The dungeons were perpetually dark and damp, with a foul and rotten smell in the air. No matter how many times he came here, it always made Zhao Yelan grimace.

Walking slowly to the innermost cell, he heard a low-pitched nursery rhyme that children in the capital would hum when they were young: “Crescent moon, crescent moon, like a mother’s arms……”

The person inside was restrained with heavy shackles on both hands and feet. Hearing movement, she raised her head and sighed when she saw him: “Why didn’t you leave Beijing as planned last year? If you had left, we wouldn’t be meeting here today.”

“Why did you do this?” Zhao Yelan asked.

The corners of Gu Niaoniao’s mouth twitched.

“I searched every corner of the capital, but I never suspected you,” Zhao Yelan said in a heavy voice.

Gu Niaoniao stood and walked slowly to the door with the dull, heavy sound of her shackles dragging on the ground.

The two of them looked at each other for a moment, separated by a cell door, and Gu Niaoniao asked: “Is he dead?”

“Everyone in the Imperial Hospital is trying to save him. He is still unconscious, but his condition has improved a bit. We will wait for him to wake up,” Zhao Yelan said.

On the day of the assassination, everyone in the capital was shocked. Zhao Xuan was already unconscious when he was sent back to the palace, and the people in the Imperial Hospital were busy coming in and out for three days before they managed to pull him back from the gates of hell. However, he still hadn’t woken up yet, and someone was guarding him day and night.

After seeing Zhao Xuan’s injury, Sun Muyun was filled with grief and couldn’t control her emotions for a while. She had unbearable abdominal pain, and gave birth to a prince prematurely. Fortunately, the mother and child were safe, but they also needed to be taken care of by Imperial physicians. The palace was very busy at the moment.

“Ah……not dead yet. I chose the wrong location, right? Clearly, I was aiming at the heart, ah.” Gu Niaoniao smiled helplessly. “It seems like fate.”

“Gu Niaoniao.” Zhao Yelan gritted his teeth as he called out to her. “Why on earth did you do this? Are you not afraid of death?”

“Death?” Gu Niaoniao’s shoulders trembled and she laughed out loud. “I am most afraid of death, I only fear that before I die, I won’t be able to take some people with me. But it’s okay, Zhao Xu went to the underworld before me. It was worth it.”

Zhao Yelan frowned upon hearing this: “Aren’t you on the same side as him?”

“Yes, and also no.” Gua Niaoniao’s lips curled up in a smile. “Years ago, I heard that the Princess of Nanjiang wished to marry Yan Mingting. I wanted to check her details for you, but who knew that I would find out something interesting. She had an affair with the First Prince.”

“So you helped them meet privately?”

“That’s right. I pretended to help him regain the throne and passed on news from the two countries to him, and he believed it like a fool. Believe it or not, no one else in the capital was willing to help him.” Gu Niaoniao smiled contemptuously. “The people who went to the other palace to take him away were killed by Yan Mingting’s subordinates, and I sent someone to rescue him back to Hongxiu House.”

“You didn’t want to help him win the throne at all, otherwise, you wouldn’t have let him carry out the assassination in public.”

“Of course I wouldn’t help that dog. I just reminded him that the Emperor may leave the palace from time to time. He stayed in the secret passage for a long while, and his mind became confused. He could only think of one thing, which was to kill Zhao Xuan and replace him,” Gu Niaoniao said.

“He failed, but gave you a chance to succeed.”

 “Correct. He was just a jester, and I let him go out and jump around a bit first, waiting for a chance when everyone was focused on him.” Gu Niaoniao smiled. “It wasn’t easy to wait for Zhao Xuan to leave the palace. I thought it would take a long time to carry out this plan.”

“So your purpose was to have the brothers kill each other?” Zhao Yelan asked.

Gu Niaoniao raised her chin and said calmly: “That’s right. I want the Zhao family to die a miserable death. Don’t you find it interesting that father and son, brother and brother, can all kill each other?”

Zhao Yelan guessed that this was related to her childhood experiences, and said: “Those things back then were done by the late emperor and had nothing to do with Zhao Xuan. Moreover, he indirectly helped us get vengeance, and now the land has stabilized……”

“It had nothing to do with him?” Gu Niaoniao suddenly laughed out loud. The laugh was a bit hoarse, and she clutched a pillar tightly with her hands, veins protruding. She asked through gritted teeth, “Then those things back then, did they have anything to do with me? With you? Why is it that when killing us, our entire families are implicated, and they would rather kill a thousand by mistake than let one go, but when it is their turn to be a group of murderers, they are separate and have nothing to do with each other?”

Zhao Yelan gazed at her silently. He had seen hatred in her eyes before. He’d thought it was just that the other party couldn’t hide it, but he didn’t expect that the hatred went so deep.

“Gu Niaoniao, your life is on the line.”

“Don’t call me Gu Niaoniao.” 

Zhao Yelan was taken aback.

“Gu Niaoniao died long ago by the executioner’s knife. My surname is Jiang.”

Zhao Yelan gave her a look of shock. Among the people involved in the case of the Marquis of An, there was only one family named Jiang, and that was the Marquis of An’s. 

“You are……”

“I am my father’s youngest daughter.” Gu Niaoniao recalled the distant past. “I had been studying and learning calligraphy since I was a child. My teacher was the current Imperial Grand Tutor, and my previous knowledge was no worse than that of Yin Pinglu. If I studied for a few more years, perhaps I would have been a female top scorer in the Imperial examinations. My father taught me martial arts, saying that his daughter should have the means to protect herself, and it would be even better if she could protect her family and country. It was a pity that I only learned how to hold a sword, and no one taught me further.”

“Zhao Yelan, you watched your parents die with your own eyes, and endured humiliation for so many years. What about me? Hundreds of people in my family were killed by the sword. Have you ever seen an actual river of blood? My infant brother was thrown into a well before he could even speak. What did he have to do with anything? Regardless of age, regardless of distance, there were more than twenty thousand people who had a relationship with our family and were killed or injured. Even innocent people like you were involved and ended up in ruins. You want me to let it go?” 

“I can’t let it go, ah,” Gu Niao cried out with a sob.

Zhao Yelan’s expression was downcast, and he couldn’t recover for a long while.

He had never suspected Gu Niaoniao, because the two of them had experienced the same tragedies and could understand one another’s pain without saying many words. However, he had still underestimated Gu Niaoniao’s determination and forbearance for so many years. She was able to hide everything completely, and even he had never noticed the difference in identity.

But he was likely the only one who could understand Gu Niaoniao’s choice. If it were him before, he would probably be just as desperate.

He handed in a handkerchief. Gu Niaoniao took it, but her hands were bound and her smile was uglier than her crying: “Wipe it off for me, ba.”

Zhao Yelan wiped her face slowly. Gu Niaoniao raised her head and said: “Actually, when I was first locked up in prison, I really didn’t want to live anymore, but every time I saw you, I felt like I could keep going. You didn’t seek death, so why should I do it first?”

Zhao Yelan said: “Your family must have hoped that you could live a good life.”

“I can’t live, I’m really tired of living in this world.” Gu Niaoniao looked up at him. “When you were about to feign death, you probably thought the same way, ba. The great revenge had been accomplished. There was nothing worth remembering in this world, so it was better to leave.”

Zhao Yelan did not deny it.

“But you were lucky, ah, you met Yan Mingting, who made you miss him so much that you couldn’t bear to part with him.” Gu Niaoniao said, “I didn’t have such luck.”

Zhao Yelan silently accompanied her for a while. Visiting time was ending soon. Gu Niaoniao whispered: “All my savings over the years are in the room we used to meet in. You take those silver taels and arrange a good place for the girls, ba. They are all innocent and don’t know anything about me.”

Zhao Yelan: “All right.”

“I left something for you in the building, don’t forget. You are not short of money, so I could only leave some spices and tea leaves for you. The spices are the Western Region incense I personally selected. For so many years, I have always used incense like you, as if it could cover up the filthy smell on my body over time.”

“…….En.” Zhao Yelan lowered his eyes. His throat rolled, and his tone was cryptic. “Is there anything else?”

“You and Yan Mingting should be fine. He treats you well. Don’t let your temper out all day long, and live a peaceful and beautiful life.”

“I’ll accept your good words.” Zhao Yelan lifted the corners of his mouth with difficulty and asked, “Have you ever heard Zhao Xu mention the Nanjiang poison?”

“What poison?”

“It’s nothing.” Zhao Yelan’s expression dimmed.

“There is one last thing you must help me with.”

“What is it?”

“Weren’t you able to kill Yu Junliang directly in prison before?” Gu Niaoniao said, “I would rather die by your hand than that of the executioner, with my head separated. Can you give me my dignity?”

After a long time, Zhao Yelan replied: “All right.”

“Thank you. In my life, the most valuable thing was to know you as a friend,” Gu Niaoniao said with red eyes.

Zhao Yelan asked with a stuffy nose: “What is your name?”

Gu Niaoniao was stunned for a moment, and after ten years, she at last said her name slowly: “Jiang Mu. My name is Jiang Mu.”

“Hello, Jiang Mu.” 

“Zhao Mengting, take care.”

After he emerged from the prison, he glanced around and suddenly wanted to see Yan Mingting. He got into a sedan chair, but thought that the sedan chair was too slow, so he disembarked halfway and ran all the way back to the General’s Mansion and started shouting as soon as he entered the gate: “Yan Mingting, Yan Mingting!”

“I’m here.” Yan Mingting walked out of the bedroom and Zhao Yelan ran up to him, stretched out his arms, and embraced him.

“You saw her?” Yan Mingting asked, lowering his head.

Zhao Yelan nodded.

Yan Mingting rubbed his head and said softly: “Let’s go inside, ba.”

Zhao Yelan let go of his hand, and just as he stepped over the threshold, he suddenly heard a bang. He turned his head in a panic to look at Yan Mingting, and found that he had slammed one tightly clenched hand on the door and fell down in a daze. 

“Yan Mingting!” Zhao Yelan immediately went to help him.

Slipping to the ground, Yan Mingting leaned his back against the door and smiled at him with a pale face: “It’s fine, I’m just a little dizzy. Just take it easy, go to the kitchen and pour me a cup of water.”

“I’m not going, I’m not going anywhere!” Zhao Yelan hugged him. “Don’t you try to find excuses to drive me away.”

Yan Minging leaned into his arms and said with a smile: “But, but I’m a little dizzy now, I want to sleep for a while……”

“Not allowed to sleep!”

“Alright, no sleeping, I won’t sleep.”

“General, my lord, what is the matter with you?” Xiao Gao followed the noise and stood at the door, startled.

“Go and get a cup of water,” Zhao Yelan immediately ordered.

“Coming, coming, water is coming.” 

Xiao Gao went to pour a cup of water and handed it to Yan Mingting. When he lowered his eyes, he found that Yan Mingting’s entire body was tense, his hands holding onto his thighs. “General, why are you pinching yourself?”

Zhao Yelan was taken aback for a moment, and then noticed that he had been secretly torturing himself to stay awake, and a line of hot tears immediately rolled from his eyes: “Why, why do you have to…..”

“Mengting, don’t cry, ah.” Yan Mingting raised his hand and wiped away his tears, saying with a pale face, “Go and find Yao Muze.”

“Okay, I’ll go.” Zhao Yelan handed him off to Xiao Gao, then got up and went out. Walking outside the door, he waited for a moment, and heard Yan Mingting’s restrained groan of pain inside. It was as if his heart was being whipped back and forth, and the pain was so terrible that he almost lost consciousness. 

Almost all the people in the Imperial Hospital were in the palace, so Zhao Yelan went from the hospital to the palace and brought Yao Muze out.

Seeing his expression, Yao Muze knew that the situation was not good. He quickly followed him to the General’s Mansion, and Yan Mingting seemed to have recovered, half reclining in bed and eating melon seeds like a normal person.

“I really troubled you to make a trip,” Yan Mingting said with a smile.

“The General is courteous.” Yao Muze opened the medical box. “This poison occurs intermittently. I will give you acupuncture first, in hopes of relieving your pain during an attack.”

“Thank you for your trouble.” Yan Mingting looked at Zhao Yelan again. “Mengting, go and see if dinner is ready. Let’s have Doctor Yao stay for dinner tonight.”

“I won’t go.” Zhao Yelan sat down at the table calmly and said, “Do the acupuncture. Don’t worry about me.”

One by one, thin needles were inserted into the acupuncture points. Zhao Yelan felt as if he was about to die from pain just looking at them. However, Yan Mingting had yet to close his mouth, and was chatting with Yao Muze: “Doctor Yao, help me see if my wife is secretly wiping away tears now?”

“He’s not,” Yao Muze said.

“That’s good, I’m really afraid that you outsiders will see it. You don’t know, he was born so beautiful, and he’s even more captivating when he cries. Ai, it’s better that no one ever sees him cry, or I’ll be so angry.”

“Zhao-daren doesn’t cry easily.”

“Is that so……Hey, Doctor Yao, do you think there is anyone in this world who is worthy of him except me, a handsome and dashing man?”

“No.”

“I think so too.” Yan Mingting smiled.

Listening to their conversation, Zhao Yelan remained silent, as if he didn’t exist, and just watched Yan Mingting quietly.

At night, Zhao Yelan lay beside him and talked about Gu Niaoniao, and Yan Mingting sighed endlessly.

“Do you know what she said?”

“What did she say?”

Zhao Yelan propped up his upper body and looked at him. “She said, we should live a good life in the future.”

Yan Mingting touched his cheek and whispered: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry……”

He had obviously been paying attention. After entering the southern border, he ordered everyone not to eat food other than military rations, and had people strictly guard those rations. But he didn’t expect that the Eighth Princess herself would use herself as a source of poison. Knowing that he would press to find out the old general’s cause of death, she poisoned him before she died.

And after years of refinement, the poison was more toxic than in the past, with no reaction in the beginning. He was eager to return and see Zhao Yelan, so he rushed back without stopping. It wasn’t until he was about to enter the capital that he had a sudden severe headache and fell off his horse due to weakness in his limbs, and realized that he might have been poisoned.

“I thought I could face it calmly, but I can’t, ah…..” Zhao Yelan even made arrangements for the funeral, and planned to leave together after Yan Mingting departed. But today when he saw Yan Mingting fall to the ground with his own eyes, he realized that he had overestimated his ability to endure. He couldn’t watch the other party die in his arms at all.

“My parents are dead, one friend is unconscious, with his survival uncertain, and another is waiting to die in a dungeon. Even you must leave me……Why can’t I keep anyone I want to keep? I beg you, Yan Fangli, I beg you, can’t you survive?” Zhao Yelan held his hand and pleaded hoarsely. “I will never lose my temper with you again, don’t leave me alone…..”

Yan Mingting’s eyes became hot. He pulled him into his arms and asked, a little choked up: “Mengting, tell me, am I really an evil star? Now it’s fallen on me, and even harmed you…..”

“What nonsense are you talking about!” Zhao Yelan covered his mouth, kissed his eyes, and took his lips again. The two people’s tears mixed together, and they couldn’t tell whose was whose. They only hoped that this night would pause forever, and that tomorrow would never come.

T/N: Um……is anyone else crying?

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

Every plant and tree in the Three Thousand Worlds were personally selected and planted by the master of the worlds, and similarly, guests must obtain the master’s permission before they could step in. Now that His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was here, it meant that deep in Second Young Master Liu’s heart, there was actually such a thing as, “with a long sword in hand, no army dares to disobey.” The image of an invincible general could not only command the entire Dayan army, but could also command forty-eight thousand-year-old sages.

In the vast and boundless spiritual realm, Liu Xian’an sat on a white crane and traveled back and forth unhurriedly and leisurely. The toppled and rebuilt world was still chaotic, and he felt that it may take a long time in the future for him to restore it – only then could he realize the dao of heaven little by little and turn this place back into an orderly paradise. However, his head no longer hurt as much as when he was rescued from the cave. Perhaps this was due to the good-smelling sandalwood fragrance that pervaded the surrounding fields, or maybe it was because His Royal Highness Xiao Wang who was holding a sword looked extremely safe and reliable. Thus, he let himself think about the world slowly in a relaxed state.

Then, thinking and thinking, he slowly fell asleep.

It couldn’t be helped, was his spirit too relaxed?

Liu Xian’an’s head tilted forward a little. Liang Shu’s eyes were sharp, and he reached out to catch him by the back of his collar. Second Young Master Liu remained calm, drifting with the clouds in his dream, his whole body floating. He found a soft place and continued to sleep, not even opening his eyes.

