It was once again time to leave work.

Pei Yi carefully browsed the average statistics for The Last Fog in the two months since it had launched, and contentedly approved.

“Much better than expected. By the way, how is the construction of the next Sky Castle level coming?”

Xiang Nansheng of the technical department replied in a businesslike manner, “We’ve entered the final testing stage, and we can launch a new round of promotion in October.”

Everything was developing step by step, and the studio’s prospects were booming.

Pei Yi closed the document and said, “Okay, the internal testing still needs to be properly controlled.”

“We have to ensure that there are no flaws in the ‘product’ once it goes online. We also need to keep up with the prop upgrades.”

“Of course.”

“All right, it’s almost time to leave work. Let’s stop here today. Thank you for your hard work.”

As far as Pei Yi was concerned, if he could prevent employees from having to work overtime, he would do so.

The group of technical staff headed by Xiang Nansheng filed out, and the single-person office suddenly became more open.

—Zizi.

The latest script plan sent by the copywriting team was uploaded to the computer.

Just as Pei Yi clicked to receive it, there was another knock on the office door.

Pei Yi said without raising his head, “Come in.”

Li Yuan leaned against the door in the hallway and asked with a smile, “Mr. Li, are you done? Do you have time tonight?”

Pei Yi recognized his friend’s voice and looked up. “For what?”

“A university classmate I haven’t been in contact with for a long time has opened a new bar, and he asked me to go over and join the fun when I have time.”

Li Yuan walked straight in. “I thought about it, and you’re the only one who likes drinking around here. How about we go together? It just so happens that we haven’t had a good chat since you came back from Haishi.”

Hearing this invitation to drink, Pei Yi’s interest immediately rose.

He quickly set aside the copywriting review that he had plenty of time for and said, “Okay, ah, can we go after work?”

Li Yuan’s lips curved. “Don’t you need to report to your man? Will he let you drink?”

Pei Yi thought of Bo Yueming’s “punishment” and felt a little guilty, but didn’t admit it.

“I’m just drinking with you, why should I report it? Besides, he listens to me at home.”

Having said this, he tossed the question back, “Will Yan Cen let you go?”

After these few months of dating, the way Li Yuan talked about Yan Cen was no longer the same as before, and his answer also had a hint of spoiled pride. 

“He also can’t control me.”

Pei Yi raised his eyebrows. “Impressive.”

Li Yuan smiled back. “Likewise. I’ll go to the office to clean up. See you later.”

“Okay.”

There were still five or six minutes before the end of work, but as bosses, the two didn’t take the lead to leave early.

But the moment Li Yuan disappeared, Pei Yi immediately picked up the cell phone on his desk and obediently typed in his report: 

“Er-ge, I won’t be home for dinner tonight. I’m going out to eat with Pear Garden, and I’ll be home before 10:30. Is this okay?”

He was tough on the outside, but honest on the inside.

. . . . . . . .

In the blink of an eye, it was time to get off work.

Pei Yi and Li Yuan went to the parking lot together. Before they could get close to their parking space, a voice quickly drew their attention.

“Mr. Zhao! Take another look, my project is really promising!”

“I only need ten minutes of your time! Just ten minutes! Give me a chance!”

Pei Yi and Li Yuan stopped in unison and looked in the direction of the sound—

Not far from them, Pei Huan, whom they hadn’t seen in a long while, was wearing a tight, cheap suit.

He was holding documents in his hands, eagerly following a well-dressed middle-aged boss. The latter frowned, as if disgusted with such a desperate pursuit.

The two walked to a car that was worth millions.

The middle-aged poss couldn’t endure it and threw away the documents handed to him by Pei Huan, moving away impatiently. “Mr. Pei Huan, I have given you enough face!”

“I am not interested in your project. You can find someone else, don’t delay my business!”

Having said this, he quickly got into the car and slammed the door shut.

Pei Huan was ruthlessly rejected. He was angry and ashamed, but also helpless.

The documents in his hand were scattered, so much so that after the middle-aged boss started the car, the tires rolled over them mercilessly.

“…….”

Pei Yi and Li Yuan accidentally witnessed this scene and couldn’t help but look at each other.

Before the two of them could do anything, Pei Huan noticed their presence.

Their gazes collided mid-air, and the atmosphere suddenly froze.

Pei Huan’s expression changed slightly, and the shame in his eyes was revealed bit by bit, but he soon remembered something and walked up urgently.

Li Yuan thought that Pei Huan intended to hurt Pei Yi, so he unthinkingly stood in front of his friend.

“Pear Garden!”

Pei Yi also feared that Pei Huan would hurt Li Yuan, so he blocked the other and changed their positions.

Pei Huan could see the mutual protection between the two, so he suddenly braked half a meter away and scoffed inexplicably.

Pei Yi’s eyes narrowed, and he took the initiative to say, “Long time no see.”

Pei Huan sucked in a breath when he heard this unusually normal tone. “Pei Yi, you’re quite good at pretending!”

Pei Yi was indifferent to this belated accusation. “If there’s nothing else, we’ll leave first. See you later.”

“Wait!”

Pei Huan called out urgently and took a step forward.

He seemed to be gritting his teeth, but also begging, “Please stop Bo Yueming from targeting me! Now that I am no longer Pei Huan of the Pei family, what else can I do to cause trouble for you?”

“…….”

Pei Yi was stunned for a couple of seconds. “What?”

Swallowing his anger, Pei Huan said, “Don’t pretend to be innocent. Bo Yueming has been using the power of Bo Group to put pressure on me, and now no major company in the Imperial Capital is willing to recruit me.”

All of his resumés were useless, and he never heard back from any of them.

“You have to push me to the edge of the cliff before you’ll give up, is that it?”

Pei Huan trembled, and looked at Li Yuan again. “And you! You refused to go back to the Pei family, and they immediately assumed that it must be because of me!”

But wasn’t he innocent of the mistake that was made back then?

Why was it that everyone was living a good life now, and he was the only one who had to keep struggling!

Pei Yi sneered, “Pei Huan, don’t pretend to be a victim here and accuse me. You know what you did in the past!”

You reap what you sow!

“These years, you’ve relied on the Pei family for an easy life. Which connections did you acquire on your own? So what if you were switched at birth?”

“Pear Garden originally wanted to save Dawn Games, but you sold it as soon as you got it!”

“It was you who caused Old Mr. Pei to fall and have an accident. You personally cut off the biggest support you had to stay in the Pei family.”

“You say Bo Yueming is targeting you? Why don’t you talk more about how you teamed up with Bo Guancheng to hurt him?”

“You said I’m pushing you toward a cliff? When you watched ‘me’ struggling in the water, did you ever think about leaving me a way to survive?”

Pei Yi smoothly listed one item after another, and it was enough to make Pei Huan speechless.

Li Yuan still held a grudge against Pei Huan, and said in a timely manner, “Pei Yi, let’s go.”

Pei Yi simply nodded.

Neither of them spared an extra glance at Pei Huan. They quickly got in the car and drove away.

“…….”

Pei Huan stared blankly at the back of the car, continuously remembering what he had done over the years. The regret in his heart finally reached its peak after seeing Pei Yi and Li Yuan.

He took two steps back, then his feet gave way and he fell to the ground.

Pei Huan buried his face between his knees and wanted to cry but had no tears.

In a daze, he felt that his life shouldn’t have turned out this way, but the cold facts told him at once—

All of this was his own fault!

. . . . . . . .

The car left the parking lot.

Pei Yi glanced at Pei Huan, who had shrunk into a small dot in the rearview mirror. “Didn’t I hear that he disappeared after selling Dawn Games? Why is he back now?”

Li Yuan could only tell what he knew. “It seems that he went to another province to make a wave of investments, but he was deceived and came back in disgrace.”

“He also went to Old Mr. Pei’s funeral.”

During the two months Pei Yi was in Haishi, Old Mr. Pei, who had long been holding on by a single breath, finally couldn’t withstand his illness and passed away.

Pei Ruzhang and the others held a simple funeral for him.

Pei Yi knew Pei Huan’s nature well, and surmised, “Did he try to sell misery at the funeral? Then take the opportunity to return to the Pei family?”

Li Yuan didn’t know much when it came to Pei Huan. “Maybe.”

Pei Yi answered his own question, “But looking at him now, it’s obvious that he didn’t succeed.”

Li Yuan added, “I heard from Da-ge that An Yang went to the funeral and made a big fuss, which made Pei Ruzhang even more dissatisfied with Pei Huan.”

“An Yang?”

“En.”

Nowadays, when the mother who raised him was mentioned, Li Yuan no longer had any emotional fluctuations. “After Pei Huan sold Dawn Games, her condition thoroughly worsened.”

She was sent to a mental hospital.

However, the house was still in An Yang’s name. After Pei Huan’s investments failed, he wanted the house, so he took the other person back to his side.

An Yang’s condition was sometimes good and sometimes bad, but something happened on the day of the funeral that destroyed the last trace of the Pei family’s nurturing relationship with Pei Huan.

Li Yuan sighed as he spoke.

Pei Yi glanced sideways at him. “Why are you sighing?”

Li Yuan explained, “I’m just a little moved. A year and a half ago, it was me who was wearing a plain suit and being talked down to by investors, not him.”

Should it be said that things had changed, or that they had returned to the way things should have been?

The moment this idea took shape, his friend affirmed it.

Pei Yi gave him a light pat on the shoulder and said, “Pear Garden, look forward. This is the life you should have had.”

“En.”

Even though everyone was born at a different starting point, the path toward the future must be chosen individually.

. . . . . . . .

Because of the great deals offered during the trial opening, when the two arrived, the bar was already full of guests who had come to join the fun.

But fortunately, the boss was very helpful, and had reserved in advance relatively quiet seats on the first floor for Li Yuan and Pei Yi.

The two of them didn’t start drinking right away, but first ordered some bar-only hot skewers to satisfy their appetites.

Pei Yi recounted to his friend the twists and turns that had happened in Haishi these past two months, then said emphatically, “Please have someone help me stay tuned with the news from Weiyi. We can’t suffer any losses in subsequent publicity.”

Li Yuan nodded, and asked about another key point, “By the way, are you sure Gu Jianshen will come to our studio?”

Pei Yi estimated based on his intuition, “I’m seventy to eighty percent sure. We’ll know by the end of the year.”

If Gu Jianshen had just run away and abandoned his old employer to go to their studio, Pei Yi would be a little leery about hiring him.

The alcohol was finally served.

As one of the few university classmates with whom Li Yuan still had contact, the boss took the initiative to hand cigarettes to the two of them. “Brother, thank you for coming to support me. If you want to drink anything, just let me know!”

Li Yuan smiled and said, “Brother Lin, go ahead and do your work first, we can take care of it ourselves.”

“Okay, you guys drink, and I’ll join you for a few drinks later when I have time.”

Brother Lin was very busy, and left after entertaining them briefly.

Li Yuan poured alcohol for Pei Yi. “How much can you drink now? Don’t get so drunk that you pass out later, or I’ll be in trouble with Mr. Bo.”

Pei Yi replied, “Why would you get in trouble with him if I drink alcohol?”

Even though he had been practicing for so long, he could still get drunk after two or three drinks, but he still wanted to indulge in one or two bottles tonight.

He had to get drunk no matter what, and be unrestrained and happy in the moment!

With this thought, Pei Yi took the first sip.

Li Yuan frowned and warned him, “Is it really okay, ah? Take it easy.”

Pei Yi joked, “Can I say no?”

After finally getting out of Bo Yueming’s range of view, he had to drink to his heart’s content!

Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Li Yuan simply had a drink with him.

In a short time, the two of them finished half a bottle of whiskey.

Pei Yi’s face soon turned red. Full of curiosity, he leaned forward so that he was halfway lying on the table. “Pear Garden, is Yan Cen good to you?”

Li Yuan coughed. “En.”

Pei Yi asked again, “Then will you marry him in the future?”

“…….”

Li Yuan was stunned by his friend’s out-of-the-box thinking, and answered slowly, “It’s, it’s still early. I’m not considering such a thing for the time being.”

Pei Yi nodded at his answer, and then said to himself, “I! I want to marry Bo Yueming!”

Li Yuan smiled and said, “Aren’t the two of you already married?”

“No, not yet. Look, ah—”

Pei Yi slowly shook his head and raised his empty hand. “No ring, no marriage certificate, no, no marriage.”

At Old Mrs. Bo’s birthday celebration that day, although the words of He Feng and the others didn’t shock Pei Yi, they made him understand one thing—

Love and marriage still needed to be distinguished.

He and Bo Yueming only had a business marriage relationship, which was far from enough.

Pei Yi touched his ring finger and confessed to his friend, “Pear Garden, tell me, if I propose marriage to him, will he agree?”

“…….”

Li Yuan was surprised. “You, you would take the initiative to propose?”

Even though he was aware of his friend’s straightforward character, he never suspected that he would also be so straightforward in love.

Pei Yi tilted his head. “Can’t I?”

Li Yuan replied, “You can. If you’ve thought about it, just do it. I support you.”

“Wu, I’ll try hard to make a plan.”

Having received the support of his friend, Pei Yi took advantage of his cheerful mood and drank the alcohol in his glass in one gulp.

As he got drunker, he became increasingly enthusiastic about drinking.

Li Yuan quickly advised, “Slow down and drink a little less?”

Having said that, when he saw the two untouched cigarettes on the table, he picked them up on his own impulse. “Do you want to smoke this?”

Out of nowhere, Pei Yi thought of Bo Yueming’s punishment in Haishi and unconsciously shifted in his seat. He mumbled, “I, I won’t smoke.”

“Yan Cen still lets you smoke?”

“…….”

Li Yuan remembered that Yan Cen had asked him to quit smoking.

Although he had been working hard these past few months, he still got a bit of a craving for cigarettes when issues occasionally cropped up.

Pei Yi got a hint from his friend’s silence and teased, “He won’t let you smoke, right? As soon as Yan Cen sees it, he’ll discipline you.”

Li Yuan retorted with a brave face, “He won’t discipline me. It’s Bo Yueming who controls you and won’t allow you to drink.”

Pei Yi denied it. “No, I have the final say at home.”

The two of them finished speaking and glanced at each other, and the tacit understanding between friends was immediately displayed—

One person smoked, one person drank, and neither stopped the other.

They would indulge themselves tonight and definitely not be discovered! 

They needed to be a little uninhibited!

Pei Yi opened a brand new bottle of whiskey for himself, but he hadn’t even had a drink yet when he looked up and saw Yan Cen.

There was no telling how the other party found them, but at this moment, he was standing quietly behind Li Yuan under the cover of the ambient sounds of the bar.

Looking at his unsuspecting friend, who had a cigarette in his mouth and was still smoking comfortably.

Li Yuan noticed Pei Yi’s sudden gaze and exhaled a puff of smoke. “Why are you looking at me?”

“…….”

Pei Yi shook his head and blocked his smile with his glass, watching the show.

Li Yuan was perplexed. Just as he was about to take another puff, the cigarette between his fingers was suddenly taken away.

“Didn’t you say you were having dinner with Pei Yi? And you’re secretly smoking without telling me?” Yan Cen asked from behind him.

“…….”

Li Yuan was immediately startled, and turned around slowly with a guilty conscience.

Pei Yi saw his friend’s rare cute and timid look, and laughed gloatingly, “Pear Garden, you’re finished.”

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a neutral hum from behind him.

Even in the relatively noisy environment of the bar, the drunk Pei Yi instinctively realized something and cautiously turned around to look—

As expected, he met Bo Yueming’s gaze.

In an instant, Pei Yi couldn’t help but let out a small belch. He thought to himself:

Wu.

He was finished too.

---

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Chapter One Hundred Two <<Table of Contents >> Chapter One Hundred Four

Liu Zhenqing’s mood was not as turbulent as the three of them, but he was still nervous. After all, he had caused the trouble.

The Huo Fenglie now was no longer the Er-gou who had followed him around before.

Liu Zhenqing quickly raised his hands and saluted. “General Huo, I apologize, I accidentally damaged the willow tree in the courtyard…..”

Before Liu Zhenqing finished speaking, he heard the two children’s anxious voices in the distance.

“Second Uncle, don’t be angry, we broke the willow tree.”

“Second Uncle, everything happened because of me, just punish me.”

The twins ran over quickly, one hugging his thigh and the other pulling his arm as they called out.

Uncle Tian also followed. He hesitated over calling out the childrens’ lies, but in the end, he didn’t expose them in public.

Liu Zhenqing was stunned, and was immediately moved. The two children and Uncle Tian intended to protect him, fearing that Huo Fenglie would have a dispute with him, an outsider? 

They were sweet.

But he still must tell the truth.

He already couldn’t let these people down, and even Liu Zhenqing couldn’t lie and deceive people shamelessly.

“General Huo, I climbed the tree, and those willow branches were broken when they caught me. I…..”

Before he finished speaking, Huo Fenglie frowned. Liu Zhenqing’s heart tightened.

But then he heard Huo Fenglie ask in a deep voice: “Is Young Master Liu injured?”

All those waiting nervously for a reaction: ? ?

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback. He shook his head, looking at Huo Fenglie with some confusion. What kind of reaction was this? Could it be that what everyone had said was an exaggeration?

Huo Fenglie seemed to look him up and down while listening for his answer, then said with a serious face: “If Young Master Liu wants to climb a tree, he should find someone to watch out for him so he doesn’t get hurt.”

Liu Zhenqing: ? ? Was it sarcasm? Or was it really an exaggeration? Er-gou is still very approachable. I say, what is this about a willow tree?

He didn’t notice that the surrounding environment had become quiet and strange.

Was Huo Fenglie okay? Did he have a fever? Had he lost his mind? Or was it not him who had returned? These were the thoughts that the three good brothers couldn’t help but express.

And Uncle Tian even clutched his beard. A person who stayed at the manor every day naturally had a basic understanding of matters, but Huo Fenglie’s reaction was so unexpected that Uncle Tian almost doubted his own eyes and ears.

The two children were also stunned for a moment, but they accepted this strange situation more easily than the adults. They frankly explained the truth of the matter to Huo Fenglie, not letting Liu Zhenqing take the blame alone.

Although they saw that Liu Zhenqing was fine, the two of them were still a little scared and looked at their second uncle nervously.

Huo Fenglie nodded and said: “I understand, pay attention next time. Go on.”

While everyone was in a daze, Uncle Tian took the two children away and the others sat back down in the pavilion. 

But no one spoke. The three brothers had ten thousand questions in their stomachs, but it was inconvenient to ask them now.

Just as they were hesitating over what to say, they heard Huo Fenglie say to Liu Zhenqing naturally: “The matter with the Liu family has not yet been investigated, but the Emperor already knows you are in my manor. About Rong Shiming…..”

“Ah, He-daren has already told me that the general has troubled himself in this matter,” Liu Zhenqing said uncomfortably, and then quickly poured a cup of tea for Huo Fenglie and pushed it over to ingratiate himself. “Thank you for your hard work.”

Huo Fenglie was stunned for a moment. He picked up the tea and drank it in one go, then turned to look at the three others and asked, “Why are you here?”

The three of them looked at each other. Was it their imagination? Why did his mouth sound a little colder after drinking hot tea?

Bai Su glanced at Liu Zhenqing with a smile on his face. “Brother Liu and I are on good terms. Can’t I come and be concerned for his situation?”

Liu Zhenqing also looked at Bai Su and smiled. “The situation is satisfactory.”

Qin Yu drank tea and said nothing. He Lan, on the other hand, couldn’t wait to nudge Huo Fenglie and ask curiously: “You just met with the Emperor, what did you talk about? Did you give him the confession? I heard that the First Princess made trouble? She absolutely refused to admit that her cousin had anything to do with the Imperial Examination fraud.”

“The First Princess was taken away by your cousin,” Huo Fenglie said.

When these words came out, everyone was stunned. Since she was taken away by the commander of the Jinyiwei, didn’t that mean that her conviction was imminent? Was the Emperor really going to deal with the First Princess?

“Then she will definitely clamor for mercy from the Emperor and you in the name of her life-saving grace back then,” He Lan said with a laugh.

Huo Fenglie scoffed.

Listening as the others spoke, Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help the subtle look on his face when he heard this.

Bai Su happened to be sitting opposite Liu Zhenqing. Seeing him like this, he smiled and said: “Right, Brother Liu lost his memory and doesn’t know those things. At that time, the First Princess was married off to Xiheng, and not long after something happened to the Crown Prince, the new emperor, who was still a young Imperial grandson, was sent to Xiheng as a hostage by the three rebel kings.”

