Le Premier ministre stupéfiant

Chapitre 63

Volume Two: Traces Left by the Wind, Chapter Sixteen: Appreciating Plum Blossoms at the Mountain Villa (Part Two)

After the first month of the lunar calendar, Mo Xibei began to seriously plan her return to Jiangnan. In fact, given her personality, even after leaving the capital, she might not necessarily go back to obediently running the Fourth Floor restaurant. Her ideal life would be to travel the world at a snail's pace and sample all the delicacies from different places. The capital was originally bustling and prosperous, with many places worth lingering in. However, the inexplicable show of goodwill from Rouwanzi's mother made her feel vaguely uneasy.

During this time, Murong Lianyun remained very quiet, quietly watching Mo Xibei and Mu Feinan be inseparable and intimate every day without any scruples, quietly watching Mo Xibei make various arrangements for Chunfeng Ruyi Tower, and even quietly facing Mo Xibei's repeated inquiries about her future plans.

Thinking back to Mo Xibei's expression when he asked her that question, Murong Lianyun couldn't help but sneer. Although Mo Xibei's expression, voice, and everything else seemed unchanged, in her eyes, he was nothing more than a weasel trying to hide its tail behind its back. A weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken—it had no good intentions whatsoever, did it? She had been completely unguarded with Mo Xibei in the past, trusting him wholeheartedly. Whenever she thought about it, she felt incredibly foolish. So, whether it was Murong Songtao or Mo Xibei, everyone treated her like a puppet, making her stand or sit as they pleased. Even a woman's once-in-a-lifetime wedding could be used against her. But from now on, it wouldn't happen again. She would never let anyone manipulate her life again.

No one knows, no one knows, what kind of rebirth she experienced on the Lantern Festival. No one will understand how she gritted her teeth and endured that boundless pain all by herself.

"No one can understand your pain. Unless you inflict the same pain on the person who caused you it." These were the words of a masked man who suddenly barged into her room before she first met Young Master Zhu. Although the voice had been carefully rehearsed, she still felt it was familiar, but she didn't point it out.

"How can I inflict my pain on the one who caused me pain?" That was all she asked at the time.

"It's not complicated. In fact, there's an opportunity right now." The masked man chuckled coldly, pointing out that Mo Xibei was entertaining a distinguished guest at the Spring Breeze Pavilion, and that this guest could change everyone's fate. Of course, before changing everyone's fate, she had to change her own first.

Can fate truly be changed? Murong Lianyun didn't know. She only knew that she was unwilling to accept this, unwilling to become a laughingstock of the entire martial world. So, after pacing around her room a few times, she first went to Mo Xibei's courtyard. Mo Xibei's rabbit, Diandian, was sleeping in a small cage under the eaves. Hearing the sound, the little creature rolled over, stood on its hind legs, and pleaded, hoping the visitor would give it something good to eat.

Killing a rabbit is too easy. Although the little guy's eyes are innocent and childlike, as long as he thinks about Mo Xibei's deception and that this is Mo Xibei's pet, it is not so difficult to do it.

The young master that Mo Xibei was entertaining was younger than Murong Lianyun had imagined, probably not even twenty years old. At first glance, he looked very familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere before. But upon closer inspection, something was off. No matter how gentle his voice was, it always carried a commanding tone. In the past, none of the people she knew had such an innate domineering and noble air.

The young master's surname was Zhu. This was something he told her after she learned of this several times and deliberately arranged encounters with him. As for his given name, the young master Zhu wouldn't say, so she didn't ask.

Mo Xibei began to be wary of her, ever since she first met Young Master Zhu. So, Mo Xibei withheld the rabbit Young Master Zhu sent. How amusing! A clever person like Mo Xibei, spending all her time with men, had become foolish, resorting to this method, thinking that preventing Young Master Zhu from seeing her and having someone watch over her would solve the problem. Little did she know, with her martial arts skills, anyone watching her could be rendered unconscious with a single finger; and Young Master Zhu, coming and going daily, had countless opportunities to "accidentally" encounter her in the vast sea of people.

Everything fell into place naturally.

Murong Lianyun was always proud of her beauty, let alone her carefully planned smiles and frowns.

"Wait for me on the Lantern Festival." During the first month of the lunar calendar, Young Master Zhu was very busy. He no longer appeared at Chunfeng Ruyi Tower. The two agreed to meet at other teahouses and taverns in the capital. However, Young Master Zhu came and went in a hurry each time. But for Murong Lianyun, it was enough, because she finally won against Mo Xibei. Young Master Zhu did not fall in love with Mo Xibei, but fell in love with her.

