiliar face that she had no impression of at all, she turned her head back again.
Seeing Ying Xu’s appearance of turning her head and about to leave, the man hurriedly called her again, “Miss Ying, please stay.”
Then he immediately came to Ying Xu’s front and introduced himself, afraid that if he was one step too slow Ying Xu would directly lose patience and leave, “My surname is Xie, ninth in the family.”
Hearing this opening line that seemed to be showing how impressive his family was, Ying Xu immediately rolled her eyes, “I don’t care who you are.”
As the impolite words fell, the beautiful girl directly bypassed him and walked forward.
In Jinling City, from childhood to adulthood, Ying Xu had never seen anyone dare to compete with her in power.
But after only walking two steps, she seemed to think of something and turned back again, looking at the man who had stretched out his hand as if he wanted to say something to keep her, and asked him, “Are you Xie Jingchen’s ninth brother?”
Hearing her question, the noble-looking young master revealed a bitter smile, but still answered, “Yes.”
Then he went to the peddler Ying Xu had just looked at and bought a bag of river lanterns, buying one of every style, then returned again to Ying Xu’s front and invited her, “Just now I observed that the young lady seemed to like these lanterns. I wonder if the young lady would be willing to give me a chance to walk together?”
Hearing this, Ying Xu did not feel very surprised. After all, young masters and princes who showed attentiveness to her had always been many. She just looked at him and asked, “Have you married?”
Xie Nine hurriedly replied, “I have not.”
Ying Xu asked again, “Then have you practiced martial arts?”
Hearing this, Xie Nine did not quite understand Ying Xu’s meaning, but since he had finally managed to talk to the goddess, he still obediently answered, “Only at the level of strengthening the body.”
“Alright.” Hearing this, Ying Xu nodded, and said casually, “Then you follow.”
“When we see Xie Jingchen later, beat him up for me.”