Today, Zhao Yelan was summoned to the palace. Three days later would be the worship ceremony for the late emperor, and Zhao Xuan invited him to discuss some important details.

Zhao Xuan didn’t want to make it too grand, but the Xuan Dynasty had always attached great importance to worship rituals, so a superficial attempt was necessary.

But Zhao Xuan came to him not only to discuss how to hold the worship ceremony, which the Ministry of Rites was in charge of, but how to deal with the people in the other palace.

There was also a former prince under house arrest in that palace.

When Zhao Xuan seized the throne, the deposed prince was the first to be toppled, and then the other families began to move and seek power. When the Second Prince and Fourth Prince saw that Zhao Xuan was beginning to show his power, they joined forces and sent people to assassinate him. However, there was no danger at that time. The Gold Collar Guard rescued him in time, and Zhao Yelan also blocked an arrow for him. Afterwards, the two planned to kill the two princes.

Now, apart from Zhao Xuan, there was only the former Crown Prince and a timid and simple Fifth Prince. After Zhao Xuan ascended the throne, the Fifth Prince was sent to the northern border as a vassal lord. During the New Year, he even went to Beijing to attend the state banquet, but had not returned at this point and would wait until the ceremony was over before departing.

“The people from the Ministry of Rites say that the former Crown Prince should participate in the worship ceremony. Is there any way to prevent him from participating?” Zhao Xuan asked.

“There is, assassinate him before he can participate,” Zhao Yelan said.

Zhao Xuan laughed: “Wouldn’t that give the Ministry of Rites and that Imperial Censor more topics to play with?”

Zhao Yelan sighed: “Why is that fellow still not dead?”

It was called the ‘other palace,’ but it was actually a deserted cold palace on the mountainside on the outskirts of the city. There were only a dozen or so servants to clean it, and the former Crown Prince, who was self-indulgent by nature, suffered a lot.

They had originally thought it would take a few years for him to die, but last year, Yu Junliang was sent to visit the other palace, and when he returned, he said that the other party was a bit crazy, but still alive.

“No matter, forgive him for not being in good condition. Let him participate, and let the Father Emperor in the sky also see how shameful his favorite prince is now,” Zhao Xuan said. “You take someone to the other palace to inform him.”

“Shi.”

After Zhao Yelan left the palace, he set off immediately. When he passed the market, he happened to bump into Yan Mingting, who was on patrol.

Yan Mingting asked where he was going, and he told him about the other palace.

“I’ll accompany you.” Yan Mingting glanced at the dozen or so guards the other party had brought and whispered, “Why bring the Imperial Guard? Don’t you know that your husband is a great general, ah? There are so many people under him. You can go to the training grounds and pick a few who are better than these people.”

Zhao Yelan was amused, and said: “The Emperor arranged it.”

“Don’t listen to him, wait until I find some new people.” Yan Mingting called out a few times on the road, and after a while, He Cuizhang, Zuo Ran, and some others appeared.

Listening to the chirping of the group behind him, Zhao Yelan felt that he had brought a flock of birds along with him.

“When we get to the other palace, you should keep quiet. Do you hear me?”

“We hear you.” Everyone agreed again and again.

The mountain road to the other palace was rugged. Fortunately, Yan Mingting was pulling him, and picked him up after walking for a while. When they came before the other palace, he quickly patted Yan Mingting on the back: “Okay, okay, let me down quickly.”

“Why, we’re already an old couple and you’re still shy, ah,” Yan Mingting teased, letting him down.

“You all wait outside.” After speaking, Zhao Yelan turned around and walked inside, only to find that Yan Mingting had also followed. He said, “You also wait for me outside, ba.”

“Not possible, I heard that the former crown prince is a little crazy. I must protect your safety.”

Zhao Yelan still had some misgivings, and urged: “Then he will talk some nonsense later, you must not worry about it.”

“All right.” Yan Mingting looked around. The palace had been abandoned for a long time, and even the servants were somewhat perfunctory.

Zhao Yelan had been here several times, so when the servants saw him, they called out ‘Zhao-daren.” But when they looked at Yan Mingting again, they were a little dazed, as if they didn’t know who he was.

There was no access to news here, and even the food was brought up by people from the bottom of the mountain. It was likely that Yan Mingting deeds were rarely heard of, let alone his appearance.

The two of them didn’t intend to make more introductions, and walked straight inside until they came to a door and saw a person lying on the floor beside the bed, holding a jug of wine in his hand. He held it high, and half of the wine fell into his mouth while the other half dripped on his face. He laughed loudly: “Good wine, good wine, waiter, serve me another jar.”

Zhao Yelan walked inside and said: “The worship ceremony of the late emperor will be held in three days, and the First Prince is invited to attend.”

Turning to look at him, Zhao Xu asked after a while: “Zhao Yelan? You’re here again?”

Zhao Yelan remained silent.

Zhao Xu sneered and threw the jug at him, only to be stopped by Yan Mingting, who frowned at Zhao Xu with displeasure.

Zhao Xu’s eyes fell on him again, and they were full of mockery. He then said: “Zhao Yelan, lapdog, how are you worthy of talking to me?”

Unperturbed, Zhao Yelan walked up to him and stepped on his hand that was on the ground. He looked down and said: “If I’m a lapdog, who are you? A beast that is not as good as a pig or a dog.”

He would always remember that when he was in the dungeon, this beast swaggered into the cell and picked out young and beautiful women. This pair of rotten hands even touched his mother’s chin as he said sarcastically: “Good-looking is good-looking, but you’re a bit old. I’m looking for young birds.”

“Ahhhh!” Zhao Xu’s fingers were crushed hard, and after Zhao Yelan lifted his foot, he immediately rolled on the ground with his arms folded, his eyes red. “Zhao Yelan! You just wait! Sooner or later, I will definitely peel off your skin!”

Zhao Yelan slapped him across the face: “Then how about I kill you now?”

