Chapter 25 (Three-in-One): I am not cold-hearted...
Seventeen groped around for a while and found his way into the inner courtyard. He moved nimbly and quietly hid in the shadows, unnoticed by anyone.
This mansion is the largest house in the area. The owner is a businessman who travels around the country all year round, and his business is spread all over the country.
Dajing treats farmers and merchants equally, but farmers are given more attention, since food is the most important thing for people.
This wealthy merchant, surnamed Zhou, is fifty-six years old and runs a grain business. He is nearing the end of his life and is gradually transferring his family's assets to his eldest son, Zhou Xinren.
This week, Xinren is the "patient" that Seventeen is looking for.
A year ago, Zhou Xinren was handling business in the shop when he suddenly collapsed and fell unconscious. His servants were in a panic and brought him back. They found many doctors to examine him, but none of them could find anything wrong with him, only saying that his pulse was normal.
Master Zhou was very anxious, so he went to Yejing overnight to invite a doctor, but still to no avail. It was at this time that someone suggested inviting that master to take a look.
And upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a good prediction.
Seventeen crouched quietly in a secluded corner, watching the servants below come and go. It was close to lunchtime, and they were carrying food in and out of the room.
A moment later, a tall, middle-aged man walked in from outside. He had a dignified appearance, and it was clear that he must have been a handsome young man who was popular in his youth.
"Young Master, the meal is ready."
If someone is called the eldest young master, then it must be Zhou Xinren.
Seventeen stared at his every move, trying to find something unusual.
Zhou Xinren nodded: "Thank you for your hard work. You can all go now."
"Yes, young master."
Zhou Xinren then went inside, and Seventeen quietly lifted a corner of the window to look at the person inside.
Besides Zhou Xinren, a woman dressed as a married woman was also sitting inside the room, presumably his wife.
"Master is back. Please have your meal."
The woman walked forward with a smile, and Zhou Xinren took her hand and said with a smile, "Alright, Madam, please come along too."
The two seemed to have a good relationship, and Zhou Xinren even served his wife food several times.
"By the way, Madam, the Bodhisattva statue is almost finished. You can go to the temple another day to draw a fortune stick and have the craftsmen put it inside the Bodhisattva."
The woman nodded, her eyes softening, and said, "Alright, we should go and pray that this kind of thing won't happen to our family again."
Zhou Xinren smiled gently: "Don't worry, the master said that this calamity has passed, and our family will surely have a smooth and peaceful future."
"I hope so."
The two finished their meal in hushed tones. Seventeen pondered for a moment, wondering if that Bodhisattva statue was related to that master. Should they go and look for it?
But he had no idea where the Bodhisattva statue was, and he had no clue whatsoever. After thinking for a while, he simply continued to squat in the hidden spot.
After the meal was finished, the servants came to collect the leftovers. The woman covered her face, yawned, and said, "I feel a little weak, sir. I'll go and rest now."
"Please go, Madam."
Zhou Xinren sat in a chair and rested for a while. Seventeen was thinking that maybe he should go back and report the news to Brother Yue and the others first, since the Zhou family probably wouldn't be able to find anything out.
Just as Seventeen was about to leave, Zhou Xinren, who had his eyes closed, suddenly opened them, got up, and looked around the doorway, seemingly looking for something.
Seventeen paused, then shrank back, concealing his presence to ensure Zhou Xinren wouldn't notice him.
Seeing that there seemed to be no one around, Zhou Xinren called over a servant and instructed him, "I have some things to take care of, don't let anyone disturb me."
The servant bowed his head and replied, "Yes, young master."
Zhou Xinren then closed the door and sat down in the chair, seemingly lost in thought. Seventeen wondered why he wasn't supposed to be dealing with something.
After a while, Zhou Xinren finally got up. He glanced warily outside the room and confirmed that the servant was just guarding outside the courtyard and had not come in.
He locked the door and then let out a sigh of relief.
Seventeen found it strange. Was it necessary to be so cautious when handling matters? He had never seen His Majesty so meticulously inspect the surroundings when dealing with state affairs.
Zhou Xinren turned and walked towards the table where they had just eaten. Next to it was a large desk with some messy books on it. Seventeen squinted at it and saw that there seemed to be an account book as well.
But Zhou Xinren's target didn't seem to be there. He walked to the display cabinet next to the wall, reached out and rummaged through something, but Seventeen couldn't see it clearly because of the angle.
Then, a "crack" was heard, and a small crack appeared on the side of the display case!
Seventeen was shocked; there was actually a hidden room behind this display case!
After the initial surprise, I was overjoyed. It was definitely the right choice to come here today to stake out this spot!
