Before Yan Mingting could make a move, Li Yucheng couldn’t wait to leap into action, and addressed Fu Qian excitedly: “I’m following orders, do you dare to fight back?”

Fu Qian didn’t dare, so he was punched several times until his face was bruised and swollen.

“Most beautiful man in the capital, go back and see what you look like now.” Li Yucheng laughed with his hands on his hips.

Zhao Yelan bought another set of shiba dumplings and turned around to enter the inn next door, then began to enjoy the food.

Fu Qian had already fled in despair.

“That person is the most beautiful man in the capital?” Zuo Ran asked curiously. “Who gave him that name?”

“Himself.” Li Yucheng picked up a dumpling and stuffed it into his mouth, his eyes immediately lighting up. “What is this thing, it’s so delicious!”

The taste was truly pretty good. The skin was thin, and the stuffing was rich. One bite into it and you could smell the fragrance first, then the smooth, tender stuffing burst in the mouth with sweet and salty flavors that were perfectly intertwined. The unique taste was very novel. Zhao Yelan, who was accustomed to delicious food, couldn’t help showing an expression of surprise.

Yan Mingting gave up on verbal praise and dug in wildly, eating five or six in the blink of an eye without fear of choking.

Zhao Yelan ordered a few sweet soups from the inn and placed the extra two bowls in front of Yan Mingting.

“Aiyo, I say, why are you not fat if you can eat so much?” Li Yucheng looked incredibly envious. Yan Mingting’s figure was the type he coveted the most. It seemed that no matter how much he ate, he wouldn’t get fat, and it would automatically turn into muscle. He looked very strong, and the broad shoulders gave one a great sense of security!

“It’s just that you came back to Beijing too late, otherwise what would have happened to that kid Fu Qian? He wouldn’t be called the most beautiful man in the capital, ba,” Li Yucheng said with a sneer.

“How did he come to be called that?” Zuo Ran asked.

“Among the children of noble families, compared to the others with big bellies and short hair, he is considered a little more attractive. One day when he drank too much, he embraced a woman in a restaurant to show off, and said that he was the most handsome man among the children of the noble families in the capital. After word spread, it became abbreviated somehow,” Li Yucheng said.

“But…..even if the General wasn’t in the capital, wasn’t there still Zhao-daren?” Zuo Ran turned her head to look at him. “How come no one mentioned Zhao-daren?”

“Hey, how can ordinary people see him, ah, most of them don’t know what Zhao Yelan looks like. Moreover, those who knew him were afraid of death, so how could they dare to judge him for being beautiful or not? In the case that someone grew angry and tossed them into prison for the rest of their lives, would they dare?” Li Yucheng said.

Zuo Ran was startled: “My lord is not so scary.”

“You don’t know much, ba. Didn’t you see how afraid Fu Qian was when he saw him? To be honest, I used to be afraid of him too.” After Li Yucheng spoke, he glanced over furtively and saw that the other party didn’t seem to be listening to him at all, and was tilting his head to whisper to Yan Mingting. He couldn’t help but sigh and shake his head. “I also never expected that I would see him so intimate with another man…..”

Suddenly, a sharp look shot over at him from Zhao Yelan. Li Yucheng was startled and ducked his head like a quail, behaving himself: “Zhao-daren and General Yan are the best match.”

Zuo Ran and Yin Pinglu exchanged a look, then lowered their heads and suppressed their smiles.

The group of people tasted several other delicious things. When they passed a silk shop, Zuo Ran and Yin Pinglu’s footsteps slowed a bit. They wanted to go in and have a look, but were too embarrassed to tell these big men.

Just when they were quietly discussing plans to come back at night, Zhao Yelan swaggered in front of them and entered the shop, followed by Yan Mingting, who seemed free of pressure and could even be said to be used to it.

Dumbfounded, the two of them immediately followed them in. They saw that Zhao Yelan had already begun to shop, and became dazzled at the sight.

Zhao Yelan bought a lot in one go. It had been so long since he came to Jiangnan, and he had yet to spend money to his heart’s content. He was going back to the capital soon, so why not buy more things he liked before returning?

In one afternoon, Zhao Yelan bought a lot of things.

Yan Mingting’s arms were full of silk, and he was carrying some pastries in his hands. There was also a small pouch of shortbread hanging on his scabbard, which could be said to have reached the greatest extent of its use.

“I’ll go back to the inn and put these things away, ba.” Yan Mingting was holding so many things that he almost couldn’t see the street.

“Fine.” Zhao Yelan pointed to a restaurant not far away, “We’ll wait for you there.”

“All right.” Yan Mingting wobbled back to the inn.

The others had things in their hands, but they hadn’t bought as much as Zhao Yelan. After all, the two girls didn’t have much money, and Li Yucheng had already reaped a lot of things from his uncle’s house.

“Waiter, serve up your most delicious dishes and two pots of good tea,” Li Yucheng called.

The group sat down in a private room. Zhao Yelan perched by the window, looked at the sunny weather, and wondered if it was still raining in Huaizhou and Zhizhou.

“This tea is pretty good, I want to take some to the capital.” Yin Pinglu took two sips. “My lord, do you want to taste it too?”

Zhao Yelan casually took a couple of sips. Although it wasn’t the best tea he had ever tasted, it was still a bit sweeter than ordinary tea. He nodded and asked the waiter to prepare some tea to be taken away.

“It’s a pity that a rough person like me can’t tell the difference between good and bad tea.” Zuo Ran drank the tea in one gulp, then spat out the dregs. “The last time I went to the General’s Mansion, Housekeeper Qin said that the tea made for me was good tea, but I can’t tell it apart from this one, ah.”

Zhao Yelan raised his eyes and looked at her while maintaining his composure.

“Hey, it’s not your fault.” Li Yucheng waved his hand. “His family’s tea is not expensive at all, it’s just picked from ordinary trees. If someone says it’s delicious, it must be for the sake of politeness.”

Zhao Yelan looked at him coolly: “Have you drunk it as well?”

“I drank it, ah, it was when my father and I came to the General’s Mansion,” Li Yucheng said.

Yin Pinglu smiled gently: “The General’s tea is not rich in variety, but rich in affection. The tea tree was planted by the old lady herself, and since he was at the border all the time, he sent letters back asking Housekeeper Qin to take care of it for him.”

Zhao Yelan finally couldn’t control his expression, and said a bit stiffly: “Haven’t you never been to Beijing? How did you come to drink his tea?”

“My lord doesn’t know, but although the General was at the border, Housekeeper Qin sent someone every year to deliver some dried tea leaves to him. I was fortunate enough to taste it once,” Yin Pinglu said.

Zhao Yelan nodded his head slowly.

“So that turns out to be the case. He must place much value on family and friends.” Li Yucheng sighed, then looked at Zhao Yelan with a laugh. “It’s such a pity for you. With such picky tastes, you have to drink his family’s tea every day.”

The other two also laughed.

Zhao Yelan was silent, unable to tell them that he had taken a sip himself and then was never able to drink it again.

“Hey, the General is here.” Zuo Ran pointed outside the window.

The group turned their heads to look out. It happened that Yan Mingting raised his head and nodded at him. He was just about to enter the door when he accidentally bumped into a girl.

“Are you all right?” Yan Mingting asked.

The people upstairs could clearly see that the girl had bumped into him on her own.

“It appears that Yan Mingting, this guy,  is loved by others,” Li Yucheng said gloatingly. “It’s not surprising. Yan Mingting is taller than most of the men in this city, not to mention handsome and dashing, with an air of nobility. Which girl wouldn’t be tempted?”

After speaking, he specially took a glance at Zhao Yelan, wanting to see if he was angry. But unexpectedly, the other party was just waving his fan calmly with a slight smile in his eyes, looking at the scene outside calmly, as if he didn’t care at all.

……Wrong! Li Yucheng’s eyes fell on Zhao Yelan’s hand. Although he was waving the fan calmly, the joints and veins in his hand were bulging as if he wanted to crush it.

Sure enough, no one could completely ignore this sort of thing, even Zhao Yelan.

The girl blushed and asked, “I’m fine, sir, thank you. May I ask what your name is and where you’re from?”

“You’re really okay?” Yan Mingting reconfirmed.

“I’m fine.”

“If you’re fine, how could you bump into someone?” Yan Mingting pointed to both sides of the road. “The road is so wide, yet you can still bump into people. Do you have eye problems or dizziness? Don’t you need to find a doctor to figure out what’s causing it?”

The girl’s face grew increasingly redder. After stamming for a long moment, she suddenly stomped her foot in frustration and turned to run away.

When Yan Mingting walked into the private room, this group of people still hadn’t stopped laughing. Especially Li Yucheng, who laughed so hard that he nearly fell off his chair.

“What are you laughing at?” Yan Mingting asked, mystified.

The group was stunned for a moment, and Zhao Yelan said: “He really doesn’t seem to know what we’re laughing about.”

“Save me, that’s even more ridiculous, ah!” Li Yucheng collapsed laughing on the chair.

Zhao Yelan laughed softly. Half of his face was obscured by the fan, and only a pair of star-like eyes were exposed, which were really beautiful when bent in a smile.

Yan Mingting was stunned for a moment, staring into his eyes. The mood was infectious, and he also laughed after a while.

After the meal, Yan Mingting learned the reason from Li Yucheng, and couldn’t help being surprised.

He really just thought that girl had an eye or head disease, and that was why she had bumped into him. After all, he wasn’t arrogant enough to think that everyone would like him, and his thoughts were all on Zhao Yelan, so he didn’t have time to pay attention to others.

But what could he say, hearing about Zhao Yelan’s angry and jealous look, he still felt a surge of joy in his heart. But it was only a moment of secret joy that soon turned to worry.

Jealousy was sometimes a good thing, and sometimes not. For example, at this time, he stood outside the door at the inn and knocked for a long time: “I have something to discuss with you, let me come in and talk…..”

He immediately put on a serious face when someone passed by, and waited before they disappeared before knocking again: “I’m begging you…..”

After a while, Zhao Yelan opened the door: “What’s the matter?”

Yan Mingting stared in a daze, seeing that he had changed into brand new clothes. The thin, emerald green shirt with fluttering sleeves made him seem to transcend worldly affairs, unstained by dust. His eyes lit up: “So beautiful.”

Zhao Yelan gave him a haughty look and turned sideways to go out.

“Where are you going?” Yan Mingting followed along.

“Just for a stroll.” Zhao Yelan walked to the market. It was rare that he could wander around at will, so he wanted to take a look.

Tonight, Yan Mingting seemed to be having sudden spasms as he followed at his side. Whenever a passing woman took a look at Yan Mingting, he would raise his hand vigilantly to prevent her from approaching: “Sorry, I’m married.”

“I have a wife.”

“Don’t look at me, I’m a family man.”

The women passing by regarded him as if they were looking at a handsome but brainless idiot.

Zhao Yelan pressed his forehead and opened his fan to cover his face, not wanting to be seen with him.

“General Yan! It’s really you!” An old woman walked over with joy, her eyes shining.

“Sorry, I’m really married.” Yan Mingting stopped her.

Zhao Yelan: “……”

“Of course I know you’re married, and you’re married to Zhao-daren.” The old woman said with a smile.

“You know us?” Yan Mingting asked.

“En, I’m from Huaizhou, and I was sent here by your people to join my relatives. I’m staying at my brother’s house now, and I’ll go back in a while.” The old woman smiled kindly and enthusiastically handed over a basket. “These are the tomatoes planted by my younger brother and sister. They’re very sweet. My lords should take a taste.”

Yan Mingting couldn’t refuse, so he smiled and took two: “Many thanks, we just had dinner, so these two are enough.”

“I’m the one who should thank you, our family survived only because of you. I heard that many people died in droughts in previous years. This time it is all thanks to you discovering it early that more losses were prevented.”

After returning to the inn, Yan Mingting washed the bright red tomatoes and handed him one: “Try it?”

Zhao Yelan lowered his head and took a bite of it from his hand. He nodded: “It’s pretty sweet.”

Yan Mingting was stunned, staring at his face for a moment. After a while, Zhao Yelan lowered his head and took another bite. His thick eyelashes fluttered, his skin porcelain-like before the other’s eyes. Yan Mingting felt his heart beat harder, and his hands shook imperceptibly.

The tomato tasted sweet and was very juicy. When Zhao Yelan raised his head, there was a lot of juice at the corner of his mouth, which flowed down to his jaw.

Yan Mingting also had some of it on his hands but couldn’t bother with it, watching him first stick out his tender red tongue to lick the corner of his mouth, and then take out a brocade handkerchief to wipe other places.

“Don’t you want to try it?” Zhao Yelan asked.

Yan Mingting stuffed the remaining half of the tomato into his mouth in one breath, then stretched out his hand in front of him and beckoned for him to wipe it.

“The handkerchief is already dirty,” Zhao Yelan said.

What a pity, Yan Mingting thought to himself. The next moment, Zhao Yelan took his hand and leaned down to put his juice-stained finger into his mouth, raising his eyes to look at him.

A fuse seemed to have ignited within Yan Mingting. As if on fire, his face was redder than the tomato, the blush spreading to his neck. His whole body was scorching hot, all of it like a bright red ripe tomato.

“Is this all right?” Zhao Yelan let go of his hand.

“All right, all right!” Yan Mingting nodded hard, wishing he would do it a few more times, preferably every day!

He had eaten so fast that he didn’t even realize there was a little bit of juice at the corner of his mouth. Zhao Yelan took a few glances, and then leaned over and licked it away. Just as he was about to retreat, the other party hooked his neck and irresistibly pried open his lips, tasting the sweet tomato juice again.

It was not until footsteps sounded outside that the two parted with unfinished business.

“Let me tell you, Fu Qian is just a gift!” Li Yucheng traipsed in happily and sat down on the other side of the table, saying, “Guess what he did today?”

The two didn’t answer his words at all, and he continued on his own: “He bought a lot of things today, all of which you bought! Whichever clothes you bought, he immediately followed and secretly bought them, as well as sachets, teas, calligraphy, and paintings, ah, none of these were spared. I think he just wants to learn from you, and is mimicking you but making a fool of himself!”

After he finished speaking excitedly, he found that the other two did not respond, and asked: “Why aren’t you speaking?”

“Have you finished?” Zhao Yelan asked. “Since you’re done, get out. Don’t disturb our business.”

“It’s so late, what business could you do, ah?” Li Yucheng asked without thinking.

Zhao Yelan turned his head to the side, kissed Yan Mingting on the lips, and then looked back at him gravely: “This kind of business.”

Caught off guard, Li Yucheng fell off his stool in fright: “Ex, excuse me, goodbye!” Saying this, he ran out as if about to piss his pants in terror, then turned back in a flash and closed the door. “Don’t mind me, please continue.”

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Chapter Sixty-Seven <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Sixty-Nine

Zhuang Zhou^[1] once dreamed of becoming a butterfly so vividly that he didn’t remember who he was.

Second Young Master Liu also had a dream. He dreamt of ascending to the sky and swimming in the void, floating above all things.

In fact, he didn’t actually sleep well, and slept especially lightly during the day. Even though his eyes were closed, he could almost always hear the movement around him, so why couldn’t the servant shake him awake? The main reason was that Second Young Master Liu didn’t want to wake up. The world in his mind was too big. The sun and moon shined with color and beauty, and he would often accidentally step into the void, so it was normal to not hear the boy’s calls.

The carriage was a little bumpy on the way. Liu Xian’an kept his eyes closed and changed his position again. His attire was not as luxurious and exquisite as Liang Shu’s. Since he was going away to travel, he wanted to be as comfortable as possible. A loose, thin old robe with a half-open neckline might be outrageous for anyone else to wear, but when worn on him, it seemed to lend him a bit of an immortal air, lightly floating like a cloud above verdant bamboo shoots.

Liang Shu sat opposite him. His eyes slid from the other’s eyebrows to the small sesame seed mole on the jut of his throat. He knew that his second sister always liked to collect beautiful things. In the princess’s manor, everything from the cups, plates, and chopsticks to the maids and guards were beautiful, and there was not even one common weed in the flower garden. Since she had to choose the best-looking things in the world, it was not difficult to understand why she cried and fussed a while ago and insisted on marrying the sleeping immortal in front of him.

The curtains blocked the light and made the space inside the carriage seem more enclosed. The sandalwood fragrance on Liang Shu’s body was originally faint, but then gradually became a bit thicker. The odd smell finally made the wandering Second Young Master Liu twitch his nose a little, vaguely feeling that something was wrong with today’s dream.

His eyelashes fluttered slightly, and it looked as if he was struggling to wake up, but at this moment, the wheels suddenly jerked up! The sudden shift in balance made Liu Xian’an roll forward, and he opened his eyes with a short cry! At the critical moment, Liang Shu turned his long sword with one hand and blocked the opponent’s shoulder with the hilt, pushing him back into his seat again.

Liu Xian’an had still not recovered. Unfinished wild dreams disturbed the dim space in front of him, and he didn’t come back to his senses for a long time. He only felt his heart beating and his brain buzzing, and what was even more shocking was that after the dreams dissipated, he found a sword suspended beside his neck.

A very long sword with a red-black hilt and a mottled scabbard.

Looking forward, there was a person holding the sword.

The flickering lights in the carriage made this scene even more unreal. Most of Liang Shu’s face was hidden in the shadows. His pupils were lighter than ordinary people’s, like some kind of ferocious sand beast, and although he was dressed in fine clothing, Liu Xian’an was still keenly aware of the murderous aura on the other’s body. It had soaked in the battlefield for many years, wrapped in the rough wind and sand from the Northwest, so bloody that no amount of thick sandalwood could suppress it.

“……Your Royal Highness.”

Liu Xian’an withdrew his gaze, and was about to stand up and salute, but the carriage coincidentally bumped again. Liang Shu used the hilt of his sword once more to push back the man staggering toward him: “Sit down.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.” Liu Xian’an held onto the armrest. He didn’t quite understand why no one had informed him of their departure, and also, did the prince not prepare another carriage? Why did he crowd into this one, and where did his servant go?

Liang Shu’s world did not exist in the Three Thousand Avenues of Second Young Master Liu, so he was confused for a moment. The two just sat opposite each other in the moving carriage, each of them silent. Liu Xian’an couldn’t help but think of his uncle and aunt who had seemed to be in perfect harmony during the family dinner on New Year’s Eve last year, but planned to split up after the family property was divided.

Liang Shu was in no hurry. There was still at least ten days’ journey from Baihe City to Fuhu Mountain, and he had plenty of time to leisurely relieve his boredom.

Just because the other party chatted in a teahouse, he took the person away by force. This kind of behavior could not be considered good, but His Royal Highness Xiao Wang  had been doing bad things since he was a child. Those white-bearded veterans in the court still talked about the past with solemn and sorrowful expressions, so this trivial matter did not rank near the top.

The carriage continued on, swaying, creaking, and dim.

In this hypnotic environment, Liu Xian’an’s eyelids began to sink again and his head also bobbed forward from time to time, his whole body swaying. Liang Shu glanced out the window and saw that the vehicle driving ahead had stopped at a tea shack by the side of the road, so he also got up and left the carriage.

Seeing this, the coachman pulled the reins: “Whoa —”

The horse’s hooves stopped on the spot, and the carriage still jumped forward a bit due to inertia. Liang Shu heard a “bang” from inside the carriage, as expected, and then the sound of someone gasping for breath.

“Yo, Young Master!” The coachman hurried in to help him up. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” Liu Xian’an’s forehead was very red, and he didn’t understand how he had fallen into such a sprawl. The coachman helped him out of the carriage and said, “Young Master, drink a cup of tea here and have a rest.”