This was also the first time in Liang Shu’s life that someone had thrown themselves into his arms. He hugged the other person’s waist with one hand and frowned slightly. For a moment, it seemed as if that absurd spring dream had moved into reality, and many forgotten details were awakened along the way. The beauty was silent, with a graceful, distant presence. 

He found that he was indeed more despicable than his second sister. Second Sister liked beauties because she appreciated them purely, and was satisfied to the extreme just to place them in the harem. But his own desire for beauty was wrapped in all kinds of unspeakable worldly desires.

Liang Shu put the man on the bed, got up, and left the carriage.

After a while, Liu Xian’an also followed him out with sleepy eyes. This was mainly because he fell asleep, and the scent of sandalwood in the wilderness suddenly faded. After waking up with difficulty, he saw that he was the only one left in the carriage, so in a daze, he went outside to look for that person. Unexpectedly, he first hit his head, and then accidentally stepped on air and fell forward.

“Young Master!” A-Ning was so frightened that he rushed over to catch him. It was naturally impossible to catch him, but Liu Xian’an was not thrown out. Liang Shu lifted him up in the air and placed him firmly on Xuan Jiao’s back.

“Sleepwalking?”

“No.”

Liu Xian’an was still half asleep just now, and when he fell, he acted as if he was still riding a crane and soaring through the clouds, without the slightest bit of panic. Now, being put on a horse, he didn’t rejoice in his fortune. His mind was still in a muddled state, and he yawned, adding a sentence after a long time: “Not sleepwalking, I came out specifically to find the prince.”

The corners of Liang Shu’s mouth rose: “Why were you looking for me?”

“I just woke up,” Liu Xian’an answered in a nonchalant manner, clearly too lazy to think. Liang Shu didn’t urge him anymore, but only slowed down the horse. The autumn scenery in the mountains was truly beautiful, with trees under the setting sun, geese tilting amongst the lonely clouds, and red leaves flowing all over the streams.

Liu Xian’an’s attention was gradually drawn to the forest scenery. He planned to transplant a similar autumn forest into his spiritual world, so he turned his head to look to the side from time to time. After a while, he asked again: “Does the prince like red leaves?”

Liang Shu replied: “I like them.”

Liu Xian’an thought, then I will plant one for you too.

Or be more generous and simply plant a whole mountain of them.

Liang Shu saw that he was presently in high spirits, as if he had completely woken up, so he asked: “Are those white-bearded old men bothering you again?”

Liu Xian’an first corrected him that, they are all my friends, not all of them are old, and there are some beauties. Then he remembered the dream just now and turned around: “This time the prince was there.”

Liang Shu remained calm: “Was I also discussing the dao?”

This sounded so ridiculous that even he himself didn’t believe it.

Liu Xian’an shook his head, his face creased with a smile: “No, the prince was helping me maintain order.”

Liang Shu patted his head: “Presumptuous. Who allowed you to drag this lord to work?”

Liu Xian’an said perfunctorily, “En, en, yes, yes,” but thought to himself, in any case, if I don’t speak of it in the future, you’ll never know.

He turned back around and continued to enjoy the breeze with his eyes closed. Liang Shu also smiled. The mountain was filled with the sweet fragrance of berries after they fell to the ground. However, he preferred the scent of the other party’s collar, which was a mixture of very light herbs and bamboo leaves, gladdening the heart and refreshing the mind.

Gao Lin squeezed into the seat next to the coachman and set about looking at the two with a benevolent expression on his face, like a happy old mother. The relationship between the prince and Second Young Master Liu was truly getting better and better.

A-Ning also thought the same way, because he could be lazy and lie down next to the young master before, but now he could only sit outside the carriage almost all day long. If he wanted to lie down, he had to go to another carriage to do so. He was also curious about what his young master was doing when he stayed with the prince all day long, so he secretly lifted the carriage curtain twice —

The first time, the young master was sleeping, and the prince was also sleeping

The second time, the young master was sleeping, and the prince was watching him sleep.

In any case, he couldn’t escape sleep.

It was not uncommon for the young master to sleep, but it was strange that the prince was willing to sleep with him. This was very different from the rumors. A-Ning asked Lieutenant General Gao, what was it like in the northwest?

“The northwest, ah.” Gao Lin held a blade of grass in his mouth. “If there was no war, just staying at Xiao Wang Palace in Yueya City would not be too busy. But the prince is restless. He can lie down for a day at most without finding something to do…..wrong, he will pay attention to trade at the border or simply lead troops to fight wolves in the desert.”

Yes, that was what the rumors said.

Then why did the prince become so quiet and composed when he was with the young master?

Gao Lin also didn’t understand this matter.

A-Ning analyzed: “Could it be that the prince understands the young master’s Three Thousand Ways?”

Gao Lin put forward another hypothesis: “He may also be possessed.”

The latter was obviously more likely.

After all, compared to the Three Thousand Ways, the prince would definitely be more willing to give someone three thousand knives.

A-Ning: “…..”

Impossible!

The group of people traveled for more than ten days. On the afternoon of the current day, the team rested under the trees. Liu Xian’an lazily dozed off, and A-Ning was reclining to the side, eating wild yellow fruits with a medical book spread out on his lap. If there was something he didn’t understand, he would place a bookmark in it and prepared a lot to ask the young master about later. The guards were very familiar with the master and servant, so they joked: “It really looks like a painting.”

Liang Shu did not refute this statement. It was indeed like a painting, but had little to do with whether it was beautiful or not. Rather, the tranquility and remoteness of the people in the painting relying on each other was really precious, suitable for spectators to enjoy quietly. Only, before the quiet could last very long, a cloud of dust rolled up along with the sound of horseshoes on the mountain road.

Everyone followed the sound and looked over. Liu Xian’an also opened his eyes, and A-Ning closed the medical book and stood up: “It seems to be someone from the government.”

Skid – The horse had excellent legs, and galloped to the front in no time. The person on the horse nearly rolled over to kneel down: “Your Highness.”

“It’s you?” Liang Shu said, “Get up.”

His name was Hua Pingye, and he was once a vanguard officer in the Northwest Military Camp. Later, because of a leg injury, he was transferred to Cuiqiu City as an official. When he married a wife a year ago, he had someone send a cart of wine and wedding candy to Yueya City.

“A-Ping.” Gao Lin helped him stand. “Slow down, what happened?”

Hua Pingye panted: “Your Highness, there are rebels in the Gaoliang Mountain area.”

Ah? A-Ning looked at his young master in shock. How could there be rebels in these peaceful times?

Liu Xian’an patted him on the shoulder. You and I are at peace, and Baihe City is at peace, but that doesn’t mean the whole world is peaceful. Didn’t you hear Lieutenant General Gao talking about the Bai River flood a while ago? Even if it only destroyed one mu of farmland, for the owner of that farmland, this year is definitely not peaceful. What’s more, the flood caused more than one farm and one mu of farmland to suffer.

Hua Pingye had received the news of the rebels near Gaoliang Mountain and the news that His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was about to arrive at Cuiqiu City almost simultaneously, so he promptly came here in person without stopping. According to the secret report, the leader of the rebels at Gaoliang Mountain was named Huang Wangxiang, a man from Xiaohuang Village who was in the prime of his thirties or forties. Because the fields at home were all washed away and his parents, wife, and children all died in the torrential flood, he saw that there was no way out, so he dragged a group of brothers who were also suffering to be kings on Gaoliang Mountain.

This sort of rebel sounded hard for people to hate, but rebellion was a capital crime, after all, and the local garrison should have sent troops to suppress it as soon as the signs appeared. Now that Huang Wangxiang was flourishing, it was either because the garrison had neglected its duties, or it deliberately did not try to take care of it.

If they deliberately ignored it and let it develop, they could use this as an excuse to ask the court for more money. Wasn’t it just a farmer leading a group of refugees who couldn’t get enough to eat? How much trouble could they cause? Or to take another step back, even if there was a genuine rebellion, the Imperial court would transfer troops from other places, and they wouldn’t have to worry themselves. Taking advantage of this situation to make money was a serious matter.

Liang Shu and Gao Lin had seen many silverfish like this, and Hua Pingye also knew the routine, so he didn’t need to say more. He only said: “If they knew that the prince had come to Cuiqiu City, they would have restrained themselves a little.”

Liang Shu handed the confidential letter to Liu Xian’an: “Go back to the carriage. First follow me to Cuiqiu City. If you have free time on the road, take a look at the activities of Huang Wangxiang.” 

It was only then that Hua Pingye noticed that there were two people standing under the tree. He glanced at them and asked Lieutenant General Gao in a low voice: “Is this the rumored Second Young Master Liu?”

Gao Lin was surprised, yes, ah, you can tell at a glance?

Hua Pingye said: “It’s not difficult.” After all, the whole world had been speculating that the princess would marry Second Young Master Liu a while ago, and there were not many people who bore such an appearance.

He continued to speculate: “The prince is going to invite Second Young Master Liu back to the royal city so that he can meet the princess?”

Liang Shu turned his head and glanced at him coldly.

Hua Pingye shuddered and wisely shut up.

Liu Xian’an sat in the carriage and read the confidential letter carefully. Perhaps to cover up the deliberate negligence of the local garrison, Huang Wangxiang was described in the letter as an invincible monster who could confuse people’s hearts, standing nine feet tall. There were several pages of such eloquence, but not a single word of it was useful.

Even A-Ning couldn’t stand it anymore and complained: “Why are these people so useless! When it comes to leading an army, they can’t even compare to a hair on the prince’s head. I could do better than them.”

“You and the prince want the world to be stable, but they wish for constant chaos.” Liu Xian’an said, “Their purpose is different, and their means are naturally different as a result. It doesn’t mean that one is smarter or more stupid than the other.”

He folded the letter neatly and put it back in the envelope. A-Ning continued to ask: “Since they are refugees, they must need medicinal materials. Should we prepare some in advance?”

“I’m afraid they are not easy to buy anymore.” Liu Xian’an thought for a moment. “Okay, you should go discuss it with Lieutenant General Gao first.”

A-Ning agreed and bent down to disembark the carriage. The carriage curtain swung again a moment later, and it was Liang Shu who sat inside.

“How about it?”

“It’s better not to read it.”

Liang Shu smiled: “I think so too. You just take it as a spectacle and see how shameless the world can be in order to satisfy their selfish desires.”

Liu Xian’an returned the confidential letter: “However, there is definitely something special about Huang Wangxiang’s ability to gather a large number of people in a short period of time. The prince should be careful.”

“Unnecessary.” Liang Shu looked at him, saying in a nonchalant manner, “Anyway, someone will heal me if I’m injured.”

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Chapter Thirty-Four << Table of Contents >> Chapter Thirty-Six

“Mr. Li, it’s not that I haven’t thought about it, but the facts are in front of me—”

Another calm and experienced voice sounded, asking with helpless resignation, “Since Old Mr. Li passed away, has your ‘Dawn Games’ ever made a comeback?”

“Yes, I admit that at a young age, you still stabilized a company that was on the verge of bankruptcy in three or four years. Such perseverance and devotion is amazing, but I really can’t see any development prospects in your “Dawn.”

The person named ‘Mr. Yang’ paused, and spoke the cruelest rejection in the calmest tone. “I’m sorry I can’t do anything about this investment. I still have something to do, so I’ll step out first.”

The soundproofing in the box wasn’t good.

Pei Yi listened to the chatter in the box next door, and then heard Li Yuan hoarsely accepting his fate. “I’m delaying Mr. Yang. I’ll see you off, then.”

There was more movement next door as they got up and left.

After the door curtain was lifted, the tone of that Mr. Yang’s speech softened a lot. “Young Mister Li, I still admire your perseverance in doing things. Don’t see me off. If I have a chance, I will treat you to dinner.”

“Thank you, President Wang, for your appreciation. Then leave slowly.”

“En.”

The footsteps gradually faded away.

Pei Yi couldn’t hold back, and opened the curtain of the box. Sure enough, he saw Li Yuan’s back from the side, tall and superior, with the iconic wolf tail and fluffy hair on the back of his head.

Li Yuan, who watched the investor walk away, turned around and met Pei Yi’s gaze. He froze for two seconds, looking around to restrain the disappointment in his eyes.

“Little Young Master Pei, why are you here alone?”

As soon as the words fell, he frowned and asked again, “Our conversation just now, you heard it all?”

“…….”

Pei Yi paused for a second or two, and decided to follow the original owner’s temperament, answering truthfully, “A little bit.”

However, this little bit was enough for him to analyze the purpose and final result of the conversation.

Li Yuan looked at the empty box on his side and let out a soft, bitter laugh. “Forget it. If you heard, you heard. I guess a little fool like you wouldn’t understand.”

The second half of the sentence was spoken very lightly, and the phrase “little fool” was like a pronoun, not a deliberate derogatory remark.

Pei Yi’s eyes moved to the empty seat opposite, then back to Li Yuan’s face, sending a silent invitation: Do you want to sit down?

At the same time, Li Yuan approached and said, “Can I sit down?”

Pei Yi nodded.

As soon as Li Yuan sat down, assistant Lin Zhong came up with a glass of orange juice and small cakes. The latter was a bit surprised to see an extra person in the box seat. “Little Young Master, who is this?”

Li Yuan frowned, and then realized that Pei Yi couldn’t have gone out alone.

Before he could open his mouth to introduce himself, Pei Yi made an affirmative statement—

“Friend.”

Lin Zhong and Li Yuan were simultaneously taken aback. They didn’t expect that Pei Yi would address him with the word “friend.”

Lin Zhong, who reacted first, put down the juice and cake, and took the opportunity to examine Li Yuan for a moment. “Sir, do you need anything? I can go downstairs to order for you.”

As Bo Yueming’s personal assistant, Lin Zhong had good standards, to say the least, and his vigilance underneath and public etiquette on the surface were in place.

Li Yuan declined. “Thank you, but there’s no need.”

Lin Zhong made a sound of acknowledgement and said, “Then Sir, you two talk slowly. I will sit at the single table at the foot of the stairs, call for me if you need anything.”

The curtain was lowered again.

With the sound of Lin Zhong’s footsteps going farther away, Li Yuan’s eyes relaxed a little, and he took out his cigarette case from his pocket. Slender jade fingers pulled one out.

Pei Yi was going to remind him that there was “no smoking indoors,” but it turned out that the other party just flicked the cigarette butt and then put the cigarette under his nose to sniff it.

“…….”

Li Yuan suppressed the turmoil and frustration in his heart with the faint smell of tobacco. Turning to meet Pei Yi’s hesitant eyes, he smiled and said bluntly, “Afraid of the smell of smoke? Have you tried it?”

Pei Yi shook his head.

Occasionally, when he was stuck on a game design, he also smoked to relieve stress. But he didn’t smoke often, and it wasn’t a must.

Li Yuan turned the long cigarette lightly in his hand, complaining, “Just by seeing how obedient and silly you look, I know you don’t smoke. Don’t worry, I know that smoking is prohibited indoors, and I’m not so wicked as to make you breathe second-hand smoke.”

Pei Yi didn’t speak.

Having met twice, he already had a more intuitive understanding of Li Yuan, a “supporting role”—

Sharp, venomous, and straightforward, with a bit of stubbornness and ego, there was also a bit of concern mixed in. 

To put it bluntly, he had tsundere attributes.

Pei Yi’s eyes fell on Li Yuan’s injured finger. The white bandage from last night was still wrapped around it, but the blood clearly seeping out from inside had solidified.

Pei Yi was a little obsessive compulsive, and looked uncomfortable. “Dirty.”

Li Yuan slowly realized what he meant, and touched the bandage lightly with the pad of his thumb. “…….En, I forgot to change it.”

He responded to the word, but was in no hurry to change it.

Li Yuan hid the bandaged hand under the table and exhaled a mouthful of air. “Little Young Master Pei, are you bored? If you’re bored, then chat with me.”

Pei Yi was taken aback.

Li Yuan continued on his own, “The other day, I went to the Bo family banquet and, in fact, I wanted to find an investor to cooperate with from among that group of wealthy families. It was just that I ran into dead ends everywhere. When I was hiding to smoke in the corridor, you were blocked in and bullied.”

Pei Yi had vaguely guessed that this was the case, and continued to listen to what he said.

