Chapter 309: In this situation, shouldn’t we have a secret signal?

Chapter 309: In this situation, shouldn't we have a secret signal?

"Grand Tutor Yang is fifty, and Consort Yuan is just in her early thirties. How did these two get entangled?" Tang Shuyi asked in bewilderment.

Xiao Huai shook his head, "That's unclear."

Tang Shuyi nodded in understanding, knowing that such secretive matters wouldn't be easy to uncover. But she was curious about how the incident of Consort Yuan crying in Grand Tutor Yang's arms had come to light.

Driven by curiosity, she directly asked, which prompted Xiao Huai to reveal, "I have a decent relationship with Abbot Mingjing."

Abbot Mingjing was the head of Chongguang Temple.

Upon hearing this, Tang Shuyi leaned forward, lowered her voice, and queried, "Does Abbot Mingjing know about your past?"

Xiao Huai was taken aback by her question, then shook his head, "He doesn't."

Tang Shuyi breathed a sigh of relief. If something as bizarre as traveling through time could happen, then the existence of sages who could see through a person's past seemed normal. Still, the risk of her deepest secrets being exposed made her feel insecure.

Noticing her concern, Xiao Huai whispered, "I used to be a skeptic of ghosts, spirits, and the like, but having experienced it firsthand, I've been compelled to believe. However, I trust that whether it's our world, the heavens, or the underworld, there are rules. You needn't worry."

Tang Shuyi nodded, then asked, "So, you mean to say that Grand Tutor Yang's past troubles, and his current support for the Fourth Prince, might all be because of Consort Yuan?"

"That's a possibility."

Xiao Huai picked up his teacup to sip some tea, and Tang Shuyi did the same, then said with a peculiar expression, "I thought being lovesick was a young person's folly. I didn't expect an elderly man to behave so."

Xiao Huai laughed again, "Perhaps Grand Tutor Yang believes this is for his own good."

"If that's true, then he's clearly not thinking straight," Tang Shuyi commented.

Xiao Huai picked up the teapot again to refill Tang Shuyi's cup, saying, "Madam, you still don't understand the people of this era. For many, risking everything for imperial power is nothing out of the ordinary."

Tang Shuyi was taken aback by his words, or rather, shocked. What did he mean by "the people of this era"? He's the Prince of Xiaoyao, right? Why would he say something like that?

Xiao Huai noticed her bewilderment but offered no explanation, simply leaning back in his chair to enjoy his tea leisurely. If he wanted to take their relationship a step further, they needed to be honest with each other, including about his past. His previous remark had been casual but also deliberate.

Coming back to her senses, Tang Shuyi looked into his eyes and said, "In this case, shouldn't we have a secret signal?"

Her suggestion amused Xiao Huai, who laughed heartily, "You tell me, Madam."

Tang Shuyi thought for a moment, then said, "Bright moonlight before my bed."

Xiao Huai was taken aback, furrowed his brows, and after a moment responded, "Could it be frost on the ground?"

Tang Shuyi looked at him with disdain and suggested another, "Heaven King covers Earth Tiger."

Xiao Huai: "........"

This time Tang Shuyi's gaze turned skeptical. Xiao Huai coughed and explained, "I spent most of my previous life living abroad, so I'm not very familiar with many cultural classics. Please forgive me, Madam."

No longer doubtful, Tang Shuyi nodded in understanding, then asked, "You're not a foreigner, are you?"

"No, no, no," Xiao Huai hurriedly replied, "I just studied abroad from a young age and only returned to our country after graduating."

"Then, where are you from?" Tang Shuyi inquired.

Xiao Huai: "The capital."

Tang Shuyi looked at him with eyes filled with envy. Truly, he was a man blessed by the heavens!

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Xiao Huai inquired.

Tang Shuyi sighed, "I'm envious of your good fortune. You studied abroad from a young age in your previous life. Do you have any idea how intense the academic competition is here?"

Xiao Huai nodded, "I've heard about it."

Tang Shuyi recalled her own educational journey, even now it felt like a tale of hardship and tears. Starting from elementary school, it was non-stop studying. During her senior year of high school, she sometimes only slept five hours a night, and even then, there was no guarantee of getting into a top university.

Like her, after more than a decade of hard work, a twist of fate kept her from attending a prestigious institution.

"You're not only blessed in your previous life but in the one before that too!" Tang Shuyi remarked.

Xiao Huai: "...True, but I would have preferred to be born into an ordinary and affluent family."

Tang Shuyi gave him a playful glare, "You're acting modest after gaining an advantage."

Xiao Huai chuckled, "Indeed, I've been fortunate. After all the twists and turns, I met you, Madam."

Tang Shuyi laughed as well, "Seeing you, it's evident you were born with a golden spoon in your past life too. I'm also lucky to have met the Duke."

The two exchanged smiles and shared stories of their pasts. Xiao Huai's story was simple at its core: born into a prominent family in the capital, educated abroad, returned home to take over the family business. Not long after his return, he had a car accident, then found himself in the Daqian era, becoming Xiao Huai.

After sharing their tales, both felt quite reflective. Suddenly, Tang Shuyi realized something, "In my previous life, my name was also Tang Shuyi, and in yours, it was Li Chengyun. Is there a connection?"

Xiao Huai looked thoughtful, and Tang Shuyi continued, "Could the Xiao Huai and Tang Shuyi from here possibly travel to the modern era and become us?"

"It's a possibility," Xiao Huai responded, "Modern-day scientists have proposed theories about space-time. I was skeptical about it at the time, but now it seems plausible."

After digesting his words, Tang Shuyi said, "So, the Tang Shuyi from here and I are essentially the same person living in parallel universes. I am her, and she is me?"

Hearing this, Xiao Huai shook his head, "You two are distinct individuals. You are you, and she is herself."

"Then what about Xiao Huai?" Tang Shuyi questioned.

Xiao Huai shrugged, "I'm not sure."

Tang Shuyi pondered for a moment more, but failing to make sense of it all, she gestured dismissively, "Let it be, let it be. Things are as they are; there's no use fretting overmuch. I just hope that the Tang Shuyi and Xiao Huai here will travel back and become us. That would set my mind at ease."

Xiao Huai nodded in agreement, sharing her sentiment.

With everything laid out in the open, both felt a step closer to one another. Tang Shuyi steered the conversation back to the matter of Yang Taishi and Yuan Fei, "It's a mystery what kind of person Yuan Fei is, to have Yang Taishi so utterly bewitched."

"You shall see for yourself the day after tomorrow," Xiao Huai said. "Neither the Fourth Prince nor Yang Taishi are of concern. It's the Empress and the Wu family behind her that truly matter."

"What do you plan to do, Duke?" Tang Shuyi inquired.

"You must have guessed already," Xiao Huai replied.

Tang Shuyi smiled. "The faction of the Fourth Prince has been jumping around lately. Perhaps it's the Empress and the Wu family allowing it, hoping they'll dig their own graves."

Xiao Huai nodded, "My lady, we truly are of one mind."