Wanli Escort Bureau was magnificently built. At this time, two huge stone beasts at the entrance were bathed in the rising sun. The vermillion gate was closed tightly, however, it being tightly closed did not prevent the common people from huddling in the street to listen to the commotion. There was constant shouting and cursing from inside, as well as the sound of swords and spears colliding. In light of this battle, it was not necessarily impossible for a person to fly over the courtyard wall in the next moment.

Chang Wanli had stayed up all night, and finally closed his eyes for a while when the sky was getting bright. At this time, he was forced to face this group of visiting creditors again, so he had to make himself get up.

He Rao tidied his clothes and sighed: “Husband, why do you have to be so hard on yourself? Why don’t you temporarily send the escorts to Han Sanyan? He won’t kick us out, and we can still do business, and when we have saved enough money, we can redeem our property. It’s almost time for Xiao Qiu to come back from these few days with the escorts. If you let him see the house in such disorder, he will make a fuss again.”

“Speak lightly.” Chang Wanli shook his head. “The escort agency lost a big shipment. If even the estate is compensated to the goods owner, how can anyone do business with us in the future? Let’s think of another way.”

As the two spoke, the front hall became noisy again. This time, Han Sanyan came in person. He was sitting on the Eight Immortals chair, holding a purple clay teapot in his hands, and was wearing a purple outfit for some reason that made him look more like an eggplant. Seeing Chang Wanli coming out, the eggplant promptly donned a troubled expression, stepping forward to say: “Chief Escort Chang, if you can’t give an explanation today, Hansong Hall will really have to move things by hand.”

These desks, chairs, benches, and antiques in the Wanli Escort Bureau, even if they were emptied out, were not worth one box of lost goods. The humiliation of this move was far greater than the actual significance. But Chang Wanli was in the wrong first and had a large family to support. No matter how angry he was inwardly, he could only apologize, but Han Sanyan had already made up his mind and would make no more concessions.

“Do it!”

Chang Wanli slapped the table: “Who dares!”

Disciples at both sides readied their weapons. A fierce battle was about to break out, but at this moment, a huge mahogany box suddenly wooshed in from outside the door like a boulder rolling down a cliff. With a mighty force, it smashed a big crater into the ground with a bang and the lid of the box was flung aside upon impact. The box full of silver, pearls, and jade shook wildly, with pearls rolling down and emeralds reflecting the light.

“Surnamed Han.” A beautiful red-clothed girl with a sword walked inside and asked in a charming voice, “Is this the batch of goods that were robbed from you?”

All of the disciples at the scene exchanged glances. The first shock was her arrival, and the second shock was her internal strength – how high must her martials arts be to be able to throw a box of things through the air so firmly? The third shock was, she found it? Where did she find it?

Han Sanyan was a little flustered, but he still gazed at the uninvited guest calmly, gripping the purple clay teapot until it cracked: “Good, very good. You robbed my goods and now you still come to the door to provoke us.”

Cheng Suyue laughed out loud: “You’re so stunned by fright at this unexpected event that you’ve started to talk nonsense? Say I really robbed your goods, and instead of rushing to sell it, I carried it over with great effort just to provoke you face to face. How novel, ah, are you stupid or am I?”

Han Sanyan’s face was ashen. Chang Wanli seemed to have seen a savior, and stepped forward to say happily: “Where did the Miss find these missing goods?”

“Where did I find them?” Cheng Suyue cast a cold glance at the Hansong Hall people. “Why don’t you tell him yourself?”

“Presumptuous!” Han Sanyan turned over the teapot, revealing hundreds of glowing blue cow hair needles hidden inside. Cheng Suyue had long been on guard, and swung her sword backhand to sweep them away: “Holding such a sinister thing all day long and drinking from it with relish, you must not be afraid of ruining your heart and lungs.”

Han Sanyan knew that the matter had been exposed. Evil thoughts abounded, and all of his attacks were killing moves, determined to put this wild girl of unknown origin to death. The disciples of Hansong Hall also drew their swords and attacked. Cheng Suyue’s martial arts were not low, but facing this large group of men who were pulling out all their tricks, it was inevitable that she would suffer. Although Chang Wanli still didn’t understand what had happened, he saw that she was gradually losing ground and was about to step forward to help. However, Han Sanyan seemed to have been hit by an invisible force, and yelled as his whole person flew backwards to hit the central pillar.

Cheng Suyue took the opportunity to sweep away the disciples in front of her with her sword, and quickly dashed to the door: “Your Highness.”

“Your martial arts have not progressed.” Liang Shu stepped through the door frame. “Go back to the northwest and continue practicing.”

Cheng Suyue tidied up her messy clothes: “Oh.”

Han Sanyan was groaning on the ground. It looked as if he had some broken bones and could not get up. The disciples of Hansong Hall tried to assist him, but received a burst of screams and didn’t dare to move anymore.

Chang Wanli witnessed the scene of Han Sanyan being grasped by a supernatural force, and wondered who among the Central Plains martial artists could have such terrifying internal strength. Hearing the girl on the opposite side call “Your Highness,” he was startled and didn’t dare to act rashly anymore, only staring at the young man who walked in from the door: “Your Highness is…..”

Cheng Suyue took out the Nine Dragons tablet from her pocket.

“His Royal Highness Xiao Wang.” After seeing it clearly, Chang Wanli hurriedly knelt down and bowed. “I didn’t know that the prince was here, and the house is in such a mess. It is really discourteous.”

“Get up.” Liang Shu sat on the chair. “Where is your wife? Let her come out, this lord has something to ask her.”

“……Yes.” Chang Wanli was suspicious but didn’t dare to say more, so he sent someone to the East Courtyard to invite He Rao. 

The girl hurried there and back: “Chief Escort, Madam seems to have left. Her bedroom is a mess, and she seems to have taken all her jewelry with her.”

Chang Wanli’s face paled: “Ah?”

He personally ran to the back courtyard to check, and saw that the wardrobe and drawers were wide open, obviously having been searched once. When he returned to the front hall, Gao Lin had already fetched He Rao back, and said: “Your Highness’s guess was correct. She had already arranged the horses and carriages needed for the journey. She didn’t even leave the city gate, and went directly to the forest.”

It was not a bad plan, but in the end, the people and carriages were stopped on the road by Gao Lin.

Chang Wanli asked anxiously: “What is going on here?”

He Rao ignored him, just staring at Han Sanyan in the corner. She had a vicious mind and was greedy for pleasure, not a person of strong character at all. At this time, she knew that the matter could no longer be concealed, so she didn’t bother trying, only wanting to find someone to share the blame as she pointed the finger: “It’s him, it’s him who instigated me!”

Han Sanyan was in so much pain that he couldn’t bother to refute, and just panted heavily.

Chang Wanli asked in a trembling voice: “Who do you mean, A-Rao? You actually meant to harm me together with him?”

He Rao knelt on the ground and wanted to argue again, but was interrupted by Cheng Suyue: “That’s enough. Chief Escort Chang, we’ll discuss your family affairs in detail later. For now, the prince has something to ask. It is related to an important case in Wangcheng years ago. Chang-furen, will you confess on your own, or shall I interrogate you?”

He Rao knew what she was talking about as soon as she heard it, and it had nothing to do with her, so she immediately replied: “It was the Master of Dazhai and Feng Xiaojin, they robbed the Imperial court of the money and jewels that were needed to buy food!”

Chang Wanli never dreamed that he would hold the string that led to that old criminal case, and was stunned for a long time, unable to come back to his senses.

He Rao’s confession was similar to what the bandits of Fuhu Mountain said. Feng Xiaojin was the adopted son picked up by the Master of Dazhai from outside. When he first entered the home, he was only about ten years old, so thin that he was all bones. He had a dull personality and was taciturn, but his martial arts were not bad, and he soon became the second master after the master of the village. 

He Rao was the maid of the Master of Dazhai at the time, so she also spent a period of time with Feng Xiaojin. She tried to curry favor with the other party, but made little progress and wasn’t even able to find out about his background. Later, she heard the Master of Dazhai accidentally mention it after drinking. It was said that Feng Xiaojin had a grudge with a lord surnamed Tan in the court and really couldn’t survive outside, so he came to the village to become a bandit.

Cheng Suyue frowned slightly upon hearing this. How capable was a ten-year-old to make enemies of important officials in the Imperial court? She feared it must be a continuation of grievances from his parents.

“Maybe five or six years later, Feng Xiaojin went with the village head to rob that batch of official funds.” He Rao said, “At that time, the whole village was elated, but Feng Xiaojin was not happy. I suppose he was upset that he didn’t take the life of that senior official surnamed Tan.”

“Then he just left?”

“Yes, he left without saying goodbye to anyone,” said He Rao. “Within a few months after he left, the family of the senior official surnamed Tan was slaughtered, and we all guessed that he was behind it.”

Cheng Suyue continued to ask: “Has anyone seen him after that?”

He Rao hesitated for a moment: “No, no one saw him again.”

“You had better think carefully before answering.” Liang Shu looked at her condescendingly. “This lord intends to investigate this old case, and you are the only clue at present. If you can’t remember it here, you can continue thinking about it somewhere else.”

“But I really don’t know.”

“There’s no hurry,” Cheng Suyue said in a friendly manner. “If you still can’t utter a word after being tortured, then naturally, we will believe that Chang-furen doesn’t know anything. It’s just that the process might be bloody. I’m really sorry, ah, how about I apologize ahead of time?”

He Rao’s face clouded like wash water.

“In any case, my family’s prince has killed many people, and not all of them were guilty of serious crimes. There will always be one or two innocent people who are dragged into the water.” Cheng Suyue clapped her hands and stood up. “Who made you so unlucky, Chang-furen? Come, take her away!”

“I’ve seen him!” He Rao cried out involuntarily.

Cheng Suyue said: “Oh.”

His Royal Highness Xiao Wang’s brutality was well-known throughout the country. He Rao was truly terrified. She couldn’t bear the pressure and finally said through gritted teeth: “I met Feng Xiaojin not long ago. I searched for him to, to……”

Cheng Suyue finished the second half of the sentence for her: “To kill Chang Xiaoqiu?”

Chang Wanli turned pale with shock, and stood up from his chair suddenly: “What?”

“Chief Escort Chang, be at ease,” Cheng Suyue reassured. “Your son is doing well now.”

Very well indeed.

In the Kangtai Medical Center to the east of Baihe City, a young man was sitting in the courtyard and basking in the sun. This was Chang Wanli’s son, Chang Xiaoqiu. Compared to his half-dead appearance on the mountain outside the city before, his current appearance could be described as healthy, ruddy, and lustrous, even though he still had a limp and his mood was downcast.

Chang Xiaohan went to the street to buy him some snacks, and happened to meet Liu Xian’an on the way.

“Miracle Doctor!” He was overjoyed. “When did you come back?”

Liu Xian’an was thinking up a big plan to travel with someone when his sleeve was grabbed suddenly. When he looked up, it was Chang Xiaohan, so he asked him: “How is your young master?”

“Much better. He’s staying at Kangtai Medical Center, and Doctor Zhang said that his life is safe…..ai, he just suffered a blow, and now he thinks he’s useless.”

The two of them talked as they went back to the Kangtai Medical Center together. Chang Xiaoqiu was still sitting in the courtyard, staring at his lame leg and feeling that he might never be able to stand up again. He didn’t move when he heard movement at the courtyard door, his head almost drooping to the ground.

“Young Master.” Chang Xiaohan said, “What are you doing sitting on the ground again?”

He put the snacks away and went to help him up, but Chang Xiaoqiu insisted on doing it himself. However, he couldn’t stand properly and stumbled against the wall, saying angrily: “If my leg is bad, then it’s pointless for me to live. I might as well die.”

Liu Xian’an said: “That is also possible.”

Chang Xiaoqiu didn’t expect that there was another person in the courtyard, and was startled. Looking up, he saw that the other person had a very good appearance, handsome and graceful like an immortal, but how could his words be so unpleasant? “What do you mean it’s also possible?”

“You said you don’t want to live anymore, and I said it is possible,” Liu Xian’an further explained.

Chang Xiaoqiu choked: “Who are you?”

“Young Master, don’t be rude.” Chang Xiaohan hurriedly introduced, “This is Miracle Doctor Liu of Baihe Mountain Village who saved our lives in the barren mountains outside the city.”

Chang Xiaoqiu didn’t believe it: “How can there be a doctor who persuades people to die?”

“It’s not that I am persuading you to die, but that you want to die.” Liu Xian’an moved a chair over. “Since your heart is already dead, why should I try hard to persuade you to recover your positivity? Firstly, it will be troublesome, and secondly, it may not improve the result, so it is better to die if you want to. Anyway, everyone lives and dies in their lifetime. It’s not a big deal.”

Chang Xiaoqiu: “……”

Please get out!

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

Late at night, after Yan Mingting finished his bath, he didn’t see Zhao Yelan in the room, so he casually put on his clothes and went out to look for him.

The servants said they saw Zhao-daren go to the ancestral hall.

He approached the ancestral hall and saw that the lights inside were bright, and Zhao Yelan’s shadow was cast against the window.

Thinking for a moment, he changed direction without a sound and leaned against the window, staying with him in silence for a while.

The person inside remained silent, with only the incense candles burning. Yan Mingting thought for a while, and then left quietly, telling people on the way not to approach the ancestral hall.

After lying in the room for a while, the door creaked open and Zhao Yelan walked to the bedside.

“You’re back. Come quickly, the bed has been warmed up for you.” Yan Mingting moved to his side.

“Do you know where I’ve been?” Zhao Yelan took off his clothes and lay down in bed. The other party grabbed his cold hands and rubbed them in his palms.

“En, don’t worry, I didn’t eavesdrop on your private conversation with your parents.”

“It’s okay if you hear.” Zhao Yelan smiled. “I just wanted to tell them that I’m doing fine now.”

“That’s good, I feel relieved for your parents,” Yan Mingting said with a smile.

After a long while, Zhao Yelan suddenly asked: “Are you still taking a day to rest tomorrow?”

“Yes, ah.” Yan Mingting said with a yawn. 

Unexpectedly, the other party rustled about and sat on top of him, lowering his head to lick his ear: “I won’t go out tomorrow.”

Yan Mingting’s mind was thrown into disarray at once: “If you say that, I won’t be sleepy anymore.”

Zhao Yelan smiled softly and whispered in his ear: “It doesn’t matter if you are a little bit cruel.”

The next day, Zhao Yelan really didn’t go out, and didn’t get up until the afternoon. He hugged a hot water bottle and collapsed on the recliner. Inside was the tiger skin, and a blanket was placed on his knees. He sat leisurely under the eaves to enjoy the snow and watch Yan Mingting teach Xiao Gao martial arts.

Ten days later, it was New Year’s Eve. The Emperor would hold a family banquet with the feudal lords, and no officials would be required to attend, so everyone could spend a peaceful New Year’s at home.

The General’s Mansion was very lively this year. Housekeeper Qin had not been so busy for many years. He went to pay his respects early in the morning and invited people to be guests.

