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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Ah?”

“Sit down.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“We’re equally matched.”

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

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

“For the old Tan Manor case?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“……..”

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

Liu Xian’an yawned. He was sleepy.

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

Liu Xian’an asked: “Why?”

“To cure your headaches completely.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Liu Xian’an nodded: “Okay.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Liang Shu frowned slightly.

That white wrist was slender, like snow and frost.

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Liu-furen was shocked: “Ah?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Liang Shu set down the teacup: “Guess.”

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

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

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

Liang Shu nodded.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Just then, a whistle sounded from afar.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Li Yucheng took Xiao Gao to the side to wait.

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

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

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

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

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

Yan Mingting smiled silently.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“It hurts a little.”

“Where?” Zhao Yelan hurriedly touched him.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Zhao Yelan suddenly felt his hand being squeezed hard. He looked sideways and saw Yan Mingting shake his head with a slight frown. Then he sat down on the side of the bed as if nothing had happened and patted his thigh: “Come, I haven’t hugged you for a long time.”

Zhao Yelan sat and asked: “Other than you, is everyone else staying at the southern border?”

“No, only a small number of people were left. He Cuizhang and the others will lead the army back tomorrow, I’m just one step ahead of them.”

“I would rather you had returned with them and saved me some worry.”

Yan Mingting smiled, placed him on the bed, and then practiced what it meant for absence to make the heart grow fonder.

The next day, Zhao Yelan reported a leave of absence to the Imperial Academy, and when he got up, Yan Mingting was still lying in bed.

When Housekeeper Qin heard that the General was back, he was so happy that he turned around and asked the kitchen to prepare a lot of food.

Zhao Yelan kicked Yan Mingting while listening to the bustling commotion outside: “Don’t you have to go to court today?”

“En, in any case, He Cuizhang and the others haven’t returned yet, so I’ll wait for the army to come back before going to court.” Yan Mingting had been exhausted for almost two months, and at this moment, he wanted to be lazy. He hugged Zhao Yelan and moaned, “I don’t want to go out, I just want to play with you.”

“Then let’s go back to sleep, ba.” Zhao Yelan patted him on the shoulder lightly and slept with him again, not getting up until noon.

After eating, the two lingered in the room for another two hours, and Zhao Yelan kicked him exhaustedly: “Are you going to let me live?”

“Isn’t this the time for you to be passionate?” Yan Mingting teased.

Zhao Yelan supported his head with his hands and sent him a slanted glance. Yan Mingting leaned forward to kiss him a few more times and said contentedly: “I’ve been holding back for two months.”

In the evening, after Zhao Yelan bathed, he found that Yan Mingting was not in the mansion. After asking Housekeeper Qin, he discovered that he was out running errands.

As for what he was doing, Housekeeper Qin didn’t know either.

Zhao Yelan closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then turned and went back to the room. When Yan Mingting returned, he asked: “What did you go to do?”

“Oh, I went out and did a little shopping.” Yan Mingting took out a safety talisman from his bosom and gave it to him. “I heard that this is very useful, and it is made of pure gold. I guessed you would like it.”

“…….” Zhao Yelan looked at such a big golden safety talisman and said speechlessly, “I like gold, but I don’t want to wear it when I go out.”

“Then keep it as a treasure at home. It’s gold,” Yan Mingting said with a smile.

Zhao Yelan watched him go and earnestly store it. Walking a few steps closer, he hugged him and then secretly sniffed him, smelling the faint scent of medicinal herbs.

Others may not have noticed it, but he had been ill for a long time, so he was very familiar with the scent of medicinal herbs.

“Why so clingy?” Yan Mingting said with a smile.

Zhao Yelan said: “Go to bed early.”

“I’m going!”

Like an energetic dog, Yan Mingting was about to squeeze him dry again. The next day, he went to the Imperial Academy slowly. In fact, it was possible to ask for leave, but he still had something to investigate.

At noon, his colleagues ate, but he went to the Imperial Hospital. He found the busy Yao Muze in an empty corner and asked straight to the point: “Did Yan Mingting look for you last night?”

Yao Muze looked at him in surprise.

“What did he come see you for?” Zhao Yelan asked forcefully.

Yao Muze’s eyes wandered, as if he wanted to avoid this question.

“Think about it clearly, the price of hiding it from me is very high.” Zhao Yelan’s eyes were sharp. “Moreover, even he wants to hide things from me. Can you bear the consequences?”

Yao Muze’s eyes flickered a few times. He truly didn’t want to hide this news, so he could only temporarily let down the general’s trust. Gritting his teeth, he replied: “The General came to ask me last night if there is any antidote to the old general’s poison, and how many days he could live at most…..”

Zhao Yelan felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, and his face went pale.

---

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

If they continued to quarrel, Bo Wang and even the entire Bo family would continue to lose face.

Therefore, Old Mr. Bo took advantage of his “discomfort” and hid in the VIP lounge upstairs. He also blocked the Wei and Chen families who were trying to intercede at the door, apparently intending to stop there.

Such disputes did not come as a surprise in the wealthy circle, and the guests maintained a consistent tacit agreement not to intervene, and to at least not gossip until the end of the banquet.

In the banquet hall.

Pei Huan looked at the four figures sitting in the rest area, his brows furrowed.

“Xiao Huan, what are you looking at?”

Deng Xiuya had lost face because of Pei Yi at the beginning of the banquet and stayed with her son the whole time today, not wanting to be a joke in front of the other noble ladies.

Pei Huan turned his gaze back, taking advantage of the deserted space to express his slight dissatisfaction. “You should have informed me about the matter of Pei Yi and Bo Yueming at the time.”

Last month, Pei Huan had followed the group’s shareholders abroad to discuss cooperation and learn.

He didn’t hear about Pei Yi’s marriage until he returned a week ago, and the target was actually Bo Yueming.

Deng Xiuya was surprised. “What is there to say about this small thing? By taking the opportunity to quickly throw that fool out, you will be the only young master of the Pei family in the future, so your grandpa’s money won’t all be…..”

“Mom! Don’t talk nonsense outside!”

Pei Huan interrupted Deng Xiuya’s thinking, and his eyes drifted back to the four people in the rest area. “You found Second Young Master Bo for Pei Yi. Don’t you know who he was before?”

Capable and good-looking, how many families were vying for cooperation and a marriage partnership!

Deng Xiuya was silenced by her son. “…..Isn’t Bo Yueming blind now? Old Mrs. Bo in the hospital is probably unable to live, and Old Mr. Bo obviously doesn’t want to see his grandson.”

Blind?

Doesn’t want to see him?

Pei Huan shook his head slightly and asked, “Do Bo Yueming’s words and actions seem to be affected by his eyes? If Old Mr. Bo doesn’t want to look at him anymore, does that mean he will be kicked out of the Bo residence? Which guest present dares to underestimate him like this?”

“……”

Deng Xiuya couldn’t answer. She had never thought so much about it.

“Never mind.”

Pei Huan suppressed his unexplainable discomfort, and within a few seconds, he made a decision. “Mom, I’m going to say hello.”

. . . . . .

In the banquet hall’s rest area, Yan Cen made a simple bandage for Li Yuan’s hand.

Since he had a favorable impression of him after his help just now, Pei Yi took a closer look. “Does it hurt?”

Li Yuan rubbed the bandage gingerly and said, “What hurt? You’re a little slow, my finger is almost healed!”

“……”

Pei Yi hit a jam, and experienced a rare moment of speechlessness.

The original book used the four words “had a strong tongue” to describe Li Yuan’s character. How long had they gotten along? The other party put on a vivid performance.

Bo Yueming seemed to be aware of Pei Yi’s “embarrassment,” and the corners of his mouth twitched indistinctly.

Yan Cen, who was diagonally opposite, said, “Let’s have a drink?”

Pei Yi looked at the alluring crimson wine tower on the table, his mind working busily, and he suddenly heard Bo Yueming intercept him from the side, “We and Mr. Li can drink, but Pei Yi can’t. Get him a glass of warm milk.”

“……”

Wait a second! For what reason?

Pei Yi, who was addicted to alcohol, exhausted all his self-control to not protest on the spot, and whispered, “I, I want to try.”

“Have you ever drank at the Pei residence or at a banquet before? Are you a good drinker? Uncle Kai hasn’t returned yet, and in the event that you get drunk and fall asleep, are you going to make me take you back?”

Bo Yueming didn’t deliberately look after the “little fool’s” comprehension ability and slow down his speech. A series of calm inquiries concealed an unquestionable desire for control.

“……”

Pei Yi was at a loss for words, and abruptly realized that “playing the fool” also had its disadvantages.

Witnessing this scene, Yan Cen pushed up the glasses on the bridge of his nose to hide his surprise.

He had thought that according to the personality of his friend Bo Yueming, the other party would be very resistant to this marriage and to Pei Yi, and that even if they lived under the same roof, they were very likely to choose to get along without disturbing each other.

Looking at it now, Bo Yueming’s actions toward Pei Yi looked calm and ordinary, but with an indescribable sense of tolerance?

Just as he was thinking, a bright, smiling voice sounded.

“Senior, long time no see.”

Pei Yi immediately raised his head. He looked at Pei Huan approaching with a toast, and then covertly glanced at the three people around him. His downcast mood from being unable to drink vanished in an instant—

Good, ah, you waited all night!

The male protagonist gong Yan Cen, the male protagonist shou Pei Huan, the supporting role Li Yuan, and the villain Bo Yueming. Finally, they were all here at once!

His current location was an excellent C position for eating melons. As long as he wanted to watch the show, he could see the changes in everyone’s eyes clearly.

Among the three, Yan Cen was the first to react. “Pei Huan?”

“En! I didn’t expect Senior to remember me. It was inconvenient in the corridor earlier, so I came over to say hello now.”

Pei Huan smiled and turned to the other people on the sofa, greeting them one by one. “Second Young Master, Yuan, and Xiao Yi.”

His pair of eyes were his best tool to seduce people into having a favorable impression. When he smiled, even the teardrop mole under his eye was eye-catching.

However, Bo Yueming couldn’t see, and his expression was still unenthusiastic.

Yan Cen took the initiative to answer the greeting, and introduced Pei Huan again. “Yueming, Pei Huan was my junior in university, two years younger than me.”

Bo Yueming nodded slightly, trying to focus his perception on Pei Yi.

He was unsure of the relationship between Pei Yi and Pei Huan. At this moment, he wanted to confirm through the former’s reaction, but Pei Yi was busy eating melons with interest, and didn’t even say one unnecessary word.

Yan Cen had always had a good impression of Pei Huan, a junior, so he asked curiously, “By the way, how do you know Mr. Li?”

“……”

Hearing this, Li Yuan unconsciously pressed his injured fingertip.

Pei Huan glanced at Li Yuan and said in a relaxed tone, “Senior, Yuan and I were in the same class, and he is also your junior.”

The corners of Li Yuan’s mouth twitched, and he said resignedly, “I dropped out of school my sophomore year, so my graduation was delayed for a year. It’s normal for Mr. Yan not to know me.”

Unlike Pei Huan, who allied him Senior, ‘Mr. Yan’ seemed like a more polite term of address.

Yan Cen’s eyes flickered slightly under his glasses. Bo Yueming, on the other hand, was unconcerned about the whole process and maintained his indifference to outsiders.

Pei Yi secretly observed the reactions of the four people present, and simultaneously recalled the general plot of the original book: 

The original book was called “Misplaced Kindness of a Wealthy Family,” and it told the story of real and fake young masters exchanging lives.

The protagonist shou, Pei Huan, and the supporting role shou, Li Yuan, had been switched at birth. Because the family backgrounds of the two were similar at the beginning, although their life experiences had been misplaced, both of them lived prosperous lives as young masters.

In other words, Li Yuan was the real nominal cousin of the original owner Pei Yi.

Then, in his sophomore year, the Li family suffered a misfortune and collapsed overnight, and Li Yuan changed from a wealthy young master to an ordinary person who needed to work hard for a living. And Pei Huan, whose life was going smoothly, met Yan Cen, a senior at the same school. They met and then separated for a while, but had made deep impressions on one another.

It was not until this banquet that their fates realigned.