Liang Shu had already stepped into the tea shack first, and when the servant boy saw the prince leaving, he ran over quickly and asked in astonishment: “Young Master,  what happened to your head?”

“I accidentally bumped it.” Liu Xian’an glanced around. He saw that there were only three carriages parked on the mountain road and that there were not many soldiers in the tea shack, so he asked, “There are only these people?”

“When we first set off from the city, there were quite a lot of them. Later, we divided them into different routes,” the boy servant said. “Lieutenant General Gao said that the prince doesn’t want to make too much noise, so he wants to travel discreetly.”

Liu Xian’an asked again: “You have been with Lieutenant General Gao all this way, what else did he say?”

“Nothing more,” the boy replied truthfully. “After he talked about traveling discreetly, Lieutenant General Gao asked me what my name was. I said A-Ning, and he asked which Ning. I just told him, nothing is created, nothing is destroyed, nothing is accomplished, this Ning,^[2] the young master personally chose it for me. And then Lieutenant General Gao didn’t speak again.”

Liu Xian’an patted his head: “If someone asks you again in the future, just say it’s the peaceful Ning. Let’s go and take a rest.”

The two picked clean chairs and sat down. Tea and food were already prepared on the table. Naturally, there would not be any good things on the mountainside. There was a big pot of rough tea and sesame seed cakes that were as hard as stones. When fighting in the Northwest, this kind of food was considered the staple food of the army, and Gao Lin had long become accustomed to it. But he felt that for a wealthy gongzi like Liu Xian’an, it would be impossible to swallow it, so he glanced at the next table in a good mood.

It was true that Liu Xian’an could not bite into it, but he didn’t toss it aside. Instead, he broke off a piece and dipped it in tea, chewing it slowly. The servant to the side also followed suit, eating in a polite manner. The master and servant simply sat in the shade under mottled sunlight, and finished the two big cakes.

Lieutenant General Gao was dumbfounded, and even had doubts about the food at Biahe Mountain Village. He thought it was possible that this group of people usually chewed dry medicinal herbs for their meals, so they could eat anything without objection.

Liang Shu also stared blankly. He had only brought these people out for a bit of fun, and now that the fun was gone, he began looking for trouble: “Did this prince ever say that he wanted to rest here?”

Gao Lin was very wronged. He had originally only arranged to drink tea and rest here. Who insisted on eating and asked the stall owner to make a bunch of overnight cakes? In the end, he saw that Second Young Master Liu was quite happy to eat them.

In order to prevent his prince from continuing to find fault and make even more trouble, Gao Lin took the initiative to change the subject: “Do you want to stay in Xiaomian Village tonight? I’ll send someone to make preparations in advance.”

“No need.” Liang Shu set the teacup on the table. “It is critical that we hurry, we can stay wherever.”

Gao Lin: “…….”

What did it mean to stay wherever? Aside from Xiaomian Village, this road was full of tall trees and deep forests. It was difficult to even find a flat open space. Eating hard cakes, sleeping in the woods, such methods of teasing were comparable to the four-year-old bear son of Old Zhao in the palace. After being beaten up by a girl, he held back for three days and then pulled her hair out. It could even be said that he yielded an astonishing profit.

Liang Shu glanced at him: “What are you thinking?”

Gao Lin shook his head: “I’m not, I’m not thinking about anything.”

After Liu Xian’an finished eating the sesame seed cakes, he was forcibly dragged out by his servant for a walk to digest the food. The two of them stood together and rubbed their stomachs in circles. Gao Lin had never seen this sort of authoritative health maintenance routine before, so he followed suit a few times, looking delighted. A-Ning didn’t hold back his snicker, and Liu Xian’an also smiled. When he did so, his appearance was remarkable. Gao Lin said in a low voice: “Huh, no wonder the princess insisted on marrying him.”

Liang Shu declined to comment on the matter. He strode out of the tea shack, mounted his horse, and said: “Let’s go!”

A-Ning helped Liu Xian’an into the carriage. He planned to get acquainted with Lieutenant General Gao in the future and see if he could request a pony for the young master to ride, so that he could move around and not always go to sleep after eating.

Just as he was thinking this to himself, he turned around to find that Liu Xian’an had found a napping position again.

For Second Young Master Liu, it didn’t make much difference whether the prince or A-Ning was sitting in the carriage, because nobody could delay his dreams of flying birds and swimming fish. He was soaring in the sky this time instead of in the void, entirely free and unchained.

He was very comfortable all the way until twilight fell.

The carriage stopped deep in the forest and four or five campfires were lit. The food was better than at noon. The guards went to hunt pheasants in the forest, which were roasted fragrant and oily in a short while, and there was also a large bag of sweet and sour wild fruits.

Gao Lin brought some food to A-Ning. Seeing that he was in high spirits, looking around nonstop, he asked: “What are you looking at?”

A-Ning replied: “The woods.”

Gao Lin learned his lesson from the heavenly scriptures in the afternoon. He didn’t continue to ask about the woods, but just gave a light nod to show politeness, so as not to bring shame on the palace.

Liu Xian’an was also gazing at the woods. This was his first time sleeping outdoors. The ancient trees were tall and dense, and the breeze was refreshing. The scenery was as open and lofty as a painting.

The sages used the beauty of heaven and earth to realize the truth of all things. Thinking about it, this situation should be the same.

He wrapped the blanket loosely around himself with a sigh, feeling very comfortable.

Gao Lin vaguely felt that his prince’s plan seemed to have failed again.

Because this young master didn’t seem to feel dissatisfied about sleeping in the forest. On the contrary, he looked very comfortable.

Who could reason with him?

Liang Shu said: “If you continue to shake your head there, I’ll twist it off.”

Gao Lin’s neck immediately stiffened. No shaking, no shaking.

Liang Shu closed his eyes again: “Someone is coming.”

Gao Lin stopped poking fun and took a long knife from a guard, turning to look at the other side. After a while, there were indeed rustling footsteps and intermittent groans one after another in miserable pain. In the setting of a wild forest deep at night, it was eerie, almost as if they were being haunted.

A-Ning quietly asked: “Young Master, by the sound of these voices, is someone injured?”

Liu Xian’an nodded: “Yes.”

A group of people emerged from the woods with a “crash.” They were dressed uniformly in black clothing, and should be from some escort bureau or martial arts sect. Four of them carried a wounded man on a stretcher, and one who looked like the leader stepped forward to salute Gao Lin in a respectful manner: “This brother, if it is convenient, let us stay here tonight. We really can’t find a good place elsewhere.”

“There is an open space nearby, help yourselves. Don’t disturb my master.” Seeing that there was still some wild game on the fire, Gao Lin asked the guards to give them some. The escort thanked him repeatedly and moved to the side to start a fire. He tore up the roast meat, and added bread and water to make a bowl of meat paste, then fed the wounded man a few mouthfuls.

A-Ning stretched out his neck to look: “He is seriously injured.”

His body was covered in blood, his pupils were out of focus, and the sound coming from his chest sounded like someone pulling the bellows. After the group of escorts finished eating, they dug out wound medicine from the luggage, uncorked the bottle, and tried to change his bandages.

A breeze blew past, and there was a faint, bittersweet scent in the air.

Liu Xian’an abruptly said: “That is poison.”

His voice was not loud, but it wasn’t low either.

There was a sudden silence all around. The escort also stopped his movements and looked his way in astonishment.

Liang Shu raised his eyebrows slightly: “Poison?”

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[1] Zhuang Zhou is an ancient Taoist author. ⮐

[2] The character “Ning” (宁) means peaceful/at peace, so I suppose Liu Xian’an’s interpretation of peace is this nihilistic version? ⮐

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Chapter Two << Table of Contents >> Chapter Four

Zhao Yelan clarified the situation according to what Wang Guisheng had said.

When Magistrate Yin realized that Yan Mingting was having an affair with “Fu Qian,” he sent someone to Beijing to inquire about the man, so this matter spread to the capital.

But by coincidence, Fu Qian had gone out to play with two or three friends, so it couldn’t be verified for the time being.

The interrogation of Magistrate Yin after he was brought to the capital was a serious matter. No one came to ask him about this affair, and he thought that the court knew in advance about Zhao Yelan pretending to be Fu Qian, so he only confessed his own crimes.

In this way, the matter became a mystery, but the rumors had not stopped. After the rumor spread, everyone chewed on it and added vinegar for taste, and when it was spat back out, it no longer resembled the original version.

There were only doubts at first, but later on, everyone began to believe it.

“So, this matter……is it true?” Wang Guisheng asked cautiously.

After listening to this, Yan Mingting fed the medicine to Zhao Yelan’s mouth and said: “Quickly drink the medicine, and then return my innocence.”

“……” Zhao Yelan was forced to finish a large bowl, and felt that it tasted bitter. As soon as he frowned, Yan Mingting placed a small bag of candied fruit in his hand.

Zhao Yelan took the candied fruit and said: “It’s false, I am that Fu Qian.”

“I see. I thought it seemed strange, how could the General let go of you and see Fu Qian instead? Perhaps the rumors stopped after I left Beijing.” After Wang Guisheng received his answer, he grasped the key point and went to take care of things outside with a smile.

Yan Mingting watched him leave and pursed his lips: “Listen to this kid, he seems to like you a lot?”

“Which of your ears heard such a thing?” Zhao Yelan chewed on the candied fruit and reached out a hand to pinch his ear. “I think this ear is useless.”

“Aiyo, ouch, take it easy.” Yan Mingting yelled, and when he heard footsteps outside, he immediately gave him a meaningful look. “Please give me some face, Zhao-daren, please give me some face.”

Zhao Yelan released his grip and regarded Yin Pinglu and Zuo Ran with his usual expression when they walked in: “What is it?”

“My lord, Kuang Sheng rushed over. He said that it’s raining not only in Pi County, but also in several other counties,” Yin Pinglu said happily.

“That’s good.” Zhao Yelan breathed a sigh of relief and asked, “Where is Li Yucheng?”

Li Yucheng had not gone to Zhizhou with them, but had evacuated Huaizhou with the Cheng family and headed for Quzhou.

“A letter came from him just now, saying that he will wait for us in Wancheng.”

Wancheng was in the north of Pi County, and was also a necessary place to stop on the way to Beijing. If he rushed over from Quzhou, it would take a few days’ travel.

“Then we’ll rest here a few days before leaving,” Yan Mingting said. “It won’t be too late to leave after you recover.”

“All right.” Zhao Yelan still wanted to stay and watch the aftermath.

Fortunately, Wang Guisheng was not a man who kept to theory without finding practical solutions. It happened that Yan Mingting had brought many people with him, and with enough help, the city’s infrastructure was quickly restored. Letters were sent to other distant officials so that they could send their people back.

On the day of departure, half the city’s population had returned.

Seeing that Wang Guisheng was handling things steadily and practically, Zhao Yelan felt relieved. The two exchanged political opinions while walking outside the gate.

Yan Minging was a few meters behind with his hands crossed in front of his chest, staring at their backs expressionlessly.

Zuo Ran and Yin Pinglu stood behind him, one on the left and one on the right. Zuo Ran didn’t notice anything wrong at all, and said: “Zhao-daren and this Wang-daren seem to have a good relationship. But Zhao-daren is such a good person that everyone should like him.”

“People who appreciate each other will naturally gravitate toward one another.” After she spoke, Yin Pinglu saw that Yan Mingting’s expression was not quite right and amended, “But my lord and the General are different, they are a match made in heaven.”

Yan Mingting turned his head to give her an appreciative look: “Since you can speak, you should speak a little more.”

Yin Pinglu suppressed a smile and said: “One of you is military and the other is civil. You have mutual respect, and must be with each other till the end.”

Yan Mingting was very satisfied. His chin almost pointed up toward the sky, and he turned to look at Zuo Ran.

“It’s my turn?” Zuo Ran hesitated for a long time, and only said, “I wish you a happy marriage for a hundred years, and a baby boy soon.”

Yin Pinglu patted her, and she immediately changed her words, using all the idioms she knew: “I wish you a hundred years of harmony, harmony brings wealth, you will have great fortune in prosperity…..”

Yin Pinglu was unable to hold back, and laughed out loud.

Yan Mingting also raised his voice and laughed: “Good, the simplest language brings the most powerful blessing.”

Zhao Yelan and Wang Guisheng heard their laughter and looked back at them. Wang Guisheng asked curiously: “I never had time to ask, who are these two girls?”

“Subordinates of Yan Mingting,” Zhao Yelan said.

Although they had not been formally appointed, Yan Mingting made the decision to take the two of them back to the capital. Zuo Ran had thought about going to the border at first and joining Zhong Yuehong’s troop. Yin Pinglu could live in the town and find work, and it would not be a problem for the two of them to support themselves.

But Yan Mingting rejected her proposal. The first reason was that the world was peaceful now, and there were no more opportunities on the frontier. Even if she joined now, she could at most only obtain the position of a small soldier. Secondly, Yin Pinglu’s talents would be wasted. The livelihoods that could be found in the capital were much greater than those in the border towns.

After a final discussion, both of them agreed to go to Beijing. Zuo Ran would serve under Yan Mingting’s command, and Yin Pinglu would temporarily serve as Zhao Yelan’s accountant.

Zhao Yelan’s industries continued to grow, and he was about to open up a goods route in Jiangnan. He needed a clever, capable, and trustworthy person at his side, and Yin Pinglu was currently the most suitable candidate.

They would need a place to settle down and live, and residing in the General’s Mansion would only cause gossip, so Zhao Yelan rented a house in the north of the city to them for a low price, with rent only to be paid annually.

“One of them is Magistrate Yin’s daughter?” Wang Guisheng asked in a whisper.

“En.”

“Although she escaped punishment in the Magistrate’s case, won’t bringing her to Beijing at this time arouse suspicion?” Wang Guisheng asked.

“The more frank and open you are, the less people will doubt you. And what is there to be suspicious of? Will they suspect that I, Zhao Yelan, covet her beauty or riches? Is there anything that I lack?”

Wang Guisheng was speechless after being refuted, and smiled helplessly: “What my lord says is true, I was worrying too much.”

Zhao Yelan walked to the carriage, but was pulled aside by Wang Guisheng.

“Zhao-daren, I solemnly apologize to you for my recklessness and ignorance in the past.” Wang Guisheng cupped his hands and bowed to him earnestly. “I read the books of sages in vain and listened to rumors from the outside world, so I regarded you as a treacherous jackal. I used my brush as a weapon to make insinuations and write articles that insulted you. I truly feel ashamed.”

“Let this matter go, ba. I myself can’t even see who I am, and you outsiders are even more blind.” Zhao Yelan said, “You are not the only one who criticized me, but you are the only one whose abilities I admire. I hope you can accomplish something here and realize your ambition.”

“I will do my best not to let Zhao-daren down.”

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Yan Mingting watched from afar and felt that his eyes were about to go blind, so he turned to Zuo Ran and said: “You keep talking.”

Zuo Ran grimaced and continued to search for idioms and verses: “You and my lord are destined to be together forever and live to a ripe old age, always in peace, with many spacious houses, that, that…..”^[1]

“That shelter the underprivileged all over the world.” Yin Pinglu pressed her forehead as she interrupted her. “It looks like it’s time for you to catch up on your homework.”

Zuo Ran: Wu wu wu.

After bidding farewell to Wang Guisheng, Zhao Yelan boarded the carriage. Zuo Ran and Yin Pinlu sat in the front to drive, and Yan Mingting rode at the side as they set off toward the city gate.

After driving a certain distance, the carriage suddenly stopped. “What happened?” Zhao Yelan asked.

“Mengting, come out and have a look,” Yan Mingting said.

Zhao Yelan opened the curtain suspiciously and saw the people on both sides of the road who were gazing at his carriage.

“Respectfully sending off Zhao-daren and General Yan!”

“Zhao-daren, walk slowly and pay attention to safety on the road.”

“When will my lord and the General return to Huaizhou and our Pi County, ah?”

“All the soldiers are welcome to come to Pi County again, we will definitely prepare good wine and food to entertain you!”

“ — Happy journeys!”

Not many people had come back to the city, but they all came out to see them off at this time. The speed of the group slowed down a lot, and everyone followed them all the way to the city gate.

Yan Mingting told everyone to send them off from here, and after waving goodbye to them, he got into the carriage and put a jar of wine on the table, saying with a smile: “This is the Thousand-Home wine that everyone gave you.”

After Zhao Yelan watched the figures of those people drifting away, he looked back and asked in confusion: “Thousand-Home wine?”

“Yes, they didn’t have much left at home, so they thought of this method. Everyone scooped up a spoonful of wine from their home, gathered this jar of wine, and presented it to their most admired Zhao-daren,” Yan Mingting said.

Zhao Yelan stared at the novel earthen jar.

“Smell it, is it fragrant?” Yan Mingting opened the lid and handed it to him.

Zhao Yelan sniffed carefully for a moment: “Fragrant.”

“Do you want to have a taste?”

“No.” Zhao Yelan really didn’t want to get drunk and bring himself shame, so he put the wine away. “Since it’s such a good thing, it should be preserved.”

“Right, right, Zhao-daren is right.” Yan Mingting saw through him but didn’t reveal the truth.

The boundary of Pi County was between Huaizhou and Zhizhou. There was an official road going north here, and its next destination was Wancheng.

Three days later, the team arrived in Wangcheng at last. With a wave of Zhao Yelan’s hand, he directly booked the largest inn in the city so that the soldiers could stay comfortably for a few days. This group of people had experienced the most difficult part of the journey.

Zhao Yelan went back to his room to rest and change his clothes. Then he found Yin Pinglu and asked her what to eat and drink in Wancheng.

“There are several special snacks in Wancheng, shiba^[2] dumplings, linglong bean buns, glutinous rice cakes, and sweet bean cakes.”

“Is there anything special about these shiba dumplings?” Zhao Yelan asked curiously.

“Shiba dumplings, as the name suggests, are dumplings made with eighteen different ingredients.”

“Eighteen kinds?” Yan Mingting asked from the side. “I’ve only eaten dumplings with three kinds of ingredients, but none with eighteen kinds. Will so many ingredients not ruin the taste?”

“Thus, it is a test of the cook’s skill. It is necessary to chop carefully in order to preserve the freshness and taste of the ingredients,” Yin Pinglu said.

Yan Mingting couldn’t wait to sample it, so he looked at Zhao Yelan enthusiastically: “Shall we try it?”

“Let’s go.”

These few people set off immediately and asked around for the best place in the lower city to eat shiba dumplings, then walked toward the east side.

A group of people passed by them at this time, and the leader stopped abruptly, turned around, and chased after them with a fan: “Zhao-xiong! Zhao-xiong, Zhao Yelan, it’s me!”

They turned to see that it was Li Yucheng, then turned back around immediately and continued walking forward.

“I thought it would take a while for you guys to arrive, but I didn’t expect it to be so soon.” After speaking, Li Yucheng found that no one was paying attention to him, and continued to chatter non-stop. “Where are you going? Were you looking for me? Ei, it’s a coincidence that we could meet each other on the street, isn’t it heaven-sent fate?”

Still, no one paid attention to him. Li Yucheng stopped walking, and seeing them continuing forward quickly, he didn’t notice their intentions at all, so he could only send away his few followers and jog to catch up until they stopped in front of a shop.

Li Yucheng wiped away his sweat and asked: “What are you here to buy?”

“Ten servings of shiba dumplings,” Zhao Yelan said.

“Ten servings?” Li Yucheng counted the number of people present. Including Gao Tan and the girls, there were only six people in total. “Can you finish eating ten servings?”

“One for each of us.” Zhao Yelan pointed to Yan Mingting. “He’ll have five.”

Li Yucheng was dumbfounded, saying: “It’s a good thing you’re wealthy, ordinary people couldn’t afford him, ah.”

