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"Thank heavens, I didn’t run into anyone I know, thank heavens!" Xia Zheng prayed all along the way, and just when he was about to reach the back door of the General Mansion, he suddenly heard the sound of hoofbeats getting closer from afar.

What astonished him even more was that, along with the slowly approaching hoofbeats, he could also hear an even more familiar voice speaking.

"I’m telling you, Little White Rabbit, is it really appropriate for us to go looking for Xia Zheng so late? What if General Xia discovers us? That wouldn’t be a laughing matter!" As soon as he mentioned General Xia, Su Tianrui’s neck shrank uncontrollably.

Zhao Hongde chuckled softly and asked, "What now? I knew our enemies are more afraid of my uncle, but I didn’t expect you to be so scared of him too!"

The mere mention of it almost made Su Tianrui’s eyes pop out: "Scared? I’m not just scared—I’m terrified!"

Grinding his teeth, Su Tianrui tightened the reins and said with lingering fear, "Have you forgotten? That year you and Xia Zheng played a prank on the Second Prince and drove the Great General mad; he chased Xia Zheng around the yard, wielding that big saber! You don’t know, since that day, I’ve dreamt about him every night.

One time, I even dreamt that he was chasing me with his saber.

Oh boy, it scared me so much that when I woke up, I was drenched as if I’d been fished out of water! "

Unable to help himself, Su Tianrui shuddered, as if he was back to witnessing the scene a few years back when Xia Zheng was "hunted" by his father.

Zhao Hongde shook his head, amused, and was about to say something when he spotted something pink moving stealthily towards a concealed spot at the street corner.

He tensed up, alert, and made a subtle gesture to Su Tianrui.

Having known Zhao Hongde for many years, the two understood each other’s thoughts with just a glance.

Su Tianrui shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and continued to blabber on, as they both quietly squeezed their horses’ bellies, slowly closing in on the pink figure.

Tip-toeing at the corner of the street, Xia Zheng looked around warily and only when the voices of Zhao Hongde and Su Tianrui seemed to fade away did he finally breathe a sigh of relief, pulling his wide-brimmed hat up a bit.

"Oh my, I was scared to death! Why am I so unlucky to have these two guys at my place? Really, they should be at home sleeping instead of wandering around at this time of night!"

"Exactly, why aren’t you staying at home at this time of night instead of wandering around?"

Before Xia Zheng could finish his complaint, he heard the cunning laughter of a familiar voice suddenly behind him. He jolted as if every pore on his body open up, and he felt a cold draft shoot right through him, freezing him to the point where his blood felt solid.

No, no, I can’t admit it, I’d rather die than admit it!

Xia Zheng pulled his wide-brimmed hat down tightly, hiding his entire face in it, and even wrapped his shawl tightly around himself.

Just behind Xia Zheng were Su Tianrui and Zhao Hongde.

Seeing the pink-clad person in front of them not saying a word, Zhao Hongde held back his laughter and said to Su Tianrui, "You shouldn’t be asking him why he isn’t at home at this late hour, but why he isn’t in the ancestral hall where he should be."

"Right, it should be the ancestral hall!" Su Tianrui chuckled and winked at Zhao Hongde.

Hiding under the wide hat, Xia Zheng was frustrated and anxious; even though he was wrapped up so tightly that not even his face was visible, how did these two still manage to discover him?

"Come on, turn around. What’s the point of hiding, as if we don’t know you!" Su Tianrui flipped his eyelids, reaching out to pull him.

Since he was already exposed, Xia Zheng gave up pretense and pushed Su Tianrui’s hand away, turned around in a self-sacrificing manner, and said huffily, "Turn around then, turn around! Who’s hiding anyway!"

Before, seeing only his back, Zhao Hongde and Su Tianrui didn’t react too much. Now as Xia Zheng showed his true face, they both widened their eyes in shock as if they had seen a great monster.

Pfft!

As he watched the two struggling to hold back their laughter, their faces turning almost green, Xia Zheng’s mouth twitched and he rolled his eyes, "If you want to laugh, just laugh. Haven’t you ever seen someone so enchanting?"

Haha.

Finally, Su Tianrui couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing, clutching his stomach.

Even the usually composed Zhao Hongde turned away, shoulders shaking with laughter.

Xia Zheng’s eyelids began to twitch too, but since there were no outsiders around, he let it be—if these two saw him, so be it. It wasn’t the first embarrassing incident among the three of them.

However, he was genuinely puzzled—he was wrapped up like this, and yet these two guys still recognized him?

Upon hearing Xia Zheng’s question, Su Tianrui looked disgusted and immediately went into full-on disdain mode, turning his body around and pointing out his faults from head to toe.

"Look at you, you think I couldn’t recognize you just because you wrapped a shawl around yourself?

Let me tell you, I could identify you even if you turned to ash.

Look, look! Your big buttocks, and this waist—no, you don’t have a waist. Your figure is like a water bucket; I could tell it’s you even with my eyes closed!

Oh my, and this red hat with a pink shawl, who matched these vulgar colors for you?

This taste, I doubt if they even belong to the Capital City! "

"Stop!"

Before Su Tianrui could finish his tirade, Xia Zheng waved his hands to interrupt him, "You’re the one who’s a water bucket!"

After saying that, he turned to Zhao Hongde, who was still snickering, and huffed indignantly, "Hey, this guy is doubting your younger sister’s taste! If her taste is problematic, I don’t think you, as her older brother, are any better!"

Before Zhao Hongde could respond, Su Tianrui was already stunned.

He looked at Zhao Hongde, then at Xia Zheng, pointing at the pink shawl and the red wide-brimmed hat, stumbling over his words, "This, this is what your sweetheart matched for you?

Oh my, Xia Zheng, what kind of person did you find?

No wonder she fell for you; her taste is so poor! "

Smack!

Xia Zheng slapped Su Tianrui on the forehead without giving him a chance to dodge, "Having poor taste because she chose me? Then are all the maidens in the Capital City blind?"

With that, Su Tianrui was at a loss whether to agree or disagree. If he disagreed, it was like slapping his own face, but if he agreed, wouldn’t it imply that his own little sister was blind as well? His sister Su Qiuyu’s affections for Xia Zheng were known throughout the entire Capital City!

Seeing that Su Tianrui was at a loss for words, Xia Zheng triumphantly raised an eyebrow, no longer feeling embarrassed about wearing pink clothes.

Zhao Hongde quickly changed the subject, "There’s a banquet in the palace on the fifteenth, are you going?"

Remembering how Xia Zheng had sneaked out of last year’s lantern festival on the fifteenth of the first month, Zhao Hongde couldn’t help but inquire of him late at night.

The fifteenth of the first month was when he was supposed to meet with Lin Yuan to watch the lanterns; banquets in the palace just had to move aside.

But, if they found out about the lanterns, he wouldn’t be able to see them.

"Go? Of course, I have to go!"

That’s settled then. Su Tianrui’s eyes shifted; now at last, he could explain it to his little sister.