As the core plot in the original book, the switched lives would inevitably be revealed one day.

Subsequently, having learned of his origin, Pei Huan did not abandon himself to despair. He knew that his biological mother had suffered these years, and also understood the reluctance of his adopted parents, so he ran between the two families, relying on his own ability to expand his business career.

During this period, he gained the love of many people, and finally went hand in hand with Yan Cen.

On the other hand, Li Yuan, the real young master who returned to the Pei residence, had an inexplicable hostility toward Pei Huan from the very beginning.

This enmity grew stronger with jealousy, and time after time, he secretly designed to set up the other party. In the end, he found himself utterly isolated and with a lifetime of shame.

It could be said that the two were a typical control group for the wealthy “Real and Fake Young Masters.”

. . . . . .

Seeing that Pei Yi next to him didn’t move, Bo Yueming could only speak up, “Yan Cen, you and Young Master Pei have known each other since university?”

“Do you remember that I told you how when I was about to graduate, there was an online investment competition organized by the school?” Yan Cen looked at Pei Huan with a hint of appreciation in his gentle eyes.

“I said you were a strong anonymous opponent. In the end, when we reached the top three, the school let us meet and it was unexpectedly Pei Huan.”

— Clank.

The impact of the wine glass interrupted this reminiscence in due course as Li Yuan suddenly set his glass back on the table. Getting up, he looked at Yan Cen and Pei Huan, who seemed close. 

Pei Yi noticed that he was rubbing his injured fingertip, and blood was overflowing from the wound that had just been bandaged. It was as if he was trying his best to restrain himself, as well as to figure something out.

The corners of Pei Huan’s mouth softened a little. “Yuan, what’s wrong?”

“I still have something to do. I’ll step out first, so as not to disturb everyone’s reminiscence.” Li Yuan left the rest area without waiting for anyone’s response.

Bo Yueming took a silent sip of wine. He was blind, and rarely cared about other people’s staying or going.

Pei Yi stared at Li Yuan’s back for a long moment, feeling that he could glimpse some secrets that were not in the original book, but he couldn’t grasp them clearly yet.

Footsteps sounded again.

An attendant approached with a glass of juice. “Hello, everyone. Here is the mango juice you requested.”

Bo Yueming thought of the warm milk he had ordered for Pei Yi. “Mango juice?”

“Yes, this is what I ordered for Pei Yi.”

Pei Huan quickly adjusted his smile. “Our Xiao Yi can’t drink alcohol, but freshly squeezed mango juice is his favorite.”

“……”

Our Xiao Yi?

When Pei Yi and Bo Yueming heard this term of address, their expressions shifted slightly.

Pei Huan handed the orange fruit juice with a strong fragrance to Pei Yi, and said to Bo Yueming, “It is not easy for me to comment on matters agreed to by the two families’ elders. I ask that the Second Young Master bear with Xiao Yi a lot in the future.”

Pei Yi lowered his eyes and looked at the glass of juice handed to him.

People’s impressions of others were often very subjective.

No matter how excellently the original author described Pei Huan, Pei Yi felt at first glance that the other party was a deeply hidden and refined egoist.

In addition, there were still memories from the original owner in his mind—

Ever since he was a child, Pei Huan used to take advantage of the original owner’s “stupidity” to highlight his own “goodness.” He even did it several times on purpose, but because he hid it well and the original owner was too timid to defend himself, he took an invincible position time after time.

Just like now, taking the original owner’s “favorite” mango juice, he unilaterally showed the so-called intimacy between brothers in order to impress Bo Yueming and Yan Cen.

“……”

Pei Yi kept in mind his status as a cannon-fodder, and didn’t want to get too involved with Pei Huan and others, but he also didn’t intend to become a tool for others to use to get what they wanted.

Pei Huan pushed the juice closer. “Xiao Yi?”

Pei Yi’s eyes revealed hesitation and resistance, and he very carefully pushed the juice back lightly. “I, I don’t want it.”

Bo Yueming could hear the unwillingness in his tone of voice and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Pei Yi muttered, “Itches. Uncomfortable.”

“…….”

Bo Yueming got the hint.

Yan Cen glanced at Pei Huan at the same time. “Young Master Pei, is this a mango allergy?”

The arc of Pei Huan’s mouth froze. “How could this be?”

Pei Yi blinked, pretending not to understand, and repeated, “Uncomfortable to drink. I don’t want to drink.”

It wasn’t that he deliberately made this up to deceive people.

The original owner was indeed allergic to mangoes, but didn’t understand this himself and also couldn’t express it, and no one in the Pei family was willing to pay attention to him aside from the deceased old lady.

Just like Pei Huan now, who had only seen him drink mango juice a few times but didn’t know what happened to him afterward.

Bo Yueming said, “Don’t drink it if you feel uncomfortable.”

Bo Yueming thought of Pei Yi’s situation in the Pei residence in the past, and there was a little more clarity in the depths of his dark blue eyes. “Young Master Pei, since the two families have decided to marry, I will naturally not treat Pei Yi badly, so you can rest assured.”

When Pei Huan heard this implicit reply, a layer of heat suddenly filled his chest, and he was embarrassed.

He just stated that Pei Yi liked to drink mango juice the most, but he didn’t even know that the other party was allergic to the juice?

Wasn’t this a slap in the face?

Yan Cen noticed the stagnation in the atmosphere and spoke softly, “It may be that there are additives in individual mango drinks, which can easily cause allergies, but it is best to be careful.”

Pei Huan nodded silently.

The next second, Deng Xiuya’s urging voice sounded, “Xiao Huan, it’s time to go.”

She and Pei Ruzhang stood a few steps away from the rest area and did not step forward.

Pei Huan needed an opportunity to escape this rare embarrassing moment, so he quickly stabilized his state of mind. “Senior, Second Young Master, then I’ll leave first.”

Yan Cen nodded while maintaining his usual outward gentleness.

As for Pei Yi who was sitting across from him, he didn’t bother to say anything, and Bo Yueming acted nonchalant, as if he was just sending away a stranger who had nothing to do with him.

Pei Huan noticed this disregard, and accelerated his pace even more vigorously.

The banquet was still going on.

After drinking a glass of wine with Bo Yueming, Yan Cen got up in a timely manner. “Yueming, it’s almost time, so I’ll also leave first.”

He had rushed here just after getting off the plane, and had to go home to pack up.

Bo Yueming stood. “I’ll see you off.”

The dispute in the corridor just now had happened suddenly, and the two of them still had some things to discuss. Now that there were two quarrels in succession, no one would dare to trouble Pei Yi again.

Yan Cen was a clever person. He approached and touched his friend lightly on the shoulder. “All right, let’s go.”

Pei Yi sat sensibly in his seat, holding the warm milk brought by an attendant, but his mind was entirely on the wine tower—

The aromatic wine was still calling to him.

Who could bear such a thing?

Pei Yi glanced around vigilantly. Taking advantage of Bo Yueming’s departure, he swiftly picked up a glass of wine and drank to his heart’s content.

Immersed in the aftertaste of the alcohol for a few seconds, Pei Yi only belatedly realized something was wrong—

According to the plot of the original novel, the conversation between the protagonist gong and shou at this banquet should have been more than that. Even the communication between Pei Huan and Bo Yueming should have been more than a few words.

Could it be because of his few words of refusal to Pei Huan, the plot was indirectly altered?

“……”

Pei Yi pondered silently and picked up another glass of red wine to taste.

At the same time, an all-too-familiar voice sounded from behind, “Pei Yi.”

“Cough!”

Pei Yi was so frightened that he nearly lost his grip on the wine glass. He never expected that Bo Yueming would return so soon with Uncle Kai’s assistance.

Moreover, he was so close to him!

Bo Yueming could hear the panic and guilt in his cough, and even smelled the faint scent of alcohol at the tip of his nose.

“You’re drinking alcohol.”

Pei Yi looked at Bo Yueming’s eyes under the lenses, and gradually felt the guilty conscience of “being caught.”

After a few seconds’ delay, he tried to turn the page in a very upright manner, “I’m not. It, it’s juice.”

T/N: Yes, Pei Huan, that was a slap in the face. It was your turn.

---

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Chapter Fourteen <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Sixteen

Chang Xiaoqiu’s whole body became radiant because of the “not bad” comment. He held the sword tightly in his arms, wishing he could turn these words over and over again. The grievances of his step-mother trying to assassinate him and the pressure caused by his leg injury seemed to be magically smoothed away by this sentence. A hot current of excitement surged into his heart and then burned into his eye sockets, and he actually started to cry.

After Chang Xiaohan thanked him, he pushed the wheelchair away. Liu Xian’an also turned and walked back to where Liang Shu was waiting for him under a big tree covered in red strings.

“Why did you lie?”

“It doesn’t count as a lie.”

Liu Xian’an stepped over the rustling autumn leaves: “Chang Xiaoqiu has recently been depressed due to family misfortunes. In his heart, the prince is an indomitable hero, and one good word might be better than a dozen bowls of soup.”

Of the people who dared to misappropriate the name of His Royal Highness Xiao Wang privately, other than those women at the border who used it on their troublesome crying children in the middle of the night, Second Young Master Liu was the only one. After all, even Gao Lin had to come and ask in advance when he wanted to repel the enemy in the name of the commander. But Liu Xian’an did not feel that he had done such a bold thing, and it seemed quite reasonable to regard His Royal Highness Xiao Wang as medicine at hand, and take him out when needed.

Liang Shu didn’t fuss about it, but in fact, he seldom praised others, much less a spoiled young master like Chang Xiaoqiu.

He wouldn’t say “not bad” even to a person who could stand up straight. According to the standards of the barracks, he was still a thousand li away.

The two quickly walked to the south of the city.

The southern district was far less lively than the east. The lights were sparse, and there was only a large ancient well. But Liang Shu didn’t come here just to look at the scenery. Just walking casually like this could soothe and relax his tense nerves. Liu Xian’an stepped into an open space and said: “I always thought there should be a nine-story white tower here.”

“In order to be closer to another world?”

“No, to see the flower fields in the distant mountains.”

As for the other world, after being forcibly sealed for more than ten days, it had now changed from a boiling sea to calm and tranquil water, but he didn’t dare to explore too deeply, lest the storm surge and stir up his brain again.

“You should stay in this world more,” Liang Shu said. “Learn from others and speak with friends. If you want to see the flower fields, go to the distant mountains in person. Don’t always stand on a high place and look from a distance.”

Liu Xian’an was distressed: “But I don’t have any friends.”

If this sentence came out of someone else’s mouth, who could hear it and not cry out at the misery? But Liu Xian’an didn’t think he was miserable, and was just stating a fact. Liang Shu also didn’t think he was miserable, but Liu Xian’an quickly added: “It’s a pity that although the prince is here, the flowers have already withered.”

The corners of Liang Shu’s mouth rose: “I’m a friend?”

Liu Xian’an’s “en” was not guilty at all. Although he had never made friends before, since they could drink together and tour the city together, they could not be classified as strangers, and there should be some friendly relations. If there were friendly relations, wasn’t that a friend?

Liang Shu reached out and pinched the back of his neck: “This lord doesn’t seem to agree.”

Liu Xian’an flinched and ducked away: “Then the prince can continue to disagree.” Anyway, I have unilaterally agreed.

This may also be an ability that only Second Young Master Liu had. After all, in the Three Thousand Ways, he had always interacted with people in such a way, arranging a residence for them as it pleased him, and not asking the opinions of the ancient sages one by one.

Therefore, he had the courage of his convictions.

Liang Shu smiled and shook his head, thinking that Liu Xian’an was very interesting. He had so many qualities mixed together, and was different from the countless other people in Dayan. He alone was detached, foolish, naive, and wise, and his appearance was second to none in this world. Even if he was lazily crouching beneath a tattered red lantern like a ghost, his eyes would shine brightly, as if he were an immortal descending from the sky.

It was indeed a pity that the flower fields in the distant mountains were gone. After all, this beauty should be standing in a place where flowers were blooming.

On this point, His Royal Highness Xiao Wang possessed the rare sophistication and awareness of a nobleman and a child of an aristocratic family.

