Chapter 80 The Fool
"Oh~"
"So you fell in love with him at first sight?"
"Yes, yes, yes, it was love at first sight! The moment I saw Master Maoze, my heart started pounding. He was definitely my destined master. When I was little, I wanted to learn martial arts, but my mother said it wasn't the right time yet, and that I should wait until I was older..."
As the young master of Jin Yu Ge, Dai Yuanhua casually booked the entire restaurant and led his entourage to a VIP private room.
The endless howling of dogs began.
Inside the private room, Qu Maoze and Dai Yuanhua sat opposite each other, looking at him expressionlessly.
On the left, Song Jin was suppressing a laugh, her eyes filled with schadenfreude; on the right, Niu Tielan was quietly sipping her tea, seemingly gentle and kind, but her eyes were cool and brooding, a half-smile playing on her lips.
Then look at the person on the other side who is still howling like a dog.
Qu Maoze remained silent and took a sip of tea.
"ah"
The stool Dai Yuanhua was sitting on suddenly fell apart. He screamed and tumbled to the ground, grimacing as he stood up, staring blankly at the broken chair.
Song Jin looked at the unlucky fellow, then at Qu Maoze who hadn't smiled since meeting anyone, and laughed even harder.
It's true what they say, everyone has their match. This guy, who used to be so shameless with the mother and daughter, would be furious with a simpleton like Dai Yuanhua.
Song Jin suppressed a laugh: "Have you gained weight?"
Dai Yuanhua looked at himself, then at the chair, still bewildered: "Is...is that so?"
He's gained weight, but it's not that bad, is it?
"If it's broken, it's broken. Let's just find another chair."
Qu Maoze's voice came faintly.
Dai Yuanhua immediately laughed again, chuckling as he pulled the chair up, intending to move further up.
Qu Maoze looked at him coldly: "Men and women should not touch each other. Haven't you learned that?"
Dai Yuanhua scratched his head, looked at Niu Tielan on his left, then at his right, and cautiously suggested, "Why don't the princess and the madam sit on one side, and the Taoist priest and I sit on the other?"
The four people are now sitting opposite each other, squarely arranged, quite far apart.
Qu Maoze's eyes grew even colder: "Don't make that suggestion next time. Sit down."
Dai Yuanhua shuddered, his animalistic instincts kicking in. He quickly pushed aside the broken chair on the floor, sat back down, and behaved himself as obediently as a student, sitting upright and speaking in a loud voice.
"Yes, Taoist Master."
Song Jin finally couldn't resist, gave him a thumbs up, and then lay there giggling.
Dai Yuanhua was completely confused. He scratched his head and asked cautiously, "What's wrong, Princess?"
Nobody paid him any attention.
There are now four people in the private room.
Song Jin, needless to say, was laughing so hard she couldn't speak.
Niu Tielan found everyone annoying and didn't want to talk to anyone.
Qu Maoze, who was left, looked at Dai Yuanhua, this simpleton, with even more disdain.
He said coldly, "What business is it of yours to interfere in the princess's affairs? Mind your place."
Dai Yuanhua straightened up again, his voice full of vigor: "Understood, Master Daoist."
Qu Maoze's hands were itching again. He looked at the chair beneath him and narrowed his eyes slightly.
Song Jin wiped away tears of laughter, turning her head to the side: "Hey, the chair costs money."
Qu Maoze paused, then looked at Song Jin's beaming face, feeling both helpless and amused. He sighed softly and took out a handkerchief to give her.
"Wipe your pants, be careful not to laugh yourself sick."
Song Jin, who was lying on the table, reached out her long arm to take the handkerchief, wiped her face, sniffed it, and immediately straightened up, alert.
"Where is that fragrance coming from?"
Qu Maoze smirked: "Your mother's handkerchief, I borrowed it last time and forgot to return it."
Song Jin said "oh" and was about to lie back down.
"Ding!"
The sound of a teacup being slammed onto the table came from behind.
Song Jin sat up straight immediately, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief, her posture dignified and composed.
Qu Maoze smiled and asked softly, "What's wrong, Madam?"
Niu Tielan glared at her angrily.
The one you took last time? Which last time could it be?
