The spring rain in Jiangnan is always lingering and penetrating, piling up thick fog that is refreshingly cold.
On the seventh day of the fourth month, I sat in a carriage heading north to the capital, watching the fine rain fall all around me. In the distance, there was no sign of anyone.
Chapter 90
"I thought your relationship was so deep, but it turns out it's nothing special."
A man wearing a purple crown, blue clothes, and tiger-patterned boots brought a cockatoo.
"Don't expect others to suffer the same fate as you just because you're having relationship problems." I frowned as I glanced at the cage in his hand. "What are you doing bringing this beast here?"
"I heard you're bored, so I specially sent someone to hunt you down."
"...My lord, I might think you're trying to curry favor with me."
He paused for a moment, then said, "Yu'er is indeed still young and doesn't understand things, so she changed her mind about me."
"Well, it's true that you'll let me go back sooner or later. It's rare that someone as stubborn as you has finally come to your senses. It's not easy."
"Yes, I've thought about it, and you're more suited to be Yu'er's mother."
"..."
Can't you see I'm eating? You can't just say things that could choke someone.
"Aren't you so surprised that you can't even speak?"
Then I choked again, "Cough...cough cough..."
"Hey, be careful, don't get so excited." He stood to the side without even offering to offer a glass of water. "I heard you were pecked by a parrot when you were a kid?"
After this period of contact, I have come to the conclusion that this person has a rather bad character, and it is very difficult to discern how much of what he says is credible and how much is not.
“Unruly and domineering, with a sharp tongue and a mean mouth, you have no sense of propriety and don’t know your place. Your entire Rong family has wronged Nangong Ling. Do you think he would not avenge such a deep grudge?” He walked over and put the parrot on the table, looking at me coldly as I coughed. “He disappeared from the dungeon on the first day of the fourth month, but he didn’t come to take you away. He probably wanted to divorce you, to make you glorious and then suffer endless torment. What a ruthless person he is.”
Perhaps I'm becoming more and more fragile; just from his words, a dull, aching pain welled up in my chest.
Jun Guan once said that our relationship could be easily sown apart. I didn't believe it at first, but now I feel confused.
"What kind of expression should I make to satisfy you?" But in the end, she was a strong-willed person, and no matter how vulnerable she was, she couldn't show it in front of others.
"Tsk, so stubborn?" He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Then tell me, what kind of threat would work?"
I pursed my lips and forced a slight smile. "Would you believe me if I told you?"
I don't believe it.
"That settles it, why all the nonsense?" I shrugged, feeling a headache coming on.
He suddenly reached out and pinched my chin, bringing his face close to mine, nose to nose, there was no ambiguity, only a heavy killing intent.
"If you don't want to attract a man's attention, don't resist him. Don't you understand that?"
"Someone like you is impervious to both soft and hard approaches, and there's no way you could ever truly like anyone. Besides, who would even want to get your attention?"
This is just my personality. If I had to say who I'm trying to get attention from, Yun Zhicai used to be the one I caused quite a stir.
"Hmph, your ambition is no less than any man's. I can give you what you want; it doesn't necessarily have to be Nangong Ling."
"What I want, do you even know what I want?" I saw the sarcasm in my own eyes as I looked at his amber gaze. "To be honest, I have no desire to deal with you. Your son is a cunning man too. You'd better watch your position, or he might... Hiss!"
When you can't win an argument, you resort to brute force. You're supposed to be a marquis, aren't you?
"You don't even know the saying 'trouble comes from the mouth,' then I must have misjudged you."
After he left with those words, I didn't see him for several days, and I was happy to have some peace and quiet.
Not far behind the Chuishui Pavilion is the Glazed Pagoda. I often see the young marquis standing on the jade steps outside the Yanheng Pavilion for half a day at a time.
His silhouette was graceful and elegant. Sometimes, when you caught a glimpse of his profile, you would see his eyes gazing at the sky, bright and clear, yet not with loneliness but with a profound despair.
I closed the window and began to slowly pack my things, while also taking a quick look at the items in the house that could be sold for money.
What are you trying to do?