Liu Zhenqing’s expression remained unchanged. He looked to be all ears, but he couldn’t help thinking about the fatuous old emperor who had sent away even his eldest grandson just because he feared war. It was a huge embarrassment to Great Zhou.

Bai Su’s voice darkened uncontrollably as he spoke of this. After all, it was a past that he couldn’t bear to look back on. “In that situation, the late emperor basically abandoned him. But two years later, the Great Zhou Dynasty was in turmoil. After the late emperor experienced all kinds of things, he still chose his eldest grandson to succeed him before he died. That is why the subsequent rescue incident took place, and the First Princess who was also in Xiheng played a crucial role.”

He Lan could only click his tongue twice and sneer: “That’s why she always uses this to put pressure on others, and the Emperor can only endure it. It’s a typical example of taking advantage of a favor owed. Although she helped the emperor and Zhanyuan at first, it was the Huo family army who helped her escape later, ah. I never saw her thank the Huo family army either.”

And Qin Yu, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke: “She is from the Imperial family and is a natural master. It is normal for her to be strict with others and lenient toward herself.”

He Lan: “Pei!”

Holding his teacup, Qin Yu glanced at He Lan with a twitching brow and switched their teacups. He Lan glared, angry and amused. How could he not say pei?

Liu Zhenqing was inwardly amused, slightly lost in thought as he held his tea. In fact, the First Princess was unwilling to take action back then. She was not liked by that man, so she could only stay in Xiheng and be a princess with her tail between her legs. She didn’t dare to visit Yuan Jue at all as he was held hostage. Later, after a promise to succeed in taking her back to their country, it was her who decided to help and seek favors for him, and this was the follow-up. Unexpectedly, this gave her the nerve to exercise her power.

He was in a daze when the teacup in his hand was taken away.

Liu Zhenqing raised his head and looked over. He heard Huo Fenglie say: “It’s cold.” Then he was given new tea.

He Lan was curious, and suddenly asked Huo Fenglie: “Ai, you were only thirteen years old at the time, and you were sent to Xiheng to serve as the emperor’s companion and prepare to abscond with him. Wasn’t it extremely dangerous? I’ve never heard you mention it. Are you willing to talk about it, Brother?”

Of course they couldn’t bear it. How could they be willing to let Er-gou go on such a death-defying mission? But they had no choice at the time. If they wanted to take Yuan Jue, they could only find someone they trusted, who would not make the enemy suspicious and was capable. After much consideration, there was nobody until Er-gou stood in front of them.

“I volunteered for the trip,” Huo Fenglie said calmly. “I was young and useless. This was the only thing I could do. And the difficult things were arranged by others. I only needed to stay with the emperor to provide support. Compared to us, those who stayed in Great Zhou were in even more danger.”

Everyone thought about the chaos of the three kings in Great Zhou. Indeed, everyone in the capital was in danger.

Bai Su nodded. He had been living in the turmoil of the capital back then, and it had left a big impression on him. He let out a sigh: “I remember my brother saying that Huo-dage and others openly followed the late crown prince and were thorns in the sides of the three kings. If Zhanyuan’s mission failed, they might not have been able to survive in the hands of those three.”

“How can you catch the tiger cubs if you don’t enter the tiger’s den? Not only that, but they had also forged a life-and-death relationship with the emperor, a sincere relationship between an emperor and his ministers.” He Lan patted Huo Fenglie’s shoulder with a smile, then raised his eyebrows at Liu Zhenqing. “Otherwise, who else would dare harbor a suspect.”

Liu Zhenqing smiled obsequiously. Indeed, the emperor took their friendship into consideration, so when Huo Fenglie wanted to take him back to the General’s Manor, the emperor didn’t refuse. Because he knew that this small thing would have no impact on Huo Fenglie. After all, he had also taught Yuan Jue. 

“Actually, the First Princess is also a pitiful person,” Bai Su lamented.

He Lan was immediately surprised and said: “Youzhou, you have a little too much sympathy.”

Bai Su shook his head, saying: “The powerful prince of Xiheng didn’t want to marry her at all, and didn’t take her with him when he left. The late emperor had to have someone send her there. It is unfortunate for a country’s princess to be treated like this.”

As soon as these words were spoken, He Lan immediately gossiped: “Right, right, right, I also heard that the person he wanted to marry back then was actually…..”

Before he could finish speaking, a handful of pastry suddenly lodged in his throat, almost choking him to death. He was about to glare at Qin Yu, the culprit, but glanced up and realized that something was wrong. The atmosphere seemed to have stagnated, and Huo Fenglie’s face was about to freeze over. He Lan gave a tactical cough and stopped.

Liu Zhenqing naturally knew that he had been about to say his own name, and continued to drink tea with some embarrassment. In fact, what they didn’t know was that the late emperor almost agreed in a moment of confusion. If the Crown Prince hadn’t protected him, he would probably be in the kingdom of Xiheng right now.

When Liu Zhenqing thought of this, his eyes suddenly flashed and he was stunned for a moment. It seemed that something was about to emerge in his mind, but he forced it down. A funny memory suddenly appeared and replaced the abnormal ones.

Little did he know that his unconscious movement to touch his back was caught by Huo Fenglie, who had been paying attention to him. Dark red appeared in Huo Fenglie’s eyes at that moment. There was a slight crack under his feet, but as martial arts practitioners, only He Lan and Qin Yu heard it and knew that a paving tile must have broken.

He Lan thought it was his fault, and smiled apologetically. Qin Yu looked at him in contempt for seeking death. Just as he was about to help change the topic, Huo Fenglie’s expression changed slightly as he looked at Liu Zhenqing. The corners of Liu Zhenqing’s mouth were slightly raised, as if he had recalled some amusing memory, and his eyes were looking toward a point in the distance.

Huo Fenglie knew without looking that it was his brother’s courtyard. Back then, the three of them often got together to drink and chat. As a young boy, he was just a tagalong following them around.

He remembered that night very clearly…..

They were sitting in the courtyard at that time, listening to Liu Zhenqing laugh as he said: “I’ve heard that beauties in ancient times were multi-functional strategic resources, but I didn’t expect that beautiful men were too. It’s all because I was born too good-looking. If beauty is a crime, then I have implicated nine generations of my family.”

“Yes, yes, yes, it is you who are beautiful! Your looks can improve the next generation of the Xiheng royal family. Oh, you can’t give birth to a child, and you don’t have military force to overthrow the enemy’s political power,” Li Xingruo said.

Liu Zhenqing was wanton and provocative: “I can give this a try. Based on the principle of maximizing resource efficiency, I should be sent over to marry. Then I can use beauty to do evil. Are you jealous?”

Li Xingruo pulled Liu Zhenqing’s cheek: “Jealous? Let’s see if the First Princess causes trouble for you later. Who let you show off in front of an enemy prince?”

“I was trying to save face for Great Zhou, no one else could do it. Boss, save me!” Liu Zhenqing reached out to grab Huo Feihan, but Huo Feihan’s other hand was grabbed by Li Xingruo, and he was in another dilemma.

Liu Zhenqing could only ask for help: “Er-gou, come and help your Xiting-gege.”

Huo Fenglie wasn’t aware of his ugly expression at the time. He only knew that after a glance at him, they stopped making trouble and asked if this nonsense frightened him.

Yes, he was frightened, because he seemed to hear shouting in his head: No! Absolutely not! Xiting-gege can’t get married. He can’t marry another man. He can’t!

. . . . . . .

Huo Fenglie’s mood was still a little unstable, and a strong murderous aura boiled in his heart, but he suppressed his emotions because of the people around him.

The atmosphere calmed, and Qin Yu changed the subject: “Without the First Princess’s protection, the Rong and Jiang families have been convicted, and this matter is half over. There is also the Imperial Examination held at the same time in the south that has not been investigated.”

Speaking of this, Bai Su felt a little upset, because his brother had served there. “The location of the Southern Imperial Examination is so far away. It will take at least a month to begin the investigation. If he has to wait until the investigation is completed, Brother Liu might be waiting a long time.”

Liu Zhenqing was also very depressed about his retirement plan, ah!

“I’m not afraid of waiting. I’m just afraid that if I make a mistake, I’ll be out of luck.”

“Will a special team be formed for the investigation?” Qin Yu looked at Huo Fenglie with a frown and asked, “Did the Emperor mention it?”

Huo Fenglie said: “I haven’t heard yet.”

“He surely will. Zhanyuan, if the Emperor asks you for candidates, mention me. Let’s see if I don’t catch all these vermin that are harming the country.” He Lan narrowed his eyes and said with a smile: “However much greed they have, I will make them spit it out with interest.”

“To be greedy for this kind of money is indeed a crime that cannot be atoned for even with death.” As a scholar, Bai Su denounced such behavior the most. Even with his good temper, there was a murderous look on his face as he said this. In the end, he couldn’t help but murmur, “My brother said that the Imperial Examination is very important. This was what Liu Zhenqing told him when he asked him to supervise the exam. Even the treacherous minister…..”

Bai Su paused suddenly realized that he, like He Lan, was speaking too freely. What illness did they have today? Did they all want to look for trouble together?

He Lan also looked at Bai Su innocently from the sidelines. There was nothing to be done. Everything back then would almost always involve “Liu Zhenqing,” and they couldn’t avoid it even if they wanted to. It wasn’t a problem for them. They had gotten used to Huo Fenglie’s displeasure, but they were a little embarrassed with the Liu family member present.

Bai Su looked apologetically at Liu Zhenqing and found him smiling. “This is a compliment to him, ba.”

Huo Fenglie only frowned slightly. The topic was not impossible to continue like it had been just now, and no one saw him paying attention to Liu Zhenqing out of the corner of his eye.

“There was a time when the rumored Prime Minister Liu was so upright?” Seeing that this topic was not a pitfall, He Lan couldn’t help but become curious. After all, he wasn’t in the court at that time and didn’t know much. He only heard all the rumors later on.

“He indeed took this matter seriously,” Qin Yu confirmed with a nod. He had served in the palace before, so he naturally knew some things.

Liu Zhenqing smiled. Of course he took it seriously. After all, he had learned this from the lord they followed, Crown Prince Jing Yang.

. . . . . . .

Crown Prince Jing Yang, the father of the current emperor, had a very high reputation in those days. They were still young back then, and became acquainted with the incognito crown prince at the Imperial Examinations.

At that time, there were no separate examinations in the north and south, so every time there was an Imperial Examination, a large number of candidates poured into the capital. The late emperor was not very respectable at that time and failed to win the hearts of the students. When the students gathered together, they couldn’t help but loudly compare them to each other. They were not careful at all, violating taboos and causing indecent rumors. Thus, they were later divided into north and south, and discipline during exams was strictly controlled. The entire city was under martial law, making it inconvenient to get in and out.

When they met the crown prince for the first time, the three of them and the prince were all watching the excitement in a restaurant. Many students had gathered together at that time, some reciting poems, some disputing ancient and modern times, and some discriminating between the northern and southern regions. When the literary battle incidentally turned into a physical one, there was a cynical student who was full of nonsense. He thought he was the smartest in the world, and that everyone else, including the emperor, was a fool without discernment. He also frequently praised Xiheng’s reforms.

At that time, how could Liu Zhenqing let such a fool go? Even Li Xingruo thought it was time to take action. Liu Zhenqing was on the second floor during this excitement and argued passionately across the screen fence. His sharp tongue almost made the other party doubt life, and he was angry enough to bleed from his orifices.

Thinking about it now, he was so fond of causing trouble at that time that it was really to the credit of Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo that he wasn’t beaten to death.

He still remembered when they forced him to learn life-saving combat moves. The reasoning was that he deserved a hard beating, and if they were not by his side, he wasn’t good enough at martial arts and couldn’t use poison. What would he do if he was chased and cut down?

And now the student who wanted to chase and cut him happened to be a wealthy and powerful landowner from outside, so he led his people and rushed to the second floor. He kicked open the screen and asked the three people inside, “Who said that just now!”

At once, his eyes fell on Liu Zhenqing and Li Xingruo, who was disguised as a man for convenience. After all, the two of them looked the most like scholars.

As a result, the two of them pointed at Huo Feihan in the next second, the only one who had not done anything bad and only cared about the food, and said in unison: “He said it.”

The two of them fled the battlefield as quickly as possible and went next door, leaning against the screen to watch the rest of the fun.

At this time, a hearty laugh came from behind. “You two, it’s not good of you to trick him like this.”

As soon as the two of them turned around, they saw a handsome man who was either wealthy or noble, with an extraordinary temperament. He was sitting at a table, two guards standing behind him with a warning in their eyes.

The man tilted his head and expressed his questions with his eyes.

Liu Zhenqing and Li Xingruo were lords who were not afraid of trouble, but for some reason, they answered obediently.

Li Xingruo: “What does it matter? He can take them!”

Liu Zhenqing nodded. “Any hesitation would be a sign of distrust in his skills.”

At this time, the battle next door ended as expected. Huo Feihan called in a somewhat annoyed tone: “Still want to eat? How about going somewhere else, the table’s broken.”

The two people shrugged at the man, causing him to laugh even more heartily.

“Come and eat here. I’ll treat you.”

Over a meal, they got to know the current Crown Prince Jing Yang.

At this point, no matter how much trouble they got into, they seemed to have this big brother protecting them and clearing the way for them to grow wildly.

It was also Crown Prince Jing Yang who advocated for the separation of the north and south, because something could happen if the scholars were volatile. And it was he who told them that there must be no problems with the Imperial Examinations. He said: “If this step is broken, how can the country develop stably without talents? Although it is said that if the water is clear, there will be no fish, greed for money can lead to chaos in the world. Only when all talents are in the hands of the Imperial court can the country be governed well.”

. . . . . . .

Therefore, even if Liu Zhenqing later became a traitor, he would never allow anyone to mess with the Imperial Examinations.

It could be regarded as one of the few pieces of good reputation he gained afterward.

---

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

Although Liang Shu was trying his utmost to rescue Ku You, on the other hand, he wasn’t too worried. After all, if the dignified Commander of the Southwest Garrison could only wait helplessly for rescue after being captured, he would not be qualified to command tens of thousands of troops.

One of the soldiers said: “Perhaps the prince thinks Commander Ku can bring back two of them on the way.”

The surrounding companions silently expressed their agreement. Indeed, people who loved to steal things would steal them wherever they went. This was their prince’s style!

In fact, Ku You was really thinking hard about how to make good use of this opportunity. The day before was his first face-to-face “meeting” with Mu Zhe. Although his eyes were covered by a thick layer of silver gauze, that slightly hoarse voice was enough to make him instantly feel disgusted and uncomfortable—this voice was intertwined with tens of thousands of tragedies in the southwest. Children and women were sold, husbands and wives were killed, limbs were mutilated, and poisons were administered. Every drop of blood and tears had been instigated by this voice.

Wumeng Yunle continued to pull at Mu Zhe’s sleeve, saying: “I want to heal him, even if just for a short moment. Anyway, I have to make him see my appearance.”

“How can a barbarian from the northwest know how to appreciate a stunning beauty? Even if his eyes are cured, I fear he can only see grasslands and gold.” Another voice sounded in his ears. It was a man’s voice, middle-aged, with a thick Nanyang accent that was a little strange and stiff. 

Liu Hengchang had been standing with his head and hands lowered. Hearing him speak, he couldn’t help but raise his head for a quick look. The other party was about forty years old, with a thin body, deeply sunken cheeks, black lips, and yellow teeth. Even though he was wrapped in brocade, he looked like a cockroach, with no nobility at all.

What was even more disgusting was the way he looked at Wumeng Yunle. That was definitely not the way an elder should look at a junior, and it was also different from the pious worship of a believer. Wumeng Yunle also regarded him with obvious distaste and hid behind Mu Zhe’s shoulder.

Mu Zhe ignored her and just asked Liu Hengchang: “I heard from A-Le that you can cure this person’s eyes within ten days?”

“Answering Leader, I just inspected his eyes and he has already undergone two complicated surgeries. The subsequent treatment that must be done is actually not difficult. I can give it a try, but there is no guarantee that after treatment, he will definitely be able to see.”

Wumeng Yunle said happily: “Even if there is no guarantee, you can try.”

As if dissatisfied at being ignored by the beauty, the Nanyang man turned his attention to Ku You and looked him up and down. The silver hair and matching gauze strip gave him an exotic and exquisite sculpture-like look, with a high nose bridge and a distinct jawline. It was indeed a face that could make young girls in love swoon, so the man scoffed and reached out, pulling off the gauze strip.

He had originally wanted to see a pair of stiff, empty eyes, crippled and ugly, but was not able to do so in the end.

Ku You’s eyes shifted slightly and he turned his head to follow the sound. Those eyes were a swath of golden sunlight, cold and strange. They actually made the Nanyang man a bit flustered, and he unconsciously took a step back.

The corners of Ku You’s lips rose slightly.

“You can see!” The Nanyang man’s eyes changed and he shook a dagger from his sleeve, suddenly stabbing toward his eye! Ku You’s ears twitched slightly and he kicked the chair away with one foot. Swish, he flew and circled around the opposite side, quickly dodging to evade the man’s head-on blow!

All of this happened in a lightning flash. The Nanyang man became angry and wanted to put him in his place, but Mu Zhe said: “Don’t be nervous, Island Master Yuan. He can’t see, he just has excellent hearing.”

Ku You’s eyes were indeed still “looking” ahead, and upon closer inspection, his pupils were indeed slightly unfocused. Yuan Yu scoffed coldly and asked: “Leader Mu truly plans to heal his eyes?”

“Yes,” Mu Zhe said. “After his eyes are healed, I still want to negotiate a business deal with Commander Ku.”

Ku You sat on the chair, still silent, as if the injury was not to his eyes, but to his throat. No matter what conditions the other party proposed, it seemed that he could not hear them at all, his ears buried together with his dead eyes.

The three of them did not stay in the room longer, quickly turning around and leaving. Liu Hengchang breathed a sigh of relief and warned quietly: “The teachings of the Baifu Sect may appear to be compassionate, but they are in fact extremely cruel to those who dissent. There are no few people who have died from various tortures inside this mountain. Commander Ku is still feigning compliance at this time, so it is better to deal with people first.”

“If they still want to cooperate with me,” Ku You covered his eyes again with the silver gauze, “then they should be more patient.”

Mu Zhe instructed Wumeng Yunle to go back to her room first. Yuan Yu’s eyes fell on the girl’s snow-white back, and he said: “He seems to have made up his mind not to let us hear his voice, and at the same time did not hesitate to anger the Holy Maiden with a long speech in order to force her to heal his eyes.”

“You need his voice and I need his eyes, ears, tongue, and all removable limbs.” Mu Zhe’s tone was very calm, and he actually sighed with some compassion. “All the members of the Baifu Sect have been waiting for this day, so that fire can be used to cleanse the numerous crimes he has committed.”

The corners of Yuan Yu’s mouth twitched slightly, likely because he swallowed back the word “insanity.” Instead, he used a neutral tone to remind him that they weren’t the ones who needed his voice, but rather Mu Zhe. If they couldn’t imitate his voice exactly, then Mu Zhe’s next plan would likely be impossible to implement.

Mu Zhe turned to look at him, and Yuan Yu asked: “For the next step, how does Leader Mu plan to open his mouth?”

“If he is at least willing to talk at length to one person, that is enough,” Mu Zhe said. “You just need to hear his voice. It doesn’t matter what he says specifically.”

Yuan Yu gave a strange laugh and tightened his robes from left to right. “The Holy Maiden. That works too.”

. . . . . . .

Following Liang Shu’s wishes, Liu Xian’an drafted a letter and tied it to the leg of the green harrier that had descended into camp. Then he looked up and watched the green-feathered, red-eyed bird fly away. A-Ning said: “The evil cult would never have expected that the prince would retrieve the treasure in the deep forest so easily. Perhaps they are still waiting for both sides to suffer losses.”

“Have you seen that batch of treasure?” Liu Xian’an washed his hands in a basin. “Is there a lot?”

“There is so much.” A-Ning raised his hands and gestured in a big circle. “Cheng-guniang is still moving it now. I couldn’t believe it, all the carriages and horses that could be found were sent out. Lieutenant General Gao has been beaming with joy for the past two days, and I saw that the prince is also very happy.”

The prince was also very happy. If not for the fact that Ku You was still miserable in the enemy camp, hundreds of barbecue campfires would have been lit in the Valley of Ten Faces. Currently, everyone just smiled, happy but restrained.

