Chapter 494: It’s Your Own Sleep Talking

Chapter 494: Chapter 494: It’s Your Own Sleep Talking

All eyes fell directly on Lu Shaoyuan.

No matter how brazen he usually was, his face was now beet red.

Lu Shaoyuan glanced at Shen Ningning out of the corner of his eye. He saw that she, too, was staring at him in astonishment.

Mengyi stretched its wings inside its cage and let out a caw, as if in mockery.

The parrot was so scared its eyes were about to roll back into its head.

Ultimately, Mr. Han, at the front of the classroom, was the first to react.

"Lu Scholar! Why is this parrot you brought so vulgar? You let it learn such things all day, and you’re not afraid of getting a beating for bringing it here? Get it out of here at once! Do not disrupt the lesson!"

Mr. Han glared, his eyes fierce and imposing.

Shen Ningning was his star student. How could he allow her to be harassed by a mere bird?

Lu Shaoyuan scrambled to his feet, nearly knocking over his desk.

He hastily grabbed the parrot’s cage and hurried away, his head bowed. As he passed Shen Ningning’s desk, he hesitated, then said awkwardly, "The bird is just spouting nonsense. I don’t know where it heard that. Please, don’t take it to heart."

Shen Ningning quietly looked up, a rosy blush coloring her porcelain-white cheeks. She gave a small nod. "Okay."

Feeling as though he’d been granted a royal pardon, Lu Shaoyuan fled under the stinging glares of his classmates.

Once outside, he collapsed under the shade of a tree and only then realized he was soaked in a cold sweat.

Now that it was out of Mengyi’s range, the parrot was full of life again, hopping and bouncing around.

It began to leap all over the cage, chanting, "I’m saved! I’m saved! Shen Ningning, my love..."

Before it could finish, Lu Shaoyuan slammed his hand against the cage.

"Shut up!" he roared, his handsome face flushed with humiliation.

The parrot flapped its wings, squawking, "Someone’s mad because he’s embarrassed~"

Lu Shaoyuan nearly died of anger.

When he’d had it bought for him, they’d said the bird was brilliant, almost as smart as a person.

Lu Shaoyuan had assumed it was just your typical talking parrot.

He never imagined it would pick up on *that*.

Lu Shaoyuan summoned his study companion and attendants and immediately let loose a torrent of curses.

"Who the hell taught it to say that?!" ’Who voiced my innermost thoughts? Just wait until I get my hands on them!’

The companion, trembling with fear, cautiously glanced up at Lu Shaoyuan several times.

"Young Master, it... it was you. You were talking in your sleep..."

Lu Shaoyuan’s fury died in an instant.

"Me?" The realization dawned, and his face burned an even deeper shade of red.

He paced back and forth in the courtyard, tugging at his collar to cool his sweat-drenched skin.

"This bird is banned from my bedchamber from now on!"

"Don’t wanna go in! Don’t care! I want Shen Ningning! Please like me, Shen Ningning, I’m begging you," the parrot squawked back immediately, hopping around its cage in a frenzy and mimicking his dream-talk in a high-pitched voice.

"You little--!" Lu Shaoyuan raised his foot to kick the cage, but an attendant grabbed his arm.

"Young Master, calm down! Your mother loves this parrot! She likes hearing it say auspicious things and even calls it her little gold nugget!"

The other attendants rushed forward and quickly carried the cage away.

Lu Shaoyuan flicked his sleeve. "Pack my things. I’m leaving the Capital City for a few days."

’This is too humiliating. I need to get away and lay low for a while. I’ll come back when Shen Ningning has more or less forgotten about this.’

’Hmm... three days should be enough, right?’

The news quickly reached Mo Lingwei. For the next few days, he actually managed to find the time to personally escort Shen Ningning to and from the National Academy.

Each time he arrived at the National Academy, the first thing he did was check to see if Lu Shaoyuan was back yet.

Thankfully, Shen Ningning managed to talk him down. Otherwise, Mo Lingwei really would have grabbed Lu Shaoyuan by the collar and demanded to know who taught that blasted bird to say such things!

One day, after escorting Shen Ningning home, it was already dusk.

As his carriage was returning to the Imperial Palace, he came across Chen Shaobei and two members of the Iron Cavalry riding toward him.

They passed each other on the street, and both parties came to a halt.

Mo Lingwei lifted the carriage curtain and eyed the bundle in Chen Shaobei’s hand. "What did you buy? You seem to be in a rush."

Chen Shaobei cleared his throat, his expression slightly uncomfortable.

Though they had grown up together, Mo Lingwei was still the Crown Prince. Chen Shaobei was ever mindful of the formalities between ruler and subject. How could he dare not answer a question from His Highness?

He had no choice but to dismount and report truthfully, "Paper money and other items for a memorial service."

Mo Lingwei’s sharp brows furrowed. "Whose death anniversary?"