Near noon, the guests arrived one after another.

The Li Yucheng father and son, Ruan Xian’s family, several lieutenants including He Cuizhang, Zuo Ran, Yin Pinglu, and Kan Chuan’s family of three.

Everyone else had a good relationship with Zhao Yelan, but when they saw Kan Chuan, they were inevitably a little surprised.

Yan Mingting smiled and said, “Thank you for giving me face, Kan-daren.”

“The General is joking. I am lucky to have received the General’s invitation.”

The two exchanged pleasantries, and everyone thought he was a friend of Yan Mingting, so they let go of their doubts.

In the past few days, Yan Mingting would communicate with Kan Chuan, and when other officials saw this, they only thought that the two had similar interests. After all, Yan Mingting got along with everyone.

“Where is Zhao-daren?” Yin Pinglu asked.

“He is writing New Year’s Eve couplets in the study, and he’ll be here soon.”

Talk about a person and he will appear. Zhao Yelan came to the front hall in vermillion robes suitable for the occasion, along with a flowing cloud hairpin. With his fair skin and black hair like a waterfall, he made a dazzling winter scene. Everyone couldn’t help but appreciate the sight a few times before making their greetings.

“It’s cold outside, let’s eat first,” Zhao Yelan said.

The table was full of delicacies. Men, women, and children gathered together. Because Li Yucheng, a talkative fellow, and He Cuizhang, a fellow regarded as an outsider were making jokes, the dinner table soon became full of laughter and the unfamiliar people gradually became acquainted.

After the meal, Zuo Ran and Yin Pinglu gravitated toward Li Niang, who was holding the baby. Together with Ruan Xian’s wife, the four women gathered around to play with the child. Li Niang told them about the hardships of being pregnant, but her eyes were full of tenderness. Ruan Xian’s wife was not pregnant yet, but she was a little afraid of having a baby.

Zuo Ran and Yin Pinglu crouched to the side and looked at the child with smiles, saying that she had worked hard and praising the child for being so cute.

Perhaps seeing so many strangers made her uncomfortable, because the child cried loudly and couldn’t be coaxed no matter how hard they tried.

Yin Pinglu asked: “Does she need to drink milk?”

“She just ate, ah, so she shouldn’t be hungry,” Li Niang said. She hastily got up and walked with the child in her arms. “You accompany me to find Zhao-daren.”

Zhao Yelan was appreciating a calligraphy painting with Kan Chuan, Li Jinyu, and Ruan Xian in the study room. It was the birthday gift from Kan Chuan last time.

After the group of people praised the calligraphy painting with clever words, they also talked about court affairs. As they were speaking of the relationship with Nanjiang, they heard the voices of a few girls outside, hurriedly calling Zhao-daren, Zhao-daren.

Then Kan Chuan saw his wife and two young girls run in and hand the child to Zhao Yelan.

“Zhao-daren, the child keeps crying, can you see if you can make her stop?”

Zhao Yelan had no experience in holding children, so he froze for a moment, stiff all over. Then he put his arms around the crying child and asked them blankly: “Like this?”

Seeing this, Kan Chuan stepped forward with a smile and said to let him, the father, try. Just as he was reaching out, he witnessed the child in Zhao Yelan’s arms stop crying.

Kan Chuan: “ ? ”

The others: “Wow.”

Ruan Xian clapped his hands and said with a laugh: “Kan-xiong, I don’t think the real father can match up to Zhao-xiong. Why don’t you just let your child recognize him as a godfather.”

Kan Chuan took advantage of the situation and said: “This is not a bad proposal. I wonder if he would like it?”

Zhao Yelan looked down at the child and smiled: “All right, ah.”

So in full public view, Zhao Yelan accepted a goddaughter openly and aboveboard, and gave her lucky money according to custom.

“How can there be no General Yan on this occasion? Where are the others?” Ruan Xian asked.

Zuo Ran said: “A few of them are fighting outside.”

The group of people walked outside and came to the back courtyard, where they saw Li Yucheng pestering Yan Mingting to teach him martial arts, wanting to fly like Xiao Gao and hold heavy weapons like He Cuizhang. But Yan Mingting just pushed him casually and he fell to the ground.

Everyone looked at Li Jinyu one after another, worried that the old fellow who doted on his son would blame Yan Mingting, but Li Jingyu stroked his beard and laughed: “Yan Mingting, beat up this kid as you like!”

“Dad, are you still my real father or not, ah!” Li Yucheng howled, and went to pester Yan Mingting again.

“You run five laps to warm up first,” Yan Mingting said.

“I’ll run.”

“I mean five laps around the capital.”

“……You bully! Zhao Yelan said that he ran around the General’s Mansion five times at most!”

“He is my wife, so naturally he can bargain for a price. Who do you think you are?”

Everyone laughed, and Zhao Yelan helplessly covered the child’s ears with his hands. Some things shouldn’t be heard.

In the evening, everyone said their goodbyes one after another and went home. Only the residents of the General’s Mansion were left. After Zhao Yelan asked the servants to pack up the food, he had them take a rest and have a good New Year’s Eve.

The servants happily took the reward silver and went to the street to purchase things, leaving only the two masters in the mansion. After the two had eaten, there was nothing else to do. There were so many people on the street now, and Zhao Yelan didn’t want to go out into a crowd of people. He grabbed an orange picked in the woods out back and ate a few mouthfuls before saying: “What should we do to pass the time now?”

“Do you have any ideas?” Yan Mingting sat beside him and also peeled an orange.

“Shouldn’t it be time for the New Year’s money?” Zhao Yelan remembered that when he was young, his parents would give him New Year’s money, and he would then use it to buy brushes and paper.

“Okay, ah, how much do you want?”

“I want ten thousand taels of gold, can you give it to me?”

“No problem, just wait a moment.” After a while, Yan Mingting gave him an IOU with a flourish.

“…….”

“Look at the other side,” Yan Mingting reminded him.

Zhao Yelan turned it over and saw that there was a drawing of a figure holding a gold ingot. He was immediately amused: “Are you childish?”

Yan Mingting refused to admit it, saying that he was clever. Then he took out a bank note from his bosom and handed it to him: “Here, New Year’s money.”

Zhao Yelan took it and found that the banknote had some scuff marks, asking suspiciously: “Where did it come from?”

“My mother gave me this New Year’s money when I was young. On the last New Year’s Eve before I left Beijing, she told me to take it to the border to buy food, and not treat myself badly.” Yan Mingting laughed out loud. “When I went to the border, it was difficult for me to buy good things, so I just kept it.”

“Then keep it for yourself.”

“Isn’t keeping it with you the same thing?”

Zhao Yelan considered this for a while and found that it made sense, so he accepted it and then dug in his pockets. Yan Mingting stared straight at him as he dug around for a long time, and the other said: “What are you looking at? I’m just digging around, there’s nothing in here.”

Yan Mingting rubbed his toes together and asked with disappointment: “You really aren’t giving me anything?”

Zhao Yelan looked him up and down, and finally took out a jade bracelet from his sleeve with a smile: “It’s this, do you want it?”

“You’ve become wicked and learned to play tricks.” Yan Mingting smiled and leaned over to look. “What is this?”

“My mother left it for her daughter-in-law.” Zhao Yelan gazed at him intently. “What do you think?”

“Yes, ah, since it is a gift prepared by my mother-in-law, I will naturally accept it ~” Yan Mingting replied coyly. He laughed out loud and tried to put it on for a long time, making his hand all red without success. “It’s impossible, when mother-in-law was preparing the gift, didn’t she consider that her daughter-in-law could have big hands?”

Zhao Yelan almost laughed to the point of tears.

This bracelet was secretly given to him by his mother while in prison. She had whispered in his ear: “Mengting, I originally wanted to give this to your wife when you grow up and get married. If…..I mean, if I don’t get out of here, you must get out. You must live and find someone you like and want to marry, all right?”

He knew that this was his mother leaving him a memory and entrusting it to him, fearing that he would commit suicide after his family was destroyed. So he lingered on and lived alone, but was fortunate enough to actually find someone he liked and get married.

The bracelet still could not be put on, so it was taken away by Yan Mingting to be placed in storage. Seeing him put it into a box with eighteen locks, Zhao Yelan couldn’t help but say: “You could compete with Gu Niaoniao when it comes to hiding things.”

“What do you mean?”

She uses a dozen boxes to hide things, and you use a dozen locks. I really don’t know who is better.

A large number of fireworks were set off in the palace, almost lighting up the entire night sky, and the common people came to watch and bid farewell to the old and welcome the new together.

The sky was on fire outside, but inside the house was another scene. When the two people settled down, they sometimes murmured in whispers and sometimes panted endlessly. It was clearly still winter, but it seemed like a boundless spring.

The colors of the fireworks passed by the window. Zhao Yelan grasped the bed curtains as the waves rose and fell, subconsciously glanced outside, and then the waves stopped.

He looked at Yan Mingting blankly. There was still an unfading sea tide in his eyes, and he was about to speak when he saw Yan Mingting lower his head and bend down.

Zhao Yelan’s eyes trembled violently, and he heard the explosions of the fireworks outside as if they were blooming in his heart and mind. He opened his mouth, and his wanton voice was drowned by the sound of the fireworks. Only Yan Mingting could hear it clearly.

After New Year’s Eve, the vassal kings and envoys from all over the country should leave, and Yan Mingting was responsible for sending these people out the city gate. It was only that the king of Nanjiang had not left for a long time. He said that he enjoyed the delicious food in the capital and wanted to stay for a day or two, so he waited another two days before leaving with the princess of Nanjiang.

When the princess of Nanjiang saw Yan Mingting, she scoffed coldly and rolled her eyes, which were full of mockery.

Yan Mingting turned a blind eye to her, and after seeing them off, he returned to the General’s Mansion to wait for Zuo Ran.

“Why did the king of Nanjiang wait these two days?”

“The princess of Nanjiang vanished from the inn for a few days,” Zuo Ran replied in a low voice. She had been placed at the inn by Yan Mingting as a female guard in order to care for the female relatives, but could only stay inside the inn to avoid suspicion. “The king of Nanjiang’s people only found out about it last night, and they quarreled. I eavesdropped for a while and it was something about men and going to bed. I figured the princess was out to meet a man privately.”

Yan Mingting frowned. He found He Cuizhang again and asked him to investigate which men had been loitering outside without going home these past few days. However, after several days of searching, He Cuizhang shook his head and sighed: “Because of the visiting envoys, the curfew was particularly strict this year. Except for those who stayed in brothels, the other men honestly stayed at home to celebrate the new year.”

That was strange. A dignified princess couldn’t go to a brothel to find a man, could she?

Thinking of the disdain in the princess of Nanjiang’s eyes when she left, it could be seen that the status of the man they were looking for was not simple.

He told Zhao Yelan about this and asked, could it be Zhao Xuan?

“It can’t be him,” Zhao Yelan said. “I heard that he has been staying in Concubine Xian’s palace for the past few days. And if he wanted to recruit the princess of Nanjiang into the palace, wouldn’t it be better to do it in an upright manner instead of sneaking around?”

“But I really can’t think of anyone with a higher status than me…..” Yan Mingting said, and suddenly gave Zhao Yelan a meaningful look.

“Do you want to be beaten?” Zhao Yelan angrily twisted his ear. “Who has been sleeping next to you every night these days?”

“You, you, you, who else but you?” Yan Mingting repeatedly begged for mercy. “It’s just habit. After all, your status in my heart is indeed very high.”

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

Pei Yi took a silent breath, trying not to let his eyes wander—

Presently, Bo Yueming had fallen and was sitting on the bathroom floor. With the heat and luster of the water, his figure was really too good for words.

Sensing that someone had entered at will, the pain on Bo Yueming’s face immediately vanished. He determined the direction, picked up a bathrobe, and put it on quickly. When he fumbled about and stood with difficulty, there was a heavy look in his dark blue eyes.

“Pei Yi, did I allow you to come in?!”

In this house, no servant dared to enter his room at will. Even a senior housekeeper like Uncle Kai had to get his consent.

Who else would dare to barge in so recklessly now, other than the recently-arrived Pei Yi?

“……”

Pei Yi saw Bo Yueming’s restrained anger, so he could only follow the original owner’s words and train of thought, explaining slowly, “I, I heard a sound. Door was open.”

“You can come in if the door is open? Did you forget what I told you?”

His tone of voice was choked, and Bo Yueming felt more powerless in his anger.

He knew that Pei Yi’s intrusion was probably not out of malice, but the two incidents of falling shamefully and being looked at by others deeply stimulated his pride and self-esteem.

Ever since his eyes were injured in the car accident, no matter how hard Bo Yueming tried to maintain a normal life, things unfortunately didn’t turn out the way he wanted. He always fell short on the little things.

Just like now. Because he couldn’t see the water puddle on the floor, it was easy to fall down when he stepped through the shower door.

During the day, he had to save face in front of everyone and endure the darkness. Only when he was alone at night could he vent his anger and unwillingness in the bedroom.

The reason why the bedroom and bathroom doors were not locked was that he feared he would encounter an accident that he couldn’t handle himself, and Uncle Kai, the only one he trusted, could conveniently enter the room to help deal with it.

When he fell down just now, Bo Yueming wanted to endure the pain and not bother Uncle Kai, but unexpectedly, the ignorant Pei Yi was recruited instead.

“Get out.” Bo Yueming took a deep breath and emphasized in a cold voice, “Get out of my room immediately!”

“……”

If it was the original owner, he would probably run away in fright. But Pei Yi, whose mind was like a mirror,^[1] was not afraid at all.

Having read the original novel, he knew that Bo Yueming’s anger floating on the surface now was in fact more disappointment in his inability to control the small things.

Once a proud son of heaven, he became a “blind man” in the eyes of others. Even if his eyesight could be restored at a later stage, the accumulated pain and weakness early on was enough to hone his mentality.

Pei Yi stared at Bo Yueming’s handsome mixed-race face and came to a decision without hesitation. “Won’t go. You, you’re bleeding, have to deal with it.”

In any case, if he occasionally cared for and sent warmth to his “marriage partner,” maybe it could slow down the speed of this “big villain’s” blackening, and also make his own situation in this family easier.

Pei Yi was purposely slow, but said precisely, “I’ll help you.”

Bo Yueming didn’t expect the “foolish” Pei Yi to say these words. He slowed down and located the source of the pain.

There was heat on his left elbow. He must have accidentally hit it when he fell to the floor.

“I can handle it myself, you go out.”

“You can’t.”

“…….”

Bo Yueming didn’t expect that Pei Yi would dare to refute him, so he was at a loss for words.

Pei Yi looked at Bo Yueming’s wound and said word by word, “Lots of blood. Uncle Kai isn’t here, I can do it.”

“…….”

The pain in his elbow was becoming more and more obvious. It was likely that timely application of medicine was needed to stop the bleeding. Bo Yueming didn’t want to ask Uncle Kai to help him at this time, but there was nothing he could do on his own.

He hesitated for a moment in silence, and had no choice but to say, “Pei Yi.”

