Chapter 57 - Twitch

Buxue tea was produced in Qin province, made by roasting the shoot tips. It was an extremely famous and expensive type of tea.

Although people in Kingdom Gu all drank tea, this was different from the normal tea they drank by at least three folds.

Their ruler spoiled his noble consort the most. If he couldn’t bring back a few catties of this buxue tea leaves, even if he successfully traded his horses, he would not be satisfied. The noble consort was also a small-minded person. Her daily meals and clothing were all very extravagant. If she whispered a few sweet words into the ruler’s ear, then that ruler would develop some disdain towards him and Luolu Khan.

Then, not only would everything he did be wasted, it would also add on to the enmity the ruler had towards the father and son duo.

Seeing Tuoba Yu’s eyes darken, Mu Huai’s smile became even more meaningful.

Fight with him?

This little wolf cub was still too inexperienced.

Tuoba Yu suppressed his anger and somewhat calmly asked, “In the past when the two nations exchanged tea and horses, there would be at least five hundred catties of buxue tea, how come there are none this year?”

Mu Huai smirked and answered in a low voice, “In the beginning of spring this year, there was a sudden decrease in the production of buxue tea leaves. Even the palace officials only got a few catties, where would we get five hundred catties from?”

Tuoba Yu knew that Mu Huai had already banned the tea merchants in Qin province from selling private stocks, rendering him unable to find any place within Qi to buy buxue tea.

But he had to obtain the buxue tea, otherwise he would not be able to give an explanation to his ruler.

Mu Huai looked down at the youth who was half a head shorter than him. Seeing his expression was a little strange, he gave a look to Yan Juxu standing beside him.

Yan Juxu immediately understood and spoke to Tuoba Yu, “Heir, if you really want this buxue tea, my Great Qi actually…we can bring it out.”

Tuoba Yu gave a cold glance at Yan Juxu. He knew that Mu Huai’s attendant was currently trying to bait him, but he could only acquiesce as he asked in a brusque tone, “And so, exactly what do you need for you to give me this buxue tea?”

Yan Juxu’s lips unknowingly trembled as he calmly questioned in return, “How many catties does Heir want?”

Tuoba Yu recalled that Kingdom Gu had returned from Qi with at least five hundred catties in the past. If it was any lower, he would be hard pressed to explain it clearly to his ruler and the noble consort.

As such: “Five hundred catties.”

Mu Huai snorted and couldn’t help but shake his head, “You really dare to ask for it.”

Tuoba Yu’s eyes darkened, “So is Your Highness able to procure this amount or not?”

Mu Huai harrumphed and stood up with one hand, not deigning to answer Tuoba Yu’s question, purposely leaving him hanging.

Tuoba Yu only felt that although the man in front of him looked noble and handsome, his face was really asking for a good beating.

Yan Juxu cut in at this time, “Heir, please quell your anger. His Highness is also open to negotiations. After all, you heard what he said earlier. The buxue tea is a little short of supply at the moment to where even the imperial palace doesn’t have enough, so the amount you’re asking for is indeed difficult to amass.”

Tuoba Yu had lost all patience as his frosty voice asked, “So do you guys have the tea leaves or not? If not, then don’t keep barking nonsense in front of me.”

Taking the chance when Tuoba Yu was distracted, Mu Huai and Yan Juxu quickly shared a glance.

After Yan Juxu got the hint, he finally revealed their true intentions to Tuoba Yu, “Of course we can get five hundred catties of buxue tea for Heir. It’s just, in order to amass this amount, it will cost a lot of money and manpower. That’s why…the exchange rate for the horses and tea naturally also have to be amended.”

Tuoba Yu came to a sudden realization.

So this is the trap they laid out for him.

Mu Huai and Yan Juxu, acting out this little play of ruler and subject, one acting angry, the other acting innocent, spun him in circles.

After going through such a big roundabout, it turns out they wanted to use this opportunity to change the exchange rate!

But now that things had come to this state, even if he had seen through the two people’s ploy, he could only resign to his fate.

Tuoba Yu clenched his fists and asked Yan Juxu, “What do you want to change it to?”

Yan Juxu looked at the angry youth’s face and calmly answered, “One high-grade horse for every twenty catties of buxue tea.”

Hearing this, Mu Huai’s lips twitched.

Tuoba Yu’s eyes looked as if they were going to spit fire. His voice changed as he pointed at Yan Juxu and interrogated in a cold voice, “Have you gone mad? Twenty catties of buxue tea for one high-grade horse; why don’t you just say you want to steal!”

Yan Juxu raised an eyebrow and only rapidly blinked his eyes, not replying to Tuoba Yu.

As if on cue, Mu Huai spoke up in a lazy tone at this moment, “Your Kingdom Gu already exchanged half the horses today, and the number of tea leaves that we settled on, Qi has also given half of it already as well. As for how you want to exchange the remaining number of horses, it’s up to you. If you want those five hundred catties of buxue tea, then you can only exchange it at this rate.”