A-Ning asked again: “But how can we reasonably exchange such a large amount of treasure? When Cheng-guniang was exchanged with Wumeng Yunyou last time, Feng Xiaojin and the prince were one-on-one, but this time, both sides will have to send at least hundreds or thousands of people.”

“It’s difficult to say. I’m also waiting for the green carrier to come to the military camp again.” Liu Xian’an wiped his hands dry. “Let’s go see the treasure!”

The only person in the entire camp who was not happy about the money was probably First Young Master Liu. On the one hand, he was still worried about Ku You, and on the other hand, he couldn’t go anywhere at the moment, unable to take two steps out the door, just like an unmarried daughter under house arrest. No one would dare to lock him up, but because the Scimitar Silver Moon Tribe had reached an agreement to cooperate with Liang Shu and were living with them in the Valley of Ten Faces at this time, the whole thing seemed a little troublesome.

Liu Xian’an analyzed: “If Da-ge refuses their marriage proposal again and angers them, and they stop cooperating with the prince, wouldn’t that be very bad?”

The elder brother: “Get out.”

The younger brother: “Oh.”

Thus, Liu Xian’an ran away very freely. It couldn’t be helped, he wasn’t the one who made the Scimitar Silver Moon Tribe fall in love with him. The reason may have been that fellow immortals repelled one another, or also because the flirting between Second Young Master Liu and His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was so obvious, obvious enough that even the little girl knew that the two had a close relationship. When she saw one of them, she would ask him why the other was not there.

“He should still be sleeping in the room, ah.” Liang Shu picked her up.

The little girl was very envious upon hearing this, because she also liked to sleep, but her mother always woke her up early in the morning. Could there be a way to sleep soundly in broad daylight with confidence?

“This is simple,” Liang Shu boasted shamelessly. “As long as you eat well, learn martial arts well, grow up to be a big girl quickly, and get married to a good husband who will obey you, then you can sleep during the day.”

The little girl clapped her hands and said: “I’ll do it.”

The surrounding soldiers were all stunned. This……was a sin, ah. They would have to find a way to keep the prince away from the child.

Carrying the letter, a green harrier landed in the dense forest.

The witch doctors filed out of Ku You’s room, and Liu Hengchang felt anxious at the sight. Although Mu Zhe had promised Wumeng Yunle that he would cure Ku You’s eye disease, he did not seek out Liu Hengchang in the end, but sent other witch doctors. Thinking back and forth, he just went secretly to the mountain spring to find Wumeng Yunle and said: “Ku You’s eye disease was treated by Liu Xianche before, and I’m a disciple of Baihe Mountain Village. I know all the steps of the diagnosis and treatment, so I should be more suitable than those witch doctors.”

“But the witch doctors can also cure those pesky eyes.”

“Miss Yunle.” Liu Hengchang cupped his hands. “It has been a long time since I came to the Baifu Sect, but because Young Master Feng’s illness hasn’t been cured in so long, I have never been taken seriously. But for Commander Ku’s eye disease, I can really give it a try. I also ask Miss Yunle to request for the Leader to give me the opportunity.”

“Since you’re already here, why ask me to request it? Wouldn’t it be faster to do it yourself?” Wumeng Yunle stretched out her hand and said, “They’re just right there.”

Liu Hengchang was startled. He turned his head toward the other side of the stream and saw two people standing there. One was Mu Zhe and the other was Feng Xiaojin. According to the teachings of the Baifu Sect, it was a capital offense to offend the Holy Maiden, and such private interactions were not allowed. Therefore, even though Liu Hengchang had taken on the title of “doctor” at this time, there was still a layer of cold sweat on his back.

After a while, a disciple took him to the other side of the stream. The wind was blowing from the south at the time, so most of the conversation between Liu Hengchang and Wumeng Yunle was delivered to the ears of these listeners. He knelt on the ground and called out fearfully: “Leader, Young Master Feng.”

Mu Zhe said: “Your courage is not small.”

“Leader, forgive me,” Liu Hengchang said as he knelt. “I just want to get ahead of those witch doctors as soon as possible, which is why I came here. I have no intention of offending the Holy Maiden.”

“But you still said that day that there is no guarantee you can cure him.”

“No matter how minor a disease may be, there are still times where the wrong diagnosis is made. Besides, I’m afraid that if I talk too confidently in front of the leader and the diagnosis is not good in the future, then…..” He mustered up his courage and said, “But my confidence is actually quite high. Leader, can you let me try?”

“All right, I will let you try.” Mu Zhe was unexpectedly straightforward. Just when Liu Zhenqing was about to be happy, the other party said coldly, “After he is healed, it will be a good thing for him to see with his own eyes how his arms are cut off and hung at the gate of Cuckoo City.”

Liu Hengchang’s fingers twitched slightly as he bent down: “Yes, Leader.”

. . . . . . .

Liu Xian’an looked up at the time, looking until his neck felt sore. A-Ning said: “That strange bird won’t come with a message today.”

“It’s really too slow.” Liu Xian’an rubbed his shoulders.

“I heard that the green harrier is actually the fastest-flying bird in existence. Young Master, it really can’t compare it to your white cranes.”

“There will definitely be something that can fly faster than this in the future.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know. If I knew, wouldn’t I be a person from the future?”

Liu Xian’an patted the boy on the head and asked: “Where is the prince? Is he still counting the money?”

A-Ning nodded. He is.

As for why he had been counting for so many days, one reason was that there was so much money, and the second was because counting money was really fun. Lying on a pile of angular gold ingots, Gao Lin also experienced what it was like to indulge in a life of luxury. His waist was wrapped in pearls and emeralds, and he carried the heavy weight happily, lamenting, “I don’t know how the emperor will distribute these treasures. If they are used for military expenses, we’ll need to build a golden statue for Ku You outside the gates. If they are used for flood control, we can build it beside the Baihe River.”

“You’d better think of a way to fish out his body first.” Cheng Suyue tossed a silver piece onto his stomach. “Get up. The prince told you before he left to sort all these things out today.”

“So much must be sorted out today?” Gao Lin sat up and looked around, then complained sarcastically, oh, so much money, how troublesome.

Liang Shu went all the way to find his sweetheart, then clenched his hand into a fist and held it out in front of him: “Guess.”

Liu Xian’an said: “Gem.”

Liang Shu raised his eyebrows slightly and tapped his forehead with a finger: “It seems I have nothing new to offer, so I won’t hand it over.”

Liu Xian’an smiled and held his fist: “If you want to offer it, show it to me.”

Liang Shu allowed him to open his fingers one by one. This ruby was specially selected by him from a box of jewels. It was polished into angles and corners, looking extremely beautiful and clear under the sunlight. As for how beautiful it was, it was beautiful to the extent that if his Second Sister who was obsessed with beauty saw it, she would come to the door every day to beg for it.

Liu Xian’an really liked it, but asked: “Does this count as privately embezzling from the treasury?”

“You immortals are very particular about these kinds of rules.” Liang Shu smiled and said, “Don’t worry, ba. It’s not considered embezzlement. I bought it with a month’s salary. I won’t have any money next month, so I’ll have to rely on you to support me.”

“I don’t have any money either. I haven’t received any medical fees from all my medical visits.” Liu Xian’an carefully placed the gem into a small pouch. “But I can ask my Da-ge for some.”

Liang Shu nodded: “Okay, let’s do that.”

---

Chapter One Hundred Four << Table of Contents >> Chapter One Hundred Six

When Pei Yi woke up, Bo Yueming was still sleeping.

His lover drank a lot of wine the night before, and the two had held each other and talked until midnight. It was rare that he was still asleep at this time.

Pei Yi stared at Bo Yueming’s profile, slowly regaining his senses after sleeping, and gave him a soft good morning kiss on the corner of his mouth before quietly going to the bathroom to wash up.

“Meow-wu~”

“Shh, be good.”

Pei Yi gingerly opened the door of the master bedroom, and Inspector, who rarely slept in, followed him out.

In the dining room on the first floor, Uncle Kai had prepared an exquisite breakfast as usual.

Lin Zhong, who was eating, saw Pei Yi and greeted him at once. “Little Sir, you’re up? Where is Mr. Bo?”

Pei Yi sat in his usual seat and said, “Still sleeping. Does he have any work arrangements today?”

Lin Zhong recalled Bo Yueming’s work schedule and shook his head. “Not much. Mr. Bo told me privately that if the Third Young Lady can handle matters, there is no need to send them to him.”

Pei Yi understood Bo Yueming’s good intentions behind these words and said straightforwardly, “Please help me push off all his work today so that he can have a good rest.”

Uncle Kai brought out the fried steak and asked worriedly, “Sir, did the Second Young Master encounter any difficulties? I saw that there was something wrong with him when you came back last night.”

And when he was cleaning upstairs this morning, he found wine bottles in the living room.

Uncle Kai didn’t know much about wine, but he recognized the brand of the empty bottle. It had always been Bo Yueming’s favorite to get drunk on when he was troubled or worried.

Pei Yi took a sip of warm water and said, “His biological mother showed up.”

“…….”

Uncle Kai and Lin Zhong were both shocked.

As Bo Yueming’s most trusted housekeeper and subordinate, the two of them had long been like family members. They would not spread this matter casually, and were more worried about Bo Yueming’s feelings.

Lin Zhong said haltingly, “W-what?”

Uncle Kai was also tense. “The Second Young Master’s mother is still alive? Then what does she want, coming to China to find the Second Young Master at this time? Is the Old Madam aware?”

Pei Yi had no appetite, so he just stroked Inspector on his knees. “Grandma probably doesn’t know yet. I’m also curious about why she came to China…..”

He paused, his eyes unconsciously shifting toward the master bedroom on the second floor. “Lin Zhong, I have something I want to ask you to do.”

Lin Zhong was moved. “Little Sir, I understand.”

Pei Yi nodded slightly, and after a few simple explanations, he changed the topic to daily matters. “Uncle Kai, did you make porridge today?”

Uncle Kai nodded. “Yes, I thought the two of you might have drank wine last night, so I got up to specially prepare some.”

Hearing this, Pei Yi said, “Then let’s have porridge and side dishes as well as this steak. I’ll take it up to eat with Er-ge in a while.”

“Yes, Little Sir.”

. . . . . . . .

Ten minutes later.

Pei Yi returned to the living room on the second floor with a full plate.

Inspector saw Bo Yueming coming out of the master bedroom and immediately greeted him, “Meow-wu~”

Pei Yi turned his head and met Bo Yueming’s gaze with a smile. “Er-ge, when did you wake up? I was just thinking about going in to wake you up.”

Bo Yueming came closer and hugged his lover, burying his face in his neck. “I woke up not long after you got up. If I’m not holding you, I’m not able to sleep peacefully.”

This 1.9 meter tall person was still so clingy.

Pei Yi rubbed his head with some enjoyment, and inquired, “Then why didn’t I see you looking for me in a hurry? Aren’t you afraid I’ll sneak away, ah?”

Bo Yueming kissed his earlobe with a hint of joy. “No, you said you would stay with me forever.”

And when he went to the bathroom to wash up, he found that his lover had prepared his dental kit in advance. The small details of daily life always made him feel the warmth of being loved.

“Meow-ao-wu!”

Inspector was greedy for the aroma of breakfast. Seeing its two masters hugging each other, it couldn’t bear it anymore and approached to complain. “Ao-wu-meow!”

Pei Yi lowered his head and saw the eager look on his greedy little cat’s face. He couldn’t help but laugh, “Er-ge, do you want to have breakfast first?”

Bo Yueming also heard Inspector’s urging. “Okay, I’ll open some canned fish for Inspector.”

“En.”

The two of them enjoyed some rare free time while eating breakfast.

Pei Yi watched Bo Yueming drinking porridge, and thought for a moment before deciding to speak honestly. “Er-ge, I want to go see her on your behalf. Is that okay?”

The “she” he spoke of was very evident.

Bo Yueming paused slightly while eating, and his eyes darkened.

Pei Yi set down his knife and fork and took the other’s hand. “I don’t want you to be trapped by the questions in your heart for the rest of your life. Even if the answers are unbearable, I will face them for you, okay?”

Bo Yueming held his hand back, still thinking in silence.

Pei Yi vowed once more, “Er-ge, others may leave you, but I never will.”

The one who started the trouble should end it.

Bo Yueming understood this better than anyone else, and also knew best the mark the other person had left on his heart.

He met the eyes of his lover, which only held Bo Yueming in them, and said in a whisper, “Okay.”

. . . . . . .

3p.m. Moka Cafe.

It was clearly during normal business hours, but there was a sign on the door that said, “Closed for a reservation.”

Cynthia clutched her small handbag and carefully stepped into the private room section on the second floor under the guidance of a waiter.

As soon as the white gauze curtain was opened, she could clearly see the figure inside the box.

Pei Yi met Cynthia’s eyes and stood up proactively. “Hello, I’m Will. My Chinese name is Pei Yi.”

“H-Hello.”

Cynthia recognized Pei Yi’s face, but still glanced outside the box with concealed expectation.

Pei Yi knew what she was thinking, and said, “He didn’t come. It’s just me.”

There was a glimmer in Cynthia’s eyes, which was quickly hidden.

Pei Yi gestured and said to her in fluent English, “Ms. Cynthia, please have a seat. I’ve ordered an iced Americano for you in advance, is that all right?”

This was Bo Yueming’s favorite kind of coffee.

“Thank you.”

Cynthia didn’t refuse, and only looked at the young man in front of her courteously. “You, you’re Yueming’s lover?”

The two Chinese characters “Yueming” were pronounced a bit slowly, but were very standard, as if they had been practiced.

Pei Yi instantly recalled Bo Yueming’s resistance to being called “Ryan” the other day, and there was suddenly a trace of speculation in his heart.

He looked across at Cynthia and replied, “I’m not his lover, but his partner. He and I are the kind of partners who intend to marry and spend the rest of our lives together.”

“Partner?”

When Cynthia heard this more intimate and definite term, a gleam of moisture appeared in her eyes. “That’s wonderful, I wish you all the best.”

Soon after, the waiter brought over the iced Americano.

Cynthia politely thanked the waiter, and seemed to want to break the silence. “When I was young, I would drink a glass of this concentrated iced Americano every day.”

This was because the low-quality iced Americanos on the street were cheap and large, and could sustain her all day.

Cynthia seemed to be caught in a memory. “Yueming, he always liked to secretly take a sip when he was a child, and then he would frown at the bitterness.”

When Pei Yi heard her say this, he thought of Bo Yueming drinking coffee every day without a change of expression. He couldn’t tell at the moment if time had left its mark on this person or if it had changed his habits.

“Ms. Cynthia, please forgive my bluntness. I invited you to meet today because I want to use my status as a spouse to clarify some things.”

Pei Yi had gotten up early and asked Lin Zhong to find a way to contact Cynthia. When the other party went to the hotel from the previous day to inquire, he found that she had left her contact information at the front desk.

After Lin Zhong sent the invitation to meet in the afternoon on Pei Yi’s behalf, Cynthia agreed almost instantly.

Cynthia rubbed the edge of her coffee cup and seemed to have already prepared. “Yes, I had thought so.”

Pei Yi did not deliberately mention Bo Yueming’s longing and pain over the years, and only acted as a qualified listener.

“You can speak slowly, and I’ll listen. There is only one thing—”

“If you still have a small place for him in your heart, then don’t lie, okay?”

“…….”

Was this possible?

How could she?

Cynthia took a deep breath. “I met Bo Lihong when I was in university. He was more considerate than any suitor I had even known, and I fell almost uncontrollably into the sweetness he gave me.”

From acquaintances to falling in love, and from lovers to an unexpected proposal.

Bo Lihong even promised to marry her officially after they graduated. 

“But once the romantic period passed, our quarrels began to increase by the day. Every time we fought, it would end in a cold war. When I was young, I didn’t understand. Later, I realized that this was all his strategy to force me to break up with him.”

Pei Yi frowned slightly. There was no doubt that Bo Lihong was a scumbag.

“The last time we fought was on our anniversary. We had obviously just spent a beautiful night together, but there was a huge quarrel the next day and he never came back.”

Bo Lihong returned to China without saying goodbye, which also declared the end of their relationship.

“I tried to let go of the relationship under the persuasion of my friends, but within two months, I found out that I was pregnant.”

She had obviously taken safety precautions, but the heavens seemed to have played a big joke on her.

“I suffered and struggled, but I ultimately couldn’t bear to let go.”

Firstly, because Cynthia was still so attached to her first love, Bo Lihong, and secondly, because Cynthia was a very devout Christian.

She was unwilling to harm an innocent life.

It was just that facts proved that people always had to pay a corresponding price for their choices.

“My father passed away not long after Yueming was born, and my mother suffered from diabetes, which was not suitable for extended work, and required long-term medical expenses.”

“Although the family still had some savings at that time, we couldn’t just watch them run out.”

Under these circumstances, Cynthia, who was already on leave from school, had to drop out for the sake of her child. This was the beginning of her fateful ordeal—

She was a single mother, she had not graduated, and her major was in art.

Cynthia’s job search in order to take care of the infant Bo Yueming was particularly difficult. When Bo Yueming was occasionally sick, she had to take time off to accompany him.

“But I didn’t feel bitter, and I didn’t focus on my regrets. I just hoped that he could grow up soon so that I could devote more time to work and save more money.”

It was a pity that heaven did not grant her wish.

“Yueming may not even remember it, but when he was five years old, he had a severe respiratory infection and a high fever. At that time, I used up almost all my savings.”

“Six months later, my mother passed away.”

“Later, I learned from my neighbor that she couldn’t bear to see me working so hard, so in order to save money for Yueming and me, she stopped taking the medicine she had been using to lower her blood sugar.”

When she spoke of this, Cynthia still choked up.

If she could still support herself when her mother was alive, then her mother’s death completely crushed her.

Cythia’s mood became more negative and depressed by the day, and she began to have uncontrollable regrets. Why did she have to fall in love with Bo Lihong and give birth to Bo Yueming?

She was obviously pretty good-looking, and if she persisted in continuing her studies, she would have a better and broader world.

“I realized that I was mentally ill, but I didn’t have the money to get treatment. And I didn’t want treatment either.”

Cythia began to give up on herself, and in the end, Bo Yueming’s existence could not bolster her will to live. “On Yueming’s sixth birthday, I did a very stupid thing—”

Pei Yi spoke up for the first time as a listener, “He said you took him to the beach and sat on the rocks on the coast for a long time?”

“Yes, because I wanted to take him with me……”

Cynthia took a deep breath, and there was a complex and regretful expression on her face. “…..To leave this world.”

“…….”

Pei Yi remained silent.

Bo Yueming’s guess at that time was correct. Cynthia actually had the impulsive idea to “leave with him.”

Cynthia covered her face.

Thinking about it again, she still felt how selfish and stupid she was back then. “I was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to survive without me, which was why I had such a premature thought.”

It was only Bo Yueming’s repeated call of “Mom” that made her put an end to this impulsive, foolish idea.

Cynthia said frankly, “I couldn’t let him go, but I couldn’t live anymore.”

Thus, she sent a letter to her friend overnight, attaching the information she had learned about Bo Lihong’s family situation in China and his address, and then left the six-year-old Bo Yueming alone at home.

Cynthia knew that she was a cowardly mother, and the only courage she had left was her death wish.

Pei Yi had a deeper understanding of the past between the mother and son. “Then what?”

Cynthia didn’t hide anything. “When I woke up again, I was in the hospital.”

Cynthia had still chosen to jump into the sea, but fortunately or unfortunately, she was rescued by people passing by to swim.

Because her severe drowning led to pulmonary edema and infection, she remained in a coma in the hospital for nearly twenty days, and it was already a month later when she regained consciousness.

“Later, I learned that my friend didn’t immediately receive my letter, and Bo Yueming had stayed alone in the house for a week.”

Cynthia’s eyes reddened. The only thing that could comfort her was that—

Old Mrs. Bo recognized little Bo Yueming. With the Bo family assets, Bo Yueming would have his needs taken care of.

It was only that Cynthia wasn’t aware of the grievances within the Bo family, let alone the difficult situation Bo Yueming was in as the “new arrival.”

“After I came back from the gates of hell, I didn’t feel lucky. Instead, I fell even further into the extreme and impulsive idea of ending my own life.”

As Cynthia spoke, she slowly took the watch off of her left hand. 

There were two scars, one deeper than the other.

The second one was at the base of the first.

“…….”