“You dare!” Zhao Xu covered his face and looked at him furiously. Glancing at Yan Mingting from the corner of his eye, he thought of something and sneered, then suddenly said, “I have something to tell you. Troubling you to make Zhao Yelan get out.”

Yan Mingting was displeased, and ignored him altogether.

“Don’t you want to know the real cause of the old general’s death?” Zhao Xu asked.

Yan Mingting was startled at once, and looked at him in disbelief: “What do you know?”

Zhao Xu glanced at Zhao Yelan with obvious meaning.

“You go outside and wait for me for a while,” Yan Mingting whispered.

Zhao Yelan walked out the door anxiously, and couldn’t hear the voices from inside.

Yan Mingting walked up to him: “Will you speak now?”

“It was ordered by Zhao Xuan.” Zhao Xu lowered his voice.

“Impossible.” Yan Mingting controlled his temper.

“You just don’t want to believe it. Did the Imperial physician he sent to the border for you win the father and son’s hearts?” Zhao Xu paused and said, “I heard with my own ears when he ordered the Imperial physician to poison the old general’s wine. This was in order to let you take charge of the army, so that you would be obedient because of a little kindness. Look, aren’t you qualified as a dog now?”

Yan Mingting became short of breath. After a while, he took a deep breath and looked at him fixedly: “Is what you said true?”

“I swear to Heaven.”

Zhao Yelan waited outside the door for a while, and when he heard the door open, he stepped forward anxiously and asked: “What did he say?”

“Go home first, I have something to do.” After speaking, Yan Mingting asked Xiao Gao and Zuo Ran to take him back, then called He Cuizhang aside, giving him a few instructions with a hasty expression before leaving quickly.

“Yan Mingting!” Zhao Yelan shouted. The other disappeared in the blink of an eye, and he turned to ask He Cuizhang what had happened.

He Cuizhang also wore an extremely nervous expression, and he only asked Xiao Gao to take him back to the General’s Mansion quickly before disappearing with the others.

Zhao Xu’s wild laughter came from the room.

“What exactly did you tell him?” Zhao Yelan asked, walking in quickly with a dark expression.

“Zhao Yelan, you became Zhao Xuan’s lapdog. Did you ever think that he would die one day?” Zhao Xu said sorrowfully, “Especially dying at the hands of Yan Mingting?”

Zhao Yelan’s pupils shrank abruptly.

“If Yan Mingting murders the emperor and rebels, do you want to help Yan Mingting or Zhao Xuan?”

Zhao Yelan immediately guessed that the killer he mentioned was Zhao Xuan.

He couldn’t be sure if it was Zhao Xuan, just as Zhao Xuan didn’t know that he had arranged a spy in Beijing. It was impossible for him to know everything about Zhao Xuan like the back of his hand.

But he intuitively felt that it wasn’t him. Although Zhao Xuan did everything possible to win his position, it was true that he had the country in his heart, and there was no reason to kill the old general.

But what if……

Zhao Yelan didn’t dare to think about the one in ten thousand possibility. He walked quickly out of the other palace and descended the mountain with haste. However, the terrain was rough, and his footsteps were too slow. It was already evening when he returned to the city, and he walked without stopping toward the palace.

“My Lord, the General and Brother He asked me to take you back home,” Xiao Gao said awkwardly.

“Then you go follow them instead of me.” After speaking, Zhao Yelan saw a horse at the side of the road. He quickly mounted it, tossed a piece of silver to its master, and hurried to the gate of the palace.

Xiao Gao had no choice but to run behind fearfully, worried that he would fall off. Fortunately, the General had taught his disciple well, and his lord arrived at his destination quickly and steadily. He was, however, a little flustered when he got off the horse.

Xiao Gao couldn’t follow him further inside, so he took the short weapon from Zhao Yelan’s body.

It was forbidden to bring weapons through the palace gate unless one had a special status, such as the General.

Zhao Yelan asked the guards in a fluster: “Has Yan Mingting entered the palace? Did he leave behind his sword?”

“I don’t understand, it’s been half an hour since he went in.” As soon as the guard finished speaking, Zhao Yelan turned around and ran in.

The number of guards patrolling the palace had clearly increased by a lot. Zhao Yelan questioned them all the way, and finally came to a side hall. He heard that Zhao Xuan was arranging defenses with the new commander of the Imperial Guard, and hurried into the hall.

“Why are you here? Didn’t anyone pass you a message?” Zhao Xuan stopped and gave the commander a meaningful look, and the commander promptly retreated, leaving only the two of them in the hall.

“Did Yan Mingting come to look for you?”^[1] Zhao Yelan blurted out.

“En.” Zhao Xuan raised his eyebrows. “You’re so nervous that you forgot your honorifics?”

Zhao Yelan didn’t pay it much mind, asking: “Where is he now?”

“Not here,” Zhao Xuan said.

“Where did you take him?” Zhao Yelan asked, stepping forward.

Zhao Xuan gazed at him silently.

After staring at each other for a moment, Zhao Yelan lowered his voice and asked word by word: “Did you send someone to poison the old general?”

Zhao Xuan frowned, looked into his eyes, and suddenly pointed at him and laughed. Supporting himself on the desk behind him, he laughed uncontrollably and then swept the booklets on the desk to the floor.

“Zhao Yelan! Who are you speaking to? Who are you suspecting?!”

Zhao Yelan said: “I want you to say it, was it you or not?”

“We’ve known each other for so many years, am I actually this kind of person in your heart?” Zhao Xuan spoke in a hoarse voice. He had forgotten to use his honorific title, as if they had returned to the old days, but this was not truly the past.

Zhao Yelan sized him up for a while, paused for a moment on the throbbing veins on his forehead, and then crouched down and picked up the booklets one by one, saying: “It’s good that it wasn’t you.”

Zhao Xuan looked down at him: “What if it was me? Would you rebel with him?”

