The clerk beside him couldn't stand it any longer and shouted, "What else do you want?! Take these three troublemakers away!"
A group of constables were suddenly awakened. Regardless of right or wrong, they held knives to the necks of the three men, slit their arms behind their backs, and put them in shackles.
"Get away...don't touch me!" Gu Fengyan roared, breaking free from his restraints.
He looked at Zhu Kuo, who had a smug expression, and sneered, "Lord Zhu... do you still remember the name Yao Chunlan?"
Zhu Kuo's eyes widened instantly, and he jumped up from his chair. "Who...who are you? How did you know?!"
Now not only Liu Zhengshan, but even Huo Duan was completely confused... Who was Gu Fengyan talking about?
The advisor had been by Zhu Kuo's side for seven or eight years, but this was the first time he had ever heard this name. Looking at Zhu Kuo, he seemed to have suffered a great blow; his face was deathly pale, and he was swaying precariously.
He quickly helped Zhu Kuo sit down in the head chair.
Ignoring the surprised and probing gazes around him, Gu Fengyan slowly straightened his sleeves and said, "I thought Lord Zhu had forgotten, but he does remember..."
Zhu Kuo's body trembled violently, as if all his strength had been drained.
"You lowly people! Are you all just for show?! Why don't you take these lowly people away?!" The clerk couldn't stand his cryptic remarks any longer and shouted angrily.
The surrounding constables immediately resumed their arrests.
Gu Fengyan looked at Zhu Kuo with a leisurely air.
After a long while, Zhu Kuo's pale, chapped lips moved, but he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
"Release them and go back to the manor..." He stood up and staggered out of the private room.
The clerk couldn't believe his ears, "My lord, this is..."
Zhu Kuo frowned in displeasure. "I said let them go!"
The advisor knew he was on the verge of exploding in anger. He glared at Gu Fengyan resentfully and spat viciously, "Kid, you got lucky!"
As the fighting subsided, the advisor helped Zhu Kuo stagger towards the outer room. As he stumbled, the magistrate opened his clothes at his waist, revealing a lotus-colored sachet… It was very old, its edges frayed, the lint loose, and a line of delicate handwriting embroidered among the fine stitches—
"Yao Chunlan, daughter of the Yao family, embroidered for her beloved in the third year of the Chengde era... Spring orchids flourish, and rocks remain steadfast. I wish that my beloved and I could be like swallows flying on the beam, staying together year after year."
Gu Fengyan let out a long sigh of relief. The room was silent. The incense sticks had burned out, and the leftover food and leftovers made the room feel desolate after the grand banquet had ended.
Liu Zhengshan went to call people to clean up, leaving only Gu Fengyan and Huo Duan.
"Ayan, what did you mean by what you just said to Zhu Kuo?" Huo Duan asked, frowning.
He racked his brains, but had never heard of the name "Yao Chunlan".
Gu Fengyan smiled slyly, "I...I saw that sachet on his waist was very precious to him, but I've never heard of Yao Chunlan being one of Zhu Da's concubines...I'll try anything, even if it's a dead end, and see how he reacts."
It was a gamble. If Yao Chunlan was Zhu Kuo's Achilles' heel, they would have been in jail today without a doubt. Fortunately, Zhu Kuo was afraid of and felt guilty towards Yao Chunlan... Gu Fengyan actually won the gamble by a twist of fate!
Huo Duan thought for a moment, then suddenly understood, "You're bluffing him?!"
"Shh—" Gu Fengyan quickly covered his mouth, looking him up and down. "How can you call it a lie? If he hadn't done anything wrong, who could lie to him? There are gods watching over us. When people do something wrong, they don't need others to tell them; their own hearts will punish them..."
Judging from Zhu Kuo's appearance, it was obvious that he had done something to wrong Yao Chunlan.
Love between men and women is nothing more than a matter of whether or not one will betray the other, and Gu Fengyan figured it out with just a little thought.
Huo Duan composed himself and smiled indulgently, "You... By the way, Ayan, are you feeling better now? Do you want to go see Mr. Lin?"