Pei Yi responded with a soft sound.

“In the living room outside, there is a white table. The medicine box is in the second drawer…..” Bo Yuemning tried his best to express this clearly, and his tone softened. “Troubling you to get it for me, please?”

Although his tone was fierce just now, his attitude towards asking for help was pretty good.

Pei Yi pursed his lips. “Okay.”

He returned to the living room outside and found the medicine box according to Bo Yueming’s instructions. It was heavy, and inside were some commonly used medicines for injuries.

When there was something wrong with the eyes, the easiest thing to do was to stumble.

After scanning it for a few seconds just now, Pei Yi could even see bumps and bruises on the other party’s body.

Inside the room, Bo Yueming adjusted his bathrobe a little, then slowly walked out of the bathroom. He had long become familiar with the layout of the room, to the extent that he could walk a few steps to the bedside. “Pei Yi, did you find it?”

Pei Yi approached with the medicine box and handed it to him.

“Thanks.”

Bo Yueming sat on the side of the bed, opened the medicine box, and searched around. Suddenly, his fingertips accidentally touched a point of heat. 

Pei Yi reached out and handed him the medical cleaning swab. “Here.”

“……”

Bo Yueming narrowed his eyes for a short moment, and subconsciously tested, “There is also a small white bottle that contains notoginseng powder to stop bleeding.”

Pei Yi saw the medicinal powder at a glance. He feared that if he was too clever, Bo Yueming would spot the clues, so he could only feign ignorance and pick two things incorrectly before handing the anti-bleeding powder to the other party.

Bo Yueming opened the bottle cap and smelled the scent of the medicine powder, then took a medicinal cleaning swab to wipe off the blood. It was only that his sight was gone, and he couldn’t wipe it clean for a long time.

Pei Yi, who had obsessive-compulsive disorder, looked on anxiously. He simply took out a cotton swab and wiped the bloody spot, and even though Bo Yueming stopped to look at him, he still kept pretending. “I’ll do it.”

Bo Yueming simply stopped his movements and handed over the medicine bottle. “See this bleeding wound? Put some medicine on it for me.”

Pei Yi took it, sprinkled the medicinal powder on the bleeding wound, and immediately caught the pain passing through the other person’s expression. It would be a lie to say that sprinkling such medicine on a wound didn’t hurt.

Seeing Bo Yueming’s forbearance, Pei Yi simply applied the medicine while patting gently around the wound.

The warm fingertips touched his skin, and the pain of applying the medicine was easily dispersed by the tingling sensation. The technique was impeccable.

“……”

Feeling the movement on his arm, Bo Yueming once again had doubts in his dark blue eyes. “How did you learn this?”

After all, it was rumored that the young master of the Pei family couldn’t even take care of himself in daily life. Even if the Pei family was exaggerating, wasn’t this too big of a change now?

“Little Uncle and them beat me. It hurts.” Pei Yi had long expected that Bo Yueming would become suspicious, so he choppily sold a wave of misery. “Mama says it doesn’t hurt to pat like this.”

Using this reason to dispel the other party’s doubts, and by the way, deepen the hypocrisy of the Pei family, why not do it?

His tone of voice was soft and timid, but also revealed a pitiful strength.

Bo Yueming was speechless, and silently released his restraining hand without further questioning.

Receiving the reaction he wanted, Pei Yi gradually removed his timid expression and continued to apply medicine.

Neither party spoke further, and there was only the occasional sound of water dripping in the bathroom.

Bo Yueming couldn’t see or guess Pei Yi’s true state of mind, and recalled the situation as reported by Uncle Kai—

Compared to the foolishness and delirium that the Pei family spoke of, it was more like the other party had an acquired reticence.

Such people were not stupid. They had their own way of thinking and knew how to protect themselves. As long as they weren’t deliberately stimulated, and were spoken to gently, they could occasionally open their hearts and perhaps get better in time.

The slight touch continued on his elbow.

Bo Yueming lowered his eyes to “look” at Pei Yi as he applied the medicine. There was only a swath of nothingness that seemed black but not black in his line of sight. The more this was the case, the more his other senses would be infinitely magnified—

Pei Yi’s fingertips were a little hot. They were delicate and without any calluses, gently stroking around the wound at the moment. Perhaps due to the effects of the medicine, the skin that was touched felt numb, inadvertently followed by heat.

Then Pei Yi grasped his wrist, and the temperature of his palm was even hotter than his fingertips.

For no reason, Bo Yueming thought of the little milk cat he raised when he was a child. Every time it patted his arm with a small footpad, it was also this sort of soft, warm touch. Not painful, but itching the heart.

Later, his mother suddenly left him and went missing. The so-called relatives, friends, and elders forcibly took him back to China and left him at the Bo residence, and the kitten was naturally separated from him.

Twenty years later, the kitten in his memories was gone, and the woman who chose to leave him might never appear again.

In a short while, there was a rustling sound from the side.

Bo Yueming pulled back his wandering thoughts, his eyes a little out of focus. “Done?”

The force on his wrist had disappeared, and the medicine had taken effect. The hot and stimulating feeling was gradually replaced by a clear coolness.

Pei Yi, who was still suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder, was busy packing the medicine box and ignored him.

Anyway, the original owner was usually reticent and silent, and didn’t speak when it wasn’t necessary, so he could act a little more like that.

Not getting a response, Bo Yueming was somewhat not used to it, but said out of politeness, “Thank you.”

Click.

The box closed.

Pei Yi looked at Bo Yueming sitting upright in front of him, and suddenly remembered something. His eyes lit up with interest. “You, don’t chase me out. Won’t happen next time.”

Aggrieved and frightened, with a hint of caution, the brew of emotions got a perfect score.

—You are not allowed to enter my room. If I find out, I will drive you out of the Bo residence immediately.

Bo Yueming remembered his stern warning before entering the room, and experienced a rare moment of being at a loss.

Perhaps it was due to an inexplicable association with Pei Yi’s external image, but he felt less gloomy about this marriage. After all, the people responsible for this marriage were their elders, and the other party was also disadvantaged like him and had no choice in the matter.

“What happened tonight doesn’t count. I won’t drive you away.” Bo Yueming’s proud features relaxed for a moment, and he added, “In the future, unless you yourself want to leave, no one will dare to cross me and drive you away.”

Pei Yi raised his eyebrows and answered with a smile, “En.”

Compared with the cold demands in the garden this afternoon, there was more of a human touch this time. Wasn’t this quite a reversal? 

Bo Yueming suppressed his rare embarrassment. “All right, you go back to your room and rest. In the future, you can ask Uncle Kai for help.”

It was getting late. This episode should be over.

Pei Yi didn’t intend to stay any longer, so he got up and left.

When the bedroom door closed, he tore off his cute disguise in an instant, and the corners of his mouth rose in a comfortable arc again—

Although Bo Yueming, who blackened into a villain, was twisted and insane in the later stages, he didn’t seem too bad so far.

In this marriage and partnership, he had to find something for himself that was easy, right?

Just as he was thinking, Pei Yi’s eyes fell on the wine table. After quickly confirming the situation, a burst of unreasonable annoyance and regret well up in his heart—

If he had known earlier, he wouldn’t have been soft-hearted and taken care of Bo Yueming.

The red wine had sat out for too long now. He really didn’t get a drop of reward!

T/N: Pei Yi, you wine snob, just drink it. It’s fine.

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[1] If your mind is “like a mirror,” you can perceive people’s true intentions. ⮐

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Chapter Four <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Six

When Pei Yi followed Uncle Kai back to Bo Manor, it was completely dark.

Bo Yueming, who was sitting quietly on the sofa, noticed the sound and turned his head slightly toward the door.

The gazes of the two parties met in mid-air, although one clearly couldn’t see.

“Second Young Master, I have brought Little Young Master Pei back,” Uncle Kai took the initiative to prompt, and immediately glanced around the empty villa.

Ever since the accident happened to Bo Yueming’s eyes, he was less and less willing to let the servants around him serve him. 

Bo Yueming took a sip of the warm water in his hand and didn’t have much to say. “You take him up first, and come down later to talk with me.”

“Yes.”

Uncle Kai turned to look at Pei Yi, who was still standing at the door, and thought that he was nervous or scared. “Little Young Master, shall I take you to your room?”

Pei Yi gave an indiscernible reply and followed Uncle Kai up the stairs. He pretended to be unfamiliar and observed everything around him, but in fact, his target was Bo Yueming—

Perhaps being discreet was unnecessary. There was only a small lamp left on in the living room, and the dim light quietly enveloped Bao Yueming, outlining his handsome profile and at the same time imbuing his figure with a trace of loneliness and coldness.

“Little Young Master, the situation of our Bo family and the background of the Second Young Master are a bit complicated.

Uncle Kai’s words brought back Pei Yi’s wandering thoughts.

Pei Yi’s eyes revealed his lack of understanding, but he actually had a clear picture of the relationships in the Bo family—

Bo Yueming’s grandmother, Bo Peizhi, had always held power in the Bo family. She was a well-known strong woman in the Imperial capital circle, and in her hands, the Bo family business not only did not lose half a cent, but it also made it to the top of the nation.

But on the contrary, it was Old Mr. Bo who was the powerful head of the household presently. His original name was Cheng Yangshan, and he joined the Bo family when he was young.

After Bo Peizhi and Cheng Yangshan married, she gave birth to two sons successively. Bo Yueming’s father’s name was Bo Lihong, the second child in the family.

Bo Lihong was quite romantic when he was young. When he went abroad for further study, he met a beautiful young woman. He quickly pursued her and even proposed marriage, but within two years, he broke up with her and returned to China with his suitcase in hand.

Only, no one expected that the woman would discover she was pregnant after the breakup.

She hated that scumbag Bo Linhong, but she still couldn’t bear to harm an innocent life. The child she gave birth to after ten months of pregnancy was Bo Yueming.

When Bo Yueming was six years old, his mother suddenly disappeared. After some consideration, relatives and friends took the young Bo Yueming to China and sought out the Bo family.

At that time, Bo Lihong had already married and had a child. Facing this sudden extra child, he was naturally angry and refused to own up to it.

After a lot of tossing around, it was finally Bo Peizhi who came forward to recognize this grandson. She gave him the Chinese name ‘Bo Yueming’ and took him to her side to raise him.

Because of this background, no matter how excellent and motivated Bo Yueming was, not fighting or competing, everyone in the first and second branches of the family still detested him very much.

“When the old lady was at home, those people would still pretend to be a decent family. Now that she is lying in the hospital and something suddenly happened to the Second Young Master’s eyes, they are making trouble overtly and covertly…..”

Uncle Kai couldn’t be more angry on Bo Yueming’s behalf, so he subconsciously said a few more words. When he noticed Pei Yi’s confused expression, he changed his words in the blink of an eye, “Little Young Master, come to me if you need anything in the future. Don’t run around the manor, understand?”

So as not to allow his Pei family to seize an opportunity to cause trouble for Bo Yueming indirectly.

Pei Yi understood what Uncle Kai meant, and nodded.

Uncle Kai liked his well-behaved appearance very much, and opened the door with a smile. “Come in, come in.”

When the door opened, Pei Yi discovered that there was a completely different world behind it. 

Through the door was a small living room. The Nordic decoration style looked very clean. There was an eye-catching collection of red wine on a large wall, and there were independent spaces extending to the left and right.

“The Second Young Master’s bedroom and small study are to the left. Those are private areas, and you must not go inside.”

Uncle Kai presented the rules and opened the door on the right for Pei Yi. “This was originally an empty room, and it was temporarily changed into a bedroom this afternoon. The Little Young Master will stay here for the time being. If you need anything, you can tell me.”

Uncle Kai didn’t expect Pei Yi to understand everything at once, but in line with the duties of a housekeeper, he explained everything clearly.

Pei Yi silently observed his personal domain. Although it was small, it was complete in every detail and he could still see the garden below the window, which was very much in line with his wishes.

Uncle Kai placed Pei Yi’s luggage at the door of the bedroom. “Little Young Master, do you need me to help you take out these things and put them away?”

Pei Yi shook his head and pulled his suitcase over with a muffled sound.

“Rest here first, Little Young Master. I’ll go downstairs and get you something to eat.” Uncle Kai didn’t doubt Pei Yi’s conduct at all.

After all, it was said that the young master of the Pei family had been reticent and voiceless for a long time, and would only go crazy on occasion when he was stimulated. The muffled sound and nod at this moment fell into the eyes of this older person, clearly well-behaved and pitiful.

He didn’t know what the Pei family was thinking, acting kind on the surface and secretly instigating the nanny to beat and scold the child like that. Deficient people went hand in hand!

Uncle Kai disdained the Pei family’s behavior. Thinking of the task Bo Yueming had given him before he went out, he hurried downstairs after settling Pei Yi in.

. . . . . .

After confirming that the other party had left, Pei Yi’s eyes fell on the black suitcase.

The original owner was neglected in the Pei residence, and all the things that needed to be packed up could not fill this suitcase.

Pei Yi didn’t hurry to unpack it, and only took out a deeply hidden codebook. He stroked the worn cover of the codebook and opened it according to the numbers deep in his memory.

On the title page, there was a line in beautiful font: “Wishing my baby a happy 18th birthday, and joy and safety every year.”

This codebook was a coming-of-age gift from the original owner’s mother.

Pei Yi recalled that it was mentioned in the original book how not only did the relationship between the original owner’s parents not receive the support of Old Father Pei, he opposed it strongly enough to sever the relationship between father and son.

After a few years of marriage, the original owner’s father died unexpectedly, and the grief of an old man burying a younger man caused Old Father Pei to place all the blame on the original owner’s mother!

The two sides pulled back and forth for a long time. Pei Yi, who had just been born at the time, was forced to go to the Pei residence while his sister, who was two years older, stayed with her mother.

Over the years, Old Father Pei never allowed Pei Yi to meet with the mother and daughter, but the soft-hearted Old Mrs. Pei would always secretly arrange for them to get together.

Even when the original owner accidentally became a fool later, this secret connection was not broken.

Pei Yi opened the codebook and read a few of the diary entries in it – scanning them, the handwritten characters looked shaky, but they were logical. Memories that belonged exclusively to the original owner surged in his mind.

Indeed.

The original owner, who unexpectedly became a fool, did not spend all of his time senseless. These diary entries were all written by him when he “recovered his mind” a very small number of times—

Aware of his situation in the Pei residence and the difficulties of his mother and sister outside, the original owner wanted to escape from the Pei residence so that those who truly loved him could live a better life.

It was a pity that before he could think of a way out, he was greatly stimulated by the “marriage” and jumped into the river.

Pei Yi closed the codebook securely, took a deep breath, and re-affirmed his thoughts and plans.

Now that he had transmigrated into this book world and replaced the original owner, he should naturally fulfill the other party’s unfulfilled wish.

As for why he chose to marry according to the plot of the book and enter the Bo family, in addition to wanting to make money secretly with them as a cover, he also wanted to escape from the surveillance of the Pei family and meet the close relatives of the original owner.

