After the rebels slaughtered all of the common people in the city, they killed themselves with their own swords, leaving curses one after another before they went. In the next life, they would be born as hungry wolves and tigers, and kill the royal family and all the dog officials. Some of the rebels who slit the throats of the common people but not their own were captured alive by the Yan army, and tremblingly confessed the matter to Gao Lin.

“It’s also possible that in their next lives, the world will be stable,” Liu Xian’an said slowly. “Piles of beautiful clothing everywhere, a surplus of pearls and silk clothing in every household. There is also cured wine, chicken, and pork in the village houses, and the fragrance of rice and flowers spreads ten li away. Anyone who goes there can ask for a meal. So there is no need to have hatred anymore, no need to be a wolf or a tiger, they can just be peaceful people in peaceful times.”

Peaceful people in peaceful times. Gao Lin was rough and accustomed to life, but at this time, for some reason, these words suddenly hit his heart. With a lump in his throat, he quickly found an excuse to slip away elsewhere and ponder the good old days of peace and prosperity.

It took the soldiers two full days to bury all the corpses of the common people, and Qingyang City was almost emptied. Liang Shu did not escort Lu Xiang back to Wangcheng. Instead, he took him to continue westward, locked in an improvised prison cart, to see the devastation of the surrounding fields with his own eyes.

The noontime autumn sun was still so hot that people became dehydrated. From Lu Xiang’s birth until now, when had he ever suffered such crimes? He knew that this was a lynching that violated the laws of Dayan, but had no courage to object, because he knew that Liang Shu really would dare to kill him before the emperor issued the order.

That was a lofty, cruel, and violent lunatic.

. . . . . .

Liu Xian’an pressed Liang Shu’s head down: “Don’t move.”

As of late, when he was resting at night, he often came to give Liang Shu acupuncture. The soldiers around him were all moved, and lamented that His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was so ill that he looked like a hedgehog, yet he still had to march day and night. He really worked hard.

Liang Shu also felt that he worked very hard. From the head, all the way to the shoulders and neck, he couldn’t move. He looked like a half-carved wooden man who could only sit upright, a tingling sensation running down his back from time to time. Under the guise of passing by, Gao Lin looked back and forth three or four times, and at last found a time when Liu Xian’an was not around, trotting all the way over to ask: “Your Highness, do you want me to think of an excuse for you to slip away early tonight?”

Liang Shu’s face was also pierced with needles. He haughtily and stiffly spat out a sentence: “No need.”

Was it true or false that there was no need? Gao Lin was still worried. If it were before, he would not have such doubts. After all, everyone in the palace knew that when His Royal Highness Xiao Wang saw an acupuncture doctor, it was as if seeing a ghost. If he could be willing to sit there honestly and get stabbed, it must be because it really worked. But it was different now. Now, his prince was full of shameful thoughts, and Lieutenant General Gao felt that he had the responsibility to ask clearly whether this was treating a disease or losing one’s head over lust, lest the battle be imminent and the commander be unable to do his job properly after being pricked numb.

Liang Shu said: “Scram.”

Gao Lin didn’t scram. Not only did he not scram, but he also sat down and continued to make trouble. Liang Shu didn’t feel much pain at first, but when he saw this person standing before his eyes like a pillar, he immediately felt uncomfortable everywhere. Seeing that a second “scram” was already on his lips, Gao Lin interjected in a timely manner: “I have observed the past few days, and I feel that Second Young Master Liu is also very concerned about the prince.”

Liang Shu grudgingly said “En,” and decided to give him a few more chances to spit out ivory.

But facts proved that Gao Lin’s ivory quantity was not much, and after saying “very concerned,” he immediately turned the topic to military affairs and war. Even the half-dead Lu Xiang in the prison cart was carried out by him, and all the forces in the dynasty were carefully analyzed for a long time. Liang Shu really didn’t want to listen, but he had to, so he could only brace himself and deal with it. In the end,  Second Young Master Liu turned back in time, and only then did His Royal Highness Xiao Wang’s ears quiet down for a moment.

Liu Xian’an set down the things in his hands: “What are you talking about, Your Highness?”

Liang Shu said: “War.”

Liu Xian’an felt that he needed to have a talk with Gao Lin. In the future, it would be best to keep talk of war to the daytime, lest all the needles for calming nerves be in vain. Liang Shu sat on the soft stool and let him remove the needles from his head one by one. He also didn’t know if it was truly effective, if the medicinal scent of the other party’s sleeves was too good-smelling, or if his hands were too beautiful, but in short, the headache that Gao Lin’s mouth gave birth to just now really did go away. Instead, there was a sort of relaxed fatigue that seemed to make him float, and he could immediately go to sleep if he closed his eyes.

Liu Xian’an put away the silver needles and watched Liang Shu lie down before returning to the other side of camp. A-Ning poured hot water for him to wash and said: “It’s getting colder and colder these days.”

“The terrain of Sanshui City is high, so it will be colder,” Liu Xian’an said. “Divide the cold proofing medicinal materials prepared before into small packets, so that they can be used at any time. I will prepare the prince’s portion myself.”

“Okay.” A-Ning said with a smile, “Young Master, I’ve found that your relationship with the prince is getting closer. Uncle Li, who raises horses, said today that he has never seen anyone who dared to hold the prince’s head and put needles in it. Everyone admires you very much.”

“I’m a doctor.” Liu Xian’an sat by the fire. “However, the prince has been thinking too much recently, and he has been tense and unable to relax. Relying on medicine and acupuncture can treat the symptoms, but not the root cause.”

“If you think too much about heart disease, you need heart disease medicine.” A-Ning propped up his cheeks. “It’s best to find some good events to make the prince happy, so that he’s not always thinking about the war.”

The words were correct, but in these stormy marching hours, with rebels ahead and refugees behind and Baihe still leaking water like a sieve from time to time, not to mention finding a happy event that could enter His Royal Highness Xiao Wang’s eyes, even just finding one family holding a wedding banquet was harder than climbing to heaven.

A-Ning offered to undertake the task: “I’ll ask Lieutenant General Gao! He has been staying in the northwest for so many years, so he must know the prince’s preferences better than we do.” Having said this, he stood up and tiptoed over to look into the distance. Gao Lin happened to be talking to someone, so he trotted over immediately.

“Just in time.” Gao Lin pointed. “A pheasant is roasting over there, do you want to eat some?”

“I won’t eat, I came here to ask something,” A-Ning said. “What does the prince usually like?”

Gao Lin immediately sobered up a bit. Wait a moment, why did you come over to ask this for no reason? Combined with his prince’s unspeakable dream……he grabbed A-Ning’s arm and asked in a whisper: “Is it your family’s young master who wants to know?”

A-Ning was thoroughly confused by his excitement and eagerness: “Yes, it’s my family’s young master who wants to know.”

Gao Lin said: “Good, good, good, very good.”

A-Ning was more and more puzzled. Why was it so good?

Gao Lin was inexperienced in matchmaking, far less proficient in this than in killing people. Facing the red string that came out with great difficulty from his prince, he didn’t dare to say a word, for fear of messing it up, so he tried to put it off: “I have to think about it.”

A-Ning was greatly shocked. Think about it?

Gao Lin resolutely explained that the prince was usually busy with war and rarely revealed his personal preferences, and Gao Lin himself was careless, so he had to recall carefully.

A-Ning returned to his young master and relayed these words to him, saying: “I don’t know why, but Lieutenant General Gao seemed very happy.”

Liu Xian’an didn’t understand either. What was there to be happy about? The master and servant murmured together for a long time, and finally came to the conclusion that he was probably happy about something else.

And Gao Lin was still feeling emotional at this time. He had thought it was his prince’s own wishful thinking and unrequited love, but he never expected that there would now be signs of mutual affection, what a great story, ah! He would have reported the good news at once, but the soldiers told him that the prince had already drank a bowl of calming soup and gone to bed, so he had no choice but to hold back his words. He couldn’t sleep the whole night, and the next day, he ran around energetically with dark circles beneath his eyes.

Liang Shu said: “Have you been cursed, or were you beaten?”

Gao Lin had an unfathomable expression on his face, and after finishing his report on military affairs, he approached mysteriously: “Your Highness, there is a happy event.”

His breath fell on his neck when he spoke, raising goosebumps all over Liang Shu’s body. He said in a panic: “Stand up straight and speak loudly.”

Gao Lin said: “This matter must not be spoken of loudly.”

Liang Shu frowned: “What kind of happy event cannot be spoken of loudly?”

Gao Lin cleared his throat. This is what you asked me to speak of loudly, ah! So he raised his voice and said: “Last night, Second Young Master Liu sent A-Ning to come to me and ask what  the prince – cough, cough, cough!”

Before he could finish speaking, Liang Shu grabbed his collar and dragged him to a secluded place. A generation of famous generals almost died on the spot, and he was forced to say: “He asked what?”

Gao Lin suffered such an unearned disaster and said with his last breath: “He asked what the prince likes.”

Liang Shu’s eyebrows twitched slightly: “Oh?”

Gao Lin firmly grasped the moment to take a breath, and after recounting what A-Ning asked him in detail, he said: “I thought about it carefully. A-Ning went back and joined the Second Young Master again, and they talked for a long time. They must have been talking about the prince.”

Liang Shu said calmly: “Why ask this?”

Although Gao Lin was a bachelor, he knew what should be done: “Naturally because of concern.” This kind of inference was very reasonable, ah. If someone didn’t care or have affection, why would they care about what someone else liked?

Liang Shu was in a good mood.

“Then how should I answer?” Gao Lin was still pondering this. “I can’t honestly tell Second Young Master Liu that the prince likes to hunt wolves in the desert, right? That sounds too much like looking for trouble. I saw when the matchmakers in Yueya City were proclaiming marriages to old bachelors, everyone knew that the crooked melons and split dates^[1] were painted with a layer of glossy varnish, praising them up to the sky.”

But there was no way to say he liked poems, songs, instruments, chess, or calligraphy and painting. The slightest mistake would expose him, which would be even more embarrassing.

Gao Lin didn’t usually think about it, but now that he listed them out, only then did he realize that his prince was so ignorant.

He suggested, I have a xun here, why not learn to play it now, at least it is an instrument, and playing songs about homesickness in the northwest sounds very lonely and tragic, which is very moving.

Liang Shu said: “So you feel that at this time, this lord can spare an hour every day to go to a deserted place eighteen li away and learn to play the xun by himself?”

Gao Lin: “……Then we can think up something else.”

Nothing that required learning, nothing cruel, nothing shameful, nothing revealing.

With great difficulty, they landed on the same thing.

A-Ning ran to find his young master: “Lieutenant General Gao came looking for me just now.” He was almost out of breath. “He said that when the prince was in the northwest, he liked to go to the depths of the desert to view the stars and sky.”

This was a “hobby” that Gao Lin thought up after almost digging out his brain. It was a simple one. Almost everybody would look up at the sky, and it had the same lofty loneliness of playing the xun. Also, one did not just look up at the sky, but it must be accompanied by some thinking, didn’t this immediately raise his quality? Speaking or not speaking, he looked like a romantic poet, fundamentally different from desert ruffians who liked to beat wolves.

Sure enough, Liu Xian’an was also moved, and thought of the northwest described by the poets, with its vast expanses and sea of stars.

This was not a desert, but there were equally beautiful places to view stars. So he approached Liang Shu and offered an invitation: “If the prince suffers from insomnia in the middle of the night again, he can come look at the stars with me.”

Liang Shu said in a dignified way: “All right.”

Then he lost sleep that night.

Although Liu Xian’an was called out from under his blanket, he was not angry, as he could sleep during the day or at night. He just wondered, didn’t the sleep medication work just fine a few days ago? Why did it fail tonight?

Liang Shu placed the man on Xuan Jiao’s back and took him into the wilderness.

They looked at the stars.

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[1] “Crooked melons and split dates” are people who are deficient in some way. ⮐

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Chapter Forty-One << Table of Contents >> Chapter Forty-Three

Four years later, at the turn of spring and summer, Zhao Xuan passed away.

Although his life had been recovered after the assassination, the injury was deep-rooted, and he required medicinal concoctions every day to maintain his health.

Since the crown prince was young, he could only continue to be diligent regarding politics, on his feet early in the early morning and allowing himself no rest until late at night. His health went from bad to worse, and when he finally fell ill a month ago, medicine was ineffective.

Lying on the hospital bed, Zhao Xuan still did not forget state affairs, convening with ministers to discuss policies that benefited the country and the common people every day, and rarely mentioned his own affairs.

He only said a thing or two in front of people close to him.

On this day, Zhao Xuan intentionally kept Zhao Yelan and Yan Mingting behind. After first discussing border issues with Yan Mingting, he coughed loudly and gave a wan smile: “No need to be so sad. You blocked an arrow for me before and saved my life, allowing me to live for so many years…..perhaps this is my fate, and I would have this result sooner or later.”

Zhao Yelan frowned.

“It is said that before death, a person will constantly recall his own life.” The corners of Zhao Xuan’s mouth twitched. “I’ve thought for a long time, and found that my memory is only clear after getting to know you. I don’t want to remember earlier things, they are all unbearable memories. What happened after, I don’t want to think about too closely. I feel that I was gradually addicted to the power struggle, and even nearly lost a friend who had been with me for many years.”

Zhao Yelan turned his face away. Yan Mingting walked up to him and pulled his head against his chest, patting him lightly.

Zhao Xuan looked at them and smiled. Many things were difficult to see through the fog, and you would only notice them once you were out of the game. If these two people were not in harmony, or either one of them had a rebellious heart, his country would be in chaos again. 

At this time, Sun Muyun brought the crown prince to visit. The prince was cute and clever, with a personality more stable than his age, perhaps because of the temperaments of his father and Grand Tutor. But facing his mother concubine and the General, he became a little mischievous and naughty.

Zhao Xuan touched the crown prince’s head, smiled, and said with some difficulty: “From now on, this child will be handed over to you. Please help me take care of him for a few more years.”

Zhao Yelan looked at him and seemed to know what his intentions were. He said: “This is a large matter, it had best be discussed with the other ministers……”

“No need, I’ve made up my mind. It’s just a waste of words to discuss it with them, they’re only staring at the throne under me.” Zhao Xuan coughed a few times. “Let this matter go, I only trust you now. If he’s a good-for-nothing, you must teach him a lesson for me. If he’s not cut out for it, you can replace him if you want, but I hope you can treat this mother and child kindly……”

The next day, Zhao Xuan was in good spirits and made a rare appearance at morning court. This time, he only spoke of his own affairs and nothing else, addressing the Imperial mausoleum and the specifications for the funeral.

However, in the end, he announced a decision that shocked everyone.

—Zhao Yelan was to be promoted as Regent, temporarily acting in the crown prince’s stead to handle state affairs.

This move undoubtedly set off a huge wave of public opinion among the court and the people.

There were few heirs in the harem. Other than the crown prince, there were only two princesses, all by Sun Muyun. After Zhao Xuan’s death, the throne would naturally be in the pockets of those people with aspirations.

Now Zhao Yelan, who was not part of the royal family, was given the post of Regent. It was tantamount to handing over the country to others, not to mention that Zhao Yelan was not one who was content to be idle. Who could be given this huge power and not be tempted?

However, Zhao Xuan did his best to resist all the arguments, and after proclaiming his Imperial decree, he went to the harem and had lunch with Sun Muyun. Then he took a nap in bed that afternoon, and never woke up again.

After the national funeral was held, Zhao Yelan took the seat of Regent in an orderly manner. The Crown Prince ascended the throne, and there was a chair for one of high status placed at the front of the throne room, which was Zhao Yelan’s seat.

Everyone was a bit unresponsive at first, looking at Zhao Yelan and then looking at each other. It was Yan Mingting who spoke first, asking if the Regent could organize the surplus soldiers in the capital into the Imperial Guard.

Kan Chuan then asked how the vacant official positions should be filled.

Seeing this, the other people could only slowly adapt.

The most comfortable was Yan Mingting. Usually, coming to morning court was the thing he disliked the most. He would get up early and return just in time to go to the Imperial Academy, so the two of them could only see each other at night.

Now it was different, and they could get up early together and go home together.

He stared intently at the person who was sitting at the front of the hall at this moment. His demeanor was natural and poised, quite dignified, and he remained calm in the face of other people’s difficulties. It was really hard to think that just half an hour ago, this fellow was still lying in bed, closing his eyes through the whole process of getting ready entirely through Yan Mingting’s help. He didn’t even want to walk, lying lazily on top of him and scolding him for not letting him sleep more.

Whether it was the Zhao Yelan who was willful and unbridled, or the Zhao Yelan who was lazy and coquettish, only he, Yan Mingting, could see it.

It took more than three months for Zhao Yelan to make the ministers surrender, and he also asked Yan Mingting to send troops to frighten the vassal kings who were starting to move around. Thus, he was firmly seated, and the court returned to calm.

However, there was controversy amongst the public.

Rumors came from an unknown source, saying that Zhao Yelan had wolfish ambition and coaxed the little emperor every day in order to replace him without needing a single soldier!

Yan Mingting found out as soon as the rumor spread. After all, he was now more free than Zhao Yelan.

He didn’t let the news reach Zhao Yelan’s ears, and didn’t believe that Zhao Yelan would replace the crown prince at all, but there was one thing that he kept in mind.

At night, after the two had finished enjoying themselves, Yan Mingting tapped his finger on the bridge of his nose and finally restrained himself enough to ask: “Why did Zhao Xuan ask you to be the Regent? It isn’t that his royal family has no other children. He has a fifth younger brother to the south, so it shouldn’t be your turn, ba.”

Zhao Yelan glanced at him and said: “You pig brain, no matter how distant the children of other clans of the royal family are, they have the same blood, and it would be even more difficult to compete for the throne. If there were to be a legitimate reason, then the country left for the little emperor would be taken away by others.”

“He wasn’t afraid of you taking it away?” Yan Mingting said sourly, “Or did he feel guilty toward you, and even if you took the country away, he didn’t care?”

“Why wouldn’t he care, he was just settling his affairs and making a bet.”

“Betting that you would have a conscience?”

“Betting on our relationship,” Zhao Yelan said. “In the few days before his death, do you know why he called the two of us together from time to time?”

Yan Mingting pondered: “He was envious?”

Zhao Yelan smiled helplessly: “He wanted to make sure our relationship would last forever. Only in this way could he rest assured handing the crown prince and country over to me temporarily, because as long as our relationship lasts, we will have no heirs.”

If Zhao Yelan really wanted this country, what was the use of taking it away for a few decades when he had no one to take over when he grew old? If he only wanted to enjoy power in those intervening decades, then he could enjoy it as the Regent, and had no need to be charged with conspiracy to usurp the throne.

And Zhao Xuan had continuously told Zhao Sui to listen to Zhao Yelan for the sake of the overall situation, so that the relationship between the two could be harmonious and Zhao Yelan could help the little emperor more attentively.

Plus, Zhao Xuan was far-sighted enough to give Zhao Yelan a death-exemption plate^[1] without telling everyone, so that Zhao Sui would not turn against him when his wings grew stronger. This plate could save him from death, and it could also be regarded as repaying Zhao Yelan’s kindness to the Zhao royal family.

“He was dedicated after sitting on the throne and only lived comfortably for a few days.” Zhao Yelan sighed and turned his head to look at him. He found that he seemed to have gotten rid of that sort of life only after getting married. “It’s very good now, I don’t want to worry about those things like him…..”

“En, our lives should be a little more relaxed.” 

Yan Mingting picked him up and put him in bed, wrapping him tightly with a quilt and kissing his forehead.

The next day was a rest day. It was still early spring, and the weather was a bit cold. Zhao Yelan stayed in bed until noon before being pulled up by Yan Mingting.

“I heard that the market is very lively today, let’s go shopping together.”

“What is there to do?”

“You’ve been very busy recently, and you haven’t gone out with me for a long time,” Yan Mingting said rather sadly.

Zhao Yelan glanced at him, and reluctantly agreed.

Yan Mingting dressed him up thickly, and after having lunch together, cheerfully took him to the streets.

If they were going to the streets, just go to the streets, what was he doing with a basket?

What’s more, it was on Zhao Yelan’s forearm.

“What is this?” Zhao Yelan said coldly.

“We’re going to buy a lot of things, so I brought a basket to put them in.” Yan Mingting chuckled and led him to the busiest market.

When the common people saw Zhao Yelan, their expressions were a bit strange. When the rumors started these past two days, some people thought he might not be a good person, and now they looked at him with a bit of inquiry.

Zhao Yelan also noticed everyone peeking at him, but subconsciously thought that these people found his act of carrying a basket strange.

Then the common people discovered that Zhao Yelan had entered the vegetable market with Yan Mingting, and after a while, handfuls of green vegetables filled the basket, greener than Zhao Yelan’s face.

“You just came to buy these?” Zhao Yelan asked.

Everyone saw that Zhao Yelan was about to get angry, then heard the General say: “Yes, ah, I just want to eat these, let’s buy a few.”

Then Zhao Yelan held back his anger.

Really obedient, ah, the common people thought.

Not long after, Yan Mingting was drawn to a nest of chicks and squatted down to stare at them, saying with a happy smile: “You choose a few that you like.”

“What is there to choose? Won’t they all go in the pot when they grow up?” Zhao Yelan could smell the odor from a long distance away, and covered his nose with a handkerchief, giving him a few glances. “Can’t you let the servants come buy them?”

The onlookers felt that Zhao Yelan was about to lose his temper. This looked like the original treacherous official, ah, wouldn’t he be even more terrifying now that he was Regent?

“The servants’ purchases were unsatisfactory, don’t you want to pick them yourself?” Yan Mingting gestured him over. “Come and have a look, they’re very cute.”

Zhao Yelan didn’t go.

Yan Mingting held one and walked up to him: “Pet it?”

Zhao Yelan took a glance and found that it was indeed much cuter now than an adult chicken, so he touched it with a frown.

The chick: “Chirp chirp!”

“Hurry and finish buying so we can go.” Zhao Yelan just wanted to finish quickly.

“Then buy them all.” Yan Mingting picked up a basket of chicks and suddenly turned to look at him. “Have you brought any money?”

“……..” After Zhao Yelan paid the money, it really stunk to death, so he hurriedly left that place.