“Wei Bo and the others were right, I have long since had nothing to do with the glamorous wealthy circle. The Li family declined as early as my sophomore year……”

Li Yuan’s voice was very low. Rather than say he was telling a story, it might be better to say that he was taking the opportunity to vent his depression.

In fact, Pei Yi understood something about Li Yuan’s past experiences from the original book—

The Li family was originally the earliest professional game development company in China, and the top name “Dawn Games” resounded across the country.

With the continuous development of society and technology, and the continuous innovation of internet games, Dawn Games, because of bad decisions at a high level, took the wrong “conservative” path and was completely discarded into the wind, going downhill step by step.

In Li Yuan’s sophomore year, Father Li came down with leukemia, which was uncommon in his age group, and passed away after several treatments.

Mother Li was heartbroken and fell ill, and even the shareholders of Dawn Games kicked up a fuss. At that time, Li Yuan, the only son who was originally studying finance, had to temporarily drop out of school to take care of these difficult matters.

But after all, he was a young man who had not yet entered society. How could he fight against those old foxes who were contriving this and calculating that?

The original “Dawn” was divided up until there wasn’t much left, and in the end, it was almost an empty shell, with some small games that could no longer earn any copyright fees.

In order to safeguard his early-departed father’s life’s work, Li Yuan changed his major to game programming. Over the years, studying and keeping a job had been extremely difficult and frustrating.

Because the company’s R&D funds were insufficient, he could only choose to go out and buy the initial copyright of new mini-games, in addition to finding new sources of investment. It was barely enough to support the company.

Mini-games were not like large-scale games. They followed the trends one after another, and now the company had come to a standstill.

Li Yuan bit his unlit cigarette, as if it would temporarily numb his fretfulness. He raised his eyes to look at Pei Yi, who had been silent all along, and suddenly felt a bit silly for blurting out his confession just now. 

“Little Young Master, no wonder people say you are reticent and mute. My mouth is so dry from voicing bitter things, and you can’t even respond with a sound? You really don’t give me any face.”

It sounded like a venomous rebuke, but in fact, Li Yuan was glad. It was because of Pei Yi’s “foolishness” that he told the pressures he was under that he couldn’t dump onto outsiders, otherwise, he would be too embarrassed to say such things casually.

Pei Yi pushed over the untouched juice and sugar flower cakes on the table in consolation. “Here, it’s sweet. Makes your mood good.”

Li Yuan stared at the delicate sugar flowers on the cakes, then looked away after a couple of seconds. “Childrens’ things. I won’t snatch them from you.”

“No snatching, I give them to you.”

Pei Yi was fed by Shu Wan until noon, and there was no shortage of such things in his stomach at the moment. Looking at Li Yuan in front of him, he felt that his nature was not as bad as the book said.

Perhaps because he was also engaged in the game industry, Pei Yi always had a sense of “one of his own” toward him.

At this thought, a flash of inspiration lit up in Pei Yi’s mind. Before he could catch it carefully, Lin Zhong appeared at the door of the box again.

“Little Sir, it’s time to go. Second Young Master and the others will arrive in a minute.”

“Oh, okay.”

Pei Yi returned to his senses, and when he got up, he pushed the cake dish toward Lin Yuan. “Eat, ba. Bye-bye.”

“…….”

Li Yuan watched in a daze as Pei Yi went downstairs, then slowly turned his back to the food and said faintly, “You really don’t want it, ah? You won’t eat this?”

He pursed his lips after speaking. Taking advantage of the lack of people around, he changed his previous appearance of refusal—

Taking a sip of juice first, he then dug a small spoonful of the small cake.

Within a few seconds, his eyes squinted contentedly, and he completely forgot about saying “children’s things” just now.

. . . . . .

When Pei Yi walked out of the coffee shop, he found a larger car parked by the door with a license plate that didn’t seem to have appeared in the Bo garage.

The car door automatically opened, revealing Bo Yueming’s figure. “Get in the car, ba.”

Lin Zhong glanced at Pei Yi first, and got into the car first to occupy a position in the back row. “Little Sir, you and Second Young Master sit in the same row. I’ll squeeze in behind.”

Pei Yi silently got into the car, and suddenly heard a familiar meow.

“Meow~”

He turned around and found a mobile cat backpack beside Lin Zhong’s seat. Inspector likely caught his scent, and was sticking its little head out and meowing.

Pei Yi was surprised. “Inspector?”

The car door closed automatically again. Uncle Kai signaled the driver to drive, then turned around to explain to Pei Yi, “Little Sir, the Second Young Master has something to go out and do for three days. You will go as well, and Inspector was brought for you.”

Pei Yi narrowed his eyes, and question marks popped up in his mind. According to the few descriptions in the original book—

Bo Yueming shouldn’t bring ‘him’ along when he went out on errands, right? Why did he suddenly say he was going to go?

Bo Yueming seemed to have expected that Pei Yi would be suspicious. “Last night, Bo Wang lost face in public. I heard that he went to a bar and got drunk, and broke his leg when he left the bar in the early morning. It is very serious, and he is now lying in a private ward.”

Pei Yi couldn’t hold his surprise back for a moment. “Ah?”

Bo Yueming followed suit and commented, “En, so careless.”

“……..”

Pei Yi heard a clue and continued to pretend to be puzzled, his gaze continuing to fall on Bo Yueming’s face.

Just careless?

Why did he feel that wasn’t it?

Uncle Kai hid the understanding in his eyes, and went on to explain with a smile, “Second Young Master fears that since Young Master Bo Wang hurt his leg, he and the Second Lady will be unpacified and deliberately come to vent their anger.”

When the time came, Bo Yueming and Uncle Kai would not be there and the servants would not dare to protect him, so the person to suffer disaster would be Pei Yi. And if Inspector protected his master like last time, it would likely encounter the same misfortune.

Hearing these remarks, Pei Yi became more and more sure of his guess—

How could this be the result of carelessness? It was likely that Bo Yueming took the opportunity to send someone out and do it! It seemed that the blackening process of this “villain” was still progressing secretly, ah?

Pei Yi didn’t care how many legs Bo Wang broke, and accepted the current situation as a matter of course.

Two and a half hours later, Pei Yi arrived at a resort with Bo Yueming and the others.

In the mountains, the sky always got dark faster.

The person in charge came to contact them and led them to an exclusive area while disclosing the situation in detail, “Mr. Bo, all the instruments have been shipped and arranged in advance, and the medical team was already in place this afternoon. We can start the first round of examinations tomorrow morning.”

Bo Yueming’s eyes flickered slightly. “All right.”

Pei Yi carried Inspector on his back and followed him silently, already understanding from the behavior of the person in charge—

In the original book, Bo Yueming underwent secret treatment behind everyone’s backs in the early stages. It seemed that this was the purpose of the trip.

No wonder he went out by car early in the morning, and then switched to a bigger car with an unfamiliar license plate. It should be to cover up the eyes and ears of others, and avoid being noticed by the Bo family.

The person in charge quickly took them to a private courtyard, and said after entering the door, “Mr. Bo, there are two bedrooms with three single beds in the west wing, and then a separate master bedroom in the main house.”

Pei Yi suddenly realized something, but Bo Yueming was a step ahead and asked, “So, there are only three rooms?”

According to the original plan, two single rooms were to be allocated to the driver and Lin Zhong, and to Uncle Kai respectively. Then the big master bedroom……didn’t it have to accommodate two people?

The person in charge confirmed the situation, “There were four people specified on the phone at that time, so this small courtyard was arranged.”

As he spoke, he covertly sized up the extra Pei Yi and asked the question, “Is this Little Sir Mr. Bo’s lover? Can, can you stay in the master bedroom together?”

---

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Chapter Seventeen <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Nineteen

Zhao Yelan had sensed that something was wrong ever since he retrieved Yan Mingting.

No matter what, he would never believe that Yan Mingting would allow the horse to run back alone just because he was in a hurry to urinate. Such a pathetic reason must be because something big happened, and he hadn’t had time to figure out a lie.

And during the two days of spending time with one another, he clearly felt that Yan Mingting’s smile was not as worry-free as usual. There was a bit of helplessness behind it, and after it disappeared, there was an endless sigh.

How perceptive was Zhao Yelan? He had expected that he was hiding something from him, but didn’t expect it to be such a huge matter.

The poison that killed the old general was colorless, odorless, and difficult to detect. The symptoms were dizziness and weakness of limbs.

So Yan Mingting was unable to return with the horse that day perhaps because he lost consciousness and fell from the horse. It may be that with the last sliver of reasoning, he asked the horse to find someone to save him, or that the horse had the consciousness to save him and ran back alone to find someone to rescue him.

“Then…..is there an antidote?” Zhao Yelan asked.

Yao Muze shook his head in shame: “I’m not very knowledgeable. I only know that this kind of poison exists, but not how to cure it. From last night to now, I have searched all through the medical arts without finding a solution.”

“What about other Imperial physicians?” Zhao Yelan asked, and was about to go find those other people when Yao Muze stopped him.

“It’s no use. I already inquired about it this morning, and they haven’t even heard of this poison,” Yao Muze said worriedly.

“In this huge hospital, there is not one useful person to be found. How is it worthy of being called a hospital! It’s a bunch of trash!” 

Zhao Yelan cursed a few times, turned around, and strode away. Summoning Yu Dali and the other forty-eight people, he ordered: “You go to Nanjiang now. No matter what methods you use, by whatever means, you must bring all the doctors with good medical skills to the capital. Hurry up!”

After they left, Zhao Yelan walked forward in a daze, unknowingly returning to the General’s Mansion. But just as he walked in the door, he heard Yan Mingting talking with Xiao Gao in the courtyard. He took a few steps back and told the guards at the door not to say anything, and then stood outside the door, listening to their voices.

“Xiao Gao, I will teach you everything I have learned all my life. You have to learn it quickly, all right?”

“Okay, ah!”

After showing him his martial arts, Yan Mingting said: “Three days. Can you learn it?”

“Three days is too fast, ba.”

“Then five days?”

“General, why are you in such a hurry? Isn’t there still a long time ahead? Can’t I learn a little each day?”

“If you finish learning earlier, you can protect your lord. Don’t you want to protect him?”

“Want to, ah. Okay, I’ll learn now.”

Zhao Yelan listened to the sound of fighting inside. His throat tightened and he couldn’t make a sound. Just as he raised his foot to step inside, he suddenly turned around and ran to the nearest sedan chair, held his face in both hands, and wept uncontrollably.

“Guest official, where are you going?” Asked the bearer.

After a long time, Zhao Yelan said: “The Imperial Academy.”

The whole afternoon, Zhao Yelan sat alone in an Imperial Academy room. The door was closed tightly, and no one was allowed to go in and talk. 

His colleagues were a little puzzled, and Ruan Xian walked over and knocked on the door: “Zhao-xiong, is something wrong? Talk to us, maybe we can help you?”

There was no sound from inside. Ruan Xian came several times but received no response. He became increasingly worried and asked the guards to knock down the door.

“Zhao-xiong, I’ll have to offend you.”

After the door was knocked open, Ruan Xian stood in the doorway and was stunned when he saw the scene inside.

He saw Zhao Yelan sitting at the table like a normal person, writing with a brush. The man gave him a slanted look: “Get out.”

“Excuse me, it seems I’ve interrupted you.” 

Ruan Xian insipidly closed the door, and for a moment, he didn’t know what had happened to him.

Zhao Yelan’s eyes returned to the table. On the rice paper spread out in front of him were instructions on what to do with his property.

After returning to the General’s Mansion at night, Xiao Gao excitedly told him that he had learned a very powerful move from the General today and wanted to show him.

Yan Mingting walked up to him, and the two of them watched Xiao Gao show off his skills. Yan Mingting gave a few words of instruction from time to time, and asked Zhao Yelan with a smile: “How about it? What do you think about the apprentice I’ve taught?”

“You’ve barely done anything,” Zhao Yelan said. “Xiao Gao is naturally talented.”

“No matter how talented you are, you must be guided by a good master.” Yan Mingting raised his eyebrows.

Zhao Yelan scoffed coldly: “Then I was also taught by you, so why am I not like him?”

“Isn’t it just your level of talent?”

“So it does come back to natural talent?”

“I say, I can’t win against you.” Yan Mingting scratched his head and laughed, then took his hand to go eat. “Let’s go, the kitchen has made your favorite dishes tonight, and I went to Huichun Tower to buy some snacks. I’m sure you will like them.”

After dinner, Yan Mingting proposed going out for a walk. He took him to the streets and bought a lot of things.

“Jinxuan’s is up ahead, let’s go buy some clothes.”

“No, there are too many at home.”

“You actually think you have too many clothes?” Yan Mingting asked in surprise.

Zhao Yelan was silent for a moment: “Let’s go then, ba, we’ll go shopping for clothes.”

In the end, Yan Mingting bought a dozen or so items for Zhao Yelan, and found that Zhao Yelan also bought a dozen or so items for him.

“Why buy so much, I won’t be able to wear it all in my next life,” Yan Mingting lamented. 

Zhao Yelan paused and gave him a blank look: “Then you have to buy more, buy ten more pieces, and wrap up all the clothes for your next life.”

Yan Mingting laughed loudly and handed over the pile of clothing to Xiao Gao, asking him to send them back to the residence first.

When passing by the gold shop, Yan Mingting once again didn’t control his steps and went in to buy a few golden locks, rings, and pendants. After paying the bill and coming out, he found Zhao Yelan coming out of the weapons shop opposite with several swords in his hands.

Yan Mingting didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, and took those things: “I haven’t seen you for a long time and just wanted to buy you something, why do you want to give gifts in return?”

“I have a lot of money and it’s burning a hole in my pocket, can’t I?”

“Okay, okay, you can burn whatever you want.” After Yan Mingting finished speaking with a smile, he didn’t know which word jabbed Zhao Yelan, but the other party stepped on him several times.

The two of them walked around for nearly an hour before returning home. Housekeeper Qin looked at their bags and said in surprise: “What day is it today? Or are you going out for a long trip?”

Both of them were silent for a moment, avoiding the question one after another.

After returning to the room, Zhao Yelan threw the tanghulu he had bought onto the table: “Eat, ba.”

“You bought so much, when can I finish it?” Yan Mingting said with a muffled laugh. This fellow had bought nearly all the tanghulu on the entire street.

“Eat it until your teeth rot,” Zhao Yelan said viciously.

“If I didn’t know, I would think today was my birthday,” Yan Mingting said.

At these words, Zhao Yelan gave him a sharp look: “You liar.”

Yan Mingting asked blankly: “When did I lie to you?”

Who said on last year’s birthday, ‘May you have today’s glory forever!’

Zhao Yelan was so angry that he beat him for a long time and then kicked him out: “Scram, I need a bath.”

Yan Mingting received this long-lost outburst of temper and felt a little happy, standing outside the door for a long time. After going to bed, he was somewhat worried that the other party’s body would not be able to handle it, so he hugged him and slept in a well-behaved manner.

Who knew that Zhao Yelan would ask: “Are you dying?”

“Ah?”

Zhao Yelan turned over and sat on him, bent down, and kissed him a few times: “Isn’t this very good?”

Yan Mingting wore a look of shock and watched his up and down movements in disbelief. No matter how hard it was to restrain himself, he rocked with him again.

In the second half of the night, Zhao Yelan didn’t show any sign of weakness. He clung to his shoulders, smiled coldly, and whispered: “Yan Fangli, let’s just die in bed like this.”

Yan Mingting was worked over hard by him, and the two of them embraced each other practically to death in bed.

The next day, when Yan Mingting got up, Zhao Yelan immediately sat up and asked: “Where are you going?”

“The army is back, I must meet them outside the city gate. The Emperor will lead the courtiers to greet them. Anyway, you don’t have to go to the Imperial Academy, so you can sleep for a while.” Yan Mingting tucked in the blanket for him.

“No, I’m going too.” Zhao Yelan couldn’t miss a moment. He stood up. “Change clothes for me.”

Yan Mingting admired the mottled marks on his body first, then put on his clothes, fondling his neck for a moment with his fingertips: “Ah, there are also marks here. Where is your ointment?”

“Never mind that, let’s go.” Zhao Yelan pulled him along and walked outside.

The two had to separate temporarily. Zhao Yelan walked to the palace, followed the group of the monarch and his subjects, and went to the gate of the city to greet them.

The Imperial army stood guard on both sides of the road, and the mighty troop drew in the common people to stop and watch. Everyone was waiting for the Imperial army with joyful smiles on their faces.

