Ink Burns

Chapter 312 Relaxation
As soon as Xue Xiao finished speaking, Shan Yue quickly understood his meaning. She quickly looked up at the wide-open windows and doors. Even though she knew that Xue Nanfu's mansion was deep and well-maintained, with layers of hidden defenses, no matter how treasonous the words, they would not be able to get out of the main courtyard.

The Southern Mansion has three gates, from the outer gate to the middle gate to the inner gate, and each gate keeps most people out.

There were only about a dozen people coming and going in the main courtyard.

Even in the simplest of the Xu State Duke's mansions, the servants attending to him would not be so simple.

Especially the west wing where the captain and his wife slept.

It was always just Shan Yue and Xue Xiao.

Both women came from humble backgrounds, and they did everything themselves, from dressing and grooming to combing their hair. The servants in the main courtyard were more like hired helpers. There was Huang Zhi in charge, Wang Erniang and Su Mama in charge of food, clothing and lodging, Qiu Tao who managed the internal affairs, Lan Xin (real name) and Qiu Yu (pseudonym) who was registered in Xue Nan's mansion but was recruited into the Xishan camp for training, and Zhou Liniang who stayed in the mansion to eat for free and flirt with Ji Feng. Apart from these people, there was no one else in the main courtyard, and there was no need to worry about leaking secrets.

Even so, Shan Yue still got up very alertly and closed the window tightly, turning around and lowering her voice: "Are you a dog?! Watch your words!"

Xue Xiao's intention was to punish the entire family, including nine generations of relatives!

Although they are now the only two members of the nine generations of the Xue family, the first page of the Xue family genealogy is essentially a separate page, featuring only these two people.

Xue Xiao leaned back, a smirk playing on his lips, and laughed for no reason. His smile was both arrogant and nonchalant: "If we die, we'll be buried together. I'm not afraid."

Shan Yue resisted the urge to slap him: He can be led astray in everything.

"What burial?!"

Shan Yue lowered her voice even further, speaking haltingly: "Don't spread these words outside. To put it mildly, it's about sowing discord within the imperial family; to put it more bluntly, it's about questioning the royal bloodline."

Xue Xiao was not one to gossip, so there must be a reason why he asked this question out of the blue.

Shan Yue changed the subject, frowning as she asked, "But what happened in the court?"

Xue Xiao maintained his smile, reaching out to embrace Shan Yue. A cool, refreshing feeling washed over him. Xue Xiao buried his head in Shan Yue's neck, took a deep breath, and spoke in a muffled voice, but did not tell the truth: "What could possibly change?"

Xue Xiao's voice was unusually soft and sticky, like glutinous rice soaking in a steamer, tinged with a hint of inexplicable melancholy: "Now that the emperor holds power, at worst it will be the Cui family's rebellion. When the Northern Frontier Army forces the emperor to abdicate and release Cui Bainian back to Shanhaiguan, the emperor will already have a plan in mind."

He was a knife in Emperor Yongping's hands, a very useful knife, used to sever the burgeoning vitality of the officialdom in Jiangnan.

But who knows how many other tricks the emperor might have up his sleeve?

Just as an emperor has many eyes and ears, seeing in all directions and hearing in all directions, the days when he would write letters to gossip about "practicing his sword three hundred times yesterday and his arm was a little sore" are long gone.

All human relationships are destined to end in separation.

Mother and son, ruler and subject—all ultimately fall apart.

But he was willing to use all the luck in his life to pray that he and Shan Yue would walk together well.

I hope God will give him a chance.

Xue Xiao unconsciously tightened his grip on his arm, hiding the immense reluctance in his heart, and tried his best to make his tone as calm as usual: "After the Lunar New Year, I will set off for Shanhaiguan Pass."

No sooner had Xue Xiao finished speaking than he was about to head to Shanhaiguan.
Shan Yue wrapped her arms around Xue Xiao and asked, "What are you going to do?"

"Exploring the path."

Xue Xiao again downplayed the issue, saying, "Don't worry about it."

When will you be back?

"If all goes well, perhaps early February; if not," Xue Xiao's voice was as usual, but it seemed to draw out inexplicably, "I don't know when I'll be able to return."

Shan Yue's heart skipped a beat for no reason, her eyelids trembled, and a strange unease welled up in her heart.

Then, Xue Xiao kissed Shan Yue's cool earlobe and neck, but his peripheral vision glanced at the bottom of the picture of the frolicking puppies, where several flower images were superimposed. There were lively and graceful forsythia, as well as charming peach and apricot blossoms. The same brushstrokes were used to paint different flowers, but it was not Shan Yue's style.

Shan Yue's painting style is colder and more concise, like the vast and expansive mountains and seas, unconstrained by the trivial emotions of the mortal world.

This art style is warmer and more delicate.

It even felt somewhat familiar.

Xue Xiao picked up a sheet of paper, squinted at it, and suddenly remembered the letter that Cui Yulang had sent him.

The letter clearly depicts forsythia flowers.

The style is exactly the same. "Why are you copying Cui Yulang's paintings?" Xue Xiao lowered his eyes, his tone laced with jealousy, tinged with a sourness.