The window was opened again, and a few wisps of cold air blew in through the cracks.
"I haven't seen you for a few days, where have you been?" I asked casually without looking up, as I was pondering what I could take out to exchange for some cash.
It's surprising how wealthy Li Mu is; I wonder where he amassed this fortune from among the people. His house is filled with valuable items. But they're useless; ordinary people can't afford them, and even wealthy people might not dare to buy them—they don't bring in any real money.
Who went to play?
Suddenly, I felt a jolt in my heart and realized that something was wrong. I looked up and saw that Li Yu, who had been standing on the jade steps like a statue, had now moved to the window.
"You know kung fu?"
He nodded, his youthful face expressionless.
"You just said someone's been missing for days. Do you have someone with you?" Before I could even gather my thoughts to answer, he saw what was in my hand and added, "That bundle you're carrying, are you planning to run away? Aren't you waiting for Nangong Ling to arrive?"
"...Why do we have to wait for him to come? I have hands and feet, can't I walk by myself?"
Since I was caught red-handed anyway, and his suddenness left me no time to think things through, I simply admitted it directly, only ignoring his first question.
Chapter 91
"That would be great, how about you take me with you?" With that, he scrambled in through the window.
At first, I thought it was Shaoyou who had been missing for several days returning, but I never expected it to be Li Yu. I just stumbled upon this by sheer luck.
Give me a reason.
"For me, the capital is just an enlarged cage. Every move I make is under the watchful eyes of others. Is that interesting?"
There's definitely something fishy about this child; the dealings between high-ranking officials and nobles are fraught with corruption.
"Won't betray me?" If Li Mu catches me red-handed, I don't think he'll let me off easily.
"Just don't hold me back."
Forget it, I'd better not let my compassion get the better of me, lest I keep getting humiliated.
At this time, the sun is high in the sky, it's noon, and it's the time when people are most relaxed after a good meal.
"Generally speaking... don't you people in the martial arts world prefer to operate masked at night?"
"As you said, generally speaking, midnight is now the most vigilant time. With the scale of the Guanhou Mansion, not even a fly can get in, let alone get out."
"I didn't realize you actually had any brains."
You're the one who's brainless!
"Could it be that you always fail because you choose the middle of the night?"
"Hey, how did you know?"
That's why I said you're the one who's brainless! It's such a waste that you have such great lightness skills.
"Who taught you kung fu?"
"..." Her almond-shaped eyes dimmed for a moment. "My mother only had time to teach me light-body skills."
Uh, I asked a question I shouldn't have. Suppressing my overwhelming curiosity, I pretended to peek out from behind the artificial hill. It's better not to know too much; I don't want to get too involved with them.
Aren't you going to ask?
After circling around from one artificial hill to another, we were finally getting closer to the back gate.
"What do you mean?" I asked absentmindedly, glancing around.
"My mother's matter, she..."
"Stop! You've chosen the wrong person to confide in. You little brat, are you trying to drag me down with you? What did I do to offend you that you have to pick a fight with me?"
Its dark eyes darted around, a faint glint of light flashing across them.
Do you want to know where Nangong Ling is right now?
"Where?" he blurted out without thinking, and when he looked up, he saw the mischievous look in the child's eyes.
“You should know that my father is terrifying when he gets serious. I thought Nangong Ling could stand up to him. Although he escaped from prison, he has been silent ever since, and his men have also disappeared.”
What's going on here? I frowned, feeling a vague unease.
"But this is the first time I've ever seen a woman make my father so angry."
"Hey, it would be better if he got so angry that his nose crooked."
"Virtue and Integrity!"
He suddenly shouted, which startled me.
"What are you yelling about! What if they come to recruit people?!" He quickly pulled him behind the wall and slapped him on the head.
"Ouch, you've got such a strong grip, are you a woman?"
"Young Master?"
The boy who had just been called over carefully moved over. Fortunately, the Guanhou Mansion was large enough, and the guards at the back gate had all changed shifts by this time, so it did not attract much attention.
"Can I bring him along?" Li Yu pointed at Dexin with one hand and turned her head to ask me.
"What are you doing? Is he very skilled in martial arts?"