Pei Yi stared at the scars on her wrist and immediately understood what she wanted to express.

Cynthia didn’t explain her pain too thoroughly, but simply said, “God didn’t accept me, and gave me the chance to live again and again.”

And what really got Cynthia back on her feet was her current husband, who was also the man who rescued Cynthia from the sea.

“He accompanied me as my mental illness slowly healed, as I recovered physically, and as I slowly came out of the haze.”

“I didn’t believe in love at first, and rejected him many times, but Aaron really stayed with me for eight years, and I finally agreed to be with him.”

“He wasn’t wealthy, but I knew he truly loved me.”

Cynthia softly touched the ring on her finger. “We didn’t have a wedding, and we didn’t have children.”

Pei Yi was taken aback. “No children?”

Cynthia smiled bitterly. “When I gave up on Yueming, I no longer deserved to be a mother in this life.”

If she had another biological child, wouldn’t it be even more ironic that she had abandoned Yueming?

Her husband Aaron chose to respect Cynthia’s decision and put her emotional and physical health first.

“Then the year before last, the two of us rescued a little boy who tried to end his life on the beach.”

The boy’s parents were divorced, and had each started new families.

“We, we adopted him.”

After hearing about Cythia’s long but simple twenty years, Pei Yi could not see the slightest of expectations in the other party’s eyes.

He paused, and then asked his last question, “Then why did you come to Yueming now? Did you really never keep tabs on him in the past twenty years?”

Cynthia shook her head. “It could be said that I let go, or that I shirked responsibility, but I would regularly inquire after Yueming, and I knew that he had become outstanding and brilliant.”

The only thing that Cynthia didn’t dare to do was to appear in front of Bo Yueming.

After all, the other party already had a new family and relatives, and her appearance may only bring harm and a burden.

“Maybe it was because I was getting older, but during this time I often dreamed about him, and thought about him more and more. My husband saw through my thoughts and encouraged me to come to China.”

Cynthia remembered Bo Yueming’s misunderstanding of her the night before and explained carefully, “I don’t want money, I just wanted to take another look at him from a distance.”

Because Bo Yueming’s reputation was so great in the Imperial Capital, after Cynthia arrived in China, she happened to encounter him by chance at Old Mrs. Bo’s birthday banquet.

“An invitation was required to enter the birthday party last night. I had originally planned to wait in a small corner of the lobby and secretly take a look once the banquet was over.”

Even just one glance would be enough.

“But I didn’t expect that I would see Bo Lihong first.”

Cynthia thought she had already let it go, but the moment she saw the actual person, she realized that the hurt accumulated in her heart could still erupt many years later.

When Bo Lihong saw Cynthia rushing up, he retreated slowly as if having seen a ghost, and then came the scene that Pei Yi and Bo Yueming saw—

Bo Lihong fled, but Cynthia, who had chased after him impulsively, ran into the two of them head-on.

Cynthia knew that she should turn around and hide, but facing her biological son whom she had not seen in more than twenty years, her words and actions were almost beyond her control.

“I’m sorry.”

“I regret that my appearance hurt him. I’m really sorry.”

Cynthia covered her face and apologized in a whisper, her heart hurting as if it had been cut by a knife.

Pei Yi handed over a tissue and said a thousand words in one sentence, “Thank you for telling me the truth.”

Cynthia shook her head.

As a mother, she owed Bo Yueming so much more.

“Ms. Cynthia, what I’m about to say might be a little hurtful, but I hope you can understand.”

With this simple sentence, Pei Yi changed from a listener back to the one in control of the topic. 

“You and Yueming are already two parallel lines that can no longer intersect. The damage caused when he was a child cannot be healed with a few words.”

“As you said, you both already have families, so please continue to remain a stranger and not disturb him, okay?”

Knowing the truth didn’t mean that the harm could be completely eliminated.

Pei Yi’s tone was firm, “You missed his life, but I will be with him for the rest of it.”

Cynthia wasn’t at all dissatisfied with his straightforwardness. She knew that “not disturbing one another” was the real conclusion for the two of them.

“Mr. Will, you will always love him, won’t you?”

“Yes.”

Having received the answer she wanted, Cynthia stood up.

She bowed to Pei Yi. “Thank you for being willing to come see me on his behalf. I won’t bother you. May God bless you with a happy life.”

Pei Yi didn’t try to get her to stay. “He will.”

Cynthia didn’t bother him again, but opened the gauze curtain and walked out. However, when she went downstairs, she glanced in Pei Yi’s direction a couple of times.

The sound of her descending the stairs gradually faded away.

Pei Yi looked at the untouched Americano, stood up, and walked to the adjacent box. “Er-ge.”

Bo Yueming was sitting quietly on the sofa with an identical untouched cup of Americano on the table.

Pei Yi didn’t say anything. He just came closer and embraced him.

Bo Yueming felt his lover’s warmth and hugged him tightly without saying a word.

Pei Yi comforted him in a low voice, “Er-ge, it’s time to let go, okay?”

Bo Yueming closed his eyes, and after a long time, he said, “Okay.”

. . . . . . . .

In the open parking lot, Cynthia hid silently behind a large seven-seater vehicle.

Time passed minute by minute until Bo Yueming and Pei Yi walked out of the coffee shop hand in hand.

Just as she wished, Cynthia took out her phone and secretly took a picture of the two of them with their hands clasped together. She stared after the car as it drove away and then looked at the blurry photo again, tears filling her eyes.

Perhaps it was her natural instinct, but as soon as she entered the box, she had sensed that Bo Yueming must be there.

She spoke those apologies and confessions without a trace of a lie to both Pei Yi and Bo Yueming.

—Zizi.

Her phone buzzed.

Cynthia saw her husband’s caller ID and answered at once. “Aaron.”

Aaron’s voice on the other end was very gentle. “Did you see him?”

“I did.”

Cynthia had tears in her eyes, but answered with a smile, “He has a partner who will be with him for the rest of his life. The two of them are very good.”

Aaron was happy for her, and asked cautiously, “Then did you tell them about your physical condition?”

Cynthia gave a soft sigh and answered truthfully, “No, I never thought of telling him, Aaron. My life is coming to an end, but his is not.”

She was content to see her child one last time before the operation.

Aaron suddenly fell silent on the other end of the phone, and after a long moment, he replied in a firm but gentle tone, “My dear, I’ll wait for you to come back to the hotel, and then we’ll return home together.”

Even though his lover’s cancer had reached the final stage of the countdown, he was still willing to accompany her until the last second of her life.

Cynthia lowered her eyes and shed her tears, then walked in the opposite direction of Bo Yueming. “All right.”

Cynthia knew that she was not a good mother, but she was very grateful to Old Mrs. Bo for teaching Bo Yueming to be the best he could be, and to Pei Yi for giving him the best kind of love and companionship.

It was enough.

---

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Chapter One Hundred One <<Table of Contents >> Chapter One Hundred Three

In fact, it really had started out as an accident. After all, his life was completely in Huo Fenglie’s hands, and he didn’t want to arouse any suspicion, so he would naturally choose to do less and make fewer mistakes.

At that time, the three of them had tired of chatting. Liu Zhenqing was reclining in the pavilion to bask in the sun, while Huo Yunci was carrying a spear to train her body under the waterfall. And Huo Yunqian was reading a book on acupuncture next to him.

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but want to laugh when he saw Huo Yunqian start to prick acupuncture points in his hand while reading.

. . . . . . .

Back then, they had started learning at such an age. He himself was a beginner, and Li Xingruo had already started. When Master taught them, in addition to piercing themselves, they also needed to find someone else to practice on.

The most obedient experimenter, Huo Feihan, was naturally snatched away by Li Xingruo, and Liu Zhenqing could only rely on his good looks and silver tongue to fool other people in the Imperial Academy into cooperating with him. However, Liu Zhenqing’s skills were not good, and his classmates all ran away frantically after a round of stabbing. Only Er-gou, who came to visit, was willing to cooperate.

Liu Zhenqing recalled that he had made this child cry several times. When he looked up, Er-gou would continue to hold back his tears and say he was fine, until the last time he was pricked and started foaming at the mouth. This frightened Liu Zhenqing into giving up, after which he was disdained and punished by his master for a while. 

After that time, Master was probably completely certain that he had been deceived. If he hadn’t asked the craftsmen to make a set of “ancient medical tools” to appease the miracle doctor, he probably would have made the old man so angry that he would curse at the thought of him.

. . . . . .

“Mrs. Huo taught you so early?” Liu Zhenqing asked curiously.

Huo Yunqian looked slightly uncomfortable, and his dark eyes flashed. “No…..I’m just reading out of boredom.”

Liu Zhenqing was a little surprised: “Look at how amazing you are just from being bored. Your technique, force, and positioning are all just right.”

“You…..how do you know?” Huo Yunqian asked in surprise.

“Eh…..I’ve seen it many times before,” Liu Zhenqing quickly changed the subject and said: “You are very talented. If you study hard, won’t the student soon surpass the masters? By then, your Huo family will have two miracle doctors.”

Huo Yunqian was stunned. His eyes widened uncontrollably, his cheeks reddened, and his expression became a little strange. “Uncle Liu thinks so?”

Liu Zhenqing nodded with a smile.

Huo Yunqian was a little ill at ease, and said: “Doesn’t everyone think that I…..should be like Father and Second Uncle, riding a horse and carrying weapons on the battlefield? This is what Huo family boys should do.”

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but curl his lips when he heard this: “Is that so? If you should learn martial arts and become a general, then what about your sister?”

Huo Yunci put away her red tassel spear and ran over to drink tea. While drinking, she said: “I….they all think that Mother’s medical skills should not be wasted, and that I should be made to learn them, but I’m not interested. My brother and I are rebellious. When my brother saw Mother and Mother’s master treating illnesses and saving people, he became obsessed. Sometimes he dreams about being a brilliant doctor, and he doesn’t feel bored reading those complicated medical books.”

“Besides, my little brother is very capable, and can even read the pulse through self-study. And I have learned the Huo family’s first forms of marksmanship, and can often compete with my Second Uncle!”

Liu Zhenqing looked at the two of them with a smile: “This is really a case of a self-disciplined gentleman who practices medicine and a clever girl who dreams of being a heroic general.”

Huo Yunci raised her head proudly and said: “Yes! However, my little brother doesn’t dare fight for it. He is often asked to go to martial arts school with me, and it is difficult for him to learn a few moves. It is better for him to study medicine. Anyway, the Huo family still has me!”

Liu Zhenqing shook his head with a chuckle. Although Great Zhou was already very open-minded in many aspects of thinking, the idea that men should inherit the family business was still deeply rooted.

The father of the two children was no longer here, and the grandparents had also passed away long ago. Naturally, the other elders around them would give them more advice and have expectations. They hoped to continue the Huo family’s glory as generals for generations.

Liu Zhenqing looked at Huo Yunqian, who was a little downcast, and Huo Yunci, who was pretending she didn’t care, and said: “I don’t think that Mrs. Huo or General Huo have said anything like this to you.”

The two of them were taken aback, and looked at Liu Zhenqing in surprise: “You…..how do you know?”

“I guessed, ah. This book should have been given to Young Master Huo by Mrs. Huo, and Young Lady Huo’s marksmanship should have been taught to her by General Huo. If they can do this, they will naturally not insist upon what you should do like the other elders.”

The two couldn’t help but widen their eyes. “But they haven’t said anything.”

“Perhaps they are waiting for you to make your own decisions. After all, you’re still young, and it is hard to say what you will want to be in the future. But they should respect your decisions, so talk about it with them when you get the chance,” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile.

When the twins were born, Liu Zhenqing was by Li Xingruo’s side. At that time, both the Huo brothers were on the battlefield in the west, and the war was at a critical point. Only Er-gou took the time to come back. Therefore, Huo Feihan never saw his children from beginning to end.

But Liu Zhenqing knew that if Huo Feihan was here, he would definitely say the same thing as he just did.

“Life is short, so just choose what you like. I think you’re very talented in your preferred fields.”

The two of them were slightly stunned after hearing Liu Zhenqing’s words. He was the only one — the only adult who heard their ideas and agreed with them and praised them. After all, the elders in the clan began to lecture them when they saw the slightest signs, and even complained to their mother and second uncle and asked Uncle Tian to deal with them. There was no need to speak of how outsiders felt, and it seemed that they should take up the inheritance of their mother and their father. This was the first time that someone like Liu Zhenqing had appeared.

The two of them couldn’t help saying in unison: “Really…..?”

“Why not? Isn’t there your Second Uncle? With him here, the burden of the Huo family no longer falls on you, and your Second Uncle will get married and have children. Your life decisions will not easily shake the Huo family inheritance, so don’t think so seriously.”

But the two shook their heads and said: “It’s better to count on Second Uncle than to count on his future children.”

Was Er-gou’s bachelor temperament driving the children to despair?

Liu Zhenqing smiled and said: “Then it’s better to count on your future offspring.”

The two of them instantly blushed. They felt that Liu Zhenqing’s words were frivolous, but it did make them happy.

But soon, Huo Yunqian thought of another question and couldn’t help but ask Liu Zhenqing, “But even if Mother and Second Uncle don’t object, the other elders…..maybe Mother and Second Uncle will have to listen to their opinions.”

Huo Yunci nodded quickly in agreement, and then looked anxiously at Liu Zhenqing.

The corners of Liu Zhenqing’s mouth twitched. He wasn’t sure about Er-gou, but these children must not understand their mother’s personality.

If Li Xingruo was a person who could listen to the words of others, how could she have dared to change her engagement first and not get married right away? She insisted on learning from Master and waiting until she was “older” before marrying into the Huo family. The elders on both sides tried to persuade her to no avail, and Huo Feihan doted on her. She finally married later on, but enjoyed a two-person world with Huo Feihan and put off having children. The elders of the Huo family were tired of waiting, but there was nothing they could do about her, so she wasn’t obedient at all.

Thinking of this, Liu Zhenqing suddenly had a question he wanted to understand. These two children were not very clear about their mother’s glorious deeds. Could this have been intentional on the part of the Huo family elders? They might be afraid that once they knew about those “negative examples,” they would be even more difficult to manage.

Liu Zhenqing held back his laughter. “I have an idea.”

The eyes of the two children immediately brightened.

“You don’t need to let them know. In any case, you should be going to the Imperial Academy soon. You will be required to live there, and you can study whatever you want while avoiding direct conflict with the elders.”

The two were enlightened at once, and looked shocked that they could manipulate them like this…..was it okay to lie to the elders?

Liu Zhenqing didn’t dare to teach the children bad things, so he quickly added: “But you can’t hide it from your mother and second uncle.”

The two children continued to listen to the words of an adult, and nodded obediently.

Huo Yunqian seemed to gain motivation and picked up his book again, while Huo Yunci fiddled with her red tassel spear once more.

Liu Zhenqing was not concerned with Huo Yunqian, but looked at Huo Yunci and said: “The battlefield is very dangerous. You are not afraid, but it is a hundred times more dangerous than the villains at Longxing Gambling House.”

Huo Yunci held up the red tassel spear and said boldly: “The Huo family is not afraid of dying on the battlefield. It is our honor to die fighting for the country.”

Liu Zhenqing’s expression changed. “It is better not to die in battle. A good general is one who can bring her soldiers back alive.”

Huo Yunci was slightly taken aback, and felt that Liu Zhenqing was very different from usual when he said this. Feeling stifled, Huo Yunci couldn’t help but show off in front of Liu Zhenqing, and made a flowery move. “Then I will be the best general!”

The next second, they heard Huo Yunqian forget his manners and yell out.

The two of them followed the sound and saw that the book in his hand had been lifted high by the tail of the red tassel spear and landed directly on top of a nearby willow branch.

The expressions of the two immediately changed, and they rushed over, only hesitating for a moment at the slope before finally running up.

Huo Yunqian stood anxiously under the tree. The angle was very tricky, and it was so stuck that he couldn’t reach it even when he tried to hit it with something to knock it down. Just as he was about to climb up, he was stopped by Huo Yunci. “You can’t go, you’re afraid of heights! I’ll do it.”

Huo Yunci tried to use qinggong to jump up, but she hadn’t mastered it yet and couldn’t reach it at all. The only option was to climb the tree, but the young girl was so flustered that she almost slipped several times. Liu Zhenqing was frightened, and Huo Yunqian beside him was also very anxious.

“You come down, ba. If the young lady falls into the water, it is so cold that it will hurt her health.” Liu Zhenqing quickly pulled her down.

“But…..” Huo Yunci said anxiously, “I can climb, I’m just…..just not used to climbing this tree.”

It was clear that Huo Fenglie’s imposing manner still caused them to have some psychological roadblocks in this area, otherwise with Huo Yunci’s skills, she wouldn’t make such mistakes. They all wanted to solve the matter quickly and cover it up so that no one would see it.

“Don’t worry, I’m good at climbing trees!”

“You’re so thin and weak, how can you do it…..” Huo Yunci expressed her disbelief.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t explain. He just leaped up efficiently and climbed halfway up in one go. He wasn’t just boasting when he said he was good at climbing trees.

“Wow, that’s amazing.” Huo Yunci was shocked. She hadn’t known that he could use qinggong.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t want to be praised by this girl. After all, he had trained in order to avoid the beatings of this girl’s mother.

He often jumped up a tree and shouted, “Come up and hit me if you can, ah!” Li Xingruo would chase him to the tree, put her hands on her hips, and threaten, “Then you spend the night up there, ah!” Then Huo Feihan was put in the awkward predicament of breaking up the fight.

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but smile at the memory. Then he suddenly sneezed, and the two children below called out a warning. He quickly grabbed the book, and just as he was about to come down, he heard shouts coming from outside the courtyard. Liu Zhenqing was so startled that he thought he had been caught misbehaving again.

As a result……

Liu Zhenqing looked at the ugly expressions of the people around him and coughed. “I didn’t mean to. I can apologize to General Huo, or perhaps compensate him for it?”

The three adults looked at Liu Zhenqing speechlessly, while the two younger ones regarded him with mournful faces.

Finally, the four adults gathered in the pavilion and stared at each other.

“Or you can be arrested by me,” He Lan said directly.

Liu Zhenqing’s mouth twitched, and he said: “Are you kidding me?”

“This tree is half dead from your torture. And Uncle Tian just came to clean up, didn’t you see him? His face paled and he even took the two little ones away for a lecture,” He Lan said.

“Ahem, don’t scare Young Master Liu, Zhanyuan is not such an unreasonable person. Although he seems fond of that tree, a tree is still just a tree,” Bai Su said awkwardly.

Liu Zhenqing nodded swiftly in agreement.

Qin Yu said based on past deeds: “At the worst, he’ll simply break your hand as an apology.”

Liu Zhenqing immediately grabbed his hand and stared at Qin Yu in horror.

“He has been working so hard for you, and even risked being punished by the Emperor to protect you. Shouldn’t this be so?” Qin Yu said appropriately.

Liu Zhenqing: This makes me feel that I’m no longer a human being.

“Right, oh, Zhanyuan has been busy these two days. He even went to the Imperial Prison to interrogate Rong Shiming early this morning,” He Lan said.

Bai Su didn’t know the details, and asked curiously: “Shouldn’t the matter of interrogation be the job of you two?” The Jinyiwei and Dongchang had been cooperating to solve the Imperial Examination fraud incident.

“We didn’t expect Zhanyuan to go. He was originally going to wait for the results of our investigation, but he had just left when we went in, and it was Lieutenant General Mo who stayed to inform us.”

“And Zhanyuan is extremely efficient. We made no progress in a day, but he finished in an hour and investigated everything clearly.” He Lan clicked his tongue.

“Investigated clearly?” Liu Zhenqing asked in a daze.

He Lan quickly gave the facts of the matter. Since he was talking to Liu Zhenqing, he naturally gave him the priority. 

“Rong Shiming arranged your assassination twice, and Jiang Zi’er was the insider. His purpose was to work closely with the Minister of Rites to make arrangements for the Imperial Examination fraud. Because he feared the Emperor’s shrewdness and what he might see, and because the Minister of Rites was hesitant and reluctant to let go of the benefits of cooperation with your Imperial merchant family, he didn’t dare to directly ask Jiang Zi’er to break off the engagement, and just tried to assassinate you. In this way, the engagement would end automatically, and the two of them getting together would not be so abrupt. Moreover, the previous rumors about you and Zhanyuan were implemented by Rong Shiming’s design. Before you lost your memory, you likely thought that you were above board and had no reason to defend yourself. In fact, your actions would not have become known to the entire city without someone adding fuel to the fire. It was also proved during the interrogation that the Minister of Rites and the First Princess were insiders and participants in the Imperial Examination fraud.”

