Chapter 57 (Major Revision) First Release on Jinjiang 057 (2-in-1) Room...
"The Wei residence."
After getting off the carriage, Pei Du paused for a moment, looking at the plaque of the mansion in front of him.
Shuangnian stepped forward: "My lord, what's wrong?"
Pei Du looked for a while, then suddenly smiled softly: "It's nothing, go knock on the door."
The two years should be, jogging forward.
He had just run up the steps and hadn't even reached out when the door suddenly opened, and Xuanniang and Afu walked in—
"Lord Pei, please."
Pei Du recognized Xuan Niang. After seeing her, he paused for a moment, smiled slightly, and nodded in agreement.
Then, they slowly walked up and entered.
As Pei Du walked through the corridor, Chao Lu had not yet come out, so he was not in a hurry and strolled around the courtyard at his leisure.
"If I remember correctly, this residence originally belonged to a wealthy merchant from Lingzhou. I never expected that it would be bought by the Fourth Prince."
"It was just a coincidence." Chao Lu's voice suddenly came from not far away. He strode over, followed by Charles and Turing.
Pei Du stopped in his tracks and bowed first: "Your Highness."
Chao Lu and the others returned the greeting. It was one thing in front of his wife, but when they were actually out in public, Chao Lu naturally wouldn't show it at all. He turned to the side and gestured: "Lord Pei, please. We've prepared some light wine. Let's eat and chat."
Pei Du smiled and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Your Highness."
Ruan Yu would of course not show herself, but that didn't mean she didn't care about the conversation. She had Xuan Niang and the others prepare a feast with wine and food in the courtyard, while she sat by the window in the main hall.
Conversations from the courtyard could be heard drifting over from time to time.
After Pei Du and the others took their seats, Qingguo and Xuanniang served them fine wine and food.
Pei Du glanced at it and said, "A few drinks are enough; my alcohol tolerance is average."
Chaolu smiled: "Lord Pei, our grassland hospitality has always been to treat guests with good wine. This is the famous mare's milk wine of the Chaha tribe. You must try it."
Charles also said, "Yes, Lord Pei, so be it if you're drunk. This house is very large; we could easily set aside a side room for you!"
The three men took turns attacking, and Pei Du, unable to keep up, had no choice but to say helplessly, "Let's discuss the important matter first."
"Alright, but no excuses after the meeting!"
As Ruan Yu listened from inside the room, a hint of helplessness flashed in her eyes. She had no doubt that Pei Du would be unable to withstand the three of them today and might actually get very drunk.
She whispered to Xuanniang, "Prepare a hangover soup."
Xuan Niang responded softly.
...
After several rounds of drinks, Pei Du had already shared his thoughts, and Chao Lu listened attentively.
He admitted that this person was more knowledgeable and knew more about the establishment of the border trade supervision bureau than they did.
However, when it came to applying the practical problems of the grasslands, Chaolu's opinions were more practical, and surprisingly, they had a rather pleasant conversation.
Ruan Yu listened in the room, and when she came across important information, she would sometimes take out a pen and paper and write it down silently.
After they had finished discussing the matters concerning the border trade supervision, Charles filled Pei Du's bowl with wine—
"Lord Pei, you have no choice but to drink it now."
Pei Du smiled wryly: "The matter of the border trade supervision has been discussed, but actually, I have another matter to discuss with you today."
Chao Lu was a little surprised: "Lord Pei, please speak frankly."
"In fact, Your Highness may know about this matter. When I went to Liangzhou before, I used Bai Yu's identity to conduct an incognito investigation. I stayed there for half a month and obtained some solid evidence of collusion between local officials and businessmen to embezzle and corrupt officials. However, it is not enough. I need to arrest a few people and bring them back for secret trial."
Chaolu roughly understood: "You don't mean you want us to help you arrest someone, do you?"
"That's right, is the Fourth Prince willing to help me?"
"Does a high-ranking governor not have a few skilled martial arts guards by his side?" Chao Lu asked, puzzled.
Pei Du smiled and said, "This matter cannot be brought to the forefront for the time being, so I really don't have any. If Your Highness can help me, I will be extremely grateful. Also, regarding your recent encounter with assassins, if you need my people to intervene, please feel free to ask."
Turing looked at Chaolu, who thought for a moment and said, "Okay, it's just a matter of arresting a few people. Give me the list."