This person is utterly shameless.
But after spending some time with him, she realized that the angrier she got, the more pleased he became.
Thinking of this, Niu Tielan suppressed her annoyance, glanced at him, handed him the cup, and said succinctly...
"Adding tea"
Qu Maoze smiled gently, took the cup, and pressed her delicate fingertips against it, saying meaningfully, "It is my honor to add tea for Madam."
Niu Tielan pulled her hand back, but couldn't help glaring at the person, gritting her teeth: "Don't go too far."
Qu Maoze raised an eyebrow: "What's wrong with my wife and me?"
The only outsider present, Dai Yuanhua, stared wide-eyed, looking at this, then that, then back again, before finally pressing his utterly confused head to his side and glancing towards the door of the private room.
Thinking about how to run away later
What, what is going on?
He was just an ordinary merchant. Was it only possible for him to know about the privacy of a marquis's family?
This, the wife and daughter of the Grand Secretary Song, and Daoist Maoze
Yeah, they were a lone man and a lone woman out alone...
That idiot of a man! Why did he have to join in when he saw people together, invite them to join him, and even book the whole place for a private room? Wasn't he just walking into a trap?
Dai Yuanhua became increasingly frightened as he thought about it, and his legs began to go weak.
Oh no, oh no, could I really have been murdered to silence me?
Dai Yuanhua could no longer howl, nor could he laugh. He pressed his trembling legs, raised his head, and stammered, "Um, I suddenly realized that I have something to do at home, so I went back first."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw all three of them looking over.
It would have been better if I hadn't looked. Upon closer inspection, Song Jin, supposedly the daughter of the Grand Secretary, did indeed bear a striking resemblance to Daoist Maoze, especially their eyes.
Song Jin smiled faintly, and a knife appeared in her hand at some point, its blade sharp and gleaming coldly.
Dai Yuanhua's eyes widened instantly, he trembled, let out a startled hiccup, and fainted on the spot, the force causing the chair to crash to the ground.
He lay sprawled out, tongue slightly protruding, belly bulging, looking exactly like a frog turned upside down.
A batch of fakes
Song Jin raised an eyebrow, walked up to him, gave him a light kick, squatted down, and pressed a small knife against his neck, a half-smile on her face.
"It's better that she fainted, so she won't have to suffer."
Dai Yuanhua remained motionless.
Well done!
Song Jin chuckled inwardly, then increased the pressure on his hand, pressing the back of the blade in.
Dai Yuanhua remained motionless, seemingly having truly fainted, but his heartbeat and breathing remained steady.
Song Jin tilted her head
"Don't try anymore, she's already passed out."
Niu Tielan slowly walked over, glanced at this young playboy who was about the same age as Song Jin, and squatted down, reaching out towards his neck.
They were stopped in the middle.
Qu Maoze held her hand and smiled gently, "Let me do it."
As he spoke, he gently reached out, then forcefully flipped the man over, pressed down on his neck, and took the dagger from Song Jin's hand, slashing it.
Black blood seeped out as if coated with glue, dripping down like black spheres. After only three drops, the wound began to congeal again.
Song Jin stared wide-eyed at Qu Maoze, then at her mother: "Mom, when did you become so amazing?"
They can tell whether a person is truly dizzy or faking it.
Niu Tielan's serious expression dissipated, and he tapped her head irritably, scoffing, "Wasn't I good before?"
Song Jin: "Impressive, impressive! But how did you figure that out?"
Niu Tielan gently nodded to her chest: "I can feel it."
Song Jin's excitement faded, replaced by worry: "Are you feeling unwell?"
Niu Tielan held her hand reassuringly, shook her head to indicate that everything was alright, then looked at Qu Maoze, who was picking up the black blood beads, and pursed her lips: "What kind of Gu is this?"
Qu Maoze flicked the blood droplets and wiped them on Dai Yuanhua's clothes, chuckling, "A little trinket, pretty useless. It can only occasionally make someone faint and go a little crazy."
Mother and daughter: ...
This is still not very useful.
"It's really useless. Anyone with a bit of internal energy and some knowledge of medicine would make this thing run away on its own. It's just a piece of trash."