Liu Zhenqing was not surprised to hear this. It was similar to what he had initially suspected.

“Aren’t you angry?” Bai Su frowned after hearing this, and questioned Liu Zhenqing when he didn’t respond.

“I’ve lost my memory, ah.” Liu Zhenqing gave his universal response. “Then how is the Liu family related to this matter?”

He Lan shrugged and said: “I don’t know, it hasn’t been investigated yet, but…..”

Qin Yu stepped on He Lan before he could speak, making him pause.

They had asked Mo Yu what to do with the Liu family before and if they needed special treatment. Mo Yu said that apart from the Old Master, there was no need to be polite no matter how they suffered. Even if they were crippled, the general didn’t care.

Mo Yu’s meaning was naturally that of Huo Fenglie. The two of them didn’t question it. After all, it was the Liu family. It was normal for Huo Fenglie to dislike them, and helping Liu Zhenqing was excusable. Only, it wasn’t convenient to talk to Liu Zhenqing about this matter.

“What?” Liu Zhenqing asked doubtfully.

He Lan coughed and said: “When we went there, Rong Shiming was still screaming and was no longer human in appearance. Zhanyuan tortured Rong Shiming to extract a confession, leaving Jiang Zi’er to watch the whole process. That Jiang Zi’er was already petrified when she was brought out by others. It is said that even the people in charge of interrogation were trembling in fear.”

He Lan suddenly paused here, looked toward the entrance of the courtyard, and said with a treacherous smile: “So good luck to you later.”

When he heard this sentence, Liu Zhenqing’s immediately tensed and he looked back stiffly, only to see Huo Fenglie walking over nearby. He saw them in the pavilion at a glance.

Liu Zhenqing wasn’t sure if those eyes were on him, but he stood up instinctively, swallowed, and gave Huo Fenglie a sheepish look.

Huo Fenglie seemed to pause, then walked over faster.

But when he had walked halfway, he seemed to notice something and looked at the tree.

Liu Zhenqing immediately held his breath.

The other three people had been joking just now, but at this moment, their expressions were restrained. They seemed to be sitting calmly, but everyone was tense, as if they were paying attention to Huo Fenglie’s state. 

Because as they all knew, Huo Fenglie couldn’t have too many mood swings. They still remembered that when someone broke the willow branches, Huo Fenglie’s eyes had immediately turned red. A gust of wind from his palm flew by, and that person was shot into the stream. He couldn’t move and almost fed the fish.

So it was not a complete exaggeration in order to scare Liu Zhenqing, but they found it embarrassing to say too truthfully that their general was so childish and crazy about a tree. Even they didn’t understand, and thought he just liked to spend time there.

But as for what would happen now, they would just have to be 120,000 percent prepared.

After all, He Lan and Qin Yu couldn’t control Huo Fenglie when he really got angry.

They just hoped that the current tragic situation of the willow tree…..was not too…..

Looking at the half-bald willow tree, why did they become more hopeless the more they thought about it, ah!

But in the next second, Huo Fenglie walked in their direction again after a pause, like…..a normal person.

The three of them still didn’t dare to relax, fearing that Huo Fenglie would appear with red eyes in the end and slap Liu Zhenqing to death with one palm.

But then Huo Fenglie came into the pavilion and stood before Liu Zhenqing.

Those eyes were still pitch black, clear and pure, only reflecting the image of Liu Zhenqing standing in front of him.

And according to the intuitive observation of these three good brothers, this guy……was in a good mood?

The three people: ? ?

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

At this time, His Royal Highness Xiao Wang’s expression of frowning hesitation was not fully revealed, only about halfway. But for this discussion, it was like a pinch of salt to enhance the taste of a large dish before it was cooked and appeared at the right time, instantly making the entire dining table lively and interesting. As expected, the people of the Scimitar Silver Moon Tribe followed and plopped themselves into the pot, taking the initiative to ask: “What does the prince have to say?”

Gao Lin thought to himself, is this what it means to be drowsy and have someone hand you a pillow?

“The man who forged this sword is named Song Changsheng. He is the best swordsmith in all of Dayan.” Liang Shu said, “Not only did he make this Pojun sword, he has restored almost all the famous swords in history these past ten years. Everyone in the martial arts world has been drawn to compete for him and ask for a sword, almost leveling the threshold of his house.”

“If it’s just that he’s too busy now, that’s fine,” the old man said. “We can wait until Song-xiansheng is free.”

“Song-xiansheng is really not busy at the moment.” Liang Shu set down his teacup and said, “And he is in the military camp.”

“Truly?” The woman on the side smiled brightly. “That’s perfect.”

Gao Lin clicked his tongue and shook his head. Naive, so naive. You never saw the famous scene of the prince visiting wealthy families one by one in the northwest. Watch, he will perform it for you soon.

As for the specific content of the performance, in fact, it was not too outrageous. It was only the retelling of all the suffering Song Changsheng had gone through in life because of the Baifu Sect, but after this retelling, His Royal Highness Xiao Wang added a few more sentences for emphasis. He sighed and said with great regret: “After the death of his wife, Song-xiansheng threw all of his swords into the furnace and turned them to molten steel, vowing to devote the rest of his life to eradicating the Baifu Sect. Unfortunately, the Central Plains martial arts circle lost a swordsmith just like this.”

“So that’s it, ah.” The old man frowned slightly.

The little girl being held by Liu Xian’an asked softly: “Then if the swordsmith doesn’t make swords, won’t the martial arts world be short of many weapons? They won’t be able to fight the bad guys of the Baifu Sect.”

“It isn’t that the swordsmith doesn’t make swords at all, but that he no longer does business with people in the world.” Liang Shu stretched out his fingers to briefly fiddle with the little buns on her head. “Your question is very reasonable and clever.”

The girl was embarrassed by the praise. Encouraged, she continued to ask: “Then who does he do business with?”

“Song-xiansheng now only forges swords for the Dayan army.” Liang Shu said, “The reason this Pojun sword was forged is because Xiao Chang risked his own life to save a baby from the hands of a Ghost Boy, and was appropriately rewarded.”

The little girl thought this was an easy problem to solve: “Then if my auntie also joins the Dayan army, will the swordsmith be able to help her mend the broken sword?”

Gao Lin gave a thumbs up. What a great idea, Second Young Master Liu isn’t hugging you in vain!

The auntie was that woman with the bulging belly. In this state, it was unlikely that she would be able to join the Dayan army, but fortunately, His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was not one to be pragmatic to this extent and still had some humanity left. He said magnanimously: “You have brought that batch of gold and silver back to me, which can be regarded as a contribution to Dayan. Even if you do not join the army, Song-xiansheng should not refuse to mend the sword. But if you can lend a hand one more time and help rescue Ku You, this matter will be easier to handle.”

The old man asked: “How does the prince plan to rescue him?”

“It’s a bit time-consuming to talk about,” Liang Shu said. “Everyone, please take a seat first.”

A huge map of the southwest terrain was shaken open by two soldiers, and deep in the dense forest, Liu Hengchang also shook out his medicine bag on the table with a crash.

He looked at Ku You in front of him and felt extremely nervous, knowing that he must find a way to save him. But with Wumeng Yunle standing nearby, he couldn’t speak easily, so he just said in a calm voice: “I’ll take off the silver gauze covering your eyes first.”

Ku You knew his identity, so he deliberately pretended not to, saying coldly: “You have a Jiangnan accent. You’re not from the southwest.”

“He is a Jiangnan doctor, and he might be able to heal your eyes,” Wumeng Yunle interjected.

“Miss, do you really want to heal this person’s eyes?” Liu Hengchang warned her, “If the leader finds out, I’m afraid it will be difficult to explain.”

“You heal him, even if it’s just for a moment.” Wumeng Yunle stared at Ku You’s golden eyes. “I want him to look at me. Then you can blind him again so that Master won’t blame either of us.”

Her tone was normal, not like a hatred-filled curse, nor like a threat as she described the matter earnestly. In her mind, this was as normal as eating or sleeping. Other people’s lives or eyes were never special.

Ku You sneered: “Merciful Holy Maiden?”

“Allowing you to see me before you die is the mercy of the Baifu Buddha Mother.” Wumeng Yunle didn’t intend to listen to this man anymore, and ordered Liu Hengchang, “All right, do it.”

“But his eyes…..are not very easy to treat.” Liu Hengchang said, “It will take at least ten days, with daily acupuncture and without interruption.”

“Then you treat it that way!” Wumeng Yunle said with a sigh of relief. “Naturally, I will go and talk to Master!”

“Then Miss should go and report to the leader first. He happens to be in Young Master Yunyou’s room at this time,” Liu Hengchang said. “Otherwise, once treatment is started and interrupted, this person’s condition will only become more serious, and at that point he may actually be blind forever.”

“Okay, then you wait here!”

The girl rushed from the room like a breeze. Liu Hengchang stood by the table with his hands down and waited until the petite figure disappeared before saying nervously: “Commander Ku, don’t worry. I’ll find a way to send a message to the prince as soon as possible.”

“You shouldn’t give yourself away so quickly.” Ku You shook his head. “Otherwise once I’m ransomed from the Baifu Sect, your years of work and the prince’s painstaking efforts will be in vain.”

“Y-Yes, I was anxious for a moment,” Liu Hengchang said with a look of shame. “Let me check Commander Ku’s eyes first.”

“No need,” Commander Ku said.

Liu Hengchang was puzzled: “Why is that?”

Ku You closed his eyes again: “Because someone is coming. Please hand me the silver gauze.”

Liu Hengchang glanced outside the door and saw that Wumeng Yunle was indeed walking in this direction with Mu Zhe, so he immediately picked up the silver gauze from the ground and covered Ku You’s eyes again.

. . . . . . .

In the Southwest Garrison camp, candles burned out one after another. The sky was covered with twinkling stars, and the night was very quiet. Liu Xian’an was extremely sleepy, so he walked back to rest. His eyes were already closed when he entered, and he stretched out his hands to lay straight on the bed—only to be picked up.

The Sleeping Immortal opened his eyes forcefully and asked: “Da-ge? Why are you here with me?”

“How unbecoming is it to throw yourself into bed without bathing!” Liu Xianche scolded. “A-Ning has prepared water just behind the screen. Go wash.”

Liu Xian’an lay down and didn’t move. He thought to himself, at worst, I’ll get a few more blows from the ruler, which will not affect my sleep.

But it turned out that he had still underestimated a miracle doctor’s obsession with cleanliness, as well as the strength of a doctor who spent many years climbing mountains and wading rivers to see patients and collect medicine.

Second Young Master Liu closed his eyes, and was half asleep when he suddenly felt himself spinning in the air, as if he was about to fall into a bottomless realm. So he sighed philosophically, aiya, the abyss, the origin of all things.

Immediately afterwards, his robes and shoes were stripped off, and he was thrown with a plop into a huge bathtub.

Water splashed all over the Three Thousand Worlds, and Liu Xian’an was so startled that he opened his eyes: “Ai!”

“Wash yourself.” A piece of cloth flew at him and covered his head. Liu Xianche turned and went to the other side of the screen, saying coldly: “If you dare to fall asleep in the bathtub again, just come over and receive punishment.”

Brothers can really be unreasonable. In order to avoid a beating, Second Young Master Liu could only force open his eyes. He washed and quickly brushed his teeth and rinsed his mouth with green salt and elixir water, making himself clean and fragrant. Then he climbed into bed on his hands and knees.

As a result, Liu Xianche asked again: “What did you talk about with those people from the Scimitar Silver Moon Tribe?”

“Nothing. The prince has already convinced them to deal with the Baifu Sect together.” Liu Xian’an yawned and pulled the quilt over his head, trying to gain some sleeping space for himself.

But Liu Xianche didn’t intend to let his younger brother sleep. He had been staying in the room for a whole day to avoid the Scimitar Silver Moon Tribe. During this time, he heard that Cheng Suyue had led people to retrieve the treasure in the dense forest and felt very relaxed. He had thought that if this was the case, then the other party should be able to return to the wild forests immediately. But in fact, they did not.

Liu Xian’an’s eyes were dull. He really didn’t understand why he had to be shaken awake. Isn’t nighttime the time to sleep? Why is it that you, a doctor, are not paying attention to health at all? He was truly sleepy and didn’t want to wake up, so his whole body looked hollow and soulless. Liu Xianche’s words cut off in his mouth. He looked at his misty-eyed brother and said with a headache: “Fine, go to sleep.”

As soon as these four words were spoken, the Sleeping Immortal fell into a deep sleep. Liu Xianche deeply felt that his strategy was wrong, and he should have sent a servant to listen that afternoon, because it seemed that his unlucky little brother only became clever and diligent when facing His Royal Highness Xiao Wang. But when he came back to Liu Xianche, he was still a round and lazy egg who could lie down but never sit, roll over but never walk.

This was truly unreasonable.

Liu Xian’an was actually thinking about the same thing in his dreams. He just needed to take a nap, wake up quickly, and tell his elder brother about his future plans. But sleeping was so wonderful. Thirty million heavy clouds were basking in the soft sunlight, and the breeze was gentle. And Liang Shu was on the same cloud, a smile on his mouth as he looked at him with affectionate eyes. As he looked, he suddenly raised a whip he had pulled out of nowhere and gave him a smack.

It rather hurt.

He hid in dissatisfaction and muttered a few words. Liu Xianche held the brocade band used to tie the bed curtains in his hand and whacked it through the quilt again, then stood up and left.

A-Ning, who was guarding the door, breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that the First Young Master was not staying here tonight. This was very good, ah. Then the prince could proceed to come later. He ordered the servants to prepare water for bathing, but it was prepared in vain. Liang Shu did not return to the room until the early hours of morning. After washing up with the remaining water in the basin, he only put on his outer robe without changing into his sleeping clothes, then hugged the person next to him and fell asleep. 

Although he was also very tired, the habits he had developed while marching and fighting had not changed, and he still woke up when he heard a small noise in the morning. Opening his eyes, he looked at the person next to him. He liked what he saw so much that he stretched out his hand to squeeze his waist, giving a throaty laugh: “Come here, lie with me for a while.”

Liu Xian’an was still thinking about his dream last night, and asked: “Why did the prince beat me?”

“Nonsense, how could I be willing to beat you? I can only wrap you in cotton.” Liang Shu pulled him into his arms and said, “Even when we get married in the future, it is only allowable for you to beat me.”

“I’m talking about the prince in my dream.”

“Then you pull me into the dream too,” Liang Shu said. “How did he hit you? How many times? I’ll deal them all back to him for you. If that isn’t enough, you should work harder and dream up my sword for me too.”

Liu Xian’an thought, the scene of the two of you holding swords would be too frightening. Perhaps the house and the hot springs I worked so hard to build would collapse. Thus, he immediately refused: “Forget it, just beat me.”

Liang Shu was amused by his tone, and his hand slid down to his waist: “How should I beat you, how many times? Touch it for me, you must find a place with a lot of flesh.”

After saying that, he used his arms and legs to encircle this person tighter. “Forget it, I couldn’t bear to.”

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Chapter One Hundred Three << Table of Contents >> Chapter One Hundred Five

Seeing that Liu Zhenqing was truly not sad at all when he said this, Huo Yunci and Huo Yunqian no longer suspected anything. They were just angry with this Liu Zhenqing, who was dishonest and even bullied children.

However, because of Liu Zhenqing’s presence, their Second Uncle lifted their confinement and allowed them to move freely within the residence. He probably wanted them to entertain the guest, so he chose to forgive and forget.

What Liu Zhenqing said was true. The children were well-educated and would not really be angry with Liu Zhenqing. They were just a bit too gossipy. He didn’t know where they got it from, because Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo didn’t gossip back in the day, ah.

The two children were obsessed with his broken engagement, and their logic was quite strong. They felt that since Liu Zhenqing lost his memory and no longer liked their Second Uncle, then logically speaking, the engagement should not be broken.

“Why? It’s just that….the horoscopes aren’t compatible, and I got into a lot of trouble after getting engaged to her, so I broke it off.”

“That’s a lie. Everyone says that horoscope incompatibility is a fake excuse specifically used to terminate engagements,” Huo Yunci said.

“And breaking off the engagement seems to be bad for both parties,” Huo Yunqian said.

Liu Zhenqing looked at the two of them in astonishment. Didn’t these two know that their mother also broke off her engagement back then?

Yes, they had even used the excuse that their horoscopes were incompatible.

That was the legendary tale of his junior sister changing from his fiance to his sister-in-law.

It had taken a long time for Liu Zhenqing and Li Xingruo to find out about their engagement. Liu Zhenqing wasn’t blind, and naturally knew that Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo had long been in love. How could he tear the lovers apart?

He still remembered how Li Xingruo grabbed his collar and said: “Please help me find a way. It’s all because of you that he rejected me.”

Liu Zhenqing was naturally happy for the two to become a couple. He didn’t want an arranged marriage, and didn’t like his grumpy junior sister. Only the foolish Huo Feihan could handle her temper.

But Liu Zhenqing still couldn’t help saying: “This is a matter between the two of you. Why bother me, ah? Besides, what’s wrong with marrying me? You’re looking down on me too much.”

“You’re prettier than me. You should marry someone who’s more like you!”

Although it was a compliment, it made Liu Zhenqing feel a little oppressed! But he knew very well that when it came to Li Xingruo’s temper, it was fine to talk back once, but he would be beaten after the second time. In the end, he repeatedly feigned illness and then terminated the engagement because of the incompatibility of their horoscopes. The elders understood very clearly at the time. After all, the three of them had a good relationship, and this excuse was just to uphold their reputations.

Aftward, Li Xingruo got engaged to Huo Feihan, and Liu Zhenqing was naturally fine with it. But the world had changed since then, and it was probably easy for outsiders to maliciously speculate that Liu Zhenqing was unwilling to give up, which was also one of the reasons for the distorted rumors that came later on.

Now, seeing the results of the happiness between the two, he had to sigh. Fortunately, he had not been swayed by the ideals of the ancients. It was great that he had broken off his engagement.

The two of them didn’t leave after breakfast. They were truly willing to get closer to Liu Zhenqing, probably because Liu Zhenqing didn’t appear like an elder in front of them, but more like an older friend.

Soon after, they took Liu Zhenqing around the courtyard. From the quick glance the day before, he felt that it was too rich. But after a closer look today, he felt that it was very inconsistent with the mainstream beauty of courtyards in the capital. 

The small mirror lake in the past had become a flowing stream of water, filled with lots of stones and plants to create a natural effect. There were no ornamental fish inside, but chubs and grass carp. The waterside pagoda had been transformed into a pavilion where everyone could sit and fish. The former bamboo forest in the south had become a peach grove, a grape trellis was erected in the north, there was a martial arts training ground in the east, and a small two-story star observation tower had been built in the west.

The three of them went to the pavilion and sat down. Huo Yunci pointed to the waterfall at the end of the stream and said: “See the stone platform below? Standing on it to practice swordsmanship feels very artistic. It’s my favorite spot.”

Liu Zhenqing looked around. From the perspective of the pavilion, he could see the most beautiful landscape structure of the courtyard, including the stream, strange rocks and trees, the peach grove, and the waterfall. Without the touch of human development, it felt closer to a natural landscape. While Liu Zhenqing was admiring it, he felt that it seemed a little familiar, as if he had seen it on his travels, but he couldn’t remember.

Liu Zhenqing examined it carefully, and just when he was about to remember it, he noticed something suddenly enter the picture, obliterating the overall sense of familiarity and interrupting Liu Zhenqing’s recollections.

Upon closer inspection, he saw a slope not far from the pavilion. There was a willow tree on the slope. A large area of bare branches with newly sprouted buds hung over the stream, and that place was at the highest point of the ground in front of them, so it looked a little strange.

There had originally been a row of willow trees on the edge of the lake, and the reflection was very beautiful. But the catkins were annoying, and many people sneezed when the season came. It seemed they were all cut down later, so why was there still one here, ah?

At this time, the two servants who attended the Snow Catkin Courtyard brought tea and snacks again. However, the path they took was very strange. They deliberately avoided the stone path near the willow tree, even though it was obvious that they could reach the pavilion faster by going that way.

“Why did they go around?” Liu Zhenqing asked in confusion.

The two children were used to this, and said: “Because the willow tree is where Second Uncle usually trains his internal strength. He often sits there, so all the servants habitually take a detour.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhenqing burst into laughter.

