Chapter 974

What surprised Xue Lingjun was that Hu Xiaotian didn't dodge or avoid, letting her splash the half cup of wine all over his face, which actually wasn't much. This kid always does things unexpectedly; Xue Lingjun's anger that he had provoked was now gone up in smoke, and not only gone but she even felt a little bit guilty, since clearly she had set the trap first, after Hu Xiaotian saw through it, he successfully provoked her anger again, the situation completely under Hu Xiaotian's control; in their first clash after reuniting, Xue Lingjun can be said to have been completely outmatched.

After being splashed, Hu Xiaotian still wore a grin, as if it weren't him who got splashed; he stuck out his tongue to lick the wine stain at the corner of his mouth, smacked his lips, and said: 'Fragrant, really fragrant!'

Looking at Hu Xiaotian's appearance, Xue Lingjun felt truly bewildered; this kid's behavior was basically that of a veteran in love, yet when they were in Yongdu, she had once had her personal maid Jian Ping test him, and even personally bathed him; Jian Ping swore to her that Hu Xiaotian was a genuine eunuch, utterly lacking any descendants, but later news from Dakang said Hu Xiaotian was a false eunuch, and afterwards Hu Xiaotian even got engaged to the Yongyang Princess, becoming the future prince consort of Dakang, which made Xue Lingjun truly doubtful; logically, Laohuangdi would never marry his own granddaughter to a eunuch, could he really be so heartless as to push his own granddaughter into a pit of fire? Yet how could one know about political affairs? For their own interests, which monarch would truly consider family ties?

Xue Lingjun said with a flower‑like smile, 'Not a single word you say is true.' As she spoke she lifted the wine jug and filled Hu Xiaotian's cup before him, indirectly expressing her apology for just splashing him.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'I have no deceit toward you, elder sister.' He raised his cup, took a half‑sip, then handed it to Xue Lingjun and said, 'This wine tastes a bit off; elder sister, did you put poison in it?'

Xue Lingjun gave him a meaningful look; with her wit she could not miss this slippery fellow's intent—tit for tat. Just now she had splashed him with half a cup of leftover wine; now he was forcing her to drink the half he had left, a kind of instant retribution. She could have refused, but then thought that refusing would be admitting defeat; seeing Hu Xiaotian's provocative gaze, she smiled faintly, took the cup he offered, drained it in one gulp, and said softly, 'There's nothing wrong with the wine; you're overthinking.'

Hu Xiaotian wore a wicked grin; whether Xue Lingjun drank this leftover wine or not, it amounted to him gaining the upper hand—no matter that you are the Yongyang Princess of Da Yong, meeting me Hu Xiaotian you can only bow your head. He deliberately said, 'I suddenly thought of something: elder sister, did you bring Jian Ping with you this time?' He was deliberately bringing up Jian Ping. Knowing Xue Lingjun had previously sent Jian Ping to test him, while he had tricked Jian Ping with the Yin‑Yang shrinkage technique, even someone as clever as Xue Lingjun would surely be muddled.

Xue Lingjun laughed, 'You miss that girl? Actually I already saw in Da Yong that you liked her; I was going to give her to you then, but you politely refused. What, now you're thinking of her good points again?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Jian Ping's massage technique is really good; recalling the scene last time when she attended to my bath feels like it was just yesterday.'

Xue Lingjun's beautiful eyes shifted as she said, 'Actually everything she knows I taught her.' Clearly she was hinting to Hu Xiaotian that whatever Jian Ping can do, I can do as well, and if I did it I would surely be even more thorough.

Hu Xiaotian laughed, 'If I get the chance I really want to give it a good try.' His naked gaze locked onto Xue Lingjun, without the slightest restraint.

Hu Xiaotian sighed, 'Is being a prince consort really good? I've heard that prince consorts either suffer abuse or die young…' These words slipped out unintentionally, yet they struck a sore spot in Xue Lingjun; as the Yongyang Princess of Da Yong, she had once married the Da Yong talent Hong Xinglian, who fell violently ill and died less than three months after their wedding, and within half a year his parents and brothers all died one after another; from then on, Xue Lingjun's reputation as a husband‑killer spread far and wide, a generation's bewitching beauty was actually regarded by the whole nation as a flood and ferocious beast; even those who admired her dared only to gaze from afar, not to approach.

Xue Lingjun's hazy gaze gradually cleared, her expression becoming composed and noble, no longer the wanton allure of before; she picked up the wine jug and filled the two empty cups, then said softly, 'My second imperial brother has arrived!'

Hu Xiaotian feigned delight, 'Big brother has come; I ought to go pay my respects.'

Xue Lingjun said, 'He's been very busy these two days; I'm afraid he won't have time to see you.'

Hu Xiaotian asked, 'Are you going to meet Li Tianheng?'

Xue Lingjun smiled, 'I don't know anything about his affairs either.'

Hu Xiaotian raised his cup and clinked it against hers, saying, 'Da Yong really gave the Li family face this time, actually sending the Prince of Yan and the Yongyang Princess, two big shots, over to celebrate his birthday.'

Xue Lingjun said, 'Li Tianheng is after all a regional hegemon; relying on the benefits of Xichuan, the current strength of Xichuan in every aspect is probably far greater than that of Dakang.'