Shaking his head, Zhao Yelan got up and put the booklets back on the table, saying: “I never thought of turning against you. No matter what, you are my savior. Without you, there would be no Zhao Yelan today. But if you want to kill my person……”

The following words were unfinished, but Zhao Xuan had already guessed them. He smiled desolately: “You are actually willing to abandon me for him and bear the charge of regicide?”

Zhao Yelan raised his eyes: “Not only for him, but also for myself. If something happened to him, it would be difficult for me to live on, so I would definitely stand by his side.”

“What live on?” Yan Mingting appeared at the entrance of the main hall.

Zhao Yelan turned his head and went to him in two or three steps, asking with a frown: “What did you do?”

“I just went to arrange the defenses of the palace and the capital.” Yan Mingting touched his somewhat messy hair. “Didn’t I tell you to go back to the mansion first? Why did you come here?”

“Could I go home with peace of mind?” Zhao Yelan asked.

Yan Mingting smiled: “That’s right, thanks for your hard work. If you didn’t make a show for Zhao Xu, I feared he would not make his next move.”

“What move?”

Yan Mingting’s eyes darkened slightly: “Do you still remember the private meeting between the Princess of Nanjiang and a man after New Year’s Eve?”

“Could it be him?”

Yan Mingting nodded his head: “Zhao Xu told me that His Majesty sent an Imperial physician to poison my father. I just asked His Majesty for confirmation. You were the one who sent the Imperial physician to the border, and during this time, His Majesty never intervened in the matter. And you, there is absolutely no way you would do such a thing, so Zhao Xu could only have lied.”

“When he finished talking about this, I was thinking, the servants in the other palace didn’t know who I was, so why did he recognize me? He also knew the two of us had a good relationship, and even knew everything about my father being poisoned? Either he really heard His Majesty make that order, or…….he was the murderer.” Yan Mingting’s eyes turned cold.

“So you came to the palace to seek confirmation?” Zhao Yelan had calmed down by now. Recalling the scene in the other palace, he suddenly said, “You deliberately snubbed me in front of him, and then secretly sent He Cuizhang and the others to guard the other palace?”

Yan Mingting nodded: “For him to hit the grass to startle the snake like this, he must have a second move planned. And he has long lost his eyes and ears in the capital, unless he found a new backer and a way out.”

“The Princess of Nanjiang.” Zhao Yelan turned to ask Zhao Xuan, “When the King of Nanjiang came to the capitol, did he bring the princess with him?”

“He did one time, and it seemed that they came to talk about a marriage. It was the Second Princess, not the Eighth Princess. But I was still in confinement back then, and Zhao Xu, the Crown Prince, was in charge of receiving them,” Zhao Xuan said.

Zhao Yelan and Yan Mingting exchanged glances: “It is very likely that they have been secretly working in the dark.”

“That’s right. As soon as the Princess of Nanjiang left, Zhao Xu couldn’t wait to raise this matter to anger me. On the one hand, he wanted to see if he could instigate me, and on the other, he had already arranged to escape from the capital, and he was worried that we would bring him directly to the palace to participate in the ceremony, which would ruin his plans.”

“Then when the Princess of Nanjiang said she wanted to marry you, that was just to test you out,” Zhao Yelan said.

Yan Mingting nodded, glancing sideways at Zhao Xuan: “Your Majesty, if I beheaded the First Prince with the Chisha Sword, would you blame me?”

“Zhao Xu had an affair with the princess of another country, and had the intention of committing treason. You can cut first and ask permission later.”

Yan Mingting cupped his hands. The veins in his hands stood out, and with dark but resolute eyes, he turned and left the hall while gripping the sword on his body.

Then, it was unknown what he had thought of, but he turned around to call: “Mengting, just wait for me here.”

The palace was much safer than outside. Zhao Yelan walked to the door and said: “Be careful.”

“En.” Yan Mingting whispered in his ear worriedly, “You just stay here, don’t get too close to him, do you hear me?”

Zhao Yelan: “…….”

Zhao Xuan: “I can hear you.”

Yan Mingting hadn’t controlled his volume at all, and said it on purpose. He just raised his chin and left with haste.

Zhao Xuan resignedly walked to the door to watch him go, and Zhao Yelan subtly moved two steps to the side.

“…….Am I some kind of plague god?”

Zhao Yelan also felt that his subconscious action was a little funny, and touched his nose in embarrassment, laughing softly.

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[1] Zhao Yelan uses the casual ‘you’ here (你) instead of a more respectful honorific when addressing the emperor. ⮐

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

Chang Xiaoqiu was fifteen or sixteen years old, and his family was well-off. There was usually a group of servants flattering and coaxing him, and he was at the phase of viewing himself as an exceptional person. Now Liu Xian’an suddenly said that life was fine, and his death was also fine, so naturally he couldn’t bear this contempt. He said stubbornly: “Don’t try to provoke me!”

“I’m not provoking you,” Liu Xian’an told him patiently. “As the saying goes, life and death are day and night, misfortune and blessing, good luck and bad luck, they are all the same. If you can realize this, you will naturally understand what I mean.”

Chang Xiaoqiu couldn’t realize anything at all, and didn’t really want to. On the point of “not wanting to listen to people who can’t speak like a human,” he and Liang Shu were firmly in the same camp. The sages said that thunder and lightning should be dealt with in a composed manner, but Chang Xiaoqiu just wanted to be the lightning bolt, and tell the sages to shut up on the spot and stop their unintelligible speech.

Chang Xiaohan said: “Doctor Zhang said that if my young master’s leg injury is to be healed, it will take at least three months.”

“Kangtai Medical Center is the best at treating bone injuries, and their diagnosis should be correct,” Liu Xian’an said. “However, in the later stage,  you can return home to recuperate. You don’t have to live here the whole time.”

When Chang Xiaoqiu was seriously injured, Chang Xiaohan only rushed to seek medical help and had no time to interrogate the escorts, so it was still unknown who had been working behind the scenes. Right after entering the hospital, he had written a letter to Chang Wanli explaining what had happened on the way. But Liu Xian’an thought, a letter sent from Baihe City to Wanli Escort Bureau must pass through Chixia City. But at that time, Chixia City was still in chaos and the post station was closed by Du Jing, so he said: “You had best write a new one. There are nine chances out of ten that the first one was lost due to a problem with a post station.”