Although there was no scenery in the south of the city, Liang Shu still patiently listened to Liu Xian’an talk about the nine-storey white pagoda in his dreams for a long time, and didn’t go back together until the entire city fell asleep. The guest room in the waterside pavilion was very small, and the bed was not big, but it was soft and comfortable. There was also a light smell of incense. Outside the room, the autumn wind rustled the bamboo forest like a gentle lullaby, soothing the general’s tense nerves that had been drenched by thousands of battles.

The bloody mist that soared into the sky in his dreams dissipated into a sheet of pure snow. The ice suddenly subsided as spring came, and Liang Shu walked alone on a small island full of flowers, down the path and through the deep forest. At once, he heard the sound of a zither gurgling like running water. He followed the sound and saw a young man in white sitting by the stream, his bare feet immersed in the water and a simple qin on his lap.

. . . . . .

Liang Shu awoke with a dry mouth and tongue. He gazed at the carvings on the head of the bed, his heart beating extremely fast, and it took a long time before he returned to the present world. Although he had forgotten the face of the person in the dream, he clearly remembered the mole the size of a sesame seed on the jut of that person’s throat, which rolled up and down in pace with his gasps. An enchanting and alluring red, it made his complexion look more and more like snow. He also remembered those hands wantonly held in his own palms, as fragile as glass and without much warmth. When he lowered his head, that pair of lips trembled, and it was like touching a patch of ice and snow.

The absurdity of this erotic dream was comparable to the leader of the desert wolf clan dancing in front of the battle line in women’s clothing. Liang Shu used this horrific, unaesthetic metaphor to forcibly end the ambiguous and charming illusion between the bed curtains. He got up and wiped his face with cold water, opened the door, and walked out of the guest room.

At this time, when he arrived at maoshi, only the old servants and the disciples who had morning classes had gotten up. There was no separate kitchen in the waterside pavilion, and the temporary new servants yesterday had been sent away by the security forces, so it was very quiet. Coincidentally, on a low table within the bamboo forest, there was really a qin. Liang Shu’s eyes were scorched, and he wanted to go out for a walk, but the door behind him creaked open.

“Your Highness.”

Liang Shu paused and turned around.

Liu Xian’an had gotten up in a hurry, and was still wearing night clothes with only a thin coat pulled over his head. His black hair was casually tied behind his head with a hair tie, and there was still a tinge of redness at the corners of his eyes as he yawned: “I heard movement outside.”

Liang Shu looked away from his snow-white clothing: “Couldn’t sleep, going for a walk.”

“Wait a moment, Your Highness,” Liu Xian’an said, “I’ll change my clothes.”

Saying this, he was so sleepy that he didn’t even open his eyes all the way. When he returned to the room, his knees were weak and he nearly bumped his head. He opened the wardrobe and found a piece of clothing, and was about to put it on when someone grabbed his wrist.

“It’s still early, go back to bed for a while,” Liang Shu said. “I’ll just sit in the courtyard.”

Liu Xian’an went back to bed. He really hadn’t woken up and didn’t know which god had come to his aid just now, but he heard the slight sound of a door opening nearby and rushed out in a sleepwalking daze.

Liang Shu didn’t leave immediately, and looked around. This residence was as simple and frugal as its master, with old cabinets and old tables and chairs. The bed looked old, but the blankets on the floor were new, soft and thick, every inch of them expensive – there was no other way, because Second Young Master Liu would fall asleep on the spot from time to time.

A corner of the bed curtain was blown up by the wind, and Liang Shu raised his eyes. The Sleeping Immortal’s sleeping appearance was really not like that of an immortal. But this was actually on purpose, because when he read books as a child, most of the sages were leisurely and carefree. Thus, Little Young Master Liu deliberately slept crookedly and leisurely let himself wander. All the way until now, he had not once been completely covered by the blanket.

It was the same presently. The feet that had been immersed in water in the dream were even more white and delicate than in reality, and a red rope with a gold buckle was wrapped around the ankle. Liu-furen was worried that her son was talking too much nonsense, and in the event that he really went crazy one day, she specially went to the temple to ask for the soul rope. Master Liu originally scoffed at this, but in the end was scolded with a finger pointed at his nose. You are allowed to snatch people from the king of hell, but I am not allowed to snatch a soul from little spirits?

Therefore, he still wore it as he grew. It was hard to say whether his soul was bound or not, but perhaps His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was. He turned around and left the bedroom, and truly could not understand where these amorous feelings and desire came from. It was simply inexplicable. Why had he only slept at the waterside pavilion for one night, and it came in a torrential rush, leaking out all over the place? Could it be that it was in his blood, and the disease in his bones was the same as his second sister, who exploded on the spot when she beheld a beauty?

The reason why he had no symptoms in the palace was likely because the beauties were not beautiful enough.

His Royal Highness Xiao Wang just stood in the courtyard, diagnosing this intractable disease himself.

The sky was getting brighter.

A-Ning ordered the servants to carry the table to the courtyard, and was busy serving breakfast when Liu Xian’an stretched his waist and woke up again. He didn’t know that he had traipsed through other people’s dreams in indescribable positions, so he was very calm. After washing up, he sat next to Liang Shu and enthusiastically introduced special snacks to his only friend.

Liang Shu didn’t listen to half a word. He had been forcing the other party to speak a few days ago until his voice became hoarse, and at this time, it had a soft local intonation, which fit even more closely with the absurd affair in the dream. What heavenly dao, this was appropriate retribution. Liang Shu’s scalp went numb, and he pushed a bowl of small wontons in front of the other person: “Eat, ba.”

Liu Xian’an made a noise of agreement and slowly fiddled with the spoon. Since he was a child, he had been unable to eat fast. After counting the grains of rice on the table several times and being educated by his father and elder brother in turn, he simply hid in the waterside pavilion to eat every meal. He was not hungry this morning, so he chewed even more slowly. He took three bites of flower bud-shaped wonton, which burned his lips even more rosy.

Averting his eyes, Liang Shu tried not to let himself think about it. He frowned and said: “It seems to be very noisy outside.”

“En, today is the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, and there is a new batch of medicinal materials to be unloaded,” Liu Xian’an explained. “It will be busy all day. In the past, if my dad thought about it, he would come and drive me to help.”

But that shouldn’t happen this time since His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was here, so he could do whatever he pleased.

Thus, he smiled at him from the bottom of his heart, with great joy.

Liang Shu put down his chopsticks with a snap and said: “Let’s go take a look.”

Liu Xian’an was taken aback: “Ah?”

Liang Shu got up and left the waterside pavilion.

Liu Xian’an hadn’t eaten more than a couple of bites yet, so A-Ning picked up two small steamed buns and hurried after him.

Both master and servant were puzzled. What was there to see when unloading medicinal materials? He was so energetic, walking all the way without looking back.

A-Ning whispered: “Young Master, do we have to explain to His Royal Highness that it is not some precious or rare materials, but just some common bellflower and honeysuckle?”

Liu Xian’an was uncertain: “Even if they were precious medicinal materials, why would the prince be interested?”

It shouldn’t be the case, ah, so why was he running away?

---

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

Liu Xian’an successfully escaped from the study with his excuse, and within two steps of emerging, he saw his second uncle coming from the opposite side along with the subject of his excuse. He immediately turned around and tried to hide, but was stopped: “Xian’an, hurry and come here. His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was looking for you.”

“……”

Second Young Master Liu’s heart promptly turned into a bitter gourd. From his birth until now, he had never been so busy at home. First his sister, then his mother, then his father, and now there was His Royal Highness Xiao Wang. Why did it seem like everyone was eager to hear him speak?

Don’t want to speak. So tired, ah.

Liang Shu looked at his wrinkled and frosty expression, secretly amused, and in the end, he did not ask to hear the story of the pig butcher marrying a wife for the fourth time. He just asked: “Where do you live?”

“North,” Liu Xian’an answered briefly. “It’s still being cleaned, so it’s not suitable for entertaining guests.”

“Then take this lord to look around the village first.” Liang Shu was not dissuaded. “The east side seems to have a nice view.”

Liu Xian’an cast an expectant gaze on his second uncle, because most of the east area belonged to him. The master could tour around with the important guest, very good. But Liu Fuzhi obviously did not think so. He was currently working on a new medication and needed to be by the fireside at all times. He really didn’t have much time to spend with guests, especially this sort of royal nobleman who was respected but didn’t know much about medicine and obviously just wanted to look around for fun – handing him over to his nephew, who was also idle, the two of them couldn’t be more compatible. It could be said that they were a pair of idle people ordained by heaven.

Thus, Second Young Master Liu was forced to take on this task, and felt extremely downtrodden.

After Liu Fuzhi left, Liu Xian’an also retreated slowly. Liang Shu wore a smile that was not a smile: “He said that he wanted to visit Baihe City together, but now that he has reached Baihe City, he is lazy and wants to run away. Is this the hospitality of a forty-eight thousand-year-old? Walk!”

Liu Xian’an couldn’t resist, and staggered all the way: “Oh.”

Baihe Mountain Village was very large, almost half the size of the city. Adding in the medicine fields and valleys in the mountains, it was even bigger if the boundaries were removed. Liu Xian’an hadn’t taken two steps east before he lost his way in a daze and walked back and forth three times along a dilapidated mud path. He also failed to go around it successfully, so he sincerely presented the perfunctory emotion in his heart: “That’s about it. Okay, let’s go, ba.”

Liang Shu grabbed a strand of his hair: “Can you not tell directions in your own home?”

“I’ve never been to the east side.” Liu Xian’an felt bitter. Of course, he had never been to Dayan’s vast expanses in the southeast and northwest, so how could he clearly know the distribution of mountains and rivers thousands of miles away? Clearly, it was because of reading books. But Second Uncle’s garden was different. There was no book that described it in detail, and new paths were built every few days.

His throat was still uncomfortable, so his defense was thin and weak. Coupled with his lazy and tired expression, he looked like the dejected white cat in the Imperial garden that had been stroked too much, with a drooping expression and eyes. Liang Shu looked at him and chuckled for a long time. Finally, he did not make any more requests to continue sightseeing, and said instead: “Let’s go and see where you live.”

Liu Xian’an was relieved.

The two walked a long, long way.

In the entirety of Baihe Mountain Village, the waterside pavilion was beyond the description of “remote.” It could not be further north, and there was a section of uneven gravel road on the way, but the house was well-kept and simple, and a large tree with luxuriant branches covered most of the courtyard gate. It was indeed suitable for a Sleeping Immortal’s enlightenment in the dao.

A-Ning was standing watch at the door. The guest room had already been tidied up, but because there was only one room, the rest of Xiao Wang Palace went to live in the Xiangyang Manor prepared by Master Liu. This was one-of-a-kind treatment.

“Where’s the wine?” Liang Shu stepped into the courtyard.

A-Ning quickly ran to the front hall and brought out the two small jugs of wine.

Liu Xian’an stood beside him, gingerly rubbing his throat.

Liang Shu brushed his robes out of the way and sat on a stool: “You drink tea.”

Liu Xian’an: “……”

His throat was uncomfortable, so he could indeed only drink tea. It tasted weak, and he still had to smell the aroma of the wine opposite him. The more he drank, the more dreary he became. This was completely different from the drinking and conversing he had imagined, so while drinking, Second Young Master Liu’s thoughts flew away.

Liang Shu set down his wine cup: “There is also wine similar to this in the northeast.”

Liu Xian’an was pulled back: “What kind of wine is it?”

“It’s called Hundred Spirit Sorrow.” Liang Shu smiled. “It has a big name, but it’s not expensive wine, a coin per pot. Everyone in the local area can brew it, and it is strong and burns the throat. There was once a group of scholars who wanted to go to the desert to write poetry, but instead of writing the poems, they got drunk in the yellow sand for a day and a night.”

Liu Xian’an smiled along, thinking that being able to get drunk in the desert seemed quite unrestrained.

Liang Shu shook his head: “If it were not for A-Yue bringing people on patrol and picking them up, I fear they would have already been dried up. If you go to the northwest and see the desert with your own eyes, you will know that it is a fantastical domain that eats people and does not spit out the bones. When the wind blows, the whole sky is covered by yellow sand and you can no longer tell the difference between north or south. You can only hide behind the camel and wait for the disaster to stop by itself.”