Of course, everything had just begun. He couldn’t be hasty.

. . . . . .

The small alarm clock on the desk clicked to eleven o’clock.

After unpacking, Pei Yi lay down in bed. Although he had gone through a series of tossings today, he still had the stubborn problem of having difficulty falling asleep.

Suddenly, there was slight movement in the small living room outside.

Pei Yi hesitated for two seconds, lightly got up from bed, and opened the door to discover—

The night was already deep.

Bo Yueming stood alone before the wine wall in the living room. The decanter on the table beside him still contained freshly opened red wine, emitting an attractive color under the light.

“……”

Pei Yi, who had always been addicted to alcohol, became greedy at once. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly.

Bo Yueming, who was still swirling the wine glass, seemed to have sensed something, and cast an unseeing glance in his direction. “……Pei Yi?”

Pei Yi’s line of sight finally moved back to his face, and he responded lightly, “En.”

After confirming the other party’s identity, Bo Yueming frowned imperceptibly.

He was accustomed to drinking here alone at night, and now there was another person and another gaze. Even though he couldn’t see it, he would inevitably be uncomfortable.

However, Uncle Kai had already reported Pei Yi’s situation in the Pei residence—

Even the nanny could step on the head of the detested, invisible young master. Such a person could only be regarded as a tool for marriage, and could not be Bo Guancheng’s spy.

At this thought, Bo Yueming stated simply, “Pei Yi, we are only married in name since the elders could not be refused, but there will never be anything further.”

Bo Yueming did not slow down his speech to accommodate Pei Yi’s “stupidity” like others did.

“If you are willing to stay here, you will not be short of food, clothing, housing, and transportation. If you want to leave, I will never keep you.”

The corners of Pei Yi’s mouth hooked up slightly, and he agreed a hundred times in his heart.

The two parties would ignore each other and not disturb each other. This was also the way he wanted to live.

Among the silence Bo Yueming’s words suddenly changed, like a warning, “There is only one more thing you must hear clearly. You are not allowed to enter my room. If I find out, I will drive you out of the Bo residence immediately.”

Pei Yi glanced in the direction of the room behind him, and found it funny—

Although Bo Yueming, the villain, would recover his eyesight in the later stages, he was unable to see now. Even if someone snuck into the room, they wouldn’t necessarily be found out, right?

Driven out of the Bo residence?

He deliberately said this to scare him, a ‘little fool!”

Pei Yi concealed the upturned corners of his mouth, hiding his interest in obedience. “Husband, I’m good, I won’t go.”

“…….”

Bo Yueming’s severe expression froze. Putting down the wineglass in his hand, he responded uncomfortably, “One more thing, don’t address me like that. It’s getting late, go back and rest.”

After speaking, he turned and went steadily back to his room, closing the door.

Pei Yi couldn’t help but snicker. He quickly approached the wine counter, not in a hurry to return to his room, and picked up the the discarded glass of wine, sniffing it—

The six-figure Kangdi was newly opened, then put away after a few sips.

Rich was rich. This was such a waste of resources.

Seeing the closed door, Pei Yi vaguely muttered, “After all, we’re marriage partners by name, so it’s not too much for me to drink half a glass, right?”

However, it still hadn’t aired out long enough to meet his preferred taste.

Pei Yi had always been very patient when it came to wine tasting. After confirming that Bo Yueming would not leave the room again, he simply leaned against the edge of the bar and waited quietly.

Time passed by silently.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash from the bedroom, and Pei Yi’s unsuspecting eardrums tensed at the tremor.

“……”

Pei Yi hesitantly approached and knocked on the door, but he didn’t get a response. Feeling that something was wrong, he subconsciously turned the doorknob, only to find that the door was unlocked.

The solid wooden door opened easily, and Bo Yueming’s suppressed and restrained muffled voice came out from the half-hidden bathroom door. Certain that something had happened, Pei Yi approached quickly, completely forgetting Bo Yueming’s warning of ‘do not enter.’

He intentionally re-applied the timid and withdrawn mask of the original owner, but it failed the moment he broke into the bathroom. Even his unspoken question vanished.

The bathroom was filled with steam, along with an intimate scene.

Pei Yi stared at everything in front of him, and a thought popped up out of nowhere—

Wa? Oh~

Was this something he could see without paying?

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Chapter Three <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Five

Pei Yi had already guessed this would happen, and looked at the nanny, Chen Rong, who was still in a daze at the door. “Where is my jade pendant?”

“…….”

There seemed to be an invisible undercurrent surging in those usually timid eyes, and Cheng Rong was subconsciously frightened. “Little Young Master, what are you talking about?”

There was a cold arc at the corners of Pei Yi’s mouth. He could see it better than anyone else—

The original owner’s father was once the most valued son of the old Pei couple. After he passed away unexpectedly in the early years, the original owner, who was still in his infancy, was raised under the knees of Old Mr. and Mrs. Pei.

When he was young, the original owner was also a clever child in the wealthy circle of the Imperial capital, until he was ten years old and became a fool due to an accident. After treatment failed, he had fits one after another and became a big joke.

Old Father Pei, who always cared about face, became cold toward his grandson and simply tossed him aside and avoided seeing him. 

But the soft-hearted Old Mrs. Pei couldn’t bear it. She took good care of the original owner’s three meals a day, and if there was something valuable and good, she would give it to him in the hopes that he could return to normal one day. 

It was a pity that heaven failed to fulfill people’s wishes.

Old Mrs. Pei was hospitalized due to illness, and since then, the original owner had completely lost his place in the family. Even the nanny Chen Rong  began to have a treacherous heart—

In the name of taking care of the original owner, she first embezzled Old Mrs. Pei’s private money left to supplement the original owner during her hospitalization. When the other party got sick and died without financial subsidies, she began to pick up items from the original owner’s room. 

She either sold them for money to supplement her family, or stole them to give to her precious son. Even if someone asked, she would only say that the Little Young Master lost them.

This person was simply a weasel kept at home!

Cheng Rong, who was standing at the door, felt guilty under Pei Yi’s unblinking gaze.

The jade pendant that the other party had been wearing around his neck was given by Old Mrs. Pei a few years ago, and looked very valuable. Chen Rong had never found the right time to steal it, but today she actually discovered—

The other party had left the jade pendant on the bed before changing clothes and going out?

Could this be done?

Thus, taking advantage of everyone’s lack of attention, Chen Rong took the jade pendant back to her room. She planned to take it out and sell it when she had time, but how could she have known that Pei Yi would ask about it as soon as he entered the room?

Pei Yi calmly questioned, “Where is my jade pendant?”

“What jade pendant?” Nanny Chen Rong denied it. “I didn’t see any jade pendant!”

She thought that Pei Yi was just trying to put on a brave face momentarily, and came forward to blame him first, “You’re asking me about something you lost?”

“That jade pendant was given to you by the old man! Yelling so loudly, do you want him to find out too?”

Pei Yi didn’t speak. The ridicule in his eyes became more obvious.

One second, she lied and said she didn’t know anything, but the next, she knew that the jade pendant was a gift from Old Father Pei. The truth had already been leaked!

Chen Rong saw that ordinary scolding was useless, and immediately tried to twist Pei Yi’s arm—

In the past, whenever she was asked to find something, Chen Rong first moved him away from Old Father Pei and forcibly suppressed him, then used her own hands to grapple with him. In just three to five blows, she was able to scare the timid original owner into silence.

It was a pity that Pei Yi was not the original owner, and he had seen through her wishful thinking.

Before going out, he used the jade pendant as bait, just waiting for the weasel to fall into the trap. This good show wouldn’t stop here at the beginning.

Pei Yi quickly grasped Chen Rong’s wrist and pushed it away before the other party could react. “Get lost!”

—Bang!

The unsteady Chen Rong fell backwards toward the desk table.

The cluttered things on the table fell all over the floor, making noise one after another.

Chen Rong slumped on the ground in disgrace. Her shoulder had accidentally knocked against the corner of the table, and her expression distorted at the instant pain. “Ow! Ow…..”

Pei Yi ignored her and smashed a glass vase to the ground with force, making the commotion even louder.

After doing so, Pei Yi lowered his eyes to his long-sleeved thin coat, restrained his hostility, and waited quietly for other people to appear.

Sure enough, the sound of footsteps came quickly.

Old Father Pei, who was walking in front, saw the mess in the room, and there was a bit of displeasure in his eyes. “What is going on?”

Seeing the people gathered at the door, Chen Rong immediately held her left arm and pretended to be in pain. It was just that she hadn’t yet started brewing a favorable mood when a sudden burst of sobs fell into her ears.

“Grandpa, the jade pendant, the jade pendant is gone.”

“…….”

Everyone looked in unison toward the source of the sound.

At this moment, Pei Yi’s big eyes were flushed red, and big tears fell down as he timidly lowered his head. His cheeks and even the tip of his nose were red, and with his pitiful little appearance, he seemed to have been greatly wronged, as if he had been bullied ruthlessly!

Chen Rong stared at the ‘face-changing’ Pei Yi in astonishment. There was no associating him with his fierce appearance just now.

The Pei couple who accompanied them up exchanged glances, a little disbelieving—

They were used to seeing Pei Yi acting foolish and crazy on normal days, and even his crying was just random noises, very annoying!

At this moment, the other party actually changed his normal behavior and only shed tears without making a fuss, and the words he cried out in a low voice moved peoples’ hearts.

Seeing this, Uncle Kai, who was standing behind Old Father Pei, couldn’t help but speak up for Pei Yi, “Little Young Master, what jade pendant is missing?”

Pei Yi cautiously approached Old Father Pei, touching the empty space on his neck and weeping softly, “Grandpa gave it, the jade pendant, she….took it away….and hid it. I want the jade pendant.”

His stumbling voice was full of urgency, and sounded like he was trying hard to explain to everyone.

Old Father Pei’s expression changed slightly, and he immediately understood—

Although he didn’t like the foolish Pei Yi, he was his own grandson, after all. On the other party’s eighteenth birthday, he had improvised and asked the housekeeper to take out a white jade ruyi pendant from the store room to use as a coming-of-age gift.

Pei Yi had always worn the jade around his neck, never taking it off.

Old Father Pei saw Pei Yi’s pitiful and urgent look, and suddenly remembered the other party’s childhood. He would crowd around him and call him grandpa affectionately, keeping gifts properly after he received them.

Looking back, even if his mind was foolish, this person never lost the jade pendant he had given away casually.

There was a crack in Old Father Pei’s hard and indifferent heart, and he looked at Chen Rong. “Tell me, what is going on? Did you hide the Little Young Master’s jade pendant?”

Chen Rong flushed and denied it, “Sir, I’ve been wronged! Little Young Master was still wearing the jade pendant when he went out!”

“It’s clear, clear that he lost it himself and was afraid to be scolded by you, so he said nonsense and put it on my head. He pushed me angrily just now, and I think I broke my arm……”

Pei Yi’s pupils shimmered, and when he turned around, he spoke in a faster tone, “I-I didn’t, you took it!”

“You, you took a lot of things from me, hit me, scolded me!” He pulled up his sleeves indiscriminately and his suppressed sobs became more and more obvious. Grandpa and Little Uncle, don’t, don’t you like me? You said they want……to sell me for money……”

Those slender arms were covered with bruises that had yet to fade, and accompanied by the uneasiness and fear of being humbled at last, the expressions of everyone present changed.

The second half of the sentence sounded like an accusation of the nanny’s words and actions, but in fact, the Pei family was being slapped in the face in front of Housekeeper Kai!

Uncle Kai frowned, and nodded in a timely manner. “I wondered why the Little Young Master was still wearing long sleeves.”

Pei Yi lowered his head to hide the glimmer of darkness in his eyes, and couldn’t help but applaud this wave of divine assists. 

Although he had only transmigrated for a short time, he had already witnessed the virtues of everyone in the Pei family—

He was the best at putting on an act to save face, and it was much better to dismantle the situation in front of outsiders than to deal with it behind closed doors.

Even a nanny could step on the head of a rightful young master to beat, scold, and steal at will? Wouldn’t it be laughable if that got out?

Sure enough, Old Father Pei was so angry that had a lump in his chest, and he shouted, “All right, you skinless shrew, what are you chewing your tongue about in front of the young master?”

“I……”

Before Chen Rong could open her mouth to explain, the housekeeper, Old Zheng, hurried back with a white and translucent jade pendant held in his hand. “Sir, I just searched Chen Rong’s room and found this jade pendant in her pillowcase.”

Pei Yi snatched it back and held it tightly in his palm. “Mine!”

One didn’t need to look closely to know that this was the piece he ‘lost.’

Old Father Pei could not tolerate sand in his eyes,^[1] not to mention that this incident was embarrassing in front of outsiders. He hit the floor hard with his cane. “Old Zheng, call the police immediately.”

Call the police?

Chen Rong trembled in fright, and her frantic eyes seemed to glance toward one place. How could this be? She didn’t want to go to jail!

As an outsider, Uncle Kai had a panoramic view of this scene. At any rate, he was a person with experience with wealthy families such as the Bo family, and he immediately saw through the shady acts.

“Sir, since Pei and Bo have joined through marriage, Little Young Master Pei is also a part of our Bo family. Allow me to say something presumptuous—”

Uncle Kai looked at Old Father Pei, his tone neither overbearing nor humble.

“This nanny dared to steal things, and also to lay hands on the Little Young Master. If it were someone else, I fear they wouldn’t be so bold if they had all the courage in the world. Let the police interrogate her, and perhaps……”

Uncle Kai seemed to be discussing with the Pei family couple, but in fact, there was something else in his words. “Perhaps, someone instigated or is complicit in this.”

The corners of Pei Yi’s mouth hooked briefly, and he simply wanted to applaud Uncle Kai.

Originally, he had just wanted to pull the other party over to watch the show as a witness, but he didn’t expect this person to sing along with him. 

The speaker had intentions, and the listener also had intentions.

Chen Rong’s eyes darted, and she immediately crawled to Deng Xiuya’s feet. “My lady! You can’t just do nothing, ah! I only treated the Little Young Master like this after listening to your words!”

Deng Xiuya’s complexion changed abruptly, and she gave her a backhand slap. “You bitch! What nonsense! When did I ask you to steal small things!”

“…….”

Chen Rong was stunned for two seconds by the slap, and then cried louder, “It was you who told me to! When the Little Young Master was still sensible in the past, you told me to secretly agitate him so that he would remain insane for the rest of his life!”

Pei Yi watched this farce calmly—

Chen Rong, who had shattered the jar,^[2] grabbed Deng Xiuya’s trousers firmly. No matter how hard the latter struggled to break free, she would not let go. Where had she suffered a broken bone?

“Old Father Pei, Sir, I lost my conscience, ah! Little Young Master, what a poor child, if the lady hadn’t instigated me every day, how would I dare to do these things under your noses?”

“Don’t call the police, ah! If I go to jail, how will I live the rest of my life? I can’t be the only one to blame for this!”