“Okay, I’ll write it later.” After Chang Xiaohan spoke, he probed again, “Young Master has returned to Baihe City alone? Where are the other righteous men?”

Liu Xian’an knew the unease and doubt in his heart, and since he had nothing to do anyway, he ordered a cup of tea and told the two of them a rough outline of what happened regarding the Wanli Escort Bureau after that night. Chang Xiaohan was shocked after hearing it, while Chang Xiaoqiu was furious, cursing as he said: “I knew that poisonous woman was no good!” After cursing, he became worried and anxious. “If she could pay to kill me, she can pay to kill my father. Uncle Chang, you send a quick letter home first, then pack our luggage. We will leave for the Escort Bureau tonight!”

Chang Xiaohan hesitated: “But the young master’s leg…..”

“It’s already come to this point, what about my leg!” After speaking, Chang Xiaoqiu was about to hop into the room on his crutches, but his foot accidentally slipped and he suddenly exclaimed, “Ah!”

In spite of Liu Xian’an’s habitually slow movements, he was very quick at this time. He quickly stood up and dodged to the side, and Chang Xiaoqiu fell with a thud into a pile of hay.

“Cough, cough.”

Chang Xiaohan quickly helped him up.

Chang Xiaoqiu had never seen such a wicked person before. Coughing, he pointed at the other person and scolded: “Why did you dodge?”

Liu Xian’an replied, “If I didn’t dodge, I would be hit by you.”

Chang Xiaoqiu almost vomited blood. “You doctors of Baihe Mountain Village, no, all the doctors in the world, shouldn’t you all focus on saving lives and helping the wounded? There is no reason for a doctor to slip away when a patient falls down!”

Liu Xian’an said: “If you move around again, the steel plates on your legs will have to be redone, and the bones will also grow crooked.”

Chang Xiaoqiu disregarded his persuasion, and raised one leg straight up: “Then I must go back and save my father as soon as possible!”

“Chief Escort Chang doesn’t need you to save him,” Liu Xian’an said. “His Royal Highness Xiao Wang should have arrived at Wanli Escort Bureau by now.”

“Who?” Chang Xiaohan and Chang Xiaoqiu said in unison.

The sound was so loud that Second Young Master Liu’s eardrums buzzed. Then he discovered another thing – for the vast majority of people, especially young and middle-aged men, when they heard the words “His Royal Highness Xiao Wang,” they seemed to raise their voices in shock and excitement at the same time. For example, Qiu Daxing from Chixia City, or these two in front of him.

Chang Xiaohan controlled himself for the time being, but Chang Xiaoqiu kept Liang Shu in his heart, and the man was definitely at the top of his “Most Admired Heroes In This Life” list. His level was even higher than his own father. When he was in the Wanli Escort Bureau, he would sneak to the teahouse and listen to battlefield legends when he had nothing to do. In his daydreams, he yearned to see His Royal Highness Xiao Wang with his own eyes. It was only that destiny makes fools of people. Seeing was seeing, but seeing him when he was half dead…..he might as well not have seen him at all.

Chang Xiaoqiu was very upset and ashamed. He didn’t care about causing trouble with Liu Xian’an at this moment, and asked eagerly: “Why does His Royal Highness Xiao Wang want to go to my home?”

“He Rao not only wants to kill you, but is involved in an old incident. His Royal Highness Xiao Wang is there to investigate the case.” Liu Xian’an said, “So unless you really don’t want this leg, you should stay here for an extra month.”

“Yes, Young Master,” Chang Xiaohan also advised. “Since His Royal Highness Xiao Wang has already gone to the Escort Bureau, he will definitely reveal He Rao’s true face to the Chief Escort. It doesn’t need to be exposed by you and I personally. Healing your leg injury first is more important.”

Chang Xiaoqiu was still drowning in an endless stream of regret at this time. As for the specific water source, it was almost like the water of the Yellow River flowing from the sky. If he had known this, he definitely would not have taken this escort trip. Now that he had, not only could he not stay with his father, but he also couldn’t see His Royal Highness Xiao Wang with his own eyes.

Alas.

Chang Xiaohan knew his young master very well. Seeing that he had gone silent, he assisted him by asking: “Doctor Liu seems to have a good relationship with His Royal Highness Xiao Wang?”

Liu Xian’an replied: “It’s pretty good.”

Chang Xiaohan asked again: “Will His Royal Highness Xiao Wang come to Baihe Mountain Village after solving that old case?”

Liu Xian’an thought of the two jars of good wine he had just bought, and nodded in good spirits: “He will.”

“My family’s young master has always admired and worshiped His Royal Highness Xiao Wang. Perhaps Doctor Liu can make it convenient for us to take a look from a distance when His Royal Highness Xiao Wang is a guest in Baihe Mountain Village?” Chang Xiaohan continued to ask.

Liu Xian’an shared his travel plans: “His Royal Highness Xiao Wang is coming to Baihe City to drink with me, and we will also walk around the city. At that time, there is no need to make special arrangements. As long as we go to the streets, everyone can see him.”

Chang Xiaohan beamed with joy: “This is perfect.”

Chang Xiaoqiu was also flushed with excitement, and even found Liu Xian’an more pleasing to the eye. After the other party left, Chang Xiaohan pushed him in a wheelchair and they went shopping in the streets for a while, chatting with people everywhere. As a result, he learned a lot of Second Young Master Liu’s good deeds, such as being too lazy to copy books, too lazy to marry a princess, too lazy to talk,  and too lazy to walk. He didn’t even bother to eat, and lay in bed all day, subsisting on the northwest wind and dew.

Chang Xiaohan was dumbfounded by what he heard.