Seventeen was somewhat disappointed. The passage behind the display case was obviously very narrow, only wide enough for one person to pass at a time. He watched Zhou Xinren go in, but he couldn't follow.
If Zhou Xinren discovers them halfway, it will alert them. If he doesn't follow, what if there is some very important evidence inside?
I didn't even see clearly how Zhou Xinren opened the secret passage this week...
Just as Seventeen was lost in thought, Zhou Xinren had been inside for a while. Seventeen frowned, still undecided whether to sneak in or not, when Zhou Xinren came out.
He didn't change at all after he came out, not even his expression. Seventeen quietly changed his angle and looked at him for a while, and found that he had opened the secret room by moving a vase on the display cabinet.
It seems I'll have to sneak in and take a look another time when I have the chance.
Today's harvest was good. Seventeen was about to leave again when, just as he turned to jump away, he caught a glimpse of something reflecting light out of the corner of his eye.
What's this?
The faint reflection made Seventeen stop in her tracks and carefully observe Zhou Xinren.
Because he and Xinren spent the afternoon indoors, even though it was nearing spring, it still got dark very quickly in the evening.
Seventeen was drawn to Zhou Xinren by a glint of light reflected from the hem of his clothes.
Perhaps because it was dark, the reflection was particularly noticeable. Seventeen wondered why there hadn't been any reflection when he went in.
The reflection... Seventeen's eyes widened suddenly, suppressing his excitement so that Zhou Xinren wouldn't notice.
That's not a reflection at all! It's clearly the light emanating from that master last night!
This week, Xinren was radiating the same aura as that master! This indirectly suggests that the master is definitely connected to him!
Thinking of this, Seventeen's thoughts were completely unfocused. Seeing that Zhou Xinren had indeed run out of clues, he quietly left.
Meanwhile, Zhou Xinren, who was inside the room, was completely unaware that his actions had been observed and continued drinking his tea as if nothing had happened.
......
When Seventeen returned to the inn, Mingyue and Long Zhaoming had not yet returned, and no one knew where they had gone.
He sat in the room for a while, his stomach growling loudly with hunger. He had left early that morning and hadn't eaten a single bite all day.
After thinking for a moment, Seventeen got up to go outside and buy some food, but bumped into the shopkeeper who was coming in.
"Oh dear, I didn't notice, please forgive me, sir."
The shopkeeper smiled and apologized, but Seventeen didn't mind. He waved his hand and tried to walk past him to leave, but was stopped.
"Sir, the two men who are with you have instructed that they will serve you some food as soon as you return. Would you like to serve the dishes now?"
Seventeen raised an eyebrow, guessing that this might have been ordered by Brother Yue and His Highness. She felt a warmth in her heart, and it also saved her from spending money.
"Okay, let's go now."
The waiter bowed and scraped as he turned to leave, then turned back to look at Seventeen, before asking with a smile, "Sir, did you go out today? Would you like to order some water to wash up?"
Seventeen looked down at herself. She wasn't dirty at all. Was it that obvious?
He paused for a moment, quickly composed himself, and said calmly, "Hmm, the scenery outside your town is quite nice."
The waiter smiled and said, "Sir, you have a good eye. We often have distinguished guests from Yejing going up the mountain to enjoy the scenery here."
After saying that, he turned and left, and Seventeen watched his retreating figure in deep thought.
This guy... gave him a very strange feeling.
Seventeen sat in the room for a while, and after the food was served, he said to the waiter, "Close the door."
The young waiter responded in unison, turned around and closed the door. Seventeen waited in the room for a while, ate a few bites of food, then pushed open the window and leaped onto the roof.
He walked quietly along the wooden eaves, like a nimble black cat, almost completely blending into the night.
He then climbed over a wall and re-entered the inn, where he could see the entire inn lobby without being discovered by others.
He squatted down and watched for a while. The waiter was busy running around. After about half an incense stick's time, the customers in the shop left one after another, and no one came in anymore.
The lobby gradually returned to calm. The owner, who was smiling and calculating, waved his hand and said, "Xiao Wu, there shouldn't be any more customers today. You should go home and rest. We'll take care of the rest."
"Okay, thank you, shopkeeper."
The waiter thanked him with a smile, turned and went into the inner room. Seventeen thought for a moment, then climbed into the inner room from the other side. The waiter was changing clothes and did not notice that Seventeen was watching him.
After changing his clothes, he left through the back door and walked out into the moonlight.
Seventeen quietly followed behind him until they walked a long street and made two turns, at which point Xiao Wu stopped outside a low house.
He pushed open the door and called out, "Mother, I'm back."