Chen Shaobei hesitated for a moment. "Jiang Zhi’s father."

The name Jiang Zhi wasn’t a familiar one, so it took Mo Lingwei a moment to place it.

"Ah, the pretty boy who’s always clinging to Shen Ningning."

Chen Shaobei felt a sense of resignation upon hearing the nickname.

’It seemed that in the Crown Prince’s eyes, any man who got close to Shen Ningning was automatically a bad guy.’

’For instance, Mo Lingwei privately referred to Jiang Zhi as a ’pretty boy’ and Lu Shaoyuan as ’the schemer.’’

Mo Lingwei raised an eyebrow. "You two are that close? You’re even helping him pay respects to his father?"

Chen Shaobei pursed his lips. "Jiang Zhi won first place in the recent barracks tournament. She didn’t want any reward, only asked that I bring her some paper money and white candles."

Mo Lingwei leaned back, perfectly at ease. The light of the setting sun caught his handsome features, revealing a hint of playful mockery in his sharp eyes.

"Don’t forget, Jiang Zhi’s father was the bandit king," Mo Lingwei said. "And don’t you hate those who burn, kill, and plunder more than anyone?"

Chen Shaobei bowed his head slightly. "The bandit king is dead. This is merely a memorial."

Mo Lingwei smiled. "All right, I won’t give you a hard time. Go on, hurry up."

Chen Shaobei cupped his hands in a salute and spurred his horse, departing in a rush.

Mo Lingwei scoffed. "He only ever shows interest in men. Uncle Chen is going to have quite the headache."

By the time Chen Shaobei reached Reed Crossing, Jiang Zhi had already set out several small, homemade dishes on the riverbank.

"My apologies. I ran into the Crown Prince on the road, which caused a delay. I’m not too late, am I?"

Chen Shaobei said as he dismounted, handing the bundle to Jiang Zhi.

Jiang Zhi was immensely grateful. "The timing is perfect. Thank you, General."

Watching her lower her head and carefully arrange the joss paper, Chen Shaobei felt a stir in his heart.

He gazed out over the river. The glittering surface of the water reflected the brilliant orange sun.

The golden sun, about to dip below the horizon, cast a dazzling, fervent glow. The river’s surface looked as if it had been dyed red and brought to a boil. The reeds swayed in the wind, rustling loudly.

"Are you sure you want to hold the service here? According to the customs in the Capital City, memorials for the deceased are held at their gravesite, or before their ancestral tablet."

Jiang Zhi paused in the middle of lighting a white candle, a shadow of sorrow falling over her spirited eyes.

"My father died after he entered the city. The officials back then had him thrown into a mass grave. I don’t know where his remains are. Even if I found the place, I wouldn’t be able to tell his bones from anyone else’s."

"General, do you know the legend from my homeland? It’s said that if a traveler dies far from home, as long as you call their name by the water’s edge, their soul will hear the call and return."

"When I was little, my father would often hold me as he released flower lanterns for my mother by the river. He would call out her name and tell me, ’People like us, born from bandits, are like rootless duckweed. Nowhere is our home, yet everywhere can be our home.’"

"I’m entrusting my longing to this joss paper, and asking the gentle breeze, the reeds, and the river to carry it to my father’s side. I believe he’ll receive it."

Chen Shaobei watched her. A stray lock of black hair by her ear was caught by the breeze. Her face was fair and clean, and he noticed she must have changed into fresh clothes before coming to honor her father.

He averted his cool, steady gaze.

’Jiang Zhi knew that for a man like Chen Shaobei, who had seen so much life and death on the battlefield, believing in souls was probably nonsense.’

But she was still grateful. Chen Shaobei had honored the promise he’d made when she won the tournament, not only buying all the joss paper and white candles for her but even delivering them himself.

Just then, Chen Shaobei put two fingers to his lips and let out a sharp whistle.

From the reeds nearby, one of his personal bodyguards appeared, poling a small skiff toward them.

Jiang Zhi got to her feet, stunned. "General, what is this...?"

Chen Shaobei’s voice was calm, but held a faint, gentle refinement.

"If the river can connect us to the departed, then let’s go out onto the water to release the offerings. Perhaps your father will feel your longing all the sooner."

A tremor went through Jiang Zhi’s heart.

She stared at Chen Shaobei, stunned, as he stepped onto the skiff and turned back to her.

"Aren’t you getting in?"

Jiang Zhi snapped out of her daze of overwhelming surprise and gratitude. "Yes! Right away! Thank you, General!"

She quickly gathered her things. The guard who had brought the skiff helped get her and her belongings safely aboard.

"Hold on tight."

To her surprise, the guard didn’t get on board. Instead, it was Chen Shaobei who picked up the long pole, pushed off from the bank, and guided the skiff with Jiang Zhi down the river.