But Yan Mingting lagged behind, chatting with the people around him casually.

“General, why did you come to buy vegetables yourself, ah?”

“Because he wanted to go out with me. It couldn’t be helped, he’s so clingy.”

“Why isn’t Zhao-daren walking with you?”

“He’s in a hurry to go back and eat……and make steamed buns. The buns he makes for me are very delicious.”

“He can make steamed buns?”

“En, he learned specially for me!”

“Really? Which of you usually has a higher status at home?”

“Of course it’s me! If he is disobedient, I will…..” Yan Mingting waved his fist.

“Whoa! The General is mighty!”

Not a few days after, the news that Zhao Yelan and Yan Mingting went to the vegetable market together spread all over the streets and alleys. Compared with the unknown matter of whether he would seize control of the country, they were more interested in the odds and ends happening in front of them, and everyone spread the word vividly and colorfully.

When it reached Zhao Yelan’s ears, the news had become like this—

It was said that Zhao Yelan was beaten every day. He had to repair the roof tiles when the house leaked and also work in the kitchen. He served his husband and was very obedient, so he never dared condemn people. Hey, the General is truly mighty! 

He learned this from the mouth of the little emperor. When he was taking the little emperor to review memorials, he heard Zhao Sui call in a childish voice: “Taifu.” Zhao Sui was still more used to calling him by his title as the Grand Tutor.

“Taifu, it’s getting dark. If you don’t go back, aren’t you afraid of being beaten?”

Zhao Yelan: “ ? ”

“You must be working hard. You help me deal with government affairs every day, and you have to cook when you get home.” After Zhao Sui said this, he continued with some distress, “If the General really beats you, you can tell me, and I will help you vent your anger!”

When Yan Mingting came back from his work in the evening, he saw Zhao Yelan’s cold expression, and the other party asked in an interrogator’s tone: “Where did you go?”

“I w-w-w-went to drink some wine with the Minister of the Ministry of War.” Yan Mingting took the initiative to admit his mistake, “I’m sorry, the next time I drink, I will come back early!”

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Zhao Yelan narrow his eyes slightly and take out a short knife. Feeling that something was wrong, he hastened to squat down obediently, explaining in detail: “It was really just drinking, all big men and not a single girl!”

Zhao Yelan scoffed and sat lazily on the edge of the bed, playing with the dagger with the tails of his eyes slightly raised: “Let me ask you, where did the rumors come from?”

Oh, it wasn’t about the drinking. Yan Mingting heaved a sigh of relief, but didn’t dare to stand up: “They, they came from my dog mouth.”

Zhao Yelan walked in front of him and looked at him with a haughty expression, his eyes lingering on his face as he thought of ways to punish him.

Yan Mingting’s throat tightened. When he looked at him like this, he felt a little distracted, and he reached out and pulled this person onto his lap. “Madam, please take the seat of honor, you don’t have to get up early tomorrow.”

“…….” Zhao Yelan raised his eyes. “You are not allowed in my bed for three days.”

“…….” Yan Mingting suddenly picked him up and put him on the nearby table, leaning over to kiss him. “Then right here it is, ba.”

Later, this rumor that had just been spread among the people was shattered by the daily life of the General’s Mansion. The common people deeply believed that as long as Zhao Yelan was with Yan Mingting, General Yan would keep him under control and he would cause no trouble at all.

But gradually, everyone discovered that it was Yan Mingting who made more trouble. And as for who was in charge in this family, it was still up for discussion.

But that was all for later.

According to historical records, the official career of Zhao Yelan could be described as tumultuous. From a nobody to the position of Regent, he assisted the Emperor by participating in and discussing state affairs. During the decade when the old emperor changed to the new, the common people lived and worked in peace and contentment, the court recruited talented people, embankments, roads, and canals were built, taxes were reduced, and commercial channels were opened up so that all nations could come to the court.

Ten years later, he resigned from the position of regent, and Emperor Zhao Sui, whom he had personally taught, took over the country. He continued to follow his Grand Tutor’s policies and pushed the dynasty to its peak.

Apart from Zhao Yelan’s legendary official career, the aspect most discussed by later generations was his love affair with General Yan Mingting.

Although the two were both men, one civil and one military, they helped run the country and suppressed rebellions. Marrying because of an Imperial decree, they got to know each other and fell in love, never abandoning each other, and this became a good story passed down from generation to generation.

According to unofficial history, after Zhao Yelan retired, he went with Yan Mingting to travel the mountains and rivers.

Someone once saw them making tea and food in the countryside, laughing and cursing, so very happy; it was also seen that they drank fine wine and tasted delicacies high in tea houses, sharing worldly experiences.

No matter what sort of record, time constantly passed, and places constantly changed.

In this long life, it was truly difficult to find an intimate and understanding friend.

The only constant was that Zhao Yelan would always have Yan Mingting by his side.

*

T/N: That’s the end, everyone! Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the journey! There are a whopping total of 13 extras coming up, including a 6-part alternate storyline showing what might have happened if ZYL really faked his death.

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[1] A death-exemption plate (免死金牌) is a plate  bestowed by the emperor, allowing one to be exempt from the death penalty. ⮐

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Chapter Ninety-One <<Table of Contents >> Extra 1: Birthday

The weather was gradually getting warmer. There was no need for heavy cloaks anymore, but mainly light, thin clothes, which helped Li Yucheng’s Jiangnan silk shop make a fortune as people rushed to buy soft, comfortable, and breathable fabrics.

In the evening, Yin Pinglu took the time to come to the General’s Mansion, just in time to meet Zhao Yelan, who had returned from the Imperial Academy, and check the accounts with him.

The two talked about business in the study, but it was very lively outside. Zuo Ran and He Cuizhang were dueling in the courtyard.

Yan Mingting lay on a reclining chair, watching them fight. He held a bunch of grapes in his hand and said a few words from time to time, greatly enjoying it. 

According to Yan Mingting’s words, if he stayed in the mansion every day, he would truly be too idle.

Zhao Yelan first found Mrs. Qin to chat with him and relieve the boredom, but the old lady was so fond of gossiping that she nearly led Yan Mingting astray. Zhao Yelan had no choice but to invite the old lady to return to the back mountain, and and invited a storyteller to come to the mansion.

When he heard the scene where Zhao Yun charged in and out of the enemy ranks seven times,^[1] Yan Mingting waved his hands and said that he didn’t tell it well enough. He snatched the other’s xingmu from his hand, placed it on the table, and began to speak endlessly to the storyteller.

As soon as Zhao Yelan returned to the mansion, he saw the storyteller and the servants squatting in the courtyard, listening to Yan Mingting vividly tell a battlefield story. It was so eventful and exciting that even he couldn’t help but stop and listen for a while, and at night, he was still asking what happened next.

But the storyteller was not paid, with the justification that he had only come to listen to a story, and a different storyteller was brought in who was a young girl.

This time, it was not about the bloody battlefield, but an emotional story that moved heaven and earth. Yan Mingting was fascinated by it, and could not extricate himself from it.

As a result, Zhao Yelan looked at him a few more times and said: “Fellow, put away your dirty little thoughts.”

Yan Mingting was swatted at by him, and he said: “Do you know who you’re beating? A prestigious general, a man favored by the heavens. No one else dared do this to me, you were the first. Very good, I’ll make you pay.”

“…….” Zhao Yelan tugged his ear and smiled wickedly. “Hehehehe, fellow, are you trying to attract my attention in this way? Very good, you’ve succeeded. Next, I’m going to kiss you.”

Zhao Yelan pushed his face away.

Unfortunately, the female storyteller was also fired.

But fortunately, Yan Mingting’s body was healing well. He ate a lot and gradually gained weight, and was no longer as thin as he was at the beginning. Yan Mingting dared to look in the mirror now. At one point in the past, he was so ugly that he couldn’t bear to look, yet Zhao Yelan never left, and he was so moved that he had to kiss him forcefully.

Zhao Yelan: “Scram.” The aftereffects of listening to an opera were so severe?

Today, He Cuizhang happened to come to talk with Yan Mingting about some serious business. After the talk, they bumped into Zuo Ran, who had come to accompany Yin Pinglu, and the three of them chatted outside. Yan Mingting looked around and suddenly said: “Let’s have a competition, ba.”

The two people: “Why do you want to compete all of a sudden?”

“I haven’t supervised you for a long time, and I want to inspect how you’re doing now,” Yan Mingting said without a change of expression.

He called it an inspection, but it was actually a show.

After the two finished, he set down the grapes and wiped his hands. “Zuo Ran has made progress. He Cuizhang, you can stop going so easy on her next time.”

Zuo Ran refused to admit defeat, and said: “It’s because I have memorized too many books recently, and delayed my practice time.”

While they talked, the two people in the study emerged. Zhao Yelan said: “It’s getting dark, let’s go eat first.”

As soon as they sat down at the table, Li Yucheng rushed in, shouting: “Zhao Yelan, I thought of another way to make money! You see if it can be done!”

As he spoke, he squeezed beside Zhao Yelan, and Yan Mingting squeezed him back out. “Go, go, go. Do not speak when eating or sleeping, don’t you know? Finish eating and then talk.

Li Yucheng pouted and sent a meaningful look at Zhao Yelan, signaling him to deal with this fellow.

A smile flashed through Zhao Yelan’s eyes, and he said: “Eat your meal first, ba.”

Li Yucheng: “…….” Life is bitter.

In June, after the doctor’s examination and a full recovery, the first thing Yan Mingting did was rush to the training grounds to exercise, then he went to the Imperial Academy to pick up Zhao Yelan and go home.

“There are really no problems?” Zhao Yelan confirmed again and again.

“Not any more!” Yan Mingting patted his chest. “Don’t worry, I just came back from the training grounds. Although I have to catch up to where I was before, and it’s been a long time since I’ve been active, I can catch up with practice.”

“That’s great.” Zhao Yelan finally breathed a sigh of relief, and his teetering heart finally stabilized.

At night, the two lay in bed and talked, and Zhao Yelan yawned several times but insisted on not sleeping.

“Since you don’t want to sleep, let’s do something else.”

“Do what?”

“Didn’t you say……” Yan Mingting turned over and put his hands on his sides, looking down at him with a smile, “…..Anything?”

“…….”

Ever since Yan Mingting began to recuperate from the detoxification, they hadn’t done such things. The main reason was that Zhao Yelan feared something would go wrong and delay his recovery, so it was strictly prohibited, and he was pure-hearted and ascetic.

Now, it seemed that he had fully recovered, and he was outrageously full of vim and vigor.

Of course, he was no monk, and naturally had needs. So even if he was aware that Yan Mingting was asking the question while already knowing the answer, he still replied proudly, “Anything.”

“What kind of anything?” Yan Mingitng asked with a smile.

“Such nonsense.” Zhao Yelan grasped his chin, lifted his head, and kissed him.

While breathing heavily, Zhao Yelan faintly heard the sound of clappers being beaten outside and pushed the person away a little, his chest rising and falling slightly. He asked, out of breath: “What time is it?”

“June thirteenth, midnight.” Yan Mingting’s eyes brightened.

Zhao Yelan looked at him with a slight arc to his eyebrows: “Fangli, it’s an auspicious birthday.”

“En. This year’s birthday wish is still the same as last year’s. That we spend every birthday together in the future.”

“En……hmm!”

In the early morning, the sun shone into the room. Zhao Yelan was already fully dressed, and after eating longevity noodles with Yan Mingting, the guests arrived.

Not only friends, but also many colleagues. When everyone heard that Yan Mingting had recovered, they all came to visit and celebrate his birthday.

This time, Yan Mingting couldn’t refuse their kindness again. They had spent time together for a year and were very familiar with each other, so a rather lively banquet was set up.

It lasted until the afternoon, and the General’s Mansion was bustling. Yan Mingting was busy greeting the guests when he suddenly realized that he hadn’t seen Zhao Yelan for a while, so he went to Housekeeper Qin and asked where he was.

Housekeeper Qin whispered back to him: “Didn’t all the guests bring gifts? My lord went to check on them.”

“…….”

For some reason, Yan Mingting burst out laughing. It was as if he was seeing that person who was addicted to the gift money on their wedding night again.

The guests gradually dispersed. Yan Mingting sent them out the gate one by one, then turned to look for Zhao Yelan, but he was nowhere to be found. So he headed to the storeroom again, but there was still no sign, so he asked: “Where did he go?”

Housekeeper Qin thought for a moment, and then said: “He and Xiao Gao seem to have gone to Zhao Mansion.”

“Zhao Mansion?”

At this time, the Zhao Mansion was much more deserted than in previous years, and there were usually only a few servants to clean and maintain it.

When Zhao Yelan stepped into the mansion again, he felt as if he had been in another world. Looking at the rather exquisite rockery, he unexpectedly felt that there was not enough vitality, and that he should add a chicken coop or a fish pond to make it livelier.

Amused by his own thoughts, he returned to his previous bedroom, which was still clean and tidy. After looking around, he sat down by the window and admired the scenery in the courtyard until Yan Mingting appeared in his sight.

Yan Mingting also wore ocher-colored clothes today, which Zhao Yelan chose for him. He had a similar outfit that he had worn on his birthday last year that Yan Mingting liked very much, so Zhao Yelan had gone out and had one made for him, which he didn’t wear until today.

This person usually only wore black and silver clothes. Suddenly putting on brighter clothes, he was even more flamboyant. 

However, Yan Mingting had still worn a more dazzling color. The vermillion wedding robes had made Zhao Yelan’s eyes light up at first sight, as if his heart had been touched at the time.

“Look at that flower. It rained heavily last year, and it almost wilted. I thought it must have withered.” Zhao Yelan waited for him to approach the window before pointing to the flower outside the window and saying so.

“It looks pretty good now, ah,” Yan Mingting said.

“Yes, it’s unexpectedly strong.” Zhao Yelan smiled to himself, remembering the moment he had just received the Imperial decree of marriage. Comparing himself to a flower on a rainy day, he only felt that he was at the end of his rope, and never expected that the clouds and fog would be lifted away to reveal the sun.

At this thought, he suddenly recalled another thing and asked: “At that time, I asked Xiao Gao to send you some broken flowers and withered willows. Did you ever receive them?”

“I received them.” Yan Mingting was a little moved. “I received your kindness.”

Zhao Yelan looked bewildered: “What do you mean?”

“The fallen flowers for desire, and the broken willows to express love, ah,” Yan Mingting said.

“…….”

Zhao Yelan looked at him slowly. Why didn’t I know there was such a meaning?

No wonder this fellow was so confident when they first married. It turned out that he made a mistake a long time ago.

Just as he was thinking, he heard the sound of boxes being rummaged through. He turned his head and saw Yan Mingting poking around his bedroom.

“It’s the first time I’ve been in this room,” Yan Mingting said with novelty. He later found several sachets stored in the room, and upon picking them up, he smelled the scent of sweetgrass. He tossed it out immediately, just as he had tossed out the one in the General’s Mansion a few days ago.

Zhao Yelan smiled helplessly: “Do you know why I wore sweetgrass when we got married?”

“Why?”

“I just thought, ah, if you were an ugly monster with bad conduct, I would poison you to death first, and at worst, we would die together.”

“Whoa!” Yan Mingting patted his chest in fear. “Fortunately, I am handsome and dashing, and a family man.”

Zhao Yelan walked out of the bedroom and across the bluestone slabs step by step, thinking back to the spring of last year. He wore wedding robes as he walked down this path, and aside from the red before his eyes, he could only see the slabs under his feet. He didn’t know what obstacles and difficulties would appear ahead, and didn’t know where he would end up.

At this time, a big hand suddenly reached out from the side and landed in the center of his vision, and he took it without thought.

“Your mansion is really elegant.” Yan Mingting gazed around.

There was just a bit less of a human touch.

Zhao Yelan had only lived in the Zhao residence for a few years, and hardly talked with the servants. It had a cold appearance each day, and there were no friends to visit, so it was even more quiet and deserted.

The two walked outside the gate. Zhao Yelan entered the sedan chair, and Yan Mingting followed.

After a while, Zhao Yelan lifted the curtain and looked outside. Someone spotted him and smiled at him before getting back to business. 

“Last year, when I was sitting in the wedding sedan chair, many people cursed me on this street,” Zhao Yelan said.

Yan Mingting was taken aback for a moment, and then realized that this street was the one the other party had taken when they married. He said: “Not anymore.”

“Of course, I was cursing you in my heart.” Zhao Yelan smiled.

“Actually, I also…….”

Zhao Yelan swiftly glanced at him.

“Actually, I didn’t know what to say!” Yan Mingting promptly changed his words and raised his hands halfway in the air, making a gesture of surrender. “At that time, I was waiting for the sedan chair in the mansion. My mind was full of guessing what you might look like, and whether we would still recognize each other.”

Zhao Yelan put away his murderous gaze and said calmly: “And then?”

“Then I realized that you had grown even more good-looking. I recognized you at a glance, but it is a pity that you didn’t recognize me.”

“You should be glad I didn’t recognize you, ba. If you still looked like you did when you were young……”

“Forget, forget, forget about my ugly face!”

The sedan chair slowly returned to the General’s Mansion. Yan Mingting got off the sedan chair and then reached his hand through the curtain. The familiar scene somewhat stunned Zhao Yelan, and the corners of his mouth hooked up.

Compared with last year’s hand, this hand had a few more scars. Zhao Yelan took it and was led to the door by him. He asked: “I was wearing a veil and couldn’t see other people. Did any of the guests look at us and mock us?”

“To be honest, they were all there to mock us,” Yan Mingting sighed. “I couldn’t wait to grab your veil and cover my head, but no, as the host, I had to be dignified.”

“…….”

A very sumptuous dinner had been prepared in the mansion, and the two of them retired to their room after eating.

Zhao Yelan took out his congratulatory gift, a safety talisman.

“You don’t have to worry about food or clothing, and after much deliberation, I still wanted to give you health.”

Zhao Yelan hung the safety talisman on him and said: “This is the talisman I prayed for you last time in Lingyun Temple. I wish for you to stay safely by my side in the future.”

“I will.” Yan Mingting touched the talisman solemnly. This was what Zhao Yelan had begged for after crawling all day and risking half his life.

Zhao Yelan pressed his hand again: “Don’t move.”

Yan Mingting froze, and then saw him take out two concentric knot bracelets. They were made with red rope, and one was tied around his wrist to cover the scar.

The other was handed to Yan Mingting. He slowly put it on for the other party, and it made his slender white wrist look even more attractive.

The two red bracelets were like the red line of fate, holding them together in perpetual unity.

“Wait……the thing you’ve been working on for the past few days, is this it?” Yan Mingting suddenly realized, “You made these yourself?”

Zhao Yelan gazed at him silently.

“Really, ah?” Yan Mingting was amazed, and took his hands to rub them. “Hard work, hard work, it’s been really hard on these hands. I will definitely wear this for the rest of my life!”

The two gazed at each other for a long moment, and Yan Mingting remembered something else. He went out for a moment, and when he returned, he held a jug of wine in his hand and said with a smile: “We haven’t drunk the wedding wine yet. How about we make up for it today?”

Two cups of wine were placed on the table. Zhao Yelan walked over and the two picked up their cups, crossed their arms, raised their heads, and drank it all in one gulp.

Zhao Yelan wrinkled his face and set the cup down, looking at him faintly: “Very strong wine.”

Yan Mingting averted his eyes guiltily. 

“You know I’m not a good drinker.” Zhao Yelen narrowed his eyes slightly.

“That is…..I just think you’re very provocative when you’re drunk, and you take the initiative to say a lot of love words.”

“Sleep in the study tonight.” Zhao Yelan drove him out.

Not long after, Yan Mingting dove in from the roof, kissed that blushing and sweating person, and asked in a low voice: “Mengting, who is your favorite person?”

Zhao Yelan bit his lower lip, refusing to speak.

Yan Mingting liked his appearance very much. His eyes revealed love and desire, but he was very proud and arrogant, waiting for his devout believer to offer him everything.

And Yan Mingting was willing to be his only believer in this life.

“Mengting, I love you, I will never leave you.” Yan Mingting continued to kiss him.

“En, my love will never change.”

Zhao Yelan caressed his cheek. There was light in his eyes, and this man stood in that light at all times.

The two of them tangled together, and Zhao Yelan grasped a strand of black hair: “Fangli, let’s grow white hair together.”

“All right, it’s a deal.”

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[1] This is a famous scene from Romance of the Three Kingdoms. ⮐

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Chapter Ninety <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Ninety-Two

Facing Shu Wan’s long speech, Shu Youcheng immediately sent Chen Yuyin a dark look.

The latter received this gaze cast by her own son and quickly donned an extremely aggrieved expression. “A-Wan, ah, look at what you’re saying, it’s all this mother and son’s fault?”

“We’ve only lived here two or three days, how much of your food have we eaten? How much did it cost? And you just scold us like this in front of outsiders? Besides, Youcheng is here to do something big, and if he makes money in the future, you as a dear aunt will also enjoy the blessings!”

Shu Wan saw everything clearly. “Sister-in-law, if you really enjoy blessings, would you share them with me?”

“You, you……”

Chen Yuyin got stuck.

Shu Youcheng glanced at the friends who were gradually waking up on the sofa. Fearing that what he boasted about last night would be exposed, he suppressed his impatience and hurriedly approached to say, “Auntie, you have to help us out for my dad’s sake, right?”

“I heard that you used to go out to study and work, and my dad was the only one in the whole family who turned to you and secretly gave you money!”

When she heard this last sentence, the speechless Chen Yuyin seemed to have found something, and her voice suddenly became louder, “That’s right!”

“Your brother took out all my dowry back then so that you could study! When I gave birth, I didn’t even have the money to eat an old hen!”

“For the only lifeblood of your old Shu family, I have walked through the gates of hell! My hands shake, ah, so much that I can’t even hold the chopsticks steadily……”

The more Chen Yuyin talked, the more excited she became, and she made up all kinds of nonsense.

Shu Youcheng looked at his still-chattering mother and his hungover head throbbed at her sharp voice, but due to the current situation, he had to endure it silently.

Pei Yi was irritated by these arguments the most, and unnoticeably retreated half a step as if to stay away from the noise pollution.