Chen Rong repented and cried to everyone, looking at Deng Xiuya with resentment in her eyes. “Right, right, I still have WeChat records, you……”

As soon as she started speaking, Deng Xiuya completely panicked.

Without regard for decency, she grabbed Chen Rong’s hair and tried to pry her away. “Old Zheng! You still aren’t having anyone throw this crazy woman out!”

Old Zheng received a hint from Old Father Pei’s glance. He hastily dragged Chen Rong out, and until the last moment when her voice vanished, she was still accusing Deng Xiuya of being a hypocrite.

The room fell silent, and the atmosphere became awkward.

Deng Xiuya, who was exposed by the nanny, felt her heart sink. She was just thinking about how to make a perfunctory explanation when—

Pei Yi looked over at once with uncertain, innocent eyes and whispered before the crowd, “Auntie, you don’t like me?”

These words added fuel to the fire.

Pei Ruzhang’s eyes turned hard, and he slapped his wife without warning.

—Pa!

Deng Xiuya clutched her burning cheek, and her mind suddenly went blank. She never expected that the slap to Chen Rong’s face would come back to her!

“…….”

Taking advantage of his wife’s silence, Pei Ruzhang pelted her with condemnation. “I always tell you to take good care of Xiao Yi, did it go in one ear and out the other?”

At this point, he, who also beat and scolded his nephew behind the scenes, only wanted to whitewash himself.

“Even if Cheng Rong framed you, she beats and scolds Xiao Yi all the time. How could you, his aunt, never notice it at all? How could you make me let my brother down!”

Deng Xiuya slowly came back to her senses and trembled with anger. “Good, ah! Pei Ruzhang! You can put on a show!”

Heedless of her previous graceful demeanor, she rushed out the door.

One farce after another.

Old Father Pei felt that he had lost all face, but could only hold onto his dignity. “Senior Housekeeper, I have been lax with my family management. I’ve made you laugh.”

“What is Mr. Pei saying? I’m just here to help the Little Young Master pack his luggage.” Uncle Kai gave a faint smile.

He understood everything, but didn’t reveal anything.

“In the future, I ask that the Second Young Master and Senior Housekeeper take care of my little grandson more.”

Old Father Pei motioned to Uncle Kai, looking at Pei Yi with a mixture of sincerity and hypocrisy. “Xiao Yi, if you’re homesick, just tell me, and I’ll ask your uncle to pick you up at any time.”

Pei Yi didn’t have much to say, but nodded with feigned reluctance.

. . . . . . 

It wasn’t until Pei Ruzheng helped the “unwell” Old Father Pei leave that Pei Yi took the opportunity to hide in the bathroom.

He looked at himself in the mirror, saw that his eyes were still wet, and casually wiped away the liquid with his fingertips. “They didn’t keep their good face?”

Wait and see, ba.

This was just the beginning. Sooner or later, the Pei family’s deceitful face would be torn off layer by layer!

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[1] If you can’t tolerate sand in your eyes (眼里容不得沙子), you cannot tolerate things that are inconsistent with your view or interests. ⮐

[2] Shattered the jar = everything has been revealed. ⮐

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Chapter Two <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Four

“…….”

Pei Yi saw Bo Yueming’s expression and felt a little cautious. 

Playing stupid for the first time and not being very skilled in this business, could he have accidentally frightened the other party with excessive force?

The servants didn’t expect to see such an excellent scene. They couldn’t help but whisper, and even sneaked out a few laughs.

Bo Guancheng, having been pushed to the ground, witness Pei Yi’s double-standard attitude and his accumulated dissatisfaction promptly erupted—

He had originally wanted to provoke Pei Yi to go crazy and resist, and take the opportunity to humiliate Bo Yueming, but the other party pushed him to the ground without warning and even loudly shunned him for being ugly?

If this matter was to be spread, where could he show his face in the Imperial Capital circle? Lifting a rock and smashing his own foot, what could be more anguishing than this?

Bo Guangcheng’s complexion changed again and again, with far more brilliant tones than a color palette.

Footsteps sounded one after another.

The Bo family and Pei Ruzhang, who were staying in the living room, approached together. Seeing that his eldest grandson had fallen to the ground, Old Mr. Bo immediately dismissed the servants watching. “What are you looking at? All of you, leave!”

“Guancheng, ah, are you all right? Stand up and have a look, are you hurt?”

As he spoke, he glanced at the ‘culprit’ with implied dissatisfaction.

The group of them had heard Pei Yi’s earth-shattering disgust from a long distance away.

He dared to put his most beloved eldest grandson on the spot in the Bo family’s territory? If not for the marriage cooperation between Bo and Pei, he would have someone throw Pei Yi, a fool who couldn’t tell good from bad, out the door!

How could Pei Yi fail to notice Old Mr. Pei’s look? He pretended to play dumb and deliberately hid behind Bo Yueming.

Bo Yueming noticed the slight movements of the people around him, and understood the general idea from the old man’s few words. A gleam of light flashed from the bottom of his seemingly ashen eyes.

He fumbled to put down the cup and stood to slightly shield Pei Yi. “Young Master Pei and Dage joked around on a whim. What could be the matter?”

“You have an eye—”

Old Mr. Bo’s dissatisfaction was on the verge of coming to light, but due to the presence of outsiders, he stopped in time.

Bo Yueming heard the implication and laughed inaudibly. “Grandpa is right to worry, it is better to ask the doctor to take a good look at Dage. In the case of a broken leg or other important parts, there will be one more person to recuperate at home.”

When these words were spoken, the expressions of everyone in the Bo family changed subtly.

Ever since Bo Yueming was injured in a car accident, Old Mr. Bo had forcibly withheld the business projects in his hands on the grounds of “recuperating from illness” and handed them over to the main branch family where Bo Guangcheng originated.

“Grandpa, don’t worry, I’m fine.” Bo Guancheng got up from the ground in advance.

He was gnashing his teeth in anger at Pei Yi, but he didn’t want anything to affect this carefully planned marriage, so he tried his best to maintain his usual genteel mask. 

“Director Pei, I think Pei Yi really likes Yueming. Just now, he was holding on and refusing to let go.”

One sentence brought the topic back to proper business.

Pei Ruzhang pretended to be surprised. “Really?”

Old Mr. Bo set up the sheet music of an elder and followed the trend. “Yueming, the marriage between the two families has been discussed. Starting from today. Little Young Master Pei will move in here.”

“You two adapt to it through contact, and when your eyes are fully recovered, pick a good day to get the certificate and marry.”

Everyone coordinated to say what was on their minds, these cunning old foxes.

Hearing Old Mr. Bo’s “forced” request, Pei Yi silently looked at Bo Yueming in front of him—

He thought that Bo Yueming would have a few more words of objection, but unexpectedly, he promptly agreed. “Since Grandpa and the elders have discussed it, let it be so.”

Hearing this, each scheming person smiled in unison.

“You two young people chat alone. Director Pei, come to the tea room for some tea?”

“Of course, I would love to.”

The group of people came and went, and the huge back garden became quiet again.

Pei Yi stared at the distant figures and silently complained in his heart—

It really is a business marriage that couldn’t be more perfunctory.

Once the cooperation agreement was signed, these two people had no use whatsoever.

Suddenly, Bo Yueming turned around and leaned closer. Pei Yi subconsciously tried to distance himself, but his waist bumped up against the small table behind him.

—Bang.

The bumped table made a bit of noise, and Pei Yi had taken half a step back when he could go no father. In front of him, Bo Yueming suddenly stopped, and his lowered eyes seemed to flicker. 

The two were so close that Pei Yi, who was half surrounded, seemed to be able to smell Bo Yueming’s scent. The faint aroma of ebony wood gave him an indescribable cold feeling, and that mixed-race face did not lose its brilliance due to the eye disease. Upon closer inspection, it was so handsome that one could forget how to breathe.

Pei Yi met Bo Yueming’s out-of-focus dark blue eyes, held his breath, and reached out a hand to shake it in front of his face.

Bo Yueming seemed to sense something and said, “Pei Yi.”

Caught, Pei Yi quickly withdrew his hand and gave an inaudible hum.

“Whether you understand or not—”

Bo Yueming paused for a moment, and there was stern resistance within his calmness. “The things you did and said just now are not allowed to appear in front of me again in the future.”

“……”

Pei Yi was taken aback for a moment, and then raised his eyebrows in understanding.

Sure enough, the villain of the original book could not just be bought off with a kiss or a confession.

The silence on both sides lasted only a moment, when a middle-aged man in his forties walked out of the standalone villa and quickly came before Bo Yueming. “Second Young Master.”

Bo Yueming could distinguish human voices. The other party was one of the housekeepers of the Bo family, and had been by his side to help with small matters since his childhood.

Bo Yueming took two steps back to distance himself from Pei Yi. “Uncle Kai, I left my cane just now, you accompany me to the study.”

Uncle Kai looked at Pei Yi uncertainly. “Then this Little Young Master Pei……”

Bo Yueming took a quick step. “Let’s go.”

There were surveillance cameras all around the manor, and servants passed by from time to time, so it was not easy to have an accident. 

Uncle Kai was still afraid that Bo Yueming, who had eye problems, would accidentally fall, so he hurriedly followed.

Standing there, Pei Yi waited until the two of them entered the house and then sat down on his own. He didn’t feel that he was being treated coldly at all. On the contrary, he fully understood Bo Yueming’s indifference—

A fool and a blind man.

This marriage was obviously a kind of humiliation. It would be strange if the other party was in a good mood at the moment.

. . . . . .

In the separate small villa.

Uncle Kai dismissed the servants and paced quickly toward the study’s French window. “Second Young Master, have you really decided to accept this marriage?”

Boo Yueming tapped on the windowsill. He was clearly facing the light, but his vision was still covered by a layer of fog. “The matter is certain. No matter how much I object, it’s just a waste of time.”

For wealthy and powerful families, marriage had always been one of the important means of mastering business resources and contacts.

If it was said that the Pei family wanted to rid themselves of the burden of Pei Yi in exchange for benefits, then besides humiliating Bo Yueming, the main line of the Bo family wanted to take the opportunity to cut off his path of retreat.

Rely on marriage to obtain support from in-laws? Come to seize family rights again in the future? Don’t even think about it.

Uncle Kai understood the main line’s calculations, and was distressed and angry. “Second Young Master, what should we do next?”

“There is no hurry at this moment. Let them think they have succeeded, and they will relax their guard against me.” Bo Yueming reached up and touched his eyes. “Uncle Kai, is everything arranged at the hospital?”

First and foremost was his eyes.

Uncle Kai lowered his voice. “It has been arranged. Only, it is said that your possibility of recovery is very low. Doctor Lin’s re-examination is scheduled for half a month later.”

“All right.”

Uncle Kai remembered Pei Yi left behind in the garden, and opened his mouth to ask his intentions. “What about the arrangements for Little Young Master Pei?”

Bo Yueming suddenly remembered something and requested, “Uncle Kai, you follow him back to the Pei residence later. Just say you’re helping with the luggage.”

Uncle Kai was taken aback. “Helping with luggage?”

Bo Yueming was vigilant. “Take this opportunity to investigate the real situation in the Pei residence. In the case that he is a spy that Bo Guancheng arranged for me, we must be on our guard.”

Although Bo Yueming couldn’t see presently, Pei Yi’s words and deeds in the garden just now gave him a nuanced feeling. 

Uncle Kai grasped this intuitively. “I understand.”

. . . . . .

The garden was shaded by greenery, and with the grass stirring in the wind, it wasn’t stuffy.

Pei Yi ignored Bo Yueming and drank the remaining half cup of coffee, taking a small untouched biscuit from the table to satisfy his hunger. As a knowledgeable book transmigrator, the reason why he didn’t resist this marriage was very simple —

The original owner was a fool, his ID card was kept by the elders of the Pei family, and he didn’t have the ability to make money independently. In this society where it was difficult to move without documents and money, it was almost impossible for Pei Yi to “escape” when he first arrived.

He wanted to stay away from all of these disputes, but not at present.

According to a brief description in the original book, the original owner seldom went out after entering the Bo residence. Although Bo Yueming ignored him, he never treated him harshly.

Pei Yi needed this sort of “being ignored” free life. He had to secretly use the cover of the Bo family to accumulate his own capital before finding the right time to leave.

Just as he was pondering, the figure of the housekeeper, Uncle Kai, reappeared in his vision.

In order not to reveal his secrets in front of outsiders, Pei Yi quickly adopted a very nervous expression and hid the half-eaten biscuit firmly behind him. “M-mine.”

Uncle Kai met his vigilant and well-behaved little eyes, and his tone softened a bit. “Don’t be afraid, Little Young Master. Eat as much as you want. I will follow you back to the Pei residence later, and we will come back after packing your luggage.”

Although he knew that Pei Yi was mentally unwhole, Uncle Kai still told him the reason they had thought up.

“…….”

Follow me back to the Pei residence?

Coincidentally, he was trying to deal with some old affairs on behalf of the original owner, and needed an outsider as a witness.

Pei Yi squeezed the biscuit tightly with his fingertips, and then nodded obediently. “Okay.”

. . . . . .

When the group returned to the Pei residence, it was just in time for dinner.

Old Father Pei, who was over eighty years old, was sitting at the head of the table. Deng Xiuya, who was beside him, saw her husband come home and got up to greet him. “Ruzhang, you’re finally back. How did the talks go?”

As she spoke, she noticed Uncle Kai’s unfamiliar face. “Who is this?”

“This is Gao Kai, one of the housekeepers of the Bo family.”

Pei Ruzhang took the initiative to introduce him, and by the way, gave Old Father Pei a veiled look. “Father, the affairs of the two families have been settled, and the senior housekeeper purposely followed Xiao Yi to pack his luggage.”

The marriage was settled?

Old Father Pei squinted his eyes and produced the etiquette of the family head. “Senior housekeeper, please sit down for a light meal?”

“Many thanks, Old Father Pei, for your kindness. However, Second Young Master Bo is busy back home, so I won’t delay any longer.” Uncle Kai was neither overbearing nor humble, and didn’t go around in circles with the Pei family either. “Where is the little young master’s bedroom? I can help him pack his luggage.”

“Senior housekeeper will personally pack for Xiao Yi?”

Old Father Pei set down his chopsticks unhurriedly and avoided staring at Uncle Kai.

At the same time, Pei Ruzhang glanced toward the corner of the second floor for a moment, then quickly winked at his wife.

Pei Yi, who was standing at the end, had a clear view of his family’s tricks, and couldn’t help but find it amusing—

For the sake of their own reputation, the Pei couple claimed to raise the original owner as their own son, and from time to time, would dress him up and bring him to parties to add credibility.

Now, if Uncle Kai saw the small, simple bedroom of the original owner, wouldn’t everything be revealed? It could be estimated that they were looking for a reason to decline.

Sure enough, Deng Xiuya opened her mouth and made up a reason, “Senior housekeeper, you don’t know, ah, our Xiao Yi’s mind is not very sound, and he always says there is a baby in his room. Even if we enter the room, he will go crazy and lose his temper.”

