Chapter 129: Yan Zheng

Xie Yu was clearly a bit stunned and had no immediate reaction.

Seeing him like that, Ma Bing felt a burning sensation on her face.

After all, it was her first time doing something like this. She had summoned her courage initially, but as he hesitated, her confidence waned, and instinctively, she started to draw her hand back, murmuring softly, “If you’re not willing, we can forget it…”

Those words seemed to trigger something. Before the sentence had even finished, two small flames suddenly ignited in Xie Yu’s eyes. Reflected by the firelight from the wall, they shone remarkably bright.

He took a big step forward and grabbed Ma Bing’s hand just as she was pulling it back halfway, quickly taking control and clasping it firmly in his.

He slowly exhaled, his brows and eyes clearly showing his joy.

This was so good.

He felt incredibly happy right now.

So happy he felt like he could fly.

Both lowered their eyes to look at their joined hands, then raised their heads to exchange glances, their faces warm.

They looked down again, exchanged another glance, and smiled foolishly.

They didn’t even know exactly what they were smiling about.

“Don’t push!”

“I can’t see!”

Suddenly, faint rustling and voices came from behind. When they turned around, they saw a line of heads peeking through a large gap in the mansion’s double doors.

Pei An was practically hugging Xiaoxia while lying on the ground, his eyes red.

Seeing Ma Bing look over, he let out a loud sob, “Sis!”

Oh! How embarrassing.

Ma Bing suddenly felt a bit shy and instinctively tried to pull her hand back—but she couldn’t.

Xie Yu held her hand even tighter.

He seemed to have indeed inherited some of his father-in-law’s boldness. Far from being embarrassed, he confidently pulled her forward and politely bowed to the elders.

“We apologize for the disturbance. We’ll take our leave now.”

Huo Mei raised an eyebrow.

Oh, very impressive!

At first glance, it was almost like a young couple visiting the wife’s parents!

Pei Rong stared fixedly at their joined hands and growled, “You little brat! Let go!”

How could someone just grab a young lady’s hand like that?

Pei An also sobbed while hugging Xiaoxia, “Let go!”

Sis!

Madam Meng found the scene unbearable to watch and dragged the two of them back inside, then gestured toward the young couple outside, “Alright, alright, you two go on.”

So Xie Yu really did pull Ma Bing along and left.

It was getting late, but more and more lights were being lit along the streets, almost dispelling the heavy darkness.

The day had passed, but the night life of Kaifeng was just beginning.

The stoves burned fiercely, the big pots bubbled, and the aroma from the streets and alleys was rich and enticing.

People who had worked hard all day didn’t feel like cooking dinner themselves, so they took their families out to eat.

Even the most thrifty housewives wouldn’t be overly frugal at this moment.

The people of the capital had their own way of life. Men went out to work during the day, while women preferred to find small tasks to do at home.

It helped pass the time and brought in a little extra income.

After a day’s work, they might earn several dozen coins.

And a family meal out cost about the same.

Considering the cost of ingredients, firewood, and daily necessities, eating out might even be more economical!

Western-style noodles, Jiangnan vinegar fish, southwestern spicy dishes, northern fragrant cuisine…

The rich dialects and diverse flavors from all over the country intertwined and mingled, as if the entire Dulu Dynasty had been condensed into this one place, leaving people unsure of what to choose.

In front of the lamb soup shop to the west, two large deep pots sat permanently by the entrance, their wood fires burning fiercely. The flames rising from below turned the waiters’ faces red.

Though autumn nights were already quite chilly, they wore only light clothing. Their bare arms glistened with sweat, the evenly distributed muscles slightly bulging as they stirred the creamy white broth with large ladles.

To the east, a young waiter quickly sliced the lamb offal according to customer orders and placed the pieces into bowls, then pushed the bowls one by one to the counter on the west side.

The cook handling the pot first poured a ladle of boiling soup into the bowl to warm it up. Then, using the large ladle to cover the lamb pieces in the bowl, he poured the soup back into the pot before adding fresh boiling broth.

Finally, he generously sprinkled a handful of bright green coriander over the top, watching it float in the creamy white ocean, then shouted loudly:

“One lamb soup with coriander~”

Eating and drinking heartily while it’s hot, breaking out in a sweat on the forehead, is the most satisfying.

