Eternal Night - Chapter 142
Mo Yu is the third young master of the An family.
Inside the flower hall, An Boping, his face pale, slowly said, "It was my third brother. The day the princess pawned Master Chen's painting and confirmed it was a fake, I was very surprised and eager to befriend him. Because I'm obsessed with paintings, I saw several famous works at the Chengxian Marquis's residence a few days ago, but the Marquis refused to part with them and even mocked me. I talked to my third brother about this, and he said, 'Why don't you ask the princess to make a fake painting for me? That way, the Chengxian Marquis will treat me with great respect.' I was afraid the princess wouldn't agree, so my third brother took out those straw sandals and told me to say this. He also said that Uncle Ping should accompany the princess to take a look, and there wouldn't be any problem. At the time, I didn't know the princess's identity. If I had known..." An Boping sighed deeply.
Who is your third brother?
An Boping lowered his head and said softly, "The princess recognizes him; he also has a name called Moyu."
Yongye and Feng Yangxi exchanged bewildered glances. Moyu Gongzi was originally the third young master of the An family. Then, Youli Valley… “Who is the Valley Master of Youli Valley from the An family?” they both asked in unison.
An Boping was startled and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "The An family has always been honest in its business dealings. Valley Master Youli is definitely not a member of the An family. When my third brother left the manor as a child, he always said he was going to learn a skill from a master. All members of the An family must learn a skill."
"You never knew your third brother was a male prostitute at the Peony Courtyard?"
“I don’t know. My third brother returned to Qi a few days ago. Mother only said that he had completed his studies and returned home.” An Boping’s face turned bright red.
"Actually, I didn't know you were a princess at the time. Uncle Ping later told me that when he entered the alley, he felt that there were many people lying in ambush, and he knew in his heart that it was not as simple as painting. He only found out today that he struck the princess with a palm that day. At the time, he just thought that I had been tricked, and that your identity must not be so simple. He did not want to implicate me and wanted to kill you to end it all."
Yongye breathed a sigh of relief. She had always felt guilty; if she hadn't run away that night, Yuepo and Qiangwei wouldn't have been moved. It turned out that even if Uncle Ping hadn't killed her, the people lying in ambush in the alley and those waiting on the only route to the palace would have killed her.
Young Master Moyu comes from a wealthy family, yet he secretly stays at the Peony Courtyard, seemingly holding a very high position in the Valley of Wandering. No wonder Li Yannian's expression was so strange when he spoke of Moyu.
Feng Yangxi listened quietly, her brows furrowed. After a long while, she asked, "If Mo Yu wanted to kill the eldest son, he's probably no longer with the An family. The An family only has two brothers. If the eldest son dies, wouldn't Mo Yu be the only one in charge of the family? He only needs to kill the eldest son and seize the family fortune. Why would he hate Yongye so much?"
An Boping seemed utterly dejected, slumped weakly in his chair. Upon hearing Feng Yangxi's words, his eyes lit up, and he shook his head, saying, "The An family is different from other families. Even if Boping dies, the business will still be managed by the family elders. My third brother left the manor to learn his craft, which means he is destined not to be the head of the An family. Anyone in the An family who knows business could become the head of the An family, but he is not. Therefore, I never thought that my third brother would have the intention to kill me."
"He's either after money or he hates me." Yongye couldn't understand why he hated her so much that he wanted to die just because she made Moyu stand in the Peony Courtyard for a day. Every time she saw Moyu, she could read that intense hatred in his eyes.
At Kaibao Temple and Peony Courtyard in Anguo, Moyu never concealed her hatred.
Having alerted the enemy, Mo Yu failed to kill her and must have gone into hiding. Like the vanished moon and rose, she disappeared without a trace, like a clay ox sinking into the sea.
“I would like to go with the eldest young master to stay at the An family’s residence for a while,” Yongye said slowly. Her intuition told her that Moyu was still in the capital and might be hiding in the An family’s residence.
Mo Yu is so young, and his martial arts skills are neither high nor low. Without the financial backing of the An family, how could he have gained a position in Youli Valley? There's only one possibility: he has a much closer relationship with someone in the An family. And this relationship is unknown even to his elder brother, An Boping.
An Boping looked at Yongye uneasily and whispered, "Princess, the An family..."
"Don't worry, young master. If the An family has nothing to do with this matter, I won't do anything to them," Yongye smiled.
Feng Yangxi frowned and said, "No."