He glanced at Bo Yueming, who was also frowning beside him, and suddenly regretted inviting him over today—

The son of a wealthy family with a noble background, how could he listen to these small household affairs?

What’s more, Bo Yueming’s eyesight was not good, and most of the time he had to rely on his ears to distinguish directions and movement. This current noisy environment would be really difficult for him to bear.

Since it’s noisy, don’t listen to it.

Pei Yi raised his head and approached Bo Yueming, then directly covered the other’s ears with his hands. “Er-ge.”

Slightly cool palms were pressed against his ears, accompanied by this soft and delicate Er-ge. Bo Yueming felt that the noise was effectively isolated, and the world seemed to clear up all of a sudden.

He was startled, and touched the backs of Pei Yi’s delicate hands. “En?”

Pei Yi glanced at Chu Yuyin, who was still talking nonsense, and deliberately exaggerated in order to fight fire with fire. “Don’t listen, don’t listen, the tortoise is chanting sutras!”^[1]

Chen Yuyin’s complaints stopped abruptly, and she looked at the loudly-yelling Pei Yi in astonishment.

“…….”

Tortoise?

Was this a different way of scolding her?

Bo Yueming couldn’t see the expressions of other people, and was only aware that the irritability in his heart was washed away by the sound of this cute viewpoint.

He couldn’t hold back, and squeezed Pei Yi’s hands on his ears before pulling them down gently. “En.”

“…….”

Still looking upward, Pei Yi caught the smile in those dark blue eyes. They were like the lingering waves in the deep sea glowing under the moonlight, so beautiful that people couldn’t extricate themselves from indulging in it.

He was caught off guard, and his heart skipped a beat.

Pei Yi’s throat inexplicably tensed up, and when he moved, he realized that his hands were still enveloped in Bo Yueming’s palms.

The difference in stature between the two of them was obvious, but unexpectedly, even the sizes of their hands was very much apparent.

There was no telling whose hands were hot at this moment, and the faint heat made Pei Yi feel a little uncomfortable. “Er, Er-Ge.”

Bo Yueming heard his slight nervousness and responded with a smile, “Understood, just ignore tortoises.”

This time, Chen Yuyin would have to be an idiot not to hear it!

Her face flushed, and she responded unwittingly, “You, who are you scolding!”

Shu Wan watched Pei Yi and Bo Yueming’s brief interaction, and felt a rare sense of peace in her heart. She looked back at Chen Yuyin again, and her tone was firmer than before, “Is my sister-in-law not yet sure who Xiao Yi is talking about?”

Chen Yuyin was overbearing and stingy, but her elder brother was honest and simple, and naively handed over all the family money to his wife.

After Chen Yuyin became pregnant, she relied on the seed of the old Shu family in her belly and asked the old Shu couple who were still alive at the time to kill chickens for her and buy her supplements.

Because she ate too well during pregnancy, the baby in her stomach was too big and she almost had complications during childbirth! However, within ten days of giving birth, she was able to stand up and scold the next door neighbor in full swing!

Shu Wan took the money from her brother back then, but the latter had borrowed it from a friend to give to her. Later, she worked and studied in the Imperial Capital and paid back the money early!

Chen Yuyin had been regarding mules as horses all these years, and even tricked herself into it!

“Sister-in-law, you have your child to take care of, and I also have my Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yi to protect! I have done my best as a relative, so either you leave now, or I’ll call the police!”

“Good, good! Are you disregarding your elder brother’s only bloodline?”

When Chen Yuyin beheld the always soft Shu Wan saying no, she immediately yelled and cursed with a finger pointed at her nose, practically writing the word “treacherous” on her forehead.

“Which woman doesn’t help her family after she marries? It turns out that you were lucky and went to the big city to be glamorous, but in the end, you found a short-lived husband and gave birth to a useless and stupid son. You……”

Pei Yi’s eyes darkened when he heard this, and in the next second, he suddenly heard a loud, crisp clap.

—Pa!

“Chen Yuyin, you shut up!” The always gentle Shu Wang unexpectedly slapped Chen Yuyin hard, and snapped loudly, “Get the hell out of my house now!”

Short-lived husband? Stupid son?

Her daughter just used to marry someone in exchange for a bride price?

Pei Ruye’s death and Pei Yi’s accident had always been unspeakable points of pain in Shu Wan’s heart. She absolutely would not allow others to make thoughtless remarks in front of her!

Shu Wan had originally wanted to give the mother and son a little face for the sake of her deceased brother, thinking that in the face of her soft rejection, they would retreat in spite of the difficulties.

Now it seemed that she was indeed too soft-hearted!

“Shu Youcheng is thirty years old this year, right? Does it look like he’s serious about making money? The savings that my brother saved up, and the compensation after his death, were they not squandered by him?”

Shu Wan was not a person who liked to speak harshly, but now she couldn’t hold back her anger anymore. “You spoiled such a useless thing yourself, how dare you insult my son!”

“Also, it’s true that Xiao Yuan is a girl! But I love her and cherish her, and I will not use her marriage as a bargaining chip in exchange for benefits! You mother and son think too much!”

The reason she decided to rent this villa after moving out of Baiyang Alley was that Shu Wan just wanted to give her daughter a better environment and make up for what she owed her all these years.

If Pei Yuan never married for the rest of her life, she, a mother, would not force it!

The paternal aunt in their memories who was always easy to deal with suddenly went wild, and Shu Youcheng, who was scolded as useless, looked embarrassed.

And Chen Yuyin covered her slap-heated cheek, stunned in disbelief for a few seconds, then fell to the ground and began to make an unreasonable scene.

“Lao Shu, ah, look at the sister you missed every day when you were alive, ah! See how she humiliates this mother and son in front of outsiders like this! I can’t live anymore, I might as well die, ah!”

Bo Yueming was annoyed beyond endurance, and whispered, “Uncle Kai, call the police.”

Uncle Kai immediately went out to do so.

Pei Yi looked at Chen Yuyin who was throwing a tantrum on the floor, and quickly walked to the kitchen. Less than half a minute later, he came out with a kitchen knife.

Shing, he aimed it at Chen Yuyin. “Okay, die, ba.”

His eyes were cold, but his tone was light.

With a kitchen knife in his hand, it was extremely convenient and easy to hurt people.

“……..”

Aside from Bo Yueming, everyone else was taken aback by Pei Yi’s bold behavior.

Chen Yuyin stared at the shiny kitchen knife in front of her, pale-faced. Her crying act was immediately swallowed back into her stomach, and she shrank her neck back in fear—

This, this was really a lunatic, ah!

Bo Yueming didn’t know what kind of dangerous behavior Pei Yi had shown, but he stood on his side and warned in a low voice, “It is illegal to break into a private residence without the consent of the head of household and take it as your own. Get out now, or the police will be called.”

This gleaming kitchen knife held in Pei Yi’s hand hung a few centimeters from her own neck. How could Chen Yuyin, who was almost the greediest and most fearful of death, dare to say the word ‘no?’

She scrambled away and stood up, holding her son’s hand and trying to escape, “Wait, wait, wait, we’ll leave right away!”

This Shu Wan was no longer as easy to handle as before, and if they stayed, the mother and son might suffer!

At the same time, Shu Wan also approached, afraid that Pei Yi would hurt the woman. “Good Pei Yi, ah, it’s Mom’s fault that you were scared. Let’s not play with a kitchen knife, don’t hurt yourself.”

Pei Yi didn’t intend to do anything, and only wanted to scare the mother and son into leaving.

Seeing Shu Wan’s anxious expression, he obediently handed over the kitchen knife. “En.”

Shu Wan hurried back to the kitchen, intending to seal up such dangerous items first.

After realizing Pei Yi’s dangerous behavior, Bo Yueming frowned. “Pei Yi, come here.”

Chen Yuyin was trying to take Shu Youcheng away at the door, but Pei Yi couldn’t be bothered to give the mother and son an extra glance. He turned around and walked toward Bo Yueming.

Suddenly, a curse came with a blast of air, “Fuck, Laozi is going to teach you a lesson today!”

“—Pei Yi!”

Perceiving the danger, Pei Yi’s eyes moved slightly.

At the critical moment, Bo Yueming somehow sensed the danger and immediately pulled him into his arms, changing his position instinctively to shield the person in his arms.

His line of sight switched—

Pei Yi saw that Shu Youcheng was holding a broomstick, which he smashed fiercely against Bo Yueming’s shoulders and the back of his neck. The force seemed to be very heavy.

Bo Yueming, who was protecting him, closed his eyes at once and turned the pain falling onto his body into a muffled and forbearing grunt.

Pei Yi subconsciously grabbed Bo Yueming’s clothes, flustered. “Er-ge?”

Bo Yueming’s breath went tight for a moment, and he felt his head go blank and dizzy. His original line of sight seemed to be flickering, and it was difficult to respond for a moment.

He maintained his tight guard of Pei Yi with one hand and used the other to grab the cabinet next to him for support.

Shu Youcheng looked at his friends who had been awakened, and didn’t care whether he was disgraced or not. “What are you two still doing? Brothers, help me teach these two guys a good lesson!”

The plastic broom handle was not usable at all, having broken just after it smashed down.

Seeing this, Shu Youcheng simply threw it on the ground.

After Bo Yueming shielded him from pain, Pei Yi’s suppressed anger finally erupted and he momentarily forgot to maintain his facade of foolishness.

“Fuck! Are you looking for death!”

This piece of shit dared to play dirty?

The strength of the hand holding his waist suddenly loosened, and the furious Pei Yi rushed out at once. He punched Shu Youcheng hard, and the other’s scream resounded instantly.

“…….”

Bo Yueming, who had just gotten over his dizziness, slowly withdrew his hand with a rare look of uncertainty on his face—

Wait a minute?

Did Pei Yi just swear?

Uncle Kai hastened back with the driver, Lao Fu, and saw Pei Yi and Shu Youcheng wrestling together.

Lao Fu rushed forward without saying a word and deliberately favored one side. “Little Sir, be careful.”

Uncle Kai noticed the abnormal red mark on the back of Bo Yueming’s neck and hurriedly approached. “Second Young Master, what happened?”

“…….It’s nothing.”

Bo Yueming raised his hand to gesture for silence and shook his head slightly, moving his hand to his eyes in disbelief as he saw—

The original layers of light and shadow began to condense. Although it was still very blurry, the shape and color of his fingers could be vaguely distinguished.

“Second, Second Young Master, what is the matter?”

Uncle Kai was alarmed by Bo Yueming’s inexplicable expression, his heart pounding, and he feared that his improving eyes would have problems again.

“It’s fine.”

Bo Yueming spoke more firmly, and tried to test his eyesight at a closer distance.

To the side on the sofa, the two friends who had already sobered up were hesitating over whether to come forward and help, and met Bo Yueming’s gaze inadvertently.

“If you don’t want to go to jail like him, then leave right now.”

With sharp and full eyebrows and a height of 1.9 meters, even just standing there was enough to shock people’s hearts.

The two people looked at each other, and the impulse to “help fight” vanished immediately. “We, we were called over by him for drinks, we don’t know anything about the rest!”

“Right, us two won’t get involved in your family affairs.”

Both of them were gamblers that Shu Youcheng met at the poker table. They would occasionally get together after playing cards all night to eat, drink, and have fun, and could be called “drinking buddies” at most.

About a week ago, the two had mentioned that they wanted to start a joint business venture. As a result, Shu Youcheng who was sitting at the side wanted to get involved when he heard that it would be profitable, but they played dumb and were perfunctory with him.

Yesterday, Shu Youcheng suddenly invited them to his “home” as guests, and the two of them really thought that he was a bit rich, but didn’t expect such a thing when they woke up.

Could a person with this sort of virtue be a partner? They feared he would use underhanded methods to gain profits behind their backs in the future!

Thinking of this, the two immediately tripped over their feet to leave while taking advantage of the chaos.

The fight at the door continued.

Pei Yi and Shu Youcheng, who was a head taller than him, scuffled together. The old driver tried his best to help, and Chen Yuyin wanted to step forward and get involved, but Shu Wan was afraid of her son getting hurt and dragged her away.

Shouting and howling, the commotion was not small.

Bo Yueming tried to locate Pei Yi in his blurred field of vision. Although he couldn’t make out a clear face, at least the small body wearing sky blue clothes was easy to identify.

He was afraid that Pei Yi would suffer, and called, “Pei Yi, come here!”

Pei Yi was having a good time fighting. When he suddenly heard Bo Yueming’s command, he loosened his clenched fist for a moment, said “Oops” in his heart, and ran back with an aggrieved expression.

“Er-ge, he bullied me!”

As always, he pretended to be a good boy in his opening remarks.

Bo Yueming lowered his eyes to look at the blurry figure in his vision, and vaguely saw a dull tuft of hair on Pei Yi’s head.

It was likely messed up after fighting.

Bo Yueming suppressed a helpless smile and asked knowingly, “Did you go beat him?”

When the old driver restrained Shu Youcheng just now, Pei Yi had taken advantage of the time to punch and kick, and even aimed at the joints that were most prone to pain.

Don’t look at Shu Youcheng’s face that was still in good shape, there must be pain everywhere on his body!

Pei Yi was proud internally, but on the surface, he gave a miserable groan. “I didn’t, my hand hurts.”

Shu Youcheng was severely restrained by the stronger driver, and the knee that was kicked by Pei Yi was so painful that he almost knelt on the ground.

Hearing Pei Yi’s grievance and pain, he was even more aggrieved—

Fuck!

What hurt?

Who was the most ruthless one just now?

Hurried footsteps sounded, and the villa area security led two police officers in uniforms inside. “Hello, we’re from the Yiting District Police Station. Who called the police?”

Uncle Kai quickly responded, “It was our side that called.”

The police station and the villa were separated by one road, so the dispatch speed was very fast.

Bo Yueming protected Pei Yi behind him again and took the initiative to speak out, “Hello, I am the owner of this house, and this mother and son are trespassing.”

Aside from Uncle Kai, everyone present was taken aback by these words.

Owner of the house?

Didn’t he find the rental villa through his connections?

Pei Yi looked at Bo Yueming who was shielding him with his body, and there was suddenly a touch of subtlety in his heart that he had never felt before.

Bo Yueming took advantage of everyone’s stupefaction, and continued to emphasize in a deep voice, “By the way, this Mr. Shu hit me with an object just now. I’ll need to conduct further injury appraisal so that my lawyers can carry out subsequent prosecution for compensation.”

The two policemen exchanged glances, knowing exactly what this was about.

If it was said that illegal intrusion into other people’s homes was worth just detention and some fines, once the crime of assaulting others was set in stone, he would definitely go to prison!

Shu Youcheng was dumbfounded, and immediately shouted, “They, they made the first move! They ganged up on me! I, I want to do this kind of injury appraisal!”

The ignorant Chen Yuyin was already panicking, and only knew to shout after her son, “Yes, that’s right! He took a kitchen knife and tried to kill me first!”

When he was pointed at by her, Pei Yi feigned fear and hid behind Bo Yueming.

The distressed Shu Wan defended him, “Comrade policemen, my son had an accident when he was a child and his mind is feeble. He was just stimulated and frightened, and he absolutely didn’t harm anyone!”

At this moment, Shu Youcheng only felt pain all over his body, and the alcohol left in his hungover brain eroded his limited reasoning. “You fucking fart!”

The two policemen had met countless people, so they naturally had their own criteria for making judgements.

As soon as they heard Shu Youcheng curse due to a guilty conscience, they knew that there was a serious problem with this person.

“Stop making noise, are you justified in hitting someone? Talk about it at the police station!”

Shu Youcheng was taken aback by the scolding.

As soon as Chen Yuyin heard the words ‘police station,’ she became more frightened and panicked. She only knew how to dote on her son and went to stand in front of Shu Youcheng.

“Comrade policemen, that’s not the case, my son……ah!”

Her excuse cut off abruptly.

Chu Yuyin, who had only run two steps, stepped on the broomstick that Shu Youcheng had casually discarded. The sole of her foot slipped unexpectedly, and she fell over in front of everyone.

—Crack.

There was a slight sound in Chen Yuyin’s body.

Immediately afterwards, the sharp pain in her waist caused her face to turn from red to white, and she couldn’t even utter a cry.

. . . . . .

An hour later, at the district police station.

Shu Youcheng looked at the Public Security Management penalty decision in front of him, and his pupils trembled rapidly. “What?”

The police officers who had already obtained evidence remained unmoved, and continued to carry out proper business. “Just relying on how he broke into someone’s home and beat them, as we clearly saw, we will first detain him for seven days and wait until Mr. Bo’s injury is examined.”

“I already said, they were the ones who hurt people first!”

Shu Youcheng’s gaze moved away from the decision letter, and he raised his eyes to glare—

Bo Yueming and Pei Yi were sitting opposite him, and a lawyer who had been informed was beside them.

The latter wore a professional fake smile, and couldn’t be bothered to give Shu Youcheng a glance. “Comrade police, if there is nothing else, my clients and I will leave first. If there is any need in the future, the police can call me directly.”

The police officers nodded. “En.”

The lawyer acknowledged them and said, “Mr. Bo, Little Mister Pei, we can go.”

“En.”

In front of the police officers, Bo Yueming fumbled to take out the extendable guide cane in his pocket and stood up slowly and cautiously. 

Those charming, deep eyes explored everything around them with a lack of focus, as if unable to determine the direction of the exit. 

“Pei Yi, let’s go.”

Having been named, Pei Yi obeyed the command. He looked at the angry face above after getting up and instantly shrank back in fear. While lowering his head, he grabbed the corner of Bo Yueming’s clothes.

“Er, Er-ge!”

The short address had a hint of a sob, as if Shu Youcheng had brought him great harm.

“Don’t be afraid, we’re leaving.”

Bo Yueming comforted him, then slowly left the room with the lawyer’s help.

The door of the interrogation room was closed again.

One of the police officers looked at Shu Youcheng, who was about to be detained by public security, and asked, “Tell me, what are you still arguing about? One of those two is blind, and the other is a little fool. Could they make the first move to strike you?”

“…….”

Shu Youcheng was speechless. He couldn’t figure it out—

Wait! No!

Clearly, these two people were not in such a state at the villa, were they? Why did the blind get blinder and the dumb get dumber when they came to the police station?

He stared at the public security detention decision before him. The joints in his body still ached like there were needles in them, and in a daze, he recalled his boasting and fantasies after getting drunk last night.

What luxurious villa bed?

He feared there was only a cold iron prison bed waiting for him ahead!

. . . . . .

Three minutes later, a group of people stepped outside the police station gate.

Pei Yi silently let go of the hand that was holding the corner of Bo Yueming’s clothes. As for the pitiful and humble look, it also disappeared.

Bo Yueming noticed the looseness of the corner of his clothes and his eyes dipped slightly. There was a faint smile on his face.

“Pei Yi.”

“En?” Pei Yi hummed and met his gaze.

“Are you hurt anywhere?” Bo Yueming asked.

Pei Yi shook his head, his eyes unconsciously drifting to the back of Bo Yueming’s neck, where there was still obvious redness and swelling. He received this injury while protecting him.

At this thought, Pei Yi’s emotions were indescribably complicated.

“The next time you meet that sort of person, don’t even think about fighting, in case you hurt yourself. I have plenty of ways to deal with them.”

“…….”

Pei Yi thought about his behavior today. It was indeed a little bit impulsive. After all, the original owner didn’t seem to have ever fought with others the previous times he ‘went crazy.’

Fortunately Bo Yueming was still blind, otherwise his previous disguise would be in vain!

Seeing that he was silent, Bo Yueming continued to instruct, “Uncle Kai and I will go to the hospital. You and Aunt Shu go to the villa first, and I will come to you later.”

He actually cared more about the specific condition of his eyes than the identification of the injuries on the back of his neck and shoulders.

Speaking of surprises, Bo Yueming didn’t expect that the broomstick would “assist” his eyesight by mistake, and now he had to go for a detailed and timely examination.

Bo Yueming looked at the indistinct figure that had just taken shape in front of him. He remembered Pei Yi’s “friendly” muttering before the fight, and couldn’t hold back a chuckle for a moment.

Pei Yi, who was thankful that he hadn’t revealed anything, raised his eyes in confusion. “Er-ge?”

“It’s nothing.”

Bo Yueming didn’t express his true thoughts—

He just found it funny.

It turned out that a kitten could also curse when anxious, and was also quite fierce when beating people.

---

[1] This is a slang phrase used when ignoring someone’s words, sort of like covering your ears and going “Lalalalala.” Also, “tortoise” can translate to “bastard.” ⮐

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Chapter Twenty-Seven <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Twenty-Nine

The next day.

Pei Yi sat at the dining table, and his eyelids were so heavy that he could barely open his eyes.

Uncle Kai handed over the freshly prepared sandwiches. “Little Sir, do you want to eat shrimp sandwiches?”

Pei Yi saw that they were full of shrimp, and his hunger and sense of taste finally recovered. He slowly took them and started to eat, but there were still signs of drooping eyelids.

Seeing Pei Yi’s appearance, Uncle Kai couldn’t help but smile, “What did Little Sir stay up for last night? How did you become so sleepy? There are dark circles under your eyes.”

On the opposite side, Bo Yueming heard this and frowned slightly. “You stayed up late?”

Pei Yi pretended not to understand, and ducked his head to take a bite.

He really stayed up all night.

Ever since talking about the ‘eye’ problem with Bo Yueming last night, Pei Yi felt that his money-making plan was urgent.

The cooperation with Li Yuan was still moving along slowly, and if there were no results yet, he could still make money with the small game projects he had thought of before.

Pei Yi wrote game scripts until four o’clock in the morning last night, and slept for less than five hours. In the end, Inspector woke up early and howled next to his head, patting his cheek with its little paws from time to time—

What bad thoughts could a kitten have?

It was only that it wasn’t sleeping, so it didn’t want its master to sleep.

Pei Yi was baffled by Inspector’s mischievous stubbornness, and had to force himself to get up and open the door. Then he was called downstairs by Bo Yueming, who had gotten up at the same time.

After Pei Yi finished eating a sandwich, he drank another half cup of soy milk to moisten his throat. Probably because his stomach was warmed up, his sleepy mind finally regained a trace of clarity.