Uncle Kai’s probing eyes fell on Pei Yi’s face, and he also heard Deng Xiuya suggest—

“Xiao Yi is only willing to let Aunt Cheng, the nanny who looks after him, into the room. How about you sit down in the living room? I will ask Aunt Cheng to accompany him to pack.”

“Yes, ah, let me do it.”

The nanny had the ability to see what needed to be done, and quickly walked to Pei Yi’s side. “Little Young Master, let’s go upstairs to pack your things first, so as not to keep guests waiting.”

Pei Yi suppressed the coldness in his heart and nodded slowly.

The good show was still to come. There was no rush.

Master and servant went up to the second floor, and walked towards the small room at the end around the corner.

After confirming that the people downstairs would not notice any abnormalities, the false affection on the nanny’s face vanished immediately. “What does a fool like you have to pack? Day after day, you find troublesome things for me to do.”

She changed back to the impatient look she wore before going out, cursing softly, “It would be better if you had just drowned in the swimming pool back then!”

As soon as these words fell, the aura around Pei Yi became sharp, and he kicked the door open.

—Bang!

The sudden fit shocked the nanny in place, and she even bit her tongue with clattering teeth. “Hiss, ouch!”

Pei Yi gave the nanny a cold look, then walked straight into the bedroom and looked at the small bed.

At this moment, the blanket on the bed was empty. The jade pendant he had taken off before going out had long since disappeared.

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Chapter One <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Three

T/N: I decided it was time to pick up another modern-day novel, so here it is! 

Also, I’ll put a blanket warning here for all chapters: Disabilities, physical or mental, are not treated with due respect by the villains of this novel. They display everything from neglect to abuse toward the affected people, with a casual disregard for their feelings. That said, they all eventually get what is coming to them.

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In a small bedroom with simple decorations, Pei Yi stared at himself in the mirror without saying a word.

Soon, there was an impatient cry from the door. “Little Young Master, what are you dawdling for? Mr. Pei is ready and waiting for you at the door! If you delay proper business, no one can save you!”

The silent Pei Yi finally moved.

He stretched out his thin, slender hand, and in a fit of anger, removed the jade pendant from around his neck, turned around, and threw it on the bed before walking toward the door.

Just as he approached, the unlocked door was roughly pushed open from outside, nearly hitting Pei Yi.

The middle-aged nanny standing at the door was obviously aware of the danger, but there was no apology on her face. “Oh, you’re finally willing to come out?”

“I say, you’re lucky to marry into the Bo family! A fool still knows how to be stubborn about this matter? So strange, ah…..”

Pei Yi stared at the nanny’s aloof face and narrowed his chilly eyes imperceptibly.

The nanny got carried away with her nattering, but the moment she looked up, she froze in place. Pei Yi couldn’t be bothered to give her another look, and walked quickly around.

The nanny stared at the departing Pei Yi, took an uncertain breath of air, and muttered —

Has this fool changed his nature?

Why was that look just now different than in the past? It was so scary!

However, when she saw the thin, long-sleeved clothing on Pei Yi’s body, the surprise in her heart turned to ridicule again. “What change in nature? It’s a hot day and he dresses like this. What a fool!”

With that said, she snuck into the bedroom.

. . . . . .

As soon as Pei Yi left the villa, a black car stopped at the door.

The rear window was rolled down, revealing a well-dressed middle-aged man. The other party looked at the tardy Pei Yi with dissatisfaction on his face. “What are you doing staring so stupidly? Hurry up and get in the car!”

Pei Yi sneered inwardly, but opened the rear door and slowly got inside.

The car started quickly.

The middle-aged man adopted a serious expression and warned Pei Yi, “When we get to the Bo residence later, you will follow me obediently. This marriage is not a bad thing for you or our family!”

“If you dare to go crazy and lose face for our Pei family, your grandfather and I will definitely not spare you!”

Pei Yi pretended not to hear, and turned his head to look out the window.

Seeing his indifferent appearance, the middle-aged man became angry and tongue-tied. “Your head is full of stupid things, you won’t understand even if you’re told.”

“…….”

There was a hint of absurdity in Pei Yi’s eyes, which disappeared in an instant.

Don’t understand?

He, who had transmigrated into this world after reading a book, understood better than anyone —

This was a dog-blood danmei novel named “Misplaced Kindness of a Rich Family.” It told the story of the protagonist, the young master of the Pei family, who relied on his personal strength to win the favor and pursuit of many rich and powerful families after his lot in life was exchanged mistakenly. In the end, he met his sweetheart and they galloped into the sunset together.

Of course, Young Master Pei, the protagonist in the book, was not referring to Pei Yi.

Although he shared the surname Pei, and he was also a young master of the Pei family, the original owner could be described as a “first-class cannon fodder” in the book. His father died young and his mother was absent.

When he was ten years old, the original owner was pushed into the swimming pool and drowned half to death. When he woke up again, he had become a mentally handicapped child. He was usually either isolated and mute or foolish and crazy. Over the years, he had long been reduced to a first-class laughingstock in the Imperial capital circle, and even the nanny who took care of him dared to trample him underfoot in secret.

The middle-aged man sitting next to him was the original owner’s uncle, Pei Ruzhang, the director of Pei Group.

In order to win the reputation of “treating his nephew kindly,” Pei Ruzhang always dressed the original owner up beautifully and elaborately at every banquet, taking him through the motions, but secretly treated the original owner like a dog—

He was locked in a small, prison-like bedroom all day long, given three meals per day. If he did something wrong, he would be overwhelmingly beaten and scolded.

Presently, it seemed that the original owner was twenty-two years old. Under the instigation and arrangement of the Bo family, he was treated as a pawn for commercial interests and was married to the second youngest of the Bo family, who was blinded in a car accident.

What was this dear uncle?

He was just a vicious wolf in human skin, eager to gnaw the original owner until there were no bones left!

Two days ago, when the original owner heard news of the marriage, he was stimulated somehow and ran behind Pei Villa to jump into the river.

It was likely this jump that allowed the transmigrated Pei Yi to occupy his body.

Pei Yi gazed at the passing scenery outside the car window and took this opportunity to quickly go through the contents of the book. There wasn’t much focus on the original owner in “Misplaced Kindness of a Rich Family,” but there was enough to piece together his tragic end —

After the business marriage between the Pei and Bo families, the second young master of the Bo family did not like the original owner, and mostly ignored him.

Later on, there was turmoil within the Bo family and the useless original owner was kicked out of the house. When the second young master of the Bo family reported the matter and found him, he had died tragically in the river with wounds all over his body, his corpse already swollen from the soaking.

He didn’t trick or provoke anyone, yet became a short-lived cannon fodder in this battle of the rich and powerful.

Pei Yi thought about this ending, and silently gave the plot an upturned middle finger in his heart.

There are no words.

The one with the biggest grievance is actually myself.

. . . . . .

The car soon drove into the Bo family manor.

Pei Ruzhang and Pei Yi, led by servants, entered the living room of the Bo residence.

Old Mr. Bo, the head of the family, nodded his head in greeting. “Mr. Pei, long time no see. My second grandson has eye problems now, so it is really inconvenient for him to go out and meet you. Thank you for making the trip.”

“Good sir, we are nearly family, so there is no need to speak politely.” Pei Ruzhang took the initiative to rope in the relationship between the two families. “This is my little nephew, Pei Yi.”

He changed his loathing for Pei Yi in the car to a pretense of harmony. “Although he is a bit foolish in the head, he has always been a well-behaved and sensible person.”

The implication to the Bo family was – he had already “obediently” agreed to this marriage.

“Look at the whole Imperial Capital circle, who doesn’t know that Director Pei is kind and soft-hearted? Hasn’t he been raising his nephew by his side like his own son? The young master must listen to you the most.”

“Ai, the good sir flatters me.” Pei Ruzhang listened comfortably, and casually directed Pei Yi, “Xiao Yi, come and say hello.”

“…….”

Say hello?

Give you face like in the past?

Pei Yi looked around at the people of the Bo family, his eyes drifting playfully. Okay, ah, then I’ll say hello in a different way.

With this thought, he grabbed the tea that the butler had just brought, and smashed it down hard.

— Crash!

The cup accurately hit Pei Ruzhang’s ankle. The splashed hot tea made him tremble, and the fake smile on his face abruptly froze.

This was not the end! Pei Yi smashed the cup, and did not forget to retreat in public to distance himself from Pei Ruzhang.

Intangible disdain was the deadliest.

Everyone in the Bo family exchanged glances, and they all noticed something strange—

He only asked him to say hello, yet was rejected and defied by his foolish nephew? Perhaps Pei Ruzhang’s treatment of Pei Yi was not very good behind closed doors?

“…….”

Call him crazy, and he’ll be crazy. Call him calm and he’ll be calm.

Pei Ruzhang held back his anger. He didn’t expect that his nephew, who was always easy to deal with, would actually refuse to give him face in public.

However, he had always called himself a “good uncle” on the outside, and Pei Yi was also a well-known fool, so he couldn’t be beaten or scolded for these two consecutive blows.

Old Man Bo witnessed this mess, and there was faint displeasure in his tone. “Director Pei, are you all right?”

“I’m fine.”

Pei Ruzhang gritted his teeth and swallowed, forcing a smile. “Apologies, I’ve performed poorly.”

As soon as these words were said, an ordinary-looking and slightly younger man stood up. “It seems that Little Young Master Pei doesn’t like this boring setting. Grandpa, Director Pei, why don’t I take him to see Yueming first?”

The Bo Yueming mentioned by this man was Pei Yi’s marriage partner.

“That’s fine, just now the servants said that Yueming is sitting in the garden. Guancheng, you take Little Young Master Pei there.”

Pei Ruzhang quickly took the opportunity to divert the embarrassment. “Then I will trouble the young master to take my nephew there.”

This meeting, under the pretext of “marriage,” was actually to sign the next cooperation agreement between the two parties. The fewer irrelevant people, the better, let alone someone like Pei Yi, who would cause trouble.

Bo Guancheng received consent, and walked steadily to Pei Yi’s side. “Little Young Master, shall I take you outside to get some fresh air? There are much more fun things and delicious food in the garden.”

When Pei Yi heard this deliberate child-coaxing tone of voice, goosebumps rose all over.

However, he had come here today just to meet that Second Young Master Bo, and he didn’t intend to waste time putting on airs in front of these people, so he went with the flow and left.

The Bo Family Manor covered a large area. Aside from the main house, everyone else had their own villas and courtyards.

Pei Yi took advantage of his title as a “fool” to look left and right all the way, and used the opportunity to take careful note of the buildings in the manor.

Not long after, Bo Guancheng led him into an independent villa. As soon as he stepped through the gate, Pei Yi noticed the young man in the center of the garden.

The other party was of mixed race, fair and handsome. He was wearing a thin white shirt, and suit trousers wrapped around legs so long and straight that one could imagine his proud height even when he was sitting.

Seeming to hear footsteps, he turned his head slightly in Pei Yi’s direction.

Those dark blue eyes were a little gray, like mysterious sapphires wrapped in a fine veil. While unable to see, they also revealed an alienation that deterred strangers from approaching.

Pei Yi raised his eyebrows slightly. Without having to think about it, he identified the other party as Bo Yueming, the second young master of the Bo family.

Tsk.

This was worthy of being the villain gong who competed against the protagonist gong in the original book. Even when he was sitting quietly, he could still bewitch people without fail!

If the original owner, Pei Yi, was an insignificant cannon fodder in the original book, then the second young master of the Bo family was a crucial villain—

Leaving aside the complicated and bloody rich family background, Bo Yueming joined the family business after graduating from a top-ranked university, and in less than three years, he made his investment projects grow to a scale of nearly ten billion.

Wealth, looks, and power, all skill points were full!

Of course, every ‘villain’ would have an opportunity to blacken—

Two months ago, Bo Yueming, who was in the limelight, encountered a sudden car accident and was blind in both eyes after waking up.

According to the description in the book, under the calculations of the other brothers of the Bo family, he quickly lost his position as a highly praised young businessman and successor to the company. As soon as he fell into the mud, he suffered countless eyerolls and mocking words, and his temper and heart distorted bit by bit.

It was a pity that those rich and powerful families not only didn’t know that Bo Yueming’s eye affliction would heal, but he would still become the leader of the Bo family, taking revenge on those who had mocked him.

Bo Guancheng took two steps forward, breaking the silence. “Yueming, I knew you were hiding here. Grandpa asked me to bring Little Young Master Pei over to find you, so that you can have a look at each other.”

He glanced at Pei Yi, the corners of his mouth curling up. “The elders of the two families mean for the young master to come live here tonight. As for obtaining the certificate and the wedding, those can wait for another day.”

Bo Yueming took a calm sip of coffee, then glanced in the direction of the two of them. “Dage^[1] is joking. What do you think of me, a blind person? I can’t even take care of myself now, so I’ve made it hard on the family elders and given them trouble.”

“It is my mouth that said the wrong thing.”

Bo Guancheng apologized indifferently, and then spoke words of comfort, “Yueming, it’s only been less than three months. The doctor says there is still hope for your eyes, you can’t be discouraged.”

Bo Yueming lowered his eyelids slightly, casting a dark look into the cup. “I heard that the young master of the Pei family is mentally handicapped. If he doesn’t want to marry me, will the two families still force us to marry?”

The surrounding servants began to cast their eyes covertly.

Facing these two cousins who had begun to “fight in the ring,” Pei Yi understood better than anyone else—

On the surface, Bo Guancheng looked gentle and polite, but his actual words were filled with malicious intentions. On the other hand, Bo Yueming seemed to be in a weak position due to his eye disease, but could still sit there and respond correctly as before.

Who was higher and who was lower, didn’t the difference between them come out all at once?

“Yueming, you have always been bright. Marriage has nothing to do with whether you like it or not. If two families get along well, both will benefit and everyone will be happy.” Bo Guancheng twirled his watch triumphantly, hiding the needle in his words of silk. “Besides, how do you know Little Young Master Pei doesn’t like you?”

While speaking, Bo Guancheng thought of something and turned around to approach Pei Yi. He asked, “Little Young Master, the person in front of you is your marriage partner. You will move into the Bo residence to live with him in the future, how do you feel? Do you like him?”

He once made secret inquiries and found that Little Young Master Pei went crazy after learning about the marriage, crying not to be made to leave the Pei residence, and shouting that he didn’t want Second Young Master Bo.

Right now, whether they wanted to or not, the marriage of the two families was a certainty.

Bo Guangcheng wanted this fool, Pei Yi, to be stimulated a little more and have a frenzied fight in public, so that the servants of the entire Bo family and whole whole Beijing circle would know—

That the current second young master of the Bo family was a waste that even fools despised!

Bo Guancheng deliberately guided, “Don’t be afraid. Little Young Master Pei, take a closer look, do you like my cousin?”

“…….”

Bo Yueming sensed his sinister intentions, and there was faint ruthlessness in the depths of his seemingly ashen pupils.