Shan Yue pursed her lips: "Even if you like Cheng Xingyu, you don't need to be jealous of Cui Yulang."

Xue Xiao: I don't want to be jealous of anyone, okay?

Shan Yue's unease was soothed by Xue Xiao's witty remarks. She smiled, her voice sticky like glutinous rice, and added, "Of course it's useful to copy it down—I need to verify something."

******
On New Year's Eve, firecrackers went off at the edge of the city gate. The little black puppy, not even a month old, had the courage to be startled by fireworks. Instead of being frightened, it toddled after the fireworks in the sky. Its four soft little legs moved very fast, but it got hurt by a pebble smaller than a fingernail and fell flat on its back with a "plop".

The great white parrot, Snowball, squawked wildly, "Fall face-first! Fall face-first!"

Driven by a fierce protective instinct, Zhuifeng pounced from behind, startling Xuetuan so much that her long feathers flew wildly: "Silly dog! Silly dog!"

Qiu Tao chuckled heartily.

With a blush spreading across her face, Zhou Liniang, feeling shy and embarrassed, pretended to have weak legs and leaned against Jifeng at the next table, taking advantage of her drunkenness from the banquet.

Jifeng braced Zhou Liniang's back firmly with his elbow and said in a deep voice, "Miss Zhou, be careful. Getting drunk is bad for your health, so don't drink anymore."

Zhou Liniang turned around shyly, casually touching the back of Jifeng's hand with its prominent veins, her voice weak: "--Okay."

The evil steward felt a burning sensation in her eyes, silently turned her head away, and cursed inwardly: Damn it, since when can sweet fermented rice be intoxicating! Don't be fooled by the fact that the cat-like creatures always have blushing faces, look weak and frail, they're probably divorced and remarried before they've even gotten married!
The city was bustling with activity, and fireworks lit up a large circle around the moat.

Shan Yue and Xue Xiao have never liked joining in these crowds, but this time, Xue Xiao unusually invited Shan Yue out for a stroll. They didn't bring anyone with them, just held hands, dressed in simple linen clothes, and mingled in the crowd, experiencing the everyday life amidst the bustling throng.

The fireworks display is over.

Shan Yue said she was hungry, so Xue Xiao took her to Tianxiang Restaurant, where they used to get takeout mutton soup. The restaurant was almost closing, but the manager still left a crack for the two of them when he saw it was Xue Xiao: "The mutton was all sold out this morning, but there's some broth left. Why don't you cook some soup noodles for the Imperial Censor and his wife?"

The changes in the imperial court were like a battle between gods, something the common people rarely knew, and they still used the old official titles.

Xue Xiao smiled and said okay.

Soon the mutton soup noodles were served in a large bowl. Cilantro, scallions, and celery bits were scattered on the white soup. The noodles were the same hand-pulled noodles that the restaurant staff ate on New Year's Eve. They weren't pretty or smooth, but they were chewy and springy.

Shan Yue lowered her head to pick up the noodles, took a bite, then lowered her eyes and softly praised, "The flavor is fresh and light, only fresh and not gamey, it's stewed very well."

Xue Xiao laughed, "If it weren't good, why would I have gone out of my way to buy it in the past—" The words caught in his throat, and a burning fire appeared in Xue Xiao's eyes: "You can taste it now!?"

Shan Yue scooped up a spoonful of soup with a ladle and put it in her mouth with a smile.

A sense of relief and joy welled up in Xue Xiao's heart, as if the clouds had parted to reveal the clear sky: "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I wanted to tell you this as a New Year's gift."

Shan Yue spoke softly, taking advantage of the fact that the waiters at Tianxiang Restaurant were looking away and the candles in the kitchen had been extinguished, she leaned forward and gently kissed Xue Xiao's lips: "Thank you—"

Thank you for being with me in this wicked world.

Thank you for sharing this immense burden of revenge.

Revenge is not good, but in the process of revenge she gradually let go of her inner knots, and was able to paint again, regain her sense of taste, and even regain the ability to laugh and love.

Shan Yue's eyes stung with tears, and she sincerely, joyfully, and with tears in her eyes, thanked him again: "Thank you, I love you."

Fireworks soared to the highest point in the sky, then burst into a dazzling display.

"Beautiful—so beautiful!"

Under the same sky, inside and outside the high walls, the two sisters watched the fireworks together.

Shui Guang sat cross-legged on the wooden beam of the Imperial Hospital with great interest. Her feet were empty, but the conspicuous footprints on the vermilion pillar next to the beam explained how she had climbed up.

She deliberately bumped into the eunuch Fang beside her, her smile wicked: "Pretty, isn't she?"

There was nothing under Fang Dajian's feet; if he were to be hit, the result would likely not be bruises, but rather patches of blood and bruises all over the place.

“Beautiful, gorgeous.” Xu Quyan’s voice was gentle, but he stuttered a little.

Shui Guang laughed and bumped her shoulder again: "If you're scared, we'll go down. I'll go down first and support your butt from below."