Uncle Kai glanced at the time and asked, “Little Sir, do you want to go up and sleep some more?”

Bo Yueming, who had finished breakfast as well, wiped his hands with a wet napkin and stopped him softly. “He just finished breakfast, so he can’t just go lie down and sleep. It isn’t good for his health.”

“……..”

Pei Yi hummed and said nothing.

He always felt that Bo Yueming seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally controlling him.

At least, it was especially obvious when it came to that “tiny bit” of liquor!

Uncle Kai smiled and mentioned, “I was thinking, if Little Sir is not sleepy, he can tidy up a bit and I will ask the driver to take him to see Ms. Shu?”

Pei Yi heard the last few words and turned to look at Uncle Kai.

“I received a call from Ms. Pei last Friday, but there was that celebration dinner on the weekend, so I didn’t mention it at the time. They said that they are settled in their new home,” Uncle Kai said, taking a special look at Bo Yueming.

“If Little Sir wants to, he can go play at any time.”

New home?

Pei Yi’s eyes brightened slightly.

He had the identity of the original owner and needed to pretend all the time, so it was not convenient for him to come forward to help with the physical work, but fortunately, Uncle Kai helped to take care of it.

“Go.”

Pei Yi spoke concisely.

He knew that Shu Wan had spent more than twenty years waiting in torment for her son. Now, since he broke free from the shackles of the Pei family, it would be good for him to spend more time with his relatives on behalf of the original owner.

Hearing Pei Yi’s decision, Bo Yueming asked casually, “Lin Zhong, I remember that this afternoon’s conference call has been moved to tomorrow?”

“……”

Lin Zhong, who had just stuffed the last bite of poached egg into his mouth, was stunned for two seconds and said vaguely, “Boss?”

When was the conference call moved?

Why didn’t he remember, ah?

Bo Yueming remained calm. “Hasn’t it?”

From the corner of his eye, Lin Zhong saw Pei Yi who was diagonally opposite. He suddenly realized, and quickly swallowed the food in his mouth. “Yes, it has been moved to tomorrow. Mr. Bo, you don’t have anything on the schedule today, so you can rest.”

Bo Yueming got the answer he wanted, and tried to locate Pei Yi again amidst the blurred light and shadows.

Pei Yi met Bo Yueming’s gaze, and his sleepy mind was slow. “I, I’m full.”

“…….”

Bo Yueming stared for a moment.

Uncle Kai, who witnessed the entire process, didn’t understand the true thoughts of his Second Young Master, but he quickly assisted, “Little Sir, since the Second Young Master is resting today, do you want to go together? I remember Ms. Shu mentioned before that she wanted to meet the Second Young Master.”

After all, he was the nominal partner of her youngest son. As a mother, Shu Wan would want to see him in person before she could rest assured.

Pei Yi also thought about this matter.

Last time at the entrance of Baiyang Alley, he had the idea of inviting Bo Yueming, but taking into consideration the hygienic conditions in the alley and the crude layout of the old house—

He feared that the high-born Bo Yueming would not be accustomed to it, and was also afraid to scare the unprepared Shu Wan and Pei Yuan, so he had to give up.

However, maybe this time, he could try?

After all, Uncle Kai came forward to help find the new house, and it was likely that Bo Yueming gave a nod in the middle. The most important part of letting the two parties meet in the name of “saying thank you” was to let Wan Shu feel completely at ease.

Pei Yi remained silent for a long time, and it was not certain whether he understood.

Uncle Kai saw Bo Yueming’s expression gradually fading, so he couldn’t help but prompt, “Little Sir?”

“En.”

Pei Yi turned to look at Bo Yueming, and after making up his mind, he pretended to extend a cautious invite, “Er-ge, will you……”

Before the last word “go” came out of his mouth, Bo Yueming simply answered, “I’ll go.”

“…….”

Pei Yi was momentarily startled by the speed of his answer, and felt there was something wrong with his tone. But before he could think about it, Bo Yueming across from him couldn’t be calmer as he stood up.

“I’ll go upstairs and change my clothes before going out.”

Bo Yueming’s eyes avoided Pei Yi’s direction, and he coughed. “Uncle Kai.”

Uncle Kai saw through him without saying anything and helped lead the way upstairs.

Pei Yi watched the two of them go up, and then looked at the assistant who was sitting diagonal to him.

Lin Zhong, who had perceived something special during the “meeting,” pretended to be confused. “Little Sir, why don’t you also go upstairs and change your pajamas? Aren’t you going out in a moment?”

“…….”

Pei Yi lowered his gaze and stared at the little bear pajamas that he had specially picked out two days ago in order to “stay in character.” His ears turned red in a rare moment of shame, and he stood to go up without a word.

. . . . . . 

The master bedroom on the second floor.

Uncle Kai gazed at the neatly arranged clothes in the cloakroom. “Second Young Master, which would you like to wear out today?”

Although Bo Yueming’s eyes were inconvenient, he was never perfunctory when dressing. He remembered most of the clothing styles he had personally selected in the past, and only had to ask Uncle Kai to help him find them each time.

“…….”

Bo Yueming was always quick when deciding on clothes, but today he hesitated for a long time and still couldn’t make a decision.

Uncle Kai was puzzled. “Second Young Master?”

Bo Yueming leaned against the door with a rare look of indecision on his face. Unsure but cautious, he asked, “Uncle Kai, does this count as meeting the parents?”

Although he and Pei Yi were wrapped up in a simple marriage “shell,” and there was no real relationship, he was about to meet the other party’s biological mother, so didn’t he have to pay more attention to the way he dressed?

At the least, he couldn’t let Shu Wan misunderstand that he was an unreliable person.

As someone who had been around the block, Uncle Kai chuckled in surprise, hiding a bit of teasing. “That depends on what Second Young Master thinks.”

Bo Yueming asked, “What do you mean?”

Uncle Kai spoke bluntly, “If you are the same as before and only treat Little Sir as an indifferent marriage partner, then you can do things according to your own mind, and you don’t have to worry so much.”

After all, according to outsiders, in this marriage relationship of “a fool and a blind man,” it was Pei Yi who lived by relying on Bo Yueming.

Uncle Kai’s detached remarks changed, and he smiled a little more like family. “But if Second Young Master treats Little Sir as a ‘spouse,’ then this is the first time meeting his parents, and of course you must not treat it casually.”

“It isn’t only about clothes, but even gifts must be prepared accordingly.”

“…….”

Spouse?

Bo Yueming silently recited this word that used to be far away from reach, and didn’t even notice the duplicitousness of his reply, “Not to that extent.”

The warmth and encouragement that Pei Yi gave him had softened his heart, but that was all.

Before the eyesight in both eyes was restored, and before he dealt with Bo Guancheng and the others, Bo Yueming didn’t intend to explore other aspects of extending his feelings for the time being.

Uncle Kai frowned slightly when he heard this calm, unexpected answer, but he didn’t ask further.

He saw Pei Yi obediently changing clothes outside the small living room through the crack in the door, and specially notified him, “Little Sir is wearing aqua blue casual clothes today, and looks very upright.”

Bo Yueming was silent for a few seconds before making a choice.

. . . . . .

In the small living room, Pei Yi was crouching down to play with Inspector with a cat teaser.

Footsteps sounded from the master bedroom next door. Pei Yi glimpsed the color of Bo Yueming’s clothes from the corner of his eye, and couldn’t help but look up to look twice more—

Bo Yueming wore an icy silk shirt with a drape effect, which further showed off the superior width of his shoulders. The dark blue fabric occasionally reflected a glimmering luster almost identical to his eyes.

It was obviously a simple design, but on him, it was like the most charming and extravagant luxury brand.

Within the blurred light and shadows, Bo Yueming tried his best to locate the crouching figure on the ground. “Pei Yi?”

Pei Yi secretly admired him from the bottom of his heart and got up, saying simply, “Er-ge, it looks good.”

Coincidentally, the two wore clothes of the same color, one light and one dark, and there was a clear distinction in temperament.

The figure that moved closer to him finally became a blurry outline in his field of vision. Although he couldn’t see clearly, this change was enough to make Bo Yueming feel better. “Let’s go.”

Pei Yi tossed the cat teasing stick to the eager Inspector. “Good, take care of the house.”

Assistant Lin Zhong stayed in the villa and didn’t go out, so he didn’t have to worry about Inspector being maliciously hurt by bad people.

Inspector responded, “Meow~”

Bo Yueming silently smiled.

He didn’t know when it started, but he thought it was interesting to listen to the cross-species dialogue between a person and a cat every day.

. . . . . .

The area where Wan Shu and Pei Yuan moved into their new home was called Wangjiang New Villas, and it was only a twenty-minute drive from Bo Manor.

This villa space was built a long time ago. The wealthy people who originally lived here either moved or left them empty, but very few of them rented them out.

Fortunately, the property was carefully managed all year round, and the community had a nice green environment with good security.

Uncle Kai looked at Pei Yi, who was looking around curiously after coming here for the first time, and asked with a smile, “Little Sir, what do you think of this place?”

Pei Yi expressed his satisfaction with one word: “Good.”

Compared with Baiyang Alley, which was distant and remote, the family moved here for the same price.

Hearing his satisfactory answer, Uncle Kai glanced covertly at Bo Yueming. The latter didn’t speak, but there was a hint of pleasure on his face.

In fact, what they didn’t tell Pei Yi and the mother and daughter of the Shu family was—

This villa was one of Bo Yueming’s assets, but it had been vacant and unoccupied for many years.

A while ago, he heard Uncle Kai mention the situation of the Shu Wan mother and daughter, and after some consideration, he asked Uncle Kai and the intermediary agency to help with this ready-made vacant house.

As for the rent paid to the account every month, Bo Yueming didn’t care about the spare money. He only asked Uncle Kai to save it on a bank card, and then return it either to the Shu Wan and Pei Yuan mother and daughter, or give it to Pei Yi as pocket money.

The car soon stopped at the gate of the villa.

Bo Yueming and Pei Yi got out of the car on the left and right, followed by Uncle Kai who pushed open the fence gate. “Second Young Master, Little Sir, this is the place.”

The group of people walked to the security door of the main house.

Uncle Kai rang the doorbell, but nobody answered for a long time.

Bo Yueming frowned. “Is no one here?”

“There was no reply to the WeChat message I sent to Ms. Shu  before we came here.” Uncle Kai frowned, and said solemnly, “Second Young Master, Ms. Shu told me the password of the electronic lock a while ago.”

It was also for the convenience of him bringing Pei Yi back.

Pei Yi recalled the dangerous situation he saw at the entrance of the alley that day, and only said, “Uncle Kai, open the door.”

Bo Yueming nodded in agreement. “Open it, ba.”

He was the real owner of this villa, and Pei Yi was the son of the current resident. Not to mention these two points, they didn’t come here to do bad things, so there was nothing to worry about.

Uncle Kai quickly entered the electronic password, which was the birth dates of Pei Yuan and Pei Yi, 01120616.

The electronic anti-theft door opened in response.

Inside the villa, the strong smell of tobacco and alcohol hit their faces, making it difficult for them to get used to it.

“…….”

“…….”

Pei Yi and Bo Yueming frowned simultaneously, feeling that something wasn’t right—

How could there be such a smell in the place where Pei Yuan and Wan Shu lived together?

Uncle Kai, who had come here once when they were moving, was also surprised. “Is this the wrong place?”

The mother and daughter had always been fastidious. 

They could keep such a dilapidated house tidied up before, let alone such a good villa? It was even more impossible to ruin it, ah!

Bo Yueming said bluntly, “The password was correct, how could it be the wrong place? Let’s go in and have a look.”

Before the lingering echo could fade, Pei Yi, who had felt that something was wrong from the beginning, pushed the door open first and went in to find—

Nut shells and food scraps were piled up on the floor of the spacious living room. Upon closer examination, there were a lot of cigarette butts scattered all over the floor, and wine bottles cluttered the coffee table.

At this moment, three ordinary-looking young men were sleeping on the sofas, and judging from their postures and expressions, he could tell that they were alcoholics who were utterly drunk and hungover.

Although Bo Yueming couldn’t see clearly, he could already imagine the chaos in the house just by the smell.

“…….”

What was going on here?

It had been less than half a month since the Shu Wan and Pei Yuan mother and daughter had moved in, right? Where did these three people come from?

Uncle Kai explained what he saw to Bo Yueming, but he was also baffled. “Second Young Master, Ms. Shu was expecting Little Sir to come here to stay last Friday. It’s been less than a week, and she wouldn’t sublet without telling us.”

It was simply impossible!

How could someone who insisted on waiting for their son to come back to an old house where the landlord illegally raised the price sublet to someone without saying anything?

Pei Yi notice something strange and walked straight over.

Uncle Kai was taken aback. “Little Sir?”

As soon as the words fell, Pei Yi directly picked up an empty wine bottle and purposely smashed it down.

—Crash!

The huge cracking sound frightened a man in black to suddenly wake up. He accidentally turned over and fell to the floor with a muffled thud.

“Fuck, what idiot did that? See if I don’t beat you to death!”

The man in black hadn’t yet fully opened his small eyes before the rude curses came out.

Bo Yueming’s eyes shifted slightly. He was afraid that Pei Yi would be hurt, and for a moment, he didn’t care how unfamiliar the environment was. He simply walked over through the chaotic light and shadows using his intuition.

“Pei Yi, come here, I’ll take care of it.”

Seeing this, Uncle Kai hurriedly followed. “Second Young Master, be careful.”

The man in black got up from the ground and sat on the sofa again. He looked at Pei Yi and the others who had suddenly appeared in front of him, and said in an arrogant tone, “Who are you, ah?”

“You……”

Before Pei Yi could voice his question, the collar at the nape of his neck was tugged precisely. He was unprepared, and stumbled two steps back into Bo Yueming’s arms.

“Huh?”

There was a small question mark in his tone.

Bo Yueming, who had grabbed the kitten, loosened his collar and lightly pinched the back of Pei Yi’s neck with slightly calloused fingertips. “Be obedient, don’t make trouble.”

Pei Yi shrunk his neck sensitively, and stopped talking with a hum.

Seeing the ambiguous behavior of the two, the man in black showed an expression of disgust. “I’m asking you guys, what are you doing casually breaking into my house?”

Bo Yueming scoffed. “Your house?”

The man in black spoke boldly. “What? If this isn’t my house, is it yours, ah?”

Knowing the inside story, Uncle Kai frowned and said directly, “This gentleman, the current tenant should be Ms. Shu Wan, so who are you? What is your relationship with her?”

“…….”

When the man in black heard the name “Shu Wan,” his self-righteous face became less confident.

He glanced at his two friends who were still in a drunken stupor, then looked again at the unfamiliar faces of Pei Yi and Bo Yueming. Gradually, his drunken brain came back online. “You are Pei Yi?”

“Tsk, tsk, after so long, it turns out to be my family?”

The tension eased from the man in black’s eyes, and he became arrogant toward Pei Yi. “Me, ah, I am your cousin.”

“…….”

Pei Yi heard this term of address and fell silent.

Cousin?

The only cousin the original owner had an impression of was Qin Yishun. What kind of cousin was this person?

“Oh, I almost forgot, I hear you’ve been a fool since you were a child?”

Seeing that Pei Yi didn’t speak, the man in black looked at Bo Yueming and Uncle Kai next to him and muttered, “Is that person blind, ah? Why is there still an old man with you?”

There was no trace of respect in his casual tone, which caused Bo Yueming’s eyes to darken.

“It’s settled, I live in this house now and I have the final say.” 

The man in black assumed the majesty of the “owner of the house” and looked toward the second floor. “Pei Yi, your mother seems to have left early in the morning, right?”

“You just find a place to sit and wait, don’t stand in front of me and my friends and make noise, disturbing peoples’ sleep!”

Bo Yueming and Pei Yi’s expressions changed at the same time—

The former because he had never been chased away like this since he was a child, while the latter just wanted to punch this idiot in the face.

While the atmosphere was somewhat frozen, the sound of footsteps and conversation came from outside the door.

“A-Wan, we don’t treat family members as strangers, so I want to say, your Xiao Yuan is a useless girl. She just needs to get married early in exchange for a bride price before she gets old, and her grandfather can take care of Xiao Yi so that he doesn’t have to worry about food and clothing.”

“Our family is at the age of success, and it’s a good time to start a business. If you, the paternal aunt, don’t help us, can you justify it?”

“Look at this big house, it’s wasteful for your mother and daughter pair to live in it. Why not let your nephew succeed in starting a business and marry a wife!”

Each sentence was more thick-faced than the other.

Soon, the familiar voice of Shu Wan sounded, “Sister-in-law, what do you mean! Xiao Yuan’s marriage and such important matters are not for you to talk nonsense about!”

“If you can’t find a house temporarily, it’s fine if you insist on staying for a few days, but it will definitely not work long-term……”

The unlocked door was opened.

Standing outside the door, Shu Wan was taken aback when she saw her youngest son who had appeared in the house. “Xiao Yi, Senior Housekeeper, when did you get here? Why didn’t you notify me in advance?”

Shu Wan seemed to have just returned from the vegetable market, and was carrying bags of various sizes that contained fresh ingredients.

And beside her was a tanned middle-aged woman with dark eyes and clear dissatisfaction on her face.

“Ms. Shu, I sent you a WeChat message but didn’t receive a reply, so we came directly.” Uncle Kai finally met a familiar face, and opened his mouth to ask on Bo Yueming and Pei Yi’s behalf, “This, just what is going on here?”

There was a clear warning in his restrained tone, “Little Sir happily came to see you today, and the Second Young Master also took the time to accompany him, but the house is full of smoke, and how many people of unknown origin are here?”

The middle-age woman immediately objected. “Ai! What people of unknown origin? I say, don’t talk nonsense if you don’t know the situation, brother! We are close relatives!”

“I’m her own sister-in-law, and that handsome guy standing behind you is her own nephew! Family doesn’t treat one another as strangers, and if we eat and drink in our own house, what does it matter to you?”

With this repeated mantra of the dove occupying the magpie’s nest, you still feel that you are the reasonable one?

Pei Yi could roughly guess the reason, and glowered, unable to bear it any longer. “You shut up!”

Taken aback by the fierceness of his gaze, the middle-aged woman stuttered twice and stopped talking.

Shu Wan next to her panicked, and quickly threw the vegetables to the ground in order to approach and comfort him, “Xiao Yi, don’t be angry, listen to Mom’s explanation.”

Bo Yueming remained silent this time, letting Pei Yi vent his unhappiness.

To be honest, he couldn’t see the current  circumstances clearly, and felt extremely annoyed at this inexplicable situation.

As an older generation, Uncle Kai had some experience, and hit the nail on the head, “Ms. Shu, when it is time to break ties, it is time to break them. You and Little Sir finally broke free from the situation with the Pei family, and now you want to be tied up with others?”

Shu Wan’s heart suddenly constricted. “How is that possible?! It was this shameless mother and son who came here together!”

The middle-aged woman did not dare to shout at unfamiliar faces such as Bo Yueming, but when she heard Shu Wan’s heartfelt words, she seemed to have found a reason to attack.

“Shu Wan, what do you mean by that? Tell me clearly!”

Shu Wan was no longer tactful, but there was still a slight tremor in her voice. “Yes, sister-in-law, I was originally going to make it clear!”

She took a deep breath, and personally tore away the facade of family relations that no longer existed—

These two were indeed her nominal sister-in-law and nephew, named Chen Yuyin and Shu Youcheng. As for the two people who were still lying on the sofas and sleeping, they were friends brought over by the latter last night.

Back then, Shu Wan’s family background was very ordinary, and her parents from a rural area favored their eldest son to the extreme.

It was through her own efforts that she made her way to the Imperial Capital and took root, and then she met her husband Pei Ruye by chance.

After Pei Ruye passed away, the heartbroken Shu Wan tried to contact her natal family, but her parents had been gone for many years at that time, and only her eldest brother and sister-in-law remained among her relatives.

Having learned of her recent situation, Chen Yuyin immediately turned her face and hung up the phone, and also gave repeated instructions to not allow her husband to secretly help Shu Wan, his own sister.

Since then, the gentle-looking Shu Wan who was actually strong, never contacted her again.

Until three years ago, when Chu Yuyin suddenly approached her through some unknown channel—

Shu Wan’s elder brother was accidentally injured on a construction site, and passed away after two weeks of treatment. The 500,000 yuan in compensation was quickly squandered by her son Shu Youcheng, and he even owed a gambling debt.

Chen Yuyin, who was adept at playing tricks, had no choice but to find a way to shamelessly seek out Shu Wan.

When Shu Wan was studying and making a living away from home in those days, the only family member who supported her was her deceased brother. For the sake of her elder brother’s wife and children, she secretly gave some savings to help them without telling her daughter.

At that time, the mother and daughter were still living in Baiyang Alley, and their living conditions looked very ordinary. Having gotten the money, Chen Yuyin feared that she would have second thoughts, so she slipped away faster than anyone.

When Shu Wan and her daughter moved away half a month ago, she deliberately left the address of her new home for her close neighbors, but she never considered that—

The first person to come to the new home was not the youngest son Pei Yi, but this shameless mother and son!

Three days ago, Pei Yuan led a group to another province for a painting competition, and the mother and son came to the door with the address given by a neighbor.

When Chen Yuyin and Shu Youcheng saw this villa, they froze, and decided that the mother and daughter had spare money!

Knowing that Shu Wan was resistant, they just came in crying and fussing, and she couldn’t drive them away no matter how hard she tried!

After residing there for only two days, Shu Youcheng promptly assumed the identity of the ‘master of the house’ and invited his friends, drinking and making noise all night long the previous night.

This morning, in order to save face for her son, Chen Yuyin forcibly dragged Shu Wan to the vegetable market to buy ingredients. She picked out the best ones, but when it came to the critical moment of payment, she played dumb.

No only that, but on the way back from the market, Chen Yuyin was still trying to brainwash Shu Wan—

When all was said and done, she just hoped that Shu Wan would take good care of Shu Youcheng for the sake of him being “the last lifeblood of the Shu family,” and had crooked ideas about this villa!

Shu Wan was so annoyed that she almost tore her face away—

The mother and son were just minor relatives, as thick-skinned as could be! They were the fattest and filthiest blood-sucking leeches!