But no one inside responded to him. Seventeen, puzzled, slipped onto the roof to peek inside and found that there was no one there. What Xiao Wu was calling for was a memorial tablet.
After entering the room, Xiao Wu lit three incense sticks and kowtowed three times in front of the memorial tablet, muttering, "Mother, do you still remember those distinguished guests I told you about a few days ago? They came from Jiangnan."
Upon hearing this, Seventeen realized that they were being referred to as the three of them.
Then Xiao Wu continued to mutter, "I wonder if they came for this master. If they did, then I can avenge my mother."
A master? Revenge? Seventeen was puzzled but continued to listen patiently.
“Those distinguished guests look like they’re not ordinary people. We’ve had quite a few important people come here, but none of them have looked as dignified as those. I wonder if they would be interested in going to see that master if they found out about him?”
Xiao Wu swept the dust off the table and sighed, "A distinguished guest went out of town today. I wonder if he discovered those people's schemes. If he did, then the people of our town will be saved."
After saying this, Xiao Wu didn't speak again, but just sat silently in front of the rank. Seventeen recalled that although he had never dealt with this guy directly, Brother Yue and His Highness had told him that this guy had asked them about whether he was from Yejing.
Looks like this guy's hiding a secret.
Seventeen watched him quietly for a while longer, and Xiao Wu made no further moves. After washing up, he went to bed.
Seeing this, Seventeen flew back to the inn, pushed open the window and came in, only to see Mingyue and Long Zhaoming sitting at the table enjoying their meal.
"Little Seventeen is back?"
Long Zhaoming smiled and waved to him, not asking why he had come back and then left again, but simply telling him to come and eat quickly.
"Eat quickly, the food is getting cold."
He nodded at seventeen, wolfed down his food, and only after letting out a satisfied burp did he slowly tell the two men what he had seen and heard that day.
Long Zhaoming and Mingyue exchanged a glance, both understanding the meaning in each other's eyes.
“I went out with Mingyue today and discovered some things, which may be the shady business outside the town that the guy was talking about.”
Long Zhaoming habitually unfolded his fan again. Mingyue glanced at him coolly from the side. He paused for a moment, then pretended to be nonchalant and closed the fan.
Seventeen, oblivious to this little incident, asked in confusion, "What kind of shady business?"
“There is a mountain outside this town. It is a remote mountain with extremely beautiful scenery. I had heard of its fame before. When Mingyue and I found no valuable clues in the town, we went up the mountain. There happened to be a temple on the mountain, so we went to pray.”
Long Zhaoming said with a smile that it was indeed a coincidence that he and his brother had arrived. Now that the New Year was over, people were either working or resting, so there were fewer people coming to offer incense. The young novice monk kindly reminded them when he saw the two of them coming.
"You two look unfamiliar, it must be your first time here. There are wild animals in this back mountain, so be careful not to go the wrong way."
Hearing that there were wild animals, Long Zhaoming didn't take it seriously. However, on the way after the two finished offering incense, his elder brother suddenly said to him, "I'm going to take a look at the back mountain. Do you want to come?"
"ah?"
Long Zhaoming was taken aback. There were wild animals in the back mountain. What if he encountered them if he went there?
But then he glanced at his own elder brother, and he had to admit that brothers do have some kind of telepathic connection.
"Your Majesty thinks there's a problem with the back mountain? But I don't know martial arts, and I'm afraid I'll just be a hindrance if I go there."
Long Zhaoming was in a dilemma. He really didn't know martial arts. If they encountered wild beasts, his elder brother could run away on his own, but he wouldn't be able to escape.
"Then you'll wait for me to come back?"
After much thought, this was the only way. Long Zhaoming watched with regret as Mingyue flew up the tree and disappeared from sight. He felt a pang of envy. If only he knew martial arts!
Or bring Xiao Mowen along; he knows martial arts and can help the Emperor.
Long Zhaoming found a place to rest halfway up the mountain and sat down. He didn't know how much time had passed, but just as the sun had passed overhead, the bright moon finally returned.
"What did you find?"
Mingyue's expression was not good, and Long Zhaoming knew from this that she must have discovered something.
"There were no wild beasts there. As you went in, you saw people leading several large wolfhounds around. Further in was a large cave. I watched from the outside for a while, and I heard banging and clanging sounds coming from inside, like they were making something."
Long Zhaoming exclaimed "Huh?" and fell into deep thought: "What would hide in the deep mountains and forests? And be so afraid of being discovered? It can't be the batch of weapons we found, can it?"
"It doesn't sound like a weapon; the sound of a weapon striking is different from this."
"Didn't you go in and take a look?"
Mingyue shook her head: "The cave entrance is not well hidden, and there are people guarding it, so there is no way to sneak in. However, I did find this on the person who came out."