“Why are you laughing?” The two were puzzled.

“Are all the servants in your house afraid of General Huo? Is he usually very fierce? Why else would no one dare to approach him, and even walk the long way around?”

“Everyone is indeed afraid of Second Uncle. We are too, but Second Uncle is never cruel to us. I think it’s because Second Uncle has a lot of troops and a high status, and he looks intimidating even when he’s not angry,” Huo Yunci said.

“Second Uncle’s commanding aura was tempered on the battlefield. When he trains here, we don’t dare to approach when we see him. Even Uncle Tian doesn’t dare, and will only talk from the stone path at most. In the whole family, only Mother dares to go up to Second Uncle when he’s training.”

“Isn’t that too dramatic? Then how do the servants usually serve him?”

“There are no servants in Second Uncle’s courtyard. Apart from the ones who come in and out every day to take care of the house, Second Uncle takes care of himself.”

Liu Zhenqing was rather surprised.

Huo Yunci said proudly: “I asked Mother, and she says that Second Uncle is strict with himself because he had to take care of himself during the war and couldn’t rely on others.”

“I think Second Uncle must have become accustomed to military life,” Huo Yunqian said. “Not only does he not need anyone to serve him, but except for the study, his courtyard is empty and rarely used. We learned later that Second Uncle usually sleeps in the pavilion or under the tree, and will only go to the inner room to rest if the weather is particularly bad.”

“Ah? Why?” Liu Zhenqing was stunned.

Huo Yunci said with pride: “Mother says that Second Uncle is used to the atmosphere of the battlefield and is not used to sleeping on a bed at home. Here, he can sleep peacefully on the ground under the cover of the sky. What do you think? My Second Uncle is amazing. Being able to develop these habits proves that he’s a super impressive general, right?”

Liu Zhenqing smiled dryly and nodded. Yes…..it was quite impressive, but also quite sad. Obviously, Er-gou was not like this when they were still around. If Huo Feihan knew that his brother had developed such habits in order to protect his family and country, he would definitely feel distressed.

The three of them passed the time in this courtyard. 

At the same time, Huo Fenglie had entered the palace. The head eunuch was waiting outside, and when he saw this person coming, he said hurriedly: “His Majesty instructed that General Huo can just go in directly.”

“Many thanks for the reminder.”

Huo Fenglie had just stepped into the hall when he heard a woman’s sharp, angry shout: “I have been wronged by Your Majesty! Why would the Imperial Examinations have anything to do with me or my cousin? If those people cheated, then just cut them down. My cousin is dedicated to raising talents for Great Zhou. How can you arrest him indiscriminately? Very good. Jinyiwei, Dongchang, do you have any evidence?”

Huo Fenglie went to take a look, and sure enough, he saw the First Princess standing in the middle of the hall, shouting arrogantly. The commander of the Jinyiwei, He Cong, and the head of the Dongchang stood on both sides with cold expressions.

“Whether there is evidence or not can only be made clear if the First Princess cooperates with the investigation.”

“First Princess, don’t make things awkward for us. We are only doing our duty.”

Yuan Jue looked grim at the Imperial desk. It was obvious that he was unhappy, and his eyes flashed when he saw Huo Fenglie. “You’re here.”

Huo Fenglie stepped forward and saluted.

“You said yesterday that you wanted to investigate this matter. Are there any clues?”

When these words were spoken, everyone present looked at Huo Fenglie in surprise.

After all, according to what they knew of Huo Fenglie, he had been indifferent to everything but war-related matters in recent years. Because he never cared about fighting for power and influence, it was natural that he would not actively ask to do things for the emperor in order to gain power.

The First Princess only thought that Huo Fenglie was still unhappy with them and wanted revenge, so she glared at him fiercely.

The Dongchang and the Jinyiwei were thoughtful. After all, they had heard about Huo Fenglie making off with the eldest grandson of the Liu family.

The Liu family…..what a sensitive thing. Thinking of this, both of them couldn’t help but think of someone with different expressions on their faces.

Facing the Emperor’s question, Huo Fenglie submitted a confession without any fanfare. That confession paper was covered in blood, not to mention that when Huo Fenglie came over, the smell of blood on his body was still faintly discernible and had not been completely removed.

Had he just come back from torturing someone?

None of them would dare to directly attack the First Princess’s cousin. Only Huo Fenglie did not have this taboo.

And when Yuan Jue saw the confession he presented, his face turned completely dark.

“Thirty-five thousand taels…..of gold. So many Imperial Examinations, and he also cooperated with many academies in the north and south. Rong Shiming has such a big appetite, ah! I didn’t know that the officials in our court were so valuable. With such good business, why doesn’t my aunt think about her nephew and help him relieve the emptiness of the treasury?”

The First Princess’s expression changed at once. The number was so accurate. Could it be…..

“Your cousin has such nerve!” Yuan Jue slapped the dragon chair, which made the First Princess tremble all over.

“Your Majesty, this must be false! Someone is trying to harm us!” The First Princess still wanted to quibble.

“It is written in black and white. Can your cousin’s signed confession still be fake!” Yuan Jue threw the confession at the feet of the First Princess.

The First Princess took a look and saw that the account was crystal clear. She understood what was going on, and looked at Huo Fenglie. “You…..you forced a confession. You forced him to say this. What did you do to him?!”

Huo Fenglie didn’t skirt the issue. “There is still one breath left.”

The First Princess’s eyes suddenly widened. “Your Majesty, how can such a confession count? General Huo’s private torture is in contempt of Imperial law.”

“Auntie really won’t shed tears until she sees the coffin, ah. Fine. He Cong, just collect the evidence for me step by step according to the confession so that the First Princess can see clearly. Take her away!”

“Yes!” He Cong accepted the order, then looked at the First Princess and said: “Your Highness, please.”

“Don’t touch me!” The First Princess was truly anxious now. She pointed at Yuan Jue and shouted: “Your Majesty, have you forgotten that I am your only biological aunt? Back then in Xiheng Kingdom, if not for my help, you wouldn’t have been able to return to the Great Zhou Dynasty. You would still be there as a hostage! But because of this Imperial Examination fraud, Your Majesty has forgotten the kindnesses of the past, doubts me, and wants to deal with me?! I am heartbroken!”

Then she pointed at Huo Fenglie and cursed angrily: “And you little brat! When you were in Xiheng Kingdom with His Majesty, I saved you at the same time I saved His Majesty, but you don’t even know how to repay such a favor!”

“Our Huo family army also sacrificed a lot to help the Eldest Princess escape from Xiheng. The favor has been repaid,” Huo Fenglie said expressionlessly.

The First Princess was so angry that her whole body trembled.

“Auntie, over the years, I have always tolerated your actions in consideration of your kindness, but the Imperial Examinations are the foundation of the country and cannot be touched. You have made the ultimate mistake, one that I cannot tolerate. If the crime is confirmed, auntie will be deprived of her status, but I will spare your life and allow you to spend your remaining years in peace.”

Seeing Yuan Jue’s cold eyes, the First Princess finally realized that all these years, Yuan Jue had actually been waiting for a chance to deal with her. Because…..she took advantage of his favor and demanded more power than she should have, which finally angered the Emperor.

Before, he had not fully secured his power and could not care about her for the time being. But now, wasn’t the time just right?

The First Princess was also a member of the Imperial family. She had seen so much, and finally understood that it was over. Whether there was evidence or not had never been the point.

The Emperor wanted to act against her.

The First Princess suddenly burst into laughter. “Good, good, good, really good, ah. Father Emperor wanted to marry me off, my mother didn’t care about me, and the person I married humiliated me in every way. Your father, the crown prince, was kind-hearted, but it is a pity that he was killed by his three Imperial uncles. You have been taught well by Liu Zhenqing. When you should be heartless, you will never show mercy. Yuan Jue, Great Zhou deserves you!”

Huo Fenglie’s expression remained unchanged, but the faces of the others present shifted, and they lowered their heads.

Yuan Jue paid her no attention. He just knocked on the table slowly and said with indifference: “Take her away.”

Then he gestured for the others to go, leaving Huo Fenglie alone in the hall.

Yuan Jue’s accumulated anger vanished in an instant. He sat on the dragon chair and slowly turned the jade ring on his finger, as if he was thinking about something.

Huo Fenglie usually wouldn’t interrupt Yuan Jue’s thinking, but now he took the initiative to say: “Your Majesty, is the Liu family really involved in the Imperial Examination fraud this time? This one has found no traces.”

Yuan Jue raised his eyes and glanced at Huo Fenglie in surprise: “Zhanyuan, you are a little strange. Just because the young master of the Liu family protected the twins, you’ve become so busy and are still harboring a suspect. Is it true that I’ve spoiled you? Aren’t you afraid that others will sue you?”

Huo Fenglie lowered his eyes: “The Huo family must repay all kindnesses.”

Yuan Jue shook his head and chuckled as if he didn’t care. “The Liu family is indeed in trouble, but it has nothing to do with the Imperial Examination fraud.”

Huo Fenglie looked at Yuan Jue in confusion.

“Do you remember when the investigation of the assassination case was hurriedly concluded? That wasn’t because I didn’t find anything.”

“The Liu family was involved in that matter? Your Majesty already knew?” Even Huo Fenglie couldn’t help but be surprised. If the Liu family was involved in the rebel assassination attempt, they would be guilty of a serious crime.

“It can be said that before the rebel assassination, I investigated and found some clues.”

Huo Fenglie said directly: “Since Your Majesty already knew there would be an assassination attempt, why did he not arrange a safer and more secure way to kill them all?”

Yuan Jue smiled. “In any case, nothing would happen to me with you by my side. Don’t blame me for not telling you. After all, you’re a terrible actor.”

Huo Fenglie lowered his eyes.

“I did know that somebody wanted to disrupt the spring plowing ceremony and assassinate me. If we caught them all in one go, it would be easy to lose the trail behind them. After all, the possibility of the assassins being dead soldiers was too high. Even if they are confirmed to be the remnants of the Three Kings Rebellion, there must be others behind them. Someone once taught me that when something happens, an emperor should not just know how to get angry, and that one cannot eat hot tofu in a hurry. Those in power must think clearly about every possibility, make choices that maximize utility, and adopt a long-term view in order to catch the big fish.”

Huo Fenglie froze upon hearing this. Only one person would say this to Yuan Jue.

Yuan Jue didn’t seem to notice what he had said. He just fidgeted with the jade ring and continued: “And I needed this assassination in order to take the military power of the City Guard from the hands of those veterans and hand it over to the Jinyiwei, whom I trust. One must naturally take risks for the sake of benefits.”

Yuan Jue said slowly: “I gave those useless officials ten days to deceive me, and it was just a matter of fooling the rebel remnants. Moreover, spring is just around the corner, and candidates are arriving in the capital one after another. If the spring plowing ceremony was disrupted, it would easily become a topic of conversation, and there would be negative rumors. It was not suitable to delay for a long time, as this could also paralyze the enemy’s attention, which is more conducive to private investigation. Then it was discovered that they had sneaked into the capital through the Liu family’s river boat. And it remains to be investigated as to how many people in the Liu family know about this, whether they are completely innocent, or whether they have used their river transportation to help the rebels in other ways.”

“Then Your Majesty used the Imperial Examination charges to imprison them so as not to alert the enemy?” Huo Fenglie asked.

Yuan Jue smiled and said: “That’s right. After all, I haven’t fully decided on my plan yet. Zhanyuan…..you want to protect that young master, but a price must be paid.”

Huo Fenglie lowered his head and said: “Of course, Your Majesty. Arrange it.”

Yuan Jue smiled and shook his head: “Don’t worry, I only spoke casually, but…..I also hope that the Liu family is innocent in this incident. After all…..they only have this little blood left. If nothing else, we should keep them in remembrance of some old feelings from back then. What do you say? Zhanyuan?”

Huo Fenglie said in a low voice: “It is Your Majesty’s decision.”

“All right, you leave first and wait while I think about it. We can continue our discussion tomorrow.”

Huo Fenglie bowed and then left.

Not long after, he met a mighty procession. This person was wearing the highest standard phoenix robes, graceful and noble, as rich as if they had been made by the heavens, but although the wearer was almost forty, her appearance was as pretty as that of a girl in her twenties. At such an age, it was impossible for her to be Yuan Jue’s biological mother, but because she was the crown princess left behind by the former crown prince and had helped Yuan Jue when he ascended the throne, he respected her as the Empress Dowager.

Huo Fenglie saluted. “This humble servant greets the Empress Dowager…..”

“General Huo, dispense with the courtesies. This one has a few words to say to you.” Her voice was clear and calm as she waved her hand to drive away the palace people around them.

“Please speak, Empress Dowager.”

“This one heard that the Imperial merchant Liu family has committed a crime, but I am not allowed to interfere in politics. It is inconvenient for me to plead with His Majesty, so I had hoped you would do your best to preserve the Liu family bloodline.”

Huo Fenglie’s expression was a little strange.

The Empress Dowager frowned slightly and said: “Huo Fenglie, this one still remembers that you regarded him as your brother back then. Even if he did something wrong later…..”

Huo Fenglie looked at the Empress Dowager and said in a heavy voice: “Please don’t worry. This servant understands.”

The Empress Dowager seemed to be relieved. Her face became a little less dignified, revealing a nostalgic trace of her old self. “By the way, the Eighth Princess has made a lot of noise recently. If you are free…..”

Huo Fenglie: “Empress Dowager, I still have something to do, so I’ll leave first.”

Seeing Huo Fenglie leave quickly, the Empress Dowager sighed. This child had never been married. Didn’t Xingruo care about this?

“Empress Dowager, the Taifei^[1] is still waiting for you to come over.”

Inside the General’s Manor, Liu Zhenqing suddenly sneezed at this time and heard a voice coming from below.

“Uncle Liu, be careful not to break the branches. We can’t be discovered by Second Uncle.”

“Uncle Liu, why don’t you come down here? It’s better to wait for Second Uncle to come back and ask him to help get the book. It’s too dangerous for you.”

Taking advantage of Huo Fenglie’s time in the palace, Bai Su, He Lan, and Qin Yu sneaked over to watch the excitement. They had just walked into the courtyard when they witnessed this scene, and were so frightened that they almost forgot to breathe.

They had wanted to catch Huo Fenglie the day before and question him about Liu Xiaozhu, but they couldn’t catch him at all. Because as soon as Huo Fenglie left the palace, he went straight back home. He didn’t even go for a stroll in the military camp, and ignored the invitations sent to him. It was so strange that people who didn’t know would think that his beloved wife was hidden at home, waiting for him to return.

But they knew that there was no beloved wife, only a young man who had escaped capture, so he probably returned in a hurry because he wanted to resolve this matter as soon as possible.

Since they had free time, the three of them gathered here and waited for Huo Fenglie to come back so that they could inquire about the situation. As brothers, they would naturally help however they could.

Unexpectedly, as soon as they arrived, they saw a heart-stopping scene.

Ever since they realized that Huo Fenglie liked to stay under the willow tree, they had never seen any creature dare to climb up it.

There was once a gathering at the General’s Manor, and someone provoked him. Knowing that nobody dared to approach that tree, he ran up and broke a willow branch, and then…..then he was carried out of the General’s Manor with broken hands and feet.

The three of them didn’t dare get close to the place, not because they were warned, but because they always felt that if they got close, they would be forced back by the invisible cold aura around Huo Fenglie’s body. After all, everyone had their own quiet place to be alone. If he didn’t want others there, they didn’t think it was a big deal. But just now…..

This person……this person really didn’t understand anything. He should be called down quickly, or else he would truly have a reunion with his family.

The three of them called out in panic, and Liu Zhenqing, who had just retrieved the book, was so frightened that he slipped and fell.

Everyone exclaimed, but he got lucky and was tangled in several branches, landing safely in the end without any damage.

But everyone’s faces were still pale, because the willow branches were broken and looked half bald from a distance. Even a blind man could see it.

Thus, they all wore expressions of doom, except for the innocent-looking Liu Zhenqing.

Although he knew it wasn’t very good, was it really so taboo? It was just a willow tree, and he really hadn’t done it on purpose. Why did they all look as mournful as if they had lost their parents? It made him feel like the sky was falling. Did they want him to consider how to kneel down and apologize to Er-gou later?

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[1] Taifei (太妃) = the Imperial concubine of the late emperor. ⮐

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Chapter Twenty-Nine << Table of Contents >> Chapter Thirty-One

The two embraced each other and lay back on the bed. The light by the bedside shone silently, and they were wrapped in a unique warmth that belonged to them alone.

Pei Yi raised his head and placed another kiss on Bo Yueming’s Adam’s apple and chin. “Er-ge, no matter what I say next, you have to believe that what I’m telling you is the truth, and that I’m not deliberately teasing you.”

“Actually, I’ve been thinking about it for a long time and trying to find a suitable way to explain it.”

But how could there be a suitable explanation for “transmigration?” Who could hear it and not think that it was ridiculous?

Bo Yueming noticed Pei Yi’s worry and took the initiative to broach the subject, “Why don’t you let me guess first?”

Pei Yi was taken aback. “Huh? Guess?”

Bo Yueming hugged his lover tightly and said what he had suspected all along. “You are not the original ‘Pei Yi.’”

“From the moment you entered the Bo family and married me, or even before that, you had already replaced ‘his’ name, identity, and position.”

“And you were willing to marry me in the first place only because you wanted to use this relationship and the cover of the Bo family to escape from the Pei family, right?”

“…….”

Stunned, Pei Yi blinked and said in both astonishment and admiration, “Er-ge, you, how did you guess that?”

Seeing his cute appearance, Bo Yueming knew that he had guessed most of it correctly. “I’ve had vague suspicions ever since my eyes recovered.”

“At first I just thought you were pretending to be foolish, but then I discovered that your behavior and habits were very different from the original Young Master Pei.”

No matter how well a person disguised himself, there would still be hints.

The same went for a person’s personality. It was impossible to change it at will, or at least impossible for it to be completely different—

In the eyes of outsiders, Young Master Pei was foolish, introverted, timid, and silent when trouble occurred. But in his eyes, Pei Yi was intelligent and cunning, and dared to fight back.

“I sent someone to investigate the original young master. He had been raised in the Pei family since he became a fool. Even when the Pei couple brought him to banquets in the past, he didn’t know anything about wine and didn’t drink, so how could he know so many details about wine culture?”

Pei Yi mumbled, “I didn’t think that my love for drinking wine would become my flaw.”

Bo Yueming softly kissed the tip of his nose. “Pei Yi, I’m glad that the first person I met, liked, and fell in love with was you.”

He was no substitute, and even less was he a mistake.

Pei Yi listened to his considerations and also felt extremely lucky.

Bo Yueming took the initiative to mention his confusion, “However, you and ‘Young Master Pei’ have the same appearance, and you are indeed him in the eyes of outsiders. I really haven’t figured this out.”

“To tell you the truth, I previously searched online for some unreliable-sounding ‘soul transfer’ techniques, but never found a suitable answer.”

Pei Yi couldn’t help but smile when he heard Bo Yueming’s honesty.

For some reason, when he pictured Bo Yueming researching ‘metaphysical’ materials behind his back, the contrast was really cute.

“All right, don’t laugh. I know the content online isn’t trustworthy.”

Bo Yueming curbed his tongue, but there was no displeasure in his eyes. He just asked with concealed expectation, “As of now, it’s up to you to tell me.”

Pei Yi regained his composure and pursed his lips. “Er-ge, if I said that this world was initially just a story that existed in a book, and that I traveled here from the ‘real world,’ would you believe it?”

“……”

Bo Yueming frowned slightly and seemed to still be reflecting on it.

Pei Yi was afraid he would deny it, and quickly added, “I know that for you, Pear Garden, and Yan Cen, this is the real living world. I think so too now that I’ve been here a long time.”

“If, if you don’t understand the word ‘transmigration,’ you can just think of it as me being from a parallel dimension!”

“When the original owner heard about the marriage, he was so agitated that he ran outside and jumped into the river, and drowned. And I had stayed up several nights in a row constructing the plot of a game, so I replaced him by accident and I’ve been here ever since.”

Pei Yi spoke faster and faster. “I, I’m really not making up a story to coax you, I……”

Bo Yueming said quickly, “Kitten, I believe you.”

“Ah?”

Pei Yi was stunned, and asked again, “You, you really don’t think it’s absurd?”