Zhao Yelan suppressed a smile, but Yan Mingting proudly hooked Zhao Yelan’s shoulder: “I have someone to spend money on me, are you jealous, ah?”

Li Yucheng wasn’t jealous at first, but after hearing what he said, hey, he was really jealous.

Who wouldn’t want a walking purse, ah! And such an unparalleled purse it was!

“Zhao-xiong, how about you and me join forces to become the richest men in the country!” Li Yucheng said.

“Are you tired of living, kid?” Yan Mingting rolled up his sleeves in preparation to beat someone up. Li Yucheng was so frightened that he turned around and fled, accidentally bumping into someone and sending them both to the ground.

“Who is walking with their eyes closed, ah? Do you know who I am?” Li Yucheng shouted with bared teeth.

“Fuck your grandma, which grandson is this?” The other party rubbed his bottom as he stood up.

The two stared at each other. When two enemies met, their eyes blazed with hatred.

“Hey! You Fu Qian, you came here to seek death, see if I don’t kill you!” Li Yucheng rushed forward at once.

“Bah, I really ran into a leper on the street, today I’ll fight with you to the death!”

In the blink of an eye, the two were scuffling on the street.

Zhao Yelan and the others looked over and couldn’t help but frown. Yan Mingting stepped forward to separate the two, holding them in each hand like weak chickens as he said: “What’s with this noise, don’t make fools of yourselves here, fight someplace where no one else is around.”

When Fu Qian looked up at him, it was as if he had been struck by lightning: “Yan, Yanyanyan Mingting?!”

“What?”

Fu Qian looked nearby, and when he saw Zhao Yelan, his legs almost went limp in fright.

As soon as Yan Mingting let go, Fu Qian collapsed on the ground, staring at Zhao Yelan in horror.

“What’s wrong with him?” Yan Mingting asked, walking to Zhao Yelan’s side.

Li Yucheng also came over. He remembered that in the capital, Fu Qian was as frightened as a quail upon seeing Zhao Yelan, not daring to make a sound, but it was not as serious as today.

“He seems to be very afraid of you, do you know why?” Li Yucheng asked.

Zhao Yelan waved his fan and raised his eyebrows: “He once accidentally saw me interrogating a prisoner.”

“Then you’re certainly very impressive.” Li Yucheng gave him a sincere thumbs-up. “His father is the Minister of Dali Temple, and he’s not even this scared of him.”

With a pale face, Fu Qian looked between Yan Mingting and Zhao Yelan, then stood up in embarrassment and stepped forward to say: “Zhao-daren, listen to my explanation!”

Everyone looked at him in incomprehension.

“I never had an affair with General Yan! I don’t know where the rumors came from!” Fu Qian said tremblingly, “I’ve been away from home, and I didn’t know there was such a rumor until I received a letter from my family a while ago!”

Before Zhao Yelan could speak, he continued: “You have to believe me, no matter how tall and mighty General Yan is, how incomparably handsome, dignified in appearance, valiant and formidable, radiant and striking……”

Zhao Yelan narrowed his eyes slightly.

Yin Pinglu reminded Zuo Ran from the side: “Remember, these are all idioms.”

Zuo Ran: “Okay, okay.”

Fu Qian praised Yan Mingting unceasingly, until his speech changed suddenly: “But I don’t like men!”

Zhao Yelan heard the shopkeeper announce that the dumplings were ready. Just as he turned around to take them, Fu Qian tugged on his arm and the dumplings fell to the ground.

He glanced down, then raised his head to look at Fu Qian.

“Zhao-daren, you really have to trust me! Someone must be framing me, coveting my good reputation! Using the name of the most beautiful man in the capital to bluff and deceive, maybe he deliberately seduced General Yan! You must catch this man and punish him!” Fu Qian said emotionally.

Zhao Yelan looked toward Yan Mingting: “Hit him.”

---

[1] This is from Du Fu’s poem, “Song of Thatched Houses Broken by the Autumn Wind.” ⮐

[2] Shiba (十八) means eighteen. ⮐

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

Xia Xingchi was so frightened that he almost jumped three feet high. If it wasn’t for the force of gravity, he would have already leaped up.

It was like visiting a big white tiger and quietly smooching it while the fluffball was asleep, but suddenly the big cat pretending to be asleep grabbed him by the back of the neck in one bite.

Seeing Li Chengyuan slowly open his eyes, Xia Xingchi’s face became hot and he said awkwardly: “What nonsense are you talking about? What ‘do I not dare to kiss your lips again?’”

“En?”

Li Chengyuan turned his head slightly. His indifferent expression seemed to contain the subtext of “Then prove to me that you dare.”

Finding that the object of this sentence was ambiguous, Xia Xingchi hastily added: “When did I kiss you, in your dream?”

Li Chengyuan didn’t speak, just sizing him up critically.

Under the focus of such a gaze, Xia Xingchi’s mind, which had been at a standstill for two days, suddenly started to function.

It seemed to have been a real kiss – after the CPR was successful, I was so excited that I accidentally let myself go for a kiss.

…..And even more suffocating was that it seemed to have been in front of the camera and thousands of fans?

A slight smile flashed in Li Chengyuan’s eyes, but his face remained expressionless as he just looked at Xia Xingchi calmly.

Xia Xingchi felt more guilty and irritable when he saw this and said loudly: “It was artificial respiration! I, I’m your savior now, what is with your attitude?”

“En.” Li Chengyuan nodded expressionlessly.

Due to just waking up, his voice was lower and hoarser than usual, a little lazy and attractive: “Not a kiss, just artificial respiration. So for the grace of saving my life —”

Xia Xingchi subconsciously added the second half of the sentence, “I’ll devote my life to you.”

But staring at a certain person’s cold, pale face, he quickly shook his head. The big villain dared to allow him, but he didn’t dare to ask for it.

“Aiya, stop looking for trouble, talk about business. Are you in any pain now? Does your heart hurt? Do you have a stomach ache?”

As he spoke, he reached out to touch Li Chengyuan’s hand that contained an IV. It was cooler than usual, with almost no warmth at all.

These days, it was hard to take care of his big cat’s body, but now they had returned overnight to before the communist liberation.^[1] Just thinking about it made people gnash their teeth, wishing they could chop up that pair Xia Yu and Li Shengrui.

“There’s something wrong with that box of white sugar, have you reported it to the police?” Li Chengyuan asked abruptly.

The police had come last night to take his statement. Xia Xingchi nodded, and asked in disbelief after some thought: “How did you know?”

It was natural for he himself to make inferences with the original book script in his hand, and he’d had a full day since Li Chengyuan’s poisoning to think the whole thing over.

But this person had been in a coma, and now his physical condition was poor, but he was able to find the key to the problem right away.

As expected of a great villain, he was simply terrifyingly sharp.

Li Chengyuan suddenly asked back: “Then how did you know?”

It was that terrifying astuteness again. Xia Xingchi was taken aback by this question.

He remembered at once that from the perspective of the original owner, not only would he not be aware of the Li family’s complicated past, but he should not even know who Li Shengrui was.

No wonder Xia Yu was simultaneously terrified and surprised. He couldn’t figure out how his crimes were known, because “Xia Xingchi” really shouldn’t know so much.

Their plan had actually been practical enough.

If not for his knowledge and inferences about the original book, faced with Li Chengyuan’s sudden illness and unconsciousness, the original ignorant owner would have inevitably rushed to give him the medicine.

Ordinary people didn’t know how to perform CPR. After Li Chengyuan’s cardiac arrest, he should have died on the spot, and no one would have suspected that the heart attack was induced artificially by poisoning.

As Li Chengyuan’s only “family member” by blood, as long as an autopsy wasn’t requested and no objections were raised, Li Shengrui could have easily concealed everything.

“What, you’re allowed to be smart but I’m not?” Xia Xingchi bit the bullet and lied. “Xia Yu isn’t a good person at first glance, isn’t it easy to come to this conclusion?”

Hearing this, Li Chengyuan’s dark amber eyes, like deep pools in an ancient well, slowly moved as he turned his head like a ghost in a horror movie.

Xia Xingchi became timid at once, and quickly bluffed like a little hedgehog with thorns sticking up all over its body:

“Believe it or don’t believe it! You are questioning my intelligence!”

Li Chengyuan just stared at him quietly and expressionlessly, as if he was watching someone putting on a performance.

Xia Xingchi really couldn’t figure this big villain out. His heart became increasingly uncertain, and he couldn’t help but want to grab a pillow and smother him to death.

But before he could lay a finger on him, Li Chengyuan put on a show of coughing.

The lip color that had just recovered a little bit suddenly faded away, as if Xia Xingchi’s not-so-loud voice had disturbed his heart.

“Where does it hurt?” Frightened by the scene of his life hanging by a thread, Xia Xingchi didn’t dare to argue with him anymore. “Should I call the doctor?”

“No need. You take off your clothes and come warm my bed.”

Li Chengyuan sat up and took a sip of warm water, giving the order naturally.

“Ah?” Xia Xingchi tilted his head. “Why are you so confident that I’ll sleep with you in broad daylight? Sir, that will be an additional price.”

Just as he was about to remind him that his “accompany him to sleep for a month” service had expired, Li Chengyuan smiled faintly: 

“I seem to have heard someone say that if I survived, they would work for free for the rest of their life – was that another lie?”

Xia Xingchi: “…….”

Was it too late to assassinate the benefactor now?

He’d only had one breath left at that time, and it was simply too hateful to remember not only being kissed, but also what promises he had received.

But considering how weak Li Chengyuan’s body was now, entirely cold and not producing heat, he still forgave the vile, exploitative boss and took off his coat, getting into bed.

The beds in the VIP wards were much bigger, and two people could squeeze in together.

Xia Xingchi’s heart, which had been tense all night, relaxed at this moment, and he fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.

He drowsily felt that Li Chengyuan was holding him in his arms, but didn’t care. Instead, he took the initiative to put his ear against Li Chengyuan’s chest, feeling more at ease as he listened to the sound of his heart beating.

Li Chengyuan lowered his gaze, quietly observing the red and swollen eyes of the person in his arms due to tears, and the bruises under his eyes due to lack of sleep. It was obvious that Xia Xingchi didn’t realize how he looked.

In the end, Li Chengyuan finally touched the ends of his eyes lightly with the hand not connected to the IV. Distressed, but at the same time feeling a sweetness in his heart, he kissed him gently after the other fell asleep.

– – –

At the same time, Xia Yu also stayed up all night in a hotel without sleep, and was making an angry phone call with dark circles around his eyes.

“How did Xia Xingchi come to the conclusion that Li Chengyuan didn’t just have a heart attack?! He actually called the police, and now they’ve taken the box of sugar away!”

No one knew whether Li Chengyuan was dead or alive. After all, this was not the capital, and Xia Yu didn’t have time to find a suitable mole to spy on them, and didn’t dare to make any more suspicious moves.

He was nearly scared out of his wits when the police came last night and took his statement, but fortunately, he had experience in crying on the spot, so the police didn’t suspect much for the time being.

On the other side of the line, Li Shengrui was silent for a moment, and finally offered comfort: “Don’t worry, there will be no evidence to prove that you did it.”

Li Shengrui didn’t have him use a bottle to hold the powdered drugs, but a paper package. He sprinkled the drug into the box of sugar and tossed the paper package into a stream. Even an immortal god wouldn’t be able to find it in these twisting mountains and deep forests.

Li Shengrui analyzed:

“Your fingers never touched the box, so there will be no fingerprints.”

“No one had ever used that box of sugar before yesterday. It was prepared by the program crew and handled by countless individuals.”

“The most important thing is that you have no motive for doing this. His death is of no direct benefit to you, and the police don’t know about our relationship.”

Xia Yu quickly grasped another key point: “You want to dissociate yourself from me? Li Shengrui, you don’t want to marry me, do you?”

After he spoke, there was a long silence on the other end of the line.

Fear and sleepless exhaustion made Xia Yu irritable, and he shouted irately:

“Li Shengrui! I took such a fucking risk to do this and now you want to throw me away once you’ve used me?!”

“Have you forgotten that I still have recordings and other evidence in my hands? If I get caught, don’t even try to run!”

Li Shengrui immediately said: “No, A-Yu, don’t worry. Just wait until the heat dies down and nobody is suspicious about it anymore. I love only you, and will definitely get a certificate with you.”

He appeased him with sweet words for a long time before Xia Yu finally felt relieved, but asked in fear: “But the police are not easy to deal with. What if they find out…..”

“No, you have to believe that they won’t, or else your expression will give something away – before you’re under suspicion, get rid of all the evidence.”

“I’ve already thrown away the paper package the drugs were in.”

“No, also delete all the recordings and videos on your phone. These are all vulnerabilities.”

Xia Yu was taken aback for a moment, and then sneered: “Are you having ideas, ah? Once all our call recordings have been deleted, do you want me to take the blame alone?”

Li Shengrui naturally couldn’t admit that he’d had this idea, and said gently: “A-Yu, I will marry you no matter what. Those things will get you caught by the police, I’m only thinking about your wellbeing.”

Xia Yu, however, had already seen his true intentions. He jumped up and cursed him then and there, then directly hung up the phone.

If the track of the original book was followed, and no one noticed their vicious means of seeking wealth through murder, they would smoothly collect the inheritance and experience the original happy ending.

But now all that could be seen were vivid and comical scenes of self-destruction, and the lively act of dogs biting dogs.

– – –

In the VIP ward on the top floor of the hospital.

The nurse knocked on the door and came inside to deliver the medications. She also brought a little bear pillow and various snacks as gifts for Xia Xingchi.

This was a gift bag that everyone had purchased together. After all, the way he had sat there silently and shed tears yesterday had melted everyone’s hearts.

At the thought that he had to sit there and face his lover’s life-or-death situation alone, and seeing all the rumors and malicious insults on the internet, the nurses bought him gifts to try to cheer him up. At the same time, they spoke out in hopes that everyone could see the truth.

Unexpectedly, upon opening the door, the nurse found that Li Chenyuan had already woken up, and was lowering his head to put a ring on Xia Xingchi’s middle finger while he slept. It was an engagement ring.

After all, there was no one who didn’t know Xia Xingchi’s identity now, so he didn’t need to hang it close to his chest.

There was a faint smile in Li Chengyuan’s eyes. He was obviously very satisfied with this.

Seeing her come in, Li Chengyuan immediately raised a hand and made a gesture for silence, signaling her not to wake Xia Xingchi.

Xia Xingchi’s fingers were a little ticklish from being grabbed. He pulled his hand away and turned over, subconsciously burrowing into Li Chengyuan’s arms and rubbing his face against his body. Then he hummed in contentment and hugged his waist without letting go.

“Li, President Li,” the nurse whispered. “It’s time to take your medicine.”

This person was completely different when awake than he was in a coma. Although the coldness of his face could be seen when he was unconscious, when he woke up, his aura was so strong that it was frightening.

Clearly, this was the aura of a person of high rank who had been in power for a long time.

Except for the trace of warmth when he looked at Xia Xingchi and smiled just now, his face was expressionless and cold.

Li Chengyuan nodded to her to express his gratitude, but saw the person in his arms rubbing his eyes in a daze and murmuring drowsily:

“Hmm…..what time is it, has Auntie Li cooked yet? I want to eat ribs…..”

“Hungry?” Li Chengyuan lowered his gaze and stroked his hair.

“En, I want to eat braised pork,” Xia Xingchi said.

He stared at Li Chengyuan sleepily for a few seconds, wondering, “why do your pajamas look like a hospital gown?” Then he suddenly remembered where they were.

Before he could let go of a certain person, he saw the nurse holding the medicine in her hand and looking at them with a smile reminiscent of a “hee hee hee” emoji.

Xia Xingchi had just woken up, and saw such a weird and terrifying smile first thing. The costume was also very horror movie-esque. He couldn’t help but shiver and quickly hide under the blanket, almost thinking that they were being haunted.

Li Chengyuan was helpless: “Come out and eat when you’re hungry.”

Familiar cold fingers grasped the back of Xia Xingchi’s neck, and only then did he come back to his senses and peep his eyes out of the blanket.

The nurse also found that her smile was a little scary, so she quickly suppressed it, and couldn’t help but whisper eagerly: “I knew Yuanchi CP was real! Oh my god, it’s really sweet, hehehehe!”

It was the first time Xia Xingchi had seen a fan with his own eyes, and it happened to be a CP fan. Hearing this, he glanced at Li Chengyuan with a guilty conscience.

After all, the relationship between them was purely a monetary stand-in and bed-warming-tool relationship. A certain person himself had said that it was because of the cold that he hugged him.

He heard the nurse lady say indignantly: “It’s time for all those rubbish-spewing people on the internet to see clearly! I really want to follow through the network cable and beat them!”

These words reminded Xia Xingchi.

After the nurse left, he decided to take another look at how public opinion had fermented. In the end, it didn’t seem so scary to curl up in Li Chengyuan’s arms and look at his phone.

Opening Weibo to look through it, his eyes caught on his own name again. It seemed that the turmoil had not yet passed.

Unexpectedly, when he took a closer look, he found that the subject was still him, but the content of the entries had been turned upside down:

#Xia Xingchi CPR education#

#Xia Xingchi handsome and lovely, a cool sweet pea#

#The importance of mastering an over-the-shoulder technique#

#Yuanchi CP: This is love#

. . . . . . 

Fans and passers-by who had been working hard to speak out and tell the truth suddenly found that they could speak unimpeded at last. The mighty black marketing and rabble-rousing trolls had all been banned and dealt with. Slander lawsuits were inevitable.

[I am one of the doctors involved in the rescue, and I would like to popularize the science on “why not take the medicine” that everyone is suspicious of. Nitroglycerin is not a panacea for all heart conditions. Mr. Li must not take the medicine when he has severe arrhythmia and hypotension, or it would certainly accelerate the deterioration of his condition]

[I knew it! I knew our Xingchi baby would never harm Mr. Li! Otherwise, what else was he doing CPR for?]

[Wu wu I’m touched. Although justice took its time, it did come. Xingchi suffered]

[OK, I apologize. I just watched the clips and not the full video before following suit and cursing people]

[Even if he made a mistake, who told Xia Xingchi not to explain himself, ah?]

[Upstairs, are you okay? Mr. Li was being saved at that time, how the hell do you think Xingchi would be in the mood to explain?]

[I’m really going to cry, when Xingchi was the most helpless, someone maliciously set off such a huge storm online. I’m so sad]

[This was definitely fucking done maliciously by someone. The truth was in front of our eyes, but we weren’t allowed to do anything. Were our mouths covered to bring the wrong rhythm?]

[@Xia Yu, was it cool to be shoulder-tossed? Don’t you have anything to explain about hindering the rescue time?]

Xia Xingchi’s violent beating of Xia Yu in front of the camera vividly demonstrated what it meant to be fast, ruthless, and precise. The whole action was done in one go, especially the professional, stylish, and capable over-the-shoulder throw at the end, which was simply shocking.

When the before and after sections of the video were released, it was not at all like what Xia Yu’s fans were shouting, that “Xia Xingchi deliberately refused to give Mr. Li medicine, and Xia Yu wanted to stop him in the name of justice but was beaten by him.”

In the video, Xiao Yu deliberately stalled for time when they were racing against death every second, and unreasonably accused Xia Xingchi of wanting to commit murder.

[What’s this about a deliberate delay? Xia Yu is just too kind, ah, he didn’t understand how the medicine worked and thought Xia Xingchi was trying to kill someone]

[Is it a coincidence that he just happened to mistake Li Chengyuan for his fiance? He got addicted to the fame and deceived himself?]

[Thank you for the laugh. Claiming to be Mr. Li’s family member, trying to prevent the real family member from boarding the helicopter, @Xia Yu, what the hell were you doing?]

