Chapter 24.2

However, he still couldn’t pick it up and over to his plate

He was a bit chagrined and put the chopsticks down on the table.

He was in a bad mood this morning and filled his head with nonsense surely because he didn’t sleep well last night.

After all, he had never suffered the symptoms of insomnia before. Whether it was the wind and sand whistling like wolves howling in Yangguan, or the ice and snow covering and freezing his armor and flesh, he had always slept peacefully.

It was only here, when there was just one less person at night, that he actually couldn’t fall asleep.

…It’s all about that King Jing.

The sick man, who could hardly breathe after only taking a few steps by himself, didn’t return to his room to rest, but had the energy to fool around in his concubine’s room?

Didn’t he say that he fell for him and that he couldn’t bear to put his hand on him? He called on someone else in his harem, and on the contrary, withstood it very much. When he returned afterwards, he was still thinking about changing window papers for others.

What a plausible liar, with a mouthful of nonsense.

King Jing was indeed a deceitful man.

——

Jiang Suizhou changed into his court uniform early in the morning and left in a hurry.

Courtiers weren’t allowed to bring attendants when they entered the palace, so Meng Qianshan sent Jiang Suizhou all the way to outside the palace gates and returned to Anyin Hall to serve the expressionless “favored concubine” who was sitting rigidly upright.

This master was usually silent, and he did everything by himself. He was easy to serve. But today…Meng Qianshan felt that something wasn’t quite right.

As for what was wrong? Meng Qianshan also couldn’t pinpoint it.

This master normally didn’t like to talk, and he didn’t utter a single word today, either. He usually just sat in the corner reading by himself, and today was the same. Nothing was different from the usual.

But Meng Qianshan always felt…that the air pressure in the house today was particularly low.

This made him uncomfortable. He just felt breathless, like a flying insect that could not find a place to go and could only fly around the room.

After careful consideration, Meng Qianshan inwardly reasoned that although Madam Huo wasn’t fond of His Highness, he had thrown a tantrum from yesterday to today. Hence, there was no harm in pleasing this master and making him happy.

With this in mind, Meng Qianshan cautiously walked to Huo Wujiu’s side and stepped forward.

“Master, it’s a perfect day today. Shall I accompany you to the garden for a walk?”

Sun Yuan, who was waiting by Huo Wujiu’s side, heard the words and looked up at the sky outside the window, which was gray and cloudy.

Lin’an in the spring was rainy, and the sky had been cloudy for a while now. Therefore, there was no such thing as perfect weather.

Sun Yuan looked down and saw Huo Wujiu looking at his book, not saying a word.

Meng Qianshan knew that as long as this master made no objection, it meant that they were allowed to do whatever they wanted.

Meng Qianshan was as happy as if he had received an imperial decree and hurriedly gave Sun Yuan a glance. “Your master wants to visit the garden. Why don’t you move faster?”

Sun Yuan promptly pushed the wheelchair and followed Meng Qianshan out of the courtyard.

The layout of King Jing’s residence was exquisite, and Anyin Hall was in the best location in the mansion. After leaving the courtyard and turning south, they entered the garden of the residence.

The former owner of this garden was rich and sophisticated. There were 18 scenic spots in the garden, each of which had its own wonderful view and exquisiteness.

Meng Qianshan had been serving here for three years and could walk through this garden with his eyes closed. Now that he was bent on pleasing Huo Wujiu, he went into a long, vivid monologue about the scenery everywhere they went.

However, Huo Wujiu never applauded his performance.

He sat in his wheelchair with a cold face without responding in the slightest. He was rather like a deaf man who could not hear a sound.

Sun Yuan, on the other hand, pushed his wheelchair and listened with gusto. He looked wherever Meng Qianshan pointed and sometimes couldn’t help but click his tongue and marvel at the beauty, earning looks of daggers from Meng Qianshan.

However, Sun Yuan had always been a bit dense and failed to register Meng Qianshan’s displeasure. He just followed and enjoyed the sights.

They strolled through the garden until they crossed a stone bridge and went to a bamboo forest.

“Madam, look! That is the ‘Youhuang Tingquan’2 in the mansion! That is not only a bamboo grove. After we cross the bridge and walk to that forest, you can see…”

Just then, Meng Qianshan’s rich eloquent voice came to an abrupt halt.

Sun Yuan did not understand, but he quickly followed his gaze.

In the middle of the bamboo forest, there was a gurgling stream and a winding path. An open-air chess couch was set under the hundreds of green bamboos with a stone-carved chess board, which was very elegant.

Right at this moment, two people were sitting on top of the chess couch.

One was dressed in red, and the other in a green robe. They were playing a game in the grove.

Meng Qianshan was so annoyed that he called upon his ancestors, wishing to slap himself in the face. He slammed the brakes under his feet and grabbed Sun Yuan’s shoulder, forcing him to make a U-turn on the narrow and delicate stone bridge.

“…I remembered it wrong! It’s but a ruined bamboo grove. There’s nothing to see. It’s a dead end in front. Turn around, and let’s go to another place…”

But at that moment, the ancestor in the wheelchair, who had been silent, spoke up.

“Isn’t there a Tingquan?” He said. “Why are you turning around? Keep going.”

The deep, cold voice sounded like it was squeezed out of his lips.

Qianshan almost kneeled before him.

You ignored me the entire way, but you were actually listening to me!

Meng Qianshan quickly bowed down in an attempt to persuade this ancestor not to “listen to the springwater”, but the moment he bowed, Huo Wujiu’s side profile hit him straight in the eye.

Meng Qianshan saw that Huo Wujiu’s cold and sharp pitch-black eyes were devoid of his usual indifference and lack of interest, and was instead as sharp as a falcon’s, looking straight ahead.

For a moment, Meng Qianshan felt that this man was on the battlefield, with thousands of soldiers and horses behind him. Huo Wujiu’s eyes were burning like torches, as if in the next second, he would take off the head of the enemy himself.

Meng Qianshan followed his eyes.

…This ancestor was looking at Xu Du.

Footnote:

2 Youhuang Tingquan  – a bamboo grove where you can listen to the sound of spring water

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