Chapter 136

Chapter 136

In the tenth year of Qingzheng, there was no thirtieth day in the twelfth month; the twenty-ninth was New Year's Eve.

Rong Tang, uninterested in attending the palace banquet, feigned illness to rest at home.

Indifferent, Rong Mingyu took Rong Zheng to the palace instead.

Su Huaijing naturally stayed with Tangtang. Before the New Year, Ke Xuebo returned to the capital from Jiangnan, and Ke Hongxue no longer needed to attend the banquet in place of his father. The group, including Mu Jingxu, claimed old injuries hadn't healed and weren't fit to go out, all skipping Emperor Renshou's banquet.

Ke Hongxue brought Mu Jingxu and Yuan Yuan to Tang Jing's residence. Rong Tang had just released Su Huaijing's lips, tears uncontrollably spilling from the corners of his eyes, his eyes red.

Minister Ke stepped over the threshold, paused for a moment, then put on a relaxed smile, "What's happening here, is Lord Su bullying our Young Master again?"

He teased, "I know you're young and just started eating meat, but you can't be this unrestrained, indulging day and night. Look at how restrained your brother and I are. Learn from us."

Mu Jingxu's gaze shifted from Rong Tang's face, coldly staring at Ke Hongxue for a moment. If looks could kill, Ke Shoufu would probably have become a fresh, chilly ice sculpture in the courtyard by now.

Yuan Yuan really liked this uncle, but she liked Mu Mu more. Seeing this, she frowned in hesitation, and after a long pause, decided to speak up for Mu Mu: "But last night you made Mu Mu cry."

Mu Jingxu paused, his eyes uncontrollably widening, and his gaze towards Ke Hongxue turned extremely cold in an instant.

Ke Shoufu stiffened, realizing he had drawn fire onto himself and completely angered his senior. He immediately crouched down to tell Yuan Yuan, "Don't talk nonsense. It's just that your brother Mu Mu's wounds haven't healed yet, and I was helping him apply medicine."

"Really?" Yuan Yuan was skeptical.

Ke Hongxue nodded firmly, "Yes, really. Haven’t you seen the wound on Mu Mu's back? It's very scary and hurts terribly."

Yuan Yuan's eyebrows furrowed, her delicate little face filled with worry.

Ke Hongxue led the child outside, whispering a reminder, "Mu Mu is super shy. He would be very upset if others heard him crying. Don't mention it again next time, okay?"

The ten-year-old was dubious, feeling like Uncle Ke was deceiving her. But as she turned her head back, she caught a glimpse of Mu Jingxu's slightly pursed lips, furrowed brows, his gaze fixed on a point on the ground, and his fingers gently clenched into a fist inside his sleeve. In the end, she believed Ke Hongxue's tall tale.

He nodded, "Next time when applying medicine, I'll go too. I can help Mu Mu blow on it."

Ke Hongxue was caught between laughter and tears, unsure whether to agree or not. After much effort, he took the child out and found Shuang Fu to accompany them in catching sparrows in the snow.

When they returned, the emotions in the room had stabilized. There was a wooden box on the table. Ke Hongxue glanced at it, paused for a moment, then understandingly asked Su Huaijing, "Did you do this?"

Su Huaijing neither confirmed nor denied, simply taking the box and casually placing it on the shelf.

Mu Jingxu, puzzled, turned his head to look back, but Ke Hongxue shook his head, "It's nothing, let's not talk of inauspicious things during the New Year."

He then asked Rong Tang, "Is the rice milk ready in the kitchen? I'll help you hang the Spring Festival couplets."

Year after year, it was also them who helped hang the couplets last year.

Rong Tang nodded, "Everything's prepared. We also bought a lot of firecrackers and lanterns. Yuan Yuan will have a great time today."

"That's great," Ke Hongxue said with a smile, then asked, "Do we have mahjong at home?"

Rong Tang looked puzzled, and Ke Hongxue explained, "We plan to stay here tonight. We can't just stay up without doing anything on New Year's Eve. Does the young master know how to play mahjong?"

Rong Tang caught on and nodded, "Yes."

Ke Hongxue clapped his hands, "Great, let's spend the New Year's Eve together."