He held out his hand, and a small piece of gold lay in his palm. Long Zhaoming picked it up and examined it, exclaiming in surprise, "Gold powder? How can there be gold powder? Could it be a gold mine inside?"
"No, the sound of hammering in a gold mine isn't like that. It sounds more like someone is forging something large."
Unable to come up with a solution, the two went down the mountain and strolled around the town, also inquiring about some trivial information.
These messages mostly concerned changes in the town's residents; without deep thought, they wouldn't seem unusual.
For example, someone who was poor for half their life but somehow found a job and built a new house in just a few years; or someone whose son fell in love with a beautiful woman and was so captivated that he never came home again, leaving his parents to weep every day.
As Mingyue listened, she pondered: Was the money in the hands of the people building the new house obtained legitimately? Did the son who eloped with the beautiful woman really elope?
They had no idea, only gleaning glimpses from the words of the common people.
After listening to their story, Seventeen tilted his head and pondered for a while: "Your Highness, could they be building a Bodhisattva statue in that cave?"
His words brought them to their senses, and Long Zhaoming and Mingyue realized that if it didn't resemble a weapon or a gold mine, it might be a statue of a Bodhisattva. But why would they be hiding from people?
Seventeen didn't know either. Mingyue pondered for a moment and said, "I know. That Bodhisattva statue is probably to be offered to that master."
"Huh? How did you know?"
"This master said he never takes money, and according to our observation, he has indeed never taken a penny from the people. Whether they are poor or rich, he treats them all the same."
Seventeen and Long Zhaoming nodded; this was indeed the information they had gathered.
“In this situation, if this master is truly doing good deeds, then there is nothing wrong with it. However, the matter of the fellow that Seventeen investigated today clearly shows that this master is indeed involved in other shady dealings.”
Yes, if they were only skeptical before, Xiao Wu's words today confirmed their suspicions.
"Most of the swindlers I've seen in the past are driven by profit and money, but he specifically claims he won't take a single penny..."
Seventeen and Long Zhaoming exchanged a glance, both seeing the clear bewilderment in each other's eyes.
"Bribery and gift-giving are nothing new from ancient times to the present. I have heard of cases in the past where minor officials would try to curry favor with high-ranking officials by offering them gifts, only to be repeatedly refused. This was because the court had a clear rule that one could not accept valuable gifts, otherwise it would be considered embezzlement."
"Then the minor official came up with a good idea. This official had done a lot of good deeds for the people and the country. Some people in the neighborhood regarded him as a god who had come down from heaven. They built temples for him and sculpted statues of bodhisattvas for him."
Upon hearing this, Long Zhaoming immediately realized what was happening and slammed his hand on the table, a move that startled Seventeen.
He stared blankly at the two people speaking in cryptic language, still not understanding what "bright moon" meant.
"Brother Yue, what does this mean?"
Long Zhaoming leaned on the table and excitedly said to Seventeen, "This junior official came up with a plan to also make a Bodhisattva statue for this senior official and send it to his residence. Although the senior official does not accept valuable gifts, he is a Buddhist and accepted it gladly. But who knew that one day a naughty child in the senior official's house scraped off a piece of the Bodhisattva statue, revealing the golden interior inside!"
Seventeen's mouth was agape, and he finally understood: "Your Highness means that although the master does not accept gold or silver, he will accept this Bodhisattva statue, and Zhou Xinren made this Bodhisattva statue out of gold and sent it over, which can be considered a different kind of reward?"
"Yes! Seventeen is smart."
Long Zhaoming rubbed Seventeen's head. Mingyue, who was standing to the side, took a sip of tea and thought to herself: I was the one who came up with this conjecture, so how did it become Long Zhaoming's idea in Seventeen's mouth?
"That's why Brother Yue found gold dust and heard hammering sounds outside the cave; he was creating a golden Buddha statue."
“You got it right. I just don’t know how the master will handle this golden Bodhisattva after he receives it, and there must be other people behind him.”
Speaking of the master, a flash of inspiration struck Seventeen, reminding him of the reflection he had noticed at dusk.
"Since the reflection came from the master, and Zhou Xinren brought this with him after entering the dark room... could it be that the master is hiding in the dark room?"
This guess made both Long Zhaoming and Mingyue ponder.
“It’s not entirely impossible… but if Zhou Xinren only wanted to pay the master, why would he hide the master? Unless the two of them were in cahoots… but then why would they bother to sculpt this golden Buddha?”
Long Zhaoming frowned as he pondered, but he couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation.