In that sort of environment, just surviving was already putting forth every effort, let alone leading troops to fight. Liu Xian’an felt that if it was him, he might not be able to survive for an hour, and then he would really ride cranes and traverse the dao. But Liang Shu could guard the border so securely and still have time to come to Baihe Mountain Village to drink, and also had to deal with the cult in the southwest and the refugees in the four regions. Thinking of this, he felt a rare awe for a person.

After a while, he couldn’t help but ask: “Are you tired?

These words belonged to the same category as Liang Shu’s “is there only you in that world?” from before. They were both clever people who did not need to revisit the former conversation, so he was sure the other party would understand. Indeed, Liang Shu did. He smiled slightly: “I got used to it.”

He said this calmly, but Liu Xian’an remembered the old injury of his, so he stretched out two fingers and placed them on the other party’s veins.

Liang Shu once again silently concealed his pulse.

Second Young Master Liu lifted his leg underneath the table and kicked him.

Liang Shu smirked, and finally stopped teasing him. Liu Xian’an read his pulse carefully for a long while, and said this time: “You still need to rest, at least three months.”

Were the same sentence spoken by the mouths of the Imperial Hospital physicians, His Royal Highness Xiao Wang would have found them annoying. But now that they were spoken by Second Young Master Liu, perhaps it was his frown of genuine worry that had Liang Shu saying: “All right.”

That “all right” sounded unreliable. Liu Xian’an didn’t believe he would listen, and Liang Shu indeed did not intend to listen. Not to mention three months, even the three days he would reside in Baihe Mountain Village was already considered a rare time of leisure in his life – leisure also made him restless, and he had to think about the refugees, as well as Feng Xiaojin, who had fled to places unknown.

He tilted his head back and drank another cup of wine.

Liu Xian’an warned him: “The wine is a bit strong.”

Liang Shu did not take him seriously. It was not as strong as the wine in the northwest.

Thus, Liu Xian’an waited for him to get drunk, but it didn’t happen in the end. His Royal Highness Xiao Wang really had an astonishing capacity for alcohol. Even his eyes didn’t look muddled, and on the contrary, his mood rose. He pushed away the wine utensils in front of him: “Let’s go for a walk.”

Liu Xian’an quickly leaned on A-Ning: “It’s late, I’m tired.”

“Are you ever not tired?” Liang Shu grabbed his wrist. “Walk.”

A-Ning also stepped aside. After all, such an opportunity did not come often, and not everyone was capable of taking the young master out.

All the disciples of Baihe Mountain Village were fortunate enough to witness their Second Young Master crouching down and acting shamelessly while His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was unmoved and dragged him away. The technique was like a peerless scene of a bandit absconding with a daughter-in-law.

Everyone was stupefied.

Liu Fushu and Liu-furen also looked at each other in blank dismay after hearing this. This……how come they were so close? The only one experiencing pure happiness was Liu Nanyuan. She thought that her second brother was truly capable to have developed such a deep friendship with His Royal Highness Xiao Wang after just becoming acquainted. Then she wouldn’t be forced to marry, would she? Thus, she happily took her little maid and went shopping.

And after Liang Shu and Liu Xian’an walked around the streets, almost all the people in the whole city came out to see the prince. Chang Xiaoqiu also quickly sat in the wheelchair and asked Chang Xiaohan to push him out of the hospital. He wanted to stand with his sword in his hand, but his legs really hurt later on, so he had to give up this majestic posture and sit down.

On this day, Baihe City was even livelier than on New Year’s Eve.

Restaurants, teahouses, song rooms, and music buildings were all brightly lit, and the owner of a brocade shop hurried to hang up his goods. Although there was definitely no shortage of good fabrics in the palace, what if there was a chance? Liang Shu stood at the end of the long street with his hands behind his back, looking at the exquisite and gorgeous town before him, along with the bustling and festive crowd, and sighed almost inaudibly.

Liu Xian’an said: “Sooner or later, the entire territory of Dayan will be like this.”

Liang Shu’s eyebrows twitched: “So you can guess other people’s minds?”

Liu Xian’an answered truthfully: “Only people’s hearts, they are not hard to guess.”

“Since that is the case, let us speak of it. How long will it take for the entire territory of Dayan to be at peace?”

“It’s hard to say. One hundred years, two hundred, five hundred, anything is possible.”

“It turns out that it will take so long, ah.” Liang Shu smiled. “Then I can’t wait. Maybe I will fight for a lifetime, and the four regions will still be in chaos.”

“You cannot.” Liu Xian’an thought for a moment and then said slowly, “Even if we can’t wait, that doesn’t mean that what the prince is doing now is meaningless. The torch is passed from generation to generation. Future generations will also one day wait for it.”

As he spoke, the wind blew and he coughed twice. There happened to be a brocade shop next to them, so Liang Shu casually pulled out a cloak and handed it to Liu Xian’an: “Let’s go to the other side to have a look.”

The owner of the brocade shop was beaming. He was also a bold man and repeatedly waved his hands, saying that he didn’t want money, and then took the opportunity to promote: “This batch of silk is also good, and feels like snow to the touch. Does Second Young Master Liu like it?”

Liu Xian’an didn’t want to look at it at all. He felt that the big gray robe on his body was very good, suitable for sitting and lying down without getting wrinkles. Liang Shu didn’t plan to stay in this shop for too long. If it was like snow, there seemed to be a kind of good fabric woven in Jiangnan given in tribute, but he forgot the name. He just remembered hearing an Imperial concubine say with a smile that it was difficult to obtain an inch of brocade for a beauty even if someone had a thousand pieces of gold.

“What is the prince thinking?” Liu Xian’an asked.

Liang Shu looked at the loose old robe on his body and the new but mundane cloak, and felt that he may be the only person in the world who could wear these two things at the same time and still look pleasing to the eye.

“We might as well go to the south of the city,” Liu Xian’an suggested. “It should be quieter there. I saw that the government has sent people over, so they should help clear up the crowds.”

Liang Shu swept out the door and saw that the crowd had already dispersed. Only a young man in a wheelchair was craning his neck to desperately look this way, his excitement beyond words.

Liang Shu commented: “Looks like there is a fool.”

Liu Xian’an spoke in aid: “In fact, he’s not bad.”

Chang Xiaoqiu had purposely asked Chang Xiaohan to push the wheelchair very slowly. He took the chance to call Liu Xian’an over, and asked eagerly: “The prince glanced at me just now, what did he say?”

Liu Xian’an looked at his earnest eyes and replied briefly: “That in fact, you’re not bad.”

It wasn’t a lie.

Just now, the prince did take a glance at you.

And I did say that in fact, you’re not bad.

---

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

Facing this sudden, unforeseen event, all of the guests present widened their eyes.

Wasn’t Bo Yueming unable to see?

But the ruthlessness of the strikes and his intimidating aura absolutely caused them not to underestimate him!

Pei Yi also hadn’t expected Bo Yueming to make a decisive move, and for a moment, he couldn’t help but look up to observe his expression—

It was still the same proud, handsome face that could captivate countless people, but the eyes hidden under the lenses were darker, giving off an indelible sharpness.

Bo Yueming put the guide cane back in front of him with an indifferent arc at the corners of his mouth. “Did I hit something? My eyes are not very convenient.”

It was clearly intentional, but you’re still using your eyes as an excuse?

When the Wei family couple saw their son collapsed on the ground with a pale face, they were distressed and angry. “Second Young Master, by doing this, aren’t you disregarding the relationship between our two families!”

“Yes, ah, it’s Old Mr. Bo’s birthday, after all, and your every move represents the Bo family!”

Old Mr. Bo had lived most of his life under the oppression of Old Mrs. Bo. This year, he managed to gain the panache of a master, so he naturally took extra care of his face.

Hearing this, his gray beard trembled slightly.

“Relationship?”

Bo Yueming seized the key word and made a preemptive strike. “In terms of relationship, Bo and Pei have just announced the marriage between them, and the young masters of your two families dared to block Pei Yi in private and belittle me with every sentence.”

“Since every word and deed represents the family, then daring to ask Director Wei and Director Chen, are you looking down on the Pei family? Are you still not giving our Bo family face?”

With just a few words, Bo Yueming escalated the conflict to a family level, and it happened to be well-founded.

“You…..”

The families of Wei and Chen were blocked so thoroughly that they couldn’t speak.

After all, Wei Bo and Chen Yang were indeed the ones who started this series of disputes!

“If I remember correctly, Bo has business cooperations with your two families?”

Bo Yueming threw out the facts lightly, as if asking a casual question. “The two young masters dared to criticize our Bo family like this behind our backs. I wonder what the elders of the two families teach them behind closed doors?”

Pei Yi lowered his head, trying to hide the corners of his mouth that couldn’t be pressed down any longer.

As expected of Bo Yueming, who had villainous potential. He easily smashed a dirty pot that was difficult to clean up. It was interesting to see the other party’s angry and aggrieved looks.

Bo Yueming brought this series of accounts to a point, and turned to ask Old Mr. Bo for advice. “Grandpa, Grandma is unwell and hasn’t been in charge of the Bo business for a long time. How will you see this matter resolved?”

These words seemed to elevate Old Mr. Bo to a high position and put him in charge of making a decision, but in fact, they pushed the inevitable ending onto him to announce—

Was there anyone here who didn’t know?

Old Mrs. Bo, Bo Peizhi, was a well-known strong woman in the Imperial capital circle, and the reason why the Bo family was able to build a solid foundation today was all due to her swift and resolute handling methods and rules.

For example, Wei and Chen openly accepted Bo’s cooperation but secretly reproached their partner behind their backs. If Old Mrs. Bo was on the scene, she would definitely kill them all on the spot!

All of the guests thought about this, then turned their attention to Old Mr. Bo.

“…….”

Old Mr. Bo squinted his eyes. He didn’t expect to be lifted onto an elevated platform in a sly way by a junior, but the matter had come to this point. It was better to shame the two parties who were at fault than to apologize.

Old Mr. Bo only hesitated for a few seconds, then put on a stern face. “What Yueming said is reasonable. Since they look down on our Bo family and me as a leader, they don’t need to rely on our Bo family’s cooperation.”

When the heads of the Wei and Chen families heard this, they raised their eyebrows anxiously. “Old Mr. Bo, this is a serious matter! The cooperation with our two families has always been good, how can it just be stopped!”

The two of them were just small families in the wealthy circle of the Imperial capital. That is to say, they only lived a better life after climbing the Bo family. If the cooperation was broken, this would be revealed, ah!

They didn’t receive any benefits or favors, but on the contrary, practically ruined their family’s fortune?

They knew they shouldn’t have made such a fuss just now!

Old Mr. Bo feigned politeness. “The signed cooperation still must be done well. We can talk about the rest.”

As the head of the family, Wei Dingbang was angry and anxious. He couldn’t vent on other families’ sons, so he kicked his own son fiercely in the back.

“When did I teach you to say such nonsense? You still haven’t apologized to Old Mr. Bo, quickly say it for me clearly now!”

Faced with his own parents’ anger, Wei Bo became a soft egg. His original intention was to curry favor with Bo Wang. How could it have backfired to this extent?

At this moment, Chen Yang on the side couldn’t hold back and said, “It, it was Young Master Bo!”

When Pei Yi and Bo Yueming heard this, they both felt a passing hint of appreciation.

Very good.

At last, the mastermind behind the scenes had been revealed!

In a cold sweat, Wei Bo followed after the confession, “Bo Wang said that he didn’t like Pei Yi and Second Young Master Bo, so he asked us to find a chance…..”

Bo Wang, who was hiding in the crowd, denied it vehemently. “What nonsense are you talking about!”

Little did he know that this impatient retort fell into the ears of the other guests and instead became a kind of unspoken ironclad evidence—

After going on for half a day, it turned out that the young master of the Bo family started this trouble?

This Bo Yueming was his half-brother, after all. Now that he was blind and married to a helpless little fool like Pei Yi, how could he have a future?

Why was he so intolerant of him? After all, they were relatives who shared the same blood, ah!

