Chapter 63
"Your place is too small."
Zhu Yun whispered close to her ear, "I was worried that it wouldn't be able to accommodate her, so I've been carefully examining the silk paintings these past two days. I've seen how they use external objects to help women adapt."
Luo Yan buried her face in embarrassment: "Take it away quickly."
Instead of responding, he pinched the girl's cheek and forced her to look at the five jade carvings: "Eat the small ones first, and then eat mine last. It won't make you feel too uncomfortable."
Her almond-shaped eyes swept over the most horrifying one among the jade-colored objects, and she gave a reproachful "humph": "But none of these compare to yours..."
Her red lips parted, but each word became extremely difficult to pronounce, and she stammered for a long time without being able to utter a sound.
"I know."
Feng's mother's worries were unnecessary.
Zhu Yun had no way to do anything substantial to her.
Luo Yan stood up; she was going to tell Feng's mother.
However, before she even reached the door, Luo Yan stopped again. Madam Feng wouldn't listen to her, and she couldn't stand women analyzing politics.
Luo Yan calmed down. Liu Fu sobered up instantly.
She confirmed again and again that they were indeed pearl earrings that only royalty could use.
Flipping through the book in my hand, I discovered it was a collection of poems.
On the page where the earring was clipped, a line of poetry stood out—
Spring's beauty cannot be confined within the garden walls; a branch of red apricot blossoms peeks over the wall.
The maid was still confused: "Miss, you're given a pair of earrings? Could it be that some young master admires you? This is too shabby."
Liu Fu said, "The poetry gathering invited young ladies from various families, not young masters or servants. The one you saw was probably a maidservant of one of the young ladies in disguise."
The maid didn't understand: "If you're going to give a gift to Miss, wouldn't it be better to give it to her in person?"
The pearl could only be a gift from the imperial family, and it was given to her specifically because of her future title of Consort Zhu Yun.
These earrings must have been given to me by Zhu Yun.
This isn't a gift to her; it's a show of force against her.
This young woman is probably among those invited to today's poetry gathering.
Liu Fu threw the book aside in anger, covered her face with a silk handkerchief, and began to sob. The maid, unaware of what had happened, could only offer quiet words of comfort.
After a while, Liu Fu stopped crying.
Wiping away her tears, Liu Fu transformed back into an elegant and well-mannered young lady from a scholar's family.
She clutched the pearl earring in her hand and said to her maid, "It's been a long time since I've seen the Empress. Come with me to the palace."
She had to wait for Feng Mengshu to come back; she absolutely had to wait for Feng Mengshu to come back.
On the desk in front of Feng Mengshu were several names written down.
He went through the process several times, and it always came down to the word "Zhu Yun".
In early March, Zhu Yun returned to Beijing.
In early March, Cheng Hua asked him for help to host a small banquet for his friends.
The small banquet was organized by Yan Niang. That day, a sudden rainstorm forced Yan Niang to go out for a while. When she returned, she was in a sorry state.
What happened that day?
Yan Niang seemed unaware, but Cheng Hua certainly knew, yet he remained silent. He actually assumed that Zhu Yun had transferred him out of the capital.
The princess's decision to summon him out of the capital could be explained as a consequence of her anger over Yan Niang's matter. But what reason would Zhu Yun have to be summoned out of the capital?
Moreover, this matter is also related to Yan Niang.
An absurd thought flashed through Feng Mengshu's mind, and with a flick of her finger, she knocked over the medicine on the table.
Chunsheng quickly picked up the bowl and wiped away the water stains with a rag. Seeing Feng Mengshu's stern expression, he didn't dare to make a sound to disturb him.
Fortunately, there was still some medicine left, so Chunsheng picked up the medicine pot and refilled it, this time placing the medicine bowl a little further away.
The brownish medicinal soup reflected the face of the person.
Feng Mengshu recalled the spring night in March when he had slept with Luo Yan. He found A-Lu, who was by his mother's side, and she brewed a medicinal soup of the same color.
Within fifteen minutes of drinking it, my whole body felt burning hot, as if I were being roasted by lava.
The medicinal ingredients used in that bowl of soup, as the country doctor in Tuoze said, could also be used to burn incense. Shortly after his marriage to Luo Yan, A-Lu burned some in his study, leading to their incestuous relationship.
