Zheng Ruqian cried with snot and tears streaming down his face, wishing he could kneel before the world and exchange his brother's life for his.
The person in bed slowly opened their eyes, revealing a hint of helplessness at being woken up.
To protect the secret as much as possible, he often studied late into the night and rested at noon. He hadn't even woken up from his nap when he heard loud, wailing cries.
"Second brother," Xu Mo had been pretending for a while, and his feigned weakness had finally become perfect, "Don't worry, I'm fine."
That's the truth.
But to Zheng Lao Er's ears, it sounded like, "My older brother is dying but he's still comforting me. Such a good older brother is about to leave me. I'm so heartbroken and sad."
When Jiang Sheng and her two older brothers rushed in, they saw Zheng Ruqian lying on the bed, his quilt soaked with tears.
Xu Mo sat up slowly by the bedside, took out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it over.
"Thank you." Zheng Ruqian accepted it without looking up, continuing to choke back tears.
Jiang Sheng and her fourth and fifth brothers covered their faces at the same time, unable to bear to look.
"Second brother," Xu Mo sighed softly, "I never imagined that our brotherhood would be so deep. One day I would actually see you shed tears for me like this. I have truly lived up to our brotherhood."
"Big brother, if you're gone, wouldn't I become the big brother?" Zheng Ruqian gasped for breath. "That wouldn't be good."
The person on the bed smiled softly.
Even those at the entrance couldn't suppress their joy.
Zheng Lao Er, who had been burying his head in his sobs, finally realized something was wrong. He looked up and saw the energetic Xu Mo. Then, looking back at his younger siblings who were covering their mouths and snickering, even he, slow to realize, belatedly understood. "You...you're faking illness?"
"That's too mean! How could you fake being sick? Who came up with that idea? Was it Xiao Wu? You're the most wicked person ever."
He was truly innocent in this long banquet, shrugged, and said nothing.
"It's me." Xu Mo said confidently. "Rather than standing there as a target, I'd rather lie down and hide."
As the old saying goes, there's no such thing as a thief who can be caught a thousand days in the act, but there's no such thing as a thief who can be caught a thousand days in the act.
Living in constant fear is exhausting.
"But, but there's so much going on outside, saying you're seriously ill, saying you fell into a cold pond, what really happened?" Zheng Ruqian asked, sobbing.
An illness can be faked, but falling into a cold pond cannot be faked.
This time, Xu Mo didn't say anything, a hint of guilt appearing on his face.
“It was me.” Jiang San came over wiping his nose. “I jumped down wearing the young master’s clothes.”
The two are similar in build and age, so it's not easy to tell them apart from a distance.
Jiang San is a martial artist, and it's common for him to practice shirtless in winter. He fell into a cold pond and has been suffering from typhoid fever ever since. If it were Xu Mo, he would definitely be half dead. No wonder the whole of Fengjing is in an uproar.
Zheng Ruqian got up and patted Jiang San gratefully, "You've worked hard. Go back and give Xiaosong ten taels of silver. Buy whatever you want!"
Jiang Sheng had already rewarded Jiang San for jumping into the icy pond; rewarding him again would only make Jiang San more loyal.
When it comes to winning people's hearts, Master Zheng is the best.
After Wang Xiaosong and Jiang San left, only the five siblings remained in the room, and the atmosphere changed from relaxed to solemn.
"It's gotten so serious that even my elder brother had to feign illness. It's clear the Fang family's methods are far from ordinary." Zheng Ruqian frowned and asked, "What exactly happened during the months I was gone?"
Xu Mo paused, realizing that even if he was aware of the flaws in his personality, a change would not happen overnight.
There are some things that are still hard to say.
Fortunately, Jiang Sheng spoke quickly and without a care in the world, saying, "Big Brother was harassed by a courtesan and was even knocked unconscious and sent to a brothel. If we beg all the major families to find him, Big Brother's reputation will be ruined."
Zheng Ruqian, "..."
Scholars are indeed very popular; they can compose poems and write sentimental essays, yet they are so well-liked.
The two are about the same age, so why doesn't anyone flirt with him?
Zheng Ruqian was a little depressed.
"Is that the point?" Xu Mo wanted to smash his second brother's head open. "The Fang family is trying to disgust me."
They were unwilling to endure the Fang family's disgust and lingering suspicions any longer.
Wen Zhiyun used silver needles to change the pulse, and Jiang Sheng used cosmetics to make herself look pale. Then, she allowed various families to inquire and visit, so that the whole of Fengjing would know that Xu Mo was sick, and very sick.
This move has two benefits.
First, it prompts intelligent people to think about who was responsible for Xu Mo falling into the water, ultimately implicating the Fang family and leaving them speechless and unable to speak out.
Secondly, it's about showing weakness. A sickly and frail candidate preparing for the imperial examinations can always put the experts at ease.
“Even if the Fang family doesn’t believe it, as long as the other people in Fengjing do, we can restrain their actions.” A cold glint flashed in Xu Mo’s eyes. “The price I paid was just to put on a show and stay at home until the imperial examination.”
With the year-end approaching, there's not much time left, only about two months.
It was only the younger siblings at home who suffered, as they not only had to act along, but they also couldn't afford to buy festive costumes for the New Year.
"It's alright, big brother." Jiang Sheng waved his hand. "I'm tired of buying new clothes every year. Wearing my old clothes this year is fine too."
“Yes, yes,” Chang Yan and Wen Zhiyun echoed, “It’s just putting up red paper and setting off firecrackers. It’s the same thing every year. We might as well not watch it.”
Their little faces were full of sincerity, as if it came from the bottom of their hearts.
But what child doesn't love the New Year, doesn't love buying new clothes and shoes, and doesn't want to happily set off firecrackers?
For Xu Mo's sake, for the imperial examination, and for the sake of family ties, they endured it all.
Xu Mo felt a slight pang of sadness, as if he had returned to the time when his broken leg was healing and his younger siblings needed to earn money to send him to school. He felt ashamed and unwilling, yet he had no choice but to accept it.
Because Xiao Wu is right, the protection of a copyist is not as great as the protection of an official.
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