Upon hearing him mention this, Gu Fengyan's face immediately darkened. "Oh, you still have the nerve to ask? Isn't this all your fault?"
"Me?" Huo Duan was inexplicably blamed.
Gu Fengyan stared at him without saying a word.
Huo Duan thought about it carefully for a long time, then suddenly became very excited and grabbed Gu Fengyan, "Ayan...you wouldn't be......"
He looked at Gu Fengyan's lower abdomen.
Gu Fengyan was completely confused... What was it?
Following his gaze, she suddenly realized what he meant, her ears turning bright red. He was speechless and amused. "What nonsense are you talking about... even if I had one now, it probably wouldn't be yours."
Huo Duan was taken aback, seemingly really counting the days, "Ah...you have someone else?"
"What do you think?" Gu Fengyan was completely speechless, and asked with a half-smile.
Huo Duan gazed at him, then suddenly leaned in and kissed him, saying, "You only have me."
He was confident and proud, like a wild animal that had just won its prey and wanted to hang it on the highest branch to show everyone—"Look, my prey."
But Gu Fengyan is not prey; he is the moon in the sky, the wind, the fragrance of flowers, a divine gift that needs to be treasured, something to be shown off yet feared to be coveted.
Gu Fengyan chuckled. "Are you stupid?"
Huo Duan really did laugh like the village chief's silly son.
"What's wrong?" He gently kissed Gu Fengyan's palm.
"Don't you know what you did last night?" Gu Fengyan prompted.
The fishy, bitter taste still lingers on his tongue.
Huo Duan suddenly realized, his face turning red... Gu Fengyan was unwilling at first, but he really wanted to, and after begging for a long time and making repeated promises, he still couldn't resist in the end.
“I remember now, you bastard,” Gu Fengyan said with a smirk.
Huo Duan felt a pang of heartache, wishing he could crush the person and ingrain them into his very bones. "I'm sorry, I'm a bastard."
He looked as wronged as a little puppy, as if Gu Fengyan had bullied him.
"I've felt nauseous all day... You seem to be carrying your own toxins, Mr. Huo," Gu Fengyan said, glancing downwards with a smile.
He really couldn't understand it. It was such a small amount of food. Although it didn't taste good, it shouldn't have made him feel nauseous all day... He had never heard of such a thing before.
Huo Duan's physique was somewhat special.
He couldn't figure it out, so he stopped thinking about it.
Huo Duan's ears turned bright red, and she looked away from him. "Ahem... I'll make you pay me back tonight."
Gu Fengyan's smile vanished; how come he was still the one who suffered the loss?
"Get lost!" he cursed, ignoring everyone else.
Huo Duan followed closely, pestering and nagging relentlessly, determined to get the other person's consent...
A note from the author:
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter Forty-Seven
Fortunately, Gu Fengyan was alright. Huo Duan was still worried, so he persuaded someone to go with him to the Apricot Grove. After a thorough examination, Lin Ru frowned for a long time but couldn't find any major problems. So he started by questioning Gu Fengyan about his diet.
The two blushed with embarrassment. They couldn't possibly tell the truth, so Gu Fengyan evaded the question.
Lin Ru carefully prescribed some medicine to aid digestion and relieve depression, and told him to go back and carefully decoct it before taking it.
After getting the medicine, they returned to their house in the county. It was just getting dark when Liu Zhengshan told them that he was originally going to take an oxcart back to the village.
Gu Fengyan was somewhat uneasy. He had offended Magistrate Zhu today. For the time being, he could still use the name "Yao Chunlan" to intimidate Zhu Kuo. However, he was not stupid enough to wait until he realized what was happening and he would definitely not let them off the hook.
Zhu Kuo is a treacherous man, a wolf in sheep's clothing. Beneath his refined exterior lies an ugly face more terrifying than a jackal.
If he realizes what's happening, the first people he'll deal with are the three who have angered him.