Without medicine and incense, he was useless in front of Yan Niang.
If Yan Niang knew, what would she think of him? Zhu Yun was summoned to the council hall again.
The emperor asked, "How does Zhu Yun explain this?"
Zhu Yun had nothing to say.
The Grand Tutor Ji Ci explained: "Some of the captives from the northern deserts may not be able to adapt to the climate and may die on the way."
Guo Da shrugged: "What a coincidence, it's another case of the dead having no way to prove it."
The matter concerning the peace talks between the two countries has been widely discussed among the public, and almost everyone knows about it.
Li Chaoen disguised himself and went out to buy things, and even overheard beggars on the roadside talking about Zhu Yun.
They not only linked the events of the Buddha statue weeping on the Buddha's Birthday, the people trampling to death outside the temple, and the abduction of a respectable woman from Yanjing to the events in the Northern Desert, but also made wild guesses.
There were also reports of unusually hot weather this spring, crops dying from drought last year, and even fruit peels being stolen from the yard walls where people were drying their fruit...
All these trivial matters were attributed to Zhu Yun.
Upon returning, seeing Zhu Yun sitting quietly, Li Chaoen remained silent, not daring to utter a single word about the rumors circulating outside the palace.
He remarked with relief that he had kept the place closed to visitors, at least preventing the incident from reaching the palace.
However, that night, screams erupted nearby: "Catch the assassin—!"
Zhu Yun sat up from the couch.
Li Chaoen knocked on the door: "The Fifth Prince has been ordered to lead men to capture the assassin, saying he saw the assassin sneak in!"
"On whose orders?"
"His Majesty's order."
Zhu Yun paused, and Li Chaoen explained, "Tonight, the Fifth Prince is attending to his ailing father at Chengtian Palace, so he is staying there overnight."
Zhu Yun put on his coat and stood up: "Open the door."
The gate slowly opened, and the Fifth Prince entered with the palace guards. He said to the person standing inside, "Zhu Yun, this is an emergency. Please forgive the guards if they offend anyone."
Zhu Yun nodded.
The guards were violent, kicking doors, shoving cabinets with swords, and ransacking places where people could hide.
The palace maids, their hair still unfinished, were barged in and screamed in fright. A glance from Yao Jinniang silenced them sheepishly.
A guard tried to go to Zhu Yun's palace, but Li Chaoen stopped him with his arm.
Zhu Yun's hair was unkempt, and he looked completely lacking in the majesty of a crown prince. This reminded the Fifth Prince of Zhu Yun's childhood, when Zhu Yun was only eleven or twelve years old, with a very childish face.
Zhu Yun is only nineteen years old, more than three years younger than him, still a young boy.
Zhu Yun asked, "Your Majesty, are you even going to search my bedchamber?"
The Fifth Prince smiled before speaking: "Zhu Yun, they are heavy-handed. If you don't trust the guards, your elder brother will come in person. He will be careful and leave after just a glance."
Zhu Yun avoided the question, saying, "Thank you, Fifth Prince."
The fifth prince barged in.
Zhu Yun's bedchamber was not as magnificent as one might imagine; instead, it was understated in every way. But it was precisely this understated nature that made the entire bedchamber anything but understated.
The Fifth Prince immediately recognized that the inkstone on Zhu Yun's desk was made of black jade. He had only seen one similar object with the Emperor.
This treasure was not placed in Zhu Yun's study or government office, but in his bedroom.
The Fifth Prince yanked open the gauze curtain.
Behind the gauze curtain, there was no one. Inside the wardrobe, there was no one.
The Fifth Prince walked inch by inch underground, but found no trace of dungeon traps, nor anyone else.
They did find a box of rouge, which smelled wonderful. Did Zhu Yun have such a fetish?
That's true, no one is mentally ill.
How can you sleep soundly at night if you hide someone in your own bedroom? Aren't you afraid that person will escape and kill you?
The Fifth Prince sounded the retreat.
His eyes swept over the bedchamber one last time, noticing that Zhu Yun's bed was made of sandalwood, while he could only use boxwood.
The fifth prince couldn't help but move closer and touch the bedding.
Zhu Yun's bedding was also cool to the touch, smooth as silk, and made of the same material as the dragon bed he had touched when he went to the emperor to attend to the sick.