Hu Xiaotian, who had been bringing the cup to his lips, paused and said disdainfully, 'Li Tianheng is still a subject of Dakang, and Xichuan is still Dakang's land; elder sister, don't you know this fact known to all under heaven?'

Xue Lingjun said, 'What I've heard is that Li Tianheng has carved out his own domain, and now Xichuan has clearly drawn a line with Dakang.'

Hu Xiaotian laughed, 'Elder sister, what brings you here this time?'

Xue Lingjun said, 'I've heard Xichuan's mountains and waters are beautiful, so I specially came along with my second brother to tour; however, this time my second brother comes bearing an important mission.'

Hu Xiaotian asked, 'Isn't it to celebrate the birthday?'

Xue Lingjun said, 'It seems to be about discussing an alliance with Xichuan.' She deliberately dropped this news to gauge Hu Xiaotian's reaction.

Hu Xiaotian's expression was calm: 'If we had thought of this earlier it would have been right; an alliance is good, everyone should live in harmony within the alliance, best would be to make the whole Central Plains a single entity, establishing a confederate republic—that would be ideal; why waste time in conflict and slaughter?'

Xue Lingjun stared at Hu Xiaotian, somewhat startled: 'A confederate republic? What is that? I've never heard of such a thing.'

Hu Xiaotian thought, even if I told you you wouldn't understand; Da Yong this time sent an envoy ostensibly to celebrate the birthday, but actually to ally with Xichuan—its intention is obvious. If Da Yong truly could ally with Xichuan, Dakang would face a situation of being attacked from front and rear, and its demise would not be far off. However, Li Tianheng probably isn't that foolish; the Da Yong emperor Xue Shengkang harbors great ambition, his aspirations certainly aren't limited to simply annexing Dakang's territory; after destroying Dakang, his next target might well be Xichuan. Hu Xiaotian said, 'The Li family has plenty of daughters.'

Xue Lingjun was stunned when he suddenly blurted that out, then immediately understood his meaning; she giggled, her beautiful eyes flashing, and said, 'I've heard you had a marriage pact with the Li family's little daughter Li Wuyou?'

Hu Xiaotian said calmly, 'That's an old almanac.'

Xue Lingjun said, 'Water flows downhill, people climb upward; you're so clever you certainly understand your own choice—marrying a princess to become a prince consort is naturally far more imposing.'

Hu Xiaotian sighed, 'Is being a prince consort really good? I've heard that prince consorts either suffer abuse or die young…' These words slipped out unintentionally, yet they struck a sore spot in Xue Lingjun; as the Yongyang Princess of Da Yong, she had once married the Da Yong talent Hong Xinglian, who fell violently ill and died less than three months after their wedding, and within half a year his parents and brothers all died one after another; from then on, Xue Lingjun's reputation as a husband‑killer spread far and wide, a generation's bewitching beauty was actually regarded by the whole nation as a flood and ferocious beast; even those who admired her dared only to gaze from afar, not to approach.

Xue Lingjun could bear it no longer, gritted her teeth and snapped, 'Hu Xiaotian, you really are a little brat!'

Hu Xiaotian had indeed been unintentional just now, never expecting his offhand remark to hit Xue Lingjun's sore spot; he laughed, 'Elder sister, why bother to match wits with me? I am merely at fault through carelessness.'

Xue Lingjun said, 'You did it on purpose.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'It's getting late; I'll see you home, elder sister.'

Xue Lingjun stood up angrily and exclaimed, 'Check, please!'

Hu Xiaotian laughed, 'Today I'm the host, so I ought to take care of the bill.'

At that moment the little waiter came running over, grinning, and said, 'Sir, your bill has already been settled.'

Hu Xiaotian felt a bit curious; thinking about it, it must have been settled when Huoge left—this sworn brother of his is fairly generous, perhaps he did it out of respect for Xue Lingjun.

Xue Lingjun huffed onto the carriage, shut the door, then pulled back the curtain, revealing a face so beautiful it could kill, and hooked a finger at Hu Xiaotian, saying, 'Come up!'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'I'd rather escort you on horseback…'

'If I tell you to come up, you come up—cut the nonsense!'

The few warriors waiting on the side couldn't help but smile; Hu Xiaotian helplessly shook his head, handed the little grey horse to Liang Yinghao, opened the carriage door and climbed in.

The carriage interior was mainly pink, giving it a lovely, romantic air—clearly meant for a woman; a faint fragrance pervaded the cabin, coming from Xue Lingjun herself. Hu Xiaotian observed propriety as best he could, keeping roughly two fists' distance to her left.

Xue Lingjun glanced at the space between them, saw the gap, and a faint smile touched her lips; she shifted her hips slightly, closing the gap, and a waft of fragrance drew near to Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian chuckled inwardly, employing a 'catch and release' tactic—could you really not see through such a simple ploy? Xue Lingjun, Xue Lingjun, since you insist on sparring with me, I won't hold back; I won't let a freebie delivered to my door go untaken.

Xue Lingjun sized up Hu Xiaotian at close range; judging by her understanding of men, only a eunuch could truly sit with a woman in his arms without being stirred, and no matter how deeply one hides it, the ** in one's eyes cannot be concealed.

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