The house of the newly appointed Vice Minister of War, Li Changfu, in the capital was located in a small and dilapidated courtyard in the southwest corner, next to the servants' rooms.
There was no light in the room. Outside, a rooster crowed three times, and the night watchman passed by leisurely. A handsome young man sat at the table, supporting his chin with one hand, and glanced down coldly: "Where did you go?"
The sound was like the cry of a phoenix, striking ice and jade, but to the ears it sounded like the death knell of a reprieve.
"My subordinate failed in his duty. Please punish me, Master."
The kneeling person lowered his head even lower, and blood dripped onto the floor: "In the afternoon, I saw the usual signs of the Embroidered Uniform Guard outside the city, and I was anxious and chased after them.
The Embroidered Uniform Guards were the late emperor’s personal soldiers, and they should have all died with the late emperor nine years ago.
"Did you catch up?" Su Huaijing asked calmly.
Xingfeng gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with regret and hatred that could not be dissolved: "This subordinate deserves death! The mark was forged. When I chased him outside the city, I realized something was wrong and rushed back immediately."
"Heh." Su Huaijing laughed softly, as if he had heard a big joke. After a long while, he asked softly, "Imitation? A fake mark can transfer you away from me. How can I trust you in the future?"
"Your subordinate... deserves death." Xing Feng knocked his head heavily and fell to the ground, tears and blood streaming from his eyes. Every word he spoke was bleak and his limbs were cold as if he was in hell.
After realizing something was wrong, he immediately rushed back. Along the way, his heart sank deeper and deeper, and an indescribable panic swept through his body.
His master had just said two days ago that Li Changfu had ulterior motives and was afraid that he would take action against him. Today he hurried back to the mansion and did not see a single person in the house. As he was panicking, he heard the servants in the mansion gossiping. A strong murderous intent almost overwhelmed Xingfeng.
How dare he...
How dare Li Changfu...
That was Dayu's most precious Seventh Prince, the legitimate son of the previous emperor! How dare he treat her like... a prostitute, drugging her and sending her to a brothel!
How many heads does he have!
Xingfeng was so angry that his vision blurred and his nails cut his palms. He kowtowed again and stood up and left: "I will kill Li Changfu and then commit suicide to apologize!"
Xing Feng walked to the door in a flash, and was about to use his Qinggong to go to the main courtyard to kill someone, but a slow voice came from behind him: "Stop."
Xingfeng paused and turned to look.
Su Huaijing stood up, threw some things on the table, and walked towards the inner room. His voice came out leisurely: "There is no rush to kill people. When it's daybreak, go to the street and buy some rouge, powder, silk and cloth for me."
Xing Feng was startled: "Master, what is this?"
"Prepare the dowry." Su Huaijing yawned lazily and went into the inner room.
Xingfeng walked in hesitantly and saw a stack of huge silver bills on the table.
Former Deputy Envoy of the Seventh Team of the Embroidered Uniform Guard Xing Feng: "?"
-
After everyone left, Su Huaijing stood in the inner room, raised his hand and pinched his jaw, and with a "click", he removed his jaw without changing his expression.
Then he stretched out his hand, put two fingers together and reached into the side of his cheek, pinched out an oil-paper bag, and threw it on the ground.
The paper package opened, and two pills the size of half a fingernail rolled out, one red and one black.
Su Huaijing put his chin back in place and washed his hands.
A gray mouse appeared from somewhere in the corner, squeaked, ran to the pills, and gnawed the black one.
Seeing this, Su Huaijing laughed and even started counting with interest.
"Five, four, three, two... one, bang—"
Just as he finished speaking, the gray-haired mouse turned around a few times on the ground, then fell to the ground with a thud, foaming at the mouth and dying with its limbs twitching. Everything happened in just a moment.
"What a pity." Su Huaijing said softly, his eyes falling on the red pill.
As soon as he took a bite of the lotus pastry, he knew he had been drugged, so he went back to the inner room to make preparations before the drug took effect.
There were two pills, one was a deadly poison that killed instantly upon impact, and the other was a hallucinogenic pill mixed with hallucinogenic herbs.
Between life and death, he originally wanted to see what kind of person that idiot Qin Pengxuan was and then prescribe the right medicine.
As for the solution to Softening Muscle Powder, Su Huaijing didn't even think about it.
He knew that Li Changfu had bad intentions and had been visiting the homes of officials in the capital these days, hoping to find a backer for himself. However, Su Huaijing never expected that his good uncle would come up with such a stupid idea of giving his nephew to a man as a concubine. It really opened his eyes.