Inside the room, the charcoal fire was warm. After the twelfth lunar month, the New Year was coming. This year saw several heavy snowfalls, promising a bountiful harvest next year.

Ke Hongxue and Mu Jingxu went out to find Yuan Yuan. Rong Tang stood up, intending to follow, but Su Huaijing held his arm, leaned down, and gently kissed his lips.

If the kiss initiated by Rong Tang earlier was aggressive, a release of pent-up frustration and all the unspoken grievances and anger finding an outlet, the kiss now initiated by Su Huaijing was entirely comforting and soothing, with every movement gentle, gradually easing and reassuring.

After the kiss, Su Huaijing embraced Rong Tang, allowing his rapid breaths to scatter across his neck.

"Tangtang, happy Chinese New Year's Eve." Thousands of words were eventually condensed into six. Rong Tang closed his eyes, took a long moment to calm down, and softly said, "Happy Chinese New Year's Eve."

"You've grown another year older, Huaijing."

"And that makes me Tangtang's younger lord," Su Huaijing said with a smile.

Rong Tang's face turned slightly red, unable to speak for a long while.

Outside, neighbors had started setting off firecrackers. Rong Tang stepped out of Su Huaijing's embrace, intending to go to the courtyard to find Yuan Yuan. But as he was about to turn the corner, Su Huaijing pulled his wrist, stopping him. After briefly listening, a smile formed on his lips, and he led Rong Tang through another door.

Rong Tang looked at him curiously, and Su Huaijing whispered, "Brother and Ke Shoufu are up to no good."

Whispering intimately and secretly, Young Master Rong was stunned for a second before reacting. He stiffened slightly and walked straight ahead, but couldn't resist turning his head to sneak a peek as he passed another corner.

Su Huaijing was charmed by these little actions, his mood greatly improved.

However, Rong Tang suddenly asked, "Is my brother the one on the bottom?"

Su Huaijing's expression stiffened slightly, realizing for the first time that Tangtang's curiosity could be so intense.

He bit his lip, knowing it's not good to talk about others behind their backs, especially when one of them is his own brother, but upon seeing Rong Tang's eyes filled with question marks, he ultimately nodded.

Just as Rong Tang showed a "just as I thought" expression, Su Huaijing shook his head again, hesitantly saying, "Maybe not necessarily."

Rong Tang's moment of understanding and relief was suddenly shattered, he looked up in shock at the person speaking.

Su Huaijing implied, "About my third brother’s back..."

The whipping in early autumn, the ointment Su Huaijing personally prepared for him had healed well, but surely he couldn't lie flat on his back during the healing period.

And Su Huaijing didn’t think the two of them could restrain themselves for three months without doing anything.

He spoke subtly and implicitly. Rong Tang, after a brief thought, instantly got it. His gaze started to drift, his ears reddened, and in the blink of an eye, he went from a curious baby to a cooked white egg in front of Su Huaijing.

Thus, Su Huaijing’s slight embarrassment about secretly discussing his brother’s secrets dissipated, even enjoying Rong Tang's changing expressions. He hooked Rong Tang's palm with his little finger, asking with a light laugh, "Does Tangtang want to try it too?"

Rong Tang turned from a white egg to a red one.

Su Huaijing tempted with a smile, "It's very comfortable, can go very deep."

Rong Tang's teeth almost gnashed themselves to bits, turning back to glare fiercely at him, "Are you complaining it's not deep enough usually, or do you think I have a strong life?"

"Not at all," Su Huaijing said casually, "I just want to make Tangtang feel even more comfortable."

Rong Tang: "..." Pah!

He held Su Huaijing's gaze for a few seconds, but not having as thick a skin as him, he shook off his arm and walked ahead. Yet, the unscrupulous villain kept following and asking, "What do you say, Tangtang brother?"

"Husband? My lord?" He paused mid-sentence, not quite understanding the meaning, but still ventured to call out, "Darling?"

“！”

Rong Tang stepped into thin air and almost fell, but Su Huaijing quickly caught him from behind.

After steadying himself, Young Master Rong Tang again shook off Su Huaijing and strode forward, irritably leaving a remark, "We'll discuss this later!"

