Consultante de vie de la dynastie Song du Sud

Chapitre 44

Yu Zhou stared straight into Lin Lie's eyes, those pupils filled with sorrow and hatred, which made her unconsciously want to smooth out the hatred in Lin Lie's brows, but his gaze made Yu Zhou dare not get closer.

"Alright, your smile is uglier than your tears. Lin Lie, you should learn from Bing Ning." Yu Zhou picked up his pen again to review the official documents, a smile playing on his lips.

As Lin Lie looked at his young master's sweet smile, his stiff body gradually relaxed. Only when he was with his young master could he be less wary.

"Linlie knows," Linlie said slowly. Seeing Yu Zhou's focused expression, a blush crept onto her face. Yu Zhou glanced sideways and secretly saw Linlie's shy expression; a smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.

A few scattered noises could be heard in the garden of the Yu residence.

"Little bean, what is this you've found?" Hua Qianmo kept hitting the little bean with his fan as he looked at the servant's clothes. The little bean had no way to explain himself. He was the one who asked him to find a servant's clothes, and now that he had found them, he was being beaten.

"Young Master, didn't you say..." The little boy covered his head in pain, innocently protesting, when Hua Qianmo pinched the little boy's nose and said, "Young... what young? I, no! This... this servant is now called Ah Hua, don't get it wrong."

“Yes, Young Master—Ahua,” the little boy said with a mournful face as he looked at his happy young master.

Hua Qianmo looked at the servant's clothes strangely and said, "How can I wear this? It's a bit prickly. The quality is bad. Little bean, how did you find clothes?"

Little Douding couldn't stand Hua Qianmo's nagging personality anymore. This was servant's clothing; how could the quality be good? And it was prickly to the touch. It wasn't silk.

"Young Master, please bear with it a little longer," the little boy said pitifully, while helping Hua Qianmo get dressed. Hua Qianmo was dressed in servant's clothes, but it couldn't hide his scholarly air and extraordinary temperament. Even the faint scent of plum blossoms lingered on him.

"Young Master, you're just going to enter the Yu residence like this?" the little boy kindly reminded him.

Hua Qianmo looked the little boy up and down, then tapped him with her fan: "You never learn, what's with your name?" Hua Qianmo looked at him with a disappointed expression. The little boy covered his head again.

"Ahua" said with tears in her eyes.

"Hmm, not bad," Hua Qianmo nodded in satisfaction, about to emerge from the flower bushes.

Little Douding followed along meekly. He didn't look like a servant at all, Little Douding thought dejectedly. But just then, a maidservant came over. Without even glancing at Hua Qianmo, she handed her a cup of tea: "Go give this tea to Young Master Sun. Remember, don't go into the study!"

"Yes," Hua Qianmo said softly. A hint of joy appeared between her brows. What was this? This opportunity was fantastic! She had been worried about how to get closer to Yu Zhou, and now an opportunity had fallen from the sky.

There was a knock on the door, and Yu Zhou asked impatiently, "What is it?"

"Young Master, tea!" Hua Qianmo said, trying to lower her voice and pinching her nose, but the faint scent of plum blossoms still felt familiar to Yu Zhou. He couldn't quite place it, though, but this servant was incredibly bold. Although several servants had come to spy on Yu Zhou, they were all very cautious and dared not knock. A few even bolder ones had been peeping at the window, but after being discovered by Yu Zhou's grandmother and given thirty lashes, they dared not come again, and even those who did were extremely careful.

Moreover, judging from his words, he doesn't seem to be from the household.

"Leave it outside," Yu Zhou said in a deep voice.

Hua Qianmo's heart skipped a beat, and she pinched her nose again, saying, "Young Master, this tea won't taste good if it's not drunk while it's hot." The little bean sprout couldn't help but cover its mouth when it saw its master's ridiculous appearance.

Hua Qianmo glared fiercely at the little boy, who could only try his best to hold back. Client Si Yuzhou, with his extraordinary hearing, had already heard the faint whispers. His brow furrowed with even more doubt. Lin Lie immediately raised his alarm bells; he sensed that the person outside must possess martial arts skills and be wielding a deadly weapon. A murderous aura emanated from him. His silver eyes turned cold and icy. The cold glint of the weapon even made Yuzhou shiver.

Yu Zhou frowned, signaling to Lin Lie with his eyes not to make any rash moves, and then said, "Then come in!"

"Yes," came the reply from a page boy who bowed his head and carried in a teacup. Yu Zhou saw the smooth, slender hands without a single scar, and with the rich fragrance of plum blossoms, everything became clear to him. He hadn't expected that Yelü had used the same move.

"Linlie, you can go down now."

"Yes," Lin Lie coldly glanced at the two servants and withdrew. Hua Qianmo was puzzled; why was this cold-faced Yama so obedient to Yu Zhou? A question arose in her mind.