Human hearts always sympathized with the underdog.

The guests looked at Bo Yueming and Pei Yi standing together, and the balance of right and wrong shifted unconsciously.

Bo Wang received inquisitive gazes from all directions and felt embarrassment that he had never experienced in his life. He couldn’t hold back the temperamental outburst of a young master, and pushed away the guests on both sides, leaving in a hurry.

“……”

Old Mr. Bo did not expect that this matter would snowball and become increasingly bigger, and that the little grandson who was just identified would just walk away. His chest trembled with anger. “Simply nonsense!”

Bo Guancheng witnessed Bo Yueming gain the upper hand in the blink of an eye, and only felt that this kid Bo Wang was an incompetent bungler.

While Old Mr. Bo was anxious, he quickly interrupted and changed the subject. “Ladies and gentlemen, this corridor is too narrow. With so many people standing here, the air will not circulate well. Shall we move back to the banquet hall and continue our conversation?”

Everyone understood the meaning in these words, and seeing Old Mr. Bo move, they all followed suit.

Very quickly, the crowd in the corridor mostly dispersed.

Yan Cen was not interested in seeing the rest of the excitement,. He gave a low laugh as he saw through his friend’s schemes. “Your series of striking cattle across the mountains^[1] was truly beautiful.”

“It was their turn to lose face.”

Bo Yueming didn’t feel that he had gone too far. The hand that had been pressed to Pei Yi’s back patted again. “Pei Yi, are you injured?”

“……Not.”

Pei Yi shook his head, and the fire extinguisher in his arms rattled.

Bo Yueming reacted after a couple of seconds and fumbled for the top of the fire extinguisher. “Isn’t it heavy to hold? Put it down.”

“Oh.”

Pei Yi slowly began to feel a bit stupid like this, so he obediently dropped it.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll leave first.”

Li Yuan, who was standing diagonally across from the three of them, spoke to regain his sense of existence. He was just about to retreat through the security access door when Yan Cen called out to stop him. “This gentleman, your hand seems to be injured.”

Pei Yi immediately glanced over—

There was a trail of blood dripping from Li Yuan’s right index finger. If one didn’t look closely, it would be easy to miss.

“Why don’t the four of us go back to the rest area to sit down? At least treat the wound, besides…..” Yan Cen looked at Li Yuan’s suit that was stained with foam from the fire extinguisher, and kindly reminded him, “Do you need to change your suit?”

“……”

Li Yuan hid his injured fingertip, and his eyes brightened and then darkened.

In fact, Wei Bo was correct in what he said. He and all these guests present were not from the same world.

Today, he managed to get an invitation letter with difficulty through his contacts. He had originally wanted to secure an investment agreement for his company that was on the verge of bankruptcy, but failed repeatedly after entering the venue.

Feeling powerless, he hid in the security access passage and smoked to relieve his depression, but couldn’t help meddling and got himself dirty.

Pei Yi and Bo Yueming dealt with the Wei and Chen families out of anger, but he didn’t know if the latter would transfer their fury to him, so it was better to leave this place as soon as possible.

Li Yuan shied away. “No need. The suit isn’t expensive, and there is no need to deal with this minor injury.”

Pei Yi hated owing favors the most. Even though he was capable of dealing with the situation himself just now, Li Yuan chose to help and was injured because of it.

Pei Yi stepped forward quickly and tugged Li Yuan to prevent him from leaving. “Have to stop the bleeding. I’ll help you.”

Hearing Pei Yi’s words, Bo Yueming remembered the night he fell in the bathroom. The other party was also as determined to treat his wound as he was now, and while applying medicine to stop the bleeding, pressed with his fingertips to divert his attention.

Thinking that such actions would be repeated on others, Bo Yueming inexplicably frowned for a fleeting moment. “This gentleman, I don’t know what to call him?”

“Li Yuan.”

Li Yuan reported his name.

Held onto tightly by Pei Yi, he couldn’t leave immediately.

“Mr. Li, take a rest with us to disinfect it. Thank you for your help just now.”

Bo Yueming went along with Pei Yi’s intention to detain the guest, and then signaled to his friend, “Yan Cen, help this gentleman deal with it, ba. Pei Yi can’t handle this sort of thing well.”

Pei Yi, whose abilities were inexplicably questioned, was unwilling. “I can.”

Bo Yueming looked in his direction with his gaze separated by a layer of fog and retorted softly, “You can’t, if you handle it, it must be redone and re-bandaged.”

“……”

Okay.

The next time you get hurt, who cares who takes care of you.

Pei Yi made a silent note in his heart. However, he feared that Yan Cen and Li Yuan, two outsiders, would see through his act of “playing dumb,” so he had no choice but to agree to give up the task of “treating the wound.”

As soon as the force on his wrist loosened, his words of refusal also dissipated.

Li Yuan’s eyes flickered slightly, and he awkwardly patted the dry powder on his clothes. “All right, then I’ll trouble you.”

Yan Cen glanced at his friend. “Then I’ll call an attendant to get a medicine box first, and you guys wait for me in the rest area?”

Bo Yueming agreed, and called out again, “Pei Yi, come here.”

Peo Yi still recalled the small incident just now and let out a soft snort.

Bo Yueming’s expression revealed a trace of helplessness. “I can’t see, and Uncle Kai hasn’t returned yet, so you must lead the way for me.”

“……Hmph.”

Wasn’t he wearing guide glasses?

Didn’t he question him just now?

Pei Yi made a series of complaints from the bottom of his heart, but he still walked to Bo Yueming’s side. After all, the two of them had already bonded on the surface, and there was no actual conflict.

Sensing Pei Yi’s approach, Bo Yueming stretched out his hand to feel around.

Raising his hand a bit higher, his fingertips brushed soft hair and inadvertently slipped down to the back of the neck, then pressed down unconsciously.

A cool touch was felt on the back of his neck, making Pei Yi duck away sensitively. He quickly grabbed Bo Yueming’s “lost” hand and held it. “I’m here.”

“En, apologies. Let’s go.”

Bo Yueming responded and let Pei Yi lead him out.

He recalled the brief few seconds of contact just now, and there was a rare sense of fun in the eyes hidden under the lenses—

Soft.

Almost the same as petting a kitten.

And there seemed to be a slightly raised mole?

---

[1] If you “strike cattle across the mountains,” you influence or attack someone  indirectly without actually touching them. ⮐

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Chapter Thirteen <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Fifteen

T/N: Thank you, “stranger“, for your donation! Here’s a double update for you!

Pei Yi emerged from the bathroom at the end of the corridor, and before he could take two steps, he was caught off guard by a heavy push to his shoulder!

“Wait a second.”

Two figures blocked his way, a fat young man and a thin one. He could tell by their attire that they were guests at the banquet, it just wasn’t clear which family’s young masters had come to make trouble for no reason.

Pei Yi took half a step back with a sharp look in his eyes.

“Yo, what’s this look? Still not accepting defeat?”

The fatter young man was the first to be provocative. “Idiot, do you know who we are?”

Pei Yi brushed off the fabric on his shoulder that was touched, disgusted. “Go away.”

“Go away?”

The fatter young man sneered. “Relax, ah, Little Young Master Pei. We’ve finally met, we just want to talk with you”

The more he talked, the closer he got. Knowing that Pei Yi was unwilling, he still hooked his shoulders. “We still haven’t said a few words yet, did we allow you to go?”

This seemed to be striking up a friendly conversation, but was actually a coercive threat.

The other skinny guy said, “Idiot, do you know who you messed with? Since we caught you today, don’t think Bo’er, that blind man, can protect you.”

Bo’er?

Pei Yi heard the clue, and the disgust in his heart became more intense along with a sneer.

It seemed that what Bo Yueming said was correct, that stinky rat that was scratched by Inspector bided his time, and sent two little rat brothers to secretly teach him a “lesson!”

Only, Pei Yi was no longer the original owner, so we wouldn’t be frightened by these few threats and not dare to make a move. He had promised Bo Yueming not to cause trouble, but that didn’t mean he would allow others to step on his head and deliberately bully him.

“……”

Pei Yi clenched his fists silently, and at the moment when he was about to attack, there was suddenly a loud knock on the door to the side.

— Boom!

Both the fat and thin young men were startled, and turned their attention to the security access door that had been kicked open.

Shortly, a young man in a suit emerged, muttering intentionally or unintentionally, “I didn’t expect this door to be so difficult to open. I almost got locked in after smoking a cigarette.”

Pei Yi took the opportunity to break away from the dirty hands on his shoulders, slightly restrained the intentions in his eyes, and looked at this third person who had suddenly appeared—

The other party’s face was very fair, and his facial features could be regarded as outstanding. His long hair was pulled into a wolf tail, and the upper half was teased a bit for volume.

The hand holding the cigarette was white and slender and had a jade-like luster under the lights, particularly good-looking.

Perhaps because he had reached an indoor space where smoking was prohibited, the young man exhaled the last puff of smoke towards the outside of the security door.

He met the eyes of the fat and thin people, and then at Pei Yi, who was helplessly caught in the middle. “I say, is it appropriate for the two of you to bully Little Young Master Pei together? The Bo and Pei families just announced the marriage at the banquet, you…..”

“Li Yuan, you stop meddling!”

The fat and thin young men recognized him, and their initial vigilance turned to ridicule. “Look at the suit you’re wearing, what poor street stall brand is that? How dare you sneak into this banquet?”

“…….”

Li Yuan revealed a sullen expression, and silently crushed the unfinished cigarette into the trash can.

Hearing this conversation, Pei Yi’s ultimate guess turned out to be true—

As expected, the plot was consistent with the original book. In addition to the “villain” Bo Yueming, the “male lead gong” Yan Cen, and Pei Yuan, the “male lead shou,” there was also the number one most important supporting role.

It was Li Yuan in front of him!

Just as Pei Yi was thinking, Li Yuan walked over directly. He bumped away the fat and thin people on both sides with his shoulders and pulled Pei Yi to his side at once with mixed resentment and resignation. “What a fool, these people are going to bully you, why don’t you run away?”

“…….”

Pei Yi was stumped for words. Unexpectedly, the first time they met, he would be roasted by the other party.

Li Yuan thought he was senselessly unable to react, so he just wanted to take Pei Yi out, but the fat and thin duo reacted first. “Li Yuan, I told you to mind your own business!”

Li Yuan was still defiant. “Wei Bo, Chen Yang, if you block Pei Yi and bully him like this, aren’t you afraid that the Bo and Pei families will find out?”

The fatter Chen Yang tugged at his collar, wearing a haughty expression. “So what if they find out? This fool is clearly unfavored by the Pei family, and Bo Yueming is blind, so can he protect him?”

Wei and Chen had a long-term cooperation with a subsidiary of the second branch of the Bo family, and the two of them had been eating, drinking, and having fun with Bo Wang. Nowadays, seeing that Bo Yueming had become blind, they naturally wanted to curry favor with Bo Wang! This Pei Yi had no eyes and no brains, and if he made Bo Wang unhappy, then he deserved what he got!

“Li Yuan, let me warn you again, this matter had nothing to do with you! You…..”

“What are you doing talking so much with him? The Li family was expelled from the circle forever ago, let’s deal with them together!”

Li Yuan heard the malicious threat from the two, and the stubbornness in his bones broke out in an instant. He pushed Pei Yi back, “Fool, what are you doing? Run out and call someone, I’ll take care of these two idiots for you first.”

As soon as the word “idiots” was uttered, it immediately infuriated Wei Bo and Chen Yang, who had come to find fault.

Pei Yi, who was pushed away, could see that Li Yuan didn’t have much fighting strength. If he pretended to be stupid and ran out to call someone, then returned with the rescuers, the other party would definitely be wounded in action!

After a moment of thought, Pei Yi caught a glimpse of a fire extinguisher placed by the wall of the corridor. Practically without hesitation, he rushed to pick it up and pulled out the safety pin.

“Close your eyes!”

Li Yuan, who saw Pei Yi’s actions, reacted quickly. On the contrary, Wei and Chen, whose backs were turned, were unaware and turned around one after the other to check the situation.

— Ssss!

Pei Yi seized the opportunity and pressed the trigger on them.

