Chapter 104: Reunion with an Old Friend

Chapter 104: Reunion with an Old Friend

The sun overhead had gradually begun to slope westward.

Xie Yan gave a few instructions to Uncle Chen and rode back home.

He still needed to head into the mountains to find some birch wood to make a bow for Mingchao!

Who had the spare time to watch Sun Zhiye display his noble virtues?

"Another deed?" Lu Mingchao looked at the document Xie Yan handed over, blinking in confusion.

She now had two more shops under her name!

Heaven knows, she was after Xie Yan for his appearance, not his wealth.

Well, seeing but not eating!

A handsome, money-making, and thoughtful husband—she had really picked up a treasure.

Xie Yan nodded. "I've already gotten in touch with the craftsmen; they'll start the renovations early tomorrow morning."

Afterward, Xie Yan informed Lu Mingchao of what he had witnessed outside the county office.

Lu Mingchao put the deed in a wooden chest, her expression turning cold. "It doesn't matter; let him run wild for a few more days."

"Mingchao, while there's still some daylight, I need to go into the mountains."

"Can I come with you?"

"Sure," Xie Yan didn't hesitate at all.

Lu Mingchao suddenly spoke, "A Yan, my feelings for you grow stronger with each day."

It wasn't that she was being overly emotional; Xie Yan's goodness merited wholehearted admiration.

Xie Yan's face flushed, and he almost tripped over the threshold, feeling like he was on fire.

Heart flutters?

Mingchao had used the word "heart flutters."

"I feel the same," he replied.

Xie Yan left the room in a flustered state, his movements awkward.

Lu Mingchao laughed, put on her cloak, and followed Xie Yan out.

In the north, winter mountains often seemed rugged and desolate, lacking the lushness and vitality of summer, with few travelers and an eerie silence.

Xie Yan's eyes held a smile as he held Lu Mingchao's hand, step by step.

Suddenly, Xie Yan stopped in his tracks, warily looking around.

"Mingchao, there's a smell of blood," he bent down, lowering his voice.

Focusing intently, she saw a man lying near a giant tree in the distance, his life or death uncertain.

Lu Mingchao yanked on Xie Yan's arm. "From all the storybooks I've read, you don't just pick up random guys by the roadside."

At best, you lose your life; at worst, your whole clan is wiped out.

Xie Yan pursed his lips, his expression growing complicated, and slowly said, "I know him."

Lu Mingchao fell silent.

Lu Mingchao stood on her tiptoes and leaned forward. "I know him too."

More accurately, anyone of importance in the capital who had attended palace banquets would recognize that face.

With the original owner's memories, she knew too.

Shu Yuan, the former emperor's Chief Eunuch, was young but deeply trusted by the former emperor.

Shu Yuan was said to have committed suicide after the former emperor's death.

Was his death too hasty, to end up in the deep mountains behind Changxi Village?

"Do we save him or not?"

Xie Yan was startled, his eyes flickering with surprise, and he turned to look at Lu Mingchao.

They understood each other without speaking.

Xie Yan nudged the unconscious Shu Yuan awake.

"You're alive?!"

"How are you alive?!"

Xie Yan and Shu Yuan spoke simultaneously.

Officially, they had both been considered dead for years, yet they unexpectedly reunited in this desolate mountain.

Shu Yuan looked incredulous.

"Is this how you greet each other? With such surprises?"

Shu Yuan looked at Lu Mingchao with caution and suspicion.

Shu Yuan frowned, pondering. "You look a bit like Miss Lu from the Yongning Marquis family, the one who shamelessly chased after the Young Master of the Duke's family and insisted on marrying him."

Lu Mingchao was taken aback.

Xie Yan's face darkened with displeasure.

Lu Mingchao pouted, suspecting Shu Yuan had cheated his way to becoming the Chief Eunuch.

Given his emotional intelligence, she was sure there was some trickery involved.

"Could it be you're the illegitimate daughter of the Yongning Marquis family?"

In an instant, Lu Mingchao found herself with a new identity.

"Eunuch Shu, is it possible that I am Lu Mingchao?"

Shu Yuan: "How did you and Xie Yan get tangled up with each other?"

"Did Xie Yan start a mess and then abandon you?"

"Is the Yongning Marquis family exceptionally good at recognizing talent?"

Xie Yan's eyes darkened, and a cold aura surrounded him. A chilling light flashed in his gaze as he looked at Shu Yuan.

"The former emperor is gone. If you keep talking without thinking, no one will protect you."

Shu Yuan's eyes dimmed slightly, making him look more vulnerable.

Lu Mingchao propped her chin on her hand, and, to be honest, Shu Yuan had a delicate appearance, with red lips and white teeth. His facial features were gentle and smooth.

"Xie Yan and I are married through a proper match, a legitimate husband and wife."

Lu Mingchao explained gently, taking the chance to tell Shu Yuan about the dramatic story of the real and fake daughters.

His attitude, however, was clearly cold and distant, yet awkward. "You're living such a miserable life; you might as well be dead to follow the former emperor."

"I haven't avenged the former emperor yet, why would I die?" Shu Yuan said fiercely. "Your esteemed Xie family is hiding away in this remote and desolate place, barely surviving. How dare you criticize me?"

Lu Mingchao wrinkled her brow in displeasure, picking up a small stick from the side and poking Shu Yuan's wound. "Watch your mouth."

"If you keep biting people like that, I'll leave you to die in this mountain."

The Xie family, after all.

So, it was the Xie family she had been afraid to think about.

At this moment, Lu Mingchao finally saw clearly through the confusion and understood the deep blood feud carried by Xie Yan.

In fact, she had always had a vague suspicion but found it too shocking, so she forcefully pushed it aside.

When her second brother advised her to marry Xie Yan, was it really carefully considered after knowing Xie Yan's identity?

Why does it feel like she's boarded a sinking ship and can't get off?

Shu Yuan, puffed up with anger, said, "He bit me first!"

"Why are you defending him?"

Lu Mingchao facepalmed. Was this chief eunuch by the former emperor's side really so naive? "Do you even understand what a proper marriage is, what it means for a husband and wife to be united?"

"Tell the truth, did you have something going on behind the scenes with the former emperor?"

In the bone-eating imperial palace, erasing someone's innocence is simpler than squashing a bug.

To maintain such vibrant vitality, there must be an open umbrella above one's head, shielding them from the wind and rain, ensuring no one dares to deceive, humiliate, or scheme.

Shu Yuan widened his eyes. "I didn't, I'm not, don't make things up."

Lu Mingchao spread her hands.

The three telltale signs of trying to cover up just confirmed it.

Shu Yuan: "Miss Lu, you didn't use to speak so harshly and vulgarly."

"A Yan, maybe it's better to just let him die here." Lu Mingchao dropped the small stick in her hand and turned to Xie Yan. "With a mouth like his, it's a disaster to be alive."

Xie Yan gave a nod. "Very good."

Xie Yan moved as if to take Lu Mingchao and leave.

"Xie Yan!" Shu Yuan shouted at the top of his lungs.

Seeing that Xie Yan didn’t react, Shu Yuan’s face turned red. "Xie Yan, you’re the only one who remembers the former emperor, who remembers that bloodbath, and can avenge him and the Xie family."

Before discovering that Xie Yan was alive, Shu Yuan thought he was the only one walking this path alone.

He was mediocre and knew that even if he lived a wasted life, he’d never get to the bottom of things.

But he just couldn’t let it go.

Now, there is Xie Yan.

When the former emperor mentioned this cousin, born and raised in the northern frontier, he never stinted on praise.

"Do you know what I've been through these past four years?"