Chapter 66: Belly Corset "Tighten it up, don't let others see that something is wrong." ...
Wen Zheliu and his group left the capital and headed northwest. Soon, they arrived at the city bordering it.
Although it borders the capital, which sounds very beautiful, the capital is too prosperous, like the sun shining on the earth, making this simple little town look like an inconspicuous night star.
Wen Zheliu was eighteen years old, but he was weak and had always been raised in the prime minister's residence. He had never left the capital since he was a child.
A bird trapped in a cage for a long time will often lose the ambition to soar in the sky. Wen Zheliu was once like this.
I just want to stay in this world of two people, the prison called Princess Mansion, with the prison owner He Jiuyue, and never go out of the main gate or the second door.
But since he was here, he decided to make the best of it. Leaving the protection of the golden cage, he was ready to endure the wind and rain alone and explore the scenery outside the capital.
"Sir," Xiaobai's voice echoed from outside the carriage window, "We have some hot noodle soup. Would you like some?"
After resting for a few days, Wen Zheliu felt much better and his stomach became calmer. He no longer vomited violently at the smell of food, and he could now eat some dry food.
But after eating dry food for too long, he felt a sour feeling in his throat when he tasted the dryness.
It was great to finally be able to eat something else.
"Well," Wen Zheliu gently lifted the carriage curtain and unexpectedly encountered the noisy market outside, "give me some."
There was a bustling crowd outside the window. The lady picking vegetables was shouting loudly, the uncle shopping was visiting every shop and bargaining with the stall owners, and the children were wearing new clothes without patches and running around in the streets and alleys.
Everyone was talking at their own pace, and the sounds intertwined into colorful waves, pushing towards Wen Zheliu's ears in waves.
For him, who had been unable to see in the past, the noise made him uneasy, but now he could see, and the heart that had been hanging in the air since leaving the capital finally had a place to rest.
Ji Yue brought him out of the Princess's Mansion. Was this the kind of worldly life he wanted him to experience?
"Waiter, give me twenty bowls of noodles!"
Xiaobai looked like a man from the Central Plains. The shopkeeper looked at him but didn't suspect anything. He just took the money and looked at the group of people behind him, trying to find out some gossip.
"Hey, little brother, these people are from Xiyue, right?"
"Yes," Xiaobai nodded, repeating the explanation Dugu Qiu had prepared for him. "It's a caravan from Xiyue. They're new here and worried they might get lost, so they asked me to be their guide."
Wen Zheliu was waiting quietly in the carriage.
Hearing Xiaobai chatting with the shopkeeper, the shopkeeper didn't notice him for a while, so Fang helped the male waiter and slowly got out of the carriage.
"Young Master," Dugu Qiu offered his hand to Wen Zheliu as she came down with her veil on, guiding him to a seat inside the small shop. "The shopkeeper said he learned the art of kneading noodles in the capital. Please try it and see if it suits your taste."
The chewy noodles mixed with the warm air came to him, and before Wen Zheliu could say anything, a sour and bitter feeling rose in his throat.
He curled his fingers together and placed his knuckles against the tip of his nose.
No wonder he didn't feel sick when he saw food these days. It turned out that they had limited firewood, so they could only warm up the big bread used as dry food and then put it into their mouths.
However, he was always fast asleep on the couch, so when the cake was brought to his mouth, it was probably completely cold and naturally would not cause him any discomfort.
But the steaming hot soup noodles are different.
"Ugh!" Wen Zheliu turned sideways and spat out the sour water that was surging like a rising tide into his handkerchief.
He tried his best to lower his voice, but his appearance was outstanding, and even with a veil, it could not hide his natural beauty. The waiter who was wiping the table hurried over and handed Wen Zheliu a copper basin.
"Sir, what's wrong?"
Wen Zheliu couldn't answer a single word. He smelled the overwhelming hot fumes of food and vomited so much that tears almost welled up in the corners of his eyes.
"My son has been feeling unwell recently and has been unable to eat. This has nothing to do with your restaurant. I apologize for causing you any trouble."
Dugu Qiu spoke up at the right time to smooth things over.
Seeing that Zheliu was vomiting so much that he couldn't straighten his back, the waiter subconsciously said, "This looks just like when my father was pregnant with my sister."
Hearing the willow being cut, my heart skipped a beat.
Being found out to be pregnant while on the run is not a good thing.
His heart was pounding with panic. He took advantage of the cover of the table and secretly winked at Dugu Qiu from behind his wide sleeves.
Dugu Qiu immediately spoke up: "Young Master is not married yet, please don't make fun of a man's innocence."
They made such a big noise that the shop owner who was chatting with Xiaobai could no longer sit still. He walked over and asked the waiter what was going on.
When she heard that Zheliu had vomited in the house, she immediately apologized and gave him another bowl as compensation.
"No, uh, no need."
Wen Zheliu was not even able to enjoy just one bowl of noodles. If he was served another bowl of steaming hot noodles, he would probably vomit bile.
He couldn't eat the noodle soup, and Wen Zheliu sitting in the restaurant was attracting attention, so he simply covered his lips with a handkerchief and went back to the carriage.
Away from the smell of food, the churning in his stomach subsided a little, and the pain of longing surged in his heart. He gently lifted the curtain of the carriage, used the red sun above his head to determine the direction, and after a rough guess, looked towards the direction of the capital.
What is He Jiyue thinking about at this moment? What is she doing?
...It seems like it has nothing to do with him.
Even if she took hundreds of men into the princess's mansion and gave birth to dozens of daughters and sons, he would not be able to control it.
This is the truth, but why does his heart still ache when he thinks of He Jiuyue being surrounded by girls?
"You two, proceed as planned."
