Chapter 88 Liu Xianyue

Chapter 88: Liu Xianyue

"I've already used..."

"Drink this, it's a bit grainy but good." Cheng Ge set a bowl of mung bean soup in front of Cui Ji, thinking it would help cool his fire.

Cui Ji looked at the mung bean soup but didn't refuse; he lowered his head and slowly took a few sips.

"Cui Ji..."

"Hm."

"Are you still in need of a guard? What do you think of me?" Cheng Ge asked earnestly while eating.

Cui Ji didn't look up and replied, "Not at the moment."

"Oh..." Cheng Ge was a little disappointed, then asked again, "Now that your leg is healed, are you heading back to the border soon?"

Cui Ji paused in his movements, then said calmly, "Yes, I'll leave in a few days."

Hearing this, Cheng Ge felt a hollow feeling in his heart. He stirred his chopsticks in the bowl and said, "Then... can you take me to the border with you?"

Cui Ji finally looked up, his gaze falling on Cheng Ge's face. His fingertips, gripping the porcelain spoon, turned white. "Why?"

Cheng Ge sat up straight, his eyes determined. "I want to be a general!"

Cui Ji was speechless, the breath he'd been holding finally escaping.

"No." Cui Ji firmly refused.

Cheng Ge grew anxious. He quickly stood up, gripping the table and leaning forward. "Why not? I can start as a lowly soldier."

Cui Ji frowned, leaned back to avoid Cheng Ge's proximity, and looked up at him.

"How would you go to battle? By swallowing three thousand life-saving pills beforehand? Or by spitting a mouthful of blood to kill the barbarians?"

Cheng Ge was stumped by that, thinking, That's no fun.

Cheng Ge shot up from his seat. "I'm much better now! The doctor said as long as I don't get too worked up, I'll be fine!"

"Can you kill without getting worked up?" Cui Ji countered.

Cheng Ge silently sat back down, looking a bit deflated, and his eating pace slowed considerably.

"Then do you need any help? I can do anything. I just want to be your workhorse."

Cui Ji chuckled softly, downed the rest of the mung bean soup in one gulp. "I do need someone to warm my bed. Want the job?"

Cheng Ge's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, aren't your concubines enough?"

"I don't like them." Cui Ji averted his gaze, refusing to look at Cheng Ge.

"Huh? You don't like any of them?" Cheng Ge was stunned. "You want to marry the Jade Emperor or what?"

Cui Ji was so speechless he laughed, turning back to look at Cheng Ge.

His eyes happened to land on Cheng Ge's soft lips, and his fingers clenched without thinking.

"Would you like it if they were forced on you?"

Cheng Ge nodded frantically. "Yes! Why wouldn't I?"

Cui Ji felt Cheng Ge was impossible to talk to and turned away, not wanting to engage further.

"Just give them to me, then. I'm gentle and know how to treat someone right," Cheng Ge added.

"Fine, you support them."

"Then forget it."

Cheng Ge took a bite of a red date cake and poured two cups of goji berry tea. "Who gave them to you?"

"The Emperor." Cui Ji wasn't shy about it, glancing at the cup of tea.

"Oh... the Emperor is surprisingly good to you."

"Hmph, he just wants an heir of the Cui family."

"What?" Cheng Ge didn't quite understand, looking up at Cui Ji.

"I'm the last of the direct line of the Cui family. On the battlefield, swords and arrows are indiscriminate—I could die any day. Then there'd be no one from the Cui family to guard the north for him. That must make him anxious and angry."

Cheng Ge was momentarily stunned. "Isn't that just being a hereditary workhorse?"

Then he scanned Cui Ji again. "But I'm afraid the Emperor will be disappointed. The way you are, having a child now might be a bit difficult."

Cui Ji's heart stirred, and he raised an eyebrow at Cheng Ge. "What way am I?"

Cheng Ge stuffed the red date cake into his mouth, his speech slightly muffled. "You know yourself well enough; no need to spell it out. We're both in the same boat."

Cui Ji looked at Cheng Ge for a long time without speaking.