[I have never seen such a fast and awesome face slap in my life. He was severely “face-slapped” within 20 seconds of finishing his sentence]

[Feigning ignorance in front of others, is he mentally ill?]

[He’s stupid and poisonous, and his behavior is thoughtless and vulgar. What I’m more concerned about is his motive. Did he want Mr. Li to die?]

[I know, I know. If he can’t get it, then he’ll destroy it. It’s just like a few days ago when his fans insisted that Mr. Li was a scumbag]

[So the Yuanchi couple originally came to show their affection, but someone stepped in? God, the sugar these days has been stained with shit by this dead green tea. Damn, I wish Xia Yu would stay 200 yards away]

When Xia Xingchi appeared in front of everyone and his fiance’s identity was exposed, the thing that Xia Yu feared and hated the most really happened.

What he was most proud of was his status as a rich second generation, which had always been something his fans bragged about. And at this time, a group of microscope-wielding netizens comparable to Sherlock Holmes promptly put forward questions:

[I have a question……Xia Yu said “our two families have a marriage contract,” and the invitation is also from the “Xia family,” so could it be Xia Xingchi?]

[Fuck! Thinking about it carefully, could these two be from the same family?]

[Possibly, this surname is quite rare. So could it be a coincidence that they have the same surname?]

[Impossible! Our Xia Yu is the young master of a wealthy family. Even if he doesn’t work in the entertainment industry, he can go back and inherit the family property. Who doesn’t know that your idol came out of a mountain valley?]

[Although, Xia Xingchi is Mr. Li’s lover. He seems to have dozens of times more property than Xia Yu? What are you showing off?]

[So it seems Xia Xingchi is a young master from a wealthy family. Damn. Get on this, detectives, I smell melons!]

---

[1] Back to before the communist liberation = a loss of progress, back to when life was harder. ⮐

---

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

As night fell, the entirety of Baihe Mountain Village was enveloped in drizzle, and a string of lamp lights reflected in the wet bluestone alleys with the unique tranquility of Jiangnan.

Liang Shu sat at the table and closed his eyes, listening to the sound of the rain outside the window. The food on the table went untouched.

Seeing that it had almost gone cold, the Lieutenant General at the side had no choice but to clear his throat: “Prince —”

“Take it away.”

Lieutenant General: “…….”

His name was Gao Lin, and he had been in the Northwest Military Camp since he was a child. He had fought on the battlefield since the age of ten, and had several brushes with death. Now that he had gained merit and status, he hadn’t seen much of the world and had never been out of Yacheng, so Liang Shu specially asked him to return to the bustling Imperial city with him this time. His intentions were good from the start, but who would have thought that a marriage task would pop up halfway?

After a while, Liang Shu opened his eyes and asked him: “How long are you going to stare at me?”

Gao Lin’s gaze continued to fall on Liang Shu’s face. He was also very puzzled, ah. Regardless  of status and military merits, even with this face alone, how could it be that she would rather commit suicide than marry? He was full of words he couldn’t speak. That Liu family’s young miss had no vision. If you don’t want to marry, then don’t marry. Why did she have to go to the teahouse to cry and complain? Now look, the prince couldn’t even eat and drink.

Thinking of this, he deliberately lowered his voice, showing care and concern: “Anyway, if I were a girl, I would certainly not refuse to marry the prince.”

Liang Shu’s eye twitched imperceptibly. He raised his head, and Gao Lin was also very cooperative, hurrying to take up an affectionate and emotional posture. The candlelight danced around the two figures. Liang Shu looked at him for a moment and felt a headache coming on: “You stay away from me in the future.”

Gao Lin hehe’d dryly: “Then the prince should take a couple bites. This osmanthus duck isn’t bad. I’ll leave directly after eating.”

Liang Shu glanced at the greasy duck on the table, but still had no appetite. At this moment, someone outside the door sent in a letter signed with a crescent moon. Cheng Suyue.

She was Gao Lin’s adoptive sister, and had been in the military camp since birth. When she was a child, she paid no attention to beauty or ugliness and was a wild girl who rolled in the mud. She could ride a horse in wartime, manage accounts when idle, cook and doctor, but she didn’t read enough books and had little scholarly ability.

Gao Lin shook out the letter in bewilderment: “Not rushing to Baihe Mountain Village, what kind of letter do you write like a scholar…..Oh! Kidnapped?”

Cheng Suyue wrote this letter as if she were a weak lady, crying that she had been kidnapped by a group of bandits while passing Fuhu Mountain. After receiving the letter, Elder Brother and Third Young Master should hurry up and bring the gold to redeem her in person without delay.

Gao Lin couldn’t figure it out. If this group of people could kidnap A-Yue, they must be very skilled, so what kind of bandits were they? And the stronghold was actually built on Fuhu Mountain, which had eighteen dangerous peaks in a row, surrounded by greenery and towering ancient trees, with apes swinging from thick vines like ghosts and shadows all day long. When it rained, even the stones were damp and musty. Who could live there and eat their fill?

Liang Shu said: “That group of people are not her opponents.”

“Huh?” Gao Lin paused and read the letter again, pondering how it felt. If she really had been kidnapped, she would only be able to redeem herself with gold, so why would she mention that the “Third Young Master” should go together with him?

As such, there was a problem. According to Cheng Suyue’s past style, unless there was a major event involving the collapse of the world, she would never make trouble in front of Liang Shu. But what would be considered a major event in Miss Cheng’s eyes? The Wolf Clan’s sneak attack on Chunfeng City didn’t count, the famine in Yumen didn’t count, and the flooding of the Bailong River didn’t count. On account of these troubles, she could figure out a solution by herself, so there was no need to worry the prince.

What secrets were hidden in the Fuhu Mountains that were more important than foreigners, famines, and floods? Thinking of this, it was inevitable that Gao Lin would be curious, so he tentatively asked: “When is the prince planning to leave?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Gao Lin paused for a moment. “But Baihe Mountain Village……the emperor has given a command. This time, even if knives rain down from the sky, the prince’s marriage cannot be delayed.”

“You go now and tell Master Liu that when this prince finishes dealing with the troubles at hand, he will visit another day.” Liang Shu spoke again, “Also, what is the origin of that person in the teahouse today?”

“Liu Xian’an, Miss Liu’s older brother.” Gao Lin said, “His reputation is not small. He has become the laughingstock of the whole nation, that is, he would rather commit suicide by jumping into a lake than copy an extra page of a book. If you calculate in detail, the prince was also pitted by him after coming to Baihe Mountain Village.”

This was true, but it must be that Liu Xian’an fell in love with the princess first, and then the subsequent mess happened.

Liang Shu nodded: “Take him.”

“Take him? What are you taking him for?” Gao Lin was puzzled. Although he also felt that Liu Xian’an was odd, his behavior was bizarre, and his outlook was not good, he was Liu Fushu’s own son after all. So he also took an indirect approach and reminded his prince that if there was no legitimate reason, he feared that it would be difficult to ask for the young master of Baihe Mountain Village. Let alone because of a grudge, just casually grabbing hold of others and maneuvering them to your side to knead them flat and round, how about we forget about it?

“Just say that this prince wants to know more about Miss Liu.” Liang Shu waved his hand. “All right, go and return quickly.”

Gao Lin: “…….”

Although this excuse sounded barely reasonable, Gao Lin knew in his heart that according to the prince’s considerations, this action had nothing to do with “wanting to know more about Miss Liu,” but a lot to do with Liu Xian’an’s sentence, “I would rather jump into a lake.” Gao Lin understood how much the emperor valued the Liu family, so he didn’t want to make too much fuss, but the prince could not be persuaded. So in the end, he could only go to Baihe Mountain Village with a long sigh, thinking that if Doctor Liu sincerely loved his son and was reluctant to part with him, as long as he put a stop to it, there was still room for change in this matter.

He never imagined that as a result, after Liu Fushu heard the whole story, he simply agreed and ordered someone to pick up the Second Young Master from the waterside pavilion. Seeing that he was going to pack this person up and send him to the inn immediately, Gao Lin hurriedly stood up to dissuade him, there’s no need to hurry, we will leave tomorrow morning, tomorrow morning.

“Then it is settled.” Liu Fushu held Gao Lin’s hand with an earnest gaze. “He will leave tomorrow morning, ah.”

The knot of Gao Lin’s throat rolled: “Ai.”

Everyone in the Liu family was like this. The one who should marry the prince was unwilling, and the son who should be kept was sent away. Every move in the chess game was completely outside of Lieutenant General Gao’s predictions. Was this the difference between jianghu people and military people?

In the back house, Liu Nanyuan also heard about this incident and immediately ran to her er-ge’s courtyard to discuss how to use this opportunity to thwart the marriage.

“It’s not difficult.” Liu Xian’an opened his fan and waved it at his sweaty younger sister. “Whatever kind of person he likes, I will tell him you are the opposite. Apart from appearance, what part of your temperament cannot be changed?”

Liu Nanyuan thought this was a good method.

Liu Xian’an asked another question: “Let’s hear it, you don’t want to marry the prince, but what kind of person do you like?”

Liu Nanyuan replied without taking the time to think: “I like gentle looks, smiling lips, a body that is tall and thin, fair skin, less strength, prone to stomach pains, coughing when the wind blows – what are you smiling at!”

“Not smiling, not smiling.” With eyes like a spring breeze, Liu Xian’an tapped her head with the handle of his fan. “Don’t worry, ba, I will definitely ensure that you marry a good man.”

“It’s a deal, ah!”

Liu Nanyuan gave him a ceremonial hand clap, and thus entrusted her future to this second brother who was well-known throughout the country for his ignorance.

After Liu Nanyuan left, Liu Xian’an sat up from his beloved soft couch and sent a servant to pack his luggage. Regarding the matter of going to Fuhu Mountain, he didn’t have any resistance. He didn’t feel like going out before because there was no need to go out, but now that he had a legitimate reason, it didn’t matter if he went.

In comparison, Madam Liu’s reaction was much greater. On the one hand, she was like her husband, hoping that her son could go out for a walk instead of lying down all day long. But on the other hand, she felt that Fuhu Mountain was a precipitous and difficult place. Even if there were soldiers and horses from the Imperial court escorting him all the way, she would be worried all the while. So she arranged a team overnight and ordered them to take good care of the Second Young Master.

Liu Xian’an said: “Mother, don’t worry, I know what to do.”

Madam Liu sighed and pulled him to sit in a pavilion: “You should not only help A-Yuan, but also take care of the royal face. Don’t go too far. I heard from your father that His Royal Highness is not easy to get along with, so you must be careful along the way and not clash with him.”

Liu Xian’an responded time after time, and after sending his mother back to her chambers, he went to go listen to a few words of instruction from his father. Then he yawned and returned to his waterside courtyard, washed up, and fell asleep.

The rest of the people in Baihe Mountain Village did not sleep. The small carts creaked and groaned for most of the night, transporting all kinds of goods needed for travel. Although in the heart of Second Young Master Liu, the ultimate dao should not be to eat food, but to take the wind and dew as sustenance and sit on the back of the sun and moon, free and unfettered, he had not yet reached such a state of immortality and could not go without food.

In fact, it was not just Baihe Mountain Village. Liu Xian’an traveling far away was a rare thing for the people of the city, so everyone stood on both sides of the street early in the morning to watch the excitement. Some people inexplicably applauded, and the racket spread to the inn. Liang Shu frowned slightly: “What is going on?”

Gao Lin said truthfully: “Answering the prince, nothing is wrong. Second Young Master Liu is at the door of the inn. Shall we invite him in first?”

Liang Shu leisurely got out of bed and put on his clothes: “No need.”

Gao Lin choked. Why was there no need, it would make them look very rude to target a certain person before they left.

When Liang Shu passed by the window, he took a casual glance and saw at least seventeen or eighteen carriages parked on the long street. Together with the guards and servants, they turned three or four corners.

“…….”

Gao Lin explained from the side: “I heard that Second Young Master Liu has always been well-clothed and well-fed. This time, since he is traveling far away and doesn’t know that we are going to a bandit’s den, it is normal to bring more followers.”

Liang Shu was displeased: “Send them away.”

Gao Lin took the order and went downstairs to find the steward of Baihe Mountain Village. He mentioned nothing about the bandits, but said that the prince did not want to disturb the common people along the way, so he had ordered everything to be discreet and not ostentatious.

The steward looked puzzled and didn’t know what answer to give, but a sentence came from the carriage next to him: “It doesn’t matter. Uncle Zhong, you can take these people back first, just leave A-Ning behind.”

Gao Lin mollified: “Don’t worry, Young Master Liu, with the prince here, there will be no trouble along the way.” Because the prince himself is the biggest trouble.

He swallowed the second half of the sentence out of conscience, coaxing and deceiving, and finally sent the team from Baihe Mountain Village back, leaving only Liu Xian’an’s carriage parked in front of the inn.

And Liang Shu had not come downstairs yet.

Gao Lin thought to himself, what could be taking so long? So he went to the second floor and found that his prince hadn’t finished changing his clothes yet.

Liang Shu stood in the middle of the bedroom with his arms wide and his neckline half open. A group of servants were bustling around him. The brocade fabric on his body was full of flowing light and color, the neckline embroidered with color and the buttons inlaid with white jade. It could be seen that he had actually dressed according to the ostentation of meeting a future wife.

Gao Lin had no idea why this grand ceremony had come about: “Prince, we aren’t going to Baihe Mountain Village, right?”

“We’re not going. I’m wearing it for the people outside the door to see.” Liang Shu raised his chin leisurely. “Although he cannot go to Baihe Mountain Village, this prince still yearns for it, so he expresses his affection with clothing as a consolation.”

Gao Lin: “…….”

The group of people outside the door belonged to Liang Yu. Ordinarily, emperors placed spies around powerful officials and did everything they could to keep it secret, but Liang Yu was just the opposite. He used this group of bright, strong men to continuously warn his brother, “If you have the audacity to disobey and make trouble, I will break your dog legs when you come back.” It was quite straightforward.

Liang Shu tidied up his clothes, drank another cup of tea, and then leisurely went downstairs with his hands behind his back.

There were still some people on either side of the street who had not dispersed. Because there was nothing to do anyway, it was better to bask in the sun here. There were also a few cute, bold girls. They originally wanted to wait and see Second Young Master Liu come out of the carriage, but never thought that Second Young Master Liu wouldn’t come out, but the Third Prince did.

Naturally, they couldn’t just stare at the prince unscrupulously. One girl hurriedly bowed her head to salute. Her face was flushed, her heart beating fast, and her mind was full of the scene of Liang Shu descending the steps just now. Against the light, she couldn’t see his face clearly. She only had time to take a quick glance at the decorations on his cuffs, spreading splendidly like a thousand flowers blooming, extravagant and intimidating.

After making Liu Xian’an wait at the door of the inn for an hour, Liang Shu felt a little better. He walked to the carriage and opened the curtain casually: “You —”

His words stopped abruptly, because Liu Xian’an was not waiting, but was soundly asleep, leaning comfortably on a pillow with his right hand supporting his head. There was even a slight smile at the corners of his lips, as if he was having a good dream, and it seemed as if waiting three or four hours more would not be impossible.

Liang Shu lowered the curtain and knocked heavily on the door with the hilt of his sword.

Bang!

Everyone around was startled, and Liu Xian’an in the carriage was naturally also startled. His heart beat wildly, and he sat up straight with a trace of bewilderment in his eyes. Because of the heavy curtains, only a few rays of light could penetrate through. Fine dust drifted faintly in the carriage, and the surroundings were completely silent.

Based on this, he judged that the people in the inn were not ready yet, otherwise it would be impossible for the soldiers and horses to be so quiet.

Maybe it was just a trivial dream, ba.

Second Young Master Liu changed his position, closed his eyes, and continued to sleep.

Those outside the sleeping person’s carriage were shocked.

Had he not woken up, or did he just refuse to come out after waking up?

Seeing this breach of etiquette, Liu Xian’an’s servant was also anxious. He wanted to go up and call his young master, but the prince was still standing in front of the carriage, so he could only desperately look at Lieutenant General Gao with pleading eyes.

Gao Lin lowered his voice and asked: “Your family’s young master, what is his plan?”

“There is no plan,” the boy quickly said. “My family’s young master just loves to sleep. He won’t move even if thunder strikes. You have to shake him hard to wake him up.”

Gao Lin was still trying to think of ways to smooth things over, but Liang Shu on the other side had already taken a big stride forward, bending down to get into the carriage.

The whole situation immediately became stranger.

The little servant said in a daze: “Why did the prince go in? Then I…..can I still serve the young master?”

Gao Lin’s head ached fiercely. He ordered someone to arrange for the boy to be placed elsewhere first, while he rode his horse to stand guard beside Liu Xian’an’s carriage. “Cough cough cough.” He cleared his throat for a while like an old smoker, in order to remind his prince not to take everything too far.

At the same time, he had to explain to the emperor’s people that the prince couldn’t wait to talk to Young Master Liu because he was so anxious to get married, ah. Come, everyone, leave immediately, don’t delay.

The convoy drove out of Baihe City just like that.

Because the prince was having a conversation, everyone tried to keep quiet and not make any extra noise.

Liu Xian’an slept safe and sound.

His unconstrained mind wandered in the vastness of the wilderness.

And he had no idea that there was an extra person in the carriage.

---

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Chapter One << Table of Contents >> Chapter Three

The team traveled at night and rested during the day. After walking like this for three days, the dry rations and water had almost been exhausted. The people and horses had been very active during this time and had lost a lot of strength, gritting their teeth to continue forward.

Zhao Yelan looked at the map and said: “We’ll be in Pi County soon, and there will be someone there to meet us. Everyone, take heart.”

“When we return to the capital, the Emperor will be sure to reward us all generously,” Yan Mingting said to boost morale.

Everyone gazed exhaustedly at the endless road. Yin Pinglu was holding onto the reins with her last breath, and Zhao Yelan even moreso. Of the entire team, the two of them with the least physical fitness had reached their limits.

Yan Mingting looked down and saw that he was faint and muddle-headed, having obviously only slept for a while when they rested. He said worriedly, “Mengting, let’s talk about something.”

“About what?” Zhao Yelan asked weakly.

“Tell me about your childhood. I want to know, what were you like when you were young?”

“When I was young?” Zhao Yelan looked up at the sun that was close to setting in the distance. The sun at dusk was like a salted egg yolk, reminding him of a time in his youth when he sat in the courtyard and watched the sunset.

“My father usually liked to recite and compose poems. One time he was reading under a magnificent sunset near dusk. My mother said, ‘the sunset is beautiful, like porridge with egg yolks, let’s eat salted egg yolks tonight.’”

Yan Mingting couldn’t help laughing: “Then do you like salted egg yolks?”

“I don’t.” The corners of Zhao Yelan’s mouth twitched. “So I had to recite one policy theory and ten poems to change to a different kind of food.”

“What food did you end up switching to?”

“….Salted duck eggs.”

Yan Mingting laughed out loud: “That is considered a change?”

“It couldn’t be helped, there were only salted duck eggs left at home. I ate the egg whites and they ate the yolks. They also joked that I wouldn’t eat good food.”

“You are able to eat a lot of good things now.”

“Yes.” Zhao Yelan gazed far into the distance. “I want to taste all the delicious things in the world, and wear all the beautiful clothes.”

Yan Mingting nodded his head.

“What about you?” Zhao Yelan had nearly lost the strength to speak, and just wanted to hear him go on.

“Me, ah, I was a naughty child, and often secretly ran out of the capital. My mother couldn’t control me, and tossed me into the military camp in a fit of anger. Then I regretted it. How nice the capital was, ah, why go to the frontier and suffer? I cried and threw a fit, ah, but my father was indifferent.”

