Miss Truth
Chapter 314 - 198: Brother’s Here to Keep Watch for You

Chapter 314: Chapter 198: Brother’s Here to Keep Watch for You

Ran Yunsheng was startled for a moment before responding, "Mr. Xiao speaks sense."

Soon, footsteps descended the stairs, and a maid announced, "My lord, lunch is ready. Sir invites Mr. Xiao and the Assistant Minister to the banquet hall."

"Alright," Ran Yunsheng agreed, turning to Xiao Song, "Mr. Xiao, we won’t return today until we’re drunk!"

Xiao Song’s laughter was hearty as he stood up with Ran Yunsheng, "I am also fond of the wine in the cup, so there’s no need to urge me to drink!"

The two laughed heartily, yielding to each other as they went downstairs together, heading for the banquet hall.

Inside the hall, Ran Pingyu, Lady Luo, Ran Yan, Ran Meiyu, and Ran Yun had all arrived and were standing at the entrance waiting.

This meal was unprecedentedly difficult to endure. Xiao Song knew Ran Yan was close by him, yet he could not look at her more or speak more, truly feeling uncomfortable all over.

"Assistant Minister Xiao, thank you for saving my life. I toast to you," said Ran Yan, standing up to offer a drink, prompted by a glance from Ran Pingyu.

Listening to her distant and polite words, Xiao Song felt a slight sourness and ache in his heart, yet his face maintained a faintly aloof smile. He lifted the wine cup, letting Ran Yan pour the wine for him.

As if trying to find some connection between them, Xiao Song couldn’t help but say quietly, "Stop drinking."

He handed a cup of fermented milk to Ran Yan.

Ran Yan looked into his eyes, which hinted at a trace of care, and the anger she was suppressing seemed about to burst forth. She gave him a profound look and, without taking the fermented milk, filled her wine cup to the brim and drank it all in one gulp, "Assistant Minister Xiao, if you do not drink to my toast, is it perhaps not sincere enough for you?"

Xiao Song watched her lips, wet from the wine, purse open and closed, his mind a bit muddled, and he threw his head back, finishing the wine in one gulp.

The others watched the scene with puzzled faces. Since they were sitting a little farther apart, they didn’t hear what Xiao Song said but clearly caught Ran Yan’s words, which carried plainly a chill and a slight anger.

Ran Yan continued to pour for him, "The second cup, once again, thank you, Assistant Minister Xiao, for saving my life."

Thinking that most of Ran Yan’s injuries had already healed, Xiao Song didn’t stop her and courteously accepted the remaining two toasts.

Ran Yan returned to her seat and knelt properly while Ran Pingyu let out a slight sigh of relief, preparing to find a time to inquire what exactly was going on with Ran Yan.

The atmosphere soon livened up, but internally, each person’s thoughts were subtle. This was the most difficult meal Xiao Song had ever had with Ran Yan close by; he had to expend a lot of energy to not show any signs of his feelings.

After the banquet, Ran Pingyu personally escorted Xiao Song to the entrance, watching the carriage leave before hurrying back to discuss matters with Ran Yunsheng.

In Ran Pingyu’s view, this was a great opportunity. Xiao Song usually maintained a shallow relationship with every family, but this time, he unexpectedly gave them a chance. As Xiao Song himself said, he was a man of many controversies, with both good and bad aspects hanging on his hook. However, no matter what, Xiao Song and the Xiao Family were definitely worth the risk.

In Chang’an City, especially for a family business of the Ran family’s scale, it was a matter of not advancing meaning retreating. With a merchant’s low status, without a solid backer, even a large fortune of gold and silver could collapse someday. Ran Pingyu had been struggling hard, barely sustaining on the tenuous relationship with the Zheng family of Xingyang. Now that their foundation was laid but Lady Zheng had been dead for many years, and without this intermediary, if they didn’t quickly find a solid patron, they might end up giving all their hard-earned wealth to the nobles.

In the front courtyard study, Ran Pingyu and Ran Yunsheng each knelt on mats less than four feet apart.

After Ran Pingyu shared his thoughts, he asked Ran Yunsheng, "What do you think?"

