Chapter 111, Chapter 111, Something's Wrong...
Chapter 111 Something's Wrong
Ling Hao raised her cup again and said to Hua Manlou, "Thank you for your praise, Young Master Hua."
Hua Manlou raised his wine cup and took a small sip. "It's just the truth, you're too kind, heroine." He couldn't see her and didn't know what she looked like, but he could still picture her in his mind based on his feelings.
Just like Lu Xiaofeng, in Hua Manlou's heart, he was like a phoenix that loved to hop around on the ground. Well, you could also call him a chick. He loved to wander and look around, and was prone to falling into pits, but he was very good to his friends, so you could dig him out of the pit, wash him clean, and he was still presentable.
As for Linghao, in Hua Manlou's heart, she was a pure sword. Although this sword exuded sword intent, it would not harm or hurt anyone; therefore, it was so pure that one could see into her heart.
As for that young master Mingyue… Hua Manlou hesitated. He felt that the other party was more like a wisp of fog. Although he could be seen, he couldn't be touched. His whereabouts were unpredictable, and his temperament was somewhat fickle. For some reason, even though the other party acted quite friendly, Hua Manlou still felt that way.
"Young Master Hua, did the Hua family send you here to discuss matters with the imperial court?" Young Master Mingyue asked Hua Manlou.
Hua Manlou shook his head. "No. Although I come from the Hua family, I know absolutely nothing about business. I just learned about this matter, and since my elder brother needs to travel with me, we came to Kyoto together."
Lu Xiaofeng chuckled and said, "If Hua Manlou were to handle business, the family would surely fail quickly. A kind-hearted person like him isn't suited for business." A compassionate leader can't command an army, and a righteous person can't manage finances. If the Hua family really let Hua Manlou make decisions, they would indeed fail very quickly. Besides, doing business requires meticulous calculation; even the Hua family doesn't do business to give away money for nothing.
Therefore, never let Hua Manlou go into business, just like never let Lu Xiaofeng guard the wine cellar.
Hua Manlou nodded with a smile, "Yes, I am not a person suited to do business." Moreover, he was not interested in it. Whether he could see it or not, he had no interest in the family business.
If he were the only son in the family, Hua Manlou would certainly try his best for his parents. But now he has six older brothers, all of whom are doing very well, whether in business or other fields, and are no less successful than him. Hua Manlou is grateful to his brothers for allowing him to choose the path he should take in life.
"Achoo—!" The eldest son of the Hua family, who was in the Divine Marquis's Mansion, couldn't help but sneeze. While apologizing to Zhuge Zhengwo, he thought to himself that he didn't seem to have caught a cold. If that was the case, then Qi Tong must be thinking of him.
Thinking about this possibility, the eldest son of the Hua family felt a little pleased.
Seeing the sudden change in the eldest son of the Hua family's expression, Zhuge Shenhou was also somewhat puzzled. However, this was a minor matter and not important. What was important now was to let the eldest son of the Hua family stay at the Shenhou Mansion, and then take him to see the Emperor tomorrow.
Upon hearing Zhuge Zhengwo's words, the eldest son of the Hua family was somewhat surprised. "Why must we stay at the Divine Marquis's residence?" He didn't think it was because the Divine Marquis was too hospitable; there must be some other reason.
Zhuge Zhengwo said, "Not everyone wants to see the Youqiao Group disappear, and some people are eager to get rid of something. If they become desperate, that would be bad. Please rest assured, Master Zhu has also arrived in the capital and is currently resting at the Shenhou Mansion. It's not just Young Master Shan who is alone."
Hearing this, the eldest son of the Hua family breathed a sigh of relief. "Since that's the case, I won't refuse the Marquis's kind offer. However, I need to send someone to deliver a letter to my seventh brother, telling him that I've taken up residence at the Marquis's mansion."
"Alright." Zhuge Zhengwo immediately summoned someone to deliver a message to the eldest son of the Hua family.
The eldest son of the Hua family said with a smile, "My seventh brother is waiting for me at the Yunlai Restaurant in Kyoto. You can find him there."
Coincidentally, when the messenger from the Divine Marquis's Mansion delivered the message, Ling Hao and Young Master Mingyue had just finished eating and drinking and left Yunlai Restaurant. The only people who heard the message were Hua Manlou and Lu Xiaofeng.
After the people from the Divine Marquis's Mansion left, Hua Manlou checked into the third floor of the restaurant. Yes, the Yunlai Restaurant was actually owned by the Hua family, so even though it was a restaurant and not an inn, there were still rooms available for him to stay in.
Lu Xiaofeng didn't stay in his own room either, but ran to Hua Manlou's room and took over his bed. So the room's owner could only sit in a chair.
Hua Manlou sighed helplessly, "Lu Xiaofeng, the decoration and furnishings in the room next to yours are no different from mine, so why do you insist on lying here?"
“I think there’s a difference.” Lu Xiaofeng strongly disagreed with Hua Manlou’s words. “Just by smelling the room, you can tell the difference between our rooms.” He could tell at a glance whether the room was decorated with care or not.