The two of them had no time to react and faced the impact of the fire extinguishing agent. Half a step slow, covered their irritated eyes, tripping over their feet and falling to the ground.

Pei Yi stopped pressing the fire extinguisher, but Li Yuan rushed up when the smoke was still there and kicked the two on the ground one by one. “Pei! What rubbish!”

Wei Bo and Chen Yang let out terrible wailing sounds. They had obviously been kicked hard.

The corners of Pei Yi’s mouth turned up, and he suddenly heard the footsteps of a large group of people approaching from the corridor.

At the same time, accompanied by the voice of the head attendant, “Old Mr. Bo, Mr. Pei, Second Young Master, they are here!”

“……”

Second Young Master?

Did he mean Bo Yueming?

The smile at the corner of Pei Yi’s mouth froze slightly, and he unobtrusively hugged the fire extinguisher he was carrying into his arms. It wasn’t until he had completed his emotional preparation that he turned around and hurried over to his target.

In front of everyone, he ran directly into Bo Yueming’s arms. “Er-ge!”^[1]

Bo Yueming was stunned, and a trace of undisguised astonishment flashed across his face.

Er-ge?

Was Pei Yi calling him?

Pei Yi, who fell into his arms because he was unable to brake, adjusted his posture and raised his head aggrievedly. “They, they bullied me!”

Soft hair brushed between his lips and nose with a ticklish, fragrant scent, even smoother than Inspector’s long hair.

“……”

Bo Yueming’s thoughts wandered for a moment, and then he heard Old Mr. Bo ask the attendant, “What are you still going? Hurry and help the young masters up!”

The attendant responded in a panic.

Bo Guancheng guessed that this wave of trouble must have been caused by Pei Yi, so he took the opportunity to give a “friendly” reminder, “Grandpa, looking at the situation, it is likely that Pei Yi took the fire extinguisher and sprayed the two young masters. They need to wash their eyes quickly, it won’t be good if they are injured.”

Injure their eyes?

Then wouldn’t they be blinded like Second Young Master Bo?

When the guests heard this, they gasped in unison. The elders of the Wei and Chen families were even more worried, and ran to check on the situations of their precious sons.

Bo Wang, who was standing at the rear, saw the distressed appearances of the two, and cursed inwardly while taking a drink—

Fuck, these two pieces of trash!

Together, they couldn’t beat Pei Yi, a fool?

Old Mr. Bo’s expression plummeted as he watched another incident happen at his birthday banquet. He didn’t want to directly attack Pei Yi, so he had to give the Pei couple a meaningful look.

Pei Ruzhang saw this, and his face that had just cooled down became embarrassed again.

Again and again!

How could Pei Yi, a fool, lose face for him like this? If he had known earlier, he would have learned from the old man at home and made an excuse not to come today!

“Apologies, I’ve troubled everyone,” Pei Ruzhang choked out. He bit the bullet and continued, “I don’t know what stimulated this nephew again, and the two young masters were implicated.”

Again?

The two young masters were implicated?

Even before asking for the full story, you put all the blame on him?

The disgust in Pei Yi’s heart increased a bit, and then he heard Bo Yueming at his side defend him, “Isn’t Director Pei being too arbitrary? How do you know that Pei Yi must have instigated this matter?”

“…….”

Pei Ruzhang was at a loss for words.

Although Bo Yueming couldn’t see the situation in front of him, he hadn’t forgotten Pei Yi’s feelings. He stretched out his hand and felt around to pet the other person’s back, calmly and with trust and encouragement. 

“Pei Yi, don’t be afraid. Explain things clearly and slowly.”

Pei Yi took a deep look at Bo Yueming, and his heartstrings were plucked.

He maintained the behavior of the original owner and gave a general account of the matter, and in the end, he didn’t forget to repeat in a mutter, “They bullied me first, really!”

Li Yuan stepped forward. “Everyone, what Little Young Master Pei says is true, I can testify.”

“What nonsense!”

The elder of the Wei family gave a hard look at the powerless Li Yuan and took the opportunity to have an attitude. “Old Mr. Bo, it’s not that I won’t give you face.”

“Our two families came to celebrate your birthday, and now the eyes of two children are so irritated that they can’t open them. On the contrary, Little Young Master Pei is fine! Is it not clear who is right and who is wrong?”

As soon as these words were spoken, Wei Bo and Chen Yang came out of the bathroom with the help of the attendant, and one by one, they covered their eyes and pretended to be blind.

Wei Bo squinted his eyes and began to sell misery. “Old Mr. Bo, Chen Yang and I just came out of the bathroom and saw Little Young Master Pei blocking the door to prevent us from leaving. Then he started to go crazy out of nowhere while holding the fire extinguisher!”

When Chen Yang heard his friend throwing the pot away, he hurriedly cried out, “Ouch, my eyes…..it hurts…..”

In fact, there was nothing seriously wrong with the eyes of these two people. They just turned a little red after being irritated. This wave of pretense was a bit too strong.

The elders of Wei and Chen looked at each other and had the same calculations in their hearts. “Old Mr. Bo, Mr. Pei, and Second Young Master, you must give us an account for today’s matter.”

It was difficult to seize an opportunity, and they had to grasp the chance to make the Bo family pay for some business benefits, and then pretend to save Old Mr. Bo some face.

In this way, there were both face and benefits.

Li Yuan really couldn’t understand their deceitful designs, so before Pei Yi or others could make a sound, he mocked, “This is covering up one’s misdeeds by shifting the blame to others. I think you two families are actually very slippery.”

As he said this, he took out the mobile phone in his pocket, and after a few clicks, a section of audio came out

— Did we allow you to go? Do you know who you messed with?

— This idiot is clearly unfavored by the Pei family, and Bo Yueming is blind, so can he protect him?

— Why are you talking so much with him, let’s deal with them together!

Cocky and wildly arrogant words were spoken, completely rearranging everything that happened just now. The two families did not expect that Li Yuan would secretly record, and were caught a little off guard at the moment.

Pei Yi couldn’t help but applaud Li Yuan’s assist, and his impression of the man gradually increased.

The crowd in the back row opened a path and Yan Cen stepped forward to spontaneously stand in the camp of Bo Yueming and Pei Yi.

“Old Mr. Bo, Yueming immediately felt that something was wrong, so he asked me if I could negotiate with the hotel to see if I could get the surveillance video at the front of the corridor.”

“Although the surveillance camera is a bit far from the bathroom at the end of the corridor, it should be able to capture images, not to mention……” Yan Cen glanced at Li Yuan, who was standing diagonally to the side, and smiled slightly. “Everyone must have heard that gentleman’s recording just now.”

Li Yuan and Yan Cen looked at each other for a second. Gripping the phone tightly, Li Yuan quickly turned his gaze to the culprits, feeling a little awkward. “If they can’t hear clearly, aren’t some of these people blind and deaf?”

First there was a recording, and now it was possible that it was captured by surveillance?

If it was really pursued, these pieces of evidence were enough to make the situation clear!

The arrogance of the Wei and Chen families was instantly extinguished, and they changed their tune in seconds. “Misunderstanding, it’s all a misunderstanding! The eyes of these two children are just a minor problem, they will be fine if they are flushed with water!”

“Chen Yang, Wei Bo! Why don’t you two hurry up and apologize to Little Young Master Pei!”

“Exactly! You two brats are young and don’t have a sense of proportion. The drinks went to your heads! Fortunately, an accident didn’t happen today!”

“…….”

Chen Yang and Wei Bo, who were called out, did not dare to disobey their parents’ wishes, and now couldn’t even pretend that their “eyes were injured.”

They suppressed the grievances and anger in their hearts, gritted their teeth, and stepped forward to apologize. “Sorry, we were just joking around with Little Young Master Pei!”

Just joking around?

Their eyes were functioning again?

Hearing their absurd and hypocritical remarks, Pei Yi felt that he shouldn’t have sprayed the fire extinguisher, but should have just turned around and thrown it instead!

Thinking about it, Bo Yueming issued the same question—

“Just joking around?”

He took out his guide cane and slowly extended it, his eyes darkening bit by bit. “Didn’t you say that I, Bo Yueming, am blind and can’t protect Pei Yi? You’re still clamoring to make excuses?”

Accompanied by his deep, questioning voice, the guide cane in his hand suddenly swung down forcefully. Bam!

There were two loud thwacks in succession.

The guide cane slammed into the legs of Wei and Chen respectively, and the pain was so severe that they let out squeals like dying pigs on the spot!

---

[1] Er-ge (二哥) means Second Brother. I think it sounds cuter this way, so I’m keeping the pinyin. ⮐

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Chapter Twelve <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Fourteen

Half a month after Yan Mingting left, there was nothing unusual about the General’s Mansion, but Zhao Yelan was a little busier. He left early and returned late every day, and was often called into the palace to discuss matters about Nanjiang. At the same time, he did not give up searching for Zhao Xu’s trail.

Judging from the current situation, Zhao Xu may have fled to Nanjiang, united with the new king in order to seize power, and then triggered a war with the Xuan Dynasty in an attempt to usurp the throne.

But Zhao Yelan also suspected that Zhao Xu may not have escaped yet and must still be hiding in some corner. He should have been in touch with Nanjiang long ago, but Zhao Xu probably still had eyes and ears in the capital. 

He informed Zhao Xuan of these concerns, and Zhao Xuan replaced the Imperial Guard with a group of loyal people, then searched the officials’ mansions. He cast a wide net, but no one was found.

Zhao Xuan even believed that the person had already fled to Nanjiang, and waited for Yan Mingting to execute these wolf-minded people on the spot.

“The army has been traveling day and night, and has reached the border of Nanjiang.” Zhao Xuan handed him the memorial.

There were only a few concise words on it, reporting the itinerary and the battle plans, but Zhao Yelan looked at it for a long time, as if he wanted to read every stroke forever.

Zhao Xuan snatched the letter from his hand: “If you continue to read, it will be dark.”

Zhao Yelan gave an embarrassed smile.

“Did he not write to you?” Zhao Xuan asked curiously.

“He wrote.”

Naturally, he wrote, but it was different from the solemn tone of this letter. The letters to him were full of Yan Mingting’s distinct personal style.

If he saw any strange flowers or birds on the road, he must describe them in detail, and then include a feather or a flower petal in the letter.

Even though he traveled hard, he would complain for a full page, asking for comfort between the lines. Unlike the short sentence in this letter: “Already at the border.”

Yan Mingting probably wrote letters any time he was free, so Zhao Yelan received one or two letters almost every day. It was as if this person had never traveled far away, and kept nagging in his ear.

He also wrote back, and when he received feathers and flower petals, he sent some freshly dried tea leaves from home.

Yan Mingting mentioned missing him in the letters, so he drew a small portrait of himself. Smiling viciously as he picked up the brush, he drew it half-clothed.

Yan Mingting opened it and almost got a nosebleed, then sent him back some erotic poetry.

When Zhao Yelan received the letter, he couldn’t help but blush slightly, thinking that he was becoming more and more shameless. If this letter were to be stolen, he would be too ashamed to live in this world.

“What are you thinking about? Why are you blushing?” Zhao Xuan asked.

Zhao Yelan returned to his senses: “Your Majesty misunderstands, I just…..feel a little hot. It’s so hot today.”

“It’s raining.” Zhao Xuan pointed to the curtain of rain outside.

“……..”

There was a lot of rain in spring, and when it didn’t stop, Zhao Xuan asked him to stay for a meal. The two people ate and conversed about the current situation, which really reminded them of scenes in their past.

Zhao Xuan noticed that he had been gazing outside at the rain and wet flowers, and asked: “Are you still afraid of the rain?”

Zhao Yelan was taken aback for a moment, and looked away. Many images suddenly appeared in his mind, and finally dispersed like a passing cloud. He shook his head and smiled: “I haven’t thought of my parents when it rains for a long time.”

“Then what are you thinking about?”

Zhao Yelan looked to the side, at the rain-soaked flowers outside the door, thinking of this time last year. He had looked at the withered flowers and plants in the mansion the same way, his heart like ashes, as if the entire world was full of clouds and rain, unable to see a glimmer of light for the future.