Pei Du smiled and said, "Then thank you in advance, Your Highness. The list will be sent to your residence tomorrow. As for the assassins..."
"The grasslands will handle this themselves, so there's no need to trouble Lord Pei. However, since this happened in your Central Plains, it could cause problems if we encounter any official inquiries, so I'm afraid you'll have to help us with that..."
Pei Du nodded: "I understand, don't worry."
Chao Lu: "Alright! Cheers!"
In this regard, Pei Du was more straightforward than he had expected. The matter was considered settled, and Pei Du had no reason to refuse. He was then forced by the three men to drink two bowls of wine.
"There's one more thing..." Pei Du spoke again after finishing his drink. This time, Chao Lu was a little impatient.
"Is there anything else?!"
"Oh, it's nothing major. It concerns the establishment of the Protectorate General. We need to build the Great Wall on the border. I'll have to see the Khan about this in a while."
Building the Great Wall is no small matter. How to build it, the route, the beginning and the end all involve the affairs of several foreign tribes, so it is only right to discuss it with Hurile.
Charles said, “We are naturally very happy to welcome Lord Pei to the grasslands. Why don’t we wait until we finish dealing with the matters of the border trade bureau, and then Lord Pei can return with us?”
Pei Du smiled and said, "That's what I was thinking too. Then I'll have to trouble you princes."
After saying that, he stopped talking about other things and started drinking intently. At this point, he didn't need anyone to persuade him anymore; he drank quite a lot on his own.
This left Charles and Turing somewhat bewildered.
They turned to look at Chaolu, who had also filled his own wine bowl to the brim, picked it up, and drank it all in one gulp. The two of them were starting to look like they were having a drinking contest.
Until dusk...
Pei Du was truly so drunk that he was completely unconscious.
Shuangnian and Liuyun were stunned. They tried to persuade him but couldn't, and they couldn't pull him away.
There was a hint of drunkenness in Chaolu's eyes as well. Charles looked at him and suddenly smiled: "This guy is quite strange..."
Chao Lu's eyes were deep and he remained silent.
Suddenly, Xuanniang stepped forward: "Gentlemen, sirs, the kitchen has prepared a hangover soup, which the madam ordered to be delivered."
Chao Lu suddenly looked up and glanced at the window not far away.
"I don't need it, you can give it to him."
After saying that, Chaolu got up and walked towards the main hall.
When he pushed open the door, he smelled a familiar, faint fragrance, but the room was empty.
Qingguo stepped forward and whispered, "Fourth Master, Madam went back to rest a long time ago. She said you should go see her after you sober up, and she praised you for speaking well today..."
Chao Lu smiled and said, "You didn't add the last sentence yourself, did you?"
Qingguo was taken aback, then lowered her eyes: "This servant wouldn't dare to do that..."
Chaolu raised his arm, smelled the odor on his body, and then turned to go to the bathhouse.
...
Inside the upper room, Xuan Niang arranged for Pei Du to rest.
"All the necessary supplies have been prepared for you, sir. If you need anything else, please just let me know," Xuan Niang said to Shuang Nian.
Shuangnian was extremely grateful: "Thank you, this is all we need. You've gone to so much trouble, and thank you too... Madam."
These things must have been prepared by the lady.
Xuan Niang smiled and said, "You're too kind. It's nothing."
After saying that, he left.
Shuangnian sighed, walked to the bedside, and began to wipe her adult's hands and face.
"My lord, why are you doing this? When it comes to drinking contests, how could you possibly be a match for the people of the grasslands..."
Shuangnian had just wrung out her handkerchief and was about to step forward when she was unexpectedly blocked by Pei Du.
Shuangnian was taken aback: "My lord? You're sober now?"
Pei Du stared at the roof beams, his gaze unwavering.
"Get out of here, we don't need you."
Shuangnian seemed to want to say something, but after a long pause, she didn't utter a single word: "...Yes."
-
After washing up, Chaolu returned to his room and made sure there was no trace of alcohol on him.
The room smelled wonderful, filled with her scent.
Chao Lu curled his lips into a smile and went inside.
"You heard everything this afternoon? When did you leave?"
Ruan Yu leaned back on the couch reading a book, without even looking up: "I'll leave once you've finished discussing your business."
"Oh." Chaolu gave a casual "hmm" and sat down in front of her. "I thought you would hear the end."