Pei Yi naturally understood what kind of medicine was being sold in this gourd. He looked toward the fully provoked Bo Yueming, who was just his type, and inwardly confirmed a thought in his heart—

Before coming to the Bo family, Pei Yi had planned to go along with this marriage and stay in the Bo family. Now that he had reached this point, he felt that it was not good for him to continue to be a ‘reticent mute,” and it was time for him to ‘explode.”

How should a little fool express his likes and dislikes?

If you don’t like it, push it away, and if you like it, hold it in your hand.

Having made up his mind, Pei Yi had a sudden fit and gave it his all to push Bo Guancheng away, and also presented a loud and clear belittling that could be heard ten meters away, “Go away! You’re too ugly, I don’t like you!”

“…….”

The eyes of the surrounding servants widened.

But it wasn’t over yet. Pei Yi, who had pushed someone away, ran to Bo Yueming’s side—

And pressed a kiss to the corner of the man’s mouth!

After kissing, he still didn’t forget to reveal a shy and infatuated smiling expression, as if he had received some kind of enormous treasure.

“I like. Husband, let’s get married ~”

“……”

The hand holding Bo Yueming’s coffee shook, and there was a trace of astonishment at the surprise kiss in his cold, unseeing eyes. “What did you call me?”

---

[1] “Dage,” 大哥 can mean “elder brother,” and is also used as a term of address for a close friend of the same age or older. In this case, the two people involved are cousins. ⮐

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Table of Contents >> Chapter Two

Author: Nie Si 惗肆

Synopsis:

When he awoke, Pei Yi had transmigrated into the wealthy young master of the same name in a book.

The original owner was ten years old when he fell into the pool and nearly drowned. When he woke up again, he was a mentally impaired child and became the laughingstock of the entire Imperial Capital circle. 

The profit-oriented elders regarded him as a bargaining chip for business transactions, and followed the instigation and arrangements of the Bo family to make him marry the Second Young Master Bo, who was blinded in a car accident.

A fool and a blind man, this was obviously a humiliation.

It was a pity that others didn’t know that Second Young Master Bo was the most important villain in the book.

Not only would his eye disease be cured, but he would become the only person with authority in the Bo family.

As for the foolish original owner, after being kicked out of the Bo residence by the protagonist of the original book, he still couldn’t escape the fate of falling into the river and dying tragically.

. . .

Knowing the plot of the book he transmigrated into, Pei Yi met “his” nominal marriage partner, Bo Yueming, not long after—

With a golden figure and long legs, a god-given handsome face and a strong waist, the point was that the other party was still blind! He could do what he wanted without fear of being watched!

Very good, this marriage must be finalized!

While playing the role of a fool, Pei Yi used the cover of the Bo family to make a lot of money in private.

Taking advantage of “being cannon-fodder” in the original plot, Pei Yi earned enough savings and planned to leave the Bo family, but in the end, his way out was precisely blocked by Bo Yueming.

“Where are you going?”

Those eyes were no longer lifeless and gloomy, but full of unrelenting possessiveness.

“……Aren’t your eyes still blind?”

“I was pretending.”

“? ? ?”

. . .

The second young master of the Bo family had a secret that no one knew. In order to seize power and get revenge, after the car accident, he resorted to tricks and pretended to be ill in order to relax the vigilance of the enemies in his family.

For this reason, he would rather endure the words of others about this ridiculous marriage, but what he didn’t expect was that the foolish young master of the Pei family was also pretending—

When this person shouted, “I want to drink milk,” he turned around and poured the fine wine from his wine cabinet into his mouth.

When this person shouted, “Wear bear pajamas,” he would swing in front of him in his nightgown with long, bare legs showing.

When this person shouted, “Husband, protect me,” he turned his head and planned to beat the relative who had bullied him into the ground.

Bo Yueming never exposed the cute behavior of his partner, but just got along with him better and better one day after another, until a certain day—

Pei Yi said sweetly, “Goodnight, husband,” but in the next second, he swaggered out with his luggage and planned to run away.

Bo Yueming: Stop pretending, wife is trying to run away? 🙂

Tags: Humor, Wealthy Families, Cute Pets, Family Drama, Blind Character, Cunning Protagonist

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Chapter 1	Chapter 41	Chapter 81
Chapter 2	Chapter 42	Chapter 82
Chapter 3	Chapter 43	Chapter 83
Chapter 4	Chapter 44	Chapter 84
Chapter 5	Chapter 45	Chapter 85
Chapter 6	Chapter 46	Chapter 86
Chapter 7	Chapter 47	Chapter 87
Chapter 8	Chapter 48	Chapter 88
Chapter 9	Chapter 49	Chapter 89
Chapter 10	Chapter 50	Chapter 90
Chapter 11	Chapter 51	Chapter 91
Chapter 12	Chapter 52	Chapter 92
Chapter 13	Chapter 53	Chapter 93
Chapter 14	Chapter 54	Chapter 94
Chapter 15	Chapter 55	Chapter 95
Chapter 16	Chapter 56	Chapter 96
Chapter 17	Chapter 57	Chapter 97
Chapter 18	Chapter 58	Chapter 98
Chapter 19	Chapter 59	Chapter 99
Chapter 20	Chapter 60	Chapter 100
Chapter 21	Chapter 61	Chapter 101
Chapter 22	Chapter 62	Chapter 103
Chapter 23	Chapter 63	Chapter 104
Chapter 24	Chapter 64	Chapter 105
Chapter 25	Chapter 65	Chapter 106
Chapter 26	Chapter 66	Extra 1: Alternate World
Chapter 27	Chapter 67	Extra 2: Alternate World
Chapter 28	Chapter 68	Extra 3: Alternate World
Chapter 29	Chapter 69	Extra 4: Alternate World
Chapter 30	Chapter 70	Extra 5: Alternate World
Chapter 31	Chapter 71	Extra 6: Alternate World
Chapter 32	Chapter 72	Extra 7: Alternate World
Chapter 33	Chapter 73	Extra 8: Alternate World
Chapter 34	Chapter 74	Extra 9: Alternate World
Chapter 35	Chapter 75	Extra 10: Alternate World
Chapter 36	Chapter 76	Extra 11: Alternate World
Chapter 37	Chapter 77	Extra 12: Alternate World
Chapter 38	Chapter 78	Extra 13: Alternate World
Chapter 39	Chapter 79	Extra 14: Alternate World
Chapter 40	Chapter 80	Extra 15: Alternate World

Baihe City was not very large. It was not a highly-trafficked stronghold, but because Baihe Mountain Village was here, it was still very lively and prosperous. Merchants all over the country came here to do business  – the value of the shops was even higher than the land they were built on, and the degree of cultural blending in the splendid decorations was comparable to the capital city of Wangcheng.

It was almost time for dinner. The business in the restaurants was just right, and the teahouse storyteller was also preparing for a night show. The streets were bustling with people, and there was a large group of scholars sitting on a flower terrace and laughing with a group of singers, composing new songs and poems and guessing which one would be popular all over the city, becoming the new trend. The wine was hot and amber-bright.

Recently in Baihe City, similar scenes occurred every day, but this day was a little different when someone shouted: “Second Young Master Liu is here!”

“Ya!” The group of beautiful singers were the first to cheer. They tossed down their wine cups and stepped barefoot over the brocade veil on the ground, holding the railing with hands adorned with painted nails as they drunkenly leaned over to peer out. Other people also squeezed to the ralling, even a few big, burly men – they likely didn’t intend to appreciate the beauty of Dayan’s number one handsome man, and only wanted to join in on the fun. In any case, everyone was full and had nothing better to do.

Under the eyes of the crowd, Liu Xian’an entered the wine shop. The owner of the shop was quite business-minded. From the moment Second Young Master Liu stepped into the store, he knew that his chance to make a fortune had come! Thus, he immediately ordered the little workers to half-close the door, blocking all the curious eyes from outside. Concentrating on serving one person, he took out eighteen jugs of fine wine in one go.

The rich aroma rushed straight to the brain, and Liu Xian’an was already half drunk before drinking it. He tasted and selected carefully, and finally selected two kinds. One jug was as fierce as the scorching sun in the northwest, charging violently into the throat, while the other jug was slightly softer and sweeter. The boss quickly sealed them: “There is no need for Second Young Master Liu to take them away personally. I will send someone to Baihe Mountain Village straightaway.”

A-Ning asked in wonder: “Two small jugs of wine can be delivered to the door?”

The boss smiled and said: “I was going to deliver rice wine for medicinal use, so I happen to be going there.”

A-Ning no longer persisted, and after paying the money, he left with Liu Xian’an: “Young Master, shall we go home now?”

“No.”

“Ah?”

“Let’s stroll around more.”

Second Young Master Liu waved his jade fan, walking from east to west and north to south of the city with great interest.

A-Ning was stunned. He had already arrived in Baihe City and didn’t have to work hard to practice medicine anymore, so why was he so diligent? Shouldn’t he immediately turn back into the lazy young master who was too weary to walk to the front hall to eat?

But in fact, Liu Xian’an really didn’t feel tired. He wanted to see what Baihe City had become during these years his mind had been wandering, so that he could take His Royal Highness Xiao Wang around in the future as a host.

The sky was growing darker, and lights lit up one by one. The entire city became warmer and full of life. If you squinted your eyes, it looked like a river full of light and splintered gold.

Liu Xian’an slowly made a list in his mind, where to eat, where to appreciate scenery, and even outlined the circumstances of the two traveling together.

At the same time, the owner of the wine shop also ordered five carts full of wine to be pulled, squeaking all the way to Baihe Mountain Village – four of the carts were old rice wine, and the other held eighteen jugs of expensive fine wine. Although Second Young Master Liu only picked two jugs, one might as well buy two and get sixteen free.

People crowded around and asked: “These are the wines that Second Young Master Liu likes?”

The young man had received the boss’s orders, and replied eloquently: “Yes, ah, these eighteen jugs of wine were all tasted by Second Young Master Liu, and he paid for them on the spot.”

This was not a lie. He did taste them, and he did buy them. As for the ratio of tasting to buying, it could be appropriately ignored.

Everyone rushed to the wine shop to snap up the same kinds.

The new popular poems and songs in the city had not been decided, but the new popular wines in the city seemed to be a certainty.

The wine carts entered the gate of Baihe Mountain Village just in time for Master Liu to return from abroad. He looked at the last cart with its gaudy jars and asked with a frown: “Are these medicinal wines as well?”

The young man replied with a smile on his face: “No, Master Liu. This cart is all the wine that Second Young Master Liu of your noble home just ordered.”

Liu Fushu first asked his wife: “Xian’an is back?” Immediately afterward, he flew into a rage again. “He went out and made no other progress, and obtained an alcoholism problem! Where is he?”

Liu-furen: “……Still out.”

A flurry of adjectives immediately appeared in Master Liu’s mind, for example, idle layabout, cockfighting dog-raiser,^[1] hedonistic son of rich parents, unworthy descendant! As for Liu Xian’an, it was a coincidence that he came home drunk at this time – It couldn’t be helped, although he drank the wine more than half an hour ago, it went to his head slowly.

“Unfilial son!”

A-Ning’s eyes were sharp. Seeing that the Master was looking for a stick again, he hastily dragged his weak-legged and dizzy young master and ran away.

Liu Fushu: “You come back!”

Liu Xian’an quickly slipped into his waterside pavilion.

The entire village was full of chickens flying and dogs jumping,^[2] and the servants were all snickering.

But Liang Shu seemed to be in another world.

From Chixia City to Wanli City where the Wanli Escort Bureau was located, he followed the official road all the way. The group encountered two batches of refugees in succession. Although there were not many, according to their words, the impact of this year’s floods was truly not small. Even if the Imperial court allocated food to each person, resources were always tight, and everyone had to find their own ways to live.

“Is there any way to survive?” Cheng Suyue said, “Those who have relatives can seek refuge with them, and those who have no relatives can move to another place to make a living, but more than three to five cities have been impacted by the floods and thousands of miles of fertile fields are devastated. How far can people go with only their legs?”

Gao Lin sighed to himself. Everyone knew that the Imperial court had to take action in the end to divert the river completely. It was a big project, ah. If it was done in a prosperous age, the people would still have to shed a layer of skin. What’s more, Dayan had only just breathed a sigh of relief – but not complete relief. Eighty percent of the national treasury floor was not paved with silver.

“Your Highness!” The team marched outside Wanli City, and two guards from Xiao Wang Palace returned on horseback. They had been sent to the Wanli Escort Bureau previously in order to keep an eye on He Rao. They had thought it was an ordinary task, but in the end were forcibly shown an emotional drama that included both moral principles and conspiracy. The sight was so frightening that these young fellows didn’t even dare to get married in the future.

Liang Shu asked: “What is going on?”

“Answering Your Highness, on the first day we arrived in the city, it happened that He Rao had a tryst with the hall master of Hansong Hall.” The guard said, “They were discussing how to swallow the Wanli Escort Bureau step by step.”

Hansong Hall was considered a prestigious sect in the jianghu. The master of the hall was called Han Sanyan, and he was truly ugly. Hair would not grow in the places it should grow, and the places it should not grow were lush. The whole person looked like a round purple eggplant with only the head peeled off. Gao Lin had a toothache: “That He-furen is really not picky.”

It was honestly too easy to bring down an escort agency. Han Sanyan first prepared a batch of jewels that were said to be priceless and handed them over to the Wanli Escort Bureau for escort. According to regulations, if the goods were damaged, the customer must be compensated according to the price. Chang Wanli couldn’t afford so much money at this time, so Han Sanyan became entangled with a group of people who came to the door every day to shout, throwing the entire escort agency into disorder.

“Where is He Rao?”

“She has been blowing pillow wind,^[3] asking Chang Wanli to mortgage the escort agency to Hansong Hall,” the guard said. “Chang Wanli’s internal strength is not low, and we dared not get too close, so we didn’t hear very much.”

The guards who could follow Liang Shu were all first-class masters. If even they couldn’t get close, that was enough to prove that Chang Wanli’s martial arts could be ranked first among the central plains martial artists. This time, he was transporting a serious delivery, and he must have brought a lot of escorts along. Cheng Suyue was curious to know how he could still fall into the trap and lose his delivery in this way: “Were you there at that time? Who robbed him?”

“I’ve been following Chang Wanli, but the one who robbed him was a man in a mask. That man’s moves were very strange and wicked, and extremely fast. The mask fell off for a moment in the middle. His face was pale, and his eyes tilted up like a fox demon in a painting. He was about……sixteen or seventeen years old.”

Cheng Suyue marveled. Was it possible to have this level of skill at the age of sixteen or seventeen?

“What about after the robbery?”

“We lost the masked man, but the valuables were not taken away by him. Instead, Han Sanyan hid them in a dangerous cave.”

“Who hired the masked man?”

“He Rao. At the beginning, when she proposed the strategy of robbing the escorts, Han Sanyan said that it was not easy to rob Wanli. He Rao then said that she had an old friend who was extremely skilled, to the point that he could defeat Chang Wanli. This person happened to owe her a favor, and although the favor was not great enough to have him kill someone, it was enough for robbery.”

