Болезненный юноша, путешествующий во времена династии Сун

Глава 69

Mu Feinan, clutching a wine jar, lay back on the soft couch beside the bed. Hearing the door open, he instinctively sat up and looked. A rare drunkenness flickered in his eyes, which became increasingly clear. Surprisingly, he possessed a captivating and alluring charm.

Mo Xibei, unusually, didn't even glance at him; her gaze was already fixed on the wine jar in Mu Feinan's arms. The words "Half-Day Drunk" were covered by Mu Feinan's hand, but the aroma was still unmistakable. This jar of wine was something Mo Xibei had painstakingly acquired. It cost ten thousand taels of silver per jar, and she had only obtained two at the time. One jar was left in Jiangnan by Mo Xibei, where she specially commissioned a master to develop the recipe. The other jar was specially brought by Honglu this time. Mo Xibei was very reluctant to drink it, only sipping half a bowl when she was really craving it—half a bowl of wine meant half a day of intoxication, hence the name "Half-Day Drunk."

"Get up! How did you find this wine?" Mo Xibei rushed over and snatched the wine jar. It was almost empty, with almost no wine left. She had gone to great lengths to hide it because she was afraid that Mu Feinan would drink it like that. However, she was caught off guard and it was found again.

"The backyard... under the crabapple tree." Mu Feinan was grabbed by Mo Xibei and seemed to be startled, his mouth somewhat incoherent.

"Why did you drink it all?" Mo Xibei was furious, having long forgotten his previous worries.

"Why do you always sneak drinks?" Mu Feinan was drunk, but his mind was still working.

"Because you drink it like this, wasting good wine." Mo Xibei slapped Mu Feinan's arm angrily.

"Because you wouldn't let me drink it, I'm going to drink it all." Mu Feinan grabbed Mo Xibei's hand, looked up at him, and smiled foolishly in his drunken state. "Now that I've drunk it all, I can't throw it up, I can't throw it up."

Mo Xibei was amused by his silly appearance and couldn't help but raise her other hand to hit him. As a result, Mu Feinan slid down onto the bed, and her hand missed. She lost her balance, but Mu Feinan suddenly reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist. As a result, her nose hit his chest hard, and she was held tightly and could not break free.

The wine, strong and mellow from half a day's intoxication, made Mu Feinan fall into a deep sleep. Mo Xibei struggled to break free, but couldn't overcome his strength. The tickling that usually terrified him was useless now. Mo Xibei had no choice but to give up, turn his head to a more comfortable position, and silently breathe in and out, focusing on his inner peace.

The next morning, Mo Xibei was groggily helped to sit up. She struggled to open her eyes and saw Mu Feinan with a bright smile, clearly not drunk at all. Seeing that she was awake, he teased her, "Why didn't you go back to your room yesterday? Why did you sleep here?"

"You still have the nerve to ask? I'm asking you, why did you steal my wine?" Mo Xibei wanted to jump up, but her bad sleeping posture made her limbs numb and sore with every movement.

"What wine? I stole your wine. When did that happen?" Mu Feinan blinked, looking completely innocent.

“The wine jar…” Mo Xibei pointed under the bed, his eyes full of accusation, but he only said three words. The wine jar that was placed under the bed yesterday was nowhere to be found. The room must have just been ventilated by opening the window and burning a new stick of agarwood incense. There was no smell of wine at all. Mu Feinan had even changed his clothes and did not look tired at all.

“Where is the wine jar? You must have drunk too much at the wedding banquet yesterday. You couldn’t even go back to the inner quarters, so you came here to sleep. You’re such a little drunkard.” Mu Feinan pinched her nose with a doting smile. “I knocked on your door this morning, but you didn’t answer, which startled me. I immediately ran over to find you.”

"Keep pretending, I can't be bothered with you." Mo Xibei was completely speechless. Mu Feinan's expression was too real, making her feel as if it was all just a dream she had after getting drunk. However, she was certain that she hadn't drunk many drinks yesterday, and it was impossible for her to be so confused as to not be able to distinguish between dreams and reality.

"Alright, go back to your room and change your clothes. Get up." Mu Feinan pulled her up and ran all the way to the back courtyard.