Ruan Yu was puzzled: "What's so interesting about a bunch of grown men drinking? It's a waste of time."
Chaolu smiled and said, "Then, Khatun, what are your thoughts after hearing this? Or do you have any better suggestions?"
Ruan Yu glanced at him several times: "Do you really want to hear it, or are you just being sarcastic?"
"Where have I been acting strangely?" Chao Lu protested, claiming he was innocent.
"I really want to hear it."
Seeing that he didn't intend to mess around, Ruan Yu took out some notes she had written during the day and began to analyze them with Chao Lu one by one.
Chao Lu was taken aback when he saw that she had taken notes, but he still leaned forward and listened attentively.
Ruan Yu spoke for a while, and Chao Lu didn't interrupt her. His expression grew increasingly serious, his eyes fixed intently on Ruan Yu. Ruan Yu was so focused on her speech that she didn't notice him at first, only glancing up at him when she came to her senses.
Why are you staring at me like that? Did you even listen to me?!
Chao Lu smiled and said, "I listened to everything."
Ruan Yu looked suspicious, clicked her tongue at Lu, lay down sideways, put one hand behind her head, and repeated several of the things Ruan Yu had just said.
Ruan Yu's expression softened a little.
What do you think? What are your thoughts?
“I think Yu Yu’s idea is excellent. Let’s do it your way.”
Ruan Yu: "...I'm asking you seriously."
Chao Lu was puzzled: "I was serious. You've listened for so long, you've heard everything we said, and you even summarized and added to it, so naturally yours is the best now."
Ruan Yu snorted lightly: "Alright then, take this with you tomorrow and discuss it with Lord Pei."
Upon hearing this, Chao Lu's eyes suddenly darkened. He reached out and took the paper, folded it, and put it into his pocket.
"Okay, I understand."
"I've arranged a private room for Lord Pei to rest; you've all made him drink too much."
Chao Lu's eyes grew increasingly deep, and he suddenly reached out his hand towards Ruan Yu.
Ruan Yu was stunned for a moment before belatedly realizing that she shouldn't have said that. Chao Lu was extremely petty... Ruan Yu bit her lip, feeling somewhat regretful.
"come over."
Chao Lu repeated it.
Ruan Yu slowly took his hand, but just as she placed it on his, Chao Lu pulled her forcefully, and Ruan Yu fell into his arms.
"Yu Yu, you're wronging me. I didn't force him to drink it. He must have taken some wrong medicine and forced himself to drink it. If you don't believe me, go ask Sixth Brother..." He angrily bit Ruan Yu's earlobe.
Ruan Yu: "..."
"I'm not going. Why would I ask this?"
The trap in those words was obvious; she would never fall for it.
Chao Lu touched her nose to hers and chuckled softly, "You saw right through me."
Ruan Yu: "...You're pressing on my stomach."
His arms are so prominent; for someone of Chao Lu's physique, even one arm is very heavy.
Upon hearing this, Chao Lu immediately sat up, gently embraced Ruan Yu from behind, and let her lie on his body. He could lift her up with one hand, and Ruan Yu looked like a child in his arms.
Chao Lu gently stroked her belly with his large hand: "How about this?"
"Feeling better..."
Chao Lu's hand continued to probe downwards, and when he confirmed that there was no shape of menstrual belt, his breathing suddenly became heavy.
"I'm dying to wait."
Ruan Yu: "..."
The bed curtains were drawn, and Chao Lu pressed himself against her, trapping Ruan Yu in his arms and forcing her into a corner, as if the world had shrunk to just the two of them...
-
The Khan of the Chaha tribe stayed in Lady Qiu's tent for two whole days until Bayar was about to go on a campaign against Aohan, at which point Hurile returned to the Golden Tent.
He ignored the curious and inquisitive gazes of all his subjects, and personally crowned Bayar, saying, "Go, your father will always be behind you."
"yes!"
Bayar's purpose in going there was twofold: first, to collect the taxes that Aohan had deliberately delayed paying last year; and second, to investigate whether they were involved in the recent assassination attempts.
Saren was also in the tent, but his face looked quite unwell, and he couldn't even pretend anymore.
After Bayar departed, she slowly asked, "Has the Great Khan learned of what happened in Khalkha these past two days?"
Hurile turned around and asked, "What is it?"
He had barely finished asking when a guard rushed in from outside the tent, knelt down and reported: "Your Majesty, we have just received news that Gesang and Taren have gotten into a fight."