Zhao Yelan followed Zhao Xuan to the city gate and saw a hundred thousand troops falling neatly into rank on the endless road. As dawn arrived, Yan Mingting sat heroically on horseback.

“Open the city gate and welcome the soldiers,” Zhao Xuan said.

The city gate was opened, and Yan Mingting was followed in by a group of lively lieutenants, then soldiers, and the common people cheered and called Yan Mingting’s name.

After Yan Mingting waited for Zhao Yelan and the others to descend the city wall, he led the lieutenants to step forward. Zhao Xuan praised them for their bravery and fearlessness, and ordered the armed forces to be rewarded.

Just as everyone’s attention was drawn, suddenly, dozens of people in the crowd shot arrows at Zhao Xuan.

“Look out!” Yan Mingting reacted first and drew his sword, intercepting the nearest arrow. “There are assassins!”

The street became chaotic in an instant, and people screamed and ran around in fear. The lieutenants immediately protected the Emperor and courtiers as they dealt with the sudden sneak attack.

While evacuating the common people, the Imperial army located the assassins.

After Yan Mingting handed Zhao Yelan over to He Cuizhang, he jumped out to kill the assassins, slaughtering a dozen of them in a short while.

His intuition told him that these people were arranged by Zhao Xu.

Something came to mind, and he turned his head to look toward Zhao Xuan, only to see a man dressed as a person from the Western Regions with a veil covering his face sneaking past him.

His eyes darkened, and he picked up the bow and arrow from an assassin’s body. Aiming at that person with endless hatred in his eyes, he shot the arrow.

“Ah!” Zhao Xu had just clenched the knife in his hand and was about to approach Zhao Xuan, when his chest suddenly hurt. He looked down at the blood flowing from his torso, turned his head in a daze, and then knelt down weakly on his knees.

Only then did the people around discover his identity. Zhao Xuan said furiously: “It really is you!”

Yan Mingting walked up to Zhao Xu in a few steps, looked at his kneeling posture, and kicked him to the ground. Lifting the sword in his hands, he was about to give him another fatal blow, but was stopped by Zhao Yelan.

“Wait!” Zhao Yelan rushed in front of him, grabbed Zhao Xu by the collar, and asked forcefully, “Where is the antidote for the poison you used on the old general!”

Zhao Xu opened his mouth, and blood gushed out.

“Mengting…..” Yan Mingting slowly looked at Zhao Yelan with an astonished expression. “You know everything?”

However, Zhao Yelan didn’t have time to answer at all, and continued to press Zhao Xu: “Speak up, ah! Where is the antidote! Do you think I won’t skin you alive? Speak quickly!”

Zhao Xu spat out a mouthful of blood and suddenly laughed: “Ha, haha, it seems that he has also embarked on the road of his father’s fate. The antidote…….I don’t have one either, ah, hahaha. The antidote was only available to the Eighth Princess, didn’t he kill her? This is just life, ah!”

Zhao Yelan released his grip expressionlessly and looked at Yan Mingting: “Kill him.”

Yan Mingting raised the sword, and at last cut down his father-killing enemy. Blood spattered on his hands.

“Don’t get his dirty blood on you.” Zhao Yelan took out a handkerchief and wiped his hands.

“Hurry up and escort His Majesty back to the palace!” Eunuch Gao shouted.

The nearest dozen or so Imperial guards came forward to protect Zhao Xuan, and when they passed by Zhao Yelan, she suddenly smelled a faint fragrance.

Zhao Yelan was stunned.

“What is it?” Yan Mingting asked.

“Wrong, wrong.” Zhao Yelan frowned. “Zhao Xu has been hiding in Beijing, and neither we nor the Emperor found him, so where was he hiding?”

Yan Mingting was taken aback for a moment, starting to think about this question, but Zhao Yelan said with a pale face in the next moment: “Hongxiu House, he hid in Hongxiu House!”

There was a secret passage in Hongxiu House that outsiders were unable to find at all, and he had automatically ruled out this place when he sent people to search.

“And during the New Year, the curfew was strictly controlled. The Eighth Princess had private meetings with men, but all the men stayed home. Only one place was open.”

“Hongxiu House,” Yan Mingting said.

Recalling the familiar scent just now, a trace of panic appeared on Zhao Yelan’s face: “Quick! Gu Niaoniao is likely to be among those soldiers, go and stop her!”

As soon as he spoke, a scream sounded in the distance: “His Majesty! Come quickly, His Majesty has been assassinated!”

Yan Mingting rushed over immediately.

Zhao Yelan dragged his feet slowly, walking toward the chaotic crowd, but didn’t dare to go up and investigate when he approached until the people in front dispersed. He saw Gu Niaoniao.

Dressed as an Imperial soldier, Gu Niaoniao was already under control, and countless swords were aimed at her.

She also saw Zhao Yelan and threw away the bloody knife in her hand. Raising her lips, with a bloodstain on her cheek, she revealed a coquettish smile: “You’re here. I’ve left some of the best spices and tea leaves for you. Remember to go fetch them.”

---

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Chapter Eighty-Five <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Eighty-Seven

Liu Hengchang ran to the waterside pavilion for two days in a row, and only then did he understand the thick pile of medical records written by Liu Xian’an. He comprehended it with great difficulty, and regarded his family’s Second Young Master as an immortal doctor in his heart. He thought to himself, how can there be such a free and unrestrained person? Dissolute and informal by nature, he never formed secular friendships, but had a secret friendship with the supreme commander of the entire dynasty.

He judged that His Royal Highness Xiao Wang also admired the young master very much, otherwise he would not have sat in the waterside courtyard for an entire afternoon, closing his eyes to listen to the sounds of nature, his expression smoothing out in relaxation. Didn’t that just happen to be the rumored, “Every time a song is played, Zhong Ziqi always enjoys it?”^[1] A-Chang insisted on picking out a bit of bosom friendship from it, and felt very moved.

With the cooperation of Liu Hengchang and Master Liu, the plan went smoothly. At first, people only found that A-Chang had suddenly disappeared. It didn’t seem as if he was taken away temporarily, and left a lot of work without anyone to take care of it. They all ran to ask after Young Master Feng, but the answers they received were all very vague and secretive. With worldly affairs, sometimes it was worse to cover them up than to spread the word. The more it was covered up, the more people were incited to investigate, so there was soon word that A-Chang had embezzled a lot of money for himself through purchasing medicinal materials in the past few years. This time, the matter of the wild black dates was discovered, so he was exiled.

Everyone sighed. How could such an obviously hard-working young man be so short-sighted?

But once they had sighed, it was over. It was time to keep busy. Patients from all over the country were still waiting to see a doctor, and for the disciples of Baihe Mountain Village, even life and death were just a fleeting moment, let alone which people stayed or left.

Liu Hengchang, carrying a pack on his back, left Baihe City alone on a horse.

Black clouds roiled in the distance, full of thunder.

. . . . . . .

Compared to letting A-Chang go, the Master of the Village appeared to be much more entangled by the fact that His Royal Highness Xiao Wang wanted to take away his second son. It seemed like a lot of trouble, and Liu-furen did not want to agree. She had wanted him to be more active previously, but this time he was almost killed by kidnappers when he went out. What parents could rest assured?

Going to Wangcheng, not to mention the long journey, he might have to see the princess again after going there. Liu-furen was full of worries: “You and I are both clear on Xian’an’s temperament. If the princess wants to marry him, he will most likely say “that’s also fine,” but how can he be an Imperial son-in-law? There are so many rules in the royal family, who would allow him to lie down all day long?”

And the Master of the Village was also very perplexed. There was nobody in the country who didn’t know that His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was busy with military affairs, so he should have no time to travel around the jianghu – to be honest, he might even need a sedan chair to carry his son while traveling the jianghu, so why did he insist on taking him along?

The couple discussed for a long time without uncovering the reason, but the result of the discussion was that it was best for him not to go to Wangcheng.

So Liu-furen personally went to the waterside pavilion, wanting to instruct her son to pretend to be sick. However, upon entering the door, she saw several drawings of carriages laid out on the table, each of which looked more luxurious than the other. A-Ning was busy making a luggage list, which was so long that it looked like he intended to empty the waterside pavilion of all belongings.

Liu Xian’an had a piece of dried fruit in his mouth. He had talked so much with A-Chang a few days ago and his throat was a bit uncomfortable, but from Liu-furen’s point of view, this posture of lying on the bed and eating fruit was truly too lazy for words. She was so anxious that she sat on the edge of the bed and held his hand with worry and care, saying: “I should have arranged a wife for you earlier.”

Liu Xian’an replied: “That’s also fine, ba.”

Liu-furen laughed angrily: “Anyone would be fine?”

Liu Xian’an licked the plum pit with the tip of his tongue: “Anyone is fine.”

Liang Shu’s footsteps stopped outside the gate of the water pavilion.

“If you want to marry a wife, you have to be diligent, otherwise wouldn’t it be a disaster for other families’ girls?” 

Liu-furen asked A-Ning to bring a cushion and put it behind his waist.

Liu Xian’an explained: “It’s not that I want to marry a wife, it’s that I can marry a wife, but I don’t want to.”

Ignoring his nonsense, Liu-furen continued to ask: “After getting married, will you just lie down like this?”

Liu Xian’an replied, we can also lie down together.

Liu-furen imagined such a scene and her brain nearly burst. In fact, when she sought out her son, she had already prepared a few good marriages and wanted to discuss them with him so as to save him from being wanted by others. Although Second Young Master Liu was renowned for his laziness, it couldn’t be helped that he looked really good. His character was not too twisted or distorted, and there was still Baihe Mountain Village, so there were many well-matched ladies who were willing to marry him. 

But now, Liu-furen thought it was better to forget it, ba. A son who couldn’t control himself well, how could his wife be expected to control him? She feared that in the end, there would only be resentment, so she just said: “For what reason does the prince want to take you to the royal city this time?”

“It’s not a big deal,” Liu Xian’an said. “It’s just that I always had a headache a few days ago, and staying with the prince will make me feel much more comfortable.”

Liu-furen gave him a swat: “Nonsense, why didn’t you tell your father about your headaches? The prince is not a doctor, how could he heal your illness?”

Liu Xian’an sat up a little, and originally wanted to explain, but when he thought that to explain, he would have to reopen that vast and folding world in his mind and then describe it in a way that ordinary people could understand, he immediately felt very tired, ah. It was really too tiring, and completely unnecessary, so he lay back down again and gave a perfunctory: “En.”

Liu-furen asked: “How does the prince heal your illness?”

Liu Xian’an replied: “He makes me talk a lot.”

This sort of therapy would be unbelievable when a normal person heard it, and Liu-furen was even more disbelieving. She decided that her son was too lazy to speak and was talking nonsense. Liu Xian’an also didn’t make any excuses. He was originally just being lazy, so he pulled the blanket over his head and straightforwardly pretended to be asleep. He had often used this trick as a child, and it was still effective now. Liu-furen laughed angrily: “How old are you? If your father saw this, he would beat you again.”

Second Young Master Liu thought to himself, then I will want to go to Wangcheng even more.

Liu-furen tried hard to persuade her son for a long time, but failed in the end. Instead, she grew tired of hearing him say a bunch of nonsense. She still wanted to say a few more words, but A-Ning warned her in a low voice: “Madam, the prince is here.”

Liang Shu stepped through the courtyard gate. Liu-furen stood up and saluted, and her chest felt even tighter when she looked at this ancestor who was still lying down. With this sort of courtesy, how could he go to the royal city?

She simply expressed to the prince herself that she hoped to keep her son in Baihe Mountain Village. In order to make all this more reasonable, she was forced to find a job for him, so she only said that her eldest son was short of manpower and she had to send the younger son to help.

Before Liang Shu could express his opinion, Liu Xian’an began to have a headache when hearing this. This was mainly because his eldest brother was so serious that he rarely smiled. Standing there, he looked like a big statue of Buddha, his whole being filled with the mission to save the world’s common people. Liang Shu felt that Liu Xian’an could become an immortal anytime and anywhere, but in the eyes of the rest of Dayan’s population, the real immoral of Baihe Mountain Village should be Liu Xianche. Everyone respected and adored him very much. The most outrageous rumor was that a chair touched by the First Young Master could cure diseases.

When he was growing up, Liu Xian’an received a lot of blows from his older brother. He could take a life-or-death situation lightly, and felt that it was better than being beaten or eating a few meals less. Fortunately, Liang Shu did not intend to leave him here to marry anyone casually. He found a far-fetched excuse of “we were like old friends at first sight,” and insisted on taking him into his own hands.

Liu-furen was greatly distressed, and upon returning to her own residence, she released half a year’s worth of sighs to her husband. This…..there was an enormous difference between the two people. From temperament to attitude, there was nothing that could match. How did they suddenly become “old friends?” Where did “friends” come from, what kind of “friends?”

There was nothing Liu Fushu could do. 

Liu Xian’an, however, was happy. A-Ning was also happy, not because he was going out to play, but because he felt that when his young master was staying in the village, everyone regarded him as a lazy rice weevil. Although there were many people who loved and took care of him, that was not the real young master, ah! On the contrary, when he was with the prince, although he was a little tired, the young master always shined as a doctor. Everyone also respected him and relied on him from the bottom of their hearts, as was right.

Liu Xian’an did not quite agree with this view, and felt that the “him” everywhere was the real “him.” Thus, he patted the boy’s head and carefully taught him the functions of “useful” and “useless.” On A-Ning’s side, he gave a noncommittal “En, en, yes, yes,” while lying by the carriage window and enjoying the outside breeze.

His Royal Highness Xiao Wang had sent someone to buy this new carriage, and it was really big, ah.

It was so big that Second Young Master Liu could lie down either sideways or upright, and sometimes the prince would come in and lie down with him. At such times, A-Ning would run out and sit next to the coachman, and drive together for a while.

Then the boy discovered that the farther they were from Baihe City, the more frequently he would drive.

Liu Xian’an asked: “How is it on A-Chang’s end?”

“Yun You hasn’t come to the door yet, but we have already released the news. For them, A-Chang is currently their only option – a wandering doctor from Baihe Mountain Village is like fatty meat in the eyes of a pack of wolves. There is no reason for them to let him go.” Liang Shu said, “Once there is movement, A-Yue will send news back as soon as possible.”

Liu Xian’an nodded. Although autumn had recently come, the weather was still hot, especially during the daytime. The sun made people feel drowsy, and he started to doze off without saying a word.

Liang Shu picked up a piece of dried fruit, thought for a moment, and then swallowed it himself and tapped the other party with his fingers: “You have nothing to do, are you not ready to rebuild your world?”

Liu Xian’an made excuses and dawdled: “Headache.”

“I’ll call you out if you have a headache,” Liang Shu said. “Otherwise, if you keep it locked up without touching it, those old white-bearded men will all starve to death —” Having said that, he felt that them starving to death would be less of a hassle and could be considered a happy event, so he changed the analogy, “If you keep them locked up, those white-bearded old men will go crazy and start running around, and I can’t help you catch them.” Therefore, it was better to get it organized early, and stuff them into magnificent buildings and palaces one by one.

Liu Xian’an forced himself to sit up, and after thinking for a while, he began to frown. Liang Shu sat closer to him, and the sandalwood fragrance on his body was heavy and fragrant, with similar effects to tranquilizing medicine. 

“It’s not urgent, take your time.”

This voice reached the ears of Second Young Master Liu, and in a daze, he saw His Royal Highness Xiao Wang in another world.

Holding his long sword and leaning against a magnificent palace, he impatiently commanded all the ancient sages to line up neatly. No one was allowed to run around. Raising his eyes to watch from a distance, everything was neat and proper in all directions, even more orderly than the army in the desert.

Liu Xian’an thought in shock, so amazing, ah!

---

[1] This is taken from the story of a friendship between two ancient people, Zhong Ziqi and Bo Ya. It was said that their friendship was so great that every time Bo Ya played his zither, Zhong Ziqi immediately grasped the meaning he was trying to convey with the tune. ⮐

---

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

The next day, after waking up, Pei Yi was still enveloped in the lingering pain of drunkenness. He forced himself to get up and wash, and when he went downstairs, he smelled the aroma of breakfast—

Bo Yueming was a person who ate three meals a day in a timely manner, and had a regular schedule.

Although the two had not cohabitated for long, Bo Yueming had already memorized the sound of Pei Yi’s footsteps. He cast his eyes toward the stairs, and there was still a curtain of fog in his field of vision.