“I was wondering when the sun would come out,” Zhao Yelan said with a smile.

“It’s already youshi. Even if the rain stops, the sun won’t come out.”

Zhao Yelan nodded, thinking that his sun had already risen.

After the army entered Nanjiang, there were fewer letters. Firstly because the journey took them far away, and secondly because Yan Mingting became busy.

Yan Mingting did not directly attack Nanjiang, but first went to meet with several other princes in secret. After finding allies, they decided to rescue the former king of Nanjiang together. They were willing to help Nanjiang clean up their internal affairs in the name of assisting them, on the condition that they restore the original friendly relations and make regular pilgrimages.

The common people of Nanjiang were divided into two factions, those who advocated for war and those who advocated for peace. Not long after the civil strife broke out, Yan Mingting entered with the army of the Xuan Dynasty, and the situation became even more severe.

The newly-appointed king and the Eighth Princess of Nanjiang directly led troops to confront Yan Mingting head-on, threatening to drive foreigners and traitors out of Nanjiang. War was imminent.

The terrain in Nanjiang was remote and rugged, which was not conducive to immediate combat. In addition, the Gu poison in Najiang was very powerful, and the Eighth Princess and others dared to usurp the throne and start a war in advance because they had already made sufficient preparations for combat. This battle would not be an easy task.

Before leaving, in order to reassure Zhao Yelan, Yan Mingting said that the battle in Nanjiang would be easy. But he knew that no war was easy.

Zhao Yelan had not received a letter for five days. The last one said that he had reached a cooperation with several Nanjiang princes. Although these people were not very clever, at least they were well-educated and could understand the local environment, so they could give some guidance to the army.

Zhao Yelan estimated the time. They should be in a state of war now, and it was finally no longer peaceful. It was difficult to sleep or eat.

When everything was quiet at night, Xiao Gao heard movement outside and ran out quickly. He found Zhao Yelan running, and hurried to catch up: “My Lord, why haven’t you rested yet, ah?”

“I couldn’t sleep, so I just got up to exercise,” Zhao Yelan panted.

He laid in the room for a long time, and when he closed his eyes, he saw Yan Mingting’s figure in battle. He was constantly anxious, and because he couldn’t see it with his own eyes, he was even more anxious. Touching the cold mattress next to the pillow, he felt no drowsiness, so he simply got up and stretched his muscles and bones to make himself stronger.

If this happened again, he must follow in person.

“My Lord, you can’t run like this.” Seeing that he had no strength left to walk but was still struggling to move forward, Xiao Gao persuaded him, “The body also has limits, so be careful of hurting yourself in the end. When the General comes back, he will blame me for not looking after you well.”

When Zhao Yelan heard this, he stopped by the pillar next to him and gasped for breath, asking with a smile: “What will you tell him when he comes back?”

“I’ll tell him that we all missed him and give him all the tanghulu I bought recently,” Xiao Gao said generously.

Zhao Yelan laughed, laughing and laughing, and suddenly coughed again.

“No good, the wind is very cold at night. Please go back to the room quickly, my lord, so as not to catch a cold.” Xiao Gao began to worry about his health again. When the General was here, he didn’t have to worry about these things. The General took good care of his lord, and he hadn’t caught a cold for a long time.

If his lord got sick again while the General was away, he would be blamed!

Xiao Gao took him back to the room in a fluster, then ran to the kitchen to cook medicine. He brought it back to the room and said cautiously: “It’s been raining recently. Just in case, my lord, why not drink some medicine first?”

In fact, Zhao Yelan had just sneezed twice suddenly. He felt that there was nothing wrong with it, but when he looked at the medicine bowl, he still decided to finish it in one gulp. If he really did get sick, it would be bad for Yan Mingting to come back and see him that way.

Three days later, the Imperial court received a letter from the front lines. The current battle was fierce, but they had the upper hand.

Zhao Xuan sent someone to the Imperial Academy to inform Zhao Yelan. After receiving the news, Zhao Yelan heaved a sigh of relief and ate much faster.

Ruan Xian and the others sat around eating and discussing events on the battlefield with him. Although these civil servants usually thought the soldiers were uncouth, at this time, they had to admire them.

Zhao Yelan briefly spoke with them about the current situation, and then hurried to the Ministry of War to make sure the food and fodder were sufficient and inquire if the delivery teams were doing well.

After confirming these things, he returned to the General’s Mansion to ask if there were any letters today, and Housekeeper Qin hastily handed him the letter received that morning.

Quickly opening it, he read the letter word for word with a smile on his face.

“What did the General say in the letter?” Seeing his long-lost smile, Housekeeper Qin surmised that it was good news, and couldn’t help but ask.

“He’s coming back,” Zhao Yelan said.

The report to the Imperial court used conservative words, but his own letter stated that the Eighth Princess’s party was at the end of its strength, and they would be able to return to the Imperial court within a month.

“He’s coming back!” Zhao Yelan repeated again.

“I heard, I heard, this old servant heard.” Housekeep Qin turned around with a smile and told the others the good news.

Zhao Yelan still had to go to the Imperial Academy. He packed the letter and didn’t even sit in a sedan chair, rushing over quickly all the way. As he walked, he suddenly laughed and jogged forward.

At the corner, he accidentally bumped into someone.

“Aiyo, where are you going in such a hurry?” The other party asked.

Upon hearing a familiar voice, Zhao Yelan raised his head to look at Gu Niaoniao and said with a smile: “Yan Mingting is coming back.”

“That’s great, it’s a good thing, ah,” Gu Niaoniao said.

Zhao Yelan nodded and asked her: “Where are you going?”

“Don’t mention it. There’s a difficult guest in the building, and I have to help him find something,” Gu Niaoniao said.

“Do you need my help?”

“No need, I can handle it.” The corners of Gu Niaoniao’s mouth twitched, and she asked again, “When the army returns triumphantly, won’t the emperor come out to greet them in person?”

“He should, to show respect and to reward them.”

“That’s right. Well, I won’t talk anymore, I must go to work.”

Just as Zhao Yelan walked away from her, he heard her call out to him again.

“Zhao Yelan, take care of your health during this time.”

“En.” Seeing that she hesitated to speak, Zhao Yelan asked, “Is there anything else?”

“Also…..a new batch of tea and spices has arrived. Have Xiao Gao come over to pick them up some other day.” Gu Niaoniao smiled. “You know I only give the best things to my friends.”

Zhao Yelan smiled: “Okay, I’ll send someone to pick it up when Yan Mingting returns. I’ve been busy recently.”

“All right.”

Ten days later, the Imperial court received good news from the front lines that the Second Prince and the Eighth Princess had been captured by Yan Mingting and beheaded personally. The old King of Nanjiang was rescued by Yan Mingting and sat on the throne again, signing an agreement to be everlasting friends with the Xuan Dynasty and pay tribute on pilgrimages.

Zhao Yelan wrote the edict together with several scholars, and when it was handed over to the palace, Zhao Xuan jokingly asked him what reward he would seek for Yan Mingting this time.

Zhao Yelan said: “This time, I just ask Your Majesty not to give him another marriage.”

Zhao Xuan frowned slightly and said in embarrassment: “It won’t happen this time.”

Zhao Yelan smiled: “Speaking of which, we must both thank Your Majesty for the marriage contract.”

Smiling helplessly, Zhao Xuan gave him an intent look: “Mengting.”

Zhao Yelan was taken aback. He hadn’t mentioned this name for a long time, so he was startled.

“You’ve never really liked me, have you?”

Zhao Yelan was silent for a moment, and finally raised his head to look into his eyes: “No.”

Zhao Xuan placed his hands behind his back, clenching his fingers hard and then letting go helplessly. Ever since Zhao Yelan stopped hiding his feelings for Yan Mingting, he could more or less see what it looked like when Zhao Yelan really liked someone.

He pretended for a long time, taking it seriously, but when he saw that the other party was sincere, he discovered how ridiculous it was to pretend.

The two were quiet for a long time. Then, Zhao Xuan suddenly smiled: “I’m being selfish, but you’re right not to like me. Because for me, it is absolutely impossible to give up the country just because of marrying a man.”

The corners of Zhao Yelan’s mouth curled up: “En.”

“Only Yan Mingting doesn’t care. He’s clever and you are even moreso, so it’s good for him to marry you.”

“En.” The smile in Zhao Yelan’s eyes deepened. “Your Majesty knows everything.”

As the two talked, they both felt unprecedentedly relaxed. Zhao Xuan had been sitting on the throne for a long time, and was no longer as tense as he was in the early days. Instead, he wanted to return to the most simple state and have one or two close friends, or a close confidant.

“All right, if you have nothing to do, you can go back first. I must go to Concubine Xian for dinner,” Zhao Xuan said.

Zhao Yelan returned to the General’s Mansion and opened the letter he had received today. Yan Mingting wrote that he had found no trace of Zhao Xu at the southern border. There was no choice but to send some people to stay and help the King of Nanjiang deal with follow-up matters while continuing to search the southern border.

And he himself would hurry back.

Lying in bed, Zhao Yelan read the letter several times before folding it and placing it under Yan Mingting’s pillow.

It had been forty-six days since Yan Mingting left, and there were thirty-nine letters stored under the pillow.

Soon, these letters would be replaced by a person.

As he thought of this, a smile appeared in Zhao Yelan’s eyes and he fell asleep on Yan Mingting’s side.

For a normal journey, it would take more than twenty days to get from Nanjiang to Beijing, but if Yan Mingting was on the road day and night, it would be at least half as fast.

Thus, from the eighth day after receiving the letter, Zhao Yelan began to guard the city gate.

He bumped into Li Yucheng several times and was laughed at: “Yo, the husband-watching stone is going to the city gate again!”

Zhao Yelan kicked him in the ass: “Go handle your own business.”

Li Yucheng covered his rump and laughed: “I say, can you pay attention to your appearance in public?”

Zhao Yelan was taken aback, and subconsciously thought he was talking about his reputation. Then he remembered that he only fell asleep in the middle of the night these days, so he must look very haggard.

“Go find Yin Pinglu,” Zhao Yelan ordered.

Afterwards, Li Yucheng stood in the rouge shop, watching Yin Pinglu choose the powder and cream for Zhao Yelan….he had to give a thumbs up.

“In terms of beauty, there is only you, Zhao Yelan.”

Zhao Yelan started to go to bed early and get up early. Every day when he returned from the Imperial Academy, he would go back to the mansion, put on his best clothing, and go to the gate of the city to wait.

After a few such days, everyone in the city knew about it and went to the city gate to see the excitement when they had nothing to do, which turned into a spectacle.

On this day, Zhao Yelan came to the city gate again, and when he heard Li Yucheng calling him, he saw that the fellow had placed a chair beside him.

“Come, I’ve prepared a special seat for you. How tiring it is to stand all day long,” Li Yucheng said.

Zhao Yelan gave him a blank look, then sat down on it grandly.

Li Yucheng handed him a bunch of grapes.

Under the city tower, there were still people shouting: “Zhao-daren, do you want to buy some melon seeds?”

“Zhao-daren, I have sweet candied fruit for sale!”

“Zhao-daren, tanghulu! I’m selling tanghulu, General Yan’s favorite!”

Zhao Yelan: “…….”

The setting sun began to fall toward the west, dyeing half of the sky red, and the common people also set aside their desire to watch the entertainment, going about their own affairs. The streets were full of people coming and going.

At this time, there was the sound of a horse neighing in the distance.

It was Yan Mingting’s sweat-blood horse.

Zhao Yelan suddenly stood up from the chair and looked far away, only to see the figure of a fast horse in the distance, and hurriedly ran down the city wall.

“Aiyo, slow down.” Li Yucheng watched in horror from behind, afraid that he would fall down the city wall. Fortunately, Xiao Gao immediately followed, which made him feel more at ease.

Zhao Yelan hurried outside the gate. Hearing the sound of horseshoes getting closer and closer, he couldn’t help but be overjoyed. His heart was about to leap out, and he tidied his hair and clothes while pretending to be calm.

“How do I look now?” Zhao Yelan asked Li Yucheng.

“Very good.” Li Yucheng nodded vigorously.