Mingyue tapped his knuckles lightly on the table, deep in thought. Seventeen glanced at his tapping hand and thought: "Brother Yue has probably been spending too much time with His Majesty and has picked up this habit of tapping things when he's thinking."
"Zhou Xinren... Zhou... What's his father's name?"
Long Zhaoming stared at him blankly. How could he know what Zhou Xinren's father's name was? That old man was practically dead, wasn't he? He shouldn't be involved in this, right?
“I know! His father’s name is Zhou Shize.”
"Zhou Shize..."
Finally, Mingyue's eyes lit up; he remembered who this Zhou Shize was.
"Your Majesty...Mingyue, what have you remembered?"
Long Zhaoming almost blurted it out. He secretly glanced at Seventeen, who hadn't noticed his slip of the tongue at all, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Mingyue glanced at him and then said, "I remember His Majesty mentioned before that the Empress Dowager's surname is Zhou."
The atmosphere in the room instantly fell silent. Seventeen didn't understand what the Empress Dowager had to do with this matter; his experience wasn't enough for him to connect the dots, but Long Zhaoming could.
Long Zhaoming gasped, glanced at Seventeen, and said, "Then we'll probably have to stay here a while longer."
As soon as he finished speaking, they heard a commotion outside. It seemed that someone had checked into the inn and was leading a horse. They could hear the horses trotting and snorting.
"Oh, Xiao Mowen and the others have arrived."
The journey they covered on horseback in a morning took the main force a day and a half, so his backside still isn't fully healed.
Long Zhaoming quietly rubbed his poor bottom.
"Shall we go down?"
Seventeen peered out the window and saw the groom leading several horses toward the stables in the backyard. Seventeen recognized them; they were their horses.
The groom led the horses to the stable. When the horses saw that three were already inside, they became restless and started stamping their hooves. The experienced groom calmed them down and tied them together.
In just a short while, the horse that had just been brought over was already nuzzling its head affectionately with the previous horses. The groom chuckled, thinking how simple the relationships between animals were, unlike the complexities of human relationships.
“We won’t go down. I’ve already told Xiao Mowen that he won’t reveal that we’re not in the convoy.”
Long Zhaoming slowly waved his fan, clearly already feeling sleepy.
Although the conversation was only halfway through, Seventeen yawned, tears welling up in his eyes. Mingyue glanced at him and said, "Let's talk about it tomorrow. Rest for today."
After saying that, he and Seventeen got up and returned to their room. Long Zhaoming called for hot water to wash up and then lay down in the warm quilt.
Just as he was drifting off to sleep, Long Zhaoming felt something beside his bed, which instantly woke him up. He looked up and saw a dark figure standing beside his bed.
"who?!"
He shouted angrily, about to call out to Mingyue and Seventeen next door, when he heard the dark figure speak: "What? Don't you recognize me?"
Long Zhaoming was taken aback, lowered his voice, but still carried a hint of anger: "Xiao Mowen, are you sick in the head?!"
Xiao Mowen turned around and lit the candle, instantly illuminating the entire room.
"What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you not to come looking for us? It'll be bad if we find out."
Long Zhaoming sat up and leaned against the headboard, pulled the outer robe next to him and put it on, looking at Xiao Mowen with a displeased expression.
The other person's deep-set eyes seemed to hold some dissatisfaction. Hearing Long Zhaoming's question, he did not refute it, but said in a muffled voice, "No, my kung fu is good, they can't find out."
Is that the point?! Long Zhaoming was almost laughing in exasperation.
"Speak if you have something to say."
"It's nothing, I just came to see you. After all, you are a prince, and if something happens to you, His Majesty will definitely blame me."
These words were spoken in a sarcastic tone. Long Zhaoming frowned as he looked at him, his fox-like eyes slanted upwards, making him look like a fox spirit in the warm candlelight.
"You still care about me? Stop talking nonsense and get back."
Xiao Mowen was not dissatisfied with Long Zhaoming's disdain. He just gave him a deep look and then slipped out of the room.
Lying in bed, Long Zhaoming grew angrier the more he thought about it. He couldn't understand what Xiao Mowen meant. He hadn't taken it seriously when he was chasing after him, but now he was putting on an act. Who was he trying to impress?
In the next room, Seventeen keenly heard the noise. He peeked out from under the covers and listened carefully to the sounds coming from Long Zhaoming's room, feeling somewhat uneasy.
Who is Your Highness talking to?
As he was deep in thought, a large hand pressed down on his head, and Mingyue's lazy, drowsy voice came: "He's fine over there, go to sleep."
"Huh? Did Brother Yue hear that too?"
Seventeen turned over to face Mingyue. Looking at Mingyue's familiar features, he thought: Although Brother Yue doesn't have His Majesty's outstanding appearance, his eyes certainly add a lot to his charm.