However, there were some faint, almost illusory spots of light.

Bo Yueming’s hand holding the coffee cup increased its strength, and he frowned in concentration.

“…….”

His two eyes were not in focus, but Pei Yi noticed the seriousness of his expression and stopped walking for a moment, trying hard to remember.

What was wrong?

When he was drunk last night, could he have done something he shouldn’t have done?

“Little Sir, why are you still standing on the stairs in a daze?”

Uncle Kai returned from outside and immediately ordered the servants beside him to scoop up porridge for Pei Yi in the kitchen. “Seeing that you were very drunk last night, Second Young Master deliberately didn’t allow anyone to wake you up this morning.”

Bo Yueming turned his eyes back, then lowered them and drank his coffee.

Pei Yi returned to his senses and went downstairs, sat slowly at the table, and a servant brought the breakfast tray to him.

There was a bowl of millet porridge, along with four light side dishes.

“…….”

Pei Yi kept silent, frowning slightly.

The state of his body was even worse than he had imagined. He had drunk a little more than one glass of red wine in total. A night had passed, but his head was still dizzy and uncomfortable, and he had even lost his appetite for breakfast.

“Little Sir, do you dislike porridge?”

Pei endured the dizziness and shook his head. He picked up a spoon and stirred the steaming millet porridge.

Bo Yueming took a sip of coffee, and ordered with apparent casualness, “Uncle Kai, go to the kitchen and get a bowl of hangover soup for Pei Yi.”

“…….”

Pei Yi stopped drinking the porridge.

Unexpectedly, Bo Yueming could be aware of his physical condition in detail even when he couldn’t see it?

Uncle Kai finally reacted, and smiled helplessly. “Little Sir is drunk. It’s been a night and he hasn’t recovered yet? I’ll go to the kitchen and get it right away. Fortunately, I listened to the Second Young Master’s words earlier and prepared it!”

Pei Yi stared at Uncle Kai’s back, and swallowed the millet porridge on the spoon in one gulp. The former king of alcohol capacity had now been reduced to one drink. It would be a lie to say that he was not depressed!

“Now you know how uncomfortable it is?” Bo Yueming’s lips hooked indistinctly. “Will you still drink in the future?”

“…….”

Pei Yi took another sullen sip of porridge. His mouth was well-behaved, but his heart became increasingly defiant—

Drink, ah!

How could he not drink?

How much fun would be lost in life without alcohol?

The wine wall upstairs could always help him practice his original drinking capacity!

Pei Yi grudgingly drank half a bowl of porridge, and Uncle Kai returned with a bowl of warm sobering soup. “Come, Little Sir, drink to sober up as soon as possible.”

Pei Yi had always regarded sobering soup as a medicine, so he was entitled to some reluctance. “Not thirsty. Not uncomfortable.”

“Don’t look so stubborn.”

Bo Yueming decisively headed him off, accurately grasping his small thoughts.

“…….”

Pei Yi was speechless.

If Uncle Kai wasn’t there, he would definitely have to use his hands to investigate Bo Yueming’s eyes more. He said his eyes couldn’t see? Was it possible to accurately perceive things at this level? Don’t pretend!

Just as he was thinking, Inspector came back from its adventures and jumped onto Pei Yi’s knees, bending over to sniff the scent of the sobering soup curiously. “Meow-wu~”

Uncle Kai urged with a smile, “Little Sir, drink quickly. Even Inspector is advising you to drink.”

Pei Yi had no choice but to force himself to drink half a bowl. However, once the hot and sour soup was eaten, it warmed the stomach and relieved fatigue, and even his drowsy brain reached a sliver of clarity.

Pei Yi sighed comfortably with a lingering softness in his tone.

The corners of Bo Yueming’s mouth twitched, and he set down the cup in his hand. “Go upstairs and clean up, and take the car with me to go out later.”

Pei Yi didn’t follow. “Ah?”

Uncle Kai reminded, “Did Little Sir forget? You made an appointment today to meet Ms. Shu and the others. The Second Young Master is going to the hospital for a routine eye check up, and it happens to be in the same direction.”

Pei Yi let out an “ah” and finally regained his composure.

No wonder Bo Yueming was patient enough to finish breakfast with him today. He wanted to go out together for convenience?

“There are some new clothes on the small sofa on the second floor, change into them before going out.” Bo Yueming’s tone was calm, without the slightest hint of urgency. “Go, ba.”

Pei Yi, who was worried about having no clothes to wear, was overjoyed.

In order to maintain the standard “foolish” personality, he still pretended to go upstairs at a slow speed.

After Pei Yi’s figure disappeared at the corner of the hallway, Uncle Kai approached Bo Yueming. “It is still Second Young Master who is careful. When buying suits and ready-to-wear clothes, he still remembers to buy clothes for Little Sir. The brands you chose must be very suitable for him.”

Bo Yueming’s eyes lit up with a fleeting light. “I didn’t choose them for him deliberately. I just didn’t want the Shu family mother and daughter to see and think he was being bullied by me.”

Uncle Kai silently smiled and didn’t speak further.

. . . . . .

It must be said that Bo Yueming’s aesthetics were very good. The brands he chose were all simple, but with a small design style. Even if he chose blindly, he couldn’t go wrong, and they fit Pei Yi’s external image very well.

Pei Yi changed into an outfit with an ink print, and it seemed as if his whole person was a little smarter.

He looked at himself in the mirror and felt that it was all pretty good. The only fly in the ointment was that his small body was a bit skinny.

If there was ever a fight in the future, it was likely that it would be difficult to win.

Pei Yi put a halt to his random thoughts and went out. Before leaving, he didn’t forget to rub Inspector’s little head. “Don’t run around. Wait for me to come home, understand?”

“Ao~”

. . . . . .

Near ten o’clock, the car stopped at the entrance of Baiyang Alley again.

The driver looked in the rearview mirror. “Second Young Master, Little Sir, we’re here.”

Bo Yueming gave a slight nod. “Uncle Kai, take Pei Yi with you, I have Lin Zhong by my side to help. I’ll call in the afternoon to meet up.”

Uncle Kai got out of the car.

Looking at the end of the alley, Pei Yi suppressed the inexplicable idea of inviting Bo Yueming to get out of the car with him, and untied his seatbelt to get out.

—Thud.

The sound of the closing door reached Bo Yueming’s ears, crisp and clear.

“…….”

Feeling that there was only a pocket of air left by his side, he subconsciously said, “Heartless little thing.”

After all, they were married in name, but the other was so stingy that he didn’t even say goodbye to him.

The driver in front thought he was hearing things, and asked with wide-eyed uncertainty, “Second Young Master, what did you say?”

“Nothing. Drive, ba.”

Before leaving, he received a voice message from his assistant, Lin Zhong, who was already waiting at the hospital gate. 

Bo Yueming’s tone of voice was still so tranquil that the driver immediately confirmed that he must have been hearing things just now! He quickly gave an affirmation and drove the car away from the alley.

. . . . . .

Pei Yi and Uncle Kai had only walked a few steps into the alley when Pei Yuan, who was guarding the door, quickly ran over. “Xiao Yi! You’re finally here, I was about to go to the mouth of the alley and wait.”

Catching the genuine joy in Pei Yuan’s eyes, Pei Yi’s heart warmed. “Sister.”

“Ai!”

When Pei Yuan heard this clear and distinct call, she was overjoyed and took her brother’s hand. “Come on! Sister will take you inside! Me and mom went to the vegetable market early in the morning to buy food, it will be ready in a moment!”

As soon as the group of three stepped into the house, the smell of food filled their noses.

“Mom, Xiao Yi is here!”

Shu Wan, who was busy in the kitchen, came out quickly with equal excitement on her face.

Ever since Pei Yi left with the housekeeper last week, she had been thinking about him the whole time, fearing that her anticipation would be in vain once more. Twice, she had wanted to go directly to the Bo residence to find him, but was fortunately dissuaded by Pei Yuan.

Shu Wan looked at the refreshed Pei Yi, deeply moved and happy. “How great, Xiao Yi looks much better than last time! You’re still a little thin, eat a bit more today!”

Pei Yuan offered a polite invitation, “Senior Housekeeper, would you like to stay for a light meal as well?”

Uncle Kai shook his head, not wanting to disturb the rare reunion of the three people. Bo Yueming had asked him to follow Pei Yi, but there was actually another matter he was tasked with asking about.

“Ms. Shu, Ms. Pei, have you thought of what we spoke about two days ago?”

Hearing this, Pei Yi turned his puzzled gaze to Uncle Kai.

Uncle Kai received this puzzled look and explained, “Little Sir, be at ease. If Ms. Shu and Ms. Pei continue to live here, I fear they will be threatened by the landlord, Zheng Bin, and it is not easy for them to defend their rights against rental agreement breaches.”

Pei Yuan followed his explanation, “Xiao Yi, the senior housekeeper helped us find a house. The rent is cheaper than here, but…..”

Uncle Kai understood the mother and daughter’s hesitation. “The Bo family has always had a wide range of contacts, so finding a house was not difficult.”

It was no trouble, let alone a debt of favor. The matter of finding a house was allowed by Bo Yueming.

“The environment and facilities around that house are better, and it is convenient for Miss Pei to go to work. Of course, it is closer to our Bo Manor, so it will be more convenient for you and Little Sir to spend time together in the future.”

Pei Yi had long planned to find a new house for the mother and daughter, and even secretly searched many housing listings online. Unexpectedly, Uncle Kai was one step ahead. 

Thinking of this, Pei Yi met the eyes of Shu Wan and Yuan Pei. “Moving, good. I see you a lot.”

Shu Wan heard her youngest son’s choppy but clear opinion, and her eyes reddened again. She looked around at the cottage that carried many years of her memories, and understood better than anyone else—

She couldn’t let her sensible daughter suffer anymore, and should also seize the opportunity to spend time with her son. Her husband could no longer come back, and she must continue to watch after the two children and continue to look forward.

Shu Wan was silent for a long time, and nodded at last. “All right.”

“Then I’ll contact the moving company for details, and I won’t disturb your family of three’s dinner tonight.” Seeing that the mother and daughter agreed, Uncle Kai made his excuses and left the house.

After Uncle Kai left, Pei Yi took out a white jade pendant from his pocket. “Here.”

Seeing the unfamiliar jade pendant handed toward her, Shu Wan was a little surprised. “Xiao Yi?”

Pei Yi said succinctly, “For money. I give it to you and Sister, use it.”

“How can this be done? Mom is not short of money!”

Shu Wang quickly pulled up the string of the jade pendant, trying to put it back on Pei Yi’s neck. “Is it something Grandma gave you? Come on, put it on and don’t lose it.”

Pei Yi stopped her and insistently declared, “Grandpa gave it. I don’t like it.”

This was the jade pendant that was stolen and taken away by the nanny. Pei Yi had carefully inspected its jade color, and it should be worth a bit of money in the market. He had long wanted to pawn it off for money, but never found a chance to go out alone.

Shu Wan paused. “The, the old man gave it to you?”

Pei Yuan took it and looked it over. “Let me see. What kind of treasure could the old man give our Xiao Yi?”

Shu Wan could only say, “Xiao Yuan, don’t be impolite.”

“I didn’t say anything excessive, Mom. Do you still want me to call him Grandpa?” Pei Yuan didn’t have a good impression of this blood-related elder, so she carefully looked over the jade pendant. 

Pei Yi saw the situation, and changed his target to persuade, “Grandpa’s. I don’t like it. I like money, give to you.”

Pei Yuan chuckled. “I didn’t know our Xiao Yi was a money-grubber!”

Shu Wan was also amused. “You can’t sell what the old man gave you?”

“Can!”

Pei Yi made a solemn vow.

He didn’t like this sort of jade ornament, so it was better to sell it than to keep it. At least some money could improve the quality of life of both mother and daughter.

Pei Yuan was well aware of her mother’s gentle character, so she took the initiative to agree on Pei Yi’s behalf. “Xiao Yi, leave this matter to Sister. But Mom and I don’t want this money. The thing is yours, and the money should be yours too.”

Shu Wan nodded silently.

Pei Yuan continued to communicate, “If you are afraid of losing it, then give it to Mom for safekeeping, and we’ll return it to you when you need it in the future, okay?”

Pei Yi approved of the Shu Wan and Pei Yuan family from the bottom of his heart. “Okay.”

No matter what, the money that was placed in their hands for the sake of the original owner would be used sooner or later.

Shu Wan and Pei Yuan exchanged glances and became increasingly sure of one thing—

Ever since Pei Yi left the Pei family’s tiger and wolf den, his condition had obviously improved by a lot!

In the past, he was reticent and couldn’t speak a word for a long time, and would go crazy when he was slightly stimulated. Now he had finally opened up and could communicate with them normally!

. . . . . .

At 2:30 in the afternoon, Uncle Kai came on time to pick him up.

The mother and daughter lost the reluctance they had last time, and smiled as they made an appointment with Pei Yi to meet again after moving. The pain of more than twenty years of separation had come to an end.

It was the driver from that morning who came to pick up Pei Yi and Uncle Kai.

Pei Yi originally thought that they were going directly back to Bo Manor, but the driver only drove for about ten minutes before stopping the car at the door of a coffee shop.

Assistant Lin Zhong walked out of the shop and opened Pei Yi’s car door. “Little Sir.”

Pei Yi didn’t get out of the car in a hurry. “Uncle Kai?”

Uncle Kai explained to him gently, “Don’t be afraid, Second Young Master still has some things to deal with and was afraid that you would be bored staying at the hospital. You and Lin Zhong rest in the shop for a while.”

“We’ll pick you up later when things are finished, okay?”

So that was the case.

It wasn’t a big deal.

Pei Yi loosened his vigilance, nodded, and got out of the car.

The coffee shop that Lin Zhong found was not far from the hospital where Bo Yueming was being examined, and the decorations were very tasteful and high-end. He feared that Pei Yi would not like a busy public environment, so he specially reserved a private box on the second floor.

“Little Sir, may I go downstairs and order you a cup of coffee and some cake?”

Pei Yi shook his head. “Coffee is bitter.”

“Okay, then I’ll order something else.” Lin Zhong understood Pei Yi’s taste preferences, turned around, and went downstairs.

The private box was isolated, with soft fabric and cushions, as well as wall panels, and the artificial lake behind could be seen through the window. The melodious music and coffee-scented aroma wafting in the air was quite soothing.

Pei Yi silently gave this coffee shop a high score in his heart, when suddenly, he heard an urgent sound coming from the box next door. 

“Mr. Yang! Think about it again, okay?”

Huh?

The familiar voice reached Pei Yi’s ears, instantly attracting his focus.

---

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Chapter Sixteen <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Eighteen

Juice?

He was blind, his nose wasn’t broken.

Bo Yueming could hear that Pei Yi was telling a fib, and a trace of helplessness flickered over his expression. “Yeah? Is the juice good?”

“…….”

Pei Yi felt that there was a hint of “teasing” in Bo Yueming’s tone, and his cheeks went slightly hot.

Uncle Kai saw Pei Yi’s silent, guilty appearance and smiled to smooth things over, “Second Young Master, I think there is quite a lot left in the wine glass in Little Sir’s hand, so he likely regarded it as juice and tried it.”

After all, he was only a little fool who was ignorant about things. It was understandable that he couldn’t tell the difference between grape juice and wine.

Bo Yueming could read between the lines and hear the protection in Uncle Kai’s words. He was originally afraid that Pei Yi would get drunk and make a bungle of things, separating from him and offending guests that shouldn’t be provoked. Now that nothing had happened, there was naturally no need to come after him too hard.

Bo Yueming didn’t take a stance, nor did he blame Pei Yi. “All right, put things down and let’s go back.”

Pei Yi endured grudgingly. “Oh.”

Bo Yueming tried his best to discern his tone, and said probingly, “If you really like to drink……juice, it’s all right to take the ones in the living room cabinet in the future.”

Drink as much as he wanted?

Pei Yi thought of the precious wines that filled that wall, and almost blurted out his answer. He pursed his lips, forcing himself to avoid Bo Yueming’s “trap.”

“Not tasty, want milk.”

The humming and chirping cuteness was mixed with a trace of inexplicable and unclear grievance.

En, the grievance of not being able to drink.

There was a touch of fun at the tip of Bo Yueming’s heart, and he feigned serenity, saying, “Okay, let’s go home.”