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Chapter Twenty-Six <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Twenty-Eight

Once the Yan army broke through the city gate, there was no suspense about the outcome of this battle. Liu Xian’an stood on the cliff, watching the army flood into the city like a dark tide. After that, it divided into tributaries and continued to scour through streets and alleys in all directions. The sky was overcast, and faint claps of thunder could be heard from time to time. The soldiers on the sidelines said: “Second Young Master Liu, it is about to rain heavily here. Let’s return quickly.”

Liu Xian’an agreed with his mouth, but his body peerlessly dawdled, and he stretched his neck to watch for a long time. It wasn’t until the billowing black clouds practically brushed his head that he took the soldiers and A-Ning to jog all the way down the mountain.

He couldn’t wait to go to Qingyang City, so he rejected the proposal to “find a cave to shelter from the rain,” and ran down the mountain under the pattering raindrops, getting into the carriage in no time. Presently, it was raining heavily in the mountains, and the deafening thunder nearly pierced through the roof of the carriage. The coachman wore a bamboo hat and a coir raincoat. He raised his hand and whipped the horse, taking them into the torrential downpour.

He didn’t even bring A-Ning with him, because the small carriage couldn’t hold two people.

By the time he arrived, the entire battle was drawing to a close.

The Dayan garrison guarded both sides of the city gate. Liu Xian’an stuck his head out of the carriage and asked them: “Where is the prince?”

“Right over there.” After pointing out the way, the soldier warned him carefully in a low voice, “But the prince seems to be…..in a bad mood. If Second Young Master Liu doesn’t have a problem, how about talking to him tomorrow?”

Liu Xian’an was puzzled. Why would he be in a bad mood after winning the battle? After giving his thanks, he asked the coachman to continue driving into the city. It was still raining heavily at this time. The thick, enveloping smoke had not yet dissipated, and the air was filled with the pungent scent of oil, giving him an inexplicable spine-chilling sensation. Turning another street corner, the driving horse suddenly neighed in fright. It raised its hooves high and then lowered them, pacing anxiously in place.

The coachman hurriedly tightened the horse’s reins. Liu Xian’an lifted the curtain and found that the long street was strewn with dead bodies, men and women, young and old, all stacked together with their eyes wide open. Their wounds were still bleeding continuously, painting the whole city bright red.

Liu Xian’an suddenly understood where the strange chill just now came from. It was too quiet. The city was too quiet, and there was no sound of people, not even crying or pleas for mercy.

Standing on the other side of the long street, Liang Shu saw the carriage. He frowned slightly and wanted to have guards take him out of the city first, but Liu Xian’an had already jumped to the ground. The carriage couldn’t pass through, so he stepped over the corpses and walked forward. The snow-like hem of his robes dragged through bloodstains, and soon turned different shades of red. Liang Shu’s pupils shrank. Gao Lin was also horrified at the sight, and hastily rushed over to offer him an umbrella, asking in a low voice: “Why is Second Young Master Liu here?”

After asking, he lowered his voice further, gritted his teeth, and said: “These grandsons didn’t fight us head-on at all.”

After being stirred up by the Mute Condors from the sky, the rebel leader knew that it was hopeless to defend the city, so he turned around and returned to the city with his troops. During the time when the Yan army had not completely invaded, he did two things —

Burn the food and fodder.

And kill the common people.

Under extreme hatred, anger, and fear, human nature was truly fragile. When the fire was ignited, when the butcher’s knife was held high, the innocent common people of the city were just tools for the rebels to make a statement to the Yan army. What was even more absurd was that they may even be full of passion and energy after because of this slaughter, taking pride in the successful expression of a sense of self-defense. Summer insects cannot speak of ice.^[1] When narrow-mindedness, ignorance, and cruelty collided with so-called “righteousness,” the resulting evils could not even be washed away by a torrential rainstorm.

Liu Xian’an walked in front of Liang Shu. His entire body was drenched, his hair sticking to his face indiscriminately, and his skin looked increasingly pale. Liang Shu pulled his wrist and led him to an empty temple, which was originally the most dilapidated and empty place in the whole city. Because no one lived there, it had now become the cleanest place. The guards lit a campfire and Liang Shu wrapped him in a cloak with a frown, asking: “Why did you come here?”

“……I wanted to take a look.” Liu Xian’an didn’t know how to answer. Standing on the mountain, he witnessed a battle for the first time. Originally, he was still shocked by the silver Mute Condors all over the sky, the black armor all over the ground, and the grand momentum of the ensemble of war drums, thunder, and lightning. He couldn’t wait to share it with Liang Shu, but now he was covered in blood.

War was far more cruel than he had imagined. Even with such a quick, small-scale siege, the casualties caused were enough to make the entire Dayan Dynasty mourn. Life and death and the heavenly dao were no different. It was the spiritual pursuit of complete freedom. A poet could be buried beneath a peach blossom tree, or never return from a drunken outing, but he could not die by the sword in despair.

Liu Xian’an wrapped the cloak tightly around him and reached out, wiping a bit of blood from Liang Shu’s face.

The fire dispelled the chill, and the soldiers bustling to and fro outside added a bit of noise to the place. Liang Shu’s brain continued to pulse with pain, but he pulled himself together and said: “Rest here for a while, and I’ll send you out of town.”

Liu Xian’an looked at him: “There will definitely be such a day in the future.”

Liang Shu asked: “Really?”

Liu Xian’an nodded.

Liang Shu sighed: “You are forty-eight thousand years old, don’t lie to others.”

“Not lying. Everyone will have a full stomach, and everyone will be able to study.”

Food and clothing, literacy and courtesy, civilization would eventually defeat barbarism and then people would have more time to think. Liu Xian’an didn’t know if he could fly forty-eight thousand zhang, but he felt that one day in the future, someone would be able to reach the moon and the stars.

Liang Shu was suffering from a splitting headache and had no energy to do any thinking, but listening to him say a few words, the depression in his heart was able to dissipate a little, so he made a sound of acknowledgement. Liu Xian’an tested the temperature of his forehead with the backs of his fingers. Liang Shu turned his head away and only asked: “Is there a cure for headaches?”

“Yes, but only in an emergency.” Liu Xian’an took out a bag of silver needles. “Sit still and don’t talk.”

Liang Shu leaned against a pillar and closed his eyes.

As soon as Gao Lin entered, he saw Second Young Master Liu hugging his prince’s head, so he turned around and walked out without saying a word. Staying calm in times of trouble. Very tactful. Liang Shu had already heard the movement and called: “Get back here!”

Liu Xian’an also stood up straight and turned around.

Only then did Gao Lin see clearly. Oh, it was acupuncture.

The acupuncture couldn’t even be mentioned, otherwise wouldn’t it exacerbate the illness? He wanted to say a few words casually, but Liang Shu asked him: “Where is Lu Xiang?”

“……He shut himself away and secretly wrote an account.” Gao Lin had no choice but to say, “It’s probably not worth a fart.”

Although Qingyang city had been captured, the battle was too brutal. Even if the Imperial court did not condemn it, they would certainly not praise it. Lu Xiang feared that he would be the one held responsible for this grievance, so he acted preemptively. In the account, it was described in detail that His Royal Highness Xiao Wang refused to be dissuaded and insisted on changing the initial attack on Sanshui City to Qingyang City. As a result, he single-handedly caused the scene of the massacre. After he finished writing, he added a few impassioned statements at the end. He read through it several times and felt that everything was safe, so he placed it in his sleeve and walked out as if nothing had happened.

Gao Lin was leading people to guard the door with swords.

Lu Xiang’s complexion changed: “What does Lieutenant General Gao mean by this?”

Gao Lin said: “The prince wants Commander Liu to come over.”

Lu Xiang looked at the glinting swords all over the courtyard and stood still. After a long while, he choked out sentence with a livid face: “Does the prince want to take this official as a scapegoat? Although the people of Qingyang City could not be saved, it was done by the rebels, and the emperor may not be dissatisfied with it. If the prince found a scapegoat so early, people would laugh if it spread.”

Gao Lin shook his head: “Why couldn’t the people of Qingyang City be saved? Since Huang Wangxiang raised the banner on Gaoliang Mountain, Commander Lu probably asked the Imperial court for a lot of money, right? A mere villager could develop and grow under the eyes of tens of thousands of troops. Was it through his own exceptional skills, or was Commander Lu unwilling to suppress this god of wealth from heaven? If the rebels had been suppressed from the very beginning, how could there be chaos in the three cities now, and how could the common people have died!”

Lu Xiang gritted his teeth and said: “Lieutenant General Gao, don’t slander people!”

Gao Lin lifted his hand and threw a thick stack of account books in front of him: “Commander Lu thinks he got ahead, but the prince has really put up with you all the way. If not for the time it took to find these things, Commander Lu wouldn’t have had to lock himself up in a room and deliberately make up stories for the court. Come, seize him!”

“Presumptuous!” Commander Lu drew out his sword. “I was personally appointed by the emperor —”

Before he could finish speaking, he was kicked back into the room by Gao Lin. Both were military leaders, but one was lazy and focused on making money, while the other spent all day long rolling about in the northwest wind and sand. Although Lu Xiang knew that he was not Gao Lin’s opponent, he didn’t expect the other party to be so savage and not pay heed to the Imperial court at all. He became dizzy for a moment, and shouted threats: “Could it be that Xiao Wang wants to rebel!”

“You dare.” Gao Lin crouched in front of him. “Let’s be honest, the evidence of corruption was found by the emperor’s people. They’ve already sent copies back to Wangcheng. Commander Lu, after your crimes were exposed, not only did you not want to repent, but you also tried to muddle the brotherhood between His Majesty and the prince. This is really asking for death.”

Lu Xiang paled: “His Majesty?”

“It’s fine if you can’t figure it out now. You can go to prison and think about it slowly in the future.” Gao Lin stood up and ordered for him to be restrained and taken into custody.

However, even if Lu Xiang sobered up in prison, he still might not be able to figure it out. Why did the emperor’s people suddenly appear in Qingyang City, and they were also used by Xiao Wang? Could it be that he already had doubts about him?

Relying on his poor imagination, he likely wouldn’t understand until his death that those strong men from the Imperial court were originally only here to watch two marriage partners meet.

Lieutenant Li, who had cut wood all the way here, was also tied up in front of Gao Lin. He was less fearful than Lu Xiang, and readily confessed that he had filled his own pockets in the name of collecting rations. He also named a bunch of accomplices. This group of silverfish was gathered in an open space in the city and knelt there for three days in front of a pitch dark object, through two days of torrential rain and one of sun exposure, until their lips chapped and they lost consciousness. They didn’t even know what they were kowtowing to.

A-Ning also asked: “What is it?”

Liu Xian’an said: “It’s the dog in Xiaozhao Village that was killed by soldiers.”

Unknowingly, A-Ning had torn off a piece of roasted meat to feed to the starving young man who was chained up, and it was only later that he found out that it was his dog. Afterwards, the meat was taken away by Liang Shu. After drying, it looked like a black stone, and still didn’t rot after being exposed to the sun and the rain. It had been placed on a high platform until those men who preyed on the common people knelt for three days and their heads hit the ground. Only then did Gao Lin wrap it up in cloth, dig a hole, and bury it properly.

Liang Shu didn’t want Lu Xian’an to see these things, but Second Young Master Liu didn’t say “that’s also fine” this time.

He stayed in the city, hands in his sleeves, and refused to go.

*

T/N: Can I just say how beautiful that scene was with Liu Xian’an walking toward Liang Shu down the bloody street? Liang Shu wants to keep him pure and unblemished, but that isn’t what the dao is about. The dao encompasses the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly, and Liu Xian’an doesn’t shy away from any of it.

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[1] “Summer insects cannot speak of ice” because their life cycles only last a few summer months, and they cannot imagine what ice is because they will never see it. This is a metaphor for time limiting people’s knowledge, as well as people’s short-sightedness and lack of understanding of major principles. ⮐

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Chapter Forty << Table of Contents >> Chapter Forty-Two

Pei Family Manor.

Deng Xiuya looked at the clock on the wall that was gradually approaching eight o’clock, and continued to murmur, “It’s already this late, why hasn’t Xiao Huan come back yet, ah? According to the time, isn’t the celebration banquet already over?”

“No one answered the phone……”

Pei Ruzhang delivered hot brewed tea to Old Father Pei, and frowned at his chattering wife to make her stop. “I say, what are you anxious for? We have just negotiated a large business deal with the Bo family. As one of the people in charge, Xiao Huan must spend time socializing and dealing with it.”

Old Father Pei followed up with a nod. “It’s time for the child to practice. As a mother, don’t worry about it in vain.”

Deng Xiuya was embarrassed for a few seconds, then heard Pei Huan’s voice from the door, “Mom, is there anything to eat in the kitchen? Just give me whatever.”

Pei Huan walked into the house quickly, his expression and pace a bit anxious. “Dad, Grandpa, good evening. You all talk, I’ll go upstairs to pack and change my clothes, I have to go out again later.”

The sharp-eyed Deng Xiuya immediately noticed the red marks on Pei Huan’s clothes, and quickly stopped him. “Wait, what’s with the blood stains on your clothes! What happened?”

Upon hearing the phrase “blood stains,” Old Father Pei and Pei Ruzhang were both taken aback.

Old Father Pei loved Pei Huan, the intelligent and sensible grandson most, and squinted his eyes with a frown. “Xiao Huan, you’re back. Weren’t you invited by Young Master Bo to the celebration banquet? How could you get hurt?”

Pei Huan noticed the blood stains on his cuffs, and a trace of disgust flickered in his eyes.

The blood of this beast was dirty to death!

He walked up to Old Father Pei and cut the long story short, “Grandpa, there was a bit of trouble at the banquet. Something happened to the head of the German business project, and the blood accidentally rubbed onto me. I’m fine.”

Old Father Pei was slightly relieved, but still was still conscious of something being wrong.

Pei Ruzhang also realized that something was wrong and asked, “Is the person you mentioned Sun Yelong, Chairman Sun? Why was he bleeding? Will it affect his project cooperation with Pei and Bo?”

“……..”

Pei Huan was worried about this issue.

After all, what happened to Sun Yelong occurred at their celebration banquet. The other party had four or five stitches on his forehead. Even some unspeakable parts seemed to have suffered, and he was still unconscious due to excessive blood loss.

Pei Huan found someone to escort him before he left, but he still wanted to rush back to the hospital later and stabilize the other party as soon as he woke up, lest the project launch truly be implicated.

Thinking that all this trouble was caused by Pei Yi, there was a faint unhappiness in Pei Huan’s eyes.

“Grandpa, Dad, let me tell you the truth. Sun Yelong’s injury was a bit serious this time, and it was also related to Xiao Yi.”

“Pei Yi?”

The Pei couple exchanged glances, never expecting that this matter would be related to Pei Yi.

Old Father Pei immediately frowned and tapped the floor with his cane, deciding without thought, “Why was that disgraceful thing also at the celebration banquet? Did he go crazy and cause trouble again?”

Pei Huan remembered that it was Sun Yelong who had evil intentions first, and the matchmaking between him and Bo Guancheng in the middle was inseparable from it. For a moment, he was a little annoyed at his hasty mouth. “Grandpa, don’t be angry. In fact, this matter can’t really be blamed on Xiao Yi, he……”

—Bang!

A slam on the door suddenly interrupted this seemingly amicable excuse.

Qin Yishun strode into the main hall of the villa and opened his mouth with a resounding sentence, “Of course Pei Yi can’t be blamed for this matter, the death of scum like Sun Yelong is not a pity!”

“…….”

When Pei Huan saw the straight-faced Qin Yishun appear, he felt slightly suffocated.

On the contrary, Old Father Pei, who was sitting on the sofa, showed a rare look of surprise and hurriedly got up with his cane. “Yishun? Why did you suddenly come back? Didn’t your mother say some time ago that you had to wait until the beginning of next month before returning to the Imperial Capital?”

Old Father Pei still attached great importance to this grandson born from his eldest daughter.

Qin Yishun made a slight motion toward Old Father Pei, but made a long story short, “Grandpa, I just came back today.”

Old Father Pei asked again, “Have you eaten yet? Shall I ask the servants to go to the kitchen and prepare some more?”

“No, I’m only here tonight to clarify some things.” Qin Yishun looked around, and his dark eyes revealed the pressure of imminent mountain rain. “It just so happens that Uncle and his family are all here, so I don’t have to find someone separately.”

Old Father Pei felt that something wasn’t right. “Yishun, what do you want to ask?”

“I want to ask, who proposed the marriage between Xiao Yi and Bo Yueming? And who made the decision?”

“I also heard that Xiao Yi was so stimulated that he jumped into the river after hearing about this? Did any of you respect his initial wishes?”

“Are you relatives? Or are you evil, profit-seeking businessmen!”

A series of questions were thrown down without any scruples for the face of the elders present.

Under Qin Yishun’s gaze, the Pei couple gradually became embarrassed, and the corners of Old Father Pei’s mouth suddenly dropped, the old hand holding his cane trembling faintly. “Yishun, what are you talking about!”

Qin Yishun said bluntly, “Grandpa, if I didn’t think of you as elders, I wouldn’t keep it as simple as talking.”

Old Father Pei expression darkened. “You……”

Seeing this, Deng Xiuya quickly brought out her good person act, “Dad, don’t be anxious, drink some hot tea to calm down.”

She helped Old Father Pei to sit down, served hot tea, and then tried to half-heartedly address the topic. “Yishun, you may not be aware since you just returned to the Imperial Capital, but the matter of marriage was proposed by the Bo family. After all, your uncle and I are not Xiao Yi’s biological parents, and it was difficult to make a decision at the beginning, so we discussed it with Xiao Yi.”

“Yes, he mistakenly thought that we were trying to drive him out of Pei Manor, and that is why he got excited and lost his temper. Later, when he met the second child of the Bo family, ah, he liked him and agreed.”

Qin Yishun frowned when he heard the word “like.”

Deng Xiuya didn’t notice his subtle emotions, and only regarded him as acquiescing. “I don’t think Second Young Master Bo dislikes Xiao Yi’s mental immaturity. In the future, Xiao Yi won’t have to worry about being taken care of.”

“And now the two families are growing closer because of this marriage. It is the best of both worlds, isn’t that great?”

“Auntie, what you said sounds so beautiful!”

Qin Yishun interrupted forcefully, not falling into the trap of her words at all. “In my opinion, the people in this family who don’t want to see Xiao Yi the most, and who wanted to make him leave the most, isn’t that you and Uncle?”

“Yishun! What nonsense are you talking about?” Pei Ruzhang’s eyes changed suddenly. “It is not up to you, a junior, to comment upon the arrangements of your elders!”

Qin Yishun didn’t flinch, and choked out with a straight face, “It’s not my turn to comment, but if my uncle hadn’t passed away, I don’t think it would be your turn to make decisions about anything now!”

“Using Xiao Yi’s life events in exchange for the business interests you want? And you’re still talking about being an elder? Are you worthy?”

Qin Yishun was worthy of being a person who had experience in the army, and the powerful aura he exuded when he asked questions in that deep voice was enough to shock everyone present.

“…….”

Pei Ruzhang’s face promptly turned ashen and ugly, as if some secret had been punctured.

In the past, Pei Ruye was only two years older than him, but he was better than him at everything since he was a child. He was the one who attracted attention wherever he went, and was also the child that Old Father Pei was most proud of.

The two brothers entered the company to work one after another, and the projects led by Pei Ruye always overshadowed those of his younger brother. At that time, almost everyone believed that—

The position of Executive Director of Pei Group in the future must belong to Pei Ruye!

But what happened later was exactly the opposite of what everyone expected—

Pei Ruye did not hesitate to break from his family because of a woman from the countryside, and even gave up his position as the general manager of the group at that time; and Pei Ruzhang followed Old Father Pei’s arrangement to marry the daughter of the Deng family, successfully winning the position of General Manager and even Chairman!

Later, Pei Ruye died suddenly.

Pei Ruzhang would always remember that his first reaction after hearing about this incident was not the grief of losing his dear brother, but the kind of joy that could never be disclosed to the outside world.

—Good, ah! Finally, he wouldn’t be robbed of things anymore! No one could take away the limelight that belonged to him!

Later, the newly born Pei Yi was brought back to the Pei residence.

Pei Ruzhang remembered that the little nephew before the age of ten seemed to be a carbon copy of his elder brother, Pei Ruye. He was naturally smart and likable, and the old Pei couple almost loved Pei Yi to the sky out of guilt and restitution for their dead son.

At that time, Pei Ruzhang was secretly anxious. He feared that when he grew up, Pei Yi would take everything away from him and his son Pei Huan, but something unexpectedly happened to him when he was ten years old.

Drowning in the deep end of the pool, not dead, but foolish.

After the other party became a fool, he did a few stupid things that caused the face-saving Old Father Pei to be gradually disappointed with him.

And his wife, Deng Xiuya, had always disliked this little nephew Pei Yi. Pei Ruzhang saw it in her eyes, but never exposed her or criticized her, and even acquiesced to what she did to Pei Yi.

Qin Yishun was right, he and his wife had wanted to take this opportunity to rid themselves of the burden of Pei Yi. Trading a fool for benefits, and also removing a possible threat to his own son, who wouldn’t do it?

As for Pei Yi’s fate after being sent to the Bo family, what did that have to do with him?”

“…….”

The malice in Pei Ruzhang’s heart surged unceasingly, and there was naturally no way to be as dignified as usual on the surface.

The atmosphere on this occasion was at a stalemate.

Deng Xiuya couldn’t bear it anymore, and insisted on saving face, “Qin Yishun, we have taken care of Xiao Yi all these years, so how can we not be worthy of being elders? Your parents hid in Yuncheng, and you hid in the army, but now you come here to make decisions for Pei Yi?”

Seeing that Deng Xiuya dared to fan the flames of war, Pei Huan frowned and stopped her, “Mom!”

When the Qin couple and Qin Yishun had proposed to take Pei Yi to Yuncheng, it was simply rejected by the face-saving Pei Ruzhang and Deng Xiuya, who also said brazenly: Are we unable to support more than one child? He must be treated as our own son!

“What are you afraid of?”