"I wonder if Yu Zhou can afford to pay for the Emperor of Shuiyue Kingdom to serve as a servant in my Prime Minister's residence?" Yu Zhou said with amusement, though he was quite displeased. Coming to the Yu residence every few days, what does he think this place is?

Hua Qianmo shuddered. He hadn't expected to be exposed so quickly; he'd thought he could at least endure another day of beatings. How boring! Hua Qianmo removed the servant's hat, took out a fan from his waist, and said with a smile, "Little bean, how did you know it was mine?"

The little boy looked bewildered. Was he being called? Yu Zhou's initially happy face darkened instantly. It was that same phrase again. "Little boy..."

"First, you shouldn't have taken off your fan. Second, you haven't changed your boots. Third, you smell very nice. Fourth, and most importantly, all the servants in the Yu family call me Young Master Sun." Yu Zhou listed the reasons to Hua Qianmo one by one, his brush still busy reviewing them. But the smile on his face froze.

[Dynasty Storm: The Bet]

"Little Bean's eyesight hasn't diminished at all, but I really dislike it," Hua Qianmo said unhappily. The disappointment in her eyes made Yu Zhou feel a strange unease.

"But Yu Zhou likes it very much." Yu Zhou thought maliciously. But Hua Qianmo didn't show any disappointment; instead, she was very excited.

"I never expected you to become the Prime Minister of Gengyue Kingdom." Hua Qianmo found a seat and sat down, but she was playing with a fan in her hand. She crossed her legs and stared at Yu Zhou with burning eyes.

Yu Zhou put down his pen and said, "I never expected that Young Master Hua would become the emperor of Shuiyue Kingdom." Since he had spoken sarcastically, Yu Zhou naturally wouldn't suffer any loss.

The little boy listened to their conversation with amusement. He looked up to see Yu Zhou's appearance, only to be met with shock. He had thought his emperor was already incomparably handsome, but the man before him possessed a beauty that transcended the boundaries of gender, a captivating beauty, like a celestial being. He held his breath, forgetting everything, until Hua Qianmo glared at him fiercely, at which point he snapped back to reality. He lowered his head.

"You—okay! Little bean, want to make a bet with me?" Hua Qianmo smiled at Yu Zhou, a calculating glint in her eyes. But Yu Zhou had made bets with her more than once or twice, and each time it ended with Hua Qianmo reneging. She wouldn't fall for it again.

“I have no interest,” Yu Zhou said, turning his head away.

Hua Qianmo suddenly panicked. She ran up to Yu Zhou and said angrily, "Haha, you definitely don't dare. If you're afraid, kneel down and call me uncle, and I'll mercifully spare you." The faint fragrance of plum blossoms surrounded Yu Zhou, soothing her and calming her mind and body.

Yu Zhou looked at Hua Qianmo's smug and arrogant expression, wishing he could crush him, but he remained calm and said, "Whatever." However, the little boy next to him was already very surprised, because Hua Qianmo did not use the word "I" at all in his conversation with Yu Zhou, which showed Yu Zhou's status in Hua Qianmo's heart.

"You little coward, I'm telling you, if you don't make the bet with me today, I'm staying here!" Hua Qianmo sat on the ground like a brat, grabbing Yu Zhou's trouser leg like a child. She wouldn't let it go.

Little Bean was speechless. Although he knew his master was used to being playful and somewhat childish, he had never seen Hua Qianmo like this before. It was as if a child was begging for candy from an elder, and he was even squatting on the ground, disregarding his imperial status. The scene before him deeply shocked Little Bean's heart.

Yu Zhou was also surprised by Hua Qianmo's appearance. After pondering for a while, he said, "Get up, I promise you."

"Really!" Hua Qianmo's face suddenly lit up with a smile, and she stood up happily. Her excitement was tinged with a hint of slyness.

"What are we betting on?"

"We'll bet on who attracts the most men," Hua Qianmo said with a wicked smile, his handsome face showing a hint of excitement. Yu Zhou frowned, completely baffled by his meaning. But he had a vague feeling that he had fallen into a trap.

"Men dress up as women and go to brothels to see who can attract the most customers. The loser has to agree to do something for the other person and forfeit the prize." Hua Qianmo explained her plan with great interest, while Yu Zhou became increasingly exasperated. This Hua Qianmo could come up with all sorts of terrible ideas. He should have refused outright earlier; what should he do now?

"Absurd! Hua Qianmo, do you know what you're doing?" Yu Zhou roared in anger.

"Little bean, you can't go back on your word. I have witnesses. The Wan Hua Lou will be waiting for you tonight," Hua Qianmo said, ignoring Yu Zhou's anger. The little bean was dizzy; his emperor was being too ridiculous. To come up with such a scheme—not even ordinary people, let alone royalty, would do such a thing. And now, an emperor and a prime minister—it was probably the most laughable thing ever. However, he was actually looking forward to seeing his master in women's clothing. And if Prime Minister Yu was so stunning in men's clothing, then in women's clothing, all the women in the world would be ashamed to death. He still felt a bit of anticipation.