Zhao Yelan looked forward again until he saw the sweat-blood horse appear in the center of his vision little by little, but his smile gradually froze.

He frowned slightly and looked at Li Yucheng and Xiao Gao with suspicion, but the two obviously hadn’t expected this to happen, and were even more surprised than him.

Zhao Yelan walked slowly to the horse’s side and looked up at its back. There was nobody on it. Looking at the road ahead, there was no sign of Yan Mingting.

He turned his head to look at the sweat-blood horse and his tone became cold: “Where is your master? Why are you back?”

The horse raised its head and neighed, then leaned its head over and rubbed against him.

“I’m asking you something! Why did you come back by yourself?! Where is your master? Where did you take him?!” Zhao Yelan pushed its head away, his eyes red as he roared hoarsely.

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

The audience was completely silent, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Pei Yi immediately added fuel to the fire. He tightly grasped the corner of Bo Yueming’s clothing and turned to the Pei couple with an expression of resistance. “I won’t go back, don’t hit me!”

“Xiao Yi, you…..”

Pei Ruzhang’s explanation was suddenly interrupted, and he felt unspeakably aggrieved!

Over the years, he had used Pei Yi to hold up the scene, and didn’t expect to be torn down by the other party again and again.

A slight smile flashed through Bo Yueming’s eyes, and he let Pei Yi play.

This person could always seize the right time to counterattack or assist. What foolishness? Where was he stupid? If this was not deliberately hiding cleverness, he was naturally black-bellied.

In just a few seconds, the corners of Pei Yi’s eyes reddened in fear, and his voice trembled softly. He didn’t go crazy and lose his composure like he usually did, but inexplicably made people feel a little pitying and distressed.

The guests looked at each other in blank dismay, and the suspicion in their hearts surged up again—

Look at the way Little Young Master Pei was hiding in fear, look at the embarrassment on the faces of the Pei couple. It could be reckoned that the rumor about them secretly instigating the nanny to abuse their nephew was true!

Since Second Young Master Bo dared to ask the question to their faces, he must know the inside story and was unable to bear it!

“……”

Noticing the changing atmosphere, Old Mr. Bo, who was the host of the banquet, felt his dissatisfaction rise to a higher degree.

He glanced at his second son, Bo Lihong, who was silent beside him, and vaguely exhorted, “Look at the good son you have taught!”

He didn’t care what kind of life Pei Yi lived at the Pei residence. He only knew that it was his birthday banquet and Pei Ruzhang and his wife were guests. How could guests be blamed? This was clearly slapping him in the face!

“Dad.”

Bo Lihong frowned, but didn’t make a sound.

When Bo Yueming appeared back then, he and his current wife had many conflicts over the matter. His romantic love history had become a topic of conversation behind the scenes of the Imperial Capital circle for a long time!

Bo Lihong didn’t like this son who bore no resemblance to him. Besides, the other party was raised by the Old Lady, and the father-son relationship between them was as weak as one between strangers.

In less than half a minute, the atmosphere had reached the freezing point.

Finally, a voice broke the deadlock. “Second Young Master, everyone, don’t misunderstand. It was the nanny’s audacity, and when her misfortune was exposed that day, she only thought of shirking responsibility.”

Pei Huan stepped forward to meet everyone’s gazes, admitting the nanny’s mistakes on behalf of his parents. “Xiao Yi is usually well-behaved, and doesn’t like to speak up when he is wronged. Of course, we family members are also to blame for our negligence to observe this, and the nanny took advantage of the loophole.”

Pei Ruzhang moved the stiffening corners of his mouth and quickly followed his son’s words, “Yes, it is my negligence as an elder that caused Xiao Yi to be wronged and afraid.”

Deng Xiuya followed with an apologetic smile.

“Don’t mention the past, which family doesn’t have a few thoughtless nannies? It was dealt with well.” Old Mr. Bo took it lightly and opened his mouth to turn the matter over. “Everyone, eat and drink well.”

For Old Mr. Bo’s sake, the guests didn’t ask further questions, but they all understood in their hearts—

Pooh!

Pei Ruzhang and Deng Xiuya had the nerve to pretend to be good people all these years?

What kind of good care was this? It was clear that they couldn’t even tolerate their own foolish nephew!

Having been shamed in full view, how could Pei Ruzhang bear to remain in the center of the banquet? He glared at his wife, who had caused trouble again, and walked to the side the second he found an excuse.

Embarrassed, Deng Xiuya pulled her son along and left hastily.

Scattered sounds of conversation started up again.

Old Mr. Bo looked at Bo Yueming and Pei Yi, who had caused an incident upon arrival, and his old face closed up. “Yueming, since you can’t see with your eyes, go to the side and don’t bring Pei Yi to bump into the guests here!”

At the same time, Bo Guancheng walked over gracefully. “Grandpa, I checked with the head attendant of the hotel, and all the guests are here. Why don’t you go up and say a few words?”

Old Mr. Bo had always favored Bo Guancheng, the eldest grandson, and his unhappiness subsided by a lot. He nodded slightly and walked forward with the help of an attendant.

Bo Guancheng didn’t follow him, but instead approached Bo Yueming. “Yueming, ah, I see you’re getting along with Little Young Master Pei? How long did it take for you to protect him?”

Bo Guancheng had just stood at the back to watch the whole show. If you asked him, there was no benefit at all for Bo Yueming to give no face to Pei Ruzhang and his wife in front of the Old Man.

His eyes had long been blinded, and sure enough, his heart had been blinded as well.

Bo Guancheng snickered inwardly, and with a gentle appearance, summoned a waiter to serve them two glasses of wine. “Come, today is not only grandpa’s birthday, but also a good day for you, me, and Dage. I, the eldest, would like to offer you a toast.”

In fact, this birthday party hid another purpose—

Old Mr. Bo wanted to take this opportunity to announce the established fact that Bo and Pei were married. What’s more, he wanted to publicly cut off all possibility of Bo Yueming managing the Bo Group and prevent him from inheriting in the future.

Bo Yueming was aware of Bo Guancheng’s family’s calculations, and didn’t appreciate them. “Dage, you’re being polite, but the doctor’s orders clearly state that I cannot drink alcohol for the time being.”

Bo Guancheng let out an annoyed tsk. “I didn’t think carefully, your eyes are important.”

Pei Yi looked at the pretentious Bo Guancheng and tugged at Bo Yuecheng’s wrist, fed up with this. “Let’s go, he looks too ugly. I don’t like him.”

In short, it sounded like a coquettish whisper along with obvious disgust.

“You!”

Bo Guancheng had put on a smile, but unexpectedly, Pei Yi could still provoke him with these words.

Bo Yueming heard the other party’s anger that he couldn’t restrain in time, and smiled lightly, holding Pei Yi’s wrist instead. “Excuse me, Dage, take care of yourself.”

“……”

Bo Guancheng used the excuse of drinking to hide the twitching corners of his mouth as the two walked away gracefully.

Wait and see!

I’d like to see how long they can be arrogant, one blind and one stupid!

. . . . . .

Pei Yi took Bo Yueming to sit in the corner rest area, and after a while, heard Old Mr. Bo’s announcement from the banquet table—

The two families of Bo and Pei had formed an in-law marriage, and there would be cooperation on new projects in the future.

In addition, due to physical inconvenience, Bo Yueming had resigned from his position and projects in Bo Group and transferred them for Bo Guancheng to take charge.

The guests present had already learned a lot before coming, but at the moment the news was made public, discussions still sounded from all directions.

“I think the marriage is fake, but the cooperation is real, and the humiliation is also real.”

“Yes, ah, Pei Yi is a fool who is unfavored by the Pei family, and men can’t bear children, so this marriage is of no benefit to Second Young Master Bo.”

“Once he loses the backing of Old Lady Bo, with Second Young Master Bo’s background, what benefits can he get from the Bo family?”

“In this case, even if Bo Yueming’s eyes were good, what would be the use? Is it possible for him to divorce Pei Yi and re-accumulate contacts? Tell me, which family in the Imperial Capital is willing to marry their treasure to a second-married man?”

“Yes, ah, it’s a pity.”

A steady stream of pitying, contemptuous, or indifferent gazes were cast over. Pei Yi saw it all and couldn’t help but think to himself—

What was a pity?

It was only that the time had not yet come.

As long as Bo Yueming recovered his eyesight, those who had evil intentions and added insult to injury would pay a corresponding price.

But these people naturally couldn’t predict the direction of the future, and the wealthier they were, the more they would step on the low and praise the high.

Pei Yi looked sideways at Bo Yueming, who appeared very calm. The eyes hidden under the lenses were cast down slightly, making it impossible to parse out his true state of mind.

They were clearly the parties involved in the “marriage” event, but no one came to greet them. The guests ignored Bo Yueming, who had lost his power, and flocked to the second branch couple and Bo Guancheng instead.

Even Bo Wang and Bo Lihong, the second branch father and son who had never done anything practical, were surrounded by many chatting people.

Bo Yueming noticed Pei Yi’s gaze on his face and said softly, “Pei Yi, will you feel bored staying by my side?”

Pei Yi clearly saw the snobbery and hypocrisy in the banquet hall, and shook his head slightly. “You and them, not the same kind. You’re good.”

Rather than stay near those who were duplicitous and pretended to be ingratiating, it was better to stay here where it was deserted and peaceful.

“Not the same kind?”

Bo Yueming did not expect Pei Yi to give such an answer, but on this occasion, he actually received an indescribable comfort and encouragement.

Not long after, an unexpected greeting sounded, “Yueming, long time no see.”

Pei Yi raised his head upon hearing the sound, and was promptly met with a tall, white-clothed man wearing gold-rimmed mirror frames. A certain affirmation popped into his mind—

Yan Cen.

The main character gong in the original novel was finally here!

Bo Yueming, who was still sitting firmly on the sofa, got up in a rare moment to greet him. “Why did you come?”

“As soon as I got off the plane, I heard from my family that your old man was holding a banquet. I happened to be driving by, so I came in to have a look.” Yan Cen casually picked up two glasses of champagne from the wine table and handed one to his friend. “Drink?”

“All right.”

The glasses clinked lightly.

Facing a friend’s invitation, Bo Yueming put up no resistance.

Pei Yi sat on the sofa, covertly observing the sudden arrival of the “male lead gong”—

Compared to Bo Yueming, who was proud and implicitly cold, in the original book, Yan Cen belonged to the gentle but black-bellied type, and his every gesture was bold and elegant.

In the description in the original book, Yan Cen was the eldest Yan son and had been Bo Yueming’s close friend since childhood. After graduating, the two jointly founded an advertisement company abroad, one in the open and one behind the scenes, and developed the company to one of the largest scales!

Later, due to falling in love with the protagonist shou Pei Huan at the same time, an estrangement developed, and they parted ways in the end.

Yan Cen met Pei Yi’s scrutinizing gaze. “Is this the Little Young Master of the Pei family?”

“…….”

Pei Yi quickly lowered his head and responded with a somewhat guilty muffled sound.

He had been at Bo Yueming’s side for quite a while and was used to staring directly at people, so he was careless and didn’t pay attention to etiquette at this moment. It would be bad if Yan Cen noticed the clues.

Fortunately, Yan Cen didn’t have any doubts, and quickly withdrew his gaze. “By the way, I just met Uncle Kai outside. Your car was accidentally scratched by another car, and he and the driver are dealing with it.”

Bo Yueming nodded slightly. “No wonder it’s been so long and he hasn’t come in.”

Yan Gen glanced unflinchingly around at the guests present. “Yueming, there are some clues in the matter you asked me to investigate. Can we look for a place to talk?”

Hearing this, fierceness flashed across Bo Yueming’s face. “Okay.”

He thought of Pei Yi, who was still sitting on the sofa, and his tone suddenly relaxed. “Pei Yi, you sit and rest first. I’ll be back later.”

Pei Yi had a sense of propriety, and only watched the two leave the banquet hall.

Time passed minute by minute.

Banquet halls were lively in their own way, but Pei Yi only felt that such two-faced social interaction was boring, so he got up and walked toward the bathroom—

Unexpectedly, this scene happened to fall into the eyes of an observant person.

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Chapter Eleven <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Thirteen