A pure heart in a jade pot

Chapter 36

"A burden? You're not dying, so why do you say that?" Mo Yan asked curiously.

"Xiao Qi!" Ning Wangshu shouted at her sharply. This girl was becoming increasingly unrestrained in her speech.

Nangong Ruoxu felt a pang of sorrow in his heart, but still smiled and said, "It's alright. My illness has always been like this. As for how much longer I have, I can only leave it to fate."

"May I ask what illness you suffer from, young master?" Seeing that Nangong Ruoxu looked sickly and hearing his words, Zhan Zhao was moved and said, "Master Gongsun of Kaifeng Prefecture is well-versed in medicine. If you are willing, young master, I can introduce you to him."

"Thank you, Lord Zhan. The physician Xue Zhang, who resides in my humble abode, is Master Gongsun's fellow disciple. Over the past ten years, I have troubled him greatly, and I truly do not wish to trouble others further," Nangong Ruoxu said with a faint smile.

“Even Master Gongsun’s senior brother couldn’t cure you!” Mo Yan scratched her ear and said seriously, “…then we should hurry up even more!”

Nangong Ruoxu didn't understand: "Hold on to what?"

"Get married!" she looked at him strangely. "Since you feel that your days are numbered, why don't you get married quickly! In my opinion, all that fuss about matchmaking and marriage proposals should be skipped. It would be best to get married immediately and consummate the marriage right away!"

Upon hearing this, Ning Wangshu and Nangong Ruoxu froze on the spot, speechless. Even Zhan Zhao almost choked on his soup and quickly turned away, coughing several times.

Seeing this, Mo Yan kindly patted his back, but Zhan Zhao politely brushed her off. He rarely lost his composure like this, and he really didn't know that this girl would be so frank about matters of marriage.

"Who...who's getting married?" Nangong Liping, the second young master of the Nangong family, appeared at the entrance of the flower hall at some unknown time, and asked in great surprise. He had just returned and heard from Steward Zou that his elder brother was receiving guests in the flower hall. He was worried that his elder brother was not in good spirits, but he did not expect to hear about a wedding and a bridal chamber as soon as he arrived at the door, which gave him a fright.

"Your older brother and my senior sister! You don't agree?" Mo Yan raised an eyebrow at him.

"Of course not," Nangong Liping hurriedly said, "It's just...it's just..."

"But what?" Mo Yan frowned. "Your older brother said he is very ill. If something happens to him, who will my senior sister marry? Naturally, the sooner she gets married, the better."

Ning Wangshu felt he couldn't stay silent any longer, so he hurriedly said, "My junior sister is young and just said whatever came to mind. Second Young Master, please don't take it seriously."

"How could I be talking nonsense..." Mo Yan suddenly saw Ning Wangshu's expression, abruptly stopped speaking, and said in a panic, "Sister, I won't say it again! If I said something wrong, you can hit me or scold me..."

Two lines of tears slid down Ning Wangshu's cheeks, which she hurriedly wiped away. She didn't know what was wrong with her either. She simply stood up and went outside.

"Sister!" Mo Yan exclaimed anxiously, trying to chase after her, but someone grabbed her arm. Turning around, she saw it was Zhan Zhao.

Zhan Zhao gently shook his head, signaling her not to be rash.

Mo Yan was stunned for a moment, then saw that Nangong Ruoxu had left his seat to find his senior sister. Only then did she understand his meaning, and she asked in annoyance, "Did I say something wrong?"

Zhan Zhao smiled faintly, remained silent, and continued eating.

Nangong Liping craned his neck to look out the door, but dared not follow to see what was happening. After hesitating for a while, he was still worried and hurried out of the flower hall and into the garden.

Only Zhan Zhao and Mo Yan remained in the flower hall, facing a table full of food.

"Why do you think she's crying?" Mo Yan was completely bewildered. "Since they like each other, wouldn't it be better for them to get married?" In her view, this matter was as simple and clear as drinking water when thirsty or eating when hungry.

Zhan Zhao's sleeve was almost ripped off by her, and seeing that he couldn't pick up the food, he could only say, "Maybe your senior sister is shy, after all, in front of so many people..."

Mo Yan lowered her head in frustration and said softly, "I knew it was my fault."

Having rarely seen her like this since they met, Zhan Zhao's heart softened, and he couldn't help but want to comfort her. He said, "What you said makes some sense, but marriage is a major life event, and they probably don't want to make such a hasty decision."

"Then what do you suggest?" Mo Yan looked up.

"..." He was taken aback by her question and blurted out, "Then... naturally we need to consider this carefully."

"Do you think his health is suitable for a long-term plan?" Mo Yan asked him incredulously.

Zhan Zhao was silent for a moment: "This young master Nangong is seriously ill. Aren't you worried that your senior sister will marry him?"

"Of course I'm worried."

"Then why..."

Mo Yan said matter-of-factly, "But people always have to die! Even if you don't live for long, you should still be happy every day you live. Look..." She pointed at the braised chicken with chestnuts on the table with her chopsticks and coaxed, "Just like this chicken, just because it will go bad sooner or later, does that mean you won't eat it? Of course, you should eat it while it's hot."

Zhan Zhao couldn't help but chuckle.

"What are you laughing at?" Mo Yan asked curiously, picking up a chicken wing as she did so.

"What you said, upon closer examination, actually makes some sense."

"Of course."

Mo Yan said smugly.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

In the Nangong family's flower hall, the food had been finished and cleared away, and fragrant tea was served to each person.

Zhan Zhao watched Nangong Ruoxu flipping through the account books quietly, while Mo Yan slowly sipped her tea.

"These are fake accounts from last year."

In just half an hour, Nangong Ruoxu had roughly finished reviewing the account books and said to Zhan Zhao and Mo Yan who were waiting beside him.

The two were not surprised, as this was within their expectations.

Mo Yan said wearily, "We know these are fake accounts. If they were genuine accounts from last year, why would we have left them to steal? But just how fake are these accounts? Can you tell?"

"Leaving aside other matters, just look at the silk. The document states that it collects 1.2 taels per catty, amounting to 500,000 taels annually. However, as far as I know, the price of silk was quite low last year. Even the best mulberry silk was only worth 8 taels of silver on the market, and the government's purchase price would only be lower. Secondly, several large silk-producing families in Suzhou have some connections with my family. My younger brother, in his interactions with them, heard from them that the Imperial Textile Bureau collects approximately 150,000 taels of silk." He smiled slightly. "This alone is enough to tell the whole story."

Upon hearing this, Zhan Zhao pursed his lips slightly and remained silent.

Mo Yan counted on her fingers and sneered, "This Lord Fan of the Textile Bureau is indeed 'incorruptible,' no wonder the world is so peaceful."

"Please take another look at the silk item," Zhan Zhao said in a deep voice.