If you still feel unsatisfied, you can ask the waiter to buy some freshly made sesame flatbreads from the neighboring stall or oil pancakes from the diagonal stall. Slice them open and stuff them with lamb meat and offal, then bite into them with the lamb soup, feeling completely fulfilled.

A young couple, full and content with a light sheen of sweat on their faces, walked out and noticed Xie Yu and Ma Bing holding hands. They couldn’t help but look a few times, feeling a bit envious.

The young man quickly glanced at his beloved, summoned his courage, and tentatively reached out his hand.

But as soon as their fingertips touched, the girl turned bright red, slapped him, and playfully scolded, “You’re asking for it!”

The young man felt wronged, thinking to himself, why can’t we hold hands like them?

But the girl was secretly delighted, her face flushed as she muttered, “What if someone sees…”

How embarrassing.

Xie Yu thought to himself, I’m not afraid of anyone seeing us!

Halfway through their walk, they ran into another military inspector, Fang Bao, who was patrolling with his men. From a distance, the man started whistling.

Seeing this, the group of men looked over and began teasing them, “Oh~”

They winked at each other, nudging and laughing.

Ma Bing felt her face was practically hot enough to fry eggs.

It was one thing for people to figure it out secretly, but another entirely to be teased publicly like this.

Xie Yu gave her hand a gentle squeeze, reluctantly let go, then took off his money bag and tossed it over, “Buy the brothers some drinks. Don’t talk nonsense when you’re out!”

Fang Bao knew he wasn’t short on money, so he didn’t refuse, catching it with one hand and laughing loudly, “There’s no need for the brothers to say anything!”

You’re the one parading around in public like that.

Xie Yu felt very happy, with a hint of pride.

Behind him, Ma Bing was blushing from being laughed at, but eventually she relaxed.

Let them laugh, what’s there to laugh about!

After passing this street, they could already see the entrance to the Kaifeng government office far ahead.

It was only then that Ma Bing remembered to ask the important question, “I heard you went to Prince Su’s mansion today? And even entered the palace? Did they give you any trouble?”

As she said this, she understood more deeply what Huo Mei meant by “worry.”

After all, Xie Yu was standing here perfectly fine now, even in the mood to hold her hand. It was obvious that nothing serious had happened.

But she still couldn’t feel at ease without asking him directly and hearing it from his own mouth.

Then, how much more worried must he have been yesterday when she lured those two assassins out of the city?

So Xie Yu carefully recounted everything that had happened during the day.

When he mentioned how the emperor had taken pleasure in Prince Su’s misfortune, Ma Bing couldn’t help but laugh.

Seeing her laugh, Xie Yu joined in, feeling that Prince Su fainting in anger was actually quite amusing.

“Won’t your parents blame me for leading you astray?” Ma Bing tilted her head and looked at him.

Xie Yu chuckled, “If you had been there when my father spoke to me today, you wouldn’t say that.”

If she had been there during their conversation… what kind of situation would that have been!

Ma Bing pretended not to understand the implication, “Your father-in-law is indeed a remarkable person.”

“But how will you explain it to others?” she asked.

The matter of the bodies could be concealed temporarily, but not forever. If someone insisted on a thorough investigation, the truth would inevitably come out.

Xie Yu said, “They won’t dare.”

Prince Su didn’t trust anyone other than himself. As long as he himself didn’t speak up, no one could be certain whether there were actually bodies buried in the mansion.

If the Kaifeng government seized this opportunity and insisted on digging up the ground, wouldn’t it be like lifting a stone only to drop it on their own feet?

“When will he wake up?”

If he died from anger like this, it would be too easy on him.

Xie Yu replied, “The palace physicians examined him and said it was a case of extreme anger causing blood to rush to his head. Though there’s no danger to his life, he might not wake up for two or three days.”

Two or three days would be enough time to change many things.

As for after he wakes up, since Prince Su had previously used strong medicine to treat his hysteria, leaving a lingering headache, this incident would likely worsen his condition.

“What about Tian Song?”

Speaking of his previous hysteria, Ma Bing asked about another person.

“He’s getting better. Each day, he’s awake for longer periods, and it’s said that now he can calmly speak a few words to people.”