However, this was a stupid move, but it gave him a way to take advantage of it. If he could take this opportunity to enter the Wukangbo Mansion—
pity…
Su Huaijing took another look at the remaining pills on the ground, then turned and walked towards the bed.
He took off his coat, revealing a waist badge hanging inside. Before leaving, the beautiful young master had forcibly taken it from him and handed it to him, along with the banknotes.
It is the size of a palm, made of golden nanmu wood, with cloud patterns and rising sun engraved on the top, and blessings and longevity carved on the bottom, which truly represents endless wealth and prosperity.
Rong Tang, the chess piece that had never been on his chessboard, became the only variable tonight.
A sickly person who coughs every three steps, suddenly feels like going to a brothel to broaden his horizons
save him
There is no such coincidence in the world.
-
Rong Tang was unconscious for three days after returning home. When he woke up, it was just getting dark outside. Shuangfu's younger brother Shuangshou was waiting beside him. When he saw that he had woken up, he brought a bowl of black medicine over and said, "Master, the doctor told you to drink the tranquilizer when you wake up."
"Where is Shuangfu?" Rong Tang asked.
Shuangshou avoided his gaze and just handed the medicine to him. Rong Tang frowned and tried to sit up: "Was he called away by the Madam?"
"Young Master, you should drink the medicine first." Shuangshou said.
Rong Tang was unhappy. He took the medicine bowl, raised his head and drank it in one breath. His voice became a little hoarse. He asked again, "Where's Shuangfu?"
As a result, Shuangshou knelt down with a thump and said, "Master, you are not feeling well and need to rest. How dare you worry about the servants' affairs?"
Rong Tang suddenly felt annoyed, and he couldn't tell whether he was angry about his frequent collapse or about the evil feudalism with its strict class divisions that made it difficult for people to even speak properly.
"Okay, you take a rest, I'll find it myself." Rong Tang struggled to get out of bed. His feet felt weak as soon as they touched the ground. Shuangshou quickly got up and helped him up.
Rong Tang glanced at him coldly: "Take me to see the lady."
"Master..."
"Take me there!" Rong Tang said in a deep voice, and had to use the power of a master to suppress him.
As they were talking, a woman's voice came from outside the house: "Is Tang'er awake? Did you drink the medicine?"
Rong Tang walked quickly to the door: "Mom."
The princess is not yet forty years old. She is the mistress of a powerful family. Even at home, she is covered with jewels and jades, and her eyes are filled with the sharpness and steadiness of a housekeeper for many years. However, the moment she saw Rong Tang, her eyes softened, her eyes were slightly hot, and she quickly came over and pulled Rong Tang towards the bed.
"Why did you get up? The wind is so strong outside, and you don't even bother to persuade the young master." The princess glanced to the side and glanced at Shuangshou.
Rong Tang called softly, "Mom."
In his previous two lives, he had a clear conscience in order to save the male protagonist and the world, but he forgot that there are always mothers in this world who love their children.
Wang Xiuyu died in accidents in both her lives, but Rong Tang devoted himself to the male protagonist and failed to save even his mother who treated him as her son wholeheartedly.
So there was indeed some truth in what he said to Su Huaijing that night.
The princess came back to her senses and watched Rong Tang get on the bed and tuck in the quilt before dismissing the servants. She sat at the head of the bed and said, half reproachfully and half admonishingly, "Mother knows that you have a pure heart and a kind nature, but sometimes you are too nice to the servants, and their hearts will become wild, and they will not take good care of the master wholeheartedly."
Rong Tang sighed again, "Shuangfu and Shuangshou are very devoted to me."
The princess gave him a resentful look, and Rong Tang said, "Mother, Shuangfu..."
The princess stopped him and said, "I know what you want to say. Shuangfu and Shuangshou were sent by the princess. I cannot punish them, but I am really angry. They have served me since I was a child. I know your body condition very well, so how can I take you to a dirty place like Fengyue Tower..."
Rong Tang: "I want to go there on my own."
"You have stayed at home all year round and have never gone out since you were a child. How do you know about Fengyue Tower? I guess the servant must have come back from fooling around outside and told you what he said!" the princess said angrily.
Rong Tang felt helpless and thought that Rong Zheng was quite smart. No one in the whole mansion knew that he went to the brothel with him.
But it's better this way, it saves a lot of trouble.
Rong Tang saw that the princess was angry and coughed twice. Wang Xiuyu immediately lost her temper and her face was filled with heartache: "My son..."