A breeze curled through the window, spinning around the room. Their shadows by the wall flickered and almost overlapped.

Cui Ji's fingers clenched and released. His deep voice rang out again, testing the waters. "Are you saying you're also...?"

Cheng Ge looked at Cui Ji, a shy blush creeping across his face. "You know whether I am or not..."

Cui Ji's gaze flickered. He hadn't expected Cheng Ge to be so straightforward.

For a moment, his heart pounded so hard it felt like it would burst, and even the wind became hot and stifling.

"I..."

Cheng Ge let out a long sigh, picked up the goji berry tea, and drank it in one gulp. "You should see a royal physician too, you know?"

Cui Ji's face clouded, and he frowned. "What physician?"

Cheng Ge said, "For, you know, weak kidneys."

The moment he finished speaking, Cui Ji said nothing, turned around, and slammed the door behind him.

...

After dinner, Cheng Ge played with Dahuang for a bit, then went to Lü Rou's room.

He knocked on the door. Footsteps sounded from inside, and soon the door opened.

Lü Rou saw it was Cheng Ge, took a couple steps back, and lowered her head. "Master Cheng."

Since they were alone together, a man and a woman, Cheng Ge felt embarrassed to go in, so he just stood at the door.

"Has a doctor looked at your injuries?"

Lü Rou nodded gently. "Thank you for your concern, Master Cheng. The doctor already checked on me; it's nothing serious."

Cheng Ge nodded, hesitated, then said, "So before... did you serve Zhang Qinghang?"

Lü Rou lowered her head even further and nodded. "I used to be his maidservant."

Cheng Ge hesitated a moment, then asked, "Have you heard anything lately about the Jiangnan region?"

Lü Rou was silent for a moment, then raised her head. "Master Cheng, what do you want to ask? Feel free to speak directly."

"Did you ever hear Zhang Qinghang mention Cheng Jinxing?"

Lü Rou lowered her eyes in thought, her brows slightly furrowed. After a while, she suddenly looked up. "Is it Cheng Jinxing from Yuanzhou?"

"Yes! Do you know something?" Cheng Ge excitedly grabbed her hand.

Lü Rou looked at Cheng Ge and nodded. "Once, when I was serving in the outer room, I happened to overhear Zhang Qinghang and Zhang Hong mention it.

It seemed to be about selling official positions and disaster relief silver under the table. I was far off and couldn't hear clearly, but I did vaguely catch Cheng Jinxing's name and..."

Cheng Ge's heart tightened. He quickly urged, "What else?"

Lü Rou bit her lip, clearly scared.

Her indenture contract was still held by the Zhang family. If the Zhangs found out she had revealed these things to an outsider, they would beat her to death for sure.

Cheng Ge understood her concern and didn't press further.

He planned to investigate further along these lines later, perhaps to find some evidence. "It's fine, you should get some rest."

Just as he was about to leave, Lü Rou steeled herself: "This matter should have something to do with Liu Xianyue."

Cheng Ge's heart sank sharply; he could hardly believe it.

Liu Xianyue was the current Minister of Personnel, a senior second-rank official with immense power.

Connecting this with what Lü Rou had just said, it was very likely that Liu Xianyue was involved in the trading of official positions and the Yuanzhou disaster relief silver.

If that were the case, the web of people involved in this matter was incredibly vast.

This was getting really deep...

...

Three days later, Cheng Ge furtively knocked on Lü Rou's door.

The door opened. When Lü Rou saw it was him, she was a bit surprised. "Master Cheng?"

Cheng Ge made a shushing gesture, and he slipped inside with his dog. Lowering his voice, he said, "Cousin, can you do me a favor?"

Lü Rou didn't even ask what it was and immediately agreed. "Okay."

However...

Lü Rou looked at the crabapple red dress before her and instantly fell into thought. She looked up at Cheng Ge uncertainly.

"Master Cheng? Are you sure you want to wear... this?"

"Hohoho, my little darlings, show some love with a like, and send some gifts, okay~"