"The incense burning in your incense burner is the finest osmanthus incense, with a delicate fragrance that isn't pungent at all. It's the most popular incense in the capital recently." Lu Xiaofeng crossed his arms, rested his head on his hands, and crossed one leg over the other. As he spoke, the leg he had crossed was swinging back and forth, which was quite an eyesore.
However, since the only person seeing him now is Lu Xiaofeng, he wouldn't mind being in the way, so it doesn't bother him. "And the incense burner in my place is burning lily incense, so it smells very nice, but it's not particularly outstanding in Kyoto, so your place is more comfortable."
The same thing can look very different depending on how much care is put into it. However, Lu Xiaofeng wasn't surprised. Yunlai Restaurant was under the Hua family's name, so they would definitely give their young master preferential treatment. But that didn't stop Lu Xiaofeng from coming over and grabbing a room.
"Since it's such a good thing, why not take it?" Lu Xiaofeng thought with a roguish air.
Hua Manlou shook his head helplessly, "Fine, if you like it, this room is yours. I'll go to the next room."
"Take care, and remember to close the door behind you," Lu Xiaofeng said, taking the initiative and instructing Hua Manlou.
Hua Manlou smiled and said, "Okay, I'll definitely close the door when I leave." He was used to it, really. Of course, it's understandable that the sweet cakes in the breakfast that the restaurant would serve Lu Xiaofeng tomorrow would be spicy, right?
At this moment, Lu Xiaofeng, who was sitting with his legs crossed and swaying his head contentedly, did not notice that Hua Manlou's smile had changed; otherwise, he would not have been so leisurely.
In the dead of night, the door to Lu Xiaofeng's room was pushed open, and a dark figure threw a quilt onto Lu Xiaofeng's bed before leaving.
"Hmm?" Lu Xiaofeng, still very alert in his sleep, woke up when the door was pushed open. He just wanted to see what the person wanted to do, so he pretended to continue sleeping. Unexpectedly, the person did nothing but simply throw a blanket onto his bed.
However, Lu Xiaofeng quickly realized that there seemed to be another person under the covers. He immediately reached out and lifted the covers, startled by the person inside, "Zhu Xi?"
At this moment, Zhu Xi's outer garment was gone, leaving her only in her undergarments. She seemed to have been acupunctured, unable to speak or move; all she could do was glare fiercely at Lu Xiaofeng.
"What happened to you?" Lu Xiaofeng reached out and untied Zhu Xi's clothes. "How did you end up tied up and dumped here? Where are your six guards? They're all gone?" Could it be that Zhu Xi ran away from home and avoided her guards, which is why she was tied up?
That doesn't make sense either. Zhu Xi is always extremely afraid of death and tries her best to protect herself. There's absolutely no way she could escape the guards' protection. So, there must be something else going on.
"Lu Xiaofeng, what happened?" Hua Manlou from next door heard the noise and immediately came over.
"Don't come any closer," Lu Xiaofeng said.
"Okay." Hua Manlou nodded. "What exactly happened?"
"What happened?! I've been ambushed!" Zhu Xi, having just freed herself from her acupoints, jumped out of bed, her face flushed with anger. "I'll make that bastard pay!"
She clenched her fists in anger, looking as if she would knock that person to the ground with one punch if he were in front of her.
"Don't worry about this for now, put on your coat first." Lu Xiaofeng found a moon-white coat in the wardrobe, which he guessed was prepared for Hua Manlou by the restaurant staff but which he himself had never worn, and threw it on Zhu Xi's head.
As Zhu Xi pulled on her outer robe, she cursed and muttered, "That damned bastard, his feet are oozing pus, his head is covered in sores, and his eyes are full of styes. He doesn't know how powerful Fifth Aunt is. I'll definitely smash that bastard to death with gold!"
"What's going on?" A voice came from the stairwell on the third floor of the restaurant.
Hua Manlou recognized his elder brother's voice and the voice of the Zhu family patriarch. He immediately turned around and closed the door. "It seems we've been set up?"
Lu Xiaofeng crossed his arms. "Is this a trap for me, or for you? This was originally your room."
Hua Manlou nodded, "It's a trap set for me and Zhu Xi."
"What?" Zhu Xi finally finished putting on her outer robe. Although it was a bit loose, she tucked in the sleeves and hem, giving her a unique and dashing look. "What do you mean?"
Lu Xiaofeng raised his chin and said to the door, "If Master Zhu finds out that his precious daughter has been bullied by Hua Manlou, will the Zhu family and the Hua family fall out? Will the Hua family be angry to see their precious younger brother being slandered? People are prone to making mistakes when they are in a fit of rage."
Zhu Xi was filled with doubt. "Just for this? They went through all that trouble to sneak me out of the guards' protective circle, just for this kind of petty trick?" She felt like she had been underestimated.
"What utter nonsense!" Zhu Xi was furious, her eyebrows furrowed. "Don't even mention that there's nothing between Hua Manlou and me. Even if there were, it's not necessarily a matter of who bullied whom. Besides, there's absolutely no way I could marry Hua Manlou. He's my nephew! That's incest!"
The eldest son of the Hua family and Master Zhu, who appeared at the door and overheard the last few words, were both bewildered: "???"
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Author's Note: Zhu Xi: @#￥%&*@#￥%&* (censored)
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