However, Chang Xiaoqiu was very certain that Liu Xian’an was a peerless master who lived in seclusion in the city. As for his reasoning, even His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was willing to pay him a special visit, just to drink and tour the city with him. Didn’t that explain the issue?

Therefore, this young master of the Wanli Escort Bureau, relying solely on his infatuation and admiration for His Royal Highness Xiao Wang, successfully became the second person in Baihe City besides A-Ning to see through the truth.

This boy had a future.

The boy’s father, however, felt that his future was very bleak. No, that his whole life was very bleak.

The wife he had thought to grow old together with not only wanted to kill his own son, but also colluded with outsiders to steal his own property. He truly couldn’t bear this kind of blow, but the truth was, nobody on the scene cared about his feelings. He Rao continued to confess that when Feng Xiaojing entered the fort, he accidentally fell off the cliff there and hung on an old, crooked tree, but she managed to save him.

Cheng Suyue asked: “This is the favor he owed you?”

“Yes.” He Rao nodded. “Although he is taciturn, he keeps his word. Even though he left without saying farewell back then, he sent me a special letter later, saying that at any time I wanted to use this favor, I could go to the jade field in Cuili City in the southwest to find him.”

“Is he still in Cuili City?”

“No, I heard the meaning in his words, and it seems he is going to Baihe City.”

“Baihe City?” Cheng Suyue asked, “Is he sick?”

“It should be the case,” He Rao replied hesitantly. “I don’t know what kind of evil martial arts he practices, but his face is still the same as when he was a teenager and his voice is also like that of a young man, but he is afraid of the light and always wears a mask.”

Gao Lin found a painter from outside and asked him to draw Feng Xiaojin’s face according to He Rao’s description.

“His facial features are excellent. The tails of his eyes are raised like a fox’s, and even the most enchanting and passionate woman cannot compare,” He Rao recalled, “but his eyes were always cold.”

Cheng Suyue watched the painter make a careful outline, from the fox-like eyes to the thin red lips. He was slender and preferred to wear black robes.

In the case of the Tan family’s extermination thirteen years ago, Feng Xiaojin was already fifteen or sixteen years old at the time. Now that he was nearly thirty years old, his skills had improved greatly, but his face had not changed. He had almost stamped the word “heresy” on his forehead.

“Your Highness, what is our next plan?”

“Go to Baihe City.”

At Baiha Mountain Village in Baihe City, Liu Xian’an saw his father standing beside the bed the moment he opened his eyes. Thus, he immediately closed his eyes again, not seeing, not hearing, in tranquility and nothingness.

Liu Fushu deeply regretted that he did not bring a stick with him.

“Young Master, don’t sleep, Young Master!” A-Ning shook him with his hands vigorously. “The master of the village is looking for you for a serious matter.”

Liu Xian’an was shaken almost to the point of vomiting, so he had no choice but to sit up wrapped in the blanket. He did not get out of bed,  his eyes were bleary, and he was clearly ready to continue sleeping at any time.

Liu Fushu had become accustomed to his lazy, half-dead appearance, and tried his best to calmly instruct: “Early tomorrow morning, follow your second uncle on the official road to distribute decoctions to reduce heatstroke and prevent plague.”

This was a difficult job. He really wanted his son to suffer hardships, so that he didn’t eat and drink all day. When people lived in this world, they had to do the tiniest bit of proper business, right? But Liu Xian’an had no opinion on this. Although he also wanted to analyze it with his father, there were thousands of disciples in Baihe Mountain Village, and anyone could distribute medicine. It wasn’t that he was needed personally. But he was really too sleepy at the moment, too sleepy to move his mouth at all, so he just chose the simplest “en” as an answer and then fell straight back and continued to sleep.

Liu Fushu: Angry to death.

Early the next morning, he came to the waterside pavilion with a stick and drove the unfilial son out.

Mixed in with his family’s disciples, Liu Xian’an carried a basket on his back and sweated profusely as he walked beneath the scorching sun. He also wore a big hat on his head to cover his face, lest all the girls in the city rush out to watch the excitement and block the team’s way.

Distributing heat-reducing concoctions was as charitable as giving porridge. The female disciples in Baihe Mountain Village were dexterous, and had also made a lot of cooling candies and anti-mosquito ointments, all of which were free to use. After walking the road for more than half a month, they finally arrived at a traffic artery where the north and south met, and built a shed on the flat land beside it.

This sort of thing was often done in Baihe Mountain Village during the summer to cool off the heat. In the winter, a stove was set up to cook chili and mutton soup, which was convenient for passers-by. So everyone was familiar with it except Liu Xian’an. His second uncle was leading the team, and seeing that his precious nephew hadn’t figured out his tent after a long time, he sent him to help carry the medicine, so as not to be accidentally pierced by a nail later.

Liu Xian’an agreed and put down the tent. Turning around, he saw that there were at least ten people carrying the medicine and he was not needed at all. 

So he wandered around, found a cool, clean, quiet place, and proceeded to lie flat.

A-Ning: “Ai, I knew it.”

Liu Xian’an slept extremely peacefully at this time and woke up refreshed, looking around comfortably: “What time is it?”

A-Ning replied: “Shen shi.”^[1]

Liu Xian’an was very surprised. Only a short hour had passed? Then he should be able to sleep a little longer.

“Don’t!” A-Ning pulled at him in despair. You didn’t sleep for an hour, you slept for a day and a night minus an hour.

During this time, after receiving their decoctions, many merchants would ask with curious concern, who is that person lying in the shed at the back? Why is he motionless, is he sick? 

The disciples of Baihe Mountain Village couldn’t just say that he was their family’s Second Young Master who was slacking off, and had no choice but to be vague and perfunctory – not sick, he’s just exhausted and taking a break.

“So tired, ah.” Everyone was distressed and admiring, and took the initiative to lower their voices. Next were a group of aunts who were bringing snacks to visit relatives, and hearing this, they all took food out of their bags and insisted on giving it to the young man who was too tired to get up, so that he could take good care of his body.