In this world, the people who are least likely to keep secrets are people, a conclusion Mo Xibei reached today.

After she finished washing up and drank a bowl of sweet porridge made with red beans and rose petals, someone came to tell her that there was a carriage outside that specifically wanted to pick up Murong Lianyun.

The meatball's efficiency was surprisingly high, and he even wanted to give Murong Lianyun a formal title. Mo Xibei's first thought was that the frequency of free lunches falling from the sky was obviously higher than before. But then he thought about it again and felt that something was not right.

Volume Two: The Wind Leaves a Mark, Chapter Nineteen: Identity (Part Two)

Outside the gate, an ordinary carriage was waiting. Mo Xibei walked out of the gate and saw two coachmen sitting idly outside the carriage. When they saw someone coming out, they couldn't help but squint and look him up and down. One of them stepped forward and said, "You are Miss Murong. Come with us now."

"May I ask who you are and where you are taking me?" Mo Xibei neither explained nor moved an inch.

"Why ask so many questions? There will be benefits for you if you come with us." The driver grew impatient and reached out to pull Mo Xibei along.

"What a joke, what benefit would I want from you?" Mo Xibei raised his arm slightly, without making any visible movement, and the two coachmen's outstretched hands were shaken back several steps as if they had hit an iron plate.

"You...you don't know what's good for you!" The coachman opened his mouth to curse, but when Mo Xibei swept his sharp gaze over him, his momentum immediately weakened, and his voice became low. "I don't welcome rude people here. Take these two gentlemen away." Mo Xibei turned around and flicked his sleeve, ordering the servants at the door. Naturally, some servants grabbed sticks and came up to drive the people away.

"You dare, you brat! Let me tell you, we are from the Marquis of Shouning's mansion. If you offend our Marquis, the day of your family's confiscation and extermination is just around the corner!" The coachman, who had been lifted up with a stick, didn't care about anything else and shouted at the top of his lungs.

Mo Xibei vaguely remembered the words "Shouning Marquis's Mansion." The master of the Shouning Marquis's Mansion, Zhang Heling, was the younger brother of Empress Zhang, the wife of Emperor Xiaozong.

Because of Empress Zhang's influence, the Zhang brothers had always acted with impunity in the capital. Later, when Emperor Wuzong ascended the throne, Empress Zhang became Empress Dowager Zhang, but the Zhang brothers continued to wield immense power. Last year, Emperor Jiajing bestowed upon his birth mother the title of Empress Dowager Xingguo. It is said that the most dissatisfied people in the court were Empress Dowager Zhang and her two brothers. Unexpectedly, today, they actually came to their door, specifically demanding to take Murong Lianyun away.

Upon hearing the words "Marquis of Shouning's Residence," the guards at the gate were understandably frightened. Their imposing manner softened, and they hastily put away their sticks and retreated.

"How about that? Scared now? Kneel down to your grandfather a hundred times, and we'll call it even." The driver became smug as soon as he saw his opponent's fear, and his voice grew louder and deeper.

"You say you're from the Marquis of Shouning's residence, so you are?" Mo Xibei, though puzzled, quickly turned back. Standing before the two men, he pointed at them, "What kind of place is the Marquis of Shouning's residence? A noble family, steeped in tradition and etiquette. How could there be such ill-mannered and uncouth people like you? I bet you're imposters. You must be trying to kidnap my young lady and extort money from me because of my wealth. Since you dare to come here today, I will definitely send you to the authorities." With that, Mo Xibei waved his hand and said to his servants, "They can't produce any proof of their identity, so they must be imposters. Don't be afraid, arrest them and send them to the authorities. I'll handle all matters, no matter how serious."

The servants, who had always trusted Mo Xibei, rushed forward, tied the two coachmen up, and took them directly to the yamen (government office).

Two hours later, the middle-aged man who had traveled between the capital and Plum Blossom Manor and had picked up and dropped off Mo Xibei several times appeared directly outside Mo Xibei's door, left a letter, and then quickly disappeared.