Qu Maoze had been speaking with a smile, but after a pause, he changed his words and said, "Those with weaker constitutions are more susceptible to this trick; it's mostly used to deceive people."
Niu Tielan frowned: "So he's with you?"
Qu Maoze said dismissively, "That's probably the reason."
The first time he met Dai Yuanhua was when the poison in Dai Yuanhua's body was causing his horse to go mad. Dai Yuanhua was in a good mood at the time, so he casually helped him by treating another poison.
Ignore this little gadget
If I had known earlier that Dai Yuanhua was such a simpleton, I would have preferred that the brat had died.
Qu Maoze gave a half-smile, then took a thin hairpin from Song Jin's hair, and though it looked delicate, he very roughly stabbed it into Song Jin's neck.
With a squelching sound, black blood seeped out again, still slowly, like glue, first deep black, then blackish-red, and finally becoming ordinary blood.
Song Jin looked around, confused, and asked, "How do you all know all this?"
This doesn't make sense, does it?
Niu Tielan didn't speak, but stared thoughtfully at the bloody holes in Dai Yuanhua's body.
Qu Maoze smiled slightly and took out the hairpin.
Song Jin immediately said, "No, don't give it to me."
Qu Maoze wiped his hands on Dai Yuanhua's clothes and chuckled, "It's so dirty, they definitely won't give it to you. I'll have him reimburse you later. The young master of Jin Yu Ge certainly won't be short of money."
Song Jin felt relieved, but a new problem arose in an instant. Her eyes widened: "Since you know how to do these things, what about the Gu poison on my mother?"
Qu Maoze's smile faded slightly, and he sighed, "The Red Thread Gu is different from these little trinkets. If it were so easy to detect, it wouldn't be one of the Ten Gu."
"What about the other types of Gu?" Niu Tielan asked wistfully, his fingertips stained with black blood. "I've seen this one before."
However, back then, they called this place "Poisonous Women's Garden," and everyone there had this on them; they needed to take medicine regularly.
If this is a means of control
She took the formula with her when she fled, and continued to take it until she gave birth and forgot about it. She found nothing wrong with it and assumed that giving birth resolved the issue.
Qu Maoze took her hand, picked up a handkerchief, and carefully wiped her skin. His eyes softened, and he smiled gently, "There are some, but it's not a big problem. Gu worms are magical, but most of them are just ordinary insects, and they're not difficult to deal with."
The implication was that he knew her identity was unusual from the very beginning.
However, if he didn't even know this, the grass on his grave would have grown into trees by now.
Niu Tielan was stunned: "Then why?"
Qu Maoze raised his lips in a smile and asked in return, "Why what?"
Niu Tielan bit her lip
Qu Maoze smiled mischievously, his expression meaningful: "I'll tell you about it privately another day."
Niu Tielan couldn't help but reach out and pinch his hand, glaring at him angrily.
Qu Maoze grabbed back, saying, "My daughter's still here, isn't this inappropriate?"
Niu Tielan snapped, "Can't you speak properly?"
After watching their flirtatious banter for a while, Song Jin nodded in agreement and slapped his hand: "That's right, that's right, just talk, don't get handsy."
Qu Maoze withdrew his hand and smiled helplessly: "Alright, enough fooling around. Let them serve the food; they'll get hungry if they don't eat soon."
Song Jin looked at the person still lying on the ground and gently kicked him: "Where is this person?"
Qu Maoze didn't want to give Dai Yuanhua even a second glance, and said indifferently, "They won't die. They'll be almost dead by the time we finish eating."
In that case
Song Jin had no more objections, and happily pulled her mother back to their seats, where the mother and daughter sat together.
A short while later, the owner's voice rang out from outside: "Sir, the food is served."
Qu Maoze: "Come in."
Several waiters respectfully carried in trays of food, and upon seeing the scene inside, they all froze.
Qu Maoze calmly said, "He's fine, please serve the food."
The waiters exchanged glances, swallowed hard, and cautiously approached to serve the dishes, barely daring to utter a sound.
Until the table is full
The shopkeeper's voice trembled as he said, "Sir, the dishes are all served. Is there anything else you need?"
Qu Maoze: "It's nothing, you can go now."