Su Huaijing was stunned for a moment, once again doubting what that term actually meant, leaving the regretful red egg himself walking forward.

Damn it!

Who uses bedroom nicknames in public!

Who calls someone 'darling' in public while dressed and acting decently!

Rong Tang wished he could travel back in time to beat up his own careless self who blurted out pleas and the main culprit as well.

He was furious, his cheeks burning hot despite the cold winter, causing Ke Hongxue to feel defeated for the first time in front of Su Huaijing when they regrouped.

—Even when Ke Minister bragged to him after court, he hadn't felt this defeated.

With different thoughts in their minds, they spent the whole day with Yuan Yuan, setting off fireworks, having a reunion dinner, playing mahjong, and staying up late. Yuan Yuan fell asleep on a small couch, covered with a small blanket, the room warm with the glow of the charcoal fire.

Rong Tang yawned, suddenly remembered something, and became slightly distracted, his expression changing.

Su Huaijing peeled another dish of dried fruits for him, asking softly, "What’s wrong?"

"It's nothing," Rong Tang instinctively covered up, then hesitated but added, "Did you keep the New Year's money my brother gave you?"

"I kept it," Su Huaijing replied.

Rong Tang nodded, naturally moving past this episode.

Su Huaijing watched him silently for a while, not probing further.

The sound of firecrackers filled the night sky of Yu Jing, marking the end of the year and the arrival of the New Year, with spring soon returning to this land once again.

During the holiday, Lu Jiaxi, avoiding his sisters at home, came here to pay a New Year visit and spent a couple of days to get some fresh air, while Duan Yi and Wang Xiuyu also stayed in Yong'an Lane for a few days.

Yuan Yuan was very fond of the Princess, and Duan Yi also had a special liking for the child. The old and the young got along harmoniously.

Rong Tang had been worried that Wang Xiuyu would be deceived by Rong Mingyu and return to the Wang residence, but after the New Year and handling all the necessary social obligations, she went back to the suburban residence with the Princess.

Under the pretext of serving her mother-in-law, Rong Mingyu, even if unwilling, could not voice any objections.

Su Huaijing was promoted, officially taking up the position of Chief Imperial Censor, and Mu Jingxu also returned to the court. This time, Emperor Renshou dared not punish him arbitrarily.

The case of Zhang Baoshan, the Southwestern Commander embezzling military funds, came to an end. Cheng Chengli, as the imperial envoy, should have been in the limelight, but due to unspoken reasons, the fifth prince did not even attend the royal New Year's Eve banquet, claiming to have fallen severely ill again, with healers and wandering magicians being summoned from the palace.

Only a very few people knew the inside story of why he did not appear in public.

Shen Feiyi made contributions in the investigation and was promoted to the Right Brave General of the Jinwu Guard, in charge of half of the imperial city's defense. The Left Brave General, Ding Weishan, whose only son had been executed due to Lu Jiaxi's exposure, was no longer loyal, and once he falls, the entire defense of the imperial city would fall into Su Huaijing's hands.

Everything was going well, with Su Huaijing getting closer to his goal, but he noticed that Rong Tang was becoming increasingly distracted.

Initially, it was very subtle, with no significant change in emotions. His gaze would fixate on a certain point in the air, momentarily distracted for a second or two, then he would return to his senses and continue what he was doing, as if just stealing a moment of lazy leisure from tiredness.

But as time went on, the frequency increased, and Rong Tang's brows gradually furrowed, a faint worry gathering in his eyes, as if something uncontrollable and deeply worrying had emerged.

One night before sleep, Su Huaijing asked, "Is Tangtang really alright these days?"

Rong Tang was slightly startled, shaking his head instinctively, "Nothing's wrong."

Su Huaijing looked at him in the darkness for a moment, then closed his eyes, patting Rong Tang's back lightly, "Goodnight, Tangtang."

"Goodnight," Rong Tang replied.

But as soon as he closed his eyes, he softly called out again, "System?"

【……】

The only response to Rong Tang was prolonged silence, not even the faint sound of electrical current.

The two cloud-like color blocks in his mind were still in a stalemate, but his playful, sulking, and foolish system had disappeared.

He had spent a reunion New Year, but had not wished the system a Happy New Year.