Ran Yunsheng pondered briefly, then said, "I also think it’s a good opportunity. The Duke has been repeatedly dismissed from office and just as often reinstated, which shows that the Emperor still has great trust in him. The Emperor’s will is unpredictable, and who knows, he might be reinstated one day. Even if not, with Assistant Minister Xiao’s ability and the Xiao family’s support, it’s worth taking a risk for us."

Such opportunities were few.

"Indeed..." Ran Pingyu temporarily set aside the question and instead asked, "I noticed that Assistant Minister Xiao seems to treat Lady Seventeen... or Lady Eighteen a bit differently..."

"Ah yes, Assistant Minister Xiao rushed back to Jushui County without even attending to his official duties. He stayed by Miss Yan’s bedside, watchful and sleepless, for several days," Ran Yunsheng said.

Ran Pingyu was astonished, and after a long moment, he murmured, "I never expected..."

A night without a moon.

The lights of the streets gradually went out, and Chang’an City settled down from the day’s hubbub into silence, occasionally pierced by distant sounds of barking dogs or the crying of children at night.

As the gates of the neighborhood closed, outside a carriage parked in a corner of Anshan Square, the Servant spoke in a hushed, somewhat anxious voice, "My lord, the gates are closed; we will have to sleep on the streets tonight!"

A tall man in a purple robe with a round collar stepped out of the carriage, glanced at the Servant, and said, "I am not worried, so why are you? There are blankets under the seat. If you are cold, take them out and use them."

Without looking back, he walked toward the side gate of the Ran residence, followed silently by dozens of Secret Guards.

It was fortunate that he had a backup plan today; otherwise, he, a man over six feet tall, might indeed die of lovesickness.

Just reaching the vicinity of the side gate, Xiao Song lifted his robe to scale the wall, but from the corner of his eye, he spotted a notably out-of-place figure among the black-clad Secret Guards.

The man was both skinny and tall, like a bamboo pole, standing out amidst a group of sturdy and uniformly tall Secret Guards, like a weed in a field of carrots.

"You there, come out!" Xiao Song commanded in a low voice.

The bamboo pole of a man wobbled, then came forward reluctantly with his head drooping, pulled down his black mask, revealing a face that was not handsome but gaunt. However, the sly and lecherous expression he wore spoiled any semblance of dignity he might have had, "Jiulang’s about to go flower-picking, and here I am, ready to cover for you, brother."

"Liu Qingsong, I’m telling you, if you blow our cover tonight, the first thing I’ll do when I get out is castrate you!" Xiao Song said coldly, then swung himself over the wall.

Dozens of Secret Guards quickly infiltrated the Ran residence following Xiao Song’s strategic orders, clearing the path ahead.

Xiao Song had every reason to be strict, for wherever Liu Qingsong was, unforeseen troubles were bound to arise. Even Xiao Song’s usually confident spirit had to take a hit in Liu Qingsong’s presence.

In the chilly, whistling alleyway, only Liu Qingsong was left behind.

He looked around, seeing no trace of light in the pitch black, then scratched the wall and whispered, "Hey, who’s going to carry me over there!"

But no matter how much he scratched and waited, no one paid him any attention. Liu Qingsong wrapped his sleeves around himself and sniffed his nearly dripping nose, cursing, "Perverts, who decided that Secret Guards must wear such flimsy clothes!"

Liu Qingsong heard the wind howling through the narrow alley like a trapped beast, and with his body stiffened from the cold, he couldn’t help but yearn for the days when he embroidered at the old Lady’s side... At least there, he wouldn’t be freezing, right? Why did he have to come back and suffer like this?

Liu Qingsong looked up just as something icy cold and light gently alighted on his face. He was stunned for a moment, and quickly, more and more snowflakes like fluffy cotton drifted down from the sky.

It was already November, and the first snow in Chang’an...

"Damn this weather!" He had barely managed to escape with Sang Chen’s help for the first time from the devilish clutches, was it easy? Was it?

Within the Ran residence, Xiao Song swiftly moved toward He Ya Inn, his form quick as a shadow. Although he had seen it only once during the day, his superior observational skills and strategic planning made it effortless to find his way there. (To be continued. If you like this work, please go to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)