Deng Xiuya looked at Pei Huan, and suddenly seemed to have grasped something about Qin Yishun. “I see, ah, this mindset of being a big brother is really crooked to the limit!”

“He is also your cousin, and you have loved Pei Yi since you were a child. When did you protect our Xiao Huan like you are doing now?”

Pei Huan’s heart thumped, and he had a bad feeling.

In the next second, Qin Yishun’s deep, heavy gaze was fixed on him. “If Auntie has the time to criticize me, why not look at what your son has done behind your back!”

The flames of war began to spread.

Old Father Pei said again, “Yishun, be careful with your words.”

Unmoved, Qin Yishun just stared at Pei Huan for a moment. “Do you remember? When Pei Yi was six years old, he happily carried your school bag downstairs for you when you had just entered elementary school, but what happened?”

“Standing in the back, you suddenly pushed him down the stairs. Fortunately, I arrived in time to catch him!”

“…….”

Pei Huan’s heart stopped, and under the strong pressure, the expression that he had always been good at disguising showed a burst of guilty conscience.

This was a secret that he hid deep in his heart and dared not tell the outside world, and it was also the first time he realized the existence of his “evil thoughts’ when he was young.

He was jealous that Pei Yi received so much attention from his grandparents, and under the influence of his parents, he believed that the other party would ‘take away’ everything from him, so he had a momentary bad idea.

“At that time, you were crying and explained to me that you were only joking around and wanted to scare Xiao Yi. It was definitely not intentional, and you asked me not to tell others.”

Although six-year-old Pei Yi was caught by Qin Yishun in time, the twisted ankle was still red and swollen, looking pitiful.

The pain was so bad that tears were about to fall, but when he saw Pei Huan crying and apologizing, he still pleaded softly for the other party and even smiled coquettishly, saying that he didn’t feel any pain at all and would be fine after drinking some milk.

In the end, he even coaxed Old Mrs. Pei, saying that he accidentally fell and got injured while playing.

Qin Yishun revealed this old matter in front of his elders. He looked at Pei Huan’s faintly pale face, and continued to question him with determination, “Yes, you can say you forgot about it, but what about today’s incident?”

“You knew that Sun Yelong had wrong intentions toward Xiao Yi, but you still set up a bridge for that bastard and found someone to bring Xiao Yi into his room!”

Qin Yishun took a step closer, and his eyes were full of disappointment and disgust. “Pei Huan, your explanation might be able to hide it from other people, but you can’t hide it from me! For your own benefit, you did not hesitate to give away your cousin as a plaything for others!”

“Pei Huan, your heart is dirty and terrible! From where I stand, you are no match for Pei Yi!”

“…….”

Pei Huan’s face instantly paled.

For the first time since he was a child, he was accused by someone by name, and the never-before-seen humiliation spread to all his limbs, making him wish he could find a hole in the ground and crawl into it!

Pei Ruzhang and Deng Xiuya exchanged glances, and Old Father Pei was also too surprised to make a sound—

Because in their eyes, Pei Huan was a good boy who was excellent and decent in all aspects, and was aboveboard! How could he send Pei Yi to an old man’s bed?

But they also knew Qin Yishun’s character. He was always upright and serious, and never lied or framed others.

Taking advantage of the crowd’s silence, Qin Yishun said categorically, “I’ll say these words for Xiao Yi. He has nothing more to do with this family. From now on, don’t think about having any crooked ideas about him!”

“As an older brother, I can protect him now, and I can afford to do it!”

“I am only talking sense. Once again, I don’t care about this family relationship!”

Inside and outside, these words all meant that he was Pei Yi’s backer.

Qin Yishun restrained the coldness and seriousness in his tone, and looked at Old Father Pei with a hint of apology in his eyes, but not much, because he knew in his heart—

If Old Father Pei did not agree to this marriage, there was nothing his money-grabbing uncle and aunt could do about it.

“Grandfather, I’ve finished what I have to say. You know what is right and what is wrong. What I said today was unpleasant, and I will find an opportunity to apologize to you alone another day.”

After speaking, he strode away from Pei Manor, leaving only an embarrassing stalemate in the room.

Old Father Pei was rarely not given face by his juniors, so his heart was naturally filled with displeasure. He tightened his grip on the cane and finally targeted Pei Huan, asking in a heavy voice:

“Xiao Huan, what happened at the celebration banquet today?!”

. . . . . .

Three days later.

First Imperial People’s Hospital.

A nurse hurriedly left the VIP ward, and only dared to whisper after closing the door, “Why throw a tantrum? At this age, if you can’t do it, you can’t do it.”

Inside the ward, the floor was a mess.

Sun Yelong, who had vented his temper, was sitting on the bed and panting for breath. His forehead was wrapped with a ring of medical gauze, though what hurt him the most was not the stitches on his forehead, but a certain place that was constantly hurting—

Because he accidentally bumped into the sharp corner of a table that day, causing a serious injury, it was inconvenient to go to the toilet after waking up, and the doctor’s diagnosis just now showed that this injury would also affect some of his functions.

Sun Yelong’s pride as a man was injured. Even though he was old, he still refused to admit this fact, so he lost his temper in front of the nurse in his extreme shock and unwillingness!

After indulging for most of his life, this was the first time he stumbled into this kind of thing. How could he bear it?

If word of the injury got out, would he still have face? He feared he would become a big laughing stock in the circle!

Sun Yelong’s breathing was still heavy. He gritted his teeth and a name burst forth, “Pei Yi!”

He didn’t know Qin Yishun, who had done something to him that day, so he placed all the blame on Pei Yi.

—Swish.

The closed door was suddenly opened.

“I told you not to come in if you have nothing to do!” Sun Yelong thought it was the nurse coming back in, but when he looked up, he found that it was a young man with an unfamiliar appearance. “You……you are?”

“Chairman Sun, I have some information here that I want you to look at.”

Yan Cen, who had come in his friend’s stead, approached and handed over the thick stack of documents in his hands.

“What? Did Bo Guancheng or Pei Huan send you here?”

Sun Yelong misunderstood Yan Cen’s identity, and opened the documents dubiously. In less than a minute, his face turned colors and the hand holding the materials trembled slightly.

“You, where did you get these from?”

Over the years, he had taken advantage of his position to siphon off the top of various projects. Perhaps the amount of a single item was not completely qualitative, but the sum of these amounts was uncertain.

These materials were full of evidence of his misappropriation of public funds and other commercial crimes. How could the other party find these in such a short period of time?

Yan Cen pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose to cover up the playful look in his eyes. “Chairman Sun, you should know the weight of these things. As long as you promise me two things, I will not send these materials out.”

Actually, this evidence could not be regarded as being collected by Yan Cen.

Sun Yelong had been sitting in the position of Chairman for so long,  how could he have no opponents behind his back?

As soon as Yan Cen learned of his friend’s needs, he sent someone to determine Sun Yelong’s social circle and then followed the clues to contact his opponent who was hiding in the shadows.

After a period of “friendly” negotiation between the two parties, the other side agreed that he should temporarily use this evidence.

As for these materials, Yan Cen and Bo Yueming wouldn’t send them out, and the opponent behind the scenes could still choose the ideal time to ruin Sun Yelong’s reputation.

“…….”

Sun Yelong, who had already been bluffed by this pile of evidence, had never thought it would get to this level. The cold sweat on his forehead shortly soaked through the gauze, irritating the sutured wound that throbbed with pain.

He didn’t care about the pain anymore, and only knew that these things would definitely take away his freedom for the rest of his life!

He gulped nervously. “W-what things?”

In place of Bo Yueming, Yan Cen expressed the negotiated concessions. “First, the injury you suffered this time was purely your own fault, and had nothing to do with Pei Yi. If you call the police, our side……”

“I won’t call the police! I absolutely won’t call the police!”

Sun Yelong nodded submissively, completely losing his previous arrogance.

He had wanted to make some trouble afterwards, but now even this idea had faded away. After all, if he really tried to call the police to investigate, he feared that they would discover his malicious intentions first.

“Secondly, no matter what you discussed with Bo Guancheng and others in the early stages, stop the project cooperation between you now.”

“…….”

Stunned, Sun Yelong hesitated for a moment. “Aren’t you from the Bo family?”

The two parties had signed a contract intent for the first phase of the project, and the second phase of the major project was also under negotiation. If he called a stop to it at this moment, the biggest losses would be suffered by the Bo and Pei families who had invested funds in advance.

Yan Cen did not follow his train of thought, but only took back the documents in his hands. “Chairman Sun, whether to agree or not, you must consider it clearly.”

The contrast between the gentle tone and the crisp movement of drawing the paper back was enough to dispel Sun Yelong’s hesitation.

If the contract was broken, then it was broken!

What the hell could be more important than himself!

The reason these unlucky things happened was because Bo Guancheng and Pei Huan invited him to that shitty celebration banquet. Yes, it was all thanks to them!

Blinded by the ‘hard evidence,’ Sun Yelong made up his mind. “Okay!”

Yan Cen didn’t give him a chance to regret it afterwards, smiling gently. “Then call now while I’m here. Hurry up.”

. . . . . .

The afternoon sun was just right.

Pei Yi sat at the dining table and waited patiently. In front of him was the freshly baked fruit pudding from the kitchen.

“Meow-wu~”

Inspector stood on its back feet on the chair next to him, scratching the edge of the dining table with its front paws as if particularly interested in this steaming and fragrant thing.

“Inspector.”

Pei Yi called out, but was afraid of disturbing Bo Yueming who was talking on the other side, so he lowered his voice a little, “It’s hot now, don’t.”

“Meow~wuwu~”

Inspector mewed cutely.

Bo Yueming, who was still on the phone, heard their cross-species conversation, and his attention was unconsciously diverted. The corners of his mouth instantly turned up.

Lin Zhong on the other end of the line: “Boss Bo?”

Bo Yueming touched the rim of his coffee cup, pretending that he hadn’t been in a daze just now. “En, do as you said. I’ll call you later.”

Lin Zhong was silent for a few seconds before reacting slowly. “You have something to do? All right.”

He hung up the phone, but before Bo Yueming could make a sound—

Inspector, who was still propped up on the table, instantly pricked up its ears, and its big round eyes turned toward the door of the villa. “Meow-wu-ao!”

Pei Yi sensed its vigilance and followed his pet’s gaze.

Hasty footsteps gradually sounded.

Bo Guancheng walked quickly into the room without a word of greeting, his usually gentle and elegant face unexpectedly distorted and out of control. “Bo Yueming!”

“……”

Bo Yueming reacted slightly by taking a slow sip of coffee. “Da-ge, what is the matter?”

Pei Yi saw the completely different expressions of the two, and after confirming that Inspector had slipped off the table to hide, he chose to watch the performance without saying a word.

Bo Guancheng didn’t have time to look at Pei Yi’s melon-eating eyes, and his chest heaved with anger for a moment. “Bo Yueming, did you do it? Did you go to him?”

“Go where? What is Da-ge asking?”

Bo Yueming cast his gaze over, but intentionally missed Bo Guancheng’s eyes. “Pei Yi was frightened at the celebration banquet on Sunday, and I have been staying at home with him for the past few days. I really don’t know what you mean.”

“…….”

Bo Guancheng took a breath at his nonchalant words.

The German Chamber of Commerce headed by Sun Yelong had suddenly announced the cancellation of the intended partnership. Moreover, they strongly rejected their invitation to open communications again, and the second phase of the project, which was supposed to make a big profit, came to naught!

It must be known that the first phase of the project agreed upon by the two parties hardly made any money, and what was valued and strived for was the super high profit brought by the second phase of the large project.

Half a month ago, in order to express his sincerity, Bo Guancheng had invested a lot of money blindly and confidently.

Now look at his luck!

After being injured, Sun Yelong blamed the entire conflict on him and Pei Huan, and even canceled the cooperation regardless of the breach of contract fees!

Even if he could fight for part of the damages in the later stages of a lawsuit, that would also cause huge and unnecessary losses to the Bo and Pei families!

If this matter reached the ears of senior shareholders, it would mean that he, the General Manager, had completely failed in his duties!

Those old foxes would seize the opportunity to point at and mock him harshly!

Bo Guancheng didn’t know that the other party hadn’t gone out these two days, and only came to the door angrily. He barely managed to suppress his anxiety and anger, trying to link the failure of the project with Bo Yueming.

“Yueming, I know you want to help Pei Yi get ahead, but how can you take the Bo family’s project……”

“What project, why am I getting increasingly confused the more I hear?” Bo Yueming interrupted forcibly, and the doubt on his face was genuine. “I haven’t intervened in the group’s project affairs since the car accident. Don’t you know that best, Da-ge?”

“…….”

How could it not be clear?

Even the position of General Manager that he currently held was originally owned by Bo Yueming!

Now, he lost money and failed because of arbitrarily starting this project, and there was no evidence of personal contact between Bo Yueming and Sun Yelong during this period. Instead, it was they and Sun Yelong who tried to harm Pei Yi, and this layer of window paper was about to break!

“It seems there is a problem with Chairman Sun Yelong’s project?”

Bo Yueming asked this question knowingly, feigning regret as he contradictorily shirked responsibility. “It’s a pity. My eyes are not great now, so I really can’t help you. Da-ge must find a way to deal with it quickly, ba.”

The last sentence was an eviction order.

Pei Yi watched the performance with relish the entire time.

He saw Bo Yueming’s smooth and evasive excuses, and looked at Bo Guancheng’s shriveled green face. He couldn’t help but sneak out a chuckle, and afraid of revealing himself, he hurriedly ate a mouthful of pudding to cover it up.

Bo Yueming promptly turned his attention back. “Pei Yi, is the pudding delicious?”

Pei Yi’s eyes flickered slightly, and he thought about how to make Bo Guancheng angry again.

Thus, he took another spoonful of pudding and approached Bo Yueming. “Er-ge, ah—-”

“What?”

Bo Yueming didn’t react for a moment, and after only saying one word, a spoonful of warm pudding was suddenly fed to his mouth. The sweet caramel neutralized the bitterness of the coffee left on his tongue.

“…….”

Bo Yueming was stunned. Pei Yi feeding him was completely unexpected.

He immediately thought that the spoon must have already been used by the other party, and inexplicably thought that the pudding in his mouth was wrapped in even more sweetness.

Pei Yi waited for Bo Yueming’s response. “Er-ge?”

Bo Yueming’s fingertips silently gripped the coffee cup, and his response was unnaturally stuck. “En, it’s v-very delicious.”

Seeing the close interaction between the two, Bo Guancheng, who was regarded as an invisible person, felt even more aggrieved.

“En!” Pei Yi glanced at Bo Guancheng, who was about to explode, and did not forget to add an exaggerated line, “So ~ sweet ~”

Unlike some people, who were fine with bothering people for half the day.

The outcome?

Playing dirty tricks led to the failure of the project. Tsk, tsk, how heartbreaking, oh ~

---

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Chapter Twenty-Five <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Twenty-Seven

The General’s Mansion was busy again. Xiao Gao hurriedly went to the Yao residence to invite the two doctors over, and Housekeeper Qin excitedly went to order the kitchen to prepare a good meal.

It was bustling inside and out. Housekeeper Qin remembered that there were guests outside the door, and trotted over to say to those well-dressed girls: “My lord is too busy now, you go back and wait for news. He will come to you.”

“All right, thank you.” Qingyan took the girls away.

It so happened that the two doctors and Yao Muze rushed over in a timely manner, and before they could catch their breaths, they were taken into the bedroom by Housekeeper Qin and Xiao Gao.

As soon as they walked to the door, they saw Zhao Yelan and Yan Mingting embracing one another. They exchanged glances, but no one made a sound.

Housekeeper Qin coughed, and seeing that they didn’t move, he knocked on the door. Zhao Yelan pushed Yan Mingting, who even turned to look at them with a bit of resentment. 

The doctors were also very helpless. They stepped forward to check his physical condition, and the hospital envoy said with a smile: “Pretty good. You have a good foundation, and if you survive a catastrophe, you will have good fortune, ah. Next, you rest well and eat more to make up for it.”

Zhao Yelan’s heart that was hanging by a thread finally let go. He looked at Yan Mingting, who was also looking over, and they both smiled. 

The hospital envoy wrote a few more prescriptions, including diet and medication.

Zhao Yelan thanked them solemnly, sent them out of the mansion himself, and then sent someone to fetch the medicine and returned to the room to take care of Yan Mingting’s meal.

This person who had just woken up did not have a good appetite. Where he could usually eat five bowls, he could only eat three this time.

“…….”

Zhao Yelan swallowed. When he thought about his maximum meal intake of two bowls, he suddenly felt that if he were to lose so much blood, he might really not be able to make it through. It could be seen that it was sometimes a good thing to be a fool.

When he was full, Yan Mingting assumed a posture conducive to having a long talk: “I actually heard what you said.”

Zhao Yelan rubbed his brows and explained: “I didn’t call the girls over, it was…..”

“That’s not what I meant.” Yan Mingting looked at him with burning eyes. “What happened to that letter Ruan Xian spoke of?”

Zhao Yelan was momentarily dumbfounded.

“You can’t do this thing.” Yan Mingting frowned slightly and stroked his cheek. “If something happens to me, you can’t have the idea of committing suicide. You must live a long life, so that I can feel at ease.”

“What is the use of a long life alone?” Zhao Yelan glanced at him. He was originally alone, and if something happened to Yan Mingting, the years to come would torture him with endless loneliness. “The dead are long gone, and the living are close. Do you think I will live happily?”

Yan Mingting was silent for a long time. Knowing that he would definitely do this, his heart was so soft. He had been instilled with the idea of protecting his subjects since he was a child, and had persisted for so many years. For the first time, he tasted the feeling of someone else protecting him, and behind the heartache there was an endless hidden joy.

“Mengting, Mengting……” Yan Mingting embraced him and called his name, closing his eyes to sniff his fragrance. “It’s good to be alive, I can see you every day again.”

Zhao Yelan put his arms around his back, took a deep breath, and smiled as the bitter times ended. He turned his head and kissed his ear, his cheek, his forehead, all the way to his lips.

“Fortunately.”

Fortunately, you survived, and so did I.

Yan Mingting’s recovery was pretty good. He ate a lot every day and had to lie in bed most of the time, and he complained helplessly to Zhao Yelan: “I’ve never been in bed for so long, these days are so bitter.”

Zhao Yelan couldn’t agree, because he loved lying on the bed very much. If he had nothing to do, he would prefer to lie down and eat every day, then eat and lie down.

“I’m going out for a while, you lie down well.”

“Why, are you going to find girls?” Yan Mingting was half-reclined on the bed, squinting at him while eating melon seeds.

“Yes, not only do I want to find girls, I also want to spend money on them.” 

Zhao Yelan made him choke. This fellow knew exactly what he was going to do, and if he insisted on making a show of jealousy, he would really give him leisure time.

Zhao Yelan took Xiao Gao to the room where he usually had meetings, and searched around, taking out a locked box from a crack in the uneven wall.

Xiao Gao located the key nearby, and was about to open it when he heard Zhao Yelan say that it was useless. But his key was inserted correctly, ah. He happily opened the lock, and was then stunned—

There was actually another locked box inside!

“Stinky girl, you didn’t forget to play a little trick at this sort of time.” Zhao Yelan smiled and threw the box to Xiao Gao. “Smash it open directly.”

Right! But wouldn’t it be broken if he smashed it directly?

With all his strength, Xiao Gao smashed the box with his bare hands, then held his hands in pain and went to the corner to blow on them.

Zhao Yelan picked up a stack of banknotes, walked into the tunnel, and came to the Hongxiu Building without anyone noticing.

The building was bleak. Since Gu Niaoniao’s misfortune, the doors had not been opened and some servants and girls had already snuck away. The remaining confidants, such as Qingyan and A-Chang, knew that Zhao Yelan was the master behind them, and were still waiting for news.

Upon walking into Gu Niaoniao’s room, he saw those girls sitting together wiping away tears.

Qingyan saw him first, and asked with red eyes: “Zhao-daren, can Sister Gu still come back?”

The people here were all hard-working. Gu Niaoniao had been through the same experience, and usually treated them kindly, so they didn’t leave, and were looking forward to Gu Niaoniao’s return.

“Don’t wait.” Zhao Yelan put the banknotes on the table, and everyone got a share. “She asked me to give these to you. Leave the capital. In the future, if you find a good family or not, these silver taels are enough for you to live comfortably in this life.”

“What about her? Is it true that she can’t come back?” Qingyan asked with little hope. 

Zhao Yelan shook his head and sighed. “Go quickly, this is not a place to stay for long.”

The handful of people cried and packed their things, then left reluctantly.

In the end, only Zhao Yelan was left. He looked around and opened a wardrobe, then took out the bag that was stored inside and opened it on the table.

It contained the most exotic spices and his favorite tea.

Every spring, Hongxiu House would secretly bring some tea leaves to him. When sending messages in the basket, in addition to some seasonal fruits, pears appeared the most, which had the effect of promoting hydration and relieving a cough, because he was always coughing. Quite a few of his sachets were given by Gu Niaoniao. Outsiders made fun of his love for incense, but only Gu Niaoniao knew where his obsession came from.

They were not relatives, and they used each other, but they both considered the other a friend.

After he returned to the mansion from Hongxiu House, Yan Mingting noticed that he was not in high spirits, and asked: “You’ve dealt with it?”

Zhao Yelan nodded, yawned, and said that he was going to sleep.

Yan Mingting embraced him from behind, comforting him silently.

Gu Niaoniao’s case had already been tried. She insisted that it was Zhao Xu who fled to her Hongxiu House and threatened her with murder. It had nothing to do with anyone else, such as the people in Hongxiu House, and she also did not expose Zhao Yelan’s relationship with her. In the end, the result of the trial was to temporarily place her in the sky prison and wait for the emperor to wake up and personally deal with her.

Zhao Xuan woke up once in the middle. The knife was only a little away from his heart, and it took a few days to temporarily preserve his life. He had been in a coma ever since. The night before last, he briefly opened his eyes for a moment and saw Sun Muyun standing beside the bed. He also heard that she had given birth to a dragon son, and propped up his body to establish him as the crown prince before passing out again.