Zhao Yelan had thought he was born with a love for family and country. Hearing this put a smile in his eyes. It turned out that when he was a child, he didn’t know the meaning of life and death, or the principles of the world.

“How did you throw a fit?” Zhao Yelan asked curiously.

“I just rolled around and made a scene. Sometimes my father would summon his subordinates to the big tent to witness how I jumped up and down, it was so humiliating,” Yan Mingting sighed.

Zhao Yelan smiled slightly: “Then why didn’t you give up and run away?”

“Because I couldn’t escape at all, so I practiced hard with them and waited for the day when I could defeat my father and all of them with my own hands, and then return to the capital proudly,” Yan Mingting said.

“And after? Why did you stay on the frontier?”

“My father had a subordinate who looked big and brawny. Every time I tried to escape, he was responsible for catching me, and I couldn’t beat him in a fight. I suffered a lot of losses because of him. Then one time, my father was on the front lines when the rear battalion was ambushed, and several poisoned arrows were shot at me. I was unharmed because that big fellow stood in the way behind me. Not only him, but several people who usually guarded me strictly rushed over to protect me.”

Zhao Yelan didn’t feel that his mind was muddled or drowsy at all, and subconsciously held onto one of his hands.

“I was sitting in front of his tomb, ah, and I thought, was it because I had a good birth? Born in the General’s Mansion, everyone regarded me as a second father to respect and shield, but what could I do for them?”

“Do you know how important the three words “Yan Mingting” are in the hearts of the common people?”

Yan Mingting lowered his eyes to gaze at his side profile. His eyelashes were like crow’s feathers, fanning his heart again and again. He smiled and asked: “Then what is in your heart?”

Zhao Yelan remained silent.

Yan Mingting stopped asking questions and focused on watching the road. Then, he heard Zhao Yelan’s hoarse but determined voice: “In the past, I only had my parents in my heart. From now on, I will only have you alone. What do you think?”

Yan Mingting suddenly felt that death would be worth it. His heart was a burning ball of fire, so hot that it seemed to explode, the flames spreading to all his vital organs.

“Mengting.”

“En.”

“Zhao Mengting.”

“En?” Zhao Yelan turned around hesitantly, and was greeted by a stormy kiss.

He inwardly rejoiced that they were some distance from the line behind them. Perhaps no one had noticed their movements. There was a sudden pain on his lip as Yan Mingting seemed to intend to punish him for being inattentive. This urgent bite made Zhao Yelan bite back vindictively, affection mixed with desire to tear him to the bone.

Without the restraint of its handler, the horse walked casually off to the side, and no one remarked upon them leaving the team. Zhao Yelan feared falling, so he reflexively hugged the other’s waist. His neck felt sore after leaning back for a while, but just as he tried to back out, the other party leaned down and pecked kisses all the way.

Zhao Yelan couldn’t help but laugh out loud: “Do you know what you look like right now?”

“I know.” Yan Mingting looked into his eyes. “A poor man who has a piece of fatty meat but can’t eat it.”

“……” Zhao Yelan glared at him. “Who is fatty meat?”

“Then……no meat?”

“You can shut up, ba.”

While speaking, a drop of water fell on Zhao Yelan’s face. Yan Mingting reached out a hand to wipe it off and was suddenly taken aback, looking at him blankly.

The two of them looked up at the same time and couldn’t figure out what was going on at all. Zhao Yelan couldn’t help stretching out his hand, and several moments later, a few more drops of water landed on it.

“Is it…..raining?” Zhao Yelan looked at him incredulously and put a hand on his face. “Is it rain?”

“Yes, I also got it on my head,” Yan Mingting said happily.

The others seemed to have noticed it too, and stopped one after another, looking up and around until the rain stained their faces. Then they began to shout wildly one after another.

“It’s raining! Amazing, it’s raining!”

Everyone got off their horses. Some hugged each other and screamed for joy, some wept on the spot, and some drank the rainwater with their mouths open.

Zhao Yelan also stretched out his hands, feeling the cold water soaking his clothes, and laughed from the bottom of his heart. He looked sideways at Yan Mingting: “It’s raining.”

“En, it’s raining.” Yan Mingting smiled and embraced him. “How wonderful.”

Everyone yelled in the rain for a while. Yan Mingting asked them to go shelter in the forest for a while, but they wanted to continue on their way. Even if it was raining, it didn’t matter. This was the rain that they hadn’t seen in a very long time.

“Then let’s go,” Zhao Yelan said in a low voice. “Let’s stop wasting time here and arrive earlier so we can rest earlier.”

Yan Mingting had no choice but to order the team to continue marching in the rain, but he glanced at Zhao Yelan from time to time, worried that he would be affected by the rainy weather and catch a cold.

Fortunately, Zhao Yelan seemed to be very pleased with the rain tonight. One hand was stretched out at all times, and the rainwater flowed down his palm to his fingers, then dropped down to moisten the ground.

Half an hour later, they finally arrived in Pi County. The remaining people of Pi County were rushing outside, and some of the residents knelt down to thank the heavens. Seeing someone approaching, they moved out of the way, but someone recognized them and shouted: “Zhao-daren and General Yan are here!”

“The Living Bodhisattvas are here!”

“Zhao-daren and General Yan brought the rain!”

“Thank you, my lords!”

Yan Mingting quickly explained to them: “We aren’t Living Bodhisattvas, and the rain isn’t from us. It is from the heavens.”

“Thank you, thank you.” The people on the sidelines wept with joy. “My children have been safely sent to Quzhou, and we will pick them up in a few days. If it weren’t for you, my children might have long since passed.”

“Heaven helps good people.” As Yan Mingting spoke, he suddenly realized that Zhao Yelan hadn’t said a word. He looked down and saw the other party leaning into his arms with closed eyes and a pale face. Suddenly panicked, Yan Mingting said, “Yelan? Mengting, Zhao Mengting…..wake up!”

The horse neighed as Yan Mingting embraced him with one arm, quickly riding toward the government office.

The people behind didn’t know what had happened, and had to immediately follow.

As soon as they arrived at the government office, they saw Wang Guisheng coming out holding an umbrella, happily telling the servants beside him: “Tell everyone to hurry up and store water.”

“Wang Guisheng.” Yan Mingting reined in the horse. “Go and call a doctor.”

“General Yan, you’re…..what’s wrong with my lord?” Wang Guisheng hurried forward to help him.

After dismounting, Yan Mingting carried the man down and rushed inside: “Go call a doctor and get some hot water ready.”

Wang Guisheng immediately ordered someone to boil hot water and followed anxiously: “But there are no more doctors in the city, they were all evacuated.”

Wang Guisheng took them to the wing room in the back courtyard, and Yan Mingting put Zhao Yelan on the bed. He touched his forehead and found that it was very hot, but just didn’t know if he had other symptoms of infection.

“General Yan, let me have a look.” Yin Pinglu had run in after hearing the news.

Zuo Ran echoed: “Yin Pinglu used to treat me when I was sick. She has read many medical books.”

“It is up to you,” Yan Mingting said.

Yin Pinglu walked to the side and felt his pulse for a while. She pressed on his chest and observed his face, then said: “It is likely caused by overexertion and the rain. He should take a good rest and stop running about.”

He had just recovered from the heat stroke last time, and was on the road day and night. Then it had rained for so long tonight, making things worse.

“The doctors are gone, but is there still a pharmacy here?” Yin Pinglu asked Wang Guisheng. “Can I go see if there is any medicine I can use?”

“There is, I’ll ask someone to take you there.” Wang Guisheng found a person familiar with the local area to take her to the pharmacy to retrieve medicine.

Wang Guisheng gave orders to his servants while keeping an eye on the situation here. As soon as he turned his head, he saw Yan Mingting crouched beside the bed, holding his hand and staring at him wordlessly, a little too quiet.

Full of doubts, Wang Guisheng didn’t dare disturb them for the time being.

After a while, the water was ready. Yan Mingting closed the door and bathed Zhao Yelan himself. After removing all of his clothes, he carried him to the water and wiped Zhao Yelan’s body with a handkerchief.

Zhao Yelan was so pale. Even in the summer drought when all the men were shirtless, he would wear clothes to preserve a bit of dignity, so his body was as fair as ever.

But Yan Mingting didn’t have any extra colorful thoughts at this time, and bathed him very seriously. While rubbing his back, he stopped suddenly and looked down at it. There was a bumpy imprint above his waist, and after a long pause, Yan Mingting looked up at the unconscious man in disbelief.

Was this why he was never allowed to look at his back?

He started to tremble, and was about to touch the mark, but he stopped abruptly. Thinking that this was the reason for his bad temper and audaciousness, the dignified general’s eyes began to redden inexplicably.

Zhao Yelan began to move again at this time, and opened his eyes with a splitting headache to find himself soaking in a wooden tub. Subconsciously leaning against the side, he looked up in surprise: “What are you doing?”

“Take a bath first and then rest.” Yan Mingting blinked and the mist vanished from his eyes, but there was still a trace of redness.

“What’s wrong with you?” Zhao Yelan asked hoarsely.

“Nothing, I’m just worried for your health,” Yan Mingting answered.

Just as Zhao Yelan wanted to smile, he suddenly noticed that he was soaking naked in the tub. He leaned back a little more, wishing he could stick directly to the side, and cast him a vigilant look: “Did you see something you shouldn’t have seen?”

“You mean…..that?” Intentionally or not, Yan Mingting glanced at his lap. “Then I did see it.”

“……” Zhao Yelan asked uncertainly, “Anything else?”

“I just put you in, and you woke up. I haven’t done anything yet.” As Yan Mingting spoke, he looked wronged.

Zhao Yelan inwardly breathed a sigh of relief and observed his expression carefully. If the other party had seen it, he would definitely be curious and ask him about it. But since Yan Mingting didn’t, he gradually relaxed and rubbed his temples: “You go out, ba, I’ll wash myself.”

“Your head is dizzy, I worry about you being alone.”

“Then you call Xiao Gao in.”

Zhao Yelan confronted him for a long moment, thinking that the other party would come up with something to stay and watch him wash, but Yan Mingting actually agreed, getting up to go outside and ask Xiao Gao to come and serve him.

Yan Mingting stood guard outside the door, silently listening to the sounds of water inside with dark eyes and a stuffy nose.

“General, why are you here? Is my lord asleep?” Wang Guisheng asked, coming over.

“He’s still taking a bath.” Yan Mingting saw that he was holding a bowl in his hand. “Is the medicine ready?”

“En, this is for Zhao-daren.” Wang Guisheng handed him the bowl. “Miss Yin boiled a lot, so I’ve shared a bowl with everyone. General, do you want some?”

“No need.”

Wang Guisheng saw that he was still stuck in place after taking the medicine bowl, and was a little uncertain about what kind of feelings he bore for Zhao Yelan.

“If there is nothing else, you can go back first. Don’t worry about things here,” Yan Mingting said.

Wang Guisheng left uneasily.

The door opened again, and Xiao Gao came out to say that his lord had already laid down. Yan Mingting just went in with the bowl, and after feeding the medicine to him, he took off his clothes and lay in bed, drawing him into his arms. He rubbed his head against the other’s neck as if to ingratiate himself and show his love.

Zhao Yelan was very sleepy at first, but after being teased by him, he said with a slight smile: “Are you going to let me rest?”

“I will.” Yan Mingting hugged him tightly. “This way you will heal quickly.”

It was still raining, and everyone was busy collecting water and cheering. Yan Mingting asked in his ear: “Are you still afraid?”

Zhao Yelan knew that he was asking if he was afraid of rainy days.

He thought about it carefully, and could only think of his experiences these days in the other party’s company. He shook his head.

“That’s good. Go to sleep, ba.”

Yan Mingting’s whispering voice seemed to have magical properties, and Zhao Yelan fell into a drowsy sleep in an instant.

Yan Mingting stared at his face, then solemnly and devoutly planted a kiss on his forehead.

In the afternoon of the next day, Zhao Yelan’s condition improved. His head was no longer muddled, and he was able to get out of bed.

The others were all sent outside by Yan Mingting to check on the situation after the rain. Yan Mingting came in with food for him, watched over him as he finished eating, and then ran to the kitchen to cook the medicine himself.

After a while, Wang Guisheng snuck into the room and said: “Zhao-daren.”

“What is it?” Zhao Yelan asked with his head propped up.

Wang Guisheng couldn’t help being stunned for a moment at the sight of his sickly yet elegant appearance, and a sentence sprung to mind – a delicate sick beauty.

With a glance outside, he saw that no one was coming and asked in a whisper: “Taking the liberty to inquire, what is the relationship between you and the General now?”

Zhao Yelan raised his eyes: “Why are you asking this?”

“Because I honestly can’t tell.” Wang Guisheng frowned. “Like this morning, he has been guarding your bedside, taking care of you in every possible way. If you moved, he would observe for a long time to see if you were awake, and would wipe your sweat for you and cover you with a blanket.”

Zhao Yelan raised his eyebrows: “What else?”

“He held your hand the whole time without coming back to his senses.”

A smile appeared at the corners of Zhao Yelan’s lips. “En, what else?”

“He still…..” Wang Guisheng quickly stopped. “Wait, I need to tell you another thing. I fear we have been deceived by his illusion.”

“Illusion?” Zhao Yelan frowned slightly. “What do you mean by that?”

“When I left the capital, I heard a rumor that General Yan had an affair with Fu Qian in Jiangnan!” Wang Guisheng said in a hushed tone.

Zhao Yelan: “……”

Wang Guisheng: “This story has been widely spread. Do you know about anything that happened in Jiangnan?”

“It isn’t so, could it be that Fu Qian himself didn’t come out to explain? How could he, a man living in the capital, have anything to do with Yan Mingting in Jiangnan? How could anyone believe such absurd rumors?” Zhao Yelan hadn’t expected this. Had something gone wrong somewhere?

“The thing is, Fu Qian is not in Beijing. He went out to play and came to the south. Everyone was discussing this matter, and it was spread so vividly that the Fu family almost believed it. They were still discussing fiercely whether to send Fu Qian to the General’s Mansion as the second wife.”

“… … … …” Zhao Yelan slowly clenched his fists.

Yan Mingting came in with the medicine and saw that the faces of the two men were each more serious than the other. He asked: “What are you discussing?”

“Hush, we’re discussing your second wife.” Zhao Yelan turned to ask Wang Guisheng for details.

“Second, second wife?!” Yan Mingting turned pale with shock, then scratched his head blankly. “Second wife……what is this about?”

---

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

T/N: Thanks so much to tveckling and VC3 for the Kofi! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

The style of the ring Xia Xingchi held in his hand was quite familiar, as if it was a pair with the one on Li Chengyuan’s finger.

These days, people had searched half the entertainment industry to find that engagement ring, but he had continued to wear it close to his neck.

When that voice fell, it was as if the atmosphere froze in an instant.

Not only was the frenzied melee in the barrage immediately silenced for half a second as if the microphones were collectively shut off, even everyone present who had guessed the truth were stunned.

After all, it was one thing to make a guess, but it was another thing for a poor low-tier artist with no background to come forward and lay down the truth.

A moment ago, Xia Yu had deceptively obfuscated the truth and vaguely claimed to be engaged to Li Chengyuan.

Before everyone could confirm his identity, Xia Xingchi had smashed down the hammer of truth, and everyone who was hit by it couldn’t recover for a long moment.

The evidence and doubts these past few days over both parties, which had been increasing openly and in the dark, had been placed on the bright side, turning it into a confrontation between lies and truth on the spot in front of countless people.

The ring in Xia Xingchi’s hand was enough to prove his identity. Li Chengyuan had always been wearing his ring as if making a declaration to the world. Everyone was already quite familiar with the ring that was under the spotlight.

“This……” The doctor had never witnessed such a confusing battle before. He was stunned for half a second, and then swiftly turned to Xia Xingchi. “Family member! Hurry up and follow, let’s go!”

Half of Xia Yu’s face was swollen and hot from the beating, and his nosebleed had splattered all over his face and body. He looked like quite the mess sitting on the ground.

He had always cared about his reputation, but now he couldn’t bother with his image anymore. Only the thought of “Li Chengyuan must die!” was left in his mind, and he immediately got up from the ground: 

“Wait! This won’t work, I —”

Before he could finish speaking, there was a loud “bang” as Xia Xingchi slammed him over his shoulder hard in front of everyone, smashing Xia Yu to the ground!

The lies and sophistry that hadn’t had time to leave his lips were immediately taken care of in the most brutal and swift manner.

Xia Xingchi gritted his teeth and grabbed him by the collar, lifting him up to roar angrily: “Xia Yu, if anything happens to Li Chengyuan, I’ll fucking kill you!”

With that said, he ignored any further tricks that the green tea spirit had up his sleeve to delay the time, turning around and striding away with the doctor.

[WTF That was so awesome! I thought he really wanted to kill Xia Yu, that dead green tea. His skills are so cool!]

[My whole family is shocked, what was Xia Yu doing just now? He pretended to be Mr. Li’s lover in front of our idol?]

[This is the strongest epic slap in the face, the slap is so bad, nosebleeds are coming hahahaha]

[Wait……I still haven’t come to terms with how many earth-shattering things have happened in less than an hour]

[So Yuanchi CP is real! Oh my god! This is almost as happy as New Year’s Eve!]

[Upstairs, you can stop having fun, I’m fucking crying, what if Mr. Li is dead, ah? I watched Xingchi cry and got worried]

[I didn’t understand the sentence just now, why would Xia Xingchi hunt Xia Yu down if Li Chengyuan had an accident?]

[I don’t think it’s that simple between them, blindly guessing that one has a conspiracy]

. . . . . .

Seeing Xia Xingchi striding away, Xia Yu was still frozen in place, as motionless as if he had been scared stiff.

This time, he wasn’t acting. He actually felt incomparable fear, along with the guilt and panic that his heinous crime seemed to have been exposed.

— Obviously, everything looked like an ordinary heart attack, how could Xia Xingchi guess that it was human-caused and related to him?

How did he find out, and how much did he know?

– – –

Xia Xingchi rushed out at almost the speed of a 100-meter sprint. When he boarded the helicopter, the doctor was urgently saying to a nurse:

“Use a vasopressor agent! The patient’s blood pressure is undetectably low!”

The pulse disappeared, the pupils dilated…..

Xia Xingchi watched them take out a small machine and paste it on Li Chengyuan’s chest with glue. It seemed that the situation was not optimistic. They wanted to give electric shocks right away?!

The joy and hope brought by the successful CPR just now were replaced by panic in an instant –

Li Chengyuan was still going to die.

The helicopter took off vertically, and Xia Xingchi sat there like a frightened bird, staring at Li Chengyuan’s lifeless face. Any exchange between the doctor and nurses was enough to throw him into panic.

He wanted to ask “how is he?” but seeing the serious and tense people busily working, he couldn’t say a word with his stiff tongue, and didn’t dare to disturb them.

Was it hopeless?

Did Li Chengyuan’s heartbeat still stop?

A nurse noticed that Xia Xingchi was too rigid, and explained in a low voice: “Don’t be afraid, it’s a defibrillator. The patient still has a heartbeat, but the rhythm is irregular and needs to be defibrillated.”

Xia Xingchi’s stalled brain could no longer comprehend anything. As if he had forgotten how to speak, he asked after a long time: 

“Will he die?”

“What should I do?”

Faced with this problem, the nurse couldn’t make a definite judgment, and couldn’t bear to explain Li Chengyuan’s dangerous situation and hurt Xia Xingchi further, so she could only take out a tissue and hand it to him.

Only then did Xia Xingchi realize that his tears had been flowing down without him knowing. He raised his hand to wipe them away, but more warm liquid rolled down again.