Hurile raised an eyebrow: "Why?"
"The specific reason is unclear; Madam Emin has blocked all information."
Hurile waved for the others to leave, then slowly turned to Saren: "Tell me, what exactly happened?"
...
Kar tribe.
Emin had fallen ill in his tent, and Una was taking care of him.
"Mom, take your medicine."
Yimin opened her eyes, looking somewhat sluggish: "I won't drink it, it would be best if I died..."
Una pursed her lips: "Mother, don't say such hurtful things. Damu has blocked all news, and no one knows except us."
Yimin suddenly sat up, her face full of anger: "You saw that, didn't you? Your father is such a spineless woman! Even at a time like this, he still can't control his lower body!"
Una lowered her eyes, her heart filled with complex emotions.
Last night, Taren returned to his residence, and soon after, Gesang stormed over with his men, furious. It turned out that Taren had seen a rather attractive woman at the cattle farm that afternoon, and suddenly couldn't resist taking her back to his tent. When Gesang rushed over, the two were completely oblivious to what was happening in the world...
Unexpectedly, the woman turned out to be Gesang's concubine. Gesang immediately dragged Taren down and beat him. Although it only lasted a few moments before he was stopped, the news that Taren had slept with his nephew's woman quickly spread.
This is a crucial moment in the struggle for the leadership, and if this gets out, it will be extremely detrimental to Taren...
“It must be Gesang’s trap, right? Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence?” Una said.
Yi Min snorted coldly, her eyes full of disappointment and frustration.
Even if someone sets a trap, it won't stop people from jumping right into it!
Emin's resentment had clearly been brewing for a while; there were many things she simply couldn't tell her daughter.
Should I tell my daughter that her father has always been like this, and has ruined countless young girls in the tribe?
She couldn't bring herself to say it.
However, husband and wife are one, and Yimin and Taren are a community of interests. Yimin can only help him cover it up.
But unexpectedly, at such a crucial moment...
Yimin had a splitting headache, and Una quickly helped her lie down: "Mother, you should rest well."
“Una…Damu, Damu…”
Una lowered her eyes.
I know what my mother wants to say.
A doctor came to see me the day before yesterday, and under the guise of paying his respects, he took Damu's pulse. The shepherd's doctor immediately drew a conclusion—
The reason why Una hasn't gotten pregnant for so long is likely due to Damu.
Una's eyes widened in disbelief, and Imin frowned as well. The mother and daughter were already troubled by this matter, and now this had happened at such a crucial moment…
"Una, your mother's hopes are all on you..."
Una: "Mom, get some rest. Don't think about these things. Not only do you have me, but you also have my brother..."
Mentioning Urgan, Yimin's eyes flickered slightly, and he pursed his lips...
-
Night fell.
In the Kar tribe, Gesang is listening to music and drinking wine.
He laughed loudly as he drank: "That Taren, you've given me a handle for nothing."
"Congratulations, Your Highness," a servant said with a smile as he poured wine.
Gesang was already tipsy, swirling his wine glass: "Xueyue has been wronged. Give her gold and jewels, send her away from here, and settle her family in peace."
The servant replied, "Your Highness, rest assured, everything has been arranged."
How many people know this news now?
"Although Yimin tried his best to keep the news under wraps, quite a few people already know about it, including at least several high-ranking officials."
"Good, spread this scandal even more widely!"
Suddenly, a burst of laughter came from a corner of the hall.
The laughter was sinister, with a chilling undertone.
"who?!"
Gesang's expression changed, and he suddenly turned his head!
"Your Highness doesn't really think that Taren's position can be affected by such a trivial matter, does he?"
"Who are you!" Taren said, already drawing his sword and pointing it at his opponent.
But there was no one around, and they couldn't find each other.
"Don't bother looking for me, Your Highness. I will only appear when I want to."
"Who are you? What do you want?"
"Your Highness, don't panic, I'm here to help you..."
"Help me?" Gesang squinted, his tone questioning.
“Yes, no matter what, Taren’s status in the Kar tribe is not low. This trivial matter will probably be over soon. Your Highness has experienced the methods of that couple before… If you’re going to play, you might as well play big.”
"What do you mean?"
A sound came from the silent tent, and in an instant, a bottle of medicine appeared in front of Gesang.
"Using it, you can really ruin Taren's reputation."