“How is it absurd? Whether it’s transmigration or a parallel world like you said, or my ideas of soul transfer or rebirth—”

“No matter what the reason is, I only care that the person in front of me is you, and that the person who will accompany me forever is you. That is enough.”

And the explanation given by Pei Yi was enough to explain all the previous mysteries.

Bo Yueming kissed his lips and guided the conversation, “Then tell me, what was it like for you in that world?”

Pei Yi chuckled, relieved. “En.”

His lover happily accepted the part that was the most difficult to explain, so he could naturally speak of his past.

“Er-ge.”

“En?”

Pei Yi began calmly, “Actually, I’m an orphan. Since I was born, I’ve never known who my parents were.”

This tone that could not have been calmer caused an uproar in Bo Yueming’s heart. Distress immediately appeared on his face, and he took a slightly choked breath—

Bo Yueming had thought that because of his lover’s appreciation for wine and his confidence in his career, there were nine chances out of ten that he was a proud young master raised by a wealthy family. But unexpectedly, the other party told him of a completely different upbringing.

An orphan?

No wonder his lover was so active in following up with the charity work for the orphanage when he was in Haishi. It turned out to be because of his own personal experience?

Just like it was said on the internet: “Because he had been caught in the rain, he thought of giving an umbrella to others.”

Pei Yi reached out to gently smooth Bo Yueming’s brow and continued, “I grew up in an orphanage, where there were children with no parents or relatives waiting to be adopted.”

The orphanage was not very wealthy at that time, and there were very few people supporting it. Everyone slept together every night.

They ate sweet potatoes, corn, and buns, and drank boiled water, soy milk, and occasionally sugar water. Milk and desserts were rare items for children like them.

“The clothes were all hand-me-downs from the older children for the younger children to wear, and the toys…..there were basically no toys.”

Pei Yi spoke of a few childhood memories. “Er-ge, do you still remember the straw butterfly we bought at the foot of Yanshan Mountain?”

Although after taking that little straw butterfly home, it was almost played to death by Inspector.

Bo Yueming responded, “I remember.”

Pei Yi recalled, “My first toy was a small grasshopper made of straw. It was given to me by a passing vendor. Unfortunately, I was too thin and weak at that time and couldn’t protect my toy well.”

“A few days later, an older kid at the orphanage snatched it and broke it. I was so angry that I started to fight him.”

Pei Yi said this lightly, but Bo Yueming was sad to hear it.

In contrast, he was loved by his biological mother before he turned six, and was also protected by Old Mrs. Bo after he came to the Bo family.

Compared with his lover’s childhood, hadn’t he lived a happy life?

Bo Yueming caressed the back of his lover’s neck and asked softly, “Then did you just stay in the orphanage?”

Pei Yi leaned into his arms and shook his head. “No, I was adopted by a male couple when I was nine years old.”

Bo Yueming was surprised. “A male couple?”

“En, same-sex marriage was recognized there just like it is here, and each couple could adopt up to two children.”

Bo Yueming felt slightly relieved, but still wanted to know more. “Were they good to you?”

A complex look flashed through Pei Yi’s eyes, but he still spoke of the past with a smile. “Yes, very good. Father Yan and Father Rong were the best people I had ever met.”

“Er-ge, did you know? Father Yan was six years younger than Father Rong, which was just right.”

The corners of Bo Yueming’s mouth curved upward. “En, what else?”

Pei Yi saw that his lover was curious, so he fully shared the few good times in his memory—

Zong Baiyan was born into a celebrity family, and had capital and power at a young age. Before he met Bo Yueming, Pei Yi had not found anyone who could compare with his father.

And the older Xu Rong was a well-known painter in the industry. He became a professor at a first-class art university in his early twenties and had held many personal exhibitions overseas.

“…..Father Yan had a younger sister, who was Father Rong’s student when she was a freshman.”

The first time Zong Baiyan and Xu Rong met was outside the university classroom.

Zong Baiyan, who was waiting for his sister to finish class, met the gentle Xu Rong who was teaching for the first time.

Whether it was lust or love at first sight, after a series of twists and turns, the two officially got together.

After much consideration, the two lovers adopted Pei Yi, who seemed to be the best-behaved and most emaciated in the orphanage.

Pei Yi recalled his childhood, “I may have been malnourished at that time. I was almost ten years old and still much shorter than other children of the same age, and was chosen out of pity.”

Bo Yueming was helpless. “And you’re still very proud?”

Pei Yi raised his eyebrows. “Of course. From the orphanage to a rich young master, in the eyes of the children my age, I reached the sky in a single step.”

Bo Yueming smiled, and just listened as the man in his arms continued to say, “In addition to red wine and programming, I also have many money-burning skills that I learned from Father Yan.”

“Father Rong also taught me how to draw, and made different kinds of desserts for me.”

“I had missed a lot of classes at the orphanage. Not only did they hire private teachers, but they also gave me personal tutoring when they had the time.”

All in all, it was enough to weave into a rare happy time in Pei Yi’s childhood.

As he spoke, Pei Yi suddenly fell into silence.

Bo Yueming saw through his sudden downturn and asked in a low voice, “Kitten, what’s wrong?”

Pei Yi subconsciously moved closer in Bo Yueming’s arms, and finally brought up the turning point. “I had originally thought that I would always be that happy, and that Father Yan and Father Rong would be too, but that turned out not to be the case.”

Bo Yueming asked cautiously, “What happened?”

“When I was thirteen years old, Father Rong led a class of graduate students majoring in the fine arts. One of his students plagiarized a very popular work, and he discovered it.”

Xu Rong had an unshakable and sacred pursuit of painting, and was naturally disgusted with such behavior. 

He revoked the student’s grades, called him to the office, and severely criticized him, hoping that he would change his ways.

Pei Yi’s tone became a bit stronger, “The original premise wasn’t wrong, but the bad thing was that the student’s family encountered misfortune, and his negative emotions had already reached the extreme.”

The other party seemed to leave Xu Rong’s office calmly, but he chose to jump off the building late the next night.

“The most puzzling thing was that before he jumped off the building, he left a public suicide note accusing Father Rong of not allowing him to graduate smoothly for his own personal gain!”

He also said that Father Rong pretended to be a gentleman, but actually sexually assaulted him in the office.

Pei Yi knew Xu Rong’s character well, and also understood that the accusatory suicide note was flagrant and malicious revenge.

Even though he was no good, he wanted to drag others down to be buried with him, but Xu Rong had never done such a thing at all.

“…….”

Bo Yueming was stunned, not having expected that things would turn out this way.

Graduate student, jumping off a building, a professor, sexual assault — these words combined together immediately caused an uproar on the internet!

Countless curses poured into Xu Rong’s life. The deceased’s father took advantage of the opportunity to blackmail him, and unsuspecting netizens signed a petition to boycott him, while the voices that truly spoke on his behalf were drowned in a wave of condemnation.

Even though Zong Baiyan rushed to collect evidence as soon as possible and made comprehensive clarifications, there were still some keyboard warriors who couldn’t distinguish between right and wrong. They believed that the Zong family’s money was at work, and hurled insults and attacks at Xu Rong day after day!

The damage caused was indelible, and the filth eventually swallowed up his gentleness.

“Father Rong was sick. His depression became more and more serious, and even began to uncontrollably affect the people around him.”

Pei Yi’s eyes reddened as he thought about how the Xu Rong in his memory changed. “The more this happened, the guiltier he felt.”

Xu Rong felt guilty that he couldn’t be a “lover” or a “father,” and under the criticism of the keyboard warriors, he took all the blame onto himself—

He felt that it was his failure to detect his student’s emotions in time that caused him to embark on the path of no return.

But Pei Yi knew very well that it was never his fault.

“Although Father Yan was very busy at that time, he still set aside his work to stay with Father Rong. Because he was afraid I would be neglected, he could only temporarily send me to boarding school, but I could still come home once a week.”

“I’ve heard many people say that depression not only consumes oneself, but also consumes those around you.”

As it turned out, this was indeed the case.

When Pei Yi came home from school every weekend, he could feel the atmosphere at home growing colder and colder.

This lasted for a full year, and finally, at the age of fourteen, Pei Yi witnessed Zong Baiyan and Xu Rong quarrel again and again.

The causes were all trivial matters, mostly due to Xu Rong’s sensitivity and anxiety.

“When there were small fights and arguments at the beginning, Father Yan would patiently calm him down right away, but he gradually changed. Sometimes he would even slam the door and leave the house after an argument.”

Pei Yi couldn’t judge who was right or wrong between his two fathers. Xu Rong was suffering from illness, but how could Zong Baiyan, with a family and a career, have it easy?

The contradictions became more and more divisive until they could no longer be reconciled.

“One day, I came back from boot camp and found the house a mess, with broken wine bottles and utensils all over the floor.”

“Father Yan wasn’t home, and I couldn’t reach him by phone. I searched around before finding Father Rong pale-faced in the third floor studio.”

“Ever since he fell ill, Father Rong rarely entered the studio. When he saw me, he said he had been waiting for me to come back.”

Pills spilled on the ground, crumpled waste paper, and countless paint color blocks formed a dark, cramped space.

Pei Yi felt that something was wrong in the atmosphere, but still approached worriedly. However, what happened next was a terrifying scene that left him with a psychological shadow—

Xu Rong crazily strangled him by the neck, accusing Zong Baiyan of betraying him, that he already had a new lover behind his back and no longer loved him!

He also viciously told Pei Yi not to get involved with emotions, and to never jump into that fire pit no matter what.

Pei Yi didn’t know what had happened in the week he had been away, and couldn’t tell whether Zong Baiyan had a new lover or not.

He just knew that this relationship of many years had finally come to an end, and that both of them hated each other.

“Father Rong took a utility knife and stabbed himself in front of me…..”

Pei Yi thought about the blood in that last scene and his eyes reddened again, his breathing trembling noticeably.

Bo Yueming kissed his eyebrows and stopped him at once. “Okay, let’s not talk about it anymore.”

“Good kitten, it’s over now.”

“……”

Pei Yi buried his face in Bo Yueming’s arms, silently pouring out the haze that hadn’t been released all these years.

If transmigrating was the thing he didn’t know how to explain the most, then the ending of his adoption was the part of his past that he was most afraid to face.

“Er-ge, I’m sorry.”

Pei Yi choked with soft sobs, and exposed his past hesitations, “I started to shy away from your feelings and didn’t want to think about our future. It was really because this incident cast such a deep shadow on me.”

Even if Xu Rong’s situation was only an exception, the trauma of his youth was still trauma.

Facing his lover’s apology, Bo Yueming was extremely distressed. “Baby, you’re not wrong, you don’t need to apologize to me.”

“I’m grateful that you’re willing to tell me all of this, but from now on, I won’t mention the past, and you shouldn’t think about it, okay?”

“Believe me, we’re different from them.”

“En.”

Pei Yi whimpered slightly, and waited until his mind calmed down a little before continuing, “After the incident with Father Rong, I escaped from that ‘home.’”

Pei Yi worked odd jobs at an appliance mall for two years, and his boss was a retired technician. 

Pei Yi learned a lot from him, and then he met his first real-life friends.

“After spending time with them for a while, I accepted their invitation and started a business with my own game ideas.”

“We worked hard for several years and managed to achieve some success.”

Bo Yueming praised him in a timely manner. “My family’s kitten is amazing.”

Pei Yi finally put on a smile, and heard his lover ask again, “Kitten, how old were you when you transmigrated?”

Pei Yi said, “Maybe twenty-five or twenty-six. I don’t have an exact date of birth.”

Bo Yueming asked, “Since it was a book, what were the contents like?”

Pei Yi had guessed that the other party would ask this question, so he briefly recounted the story in the book.

As the ‘villain,’ Bo Yueming frowned upon hearing this. “‘Me’ and ‘Yan Cen’ were both interested in Pei Huan?”

“Was I brainless or was he? Kitten, did you read a pirated version?”

Pei Yi laughed softly at his lover’s “ruthlessness” and even condemned him, “I thought the same way, but I couldn’t figure it out.”

After all, “books” were dead, but people were “alive.”

When this world became real, the characters in the book should each have their own subjective consciousness, instead of just following the text settings.

Bo Yueming didn’t dwell on this issue anymore, and only teased him a bit, “Why did you like reading this kind of thing?”

“……”

Pei Yi blushed for a moment. “I didn’t like it, it was for work.”

Bo Yueming was puzzled. “For work?”

Pei Yi answered truthfully, “Our company wanted to pursue market popularity and develop an otome-oriented supernatural decryption mobile game.”

“I was originally only responsible for the supernatural description plot portion, but another planner in charge of the relationship part wanted to comprehensively integrate everything, and I couldn’t just not know anything.”

It was just that Pei Yi had never been in love from beginning to end. How would he know how to integrate the romance aspect into the plot of the game?

“The other party saw that I really didn’t know anything, so he recommended a similar game to me, as well as countless books similar to the heartthrob trend so that I could research more.”

When Pei Yi thought of this, he couldn’t help but enter complaining mode.

“Er-ge, you don’t know. Those titles looked questionable to me, but this novel, “Misplaced Love of a Wealthy Family” seemed more normal.”

Bo Yueming made a sound of acknowledgement, holding back his laughter with difficulty.

Pei Yi saw this and recalled another thing. “Er-ge, do you remember what I said when I first met you?”

Bo Yueming replied, “Of course I remember, it really shocked me at the time.”

Pei Yi smiled sheepishly and revealed the truth.

When he was researching the recommended otome games, he found that the most common comments from the players were — First meeting, like, idolize, get married, husband.

“In order to play the fool and stay in Bo Manor, I had to shorten it a little.”

—Like, get married, husband.

Bo Yueming didn’t expect that such a little secret was hidden in the shocking conversation when they first met. His shoulders suddenly slumped, and he laughed into the crook of his lover’s neck.

For a moment, he forgot about the unpleasant experience he had at the hotel this evening.

Pei Yi’s neck and shoulder were rubbed hot, and he mumbled, unresigned, “Wasn’t it appropriate? I think I researched it quite thoroughly.”

Bo Yueming stopped with difficulty, and explained coaxingly, “Baby, I think you’re cute.”

Heat surged to Pei Yi’s face, and he continued to control the rhythm of the conversation. “Er-ge.”

“En?”

“I’ve told you all my secrets, and I also learned about the pain in your past. From now on, the two of us will stay with each other, okay?”

Pei Yi’s eyes were bright, and for the first time, they were full of expectations for the future.

“I promise you that as long as you don’t let me down, I will accompany you forever, so I hope you can do it, okay?”

Him asking “okay?” twice in a row made Bo Yueming’s heart go soft, and all of his gloom disappeared.

He lowered his head and kissed Pei Yi’s lips for a long time before finally stopping. “Okay.”

When Pei Yi got the answer he wanted, he simply leaned in toward his lover’s ear and confided, “Bo Yueming, I love you.”

Bo Yueming felt his eyes well up with rare tears, and responded solemnly, “I love you too.”

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Chapter One Hundred <<Table of Contents >> Chapter One Hundred Two

“Come here, Er-gou, call for Xiting-gege!”

“Xiting-gege.”

“Ai, you’re so good.”

Liu Xiting was actually Liu Zhenqing’s name in modern times. It could naturally no longer be used here, but fortunately, the old marquis was unreliable, and when Liu Zhenqing wanted to choose a courtesy name for himself, he also agreed. Thus, Liu Zhenqing said from childhood that he would be called Xiting in the future. Of course, he taught others to call him Xiting-gege, which was also a commemoration of his previous life.

One day, he saw Er-gou after a long time, and when he was about to say hello, he heard “Qing-ge.”

There was a question mark on Liu Zhenqing’s face. Why had it changed?

When he asked Er-gou, he just said he wanted to change it and that Qing-ge sounded nice.

When he asked Huo Feihan, he said Er-gou was unhappy when he heard the girls who were close to Liu Zhenqing calling him Xiting-gege some time ago. 

Liu Zhenqing understood immediately. How could a little man have the nerve to call him the same thing as girls? It was too unmanly.

Huo Feihan felt the same way. It was not good to call someone so softly and girlishly when you grew up.

Thus, he accepted the title “Qing-ge,” which did sound pretty good, but he later discovered that it seemed Er-gou was the only one who called him that.

Once, he teased a familiar little sister to call him Qing-ge, and when she blushed and ran away, Li Xingruo gave him a blank look.

Liu Zhenqing looked innocent. Wouldn’t this mean they were closer than if she used “Xiting-gege?”

Li Xingruo called out in a strange voice: “Really? Qing-ge?”^[1]

Liu Zhenqing reacted immediately. From then on, he would never dare to let a girl call him that, as it could easily cause a misunderstanding.

So for the rest of his life, only Er-gou would call him Qing-ge.

When he was waking up in a daze, he seemed to hear someone calling him Qing-ge, and he was suddenly shocked into a cold sweat. And when he regained consciousness, he heard that someone was indeed calling him.

But what they called him was “Uncle Liu.”

Liu Zhenqing opened his eyes and turned to look, only to find two children standing by the bed staring at him. Liu Zhenqing was so startled that he jumped upright and hugged the thing in his arms tightly……it was a pillow.

After big eyes and small eyes exchanged stares, Liu Zhenqing said with a headache: “You two…..never mind Young Master Huo, but Young Lady Huo, how can you come in so casually?”

Huo Yunci said with a pout: “It’s already late in the morning. We waited outside the door for a long time and called for a while, but there was no response, so we thought something had happened to you.”

Liu Zhenqing glanced at the sun outside. He was surprised, not having realized that he had slept for so long.

“And your sleeping posture…..is really terrible,” Huo Yunci said with disdain.

Liu Zhenqing wordlessly let go of the twisted pillow, then said in dissatisfaction: “How is it terrible?”

He just didn’t like to use a pillow when sleeping. He preferred to hold the pillow in his arms with his hands and feet wrapped around it.

Huo Yunci ridiculed: “If that pillow was alive, you would have strangled it to death.”

Liu Zhenqing pleaded not guilty to this charge. It was an exaggeration. When Er-gou was a child, he slept with him in his arms and woke up in this position several times without having strangled him.

Liu Zhenqing touched his face. Had he really been afraid of being strangled? He didn’t know how to resist when he was young, but when he grew up, he knew how to fight for his right to live?

……Wait, his sleeping position…..Liu Zhenqing was frightened for a moment, but then relaxed. It was only the two children. General Huo would not be so unruly as to break into the room in the middle of the night and peek at a person sleeping.

“Ahem. Don’t tell anyone,” Liu Zhenqing said awkwardly.

Huo Yunci just thought he was afraid of embarrassment, and gave a scoff.

“All right, get out quickly. Do you still want to stay and watch me wash and change clothes?” Liu Zhenqing asked with a tigerish face. Huo Yunqian pulled Huo Yunci and rushed out.

When Liu Zhenqing went out and looked around, he realized that the two children were waiting for him to have breakfast.

“Why did you two come to have breakfast with me?” Liu Zhenqing asked in confusion.

Huo Yunqian said with a smile: “Second Uncle asked us to accompany you. He said that you can’t leave the General’s Manor, and that Uncle Liu saved us before, so we must personally thank him.” With that said, the two of them bowed and thanked Liu Zhenqing in a courteous manner.

“You don’t need to thank me. I still relied on your Second Uncle to save my life. By the way, did he come back yesterday? Where is he now?” Liu Zhenqing asked.

“It seems he came back last night and left again this morning,” Huo Yunqian said. “Uncle Liu, it’s better to rest here and recuperate first. With Second Uncle here, he can handle everything.”

“Right, Second Uncle is the most powerful. He can solve any problem.” Huo Yunci sang his praises. It could be seen that the twins really admired their Second Uncle. She then asked curiously: “I heard that your Liu family was involved in the Imperial Examination fraud. Is that true?”

Liu Zhenqing asked the two of them to sit down and talk while they ate. “Do you think it’s untrue?”

The two nodded.

Liu Zhenqing was a little surprised. Regardless of how they had been educated by their mother and uncle, there would at least be all kinds of rumors around them, and they must still dislike the Liu family. How could they still trust them? Was it because his personal charm had impressed them and caused them to respect and admire him? Right, this was the status he should have as a godfather.

Liu Zhenqing inwardly praised himself, but then heard Huo Yunci say carelessly: “I heard that Rong Shiming was identified as the main culprit. Didn’t he steal your fiance? Your relationship is terrible, so how could the Liu family still cooperate with him? There must be something wrong. Compared to that bully, at least you have a decent character.”