Tuoba Yu’s advisor saw that he was in a disadvantageous position and hurriedly walked up to the crowd. After paying his respects to Mu Huai, he said, “Since it’s difficult for Heir to make a decision right now, why don’t we discuss this again after arriving at Bianjing? It’s also not a solution to just continue to be in a stalemate with Qi. What do you think, Heir?”

Tuoba Yu glared at Mu Huai. In the end, he angrily waved his fists and gnashed his teeth in hatred as he stormed off in anger without saying anything.

The advisor hurriedly asked Mu Huai for forgiveness, “Your Highness, please forgive him. Heir is still young and does not yet understand the customs of Great Qi.”

Mu Huai’s gaze followed Tuoba Yu’s figure as he answered, “It’s alright.”

Although he said that, he was secretly wondering which method would be best to secretly get rid of that wolf cub when they enter Bianjing.

******

As night approached, the pleasant smell of incense wafted out from the charcoal brazier inside the Eastern Palace.

The bright moon hung outside of the windows, illuminating the cobblestoned ground. At times, a gentle breeze would blow, softly rustling the leaves.

A pregnant beauty was sitting in front of the mirror. Her long, black hair cascading down her back, Rong Xi’s eyes were closed. Thinking of how Mu Huai would be hosting the royal ambassadors of Kingdom Gu tomorrow in Zirui Hall, Rong Hui most likely would also be attending the banquet. However, because her body had gotten larger, Mu Huai had already disallowed her from attending banquets.

When the Rong family had fallen, her younger brother had been separated from her not too long after.

After all these years, she had only seen him for the first time just a few months ago, but the two only interacted for less than an hour before Mu Huai charged over with a sword, chasing him away and bringing her back to the palace.

Thinking of this, Rong Xi felt a little downcast.

She really wanted to see Ah Hui again.

After he returns to Kingdom Gu, even if she wanted to see him again, it was unlikely that she would ever get such an opportunity.

Mu Huai went to Qin province yesterday and returned to Bianjing at shenshi (3 PM – 5 PM) today. He only accompanied her for dinner at the Eastern Palace before going back to the political affairs hall to review cases.

Dan Xiang brushed Rong Xi’s hair. Seeing her in a daze, she couldn’t help but ask in concern, “Is Master feeling unwell?”

Rong Xi slowly shook her head, “No.”

She was thinking of how she could get Mu Huai to give her a chance to meet Rong Hui, otherwise she would definitely regret it for the rest of her life.

Because she had two more months until her delivery date was due, the imperial physician had instructed that all types bedroom matters were off the table. Now she could no longer use that sort of method to seduce Mu Huai and make him agree to her demands.

Rong Xi felt a little melancholic. When her thoughts wandered off, she did not know when Mu Huai had returned back to the palace. Dan Xiang had already retreated by now.

Mu Huai snuck up behind Rong Xi and carefully picked her up, walking towards the luxurious four-poster bed.

Encased in his clear and refreshing scent, her body instantly relaxed as she curled up in his embrace like a small cat.

Just as he was about to ask her whether the child in her stomach had been naughty today, he heard her sniffling in his arms as if she had suffered a big grievance. Mu Huai panicked a little and quickly went to the bed as he asked the woman in his arms, “What’s wrong? Where does it hurt?”

Rong Xi’s red-rimmed eyes looked at the man as she spoke in a small voice, “This concubine…this concubine’s calf is cramping.”

Mu Huai held her as he sat on the bed and asked, “Which one?”

Rong Xi pointed at her right calf, “…This, this one.”

As she spoke, because her leg was hurting, she kept fidgeting around in his arms. Mu Huai frowned and ordered, “Don’t move around, I’ll help you massage it.”

Mu Huai sounded very upright when he said it without any lust, but when Rong Xi heard his words, her small face immediately turned red.

These past few months, her breasts had grown considerably larger and they would frequently ache. Sometimes, they would hurt so bad that she could hardly breathe. A while ago, when he had asked her the reason, she had told him the truth with a red face.

Rong Xi remembered that when Mu Huai heard it, his handsome face cracked into an evil smile.

At that time, he also said the same words.

I’ll help you massage it.

Translator’s comments: Hello everyone! I have some exciting news and some not-so-exciting news to share. The exciting news is that I have been accepted to graduate school, so I will be starting school in late August. This means that I will have more time now to translating, as I no longer have applications to stress about.

The not-so-exciting news is that for PIBE, I’m not as fond of this story as I was before. I started translating this story because I was very intrigued by the premise of a male lead undergoing rebirth (rather than the FL), and also by how quick-witted and intelligent Rong Xi was in the beginning. Unfortunately, in my opinion, while I have been very happy to see the character growth of Mu Huai, I’m more disappointed to see Rong Xi’s character take a backseat. The author has spent most of Rong Xi’s scenes describing how pretty she looks in every chapter, which you may not see as much because I actively choose not to translate those sentences; and in part, that’s also why you may notice that some transitions are a little choppy. I am conflicted over whether I should drop this story because while I don’t like to give up on things halfway and want to give you guys a completed translation, I’m just tired of how Rong Xi, despite being the FL and having such a strong beginning, has basically been reduced to a flower vase.