The Fifth Prince let out a deep breath, composed a gentle smile, and then walked out.
"I won't disturb Zhu Yun's sweet dreams."
1
The Fifth Prince led his men away, and Li Chaoen quickly helped Zhu Yun to bed.
He entered the bedchamber, checked all the items one by one, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that nothing was damaged or missing.
Li Chaoen sighed: "Where can we hide people? That Wu, since he was a child..."
Zhu Yun suddenly said, "How coincidental that Bei Mo suddenly made such a request, and Fifth Brother suddenly thought of inspecting the imperial bedchamber?"
That assassin... is fake. Is he after Zhu Yun?
Li Chaoen dared not respond.
Feng Mengshu closed her eyes, recalling Luo Yan's earnest expression as she protected the wedding candles with both hands.
He forced himself to get up from behind the desk and called out, "Chunsheng, go prepare the horses."
Chunsheng asked, "Brother, where are we going? My leg isn't healed yet, let's hitch up the cart and go."
It will take at least five days to return to Yanjing. Unless one travels by fast horse, it might be possible to shorten the journey to two days.
Feng Mengshu shook his head: "Prepare the horse. I'm going to see Admiral Sun now to ask for leave."
Chun Sheng was dumbfounded. How could he possibly ask for leave?
Since it was an imperial decree, I could not ask for leave.
Sun Tingyu flatly refused: "Your leg injury hasn't healed yet, are you going to throw your leg away too?"
The fact that they're asking to return to the capital now means they must have something important to do, so riding a horse will definitely be fast, not slow.
Feng Mengshu cupped his hands in greeting: "This humble official has urgent business to attend to and must leave for a few days."
Sun Tingyu said, "What if it can't be done in a few days? Will you continue to deal with your urgent matter, or will you abandon it and hastily return to Tuoze?"
Feng Mengshu couldn't answer.
Sun Tingyu didn't give him time to think, only saying, "You say you want to achieve great things, is this all the effort you need?"
The clerk brought over several books, which Sun Tingyu accepted with his sleeves rolled up, preparing for his official business.
He glanced up at the dazed Feng Mengshu:
"Don't blame me for not reminding you, there is an imperial inspector in Tuoze, and an imperial censor in Yanjing. If it is discovered that you are not in Tuoze but in the capital, memorials from both places will immediately be sent to the emperor. At that time, you may not be able to handle your urgent business, but you will be imprisoned and your family will also be implicated."
After working with Feng Mengshu for a few days, Sun Tingyu realized that the man was refined and cultured, but in reality, he had his own plans. Fearing that he wouldn't be allowed to return, he planned to go back secretly.
Having finally met a young man who seemed agreeable, Sun Tingyu decided to offer a few words of advice: "I've heard that you're your mother's only son?"
Feng Mengshu did not answer. He stood there for a long time before bowing and leaving.
At the hour of You (5-7 PM), Chunsheng brought food into the house.
The room was dark, and Feng Mengshu sat in the shadows.
Chunsheng didn't understand why Alang suddenly wanted to return to the capital. He rushed to find Admiral Sun, but upon returning, he was no longer in a hurry.
At this time of year, Ah Lang would usually be busy compiling the records of Tuoze River, but now he has the leisure to sit here and daydream.
Chunsheng placed the food on the table.
Feng Mengshu was indeed lost in thought, and was startled by the noise, which brought him back to his senses.
"Did Cui Wuyang tell you?"
She pressed down on Zhu Yun's hand as he drew his sword: "At most two carriages. If you agree, we can do it again tonight..."
Zhu Yun coughed twice, pretending to be reluctant to agree.
While he was at Huachao Pavilion handling business, Luo Yan pulled Xue Bao aside and complained, "Everyone else who transmigrates into a book has a cheat code, but what about me!"
Xuebao's ears drooped: "Headquarters regulations..."
"All you give me is a crappy location. In ancient times, transportation was inconvenient, and people were too lazy to even leave their homes. What's the use?" She pouted. "Can't you give me something more practical? Like a spatial ability or the ability to open treasure chests?"
"It's because Olaf is useless."
"I wasn't talking about you," Luo Yan tried to explain. "I was referring to your headquarters."
Olaf: "I'm sorry for being born a ruler."
"..."
I can't go on like this anymore.
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