Uncle Kai gently supported his elbow and asked in a low voice, “Second Young Master, you’ve only been here for an hour, are you really going to go back like this? Don’t you want to greet the Old Sir?”

Bo Yueming turned around. “No need. Let’s go.”

The two had originally appeared as pawns, and there were two incidents in just one hour. Perhaps Old Mr. Bo would not have a good reaction if he saw him now.

Uncle Kai was wholeheartedly devoted to Bo Yueming, and didn’t forget to hint to Pei Yi, “Little Sir, keep up.”

Pei Yi had no objection, and silently followed behind the two of them.

. . . . . .

The insurance company had already been called to take pictures of the car.

Naturally, Bo Yueming didn’t need to worry about these trifles. Uncle Kai helped him sit in the back seat, and turned around to see that Pei Yi’s cheeks were unnaturally flushed.

“Little Sir, are you hot?”

“Ah?”

Focusing his eyes, Pei Yi shook his head and got into the car.

As soon as the car’s air-conditioning blew adequately, Pei Yi suddenly realized a serious problem—

He seemed to be a little drunk?

In the real world, he was the king of alcohol, but the original owner was obviously a good baby who didn’t drink.

It was just that after drinking more than one glass of wine, this little while, it suddenly went to his head? He didn’t know if his current physique could resist alcohol, or if he would get drunk and talk nonsense later!

Pei Yi’s thoughts were a mess, and he tried twice to put the seatbelt on.

Bo Yueming seemed to have noticed something, and frowned slightly. “Pei Yi?”

Pei Yi responded with a low hum, and he couldn’t hear any problems for the time being.

“It’s nothing.”

Bo Yueming withdrew his attention and instructed the driver to drive.

. . . . . .

The hotel was about a forty minute drive from Bo Manor. Bo Yueming didn’t speak, and uncle Kai and the driver sitting in the front row also kept absolutely silent.

Pei Yi gradually felt the drunkenness go to his head, and silently pinched his palm in an effort to stay awake.

It was just that the light in the car was so dim, the air-conditioning neutralized the heat of the wine, and the ups and downs of driving made him drowsy.

Pei Yi only felt that his eyelids were getting heavier and heavier, and then there was a deep, steady call.

 “Pei Yi.”

“Ah?”

Pei Yi, who had been sleeping restlessly, suddenly woke up. He leaned forward and was dragged back by the seat belt, becoming even dizzier.

“Little Sir, we’re home.” Uncle Kai turned around and informed him of the situation before opening the front door.

“……”

Home?

Where was home?

Pei Yi gazed into the darkness outside the window. His thoughts seemed to be entangled by invisible vines, unable to extend an inch further. “Wu.”

Bo Yueming heard this uncommon muffled sound and paused.

The unfastened seat belt in his hand was quickly withdrawn with a slight click, but in the relatively quiet environment, it was enough to draw Pei Yi’s attention.

Pei Yi looked over like a curious kitten.

In the dim light, he traced Bo Yueming’s profile bit by bit, and his brain, which was working a few beats slower, strained to recall some fragments.

The impulse to drink had just been unleashed.

Pei Yi tried to move in the low car, but could only move a step or two. Uncle Kai, who got out of the car first, opened the door on Bo Yueming’s side

Swish—

The sudden sound of the door opening startled the drunk Pei Yi. His body’s center of gravity was thrown off, and he leaned directly into Bo Yueming’s body.

“…….Hmm.”

“……..”

Extremely soft lips rubbed against his Adam’s apple.

Bo Yueming’s expression suddenly changed, and his first reaction was to fumble the car door closed again, blocking the possible gazes of Uncle Kai and the driver.

He didn’t like to be encroached on by anyone, nor touched, and naturally didn’t allow others to look.

“Pei Yi!”

Bo Yueming’s tone of voice was a bit heavy.

This was already the second time that Pei Yi had casually touched his Adam’s apple, and at this moment, a strange heat was rising.

As the chief culprit, Pei Yi hadn’t noticed yet. Relying on instinct, he continuously rubbed against Bo Yueming’s shoulder and chest in a dizzy state.

Because the suit’s fabric was cool, it made his alcohol-heated face very comfortable.

“…….”

Pei Yi simply huddled in his arms, clingier than the two cats he had come into contact with before.

Bo Yueming’s throat rolled heavily, and the hand that was originally going to push Pei Yi’s head fell, the fingertips lightly brushing the other’s hair as they landed steadily and accurately on the soft flesh on the back of his neck, where there was a small mole.

And then, Bo Yueming made a small provocation that he himself didn’t realize—

He pinched him in punishment.

As expected, the person in his arms uttered a little whimper like a cat meowing, and shrank his neck sensitively.

The corners of Bo Yueming’s mouth curled up, and he quickly shelved that incongruous behavior. “Pei Yi, we’re home. You need to get out of the car.”

A familiar voice rang in his ears.

Pei Yi’s alcohol-melted thoughts connected for a few seconds, and he quickly raised his head. “Bo, Bo Manor, get out of the car?”

Bo Yueming gave a hum of affirmation and determined, “You’re drunk.”

The competitive heart in Pei Yi’s bones broke out, and he denied it. “I’m not!”

Bo Yueming didn’t intend to talk about the truth with the little drunk cat in his arms, so he gave instructions one by one, “Then get off me, open the door, and get out of the car. Then go back to the room to rest.”

“Oh.”

Pei Yi attempted to straighten up, but he couldn’t open the door no matter what.

Fortunately, Uncle Kai, who was guarding the door, was instructed to open the car door, and reached out to help the crumbling Pei Yi. “Second Young Master, the Little Sir is……”

Bo Yueming had no choice but to say, “Drunk. Take him upstairs to the bedroom first, and get him some hangover medicine or soup.”

Uncle Kai supported Pei Yi. He was still worried about Bo Yueming’s inconvenient eyesight, and said, “Second Young Master, you……”

Bo Yueming loosened his suit tie casually. “No rush, just ask the driver to stay and help me.”

“All right.”

. . . . . .

A chime sounded at exactly nine o’clock in the evening.

Having just washed up, Bo Yueming fumbled out of the bathroom. After he fell in the bathroom last time, Uncle Kai had put down a thicker and more non-slip mat.

Bo Yueming could feel it, and also acquiesced to this behavior.

“Meow-wu~”

Inspector had gotten into the bedroom at some point, and bit the hem of his bathrobe, meowing softly.

Bo Yueming instinctively lowered his eyes. He obviously couldn’t see anything, but with Inspector’s cry, the scene in the car was automatically sketched out in his mind.

Drunk Pei Yi was softer than a cat.

His Adam’s apple itched inexplicably after taking a hot shower, and Bo Yueming rubbed it several times, which barely stopped the itching.

“Meow~”

Inspector was still calling out under his feet.

Bo Yueming guessed that it wanted to go back to the room to sleep, and after thinking about it, he took a step. “Let’s go, I’ll take you back to Pei Yi’s bedroom.”

“Ao!”

Inspector agreed and, tilting its head to bite his bathrobe, it tried to lead him out of the room.

With this little kitten helping to “find the way,” Bo Yueming walked the distance according to his memory, moving steadily to the door of Pei Yi’s room.

“Little Sir, it’s best to take hangover medicine before going to sleep. It isn’t bitter.” 

“Not drunk, won’t eat.”

Pei Yi’s unhappy resistance, along with Uncle Kai’s helpless persuasion, reached Bo Yueming’s ears.

Walking in front, Inspector pushed open the crack of the door and went in. Jumping promptly onto the end of the bed, it called out to Pei Yi coquettishly.

Uncle Kai noticed Bo Yueming standing at the door, and quickly got up. “Second Young Master.”

“What’s the matter?”

“Little Sir lost his temper. He insists he is not drunk, and is refusing to take the hangover medicine no matter what.”

Bo Yueming said without thinking, “Give me the hangover medicine, I’ll do it.”

Uncle Kai was surprised for a moment, but soon placed the medicine bottle into Bo Yueming’s hand. “One pill is enough. There is also warm water on the bedside table.”

Bo Yueming became aware of his unconscious decision, and pretended to be calm. “Uncle Kai, you must be tired too. Go back to your room early and rest.”

“All right.”

Uncle Kai was a discerning person, so he gave up the bedroom space without further ado.

The drunken Pei Yi completely ignored the conversation between master and servant.

His ankles were tickled by the cat fur, and he was sitting on the bed right now, dodging Inspector for a while to play.

“Pei Yi.”

Bo Yueming approached slowly, and didn’t come to a stop until his knees touched the edge of the bed.

Pei Yi raised his eyes to look at the tall figure beside the bed, and his blurry eyes seemed to have suddenly discovered something interesting. Without any scruples, he reached out his hand and pulled Bo Yueming to sit down.

“…….”

The defenseless Bo Yueming practically fell down on the edge of the bed. The medicine bottle in his hand made a rustling sound, and in the next second, Pei Yi’s cool fingertips had already touched his Adam’s apple.

“Here, it’s so red.”

He earnestly called his attention to it, with a bit of ambiguous teasing that only adults were aware of.

Bo Yueming moved his body away with a bit of rare embarrassment. “Don’t move around, do you still know who I am?”

“I know.” Pei Yi withdrew his hand and nodded, the title rolling off the tip of his tongue, “Er, Er-ge.”

Bo Yueming was taken aback. “Er-ge.”

He had originally thought the other party accidentally addressed him wrong in the banquet hallway, but anyhow, nobody had ever called him that.

“En.”

Calling his full name was too familiar, calling him Yueming was too intimate, and calling him Second Young Master was too strange. Calling him husband…..he wasn’t allowed.

Pei Yi went through the options in his head and gave a nasal hum. “Can’t I?”

Hearing his drunken tone, Bo Yueming blindly opened the medicine bottle and instructed him, “Call me what you want. You must take the hangover medicine now.”

Pei Yi firmly believed that he was not drunk. “I won’t!”

Bo Yueming poured a pill into the palm of his hand. “It’s fine not to take it. Then don’t stay in this room tonight, lest you drunkenly disturb me in the middle of the night.”

Inspector followed suit: “Meow-wu~”

Pei Yi hit a dead end.

He looked at a person and a cat who hand ganged up against him, and an inexplicable idea burst out in his muddled mind—

It really is an evil villain and his…..cat!

He, a cannon fodder, was temporarily defeated.

Pei Yi realized that his hand was on Inspector, so he took the initiative to grab Bo Yueming’s wrist, targeted the pill in his palm, and swallowed it.

Pressing his soft lips against the palm of the other’s hand, he quickly inhaled the pill, and at the same time, the tip of his tongue touched a small area of his palm.

The heat and moisture passed in a flash.

“……”

Bo Yueming didn’t expect Pei Yi to take the medicine like this. He had never felt that his sense of touch was so sensitive, and his breathing unconsciously stalled out.

Pei Yi swallowed the bitter pill dry, so accustomed to it that he didn’t even drink the warm water on the bedside table.

He looked at Bo Yueming, who hadn’t reacted, and reported, “Ate it.”

“En.”

Bo Yueming cupped his palms together and suppressed his surging emotions. “Hungry? Did you have anything to eat at the banquet tonight?”

Pei Yi shook his head. “Sleepy.”

“All right, then you go to sleep.”

Bo Yueming got up quickly, and it took a few beats before he found the door and left.

Pei Yi watched the door close on his back, and rolled up in the blanket to lay down, not forgetting to dazedly command Inspector, “Go!”

“Meow~wu!”

Inspector approached the head of the bed from the right side, saw its target, and pounced lightly to slap down its paw.

—Smack!

The room was plunged into darkness. What good little expert at turning off the lights.

When Bo Yueming left Pei Yi’s bedroom, his initial tranquility instantly vanished, and he hurriedly forward at a disordered pace, as if fleeing something.

He rubbed his palm vigorously with his fingertips, but couldn’t wipe away the wet warmth.

“Second Young Master?”

Uncle Kai’s call came suddenly, and Bo Yueming, who was still lost in thought, was so startled that he actually froze. “……Uncle Kai?”

“It’s me.”

Uncle Kai stepped forward to hold his elbow, as usual. “I feared that Little Sir would act drunkenly and refuse to cooperate, so I waited for you here in the living room.

Bo Yueming lowered his hands and resolutely didn’t leak any clues. “He’s already asleep. You go back to the room and rest, I don’t need anything here.”

Uncle Kai sent Bo Yueming back to his bedroom. “Okay. Second Young Master, then you should go to bed a little earlier.”

Bo Yueming nodded slightly, then stopped as he suddenly remembered something. “Uncle Kai.”

Having walked to the door, Uncle Kai stopped. “En?”

“Tell the kitchen not to buy mango products in the future, in case…..”

Bo Yueming closed the hands hanging by his sides, and enjoined with apparent casualness, “Pei Yi is allergic to it.”

---

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Chapter Fifteen <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Seventeen

Liu Xian’an finally took back his snack, and of course there was also an element of Liang Shu letting him win. He gently supported the other person’s waist and helped him stand up, then coldly looked over to the other side.

Liu Hengcheng was taking a peek at the moment, and having a good time. When he came here, the psychological shadow caused by the rumors of him “killing people like flies” dissipated a little and he thought, is he not very kind? As a result, he immediately learned through experience what it meant to be “terrified at first sight.” His whole body was given a shock by Liang Shu’s gaze, and his hair stood on end. Dumbstruck, he bowed his head again and was deeply upset with his own boldness and recklessness.

Perhaps because Liu Hengchang’s voice trembled as he saluted, Liu Xian’an glanced over curiously. He had heard his mother mention A-Chang many times during dinner, and this time he met the actual person. Fair-skinned and wearing a bunt, he looked like a gentle scholar.

Liang Shu was displeased: “Where are you going again?”

Liu Xian’an stood still with the plate of snacks and explained that he was not interested in what the prince was going to say next. It was too hot here, he would go back to his room to lie down after eating.

Liang Shu said: “Don’t go, sit down and listen.”

Logically speaking, one look from His Royal Highness Xiao Wang could make anyone shudder, and this spoken prohibition should take effect immediately, but Liu Hengcheng, who was even anxious himself, couldn’t hear a trace of frightful moodiness in it. Liu Xian’an was even more deaf to his words, and if he hadn’t been forcibly grabbed by the hair tie, he might have already slipped into the bedroom.

“Ah?”

“Sit down.”

Liu Xian’an had no choice but to give in, mainly because he didn’t want his hair to become disheveled. He had to have dinner with his parents tonight, and it would take a long time to comb it again after it was scattered. It was very troublesome, so he would just sit for a while.

Liu Hengchang kept his head down at all times, and only caught a glimpse of the Second Young Master’s clothing as he seemed to sit on a stone bench. The prince also smiled silently. It was a very comfortable kind of smile.

He gave it careful thought. His Royal Highness Xiao Wang seemed to treat the Second Young Master very differently.

Liang Shu continued to watch Liu Xian’an eat half of the snacks, and then shifted his gaze to Liu Hengchang.

Liu Xian’an saw him as a scholar, but Liang Shu felt that from the moment he entered the door, there was a spirit in his bones that could have only been tempered in a military camp. Sure enough, Liu Hengchang said: “Addressing the prince, my father and mother used to be doctors in the Northeast Military Camp in the early years.”

The northeast border was bitterly cold, and the living environment was more windy and snowy than the northwest. Liu Hengcheng had grown up carefree in the military camp until he was nine years old, when in the deep winter of that year, the Liu father and mother encountered an unprecedentedly large avalanche while patrolling with the army.

“General Zou took pity on me when I was young, and worried that nobody would take care of me in the barracks, so he sent his people to bring me to Baihe Mountain Village. After hearing about my parents, Master Liu also treated me very well and often taught me medical skills in person.”

“So that’s how it is.” Liang Shu nodded. “This lord has something to do, and is in need of someone to do it. However, it is quite dangerous. You will be condemned by relatives and friends, and gossiped about by the common people. Your days will be long and dark and you can only fight alone, wearing a mask at all times and making false claims everywhere. You might even die if you are not careful. Are you willing?”

Liu Hengchang said: “This humble one is willing.”

He answered so quickly and thoughtlessly that even Liu Xian’an was slightly taken aback. Liu Hengchang was incredibly excited, clenching both fists tightly as tears welled up in his eyes. He was born and raised in a military camp. Although he had never been on the battlefield, he had long-regarded himself as half a soldier, and had quite a bit of ambition to protect the common people. And Liang Shu had an extraordinary appeal to Dayan’s thousands of young people who were eager to protect family and country, like a lone star hanging high in the cold night. Liu Hengchang didn’t know what his mission was, but he wanted to seize this opportunity to pour his blood into the unstoppable torrent of time.