– – –

He sat alone at the door of the emergency room and stared at the glowing red sign. He didn’t know how long he looked at it. Ten minutes or even a few hours could have passed.

Then a nurse opened the door and walked out to break the dead silence: “Are you the patient’s family?”

Seeing Xia Xingchi nod, she continued: “The critical illness notice has been signed. The patient’s condition is not very good, and family members should be mentally prepared.”

Xia Xingchi’s rusty, stalled brain finally turned on with a loud “boom!”

His tear-reddened eyes immediately widened, and he said incoherently: “No, he can’t die……as long as Li Chengyuan lives, I’ll do whatever you want……please save him.”

The nurse had witnessed too many family members lose control. In the face of life and death, no matter their identity or status, they were all equally pale and powerless.

She patted Xia Xingchi on the shoulder, poured a glass of warm water, and handed it to him: “We will work hard, and we all very much hope that the patient survives.”

After a pause, she continued to comfort him: “You’ve done a good job. If there was no timely and professional CPR, there would not be so much time and hope for the patient.”

Xia Xingchi just shook his head numbly. If Li Chengyuan didn’t survive, “timely” would be nothing but a greater regret.

“The patient suffers from severe arrhythmia, ventricular fibrillation, cardiac arrest, and acute hypotension. Fortunately, you didn’t give him nitroglycerin, otherwise it would make things worse, and it might be completely irreparable.”

These words finally caused the bewildered Xia Xingchi to regain some sanity:

“Why is this happening to him all of a sudden? He’s obviously been fine…..his heart disease is not serious, could it have been artificially caused?”

The nurse shook her head and said she was unclear: “There are many causes for sudden severe arrhythmia, especially if the patient has a history of heart disease. No human factors can be seen for the time being.”

Soon Xia Xingchi was left alone in front of the surgery room. He was still convinced that this was a conspiracy arranged by Li Shengrui and Xia Yu rather than Li Chengyuan’s fated ending.

But what went wrong?

Xia Xingchi frowned in thought. The only thing Li Chengyuan ate today was simple porridge and side dishes, all of which were fried and cooked by himself and served directly to the table.

Everyone else was out filming the show, and there was not a single person who passed by during the whole process, just the two of them.

The same dishes were cooked for everyone, and after the bowl of corn porridge was served to Li Chengyuan, everyone drank the rest without any symptoms.

Xia Xingchi took a deep breath, looked down at the crescent-shaped scar on his wrist, and took out his phone to play back Xia Yu’s live broadcast in the kitchen that morning.

On the screen, Xia Yu walked into the kitchen with a package in his arms, greeting the camera while forthrightly opening it.

Perhaps in order to show his earnestness, focus, and proficiency, there were various ingredients and bottles inside.

The process of cooking the porridge was indeed complicated enough. Xia Yu actually stayed in the kitchen for nearly two hours, during which he continued to talk about Li Chengyuan’s childhood.

For example, back then, he had a cold and indifferent personality and rarely talked to others. He once left home for no reason, and it took him a long time for someone to finally find him. At that time, he was already seriously ill and almost died.

Li Chengyuan’s private past was spoken out loud in the informed tone of a childhood sweetheart, with sincere tea art “concern,” regardless of whether the person in question wanted him to speak it.

Xia Xingchi was already in a low mood, but at the thought of that bastard Li Shengrui telling him all this, he felt extremely disgusted and simply turned off the sound, continuing to watch at double speed.

Of course, nothing was found. The camera had a blind spot and couldn’t fully show the entire kitchen. Since Xia Yu dared to do all this in front of the camera, he would not be so stupid as to expose his crime live.

Xia Xingchi finally paused the playback. The screen was frozen on the scene of Xia Yu washing the dishes and chopsticks after cooking, tidying up the kitchen diligently and virtuously.

— Could it be a problem with the dishes? Was there something on it?

Xia Xingchi thought about it carefully, but still felt that it was wrong.

Li Chengyuan had always been obsessed with cleanliness. Before eating at home, the servants had to wash the clean dishes and chopsticks again.

What’s more, the conditions here were harsh, and even if there were no small animals scurrying around, there would inevitably be dust. Therefore, Xia Xingchi always washed the dishes with his own hands.

So, what other means could be used to target Li Chengyuan alone without touching others, so as to fake a heart attack?

A call suddenly came in, and the name “Lin Meng” flashed on the screen.

Xia Xingchi wiped away his tears. Although he tried his best to control it, he still had a faint sob in his throat: “Hello? Sister Mengmeng.”

On the other side of the line, Lin Meng immediately said: “Don’t cry, don’t cry, how is President Li doing?”

Xia Xingchi raised his head to look at the red light of the emergency room. Catching a glimpse of the electronic clock out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly realized that a full four hours had passed.

But there was no news other than the critical illness notice.

“I don’t know…..” He couldn’t help but choke up when he said this. “He’s still being rescued. Why is it taking so long, is there really hope?”

He had heard before that the more times a person’s heart stopped, the longer it took to save them. The persistence in trying was for the purpose of not giving up the last glimmer of hope, and to give comfort to the family members of the patient.

If he had been saved, he would have left the emergency room long ago.

“It’s okay, Mr. Li is definitely okay. He couldn’t bear to leave you behind,” Lin Meng comforted. “I’ve already gotten off the plane, which hospital are you at? Send me the location and I’ll wait with you.”

Xia Xingchi was stunned. He didn’t expect her to come directly. His originally directionless and helpless heart was filled with a little warmth at having the support of a friend.

Then he heard Lin Meng say: “Have you eaten yet? Don’t look at your phone, go get something to eat first and wait. Mr. Li couldn’t bear for you to go hungry.”

He said “En,” hung up the phone, and lowered his head to send her the location. Then he swiped his hand to bring up Weibo.

He saw his name taking up half the screen.

No wonder Lin Meng told him not to look at his phone. At this time, there was an unprecedented bloody storm on the internet.

And he was dragged into the center of the vortex to face the overwhelming criticism —

#Xia Xingchi premeditated death#

#Xia Xingchi suspected of murder#

#Xia Xingchi obstructs treatment and beats people in public#

– – –

The video during the live broadcast was once again maliciously edited with the beginning and ending removed.

On the screen, Xia Yu was earnestly begging: “Xingchi-ge, please don’t be angry, please don’t treat Mr. Li like this…..”

“Can you give him the medicine? If you do this, he will die, please…..”

Faced with his tearful pleading, Xia Xingchi on screen only looked at him with a cold face and eyes that seemed to want to kill someone.

Not only was he completely unmoved, but when Xia Yu stepped forward to grab the medicine bottle, he directly pushed him down.

As for the part about the beating, it didn’t mention that time was running out and Xia Yu was deliberately obstructing and delaying the treatment, but only captured the scene of Xia Xingchi hitting him so hard that his nose bled.

[Oh, shit! He’s so fucking provocative, isn’t he? This is too vicious, it’s just blatant murder ah!]

[Does this illiterate man from the countryside think that Li Chengyuan will die of a heart attack? Isn’t he committing a crime?]

[Look up “criminal omission,” this idiot’s judgment day has really come, he’ll really be punished, ah]

[It’s not like that! Xingchi performed CPR after Mr. Li’s cardiac arrest, otherwise Mr. Li would have passed away long ago. You guys didn’t even watch the whole thing!]

[Where did the water army come from upstairs? This whitewashing, ah. The medicine wasn’t given, and after the person died, he did CPR? Hahaha]

[What’s even more outrageous is that he’s actually Li Chengyuan’s fiance? This is what “the person he cares most about” does, it’s too cruel]

[Was Mr. Li in despair when his loved one stabbed him in the back? Xia Xingchi, this b*tch! Slut! You should fucking die! Can you afford to pay with your cheap life?!]

[Thinking about it, maybe Li Chengyuan didn’t know he’d been stabbed in the back. People who are dead don’t know shit]

[Fuck your uncle! If you don’t know how to speak, then shut up! President Li will be fine!!]

. . . . . .

There was obviously some manipulative marketing behind the overwhelming maliciousness, but the result was clearly to make countless passers-by believe it was true.

Xia Xingchi knew that after the official announcement, he would inevitably be attacked by some extreme fans. At this time, the effects were magnified, and Li Chengyuan’s crazy girlfriend fans jumped up and down crazily, wishing they could cut Xia Xingchi into pieces.

Xia Xingchi looked down at his private mailbox filled with innumerable insults, photoshopped pictures flying all over the place, and his eyes were suddenly sore and wet.

The warm liquid flowed down his cheeks and landed on the screen drop by drop.

Rather than crying because of the malice, it was more accurate to say it was because this was the first time he had faced such malice alone.

Only then did he realize that Li Chengyuan had been standing behind him, silently protecting him from beginning to end.

In the face of explosive public opinion and insults, all of them constantly reminded Xia Xingchi – the person who once silently guarded him was not by his side.

Xia Xingchi gritted his teeth and took a deep breath, trying to calm down and not think about it.

At this time, there was a sudden commotion from the other end of the long, originally quiet corridor.

He swiftly raised his head, only to see paparazzi rushing forward with cameras. They had actually broken into the hospital?!

There were only six or seven people in the small group. He didn’t know what method they used to sneak in. Perhaps there were people in every hospital in this small city who were casting a wide net to find them.

Xia Xingchi frowned. He didn’t expect to be instantly surrounded when he stood up.

The cameras filmed as sharp, harsh questions echoed outside the quiet emergency room:

“Did you really kill him on purpose? You are already engaged, was it because of emotional discord or because of property?”

“What is the relationship between you and Xia Yu? Why did you hit him?”

“Is the cause of Mr. Li’s death really a heart attack? Could it have been done artificially?”

When the last sharp question rang out, Xia Xingchi’s brief daze instantly turned to fury:

“Shut your mouths! He’s not dead yet! He won’t die, either!”

In the end, he immediately pushed and shoved this group of greedy paparazzi that were like dogs smelling meat, but heard them continue to distort the facts as they asked:

“Why are you so angry? Are you mad that Mr. Li didn’t die?”

“Fuck all of you! Get out of here!”

Xia Xingchi grabbed a piece of equipment and smashed it to the ground. In the chaos, he couldn’t figure out how everything had turned out like this.

The original malicious interview turned into a brawl, and Xia Xingchi fought alone against the group of paparazzi who had come prepared.

The only thing left in his mind was the need to keep them away from the emergency room and not to let them hinder the doctor’s operation.

It was as if his whole world had been turned upside down, leaving nothing but the chaos and hopelessness of his isolation, breaking down mentally as he was nearly driven mad.

Fortunately, the security guards arrived swiftly and rushed up to press all the troublemakers to the ground, dragging them away from the emergency room.

Xia Xingchi’s clothes and hair were disheveled.

This farce had squeezed out almost all his strength, and he was so tired that he didn’t even want to move back to the chair, falling directly onto the cold floor.

Perhaps being carefully planted and protected by Li Chengyuan in his greenhouse these days had been too good. When returning to a life full of malice, he couldn’t accept it right away.

He didn’t know how long he sat there in silence, until there was another rush of footsteps in the corridor.

Xia Xingchi subconsciously shuddered, but when he looked up, he saw Lin Meng galloping forward.

She stepped over and hugged Xia Xingchi into her arms, and couldn’t help sobbing like a real sister: “It’s okay, Xingchi, it’s okay…..President Li will be fine, don’t cry, don’t be afraid.”

Xia Xingchi shook his head, and forced a smile after a long while: “It’s all right, I know he’ll be fine.”

Lin Meng then helped him sit back on the chair, and tidied up his messy clothes.

After everything, he had already cultivated a very tenacious psychological quality throughout his difficult life. Xia Xingchi knew that he would not collapse, and quickly adjusted after wiping away his tears.

Lin Meng said: “Those were not ordinary paparazzi, they seem to be aimed at you.”

Xia Xingchi nodded. Although he didn’t know much about the entertainment industry, he did know that paparazzi wouldn’t be so deranged.

If they hadn’t been stopped just now, they seemed to have wanted to rush into the emergency room to “film and interview,” but in fact would have deliberately interfered during a tense operation where life was hanging by a thread.

This was Xia Yu’s classic method once again.

Lin Meng peeled a piece of candy and handed it over: “Can I buy you some food? You can’t stay here the whole time.”

Xia Xingchi shook his head. He didn’t want to eat anything right now, he just wanted to see Li Chengyuan, the living villain who continued to scare him.

His gaze fell aimlessly on the piece of candy and suddenly froze. Then a revelation flashed through his mind like divine enlightenment!

“I know!” Xia Xingchi said suddenly.

He finally understood how Xia Yu had poisoned him.

The only thing Li Chengyuan ate more than everyone else today was the box of ordinary white sugar in the kitchen!

They had eaten and lived together for three consecutive days, and it wasn’t the first time they drank the corn porridge. Xia Yu must have observed that none of them had the habit of adding sugar to their porridge.

And his so-called “tea language” kept reminding Li Chengyuan that he would suffer from hypoglycemia. In fact, he was not trying to hype up the CP fervor, but wanted to prevent Xia Xingchi from forgetting to put sugar in the porridge, so he kept giving psychological hints.

Xia Xingchi stood up and said: “Li Chengyuan didn’t have a heart attack, he was poisoned!”

After speaking, he quickly took out his cell phone and dialed the police. Presumably everyone was back at the film location at this time, and the cameras were not turned off. Xia Yu had no chance to clear up the criminal evidence for the time being.

It was easy to add something to the sugar using small movements and the camera’s blind spots, but it would be difficult to pour out the sugar, wash away the toxic substances, and then replace it with new sugar.

After clearly explaining what had happened to the police, Xia Xingchi heaved a sigh of relief and received a promise that they would immediately dispatch officers to protect the possible evidence.

Just as he put down the phone, the lights in the emergency room finally went out after being on for more than five hours.

His heart relaxed for a moment, then tensed again as he stared wide-eyed at the doctor who had just come out.

The doctor took off his mask and said with a gentle smile:

“Family, right? Don’t be nervous, the patient has been successfully rescued and will be transferred to the intensive care unit for observation. Once the vital signs are stable, he can be transferred to the general ward.”

This sentence was like a needle poking a balloon, instantly puncturing the small balloon that was struggling to inflate itself.

Xia Xingchi was so happy that he nearly lost his mind. Never had he been more ecstatic than upon hearing these words!

Even if there was a lottery ticket worth 100 million in front of the little money-grubber, he would not feel such happiness as he did now. It was as if he could fly into the sky, zooming around like a leaking balloon.

Behind the doctor, a stretcher bed was being pushed out. The short separation of five hours seemed as long as five centuries. The moment Xia Xingchi saw Li Chengyuan, he couldn’t help but start crying again.

More tears were shed in one day than in almost the entire twenty-odd years of his previous life.

He immediately rushed forward with great joy, no matter that there were outsiders present, and kissed Li Chengyuan’s forehead fiercely.

If it wasn’t for the obstruction of the oxygen mask, this kiss would have certainly fallen on his lips.

Although Xia Xingchi himself didn’t know why he always wanted to kiss him when he couldn’t help himself, anyway, the big villain was unconscious and didn’t know anything about it.

Xia Xingchi was busy kissing excitedly, and Lin Meng couldn’t help but laugh. She asked the doctor on his behalf: “Doctor, do you think Mr. Li had a normal heart attack? We think there is a problem, his heart isn’t in such a bad state. This is more like poisoning.”

The doctor was stunned for a moment. He had originally only regarded this as a serious heart disease, but after hearing this, he had some doubts:

“We don’t have the patient’s previous medical history and physical condition, but it’s really strange if his previous condition was not so serious.”

After defibrillating six times in a row, his repeating ventricular fibrillation finally stopped. His heart rate would become even more chaotic, slow down for a while, and then suddenly accelerate…..

If there was no serious heart problem, it was definitely poison.

It was only that the operation was rushed just now, and there was no time to check for it carefully.

Xia Xingchi reluctantly let go of the big kitty cat that he had almost lost, and asked the nurse to push him to the intensive care unit for observation.

“What did the patient eat before?”

This question was asked before the operation, but it was obvious that the porridge and side dishes alone were not poisoned.

After thinking for a moment, the doctor asked: “Or, did the patient ever consume coffee, medicinal wine, unknown vegetables, or fungi beforehand?”

Xia Xingchi shook his head. He paid the utmost attention to Li Chengyuan’s diet, so he was sure that he had been poisoned rather than eating something bad.

“It’s like some kind of alkaloid poisoning. We will send his blood samples and stomach contents for testing. If we suspect poisoning, it will need to be reported to the police.”

– – –

The beautiful and remote small city was not as crowded as Beijing, and there were more than enough beds here.

It was rare for a little money-grubber to make an exception due to excitement, and spend extravagantly in celebration. He opened the most expensive VIP ward to temporarily use as a hotel, and tried the bed for Li Chengyuan in advance to see if it was comfortable.

It was a pity that he couldn’t sleep half the night due to nerves.

In the dead of night, after the excitement had faded, Xia Xingchi couldn’t help but worry again. The more he cared, the more doubtful and pessimistic he became, constantly afraid that fate had not spared his big villain.

After all, Li Chengyuan was not completely out of danger.

Tossing and turning until the early morning, he finally fell asleep for a while until someone knocked on the door of the ward.

Xia Xingchi woke up abruptly, leaping up to open the door, but heard the nurse outside the ward jokingly drawl: “Mr. Xia, you have a delivery! Your freshly baked fiance has arrived —”

Upon hearing this, Xia Xingchi couldn’t help but laugh.

A group of well-meaning nurses obviously recognized who he was, and he was completely different from the demonizing rumors on the internet. Those words were simply nonsense.

So they were all very nice to him when they saw how nervous he was, teasing him into relaxing.

Li Chengyuan had recovered faster than expected. He only stayed in the intensive care unit for one night, and his vital signs had completely stabilized.

Xia Xingchi watched them transfer Li Chengyuan onto the huge, spacious bed he had just jumped out of, and they connected all kinds of reassuring monitoring instruments.

“Why is he still not awake? Is that really okay?”

The ever-optimistic little hedgehog had become worried and pessimistic so many times, greatly confirming that “caring leads to chaos.”

“Don’t worry, he woke up once last night, which means that there are no major issues. Maybe he can wake up today.”

Xia Xingchi was relieved now, and when everyone left the ward, he lay down beside Li Chengyuan on the bed and stared at him.

In the past, he only noticed that he was a walking cash cow, but he had recently found more and more that he was really good-looking.

The more he looked at him, the more he wanted to kiss him. Just like looking at his own beautiful cat, he couldn’t help wanting to stroke it, kiss it, and stick to it.

It was probably like wanting to bury his face in Summer’s fur and kiss it, but there seemed to be something different about this feeling.

The oxygen mask had already been removed. Xia Xingchi saw that there was no one around, so he decided to follow his own temperament and kiss as much as he wanted, since the villain was unconscious anyway.

He would just think of it as free wool. If you don’t squeeze it, you don’t get any, and if you don’t kiss the big cat, you don’t get kisses.

A kiss landed on Li Chengyuan’s forehead, and a moment later, another kiss landed on his right cheek, then another symmetrically on his left cheek.

Xia Xingchi’s heart beat wildly after doing this, and he tried to retreat quickly as if out of guilt.

Unexpectedly, just before he could get up and run away, a low and slightly hoarse voice was suddenly heard:

“Xia Xingchi, do you not dare to kiss my lips again?”

Xia Xingchi was shocked, like a little hedgehog caught in the act. He never expected that the person in the “coma” would suddenly speak up.

He immediately stared at Li Chengyuan and saw that his eyes were still closed, but there was a slight smile on his lips.

