Phi-Fic Chapter 141 That kid... he's really lucky.
Chapter 141 That kid... he's really lucky.
The winter hunt was forced to end prematurely due to the Crown Prince's "serious injury".
The emperor was furious and ordered a thorough investigation into the assassination attempt. The entire hunting grounds were placed under martial law for three days, but in the end, only a few scapegoats were caught.
Xiao Qiming was summoned by the emperor and scolded, returning home dejectedly.
"Miss," Chun Tao's voice interrupted her thoughts, "General Xie sent someone to ask if you have time to go over there?"
Su Yaoyao snapped out of her daze.
Xie Yu.
That day, he was slashed on the arm by a wild boar's tusks while trying to save her. She was in a hurry to get to the camp and only managed to bandage it quickly. Later, she heard from Anar that the wound was quite deep and had bled a lot.
When Su Yaoyao lifted the curtain and went in, the young general was leaning against the bed, his face pale, his lips chapped, and his left arm wrapped in a thick white cloth with faint blood seeping out.
"Sister Su?" When he saw her, his eyes lit up and he tried to get up.
"Don't move." Su Yaoyao quickly stepped forward and pressed him down. "You're injured, why are you getting up?"
Xie Yu obediently lay back down, but his eyes remained fixed on her.
"You...you came to see me," he said, his voice a little hoarse, with a childlike joy.
Su Yaoyao's heart softened, and she looked at his wound.
"It's just a minor injury," he said. "It's nothing serious."
His left arm was wrapped in bandages, and his bright face showed obvious signs of blood loss, making Su Yaoyao feel a little guilty.
"What do you mean it's nothing?" She placed the things she had brought on the table. "Anar told me the wound was so deep, it almost reached the bone. And you still say it's nothing?"
Xie Yu smiled, a smile that was a little silly, yet surprisingly sincere.
"It's really nothing," he said. "I'm tough, I'll be fine in a few days."
Su Yaoyao looked at him, her heart filled with mixed feelings.
This person is truly honest, so honest that it breaks your heart.
"That day..." she paused, "...thank you."
Xie Yu felt embarrassed by her earnest thanks. He looked away, his ear tips turning slightly red.
"I...I just happened to be..." He paused, then couldn't help turning back to look at her, "I'm glad you're alright."
He spoke very seriously, but he dared not look at her with his eyes.
Su Yaoyao sighed inwardly.
She knew what he was thinking.
The young general, full of vigor and ambition, always appeared so cautious and timid in her presence.
"Anyway," she said, "you should take good care of yourself. When you're better, I'll treat you to drinks."
Xie Yu looked up at her, his eyes lighting up again: "Really?"
"real."
"Then... His Highness the Crown Prince won't be angry?"
Su Yaoyao remembered the vinegar vat at home and fell silent for a moment.
"...Probably not."
Xie Yu smiled, a smile that contained the unique brightness of youth, but also a deep-seated loneliness.
He knew he had no chance.
But looking at her, I couldn't help but feel happy.
As Su Yaoyao emerged from Xie Yu's tent, she bumped into a tall figure.
Ashina Lie was not wearing his noble Northern Desert attire today, but only a black close-fitting outfit, with his long hair tied up high, making him look both heroic and casual.
"Miss Su!" he said in a low voice, "What a coincidence."
Su Yaoyao looked at him, silently complaining in her heart.
What a coincidence! You were clearly staking out the spot.
He smiled politely and said, "Your Highness."
Ashina Lie walked up to her and, without beating around the bush, said directly, "Miss Su, the court of your Great Yong is in too much chaos."
Su Yaoyao: "..."
That's a very direct opening.
Ashina Lie continued, "I heard about that second prince and those assassins today—you people here are too wicked. You never know what tomorrow will bring, you never know who will stab you in the back."
He looked at her with an open and passionate gaze.
"But our Northern Desert is different."
He took a step forward, his gaze intense.
"How about you consider coming to the Northern Desert with me?"
Su Yaoyao was stunned for a moment.
"There, the sky is high and the land is vast; you could ride a horse for three days and three nights and still not reach the end. The people on the grasslands like what they like and dislike what they dislike; there are no complicated rules. You can laugh when you want to laugh, cry when you want to cry, and curse when you want to curse—"
He paused, his gaze fixed on her face.
Ashina Lie continued, his voice growing more and more fervent: "I like you. I liked you from the first moment I saw you. A girl like you should be running freely on the grasslands, not trapped in this square capital city, scheming against those people."
He stepped forward, his gaze intense.
"Come with me. I will treat you well, I will treat you well for the rest of my life. We men of the Northern Desert, once we've made up our minds, it's for life, no questions asked."
Su Yaoyao looked at him, feeling a mix of emotions.
Grassland men are indeed endearingly straightforward.
pity--
"Your Highness," she took a step back, polite yet firm, "thank you for your kind offer."
Ashina Lie's eyes dimmed for a moment.
"But I can't go with you." Su Yaoyao smiled, a bright and open smile. "The person I like is here."
Ashina Lie remained silent for a moment.
"The Crown Prince?" he asked.
"Um."
"Is he really that good?"
Su Yaoyao thought for a moment and said seriously, "He can be very annoying sometimes. He's jealous, meddlesome, and doesn't seem to care about his own life at all—"
She paused, a smile appearing on her lips that she herself didn't even realize.
"But he is who he is. No one else could do it." She paused.
"All those twists and turns, all those schemes and plots—I stayed not to hide, but to win."
Ashina Lie was stunned.
He looked at the woman before him, dressed in the clothes of a noblewoman of the Great Yong Dynasty, speaking words that a noblewoman of the Great Yong Dynasty would not speak, and with a light in her eyes that he had never seen before.
It's not about being delicate or dependent.
Yes—sober.
"You..." He suddenly laughed, a laugh that was both helpless and admiring, "Su Yaoyao, you're really interesting."
Su Yaoyao smiled as well: "Your Highness, you're not bad either."
Ashina Lie looked at her, then suddenly took a step closer and lowered his voice:
"If one day you change your mind—the gates of the Northern Desert will always be open for you."
Su Yaoyao raised an eyebrow: "Is the Crown Prince cursing me?"
Ashina Lie burst into laughter, his hearty laughter drawing the attention of those around him.
"No, no." He took a step back, his gaze still intense. "I'm just telling you that you deserve a better choice."
Su Yaoyao didn't say anything more, just nodded at him and continued walking forward.
Behind her, Ashina Lie watched her retreating figure and touched his nose.
"That kid... he's really lucky."
---
On the carriage back to the city,
Su Yaoyao leaned against the carriage wall, still thinking about Ashina Lie's words.
The sky is high and the earth is vast, I am free and unrestrained.
That does sound tempting.
But she still liked it here.
Because that person is here.
As the carriage passed the inn of the Xiliang delegation, she subconsciously lifted the curtain and glanced inside.