The boss breathed a sigh of relief, and the group of people quickened their pace as they went out.
The door closed, and the boss's anxious, hushed voice came from outside.
"Go find the young master quickly!"
Song Jin raised an eyebrow, glanced at the still calm Qu Maoze, then at her equally indifferent mother, pursed her lips, and said nothing more.
She realized during this trip that her mother was now keeping a low profile and there was absolutely nothing for her to worry about.
She then ate with a clear conscience.
I must say, this restaurant isn't very big, but the food is really good, and it's quite popular.
Dai Yuanhua previously managed to book an entire venue with a wave of his hand; judging from the owner's words, it must be his own shop now.
However, the process was a bit slow; the family of three had almost finished eating at a leisurely pace, and the other person still hadn't arrived.
Song Jin took a sip of tea to calm her taste, then patted the table: "Waiter, pack this up for me."
Qu Maoze and Niu Tielan: ...
Song Jin said matter-of-factly, "It's such a waste to leave so much here. We should take it back and feed it to the little ones. We can heat it up and it'll be enough for two meals."
The two had nothing to say to each other.
The waiter outside came in shakily, carrying a food box and carefully putting the food away.
Song Jin tossed over a large sum of money, yawning, and said, "Send it to Zui Gui Ge."
The waiter immediately beamed and collected the items even more efficiently, quickly tidying them up and categorizing them neatly.
After all that, there was still no movement outside.
Song Jin looked at the two of them.
Niu Tielan remained silent, his eyes lowered, lost in thought.
Qu Maoze chuckled lightly: "Go back and tell your boss to send ten thousand taels of silver for treatment to the Song residence tomorrow."
Song Jin and Niu Tielan opened their eyes wide.
What? Ten thousand taels? Just that one lying there? Are robberies this blatant these days?
If both of them were like this, the waiter was even more dumbfounded, wondering if he had misheard.
Qu Maoze: "Do I need to say it again?"
The waiter shuddered, immediately shook his head, and replied, "Yes, sir. I've remembered. I'll make sure to relay the message."
Qu Maoze turned to look at Niu Tielan, his expression softening visibly. He said softly, "Your wife has just received medical treatment, why don't you go back and rest? We can talk about it later."
Niu Tielan pursed her lips: "What are you going to do later?"
Qu Maoze chuckled: "I still need to go and check the registers at the horse farm. Would you like to come, Madam?"
The mention of the horse farm reminded her of what happened at the stable that day. She glared angrily at the shameless man, then got up and left.
Song Jin gave Qu Maoze the middle finger and then ran out with her mother.
The mother and daughter hurried out. It was lunchtime, and the restaurant was nearly empty.
As soon as they arrived, the waiters scattered in panic, pretending to be busy, their eyes glancing over every now and then, but no one dared to come closer.
After that commotion in the private room, who knows how much word has spread.
Song Jin's lips twitched, and she cursed the scheming man in her heart before leaving the restaurant with her mother.
Just a few steps outside the building, a carriage sped up and stopped in front of the restaurant.
Before the carriage had even come to a complete stop, the people inside hurriedly jumped down.
She was an exceptionally beautiful woman, dressed in green and adorned with gold and jade hairpins. Although she appeared to be of some age, she remained radiant and elegant, like a pure lotus in full bloom.
She jumped off the bus in a hurry, nearly falling because she lost her balance. Fortunately, the people inside the bus also jumped off and quickly helped her up.
The man looked to be in his early twenties, dressed in blue robes and a jade crown. He bore a resemblance to Dai Yuanhua, but appeared much more ordinary; one could only describe him as dignified.
He whispered, "Mother, slow down, my little brother will be alright, don't worry."
The woman hummed in agreement, but still hurriedly went inside.
It was obvious that the Dai family had arrived.
Song Jin frowned, lowered her head and asked in a low voice, "Mother, are we going?"
Niu Tielan watched the man's retreating figure silently, a hint of melancholy in her eyes. She shook her head.
"Go back now. They will come to your door tomorrow."
Song Jin nodded, lowering her eyelids to conceal the fierce intent within.
Girls' Garden, right?
She thinks the male vocals sound better.
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