This was the first time they had arranged to meet at night. Murong Lianyun was no child; she understood the naked lust in a man's eyes. However, she had no way out.

As always, Young Master Zhu's carriage was waiting on the street facing Chunfeng Ruyi Tower on the Lantern Festival. She had walked this short distance from her doorstep to getting into the carriage many times, but this time, she was so nervous that she almost slipped several times. Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her mouth. It was a panic on the verge of despair, so panicked that a firecracker that a child had mischievously thrown in the corner of the wall exploded, startling her so much that she jumped up.

Countless times, she told herself, "Forget it, forget it. Those pains will stop hurting if I don't think about them. The most important thing in a woman's life isn't worth using to take revenge on anyone." However, on her escape, she witnessed such a scene. Mo Xibei had changed into exquisite women's clothing, and Mu Feinan had placed a golden phoenix that shimmered even in the moonlight in her hair. There were so many onlookers, so many envious glances and applause of blessings. She stood far away in a corner, listening to many people say things like "What a perfect couple!" and "What a handsome man and a beautiful woman!" Her heart gradually grew cold and numb.

Standing hand in hand with her beloved in the crowd, envied by countless people, was once Murong Lianyun's dream. She once thought that no other woman in the world deserved such envy and jealousy more than her. However, all of this was ruined, ruined by a fake wedding designed to lure out Murong Songtao. Countless times, she couldn't help but want to question Mo Xibei, why he treated her like this, but she held back. What good would it do to ask? Could the facts be changed? No. Since they couldn't be changed, why bother asking?

Before turning around, Murong Lianyun felt a sharp, sword-like gaze. Following the coldness that throbbed on her skin, she saw Mu Feinan, the man who had been tenderly embracing the woman in his arms just a moment ago. He gave her a cold look, and although there was a distance between them, the warning and threat in that look were so undisguised.

Everyone can be happy, except Mo Xibei. Murong Lianyun felt only hatred at that moment, so much hatred. If she was destined to go to hell, then so be it. "Mo Xibei, I'll be waiting for you in hell," she murmured, finally walking back to the carriage step by step.

Yesterday I hit that legendary roadblock. I don't know what I was thinking. I wrote a 2,000-word draft, but it was all scrapped. I ended up going to bed with a headache, sob sob... Today I sorted out my thoughts again. I will improve my bad habit of rambling and speed up the plot. I'll make up for yesterday's work first.

Volume Two: Traces Left by the Wind, Chapter Seventeen: Reunion (Part 1)

Murong Lianyun's unusual behavior did not seriously affect Mo Xibei's plans for the future. Honglu said she was cold-hearted, but she did not refute it. She never denied her debt to Lianyun, but she really did not know how to make up for it. So, all she could do was not put pressure on her and let her do what she wanted to do, even though after the Lantern Festival, she climbed over the wall almost every night.

“A beautiful woman, climbing over the wall every night, why don’t you ask her what she’s doing?” One night, she stayed up late and was pulled out by Mu Feinan to digest her food on the roof. Just then, she saw Murong Lianyun climbing over the wall in the distance.

"She's been feeling down, let her go for a walk," Mo Xibei said, trying to downplay the situation.

"I think this woman is not simple. Why don't we follow her and take a look?" Mu Feinan asked, but he didn't give Mo Xibei any room to refuse. He directly pulled Mo Xibei up and left him behind.

Murong Lianyun disappeared quickly, turning a corner and vanishing from sight. Mo Xibei looked around; this was the backyard of Xinglong Inn, and the place where Lianyun had disappeared was a group of guest rooms. She and Mu Feinan exchanged glances, then one after the other, leaped onto the courtyard wall of Xinglong Inn. Just as they were about to examine the courtyard more closely, they heard a creaking sound of a door, followed by footsteps. It was Tian Xin, carrying a pillow, walking across the second-floor corridor and pushing open the door to another guest room. The two waited on the wall for a while, and when all was quiet, Mu Feinan pulled Mo Xibei along, and the two returned to the back courtyard the way they had come.

"That kid Chu Junfeng has learned to use a sneaky tactic." Mu Feinan sneered, his tone sarcastic. "But he's quite quick."

"He's long intended to acquire Lian Yun, so... it's not a bad thing, but... it's always inappropriate to be unclear about it." Mo Xibei frowned, feeling conflicted. In the end, he could only sigh. Chu Junfeng was a very good person. But why did he suddenly become interested in Lian Yun...? This wasn't like his usual style.