At this moment, his eyes narrowed slightly, and Seventeen could see a resemblance to Long Zhaoming's fox-like eyes. It must be said that, as blood-related brothers, they are indeed quite similar at certain times.
"Hmm, it's someone from his residence. They probably have something to report. Never mind, go to sleep early."
He reached out and tugged at the blanket on Seventeen's shoulder before retreating back into his own blanket.
"Okay, Yue-ge, you should go to bed early too."
Seventeen obediently closed her eyes and was quickly enveloped by a hazy dream, falling into a deep sleep.
Listening to the breathing of the person beside her gradually become steady and deeper, Mingyue opened her eyes and looked at Seventeen. The other person's already beautiful face appeared even more serene now that she was asleep.
Thinking back to last night's "blunder," it's more accurate to say that Mingyue acted in accordance with the circumstances.
He considered himself to have seen many beauties, including his father's former harem and other women outside the palace—a veritable garden of beauties, each with their own unique charm.
However, in his eyes they were all unremarkable, not in appearance, but in the feeling they evoked.
When he first ascended the throne, the old ministers had not yet witnessed his methods and were vying to send their daughters into the palace, but he stopped them all.
He had pondered what kind of woman he would choose as his empress, but had not come to any conclusion.
After all, he had never met anyone who could make his heart beat calmly.
When he first met Seventeen, it was a rainy day. The little child was so hungry that he would eat anything. Even though he had seen a lot of bloodshed, none of it was as impactful as this scene. It was at this moment that he made up his mind to make Dajing better, so that no matter how poor they were, they would not go hungry, and no matter how difficult things were, they would not eat grass roots and maggots.
At the time, I just thought that the child was so beautiful and that he was able to survive in the North. Later, I thought that perhaps his parents loved him very much. I also felt sorry that such a good couple was separated by war.
Later, he developed the habit of secretly checking on Seventeen. At first, he was just concerned. After all, everyone in the Dark Guard Camp had been there since they were young, and Seventeen was already eleven years old. He was worried that the child wouldn't be able to integrate into the Dark Guard Camp, so he could make other plans.
But his opponent was very promising. Although his martial arts skills were lacking, he had developed a talent for lightness skills. Instructor Li, who was his good friend from his time in the northern army camp, often praised him.
And so, the child he had unintentionally saved slowly took root and sprouted in his heart.
Concealing his identity was a hasty act.
Even now, Long Langyue still hasn't figured out how to be honest with him when the time comes. Although she knows that Seventeen shouldn't be angry with her, she still has many concerns.
As for that night... the child was sleeping when he complained of being hot, so when we pulled the blanket off him, he complained of being cold and rolled into his own blanket.
Looking at that pretty face flushed red from the heat, he didn't push him back into his own blankets. Instead, he quietly tucked the blanket around his shoulders and held him in his arms as he fell into a deep sleep.
Long Langyue didn't know what she was thinking at the time; she just felt that sleeping with someone else would definitely be warmer than sleeping alone.
The next morning, he was still pondering what to say if Seventeen asked him about it, but he didn't expect that the other party would so casually brush it off, but the words she said hit him hard in the heart.
Longyang?
Long Langyue had never thought about this. He never doubted that he didn't like women; he just didn't feel anything for many women. He was also unwilling to bring just any woman into the palace because of this. Once you enter this place, it's hard to leave. Therefore, he believed that he was just naturally cold-hearted and indifferent.
It wasn't until Seventeen jokingly said something that made him suddenly realize that he wasn't cold-hearted and indifferent, but rather liked men.
But then he thought about it again. There were quite a few men inside and outside the palace. Apart from a few older ones, there were also a few ugly ones. The remaining few were handsome and refined. If he were to sleep with them...
Just thinking about this scene gave Long Langyue goosebumps all over, and she was so disgusted that she barely ate any breakfast.
It seems I don't actually like men, so why am I able to accept Seventeen sleeping with me?
He had some doubts, but he kept them to himself. In his view, love was nothing more than the most basic of all things and not worth his deep thought.
......
Early in the morning, Seventeen woke up right on time. He glanced around cautiously and thankfully, he hadn't inexplicably run into Brother Yue's arms today.
He got up, changed his clothes, and looked back to see that Mingyue had already sat up and was leaning against the headboard.
The other person had broad shoulders, and his undergarment hung loosely on his body, revealing a hint of his chest. However, he seemed to have not slept well, as he looked somewhat listless.
"Didn't you sleep well last night, Brother Yue?"
Seventeen was a little worried. What was wrong? Had she had a nightmare?