After Zhao Yelan got up in the early morning, he took care of Yan Mingting for a while and then went to visit the palace. He happened to bump into Sun Muyun, who was standing vigil piously. The other party needed to pay attention to her health so soon after giving birth, so she could only come to the bedroom occasionally to wait for a while.

Li Jinyu and several ministers and others were also in the palace, and upon seeing him, they went outside to discuss government affairs for a while. They had to prepare for the worst, and everyone’s faces were covered in gloom.

Kan Chuan asked after Yan Mingting’s health: “I heard that the General has woken up. How is his recovery?”

“Fine, he eats more than I do,” Zhao Yelan said.

“That’s good, General Yan also suffered a lot this time.”

“It’s also thanks to you for mentioning Lingyun Temple.” Speaking of which, didn’t he have to fulfill his vow and donate some incense money to the temple?

“What, you went to Lingyun Temple?” Kan Chuan looked around. “You didn’t go up the mountain, did you?”

Zhao Yelan implicitly acquiesced.

Kan Chuan was shocked: “Three days later, you’re so different. I really……have a new level of respect for you, ah.”

Because of his delay speaking with them, when Zhao Yelan returned home, he heard Housekeeper Qin say that Yan Mingting had refused to eat, and hurried to the room to see Yan Mingting staring bitterly at the food on the table.

“Why won’t you eat?” Zhao Yelan sat down beside him.

“Is his condition serious?” Yan Mingting asked.

“The Imperial Physicians say that he is better than he was previously. Yao Muze’s master took the witch doctor for diagnosis and treatment, and prescribed a new prescription that could be useful.” Zhao Yelan placed some vegetables in his bowl.

“Then why did you come back so late?” Yan Mingting said aggrievedly, “It was agreed that you would come back early for dinner.”

“I spoke with Kan Chuan and Li Jinyu for a while, so I came back late.”

“Really? Not because of the Emperor?” Yan Mingting glanced at him, then suddenly leaned close to his cheek and stared carefully into his eyes. “You didn’t cry for him, did you?”

“Why would I cry?” Zhao Yelan asked blankly.

“You always cry when I’m hurt……it’s fine if you don’t cry for him. Eat, eat.” Yan Mingting’s appetite returned again. “Feed me.”

“If you get an inch you want a foot.”

Yan Mingting slowly raised his hand, and the scars on his wrist were displayed before him. Zhao Yelan’s heart softened at once, and he fed him patiently.

“Aiyo, aiyo.” Housekeeper Qin came over to add some food. When he walked to the door and saw this situation, he almost fell down. Holding the plate in both hands, he said to Xiao Gao next to him, “You cover my eyes.”

In the afternoon, news suddenly came from the prison that the woman who assassinated the Emperor had died suddenly. However, the Imperial physicians were busy treating the Emperor, so after several jailors confirmed that she wasn’t breathing, Li Jinyu had no choice but to have the assassin thrown into a mass grave.

Two days later, good news finally came from the palace. Zhao Xuan had woken up. All the ministers rushed to the palace aside from Yan Mingting, who was still recovering from his injuries.

Yan Mingting was lying in bed all these days, reaching out to be clothed and fed. At first he was quite carefree, and his tail was almost up to the sky.

But even since Zhao Xuan woke up, he still needed to lie down and recuperate. However, he often took courtiers from the palace to discuss political affairs, trying to make up for the government affairs that had fallen behind, and he attached great importance to Zhao Yelan. Even if the other courtiers left, he would still remain to discuss matters.

Yan Mingting was lying in bed, unable to see anyone all day long, and he began to plot calculations in his mind again. After catching Zhao Yelan, he began to complain: “Lying down every day, I’m growing mildew.”

Zhao Yelan had been taking care of Yan Mingting at home for the past two days, and he had a backlog of things to do. He saw that he was eating and sleeping well now, recovering at a speed visible to the naked eye, and he was about to go to the palace to discuss proper business with Zhao Xuan, so he said: “Then shall I find someone to chat with you to relieve the boredom?”

But who to ask?

Although He Cuizhang and the others often came to visit Yan Mingting these days, when Yan Mingting fell ill, they were needed in many more places and it was impossible for them to come and chat with him.

As it happened, Housekeeper Qin’s wife walked by him.

Qin-furen was originally one of the old lady’s maids, and after marrying Housekeep Qin, she still helped him run errands for the Yan family. She was mainly responsible for the tea trees and fruit trees on the back mountain, and brewed the tea herself.

What a coincidence.

Zhao Yelan asked her to put down the fruit she had just picked, and entrusted her to converse with Yan Mingting.

“This is a good thing, the General can be regarded as the one I saw growing up when he was a child, so I will go, ah.” Qin-furen went to look for Yan Mingting with a smile.

Only then did Zhao Yelan feel relieved enough to go to the palace, and it was already nighttime when he returned. As soon as he entered the mansion, he asked: “Did he eat?”

“Not yet,” Housekeeper Qin said.

“He’s waiting for me again?”

“No…..aiyo, My Lord, you can go see for yourself.” Housekeeper Qin was too embarrassed to continue.

Zhao Yelan followed him to the bedroom in a mystified manner, and heard laughter inside from a long distance away. When he walked to the door, he saw a pile of melon seed shells on the ground, and the two were eating them while talking and laughing. Qin-furen’s voice still hadn’t stopped, and she winked while saying in a melodious tone: “As for the daughter of the family who sells sesame seed cakes in the vegetable market, she is eighteen years old, and hasn’t talked about marriage until now. Guess what happened?”

“What happened?” Yan Mingting asked enthusiastically.

“She eloped with someone else, and it turned out to be her cousin’s fiance! In the end, after running away for half a year, he abandoned her when she was pregnant and she returned home. What do you call this, ah!”

“Such trouble!”

“There is something even worse than that. A scholar in the east of the city, his son……”

Housekeeper Qin looked at Zhao Yelan in embarrassment: “Now you know why I put her on the back mountain, right? There are really too many things to talk about, and too many rumors to know……”

At first, Qin-furn had worked in the front courtyard, but she was too talkative and accidentally attracted a bunch of servants to listen to her gossip. Nobody wanted to work anymore, just like Yan Mingting, who didn’t even want to eat.

Zhao Yelan: “…….”

Forget it, as long as he was happy, it didn’t matter if he heard elegant storytelling and gossip from the city.

The next day, everyone was discussing matters in the palace again. This time the main point of contention was the establishment of the crown prince. The crown prince was established too hastily before, and only the palace attendants and the Imperial physician knew. Seeing that the Emperor’s life was safe now, they advised him to think twice. After all, Sun Muyun was the only one in the harem at present, and it would not be too late to delay crowning the crown prince for a few years. The Empress of the Palace had not made any movement yet, and there was still a need to consider the establishment of the order of succession.

Zhao Xuan insisted on his own opinion to establish the heir to the throne.

Under everyone’s strong opposition, only Zhao Yelan stood forward: “This official supports the establishment of the crown prince.”

Zhao Xuan sighed: “It is still Zhao-qing who understands me. There is no need to discuss this matter.”

Zhao Xuan originally traveled a bloody path in the battle to seize the throne, and from the bottom of his heart, he didn’t want his heirs to face such a situation. He and the Empress didn’t have much affection at all, and in the harem, Sun Muyun was clever and lovely. Now that he had an eldest son, he should take advantage of the situation.

Of course, the most important reason for him to establish an heir to the throne at that time was his physical condition. He worried that he would not be able to get up, so he simply established the crown prince first.

After the others retreated, Zhao Xuan asked Zhao Yelan to say. He coughed a few times, and his face was pale as he said slowly: “How is Yan Mingting recovering?”

“His life is no longer in danger, but he still needs some time to recuperate.”

Zhao Xuan nodded. It happened that Sun Muyun was visiting him while holding the child, and Zhao Xuan touched the child’s face with a smile, saying: “His name is Zhao Sui.^[1] May be be safe and healthy and have a smooth life.”

“A good name.”

“You don’t need to be perfunctory with me.” Zhao Xuan smiled. “When he was still in the womb, I thought of many names with high hopes, and after a trip to the gate of hell, I realized that there is nothing happier than being safe and healthy.”

“Yes.” Zhao Yelan felt the same way.

“In the future, you will be his Grand Tutor, ba.”

The Grand Tutor was always selected from the people of the Imperial Academy. Zhao Yelan was just a bit surprised that Zhao Xuan was willing to entrust him with the heavy responsibility of teaching the Crown Prince.

“This concubine thinks so too!” Sun Muyun said with a smile. “Zhao-daren is perfect.”

Zhao Yelan had no choice but to accept this heavy responsibility under two expectant sets of eyes.

Back at the General’s Mansion, he was just in time for dinner, but found that Yan Mingting was looking at him strangely. He couldn’t figure out why, and only talked about his promotion and how he was now the crown prince’s Grand Tutor.

Unexpectedly, Yan Mingting’s eyes became even stranger. He stared at him for a while, dumbfounded, then put down his chopsticks without saying a word, laying down in bed pitifully and covering himself with a blanket in silence. His back looked quite aggrieved.

Zhao Yelan was at a loss. When he left the residence the next day, he whispered a few words to Xiao Gao.

The Emperor officially announced Zhao Yelan’s promotion to Grand Tutor in public, and rewarded him with the Four Treasures of the Study.^[2]

Zhao Yelan returned home with several large boxes of rewards, and the servants bustled in and out. Yan Mingting heard the movement and looked at him even more aggrievedly, like a resentful woman who had been tragically abandoned.

Zhao Yelan found Xiao Gao and asked: “Didn’t he have a good chat with Qin-furen these two days? Why is he so downtrodden?”

Xiao Gao said: “He was very happy at first, but he was not very happy to hear Qin-furen talk about her distant cousin.”

“What is the problem?”

Xiao Gao cleared his throat and imitated Qin-furen’s voice: “Oh, Xiao Yan, you don’t know how hard my cousin’s life was after she got married. Her husband was good-looking and capable, and he attracted a lot of peach blossoms outside. He went out to socialize all day long, not staying at home all day, and brought back gifts from others when he returned. When asked, they were actually given to him from a sweetheart outside! This was probably because her husband disliked that she couldn’t dress up at home all day long, and she had little knowledge, so he was looking for a companion outside. From my point of view, she should take care of herself more, and spend money where she should, otherwise, the money saved for her husband would be saved for other women! Tell me, do you think this is logical?”

“…….” Zhao Yelan returned to the room, sat down by the bed, and asked, “Don’t you want to know what is in those boxes?”

“Don’t want.” Yan Mingting turned his back to him and hummed. “It’s nothing more than something to please you, as if you don’t already have it. Don’t you think he’s annoying? The crown prince already has it all, why keep looking for you if he has nothing to do? I’ve always suspected that he has bad intentions, so you must be careful.”

Zhao Yelan pursed his lips and said with a smile: “Those are rewards for you, for your expedition.”

Yan Mingting was taken aback, and turned around: “Really?”

“En, if you don’t believe me, go and see for yourself.”

Yan Mingting really got up, checked the boxes one by one, and was satisfied. After returning to the room, he changed his clothes for some reason while Zhao Yelan was bathing.

As soon as Zhao Yelan walked out, he saw him wearing a fancy outfit and sitting on the edge of the bed. He leaned against the bed curtain and coughed softly: “Mengting ~ It’s time to go to bed ~”

A crack appeared in Zhao Yelan’s expression. “What’s wrong with you all of a sudden? What are you doing in my clothes?”

“Don’t you like these clothes?” Yan Mingting had heard from Qin-furen that if he wanted to win the heart of a man who was running around all day, he had to match what he liked first in order to hook him!

Zhao Yelan rubbed his temples and went forward to take off his clothes, urging: “Hurry up and go to bed.”

Yan Mingting was stunned: It had a miraculous effect!

He couldn’t wait to quickly take off his clothes and go to bed, hehe!

“Wait.” Yan Mingting continued his efforts and quickly took out a sachet from the side drawer. He rubbed it on his body, trying to absorb some of the fragrance. It was said that it was very useful in the bedroom, and Zhao Yelan liked the fragrance so much that he would definitely be seduced by him.

Under Zhao Yelan’s dumbfounded expression, Yan Mingting finished his preparation and lay down immediately, hooking his fingers at him: “Mengting, come quickly— achoo, achoo!”

Zhao Yelan couldn’t watch any further, and snatched the sachet from his hand.

“What’s the matter, achoo!” Yan Mingting continued to sneeze.

“You grabbed the sweetgrass,” Zhao Yelan said blankly.
Yan Mingting was dumbfounded: “How could…..achoo, achoo!…..that be!”

*

T/N: Only two chapters left now. I can’t believe it’s ending!

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[1] Sui (遂) means to be fulfilled. ⮐

[2] The Four Treasures of the Study (文房四宝) are the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. ⮐

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Chapter Eighty-Nine <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Ninety-One

Before, when he was in Baihe Mountain Village, Liu Xian’an had actually thought about making flying wings. He couldn’t wait, so he immediately penned out a plan with great interest, starting from drawing graphics, what materials to prepare, and how many craftsmen were needed. There were eighteen sheets of paper filled with details – the flying wings he wanted to make at the time were much more luxurious than the Mute Condors. The level of sophistication of the mechanisms was comparable to a gorgeous moveable palace, so there were too many things to prepare. Writing and writing, he successfully became tired of writing.

When he got tired, he thought, forget it, it’s not necessary.

Anyway, in the Three Thousand Worlds, he could fly wherever he wanted, so why did he have to make one in reality? So Second Young Master Liu gracefully threw the manuscript into the brazier, rolled up in a blanket, and went on to sleep comfortably, swimming with the sun and moon in his dreams.

But now, he suddenly discovered that there were still some differences between the two. Flying in real life, you couldn’t ride a white crane or step on the wind and clouds. With both feet on firm and stable rock and powerful arms around his waist, the wind against his cheeks was a little cool, but his back was extremely warm. Liu Xian’an couldn’t wait to become part of the thousands of galaxies, and couldn’t help but move forward again.

Gravel rolled down the high cliff, and the small soldiers who came to help felt their legs go limp at the sight. They couldn’t understand how this lazy young master could be so bold. Why didn’t he even hesitate a little? Standing together in a row, they watched the two people leave the high ground!

The howling wind blew past their ears, and the mountain scenery changed rapidly before their eyes. Liang Shu controlled the direction of the Mute Condor with one hand, and the other hand wrapped around Liu Xian’an. Both hands had good rewards. For reward one, he found that a slightly bent posture was convenient for controlling the flying wings, and for reward two, there was a slender waist under his gentle palm.

And Liu Xian’an was not in the mood to care about if his waist was thick or slender. He gazed up at the dream-like galaxies, very much pleasantly surprised, and felt that he was about to turn into a bright beam of light, so he stretched out his hand to look for the immortals in the clouds, but Liang Shu pressed down and changed their direction midair.

The wind grew stronger in an instant, blowing the robes of these two people high. Gao Lin stood at the landing point and looked up, and had a trance-like illusion that they were not falling, but flying toward the palace outside the nine heavens. Taken aback by the thought, he hurriedly rubbed his eyes to take a closer look until he was sure that the pair of shadows under the moon were getting bigger, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

Liang Shu took Liu Xian’an to land steadily on the ground, and everyone stepped forward to remove the flying wings for the two of them. Liu Xian’an’s body was still full of the weightlessness of gliding just now, the sound of the wind in his ears unceasing. Liang Shu handed over the holsters on his wrists to a soldier and waved a hand in front of him: “Are you in a trance again?”

“I’m not.” Liu Xian’an shook his head. He was actually thinking that it would be great if they could fly higher.

Liang Shu asked: “How much higher?”

Liu Xian’an though wildly. It must be about forty-eight thousand zang.^[1]

Gao Lin was amused, and interjected: “There is not a mountain that high in the world, they are two thousand zang at most.”

Liu Xian’an replied: “That’s fine too.”

“How can it be so?” Liang Shu tapped his head. “At more than two thousand zang, the peaks are covered in snow all year round, how will you get up there? All right, stop thinking about his kind of question.”

These rude and unreasonable words interrupted the Second Young Master’s dreams of soaring and ascension.

The successful test flight of the Mute Condors greatly boosted the morale of the army. Even Lu Xiang couldn’t hide his joy. He felt that after all, he was the commander of the garrison. If they won the battle, even if he didn’t get a first class merit, at least he could gently set aside the crimes of negligence and indulgence and then firmly slide a chair under his ass.

The army moved on.

Liu Xian’an also continued to lie lazily in the cart loaded with food and fodder. However, there were fewer and fewer soldiers who had time to listen to the heavenly dao, because war was about to break out and everyone was on edge. He yawned idly and was just about to go back to sleep when someone knocked outside the cart.

Liang Shu called: “Come out.”

Liu Xian’an emerged from the grain cart and was surprised to find that it was already dark.

He went with the flow and took Liang Shu’s outstretched hand, letting him pull him onto the horse’s back.

Liang Shu picked a few straws out of his hair, taking advantage of the situation to support the crooked body in his arms. The night he got down from the Mute Condor, he had a second dream, which was even more absurd and ludicrous than the previous one. This time, he finally saw that face clearly, and also saw how white that waist under his unyielding grip was, as white as snow and frost.

Battle was imminent, yet the carriage was undulating with passion. It was unreasonable no matter how he thought about it, even heretical. So in the past few days, His Royal Highness Xiao Wang didn’t look toward the rear of the army much, wanting to put a halt to the dreams. Yet as a result, he met a forty-eight thousand year-old Sleeping Immortal, who was like a heavy weight. If you didn’t look for him, he was liable to lie in a pile of fodder for an entire day. Liang Shu’s teeth itched along with his heart. At this moment, he dragged the man onto the horse and reprimanded him with displeasure: “Won’t you come find me and say two pleasant words?”

Liu Xian’an was very cooperative. Anyway, it was not tiring to say a few pleasant words, such as ‘every battle will be a triumph,’ ‘all attacks will succeed,’ ‘you will cut through like a sword through bamboo and win instant victory,’ ‘the flute plays plum blossom music, and the sword enlightens the ring of the moon.’^[2] Have as many as you want.

Liang Shu: “……”

This was the first time in his life that he had anything to do with the desires of the world of mortals. He lacked experience, so his work was not very proficient, and he could only fumble along from time to time, vividly demonstrating one-sided enthusiasm. However, Liu Xian’an may have become close to Liang Shu recently, or maybe the dao was more open-minded and liberal, but in short, he had an infinitely tolerant attitude toward small actions such as tugging his hair and touching his arms. It just didn’t make any sense at all.

His Royal Highness Xiao Wang kept pondering which step he didn’t perform correctly, and how it could be completely different from the dream.

Liu Xian’an stretched vigorously, quietly gazing at the sky in the distance: “It’s going to be very windy tomorrow.”

“I will send some people to guard you,” Liang Shu said. “Would you like to stay behind or watch the Mute Condors attack the city?”

“Watch the Mute Condors.”

“Then you can only sleep for less than two hours. It will take some time to climb the mountain.” Liang Shu walked his horse slowly around the camp. Gao Lin was very surprised to see it. His prince was not sleeping in the middle of the night, why on earth was he riding a horse with Second Young Master Liu? He feared there would be some trouble again, so he rushed to find out what happened in person.

Liang Shu asked: “What, you want to hear it too?”

Gao Lin replied bluntly: “Ah, yes. I want to.”

Liang Shu sent Liu Xian’an to A-Ning’s side and rode his horse back to the campfire. Gao Lin promptly stepped forward and asked with concern: “Your Highness, what happened?”

Liang Shu said: “This lord had a dream a few days ago.”

Gao Lin’s attitude was very serious. En, a dream, what kind of dream, was it related to the battle, a good omen or a bad omen? He was dedicated to battle, pure as the driven snow, so he had no defenses at all, and was wholeheartedly invested. Then bam, bam, bam, his head was filled with unspeakable things in an almost head-on attack. When he was able to react, it was like five thunderbolts striking him on the spot.

“Liu, Liu, Liu, Second Young Master Liu?” Gao Lin’s tongue tied itself into a knot, and he swallowed hard.

Liang Shu glanced at him: “Is there a problem?”

There is a little bit of one, ba! Gao Lin’s entire person was going to rupture. It was inexplicable how these feelings came about. With Second Young Master Liu, disregarding whether a young master of Baihe Mountain Village could be married casually, even if he could be married, he was once the man in the eyes of the princess. Moreover, the emperor had always wanted the prince and Third Young Lady Liu to marry…..older sisters and younger brothers, older brothers and younger sisters, eight points of connection, could this relationship be more chaotic?

“Your Highness,” Gao Lin attempted to provide guidance, “Is there such a possibility that you were blinded in the dream, and it was actually the young lady of the Liu family?”

Liang Shu asked: “What, do you want me to describe the details to you?”

Gao Lin gasped and quickly refused. No need, this is not something a person of my status should hear!

Liang Shu was going to shamelessly ask his subordinate what he should do in this situation, but seeing as this person’s brain was not functioning well at this time, he felt that he wouldn’t be able to spit out anything worthwhile. With a wave of his hand, he mercilessly sent him away.

Lieutenant General Gao tossed and turned for most of the night, trying to parse out the cause and effects of the incident. He succeeded in tormenting himself to the point of dizziness, and when he went to the high cliff to supervise the battle the next day, his whole person was unsteady. He was the first victim of His Royal Highness Xiao Wang’s love affair.

Under the protection of a group of soldiers, Liu Xian’an climbed another, lower mountain. A-Ning wrapped a cloak around him and said: “The wind is getting stronger and stronger.”

“It’s strong, but not strong enough.” Liu Xian’an stuck a weathervane into the ground. “We’ll have to wait another quarter of an hour.”

From where he stood, he could see the Mute Condors led by Gao Lin up high, and on the other side of the canyon in a lower place, the army led by Liang Shu was slowly emerging on the horizon. Then it stopped neatly, just outside the arrow range of Qingyang City.

Dark clouds covered the bleak sun, and the wind made the entire mountain tremble.

A-Ning could only grab his young master’s sleeves to prevent the two from tumbling down, but Liu Xian’an didn’t pay it much mind, and only stared at the weathervane intently. It wasn’t until the small flag at the top seemed to be in a suspended state that he said: “Now!”