"Why?"
Feng Yangxi stared at An Boping and said, "I suppose there are many places in the An family that even the eldest young master cannot go to, is that right?"
An Boping lowered his head: "There are many people in the martial arts world who, like Uncle Ping, have joined the An family and become their guards. However, as long as they are not detrimental to the An family, they will not interfere. Boping is willing to protect the princess."
Yongye had only this one clue, so he was unwilling to give it up. Before Feng Yangxi could shake his head, he said, "It's settled then. I am the one the young master invited home to copy his paintings. My name will be Li Lin."
Insects chirp at night, and the moon shines brightly over the lotus pond.
Feng Yangxi and Yongye sat quietly by the pond.
She didn't sit beside him. Instead, she sat alone on the balustrade of the waterside pavilion, gazing silently at the lotus pond.
Feng Yangxi was drinking, bowl after bowl, and remained silent throughout the long night; he didn't want to speak either.
No one expected that such a thing would happen when they returned to the villa.
“You’ll understand once you go to the An family. That’s why I don’t want you to go,” Feng Yangxi finally couldn’t help but say.
Yongye turned around and smiled faintly: "Once you enter the gates of a noble family, it's like entering a deep sea. I believe you won't be by my side this time. You couldn't have followed me in."
"Then why did you still go?"
Yongye gazed at him with complicated emotions, and after a long while, she said, "You really don't want me to go?" She turned her heart to something else, suppressing the sorrow in her heart, "I have no choice but to go. And you, even though you think about me not going, you also desperately want me to go, don't you?"
Her words struck Feng Yangxi like a whip, startling him so much that his hand trembled and he spilled his wine. He downed his drink in one gulp, stood up, and said coldly, "If you really think that's the case, I won't stop you."
"Haha!" Yongye laughed, his eyes filled with understanding and sorrow. Feng Yangxi, were you really just a wandering swordsman in Qi?
Feng Yangxi clenched his fists, veins bulging on his forehead, and he could hear the throbbing of his veins. He struggled to control himself and slowly said, "You have your reasons for having to go, and I have my reasons for wanting you to go, but it's definitely not what you think!" After saying that, he didn't look at Yongye again and strode away.
He wanted to turn back and tell her to be careful, but Yongye was still laughing, and that laughter pierced his heart deeply.
Entering a wealthy family is like entering a deep sea.
An Jia was not only the richest man in the State of Qi, but also the number one merchant in the world.
Some say that you only realize how deep the imperial palace is once you enter it, and you only realize how rich and powerful it is once you enter the An family.
Someone once stood in the Tianji Pavilion, the most magnificent building in the Qi Imperial Palace, overlooking the capital, and marveled at the lofty and solemn atmosphere of the imperial court.
Some people have worked at Anjia Mansion for three years and still don't know the full picture of the entire mansion.
Chen Qiushui's Qiushui Villa, built on the shore of Sunset Lake, is already picturesque, but the people of Shengjing say that Yingyue Lake in Anjia Mansion is even more beautiful than Sunset Lake.
After the An family donated and built warships for the Qi Kingdom, the Emperor ordered that the Yingyue Lake Royal Villa, adjacent to the An family's estate, be granted to them. The An family then broke down the walls of the villa, and the most beautiful royal garden became part of the An family mansion.
After passing through the imposing gates and walking a short distance, Yongye discovered that the courtyard walls were actually divided into inner and outer layers. The outer layer was covered with watchtowers and guarded by patrolling soldiers. Between the inner and outer layers was the living quarters for lower-ranking servants.
Upon entering the inner courtyard, a verdant expanse came into view. Houses and palaces were nestled among the trees, connected by pebble paths and covered walkways. No guards were visible, yet a single call would summon someone to greet them. The servants and maids were all impeccably polite, their eyes never straying. Yongye secretly marveled at the An family's strict governance, resembling that of the imperial palace.
As agreed beforehand, An Boping had asked Yongye to replicate the Guanyin painting by the late master Zhao Zigu. A Guanyin statue personally sculpted by Zhao Zigu already existed in the Buddhist hall of the An residence. Therefore, Yongye entered the An residence to study the painting's meaning.
It took a full quarter of an hour to reach a courtyard. Although it was called a Buddhist hall, Yongye felt it was more like a temple. The air was filled with the smoke of incense, and there were even monks in sight.
An Boping said in a low voice, "My mother is worshipping Buddha. Please allow me to go in and inform her."