The disciples couldn’t refuse, so they obliged — they accepted them with thanks and put it all on a small table next to the Second Young Master, snacks and fruits and a few jugs of wine, just like tributes in a temple.

Liu Xian’an happened to grab a fruit to eat at this time. It was quite sweet, and after eating, he walked around. Good, people come and go, everything is orderly, busy but not chaotic, I’m still not needed.

He could go back and lie down.

T/N: Liu Xian’an successfully becomes the god of sleep.

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[1] Shen shi (申时) is between the hours of 3-5pm. ⮐

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

The next morning, there was a knock on the door.

Then the housekeeper, Uncle Kai, woke him respectfully, “Young Mister Pei, are you up?”

Pei Yi, who hadn’t slept enough, tried to block out the sound with the blanket. Then he recalled where he was and had to struggle out of the blanket’s embrace, getting up to open the door.

—Knock, knock.

Uncle Kai, who had been outside knocking on the door for a long time, finally saw it open. 

“Uncle Kai.”

With sleepy hair and sleepy eyes, Pei Yi spoke with a unique lazy softness. There was also a red indentation on his fair cheek, and his dazed appearance was truly cute.

Uncle Kai thought of his youngest son, who was still in high school, and smiled a little more. “Little Sir, are you hungry? Do you want to go downstairs for breakfast?”

When Pei Yi heard Uncle Kai change his form of address, his thoughts were delayed by sleepiness for a few seconds.

Uncle Kai seemed to notice his doubts, and took the initiative to explain, “There is also a ‘little young master’ in this family according to age, so in order to avoid unnecessary troubles in the future, the Second Young Master asked us to change our words.”

Hearing this, Pei Yi remembered that there was such a little young master in the Bo family in the original book, so he nodded.

It was just a title, it was convenient to change it.

Uncle Kai glanced at the time on his watch. “Little Sir, will you tidy up before going downstairs? Do you need help?”

Pei Yi shook his head.

Even the original owner could take care of his own washing up, let alone himself, who was sane.

Uncle Kai didn’t press him, and went downstairs after that simple answer. Pei Yi went back to the room to wash up, and it was only when he opened the suitcase that he ran into trouble—

In his haste to leave the miasma of the Pei residence last night, he had casually taken a few sets of clothes from the closet and left. Now that he took a closer look, most of the original owner’s old clothes had been worn for many years, and almost all of them had been washed until they were white and faded.

Pei Yi could only pick out a simple set of a white T-shirt and black trousers and grudgingly put them on.

Perhaps due to the environment he grew up in and his mentality, the original owner’s appearance was fair and young, not sharp at all, looking like a soft little milk cat or a little white rabbit.

It was only that now, he had such a black heart inside.

After tidying up, Pei Yi went downstairs. The kitchen on the first floor was still filled with the aroma of breakfast.

Bo Yueming sat in his seat with only one empty plate left on the table. He should have eaten already.

“Little Sir, come and sit down, what do you want to eat?” Uncle Kai placed the brewed coffee into Bo Yueming’s hand. “There are sandwiches and pastries, and I can also ask the kitchen to fry steak and eggs.”

Pei Yi didn’t have much need for breakfast, so he casually picked up the small rolls in the dining box on the table.

Seeing this, Uncle Kai asked, “What do you want to drink? Coffee?”

Pei Yi caught a glimpse of the hot coffee in Bo Yueming’s hand, and felt that the back of his tongue could already taste the bitterness. He suddenly remembered the red wine that he failed to drink last night, and lightly pursed his lips.

Before he could speak, Bo Yueming answered instead, “Is there any milk at home? Ask the kitchen to warm him a cup.”

“……”

Pei Yi was speechless.

Having received his instructions, Uncle Kai nodded and asked Pei Yi, “Little Sir, do you like warm milk?”

Pei Yi’s “no” got stuck in his throat, and he had to change his words in order to maintain his image. “En, I like.”

Compared with red wine or coffee, sweet drinks like milk did match the image of the original owner better.

Uncle Kai promptly went into the kitchen to order it to be prepared, and only Pei Yi and Bo Yueming were left in the spacious dining room. It was very quiet.

While pulling apart his roll, Pei Yi unconsciously glanced at the other’s elbow.

Compared with the relatively simple medicinal powder to stop the bleeding last night, the wound had been covered with a layer of waterproof anti-infection medical plaster.

Bo Yueming took a sip of coffee. “The wound is fine now.”

Pei Yi stopped tearing the roll and look at Bo Yueming uncertainly—

The other party’s eyes were still so deep, like a deep sea without ripples. They were obviously unable to see anything, but were filled with every subtle detail of light.

Bo Yueming set down his coffee. “Still staring at me?”

“Not, I’m not.”

Caught, Pei Yie got a little stuck for once. He had just swallowed the roll when Bo Yueming asked from the other side, “Pei Yi, would you like to see your mother?”

“……”

Pei Yi was taken aback for a moment, clearly not expecting the other party to bring this up.

Bo Yueming didn’t hear a response from Pei Yi, nor could he observe his expression, but the words had already been spoken, and he didn’t intend to stop halfway.

“Before the two families proposed marriage, I sent someone to inquire about your general situation.” Bo Yueming did not hide this fact. “I heard that Ms. Shu and Ms. Pei have been living in the Imperial Capital these years. Do they know about your marriage?”

Pei Yi shook his head, and immediately remembered Bo Yueming’s eyes. “Grandpa won’t let me see them.”

Bo Yueming had guessed that this would be the case. “If you feel the need to let them know about this, you can ask Uncle Kai to take you to them in the afternoon.”

When Pei Yi heard this proposal, a trace of surprise flickered in his eyes.

Before falling asleep last night, he was still thinking about how to meet the original owner’s mother and sister, but he didn’t expect that when he woke up, Bo Yueming would give them a chance to meet outright.

Pei Yi had made up his mind, but didn’t forget the original owner’s behavior. “I, I can go?”

