Impératrice douairière Xiaoxuan

Chapitre 138

"How can I talk about marriage in my current state?" Zhan Zhao shook his head, unwilling to discuss the matter further. "Brother, everyone here is on our side. Would you like to reveal your true identity to them?"

Upon hearing this, Yelü Pusa Nu, also known as Hai Dongqing, remained noncommittal: "Telling them is useless and will only cause trouble. Besides, we will have to meet again in the future. If they are not careful and reveal their true colors, wouldn't I be asking for trouble?"

Seeing his reluctance, Zhan Zhao naturally wouldn't force him. He knew he still couldn't tell Mo Yan about this; if she asked, he would have to find a way to explain it to her. Right now, however, he was burdened by something else: "It's a pity I still haven't seen that woman's face." This mission had failed, and he hadn't been able to find out the traitor's identity. Zhan Zhao was deeply worried.

Yelü Pusa Nu remained silent for a moment, then walked to the table, poured a glass of water, handed it to Zhan Zhao, and smiled at him, saying, "There's plenty of time; we'll think of a solution later."

Zhan Zhao knew he was trying to comfort him, and shook his head, saying, "Madam Fang is dead. Once this thread is broken, it will be difficult to reconnect it."

That day, he was locked in combat with Madam Fang when the masked woman beside him seized the opportunity to fire her syringe. Because she was not a martial artist and unfamiliar with syringes, most of the poisoned needles struck Madam Fang. Although Zhan Zhao was hit by only a few needles, the venom was potent. Even though he immediately protected his heart, he couldn't stop the poison from spreading; his limbs became numb and stiff, rendering him unable to move like a dead man. Fearing he wasn't dead, the masked woman pulled out a dagger and stabbed him in the chest before leaving. Perhaps it was fate, but this very stab released a large amount of poisoned blood, saving his life. When he awoke, he found Madam Fang already dead, and no antidote could be found on her. He mustered his strength and rode his horse towards Fuhu Forest, struggling until nightfall before finally collapsing from his horse and unconscious in the grass.

"You're lucky you survived that injection! Don't worry about anything right now, just focus on healing." Yelü Pusa Nu patted him on the shoulder.

Zhan Zhao forced a smile: "My internal strength is not as good as yours, brother. I'm afraid it won't be easy for me to suppress this poison."

"What's there to be afraid of! With me here, I'll try to figure out if I can force it out. If that doesn't work..." He paused slightly, then laughed heartily, "Anyway, I have a way, so don't worry!"

Although it was only a pause, Zhan Zhao was slightly taken aback, but in a flash he understood what he meant. He was greatly shocked and hurriedly said, "Brother, Zhan Zhao's life is insignificant. If it causes you to be injured or die, Zhan Zhao would rather end it himself."

Seeing his anxious look, Yelü Pusa Nu felt a surge of warmth in his chest, but he chuckled and said, "What's the rush! Spending too much time with Lao Bao has made you so pedantic! Your poison isn't that serious yet, don't worry. ...Oh, right, I still need to go next door to see if the princess has woken up. You should rest for a while, and remember not to use your internal energy. I have already opened up all your meridians and heart meridians. If you use your internal energy, the poison will enter your heart meridian, and then it will be too late to save you."

Zhan Zhao nodded and then asked, "Is the princess alright?"

"She still has a slight fever. Her injuries aren't serious; she just broke a few bones. Fever is common, and compared to you, it's nothing." He said lightly, "Plus, your wife is taking good care of her. After returning to the camp in a few days, she can find some palace medicines to recuperate properly."

"Thank you, elder brother. If it weren't for your presence, the princess would have been in grave danger."

Yelü Pusa Nu waved his hand dismissively, got up and walked towards the door. Halfway there, he stopped, turned around and smiled, "Listen to your elder brother's advice, get things done with your wife, so you won't regret it later."

Upon hearing this, Zhan Zhao simply smiled slightly and lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought.

When Mo Yan returned, she was carrying a lot of things in both hands. Her left hand was filled with vegetables, and her right hand was carrying a cage of pigeons, roughly seven or eight of them.

"I told you to buy a pigeon to make soup, why did you buy so many?" Yelü Pusa Nu heard the noise at the courtyard gate, came out of Zhao Yu's room, and stared at the cage in her hand with a puzzled look.

"Buy more, it's good to raise them. They can eat pigeon eggs every day, isn't that great?" Mo Yan said with a smile.

Yelü Pusa Nu looked at her as if she were simply living a life of leisure here, shook his head without saying anything more, turned around and went back into the house, his voice coming back: "The princess has woken up. Remember to come and change her dressing after you finish cooking."

"oh……"

Mo Yan responded and walked to the half-open window of Zhan Zhao's room, peering inside: "Brother, are you hungry?"

Seeing her smiling face, Zhan Zhao smiled and shook his head: "I'm not hungry yet. You can come in and rest first before you start cooking."

"good."

Before he could finish speaking, Mo Yan had already circled around to the door and appeared in front of him in an instant.

"Big brother, guess what I bought!" She put down the basket, rummaged around inside for a while, pulled out something, put her hands behind her back, and looked at him with a smile.

"What is it?" Zhan Zhao asked with a smile.

"Take a guess!"

"hairpin?"

"wrong."

"Cosmetics?" Her thoughts were all sorts of strange things, and Zhan Zhao really couldn't figure it out. He could only guess that it was something a girl would use.

"No, no." She shook her head like a rattle-drum, her expression becoming increasingly smug.

Zhan Zhao laughed and said, "I can't guess."

Mo Yan smugly stretched out her hand from behind her back, revealing a pair of red candles decorated with gold dragons and phoenixes.

Upon seeing this item, Zhan Zhao was immediately stunned...

"I searched for a long time before I found this pair." Mo Yan sat down next to him affectionately, showing off her treasure like she was presenting a treasure. "It was covered in dust, like it's been around for years. I wiped all the dust off in the shop. Do you like it?"

Unable to say anything else, Zhan Zhao could only say, "I like it."

“I like it very much too,” Mo Yan said happily.

"You..." Zhan Zhao hesitated, "You really..."

"Um?"

He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "You... when do you plan to use this candle?"

“Of course we’ll use it tonight,” Mo Yan replied matter-of-factly.

"..."

This was a completely unexpected answer, and Zhan Zhao's breathing became rapid.

Chapter Seventy-One

"Miss Mo, the princess is calling for you."

Yelü Pusa Nu appeared at the door like a ghost and suddenly spoke, startling both of them.

"Ah! What's wrong, Princess? Big brother, I'll be right back." Mo Yan hurriedly got up, put the red candle in Zhan Zhao's hand, and rushed out.

Yelü Pusa Nu leaned against the threshold, his gaze falling on the red candle in Zhan Zhao's hand, a mischievous smile appearing on his lips.

"I didn't realize this girl was so much to my liking; she's so decisive and efficient, especially when it comes to important matters," he said in a low, deep voice with a deep laugh.