---

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

Two days later, Zhao Yelan finally recovered. There was no one else in the room. He put on his clothes and had just walked out the door when he heard Yan Mingting say to Zuo Ran: “Take the prescription from the doctor and boil two pots. Make it available to everyone.”

“Okay.” Zuo Ran raised her head and called, “Zhao-daren, why are you up?”

Yan Mingting turned around with a wave of his hand, and Zuo Ran hurried off to get to work. He walked to the door and asked in a soft voice: “How do you feel, is there any discomfort?”

Zhao Yelan shook his head and asked: “What kind of medicine are you brewing? Is anyone else sick?”

“It’s just medicine to reduce the heat. They’re running around outside every day, so it’s just in case,” Yan Mingting said.

“I was negligent.” Zhao Yelan had simply thought that these soldiers were well-trained and physically strong, so he just let them go to work.

“Your biggest oversight is yourself.” Yan Mingting helped him sit down, and then asked the doctor to make a diagnosis. After confirming that there was no major problem, he was relieved.

Zhao Yelan asked about the current progress, and Yan Mingting replied: “Rest assured, ba, the refugees from Zhizhou have been evacuated according to your previous method. If there is no accident, they should now be almost to the disaster relief point, and then they will be able to go on to other lands smoothly.”

Zhao Yelan pondered: “Where are the people from the city? Have they all been evacuated too?”

“Some people don’t want to leave and have been temporarily placed in charity houses.”

“How long can the water source that Yin Pinglu found last?”

“I’m not sure. It’s only that the water is getting less and less, and many people are going to fetch water every day.”

“Let the residents who don’t want to leave fetch water themselves, otherwise they will wait at home for someone to come to their door,” Zhao Yelan said. “Ask your people to pick up water and send it to the disaster relief point to minimize casualties during the journey.”

“All right.”

At noon, everyone ate pancakes and white rice porridge. Magistrate Sun said that some people in the city were already preparing to leave for other places, because if they went to fetch water by themselves, the round-trip distance was not short. It was better to leave with the others, so that at least there were people from the government who could guarantee them a sip of water.

“Zhao-daren, there is nothing else to do here, you fellows should evacuate quickly,” Magistrate Sun said.

“You aren’t going?”

“There are still some people in the city who are unwilling to leave, and I cannot abandon them,” Magistrate Sun said. “Many thanks to everyone who came to help these days, otherwise I would not have been able to properly handle so many refugees with such ease. Especially Zhao-daren, who fell ill. It is a blessing for the people to have a good official like you, ah.”

“There’s no need for that, I’m just doing my best.” Zhao Yelan thought he wasn’t as good as all that. He had just happened to encounter a disastrous situation and couldn’t bear to see so many lives disappear before his eyes, otherwise he wouldn’t have gotten involved.

Moreover, compared to him, Magistrate Sun was the real local official, and at this juncture he was still unwilling to give up the remaining people and wanted to live or die with them.

Zhao Yelan admired his perseverance, but he also knew that a gentleman did not stand under a dangerous wall, and after minimizing the damage, he should leave with his own people.

“We will take the official route. Come to us if you need anything.” After Zhao Yelan ate half of his sesame seed-coated cakes, he picked up the porridge and drank most of the bowl in one go.

At this time, Yan Mingting silently moved his porridge in front of him.

Zhao Yelan: “Drink it yourself.”

“I can drink wine later,” Yan Mingting insisted.

Zhao Yelan had no choice but to drink another bowl. However, when everyone went back to pack their luggage, he saw Zuo Ran staring straight ahead while holding an empty jar. There was not a drop of wine dripping from it.

“Can’t you change the jar?” Zhao Yelan asked.

“No, we ran out of wine yesterday.” Zuo Ran sighed. “Magistrate Yin took out everything he had in stock at home, but there are too many soldiers and not enough for everyone to drink.”

Zhao Yelan was taken aback: “Not even a single jar?”

“En.”

Zhao Yelan walked into the room. Yan Mingting looked back at him while packing his bags: “Drink the medicine first, ba. There’s some more for the road, so as not to suffer from heatstroke again.”

Taking a few glances at him, Zhao Yelan drank the medicine in one go and grimaced.

“What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable?” Yan Mingting asked, stepping forward.

“It’s a little bitter.”

“It is? You never said it was bitter before, ah.”

Zhao Yelan stared at his chapped lips and raised his head to kiss them. He licked them thoroughly, and asked after his lips were moist: “Is it bitter or not?”

“Where is it bitter?” Yan Mingting smiled. “It’s obviously sweeter than tanghulu.”

For the convenience of travel, no carriage was used this time, and everyone rode lightly on horseback. After bidding farewell to Magistrate Sun, everyone began to move directly north.

Zhao Yelan originally wanted to ride a horse by himself, but Yan Mingting was worried, fearing that he couldn’t bear it alone, so he insisted on dragging him onto his horse.

After more than half an hour, Yan Mingting stopped abruptly and took off his outer layer. The others couldn’t bear the heat either, so they followed his lead and took off their outer layers. For the sake of the two women, they did not go shirtless.

Seeing this, Yin Pinglu whispered a few words to Zuo Ran, who nodded and turned around to say: “General, the two of us are going to the front to take the lead. You just follow behind.”

After speaking, they hurried to the front of the crowd. Everyone saw and didn’t wait any longer, taking off their tops to go shirtless.

Zhao Yelan looked around at all those muscular arms and inevitably became a little jealous.

“Does it look good?” Yan Mingting asked cooly behind him.

“It’s really good-looking,” Zhao Yelan said sincerely.

“…….”

Yan Mingting was angry, but couldn’t ask everyone to put on their clothes when it was hot to the point of death, so he could only remove his inner layer irritably.

Zhao Yelan glanced back, then faced forward as if nothing had happened, a suspicious blush appearing at the base of his ears.

In the evening, everyone enjoyed the shade at the base of a mountain and ate dry rations.

Zhao Yelan found a secluded place and stood under the shade of a tree, eating sesame seed cakes. After a while, Yan Mingting came over and handed him a water bag: “Drink some water first.”

Zhao Yelan grabbed it and took a sip, then turned his back to continue eating without looking at him.

Yan Mingting was puzzled, and was about to speak, but he heard someone calling him and had no choice but to go over there first to see the situation.

Hearing the sound of his footsteps fading away, Zhao Yelan turned his head, and his eyes fell on the other’s back. The muscles of his arms and waist contained a wild strength without losing any aesthetic beauty. The shoulders were wide, the waist narrow, and the legs long. He had a good figure.

He had also seen Yan Mingting soaking in the bathtub, but at that time he was only concerned with checking whether he was injured, and did not have so  many colorful thoughts. But seeing him stand out amongst a group of shirtless men, he couldn’t help feeling a little proud.

Look, among so many tall and mighty men, only the best-looking one was worthy of him.

“My lord, what are you looking at?” Zuo Ran suddenly appeared beside him, following his line of sight. “Are you looking at the General?”

Zhao Yelan was taken aback, and sent her a sharp look: “Are you always so silent when you walk?”

“I am, ah, it’s just that you were too focused,” Zuo Ran said innocently.

“……” Zhao Yelan didn’t want to continue this topic, and asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Getting another sesame seed cake.” Zuo Ran smiled and ran to Yan Mingting’s side. Whatever she said made Yan Mingting suddenly look over with a smile.

Zhao Yelan quickly looked up at the sky, still holding half a piece of sesame seed cake in his hand.

Zuo Ran got the cake and ran a few steps forward to find Yin Pinglu.

After Yan Mingting finished talking with the others, he returned to Zhao Yelan and asked with a smile: “What were you looking at just now?”

“I wasn’t looking at anything.” Zhao Yelan took a few steps backward and leaned his back against the tree, then stopped and bowed his head to eat the cake.

Yan Mingting took two steps forward, tilted his head to observe his expression, and suddenly laughed: “Did you peek at me?”

“What nonsense are you talking about!” Zhao Yelan glared at him.

“If you want to see it, just look at it directly instead of being sneaky.” Yan Mingting raised his arms and deliberately demonstrated the power of a man.

Zhao Yelan: “……Be careful of mosquitos biting you to death.”

“Impossible.”

Not long after, Yan Mingting said with a mournful face: “Oh no, look at my back, have I been bitten?”

“That’s right.”

There was a big puffy bite on his back.

Zhao Yelan found some mosquito repellant in the forest and rubbed it on his back for a while, then asked: “Does it still itch?”

How could it not itch? His heart itched badly.

“I’ll do it myself, ba.” Yan Mingting gave a long sigh and looked at him sadly, pointing out, “It’s still so hot today, it’s easy to get too excited.”

Zhao Yelan choked, and stuffed the last bite of sesame seed cake that he couldn’t finish into the other’s mouth.

Yan Mingting was very moved and said in his heart, he left the last bite for me, he loves me so much.

They continued to move forward in the evening, but their speed had dropped and the horses walked forward slowly. Zhao Yelan gazed up at the night sky. It was full of stars, very beautiful, but he couldn’t be happy.

“Looks like tomorrow will be sunny,” Zhao Yelan sighed.

“Don’t worry too much,” Yan Mingting said. “Sometimes the sky isn’t accurate, what if it rains?”

Zhao Yelan reluctantly gave a faint smile: “I hope so, ba.”

Seeing that he was not in high spirits, Yan Mingting said: “Everything has its pros and cons. Although tomorrow will be sunny, that does not hinder the beauty of the night sky now, ah. It is rare to see so many stars in the capital, so seize the opportunity to see more of them.”

Zhao Yelan gave a light laugh, but then seriously looked at the stars. Some were big, some were small, some sparkled and shined, and some connected to form patterns. Zhao used the stars to form pictures, pointing dozens of them out to Yan Mingting. He asked: “What do you think that one looks like?”

“I don’t know.” Yan Mingting’s gaze kept falling on his profile, and the corners of his lips curled up unconsciously. “What is it?”

“It’s Hongshao.” Zhao Yelan laughed out loud, echoed by Yan Mingting.

The others didn’t know what had happened, hearing inexplicable laughter on the road.

The night was getting dark, and Zhao Yelan’s eyelids were a bit heavy. Yan Mingting pulled him back to lean into his arms and said: “Take a nap, ba.”

Zhao Yelan nodded and leaned against his chest to prepare for sleep, but not long after he closed his eyes, he felt something pressing against his back.

He opened his eyes abruptly with a reddening face, and said without looking back: “Calm down.”

“Hm?” Yan Mingting lowered his head slightly, moved close to his cheek, and asked, “What did you say?”

“I said, you had better calm down a little,” Zhao Yelan said in a low voice.

“What’s wrong with me?” Yan Mingting was puzzled.

“What’s wrong with you? We’re on the road now.”

“Yes, we’re on the road……so what?”

Seeing that he had made it clear that he would pretend to be innocent, Zhao Yelan didn’t want to argue with him any longer. He closed his eyes again, but couldn’t get to sleep at all. The horse bumped up and down as he lay against the other’s chest, and his ears were filled with the sound of the other’s heavy breathing as his face turned redder and redder.

What’s more, his back was being poked uncomfortably the whole time, and it was difficult to ignore.

“Go to the front, I have something to say to you,” Zhao Yelan said.

Yan Mingting didn’t know his reasoning, but he hurried to the front at full speed, and then they walked into a remote grove nearby.

“What’s the matter?” As soon as Yan Mingting spoke, the other turned around and reached out to touch his body.

Yan Mingting was taken aback: “ ? ” He wanted to be so wild?

Zhao Yelan’s expression was more complicated. He was sullen at first, then gradually lost, lowering his head unsurely to look. Then he noticed the saber at his waist, and reached out to touch the tip of the scabbard.

Hell. He had been careless.

The expression on Zhao Yelan’s face was about to crack, especially when he realized that he had directly grabbed it after his casually irritated words just now.

“That is……I seem to have made a mistake just now, in fact, the thing is this…..” He wanted to continue to explain, but was taken captive by Yan Mingting into the depths of the forest.

“I’ve never seen you so proactive in stirring up a fire, and also on the road! Hurry and take responsibility for me!” Yan Mingting said.

---

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

T/N: Thanks so much to Juice for the Kofi donation! I really appreciate it!

Xia Xingchi wanted to help Li Chengyuan lie down on his back, but his hands were already shaking as if they weren’t his own, and the simple movement of trying to release the person in his arms was frozen for a long time without success.

Li Xiu, who was standing stupidly on the sidelines, finally came back to his senses and let out an exclamation before hurrying forward to help:

“Xingchi, don’t worry, I’ll help you — do you want to help President Li to the bed?”

Xia Xingchi shook his head.

He had some experience dealing with attacks of acute illness in the past, and had also studied carefully on behalf of Li Chengyuan before, so he couldn’t be moved rashly in this situation, and could only be laid on the ground first.

The speed of the air emergency helicopter was much faster than that of an ordinary ambulance. The emergency center had told him not to panic just now. It would take twenty minutes for the helicopter to arrive.

Xia Xingchi held Li Chengyuan’s cold hand and kept testing his pulse. He had never experienced such a long twenty minutes.

“Xingchi, did you forget to give President Li his medicine?”

Li Xiu only thought that Xia Xingchi hadn’t remembered it in his panic, so he reached out to grab the medicine bottle that had fallen to the ground.

“No, don’t give him the drugs, he’s not –”

Xia Xingchi paused in the middle of speaking, and his heart began to waver.

Everything was based on unfounded speculation, and even the idea that “Li Chengyuan was murdered” was just an inference. The original book clearly stated that the boss suffered a sudden illness.

Not to mention making new assumptions based on other unfounded assumptions. Was the sentence Li Chengyuan wanted to say before really “Not a heart attack?”

Everything in front of him were typical heart attack symptoms. Maybe no one had poisoned him at all. He’d made all the food Li Chengyuan ate with his own hands, and everyone who ate the polenta was fine.

But he delayed the treatment time and the medication was not given to him immediately.

[What’s going on, what’s going on ! ! ! What actually happened?]

[Don’t scare me, ah, tell me it’s all fake! Why did boss Li suddenly cough up blood, ah]

[God, is this a heart attack? How could it be so serious all of a sudden!]

[Xia Xingchi, what are you hesitating for?! Why not give him the medicine, ah! He’s having a heart attack, if you refuse to save him, you’re a murderer!]

[What’s wrong with you, Xingchi baby? Are you scared silly? It’s okay, it’s okay. Don’t be afraid, give Mr. Li some medicine]

[I knew the mistress was the most vicious, do you believe me now? Slap in the face? Slap in the face? He wants to kill Li Chengyuan]

[Fuck your mother, upstairs, shut up! Why are you still quarreling and arguing at this time, are you crazy!]

No one cared about the cameras on the sidelines, and the live broadcast silently continued.

Xia Xingchi had always had a decisive and free-spirited personality. He never hesitated or had regrets when making a choice, and had never encountered a decision that made him hesitate to the point that his teeth chattered.

“No!” He finally made the difficult decision. “Li Chengyuan can’t take this medicine……taking it will make his condition worse.”

Before he finished speaking, the door was pushed open and Xia Yu rushed inside in a hurry, genuine worry and panic written all over his face as he said: “How is Mr. Li?!!”

It was better not to ask. Xia Xingchi was furious when he heard this.

Looking at Li Chengyuan’s incredibly pale face and the blood at the corners of his lips, for a moment, he wanted to rush up and kill Xia Yu, and ask him what kind of poison he had used.

But it was useless to act on emotion. Xia Yu couldn’t possibly admit it. Xia Xingchi tightly gripped Li Chengyuan’s cold hand, suppressing his anger so as not to let himself create a disturbance.

But he heard Xia Yu anxiously accuse: “Has Mr. Li taken any medicine? Xingchi-ge, why are you just standing there, Mr. Li will die like this!”

The word “die” reverberated in Xia Xingchi’s mind like an explosion of thunder, but it also instantly woke him up.

Seeing that he was unmoved, Xia Yu at once became distressed and reached out to pull his arm as if he was anxious to grab the medicine, but Xia Xinghi pushed him away violently.

Xia Xingchi stared at him coldly, not allowing him to touch Li Chengyuan.

The camera was still silently filming. Xia Yu glanced at the camera mutely from the corner of his eye, and then shed tears on the spot.

He begged anxiously: “Xingchi-ge, please don’t be angry, please don’t treat Mr. Li like this. Give him the medicine, okay? He’ll die!”

If Xia Xingchi was still hesitating about his choice before, then this moment strengthened his confidence in his decision.

It was impossible for Xia Yu to be so earnest and kind. Even if there was no evidence that he was the murderer, no one else in this world wished for Li Chengyuan’s death more than he and Li Shengrui.

Seeing Xia Xingchi’s attitude, the barrage immediately ushered in a new wave of frying pans:

[What exactly is going on? I’m really going crazy, this is a life-saving medicine. Xia Xingchi, why won’t you move!]

[Regardless of the relationship between Mr. Li and the three of them, whoever they are, can they save Mr. Li first?]

[Xia Xingchi, are you insane? Have you forgotten how kindly Mr. Li treats you? Why are you killing him now, ah!]

[This is murder. If Mr. Li dies, Xia Xingchi, you can sit in prison]

[Did he forget that there are still cameras here, and his crimes are being broadcasted live? This is crazy, I want to call the police!]

. . . . . .

Xia Xingchi no longer cared about everyone’s commentary, or even what Xia Yu wanted to do.

At this time, Li Chengyuan’s eyes seemed to have opened a little, and his dim and empty gaze was looking up at something –

Even though his life was hanging by a thread, his eyes still instinctively stared at Xia Xingchi for a long time, as though he wanted to hold his hand.

Xia Xingchi thought that Li Chengyuan waking up was a sign of improvement, but before he could feel happy, the other suddenly grimaced in pain and coughed hard.

Xia Xingchi hastily moved to raise his head slightly to prevent him from choking, but saw that he could not keep his body from coughing and trembling, bright red blood continuously flowing from the corners of his lips.

In the end, several large mouthfuls of blood were spewed out in a row, and he lost consciousness again.

The scene was quite frightening, but what made Xia Xingchi even more terrified was that he suddenly realized, Li Chengyuan’s chest didn’t seem to be moving at all?!

He quickly reached out to touch Li Chengyuan’s chest, but could no longer feel his chaotic heartbeat. The weak pulse and breathing had all disappeared —

It was cardiac arrest!

“Li Chengyuan!”

Xia Xingchi immediately panicked, feeling his shaking voice almost break.

Although Li Xiu at the side was at a loss about Xia Xingchi and Xia Yu’s dispute over the medicine and didn’t know which side to take, seeing Xia Xingchi struggling to get up, he reached over to help him.

Xia Xingchi couldn’t care about his legs that were numb from kneeling and sitting, and with Li Xiu’s strength, he quickly moved around to Li Chengyuan’s side and said anxiously:

“He’s in cardiac arrest! I have to give him CPR – Li Xiu, help me find some scissors to cut his clothes!”

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was something that Xia Xingchi had learned to perform when he was working. Xia Xingchi never thought that the first time he would use it in his life would be on Li Chengyuan, the most important person to him.

Xia Yu stopped and didn’t continue to try to grab the medicine, just sitting to the side in tears as if he was frightened.

The moment he heard that Li Chengyuan’s heart and breathing had stopped, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew that Li Shengrui must be watching everything through the camera at this time, witnessing Li Chengyuan’s death with his own eyes.

The monstrous power of hundreds of billions of assets was about to fall into Li Shengrui’s hands.

And everything Xia Xingchi had in this moment that made people feel resentful and envious would be taken and returned to its “rightful owner.” In the future, Xia Yu would definitely shine a hundred times brighter than him.

At this thought, Xia Yu almost couldn’t help but laugh out loud, and every drop of his crocodile tears was full of gloating. Xia Xingchi’s desperate CPR was like the most useless dying struggle.