This is a handwritten letter from Rouwanzi's mother. It says that news of Mo Xibei kidnapping the Shouning Marquis's family members and taking them to the yamen that morning has reached the palace. Empress Dowager Zhang is currently crying to the Emperor, saying that someone is riding roughshod over the Zhang family, showing no respect for the royal family. The matter has escalated significantly. However, she assures the Emperor that everything is alright and there's no need to worry. The letter also states that the Emperor has been on the throne for four years, and although he has concubines, he has yet to produce an heir. While the Emperor is still young and not in a hurry for an heir, Murong Lianyun is now pregnant. If the child is indeed the Emperor's, he will be the eldest son. Empress Dowager Zhang, due to her political disagreements with the Emperor and her resentment over the matter of establishing an Empress Dowager, may be intent on controlling Murong Lianyun and plotting against him. Therefore, Mo Xibei's actions in making a scene now are correct, thwarting any such plans. However, caution is needed; Empress Dowager Zhang and her family might resort to desperate measures.

The stack of papers was quite thick. Mo Xibei glanced at it and figured it was nothing more than a power struggle within the palace. She had no liking for the palace and didn't want to get involved. She had only felt that things were strange just now. Although Murong Lianyun was no longer related to her, she couldn't bear to see her get into trouble. Unexpectedly, it caused a lot of trouble.

Murong Lianyun remained in the room, speaking softly to her stomach. When Mo Xibei entered, she did not get up, but simply looked up and asked, "I heard someone came to pick me up, but you took me to the government office."

“You sit inside with the door closed, yet you know just as much as you need.” Mo Xibei stopped at the doorway, his eyes hidden in the light and shadow.

"I'm not alone anymore. Even if I don't think about myself, I have to think about the child. How can I not know more?" Murong Lianyun gently stroked her belly, her voice soft, and it was unclear who she was speaking to.

"Then you must know that the people I sent to the government were from the Marquis of Shouning's family. The Marquis of Shouning's family is the maternal family of Empress Dowager Zhang." Mo Xibei's tone was flat, even omitting the use of tones.

"Are they really from the Marquis's mansion?" Murong Lianyun seemed quite surprised. "I thought they were just swindlers. Since you knew they were from the Marquis's mansion, you still dared to arrest them and send them to the authorities?"

"What else can we do? We can't get rid of them, so what are we going to do? Let you go with them?" Mo Xibei snorted, leaning against the door, half of his body basking in the warm sun.

“Though I am ignorant, I know that Empress Dowager Zhang and the Emperor have not been on good terms these past few years. Who knows what will happen to me if I fall into her hands? And no matter what, I will never get the better of the Emperor. So I want to thank you.” Murong Lianyun sighed softly, then suddenly said, “Northwest, I know you hate me now, but I beg you, please protect me these next few days while I am here with you. Even if you don’t care about me, please think of the innocent child in my womb. I beg you.”

"It's better to rely on yourself than to ask others for help." Mo Xibei turned away coldly. "These next few days won't be peaceful. I suggest you don't place your hopes on anyone outside. Think it over carefully. You'll have many more opportunities to protect yourself and your child and avoid both treacherous and malicious attacks in the future." Murong Lianyun didn't say anything more, and Mo Xibei didn't wait for her reply, but left in a hurry.

That night, two men in black were stuck to the roof of Murong Lianyun's house. Most of the tiles were trampled and broken, but they were unable to move, stuck to the rat trap made by Mo Xibei. They were eventually captured alive. The two men in black immediately tried to commit suicide, but Mo Xibei quickly subdued them.

I'm correcting my typos; I have so many...

Volume Two: The Wind Leaves a Mark, Chapter Nineteen: Identity (Part Three)

"You've arrested them, what are you going to do? Send them to the authorities too?" After all the commotion that night, Mu Feinan naturally hadn't gotten any sleep either. Still half-asleep, he came to the brightly lit hall.

“I haven’t thought of anything yet.” Mo Xibei found a chair and sat down, then ordered, “Go, take off their masks and let us see what these two big rats look like.”

The servants couldn't help but laugh when they saw the two men in black whose feet were still firmly stuck to the sticky rat glue. Someone went over and pulled at their veils.