If this had happened half a month ago, Tian Bin would have been overjoyed.

But now, not only him, but others as well, were unsure whether to be happy or worried.

If Tian Song truly recovers, he will inevitably face questioning at the Ministry of Justice, confronted with a long list of charges. There would be no way for Tian Song to escape unscathed; he would have to choose the lesser of several evils.

In that case, Tian Bin and others would become the descendants of a convicted official, with no possibility of rising again.

Xie Yu had no doubt that if the Tian family didn’t have imperial guards stationed there now, Tian Song would likely die mysteriously before he fully recovered.

After finishing the story about Tian Song, the entrance to the Kaifeng government office was already in sight.

Ma Bing stopped walking and asked Xie Yu, “Don’t you have anything you want to ask me?”

Xie Yu naturally stopped in front of her, “Actually, I do.”

Ma Bing had already decided that no matter what he asked, she would be honest.

“At noon, the madam from Bai Hua Lou came to report that one of her singing girls, Zhang Baoyue, had run away with her maid,” Xie Yu said meaningfully, “Has Ma Bing heard any news about this?”

That’s it?!

That was a great opportunity I gave you!

Ma Bing felt a bit disappointed, but still exaggeratedly exclaimed, “What? Really?!”

Xie Yu: “…”

You acted really well.

Don’t act like that next time.

Ma Bing herself also felt awkward and couldn’t help but laugh after she said it.

Xie Yu helplessly shook his head, unable to stop himself from smiling a little.

The two walked side by side into the office, and along the way, familiar and unfamiliar constables greeted them, making it inconvenient to talk about anything private.

It wasn’t until they stood in front of the medicinal garden’s entrance that Ma Bing asked one last time, “Is there really nothing else you want to ask?”

Sigh, this fool!

As the weather got colder, the crickets that had been active recently had all gone quiet. Only the evening wind rustling through the osmanthus trees showed a bit of desolation.

The moonlight was beautiful, its silvery glow spreading widely, even outshining the lantern lights.

The wall of roses also showed signs of decline, but a few clusters of wild roses in the corner of the wall were still blooming vigorously.

In the cool breeze, a faint cold fragrance drifted, refreshing the heart and mind.

Xie Yu stepped forward and gently took her hand, “By the way, I still don’t know your name.”

By the end of his sentence, his tone carried a hint of grievance.

Ma Bing couldn’t help but laugh and teased him, tilting her head, “I thought you’d never ask.”

Xie Yu chuckled, “So did I.”

He always felt he should respect the young lady’s wishes. As long as she didn’t volunteer the information herself, he shouldn’t press her for it.

But when Xie Xian heard this, he was deeply pained.

“Ah, you fool, don’t say you’re my son when you’re out there!”

A man should be gentle and considerate, yes, but he must also be firm when necessary!

Are you going to let the girl keep pushing you around?

If you don’t stand firm, can you even be called a man!

After hearing this, Xie Yu deeply reflected and thought that, at this point, not knowing her name was indeed quite pitiful.

So Ma Bing opened his palm and slowly wrote a character on it, stroke by stroke under the moonlight.

The young lady’s fingertips were soft and smooth, tickling his palm.

Yet the character she wrote was so sharp, full of edge and vigor.

“Zheng…” Xie Yu whispered the sound softly, gently gripping her slightly cool fingers.

Ma Bing hummed in agreement, lifting her head to look at him, her eyes shining brightly, “My name is Yan Zheng.”

Zheng, Yan Zheng.

Xie Yu held her hand and said, “Yan Zheng.”

Ma Bing nodded and responded, “Mm.”

Xie Yu repeated the name silently in his heart several times.

Yan Zheng, Yan Zheng…

Just two simple syllables, yet they so easily struck a chord in his heart, swelling with a mix of emotions, both sour and bitter.

What a wonderful name, he thought.

It should have echoed proudly in the northwest, not be trapped in this cage called Kaifeng.

Xie Yu couldn’t help but spread his arms and gently, gently embraced his beloved girl under the moonlight.

“Zheng Zheng.”

Ma Bing hesitated for a moment, as if making a firm decision, and slowly raised her hand, tentatively placing it on his back.

“It’ll be alright.”

“Mm.”