Liu Zhenqing hadn’t expected the two children to be so sharp. “I actually don’t know for sure, but I have the same idea as you. Although, how do you know so much……gossip, ah? Aren’t you in confinement?” They actually knew about the finance incident?

“Of course we have many sources of information,” Huo Yunci said proudly.

Huo Yunqian smiled and explained: “It’s because some of Second Uncle’s friends come over on occasion, and they say…..well, some interesting things.”

Liu Zhenqing: ……

Those who worked in the Dongchang and Jinyiwei had the most sources. It was probably because the original owner got involved with Huo Fenglie that their gossip reached these two children.

“So if Rong Shiming is caught and your family is exonerated, will your fiance come back?”

Children were children, and could still ask such naive questions.

Liu Zhenqing shook his head and said: “How can the Ministry of Rites get rid of the relationship after that person was caught for Imperial Examination fraud? The Jiang family is probably in trouble now. And the engagement was not originally broken off because of Rong Shiming.”

The two children immediately stopped eating, and looked at him with bright eyes.

Huo Yunqian asked with rare childishness: “Was it because of Second Uncle?”

Huo Yunci was also curious: “Didn’t you lose your memory? Do you still like my Second Uncle?”

Liu Zhenqing almost spit out his mouthful of bean curd. When he looked up, he saw the two children looking at him seriously as they asked earnest questions, which immediately aroused his bad nature and made his skin itch. After all, he never considered whether a person was young or old when he teased people.

Just as he was about to speak, he felt vigilant and looked around instinctively, afraid that someone would catch him talking nonsense again. However, he remembered that the two children had said their Second Uncle was out, and suddenly couldn’t restrain his wicked mouth: “Ai, of course it’s because of General Huo. Even though I lost my memory, I still like him, ah. If it wasn’t that I didn’t get what I wanted, I wouldn’t be going far away with a broken heart.”

“Really? You’re leaving the capital because…..?” Huo Yunci said in shock.

Liu Zhenqing took a deep breath and said: “I originally kept my heart for the general, but the general turned a blind eye. Besides, I’m a man and shouldn’t have become entangled with him in the first place, but he helped me like this. How could I not be moved? Now I’m staying in the General’s Manor, and I don’t want to think about him too much, but I can’t help it. I got up so late today because I stayed up all night and didn’t sleep until morning.”

After speaking, Liu Zhenqing immediately choked up and lowered his head.

Huo Yunci was stunned after hearing someone say such sincere words for the first time.

Huo Yunqian said quickly: “Uncle Liu, don’t…..don’t be sad. Our Second Uncle is…..a person who is not easily tempted. We never heard of him being interested in anyone while we were growing up. The elders in the family are very worried, and they don’t see Second Uncle relenting and marrying a wife.”

Huo Yunci also spoke quickly: “Right, right, my Second Uncle loves to fight and practice martial arts. He doesn’t care about anything else. In the past, people would send beautiful girls to his door. Second Uncle didn’t even look at them, and just told Uncle Tian to handle it. Mother says that Second Uncle is hopeless. And what’s wrong with men? Some of our ancestors also married men, and our lineage was inherited from the bride marrying in.”

Liu Zhenqing was quite surprised to hear this. He had just made things up casually before, not expecting that Er-gou’s relationship problems would be so serious, ah. Could it be because he was too busy to pay attention to these things and matured late? It couldn’t be because he was in poor health, hahaha. How could that be possible with the Medical Fairy here?

Huo Yunqian continued: “Although it’s a matter of love and can’t be forced……if there is even a faint hope, don’t give up lightly. Then…..Uncle Liu, you…..”

Even the sharp and clever Huo Yunqian didn’t know what to say, let alone the more reckless Huo Yunci.

The two looked at each other in a fluster. They both regretted bringing up this matter, and wished that they could take back their words and apologize on the spot.

“Really? Weren’t you guys rather disdainful of me liking General Huo before?” Liu Zhenqing continued to tease.

“That…..your behavior before was a bit troublesome and annoying, but now…..it’s okay. If you really like someone, it has nothing to do with anyone else,” Huo Yunci said.

Huo Yunqian nodded accordingly.

“The education provided by your Huo family is really good. You are both good children.” Liu Zhenqing looked moved, and the two of them were a little embarrassed by the praise. As a result, Liu Zhenqing changed his tone in the next second and said in a non-serious manner: “But…..”

Before Liu Zhenqing could cheerfully reverse his words, two more figures appeared in his field of vision.

One had a shifting expression and a glint in his eyes, and the other was Huo Fenglie with his normal expression.

Liu Zhenqing was as mute as a strangled goose.

…..What the hell! He’d been played! Hadn’t they said he wasn’t home? It was almost impossible for him to be caught doing bad things in the past, but now he had no good luck, ah.

“Second Uncle?!” The two children were also surprised.

“Second Uncle, didn’t you…..go out?” Huo Yunqian looked back and forth in embarrassment. After all, it wasn’t good to gossip about elders behind their backs.

Huo Fenglie walked to the door steadily but didn’t step in, and Uncle Tian followed awkwardly to stand beside him.

“Young Master Liu…..”

Zhenqing took a deep breath and was about to explain, when he heard Huo Fenglie say with a normal look: “I just received news that the entire Jiang family has been arrested. I came back to ask you about your kidnapping and poisoning not long ago…..and there was also that assassination attempt in the past. Do you have any suspicions about who did it?”

Wait. Why did he just jump to talking business? Huo Fenglie had already mastered this level of calm? 

“Uh…..I don’t know either, but the poisoning was a result of struggles within the home.” Although he was rather shocked at the moment, Liu Zhenqing’s rationality was still there. Regarding the past, if he had no answer, then he wouldn’t answer in order to avoid loopholes. And Liu Zhenqing believed that Huo Fenglie had thought of this because of the arrest of the Jiang family, and must have made a judgment in his heart.

Sure enough, in the next second, Huo Fenglie said in a deep voice: “I understand. I will investigate it thoroughly.”

Liu Zhenqing didn’t know if it was his own illusion, but he felt that Huo Fenglie had some murderous intent when he said this.

“Your servant was also caught, and he is with the Liu family in prison. He is only there for supervision and questioning, and there is no serious problem for the time being.”

“Thank you for taking the trouble.”

Huo Fenglie was finished speaking, and turned around to leave. Now it was Liu Zhenqing’s turn to panic. Sure enough, evil deeds must be punished. 

“General Huo, what I just did to tease the Young Lady and Young Master, that was…..”

“I know. There’s no need to say it.” Huo Fenglie stopped with a slight frown. He seemed displeased, and said: “You don’t have to worry. I won’t misunderstand.”

Now Liu Zhenqing really felt stifled, and Uncle Tian appeared to be rather shocked. They had apparently heard everything, and although Uncle Tian believed it, Huo Fenglie did not. This was really…..the grace of heaven, ah.

Uncle Tian hurriedly caught up with Huo Fenglie and left the courtyard, stealing peeks at him along the way. When he had just heard Liu Zhenqing talking from the entrance of the courtyard, the Second Master was clearly in a daze. Although it was unlikely that he would wear an expression of shock due to his temperament, Uncle Tian noticed that the Second Master was a little surprised and uneasy, but definitely not annoyed. Then he suddenly walked in and interrupted after asking Uncle Tian to wait until the person finished speaking, and to pretend not to have heard anything before going in so as not to make it awkward.

But now, he didn’t know what was wrong, but he felt that the Second Master was slightly unhappy.

“Second Master, you…..”

“What is it?”

“What Young Master Liu said, do you really think it’s false?” Uncle Tian couldn’t help asking.

Huo Fenglie’s footsteps almost froze. “He was making a joke to tease the children. Couldn’t you see this?”

Uncle Tian gave a dry smile. He couldn’t see this, and really thought he was sincere. He had never seen such a situation before…..wait…..Uncle Tian suddenly fell into a trance and couldn’t help but touch his beard. He seemed to think of a mischievous little villain who loved to tease people with his words but had an innocent heart.

There really was…..a bit of a blood relationship.

A deep voice suddenly murmured: “He doesn’t like me.”

Uncle Tian looked up in surprise, but Huo Fenglie had already taken a few faster steps, and only his tall and resolute back could be seen. He was a little confused about Huo Fenglie’s attitude. Was he really happy about this…..of course he must be happy about this. Otherwise wouldn’t their Second Master’s attitude toward Young Master Liu……Impossible. It was completely impossible.

. . . . . . .

When the two of them walked out, Liu Zhenqing returned to his senses and saw the two agitated children staring at him.

“You lied to us?” Huo Yunci glared angrily.

“You…..Uncle Liu, how could you do this, ah? And we gave you advice!” The good-tempered Huo Yunqian was also angry.

“Um…..I was wrong.” Liu Zhenqing apologized sincerely, then added: “In fact, I felt that you lacked understanding of the dangers in the world, so I trained you in advance not to trust the words of others.”

“You…..you’re terrible!” Huo Yunci said angrily.

Huo Yunqian calmed down relatively quickly. He probably realized right away that Liu Zhenqing had spoken strangely before, and blamed himself for his lack of vigilance. Now, he hesitated before saying: “Then you……really don’t like my Second Uncle?”

Huo Yunci immediately glared over at him: “Try to lie to us again!”

The corners of Liu Zhenqing’s mouth twitched and he begged for mercy: “Great Aunt, Granduncle, it’s true, I really have lost my memory. I left the capital just to go back to my hometown and recover my memories. I swear, I really don’t like your second uncle. Now I’m very grateful to your second uncle for helping me in such a situation. Grateful!! I also wish that your second uncle will find a beautiful wife as soon as possible and give you an auntie!”

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[1] Not entirely sure what this is about, but my guess is that the 清 qing (pure/just and honest) in LZQ’s name sounds similar to the 情 qing (passion/love). ⮐

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

In fact, although everyone seemed to be reasoning back and forth on the surface, they knew in their hearts that under the premise that the Scimitar Silver Moon Tribe’s location had been exposed, the weight of the chips in the hands of both sides actually differed. A mere bit of white miasma was far from enough to stop the tens of thousands of Southwest Garrison troops. Even if everyone in the tribe was a peerless master, it still wouldn’t be enough.

With such an enormous number, an individual’s power would actually be compressed to an infinitesimal size. However, the Scimitar Silver Moon Tribe had always lived free and dissolute lives and never trembled with fear at the thought of death. It was said that when traveling on land, they would not avoid tigers, and it would not be a sure death to be surrounded by armored soldiers. Therefore, they did not feel any threat due to the tens of thousands of garrison troops.

However, they still agreed to Liang Shu’s request. The old man said: “The gold and silver are all in the forest. Your Highness can go retrieve it at any time.”

There were two reasons they agreed so readily—

Firstly, His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was not as violent and militant as the rumors said, nor did he seem like a lunatic who liked to hang people up and torture them for no reason. On the contrary, he was handsome in appearance, extraordinary in conversation, was willing to accept different viewpoints, and did not hesitate to express his own opinions, trying to make both parties seek common ground and set their differences aside. He had a very open and unrestrained personality. It was no wonder that such a person could command hundreds of thousands of Dayan troops at such a young age.

Secondly, there was also a miracle doctor residing in his camp. To be honest, the reason why the Scimitar Silver Moon clan came in such numbers this time had little to do with the gold and silver, but quite a lot to do with First Young Master Liu.

Liu Xian’an: “Ah?”

The pregnant woman repeated the question: “Why hasn’t First Young Master Liu come?” She beamed with joy as she asked this question, as if what she was hiding in her belly was not a baby, but a young girl who was eager to get married—it sounded a bit terrible, but this was what it felt like.

“My Da-ge…..” Liu Xian’an paused for a moment, because according to his initial thoughts, he actually wanted to make up a random sentence about how his elder brother was writing a letter to his wife and children at home, so as to ruthlessly cut off the peach blossoms. But he worried that the other party would not be willing to cooperate with the payment if he said this, so in the end, he was tactful and perfunctory. I didn’t see him this morning. Perhaps he went to another camp to treat people.

“Then when will First Young Master Liu return?” This question was asked in unison by this group of people, their anticipation beyond words.

Cheng Suyue tugged a bit at her brother’s sleeve. Do you see? This is called a hot commodity. From now on, don’t brag about your good business no matter what happens.

Gao Lin: “……”

Liu Xian’an replied, it’s hard to say, hard to say.

Then, in order to avoid being pressed further, he immediately changed the subject: “Why are you looking for my Da-ge?”

The old man replied cheerfully: “We met First Young Master Liu once and admire him very much. As soon as we heard that he was in the Valley of Ten Faces, we came here to visit. By the way, we would like to ask Second Young Master Liu, has your brother ever been married?”

“My Da-ge is entirely focused on medical skills and saving people, so he is not suitable for starting a family.” Liu Xian’an waved his hand. “And he spends most of the year away from home. He has no time to take care of his parents or a wife and children, and it is difficult to see him even twice.”

The woman smiled and said: “This doesn’t matter. When it comes to marriage, it is important to have a like-minded person. If my sister can marry First Young Master Liu, she will definitely be willing to travel around the world with him.”

Before he could even say a few words of refusal, a younger sister appeared on the other side. Liu Xian’an thought sadly, why is it that this tribe that has lived in the forests for generations is nothing like the mysterious sects in the storybooks, with many rules that prohibited people from going out, but these ones can run to the ends of the earth casually in search of a man?

Liang Shu calmly spoke nonsense: “This lord cannot make the final decision on First Young Master Liu’s marriage. How about you wait until ten and a half days later when he returns from practicing medicine and discuss it amongst yourselves? Now that everyone is free, why not take out the gold and silver first and then discuss the matter of rescuing Ku You together?”

One of the lieutenants present was slightly doubtful. Work together to rescue? The prince didn’t seem to have mentioned that before. When did the Scimitar Silver Moon Tribe agree?

Gao Lin was not surprised. My prince’s old routine is to first put forward a very abnormal demand and a relatively normal demand. Then, nine times out of ten, the other party at the negotiation table will choose to consider the normal demand.

Sure enough, the old man said: “The gold and silver are in the forest, and our people can lead the way at any time.”

“In that case, this lord will not be polite,” Liang Shu said. “A-Yue, lead people into the forest!”

“Yes!” Cheng Suyue had always liked to do things such as collecting money. She immediately went to count out the soldiers and horses. The old man also sent a youth to lead the way, ordering him to go quickly and return quickly. It seemed that the others were not planning to leave in the short term.

Liu Xian’an tugged at Liang Shu’s sleeve a bit. What was this situation, they couldn’t really want to wait here for his Da-ge to come back!

Liang Shu coughed, and asked with apparent casualness: “How old is your sister?”

“There are several, but the most suitable one just turned sixteen this year.” The woman held her belly and introduced, “She has a beautiful appearance and a lively personality. She is the best girl in the entire Scimitar Silver Moon Tribe.”

“A sixteen-year-old girl may not necessarily marry First Young Master Liu. I think it would be just right for her to marry a sixteen-year-old boy.” Liang Shu glanced at Gao Lin as he spoke. Lieutenant General Gao was shrewd in this regard. He immediately understood what his family’s prince meant and sneaked out at once.

“Where is Xiao Chang?”

“At the grain-drying grounds in the back!”

There was no need to dry grain during this season, so the empty field was used as a warehouse by the garrison. In the past few days, a batch of artillery had been transported back for maintenance. Chang Xiaoqiu also joined in the efforts, carefully examining the diagrams with the old master and not even bothering to glance at the Scimitar Silver Moon Tribe.

Gao Lin stood next to the grain-drying grounds and searched for a long time, but couldn’t find him. In the end, he roared his name loudly and a voice came from the circle of heads: “Ah?”

“How did you make such a mess of yourself?” Gao Lin looked at the pitch-black face of the young man in front of him and the torn apron hanging around his neck, and gasped on the spot.

“I’m not the only one, everyone here is dirty.” Chang Xiaoqiu wiped his face casually with his sleeve, finally revealing the color of flesh, and couldn’t help but say with joy, “We’ll go to the mountains to test the new results in the evening. Once we’re successful, we will invite the prince to come see it.”

“Don’t worry about the cannons for the moment.” Gao Lin pulled his sleeve and said, “Follow me now.”

“Where?” Chang Xiaoqiu staggered as he was dragged, still holding a bag of powder in his hands. He said hastily, “Wait for me to put things down first.”

“Go to the front hall, there are guests,” Gao Lin said. “But before meeting guests, you must change out of this beggar’s attire for me.”

“The Scimitar Silver Moon Tribe? I just heard about them.” Chang Xiaoqiu asked, “But why do I have to meet them?”

Gao Lin ignored his questions and dragged him back to his residence. Servants came in one after another, carrying hot water and flower oils, and filled the bathtub. Chang Xiaoqiu had never seen such a grand scene. He was so dizzy from the fragrances that he hugged the threshold and asked in a panic, what is happening?

Gao Lin said casually: “The Scimitar Silver Moon Clan is very particular. They are all gods like First Young Master Liu. Before meeting gods, should you not be marinated in orchid soup? This is good manners. Hurry up, the prince is still waiting!”

Liang Shu worked better on Chang Xiaoqiu than “crying wolf,” so he held his breath and went behind the screen, undressed, and took a bath, finally washing himself into his original color. He thought the matter was over, but there was already a nanny waiting in the room holding a big comb. She smiled prettily, looking very frightening.

Her technique was also terrible.

Chang Xiaoqiu’s scalp was nearly torn off, and he cried out in pain. Two other maids were busy arranging his clothing. After he was dressed, Gao Lin walked in circles to inspect him and felt very satisfied. He handed the sword over: “Okay, keep your back straight when you walk. Let’s go!”

Even the clothes were carefully matched, and a silver belt cinched the young man’s slender waist. He was born with long, thin legs. Although his figure was a little immature, his demeanor of a dignified young escort was not diminished at all. The kids from the jianghu always looked more unruly and casual than people in the military camp, and the sixteen-year-old jianghu boy was even more youthful and cute. In that moment, Gao Lin was like a satisfied mother-in-law in how he looked at Chang Xiaoqiu and found him suitable for marriage.

Chang Xiaoqiu got goosebumps from being stared at. His steps were a little hesitant, and he kept feeling like he might be betrayed, but how could Gao Lin allow him to hesitate like this? He simply raised his foot and kicked the person into the room.

“……”

Liang Shu picked Chang Xiaoqiu up and placed him upright in front of him: “These are the guests of the Scimitar Silver Moon Tribe.”

“…..I greet you all.” Chang Xiaoqiu saluted with his sword.

As expected, everyone from the Scimitar Silver Moon Tribe showed great interest in him: “Who is this young hero?”

“I am—”

“Chang, Chang Xiaoqiu, the young Head Escort of Wanli Escort Bureau.” Liang Shu cut him off and introduced him personally. “He didn’t want the fine clothes and food at home, but came to this wild forest to wipe out the evil cult. He is courageous and strategic, and his future is promising. Not long ago, the Baifu Sect tried to join forces with the Central Plains martial arts circle to cause trouble, but Xiao Chang charged forward and crushed their conspiracy in one fell swoop.”

Chang Xiaoqiu was praised to the point that he was completely stunned and almost couldn’t hold the sword in his hands. Who am I? Where am I? What did the prince just say about me? His mind spun rapidly, going through everything that had happened recently—he didn’t seem to have done anything earth-shattering!

Liang Shu grasped his shoulder. Please show me some energy!

Chang Xiaoqiu immediately stood up straight.

The old man asked again: “May I borrow the young hero’s sword to take a look?”

Chang Xiaoqiu hesitated for a moment. Martial arts practitioners always kept their swords in their hands, but for the sake of the prince being there, he took off the sword in the end and handed it over.

The old man flicked his wrist to half-unsheath the cold blade, and couldn’t help but praise: “What a sword, what a sword, ah! But it doesn’t look like the ancient Pojun sword. It must have been imitated by modern people. I wonder if the young hero can tell me the name of this sword’s swordsmith?”

“Swordsmith?” Chang Xiaoqiu asked. “Do you want to ask him to forge a sword?”

“Not to forge a sword, but to mend a sword. It is a sword that is very important to my people.”

Standing at the door, Gao Lin inwardly spread his hands. What could he say, the gods of the forest were naive, and confessed the importance of the sword so easily and consciously. Should his prince not take this opportunity to blackmail them?

Sure enough, after Liang Shu heard this, he immediately raised his eyebrows. He first raised his hand and touched the tip of his nose, then said slowly and meaningfully: “Oh, the swordsmith…..”

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Chapter One Hundred Two << Table of Contents >> Chapter One Hundred Four