One minute, two minutes……

Xia Xingchi’s palm touched Li Chengyuan’s icy skin, and his heart was full of self-doubt and despair that the ending could not be changed.

But even though his arms were so tired that he could barely lift them, he still gritted his teeth and refused to give up, repeating the alternation of compressions and artificial respiration.

The crescent-shaped scar on his wrist was particularly conspicuous during these movements, and the moment his eyes fell upon it, tears started to fall –

Li Chengyuan, you can’t fucking die, you haven’t explained why you bit me……

Just as he was wiping his tears and lowering his head to do artificial respiration again, Li Chengyuan’s chest suddenly heaved several times, followed by a burst of labored coughing!

When Li Chengyuan opened his eyes slightly, he happened to meet those of Xia Xingchi, who was bending over.

Xia Xingchi stood there dumbfounded, looking at him in disbelief, and didn’t even notice that his tears were falling on the other’s face.

His lips moved, and his voice was low and almost inaudible: “It’s okay, don’t be afraid……”

Xia Xingchi’s tears suddenly rolled down wildly as if the floodgates had opened, and what was originally artificial respiration turned into a passionate kiss that fell hard on Li Chengyuan’s lips!

“Li Chengyuan, please hold on.” Xia Xingchi clenched his cold fingers tightly.

Because he didn’t dare to speak loudly for fear of stimulating his heart, he could only whisper in his ear: “As long as you survive, I will work for you for a lifetime free of charge, okay? Please hold on.”

Li Chengyuan only regained consciousness for a moment before slipping into darkness again. When he heard this sentence, he was unable to respond.

In the chaos of his lucidity, he answered silently: “Little liar, you spoke about forever and deceived me……this is nothing more than relying on the fact that every time you say it, I will believe you again unconditionally.”

Seeing that he had lost consciousness again, Xia Xingchi quickly reached out to check if his heart was beating. Fortunately, although it was weak, it was indeed beating.

Xia Yu was at first incredulous upon seeing this, and then his eyes suddenly grew dark.

He never thought that Li Chengyuan would cling to life so doggedly. He had thought that he would die on the spot, and he did die.

But Xia Xingchi, that bastard, could provide such professional CPR and actually save him?!

— Li Chengyuan must not survive! He had to die!

— Otherwise, not only would Li Shengrui not get the inheritance, but he would be driven to his death by this lunatic.

Han Yuanhe jogged into the room, followed by the medical staff in white.

Just now he had been standing by the place the helicopter would take off and land, waiting for the arrival of the emergency crew, and then brought them directly here without wasting time.

The moment the doctor finally arrived, the century-long twenty-minute torture finally came to an end.

Xia Xingchi quickly stood up as if he had seen one last straw to clutch at, but his legs were numb and he almost knelt down heavily on the spot.

Han Yuanhe, who was walking quickly at the front, quickly supported him: “Xingchi, don’t worry. President Li will be fine.”

Xia Xingchi pursed his lips and nodded. The doctor had Li Chengyuan carried onto the stretcher and ordered them to send him away first. He was pressed for time and asked very quickly: “Will any of you come to escort the patient?”

He knew that they were making a reality show and there would naturally be no family members of the patient present, so he could only quickly choose someone who was relatively close to accompany them.

The accompanying person should undoubtedly be Xia Xingchi, but before he could stand upright on his numb legs, Xia Yu suddenly said:

“I want to accompany Mr. Li!”

Before anyone could respond to this, he immediately revealed his real intentions and pointed at Xia Xingchi, saying: “He deliberately refused to give Mr. Li the medicine just now, he wanted to kill him!”

[A pure passerby, agreeing with Xia Yu this time]

[Bullshit! If he wanted to harm him, he wouldn’t have given him CPR just now. Li Chengyuan would have been dead before the doctor arrived]

[Even if Xia Xingchi is a favored mistress, no matter how much he is favored, he must have his real fiance at a time like this ah. Xiao Yu, his real fiance, must be the one]

[There’s something wrong with you ba! Boss Li is about to die, are you still fighting to write his name on his tombstone?]

Xia Yu said again: “I am most familiar with his physical condition and illness. Our two families are friends who have a marriage contract!”

“You can no longer let people of unknown origin approach Li Chengyuan, and you can’t give Xia Xingchi a chance to attack! He’s a murderer!”

The doctor who had asked the question just now had never encountered such a situation, so he couldn’t help hesitating.

Leaving aside gossip that could not be taken into account, then the relationship between the two people and the patient was the same.

But as soon as Xia Yu said “marriage contract,” he personally recognized Li Chengyuan as his fiance in public.

The doctor immediately angled toward Xia Yu and said anxiously: “So you are the patient’s family member? Then go, hurry and get on the helicopter, don’t dawdle!”

— Xia Yu was delaying the treatment time.

What’s more, this behavior of lying and tearing off his mask in front of the camera was almost self-destructive, which was not in line with his usual ways.

The only reason he did it was because there were more important things than stardom and fame.

Such as inheritance and a follow-up strike.

Xia Xingchi’s anger, which had long been suppressed, finally erupted at this moment!

Even facing the cameras, he no longer cared. Before Xia Yu’s triumphant smile could appear, Xia Xingchi had already stepped forward and grabbed Xia Yu’s collar with one hand, and punched him down on the spot with the other!

The move was so unexpected that Xia Yu’s nose was bleeding and his ears were buzzing.

He was terrified, and never imagined that he had still underestimated the meek, useless bastard of the past who had become like this.

Without delay, Xia Xingchi pushed Xia Yu to the ground, and at the same time tore off the engagement ring he was wearing next to his neck and admitted on the spot:

“I’m a family member! Li Chengyuan is my fiance……my lover!”

T/N: Yes, it really took THAT much drama for him to admit it. Also, “I will work for you for a lifetime free of charge.” Most romantic line ever delivered by a little money-grubber.

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

The sun had not yet risen in the early morning, but the temperature already showed an upward trend.

The carriage jolted again and Zhao Yelan yawned. Before opening his eyes, he heard Yan Mingting say in his ear: “Go back to sleep, ba.”

Hearing this, Zhao Yelan changed to a more comfortable position. Wrapping his arms around his neck, he placed his head on his shoulder. He was about to fall asleep when he suddenly froze for a moment, opening his eyes to stare at Yan Mingting. Then he lowered his head to take a look.

Yan Mingting’s face abruptly turned red, and he smiled in embarrassment: “Not sleeping anymore?”

“How can I sleep?” Zhao Yelan got off his lap and sat aside. After a moment, he turned his head to the side again, looking down at the bulge in his clothes.

“…….” Yan Mingting silently tried to cover it with his clothes, but it was useless, and instead of shrinking back, he became more energetic.

He couldn’t be blamed for this, ah.

He was at a young age, the weather was so hot, and there was a beautiful person on top of him all night. It was not easy for him to obey the rules, not to mention that Zhao Yelan was staring at him now. To shrink back, he would have to be a ghost.

“Looking, looking, you’re still looking.” Yan Mingting cast him a reproachful look. “It’s your fault for starting the fire. You’ll torture others when you’re drunk and then act as if nothing happened to you.”

Zhao Yelan raised his eyebrows upon hearing these words: “You’re blaming me?”

Yan Mingting gave a light snort and turned his head to stop looking at him and calm himself down. Otherwise, how could he go out to meet people like this?

Suddenly, a shadow fell in front of him, and Zhao Yelan sat on his lap again, reaching out a hand: “It seems that I have to teach you a lesson.”

His hand was a little cold, and when he held it, the scalding temperature finally received a little comfort. Yan Mingting’s breath stopped, and he looked at him incredulously. He noticed that the other party was also momentarily stunned, and asked: “What is it?”

As expected, the General was really well-endowed.

Zhao Yelan only had this thought in his mind, and soon after taught him a lesson with somewhat rusty skills.

In fact, Zhao Yelan seldom did this by himself, especially in recent years. The initial novelty had passed, his mind as calm as still water, and he was unable to arouse any interest. However, watching Yan Mingting’s expression at this time, his face was full of emotion, but he had to restrain his desire and his voice so as not to be heard. This sense of control made him very happy.

Yan Mingting raised his head with his eyes half shut and glimpsed his triumphant smile, then pressed his head down to kiss him.

After a long time, Zhao Yelan pushed him away and rubbed his wrist with some dissatisfaction: “It’s sore, do it yourself.”

How could that work?

“Soon, soon, I’ll do it for you.” With a hoarse voice, Yan Mingting took his hand and covered it again.

At last, Zhao Yelan took several handkerchiefs to wipe his hands.

Yan Mingting tidied up and put on his outer garments. He got off the carriage energetically, but his legs were shaking a bit.

The soldiers looked at him with complicated expressions.

Yan Mingting was embarrassed for a moment, and thought to himself that he had been hugged all night, how could his legs not be soft? He rode straight on his horse and gave the order to speed up so as to reach Zhizhou before noon.

The sharp-eyed Zuo Ran chased after Yan Mingting on horseback and said: “General, your neck is red.”

Yan Mingting touched his neck subconsciously and said: “Mosquito bites.”

“I know you have mosquito bites, but aren’t they on the left?” Zuo Ran said, “There are clearly teeth marks on the right side, and they look quite deep.”

“…….” Yan Mingting suddenly remembered the scene where Zhao Yelan went wild in the middle of the night and bit his neck several times.

“Ranran, you saw wrong, it’s only mosquito bites.” 

After Yin Pinglu finished talking with Zhao Yelan, she took a box of ointment from her pocket and tossed it to him: “Here, General.”

After speeding up, the team finally reached the Sun mansion by lunch. Once the subordinates were settled in, they followed Magistrate Sun to the mansion for a meal.

Yin Pinglu had met Magistrate Sun when she was young, and had also met Sun Muyun a few times. They were little sisters who had a good relationship, but rarely saw each other due to the distance.

When Magistrate Sun saw her, he sighed with regret for the impermanence of the world. Yin Pinglu, however, didn’t care much, and asked about Sun Muyun’s situation.

While the two reminisced about the past, Zhao Yelan looked at Yan Mingting’s red and white neck and asked: “What’s wrong with your neck?”

Yan Mingting asked in a low voice: “Isn’t this your good work?”

Zhao Yelan frowned and reached out to wipe his neck. There was a layer of grease on his fingertips, and when he looked again, it immediately became clear. 

Most likely Yan Mingting had used grease to cover the teeth marks, but the weather was too hot and the grease had begun to mottle.

Zhao Yelan knew he was in the wrong, so he silently lowered his head to eat.

At this time, Magistrate Sun moved a few more pots of lotus wine to the table: “Come, it has been a long journey. My lord and the General should drink some wine to quench their thirst.”

Yan Mingting immediately laughed out loud to the puzzlement of the others, who looked at him doubtfully.

“I won’t drink anymore.” Zhao Yelan now had a psychological shadow regarding the lotus wine. “I still have to do business in the afternoon, so drinking would cause a delay in work.”

“He doesn’t drink well, let me do it. I won’t cause a delay in work.” Yan Mingting took the wine with a smile and drank with the others.

After the meal, everyone gathered in the study and Magistrate Sun brought up the current situation: “Thanks to Zhao-daren’s letter a few days ago, I made preparations early and discovered that a total of eight counties were affected by the disaster in the Zhizhou area. The refugees were all housed in one place. Now in the next county over, there is a lake that is barely surviving and will soon be drained. If it doesn’t rain again, I fear that it will not be able to last more than a few days, and our disaster money has already been exhausted.”

“I’ve brought you the silver,” Zhao Yelan said.

“That truly solves our urgent need.” Magistrate Sun let out a long sigh of relief.

“We hardly met anyone on our way, and the fields were dry, so we should not evacuate anyone in this direction. We can evacuate in three directions, east, north, and south,” Zhao Yelan said, pointing on the map.

“All right, but the manpower……” Magistrate Sun wondered.

“I’ve brought that for you too,” Zhao Yelan pointed to Yan Mingting.

Yan Mingting nodded and went out to form six teams, three to move refugees and three to transport food.

Zhao Yelan had tried to connect several disaster relief sites in Huaizhou together, so that a lot of labor could be saved.

“What water sources are there in the city?” Zhao Yelan asked.

After Magistrate Sun finished his detailed explanation, Yin Pinglu suddenly frowned and pointed to a mountain at the boundary line, saying: “There is also a fresh spring here.”

“It’s a bit far from here, how do you know?” Magistrate Sun asked.

“When I came to Zhizhou as a guest in my youth, Muyun secretly took me there to play. But the location was somewhat difficult to find, and it is unknown if there is still water,’ Yin Pinglu said.

“Can you still remember the exact location?” Zhao Yelan asked.

Yin Pinglu recalled for a moment: “Yes.”

“Then you take some people to check.”

“All right.”

“I’ll go,” Zuo Ran volunteered.

After the two left, Zhao Yelan proposed to take a look around the city again, and went to the streets alone with Yan Mingting.

Compared to when he came here before, there were no people on the streets. The shops were all closed, and the sun was scorching.

Yan Mingting held an umbrella over the two of their heads. Zhao Yelan glanced around, and stood atop the city gate in the end, overlooking the dry scenery. He said: “I’ve never looked forward to a rainy day so much.”

“Why do you hate rainy days?” Yan Mingting asked.

“Because when it rains……people can die.” Zhao Yelan gazed up at the cloudless sunny sky. “But if it doesn’t rain, people will still die.”

“It will rain,” Yan Mingting said.

The corners of Zhao Yelan’s mouth twitched: “Tell me, are those rain rituals useful?”

“They’re probably for peace of mind. If there is no other way, people will want to pray to the heavens.” Yan Mingting turned to look at him. “Do you want to pray to the heavens?”

What Zhao Yelan hated most was talk about the principles of heaven and the like. He looked away and turned to descend the tower: “Fuck the heavens, I only have faith in man-made things.”

Yan Mingting smiled.

“There are many lakes in Huaizhou and Zhizhou, but they are too small to maintain during a drought. I was thinking, would it be possible to dig ditches in the future and find a way to circulate water from the Huaihe River?” Zhao Yelan asked.

Yan Mingting agreed with his proposal, but said: “The scope of this project is too large. It will look like a waste of time and money, and the results may not be satisfactory. Most likely, the Imperial court will not agree with your suggestion.”

“But if protective measures aren’t taken, waiting for the next time, and the next, isn’t such a situation still just waiting to die?”

“Then have you thought about what to say to the court?”

Zhao Yelan’s eyes sharpened: “After the disaster has subsided and the losses have been recovered, I will be this villain.”

“Okay, I’ll support you,” Yan Mingting said.

Zhao Yelan gave him a sideways glance: “I may be accused by thousands of people.”

“I’ll help you scold them back.”

Zhao Yelan laughed out loud.

When approaching the Sun Mansion, Zhao Yelan suddenly became dizzy. He wanted to speak but had no strength to do so, just grabbing Yan Mingting’s sleeve as he fell uncontrollably to the ground.

Yan Mingting caught him and called him a few times, but seeing that he didn’t respond, he quickly carried him back to Sun Mansion and hurried to find a doctor. After diagnosis and treatment, it was confirmed to be heat stroke.

Running around outside for several days, coupled with exposure to the sun, had eventually caused him to fall ill.

Yan Mingting was a little vexed. He had only thought about his fear of the cold, but ignored the current situation and followed him outside for a long time.

Zhao Yelan was given some medicine, and woke up several times in a daze with a wet handkerchief on his forehead and someone continuously fanning him at his side.

Later, when he was half asleep and half awake, he heard many people coming to visit, but they were all dismissed by Yan Mingting and only Magistrate Sun was left behind.

Magistrate Sun had come to inquire about the deployment plan. Zhao Yelan really wanted to get up and explain it to him face-to-face, but he had no strength at all and couldn’t even open his eyes. Then he heard Yan Mingting explain the plan to him in detail, and without any mistakes, so he fell asleep with peace of mind.

At night, he heard Zuo Ran and Yin Pinglu rushing in again: “My lord, my lord, I’ve found the source of water! Although it isn’t much, it’s enough for us to drink for the time being!”

“Shhh.” Yan Mingting motioned for them to keep their voices down. He had them take turns resting while the other led his men to carry water.

Listening to their conversation, Zhao Yelan gradually settled down. Before falling asleep, a sentence popped up in his mind – why be afraid, if the sky falls, there is a tall man there to hold it up.

It was already noon when he awoke again, and he opened his eyes weakly, rolling them around.

“You’re awake?” Yan Mingting looked at him, overjoyed.

“En……” Zhao Yelan noticed his bloodshot eyes and the fan in his hand, and guessed that he hadn’t slept all night.

“Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something first?” Without waiting for him to nod, Yan Mingting hurried to the kitchen and brought back a bowl of porridge. Then he helped him sit up and fed him the porridge himself. “Porridge is a rarity now, so you can’t be disgusted.”

Zhao Yelan took a few weak sips and heard footsteps outside. It was Magistrate Sun, who had come to report the progress of the refugee evacuation.

“Zhao-daren, it’s wonderful that you’re awake,” Magistrate Sun said happily.

“All right, just tell me what’s happened in the past few days.” While feeding the porridge, Yan Mingting discussed important matters with Magistrate Sun before having him leave, and then found that Zhao Yelan had been staring at him.

“What? Is there something wrong with my delegation?” Yan Mingting asked.

Zhao Yelan shook his head, and a smile gradually appeared on his pale face.

After he finished the bowl of porridge, Yan Mingting helped him lay down again so that he could continue to rest.

“You come and lie down too.” Zhao Yelan patted the space next to him.

Yan Mingting was afraid that he would be hot, so he just lay on his side, trying to prevent physical contact.

Zhao Yelan gazed at him quietly. Even though he felt ill, his heart was extraordinarily peaceful. Was this the feeling of being able to rely on someone? He didn’t need to worry about anything, nor rack his brains to consider the dangers to be faced. He just needed to lie down peacefully to recuperate, open his mouth to be fed, and hold out his hands to be dressed. Such a day could actually happen to him?

When a person became accustomed to living alone, he would get used to doing everything by himself, and it was even harder to believe that anyone would love him.

However, Yan Mingting was the exception.

Yan Mingting was intelligent and sensitive when it came to important matters. He would be foolish when facing himself, but was actually someone who could be relied upon with confidence. More importantly, he could feel the depth of Yan Mingting’s love that he had never expressed in words.

The more difficult it was to say, the heavier it became.

On this point, they had a tacit understanding.

“I had a dream last night,” Zhao Yelan said softly.

“What dream?” Yan Mingting unconsciously lowered his voice, and helped brush away the dark hair that fell on his cheeks.

“I dreamt about our wedding night in the bridal chamber.”

In the dream, he had completely dispelled his hostility toward Yan Mingting. The two of them drank the wine in a friendly manner, chatting about their respective experiences in the frontier and the capital over the years. Even before dawn, he obediently followed Yan Mingting to do horse stance.

He hated horse stance because he thought it was unsightly and troublesome, and more importantly, he didn’t want to maintain his health at the time. It was just superfluous.

But in the dream last night, he subconsciously wanted to live a good life, because he was not alone in his current world.

He wanted to live a little bit longer, so that he could grow old with Yan Mingting.

“Wedding night in the bridal chamber?” Yan Mingting echoed, the corners of his mouth rising.

“En.” Zhao Yelan was about to tell him that when they returned to the capital, he would exercise his body well, do horse stance with him, and learn how to ride a horse and shoot a bow.

But in the next moment, he heard Yan Mingting ask with an uncontrollably joyful expression on his face: “On the wedding night in your dream, did I succeed?”

The corner of Zhao Yelan’s mouth twitched: “……”

T/N: Psst, it’s my birthday. Have a chapter.

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