A pure heart in a jade pot

Chapter 218

"No, no," Mo Yan leaned out to pull him up, "Big brother, lie down quickly."

Seeing her lean out, fearing she might hurt herself, Zhan Zhao had no choice but to go over and lie down on the bed.

Mo Yan indeed began to massage him in a very professional manner. Her touch was lighter than that of a massage therapist, and it didn't hurt at all; it was soft and very comfortable.

After a short while, Zhan Zhao called for a stop. Mo Yan asked curiously, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, I'm sleepy too."

Zhan Zhao sat up, stroked Mo Yan's cheek, smoothed her hair, and urged, "Your eyes are all bloodshot from staying up so long, go to sleep."

"Um."

Mo Yan lay down as instructed. After Zhan Zhao turned off the light and took off his outer robe to lie down, she nestled into his arms. In the quiet, dark night, listening to his steady heartbeat, she let out a long breath and asked in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible, "Am I dreaming?"

She had lived alone in this room for over three years, and in the dead of night, she was always utterly alone. So now, for some reason, she often felt a sense of panic, fearing that Zhan Zhao was only appearing in her dreams, fearing that he would suddenly disappear.

Zhan Zhao took her hand and said softly, "Sleep, I'll be right here."

Mo Yan leaned against him, her eyes still open, seemingly trying her best to see his face in the darkness. Before long, she finally succumbed to sleepiness and closed her eyes to fall into a deep sleep.

Hearing her even breathing, Zhan Zhao sighed almost imperceptibly, gently kissed her, and then fell asleep.

His hand remained firmly in hers.

Side Story 3: Anecdotes of Kaifeng, Chapter 3

Four or five days later, although Mo Yan often read that book, she did not show any unusual behavior, so Zhan Zhao gradually felt at ease.

That day, Bao Zheng summoned him, as there was important official business requiring him to go to Jiangning Prefecture to collect evidence. Because the case was quite complicated, it would probably take five or six days. After returning home, he told Mo Yanyi, who immediately and quickly packed his things for him.

"Oh, right, I'll get two more sausages for you to take to Granny Jiangning." Mo Yan said, and then ran off in a flash. Before long, she returned with several strings of sausages, carefully wrapped them in oilcloth, and put them into his bundle.

Zhan Zhao smiled helplessly and said, "With such a fragrant smell, I'm afraid we'll be targeted by wild cats along the way."

"Big brother, you're the Imperial Cat, are you afraid of a few stray cats?" Mo Yan smiled and tightened the bundle, patting it vigorously. "This will do."

Zhan Zhao drew his sword and took the bundle: "Don't stay up too late reading these next few days."

"Um."

"Then I'm leaving."

Mo Yan escorted him to the corner gate, then put his bundle in the saddlebag for him, and said with a smile, "Don't rush back overnight, I'm fine, don't worry."

Zhan Zhao smiled and nodded, then mounted his horse and rode away. At the corner, he reined in his horse and glanced back at Mo Yan before finally leaving.

Seeing that Mo Yan was still standing still, the guards at the corner gate laughed and called out, "Little Seven, Lord Zhan has disappeared and you're still looking?"

Mo Yan shook her head, slowly turned around, and then complained, "Lord Bao is really something, always making my brother run around. He's gone out three times this month already, and he's lost weight."

The officer smiled and said, "Since Lord Zhan got married, you have been much more considerate of him. I remember that in the past, it was not uncommon for Lord Zhan to disappear for more than a month."

Mo Yan frowned and said, "Actually, Lord Bao sits in his mansion all day long. He's the one who should go out and walk around. Besides, how can an official be a good official if he doesn't go down to understand the people's conditions?"

She spoke with great enthusiasm, but the officer was sweating profusely as he listened, thinking to himself: Isn't this just a veiled criticism that Lord Bao is not a good official?

“And Mr. Gongsun, I think he should go out and travel. He just wanders around the mansion every day, tending to those two pots of flowers in his yard. How can he have the world in his heart? ... Don’t you think so?” Mo Yan asked.

The official reacted strongly, shaking his head and saying firmly, "Of course not."

Mo Yan was taken aback for a moment: "How could it not be? Of course it is!"

Someone behind her coughed softly twice, their tone somewhat helpless: "The two clivia plants in my yard haven't bloomed yet, so naturally I have to take care of them more. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

"Mr. Gongsun..."

Mo Yan turned around belatedly, staring at Gongsun Ce's shoes first: "What kind of shoes are you wearing? How come you didn't make a sound?"

"Silk shoes with cloth soles," Gongsun Ce said with a smile. "New shoes, the first time I've worn them."

"No wonder, she walks like a cat, it startled me."

Mo Yan scratched her ear, secretly annoyed: since recovering from her serious injury, she hadn't practiced her martial arts much. Her skills had really deteriorated day by day; she couldn't even recognize Gongsun Ce's footsteps, who knew absolutely no martial arts. All her previous learning and practice had been wasted.

"Lord Gongsun, is there something you need?" the official asked with a smile.

Gongsun Ce nodded: "The weather has been hot lately, and it seems like some uninvited guests have come to my courtyard. I'd like to send someone to buy some realgar."

"Realgar?" Mo Yan's eyes lit up. She'd finally gotten her chance. "You have snakes in your yard?"

"Hmm, it seems like it's been several days. I even saw two of them darting into the grass when I woke up this morning."

Mo Yan's eyes sparkled: "I have a way to drive away snakes, would you like to hear it?"

Gongsun Ce, unaware of the details, naturally nodded and said, "Of course, do you have any good ideas?"

"Brother, this is a question that Mr. Gongsun asked me himself, so you can't blame me," Mo Yan thought to herself. Then she led Gongsun Ce inside, saying as they walked, "I have a very good prescription, and it's not troublesome at all, just requires some writing and ink. Come on, let's go to your courtyard to talk."

Mo Yan walked very fast. When Gongsun Ce wanted to ask her what the prescription was, he saw that she had already gone far ahead, so he had to hurry to catch up.

Gongsun Ce lived in a secluded courtyard behind Kaifeng Prefecture, with a small bridge and flowing water, exuding a rustic elegance. It was early summer, with lush flowers and plants, and a gentle breeze blowing. Mo Yan walked around the courtyard with her hands behind her back. Gongsun Ce pointed out several places where snakes had appeared, and she nodded confidently before heading straight into the study.

"It's no big deal. Let me write down a few prescriptions for you. Just stick them on the corners of the walls, and I guarantee there won't be any more snakes."

In the study, brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones were all readily available, and there was still some ink left in the stone inkstone. Mo Yan casually picked up a brush and paper, dipped them in ink, and began to write, muttering incantations as he did so.

Gongsun Ce became increasingly curious and peeked over to see what she had written: "Too much seeking breeds resentment and hatred, too little seeking makes one unloved; seeking the dragon pearl with wisdom, one will never see it again."