At the same time, Gao Lin also stood up by a weathervane and ordered loudly: “Let’s go!”

A hundred Mute Condors soared into the sky in an instant!

Liu Xian’an forgot to breathe. He calculated the time, counting the wind wings one by one, and it wasn’t until all the Mute Condors turned their steering wheels and returned to the previously set route that he breathed a sigh of relief.

Gao Lin was also one of those hundred people. He flew back and forth, but when he saw the Dayan army in the distance, he couldn’t help but think of his own prince’s obscene dream and couldn’t control his thoughts at all. It could be seen that he had been greatly injured.

And Qingyang City was already in chaos. The guards looked at the army soaring in the sky and shouted: “Shoot the arrows!”

It was no use, because Liu Xian’an had designed an additional set of light armor and a mask on the basis of the original Mute Condor, which could effectively guard against stray arrows. Gao Lin landed first and raised his hand to cut off the head of a rebel, three times, five times, and removed the wind wings: “Follow me!”

The sounds of killing shook the sky.

Catapults and hot oil were tossed off the tower, and there was no telling who set a fire in the panic. On the bluestone wall, a dazzling red waterfall appeared. Black clouds billowed and dark smoke covered everything. Screams accompanied by the clashing of swords echoed in the mountains for a long time.

A signal flare flew into the air.

Liang Shu drew his sword out of its sheath and commanded loudly: “Siege the city!”

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[1] A zang (丈) is 3.3 meters. ⮐

[2] This is from ‘March in the Army’ by the Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai. ⮐

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Chapter Thirty-Nine << Table of Contents >> Chapter Forty-One

Two cars stopped outside Bo Manor. 

The door of the black heavy-duty off-road vehicle at the back opened, and Qin Yishun got out, marching with long legs through the wind.

The car’s front window rolled down, and Bo Yueming, who was sitting at Pei Yi’s side, spoke first, “Mr. Qin, you know the way to Bo Manor.”

“En.”

Qin Yishun responded casually. 

His eyes locked onto Pei Yi’s face, and he asked with a last trace of stubbornness, “Xiao Yi, you really don’t want to leave with Big Brother? In case Grandpa and the others are angry, I……”

Pei Yi shook his head repeatedly amidst his repeated invitations.

“…….”

Qin Yishun could tell that Pei Yi was willing to stay at Bo Manor, so he had no choice but to drop the topic in defeat. “All right.”

During the years he was not in the Imperial Capital, he had completely failed to fulfill his brotherly responsibilities. That being the case, where did he have the right to force the other party to do something he was unwilling to do?

Qin Yishun changed the subject. “Do you have a cell phone? I’ll leave you my contact information.”

Pei Yi slowly took his cell phone from his pocket and handed it over obediently.

In order to avoid arousing the suspicion of Uncle Kai and others, his mobile phone did not have a screen saver, and he hadn’t even downloaded an extra app.

Even so, Qin Yishun paid great attention to his personal privacy, and handed it back after confirming the contact information of both parties. 

“Xiao Yi, this time Brother will stay in the Imperial Capital and not leave. No matter what problems you encounter in the future, you can call me directly, understand?”

Pei Yi pretended to think for a few seconds, then nodded.

Bo Yueming at the side heard Qin Yishun’s account and invited him delicately, “Since Mr. Qin and Pei Yi haven’t seen one another for a long time, why don’t you come in and sit down?”

“No need, I have something to attend to later.”

Qin Yishun really wanted to talk with Pei Yi more, but the timing was not right presently—

If what Sun Yelong did to Pei Yi was really related to the Pei family and Pei Huan, then he must find a way to settle this account!

The most important thing was that Sun Yelong must not be allowed to continue to trouble Pei Yi afterwards.

Qin Yishun thought of the Bo family’s main branch that may be involved with it and said bluntly, “Second Young Master Bo, how about we handle the affairs of the two families separately?”

Bo Yueming was a sharp person. “That works.”

Hearing this answer, QIn Yishun regarded Bo Yueming again—

To make Pei Yi willing to stay in Bo Manor, this person probably had some skills.

But even so, Qin Yishun was still displeased that someone had plucked his cabbage away.

Qin Yishun frowned slightly, not forgetting to take a stance as Pei Yi’s own family, “Second Young Master Bo, let me get the ugly words out of the way. I have always had some concerns.”

“If Pei Yi is wronged at Bo Manor one day, or if an incident like today happens again……even if he doesn’t want to leave at that time, I will take him away by force.”

The tint of Bo Yueming’s eyes hidden under the glasses changed, and he didn’t speak.

Qin Yishun concluded his ‘warning,’ and his tone quickly changed as he looked at Pei Yi. “Xiao Yi, in two days, Big Brother will take you to eat delicious food.”

Pei Yi covertly glanced at Bo Yueming beside him, and smiled. “En.”

Although they had just met for the first time, he had a good impression of this nominal cousin.

Qin Yishun received a smile from his little brother, and his disappointment and gloom dissipated. After bidding farewell to Pei Yi, he got back into the off-road vehicle, turned around with a crisp, beautiful reverse, and drove off. Pei Yi poked his head halfway out and gazed after the vehicle that was becoming a quick-moving dot, and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Ah—”

He just had to say it. 

That modified hard-core off-road vehicle looked really cool!

“…….”

When Bo Yueming heard the kitten’s exclamation to the side, his jaw tightened even more. “Lao Fu, close the window and drive in.”

“Yes.”

After a while, the car drove to the manor and stopped at the door of the independent villa.

Pei Yi was concerned about Inspector, who was locked in the room, and trotted back to the house as soon as he got out of the car.

“Pei……”

Bo Yueming touched the vacant space beside him, and his dark blue eyes seemed to become more intense.

Waiting outside the car, Uncle Kai perceived this emotional change and persuaded him gently, “Second Young Master, Mr. Qin said those words out of concern for Little Sir. I watched his style of conduct, and it doesn’t seem like he is playing tricks.”

Bo Yueming got out of the car and stood firm on his own, saying in a low voice, “I know.”

Although his eyes were inconvenient, his ability to judge a person’s character had not vanished.

“Second Young Master, I have been watching the entire process today.” Uncle Kai looked at Bo Yueming meaningfully, and smiled as he pacified, “Although Little Sir and Mr. Qin are related by blood, he is obviously closer to you now.”

“Look at the speed with which Little Sir entered the door. It seems he completely regards this place as his own home, and is not timid or restrained at all.”

The corners of Bo Yueming’s pursed lips relaxed, and he scoffed, “Restrained? He slipped away faster than a wild kitten.”

Uncle Kai smiled and said nothing.

Master and servant entered the house with steady steps.

Following Bo Yueming, Uncle Kai watched him enter the house smoothly under his own ability, and felt more joy in his heart as an elder.

He glanced at the time and suggested, “Second Young Master, the time is just right, shall I ask the kitchen to prepare some supper? If you and Little Sir are hungry, how about padding your stomachs?”

“En.”

Bo Yueming nodded.

Having encountered such an incident at the celebration banquet, Pei Yi was probably too frightened to eat well, so some should be prepared.

Uncle Kai’s footsteps gradually faded away. Bo Yueming sat on the sofa, took out his mobile phone, and dialed his friend’s number.

In less than half a minute, Yan Cen’s voice sounded from the other end. “Hello, Yueming?”

“It’s me. Are you busy with work?”

“We just evaluated and screened the new investment projects for the second half of the year. At present, only four good ones have been selected, and there is still one vacancy to be filled.”

The investment company jointly founded by the two planned to shift its focus back to China for development after a unanimous decision by top management, and planned to develop five key projects in the second half of the year to test the waters.

This round of investments was related to the future foundation of G.M. in China, and there must not be any sloppiness in the selection of any project. 

“Currently, the investment amounts for all four projects are within our budget. I’ll send the relevant documents to Lin Zhong later, and let him arrange for you to have a look?”

“All right.”

After finishing their business, Yan Cen said, “Did you call me for something?”

Bo Yueming did not stand on ceremony with his friends. “En, there is something I will trouble you to check into.”

He thought of everything that had just happened, and his cold eyes were sharp. “Sun Yelong, Chairman of the German Chamber of Commerce, find someone to covertly investigate him. Regarding him, I need as much information as possible, and the sooner the better.”

Yan Cen paused for a few seconds, then said nothing of it. “Okay, I’ll get back to you when I have news.”

Bo Yueming replied, “Thanks, I’ll treat you to dinner when I’m free.”

. . . . . .

Inspector had stayed alone in the room all afternoon, and when Pei Yi came home, he played with his pet for a while before letting it go downstairs to play freely.

In any case, Uncle Kai and others were at home, and Inspector was clever. No one would dare choose to do anything to it at this time.

Pei Yi locked the door and logged into the familiar “Youtu” forum page.

Ding-ding-ding-ding.

The urgent notification sound came, and there were instantly four new unread messages in his private inbox.

Pei Yi clicked in and took a look, only to find that they were from Li Yuan, half an hour ago.

“Mr. Will, are you there? I have carefully considered your cooperation proposal these days—

Although I am very interested in the game planning of “The Last Fog,” and I also think that its innovative angle and expansion model can attract many players and take root in China step by step to generate income, all of this is based on the game company’s sufficient capital investment and professional development team.”

“To be honest, the current downhill slope of Dawn Games is almost at its end. Without enough funds to use, and without strong technical support, it is not a good place for “The Last Fog” to grow.”

“I don’t want the work that you put your heart into to be crudely made here, so I apologize, but I cannot agree to your request for cooperation. I wish you good luck in finding a suitable partner.”

Pei Yi read Li Yuan’s response from beginning to end, his eyes filled with admiration. “It seems I really didn’t choose the wrong person.”

For him, a partner who was honest and thoughtful was more important than anything else. Now that the downhill slope was coming to an end, wasn’t it the best time to turn around and go uphill to the summit?

Pei Yi typed his reply. “Mr. Li, I appreciate and admire your frankness, but I think that giving up this opportunity is definitely not a smart choice for a clever person. If there are no conditions, then create conditions, and if there are no funds, then find a way to attract investment.”

—Ding.

A notification sound came from the computer.

Li Yuan, who was waiting for a reply, stood up and quickly clicked on his private message list. When he saw the message sent by Will, a wry smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

How could he not know the importance of good opportunities?

How could he not see that “The Last Fog” was likely to be an excellent project to bring Dawn Games back onto the right path?

If you don’t have funds, then attract investment? But this was not something that was easy to say.

It wasn’t that Li Yuan hadn’t tried hard, but the fact was—

In the investment circle of the Imperial Capital, there were almost no investors who were optimistic about their Dawn Games, and “The Last Fog” was by no means a small game project that could be completed with a small sum of money.

Li Yuan’s rejection of this game was more helpless and unwilling.

He was thinking about how to explain this clearly when Will sent a simple line from the other side of the screen:

“G.M. Capital, look into their company.”

Li Yuan saw this very unfamiliar company name, and immediately brought up a news search. After reading a few lines, his eyes suddenly focused on a name—

Executive Director, Yan Cen.

“…….”

Li Yuan unconsciously held his breath, and quickly scanned the basic introduction to G.M. Capital.

This investment company had been developing overseas since its conception, and although it had been established for a short time, the projects invested in and participated in during the first year had all become new stars in the industry with absolute development advantages, with considerable results.

Therefore, G.M. Capital had also become a dark horse in the overseas investment circle by virtue of its shareholder style, and the scale of advancement in recent years had been overwhelming.

Li Yuan took a deep breath and made himself return to the chat page. “Mr. Will, this company has been developing overseas, can it accept a domestic project investment?”

The other side pledged, “It can, they have also set up venture capital branches in China.”

Li Yuan didn’t doubt Will’s information.

He took the last cigarette out of the pack, but didn’t light it, and only held it between his teeth to focus.

Time passed minute by minute.

Every tick of the alarm clock on the table urged Li Yuan’s heart. His eyes lingered on G.M.’s official website for a while, and he hesitantly chose to reply—

“Mr. Will, the current scale of Dawn Games does not meet their investment target standards. It could be said to be far from it.”

“Sorry, I’m not sure.”

When typing the last line, Li Yuan bit the cigarette butt hard, and his eyes dimmed.

If it were another company or someone else, he would be willing to give it a try no matter how difficult it was, but…..

Ding!

The private message notification sounded again, interrupting Li Yuan’s wandering thoughts.

Will: “Young Boss Li, I think you’ve made a mistake. It is the game project, “The Last Fog” that will convince G.M. to invest, not Dawn Games itself.”

Straightforward and to the point.

Li Yuan couldn’t help but scoff, smiling wryly as he shook his head. “This person really doesn’t save face when he speaks, even more than me.”

Leaving aside the game and partnership itself, Li Yuan really wanted to meet the Great God Will himself, and had an intuition that their tempers would get along well.

Will continued to message: “I hear that Mr. Li studied investment-related courses during school?”

“Since this is the case, why not switch to the perspective of an “investor” to explain the advantages of our game? In addition, you should find out where your own strengths are.”

“…….”

Li Yuan stared at these two lines of words, pondering silently for a long time.

G.M. Capital. Yan Cen.

Where should he find his own strengths?

The fog that had been lingering in his heart for a long time seemed to have found an exit, and finally, he sighed and chose to type a reply on the keyboard—

“Thank you, I’ll try.”

Seeing Li Yuan’s reply, Pei Yi breathed a sigh of relief. “I wish you success, and feel free to contact me whenever you need to.”

As soon as the closing words were delivered, there was a slight commotion in the small living room outside.

Pei Yi’s attention suddenly shifted from the screen. He turned off the computer, got up, and opened the door to check on the situation—

Bo Yueming was sitting on the sofa in the small living room with a bottle of freshly opened champagne on the coffee table, and Inspector, who had gone downstairs to play, also appeared beside him.

“Meow-wu~”

Inspector noticed Pei Yi’s figure and called out coquettishly, but its body was so comfortable that it was motionless under Bo Yueming’s touch.

Pei Yi remembered that he only drank half a glass of champagne at the banquet today. Sighing belatedly, he fixed his eyes on the newly opened champagne on the coffee table. Approaching slowly, he carefully identified—

Kharkiv.

Sure enough, it was a good product.

Bo Yueming sensed Pei Yi standing in front of him, and asked, “Want to try? It’s better than your previous juice.”

“…….”

Pei Yi recalled the shameful amount of alcohol he drank in “one glass” last time, and a trace of heat appeared on his cheeks from the teasing.

But he couldn’t bear the temptation of this champagne, and pretended to be well-behaved while he was yearning for it, “En, a little bit.”

Pei Yi originally thought that Bo Yueming might refuse, and didn’t expect that the other party would agree very directly this time, “All right, you go get a glass first.”

Pei Yi glanced at the various glasses to the side of the wine wall and knew that they were prepared for different types of wine.

However, in order to avoid being exposed, he only chose the most common drinking glass.

Bo Yueming set down his wine glass and held the opened bottle of champagne by feel, preventing Pei Yi from pouring the drink himself. “Give me the glass.”

Pei Yi handed it over eagerly, expectantly watching Bo Yueming pour it into the water glass—

A thin layer of liquor, very little.

“Huh?”

Pei Yi was dumbfounded, and couldn’t help but let out a low exclamation.

Hearing this sound, a very shallow smile appeared at the corners of Bo Yueming’s mouth. “You said a little bit, is that enough?”

“…….”

Is it enough?

You have the nerve to ask?

There is more than this little amount of pet milk poured for Inspector!

Pei Yi screeched loudly in his heart, but could only express his depressed protest in silence.

Bo Yueming seemed to have sensed his petty temper regarding this matter, and added a little more in order to smooth his fur. “One or two sips is enough. You can’t drink well, and will feel uncomfortable if you drink too much.”

Pei Yi thought of his current drinking capacity and silently reached out to grab the cup, reluctantly accepting this fact.

Fine, ba.

Something is better than nothing.

After practicing his drinking capacity, he must take good care of the wine wall before he slipped away!

Bo Yueming was unaware of Pei Yi’s “motivational” thoughts. He looked down, picked up his wine glass again, and swirled it.

In his field of vision, there was no longer the empty gray that had frustrated him in the past. The dots of light symbolizing hope spread and magnified little by little, and everything before him now looked more like a blurred cluster of light.

Occasionally, when concentrating hard, he could also briefly capture the shape of an object.

Bo Yueming raised his head to try to find Pei Yi’s direction. He still held a grudge against what happened during the day. “Pei Yi, I was negligent at the banquet today. I will find a way to deal with Bo Guancheng and Sun Yelong.”

Pei Yi swirled his glass slightly, acquiescing.

In case Sun Yelong wanted to hold him accountable after waking up, he really had to trouble Bo Yueming to deal with it on his behalf.

The atmosphere suddenly went quiet.

Bo Yueming took a sip of champagne, and the complexity in his heart gradually appeared on his face.

Pei Yi raised his eyes to catch it, and added belatedly, “Er-ge, I’m fine. I, I don’t blame you.”

“…….”

Bo Yueming’s fingers suddenly tightened on the wine glass, and he felt as helpless as if his heart had been read.

The incident that happened at the banquet today had really made him brood over it.

Bo Yueming thought that he had brought Pei Yi to the banquet, and due to his inconvenient eyes and lack of awareness, he almost caused the latter to have an accident.

This kind of helplessness and lack of control caused Bo Yueming to pay attention to the condition of his eyes again, and it was also because of this that he seemed particularly concerned about Qin Yishun’s appearance.

Bo Yueming took a sip of champagne to cool his emotions. “Why didn’t you want to leave with your brother today?”

Pei Yi couldn’t immediately figure out Bo Yueming’s thoughts, so he paused for a moment and asked, “Why, want me to go?”

Bo Yueming stabilized his mind, and exposed his wounds in a rare moment, “I have bad eyesight. I can’t always be aware of danger when I take you out, just like today.”

Asking himself, how long would it take for Bo Yueming’s eyes to recover? To what extent would they recover in the end? Before the dust settled, his abilities and self-confidence were not without flaws.

When Qin Yinshun proposed to take Pei Yi away, Bo Yueming suddenly realized that he had no reason to refuse—

Since Old Mrs. Bo fell ill and was hospitalized, he had no support in this family. He was unable to confide in anyone, and unable to show weakness, otherwise there would always be someone eyeing him like a tiger and taking the opportunity to bite him.

A little carelessness, and he would be smashed to pieces.

After getting along with each other for this period of time, Bo Yueming had long since lost his initial resistance and suspicion toward Pei Yi. and understood that in the so-called “marriage relationship,” it was best to keep the other party away from all the disputes within the Bo family.

Pei Yi finally got a clue from Bo Yueming’s expression—

Understood!

This was the “self-doubt” moment every villain goes through!

Because of some accidents, he doubted himself, and if there was no one to unravel it, then the process of inner gloom and blackening would be accelerated.

Holding the wine glass, Pei Yi got up from his soft stool and patted the small head of Inspector, who was lying there comfortably.

“Meow~”

The very human-like Inspector gave up its place next to Bo Yueming, and changed to another place to continue to lie down.

Pei Yi raised his lips and sat down.

Sensing movement nearby, Bo Yueming shifted his sight, still trying to see Pei Yi’s figure clearly through the blurred light. “What is it?”

Pei Yi sat still and repeated his stance, “I don’t blame you.”

During these two banquets, he was the one who watched the fun following the story progress of the original text.

Had it not been for what happened today, he would have no way of knowing the real reason why the original owner refused to go out after the banquet.

Sun Yelong had wicked intentions toward him, and Bo Guancheng and Pei Huan jointly set up the situation, which was essentially a terrible thing.

Besides, Bo Yueming’s eyes were still injured, so arriving on time after seeing the message was not an easy thing to do. 

Pei Yi studied Bo Yueming’s eyes. The dark blue irises were still calm and without waves, like most closed off and mysterious sea, good-looking and seductive.

Perhaps because of his natural preferences, compared to Yan Cen and Qin Yishun who were traditionally positive characters, Pei Yi preferred Bo Yueming’s looks, the strength and misery of a villain.

That was why, the moment he saw the real Bo Yueming, he was determined to stay.

Pei Yi traced Bo Yueming’s outline with his eyes from a close distance, and after confirming that he wouldn’t get tired of looking at his handsome face, he smiled and called out, “Er-ge.”

Bo Yueming could hear his pleasure. “What is it?”

Pei Yi didn’t want to tell a long story including “spoilers,” so he tried to pick simple words that the original owner might say. “Don’t be unhappy, your eyes will be fine.”

“…….”

Bo Yueming felt his heart stop beating, and then it lost control and began to beat wildly.

At this moment, it seemed that the problem was not his eyes, but his heart.

Bo Yueming’s fingers on his wine glass reddened with the force of his grip, while he tried to maintain stability on the surface. “How do you know they’ll be fine?”

“I, I just know.”

Pei Yi feared that Bo Yueming would get to the bottom of it, so he touched his right and left eyes with purposeful childishness. “Like this, just touch it and know.”

Those perpetually cool fingertips touched his eyelids, light and soft.

Bo Yueming gave a light chuckle, expelling the gloom before it could erode his heart. “Then tell me, when will I get better?”

“……..”

Pei Yi remained silent, deliberately not speaking on this specific issue.

He inwardly recalled the key plot points in the book. Right now, even the real and fake young masters’ switch at birth had not yet been revealed, so according to this, it was still far from time.

To be honest, Pei Yi was quite curious about what Bo Yueming would be like after recovering his eyesight. But once that happened, he would not be able to conceal his “pretending.”

En, he must run away before that!

He must find a way to take Inspector away too!

Seeing that he was silent, Bo Yueming called again, “Pei Yi.”

Pei Yi returned to his senses with a habitual hum. “En?”

Hearing his kittenish tone, Bo Yueming was somehow put in a good mood. He loosened the grip of his fingers and shook the wine glass in his hand. 

Pei Yi misunderstood, and raised his glass to touch the other lightly and uncertainly. “Cheers?”

An image suddenly burst out in Bo Yueming’s mind of a kitten clapping its paws, and he responded with a smile. “En, I’ll borrow your auspicious words.”

He was suddenly looking forward to it—

The day when he could officially meet Pei Yi.

---

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Chapter Twenty-Four <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Twenty-Six