Gesang froze, staring at the medicine bottle: "Explain yourself clearly!"
A dark shadow suddenly flashed past him. Gesang immediately turned around, but the shadow was like a demon, visible but untouchable. In the end, it could only whisper in his ear like a demon.
As Gesang listened, his eyes widened...
-
When Una returned to her tent, Damu was still running around outside.
She felt no resentment towards her husband, but rather a great deal of guilt.
When Una returned this time, she never expected that her family would be involved in such a sordid affair, which disturbed her mind and made her even consider returning to Karl with Damu ahead of schedule.
But she couldn't be that selfish...
As night fell, Una went to visit Emin again and bumped into a maid who was hurrying by.
"What's the panic?" Una stopped the other person.
"Great Khan..."
Una: "Why are you looking for my mother? She just took her medicine and rested."
The maid's eyelashes trembled: "Yes, yes..."
Una frowned: "What happened to my father?"
"The master is drunk... and he's insisting on seeing the madam..."
Una frowned. After the incident, her mother stopped her father from showing his face and locked him in her tent. What was she up to now?
"Don't disturb my mother, I'm going to check on her."
Una gave the order, and then walked toward the Taren tent.
She was also furious. The father-daughter relationship was on the verge of breaking down. She really wanted to ask him why he did this. Even though he wasn't very sad about his uncle's death, he still had to consider his reputation!
The mourning period hasn't even ended yet, and she really can't believe that her father would cause such a scandal!
"All of you, step back!" Una's voice was filled with anger as she reached the entrance to Taren's tent.
The surrounding guards and maids responded in unison and stepped back to leave.
Una barged in.
Inside the tent, the air was thick with the smell of alcohol.
Una instinctively held her breath.
At this moment, she didn't even want to call him "Father" anymore, and went straight to the inner tent.
Inside the tent, however, there was no one.
"Father?!" Una called out.
No one answered.
But there were clearly people inside the room!
Una frowned...
Just as she felt uncomfortable and was about to leave, suddenly, a shadow fell behind her, and in the next instant, an arm firmly gripped her arm—
Una's eyes widened, and a terrified sound burst from her throat, but the next moment, something suddenly covered her mouth and nose... and then she lost consciousness.
…………
The patrols of the Kar tribe were taken over by Damu. Late at night, as usual, he inspected all of his father-in-law's territory. When he reached the tent of Taren, he suddenly heard an indescribable sound...
A look of disgust flashed across Damu's eyes.
What's the deal with my father-in-law?
It's bad enough that they made a big mistake at a crucial moment, but why can't they control themselves now...?
Damu stood not far away, torn between his thoughts and his own, before finally deciding to go over and try to persuade him.
The night was pitch black and there was no one around.
When Damu reached the tent entrance, he suddenly felt dizzy.
He suddenly stopped in his tracks.
But the dizziness quickly disappeared.
He thought it was just his imagination.
Then, he strode inside—
The room was filled with the scent of roses, which made Damu's heart race.
As he strode into the inner tent, he suddenly froze on the spot, like a stone statue.
What did he see?
The scene on the couch assaulted his eyes, and then Damu felt a rush of blood from his feet to his head—
"ah!"
He suddenly drew his sword and thrust it straight at the person on the bed.
"brute!"
Taren was lost in frenzied pleasure, oblivious to everything, when suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his chest! His blood seemed to freeze...
A spurt of blood gushed out—
It stained the entire bed red.
"ah!!!"
A scream erupted from behind. The maid who had brought in dinner was so terrified by what she saw that she dropped all the bowls and plates on the ground and then fainted.
Damu's eyes widened in fury. He strode forward, kicked Taren aside, and then tried to grab the woman—
But the next moment, Damu froze on the spot again, his blood running backward.
There were no women.
There is no Una.
In front of me was only a cheap rag doll.
A series of hurried footsteps came from outside...
"Damu!"
Yimin was the first to rush in, and upon seeing this scene, her vision went black and she fell straight backward.
Urgan, Una, and others arrived one after another, along with many high-ranking officials and ministers of the Kar tribe, including Gesang.
Everyone saw this scene: Taren lay naked on the ground.
Blood gushed out...
"Damu, what have you done?!"
-----------------------
Author's note: This chapter has been revised to get straight to the point and avoid beating around the bush.
I'll update more if I have time today, so feel free to reread it if you've already read it.
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