“Over and over, we can’t escape this escort lady.” Cheng Suyue asked, “Your Highness, what shall we do next?”

“There is no need to investigate secretly. Just take her to prison.” Liang Shu tightened the reins. “Where are those valuables hidden?”

“Not far from here, it is called Lingyun Peak.”

There were many mountains here, and Lingyun Peak was the highest of the high and the most perilous of them all. After considerable thought, Han Sanyan chose this place to hide the valuables. According to the guards, those people used dozens of wheelbarrows and went up and down dozens of times before everything could be transported to a cave on the cliff – unless Chang Wanli opened a psychic eye, even if he mobilized all the people in the jianghu, he might not be able to find the lost items.

Many disciples of Hansong Hall were guarding inside and outside the cave, and were presently yawning. There was truly no entertainment to be found on the mountain, and not even a sound to be heard. The birds fluttered their wings and flew away, and the emptiness was terrifyingly silent. They had nothing else to do except sleep.

“Ai, do you think a fox fairy or a succubus will come suddenly in the middle of the night and take turns having fun with us brothers?”

The others roared with laughter. They all joked, you’re not a scholar, why are you starting to learn from those pedantic bookworms with their red sleeves and perfume? As they spoke, the topic rushed wildly toward the path of obscenity, vividly depicting matters that went on between the legs. It was as if a few peerless demons would descend from the sky in the next moment, leaving princes and generals behind to love only them, who had no money, no power, and mediocre looks, and insist on marrying them. From then on, nephrite jade would be warm in their arms, and the great beauties would have babies and cook for them.

“Even if they are not so beautiful, ah,” some people tutted, “apricot eyes, cherry lips, smooth skin, and a good figure are just fine.”

Everyone laughed again, laughing and laughing, and suddenly there was thunder outside.

“See, the fox fairy is here, why don’t you hurry up and greet her?”

As this was said, a black shadow appeared at the entrance of the cave. The group’s smiles froze on their faces and they drew their swords out of their sheathes, standing up from the ground.

Liang Shu stepped out of the shadows slowly, his expression as cold as frost. Cheng Suyue followed behind him, gripping a sword in both hands: “I’ll give you two choices. One, you immediately pack up your things and scurry down the mountain. Two, you die.”

“Presumptuous!” Everyone gathered together vigilantly, staring at the unexpected guests who had suddenly appeared before them like ghosts. “Who are you!”

“I’ll count to three,” said Cheng Suyue. “One. Two. Three.”

Nobody moved.

Cheng Suyue took a step back: “It’s hard to persuade death-seeking ghosts. I have already said it patiently.”

“Grab them!” Someone among the Hansong Hall disciples ordered loudly.

Everyone raised their swords and rushed forward. Although they had been startled, they were not very frightened. With many against two, they wouldn’t lose…..would they?

They stared blankly at the blood splattered before them.

Liang Shu’s sword was half-unsheathed.

Cheng Suyue looked at the people lying all over the ground, and said to the other half who could still stand: “Want me to count again?”

“…..Spare us, s-s-s-spare our lives.” They were terrified. With one move, or half a move, dozens of people were killed silently and invisibly. He was really a demon, or maybe a ghost. In any case, he was definitely not an ordinary person, nor was he a compassionate immortal.

“Go down the mountain,” Cheng Suyue said. “Carry these things and follow me to the Wanli Escort Bureau to meet your Hall Master Han.”

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[1] ‘Cockfighting and raising dogs’ is an idiom that describes the pointless leisure activities of privileged children. ⮐

[2] “Chickens flying and dogs jumping” (鸡飞狗跳) refers to everything being in chaos/disarray. ⮐

[3] To “blow pillow wind” (吹枕头风), is to whisper ideas to one’s lover in bed. ⮐

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

With how big the carriage was, even if another bed was moved inside, it would probably fit. Liu Xian’an had never seen such a large carriage before, so he boarded it to take a look around. Old was old, but the old interior faintly revealed a sincere decoration technique of “trying to appear new.” It could be seen that Shi-daren had indeed done his best with the limited resources.

A-Ning walked over with the luggage in his arms: “What is Young Master smiling at?”

Liu Xian’an wasn’t smiling at anything. He just felt from this carriage that His Royal Highness Xiao Wang cherished their friendship. Then he thought of the poets’ descriptions of friendship. For example, “How many times can you laugh heartily in your life, when you first meet to drink wine, you must get drunk.”^[1]

Another example was, “When we meet, we drink happily in the same mood, and the horse is tied to the willow tree under the restaurant.”^[2] They were all beautiful and chivalrous scenes, so the regret of saying goodbye was diluted by poetry. Sitting in the soft carriage, he planned to carefully calculate and investigate where in Baihe City he could find good wine for a drunken reunion.

It would take a while to pack the carriage and horses, and Liu Xian’an was bored waiting, so he took A-Ning to visit Xiao Taohua. She had recovered very well and was sitting in the courtyard, basking in the sun and helping her mother tidy up some silk threads. When she saw Liu Xian’an come through the door, she was so happy that she dropped the basket and stood up: “Miracle Doctor Liu.”

The silk threads that Taohua’s mother had finally finished dying were in a mess again. She laughed and scolded the girl, then rushed to the kitchen to prepare tea and roast chicken, saying that it had just come out of the pot. The guards from Xiao Wang Palace also followed from afar. Seeing Taohua only leaning toward Liu Xian’an, smiling so hard that her round eyes turned into crescent moons, they couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. It was fortunate that Second Young Master Liu did not usually like to go out. Otherwise, if he got up diligently and rode a horse from east to west, it was likely that everyone from a four-year-old milk baby to a forty-year-old aunt would be unable to escape. There was no way out for other people.

But in fact, Taohua was not thinking about marrying a beautiful man, but was chatting about practicing medicine.

“You want to be a doctor in the future, that’s great, ah.” A-Ning said with a smile, “Baihe Medical Center has a branch in Chang’an City, and there will be a selection in three months. They are all children about the same age as you. If you sign up, you will have a chance to be selected, but studying medicine is very difficult.”

“I’m not afraid of hard work,” Taohua said. “I just want to cure diseases and save lives like Miracle Doctor Liu and Brother A-Ning.”

Liu Xian’an felt that he was actually not a doctor, let alone a Miracle Doctor, but he didn’t correct her, since he was lazy and couldn’t be bothered to explain. As for titles, they were vain, empty things. Humanity-Saving Miracle Doctor or Bloodthirsty Demon, it didn’t matter what people called him.

He didn’t know anything about the selection process of the Baihe Medical Center, and was even unaware until after A-Ning spoke just now that a process existed. This level of knowledge would certainly be of no assistance to Taohua, so it was all up to A-Ning. Thus, Second Young Master Liu began to wander off again. He took out a big, boundless piece of paper in the dreamland and planned to draw a castle of the same size and boundlessness so that he could give it to his Royal Highness Xiao Wang in the future.

Exhausting all of his unrestrained imagination, he made the first careful stroke. Following his movements, a continuous flow of golden bricks and clear jade tiles fell from the sky, fitting together like a seamless garment. The high dome blocked the passage of birds, a deep fragrance diffused across the land, and dragons dove and circled around the pillars. This gorgeous palace was built far away on the top of a mountain, and there was even a very big hot spring inside, like the boundless sea. If His Royal Highness Xiao Wang wanted to, he could even bathe with Kun and swim with Peng.^[3]

Liu Xian’an was quite satisfied with this prototype. He put his hands behind his back, but before he could take two steps, there was a bang in his ear!

“Miracle Doctor Liu!”

A-Ning quickly stood up and opened his arms to shield his young master. “Who are you!”

The Xiao Wang Palace guards also rushed over quickly.

“Miracle Doctor Liu!” The person who came was a woman in her twenties or thirties, holding a baby in her arms. She knelt down and cried, “Begging the miracle doctor to raise his hand high and give my brother and husband a way to survive!”

Liu Xian’an had just stepped back into the real world from the palace when he suddenly heard this sentence, and didn’t quite understand. He felt that his hand didn’t seem to be on the head of the other party’s family for him to “lift it high”, so he asked A-Ning to help him up first. 

Taohua moved a bench over for the woman. Seeing that Liu Xian’an seemed confused and ignorant, she explained in a low voice: “Her husband and brother were also treated on Dakan Mountain because of Gu poison. They are called Song Ma and Zhou Yuqian. But later, for some reason, they were sent down the mountain before they were cured by the soldiers and sent to prison. In the past two days, I heard that they were sent to a quarry for hard labor.”

Song Ma and Zhou Yuqian. A-Ning had an impression of these two names, and said to Liu Xian’an: “Young Master, that group is the group of smirking ruffians who followed us to the hot springs a while ago. I also wondered why those people disappeared and asked Brother Qiu, but he said he didn’t know.”

Liu Xian’an looked at the guards of Xiao Wang Palace.

A guard whispered: “It was the prince’s order.”

The woman continued to cry. She didn’t expect the government to release the men from the quarry, but she begged for the Gu worms to at least be taken out of them, otherwise they may not survive past three months.

The guard stepped forward and asked: “Does the young master want us to send him back to the government office first?”

Liu Xian’an stood up.

Seeing that he appeared to be leaving, the woman suddenly became anxious. Perhaps because of her despair, or perhaps because of anger, she shouted: “In the eyes of princes and miracle doctors, are the lives of the common people really as cheap as ants?”

Liu Xian’an didn’t look back. He only stepped past the threshold and said to A-Ning: “Take two disciples from Dakan Mountain and go to the quarry to fetch the Gu worms from those people.”

A-Ning made a sound of agreement and ran back to the government office to find people.

The guards of Xiao Wang Palace exchanged glances, unsure of Liu Xian’an’s mood at this time. But they figured that the doctor was always kind-hearted and could not bear to see bloody slaughter, so they took the initiative to excuse their prince: “On the battlefield, the life of a military doctor is equivalent to the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and everyone respects them very much. Second Young Master Liu is to Chixia City what a military doctor is to the Northwest Military Camp. Those people dared to mock and offend you. If they were in the army, they would have been dealt with by military law and would not have the chance to work in a quarry.”

“The sight of that woman was really pitiful.” Liu Xian’an walked slowly. “Since she begged me, I will help her. But now that I have saved her brother and husband, whether her future will be better or worse because of it is anyone’s guess. I think it will probably be the latter.”

A guard asked: “How so?”

“She has old scars on her face, hands, and neck.” Liu Xian’an said, “The colors are different shades, so she should have been beaten many times.”

The guard shook his head: “What is the point in saving such a man? The right thing to do would be to set off cannons in celebration.”

“Everyone’s wishes are different.” Liu Xian’an gazed at the white clouds in the sky. “She thinks this is best, so it is her version of the best. Some silver should be sent to the orphan and widow.”

The guard took out a piece of silver and tossed it over to Taohua’s mother and beckoned for her to hand it to the woman.

Liu Xian’an hurriedly said: “I meant that I’ll have A-Ning deliver it later.”

“Second Young Master Liu, there is no need for politeness.” The guard said, “The prince has ordered that whatever the young master needs on the journey, the prince’s Xiao Wang Palace will settle the bill.”

Liu Xian’an: “……That’s also fine.”

In the afternoon, Shi Hanhai personally sent them out of the city.

Due to the large size of the carriage, they could not take the mountain road and could only travel on the official road, which included some detours. Second Young Master Liu didn’t care about such things. In the end, he could lie down at home or lie down in the carriage. Although the latter was indeed more laborious and prone to causing backaches, there was fortunately no father with a stick scolding people now and then. Comparing the two, a backache was better than a beating.

Wrapped in a blanket, he turned over comfortably and continued to sleep.

He slept for the whole journey, all the way back to Baihe City.

Everything in the village was as before. Liu Fushu had taken First Young Master Liu to practice medicine elsewhere, and no other cousins were at home either. Only Liu-furen and Liu Nanyuan greeted him beamingly and dragged him over to have a look. Good, he wasn’t thin and his body seemed to be stronger.

Liu-furen glanced around: “Where are the people who escorted you back? Why didn’t you ask them to take a rest?”

A-Ning had offered at least three times, but they still said that they needed to rush to join up with His Royal Highness Xiao Wang without a moment’s delay, so they unloaded the luggage and left in a hurry.

“It doesn’t matter.” Liu Xian’an stretched his waist and walked to his small waterside pavilion. “When the prince finishes dealing with the trouble at hand, he will come to Baihe Mountain Village again. It won’t be too late to invite them to drink and rest at that time.”

“Wait a second!” Liu Nanyuan grabbed him. “Didn’t you say that the prince doesn’t want to marry me? Why would he still come here?”

“Not to marry you.” Liu Xian’an pulled his sleeve back from his younger sister’s hand and patted her on the head with a secretive expression on his face.

Liu Nanyuan looked at his calmly retreating back, then turned her head and said to her mother: “Has my ge been bewitched?”

Liu-furen: “……A-Ning!”

The servant who was about to rub the soles of his feet with oil had no choice but to stand up straight: “Ai!”

He stood on the spot and followed Liu Xian’an’s instructions, telling of all the things that had happened during the trip. It was actually fine, they just went down to Chixia City with His Royal Highness Xiao Wang. There happened to be a Gu disaster there, so the young master dispatched more than a hundred disciples from the medical hall in Chang’an City to treat the illness, and it vanished.

Liu-furen complained: “Who asked you about the Gu, I’m asking why the prince suddenly called off the marriage with A-Yuan. How did Xian’an persuade him?”

“It didn’t take much persuasion,” A-Ning said. “The young master said that there must be many beautiful girls in Wangcheng, and that our Third Young Lady has a lively personality. The prince doesn’t like too much noise. He refused the marriage of the Fei country’s princess because he thought the other party was too noisy.”

“Okay, that’s good.” Liu-furen was relieved, and let the boy go. 

A-Ning ran all the way back to the waterside pavilion and saw that his young master was lying in bed again, so he shook him awake: “I said it just like we discussed.”

Liu Xian’an yawned: “Very good.”

The boy sat on the ground beside him: “But there is one thing I don’t understand, Young Master. Why didn’t you say that you also cured many people, and even discovered the poison? The Master, the Madam, and the First Young Master would be very happy if they knew the truth.”

“Because it’s troublesome.” Liu Xian’an narrowed his eyes and said, “It would require explaining a lot of things that they might not be able to understand, so it would be very tiring to answer all their questions.”

A-Ning propped up his cheeks and sighed: “Fine, ba, but I still feel it’s a pity.”

Liu Xian’an did not feel that it was a pity. He got up from his slump: “Let’s go.”

“Go?” A-Ning was puzzled. “We just came back, where are we going?”

Liu Xian’an picked up a jade fan on the table, opened it with a snap, and said in high spirits: “We’re going to get some good wine.”

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[1] This is part of a poem by Cen Shen of the Tang dynasty. ⮐

[2] This is taken from “Four Poems for the Youth” by Wang Wei of the Tang dynasty. ⮐

[3] Peng (鹏) is a legendary bird. ⮐

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