“Once you step onto this road, there is no turning back,” Liang Shu said. “It could be as short as a few months or as long as a few years. You had best think about it carefully.”

“As long as it is beneficial to Dayan and to the common people,” Liu Hengchang said, “this humble one will die without hesitation!”

Liang Shu looked at him and nodded slightly after a moment: “All right. Many thanks, Doctor Liu.”

Gao Lin took Liu Hengchang and instructed him on some things to pay attention to. And Liu Xian’an was still sitting at the stone table. His waterside pavilion had always been lethargic and lazy, idling time away and watching the years go by. Apart from his father scolding him angrily with a stick, there was not even the slightest loud noise. But now it was suddenly filled with the bold, sonorous words, “I will die for the country,” which were simply tossed out with adamance, making his brain buzz.

Liang Shu asked: “Are you in a daze again?”

Liu Xian’an came back to his senses: “No.”

As if he didn’t quite believe it, Liang Shu poked his temple. In the end, one by one, those white-bearded old men ran as if flying, faster than thieves.

Liu Xian’an turned his head to hide: “What is Your Highness’s next plan, to watch A-Chang from the shadows and arrest Feng Xiaojin as soon as he shows up?”

“Perhaps there is a better plan,” Liang Shu said. “Let him follow all the way to the Baifu sect’s lair. The cult will have to be eradicated sooner or later. The dense miasma in the southwestern woodlands is not easy to breach, so if someone could work from the inside, it would be much easier to get through.”

Liu Xian’an asked again: “So the prince doesn’t intend to send someone to protect A-Chang?”

“Feng Xiaojin’s martial arts are extremely strong. At most I could send A-Yue to follow and observe from a distance, but she couldn’t get close, much less protect him.” Liang Shu said, “Everything depends on himself.”

“If Feng Xiaojin’s martial arts are extremely strong, how does he compare with the prince?”

“We’re equally matched.”

Equally matched? Liu Xian’an determined: “The prince should still be stronger.” After all, there was a difference in age between the two, and the other was clearly using dishonest practices. It was not really a skill to be half human and half ghost, neither dead nor alive. 

Liang Shu smiled: “There is one more thing. You are the only person who has felt Feng Xiaojin’s pulse, so you must tell A-Chang how to continue to preserve his life.”

“For the old Tan Manor case?”

“Yes,” Liang Shu said. “That day in the mountains, he said that the destruction of the Tan family was not done by him. I will discover the truth of the matter as soon as possible, but on the premise that he is the person closest to the truth, his life must be preserved.”

“I can try my best,” Liu Xian’an said, “but Feng Xiaojin’s injury is indeed very strange. There is no guarantee he will survive, and with A-Chang in the middle……why doesn’t the prince discuss it with my dad. It will be safer to drive me and A-Chang out of the village together.”

Liang Shu frowned: “Didn’t you just say that if it were you, you would definitely not agree?”

“Just now, didn’t I say that I wouldn’t risk my life for Feng Xiaojin? Then of course I wouldn’t have to go with him, and A-Chang could lay the bait himself,” Liu Xian’an said. “But now that the prince has spoken, I am not sure whether A-Chang can do it, so I have to go myself.” Wasn’t this a very simple truth?

Liang Shu laughed angrily: “Those two people want to kill you, and the mountain roads in the southwest are as winding and steep as a nest of devils. It is hard to work undercover, and it is not an exaggeration to say that you would die ten thousand deaths. You have to hug a tree after taking two steps, and don’t have the strength to truss a chicken. Maybe you won’t even make it to the southwest alive.”

Liu Xian’an thought, ah, it sounds so hard, but there seems to be no other way. He said: “Understood, that’s also fine, ba.”

“……..”

Liang Shu felt that it had been a long time since someone had jabbed him in the lungs^[1] so indifferently, and the person who jabbed him didn’t even know he was jabbing. He also had a genuine frown on his face, like he was a cat who had scratched him and wanted to meow and beg for food – in other words, not as good as a cat. At least a cat knew to run when it encountered danger and would not sleep on the edge of a sword with a ghostly attitude as if life and death were the same. He even suspected that if he left him alone, he might actually become an immortal when he next returned.

Liu Xian’an yawned. He was sleepy.

Liang Shu said: “You don’t need to go to the southwest. Just come back to Wangcheng with me.”

Liu Xian’an asked: “Why?”

“To cure your headaches completely.”

This excuse sounded very reasonable. The reason why Second Young Master Liu didn’t have any headaches these past few days was entirely because His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was showing him new things all the time and keeping him busy. There was no need to think, and no need to open the sealed world in his mind, but what about when the waterside pavilion calmed down again?

Of course, if Liu Xian’an wanted to be busy, he could keep busy, such as copying books according to his father’s idea, making diagnoses, or collecting medical materials. If he wanted to be so busy that his feet didn’t touch the ground, it was actually very simple. But in that case, he probably wouldn’t be able to see His Royal Highness Xiao Wang in the short term. After all, apart from being his friend, he was also a commander and a prince, and had many things to do.

Liang Shu asked: “You don’t want to go?”

Liu Xian’an: “I’ll think about it for a while.”

Liang Shu said: “Everyone is scrambling to court death.”

Liu Xian’an muttered, this is different, but I am too lazy to explain it to you.

Liang Shu continued: “I’ll find you a big carriage. You can lie down however you want, and eat after lying down or lie down after eating.”

Liu Xian’an nodded: “Okay.”

In the face of this unhesitating “okay,” His Royal Highness Xiao Wang’s chest felt tight, but he didn’t consider whether his invitation or sleeping in the carriage held more importance in the Sleeping Immortal’s heart. He didn’t want to invite humiliation, so he would throw caution into the wind and take him out of the city first. It wouldn’t be too late to slowly settle the score along the way.

In the afternoon, Liu Hengchang was brought to the waterside pavilion again. Liu Xian’an had just finished writing a thick stack of papers, and said while moving his sore wrist: “That day I checked Feng Xiaojin’s pulse, although I didn’t diagnose the cause of his illness, I also analyzed some reasons and prescriptions for his symptoms. It is too cumbersome to say, so I wrote it all down. You can read them first. If there are things you don’t understand, I will explain them.”

Listening to these words, Liu Hengchang felt as if he was listening to a strange tale from a heavenly book, and for a moment, he wondered if the Second Young Master had been possessed by the First Young Master. He reached out to take the medical forms from the table and read them page by page, and the more he read, the more apprehensive he became. There were many complex medical theories that he had never seen before. This……

Liang Shu asked beside him: “Is there a problem?”

Liu Hengchang stuttered: “There…..there are many.”

Liu Xian’an motioned for him to move over a chair to sit on.

At this time, Liu Hengchang still felt that he was in a dream, and his steps were imaginary. It wasn’t until Liu Xian’an explained to him three or four uncertainties that he gradually came back to his senses, or rather, his soul gradually returned. He took another peek at Liang Shu and was not surprised to see the other party’s calm expression. He thought belatedly, it turns out that the Second Young Master is so capable. Sure enough, was this like a sage presenting as an ordinary person?

But he soon felt ashamed again, not because of anything else, but because after leaving the waterside pavilion in the morning, he also briefly thought about why the relationship between the Second Young Master and His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was so close. Thinking and thinking, it was inevitable that some romantic affairs would be mixed in. After all, who in the world didn’t know that Second Young Master Liu was born with a peerless appearance? Although he was a man, weren’t there a few such official or unofficial records about this type in history? It wasn’t unusual.

But at this time, he witnessed the true abilities of his family’s Second Young Master. His medical prowess was equally matched with that of the First Young Master, and perhaps not even inferior to the Master of the Village. He possessed world-shattering skills but never rushed to show them off, and didn’t care about the false reputation he was given in the outside world. He was not stupid or insane, but was clearly a worldwide expert.

It was no wonder His Royal Highness Xiao Wang could appreciate and make friends with him, but he himself was so shallow that he only looked at people’s appearances. Liu Hengchang was extremely ashamed, and raised a hand to wipe his sweat.

Liu Xian’an picked up a pen and wrote slowly on the paper, his wide sleeve folded back to reveal a patch of forearm. 

Liang Shu frowned slightly.

That white wrist was slender, like snow and frost.

---

[1] To poke/jab someone in the lungs (戳肺管子) is to offend or enrage someone. ⮐

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

The laborers who were unloading the medicinal materials did not expect that this rough work would draw His Royal Highness Xiao Wang to come see it in person, and were terrified for a while. Liu-furen was also at the scene. She was wearing a coarse smock with her hair covered by a cloth that obscured her eyes and nose, and was busily counting the number of medicine packs with a thick stack of registration books at hand.

“Mom.” Liu Xian’an stepped forward. “Why are you doing these things, where is Uncle Li?”

“He’s here, but I didn’t let him come over. I wanted to see for myself.” Seeing that Liang Shu was also walking this way, she removed her mask and straightened her clothes before going over to salute. There were quite a few tiny bloody cuts on her hands, which looked like they had been scratched by the dried branches of medicinal herbs.

Liang Shu said: “Liu-furen has worked hard.”

Liu Xian’an was bewildered: “What sort of medicinal herb has so many sharp thorns?”

Liu-furen lowered her voice: “It’s a long story, and your dad might need to come over. There’s a lot of dust here, so don’t join in the fun, go and accompany His Royal Highness Xiao Wang for a walk elsewhere.”

Liu Xian’an glanced at Liang Shu, and the other party understood: “Liu-furen, what is wrong with this batch of medicine?”

Since the prince himself opened his mouth, Liu-furen could only sigh and repeat: “It’s really not a big problem.”

As she spoke, one of the nearby workers couldn’t lift it steadily, and a large sack of medicinal materials rolled to the ground. A crack opened in the sack, and many dried black fruits sprinkled out from inside. Liu Xian’an stepped over to pick up a handful. They were black wild dates commonly used for detoxification and clearing heat, but it was very dirty and not picked clean. Almost twenty percent of it was light yellow sand mixed in, thirty percent jujube thorns and dead branches, and another ten percent had normal wear and tear. The remaining usable ones may not even amount to half.

No wonder everyone here was full of puncture wounds. Liu Xian’an asked: “Is this the batch of goods my cousin purchased?”

Liu-furen didn’t want to mention this, but seeing that the prince was also waiting for her answer, she had no choice but to briefly tell the whole story.

Liu Xian’an had a cousin around the same age as him named Fang Jinyuan, who was fostered by Liu-furen in Biahe Mountain Village since childhood and followed the disciples of the Liu family to practice martial arts and medical skills – he didn’t have many great achievements in his studies, and was not qualified to be a doctor, so Liu-furen placed him in charge of purchasing some medical materials. It was fine before, but the last couple batches of wild black dates always had the same problem.

“There have only been two such batches, but it is likely that the following ones will be the same, or not much better. Your cousin is still staying in Qingjiang City. I’ll ask him later when he comes back with the last batch of goods.”

There were seven or eight small carts coming in continuously from outside, all of which needed to be inspected. Liu-furen continued to work, and Liang Shu also picked up a handful of shriveled black dates from the ground, rubbing them in his hand: “What did your cousin do?”

“I’m not familiar with him,” Liu Xian’an said. “However, no matter how much wild black dates cost, they are considered a common medicine, not more expensive than rare medicinal materials. Cousin should not have tampered with these, otherwise his reputation would be ruined and he wouldn’t profit much. The losses outweigh the gains.”

Liang Shu tossed the things back: “I don’t know medicinal materials.”

Liu Xian’an continued to explain to him. Black wild dates could not be artificially cultivated, and mostly grew in the humid mountains in the south of Dayan. They could grow wildly after the rain, with great yields, so they were not rare. The only expensive thing was manpower, as it took a lot of work to pick them.

“Qingjiang City is very close to Baihe City, and is considered a large producer of black wild dates. At this time of year, the government will organize villagers to go into the mountains to pick them, then sell them far and wide to medicine dealers after they are dried.” Liu Xian’an said, “I don’t usually care about such things, but if the medicinal materials purchased by others are the same, it is probably the local government getting up to mischief.”

Liang Shu was amused: “You are protecting your family. Your cousin is fine, but you insist that it is a matter of the officials appointed by the Imperial court.”

A few more sacks of wild black dates were cut open, each worse than the previous one. Among them were undried and moldy ones, which rendered the entire sack unusable, and were to be discarded and incinerated. Liu-furen was so impatient and angry that her teeth ached, but more infuriating things were to come. A servant came running from a distance and said, out of breath: “Young Master Fang came back, but he is the only one. He says that the rest of them were detained by the Qingjiang City government.”

Liu-furen was shocked: “Ah?”

Everyone went to the front hall together where Fang Jinyuan was drinking tea from a pot. He looked rather embarrassed, and his lips were dry, as if he hadn’t even washed his face. Liu-furen complained in distress: “You have always had a steady temper, how could you have a conflict with the government?”

Once Fang Jinyuan, an honest man, got angry, it was a big deal. The veins on his neck bulged as he said: “That man surnamed Zhang is too deceitful. At the beginning, he reasoned that the common people secretly tampered with the materials, but A-Chang didn’t believe it and ran to take a peek in the middle of the night. What common people, it was the government themselves.”

There was more than one pharmacy in Qingjiang City to collect wild black dates. Nobody wanted to suffer this loss, nor did they want to be the one taking the lead, so they privately tricked Fang Jingyuan into speaking out, thinking that the Baihe Mountain family had a great fortune and the favor of the emperor, so the local officials must give them some face. Fang Jinyuan really went, but never imagined that it would make the other party very angry. They denied in every possible way and instead reprimanded the medicine dealer for not knowing the difference between good and bad and not understanding the suffering of the common people. Later, the people of Baihe Mountain Village were simply detained on the charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.”

Fang Jinyuan continued: “Auntie, I really didn’t say anything excessive, and A-Chang was also very cordial. We didn’t expect them not to mix things in, but at least it could be mixed with things that could be picked out in the future, right? The dead branches and leaves were left, and the coal ash from the bottoms of pots should also be mixed in. I don’t know where it was all scraped out from.”

Liang Shu asked: “Since the supply of this medicinal material is limited and there is a rush to buy it, why does the government tamper with it rather than raising the price?”

“If the price doubles or triples all at once and it is discovered by their superiors or even the court, they would inevitably be punished for the crime of hoarding goods. It would be better to do what they are doing now, so that even if something happens in the future, it can be blamed on the short-sighted common people while they wash themselves clean.” Fang Jinyuan turned around, and seeing that Liang Shu looked unfamiliar, he asked his cousin, “Is this brother your friend?”

Liu Xian’an nodded. Yes, he is my friend.

Liu-furen reprimanded: “Hurry up and salute His Royal Highness Xiao Wang.”

His Royal Highness Xiao Wang? Fang Jinyuan was frightened on the spot, and hurriedly put down his sleeves, but Liang Shu stopped him: “Young Master Fang, you don’t need to be so polite. Continue speaking of Qingjiang City. If I remember correctly, the magistrate there should be called Zhang Guanghe?”

“That’s him,” Fang Jinyuan said. “He just took office a few years ago, and keeps saying that he wants to be honest and forthright. Every day, he even sets up a stand to pretend to listen to public opinion, but behind their backs, he wantonly ruined the reputation of Qingjiang City’s medicinal materials. After two years, with a transfer order, he will be able to pat his ass and get promoted without having to worry about this mess.”

Liu-furen asked again: “Zhang-daren detained our people and goods, and only let you return. Did he say how this can be resolved?”

“He did.” Mentioning this, Fang Jinyuan became even angrier. “He said that he would let Uncle personally come and retrieve them. He just wants to find fault and beat us, so that other medical vendors can see. If even Baihe Mountain Village cannot do anything to him, naturally no one else will cause trouble in the future.”

Logically speaking, even the Emperor would have to give Baihe Mountain Village some face. A local official would never be so arrogant. But the problem was that the Emperor’s favor was too hidden. There were no rewards here or there, and even the plaque from the late emperor was awarded more than ten years ago. It was not easy to be conferred a marriage with the princess, but Liang Yu resolutely rejected it, and the uproar was known all over the country. Later, even though Liang Shu talked about Baihe City, nobody knew what he intended to do. In addition, he only stayed in the city for half a day before leaving, so all kinds of rumors would inevitably be speculated by the outside world that Baihe Mountain Village’s favor was not what it used to be.