Bo Yueming tapped the outside of the coffee cup with his fingertips. “You can.”

Last night, Pei Yi had mentioned his biological mother when treating the wound. Although it was just a word, it still reminded Bo Yueming of his own upbringing.

Since the other party wanted to meet, he would follow suit and let Uncle Kai take him to meet them.

Firstly, to “repay” Pei Yi’s kindness to him last night.

And secondly, to let Uncle Kai take the opportunity to discover the true nature of the mother and daughter, lest some greedy and unreliable people use Pei Yi’s name to cause trouble for the Bo family in the future.

. . . . . .

At two o’clock in the afternoon, the car stopped at the entrance of a dilapidated alley.

The original owner’s diary recorded the address of the original owner’s mother, Shu Wan. This was the same as the address that Bo Yueming had privately sought out, No. 26 Baiyang Alley.

The path made of stone slabs was full of potholes, and the walls of the alley on both sides were covered with moss and various printed advertisements. To be honest, the houses in this area could not be counted as good, and deviated from the norm.

As soon as Pei Yi stepped into the alley, the remnants of memory in his mind flooded out. The original owner’s mother and sister had always lived here, never moving away.

Uncle Kai approached. “Little Sir, do you remember this place? Is it here?”

Pei Yi nodded. Before he could say anything, there was a commotion in the depths of the alley.

“Am I the landlord or are you the landlord?”

“If you can’t pay the rent, then get out of here! If you live here for a long time, does that make it your own house? You still want to occupy my house by force and not leave?”

“So what if it’s not the end of the month? If you won’t sign the agreement today, then get out of here! There’s nothing to discuss!”

As their footsteps approached, the dispute became louder and louder.

— Bang!

A mess of items were thrown out through the gate of No. 26 and scattered all over the ground. Immediately afterwards, a middle-aged woman was violently pushed, and fell heavily from the house through the door.

“Hiss, ah.”

The woman’s hair was a little disheveled, and her wrist was bloodied by the stone path when she fell to the ground.

She paid no mind to the pain, and quickly picked up two photos on the ground with a forbearing and helpless look on her face. “Mr. Zheng, don’t bully people too much!”

Pei Yi caught a glimpse of the photos from the corner of his eye, and his expression shifted slightly.

An ordinary-looking man with a buzz cut stepped through the threshold and sneered at the middle-aged woman. “Don’t sell misery, I’m not buying it!”

After saying that, he noticed Pei Yi, Uncle Kai, and other nearby, and shouted impolitely, “Who are you, ah, why are you standing in front of my house watching the show? Leave, leave, leave!”

When the middle-aged woman heard this, she belatedly looked to the side, and the moment her eyes landed on Pei Yi, they reddened with surprise and joy.

“Xiao, Xiao Yi! How did you come here?”

Pei Yi officially confirmed the identity of the other party. That is, the original owner’s mother, Shu Wan. He quickly walked forward, helped the other party up from the ground, and looked at her scratched wrist with a heavy gaze.

“Does it hurt?”

“Xiao Yi, it’s really my Xiao Yi, ah!”

Shu Wan was immersed in the shock of seeing her own son, so she didn’t notice the tone of the inquiry. She tremblingly stroked Pei Yi’s shoulders, speechless, and didn’t know where to start.

“Let mom take a good look. Why have you lost so much weight? What about the bruises on your hands?”

Before the warmth of the mother-child meeting could last a few seconds, the landlord with the buzzcut opened his mouth to regain a sense of existence, “Hey, is this the foolish son you always talk about, ah?”

“He came just in time! If you don’t make up for the rent increase today, then get out of here together!”

His tone of voice became much ruder. 

Shu Wang feared that the landlord’s violent temper would scare Pei Yi, so she forcibly shelved her inner helplessness and closely guarded her son behind her. “Mr. Zheng, my youngest son cannot be stimulated. Let’s talk politely if you have something to say, I beg you not to frighten him.”

Her voice was still lingering when a gentle but firm voice followed closely behind. “Mom! What are you talking about with such a shameless scoundrel!”

Everyone looked in unison at the person who had come, and a young girl with a beautiful and gentle appearance ran up. Their eyes met, and Pei Yi recognized her as the original owner’s sister, Pei Yuan.

Pei Yuan looked at Pei Yi with a pleasantly surprised smile, and then at Shu Wan’s injured wrist with distress. “Mom, why is Xiao Yi here? Are you all right?”

The landlord with a buzzcut who was called a “scoundrel” took a step forward with an angry look on his face. “Fuck, who the hell are you calling a scoundrel?”

Pei Yuan took a deep breath. She was clearly petite, but she still mustered the courage to stand in front of her mother and younger brother. “Zheng Bin, don’t think that this mother and daughter will tolerate you again and again!”

“In the past six months, you have violated the rental contract we made in the beginning and increased the monthly rent from 5,000 to 6,000, and then to 8,000. And now you want to increase it to 10,000!”^[1]

“In any case, we are unwilling, and you just barged in to make trouble! You pushed my mom and sprained her foot last time, and now her wrist! In the end, who is the smelly, shameless person making fallacious arguments!”

The layout of this apartment was very small, and was also the place where Shu Wan and her husband Pei Ruye started their “household.”

The original landlord was Zheng Bin’s mother, a very gentle soul.

For more than twenty years, she, who was also a woman, knew that Shu Wan’s difficulties were not small, and they always took good care of each other during the holidays. Even if the price of goods rose over time, the rent increases were always within the means of the mother and daughter.

A year ago, the old landlord transferred the ownership of the house to her son, Zheng Bin. After the other party received it, he immediately demanded a price increase.

Shu Wan and Pei Yuan both agreed at the beginning. They couldn’t keep accepting the mother’s favor, so the two parties re-signed the rental contract, paid a deposit, and agreed to pay the rent every two months.

Shu Wan didn’t want her daughter to bear too much of the rent, and would rather get up early and return late to work two part-time jobs, but she never complained about suffering or exhaustion. Coupled with the savings left over from living frugally over the years, the rent was not difficult to settle.