“Silly girl, everyone has their own destiny. If Chu Junfeng is really willing to marry this Miss Murong, it's her good fortune.” Mu Feinan patted Mo Xibei’s shoulder and led her into the room. “The matter you’ve been thinking about has been resolved. Go to sleep early this time.” “This resolution, how should I put it?” Mo Xibei felt that the result was too easy to discover. However, Mu Feinan didn’t allow her to say or think any further. Seeing her standing at the door, he deliberately came close and hugged her, saying, “Can’t you sleep? Can’t you sleep? I’ll come into the room to keep you company. Or, you can come to the study to keep me company.”

"Dream on." Mo Xibei pushed him away and quickly closed the door.

Now that Murong Lianyun had a place to stay, all that remained was to ask Chu Junfeng when he would be getting married. If it could be done as soon as possible, then they could arrange the wedding for Lianyun in the capital before returning to Jiangnan. Before going to sleep, Mo Xibei realized that if he thought about it this way, all the troubles would disappear.

But the trouble didn't end there. The next day, someone came to deliver gifts early in the morning. There were ten large boxes. When they were opened, they found not only silks and satins, but also jewelry and antiques, as well as various kinds of snacks. The person who delivered the gifts left the things and left. The shop assistant chased after him for a long distance before finding out that the person was a servant from Madam Chiang's household.

"Young Master Mo, tell me the truth, when you went to admire the plum blossoms that day, did you agree to marry Madam Jiang's son? These things look so much like betrothal gifts to me." Honglu stood in front of the box and looked at it one by one. She felt more and more that these things looked like betrothal gifts from a wealthy family.

"Stop talking nonsense," Mo Xibei was also a bit confused. He wondered if it was a betrothal gift from Lianyungang sent by Chu Junfeng, but then he thought that the person who sent the gift was Madam Jiang, probably the mother of Rouwanzi. However, when his master was drunk, he only called her Xinrou. His master never said what Xinrou's surname was.

“Even though it’s in the capital, there aren’t many families that can be this generous,” Honglu asked Mo Xibei after the gift-giver left the gifts at the gate early on the third day and left in a hurry without waiting for anyone to come out. “You’ve been in the capital longer than me. Among the wealthy and powerful families, which one is named Jiang?”

"There aren't many high-ranking officials with the surname Jiang. If we're talking about those who hold high positions and great power these days, it would probably be the two Jiangs who are the Emperor's maternal uncles." Mu Feinan entered the hall at some point, heard Honglu's words, and when he saw that Mo Xibei remained silent, he replied.

"Royal relatives, indeed quite generous. But who are these things for, and what should we do with them?" Honglu sighed and asked Mo Xibei. "Seal them up, and tomorrow send someone to guard the door. If anyone comes, stop them and make sure they take them all away. Also, tell them that if they don't take them, I know where to send them. Let them decide for themselves." Mo Xibei bit his lip and instructed all the shop assistants.

When the boxes were being sealed, Murong Lianyun arrived at the front, looking slightly unwell, as if he had just woken up. When he saw a row of large boxes, a very strange look appeared in his eyes. He grabbed a shop assistant and asked repeatedly who had sent them early in the morning and to whom they were being given.

"Besides Young Master Mo, who else could it be given to? Could it be the top courtesan in the brothel?" Honglu had been annoyed with Murong Lianyun these past few days and made a sarcastic remark.

"Honglu, can't you speak properly?" Mo Xibei, seeing Murong Lianyun's expression change repeatedly, quickly stopped Honglu.

"I know you're all bewitched by her seductive looks." Surprisingly, Honglv stomped her foot and stormed off in a huff.

It was half a month later when they saw Rouwanzi's mother again. During those two weeks, no one brought her anything. Murong Lianyun still went out late at night as usual, but less frequently. Honglu looked at her with an even more sour expression. Mo Xibei spent a long time finding out that Chu Junfeng had sent Tianxin to the inner quarters several times during the day. Each time, Tianxin would only say a few words to Murong Lianyun and then leave, without ever paying any attention to Honglu.

"This brat is bullying Sister Honglv like this. Why don't you call me next time he comes, and I'll have someone break his legs?" Mo Xibei deliberately rolled up his sleeves, making a gesture as if he was about to take action.

“No,” Honglv immediately said.

"A daughter is like a tree that grows up and leaves home. She hasn't even done anything yet, and she already knows how to defend outsiders." Mo Xibei teased her.

"Ugh, if you keep teasing me, you'll have to keep track of all these expenses and income yourself." Honglv stomped her foot, her face turning bright red.

"Good sister, I was wrong. I've decided to find a matchmaker to help you two reconcile." After begging for forgiveness, Mo Xibei retreated to the doorway, finished speaking in one breath, and then turned and ran away.