When Liu Zhengshan returned home, Gu Fengyan and Huo Duan were also worried, so they invited people to stay at his house for the night.
As they walked along... Gu Fengyan suddenly realized that their rash decision to seek out Zhu Kuo was a very stupid one. Not only had they failed to accomplish anything, but they had also brought trouble upon themselves.
"Ayan?" When they arrived at the door, Huo's father had already led Liu Zhengshan inside. The two of them were talking when Gu Fengyan, lost in thought, was called out by Huo Duan.
"Hmm...we've arrived?" Gu Fengyan looked up.
Huo Duan waved his hand in front of his eyes, "What are you thinking about?"
Gu Fengyan shook the medicine packet in his hand, "No, I'm just worried that Zhu Kuo might cause some trouble once he realizes what's going on."
"You mentioned Yao Chunlan earlier and he reacted so strongly, we could investigate that..." Huo Duan frowned in thought.
Gu Fengyan stepped into the courtyard, closing and bolting the gate behind him. "If we can find something to hold against us, that would be fine, but dealing with emotional debts will be difficult..."
Huo Duan smiled and said, "Who knows? Judging from his flustered appearance, he's probably feeling guilty... Let's check it out first."
Gu Fengyan nodded, put his hands behind his back, and walked into the house through the darkness of the corridor. "It's getting late, let's talk about it tomorrow... I'm going to take a bath."
After saying that, he strode off toward the bathroom as if nothing had happened.
Huo Duan had already guessed his thoughts and immediately grabbed Gu Fengyan and dragged him back—
"Don't rush, Ayan..." He raised an eyebrow and smiled, gently twisting Gu Fengyan's hand and taking away the medicine prescribed by Mr. Lin. "There's no rush for a bath. You haven't taken your medicine yet. What's the hurry?"
"Sigh..." Seeing that things had been exposed, Gu Fengyan tried to grab it, but Huo Duan raised his hands high, his height overwhelming her, and Gu Fengyan couldn't grab it no matter what she did. She could only glare at Huo Duan with hatred in her eyes.
"How old are you? Why are you still afraid of this... I'll make it for you, okay?" Huo Duan couldn't help but laugh, hugging Gu Fengyan and coaxing him, "There are still some pine nut candies left from last time. If you eat them after you finish drinking this, it won't be bitter, okay?"
"Are you trying to coax a child?" Gu Fengyan was extremely dissatisfied and struggled to yell at him, "You drink it if you want, I'm not drinking it!"
Huo Duan nuzzled against her from left to right, "Then should I drink it and feed you?"
"Get lost!" Gu Fengyan was completely exasperated and cursed without any threat... It has to be said that Huo Duan was really like a leech, impossible to shake off, and cursing him was like punching cotton.
Gu Fengyan was furious.
"Ayan, I'm worried about you if you don't take your medicine... I'm worried." Huo Duan knew his limits, and his playful teasing knew when to stop. He stopped laughing and looked at Gu Fengyan seriously.
It shines as brightly as the stars in the sky.
Gu Fengyan was completely taken in by this and had no other choice but to turn her face away from him, saying, "Go and prepare the medicine. I'll take a bath first."
He was completely outmaneuvered by Huo Duan... He looked up at the sky and sighed.
Upon hearing this, Huo Duan kissed him lightly for a while until his breathing became heavy. "I'll carry you there." He stroked Gu Fengyan's earlobe, his smile captivating.
Gu Fengyan was so weak he was practically numb, his mind was completely blank, and all he could think of was how bright the moon was on the treetops... He nodded obediently.
After making a ruckus in the bathroom for half the night, with water everywhere... Huo Duan carried Gu Fengyan, whose eyes were red and limp, back to the room before going to brew the medicine.
The medicine was ready, but Gu Fengyan refused to drink it. Recalling Huo Duan's beastly behavior in the bathhouse, her eyes welled up with tears of grievance, and she accused him in a hoarse voice, "You just bully me."
Huo Duan's ears turned bright red... How could he possibly hold back under those circumstances?