Rong Tang weakly raised his hand and pressed it on the back of the princess' hand: "Mother, I really want to go on my own."
Wang Xiuyu frowned: "Why would you want to go to that kind of place?"
Rong Tang said, "My sweetheart is there."
Wang Xiuyu was stunned, and the room suddenly became silent. There seemed to be a very light sound above her head. Before Rong Tang had time to suspect anything, he heard the princess calmly ask: "Which girl is it? How many patrons have you received? If you really like it, mother will help you-"
"Not a girl." Rong Tang said.
The princess's face was blank for a moment, and her eyes turned complicated when she looked at Rong Tang. After struggling for a moment, she finally succumbed to the mother's love: "It's nothing for the young man, it's not shameful. It's just that it's not safe outside, and mother is really worried about you going out to meet people. I will redeem him for you and raise him in your yard, okay?"
There was another light sound from the roof. Rong Tang looked up subconsciously and heard a cat's meow.
He was upset by the noise, and when he came to his senses, he felt a little sad.
Wang Xiuyu was a noble lady from a famous family. When she married Rong Mingqiao, he was not yet the King of Ningxuan. She had a difficult labor and fell ill when the original owner was born. She tried every possible way to keep the mother and child safe, but it damaged her foundation and she could no longer have children. Fortunately, she had a family background to support her, so she was not oppressed by the concubine for so many years.
The original owner was not stupid when he was born. He was just weak and sickly at first. When he was nine years old, something happened in Dayu. He saw something and had nightmares every night. He had a high fever for three days and when he woke up, he became a idiot.
After so many years of hard work to protect him, he finally grew up and was finally not stupid anymore. It was no exaggeration to say that he was Wang Xiuyu's favorite. Not to mention that he had fallen in love with a prostitute, even if he wanted the royal family in the palace, Wang Xiuyu would probably go to Fengqi Palace to beg for mercy from the Queen.
Extremely spoiled.
Rong Tang felt that this was not a good idea, but if he wanted Su Huaijing to enter the palace openly, he had to lay a few steps first to scare Wang Xiuyu.
He silently lowered his eyes, pursed his lips, and silently clenched the sheets with his fingers, looking very lost.
Wang Xiuyu suddenly felt a little panicked. She didn't care about her mistress' demeanor and said in a panic: "Tang'er, don't be upset. If you like someone, just tell me. I will definitely find a way to get you into the family. Don't worry too much, it will hurt your body."
Seeing that Wang Xiuyu's eyes were about to turn red, Rong Tang realized that the medicine had almost worked and could be stopped.
He shook his head, looked up at Wang Xiuyu, and said softly, "Neither."
"and you… "
"He is Su Huaijing, the cousin of Li Changfu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War." Rong Tang said.
Wang Xiuyu was stunned for a moment, then she visibly breathed a sigh of relief after she realized what was happening.
The assistant minister of the Ministry of War was only a fourth-rank official. She had never heard of Li Changfu, so she thought he was a minor official who had just been promoted. He was also a cousin, and if he really entered the palace, it would be a great honor for his ancestors, and there was no way he would refuse.
Wang Xiuyu wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, and said with resentment: "You scared me to death. It's good that he is from a good family. I will help you to arrange the marriage and take him home. But the young master of the Li family you said you went to Fengyue Tower to find, I'm afraid he won't be a peaceful person in the future, I'm afraid you will be wronged."
"It's not the young master of the Li family," Rong Tang said seriously, "his name is Su Huaijing."
"Okay, Master Su." Wang Xiuyu readily agreed, "But I've never heard you mention this name before. How did you know him?"
Rong Tang thought to himself, he is not the young master of the Su family, he is the prince of Dayu, the future emperor. But since Wang Xiuyu asked this question, he had to continue quickly.
"Mother, do you remember the Duke Xian's Mansion across from my grandmother's house?"
Wang Xiuyu's expression changed slightly, and she subconsciously glanced outside the screen, and echoed, "What do you mean?"
Rong Tang: "Li Changfu is a distant relative of the Xianguo family, and so is Su Huaijing. When my son was young, he lived with his grandmother for a while, and happened to see Su Huaijing, who had come to live with his relatives because his family had fallen on hard times. When he was young, he only thought he was good-looking and talented. He was younger than me, but much smarter, and my son envied him."
Rong Tang looked very sad when he said this. Wang Xiuyu felt a pang in her heart and squeezed his hand.
Rong Tang smiled softly: "Later, when I heard about what happened to the Duke's Mansion..., my son found that the first person he thought of was him."