They never thought that in half a year, Zheng Bin would outright renege on the price increase.

This house carried so many memories for Shu Wan, so she was unwilling to move away easily.  In addition, after Old Mrs. Pei’s death, the mother and daughter had been rejected by the Pei family and hadn’t seen Pei Yi for a long time.

The address of this house was the only way Pei Yi knew to find them.

For the sake of the son and younger brother.

The mother and daughter gritted their teeth time and time again and agreed to the rent increases, but they didn’t expect Zheng Bin to be so outrageous!

The more Pei Yuan thought about it, the more angry and aggrieved she felt, and accused in a shaking voice, “Zheng Bin, the houses in this area cannot be rented at such a price! You just assume that we absolutely need this house, and think that orphans and widows are soft persimmons, so you raise the rent arbitrarily and unreasonably!”

He wildly breached the contract and increased the price during the lease period, and each time, the door-to-door rent shakedown violence became increasingly severe. The rent of 10,000 yuan was not a small amount in the Imperial Capital, either!

“Let me tell you! I’ve kept all the rental contacts and transfer records!”

Pei Yuan was also afraid of this big and tall Zheng Bin, but for the sake of the thin mother and ignorant younger brother, she took a choked breath, “If you dare to act recklessly again, we will go to the police station to deal with it! They’ll see who the real unreasonable scoundrel is!”

“You…..”

Zheng Bin knew he was in the wrong, but he didn’t want to lose face to Pei Yuan. He angrily raised a fist to scare off the person in front of him. “Don’t think I dare not hit a woman!”

As soon as the threatening words came out—

Pei Yi, who was being protected by the mother and daughter, couldn’t take it any longer and rushed forward to punch him!

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[1] In USD, about $700, $850, $1200, and $1500 respectively. ⮐

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Chapter Five <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Seven

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Do it!”

Chang Wanli slapped the table: “Who dares!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chang Wanli’s face paled: “Ah?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Then he just left?”

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

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

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

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

“But I really don’t know.”

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

He Rao’s face clouded like wash water.

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

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

Cheng Suyue said: “Oh.”

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

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

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

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

Very well indeed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chang Xiaoqiu choked: “Who are you?”

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

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

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

Chang Xiaoqiu: “……”

Please get out!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Near noon, the guests arrived one after another.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kan Chuan: “ ? ”

The others: “Wow.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I’ll run.”

“I mean five laps around the capital.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Okay, ah, how much do you want?”

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

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

“…….”

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

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

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

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

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

“Then keep it for yourself.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Zhao Yelan almost laughed to the point of tears.

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

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

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

“What do you mean?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“……”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“……”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I can handle it myself, you go out.”

“You can’t.”

“…….”

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

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

“…….”

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

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

Pei Yi responded with a soft sound.

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

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

Pei Yi pursed his lips. “Okay.”

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

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

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

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

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

“Thanks.”

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

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

“……”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“……”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The slight touch continued on his elbow.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Click.

The box closed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It was getting late. This episode should be over.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Chapter Four <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Six

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yes.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pei Yi understood what Uncle Kai meant, and nodded.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

. . . . . .

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Indeed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

. . . . . .

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

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

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

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

The night was already deep.

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

“……”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Driven out of the Bo residence?

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

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

“…….”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Time passed by silently.

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

“……”

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

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

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

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

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

Wa? Oh~

Was this something he could see without paying?

---

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Chapter Three <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Five

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

“…….”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This person was simply a weasel kept at home!

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

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

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

Could this be done?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

—Bang!

The unsteady Chen Rong fell backwards toward the desk table.

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

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

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

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

Sure enough, the sound of footsteps came quickly.

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

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

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

“…….”

Everyone looked in unison toward the source of the sound.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I……”

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

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

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

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

Call the police?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“…….”

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

Pei Yi watched this farce calmly—

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The room fell silent, and the atmosphere became awkward.

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

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

These words added fuel to the fire.

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

—Pa!

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

“…….”

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

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

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

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

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

One farce after another.

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

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

He understood everything, but didn’t reveal anything.

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

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

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

. . . . . . 

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

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

Wait and see, ba.

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

---

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

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

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Chapter Two <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Four

“…….”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Footsteps sounded one after another.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“You have an eye—”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

One sentence brought the topic back to proper business.

Pei Ruzhang pretended to be surprised. “Really?”

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

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

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

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

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

Hearing this, each scheming person smiled in unison.

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

“Of course, I would love to.”

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

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

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

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

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

—Bang.

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

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

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

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

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

“Whether you understand or not—”

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

“……”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A fool and a blind man.

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

. . . . . .

In the separate small villa.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

First and foremost was his eyes.

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

“All right.”

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

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

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

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

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

Uncle Kai grasped this intuitively. “I understand.”

. . . . . .

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“…….”

Follow me back to the Pei residence?

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

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

. . . . . .

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

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

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

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

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

The marriage was settled?

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

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

“Senior housekeeper will personally pack for Xiao Yi?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yes, ah, let me do it.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

—Bang!

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

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

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

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Chapter One <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Three

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

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

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

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

The silent Pei Yi finally moved.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Has this fool changed his nature?

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

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

With that said, she snuck into the bedroom.

. . . . . .

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

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

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

The car started quickly.

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

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

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

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

“…….”

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

Don’t understand?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What was this dear uncle?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

There are no words.

The one with the biggest grievance is actually myself.

. . . . . .

The car soon drove into the Bo family manor.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“…….”

Say hello?

Give you face like in the past?

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

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

— Crash!

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

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

Intangible disdain was the deadliest.

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

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

“…….”

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

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

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

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

“I’m fine.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tsk.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The surrounding servants began to cast their eyes covertly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“…….”

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

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

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

How should a little fool express his likes and dislikes?

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

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

“…….”

The eyes of the surrounding servants widened.

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

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

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

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

“……”

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

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

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Table of Contents >> Chapter Two