Thus, Cheng Suyue, who was wandering around the village, received a new job and accompanied Fang Jinyuan to Qingjiang City to find those people.

Zhang Guanghe probably never dreamed in his life that one day he would see the dragon token with his own eyes, and was so frightened that he sat down on the ground, trembling and weeping. In fact, this embezzlement business had only just started, and he hadn’t made much money. It was not a crime worthy of death, but that was His Royal Highness Xiao Wang, ah, could he really keep his head? He had simply bumped into death by accident.

So he got up and went to bang his head on a pillar, but was kicked back by Cheng Suyue, after which he cried more and more hysterically.

It was also Fang Jinyuan’s first time seeing such a scene, and he was in awe of his cousin. The first thing he did after returning to Baihe Mountain Village was to personally deliver to him two packets of good tea and a pack of snacks.

Liu Xian’an brewed a pot: “Your Highness, have a try?”

By now, Liang Shu had nearly forgotten that absurd dream – by force. He took the teacup: “I heard Liu-furen say yesterday that the assistant brought by your cousin this time is called Liu Henchang. He is very shrewd, has good medical skills, and has some martial arts.”

Liu Xian’an shook his head: “I don’t know him, there are many people in this village that I have never seen before.”

Liang Shu said: “I have already sent someone out to look for him.”

Liu Xian’an was puzzled: “Why are you looking for him?”

Liang Shu set down the teacup: “Guess.”

Liu Xian’an lay down lazily on the table. Won’t guess, I’m tired. Anyway, it was definitely not related to this case, as the matter of Qingjiang Manor was not qualified to be tried by the prince himself, and it was also not to see a doctor. Although A-Chang’s medical skills may be good, it was not enough to surpass his own father and come to diagnose the prince.

Liang Shu said: “If he is truly clever, I want to use him to lure out the two people who kidnapped you.”

“Huh?” Liu Xian’an sat up straight. “Feng Xiaojin?”

Liang Shu nodded.

Liu Xian’an considered it for a while. The two kidnappers had gone northward to find a miracle doctor to cure a disease. Using A-Chang as bait was indeed the correct prescription. He speculated: “So the prince wants to take advantage of the current problem with the purchase of medicinal materials and assign half of the blame to A-Chang, expelling him from Baihe Mountain Village so that Feng Xiaojin and Yun You can show up on their own initiative?”

“Yes,” Liang Shu said. “You checked Feng Xiaojin’s pulse that day. He can live another three years at most.”

“Approximately.” Liu Xian’an recalled, “His body is wasting away and inundated with toxins. He really needs to see a doctor as soon as possible. But those two people are extremely cruel. A-Chang has lived well in Baihe Mountain Village, so he may not agree to the prince’s proposal. In any case, if it were me, I would definitely not agree.”

“Not everyone is like you and can lie down instead of sitting. You’re extraordinarily lazy.” Liang Shu started looking for trouble again. “You’re not allowed to eat!”

Liu Xian’an did not listen, quickly taking a snack from the plate. Liang Shu tapped his elbow lightly, and Second Young Master Liu’s arm was instantly paralyzed. The snack was taken away, and Liang Shu took advantage of the situation to raise his arm. Liu Xian’an stretched out his hand to reach it, tilting his upper body, and had to grab the opponent’s shoulder with one hand to maintain his balance.

Liu Hengchang saw this intimate scene as soon as he entered the door, and quickly lowered his eyes, standing aside and waiting respectfully.

His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was not quite the same as in the rumors, ah.

Not only was he not bloody and brutal, but he also smiled quite happily and handsomely.

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

Li Yucheng came back to his senses. Seeing that Zhao Yelan was on the verge of falling, he hurried forward with Xiao Gao to support him. 

“Where is he?” Zhao Yelan struggled to stand up. Turning to look at the road ahead, among the figures coming and going, there was no Yan Mingting.

He ran to the road and interrogated them one by one, asking hoarsely: “Have you seen Yan Mingting?”

Those people were inexplicably caught to be interrogated, and seeing his red eyes, they were terrified. Afraid of getting into trouble, they waved their hands one after another and broke away, fleeing quickly.

Zhao Yelan walked onward, watching the sun sinking bit by bit. He tripped and fell to the road.

“Oh, heavens, don’t run around. Let’s go back first, maybe he just got off the horse to take a piss and the disobedient horse ran back by itself,” Li Yucheng comforted, helping him up.

Zhao Yelan’s dazed eyes gradually focused: “You’re right. Perhaps that is the case.”

“Ah? It is?” Li Yucheng was confused. What did he just say?

Zhao Yelan forgot his body’s pain and the dust on his clothing. He ran back quickly, and the sweat-blood horse also ran over.

“He just got off halfway, right? Take me to find him.” After saying so, Zhao Yelan rode on.

Yan Mingting was right, the sweat-blood horse was still a bit difficult for him to control. The speed was too fast, and he lost his balance several times before he managed to stabilize his figure. Trying not to let himself fall, he called Yan Mingting’s name along the way.

“Is he crazy?” Li Yucheng hurriedly asked Xiao Gao to follow, and returned to the city, where he hired a carriage to catch up.

“Yan Mingting! Yan Mingting, where are you!”

Zhao Yelan shouted all the way. Li Yucheng and Xiao Gao followed behind and called out as well. It was completely dark now, and the three of them searched for a long time on the dark road. Xiao Gao held a torch and led Zhao Yelan on the path ahead.

Zhao Yelan’s voice was so hoarse that he couldn’t shout anymore. He gazed into the endless night and at the road ahead, and suddenly didn’t know what he was doing.

He should have returned to the city and called someone to start a blanket search, or he shouldn’t have asked Yan Mingting to come back earlier, and just had him stay in Nanjiang for a while and return with the army. Then Yan Mingting would certainly not have disappeared on the way home.

Or, he shouldn’t have let Yan Mingting go to Nanjiang in the first place.

There were so many people who knew how to fight, but there was only one Yan Mingting.

Xiao Gao walked in front, and his ears moved slightly when he heard a faint sob. He turned his head and saw Zhao Yelan raise a hand and press his palm to his eyes. A teardrop rolled down the tip of his eye to his cheek.

Xiao Gao was too shocked to speak, and pointed at him tremblingly. Just as he was about to speak, Li Yucheng gave him a meaningful look, and he belatedly closed his mouth. Looking ahead, he pretended that he hadn’t seen anything.

The horse continued to walk forward, and the three of them remained quiet on the road.

Xiao Gao never heard him cry again, as if what he heard just now was his imagination. Or perhaps his lord just restrained and suppressed it, not daring to let them hear anything more.

He didn’t dare look back, but silently hoped in his heart that Yan Mingting would come home soon.

There was no telling how long they walked, but many thoughts came to Zhao Yelan’s mind, one here, one there, without any rhyme or reason. It was like walking on the summit of despair, hopeless and unrestrained, ready for whatever came.

Suddenly, as if he had found his answer, the corners of his mouth twitched.

No matter what, it would be fine. In any case, Yan Mingting wouldn’t run away from him, and dying was impossible.

At this time, the horse suddenly accelerated, and he simply trusted the horse and let it run wildly.

“My lord!” Xiao Gao hurried to catch up.

“Aiyo, you really want to torment me to death!” Li Yucheng quickly chased after him with the carriage.

Soon, Zhao Yelan discovered that the horse was not running wildly, but seemed to be running in a certain direction. However, it suddenly calmed down again, lingering on the road.

“Are you looking for him?” Zhao Yelan leaned over and asked. There was joy in his eyes, but fearing that his hopes would be in vain, he restrained his voice and asked, “Is he around here?”

The horse certainly couldn’t answer him. It circled around like a headless chicken, neighing.

Just then, a whistle sounded from afar.

The horse moved upon hearing the sound, and promptly ran over through the darkness.

Zhao Yelan controlled his heartbeat and stared ahead until he saw a vague figure. The suppressed emotions surged up at once, and he cursed: “Yan Mingting! What are you doing hiding here!”

Behind him, Xiao Gao and Li Yucheng heard this and rushed to the front immediately.

Xiao Gao raised the torch a little higher, and only then did he see Yan Mingting leaning against a tree in a state of embarrassment. He didn’t forget to fold his arms in front of his chest in a  handsome way, raise his eyebrows at them, and then stretch out his hands with a smile: “Mengting, you’re here, let me give you a hug.”

Zhao Yelan dismounted, staggered two steps, and then went forward and shoved him: “What are you doing hiding here!”

Yan Mingting smiled, hugged him into his arms, and took a deep breath: “It’s good to see you.”

Li Yucheng took Xiao Gao to the side to wait.

Zhao Yelan shoved him a few more times, but did not push him away. Then he hugged him back and buried himself in the crook of his neck.

After a moment, Yan Mingting noticed that a patch of his neck was wet with tears. He stroked the other’s cheeks with both hands and lowered his head to kiss him longer than ever before, salty tears mixed in.

The dark clouds dissipated and the moon was completely exposed, bright moonlight shining down on the two of them until Zhao Yelan could hardly breathe. Only then did he gently push this person away. He found that tears were also hanging on Yan Mingting’s cheeks, and his heart was touched. He raised a hand to wipe them and asked: “Why are you crying?”

“Because I missed you?” Yan Mingting heard that his voice was hoarse and pressed his forehead against him, asking in a low voice, “How about you?”

“I thought you were dead,” Zhao Yelan said.

Yan Mingting smiled silently.

“So why are you here?” Zhao Yelan asked again.

Yan Mingting led him to the carriage and said: “When I was on my way, I was in a hurry to piss, so I dismounted first and when I came back, I found that the horse was gone.”

Hearing this, Li Yucheng was shocked and said: “My god, I was right?!”

Zhao Yelan didn’t believe it, but did not ask more questions at this moment, quietly following him into the carriage. Then he started to pick off the other’s clothes without making a sound. Yan Mingting didn’t resist, and let him check carefully, saying with a smile: “I’m not hurt, it really was an urge to pee.”

Zhao Yelan beat him a few more times angrily: “Then you can’t tie up a horse well! Do you know when I saw only the horse come back, how much…..”

He couldn’t continue, and simply turned his head to look elsewhere.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t tie the horse properly, it’s all my carelessness.” Yan Mingting coaxed him for a long time, but seeing that he was still indifferent, he moved his eyes and suddenly let out a painful “hiss.”

Zhao Yelan frowned and turned around: “What is wrong with you?”

“It hurts a little.”

“Where?” Zhao Yelan hurriedly touched him.

“In here.” Yan Mingting pressed his hand to the left side of his chest, aggrieved. “When you ignore me, it hurts here.”

Zhao Yelan gave him a blank look. He looked down and leaned his head against him, closing his eyes. “Forget it. It’s good you came back. No matter what, it’s good that you came back safely.”

Yan Mingting placed his arms around his shoulders, lowered his head, and sniffed the smell of him. He smiled silently, but the depths of his eyes were as desolate as the night.

When he returned to the General’s Mansion, the servants had already gone to sleep, so Xiao Gao obediently went to the kitchen to prepare hot water.

While bathing, Yan Mingting talked to Zhao Yelan about the war, blowing himself up into a majestic god of war like nothing in heaven or earth.

The corners of Zhao Yelan’s mouth hooked up. If it were before, he would have already been irritated to no end, but presently, he wasn’t irritated at all. He couldn’t wait for him to talk more, as if he was also on the battlefield with him.

“By the way, did the Princess of Nanjiang tell you why she poisoned your father?” he asked.

“En.” Yan Mingting nodded, and said in a low voice, “She finally confessed before she died and said that Zhao Xu asked her for the poison. Although the Yan family did not join any faction at that time, he found the Imperial doctor who treated me. He was worried that the Yan family might be biased toward your party, and in addition, he had begun to worry that my father would make great achievements after he ascended the throne, so he was ruthless.”

Zhao Yelan’s eyes went slightly cold: “Where is Zhao Xu, you haven’t found him yet?”

“These days, I have also sent people to search covertly, to see if the person is alive and to find the corpse if he is dead.”

Yan Mingting turned to look at his angry expression, laughed, and raised his hand to pinch his cheek: “Okay, okay. It’s fine for me to be angry alone, you have to be responsible for being happy.”

“Come out quickly after washing, the water is cold,” Zhao Yelan said.

Yan Mingting got up to dry himself, put on his clothes, and took his hand to walk to the bed.

Zhao Yelan suddenly felt his hand being squeezed hard. He looked sideways and saw Yan Mingting shake his head with a slight frown. Then he sat down on the side of the bed as if nothing had happened and patted his thigh: “Come, I haven’t hugged you for a long time.”

Zhao Yelan sat and asked: “Other than you, is everyone else staying at the southern border?”

“No, only a small number of people were left. He Cuizhang and the others will lead the army back tomorrow, I’m just one step ahead of them.”

“I would rather you had returned with them and saved me some worry.”

Yan Mingting smiled, placed him on the bed, and then practiced what it meant for absence to make the heart grow fonder.

The next day, Zhao Yelan reported a leave of absence to the Imperial Academy, and when he got up, Yan Mingting was still lying in bed.

When Housekeeper Qin heard that the General was back, he was so happy that he turned around and asked the kitchen to prepare a lot of food.

Zhao Yelan kicked Yan Mingting while listening to the bustling commotion outside: “Don’t you have to go to court today?”

“En, in any case, He Cuizhang and the others haven’t returned yet, so I’ll wait for the army to come back before going to court.” Yan Mingting had been exhausted for almost two months, and at this moment, he wanted to be lazy. He hugged Zhao Yelan and moaned, “I don’t want to go out, I just want to play with you.”

“Then let’s go back to sleep, ba.” Zhao Yelan patted him on the shoulder lightly and slept with him again, not getting up until noon.

After eating, the two lingered in the room for another two hours, and Zhao Yelan kicked him exhaustedly: “Are you going to let me live?”

“Isn’t this the time for you to be passionate?” Yan Mingting teased.

Zhao Yelan supported his head with his hands and sent him a slanted glance. Yan Mingting leaned forward to kiss him a few more times and said contentedly: “I’ve been holding back for two months.”

In the evening, after Zhao Yelan bathed, he found that Yan Mingting was not in the mansion. After asking Housekeeper Qin, he discovered that he was out running errands.

As for what he was doing, Housekeeper Qin didn’t know either.

Zhao Yelan closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then turned and went back to the room. When Yan Mingting returned, he asked: “What did you go to do?”

“Oh, I went out and did a little shopping.” Yan Mingting took out a safety talisman from his bosom and gave it to him. “I heard that this is very useful, and it is made of pure gold. I guessed you would like it.”

“…….” Zhao Yelan looked at such a big golden safety talisman and said speechlessly, “I like gold, but I don’t want to wear it when I go out.”

“Then keep it as a treasure at home. It’s gold,” Yan Mingting said with a smile.

Zhao Yelan watched him go and earnestly store it. Walking a few steps closer, he hugged him and then secretly sniffed him, smelling the faint scent of medicinal herbs.

Others may not have noticed it, but he had been ill for a long time, so he was very familiar with the scent of medicinal herbs.

“Why so clingy?” Yan Mingting said with a smile.

Zhao Yelan said: “Go to bed early.”

“I’m going!”

Like an energetic dog, Yan Mingting was about to squeeze him dry again. The next day, he went to the Imperial Academy slowly. In fact, it was possible to ask for leave, but he still had something to investigate.

At noon, his colleagues ate, but he went to the Imperial Hospital. He found the busy Yao Muze in an empty corner and asked straight to the point: “Did Yan Mingting look for you last night?”

Yao Muze looked at him in surprise.

“What did he come see you for?” Zhao Yelan asked forcefully.

Yao Muze’s eyes wandered, as if he wanted to avoid this question.

“Think about it clearly, the price of hiding it from me is very high.” Zhao Yelan’s eyes were sharp. “Moreover, even he wants to hide things from me. Can you bear the consequences?”

Yao Muze’s eyes flickered a few times. He truly didn’t want to hide this news, so he could only temporarily let down the general’s trust. Gritting his teeth, he replied: “The General came to ask me last night if there is any antidote to the old general’s poison, and how many days he could live at most…..”

Zhao Yelan felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, and his face went pale.

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Chapter Eighty-Four <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Eighty-Six