"He had come to the capital to seek refuge with his relatives because his family had fallen on hard times. I didn't know if he could survive such a disaster. I wanted to ask my mother to bring him home for me." Rong Tang frowned unconsciously, "But I had nightmares for a long time during that period, and I forgot almost everything when I woke up. It was only a few days ago that I unexpectedly learned that he had returned to Shu with Lord Li who was also in the capital at the time."
Rong Tang was physically weak and could seldom speak so many words in one breath. When he started talking about their childhood, Wang Xiuyu was already in tears, and her worries about the taboo just now also disappeared.
She said distressedly: "No wonder I heard Chunmei from your courtyard say that you often talked about Shu."
Rong Tang was a little surprised. He didn't expect this help, but he didn't show it on his face. He said, "I want to take him back. Lord Li may be a good official, but his family is prosperous after all. Shu is not as rich as Jiangnan, and there are no nobles in the capital. I am always worried that he will be wronged if I raise a child who has lost his parents for nothing."
After a pause, he whispered, "My son can't bear to see him being wronged."
Wang Xiuyu's heart almost melted with pain. She never expected that her son was such a lovesick man.
This is not the end. Rong Tang continued, "I am not in good health. I heard that he returned to the capital. I just wanted to see him from afar and know that he was safe, so I secretly sent someone to follow him and tell me his whereabouts on a regular basis every day. I can't go out, but I can only hear that he is doing well. Wherever he passes by, I will go there too. If in the future... it won't be too regretful, ahem—"
Wang Xiuyu quickly poured him a cup of hot tea and said in a hoarse voice, "Tang'er, there's no need to say anything more. Mother will beg for you."
"No, I have to finish." Rong Tang suppressed his words with hot tea and said, "He has good character and is not the kind of person who would easily go in and out of a brothel. Mother is the person who loves me the most in the world, and I don't want you to misunderstand him."
Rong Tang: "I only got the news that afternoon. Li Changfu came to the capital again, and his mind was full of scheming and calculations. In order to find a good way out for himself, he even sacrificed his own nephew. He even ordered someone to drug him, took advantage of the opportunity to take him to a brothel, and wanted to give him to a young master from a wealthy family! Fortunately, my son went there in time, so he didn't succeed."
Rong Tang was extremely angry, his face flushed red, then turned pale again, and he spoke with a gloomy mood: "Yes, he is just a distant nephew, he is already five generations away from the fifth generation, and who knows how much blood of the same kind remains in his body. I only regret that I was stupid for many years and didn't have the time to bring him into the house sooner."
Wang Xiu Yu's emotions fluctuated as Rong Tang spoke. At this point, she was crying, feeling distressed, and a little angry.
It's not that she feels sad about what happened to Su Huaijing, but she feels sorry for her own son who is always obsessed with this and has such mood swings. She is also annoyed that Li Changfu is ignorant and stupid as a pig. If he really wants this, this is just a stepping stone. Just because Tang'er cares so much about her nephew, as long as Rong Tang asks, won't she try to get things done for him
Instead, Rong Tang was made to run around for nothing and even fainted in a brothel. It was really hateful!
Wang Xiuyu calmed down and comforted her, "Mother will take care of you and bring the person back. You should take good care of him in the future and will never let him suffer any injustice again."
Unexpectedly, Rong Tang shook his head when he heard this, looking dejected: "I can't protect you."
Wang Xiuyu was slightly stunned, and Rong Tang said: "Only the palace can protect him."
Wang Xiu Yu realized something and looked panicked. She opened her mouth to speak, but Rong Tang interrupted her. He spoke for too long and his lips became paler. He looked very ill. Anyone who saw him would know that he would not live long.
Rong Tang said in a light voice: "I want to give him a name."
"Tang'er—"
"Mother, please listen to me." Rong Tang said, "I know what my body is like, and I know that my family has always wanted to find a good marriage for me, but now I..."
He bit his lower lip, as if a little embarrassed. "In my current state, I am destined to have no offspring. I am an unfilial son, and I have already failed my parents in raising me. I don't want to offend a girl again. Besides, I have someone I love. If the wedding can really wash away these symptoms in me, I will be happy just looking at him in the future. If not, after I leave, I don't have to worry about whether he will be bullied in the future. I won't be at peace when I leave."
"I beg you, mother, to propose marriage to Su Huaijing as my son's wife." Rong Tang raised his eyes and looked at Wang Xiuyu intently. Tears welled up in his eyes and he said in a low voice, "I only want him."
(End of this chapter)