Mingyue looked up and gave him a deep look, then slowly shook her head and said, "It's nothing, I just didn't get enough rest."
"Brother Yue, please get ready first. I'll go out and buy some breakfast."
Seventeen waved at him, looking like two easy-going buddies. If he knew what his good brother Yue had dreamed about last night, he would probably run faster than anyone else.
Mingyue rubbed her temples to clear her mind, then got up and changed her clothes when she heard a knock on the door: "Is Your Majesty awake?"
It is Long Zhaoming.
Long Zhaoming pushed open the door and came out. He had obviously slept quite well. As soon as he came in, he noticed that Mingyue looked tired and asked in confusion, "Didn't you sleep well, Your Majesty?"
"It's nothing, it was just a bit cold last night."
Cold? Long Zhaoming was puzzled. The blankets in this inn were quite thick.
"Little Seventeen went to buy breakfast. Shall we continue our conversation about yesterday?"
Mingyue sat at the table, poured herself a cup of yesterday's cold tea, tilted her head back, and gulped it down to stimulate his nerves and make him more awake.
Long Zhaoming watched from the side, clicking his tongue in amazement, then wrapped his outer robe tighter and shook it.
"Is the Dowager Consort Ling related to the Zhou family?"
They didn't know anything about the former Empress Dowager's affairs; they would have to go to the palace to find out.
"I sent someone back to investigate, and we'll have the results this afternoon."
"Hmm? Who did my brother send back?"
“Secret Guard.” Mingyue’s tone was indifferent, clearly indicating that she had no intention of explaining to Long Zhaoming.
"Alright, alright, let's assume that Consort Ling really did have connections with the Zhou family. Could her suicide also be related to this master?"
Mingyue took a sip of hot tea, lowered her eyes and pondered: "It's possible. Before she died, she so readily admitted that the former crown prince was not the emperor's biological son. At the time, I just thought that she felt that people were no longer needed and it didn't matter. Now it seems that she might have wanted to use the matter of the former crown prince to divert our attention from this area."
"How did she know we would stop here to rest, and how did she find out about this?"
"Hmm...she probably doesn't know, it's just...a precautionary measure."
Long Zhaoming held the teacup and turned it around, but didn't drink the tea; instead, he was thinking.
"If the Zhou family was the mastermind behind this, why would they have specially commissioned a separate statue of the master? Not commissioning the statue would only further confirm that the master was an immortal descended to earth."
Mingyue sighed. He really hadn't expected that he had only come to see Long Zhaoming off because he was worried that he might be ambushed on the way. How did things actually turn out this way?
Despite his complaints, as the ruler of the country, he was furious that such filth and corruption existed in Yejing. However, he did not yet know who was behind it or their true purpose.
"I don't know. Let's keep investigating. They'll eventually find something out."
Seventeen wandered aimlessly through the streets, picking out some novelties he hadn't tried in the past few days to bring back for Yue-ge and His Highness to try.
He was handsome, and although he dressed simply and carried a sword at his waist, many girls still cast their gazes at him, but none dared to approach him because of the sword at his waist.
Seventeen was oblivious; he had become accustomed to all kinds of gazes falling on him, and could even accurately distinguish between curiosity and malice.
"Brother, look at the flowers I knitted. They're very pretty. I can give them to my sweetheart."
A timid voice rang out behind Seventeen. He turned around and saw a little girl who was not even as tall as his waist.
The little girl was wearing fairly thick clothes, but they were visibly dirty and torn in some places.
She held a few scattered woven flowers in her arms; they were colorful but not particularly beautiful, and the technique used was not very skillful.
The stall owner in front of Seventeen looked at the little girl with a hint of disgust, but the distinguished customer in front of him seemed to have his attention drawn to her, so he didn't dare to say anything, only whispering a reprimand: "Go sell your wares somewhere else, I'm still selling things here."
The little girl timidly took a few steps back, then looked deeply at Seventeen. Her dark, bright eyes were filled with fear and terror. Before Seventeen could say anything, the little girl turned and ran away.
"Whose little girl is this?"
The stall owner waved his hand dismissively: "Hey, that family on the east side of the city, her mother was an embroiderer from the palace, her skills were superb. When she was pregnant with this girl, she cursed the girl's father to death. Her mother clung to life for a few years, and after raising her, she couldn't survive this year's snow."
Seventeen frowned upon hearing this: "What do you mean by 'cursed to death'?"
Seeing his interest, the stall owner looked around and whispered, "The master said that this girl is a cursed star, born without parents, but she had to be born into this world, and now she has killed off all her relatives."
"Nonsense."
Seventeen coldly rebuked him, then turned and left without looking back.