The Western Yue language spoken by Dugu Qiu came into Wen Zheliu's ears along with the wind. He looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the two people who were called changed into Central Plains clothes, took the elixir that changed their appearance, turned around and merged into the vast crowd.
Hearing about the willow branches, her eyebrows raised slightly.
"Dugu Qiu, what are you doing?"
Dugu Qiu shuddered and bowed to him, "My apologies, sir. I thought you were resting inside, so I didn't disturb you. I acted without permission, and I hope you will forgive me."
There was no ripple in his heart, and when he heard the willow being broken, he pretended to be slightly angry.
His slender fingertips tapped lightly on the window coffin, and there was still a hint of illness on his face, but the majesty emanating from his body should not be underestimated.
"As a subordinate, you acted without authorization, which is indeed a crime. But I know you are not the kind of person who acts without reason. If you can give me a reasonable reason, I can consider it and not punish you."
Dugu Qiu dismissed the servants and replied respectfully.
"Sir, originally His Majesty ordered you to be taken back to Xiyue, so I specially selected someone similar in size to replace you at any time. Now that you have left the capital, the inspection will not be too strict.
"The local officers and soldiers don't have portraits, and the roster doesn't match them. Since you brought an extra man, I'll send two away. This way, you don't have to stay confined to the carriage all the time. You can go out and walk around when you're free."
"Come out and walk around"?
He is like this now, sitting comfortably in the carriage, but his stomach is slightly uncomfortable, and he is about to vomit into the spittoon at any time, let alone go out for a walk?
Wen Zheliu frowned: "You..."
"Report—" the forerunner rode up, "There are Central Plains officers and soldiers investigating ahead, investigating..."
The incident happened suddenly, and Wen Zheliu didn't want others to see her face, not even the accompanying Western Vietnamese officers and soldiers. She quickly pulled the carriage curtain over to cover her face.
He only heard Dugu Qiu ask: "Don't panic, no one's dead, talk properly, what are they looking for?"
"He said he wanted to investigate someone." The forerunner had obviously been jogging all the way here. Even though he had calmed down, he was still gasping for breath after each word, and his whole body was as breathless as a fish that had come ashore.
"Check people"?
Wen Zheliu was startled.
Could these people be sent by He Jiuyue to investigate him?
It was obvious that this matter was not in his favor, but why did he still feel excited when he thought of He Jiuyue?
Wen Zheliu could no longer hear clearly what the waiter said at the back. He only knew that Dugu Qiu came to the side of the carriage and called him "Young Master" before gently lifting the curtain.
"What's going on?"
He pursed his thin lips and narrowed his round eyes, like the snow piled on the towering mountains, cold and sacred and inviolable.
"They say they're looking for someone," Dugu Qiu paused, "but who exactly they're looking for and how they're going to look for it, I have no idea. So I'll send Guard Bai to investigate."
"Go ahead."
This place is not far from the city. When Wen Zheliu cannot see, he can only determine the direction by listening. He closes his eyes, ignores the idle talk, and listens to the conversation between Xiaobai and the official's wife.
"Madam, I am the guide who leads the caravan out of the city. The imperial butterfly is here, and it is absolutely not a forgery. I just want to ask, why are the city gates so heavily guarded? Who are they investigating?" Xiaobai asked.
"Check for a man with a big belly."
With a "rustling" sound, something resembling a scroll slowly unfolded: "Here, this is it."
The person in the portrait has slightly furrowed brows, drooping round eyes, and slightly pursed pale lips. In his white hand, he is holding a handkerchief with orchid pattern. Who else could it be but Wen Zheliu?
Dugu Qiu, who was following Xiaobai, was stunned. He looked down and was shocked again.
If the person in the portrait only looks like Master Wen, it wouldn't be difficult to handle.
Xiyue has special pills that can change one's appearance.
But the person in the portrait had a slightly bulging abdomen, and the curve was exactly the same as Wen Zheliu in the carriage, as if it was copied exactly from him, and was almost accurate.
Oh no, it’s really aimed at the young master.
Dugu Qiu gestured to Xiaobai to thank the official lady, tried hard to hide the panic in his heart, and quickly went to the carriage.
"Sir, they're investigating a pregnant man. There's a portrait of him. The person in the portrait looks exactly like you, so it's most likely you. The most striking thing about the portrait is the person's belly.
"Your limbs are slender, and your belly is really eye-catching. I'm afraid you'll need to find a piece of cloth to tie it up."
Dugu Qiu searched everywhere for the strip of cloth, frantically running around. Hearing the sound of willow branches, his thoughts wandered.
"Did you see the signature on the portrait clearly?"
The official lady only unfolded the portrait in front of Xiaobai for two breaths. Dugu Qiu was standing behind Xiaobai and could only get a rough idea of it. Moreover, at such an urgent moment, it was already difficult for her to remember the person in the portrait, so how could she have the time to read the signature clearly?
"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't pay attention."
She rummaged through the drawers in the carriage and finally found a strip of cloth of the right length and width.
"Sir, I'm sorry."
Dugu Qiu was in a hurry and gestured with the cloth strip in front of Wen Zheliu. Just as he was about to take action, he was gently blocked by the back of his hand.
"I know you're worried, but it's not appropriate for men and women to touch each other. Let Xiaobai handle the belly binding."
He already has He Jiyue's child in his belly, so how could he touch other women?
If you are not chaste, you will be thrown into a pig cage.
"Yes." Dugu Qiu did not insist, turned around and called Xiaobai in.
There was a brazier lit in the carriage, but Wen Zheliu was weak and his hands and feet would be cold every winter. The corset had to be tied directly on the torso. When he unbuttoned the last piece of underwear, his hands and feet could not stop shaking.
He slightly raised his snow-white, crystal-clear belly so that Xiaobai could see it clearly.
"Tighten it up, don't let others see that something is wrong."
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