Although he was a little annoyed on the way back, Seventeen didn't forget that two people were waiting for his breakfast, so he bought some food and hurriedly went back.
"Little Seventeen? Why do you look so pale?"
Long Zhaoming frowned as he looked at Seventeen. Mingyue put down her teacup and asked with some concern, "Did something happen?"
Seventeen sat at the table, poured himself a cup of tea, and gulped it down. Then he told the two of them about the little girl.
"What do you mean, 'lone star'? She's just a little girl who's not even as tall as my waist!"
Long Zhaoming and Mingyue exchanged a glance, both noticing something amiss.
"Seventeen, calm down, there's something wrong with this."
"Hmm? What's the problem?"
Seventeen was taken aback, then, regaining her senses, asked in confusion, "It's just that this master made it all up."
“As we said yesterday, there must be someone else behind this master. If that’s the case, then his target is definitely not an ordinary little girl.”
Reminded by this, Seventeen understood: "That's right, the person behind that master certainly wouldn't specifically target an ordinary girl with no power or influence, so why did they still say such things?"
"I'll go with you to find that girl later and see if we can get any information out of her."
Seventeen nodded, feeling a dull ache in his heart: "The little girl was wearing a thick coat, but it was obvious that it hadn't been taken care of in a long time. It seems that no one has been taking care of her since her mother passed away."
"Yes, he's a poor child. Let's buy some food and clothes and take them over later."
Seventeen's eyes lit up as she looked at Mingyue gratefully: "Okay, thank you, Brother Yue."
Mingyue picked up the teacup and brought it to her lips. Long Zhaoming looked at the corners of her mouth that were turned up, wondering what she was thinking. Her eyes and expression were a little strange, as if she was trying to suppress a laugh.
"However, this also shows that the people of this place trust that master very much."
"This is not a good thing."
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Author's Note: Little red envelopes will be dropping in the comments section~ [kiss]
My new novel, "Awakening the Lucky Koi Attribute After Transmigrating into a Book," is available for readers who are interested.
Childhood sweetheart, seemingly innocent yet secretly cunning and taciturn (top) x delicate, gentle, and shy (bottom)
Delicate and pampered type, the kind who expects everything to be done for him. Enter at your own risk if you don't like this.
As a perpetually unlucky guy who could choke on water and end up in the hospital while eating, Li Huai had only one thought in his mind when the out-of-control truck sped towards him: "Finally, I'm free."
But when he regained consciousness, his eyes were filled with despair: How come he didn't die again?
But soon he realized that this place didn't seem to be a hospital?
A group of people dressed in mismatched clothes around him were crying and shouting about something like "Young Master" or "Alliance Leader." The flood of memories squeezed Li Huai's already aching brain, and he fainted again.
When he woke up again, he understood his current situation: he had transmigrated and become the beloved, silly boy of the martial arts alliance leader.
Sha Geda was born an idiot. Although she was beautiful, she was physically weak and needed to be taken care of in everything, like a flawed flower grown in a greenhouse.
Li Huai wanted to continue feigning madness and not let others know that he had been given a new soul, but things didn't go as he wished.
Since waking up, his childhood friend and elder brother have visited him every day. Their cold eyes seem to see through Li Huai's disguise, and before he knew it, he had confessed everything.
Fortunately, his elder brother did not doubt his identity, but only thought that Li Huai had recovered from his illness.
Li Huai secretly breathed a sigh of relief, only to find himself surrounded by so many people.
In just a few words, Li Huai finally understood what they were talking about: that he was blessed with good fortune, and that even a trace of it would bring him a string of good luck, and so on...
Li Ze found it utterly absurd. How could such an incredibly unlucky person be the reincarnation of a lucky koi fish? These people must be out of their minds!
His good brother stood in front of him, keeping all the madmen outside the door. Li Huai was completely unaware of the bloodlust that flashed in his eyes. He only felt that the tall and straight figure was exceptionally handsome, and a flower seemed to quietly bloom in his heart.
"Good brother, I feel much better now, I can go out and play."
Li Huai held his elder brother's hand, swaying like a spoiled child, while Lu Ze'an looked at him with his gloomy black eyes. The fleeting madness seemed like an illusion, but upon closer inspection, only tenderness remained.
"Really? I think I heard Ah Huai calling out my brother's name last night... Then it seems Ah Huai is capable of..."
Li Huai's earlobes turned bright red. How could his deeply hidden secret be exposed by a few words he uttered in his sleep?
Lu Ze'an rolled his dark eyes, and when they landed on Li Huai's reddened neck, his madness intensified.
Delicate and beautiful flowers, yet fragile, should be kept indoors, allowing oneself to admire them day and night.
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